Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “At Last”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun calls Zhang Caixin and instructs her to come to Peach Blossom Valley the next morning to receive a batch of jade from Xu Leigang. He bluntly ends the call, irritating her.
• Feng Jun and his companions relocate from the villa, leaving Xu Leigang behind with two soldiers to guard the valuable jade.
• Xu Leigang is reluctant to move to White Apricot Town because of its distance from Peach Blossom Valley and separation from his daughter, but he accepts Feng Jun’s decision and recognizes that Feng’s teachings are more valuable than the villa.
• After Feng Jun leaves, the nearby square dancers become obsessed with the villa and its supposed feng shui or spiritual-energy benefits. Their group chat fills with speculation about buying the property, preserving the “blessed” road, or even keeping ashes there.
• The dancers return the next morning in large numbers, but a soldier warns them not to trespass. Their enthusiasm soon turns into confusion when several people suffer unusual injuries or physical problems while exercising: back strain, a knee flare-up, a twisted ankle, and a fainting episode.
• The dogs lose their earlier excitement, and the crow no longer lands near the villa. The dancers gradually realize that the special atmosphere they had enjoyed has disappeared with Feng Jun’s departure.
• At eleven o’clock, Zhang Caixin, Zhang Weihong, and several companions arrive at the villa in a motorhome. Xu Leigang greets them and reveals that Feng Jun is absent but has left the jade behind for them to inventory.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains decisive, proud, and unwilling to waste time arguing. His abrupt phone call and immediate relocation show his preference for control and action.
• Xu Leigang demonstrates loyalty and adaptability. Although unhappy about leaving the villa and being farther from his daughter, he accepts Feng Jun’s authority and increasingly values the knowledge Feng Jun provides over material comfort.
• Zhang Caixin becomes suspicious of Feng Jun’s motives and is visibly annoyed when he hangs up on her. Her reaction reflects the tension and unresolved friction between them.
• The square dancers shift from excitement and entitlement to unease. Their belief in the villa’s supernatural benefits collapses once the energy disappears, forcing them to reconsider their assumptions.
• The soldier guarding the villa acts as a quiet but effective deterrent. His presence establishes that the property is now protected and that Feng Jun’s group is taking security seriously.

Significant Themes

• The value of knowledge over possessions: Xu Leigang realizes Feng Jun’s instruction is more important than the villa he once prized.
• Spiritual energy and its consequences: The villa’s atmosphere appears to benefit people and animals, but its disappearance exposes how dependent the dancers had become on an influence they did not understand.
• Entitlement and opportunism: The dancers quickly treat the private property as a public blessing and consider taking control of it for their own benefit.
• Authority and boundaries: The soldiers’ presence and the warning against trespassing reinforce Feng Jun’s ownership and the limits of the dancers’ claims.
• Cause and effect: Once Feng Jun leaves, the crow, dogs, and people all respond differently, suggesting that his presence or the villa’s energy has a direct influence on the surroundings.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin exchange restrained but hostile businesslike remarks, revealing their mutual irritation.
• Feng Jun gives Xu Leigang instructions, while Xu silently accepts the move despite personal reservations.
• Xu Leigang deals with the property-management issue after the dancers’ dogs create disturbances, defending the villa from harassment.
• The dancers reinforce one another’s beliefs through their group chat, escalating ordinary observations into theories about feng shui, spiritual energy, and ancestral benefits.
• The soldier confronts the dancers when they approach the villa and attempts to stop an old man from using an air rifle.
• Zhang Caixin, Zhang Weihong, and their companions arrive expecting to meet Feng Jun, but Xu redirects them toward the jade left in the house.

