Chapter Summaries

Jia Lie Bi discovered that Ruyi Zhai’s pastries could boost cultivation and ordered Jia Lie Te to investigate the Xiao Clan. Xiao Cheng agreed to a private partnership with Xiao Yan, who left with pastries and a promise to owe him a favor.

• Jia Lie Te brought Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy to Jia Lie Bi, who found that both increased his Dou Qi and became interested in taking over Ruyi Zhai.
• Jia Lie Bi ordered Jia Lie Te to watch the Xiao Clan and report on its activities while he planned to consult Ao Ba Pa about destroying the clan.
• Xiao Yan visited Ruyi Zhai to discuss a partnership, and Xiao Cheng agreed to supply the Xiao Clan pastries at a discount and notify it about new products.
• Xiao Cheng privately asked Xiao Yan to owe him a favor, and Xiao Yan agreed to help with one thing within his capabilities.
• Xiao Yan bought five pieces each of Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy, then Xiao Cheng checked his quest progress and saw the Peanut Candy sales had reached 26 of 100.

Xiao Yan negotiated a discounted pastry supply arrangement between Xiao Cheng and the Xiao Clan, then discovered Peanut Candy could accelerate cultivation. Meanwhile, Mittel Ya Fei visited Ruyi Zhai to propose a partnership, but Xiao Cheng refused for now, leaving future cooperation open.

• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that Xiao Cheng would sell the Xiao Clan pastries at a discount and provide priority access to new products.
• Old Yao identified Peanut Candy as a powerful aid for breaking through the Dou Zhe bottleneck, and Xiao Yan ate one, advancing from the Fifth to the Sixth Stage of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Ning, angered by Xiao Xun'er’s attention to Xiao Yan, vowed to torment Xiao Yan at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony after he became a Dou Zhe.
• Mittel Ya Fei proposed that the Mittel Auction House sell Xiao Cheng’s pastries at his set prices.
• Xiao Cheng refused Ya Fei’s partnership proposal for the time being, saying he would approach her when the time was right.

Xiao Cheng’s Ruyi Zhai attracted a crowd of Xiao Clan disciples after the clan spread word that its pastries could boost Dou Qi. The shop sold out, and Xiao Cheng completed his Main Quest and received the recipe for God-Tier Honeyed Three-Knife Pastry, while his Peanut Candy Side Quest remained unfinished.

• Xiao Cheng worried that Jia Lie Bi would target Ruyi Zhai and noted that Xiao Yan’s rapid cultivation could bring the story’s next phase sooner.
• Xiao Xun'er told Elder Ling to stop investigating Ruyi Zhai as long as it posed no threat to Xiao Yan.
• More than a dozen Xiao Clan disciples crowded into Ruyi Zhai, and Xiao Cheng explained how Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy affected Dou Qi and their discounted clan prices.
• The disciples bought all the pastries and candy, leaving Payne disappointed when he arrived after the shop had sold out.
• Xiao Cheng checked his Personal Panel, claimed the completed Main Quest reward, and received the God-Tier Honeyed Three-Knife Pastry recipe.
• Xiao Cheng closed Ruyi Zhai early and planned to make the new pastry the next day.

Xiao Cheng made Honeyed Shortbread and introduced it at Ruyi Zhai, then persuaded Xiao Ning to buy a jin by warning him that Xiao Yan might grow stronger before the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Xiao Ning left pleased with his purchase, unaware that Xiao Cheng had tricked him into buying the expensive pastry.

• Xiao Cheng prepared Honeyed Shortbread, Peach Pastry, and Peanut Candy, and displayed their prices at Ruyi Zhai.
• Payne and Xiao Lu bought Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy but declined to buy the Honeyed Shortbread.
• Xiao Ning came to Ruyi Zhai to apologize to Xiao Cheng and ask whether the pastries increased Dou Qi.
• Xiao Ning chose Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy, but Xiao Cheng urged him to buy Honeyed Shortbread to prepare for Xiao Yan's possible improvement.
• Xiao Ning bought a jin of Honeyed Shortbread and left Ruyi Zhai without realizing Xiao Cheng had tricked him.

