Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Ruthless Woman

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun firmly decides to stop supplying jade to Long City after its jewelry industry attempts to suppress his prices and certain influential people oppose his entry into the market.
• Liang Haiqing and Li Yongrui question whether abandoning Xia Nation’s most powerful luxury market is wise, but Feng Jun refuses to tolerate being humiliated or having his prices controlled.
• The group spends a night drinking before Sister Hong organizes a hike near Moon Mountain, close to Peach Blossom Valley.
• During the hike, Feng Jun’s group unexpectedly encounters Sister Shen and her outdoor club.
• Sister Hong explains Sister Shen’s tragic past: after enduring abuse from her drug-addicted husband, Sister Shen set a trap, reported him for drug trafficking, and ultimately had him executed.
• Meanwhile, one of Sister Shen’s companions—a Long City gold dealer—learns that Sister Hong and Feng Jun are cutting off Long City’s jade supply. He realizes this could create a highly profitable opportunity for anyone who can secretly obtain jade and resell it to Long City.
• The gold dealer proposes that Sister Shen cooperate with Sister Hong or Feng Jun to open a jade business aimed at the Long City market.
• Sister Shen reveals that she already knows Feng Jun and that he is the true owner of the jade mine. Although she is interested in the potential profits, she is also wary of Feng Jun’s ruthless reputation.
• She decides to approach Zhang Weihong first before attempting to negotiate a partnership.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates his pride, independence, and unwillingness to accept exploitation. His decision to blacklist Long City shows that he values control and dignity over access to a lucrative market. He is also portrayed as intimidating and possibly violent.
• Liang Haiqing and Li Yongrui: Act as pragmatic voices, emphasizing the importance of Long City’s market and questioning Feng Jun’s extreme response.
• Sister Hong: Supports Feng Jun’s decision and is revealed to have extensive connections and influence in the jewelry world. Her past relationship with Sister Shen adds depth to her network.
• Sister Shen: Emerges as a tough, resourceful, and emotionally guarded woman. Her past has made her distrustful of men, but she remains highly motivated by financial opportunity. She is cautious about directly confronting Feng Jun yet bold enough to consider entering the jade trade.
• The Long City gold dealer: Shows strong business instincts and familiarity with the gray areas of the gold trade. He quickly recognizes the commercial value of Feng Jun’s decision and seeks a way to profit from the supply gap.

Significant Themes

• Pride versus profit: Feng Jun refuses to sacrifice dignity or pricing power for access to Long City’s enormous market.
• Power and market control: Long City is portrayed as the dominant economic center, making Feng Jun’s decision to exclude it especially provocative.
• Ruthlessness as survival: Sister Shen’s actions against her abusive husband and Feng Jun’s uncompromising business stance both suggest that harsh decisions may be necessary to protect oneself.
• Opportunity created by conflict: Feng Jun’s boycott threatens Long City’s supply but simultaneously creates a lucrative opening for intermediaries and smugglers.
• Trust and reputation: Characters make business decisions based not only on profit but also on fear, personal connections, and Feng Jun’s dangerous reputation.
• Moral ambiguity: The chapter presents illegal or ethically questionable actions—drug trafficking, gray-market gold, and possible resale of restricted jade—without portraying the business world as clean or straightforward.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun debates his decision with Liang Haiqing and Li Yongrui, refusing their warnings that abandoning Long City is foolish.
• Feng Jun’s group meets Sister Shen’s hiking group, revealing links between their social and business circles.
• Sister Hong recounts Sister Shen’s history to Zhang Wei and the others, prompting admiration for Sister Shen’s ruthlessness.
• Sister Shen and the gold dealer discuss the profitability of reselling jade to Long City. He encourages her to use her connection with Feng Jun.
• Sister Shen acknowledges that Feng Jun controls the real source of jade and decides to contact Zhang Weihong before approaching him directly.

Chapter Summary: “Nothing Special”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Weihong, known as “Sister Hong,” discusses the future of Feng Jun’s jade business with Sister Shen. Feng Jun intends to reduce the scale of the business next year, so Sister Hong will only be able to provide jade for cash purchases and may have limited stock later in the year.
• Sister Shen attempts to negotiate more favorable payment terms and seeks permission to sell the jade in East Snow Isle and Feather State, potentially including Long City.
• Sister Hong insists on knowing Sister Shen’s intended markets because Feng Jun’s jade distribution is divided by territory. She warns that entering Feather State—especially Long City—requires Feng Jun’s approval because of his hostility toward the city.
• Feng Jun agrees to allow Sister Shen to operate in Feather State on one condition: she must help him deal with Jubaozhai, a jewelry business with which he has a serious feud.
• Sister Shen confidently offers to target Jubaozhai through her family’s banking connections. She proposes beginning with tax investigations.
• Jubaozhai is subsequently overwhelmed by inspections, loan repayment demands, and absurd complaints involving bright lights, electromagnetic pollution, standing water, and other fabricated or trivial issues.
• Wang Tiechen realizes that Feng Jun is mobilizing competitors and outside forces against him. Feng Jun’s jade distribution rights become an incentive for others to join the attack.
• Li Dafu reduces its cooperation with Jubaozhai and switches to cash settlements, citing financial-risk concerns. In reality, the company has ample alternative suppliers and does not need Jubaozhai.
• As the pressure intensifies, banks also tighten credit. Jubaozhai becomes increasingly isolated, illustrating how quickly businesses and allies abandon a company perceived to be weakening.

2. Character Developments

• Zhang Weihong: Displays firmness, business discipline, and political awareness. She refuses to distribute jade casually or extend credit, protects territorial agreements, and remains loyal to Feng Jun’s interests while maintaining a professional relationship with Sister Shen.
• Sister Shen: Reveals herself to be ambitious, well connected, and willing to use institutional power to pursue business opportunities. Her confidence grows into a willingness to aggressively attack Jubaozhai through banks, tax authorities, and regulatory channels.
• Feng Jun: Demonstrates strategic ruthlessness. Rather than confronting Jubaozhai directly, he uses jade as leverage to recruit allies and create pressure from multiple directions.
• Wang Tiechen: Initially underestimates Feng Jun and believes Jubaozhai can withstand him. As competitors, banks, and regulators begin closing in, he recognizes the danger of the coordinated campaign.
• Li Dafu: Shows a pragmatic, self-protective approach. It abandons risky credit arrangements with Jubaozhai once the company appears vulnerable, prioritizing its own security over loyalty.
• Jubaozhai: Shifts from a powerful, established business to a target exposed by its dependence on suppliers, lenders, regulators, and industry relationships.

3. Significant Themes

• Business alliances are conditional: Relationships that appear stable quickly dissolve when financial risk rises.
• Power through networks: Feng Jun does not need to attack Jubaozhai alone; he uses distribution rights, banking contacts, competitors, and official institutions to create a broad campaign against it.
• The vulnerability of large enterprises: Growth brings influence but also creates more dependencies and more points of attack.
• Opportunism and social realism: Once Jubaozhai begins to weaken, others exploit the situation, confirming the idea that “when the wall falls, everyone pushes it.”
• Institutional hypocrisy and pressure: Banks provide support when conditions are favorable but withdraw it when trouble begins, while regulators and complaints become tools for harassment.
• Territorial control and commercial ethics: Sister Hong’s insistence on market boundaries shows that even seemingly informal business dealings are governed by rules, trust, and competition.

4. Character Interactions

• Sister Hong and Sister Shen: Their conversation begins as a negotiation over jade but becomes a test of trust, territory, and business cooperation. Sister Hong remains polite but firm, while Sister Shen presses for flexibility and broader access.
• Sister Hong and Feng Jun: Sister Hong acts as Feng Jun’s representative, enforcing his policies and consulting him when Sister Shen’s plans involve a sensitive market.
• Feng Jun and Sister Shen: Their meeting turns a commercial request into a strategic bargain: access to Feather State in exchange for helping undermine Jubaozhai.
• Sister Shen and Jubaozhai: Although they do not confront each other directly, Sister Shen uses her family’s banking connections and institutional influence to initiate attacks on the company.
• Wang Tiechen and Feng Jun: Their conflict escalates from personal and commercial hostility into a wider struggle involving regulators, lenders, competitors, and suppliers.
• Li Dafu and Jubaozhai: Li Dafu’s decision to demand cash transactions signals declining trust and helps deepen Jubaozhai’s financial pressure.

Chapter Summary: The Fall of Jubaozhai

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jubaozhai’s business depends heavily on bank financing, but banks begin refusing loans after Feng Jun targets the company, fearing the risks involved.
• Wang Tiechen is furious and desperate but refuses to reconcile with Feng Jun. Their hostility is intensified by Wang’s son having nearly crippled Feng Jun, and Wang knows Feng Jun has no financial reason to compromise.
• Wang regrets previously approaching Feng Jun arrogantly at Peach Blossom Valley. He realizes that a more humble attitude might have prevented Jubaozhai’s current crisis, but he is unwilling to accept defeat.
• Hoping to restore the company’s cash flow, Jubaozhai launches a massive New Year “Happy Shopping Week,” expanding its planned one-million-yuan promotion into a heavily publicized ten-million-yuan event.
• The event features celebrities, jewelry brands, government involvement, television coverage, and radio broadcasts. On the first day, Jubaozhai publicly claims over sixteen million yuan in sales and two million yuan in vouchers, expecting the week to generate sixty to seventy million yuan in cash by selling existing inventory.
• Feng Jun attends the event in disguise or discreetly, intending to undermine Jubaozhai personally rather than relying solely on Sister Shen or other allies.
• After briefly encountering Sister Shen, Feng Jun causes two electrical shorts: one damages a large speaker, while another creates a burning smell near the prize counter. The resulting panic causes the power and cameras to shut down.
• The crowd surges, several display counters are forced open, and valuable gemstones—including their protective covers and heavy bases—are stolen. Security prevents a fatal stampede, but several people are injured and sent to the hospital.
• Feng Jun escapes unnoticed because he carries nothing. Jubaozhai’s losses are estimated at more than twenty million yuan, potentially reaching forty or fifty million. Although the event is insured, reimbursement will be delayed and incomplete.
• Sister Shen calls Feng Jun triumphantly, recognizing that Jubaozhai has suffered a devastating blow. Feng Jun hides his responsibility and encourages her to continue working against the company.
• Afterward, Feng Jun encounters a busload of young men dressed as police officers and quickly moves away. He then approaches a strikingly beautiful woman, greeting her as an old acquaintance; the chapter ends as she turns to face him.

