Recaps

Xiao Cheng bought the system’s Protection Package, received more than fifty kinds of fruit from Fan Qian, and made Ox-tongue Pastries for Zi Yan. Sun Ming’s pastry broke his cultivation bottleneck, while Xiao Cheng considered his remaining mission to cooperate with a faction.

• Xiao Cheng purchased the Protection Package, which included employee barriers, two Dou Zun strikes, and a danger-signal locator.
• Fan Qian delivered a cartload of more than fifty kinds of fruit, and Xiao Cheng rewarded him and his companions with Ox-tongue Pastries.
• Xiao Cheng stored the fruit in his personal inventory and began making pastries for Zi Yan, who promised to protect him.
• Sun Ming ate an Ox-tongue Pastry and broke through from peak Two-star Dou Ling to Three-star Dou Ling.
• Sun Ming decided to tell his friends about the pastry’s effects, while Xiao Cheng considered cooperating with the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy and reflected on the factions already watching him.

Wu Ying and Protector Tie discussed Ruyi Zhai and its mysterious manager, while Qing Mang received orders to secretly monitor the shop. The next morning, Xiao Cheng reopened his stall after Zi Yan dented the car roof, then paid the system to repair it.

• After closing for the night, Wu Ying and Protector Tie watched Ruyi Zhai and discussed how Wu Ying's attempts to investigate Xiao Cheng had failed.
• Wu Ying secretly sent black qi into Qing Mang while he cultivated, but Qing Mang noticed nothing and credited his rapid progress to Ruyi Zhai's pastries.
• Wang Tianfen arrived in Qing Mang's room with Bai Ya's order for him to secretly monitor Ruyi Zhai, and Qing Mang learned that Wang Tianfen was a powerful cultivator.
• The next morning, Xiao Cheng brought the sleepy Zi Yan to the stall and startled her awake by calling out that something tasty was there.
• Zi Yan hit her head on the car roof and dented it, so Xiao Cheng paid 4,320 Gold Coins for the system to repair the damage.

Fan Ling visited Xiao Cheng to invite him to the Black Seal City auction and seek cooperation with the Blood Sect, while Zi Yan rejected his gift and Xiao Cheng declined the invitation but agreed to cooperate. Sun Ming then arrived with customers after Xiao Cheng’s Ox-tongue Pastry helped him break through, and Xiao Cheng suspected Su Mei would soon come to keep him from joining another faction.

• Zi Yan snatched Fan Ling’s gift box, rejected it, and was scolded by Xiao Cheng.
• Fan Ling relayed Fan Lao’s invitation to the Black Seal City auction, but Xiao Cheng declined and offered to cooperate with the Blood Sect.
• Fan Ling bought pastries and drinks at a discount before leaving with his goods.
• Sun Ming thanked Xiao Cheng for the Ox-tongue Pastry that helped him break through a bottleneck, then brought a group of customers to buy pastries.
• Sun Ming told Xiao Cheng that Su Mei might visit soon, and Xiao Cheng guessed she feared he would be recruited by another faction.

At Ruyi Zhai, Ao Tuo told Gu He and the others that Xiao-Ao Alliance hunting parties had vanished in the Monster Mountain Range, but they refused to investigate. In a cave, Protector Tie turned the missing people into controlled test subjects as his conspiracy began to unfold.

• Xiao Zhan visited Ruyi Zhai looking for Xiao Cheng, then left disappointed when Xiao Yi Xian said the shopkeeper had not returned.
• Ao Tuo told Gu He and the others that Xiao-Ao Alliance and Qingshan Town hunters had disappeared in the Monster Mountain Range, and that even a Dou Master had found no clues.
• Ao Tuo asked Gu He and Haibodong to investigate, but both refused, and Xiao Yi Xian agreed that Ruyi Zhai would stay out of the matter.
• Protector Tie used black qi to control the missing hunters, turning them into violent test subjects and declaring that he would show Wu Ying his methods.

