Chapter Summaries

Xiao Cheng entered Rakshasa City to sell pastries and seek a partnership with Rakshasa Gate, while Zi Yan raided Qi Tianchi’s herb garden to bring ingredients back to him. The chapter left Xiao Cheng setting up his stall and realizing he had forgotten to tell Zi Yan that he had gone away.

• Xiao Cheng gave Peanut Nougat to Zhang Qiang and the Rakshasa City Patrol Squad, whose cultivation improved after eating it.
• Xiao Cheng told Zhang Qiang he planned to sell pastries in Rakshasa City and work with Rakshasa Gate, then entered the city despite Zhang Qiang’s warning.
• Zi Yan ate one-third of the spiritual herbs in Qi Tianchi’s garden and stored the rest in her Cosmic Ring to take to Xiao Cheng.
• Xiao Cheng and Xiao Yu and Xue Ni set up the pastry stall in Rakshasa City and waited for customers.
• Xiao Cheng remembered he had not told Zi Yan he had left and resigned himself to facing her anger when she found out.

Xue Lan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Haibodong were ambushed in the forest by black-robed Misty Cloud Sect puppets controlled by Wu Ying. They fought their way out and headed for the Imperial Capital, but Wu Ying pursued them personally.

• Haibodong sensed an ambush as Wu Ying ordered more than twenty black-robed puppets to attack the three travelers.
• Haibodong realized the attackers were tireless puppets that barely reacted to his blows, while Xue Lan and Xiao Yi Xian defended themselves.
• Xiao Yi Xian’s lightning protection mechanism blasted away two puppets that attacked her, surprising Xue Lan and Haibodong.
• Haibodong froze several puppets, helped Xue Lan, and led the group toward the Imperial Capital.
• Wu Ying cursed the puppets’ failure and went after the three personally.

Xiao Cheng sold a Sesame Candy to Rakshasa Gate captain Fan Qian, whose breakthrough demonstrated the pastries’ effects and drew the guards to buy them. After checking his shopkeeper progress, Xiao Cheng learned that reaching Level Five would upgrade the system and unlock new functions.

• Xiao Cheng introduced himself as a pastry seller to Fan Qian and offered him a free Sesame Candy.
• Fan Qian ate the Sesame Candy, absorbed the gathered Heaven and Earth Qi, and broke through from Nine-star Great Dou Master to One-star Dou Ling.
• Fan Qian thanked Xiao Cheng and bought several pastries, while the other Rakshasa Gate members purchased a few as well.
• Xiao Cheng checked his Personal Panel and saw that he had 5,103 of the 8,100 experience points needed for Shopkeeper Level Five.
• The system told Xiao Cheng that reaching Level Five would upgrade it and unlock new functions, but refused to reveal what they were.

After Fan Qian brought a crowd to Xiao Cheng’s pastry cart, Xiao Cheng offered a discount and began selling pastries to a busy queue. A new quest then required him to brew wine, and the system tried to sell him brewing skills, leaving him wondering whether it was really a shopping program.

• News of Xiao Cheng’s cultivation-boosting pastries spread, and Fan Qian led a crowd to the cart to explain the products.
• Xiao Cheng offered the arriving customers a twenty percent discount, and they lined up to buy pastries.
• As business grew, Xiao Cheng considered selling liquor, which triggered a system quest requiring him to brew wine.
• Xiao Cheng questioned the system about its promised spicy beef jerky reward, and it said he would learn what made it special after completing the quest.
• Xiao Cheng looked for brewing books, but the system advertised a costly Brewing Knowledge and Skills Package, prompting him to wonder whether it was modified from a shopping program.

Wu Ying ambushed Haibodong, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xue Lan, seeking to capture Xiao Yi Xian and use her to force Xiao Cheng to surrender Ruyi Zhai. The system protected Xiao Yi Xian with a barrier, while Xiao Cheng learned she was in danger and recognized the attacker as someone from the Soul Hall.