Character Developments

• Wang Tiechen: Becomes increasingly desperate but remains stubborn and unwilling to sacrifice his pride or reconcile with Feng Jun. He shows regret over his past arrogance while still believing Jubaozhai can survive.
• Feng Jun: Demonstrates confidence, strategic thinking, and a willingness to act directly. Rather than merely influencing others, he personally engineers a chaotic attack that severely damages Jubaozhai.
• Sister Shen: Remains openly hostile toward Jubaozhai and frustrated that political protection allows its event to proceed. She is delighted by the company’s losses and continues serving as one of Feng Jun’s tools against it.
• The mysterious woman: Is introduced as a glamorous, unconventional, and apparently familiar figure from Feng Jun’s past, setting up a new interaction.

Significant Themes

• Pride and regret: Wang’s refusal to compromise and his earlier arrogance leave him trapped, illustrating the consequences of valuing pride over practical negotiation.
• Financial vulnerability: Even a successful company can collapse when banks withdraw support and cash flow dries up.
• Survival through desperate measures: Jubaozhai sacrifices long-term ambitions and valuable inventory to obtain immediate cash.
• Chaos and hidden manipulation: Feng Jun exploits panic and confusion to cause enormous damage while concealing his involvement.
• Power and influence: Government connections, media publicity, insurance, and security all prove insufficient when the event itself is destabilized.

Character Interactions

• Wang Tiechen and Feng Jun: Though they do not meet directly in the chapter, their unresolved feud drives the conflict. Wang sees reconciliation as impossible, while Feng Jun actively escalates the retaliation.
• Feng Jun and Sister Shen: Sister Shen recognizes Feng Jun at the event and teases him about being present. He avoids revealing his plan, uses her as a distraction, and later responds casually to her celebration of Jubaozhai’s misfortune.
• Feng Jun and the crowd/security: Feng Jun’s covert actions trigger panic among customers and overwhelm Jubaozhai’s security arrangements.
• Feng Jun and the mysterious woman: The chapter concludes with Feng Jun approaching an exceptionally attractive, fashionably unconventional woman and greeting her as someone he has not seen for a long time.

Summary of “A Unique View”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun runs into Hao Fengjing outside a coach station. They exchange friendly greetings and discuss her work, travel plans, and desire to visit East Snow Isle to see its ice sculptures.
• Feng Jun learns that Hao enjoys traveling, usually alone, but is willing to invite people she considers compatible. She casually invites him to join her East Snow Isle trip, though he cannot commit because he hopes to return home for the New Year.
• Feng Jun attempts to invite Hao to lunch and later suggests a late-night meal. Hao declines both because of her busy teaching schedule and discomfort with the abrupt late-night invitation, postponing the possibility of meeting until after the New Year.
• After dropping Feng Jun off, Hao leaves him thinking about how he might grow closer to her.
• Feng Jun then receives a call from his assistant, Li Xiaobin, whose lease has expired. She asks to move into his villa at Peach Blossom Valley, arguing that she can cook, clean, do laundry, and serve him more conveniently.
• Although Feng Jun worries that Li’s presence could expose his secrets, he agrees and helps her move her belongings, including an unusually large collection of shoes, into the villa.
• At the villa, Xu Leigang and Wang Haifeng help Li settle in. During the housewarming meal, Wang tells Feng Jun that Jubaoge has suffered losses of tens of millions, apparently as a consequence of earlier events.
• Feng Jun retreats to his basement study and examines the stock market. He has avoided real stock trading because of its risks, despite having financial-management training and several million yuan available.
• Inspired partly by his encounter with Hao Fengjing, Feng Jun begins considering the stock market as a possible new way to earn money.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly interested in pursuing Hao Fengjing romantically and interprets her openness as a sign that further closeness may be possible. He also begins reconsidering his previous avoidance of stock trading, suggesting a new willingness to explore unfamiliar opportunities.
• Hao Fengjing: Is portrayed as independent, direct, practical, and fond of travel. She does not reject Feng Jun, but firmly maintains her own schedule and boundaries. Her willingness to invite him traveling indicates goodwill without clear romantic commitment.
• Li Xiaobin: Takes a more significant place in Feng Jun’s household by moving into the villa. She presents herself as capable and helpful, while her statement that she has no friends in Yang City may subtly imply that she is especially available to Feng Jun.
• Xu Leigang and Wang Haifeng: Continue living and cultivating at the villa. Their eagerness to help Li move demonstrates their familiarity with Feng Jun’s household and their supportive relationship with him.
• Wang Haifeng: Acts as the bearer of news about Jubaoge’s financial disaster, showing his continued connection to outside developments.

Significant Themes

• Fate and opportunity: Hao’s belief that friendship depends on fate influences Feng Jun, who views their chance meeting as an opportunity for both romance and travel.
• Personal boundaries and emotional pursuit: Feng Jun seeks to deepen his relationship with Hao, while she remains friendly but cautious, demonstrating the tension between attraction and restraint.
• Secrecy and trust: Li’s move into the villa creates a potential threat to Feng Jun’s hidden activities and secrets, forcing him to balance convenience against privacy.
• Risk and wealth: Feng Jun’s reflections on stock trading emphasize the uncertainty of financial speculation and the difference between theoretical knowledge and real emotional experience.
• Change and new possibilities: The chapter marks a transition from Feng Jun’s relatively stagnant personal and financial life toward new romantic, domestic, and investment possibilities.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Hao Fengjing share relaxed, flirtatious conversation, with Feng Jun testing her interest and Hao responding honestly but without encouraging him too strongly.
• Feng Jun negotiates living arrangements with Li Xiaobin, establishing rules that protect his private life while allowing her to function as his live-in assistant.
• Li interacts cooperatively with Xu Leigang and Wang Haifeng as they help move her belongings into the villa.
• Wang privately informs Feng Jun about Jubaoge’s losses, while Feng Jun responds with indifference and satisfaction.
• Feng Jun’s memories of Sister Hong and his current interest in Hao reveal his broader emotional uncertainty and desire for companionship.

Chapter Summary: “Big Heart (Second Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun reviews four stocks he has long favored, relying on careful fundamental analysis rather than impulsive trading.
• He explains his conservative left-side trading philosophy: buying undervalued stocks after price declines and holding them for the medium or long term.
• He values strong fundamentals, dividends, and financing conditions, believing these can make long-term holding worthwhile even if a stock stagnates.
• Two of his chosen stocks have fallen well below his estimated valuations, making them attractive buying opportunities.
• Feng Jun uses his extraordinary system inside his phone to analyze a stock, hoping it might provide special guidance. The system only displays charts and a vague assessment that the stock is historically cheap and likely to rise.
• Dissatisfied with the limited information, he abandons the test and joins his companions for a housewarming meal celebrating his assistant Li Xiaobin.
• Wang Haifeng and Li Xiaobin express interest in following Feng Jun’s stock trades. Feng Jun refuses to reveal his chosen stock because he does not want to be responsible for their potential losses.
• Soon after the afternoon market opens, Feng Jun buys 50,000 shares at 9.91 yuan each, investing 500,000 yuan—exactly 20% of his 2.5-million-yuan account.
• This purchase follows his planned strategy of starting with a small position and buying more only if the price continues to fall.
• Wang Haifeng questions whether Feng Jun should wait until the final half hour of trading to judge the market trend, but Feng Jun silences him with an intimidating look.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is portrayed as disciplined, patient, and cautious, but also confident in his own judgment. He understands the risks of investing and deliberately limits his initial position. His growing wealth and leadership role have made him more authoritative, even intimidating.
• Wang Haifeng is revealed to have some past experience with stock trading but poor results. He trusts Feng Jun personally rather than relying on professional advice and is willing to risk money out of loyalty and admiration.
• Li Xiaobin shows increasing independence and confidence. Although she has only about 20,000 yuan invested, she wants to participate and believes Feng Jun may bring her good fortune.
• Xu Leigang displays a blunt, somewhat class-conscious attitude toward Li Xiaobin and her background, though his concern about her investing limited savings is partly well-intentioned.
• Feng Jun’s assistants and companions are becoming a small team centered around him, reflecting his growing influence in both business and personal affairs.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus discipline: Feng Jun recognizes that no strategy can eliminate uncertainty, including the possibility of “black swan” events.
• Long-term patience versus short-term temptation: The chapter contrasts Feng Jun’s value-based approach with investors who chase rallies or panic during declines.
• Psychology in investing: Feng Jun emphasizes that maintaining a stable mindset is more important than any individual stock-picking method.
• Responsibility and leadership: Feng Jun refuses to let others blindly follow his investment decisions, showing concern for their financial well-being.
• Limits of extraordinary abilities: His special system offers only generic information, demonstrating that even supernatural advantages may not provide precise answers about timing or future profits.
• Social status and prejudice: The discussion of Li Xiaobin’s investments exposes assumptions about her profession, wealth, and financial intelligence.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun’s private analysis contrasts with his casual interactions at the meal, showing his separation between personal investment decisions and group activities.
• Wang Haifeng openly seeks to follow Feng Jun’s lead, while Feng Jun rebukes him for treating investment too casually.
• Li Xiaobin challenges Xu Leigang’s implicit prejudice when he questions whether she trades stocks, defending her ability to manage money.
• Xu Leigang’s concern becomes awkward when he learns she has invested only a modest amount, highlighting the economic differences within the group.
• Feng Jun prevents both Wang Haifeng and Li Xiaobin from copying his trade, then uses his authority to stop Wang Haifeng from offering further advice.