Xiao Cheng played Gomoku with Zi Yan, then spoke with Su Mei when she came to question him about other factions seeking him out. Su Mei ordered fifty Ox-tongue Pastries, and Xiao Cheng discovered that the system had triggered a bizarre mission.

• Xiao Cheng challenged Zi Yan to Gomoku, but she quickly defeated him in more than twenty rounds.
• Xiao Cheng left the game and checked the pastry cart as customers began gathering around it.
• Su Mei asked Xiao Cheng which factions had approached him, and he named the Blood Sect, Eight Sects Gate, and Black Emperor Sect.
• Xiao Cheng assured Su Mei that he would not serve or cooperate with any faction without investigating it first.
• Su Mei said Ox-tongue Pastry had helped her disciples break through bottlenecks and ordered fifty pastries from Xiao Cheng.
• Xiao Cheng went to prepare Su Mei's order, then opened the system mission list and cursed at the bizarre mission.

Xiao Cheng planned how to sell Ox-tongue Pastries and earn a faction’s satisfaction, then Mu Jie arrived from the Eight Sects Gate with an invitation to an auction and ordered pastries. Xiao Cheng began preparing the order while Mu Jie waited.

• Xiao Cheng read a quest requiring him to sell 150 Ox-tongue Pastries and satisfy a faction, with a reward of two minor realms and a punishment involving Sage Fukasaku’s insect feast.
• Xiao Cheng decided to promote the pastries to Jia Nan Academy, but Zi Yan mistook his changing expressions for a sign that something was wrong with his brain and punched him.
• Mu Jie returned with a gift from the Eight Sects Gate’s sect master and invited Xiao Cheng to an auction in Black Seal City three days later.
• Xiao Cheng accepted the invitation and told Mu Jie that Ox-tongue Pastries could help break through bottlenecks.
• Mu Jie agreed to order thirty pastries, and Xiao Cheng hurried into the kitchen to prepare them.

Gu He and Haibodong grew suspicious that recent disappearances in Wutan City might be connected to the attack on them. In Rakshasa City, Xiao Cheng proposed auctioning new pastries and saw that he was close to reaching Level Five, unaware that the system had changed the promised gift pack.

• Xiao Lu told Gu He that five or six people had recently gone missing in Wutan City, and Gu He later shared the news with Haibodong.
• Gu He and Haibodong noted that the disappearances began shortly after their attack and considered whether the events were connected.
• Xiao Cheng sold Mu Jie thirty Ox-tongue Pastries and suggested auctioning new pastries through the Black Seal City Auction House.
• Mu Jie eagerly agreed and hurried off to report Xiao Cheng's proposal to the sect master.
• Xiao Cheng checked his status, saw he needed only 400 experience points to reach Level Five, and began making new pastries without realizing the gift-pack patch had changed.

Xiao Cheng made Osmanthus Cake for the Black Seal City auction and discovered that it made Zi Yan feel a surge of energy and run off to exercise. He paid the system to set its starting bid, planned to send it to the auction, and turned back to fulfill Su Mei’s order.

• Xiao Cheng bought osmanthus flowers and made Osmanthus Cake to sell at the Black Seal City auction.
• Zi Yan smelled the cake, ate a whole plate, then felt hot and full of moving energy before sprinting away.
• Xiao Cheng concluded that the cake tempered the body and paid 10,000 Gold Coins to set its starting bid at 1,288 Gold Coins.
• Xiao Cheng decided to have someone deliver the cake to Black Seal City while he stayed at the shop.
• Xiao Cheng remembered Su Mei’s order and began making her fifty Ox-tongue Pastries while Zi Yan ran in regret.

Xiao Cheng closed his shop after Zi Yan spent hours burning off the energy from her pastry, while Ruyi Zhai's staff also finished for the night. Protector Tie and Wang Tianfen separately investigated the shop, and Wang Tianfen narrowly escaped its powerful lightning defense.