Chapter Summary: “A Sense of Loss”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sister Hong visits Feng Jun’s villa with several people to inventory and assess the jade and other valuables he has left there. The collection is estimated to be worth several hundred million yuan.
• Feng Jun has already moved out, leaving the villa and its contents under Sister Hong’s management. Sister Hong decides to remove five pieces of jade temporarily and promises to transfer Feng Jun ten million yuan soon, anticipating that he may need funds.
• Zhang Caixin reacts strongly to the news of Feng Jun’s departure. She is surprised and hurt that he left without telling her where he was going.
• Xu Leigang explains that Feng Jun left partly because elderly residents nearby regularly gathered outside the villa to dance and harass him, which eases Zhang Caixin’s anxiety slightly.
• Zhang Caixin notices that the villa has lost the unusually comfortable atmosphere associated with Feng Jun. She also sees that his restless crow remains behind, causing her to compare its apparent abandonment with her own feelings.
• On the journey back, Sister Hong confronts Zhang Caixin about her distracted behavior. Their conversation reveals that both sisters understand Zhang Caixin has feelings for Feng Jun.
• Sister Hong teasingly encourages Zhang Caixin to pursue him, but Zhang Caixin insists she will not compete with her sister, claiming that she is only trying to help Sister Hong.
• Meanwhile, Feng Jun arrives at his newly acquired barren mountain property and begins organizing it as his new base. The estate includes two hills, a river, extensive land, a villa, workhouses, roads, walls, prefab buildings, and a large greenhouse.
• After the villa is cleaned and furnished, Feng Jun and his companions begin planning how to recruit and manage staff. They debate hiring locals, retired soldiers, or outsourcing the work.
• Wang Haifeng recommends outsourcing estate management, and Feng Jun adds that competition between providers should be built into the arrangement to ensure reliability and efficiency.

Character Developments

• Zhang Caixin experiences a major emotional shift. Her admiration for Feng Jun, already strengthened by witnessing his extraordinary abilities, has developed into romantic attachment. His unexplained departure leaves her lonely, insecure, and afraid that he has deliberately abandoned her.
• Sister Hong remains outwardly calm and practical, focusing on the jade business, but she clearly recognizes her sister’s feelings. Her teasing suggestion that Zhang Caixin “fight” for Feng Jun shows both awareness and a degree of acceptance.
• Feng Jun becomes more independent and strategic. He is establishing the barren mountain as his primary long-term base while keeping the villa as a possible temporary refuge. He also demonstrates increasing attention to security, logistics, staffing, and organizational structure.
• Xu Leigang acts as Feng Jun’s representative at the villa and provides practical explanations about the move and the jade. His observations also reveal that he has begun noticing the emotional tension surrounding Feng Jun’s departure.
• Wang Haifeng contributes pragmatic business advice, steering the group away from relying solely on personal connections and toward professional outsourcing and competitive management.

Significant Themes

• Loss and abandonment: Zhang Caixin interprets Feng Jun’s departure emotionally, feeling that both she and the villa have been left behind.
• Unspoken romantic feelings: The sisters’ indirect conversation shows the tension created by Zhang Caixin’s attraction to Feng Jun and her reluctance to challenge Sister Hong.
• Change and transition: Feng Jun’s move marks a separation from his former lifestyle and the beginning of a more controlled, self-sufficient phase.
• Material wealth versus emotional value: The jade is treated as a business asset worth hundreds of millions, while Zhang Caixin is more affected by Feng Jun’s absence and the loss of the villa’s atmosphere.
• Independence and control: Feng Jun’s new estate represents his desire for privacy, security, and autonomy. His insistence on careful staffing and competition reflects his broader effort to control his surroundings.
• Practical management versus personal trust: The discussion about hiring locals, veterans, or outsourcing raises questions about whether loyalty comes from familiarity or professional incentives.

Important Character Interactions

• Sister Hong and Xu Leigang: They discuss the villa’s valuables, Feng Jun’s move, and the handling of the jade. Their exchange establishes the practical and financial consequences of Feng Jun’s departure.
• Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin: Their conversation exposes Zhang Caixin’s feelings. Sister Hong alternates between irritation, amusement, and apparent support, while Zhang Caixin tries to deny that she is competing for Feng Jun.
• Zhang Caixin and Feng Jun’s absence: Although Feng Jun does not appear directly, his absence dominates the chapter. Zhang Caixin recalls his physical warmth, searches for signs of him, and projects her loneliness onto the remaining crow.
• Feng Jun and his companions: At the barren mountain, Feng Jun works with Gazi, Li Xiaotong, Wang Haifeng, and others to settle the estate and determine the most effective structure for future operations.