Chapter Summary: “A New Surprise”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s first stock purchase continues falling during the final half hour of trading. He bought at 9.91 yuan, hoping to profit from short-term fluctuations, but the stock never rises above 9.99 yuan and eventually closes at 9.71 yuan.
• His fifty thousand shares result in an unrealized loss of slightly more than 10,000 yuan. Although the loss is financially minor, Feng Jun is frustrated that his first trade went badly.
• Before the market closes, Feng Jun reopens the mysterious trading-system app and discovers more than a dozen new alerts about the company:
  • A new product has barely passed inspection and faces serious production and supplier problems.
  • An overseas acquisition is suffering from poor cost control and labor-union pressure.
  • Possible changes to overseas industry regulations may benefit the company, but the associated risks are greater than investors realize.
• Feng Jun realizes that these alerts only appear during active trading hours because they concern information capable of affecting short-term stock prices.
• After the market appears to close, Feng Jun notices that the final K-line data and trading volumes look faint and indistinct. He checks the real-world time and discovers that it is actually 2:46 p.m., fourteen minutes before closing.
• He concludes that the system has shown him the stock’s future movement through the end of the trading day. He waits anxiously and confirms at 3:00 p.m. that the stock indeed closes at 9.71 yuan.
• Feng Jun becomes ecstatic at discovering that he can accurately predict a stock’s same-day movement. He later retreats to the balcony to calm himself and begins analyzing the limitations and consequences of this ability.
• He wonders whether he can predict only the current day, and whether his own investments could alter the market’s future trajectory. He recognizes that even a relatively small trade might trigger broader market reactions.
• That evening, Wang Haifeng and Li Xiaobin try to learn about stocks from him, but Feng Jun is too distracted by his discovery to give them meaningful answers.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: His initial embarrassment and irritation over losing money transform into intense excitement when he realizes the system can reveal future stock movements. His personality remains cautious and analytical: rather than immediately celebrating or exploiting the ability, he considers its limits, possible market effects, and how to use it responsibly.
• Wang Haifeng: His earlier warning about trading near the market close proves correct, reinforcing his practical understanding of stocks. He also notices Feng Jun’s strange excitement but remains too respectful to question him directly.
• Li Xiaobin: She observes Feng Jun’s unusual behavior with curiosity while organizing her belongings, though she does not interrupt him.
• Xu Leigang: He is outside cultivating and has little direct involvement in the chapter’s events.

Significant Themes

• Hindsight and hidden information: Feng Jun learns that information unavailable to ordinary investors can decisively affect stock prices.
• The discovery of extraordinary power: The system’s ability to reveal future market movements gives Feng Jun a potentially life-changing advantage.
• Caution versus greed: Although Feng Jun is thrilled, he immediately considers the risks of using the power and the possibility that his own actions could change the future.
• Uncertainty and causality: The chapter raises the question of whether the future shown by the system remains fixed once Feng Jun intervenes.
• Appearance versus reality: The stock’s apparent final data is actually a glimpse into the future, emphasizing that what seems like ordinary market information may conceal something far more significant.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun remembers Wang Haifeng’s advice and feels annoyed when the stock falls, though the advice is ultimately vindicated.
• Wang Haifeng and Li Xiaobin silently observe Feng Jun’s excited pacing and unusual behavior, unsure what has happened.
• Later, they seek Feng Jun’s guidance about the stock market, but his thoughts are focused entirely on the implications of his new ability, leaving them with only vague responses.

Chapter Summary: “Shearing the Sheep Requires Caution”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun spends the morning testing his newly discovered ability to see a stock’s future movement through the phantom K-line chart.
• He confirms that his foresight extends a maximum of thirty minutes into the future, and that the prediction period is limited by the market’s lunch break.
• Using this knowledge, he executes a risky T+0 trade:
  • He sells all 500 lots of a stock at 9.70 yuan despite having bought them at 9.91 yuan.
  • He then buys 800 lots at around 9.30 yuan after foreseeing a temporary drop to 9.28 yuan followed by a rebound.
  • The stock rises back to approximately 9.80 yuan, allowing him to erase his losses and reduce his average cost substantially.
• Feng Jun celebrates the resulting unrealized gain of over 20,000 yuan with a dinner for his companions, viewing the result as proof that he has found a potentially reliable source of income.
• Zhang Wei, curious about Feng Jun’s sudden stock-market activity, visits him. Feng Jun refuses to explain his methods or allow the securities company to monitor his account, but Zhang Wei assures him that his privacy will be protected.
• The following day, Feng Jun makes another T+0 trade:
  • He buys 800 lots at 9.68 yuan.
  • After seeing that the stock will continue rising, he waits instead of selling immediately and eventually sells at an average of 10.18 yuan.
  • This reduces his average holding cost to just over 8.80 yuan and pushes his unrealized profit over 90,000 yuan within three days.
• Feng Jun realizes that his trades are beginning to influence the stock’s price. His large sell order prevents the stock from staying at its predicted high and lowers the closing price slightly.
• The chapter ends with the humorous realization that repeatedly “shearing” the same stock may eventually affect the sheep—or, in this case, the market itself.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more confident and skilled in applying his predictive ability, but he remains cautious. He tests his conclusions repeatedly, divides his orders, and uses different trading terminals to reduce risk.
• His ambition grows as he recognizes that even thirty minutes of foresight can generate substantial returns. At the same time, he remains relatively modest and satisfied with incremental gains.
• Feng Jun also becomes more secretive, refusing to reveal his strategy because he considers it immature and fears others discovering his advantage.
• Zhang Wei is portrayed as professionally curious but trustworthy. Although interested in Feng Jun’s methods, he reassures him that his account information will remain confidential.
• Feng Jun’s companions are increasingly suspicious and curious about his rapid financial success, though they do not yet understand the true source of his profits.

Significant Themes

• The value and limits of foresight: Thirty minutes of advance knowledge is extremely powerful, but it does not guarantee unlimited profits, especially with steadily rising stocks or market interruptions.
• Risk and caution in wealth-building: Feng Jun’s profits depend on carefully timed, risky transactions rather than reckless speculation.
• Secrecy and privacy: Feng Jun understands that revealing his unusual ability could attract unwanted attention, so he protects his trading information.
• Market impact and unintended consequences: As his trades grow larger, Feng Jun begins to alter the very price movements he predicts.
• Greed versus restraint: He is tempted to hold for higher profits, but the chapter emphasizes that repeatedly exploiting the same opportunity can eventually make it less reliable.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun’s companions question his sudden interest in the stock market, but he dismisses their suspicions.
• He hosts them for dinner to celebrate his profits, reinforcing his role as their wealthy and increasingly mysterious benefactor.
• Zhang Wei presses for information about Feng Jun’s trading strategy, but Feng Jun firmly refuses to explain.
• Zhang Wei responds by promising to protect Feng Jun’s account privacy, creating a relationship based on professional trust despite his curiosity.
• Feng Jun’s interactions with the market itself become almost adversarial: he predicts its movements, exploits them, and then discovers that his own actions can distort the outcome.

Chapter Summary: It Was Time to Cultivate Immortality

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun considers expanding his stock investments because of market fluctuations. Although his half-hour precognitive ability makes stock trading highly profitable, he prefers to earn money discreetly and avoid attracting official attention.
• He decides to build a second stock position in the Peng City market, adding to the securities he already holds in the Ming City market. This will also make him eligible for new stock subscriptions.
• Feng Jun rejects activating margin financing and securities lending. While leverage and short-selling could greatly increase his profits, he believes they would encourage greed and make his unusual trading success too conspicuous.
• After purchasing the new stock, Feng Jun plans to return to the Phone Plane to continue cultivating. His personal goal is to obtain an immortal cultivation technique before the Lunar New Year and bring it back to surprise his parents.
• Zhang Weihong, or Sister Hong, invites Feng Jun to afternoon tea. He brings his assistant, Li Xiaobin, partly to help her gain experience and partly to show her off.
• At the café, Feng Jun discovers that Sister Hong is accompanied by Zhang Caixin and Sister Shen. Sister Hong reveals that Jubaozhai is in serious trouble after the recent accident.
• The accident caused more than 38 million yuan in direct losses. Insurance may cover less than 20 million, leaving Jubaozhai with losses of around 20 million, while its reputational and indirect losses are potentially far greater.
• Jubaozhai realizes that financial repairs alone will not save the business. Wang Tiechen believes Feng Jun’s forgiveness is essential, so he has turned to Sister Shen for help.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates increased caution and strategic thinking. Despite possessing an almost unbeatable financial advantage, he deliberately limits himself to ordinary stock trading and avoids leverage to control both risk and visibility. He remains focused on long-term cultivation and on finding a technique to share with his parents.
• Zhang Weihong: Continues to be a capable business partner and remains curious about Feng Jun’s future plans. Her relationship with him is emotionally and romantically ambiguous after their past intimacy, but she still maintains a confident, composed position in social situations.
• Li Xiaobin: Is adapting to her role as Feng Jun’s assistant and learning to drive. Her presence at the gathering shows Feng Jun’s growing willingness to integrate her into his personal and professional life.
• Wang Tiechen and Jubaozhai: Their confidence has collapsed after the accident. They recognize that repairing their relationship with Feng Jun is more important than merely addressing their financial losses.
• Sister Shen: Reappears as someone connected to both the jade business and Jubaozhai’s attempt to resolve its crisis, suggesting she may act as an intermediary.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and restraint: Feng Jun has the power to make enormous profits but intentionally restrains himself. The chapter contrasts financial opportunity with the dangers of greed, exposure, and excessive ambition.
• Security versus risk: Feng Jun values stable, discreet earnings over aggressive methods such as leverage and short-selling.
• Long-term goals and urgency: His desire to cultivate immortality gives him a larger purpose beyond making money. Even without a clear plan, he believes having meaningful goals prevents life from becoming aimless.
• Reputation and forgiveness: Jubaozhai’s crisis demonstrates that intangible damage—public distrust, political embarrassment, and loss of credibility—can be more devastating than direct financial losses.
• Hidden identities and secrecy: Feng Jun continues concealing his future business plans and cultivation-related goals, keeping even those close to him uncertain about his next move.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Zhang Weihong maintain a relationship marked by professional cooperation, mutual understanding, and unresolved personal tension.
• Sister Hong treats Li Xiaobin politely but confidently, subtly establishing her social superiority. Li Xiaobin responds cautiously, describing her move to Peach Blossom Valley as an effort to serve Feng Jun professionally.
• Sister Hong does not regard Li Xiaobin as a romantic rival, highlighting the difference in their ages, status, and confidence.
• The meeting shifts from casual social interaction to serious business discussion when Sister Hong explains Jubaozhai’s desperate situation.
• Jubaozhai’s plan to approach Feng Jun through Sister Shen establishes the next likely conflict: whether Feng Jun will forgive the business and allow it a chance to recover.

