Chapter Summaries

Hei Yun learned that a strange man had been approaching villagers and making them forget him, and he suspected the Yin Devourers were being controlled. Meanwhile, Chen Qing spoke with the eldest princess’s husband aboard the ship and received a cryptic warning about His Majesty’s secret edict, leaving him to prepare to speak with Fei Jun before they reached Nanming.

• Wei Gongzhan told Hei Yun that villagers and he himself had forgotten encounters with a strange man, while Xiaoli could remember him.
• Hei Yun suspected the Yin Devourer Demon might be controlling Yin Devourers and told Wei Gongzhan to have Xiaoli track the man’s contacts and conversations carefully.
• Chen Qing met the eldest princess’s husband, who asked him to speak with Fei Jun and discreetly sent him a message through spiritual power.
• The eldest princess arrived, said Fei Jun had not eaten for days, and urged Chen Qing to visit him before the ship reached Nanming.
• Chen Qing realized the prince consort’s covert message had been: “His Majesty’s secret edict!”

Chen Qing confronted Fei Jun about his despair after learning how ruthlessly the Princess Royal had pursued her plans. He left Fei Jun questioning his lost confidence and remembering that Chen Qing once believed they shared the same path.

• Chen Qing visited Fei Jun and learned that he was shaken by the Princess Royal's role in the crown prince's mutilation and the transformation of three hundred thousand soldiers into living corpses.
• Fei Jun admitted that he had spent his life hiding his brilliance to avoid provoking the crown prince and had believed his mother was gentle and needed his protection.
• Chen Qing told Fei Jun that his fear came from weakness and challenged him to oppose or punish the Princess Royal if he truly rejected her actions.
• The Princess Royal stopped Fei Jun's father from interrupting as Chen Qing scolded Fei Jun for enjoying his mother's benefits while lacking the courage to take a stand.
• Chen Qing reminded Fei Jun of his former pride and confidence, then revealed that he had once thought they were walking the same path.
• After Chen Qing left, Fei Jun remained dazed and wondered whether he had really once been so impressive.

Chen Qing activated the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley and gained control over its passages after earning the trust of the ancient spellcasters sealed within it. The eldest princess agreed to give him one year in Nanming Prefecture, leaving Chen Qing in control of Jiangnan for that period.

• The eldest princess learned that Jun'er was willing to eat, then met Chen Qing as he approached Nanming Prefecture with Shen Yiyun and the controlled Shen Laoliu.
• Chen Qing activated the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, while Shen Yiyun used the Insect Spell to control Shen Laoliu.
• Within the fog, Chen Qing met the ancient spellcasters’ spirit bodies, who credited him with resisting temptation and killing the ancient insects.
• Chen Qing negotiated for authority over the formation’s passages, and the spirit bodies granted him control after he explained that humanity first had to resolve the ancient insect crisis.
• The formation’s power surged across Nanming as Shen Laoliu’s howls faded, and the eldest princess acknowledged the danger of pursuing antiquity.
• Chen Qing and the eldest princess agreed to a one-year period in Nanming Prefecture, leaving Chen Qing as Jiangnan’s lord for that year.

Yunzhou celebrated the fighter troops’ return as Old Lu reflected on the city’s recovery and Yuchi Feihu’s rise. At the prefectural offices, an envoy from Liuzhou announced that Yunzhou would appoint a commander-in-chief and River God while two generals were summoned to join a new war.

• Yunzhou residents gathered to welcome General Feihu’s returning troops, while Old Lu and Proprietress Gu reminisced about the city’s recovery from the living corpses.
• Old Lu explained Yuchi Feihu’s achievements and growing strength, noting that the young general had risen to prominence without his family’s help.
• Golden-armored soldiers from Liuzhou arrived and said they had orders to transfer two fighter generals, leading Old Lu to suspect Yunzhou’s commander-in-chief would soon be chosen.
• After the parade, Yuchi Feihu went to the prefectural offices, where he met Di Yun and the Liuzhou envoy surnamed Yang.
• Yang announced that Yunzhou would choose its Battle God commander-in-chief and River God, and that the remaining two Battle God generals would assemble in Liuzhou for war; Yuchi Feihu eagerly welcomed the news.

