From Exile to Xiao Feng

This flow traces the former Beggar Society chief’s discovery of his Khitan birth and the resulting break with his former identity.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Hidden Pursuit

A Name Pursued The search Qiao Feng and A'Zhu travel in disguise, trying to identify the hidden instigator behind the accusations that ruined him. Each lead takes them toward witnesses who may know the truth. A narrowing trail The search costs lives and repeatedly puts Qiao Feng in the position of arriving after the damage is done. His enemy seems to anticipate his movements.

The Rubbing

The Father's Last Words A recovered history Zhiguang gives Qiao Feng a rubbing of the inscription left by Xiao Yuanshan at Yanmen Pass. It establishes his father's name and records the mistaken attack that shattered his family. Identity altered Qiao Feng learns that his birth name is Xiao Feng. His search for the truth now carries the added burden of discovering what his inherited identity means.

The Monk's Silence

A Truth Withheld The unanswered question Qiao Feng asks Zhiguang to name the Leading Big Brother, but the monk answers with a Buddhist verse rather than a name. The one witness who could settle the matter dies without resolving it. Suspicion deepens The silence gives the unseen enemy more time and leaves Xiao Feng relying on incomplete testimony. His pursuit continues, but certainty remains out of reach.

The False Identification

A Dangerous Name A clue from Madam Ma A'Zhu disguises herself as Bai Shijing and coaxes Madam Ma into naming Duan Zhengchun as the Leading Big Brother. Xiao Feng accepts the revelation as the answer to his parents' deaths. The wrong conclusion A'Zhu's discovery proves incomplete: the identity is not supported by the handwriting on Duan Zhengchun's scroll. Xiao Feng is left with a false target and a tragedy built on mistaken certainty.

A Name Still Hidden

The Unfinished Pursuit A confession without the name Madam Ma admits that she engineered the plot against Xiao Feng, but she dies before identifying the writer of the letter to Wang Jiantong. The central mystery survives its apparent resolution. A life redirected A'Zhu's death has already changed Xiao Feng's purpose. His old demand for vengeance remains, but grief and uncertainty now prevent him from treating any accusation as final.

After leaving Yanmen Pass and traveling south

At Zhiguan Temple on Mount Tiantai

Immediately after Zhiguang's revelation

At the Little Mirror Lake, before the bridge appointment

After Madam Ma dies at the Ma residence