• Wu Ying and his black-robed men surrounded Haibodong, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xue Lan, revealing that he wanted Xiao Yi Xian as leverage to obtain Ruyi Zhai.
• Wu Ying struck Haibodong down when he tried to stop a black hand from grabbing Xiao Yi Xian.
• Xue Lan charged Wu Ying, who knocked her unconscious, and Xiao Yi Xian rushed to check on her.
• A pale-blue barrier appeared around Xiao Yi Xian and resisted Wu Ying's attack.
• The system alerted Xiao Cheng that Xiao Yi Xian was in danger, and he paid to view her location.
• Xiao Cheng saw the attack on the screen, identified Wu Ying as a member of the Soul Hall, and anxiously searched for a way to help.

The system’s protective measures struck Wu Ying when he attacked Xiao Yi Xian, forcing the Soul Hall member to retreat and letting Haibodong, Xue Lan, and Xiao Yi Xian reach the Mitel Family. Back in Rakshasa City, Xiao Cheng resolved to improve his employees’ safety, but the system’s protective packages cost Gold Coins.

• Wu Ying revealed that he was a Soul Hall protector and reached for Xiao Yi Xian, but the system’s lightning struck him and drove him away.
• Haibodong took Xue Lan and Xiao Yi Xian to the Imperial Capital, where Mitel Tengshan arranged rooms for them to recover.
• Xiao Cheng considered how to protect his employees and learned that the system charged Gold Coins for its safety measures.
• Xiao Cheng complained about the system’s expensive packages and asked it to be a conscientious merchant.

Haibodong, Xue Lan, and Xiao Yi Xian learned that the attackers who sought Xiao Yi Xian were puppets sent by Soul Hall, a powerful Central Continent faction. Meanwhile, Xiao Cheng rejected the system’s costly protection packages, accepted a quest to collect rare materials for a discount, and left his protected Pastry Cart outside an inn overnight.

• Haibodong and Xue Lan described the stiff, simplistic movements of the black-robed attackers, and Mitel Tengshan concluded they had been puppets.
• Haibodong said the Black Mist had power at least equal to a Dou Zong, and Xue Lan identified its speaker as a Soul Hall Protector.
• Mitel Tengshan explained Central Continent’s major factions and reassured the group that Soul Hall was unlikely to send people to pursue such a minor matter, while Haibodong urged them to stay cautious.
• Mitel Tengshan invited Haibodong, Xue Lan, and Xiao Yi Xian to stay overnight before setting out for Stone Desert City the next morning.
• Xiao Cheng complained about the system’s protection package prices, then accepted a no-penalty quest to collect six rare materials for discounted prices.
• Xiao Cheng closed the Pastry Cart and left it outside an inn, telling Xue Ni that anyone who could steal it would be capable.

Zi Yan learned that Xiao Cheng had gone to Rakshasa City, while Gu He managed Ruyi Zhai in Haibodong’s absence. Haibodong, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xue Lan set out for Stone Desert City, where Xiao Ding and Xiao Li waited anxiously for news of their detained companions and Xue Lan’s return.

• Zi Yan found Xiao Cheng missing, offered Hu Jia a spiritual herb as a snack, and learned that he had gone to Rakshasa City.
• Gu He took charge of Ruyi Zhai while Haibodong and Xiao Yi Xian were away, but Ao Ba Pa refused his offer of help and said only Haibodong could handle his problem.
• Haibodong, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xue Lan recovered in the Imperial Capital, then departed for Stone Desert City after replenishing their supplies.
• Xiao Ding reassured Xiao Li that the Snake People Tribe was unlikely to harm Dan Zai and the others, partly because Xiao Cheng’s pastries had helped build goodwill.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li waited in Stone Desert City, still concerned about their detained companions and Xue Lan’s absence.

Xiao Cheng decided to brew fruit wine and considered asking Rakshasa Gate for help with ingredients and rare materials. Meanwhile, Wu Ying ordered Yun Shan to lie low after their plan failed, while Yun Shan secretly resolved to grow strong enough to deal with him and pursue his ambition to rule the Jia Ma Empire.