Chapter Summary: “What Makes an Immortal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Tiechen, chairman of Jubaozhai, asks Sister Shen to mediate with Feng Jun after realizing that her influence has grown considerably through her association with him.
• Wang offers to sell Jubaozhai to businesspeople from Long City if Feng Jun refuses to relent. Sister Shen passes along the message but makes clear that she is not personally asking Feng Jun to compromise.
• Feng Jun dismisses the threat, arguing that Long City’s merchants would not easily succeed in Funiu and would likely refuse to pay Jubaozhai a fair price.
• Feng Jun and Sister Shen discuss future jade transactions. Feng wants gold to be prioritized as payment, though Sister Shen explains that her supplier is only a middleman.
• Feng reflects that dealing with illegal private gold miners is dangerous. He therefore prefers safer silver-dollar transactions and will accept gold only from buyers willing to follow market rules.
• Sister Hong reveals that her real purpose in meeting Feng is to learn how much jade he can supply next year and whether they should expand their business.
• After Sister Shen leaves, Feng claims he can provide at least ten times the current year’s jade supply, though he does not intend to focus on jade immediately.
• Feng jokingly announces plans to build a villa made entirely of jade within two or three years.
• A playful exchange between Feng and Zhang Caixin turns flirtatious. Zhang argues that even the most luxurious house is meaningless without the right person inside it, indirectly suggesting that Sister Hong has worked hard for Feng and deserves greater recognition.

Character Developments

• Wang Tiechen shows humility and pragmatism by setting aside his pride and seeking Sister Shen’s help. He recognizes that Jubaozhai is vulnerable and that Feng Jun now holds the stronger position.
• Sister Shen demonstrates growing influence and ambition. Although she still feels some attachment to the Wang family, she refuses to sacrifice her own interests and remains committed to securing her position in the jade market.
• Feng Jun appears increasingly powerful and confident in both business and personal matters. He thinks strategically about risks, supply channels, and long-term cultivation goals rather than pursuing wealth for its own sake.
• Sister Hong is portrayed as a capable business partner with confidence in their brand and distribution network. She is also subtly protective of her status and contributions to Feng Jun’s enterprise.
• Zhang Caixin becomes more emotionally expressive. Her teasing turns into embarrassment when Feng redirects her comments toward her personally, revealing possible jealousy or romantic feelings.
• Li Xiaobin continues serving as Feng Jun’s assistant and is used partly to create a particular impression during the meeting.

Significant Themes

• Power and changing status: Wang’s former authority no longer matters as much as Sister Shen’s current influence and Feng Jun’s growing power.
• Business pragmatism: Characters weigh market risks, fair pricing, competition, and strategic alliances rather than relying solely on personal relationships.
• Wealth versus true value: Feng distinguishes between gold, jade, silver dollars, and spirit stones, emphasizing that material wealth is ultimately secondary to cultivation.
• Safety and hidden danger: Feng’s decision to avoid illegal gold suppliers reflects the dangers of becoming involved with desperate or criminal people.
• Appearance and inner worth: The idea that a house requires an “immortal” to become meaningful symbolizes the contrast between external luxury and the value of the person within.
• Romantic tension and jealousy: The conversation about who might live in Feng’s jade villa exposes emotional undercurrents among Feng, Zhang Caixin, and Sister Hong.

Character Interactions

• Wang Tiechen and Sister Shen: Their former connection remains, but business interests now dominate their relationship. Wang seeks her help, while she maintains emotional and commercial independence.
• Sister Shen and Feng Jun: She acts as a mediator but refuses to pressure him, showing both respect for his authority and concern for her own market position.
• Feng Jun and Sister Hong: They discuss supply, expansion, and payment arrangements as business partners. Their conversation shows mutual confidence and practical cooperation.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin: Their banter becomes suggestive when Zhang implies that the right person could give Feng’s jade villa meaning. Feng teases her by suggesting she might be that person, causing her embarrassment.
• Zhang Caixin and Sister Hong: Zhang indirectly defends Sister Hong, suggesting that Hong’s hard work should earn her greater importance in Feng’s eyes.
• Feng Jun and Li Xiaobin: Feng arranges for Li to accompany Sister Shen partly as a gesture of courtesy and partly to reinforce her image as his personal assistant.

Chapter Summary: “Blooming in Youth”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun jokes with Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin about his future “stone house,” claiming it may eventually be built from rare mutton-fat white jade. He hints that he alone can mine the jade’s source, but dismisses their doubts as bragging because the house has not yet been built.
• Zhang Caixin repeatedly presses Feng Jun about Sister Hong, implying that Sister Hong deserves a more intimate role in his life. Feng Jun acknowledges Sister Hong as an excellent partner but avoids directly addressing the romantic implications.
• Feng Jun reveals that he plans to focus more heavily on the stock market. Sister Hong warns him that financial speculation is extremely dangerous, comparing it to the risks of his private mining operation.
• Feng Jun discloses that he invested 250,000 and has already earned roughly 100,000 in less than three days, despite using only part of his capital. Sister Hong cautions him not to invest more and challenges him to see what happens over the course of a year.
• Feng Jun promises to withdraw if he loses 1.5 million, then teasingly asks what reward Sister Hong will give him if he earns 5 million. He jokingly requests a room for her in his future jade house.
• The conversation shifts to Yu Qingzhu, whom Sister Hong describes as exceptionally beautiful and accomplished. Feng Jun denies being interested in her, criticizing her aloof personality, though his ambiguous reaction suggests she has made an impression.
• Zhang Caixin becomes increasingly competitive and jealous while comparing herself with Yu Qingzhu. She seeks reassurance that she is more attractive and substantial than Yu Qingzhu.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin end up singing lines from the same romantic song, creating an unexpectedly shy and intimate moment. Feng Jun then excuses himself to “have some fun” while he is still young, echoing the chapter’s title.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains confident, playful, and evasive about romance. He sees himself as unusually capable, reflected in his belief that he is closer to becoming an “immortal” than anyone else on Blue Star Realm. His early stock-market success reinforces his confidence, though he is careful not to attract attention or overinvest.
• Sister Hong: Shows herself to be practical, protective, and financially experienced. She accepts Feng Jun’s ambitions but worries that his confidence may become recklessness. Her teasing about other women also reveals jealousy and emotional investment in him.
• Zhang Caixin: Displays youthful impulsiveness, possessiveness, and growing romantic awareness. Her attempts to defend Sister Hong and compete with Yu Qingzhu gradually expose her own interest in Feng Jun. Her embarrassment after singing with him suggests that her feelings are becoming harder to conceal.
• Yu Qingzhu: Does not appear directly, but is characterized through the others’ discussion as exceptionally beautiful, socially prominent, and possibly arrogant. Her reputation creates insecurity and competition for Zhang Caixin.

Significant Themes

• Youth and romance: The chapter centers on youthful attraction, flirtation, jealousy, and the desire to enjoy life before youth passes.
• Confidence versus recklessness: Feng Jun’s success fuels his self-assurance, while Sister Hong warns that early victories in the stock market can create dangerous overconfidence.
• Wealth and ambition: Jade mining, investment, and the dream of building a luxurious house reflect Feng Jun’s rising status and unconventional ambitions.
• The meaning of “immortal”: Feng Jun privately rejects the casual use of “immortal,” believing true immortality requires eternal life rather than beauty, talent, or social status.
• Emotional ambiguity: The relationships among Feng Jun, Sister Hong, and Zhang Caixin remain teasing and indirect. Jokes and evasions reveal feelings that the characters are unwilling to state openly.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Sister Hong exchange flirtatious jokes about living together, future rewards, and rival women, while Sister Hong alternates between teasing him and warning him against financial danger.
• Zhang Caixin openly challenges Feng Jun over his attitude toward her sister and becomes defensive when he mentions women who may be more attractive or impressive.
• Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin compare themselves with Yu Qingzhu, with Zhang Caixin seeking reassurance from Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin share a brief, unplanned moment of intimacy when they continue singing the same love song, after which both become self-conscious.