Xiao Ning discovered that Ruyi Zhai’s pastries could improve his cultivation and physical strength, while Xiao Cheng received a new quest to sell Honeyed Shortbread. Xiao Yan visited the shop, learned Xiao Ning had bought the new pastry, and left determined to become a Dou Di.

• Xiao Ning bought pastries from Ruyi Zhai, and after eating Peach Pastry and Honeyed Shortbread, he noticed his Dou Qi and physique improve.
• Xiao Cheng received a Main Quest to sell one hundred jin of Honeyed Shortbread within seven days, with a God-tier Mung Bean Cakes recipe as the reward and a Baby Three-Piece Set as the penalty.
• Xiao Cheng learned that selling pastries earned experience points and that each shopkeeper level required triple the experience of the previous one.
• Xiao Yan visited Ruyi Zhai, bought Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy, and declined the Honeyed Shortbread because of its high price.
• Old Yao told Xiao Yan that Xiao Cheng had reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, and Xiao Yan vowed to reach the peak and become a Dou Di.

Xiao Cheng sold Honeyed Shortbread to Jia Lie Te and Xiao Xun'er while warning both that he knew their families had investigated him. Jia Lie Bi sent Jia Lie'ao to approach Xiao Cheng about cooperating with the Jia Lie Family, and Jia Lie'ao arrived at Ruyi Zhai.

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning cultivated with Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy, and Xiao Ning's Dou Qi improved enough that he went back to Ruyi Zhai for more pastries.
• Jia Lie Te bought Honeyed Shortbread and Peanut Candy, then reported Xiao Cheng's warning to Jia Lie Bi.
• Jia Lie Bi ordered Jia Lie Te to keep watching Ruyi Zhai and sent Jia Lie'ao to test whether Xiao Cheng would cooperate with the Jia Lie Family.
• Xiao Xun'er bought Honeyed Shortbread and Peanut Candy, then left after Xiao Cheng revealed that he knew she had sent someone to investigate him.
• Xiao Xun'er asked Elder Ling about the investigation, and he suggested that a powerful force behind Xiao Cheng had detected him.
• Jia Lie'ao arrived at Ruyi Zhai while Xiao Cheng was there.

Jia Lie'ao visited Ruyi Zhai and threatened Xiao Cheng after Xiao Cheng refused the Jia Lie Family's offer to cooperate. Xiao Ning reported Jia Lie'ao's visit to the Xiao Family First Elder, who suspected the Jia Lie Family had discovered the pastries' effects and went to find Xiao Zhan.

• Jia Lie'ao asked Xiao Cheng to cooperate with the Jia Lie Family, but Xiao Cheng refused and warned that Ruyi Zhai already had ties to the Xiao Clan and might work with the Mittel Auction House.
• Jia Lie'ao threatened to burn down Ruyi Zhai, and Xiao Cheng mocked him as he left.
• Xiao Ning bought pastries from Xiao Cheng, thanked him for their benefits, and promised to protect him from anyone who bullied him.
• Xiao Cheng checked his Personal Panel and saw that his shopkeeper experience had risen by fourteen points while his pastry quests remained in progress.
• Xiao Ning told the First Elder that he had seen Jia Lie'ao leaving the Xiao Family Market, and the First Elder suspected the Jia Lie Family wanted to secure Ruyi Zhai's pastries.
• The First Elder reassured Xiao Ning that Xiao Cheng would keep his agreement with the Xiao Clan, then went to find Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan and the First Elder discussed Jia Lie Bi’s plans and the need to strengthen security, while Jia Lie Bi prepared to target the Xiao Clan. At Ruyi Zhai, Xiao Cheng rejected Ao Di’s offer to cooperate and tried to sell Honeyed Shortbread to Xiao Mei, who could not afford it.

• The First Elder told Xiao Zhan that Jia Lie'ao had visited Xiao Family Market, and they suspected Jia Lie Bi wanted to win over Xiao Cheng and was plotting against the Xiao Clan.
• The First Elder urged Xiao Zhan to strengthen market security, and Xiao Zhan agreed that Jia Lie Bi might be conspiring with Ao Ba Pa.
• Jia Lie'ao complained to Jia Lie Bi that Xiao Cheng had thrown him out, and Jia Lie Bi told him to wait while he planned to seize the Xiao Clan and Ruyi Zhai.
• Ao Di introduced himself to Xiao Cheng as Ao Ba Pa’s son and sought cooperation, but Xiao Cheng refused and sent him away.
• Xiao Mei visited Ruyi Zhai and bought Peach Pastry and Peanut Candy instead of the costly Honeyed Shortbread, prompting Xiao Cheng to blame its price for poor sales.