• Fan Qian told Xiao Cheng that Rakshasa Gate would send people to test his pastries, and Xiao Cheng welcomed the scrutiny.
• Xiao Cheng asked the system whether fruit wine counted toward his alcohol task, then decided to brew it and bought costly brewing equipment.
• Zi Yan traveled toward Rakshasa City, angrily eating precious medicinal herbs because Xiao Cheng had left without telling her.
• Wu Ying recovered from his injuries in Yun Shan's chamber and told Yun Shan to stay quiet after their plan failed.
• Yun Shan agreed to lie low, then secretly vowed to surpass Wu Ying and pursue his ambition to rule the Jia Ma Empire.

Xiao Cheng met Su Mei, the sect master of Rakshasa Gate, and arranged a discounted pastry order in exchange for publicity for Ruyi Zhai. After Su Mei left, Zi Yan beat Xiao Cheng for not telling her about the meeting.

• Su Mei arrived at Ruyi Zhai with two powerful guards and introduced herself as Rakshasa Gate's sect master.
• Xiao Cheng let Su Mei sample Small Fried Dough Twists, and she sensed their effect on cultivation.
• Su Mei proposed a deal, and Xiao Cheng offered Rakshasa Gate a batch of pastries at a ten percent discount.
• Xiao Cheng asked Su Mei to have Rakshasa Gate promote Ruyi Zhai, and she agreed to arrange for someone to collect the pastries.
• After Su Mei departed, Zi Yan confronted Xiao Cheng and sent him flying with a punch before beating him as Xiao Yu and another person watched.

Xiao Cheng struggled to brew drinkable fruit wine with the system’s Brewing Machine, then arranged for Zi Yan to sleep while she digested the pastries’ energy. Meanwhile, Gu He recruited Gu Ni to help at Ruyi Zhai, where Qing Lin was assigned to train him.

• Zi Yan forgave Xiao Cheng after he promised to make her more pastries, and he began preparing to brew alcohol for a system task.
• Xiao Cheng tried more than a hundred fruit-wine batches, but none tasted right, so he stopped and cleaned the Brewing Machine.
• The system told Xiao Cheng that Zi Yan needed to sleep until noon the next day, and he settled her in an inn room where she could rest undisturbed.
• Gu He asked Gu Ni to help at Ruyi Zhai and offered him pastries, and Gu Ni agreed.
• Gu He gave Gu Ni shop clothes and equipment, then asked Qing Lin to teach him how to help with the work.

Xiao Yi Xian, Haibodong, and Xue Lan arrived in Stone Desert City to help the Mo Tie Mercenary Group rescue Dan Zai and the others from the Snake People Tribe. Meanwhile, Zi Yan brought Xiao Cheng all the herbs she had taken from Qi Tianchi’s medicine garden, and Su Qian discovered the garden had been emptied.

• Xue Lan escorted Haibodong and Xiao Yi Xian into Stone Desert City and brought them to the Mo Tie Mercenary Group’s headquarters.
• Xiao Li and Xiao Ding welcomed Haibodong and Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Yi Xian agreed to try to help rescue Dan Zai and the others.
• Xue Lan joined Xiao Yi Xian and Haibodong as they set out for the Snake People Tribe, unaware that the captors belonged to Yue Mei’s territory.
• Zi Yan gave Xiao Cheng the high-grade medicinal herbs she had taken from Qi Tianchi’s medicine garden, and Xiao Cheng turned them into pastries for her.
• Su Qian found Qi Tianchi’s medicine garden completely emptied and furiously demanded to know what Zi Yan had done.

Xiao Cheng sold pastries that increased Dou Qi to curious customers and fulfilled Rakshasa Gate’s order. Su Mei wondered how long Rakshasa Gate could keep the pastries’ effects secret before leaving for an unknown destination.