Chapter Summary: “They Came After Him”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun organizes security for his newly acquired six-thousand-mu property by borrowing ten guards from Wu Limin. The guards monitor the access roads and warehouses, while construction workers and distant relatives remain in designated quarters and are barred from the villa unless necessary.
• He places a “Spirit Stone Under Refinement” beside the pavilion on a backyard rockery. By arranging stones around it, he concentrates the leaking spiritual energy toward the pavilion, creating the best cultivation site on the property.
• Feng Jun instructs Xu Leigang, Wang Haifeng, and Gazi to cultivate only at the pavilion. They quickly realize that cultivation elsewhere is far less effective, causing Xu Leigang concern about losing access to the spiritual environment.
• Crow unexpectedly travels nearly thirty kilometers from Peach Blossom Valley to Feng Jun’s new residence. Feng Jun accepts this as evidence of the crow’s intelligence and special connection to him.
• After feeding Crow two sausages, Feng Jun assigns it responsibility for controlling small animals around the property. Crow immediately demonstrates its usefulness by returning with and killing a snake.
• Zhou Xiaotong arrives at the guarded entrance, determined to enter despite Feng Jun’s previous warning. When the guards refuse to let her through, she attempts to walk around the gate with her companions.
• A confrontation develops between Zhou Xiaotong’s people and Shengtang Construction’s workers. The workers refuse to allow unauthorized entry but avoid escalating into a fight.
• Feng Jun learns about the standoff and drives to the Mountain Gate in a farm vehicle, reluctantly going to deal with Zhou Xiaotong personally.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly cautious and systematic about protecting his property, resources, and privacy. He delegates security rather than managing it directly and tries to limit outside attention. However, he makes an exception for Crow because he recognizes its unusual intelligence and apparent bond with him.
• Xu Leigang: Shows growing dependence on the spiritual environment Feng Jun provides. He realizes that returning home would severely limit his cultivation, though he feels too guilty about his own poor planning to complain.
• Crow: Develops from an unusually intelligent animal into a quasi-guardian of Feng Jun’s territory. Its long-distance journey, obedience, hunting ability, and apparent pride establish it as something extraordinary.
• Wang Haifeng and Gazi: React with shock and speculation to Crow’s arrival, reinforcing their awareness that Feng Jun’s abilities and circumstances are beyond normal understanding.
• Zhou Xiaotong: Demonstrates persistence, pride, and a willingness to endure inconvenience or conflict to achieve her goals. Her determination to enter the property reflects both her strong personality and her unresolved interest in Feng Jun.
• The guards and construction workers: Show loyalty and responsibility by enforcing Feng Jun’s orders despite Zhou Xiaotong’s threats and status. They remain firm but are instructed not to initiate violence.

Significant Themes

• Control and secrecy: Feng Jun attempts to regulate access to his land and conceal the unusual spiritual resources contained there.
• Loyalty and delegation: He manages potential risks by relying on Wu Limin, construction workers, and assigned guards while keeping authority centralized.
• Fate and extraordinary bonds: Crow’s ability to locate Feng Jun across a great distance is interpreted as evidence of destiny, not merely instinct or intelligence.
• Power and social influence: Zhou Xiaotong’s threats and connections contrast with Feng Jun’s quieter but more decisive authority over the property.
• Cultivation and dependence: The spiritual stone creates an environment that dramatically affects the disciples’ progress, making them increasingly reliant on Feng Jun’s resources.
• Nature as an ally: Crow’s territorial instincts and hunting ability transform the wilderness from a potential problem into an additional layer of protection.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun gives Xu Leigang, Wang Haifeng, and Gazi strict instructions about where to cultivate, establishing his authority as their teacher.
• He tests Crow’s intelligence by distinguishing between the sausage meant for it and the one hanging in the pavilion, then assigns it a protective duty.
• Wang Haifeng and Gazi react with astonishment to Crow, while Xu Leigang speculates about how it found them and begins connecting Feng Jun’s influence to earlier unexplained events.
• Zhou Xiaotong’s representatives challenge the Mountain Gate guards, leading to a tense but controlled confrontation with the construction workers.
• Feng Jun’s decision to appear personally suggests that Zhou Xiaotong’s persistence has forced him to engage with her despite his desire to keep her—and others—outside his territory.