• Xiao Cheng finished Su Mei's order of fifty Ox-tongue Pastries, then left for the night before Zi Yan returned.
• Zi Yan arrived at the inn over an hour later, furious that Xiao Cheng had not waited for her.
• Xiao Yi Xian and the others closed Ruyi Zhai, leaving Gu He to finish checking and cleaning the shop.
• Protector Tie watched Ruyi Zhai from the shadows and vowed revenge after learning Wu Ying's attacks had failed.
• Wang Tianfen tested Ruyi Zhai's door with his sword, triggering a bolt of lightning that he dodged before retreating.

Xiao Cheng prepared pastries for Ruyi Zhai and arranged for Fan Qian to deliver Ox-tongue Pastries to Rakshasa Gate. When Che Cheng arrived seeking work, Xiao Cheng made him an Intern Employee and assigned him to guard the cart.

• Xiao Cheng recalled that Zi Yan was angry because the Osmanthus Cake had made her run around for hours, then planned to auction three plates of it.
• Xiao Cheng gave Fan Qian fifty Ox-tongue Pastries to deliver to Rakshasa Gate in exchange for a chance to try new pastries.
• Zi Yan demanded compensation from Xiao Cheng for the cake’s effects, but he said he had not known what the pastry would do.
• Che Cheng arrived on the Black Emperor Sect Master's orders to buy pastries and asked to work at Ruyi Zhai.
• Xiao Cheng used an Internship Contract to hire Che Cheng as an Intern Employee and assigned him to patrol as a security guard.

Sun Ming brought friends to Ruyi Zhai, boosting sales of Ox-tongue Pastries, while Xiao Cheng considered hiring him and made pastries for Zi Yan. Che Cheng’s former companion Qi Shan arrived with Black Emperor Sect disciples to buy pastries, giving Xiao Cheng another chance to advance his mission.

• Sun Ming brought friends to Ruyi Zhai, introduced them to the pastries, and helped sell more than fifty Ox-tongue Pastries.
• Xiao Cheng considered hiring Sun Ming after seeing how well he knew the shop’s pastries.
• Zi Yan asked Xiao Cheng to make pastries for her, and she eagerly ate the platter he prepared.
• Che Cheng explained that Qi Shan and the Black Emperor Sect disciples had come to purchase pastries under their sect master’s orders.
• Qi Shan greeted Xiao Cheng and led the disciples to choose pastries, pleasing Xiao Cheng because the sale would advance his mission.

Qi Shan and Hu Jia bought Ox-tongue Pastries from Xiao Cheng, bringing him close to completing the pastry mission. Meanwhile, Protector Tie plotted against Ruyi Zhai after Wu Ying mocked his plan, and he left to prepare his next move.

• Xiao Yu introduced the pastries to Qi Shan, who ordered fifty Ox-tongue Pastries and several other products from Xiao Cheng.
• Xiao Cheng made the fifty Ox-tongue Pastries, and Qi Shan and the Black Emperor Sect disciples left with their purchases.
• Hu Jia visited Xiao Cheng, learned that Ox-tongue Pastries could help break through bottlenecks, and bought five for her grandfather to evaluate.
• Xiao Cheng realized Hu Jia's purchase had brought him close to completing the Ox-tongue Pastry mission.
• Wu Ying mocked Protector Tie for using a discarded method against Ruyi Zhai, and Protector Tie vowed to prove his plan before vanishing to prepare.

Qing Mang and Wang Tianfen decided to keep investigating Ruyi Zhai despite the dangerous forces surrounding it, while Gu He struggled to solve a Rubik's Cube at the shop. In Rakshasa City, Xiao Cheng sent Fan Qian to arrange an auction for Osmanthus Cake and pass a message to Yuan Yi.

• Qing Mang told Wang Tianfen about the Soul Hall's warning and suspected that powerful factions were involved in Lü Man's disappearance.
• Qing Mang persuaded Wang Tianfen to continue investigating Ruyi Zhai, though he could take it easy.
• Gu He answered Gu Ni's alchemy questions, then tried to solve a Rubik's Cube but could not restore its colors.
• Xiao Cheng checked that he needed to sell only about forty more Ox-tongue Pastries to complete the task.
• Xiao Cheng asked Fan Qian to send Osmanthus Cake to the Black Seal City auction house and deliver his message to Yuan Yi.