Yuchi Feihu and Di Yun chose to return to Liuzhou for the coming war, while two other generals stayed in Yunzhou to serve as commander-in-chief and oversee the waterways. The man known as Lu Dayong also prepared to leave, finally revealing his real name as Lu Ming and promising to return for the teahouse proprietress and her daughter.

• Di Yun explained that Chen Qing would leave two senior officers in Yunzhou, and Yuchi Feihu declined the commander-in-chief post because he wanted to keep fighting and grow stronger.
• Di Yun decided to return to Liuzhou with Yuchi Feihu, explaining that his wife and daughter would come with him.
• Two other generals chose to remain in Yunzhou, and one accepted the Battle God commander-in-chief role while promising to support Chen Qing if needed.
• Lu told the teahouse proprietress and her daughter that he had to answer the summons to Liuzhou, then warned them to flee into the southwestern mountains if Jiangnan became unsafe.
• The proprietress demanded Lu's real name as he left, and he revealed that he was Lu Ming and promised to return for them.

Yunzhou’s forces reached Nanyang City and saw the enormous fleet assembled for a campaign against the West Sea, while Di Yun reflected on how quickly Chen Qing’s army had grown. In Liuzhou City, Zhou Haitao and Wei Gongcheng struggled to organize the mobilization as they discussed its purpose, Jiangnan’s resources, and the shortage of educated administrators.

• Yuchi Feihu and Di Yun arrived at Nanyang City and marveled at Jiangnan’s huge ships and the forces gathered for the campaign.
• A soldier surnamed Yang said more than two hundred thousand fighters from Jiangnan’s seven prefectures had answered the summons, and the full force would likely exceed a million troops.
• Di Yun recalled Liuzhou’s former army of barely ten thousand and concluded that Chen Qing’s rapid expansion made his choice to serve him seem right.
• In Liuzhou City, Zhou Haitao struggled with the mobilization’s accounts, and Wei Gongcheng helped him despite having his own Underworld duties.
• Wei Gongcheng explained that the troops were needed to defend Nanming Prefecture against the West Sea after the Eldest Princess withdrew, while he and Zhou Haitao discussed the shortage of Yellow Academy craftsmen and educated administrators.

Gu Beiquan and the local gentry resented Chen Qing’s rule because his policies had stripped them of influence and made their land worthless. They recruited Shen Yuan to gather intelligence, and he learned they believed the imperial court was preparing to move against Chen Qing.

• The chapter described how the Fighter Army, mountain gods, and academy transformed rural life and displaced the gentry’s control over land and farmers.
• Gu Beiquan and other gentry stopped Shen Yuan after he left the academy and urged him to remember his appointment by the imperial court.
• Gu Beiquan brought Shen Yuan to a local gentleman’s house, where the gentry offered him stale tea and cheap pastries while seeking information.
• Shen Yuan rejected their attacks on the academy’s teachings and thought about the students’ contributions to Liuzhou and Jiangnan.
• Gu Beiquan claimed that the imperial court was about to act against Chen Qing, and Shen Yuan asked how he had learned this.

Shen Yuan learned that Gu Beiquan and other gentry planned to help the imperial court suppress Chen Qing by stealing military secrets from the academy. He remained torn between his family’s ties to the capital and his hope for Jiangnan, and asked for time before agreeing to help.

• Gu Beiquan told Shen Yuan that Chen Qing was mobilizing at least three hundred thousand troops and claimed the imperial court was preparing to suppress him.
• Gu Beiquan asked Shen Yuan to steal the Warlock Academy’s cannon and Sea God blueprints, and Shen Yuan demanded to know who would receive them.
• When Shen Yuan tried to leave, Gu Beiquan introduced Squire Liu, who showed him a letter bearing the Ministry of Rites’ seal about the court’s interest in Chen Qing.
• Shen Yuan suspected the court might be divided and worried that refusing could sever his family ties, so he asked for time to obtain the classified materials.