• Su Qian and the First Elder searched for Zi Yan after discovering the medicinal garden’s spirit herbs had been pulled up, then decided to wait for the Headmaster’s return.
• Fan Qian arrived as Zi Yan ate Xiao Cheng’s pastries, and Xiao Cheng sent him to notify Rakshasa Gate that its order was ready.
• Xiao Cheng asked the system why it had chosen him, and the system insulted his intelligence before ignoring his follow-up questions.
• A group of customers tested the pastries and felt their Dou Qi increase, then bought large quantities, prompting Xiao Cheng to bake more.
• Rakshasa Gate collected its pastries through a Dou Wang, and Su Mei reflected on the pastries’ effects and how long the gate could keep them secret.

Xiao Cheng closed his shop after a busy day, endured Zi Yan’s cheating at Train Game, and learned that Fan Lao had ordered an investigation into him. The chapter left Fan Lao wary of Xiao Cheng’s unknown backing and worried about what his arrival could mean for the Blood Sect.

• Xiao Cheng complained about restocking pastries, then agreed to play Train Game with Zi Yan when she showed him the cards Old Man Huo had given her.
• Zi Yan cheated throughout the game, beat Xiao Cheng, and said that having delicious food mattered more to her than keeping him as a friend and manager.
• Xiao Cheng closed the shop for the day as Fan Ling and Wang Ming met Fan Lao at an inn in Black Seal City.
• Fan Ling told Fan Lao about Xiao Cheng’s strength and unusual mount, prompting Fan Lao to order an investigation into Xiao Cheng’s origins and backing.
• Fan Lao watched the moonlit sky and worried that Xiao Cheng’s appearance might bring bad news for the Blood Sect.

Yue Mei ordered the detained mercenaries released, and Xue Lan’s group met them on the way back to Stone Desert City. In Rakshasa City, Xiao Cheng learned why Zi Yan gained no benefit from morning exercises, while the Blood Sect secretly investigated him.

• Yue Mei decided the detained mercenaries had done no harm and ordered a snake person to release them the next morning.
• Dan Zai and the mercenaries were released, then met Xue Lan, Haibodong, and Xiao Yi Xian as everyone traveled back to Stone Desert City.
• Dan Zai learned that Xiao Yi Xian worked at Ruyi Zhai and heard about the shop’s lucrative sales.
• Xiao Cheng led Xiao Yu and Zi Yan through morning exercises, and Xiao Yu noticed her body warming and her Dou Qi growing more condensed.
• Xiao Cheng asked the system why Zi Yan felt no effect, and the system explained that her fifth-tier magical-beast body was already exceptionally strong.
• The Blood Sect secretly observed Xiao Cheng in Rakshasa City while investigating his identity and background.

Xiao Cheng’s pastries left Qin Zhen and Bai Shan longing for their cultivation boost, while Zi Yan soundly defeated Xiao Cheng at Gomoku in Rakshasa City. As Rakshasa Gate disciples arrived seeking the pastry seller, Xiao Cheng discovered his Experience Points had surged, only for the system to announce an imminent gift-package update.

• At Jia Nan Academy’s Outer Academy, Qin Zhen and Bai Shan lamented Xiao Cheng’s departure and the loss of his pastries, then relaxed after Hu Jia left.
• At the Pastry Cart in Rakshasa City, Zi Yan repeatedly defeated Xiao Cheng at Gomoku, and he quit to research alcoholic drinks in the storage room.
• Xiao Yu remarked on Xiao Cheng’s losses while unfamiliar visitors arrived, and bystanders recognized them as Rakshasa Gate disciples seeking the pastry seller.
• While Zi Yan played with cards and a Rubik’s Cube, Xiao Cheng checked his Personal Panel and found he had more than 6,700 Experience Points.
• The system announced that it would update its gift-package patch in one hour, and Xiao Cheng angrily threatened to stop spending if he disliked the new rewards.

