Chapter Summaries

Hu Liena watched Bibi Dong praise Li Mubai and wondered why he affected her teacher so strongly. She went to use the latrine in Li Mubai’s rear courtyard and was surprised that it did not stink.

• Bibi Dong praised Li Mubai’s idea, leaving Hu Liena astonished by her teacher’s rare smile and relaxed demeanor.
• Hu Liena studied Li Mubai, briefly found him handsome, then remembered Xiao Qian calling him Master and judged him a womanizer.
• Feeling unable to hold it, Hu Liena asked Xiao Qian where the latrine was and followed her to the rear courtyard.
• Hu Liena entered the latrine and held her breath, then took a quick breath and found that there was no smell.

Hu Liena discovered the clever, clean latrine Li Mubai had designed and questioned why Xiao Qian willingly called him Master. After hearing how Li Mubai had cared for Xiao Qian since buying her as a child, Hu Liena reconsidered her judgment of him.

• Hu Liena watched Xiao Qian flush and freshen the latrine, then marveled that it had no odor or insects and had running water for washing hands.
• Xiao Qian explained that Li Mubai had designed the household devices and layout, prompting Hu Liena to ask why she called him Master.
• Xiao Qian recounted how her family sold her to a trafficker during a famine and Li Mubai bought her when he was seven.
• Xiao Qian explained that Li Mubai cared for her, taught her, and treated her like family, so she chose to look after him and call him Master.
• Hu Liena admitted that she had been wrong about Li Mubai and regarded him as a good man.

Li Mubai reluctantly agreed to let Bibi Dong stay for lunch after she insisted on mooching a meal at his home. In the kitchen, Hu Liena asked Xiao Qian about the zongzi they were cooking, and Xiao Qian explained their connection to Qu Yuan.

• Li Mubai tried to hint that Bibi Dong should return to Spirit Hall, but she asked whether he was unwelcome.
• Li Mubai politely invited Bibi Dong to stay for lunch, and she accepted, leaving him regretting his courtesy.
• Xiao Qian started cooking zongzi while Hu Liena asked what the bamboo-leaf-wrapped food was.
• Xiao Qian told Hu Liena that zongzi commemorated Qu Yuan and recalled Li Mubai teaching her about him and making her memorize “Encountering Sorrow.”

Li Mubai explained why there was no rice after Bibi Dong mistook the missing staple for a sign he did not welcome her. He began inventing an explanation to protect the raise she had agreed to, and Bibi Dong listened with interest.

• Xiao Qian cooked zongzi and prepared eight dishes and a soup, while Hu Liena wondered whether zongzi could serve as the meal’s staple.
• Li Mubai invited Bibi Dong and Hu Liena to eat, and Bibi Dong relaxed enough to surprise Hu Liena.
• When Hu Liena said there was no rice, Bibi Dong accused Li Mubai of not welcoming her and threatened to make his raise harder to arrange.
• Li Mubai explained to himself that he had planned zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival and had forgotten to ask Xiao Qian to prepare rice.
• Bibi Dong rejected Li Mubai’s excuse that the omission was a misunderstanding, so he claimed the day was special, and she waited to hear his explanation.

Li Mubai convinced Bibi Dong that zongzi was a traditional dish from his hometown, and they sat down to eat after she promised him a fifty percent raise. When he accidentally called her “boss,” Bibi Dong allowed him to use that address outside monthly assemblies, leaving Li Mubai surprised and more comfortable with her.

• Li Mubai invented a hometown tradition and history to explain why he had prepared zongzi instead of rice, while Bibi Dong questioned him and secretly enjoyed his nervousness.
• Bibi Dong stopped questioning Li Mubai and became curious to try the zongzi he had described.
• At the dining table, Li Mubai appreciated Bibi Dong’s promise to increase his salary by fifty percent, while she hoped to strengthen their working relationship.
• Li Mubai accidentally called Bibi Dong “boss” and feared his slip would cost him the raise.
• Bibi Dong told Li Mubai he could call her “boss” except at monthly assemblies, and he felt surprised and less averse to her.