At court, ministers debated whether to act against Chen Qing, whose Jiangnan reforms and booming trade had drawn condemnation from scholars and aristocratic interests. Vice Minister Yang accused Chen Qing of aiding the northern rebels with grain and strategic supplies, leaving the court facing a grave charge it could no longer dismiss.

• The ministers gathered before the grand court assembly and discussed Great Jin’s military crises in the north, Jiangnan, and Cloud Capital.
• Vice Minister Yang urged the court to stop delaying action against Chen Qing, citing his reforms, commercial influence, and support from merchants and students.
• The Minister of Rites argued that the court lacked troops for a campaign, but Vice Minister Yang claimed Chen Qing’s threat rivaled the northern rebellion.
• Vice Minister Yang presented evidence that Chen Qing’s merchants had bought yin wood and horses in the north, including rare Dragon Horses and Elephant Horses.
• Vice Minister Yang accused Chen Qing of helping the Duke of Wei by selling him grain, which had enabled the rebel duke to release horses for transport to Liuzhou.

At court, Vice Minister Yang accused Chen Qing of building an independent power in Jiangnan and secretly aiding the eldest princess, while the military officers and empress questioned his claims. Yang argued that the court had a rare chance to reclaim Jiangnan, but the evidence he promised had not yet arrived.

• Vice Minister Yang renewed his claim that Jiangnan was supplying grain to the north, but the generals disputed it and suggested the northern grain might come from the Kingdoms of Guhuang.
• The Minister of Rites acknowledged Chen Qing's unauthorized actions in Jiangnan and urged the court to hold him accountable for recruiting soldiers, promoting engineering studies, and encouraging religion.
• Vice Minister Yang accused Chen Qing of seizing local authority, suppressing Confucian scholars, manufacturing cannons, and secretly serving Xiao Mingxue.
• The empress asked Yang for evidence, and he said his informants in Jiangnan were gathering proof about Chen Qing and his firearms.
• Yang told the court that the current situation was the best opportunity to reclaim Jiangnan, despite the court's shortage of troops.

After court, clan leaders and ministers weighed Vice Minister Yang’s claims that Chen Qing could retake Nanming Prefecture while the Eldest Princess was occupied in the West Sea. Yang then revealed evidence suggesting Chen Qing possessed a powerful way to produce abundant grain, leaving the ministers alarmed by the possibility that his resources could undermine their class.

• Clan scions and military officers debated whether Vice Minister Yang’s intelligence about Jiangnan and Nanming Prefecture was trustworthy, then arranged to investigate it themselves.
• The Nine Ministers took Vice Minister Yang to the Minister of Personnel’s residence and asked him to explain his intelligence.
• Yang claimed Chen Qing had persuaded the Eldest Princess to withdraw from Jiangnan and planned to occupy Nanming Prefecture with his militia.
• Yang said Chen Qing might be supplying grain to both the northern forces and the Eldest Princess, and warned that his resources could threaten the scholarly class.
• Yang showed the ministers dried meat worms and cultivated crops, claiming Chen Qing’s Divine Path could feed Jiangnan’s huge population and produce grain for export.

The Duke of Wei waited at North Sea harbor to trade horses and resources for a huge shipment of Jiangnan grain, hoping the supply would help his army and their campaign to rescue His Majesty. When towering ships arrived with elite soldiers and Above First Rank martial artists, Xu Hu presented the grain on behalf of an unnamed lord, leaving the Duke of Wei wary of the force behind the deal.

• The Duke of Wei recalled how grain from Jiangnan had stabilized his army’s food supply after their granary was destroyed and the northern frontier faced famine.
• The Duke of Wei arranged to exchange a hundred thousand horses, timber, and refined iron ore for a massive shipment of grain, then decided to seize the merchants’ supply route if possible.
• A young general reported that ships had arrived, and the Duke of Wei led his men to hide near the docks while his eldest son questioned the plan to rob the merchants.
• The Duke of Wei and his sons saw enormous ships carrying armed elites and metal tubes, then watched several powerful men leap onto the docks.
• Xu Hu identified himself as an emissary of an unnamed lord and said the lord had mobilized his people to prepare grain for the Duke of Wei.
• Xu Hu displayed freshly harvested soft rice, and the Duke of Wei inspected its exceptional quality while recognizing the danger of taking it by force.