Chapter Summary: The Appetite of Cultivators

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun leaves the café after sensing that Sister Hong may want to keep him there, but refuses to force an ambiguous situation, especially with several women present.
• Zhang Caixin teases Sister Hong for failing to pursue Feng Jun, warning that another woman—possibly Yu Qingzhu—might take him first. Sister Hong hides her interest behind skepticism about Feng Jun’s extravagant claims, such as building a villa out of white jade.
• The next day, Feng Jun buys 300 lots of a Peng City stock connected to Hao Fengjing. The stock rises sharply just before market close, reinforcing his interest in studying stock-market movements, though he does not want to spend too much time on them.
• After entering Phone Space, Feng Jun finds Lone Wolf teaching Tian Lewen how to install surveillance cables around the settlement. Because the project is extensive, the Tian Family begins helping with the work, completing roughly a quarter of it in one day.
• Feng Jun insists on paying the Tian Family and providing meals, unwilling to accumulate unpaid favors. The offer is eagerly accepted because cultivators consume enormous amounts of food.
• Food shortages and inflated grain prices become apparent. The settlement’s population has disrupted the local supply, and grain merchants charge outsiders 30–40% above normal prices.
• Feng Jun avoids buying the overpriced local grain because he has brought large quantities of rice and flour from the Blue Star Realm. The white flour astonishes the Tian Family, who have never seen such refined food.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains emotionally detached and cautious in romantic matters, preferring not to pursue women unless they clearly express their intentions. He also demonstrates practical foresight by arranging surveillance, paying workers fairly, and importing supplies.
• Sister Hong: Revealed to harbor genuine but restrained feelings for Feng Jun. She had hoped to use business as a pretext for closer interaction but retreats because of the social circumstances and her concern for dignity.
• Zhang Caixin: Acts as an outspoken and mischievous instigator, directly urging Sister Hong to pursue Feng Jun and suggesting an extreme method of seduction.
• Sister Shen: Shows interest in Feng Jun but defers to Sister Hong’s position and does not openly pursue him.
• Tian Lewen: Becomes involved in Feng Jun’s infrastructure efforts and shows enthusiasm for learning the surveillance system, reflecting the Tian Family’s growing cooperation with Feng Jun.
• The Tian Family: Their dependence on food reveals the economic burden of supporting a large population of cultivators, while their willingness to help with construction strengthens their practical alliance with Feng Jun.

Significant Themes

• Unspoken desire and missed opportunities: Sister Hong’s feelings remain hidden, while Feng Jun refuses to interpret indirect signals, leaving their relationship stalled by pride and uncertainty.
• The cost of favors and independence: Feng Jun believes that even allies should keep clear accounts, emphasizing his desire to avoid indebtedness and maintain balanced relationships.
• Resource scarcity and social inequality: Cultivators’ large appetites place extraordinary pressure on food supplies, while outsiders are exploited through inflated prices.
• Technological and cultural contrast: Modern surveillance equipment and refined Blue Star flour amaze the inhabitants of Phone Space, highlighting the gap between the two worlds.
• Cultivation as a physical burden: Martial advancement requires substantial food, making cultivation not only a matter of skill but also of economic and logistical support.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Caixin openly mocks and pressures Sister Hong about Feng Jun, while Sister Hong attempts to dismiss her own attraction.
• Sister Hong watches Feng Jun leave without stopping him, and Sister Shen briefly follows before respecting Sister Hong’s lack of action.
• Feng Jun and Lone Wolf coordinate the expansion of the surveillance network, while Lone Wolf trains Tian Lewen and the Tian Family in its installation.
• Feng Jun establishes a cooperative but financially careful relationship with the Tian Family by offering wages and meals rather than relying on unpaid assistance.
• The Tian Family’s cooks prepare Feng Jun’s imported flour, creating a striking moment of cultural wonder when the natives encounter its unusually pure white appearance.

Summary of “Suspected Formation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s imported refined flour shocks the Tian Family. Unlike the coarse, bran-filled grain commonly eaten in the Phone Plane, the flour is exceptionally white, smooth, and expensive. His decision to serve it to everyone fuels rumors that he comes from an extraordinarily wealthy or powerful background.
• The following day, Feng Jun provides imported meat. Although the locals prefer fatty meat for its richness and ability to satisfy hunger, they recognize that his meat is unusually high quality.
• After four days, the electrical wiring around Feng Jun’s residence is completed. In exchange, Feng Jun pays the workers with flour and rice.
• Tian Lewen offers members of the Tian Family to serve under Lang Zhen’s command. They will patrol the area, assist Lone Wolf, and potentially take over some defensive duties. After consulting Feng Jun, Lang Zhen accepts, helping strengthen the courtyard’s security while reducing the burden on Lang Zhen and the Deng brothers.
• Feng Jun installs the surveillance system in a room near the courtyard gate. When it is activated, Lang Zhen, the Deng brothers, Feifei, Tian Yangni, and Tian Lewen are all present to see it.
• The monitors display detailed images of the surrounding area, astonishing the Tian Family. Because they interpret advanced technology through the concepts of their own world, Tian Yangni assumes the system is a powerful monitoring “formation” and wonders whether it can trap intruders.
• Feng Jun avoids correcting the misunderstanding. He explains that a trapping formation would be expensive and impractical, allowing the Tian Family to believe the system is an advanced but specialized formation.
• Tian Lewen considers purchasing such a system for the Tian Family, imagining the prestige and security it would bring. However, he ultimately admits that the family cannot realistically afford it.
• Tian Yangni identifies the system’s dependence on Feng Jun’s generator, which the locals understand as producing the “power of thunder.” He realizes that purchasing the surveillance system would also require buying the generator and continually supplying it with expensive fuel, making the arrangement even less practical.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues cultivating an aura of mystery. He does not deliberately invent an elaborate identity, but he allows the locals to interpret his technology as the work of an immortal or an expert in formations. His generosity also reinforces the impression that he is extremely wealthy and powerful.
• Lang Zhen becomes more integrated into Feng Jun’s security structure. Though poor and unable to support additional guards himself, he accepts the Tian Family’s assistance and begins taking greater responsibility for protecting the residence.
• Tian Lewen shows initiative and ambition. He wants the Tian Family to benefit from Feng Jun’s technology and sees the surveillance system as a means of increasing the family’s prestige, but he also demonstrates practical judgment by recognizing its cost.
• Tian Yangni is more cautious and perceptive. He observes the system carefully, understands that it depends on the generator, and recognizes that the ongoing fuel expense—not merely the equipment’s purchase price—is the real obstacle.
• Feifei remains part of Feng Jun’s expanding circle and is present to witness the surveillance system’s activation, reflecting her familiarity with his unusual devices.

Significant Themes

• Technology mistaken for magic: The locals interpret cameras, monitors, wiring, and electricity through the familiar framework of formations and spiritual power. This highlights the cultural gap between Feng Jun’s technological world and the Phone Plane.
• Wealth and social status: Imported flour and meat function as powerful signs of class. Feng Jun’s ordinary eating habits by Blue Star standards appear extravagant and almost unbelievable to the locals.
• Practicality versus prestige: The Tian Family desires the surveillance system because it would enhance its reputation, but its cost and dependence on fuel make it an impractical luxury for a relatively poor agrarian clan.
• Labor versus machinery: The chapter contrasts the Phone Plane’s economy, where human labor is relatively cheap and equipment is precious, with the Blue Star Realm’s technologically advanced society, where machines and automation reduce the value of labor.
• Growing dependence on Feng Jun: Security, food, lighting, cooking, and other improvements increasingly rely on Feng Jun’s resources, strengthening his influence over the people around him.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun’s food impresses and confuses the Tian Family, prompting speculation about his origins and status.
• Tian Lewen negotiates with Lang Zhen to provide Tian Family patrol members for Feng Jun’s protection. Lang Zhen agrees after consulting Feng Jun, establishing closer cooperation between the two groups.
• During the surveillance demonstration, Tian Yangni questions Feng Jun about the system’s capabilities. Feng Jun responds evasively, encouraging the belief that it is a complex formation.
• Tian Lewen asks whether a trapping function can be added and later inquires about purchasing the system. Feng Jun emphasizes its high cost and limited defensive function.
• Tian Yangni’s observation about the generator and its fuel shifts the discussion from the system’s impressive appearance to its long-term expense, leading the family to recognize that the technology is beyond their means.

Chapter Summary: “Money Talks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun acknowledges that the surveillance formation is powered by lightning and that its materials will gradually wear out.
• Tian Yangni asks whether the formation can be sold freely, hoping to recommend it to influential relatives of the Tian Family.
• Feng Jun rejects the idea that others can freely dictate the terms. He insists that he alone controls whether, to whom, and how the formation is sold.
• He agrees to consider selling it to Bao Ge’er of the Northern Garden Earl’s Household and the Yu Family’s Second Young Master, both of whom he has met and views favorably.
• Feng Jun makes it clear that there will be no bargaining. If either family wants the formation, someone with actual decision-making authority must come personally to inspect it.
• He further declares that outsiders must offer a courtesy gift before being allowed to examine the formation, emphasizing his superior status.
• Tian Yangni and Tian Lewen discuss what sort of gift would be appropriate. Tian Lewen realizes that cultivation techniques might be expected, but Tian Yangni explains that such techniques are no longer especially valuable to someone of Feng Jun’s rank as a High-Rank Martial Master.
• Back at camp, the Tian elders inform Bao Ge’er and the Yu Family’s Second Young Master of Feng Jun’s conditions.
• The Yu Family’s Second Young Master is offended by Feng Jun’s arrogance and suggests determining the formation’s value first, even implying that Feng Jun’s reputation should be tested.
• Tian Lewen firmly defends Feng Jun, warning the Yu Family that they do not have to participate if they do not respect the opportunity.
• Bao Ge’er takes a more practical and open-minded approach. He agrees to provide a meeting gift so he can inspect the formation, trusting that his family can offer more later if necessary.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun displays increasing confidence in his unique position and monopoly. He acts like a true monopolist, refusing to bargain and setting strict conditions for access to his technology.
• Tian Yangni proves himself politically astute. He understands Feng Jun’s status and explains to Tian Lewen that courtesy gifts are natural when approaching someone of higher standing.
• Tian Lewen develops from a somewhat naïve and hesitant observer into a forceful defender of the Tian Family’s interests. He recognizes the importance of respecting Feng Jun and speaks sharply when the Yu Family challenges him.
• The Yu Family’s Second Young Master is revealed to be proud, stubborn, and sensitive to status. Although previously sensible in Feng Jun’s eyes, he resents being treated as an intermediary rather than a decision-maker.
• Bao Ge’er appears wealthy, confident, and flexible. Unlike the Yu heir, he is willing to follow Feng Jun’s rules and pay an initial gift to investigate the opportunity.