Li Mubai served zongzi to Bibi Dong, Hu Liena, and Xiao Qian, then showed Bibi Dong and Hu Liena how to unwrap and eat the unfamiliar food. Bibi Dong enjoyed the savory zongzi, while Hu Liena cautiously tried the sweet kind.

• Bibi Dong felt pleased that Li Mubai's attitude toward her had softened, and Li Mubai decided to stay at Spirit Hall for now because his job paid well.
• Li Mubai handed out the seven zongzi, leaving himself only one, and Xiao Qian offered him one of hers before he declined.
• Bibi Dong and Hu Liena watched Li Mubai, so he unwrapped his zongzi and explained the savory and plain varieties.
• Bibi Dong unwrapped a cured pork zongzi and tried a small bite, finding its savory flavor acceptable and novel.
• Hu Liena opened a plain zongzi, added sugar like Xiao Qian, and cautiously tasted it.

Hu Liena enjoyed the plain zongzi and Xiao Qian’s cooking, while Bibi Dong disliked the sweet zongzi and worried about her disciple’s manners and her attitude toward Li Mubai. Bibi Dong still hoped to keep Li Mubai in Spirit Hall and reflected on the importance of his ruler-and-people theory.

• Hu Liena loved the plain zongzi, while Bibi Dong found it unpleasant and Li Mubai reassured her that sweet and salty tastes were a matter of preference.
• Hu Liena ate enthusiastically, prompting Bibi Dong to decide she should spend less time with Xie Yue and the others.
• Hu Liena praised Xiao Qian’s cooking, and Bibi Dong was troubled that Hu Liena had befriended Xiao Qian instead of showing Li Mubai courtesy.
• Bibi Dong judged Hu Liena too quick to follow her emotions and thought Li Mubai’s household arrangements were ordinary rather than debauched.
• Bibi Dong recalled Li Mubai’s theory that the people could carry or overturn a ruler and reaffirmed its importance.

The Wild Wolf Gang cornered Widow Zhao and her child in a Jingxi Street alley, while Li Mubai enjoyed a quiet evening after seeing Bibi Dong off. When Xiao Qian invited him to bathe, a woman’s cry for help interrupted them, and Li Mubai turned toward the troubled street.

• The Wild Wolf Gang terrorized Jingxi Street, where Scarface and his men threatened Widow Zhao and her young daughter in an alley.
• Li Mubai watched Bibi Dong’s carriage disappear and hoped she would not involve him in her plan to hunt a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.
• Xiao Qian called Li Mubai inside to bathe, and he welcomed the chance to spend the evening with her instead of risking his life in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• A woman’s cry for help reached Li Mubai, erasing his smile as he looked toward Jingxi Street.

Li Mubai ignored a cry for help in Spirit City and returned home to Xiao Qian, while Widow Zhao and her daughter were cornered by the Wild Wolf Gang. The gang prepared to assault Widow Zhao and target her child, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Li Mubai heard a cry for help but dismissed it as a common occurrence and entered the house, where Xiao Qian frowned.
• Members of the Wild Wolf Gang trapped Widow Zhao and her daughter in a dead-end alley and taunted them as no one came to help.
• Widow Zhao recalled how Xiao Qian had helped her sell tofu and care for her daughter, and how the gang had extorted her earnings.
• After her daughter fell ill, Widow Zhao went out at night for a doctor and ran into the gang on her way home.
• Widow Zhao begged the gang to spare her daughter, but Scarface agreed to let one of his men take the child.

A woman escaped the Wild Wolf Gang by charging through the drunken thugs while protecting her sleeping daughter, but Scarface revealed himself as a Soul Master and intercepted her near the street corner. She lay on Jingxi Street with Scarface blocking her path, still determined not to let him capture her or her child.

• The woman resolved to protect her daughter and burst out of the alley, knocking Scarface and the other thugs down.
• Clutching her daughter, the woman ran toward another gang’s street, hoping the Wild Wolf Gang would not pursue her there.
• Scarface revealed that he was a Soul Master above level ten, jumped onto the rooftops, and raced ahead to intercept her.
• As the woman approached a sweet potato vendor near the street corner, Scarface grabbed her hair and yanked her back onto Jingxi Street.
• Scarface blocked the way forward and threatened the woman, who struggled to rise while holding her daughter and refusing to be caught.

