Chapter Summaries

Quan Yuxun asked Yun Nvluo to find him a newly furnished apartment near Zong Ruoan’s home, while Xia Chujian recognized Quan Yuxun and arranged for Ping Qiong to visit Song Mingqian. The chapter left Quan Yuxun chatting with Zong Ruoan, dissatisfied with the coffee and asking Yun Nvluo to fetch his own.

• Quan Yuxun asked Yun Nvluo to contact real estate agent Guo Sheng and find him a move-in-ready apartment like Zong Ruoan’s.
• Xia Chujian recognized Yun Nvluo and realized Quan Yuxun had likely recognized her voice in the elevator.
• Guo Sheng discovered Yun Nvluo was Quan Yuxun’s first secretary and hurried to search for available apartments.
• Xia Chujian suggested Ping Qiong visit Song Mingqian, who eagerly drove over to pick them up.
• Quan Yuxun toured Zong Ruoan’s apartment, criticized its coffee, then asked Yun Nvluo to bring his suitcase and a can of his own coffee.

Zong Ruoan questioned Quan Yuxun about the legality and justice of the Fan Clan’s punishment, and Quan helped him understand the political circumstances behind it. Zong Ruoan accepted his defeat and discussed his work in Mulan City, where a cold winter and a Humanoid Slave rebellion threatened Guiyuan Star’s harvest.

• Yun Nvluo brought coffee, and after she left Quan Yuxun asked Zong Ruoan why he had stayed away from home for the New Year.
• Zong Ruoan challenged the handling of the Fan Clan case, but Quan Yuxun explained that the Emperor’s authority over noble titles was legal and that his own loyalty was shaped by his family ties.
• Quan Yuxun argued that changing the law risked renewed conflict and described the political gains from stripping the Fan Clan’s title; Zong Ruoan acknowledged that Inspector Huo Yushen had acted without doing anything improper.
• Zong Ruoan reflected on his own personal reasons for pursuing Fan Chengcai and accepted Quan Yuxun’s advice, though he said he would not return home until he finished his work.
• Zong Ruoan told Quan Yuxun that a severe winter and the Humanoid Slaves’ rebellion would likely reduce Guiyuan Star’s plantation harvest to enough for only the Imperial Family.

Zong Ruoan invited Quan Yuxun and Yun Nvluo to lunch, then offered to arrange for Xia Chujian to cook after Quan praised her aunt’s food. Xia Chujian agreed to cook for Quan, who recognized her and expressed interest in meeting her, leaving her wary of his motives even as Zong hoped to secure her a powerful patron.

• Quan Yuxun and Zong Ruoan discussed Mulan City’s resources and public affairs before Yun Nvluo brought Quan’s suitcase and announced that lunch had arrived.
• At lunch, Zong Ruoan criticized the hotel’s Unicorn Cattle Meat and explained that a friend’s elder was a far better cook, prompting Yun Nvluo to ask for a chance to try that food.
• Zong Ruoan called Xia Chujian and asked whether her aunt could cook for his visiting friend, but Xia said her aunt was still recovering and offered to cook herself.
• Quan Yuxun joined the call, introduced himself, and asked to taste Xia Chujian’s cooking, while she and Quan exchanged cautious pleasantries without mentioning their earlier encounter.
• Zong Ruoan urged Xia Chujian to cook for Quan and hinted that Quan would owe her a favor, while Xia realized he was trying to connect her with a powerful patron and remained unsure whether she could trust Quan.

Xia Chujian agreed to cook dinner for Zong Ruoan and Quan Yuxun, then clashed with Yun Nvluo over her family's Tantai Royal Field Rice. Quan Yuxun backed Xia Chujian, and the guests arranged to visit at four o'clock, surprising Xia Yuanfang when she learned who Quan Yuxun was.