Xiao Cheng considered expanding Ruyi Zhai but put off creating new pastries, while Xiao Yan’s cultivation improved with the shop’s sweets and Xiao Xun’er encouraged him. Ao Ba Pa and Jia Lie Bi discussed the Xiao Clan and conspired against Ruyi Zhai, leaving Jia Lie Bi determined to take over the shop.

• Xiao Cheng considered cooperating with the Mittel Auction House and making new pastries, but decided to wait.
• Xiao Yan realized Peanut Candy had accelerated his cultivation and felt determined to prove himself after remembering his life on Earth.
• Xiao Xun’er brought Xiao Yan Honeyed Shortbread, and he accepted her kindness as she encouraged him.
• Ao Ba Pa and Jia Lie Bi discussed Ruyi Zhai’s cultivation-boosting pastries and the Xiao Clan’s cooperation with the shop.
• Jia Lie Bi whispered a plan to deal with Ruyi Zhai, and Ao Ba Pa agreed to carry it out.
• After Ao Ba Pa left, Jia Lie Bi said Ruyi Zhai would be his sooner or later.

Xiao Cheng learned that Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa might be plotting against him, while the First Elder promised the Xiao Clan’s support for Ruyi Zhai. After checking his shop quests and taking a walk through the market, Xiao Cheng remained unaware that someone was watching him.

• Payne warned Xiao Cheng that Jia Lie Bi might target Ruyi Zhai after meeting with Ao Ba Pa.
• The First Elder visited Ruyi Zhai, heard that Jia Lie'ao had failed to recruit Xiao Cheng, and pledged the Xiao Clan’s support.
• Xiao Cheng persuaded the First Elder to buy a pound of Honeyed Shortbread and checked his shop progress and quests.
• Xiao Cheng closed the shop early and strolled through the market, where he spoke with Xiao Lu during his patrol.
• An unseen observer watched Xiao Cheng as he continued wandering through the market.

Xiao Cheng opened Ruyi Zhai while pastries from his shop strengthened the physiques and cultivation of the Xiao Clan’s younger generation. The Jia Lie Family and Ao Ba Pa Family secretly barred their shops from buying from Ruyi Zhai, drawing fewer customers to Xiao Family Market as Xiao Cheng remained unaware of the reason.

• Xiao Yan ate Honeyed Shortbread from Xiao Xun'er and found that it improved his physical strength, then resumed cultivating toward the seventh stage of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Ning reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi after eating pastries, while Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying confirmed that Honeyed Shortbread could strengthen the body.
• Xiao Xun'er considered privately cooperating with Xiao Cheng but decided the time was not right.
• The Jia Lie Family and Ao Ba Pa Family ordered their shops not to buy from Ruyi Zhai, and the orders reduced the number of people in Xiao Family Market.
• Xiao Cheng heard Xiao Family Disciples gossip about strange events in the other families’ markets but dismissed the matter and continued selling pastries.

Xiao Cheng learned that the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Pa Family were trying to cut off Ruyi Zhai’s customers, while the Mittel Auction House moved to support him. He devised a plan to promote the pastries through Xiao Ning and draw customers from the rival families’ territories.

• Xiao Zhan and the Three Elders discussed the rival families’ restrictions on buying pastries and concluded that they were targeting Xiao Cheng’s business.
• Ya Fei told Gu Ni to announce that Xiao Cheng was an honored guest of the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Ning visited Ruyi Zhai, and Xiao Cheng discovered that he had reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi after eating the pastries.
• Xiao Ning told Xiao Cheng that the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Pa Family had forbidden people in their markets from visiting Ruyi Zhai.
• Xiao Cheng asked Xiao Ning to promote the pastries by demonstrating their benefits, hoping to attract customers and eventually draw people into the Xiao Family Market.
• Xiao Ning bought pastries and hurried back to tell his grandfather about Xiao Cheng’s plan, while Xiao Cheng vowed to take revenge on the two families.