Significant Themes

• Power and monopoly: Feng Jun’s control over cross-realm goods allows him to dictate prices and conditions. His refusal to bargain reflects the power of possessing something no one else can provide.
• Status and protocol: The chapter emphasizes the importance of hierarchy, courtesy gifts, and personal visits when dealing with influential figures.
• Money as influence: Wealth enables people like Bao Ge’er to act decisively and accept financial risks, while the Tian Family’s lack of funds limits its ability to exploit the opportunity directly.
• Knowledge and scarcity: Cultivation techniques are valuable because they are tightly controlled, but their importance changes depending on one’s level of power and access.
• Pragmatism versus pride: Bao Ge’er responds pragmatically, while the Yu Family’s Second Young Master reacts emotionally to Feng Jun’s demands.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Tian Yangni negotiate the possible sale of the formation, with Feng Jun maintaining complete control and Tian Yangni carefully trying to preserve the opportunity.
• Tian Yangni corrects Tian Lewen’s assumptions and teaches him how status-based transactions work.
• Tian Yangni and Tian Lewen jointly confront the Yu Family’s Second Young Master when he questions Feng Jun’s authority.
• The Yu heir and Bao Ge’er respond differently to the same offer: one challenges Feng Jun’s terms, while the other accepts them as a reasonable cost of access.

• Plot points and events: Tian Lewen explains that the Divine Physician, Feng Jun, appears to collect cultivation methods rather than gold, treasures, or medicine. Bao Ge’er is surprised but confident that the Northern Garden Count’s Manor possesses many manuals, while Young Master Yu admits he has little to offer. The group debates whether Feng Jun’s strange formation is truly a formation or merely a surveillance technique. Bao Ge’er decides to obtain cultivation methods in exchange for seeing the formation and leaves to retrieve them.
  Afterward, Tian Yangni and Tian Lewen discuss the Tian Family’s weakness and the need for their younger generation to restore its strength. Tian Yangni laments that his age makes reaching the Innate Realm unlikely, while Tian Lewen jokingly suggests that Feng Jun may represent his “lucky opportunity.” Bao Ge’er returns with two manuals: the rare Thousand Faces Art, inherited from the infamous Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and the suggestively titled Dragon Soaring, Phoenix Harnessing Harmony Canon. Though Tian Yangni considers the choices eccentric, Bao Ge’er gives both manuals to Feng Jun to avoid the embarrassment of offering something he already owns.
  At Feng Jun’s courtyard, construction begins for temporary housing for Tian Family members who will later support Lone Wolf. Feng Jun reviews the manuals while eating. He is delighted by the Thousand Faces Art, recognizing it as a useful transformation technique, but is shocked and humiliated by the second manual, coughing noodles everywhere. Bao Ge’er proudly presents it as a rare imperial secret, prompting Feng Jun to angrily reject the implication that he needs such a technique.

Character developments

• Bao Ge’er demonstrates generosity, practicality, and social confidence. Though he enjoys teasing Young Master Yu, he is willing to offer valuable manuals and even give them both away to secure a favorable relationship with Feng Jun.
• Tian Lewen remains protective of the Tian Family’s interests and fiercely defends Feng Jun’s abilities. He also shows ambition, hoping Feng Jun might help revive the family.
• Tian Yangni reveals insecurity and resignation about his age and inability to reach the Innate Realm, while accepting that the family’s future depends on the younger generation.
• Young Master Yu is proud and status-conscious. He rejects Bao Ge’er’s offer rather than admit he lacks suitable cultivation methods, then leaves to report to his family elders.
• Feng Jun appears powerful and deliberately arrogant, but he is also vain and easily embarrassed, especially when Bao Ge’er’s second manual seems to question his virility. His genuine excitement over the Thousand Faces Art reveals his interest in unusual and practical cultivation techniques.

Significant themes

• Power and family decline: The Tian Family’s lack of an Innate Expert leaves it vulnerable to disrespect and dependence on stronger figures. Restoring the family’s status becomes a responsibility for the younger generation.
• Knowledge as wealth: Cultivation methods function as valuable social currency, especially among noble families and powerful martial artists.
• Pride and social status: Bao Ge’er’s teasing of Young Master Yu and Feng Jun’s reaction to the second manual highlight how reputation and masculine pride influence interactions.
• Misunderstanding and unconventional thinking: The characters repeatedly misinterpret Feng Jun’s interests and the purpose of his formation, while Bao Ge’er’s unusual gift accidentally creates a comic confrontation.
• Alliance-building through gifts: The exchange of cultivation manuals reflects the political importance of favors, connections, and carefully chosen offerings.
• Character interactions: Bao Ge’er and Young Master Yu clash over wealth, usefulness, and pride, with Bao Ge’er subtly mocking Yu’s lack of cultivation manuals. Tian Lewen and Tian Yangni discuss the Tian Family’s future, balancing anxiety with humor. Bao Ge’er consults Tian Yangni about which manuals to offer, revealing his desire to make a good impression. Finally, Bao Ge’er’s gift earns Feng Jun’s interest through the Thousand Faces Art but provokes outrage through the Dragon Soaring, Phoenix Harnessing Harmony Canon, ending the chapter on a comic note.

Chapter Summary: “First Deal (Part 2)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bao Ge’er asks Feng Jun about the Dragon Soaring, Phoenix Harnessing Harmony Canon, an imperial cultivation technique related to male-female cultivation. Feng Jun initially misunderstands its purpose, then learns it is a legitimate, “kingly” technique rather than a harmful yin-yang harvesting art.
• Feng Jun pretends moral disinterest but admits that studying an imperial secret technique could still be useful. Bao Ge’er recognizes that Feng Jun is putting on an act but does not press the matter.
• Bao Ge’er is shown Feng Jun’s surveillance system, consisting of numerous monitors displaying camera feeds from different locations. He is deeply shocked by its sophistication, especially the ability to change camera angles, zoom, and observe distant activities in real time.
• He concludes that even the imperial palace’s warning systems may not compare and decides to purchase a similar system for the Northern Garden Count’s Manor.
• Feng Jun explains that the system will require not only cameras and formations but also Thunder Machinery, which he calls a generator, as well as extensive wiring and supporting equipment.
• Over a shared meal, Feng Jun and Bao Ge’er discuss the manor’s enormous size and determine that fully monitoring it would be impractical. Bao Ge’er instead requests two systems:
  • One for his own private garden of about thirty mu.
  • One for the count’s second courtyard, where the Northern Garden Count conducts business and receives guests.
• Bao Ge’er deliberately excludes the inner residence, recognizing that surveillance could worsen conflicts among the many women and relatives living there. His insight silences Tian Lewen, who had suggested monitoring the inner residence as well.
• Feng Jun and Bao Ge’er reach a preliminary deal for the first installation: twenty cameras, lighting, a generator, and related equipment for two thousand taels of gold.
• The price is vastly higher than Feng Jun’s actual costs, revealing the enormous profits available to him as the sole provider of advanced technology in this world.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to balance righteousness and commercial opportunism. He rejects the idea of using harmful cultivation methods, yet remains interested in obtaining the imperial technique. He also displays his talent for negotiating and exploiting his technological monopoly.
• Bao Ge’er proves to be practical, wealthy, and unusually perceptive. Although initially eager to purchase the system, he understands its possible dangers and limits its use to areas where surveillance will be beneficial rather than destructive.
• Tian Lewen is portrayed as skeptical and somewhat condescending toward Bao Ge’er, regarding him as an inexperienced young master. However, Bao Ge’er’s understanding of household politics proves sharper than Tian Lewen’s suggestion.
• Tian Yangni remains present as part of Feng Jun’s group but plays little active role in the negotiations.
• Feng Jun’s household staff, especially Feifei, support the interaction by preparing food, reinforcing the increasingly domestic and relaxed atmosphere around Feng Jun.

Significant Themes

• Technology as superior power: The surveillance system is treated almost like an immortal formation, demonstrating how modern technology can appear miraculous in a cultivation-based society.
• Monopoly and exploitation: Feng Jun’s low production cost versus his enormous selling price highlights the economic power of exclusive access to advanced technology.
• Privacy versus security: Bao Ge’er recognizes that surveillance can protect a household from outsiders but can also enable harmful internal spying.
• Practical wisdom versus status assumptions: Tian Lewen assumes Bao Ge’er is merely a spoiled aristocrat, but Bao Ge’er demonstrates sophisticated awareness of family politics and security.
• Cultural and technological exchange: The conversation blends imperial secret techniques, immortal cultivation, modern electrical equipment, and commercial negotiation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Bao Ge’er establish a relationship based on mutual usefulness: Bao Ge’er wants Feng Jun’s technology, while Feng Jun wants valuable cultivation resources, rare treasures, or Immortal Crystals.
• Bao Ge’er’s straightforward enthusiasm contrasts with Tian Lewen’s suspicion that he is negotiating poorly by revealing how much he wants the product.
• Tian Lewen’s proposal to monitor the inner residence is rejected by Bao Ge’er, whose explanation about internal household spying exposes the complexity of aristocratic family life.
• The shared meal helps transform the encounter from a formal negotiation into a more relaxed business discussion, allowing the parties to settle the first purchase agreement.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun quotes Bao Ge’er 2,000 taels of gold for the surveillance system, refusing to negotiate. He offers a 20% discount for rare treasures, which he values more than ordinary currency because they can improve his cultivation and may be useful in both worlds.
• Feng explains that he prefers treasures that are valuable but difficult to obtain—items with a price but no real market. Bao Ge’er admits that finding such things will be difficult.
• Feng prices the surveillance formation for Bao Ge’er’s second courtyard at 3,500 taels of gold, requiring roughly forty cameras. The enormous cost makes Bao Ge’er decide to focus on protecting his own residence rather than interfering in his elder brother’s affairs.
• The Tian Family discusses the possibility of buying a similar formation. Tian Yangni presents the large initial expense as worthwhile because future operating costs should be lower, partly to encourage the deal and strengthen the family’s relationship with Feng Jun.
• Feng introduces diesel, selling one dou—ten liters—for one silver dollar, with payment required in gold. He explains that a courtyard would consume roughly one dou per day without air conditioning.
• Bao Ge’er becomes excited when he learns about air conditioning, especially because he suffers badly in summer and normally retreats to a basement surrounded by stored ice. Feng postpones that discussion.
• Bao Ge’er agrees to install the surveillance system and sends someone to retrieve payment. He intends to pay with rare treasures and cultivation techniques rather than gold.
• While waiting, Feng trains the Deng brothers and Lang Zhen to install and calibrate surveillance equipment, generators, wiring, and lights. He returns to the modern world to obtain additional generators, electrical supplies, appliances, drills, and air conditioners.
• After completing the instruction, Feng takes Bao Ge’er outside in his three-wheeled farm vehicle as entertainment. Bao Ge’er is fascinated by the self-propelled machine but dislikes the uncomfortable, roofless rear compartment and assumes Feng may expect him to sit in the driver’s seat.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun is shown as a shrewd but principled businessman. He keeps firm prices while offering reasonable explanations, seeks rare treasures to advance his cultivation, and tries to conserve or increase Xia Nation’s gold reserves.
• Feng also becomes increasingly organized and influential. He builds up equipment stockpiles, keeps a backup generator, trains trusted subordinates, and gradually establishes control over electricity and modern technology in the other world.
• Bao Ge’er demonstrates considerable wealth, curiosity, and practical judgment. Though startled by Feng’s prices, he remains interested in the technology and is willing to pursue rare treasures for payment. His fear of heat reveals a humorous personal weakness.
• Tian Yangni acts strategically, framing the surveillance system as a long-term investment to persuade Bao Ge’er and improve the Tian Family’s standing with Feng Jun.
• Lang Zhen and the Deng brothers continue developing into reliable technical assistants. They learn to handle generators, lighting, wiring, and camera calibration, allowing Feng to delegate important work while retaining control of the most sensitive knowledge.