Hu Jia learned that Xiao Cheng’s Ox-tongue Pastry could help people break through cultivation bottlenecks and set off with Qin Zhen and Bai Shan to buy some. Meanwhile, Xiao Cheng completed his fruit wine, reached Three-star Dou Ling after eating the system’s Spicy Beef Jerky, and prepared to sell the wine before receiving another quest.

• Hu Jia told Hu Gan about Xiao Cheng’s shop and explained that Ox-tongue Pastry could help break through bottlenecks, so Hu Gan sent her to buy more.
• Hu Jia recruited Qin Zhen and Bai Shan to accompany her to Rakshasa City, and both eagerly agreed.
• Xiao Cheng finished making fruit wine, tried it with the system’s Spicy Beef Jerky, and absorbed the jerky’s energy to advance to Three-star Dou Ling.
• Xiao Cheng realized the fruit wine had strengthened his meridians, priced it at five hundred and eighty-eight Gold Coins, and made one hundred bottles.
• Xiao Cheng left the storeroom planning to sell the fruit wine the next morning, but the system immediately issued him another quest.

Yuan Yi and Mu Jie sampled Xiao Cheng’s Osmanthus Cake and decided to order more for the Eight Sects Gate, while Fan Lao and Fan Ling planned to buy his pastries for the Blood Sect. Xiao Cheng remained unaware of their plans and sat frustrated, cursing the system in his heart.

• Xiao Cheng sent Yuan Yi a plate of Osmanthus Cake with a note explaining its body-tempering effect, starting price, and his absence from the auction.
• Yuan Yi and Mu Jie ate the cake, felt their bodies grow slightly stronger, and agreed the Eight Sects Gate should place a large order after the auction.
• Yuan Yi asked Mu Jie to visit Rakshasa City after the auction to discuss buying more Osmanthus Cake.
• Fan Lao warned Fan Ling not to anger Xiao Cheng, since other factions might use a conflict to attack the Blood Sect and curry favor with Xiao Cheng.
• Fan Ling told Fan Lao that Xiao Cheng’s Ox-tongue Pastry could help break through bottlenecks, then left to place a large order and bring gifts.
• Xiao Cheng sat frustrated and cursed the system in his heart, unaware that the Eight Sects Gate and Blood Sect intended to buy his pastries.

Xiao Cheng closed Ruyi Zhai, while Mo Tianxing learned about the shop’s bottleneck-breaking Ox-tongue Pastry and decided the Black Emperor Sect should maintain good relations with it. The next morning, Zi Yan woke hungry and fell asleep while Xiao Cheng prepared pastries.

• Zi Yan persuaded Xiao Cheng to let her eat leftover pastries, and Che Cheng told Xiao Cheng he had found a place to live in the city.
• Xiao Yu and the others finished cleaning up after Zi Yan delayed them with her eating, and Xiao Cheng returned to the former inn with them.
• Qi Shan reported that Ruyi Zhai’s Ox-tongue Pastry could help people break through bottlenecks, and Mo Tianxing decided the Black Emperor Sect should avoid hostility toward the shop.
• Zi Yan woke early from hunger, and Xiao Cheng promised to make her pastries before they headed to their usual spot.
• Xiao Cheng began making pastries while Zi Yan waited, fell asleep, and Che Cheng covered her with a blanket at Xiao Cheng’s request.

Xiao Cheng made fruit wine and received a system quest requiring him to sell it in bundles with Osmanthus Cake after the auction quest. He sold a bottle to Hu Jia and awaited the quest’s start.

• Sun Ming bought pastries after explaining that people had asked him to purchase Ox-tongue Pastry for them, and Zi Yan arrived hungry and ate pastries.
• Xiao Cheng made one hundred bottles of fruit wine and received a quest to sell 180 sets of fruit wine bundled with Osmanthus Cake.
• The system allowed Xiao Cheng to sell the fruit wine separately before the quest began, so he put ten bottles out for sale at 588 Gold Coins each.
• Hu Jia arrived with Bai Shan and Qin Zhen, who ordered fifty Ox-tongue Pastries, and Xiao Cheng warned them not to disturb Zi Yan.
• After Xiao Cheng prepared the pastries, Hu Jia bought a bottle of fruit wine and left with Bai Shan and Qin Zhen carrying the parcels.