• Xia Chujian agreed to cook dinner after claiming her cooking surpassed that of ordinary chefs, while warning that she could not match Xia Yuanfang's skill.
• When Xia Chujian said her home lacked Tantai Royal Field Rice, Zong Ruoan revealed that he had eaten it there before, prompting Yun Nvluo to question how a Commoner family obtained it.
• Xia Chujian turned Yun Nvluo's definition of a legitimate channel back on her and challenged her for prying into private matters.
• After Xia Chujian said she could not host someone who accused her of breaking the law, Quan Yuxun told Yun Nvluo to reflect, and Yun Nvluo apologized.
• Zong Ruoan offered to have Tantai Royal Field Rice delivered, and the group set dinner for four o'clock at Xia Chujian's home.
• Xia Chujian told Xia Yuanfang that Quan Yuxun, a member of one of the Four Great Noble Families, would join Zong Ruoan for dinner.

Xia Chujian secured six months of Advanced Nutrient Solution from the Special Security Bureau and helped Xia Yuanfang prepare a fish-cake meal for their guests. Meanwhile, Quan Yuxun moved into a newly purchased apartment and asked Zong Ruoan about the attack in Mulan City's Central District.

• Xia Yuanfang decided to cook for Zong Ruoan and Quan Yuxun, while Wufu asked her for meat buns.
• Xia Chujian asked Meng Guanghui about Advanced Nutrient Solution benefits and persuaded him to send her six months' supply despite her not being a formal member.
• Xia Chujian arranged for San Zong to send Ying Fish, and Xia Yuanfang began making fish cakes with her help.
• Quan Yuxun chose a duplex apartment in Zong Ruoan's residential community and moved in that afternoon.
• Quan Yuxun asked Zong Ruoan whether he knew about the previous day's major incident in Mulan City's Central District.

Zong Ruoan discussed leaving the Special Security Bureau and decided to run for Senate Councilor, with Quan Yuxun encouraging him and offering advice. They visited Xia Chujian for New Year dinner, where talk of her childhood poverty highlighted the hardships faced by ordinary people, and Zong Ruoan eagerly ate one of Xia Yuanfang’s meat buns.

• Zong Ruoan told Quan Yuxun he felt he did not fit in at the Special Security Bureau and was considering leaving.
• Zong Ruoan decided to run for Senate Councilor in the election year, and Quan Yuxun offered advice and promised to recommend someone for his campaign team.
• Zong Ruoan and Quan Yuxun visited Xia Chujian’s home, where Quan gave her a red envelope and thanked her for helping the Quan family.
• Xia Chujian described how she and Xia Yuanfang had struggled to get enough food as children, prompting Zong Ruoan to criticize the Senate’s neglect of ordinary people.
• Wufu and Sixi begged Xia Chujian for buns, and she served Wild Rhinoceros Pig Meat Buns to the guests.
• Zong Ruoan eagerly took a large bite of his bun while Quan Yuxun looked on in surprise.

Xia Yuanfang prepared a lavish dinner for Quan Yuxun and Zong Ruoan, and her new fish cake delighted everyone. Quan Yuxun abandoned his lifelong restraint around food and left praising the meal.

• Quan Yuxun tasted Xia Yuanfang’s meat bun and eagerly anticipated her dinner.
• Xia Yuanfang made several dishes, including fish cake, and Xia Chujian helped Wufu and Sixi settle in for the meal.
• Xia Yuanfang served dinner, and Xia Chujian tasted every dish before everyone began eating.
• The guests and family devoured the meal, with Quan Yuxun eating three bowls of rice and especially enjoying the tofu-thread soup.
• Quan Yuxun admitted the food had broken his usual restraint, and Xia Chujian encouraged him to become a foodie.

Quan Yuxun discovered that Xia Yuanfang’s food helped him sleep exceptionally well, then went to Xia Chujian’s home the next morning with a Housekeeping Robot gift for her aunt. Xia Chujian opened the rooftop door for him, where he remarked on the building’s many traps.