3. Significant Themes

• Technology as power and influence: Surveillance, electricity, diesel, and air conditioning are not merely products; they give Feng Jun leverage over wealthy and powerful people.
• Cross-world commerce: The chapter explores how modern goods can be assigned radically different values in the other world, especially when they are rare, unfamiliar, or difficult to replace.
• Profit versus responsibility: Feng seeks high returns, particularly in rare treasures and gold, but also considers his homeland’s resources and avoids selling scarce Blue Star technology too cheaply.
• Control of scarce resources: By supplying fuel and equipment, Feng can influence his clients long after the initial sale. Consumables such as diesel may create more lasting power than a one-time transaction.
• Cultural misunderstanding and adaptation: Bao Ge’er evaluates modern devices through the familiar concepts of formations, carriages, and status. Modern technology is impressive to him but does not automatically fit his social expectations.
• Growing infrastructure and expansion: Feng’s acquisition of backup equipment and multiple appliances shows that his operation across the two worlds is becoming more stable and ambitious.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng and Bao Ge’er negotiate the prices of surveillance equipment, fuel, and possible future appliances. Their conversation balances mutual respect, commercial tension, and Bao Ge’er’s growing fascination with modern technology.
• Tian Lewen reacts anxiously to the cost of the formations, while Tian Yangni attempts to reassure him and use the opportunity to benefit the Tian Family.
• Feng deliberately teaches his own people—Lang Zhen and the Deng brothers—instead of leaving core technical knowledge entirely with outsiders, reinforcing trust and internal loyalty.
• Feng and Bao Ge’er’s relationship shifts from a business transaction toward informal hospitality when Feng offers him a ride in the farm vehicle. Their contrasting assumptions about vehicles and passenger comfort create the chapter’s closing humorous moment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun takes Bao Ge’er and several attendants, bodyguards, and Tian Family members on his self-propelled Shifeng Vehicle. The vehicle amazes the Tian Family because it moves without animals, though its rough ride makes those in the cargo bed sick.
• Bao Ge’er admires the vehicle and asks whether Feng Jun will sell it, but Feng Jun firmly refuses, unwilling to explain its technology or provide instruction and maintenance.
• Feng Jun’s real purpose is to search for additional Spirit Stones. He believes he must accelerate his cultivation and become more open about his unusual abilities, since his influence, connections, and self-protection have steadily increased.
• After repeatedly stopping to scan the surrounding land, Feng Jun reaches Xiaoqin Village, where Liu Feifei once lived. He discovers four Spirit Stones Under Refinement buried near the villagers’ farmland.
• Because the Spirit Stones are still incomplete and deeply buried, Feng Jun realizes he does not need to excavate them immediately. He decides to leave them underground temporarily rather than disturb the village or risk exposing himself.
• Feng Jun asks about Liu Feifei’s family fields and learns that they are located in the village’s central, fertile farmland. He then decides to purchase the neighboring plot containing the Spirit Stones and transfer it to Liu Feifei and her brother as repayment for her past assistance.
• The landowners resist selling. One is willing to negotiate for a higher price, while the other refuses even if offered double the normal value. Bao Ge’er reacts aggressively, threatening to buy all surrounding land and block the uncooperative owner’s access to the fields.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more confident and pragmatic. He is increasingly willing to reveal his extraordinary nature but still avoids unnecessary exposure. His concern for Liu Feifei’s family also shows that, despite his ruthlessness, he retains gratitude and a sense of fairness.
• Bao Ge’er: Remains curious, privileged, and assertive. He quickly uses his social status and wealth to assist Feng Jun, but his anger at the stubborn landowner reveals an imperious, coercive side.
• Deng brothers and the attendants: Serve mainly as passengers and observers; their severe discomfort emphasizes the vehicle’s rough handling and unusual design.
• Tian Family members: Their awe and caution toward the vehicle reinforce Feng Jun’s growing reputation and mysterious influence.
• Lang Zhen: Demonstrates practical knowledge of farming and land reclamation, helping Feng Jun understand why the villagers are reluctant to sell.
• Village chief and landowners: Represent the villagers’ attachment to farmland as the basis of their families’ livelihoods and future prosperity.

Significant Themes

• Power and secrecy: Feng Jun’s unusual inventions and Spirit Stone abilities increasingly attract attention, forcing him to balance openness with the need to protect his secrets.
• Cultivation and urgency: His search for Spirit Stones reflects his fear of aging and his determination to begin immortal cultivation before time separates him from the people he cares about.
• Wealth versus livelihood: Although Feng Jun can offer generous compensation, farmland is more than property to the villagers—it is their security, labor, and long-term family foundation.
• Pragmatism over haste: Feng Jun learns that he does not always need to seize opportunities immediately; delaying the excavation of the unfinished Spirit Stones is safer and more rational.
• Gratitude and moral restraint: Feng Jun’s decision to acquire the land for Liu Feifei’s family allows him to pursue the Spirit Stones without harming innocent villagers.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun explains the vehicle’s comfort to Bao Ge’er and rejects his request to buy it.
• The passengers endure the vehicle’s jolting ride, while Deng Lao’er casually enjoys hot water from the vehicle’s supplies.
• Tian Family riders follow from a distance, curious but wary of Feng Jun’s machine.
• Feng Jun consults Lang Zhen about Liu Feifei’s farmland and relies on the village chief to identify the land surrounding the Spirit Stones.
• Bao Ge’er’s attendants bring the village chief and another villager to Feng Jun, displaying the influence of Northern Garden Count’s Manor.
• Feng Jun offers to purchase the Spirit Stone-bearing land for Liu Feifei and her brother, but Bao Ge’er escalates the dispute when one landowner refuses to sell.

Chapter Summary: The Fake Second Young Master

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bao Ge’er pressures a local household in Zhige County to sell land needed for development. He uses the county office to intimidate them, causing the family to lower their price.
• Feng Jun objects to exploiting the household too severely. Although Bao Ge’er wants compensation for using his influence, Feng Jun insists on paying a fairer price, partly because Liu Feifee and her brother must continue living nearby and could suffer retaliation.
• The land transfer is completed smoothly. Liu Feifee receives more than fifty mu of farmland, while Feng Jun discovers two additional Spirit Stone deposits but postpones mining them until the land affairs are settled.
• Liu Feifee, overwhelmed by the security and prosperity Feng Jun has given her, offers to serve him and cook for him permanently, even if she cannot learn martial arts.
• Just as Feng Jun prepares to excavate the Spirit Stones, the Yu Family arrives to negotiate for access to his surveillance formation. Yu Zhengqing, an Intermediate Martial Master and the family head’s younger brother, leads the delegation.
• The Yu Family initially wants to inspect the formation before handing over the promised cultivation method. Tian Yangni refuses, citing Bao Ge’er’s earlier agreement. The Yu Family’s Second Young Master rudely mocks Bao Ge’er’s knowledge of formations.
• After seeing Feng Jun’s electric lights and self-propelled farm vehicle, Yu Zhengqing becomes much more impressed and agrees to send three people to inspect the formation.
• Yu Zhengqing provides a twenty-seven-diagram breathing technique as payment. Feng Jun accepts it because it is not already in his collection, though he considers it inferior to the methods obtained from Northern Garden Count’s Manor.
• After inspecting the monitoring system, the Yu Family’s Second Young Master dismisses it as mere surveillance equipment rather than a true formation and complains that Feng Jun’s price is excessive.
• Feng Jun refuses to reduce the price and implies that more powerful, even lethal, formations are available but far more expensive. The argument escalates when the young master hints that he possesses evidence exposing Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun calmly challenges him and asks about his relationship to “the Yu Family’s Second Young Master who was here two days ago.” The man turns pale, strongly suggesting that he is an impostor or that the Yu Family is concealing a substitution.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates both authority and restraint. He refuses to bully the local landowners excessively, protects Liu Feifee from potential retaliation, and remains firm during negotiations. His calm response to the Yu Family’s provocations shows confidence and sharp observation.
• Bao Ge’er: Uses his aristocratic influence aggressively but is still willing to defer to Feng Jun’s judgment. He values recovering the cost of favors and displays contempt for those outside his social circle.
• Liu Feifee: Becomes emotionally dependent on the stability Feng Jun provides. Her willingness to serve him reflects gratitude, insecurity, and her desire to escape the hardship of supporting her younger brother alone.
• Yu Zhengqing: Initially cautious and concerned with the Yu Family’s reputation, he becomes visibly impressed by Feng Jun’s advanced technology. He acts as the practical decision-maker despite having a less impressive cultivation level.
• The Yu Family’s Second Young Master: Acts arrogant, combative, and dismissive. He repeatedly challenges Feng Jun’s credibility, but his confidence collapses when Feng Jun questions his identity, exposing possible deception.
• Tian Yangni: Serves as a careful intermediary, respecting Feng Jun while avoiding unnecessary conflict with the powerful Yu Family.