Li Mubai rescued Sister Zhao and her daughter Yu'er from Scarface, a member of the Wild Wolf Gang who had threatened and attacked them. The chapter left Scarface restrained and facing Li Mubai, whose strength appeared far greater than his.

• Scarface threatened Sister Zhao and Yu'er, and the nearby sweet potato vendor refused to help when Scarface challenged him.
• Scarface grabbed Sister Zhao and threatened to sell her and Yu'er to a brothel before reaching for her.
• Li Mubai seized Scarface's wrist, stopping him effortlessly as Scarface struggled to break free.
• Scarface claimed he belonged to the Wild Wolf Gang and begged Li Mubai to release him, but Li Mubai ignored him.
• Sister Zhao told Li Mubai that Yu'er had a high fever and Scarface had attacked them on their way home.
• Li Mubai helped Sister Zhao to her feet, reassuring her as Scarface watched in fear.

Li Mubai rescued Zhao and her daughter from Scarface, then awkwardly got caught staring at Zhao's chest. After Xiao Yu'er woke, Li Mubai asked how she would deal with Scarface, and she chose to kick him in the balls.

• Li Mubai pulled Zhao to her feet and accepted her thanks for saving her and Xiao Yu'er from Scarface's gang.
• Zhao bowed to Li Mubai, and he caught sight of her chest through her loose neckline before she noticed him staring.
• Zhao quietly pointed out that Li Mubai was still holding her hand, and he released it awkwardly.
• Xiao Yu'er woke, greeted Li Mubai, and called Scarface ugly; Zhao and Li Mubai told her he was a bad man who had bullied her mother.
• Li Mubai asked Xiao Yu'er how she would deal with Scarface, and she firmly answered that she would kick his balls.

After Xiao Yu'er revealed that Xiao Qian had taught her how to deal with bad men, Li Mubai remembered that he had taught Xiao Qian the same lesson. Sister Zhao ordered Li Mubai to do as Xiao Yu'er said, and his sword Qi struck Scarface between the legs, leaving him screaming that he was a eunuch.

• Scarface begged Sister Zhao to spare him, kowtowing until his forehead bled, while Li Mubai waited for her decision.
• Xiao Yu'er said Xiao Qian had taught her to kick bad men between the legs, and Li Mubai remembered giving Xiao Qian that advice years earlier.
• Sister Zhao rejected Scarface's pleas and told Li Mubai to do as Xiao Yu'er had said.
• Li Mubai sent a streak of sword Qi between Scarface's legs, and Scarface fell to the ground screaming that he was a eunuch.

Li Mubai crippled Scarface and won the grateful residents’ praise, while reflecting on the oppression in Spirit City. The Wild Wolf Gang’s first and second bosses arrived with a crowd, threatening the street and its residents.

• Scarface fainted from the pain, and the residents of the street cheered Li Mubai for defeating him.
• The residents lit their homes and praised Li Mubai, while the sweet potato vendor watched and regretted not helping the mother and daughter.
• The beautiful woman warned Li Mubai that Scarface had accomplices, and Li Mubai said he had already dealt with them.
• A Soul Power-enhanced shout silenced the street as the first and second bosses of the Wild Wolf Gang arrived with a crowd.
• The leather-clad boss threatened to raise the residents’ protection fees by thirty percent, and frightened people shut their windows and extinguished their lights.

Li Mubai lured the Wild Wolf Gang into a fight after its members threatened and humiliated Zhao and her daughter. He defeated the gang in Spirit City's west street, while the gang's second-in-command escaped toward the City Guard Office, where the gang had influential help.

• The leather-jacketed leader confronted Li Mubai over his attack on Scarface, and Li explained that he had defended Zhao from the gang's threats and insults.
• Li Mubai sent Zhao and Xiao Yu'er away, then charged the Wild Wolf Gang and stomped Scarface again as he recovered.
• Li Mubai defeated the gang members with ease, knocking out the leather-jacketed leader and leaving the rest injured across the street.
• The beanpole man used a Soul Skill to escape, and the Wild Wolf Gang's second-in-command fled to the City Guard Office for help.

