During the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty, a map to Chen Youliang's treasure surfaced. The various martial arts factions fought over it, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard searched in vain. Zhejiang Surveillance Commissioner Zhou Haoran's entire family was brutally massacred, and the home of Ningbo tycoon Xiao Boyong was confiscated. Zhang Shicheng's descendants, exiled overseas, organized forces to restore their dynasty and searched for the treasure's whereabouts.
This book has three protagonists:
Zhou Xingjian, the orphaned son of Zhou Haoran, bears a deep blood feud. He grows through hardship and faces life and death alongside Jiang Xue, whose origins are unknown. They become each other's one true love. But just as their love grows profound, he discovers that his beloved girlfriend's father is the very man responsible for his family's blood feud.
Xiao Yu, the eldest son of Xiao Boyong, is a carefree young master. He is kidnapped by bandits, and his cousin Xiuxiu secretly falls for him, but her love is unrequited. Ma Mengyao, daughter of the Ming Cult's leader, travels thousands of miles to search for her mother. She sails west with Zheng He and experiences an undying love with Xiao Yu, eventually finding happiness together. When his family's wealth is confiscated, Xiao Yu's personality changes drastically. He roots out corrupt officials, restores the realm, and opposes Zhao Ce, growing from a happy-go-lucky young master into a gifted statesman.
Zhao Ce, a descendant of Zhang Shicheng, is exiled overseas. A peerless martial artist and brilliant strategist, he unites the various martial arts factions and organizes forces to fight the imperial court. He wins the love of Mu Ying, daughter of the Mu family of Yunnan, and becomes entangled in a romance with Animei, leader of the Poison Cult. His transformation from hero to coward shows how the lust for power distorts human nature. He devotes his life to restoring his dynasty, only for his dream to end in failure...