After completing a quest, Xiao Cheng advanced to Four-star Dou Ling and learned that the system had changed its gift-pack schedule and raised teleportation fees. He returned to Ruyi Zhai, where Ao Ba Pa asked him to investigate disappearances in the Monster Mountain Range, and Xiao Cheng agreed to go there after restocking the shop.

• Xiao Cheng accepted the system’s quest reward and broke through to Four-star Dou Ling, then learned that gift packs would now be distributed every three shopkeeper levels.
• Xiao Cheng told Xiao Yu to watch the shop and teleported to Wutan City, discovering that the system had increased the teleportation fee because its upgrade had reduced his travel discomfort.
• Xiao Cheng arrived at Ruyi Zhai, where Ao Ba Pa was waiting to ask whether he had returned.
• Ao Ba Pa told Xiao Cheng that people had gone missing in the Monster Mountain Range, and Xiao Cheng agreed to investigate after handling matters at the shop.

Xiao Cheng returned to the main store, added new pastries that impressed customers with their restorative effects, and taught Gu He how to solve a Rubik's Cube. Meanwhile, Protector Tie and Wu Ying discussed a scheme in the Monster Mountain Range that they hoped would draw Xiao Cheng there.

• Xiao Cheng told Yue'er and the others about new pastries and asked them to add their names and prices to the menu.
• Xiao Cheng made the new pastries, including Five-worm Cake, and he and the staff discovered that it restored their energy; customers soon rushed to buy it.
• Gu He asked Xiao Cheng to teach him how to solve a Rubik's Cube, and Xiao Cheng began showing him how.
• Protector Tie told Wu Ying that his plan was nearly ready, while Wu Ying warned him that Xiao Cheng had returned from the Black Corner Region.
• Wu Ying and Protector Tie recognized Wang Tianfen as the young man investigating Ruyi Zhai, but decided to ignore him unless he interfered with their plan.
• Protector Tie said he expected Xiao Cheng to come to the Monster Mountain Range, and Wu Ying warned him not to underestimate Xiao Cheng before leaving the cave.

Xiao Cheng prepared to visit Ao Ba Pa, but learned that Yun Yun had come looking for him and agreed to remain in Wutan City until she returned. Meanwhile, Che Cheng gathered intelligence at the Pastry Cart, where he noticed Fan Ling visiting to buy pastries and alcohol for the Blood Sect.

• Yue'er asked Xiao Cheng about Zi Yan and resolved to work harder after hearing how strong she was.
• Xiao Yi Xian told Xiao Cheng that Yun Yun had personally come looking for him and had been notified of his return.
• Xiao Cheng decided to stay in Wutan City for a few more days to meet Yun Yun, then continued toward Ao Ba Pa.
• At the Pastry Cart, Zi Yan tried to persuade Xiao Yu to play with her while Xiao Yu managed the shop.
• Che Cheng recognized Fan Ling as the Blood Sect leader's son and told him Xiao Cheng was away, while privately watching for signs of the Blood Sect's intentions.
• Fan Ling bought thirty Ox-tongue Pastries and three bottles of alcohol, then invited Xiao Cheng to visit the Blood Sect when he returned.

Xiao Cheng returned to Wutan City, arranged for Ao Tuo to gather wild fruits, and went back to his shop, where Gu He had scrambled the Rubik's Cube again. Meanwhile, Hu Gan and Hu Jia discussed Xiao Cheng’s wine and pastries, while Protector Tie’s mistake put his plan in jeopardy.