Xiao Cheng learned that Five-worm Cake restored people to peak condition and arranged a new drink order from Rakshasa Gate. Meanwhile, Dan Zai and the others returned safely to Stone Desert City, and Xiao Yi Xian and Haibodong headed back to Ruyi Zhai, where Gu Ni was helping run the shop.

• Rakshasa Gate disciples ate Five-worm Cakes and said the pastries had restored them to peak condition.
• Fan Qian told Xiao Cheng that Su Mei wanted to order three hundred cups of Sour Plum Drink and Ruyi Juice, and Xiao Cheng offered her thirty cups for free.
• Xiao Cheng gave Fan Qian a Five-worm Cake, hoping to earn his favor through the gift.
• Dan Zai, Haibodong, and the others returned safely to Stone Desert City, where Xiao Ding and Xiao Li heard that the snake people had released Dan Zai's group without harming them.
• Xiao Yi Xian and Haibodong left for Ruyi Zhai, where Gu Ni had learned to serve customers while helping Gu He run the shop.

Su Mei learned that Five-worm Cake could restore strength and Dou Qi and ordered thirty from Ruyi Zhai, while Xiao Cheng struggled to make alcohol and was soundly beaten at cards by Zi Yan. In the Imperial Capital, Haibodong and Xiao Yi Xian accepted Nalan Su’s invitation to rest at the Nalan Family residence.

• Sun Ming reported Five-worm Cake’s effects to Su Mei, who ordered thirty cakes at two thousand Gold Coins each.
• Xiao Cheng lamented his failed attempts to make alcohol and argued with the system about becoming a Dou Di through pastries.
• Xiao Cheng challenged Zi Yan to Train Game, but she cheated repeatedly and defeated him over the next hour.
• Haibodong and Xiao Yi Xian decided to stay overnight in the Imperial Capital before returning to Wutan City.
• Nalan Su encountered Xiao Yi Xian and Haibodong and invited them to stay at the Nalan Family residence, where they agreed to go.

Xiao Cheng sold thirty Five-worm Cakes to Sun Ming of Rakshasa Gate, while Gu He finished work at Ruyi Zhai and promised to teach Gu Ni. As new watchers and enemies turned their attention toward the shop, Wu Ying began plotting to enlist Protector Tie’s help.

• Sun Ming told Xiao Cheng that Sect Master Su Mei had sent him to buy thirty Five-worm Cakes, and Xiao Cheng completed the order.
• Xiao Cheng closed the pastry cart and returned to the inn with Xiao Yu, Zi Yan, and the others.
• Gu He praised Gu Ni’s work at Ruyi Zhai and told him to come help again the next day, while Yue'er teased Gu He about his promise to teach him.
• Qing Mang received orders from Heavenly Snake Mansion to monitor Ruyi Zhai and report new developments.
• Ge Ye observed Ruyi Zhai from a distance and noted that two people were missing while Gu Ni had joined the shop.
• Wu Ying scouted Ruyi Zhai, blamed Xiao Cheng for ruining his plans, and decided to seek help from Protector Tie.

Xiao Cheng kept selling pastries in Rakshasa City while Mu Jie, an elder of the Eight Sects Gate, came to investigate the rumored cultivation-enhancing pastries. After buying several pastries and three Five-worm Cakes, Mu Jie left, and Xiao Cheng anticipated Yuan Yi's next move.

• Gu He opened the shop and checked the remaining pastries while Yue'er, tired after a nightmare, agreed to nap as Qing Lin took her place at work.
• Xiao Cheng made more Mung Bean Cakes and Shredded Pork Floss Pastry for the Rakshasa City cart and considered how to increase Ruyi Zhai's sales.
• Mu Jie, sent by Yuan Yi to investigate the rumored divine item, introduced himself to Xiao Cheng, who explained that the item was pastry.
• Mu Jie bought several kinds of pastries from Xiao Yu and learned that Rakshasa Gate had recently bought thirty Five-worm Cakes.
• Mu Jie bought three Five-worm Cakes for six thousand Gold Coins and hurried away, while Xiao Cheng said he looked forward to Yuan Yi's response.