The Duke of Wei considered seizing the grain and ships of Chen Qing’s force, but his legitimate son persuaded him that Great Jin could not afford another enemy. Aboard a ship in Nanyang City, Chen Qing explained that he planned to use the weakened court as an example to deter the powers threatening Jiangnan.

• The Duke of Wei estimated that Xu Hu’s fleet carried fewer than twenty thousand soldiers and argued that he could overwhelm them and take their grain.
• The Duke of Wei’s legitimate son warned that attacking Xu Hu would provoke an unknown maritime power and pointed to Great Jin’s crises on multiple fronts.
• The Duke of Wei reconsidered and ordered his son to ask Xu Hu whether his lord would agree to a long-term alliance.
• Aboard a ship in Nanyang City, Master Shen San and Chen Qing discussed why the court was the best target for a demonstration of strength.
• Chen Qing reflected that the eldest princess might try to seize his grain and that he needed to deter the powers watching Jiangnan.

Wei Gongzhan prepared to welcome his young master home while Great Azure Mountain’s villagers discussed academy admissions, competition, and the families of soldiers killed in Yunzhou. At Liuzhou City, he learned that the court planned to send troops against Jiangnan under Yuchi Peng.

• Great Azure Mountain’s villagers asked Wei Gongzhan to find merchants for their crops and to inquire about academy admissions for their children.
• The villagers discussed competition from other mountain settlements and the disputes over benefits for Liuzhou soldiers killed in Yunzhou.
• Wei Gongzhan said his friend, a general returning from Yunzhou, was expected to reach Liuzhou that day.
• Wei Gongzhan entered Liuzhou City with wine and gifts to celebrate his young master’s return.
• A man waiting at the city gate introduced Wei Gongzhan to a cousin of Vice Minister of Rites Liu and revealed that the court was sending troops against Jiangnan under Yuchi Peng.

Yuchi Feihu learned that Jiangnan’s gentry were conspiring with the imperial court to overthrow Chen Qing and asked them to reveal the scope of their alliance. He agreed to attend their literary gathering at Hundred Lives Hall, while hiding his cold intentions.

• Squire Liu told Wei Gongzhan that the court had ordered fifty thousand troops to retake Jiangnan and was transferring Chen Qing to the capital.
• The Jiangnan gentry explained that they wanted Chen Qing removed so they could regain influence over local wealth and institutions.
• Yuchi Feihu arrived and heard the gentry propose that he use his command of more than ten thousand Fighter Army troops to defect or disrupt Chen Qing’s forces.
• Yuchi Feihu challenged the gentry to identify whom they represented, and they revealed that Liuzhou’s scholars would gather the next day at Hundred Lives Hall on North Street.

Wei Gongzhan refused to betray Yuchi Feihu or Great Azure Mountain, while Yuchi Feihu confronted Wei Gongyan’s betrayal and then attended the squires’ gathering. The gathering ended with Yuchi Feihu killing Squire Liu in front of the assembled scholars.

• Yuchi Feihu sent Wei Gongyan to reassure the squires and arrange their literary gathering, then shared wine with Wei Gongzhan.
• Yuchi Feihu accused Wei Gongyan of deliberately revealing his background to the squires, and Wei Gongzhan admitted he would not betray him but could not join him against Great Azure Mountain.
• At Hundred Lives Hall, Squire Liu told the scholars that the fog was clearing and claimed General Huang Feihu supported their plan to coordinate with the imperial court.
• Yuchi Feihu arrived at the gathering as the supposed General Yuchi, then seized Squire Liu and twisted his head and body into a corkscrew.