• Quan Yuxun and Zong Ruoan recognized the Ying Fish in Xia Yuanfang’s fish cake, and Xia Chujian improvised a story about finding Weak Water Lake during her mission.
• After eating the meal, Xia Chujian became drowsy, and Quan Yuxun also fell asleep; the next morning, he woke refreshed after twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep without medication.
• Quan Yuxun ordered one Housekeeping Robot for himself and another as a New Year gift for Xia Yuanfang, then tried to message Xia Chujian but could not reach her.
• Quan Yuxun flew to Xia Chujian’s apartment building, and Zong Ruoan helped him contact her while sending her a small New Year red envelope.
• Xia Chujian received the Housekeeping Robot intended for Xia Yuanfang and went to the rooftop to let Quan Yuxun in.
• Quan Yuxun greeted Xia Chujian and said he had not realized her building was full of traps.

Xia Chujian welcomed Quan Yuxun and a new housekeeping robot, Liushun, into her home, where the robot startled Wufu but recovered and went to work. Over breakfast, Xia Yuanfang asked Quan Yuxun about the legal boundaries for her planned reproductive-assistance workshop, and he explained that the Empire punished even statements supporting genetic research.

• Xia Chujian told Quan Yuxun she was only keeping Wufu temporarily and asked him not to tell Xia Yuanfang about the square incident.
• Quan Yuxun gave Xia Yuanfang a housekeeping robot, and Xia Chujian named it Liushun and introduced it to the family.
• Liushun startled Wufu while collecting laundry, froze, then rebooted and resumed its chores.
• Xia Yuanfang told Quan Yuxun she planned to open a workshop helping Humans and Humanoids overcome fertility difficulties using their own bodies.
• Quan Yuxun explained that Imperial law allowed natural reproductive research but prohibited genetic research, and said people had faced serious charges merely for advocating it.

Xia Chujian considered Quan Yuxun’s offer to guard him during an inspection of Mulan City’s South District and revealed her Special Security Bureau helmet, then asked about buying land near the city. In a separate scene, Gu Yanxiu confronted Jiang Yao about secretly pursuing a project and left her wary of his suspicions.

• Quan Yuxun told Xia Yuanfang that people convicted for speaking about genetic research had been sentenced to death and promised to represent her if her natural-ingredient treatment was challenged.
• Quan Yuxun offered Xia Chujian two hundred thousand yuan a day for four hours of security work in the South District, but Xia Yuanfang initially refused because she feared the danger.
• Xia Chujian accepted the chance to discuss the work privately with Quan Yuxun and showed him her Lily-of-the-Valley Purple Silk Hat, explaining that it could defend against S-Class Mental Strength attacks.
• Xia Chujian asked Quan Yuxun whether farmland south of Mulan City belonged to the Imperial Family because she wanted to buy land.
• Gu Yanxiu confronted Jiang Yao about her efforts to secure a project, dismissed her denials, and left after warning that they would talk again.

Quan Yuxun explained Guiyuan Star’s political history and land ownership to Xia Chujian as she explored buying land to grow medicinal herbs for her Aunt. He offered to finance a purchase, leaving Xia Chujian to name the land she wanted.

• Quan Yuxun explained that Guiyuan Star was jointly governed and recounted how the Fan Clan gradually overreached before losing its nobility.
• Quan Yuxun told Xia Chujian that the Imperial Family controlled the fertile plantation south of Mulan City, while the state jointly managed the Exotic Beast Forest.
• Xia Chujian proposed that the Quan family establish a presence in Mulan City, and Quan Yuxun considered using her as a proxy.
• Quan Yuxun explained the high costs and taxes involved in buying land, and Xia Chujian revealed that she wanted land to grow medicinal herbs for her Aunt’s Reproductive Assistance Workshop.
• Quan Yuxun offered to lend Xia Chujian money and asked which land she wanted to buy.

Xia Chujian discovered that a narrow strip of unclaimed land beside the Exotic Beast Forest was available to buy, and Quan Yuxun helped her acquire ten hectares with a twenty-year tax exemption. With the land secured for San Zong and the others, she agreed to work as Quan Yuxun’s bodyguard and prepared to leave with him.