Significant Themes

• Power and coercion: The land dispute shows how aristocratic and official influence can force weaker families into unfavorable decisions.
• Fairness versus self-interest: Feng Jun balances practical authority with compassion, refusing to exploit a vulnerable farming family merely because he can.
• Technology mistaken for cultivation: The Yu Family struggles to understand Feng Jun’s modern devices, interpreting surveillance systems and vehicles through the framework of formations and martial cultivation.
• Social status and reputation: Both Bao Ge’er and the Yu Family are concerned with influence, dignity, and how their decisions will be perceived.
• Identity and deception: The closing exchange introduces a major mystery involving a possible fake Yu Family Second Young Master and suggests that the Yu Family’s internal situation is not what it appears.
• Confidence versus bluffing: The Yu Family’s young master relies on insinuation and intimidation, while Feng Jun remains composed because he is not vulnerable to the accusations being hinted at.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Bao Ge’er disagree over how harshly to treat the local landowners, revealing Feng Jun’s greater concern for long-term consequences.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with Liu Feifee deepens as she expresses gratitude and offers lifelong service.
• Tian Yangni mediates between Feng Jun and the Yu Family, maintaining courtesy while protecting Feng Jun’s negotiating position.
• Yu Zhengqing is impressed by Feng Jun’s technology, while his nephew remains skeptical and antagonistic.
• The final confrontation between Feng Jun and the Yu Family’s Second Young Master shifts the balance of power: Feng Jun’s seemingly simple question about the man’s identity leaves him visibly shaken.

Chapter Summary: Secrets of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun recognizes that the “Second Young Master Yu” accompanying the Yu Family is not the same person he met previously. Although she looks nearly identical to the original, Feng Jun discovers through his heightened perception and People Nearby ability that she is actually a young woman in disguise.
• He reveals nothing openly beyond making it clear that he knows the truth. The disguised girl reacts angrily, while Yu Zhengqing maintains a polite but somewhat displeased attitude.
• While the Yu Family discusses what to purchase with Bao Ge’er, Feng Jun practices the Thousand Faces Art, using silver needles to alter the muscles of his face and body.
• After the negotiations, the Yu Family enters Feng Jun’s room to discuss business. Their conversation shifts when the disguised Second Young Master Yu realizes that Feng Jun is practicing the Thousand Faces Art.
• She warns him that the technique originated from the mysterious Hundred Flowers Pavilion, whose hidden treasury has never been discovered. Anyone known to possess one of its arts could attract dangerous attention.
• Yu Zhengqing explains that rumors claim the treasury contains rare treasures, cultivation techniques, secret information, and possibly even small Immortal Crystal mines.
• Feng Jun is surprised but dismissive of the danger. He privately decides that he must question Bao Ge’er about why he gave him the technique.
• The Yu Family reveals that it has rejected Feng Jun’s warning arrays as too expensive and unnecessary for a business with abundant manpower. Instead, they want to purchase multiple generators and lamps.
• These items would allow their carriage agency to travel and camp more freely in remote areas, provide light and security at night, and demonstrate the superiority of their business.
• Feng Jun accepts their decision and begins calculating the sale price, applying the thirtyfold markup he uses for imported goods.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to display confidence, emotional detachment, and a willingness to ignore social pressure. He is not intimidated by the possibility of attracting powerful enemies because of the Thousand Faces Art.
• His curiosity about the technique deepens. Although he values its ability to conceal his identity—especially from the Sky Eyes in the Blue Star Realm—he now suspects Bao Ge’er may have had ulterior motives in giving it to him.
• The disguised Second Young Master Yu is revealed as perceptive and knowledgeable about secret arts. She is sharp-tongued, easily irritated, and bold enough to challenge Feng Jun, but she also understands the danger surrounding the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
• Yu Zhengqing acts as the Yu Family’s diplomatic representative. He attempts to preserve a polite business atmosphere while cautiously probing Feng Jun’s abilities and background.
• The Yu Family demonstrates practical business judgment. Rather than purchasing an impressive but unnecessary defensive array, they prioritize equipment that directly improves their carriage operations and public reputation.

Significant Themes

• Identity and disguise: The chapter emphasizes the uncertainty of appearances. Both the fake Second Young Master Yu and Feng Jun’s practice of the Thousand Faces Art show that outward appearance cannot be trusted.
• Knowledge as danger: Possessing secret knowledge or techniques can bring power, but it can also attract threats. Feng Jun’s mastery of the Thousand Faces Art potentially links him to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and its coveted treasury.
• Practicality versus prestige: The Yu Family rejects the warning array because it does not fit their needs, while still valuing generators and lamps that improve both efficiency and status.
• Suspicion and hidden motives: Feng Jun begins questioning Bao Ge’er’s intentions, suggesting that the seemingly generous gift of the Thousand Faces Art may have placed him in danger.
• Commerce and social status: Purchasing advanced equipment is not solely about usefulness. The Yu Family wants to distinguish its carriage agency from competitors, showing that business decisions are also influenced by pride and reputation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun subtly exposes the disguised girl’s identity, creating tension between them.
• Yu Zhengqing attempts to smooth over the awkwardness and later engages Feng Jun in polite conversation about his silver needles.
• The disguised girl identifies the Thousand Faces Art and warns Feng Jun of its connection to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
• Feng Jun responds with skepticism and veiled threats, refusing to be frightened by the possibility of powerful enemies.
• The discussion eventually returns to business, with the Yu Family explaining why they prefer generators and lamps over warning arrays.

Chapter Summary: “Real and Fake Formations”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun prices his outdoor lighting equipment—generators, lamps, wiring, power strips, and switches—at 200 taels of gold per complete set.
• The Yu Family wants to purchase three sets: two for their external convoys and one for the family residence. Feng Jun offers a bulk price of 180 taels per set, provided they do not reveal the discount.
• He agrees to reduce the price further if the Yu Family pays partly with heavenly treasures or cultivation methods, bringing the cost to 72% of the original price. However, Feng Jun insists on personally inspecting cultivation methods before accepting them.
• Feng Jun reflects that he has become more selective about cultivation techniques. Although the Yu Family’s method is useful, he now considers it inferior to the secret arts obtained from Bao Ge’er and the larger collection taken from the Tian Family.
• Yu Zhengqing asks about buying Feng Jun’s farm vehicle, mistakenly calling it a bicycle. Feng Jun refuses, despite recognizing that the vehicle could be more profitable than the generators, because he does not want the burden of selling and supporting too much technology.
• A dispute arises when Second Young Master Yu questions whether diesel-powered devices can truly be considered formations. She insists that genuine formations must be powered by Immortal Crystals.
• Feng Jun argues that formations should be defined by their ability to transform and use energy, not by the specific energy source. He explains that his generator converts diesel energy into electrical power, just as Immortal Crystals can provide energy.
• The argument nearly jeopardizes the deal. Feng Jun threatens to withdraw the sale, but Yu Zhengqing intervenes and reprimands the younger family member.
• Feng Jun eventually agrees to continue the transaction, though he limits the offer to a three-day completion period and asks who instructed Second Young Master Yu to provoke the dispute.
• Yu Zhengqing reveals that the supposed Second Young Master Yu is actually his niece, who has grown up exposed to cultivation-related knowledge and was brought along under a false identity.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shows increasing confidence and independence as a seller. He values control, prestige, and selective transactions more than maximizing profit. His growing collection of cultivation methods has also made him more discerning.
• He demonstrates substantial knowledge of both modern technology and the cultivation world, particularly in his argument that energy conversion—not the source itself—determines how a formation operates.
• Yu Zhengqing remains pragmatic and diplomatic. He negotiates respectfully, attempts to preserve the transaction, and restrains the younger family member when her arrogance threatens the deal.
• Second Young Master Yu, revealed to be Yu Zhengqing’s niece, is outspoken, proud, and highly confident in her understanding of formations. Her exposure to genuine cultivation knowledge causes her to dismiss Feng Jun’s claims, but she is forced to retreat when Feng Jun challenges her assumptions.

Significant Themes

• Value and status: Feng Jun’s pricing reflects not only material cost but also rarity, prestige, and the desire to control how others perceive his products.
• Technology versus cultivation: The chapter explores whether modern machinery can qualify as a cultivation formation and challenges the assumption that Immortal Crystals are the only legitimate energy source.
• Knowledge and arrogance: Second Young Master Yu’s limited but privileged knowledge makes her confident, while Feng Jun’s broader understanding allows him to recognize the flaws in her rigid beliefs.
• Selective commerce and power: Feng Jun refuses to sell items simply because buyers can afford them. His willingness to walk away gives him leverage and makes the Yu Family value the opportunity more.
• Changing priorities: As Feng Jun accumulates resources and cultivation methods, he becomes less motivated by money and more focused on cultivation, independence, and eventually establishing his own sect.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Yu Zhengqing maintain a mostly respectful merchant-client relationship, negotiating prices and payment methods.
• Feng Jun’s interaction with Second Young Master Yu becomes confrontational when she questions the legitimacy of his “formations.”
• Yu Zhengqing acts as mediator, disciplining his niece and repairing relations with Feng Jun.
• The revelation that the “Second Young Master” is actually a cultivation-informed niece adds mystery and suggests that the Yu Family possesses deeper connections to the cultivation world than Feng Jun initially realized.