Jia Lie Bi abandoned his scheme against Ruyi Zhai after the Mittel Auction House intervened, while Ao Ba Pa was left to bear the consequences. Xiao Cheng accepted a system quest to create a signature pastry and settled on making a Cream Cake, as the feud between Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa widened.

• Jia Lie Bi ordered his shops to resume normal business and secretly left Ao Ba Pa to take the blame for the boycott of Ruyi Zhai.
• Xiao Ning told the First Elder about Xiao Cheng's plan, but they set it aside after learning that the Mittel Auction House supported Ruyi Zhai; the First Elder also noticed Xiao Ning had reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi.
• Xiao Cheng learned of the Mittel Auction House's support and received a two-day system quest to create a special signature pastry, with public Broadcast Gymnastics as the failure penalty.
• Xiao Cheng decided to make a Cream Cake and bought the ingredients and tools from Xiao Dian.
• Ao Ba Pa learned that Jia Lie Bi had kept him in the dark, and the Mittel Auction House raised the prices of goods sold to the Oba Clan by ten percent.
• Jia Lie Bi dismissed Ao Ba Pa as an idiot, while Xiao Zhan quietly observed the growing rift between the two men.

Xiao Cheng met Xiao Yi Xian at Ruyi Zhai and learned she had come from Qingshan Town to investigate the shop’s Dou Qi-enhancing pastries. He offered to help if anything unusual happened to her body, then learned from Xiao Dian that a pastry capable of curing her Calamity Poison Body had only a two percent chance of appearing as a Quest Reward.

• Xiao Cheng prepared a Cream Cake base and decided to limit future orders to ten cakes at a time.
• Xiao Yi Xian visited Ruyi Zhai, introduced herself as a physician from Myriad Medicine Zhai, and asked about the pastries’ effects.
• Xiao Yi Xian bought three Peach Pastries and three Peanut Candies after Xiao Cheng explained the pastries and their prices.
• Xiao Cheng called after Xiao Yi Xian and offered to help if anything unusual happened to her body, prompting her to wonder how he knew about her condition.
• Xiao Dian told Xiao Cheng that a pastry capable of curing the Calamity Poison Body had a two percent chance of appearing through Quest Rewards.
• Xiao Cheng returned to check the cake in the oven, while Xiao Yi Xian looked back at Ruyi Zhai before preparing to return to Qingshan Town.

Xiao Cheng finished making a Cream Cake and claimed its quest reward the next morning, advancing to Dou Zhe. He sold Honeyed Shortbread and Peanut Candy to Xiao Yan, then prepared to present the cake to the Mittel Auction House and consider how to promote Ruyi Zhai.

• Xiao Cheng finished decorating the Cream Cake, received Xiao Dian's quest-completion notification, and postponed claiming the reward until morning.
• Xiao Cheng claimed the reward and advanced from the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi to a One-Star Dou Zhe.
• Xiao Cheng planned to discuss cooperation with the Mittel Auction House and wondered whether to promote Ruyi Zhai to the Imperial Capital.
• Xiao Yan visited Ruyi Zhai and bought three jin of Honeyed Shortbread and ten pieces of Peanut Candy after his teacher recommended the shortbread.
• Xiao Cheng checked his quest progress, then packaged the Cream Cake to show the Mittel Auction House representative.

Xiao Ning mocked Xiao Yan’s cultivation before buying pastries and reserving Ruyi Zhai’s first Cream Cake. Xiao Cheng offered Gu Ni a deal to supply Cream Cakes for auction, then prepared the cake that would later help Xiao Ning advance to Two-star Dou Zhe.

• Xiao Ning mocked Xiao Yan for relying on pastries to cultivate, while Xiao Yan returned to his room and trained diligently.
• Xiao Cheng advertised Cream Cake for one thousand Gold Coins, requiring advance reservations and limiting orders to three cakes per day.
• Xiao Ning reserved a Cream Cake and bought ten Peach Pastries and three jin of Honeyed Shortbread.
• Xiao Cheng proposed supplying Cream Cakes to Gu Ni for auction, and Gu Ni left to discuss the offer with Ya Fei.
• Xiao Cheng prepared ingredients for the Cream Cake, unaware it would later help Xiao Ning advance to Two-star Dou Zhe.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni considered working with Xiao Cheng, while Xiao Yi Xian discovered that Ruyi Zhai’s pastries increased her Dou Qi and eased her Calamity Poison Body. Xiao Cheng sold Cream Cake reservations to Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er, then began preparing cakes for the Mittel Auction House partnership.