• Xia Chujian studied the land map with Quan Yuxun and spotted unclaimed land between Mulan City and the Exotic Beast Forest, where San Zong and the others had secretly settled.
• Xia Chujian offered to guard Quan Yuxun in exchange for his help buying the plot, and Quan Yuxun contacted Mulan City officials through his secretary.
• Xia Chujian paid ten million Beichen Coin borrowed from Quan Yuxun for ten hectares, and the officials issued her a Land Certificate and waived taxes for twenty years.
• Quan Yuxun asked Xia Chujian to accompany him, and she tried to negotiate an interest-free loan before going to retrieve her equipment.
• Xia Chujian returned to her bedroom and found Wufu awake with Sixi while Housekeeping Robot Liushun watched, then scolded Liushun for making a human do the housework.

Xia Chujian geared up for an undercover mission with Quan Yuxun, then disguised herself as his daughter so they could enter Mulan City's South District. They reached the district's southern gate, where Xia Chujian was familiar with the imposing enclosure wall and its defenses.

• Xia Chujian layered her Bulletproof Vest and Shao Siming Black Silver Mecha beneath ordinary winter clothes and packed weapons for the mission.
• Quan Yuxun told Xia Chujian she would stay beside him and protect him rather than provide sniper support, so she left her Gun Box at home.
• Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun disguised themselves as a father and daughter searching for relatives, using Face Masks and shabby padded coats.
• Xia Chujian carried a foldable intelligent submachine gun while Quan Yuxun brought a large travel bag filled with equipment, and they traveled to the South District.
• Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun entered the South District through its southern gate, passing the tall wall and iron doors designed to contain Humanoid Lowly People.

Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun entered Mulan City’s South District to investigate 404 District Wuyou Alley, where Xia’s relative had lived. They learned that the district had been sealed after its residents died, and an old innkeeper warned them that monsters remained there as they prepared to continue.

• Xia Chujian secretly activated the camera in her neck brace while following Quan Yuxun into the South District.
• Xia Chujian pretended to be hungry and poor to get directions from a woman, who gave them nutrient solution and said 404 District had been sealed after a supposed chemical leak killed its residents.
• The woman told Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun that the chemical leak story was a lie, but stopped answering questions about what had really happened.
• Quan Yuxun stopped Xia Chujian from shooting at large rats and warned her that other people might be nearby.
• Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun turned into a narrow alley and encountered an old woman outside the End Point Home Inn, who warned them that monsters awaited in 404 District Wuyou Alley.

Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun investigated Nothing Lane, where automated Smart Machine Guns blocked entry, and arranged to return at night. An attacker targeted them, revealing Quan Yuxun had used Xia Chujian as bait for human traffickers; after negotiating a larger reward, Xia Chujian shot the attacker, whose head released a floating sphere.

• The old woman told Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun that monsters had eaten the people they sought, and Quan Yuxun paid her for the information.
• At Nothing Lane, Quan Yuxun tested the armed watchtowers with a stone, and their Smart Machine Guns fired at it and nearly hit the pair.
• Quan Yuxun offered Xia Chujian a ten-million interest-free loan in exchange for four nights, and she agreed to return to the lane that night.
• A man in black animal hide ambushed the pair, but Xia Chujian shot him as Quan Yuxun's hidden security personnel opened fire.
• Quan Yuxun revealed that he had used Xia Chujian as bait for human traffickers, and she negotiated to have one-third of her loan waived.
• Xia Chujian fired into the dead attacker's head, and a round object sprang out and expanded into a floating sphere.

Xia Chujian confronted a giant eyeball whose Mental Attack overwhelmed everyone nearby but left her unaffected. After destroying it with sniper fire, she rescued the unconscious Quan Yuxun from its corrosive remains, then fled a freezing, damp house.

• A spherical creature unleashed a Mental Attack across the area, killing ordinary people and incapacitating Quan Yuxun and his security personnel, while Xia Chujian remained unharmed.
• Xia Chujian assembled her submachine gun and fired repeatedly at the creature, revealing it was a giant eyeball with Black Mist swirling inside its pupil.
• As a Mist Gate began opening within the pupil, Xia Chujian fired six sniper bullets into it, causing the eyeball to explode.
• Xia Chujian activated her Shao Siming Black Silver Mecha and carried the unconscious Quan Yuxun away from the corrosive flesh and tissue.
• Xia Chujian retreated into a stripped, freezing house, then immediately rushed back outside.