Ye Lao'er went to the City Guard Office to seek help after Li Mubai defeated the Wild Wolf Gang, but Xiao Li demanded a bribe before listening. Ye Lao'er offered a valuable dagger, and Xiao Li accepted it and asked him to explain his business.

• Ye Lao'er rushed to the City Guard Office after Li Mubai struck down the Wild Wolf Gang's boss and left the gang in danger.
• Xiao Li mocked Ye Lao'er and demanded money, then ordered him to leave when he said he had none.
• Ye Lao'er offered Xiao Li the valuable dagger he had brought from his collection.
• Xiao Li reacted warily when Ye Lao'er reached for the dagger, then accepted it and asked what he had come to report.

Ye Lao'er persuaded Xiao Li of the City Guard Office to confront Li Mubai after the latter destroyed the Wild Wolf Gang. Xiao Li challenged Li Mubai over the city’s rules, but Li Mubai said he had never heard of the City Guard Office.

• Ye Lao'er told Xiao Li that Li Mubai had threatened the City Guard Office, and Xiao Li agreed to take action after accepting his gift.
• Li Mubai waited on Jingxi Street for the Wild Wolf Gang's backer, reflecting that the gang's abuses stemmed from Spirit Hall's system.
• Li Mubai grew impatient as no reinforcements arrived, while the surrounding residents reacted to the Wild Wolf Gang's defeat.
• Ye Lao'er arrived with Xiao Li and accused Li Mubai of breaking the City Guard Office's rules against private fighting.
• Li Mubai asked what the City Guard Office was, and Ye Lao'er told Xiao Li that Li Mubai was deliberately insulting him.

Li Mubai faced Xiao Li, a City Guard Office officer who tried to arrest him after Ye Lao'er accused him of causing trouble in Spirit City. As Xiao Li approached, Li Mubai asked whether he knew who he was.

• Li Mubai reflected that he had once wanted to avoid Spirit Hall's reforms, but his Sign-In System required Spirit Hall and the Pope's Hall to remain available for him to gain strength.
• Ye Lao'er gloated as Xiao Li threatened to take Li Mubai to the City Guard Office, hoping to use the officer's corruption to take revenge.
• Li Mubai argued that he had acted in self-defense because the Wild Wolf Gang members had attacked him together, while bystanders voiced support for him.
• Xiao Li dismissed Li Mubai's explanation, accused him of starting the fight, and stepped forward to arrest him.
• Li Mubai asked Xiao Li whether he knew who he was, but Xiao Li arrogantly told him to admit his wrongdoing and accept punishment.

Li Mubai let Xiao Li arrest him so he could expose the City Guard Office’s corruption and see how Bibi Dong would respond. Bibi Dong realized his arrest was a test of her willingness to support him, and she was delighted that he might help her reform Spirit Hall.

• Xiao Li accused Li Mubai of causing the street incident and ordered him to come to the City Guard Office, ignoring the other people involved.
• Li Mubai went with Xiao Li willingly so he could establish the officials’ abuse of power and observe Bibi Dong’s response.
• Bibi Dong heard that the Tenth Elder had been arrested and learned that he had gone willingly.
• Bibi Dong understood that Li Mubai had looked back at his watcher to test her attitude, and she concluded he was finally willing to help her.

Bibi Dong rushed to the City Guard Office after learning that her subordinates had arrested Li Mubai, while Li Mubai observed the office’s corrupt officials as they mistreated him. Director Li eventually recognized Li Mubai’s name from a portrait of the new Spirit Hall elder and froze in shock.

• Bibi Dong dressed and set out for the City Guard Office, angered that Li Mubai had been arrested.
• Xiao Li brought Li Mubai and Ye Lao'er into the City Guard Office, then questioned them without asking what had caused their fight.
• Li Mubai concluded that Xiao Li was protecting the Wild Wolf Gang, while Ye Lao'er realized Xiao Li wanted another bribe before deciding how to handle the case.
• Director Li noticed that the conflict’s cause was missing from the register, but Xiao Li gave him Ye Lao'er's dagger to make him leave the matter alone.
• Director Li learned that a courtesan was serving a powerful expert, went home, and saw a portrait of Li Mubai identified as the new Spirit Hall elder.
• Director Li recognized Li Mubai’s name and froze in shock.