• Gu Ni told Ya Fei about Xiao Cheng’s partnership proposal, and they considered testing the Cream Cake before deciding how to promote it.
• Ya Fei worried about telling her family about Ruyi Zhai because she feared becoming a tool for their profit, and Gu Ni suggested asking Xiao Cheng for help.
• Xiao Yi Xian ate Peanut Candy, found that her Dou Qi increased and her Calamity Poison Body eased, then left Myriad Medicine Zhai hoping Xiao Cheng could help her.
• Payne and Xiao Lu bought Peach Pastries and Peanut Candies from Xiao Cheng, while they declined the thousand-Gold-Coin Cream Cake.
• Xiao Mei reserved a Cream Cake and bought pastries, and Xiao Xun'er later ordered a cake as well.
• Xiao Cheng forgot Xiao Mei’s cake when he visited the Xiao Clan, then went to the kitchen to prepare Cream Cake for his cooperation with the Mittel Auction House.

Xiao Yan reached the seventh stage of Dou Qi and received the Eight Extremes Collapse technique, while Xiao Cheng completed an auction-house partnership and claimed a new pastry recipe. The chapter ended with Xiao Cheng rushing to the kitchen to prepare its ingredients.

• Xiao Yan broke through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi, and Old Yao passed him the Eight Extremes Collapse technique.
• Old Yao told Xiao Yan he needed to strengthen his body before using the technique and suggested either taking beatings or eating a jin of Honeyed Shortbread daily; Xiao Yan chose the food.
• Xiao Cheng baked two Cream Cakes for Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei and prepared to deliver them the next day.
• Gu Ni told Xiao Cheng that Ya Fei had agreed to cooperate, and they arranged for Xiao Cheng to provide one Cream Cake every seven days, or two when possible.
• Xiao Cheng completed the Peanut Candy quest, drew a random pastry recipe, and hurried to the back kitchen to prepare its ingredients.

Xiao Cheng made sweet and savory Small Fried Dough Twists and sold some to Xiao Yan, who invited him to visit the Xiao Clan the next day. Xiao Yan brought the twists to Xiao Zhan, and father and son ended the chapter arguing over which flavor was better.

• Xiao Cheng prepared and displayed sweet and savory Small Fried Dough Twists, pricing them at 60 Gold Coins per jin.
• Xiao Yan bought one jin of each flavor and five jin of Honeyed Shortbread, then invited Xiao Cheng to visit the Xiao Clan; Xiao Cheng agreed to come the next day.
• Xiao Dian assigned Xiao Cheng a seven-day quest to sell 100 jin of Small Fried Dough Twists, with a mysterious scratch card as the reward and transformation into a fried dough twist as the penalty.
• Xiao Yan brought the pastries to Xiao Zhan, who preferred the savory twists while Xiao Yan preferred the sweet ones.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan argued over which flavor of Small Fried Dough Twists was best.

Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan discovered that Ruyi Zhai’s Small Fried Dough Twists eased mental fatigue and boosted spiritual power, prompting Xiao Zhan to promote them among the Xiao Clan. Xiao Cheng’s shop was swamped by disciples arguing over sweet and savory flavors, and the chapter ended with Xiao Yi Xian arriving in Wutan City.

• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan noticed the Small Fried Dough Twists refreshed the mind and slightly improved spiritual power, and Xiao Zhan decided to promote them to the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Zhan discovered Xiao Yan had reached the seventh stage of Dou Qi and encouraged him ahead of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
• Xiao Zhan spread word about the pastries, drawing a crowd of Xiao Family Disciples to Ruyi Zhai, where Xiao Cheng had to stop their sweet-and-savory argument and organize a queue.
• Xiao Cheng checked his Personal Panel and saw Small Fried Dough Twists sales had reached 51 jin toward the 100-jin quest goal.
• Xiao Yi Xian walked through Wutan City carrying luggage.