Chu Shihao risked his life to steal the Northern Owl's secret weapon, the Thunderclap Bomb, blueprints. After traveling a thousand miles to present them to the Hidden Emperor, he was accused by Qin Boxian, the treacherous minister at the emperor's side, of being a Northern Owl spy and thrown into the death cell.
Fortunately, General Bai Ruhai came to his rescue. Chu Shihao became the general's vanguard, but was defeated in a battle against the Northern Owl army. At the critical moment, Mo Wentian, the master of Demon-Subduing Ridge, led his people in defeating the Northern Owl army and rescuing the general.
The scholar Liu Ji discovered that Prefect Zhou Wenyuan had embezzled government funds meant for disaster relief. He went to the Ministry of Justice to file a complaint, but Zhou Wenyuan was a protégé of the treacherous minister. Fearing Qin Boxian's power, Minister of Justice Fan Zhongkai dared not arrest Zhou Wenyuan. Fan Zhongkai's daughter, Fan Zhixia, admired Liu Ji's talent and secretly fell for him.
Liu Ji was no match for the treacherous minister and spent his days drowning his sorrows in drink. Fan Zhixia was deeply disappointed. The wealthy young master Hu Cai was tall, imposing, and lavish with his money in Jizhou. He began courting Fan Zhixia. Hoping to rekindle Liu Ji's fighting spirit, Fan Zhixia pretended to date Hu Cai. In truth, Hu Cai was a prince of the Tumeng Kingdom, which had long coveted Jizhou.
The general broke with Qin Boxian. The Hidden Emperor yielded to the treacherous minister and drove the general out of Jizhou. Chu Shihao followed the general to guard the frontier, winning repeated victories, and the Chu family's Overlord Spear technique became renowned far and wide.
At Mount Tiger's Hidden Peak, Liu Ji met a white-haired old man who gave him the Tui Bei Tu and told him, "The realm's fortunes split and reunite over time. With your learning, you can assist a wise ruler and accomplish great things."
Nande and Tumeng joined forces to attack Demon-Subduing Ridge. Liu Ji joined Mo Wentian's faction, and from then on Demon-Subduing Ridge went on a roll: they crushed Nande, drove back the Northern Owl, and destroyed Tumeng. Later, they helped a man named Zhu Chongba ascend the throne and establish the Great Xia Dynasty...
