The story begins with Yang Qilang entering a martial arts tournament and ends when the north and south declare a truce. Along the way are such thrilling episodes as the Seven Tigers’ expedition to Youzhou, father and sons fighting a bloody battle at Golden Sand Beach, Yang Linggong striking his head against the Li Ling Stele, Sixth Brother going to the capital to appeal his case, the child prodigy outwitting and capturing Grand Marshal Pan, the Eighth Prince wielding his mace against corrupt officials, Kou Zhun brilliantly interrogating Pan Guozhang, Sixth Brother’s ambush of Pan Renmei, Lady She’s battle at Yellow Earth Slope, Kou Zhun visiting the prefectural prince with his boots on his back, Meng Liang causing a scene at the top scholar’s residence, an army marching on Bianliang to rescue Sixth Brother, Ren Bing offering his head in Sixth Brother’s place, Sixth Brother’s clever deployment of the Wild Bull Formation, the old sorcerer laying out the Heavenly Gate Formation, the emperor and his ministers inviting Mu Guiying three times, Fourth Brother visiting his mother and delivering a secret message, Mu Guiying breaking the Heavenly Gate Formation on horseback, and Fourth and Eighth Brothers smuggling Youzhou and capturing Empress Xiao.
The plot is full of twists and turns, with one wave following another, each closely connected to the next. The characters leap vividly off the page, and the story is packed with humor and charm. It’s the kind of book you can’t put down.