Xia Chujian asked Huo Yushen for help after a monster’s self-destruction devastated an alley in Mulan City’s South District. Huo Yushen arrived, learned that Quan Yuxun had used Xia as bait during an investigation, and arranged for the Special Security Bureau to handle the scene.

• Xia Chujian carried the unconscious Quan Yuxun through the wrecked alley and contacted Huo Yushen for help.
• Huo Yushen left a Special Security Bureau briefing after Xia shared her location and called him.
• Huo Yushen arrived disguised and explained that a Magnetic Storm had disrupted the alley’s electronics and surveillance systems.
• Xia showed Huo Yushen her recording, revealing that Quan Yuxun had brought her as bait while investigating a case involving Humanoid Slaves and Untouchables.
• Huo Yushen watched the footage of Dalahe, the eyeball monster, and asked Xia to send him the recording so the Special Security Bureau’s special operations team could deal with it.

Xia Chujian and Huo Yushen dealt with the aftermath of Darahe’s devastating attack, and Huo warned her to conceal her genuine Face Mask. After returning home, Xia Chujian worried that Quan Yuxun had taken advantage of her and planned to negotiate better loan terms when he woke.

• Huo Yushen sent Baxia Team to collect and destroy traces of the attack, then told Xia Chujian that nearly everyone within ten li had died.
• Huo Yushen gave Xia Chujian an imitation Face Mask and told her to hide his presence, destroy the imitation in front of Quan Yuxun, and never wear the genuine mask again.
• Xia Chujian handed the unconscious Quan Yuxun to his security personnel, who took him for treatment, and kept the damaged Face Mask to destroy later.
• Xia Chujian left the South District and returned to her apartment, where Xia Yuanfang mistook her red quilted outfit for Quan Family security uniform.
• Xia Chujian changed clothes, stored the Shao Siming Black Silver Mecha, and decided to return Quan Yuxun’s uniform while finding a safe way to burn the Face Mask.

Xia Chujian and Xia Yuanfang planned to develop their newly purchased land with a ten-million interest-free loan from Quan Yuxun. After learning that Quan Yuxun wanted her help investigating Wuyou Alley for four nights, Xia Chujian negotiated over the loan, ending the chapter by demanding three million waived per night.

• Wufu saved half a Black Rhino Pig Meat Bun for Xia Chujian, and Xia Yuanfang reassured him that he would always have enough food with their family.
• After Wufu and Sixi went to sleep, Xia Chujian showed Xia Yuanfang the land deed and explained that Quan Yuxun had arranged a ten-million interest-free loan and a twenty-year tax exemption.
• Xia Yuanfang agreed to develop the land with Xia Chujian, who proposed building Warm Sheds along the lakeshore before being handed two physics exam papers.
• Quan Yuxun woke after treatment, watched footage of the destruction in 404 District Wuyou Alley, and asked his security leader about Xia Chujian and her Supernatural Helmet.
• Quan Yuxun offered Xia Chujian a contract requiring her to serve as his security personnel for four nights in exchange for a ten-million loan; she rejected his debt-to-equity proposal and demanded three million waived per night.

Xia Chujian signed a revised agreement to accompany Quan Yuxun on two nights of investigations, then secretly left home for their first outing. Quan Yuxun revealed that he was searching for something in Wuyou Alley, and the pair prepared to enter while his bodyguards waited outside.

• Quan Yuxun revised Xia Chujian’s loan terms to reduce her debt by six million for two nights of assistance and made her sign a strict Confidentiality Agreement.
• Xia Chujian secretly prepared for the investigation, left her home through a window, and reached Quan Yuxun’s disposable flying vehicle.
• On the way to South 404 District, Quan Yuxun told Xia Chujian that he was searching for something at someone’s request and that she only needed to protect him.
• Quan Yuxun gave Xia Chujian a disposable Night Suit and a Destroyer 1 Large Sniper Rifle, then said they would enter Wuyou Alley without his bodyguards.
• Xia Chujian readied the rifle, and Quan Yuxun asked how she could use a Sniper Rifle without aiming.