• Xiao Cheng met Ao Tuo, learned that more people had vanished in the Monster Mountain Range, and asked him to gather wild fruits for wine.
• Xiao Cheng returned to his shop and spent another half hour explaining the Rubik’s Cube to Gu He after Gu He scrambled it again.
• Haibodong asked about Xiao Cheng’s cultivation, and Xiao Cheng revealed he had recently reached four-star Dou Ling before the two men teased him with insincere praise.
• Hu Gan told Hu Jia that Xiao Cheng’s fruit wine nourished and strengthened the meridians, and Hu Jia mentioned seeing a sect member cleaning near Xiao Cheng’s shop.
• Hu Gan concluded that Xiao Cheng would cooperate with them in time, while Protector Tie accidentally used a controlled puppet to provoke the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King and endangered his plan.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King fought Protector Tie after the Soul Hall Protector’s puppet disturbed its attempted breakthrough. Xiao Cheng arrived in the Monster Mountain Range and hid nearby, planning to help the Lion King when an opportunity arose.

• The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King tracked Protector Tie to a cave and confronted him over the disturbance that had interrupted its breakthrough.
• Protector Tie injured three Fifth-tier Magical Beasts with a strike, provoking the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to attack him.
• The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King withstood Protector Tie’s blows with its tough body, and the two continued fighting.
• Xiao Cheng left Ruyi Zhai, teleported to the Monster Mountain Range, and heard the battle nearby.
• Xiao Cheng recognized Protector Tie and decided to hide and help the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King when he could.

Xiao Cheng rescued the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King from Protector Tie by using a Laughing Bomb, then tricked Protector Tie into reciting a boastful pledge before kicking him out of the Monster Mountain Range. Xiao Cheng then asked the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King what had led to its battle with the Soul Hall member.

• Protector Tie struck the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King with black palm attacks until the exhausted beast struggled to keep dodging.
• Xiao Cheng rushed out, warned the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King not to breathe, and threw a Laughing Bomb at Protector Tie.
• The Laughing Bomb made Protector Tie laugh uncontrollably, and Xiao Cheng forced him to recite a self-praising pledge in exchange for relief.
• Xiao Cheng tricked Protector Tie into standing still and kicked him out of the Monster Mountain Range, where the laughter would last for three hours.
• Xiao Cheng asked the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to explain the battle and its conflict with the Soul Hall member.

Xiao Cheng discovered that the Soul Hall had turned missing people into puppets and destroyed a group of them with help from the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. Meanwhile, Ruyi Zhai and its Rakshasa City branch handled a rush of customers, while Che Cheng secretly wrote to the Black Emperor Sect's leader.

• Xiao Cheng learned that a red-eyed, savage human had disrupted the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's breakthrough and identified it as a Soul Hall puppet.
• Xiao Cheng explained the disappearances to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, and they encountered nearly twelve modified puppets near its cave.
• Xiao Cheng asked the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to burn the puppets, then gave it pastries and decided to spend the night in the Monster Mountain Range.
• Xiao Yi Xian, Yue'er, Qing Lin, Haibodong, and Gu He managed a crowded day at Ruyi Zhai after its new pastries went on sale.
• Xiao Yu and Xue Ni handled heavy sales at the Rakshasa City shop, while Zi Yan relaxed and ate pastries before they headed back.
• Che Cheng wrote a secret letter to the Black Emperor Sect's leader, hoping the leader would devise countermeasures soon.

Xiao Cheng returned to Ruyi Zhai, where Yun Yun warned him that her master Yun Shan might be plotting against the shop. After Yun Yun left, Xiao Cheng prepared to make fruit wine from the wild fruits Ao Tuo had collected.

• Xiao Cheng woke in a tree, fell to the ground, and teleported back to Wutan City.
• Yun Yun arrived at Ruyi Zhai and waited for Xiao Cheng while Ao Tuo delivered three sacks of wild fruits.
• Xiao Cheng returned, praised Ao Tuo for finding the fruits, and promised him a surprise later.
• Yun Yun told Xiao Cheng that she suspected Yun Shan was targeting Ruyi Zhai, and Xiao Cheng assured her that he could handle any schemes.
• Xiao Cheng and Gu He carried the sacks to the back kitchen, where Xiao Cheng began making fruit wine.