Yuchi Feihu was caught after killing the scholars who knew his identity, but he learned that his captor was Wei Gongcheng and met Chen Qing. Given the choice to leave or remain in Yunzhou without being forced to fight the court, Yuchi Feihu chose to stay and fight.

• Yuchi Feihu killed more than half the scholars at Hundred Herbs Hall to keep his identity as Huang Feihu secret.
• A newcomer stopped Yuchi Feihu from killing Gu Beiquan, and Yuchi Feihu surrendered rather than attack someone from the Fighter Army.
• Yuchi Feihu recognized the newcomer as Wei Gongcheng, who introduced him to Chen Qing.
• Chen Qing told Yuchi Feihu he could leave with the power he had earned or stay, and promised he would not have to fight the court if he chose not to.
• Yuchi Feihu asked Chen Qing to keep him, then knelt and declared that he was willing to fight.

Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi reached Jiangnan to summon Chen Qing to the capital, but a military crossbow destroyed their aerial edict, deepening their suspicions that Chen Qing had rebelled. Chen Qing appeared with his companions to greet the envoys, leaving Yuchi Peng stunned by the presence of Gongcheng and Feihu.

• Yuchi Peng questioned whether Chen Qing had betrayed the country, while Luo Yi defended the court’s summons and described the political suspicions surrounding Jiangnan.
• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi flew ahead of their army and saw that Jiangnan’s fog had retreated across the river from Nanming Prefecture.
• Luo Yi ordered the imperial edict promoting Chen Qing to left vice minister of war, and Yuchi Peng sent a wooden bird to display it over Jiangnan.
• An enormous military crossbow bolt struck and shattered the wooden bird high in the sky, prompting Luo Yi to ask whether Yuchi Peng now believed Chen Qing was rebelling.
• Chen Qing emerged from the fog with several companions and apologized for the attack, while Yuchi Peng recognized Gongcheng and Feihu behind him.

Chen Qing refused to leave Jiangnan unless the decree came directly from the emperor, arguing that the emperor had entrusted him with protecting the Xiao Household’s future. The Golden Crow Flame displayed by the young girl in the clouds supported his claim and left Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi stunned.

• Yuchi Peng reunited with Wei Gongcheng and learned that Wei was now devoted to serving Chen Qing rather than returning to the Yuchi Household or army.
• Chen Qing questioned whether the order to return to the capital had come personally from the emperor, while Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi threatened him for refusing the decree.
• Yuchi Feihu stood against Yuchi Peng’s aura and matched his strike, revealing that he had advanced to first-rank martial warrior.
• Chen Qing said the emperor had entrusted him with protecting an imperial bloodline and the Xiao Household’s future, and refused to leave Jiangnan while the emperor remained under sinister influence.
• A young girl appeared in the clouds and wielded the Golden Crow Flame, prompting Chen Qing to challenge the legitimacy of the ninth prince’s regency.

Chen Qing revealed Xiaoli’s Golden Crow Bloodline to Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi, deepening their doubts about the regency decree and the empress. He expected a battle regardless and explained that showing Xiaoli gave his army a legitimate cause to fight.

• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi suspected the decree appointing the infant prince regent was fake after learning Xiaoli had inherited the Golden Crow Bloodline at one year old.
• Luo Yi ordered them to follow the court’s orders and bring Chen Qing and Xiaoli back safely, while Yuchi Peng warned that Chen Qing’s forces and the eldest princess’s contingencies could make the mission difficult.
• Yuchi Peng and Luo Yi discussed the fading fog, the eldest princess’s army in the West Sea, and the possibility of testing her preparations before advancing.
• On the way back, Yuchi Feihu admitted his legs had gone weak after confronting Yuchi Peng, and Chen Qing teased him while the others laughed.
• Wei Gongcheng said seeing Yuchi Peng felt less daunting than he had expected, and Chen Qing explained that the empress’s hypnosis was powerful enough to sway even military nobles.
• Chen Qing told Wei Gongcheng that a battle was inevitable and that revealing Xiaoli gave the Battle God Army, many of whose fighters had served the court, a righteous cause to fight for.