Chapter Summary: “Curiosity Run Wild”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun ignores Zhou Xiaotong’s entourage and speaks directly with the two Great Tang Company employees assigned to guard his estate.
• To reward them for handling the confrontation properly, he gives each guard five hundred yuan and praises them as “gate staff,” reinforcing their importance and loyalty.
• Zhou Xiaotong watches Feng Jun’s treatment of the guards with interest, admiring his fairness and management skills while hinting that his abilities could make him a successful businessman.
• She asks to enter Feng Jun’s estate and subtly inquires about whether he keeps dogs there, apparently probing for information about the unusual animals connected to Peach Blossom Valley.
• Feng allows only Zhou Xiaotong—not her car or companions—to enter. He drives her up the unfinished road in a clean farm vehicle.
• During the ride, Zhou deliberately embraces Feng and rests her head on his shoulder, attempting to seduce or unsettle him. She then reveals that she wants him to treat a wealthy patient from South Luo Country and offers him a fifty-fifty share of several billion yuan.
• Feng rejects the proposal without hesitation, refusing both the lucrative foreign medical case and Zhou’s apparent honey-trap tactics.
• At the villa, Zhou explores the property, seemingly searching for clues. From the attic balcony, she spots the unusual crow that had previously attracted attention.
• She rushes to the rear courtyard and discovers three people meditating and cultivating on the artificial hill, revealing the supernatural nature of Feng’s secluded activities.
• Feng threatens to put her into a vegetative state to frighten her into silence, but Zhou laughs off the threat, confident that his gratitude toward her family prevents him from seriously harming her.
• Feng establishes two firm conditions: she must not tell anyone what she saw, and she must never return to the estate. He makes clear that these are orders rather than requests.
• Zhou responds by challenging his double standard, asking why the people cultivating in the rear courtyard are allowed access to his secrets while she is excluded.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates authority, fairness, and loyalty toward his workers. His generous reward and respectful language strengthen their allegiance.
• He also shows increasing caution and protectiveness regarding his supernatural abilities, especially the cultivation area, unusual animals, and private warehouses.
• Feng remains resistant to Zhou Xiaotong’s manipulation. Although he is physically attracted to her, he refuses her seduction and financial offer, prioritizing secrecy and control.
• Zhou Xiaotong proves exceptionally curious, bold, and intrusive. She tests Feng through flirtation, business incentives, probing questions, and unauthorized exploration.
• Her curiosity leads her to discover the cultivation site, but she remains confident and provocative even when confronted.
• Zhou also reveals resentment over being excluded from Feng’s hidden world, suggesting that her interest is not merely intellectual or financial but partly personal.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and management: Feng earns loyalty by rewarding honest work and treating ordinary employees with dignity.
• Secrecy and boundaries: The chapter emphasizes Feng’s efforts to protect his extraordinary abilities and private life from outsiders.
• Curiosity versus restraint: Zhou’s relentless curiosity repeatedly pushes past Feng’s boundaries, while Feng attempts to contain her without escalating to violence.
• Power and leverage: Both characters try to control the interaction—Zhou through family influence, seduction, money, and knowledge; Feng through his abilities, authority, and control of access.
• Exclusion and entitlement: Zhou believes her assistance to Feng’s parents should give her greater access, while Feng insists that gratitude does not entitle her to his secrets.
• Human weakness: Feng recognizes his attraction to Zhou despite distrusting her, revealing the tension between his judgment and physical impulses.

Character Interactions

• Feng’s respectful treatment of the guards contrasts with Zhou’s privileged, intrusive behavior.
• Zhou praises Feng’s leadership while subtly threatening to expose his unusual abilities; Feng responds cautiously and refuses to be intimidated.
• Her physical seduction during the vehicle ride briefly affects Feng, but he maintains control and rejects her proposal.
• At the cultivation site, Zhou uses humor and confidence to defuse Feng’s threat, while Feng counters by imposing strict conditions.
• The chapter ends with Zhou directly questioning why Feng trusts others with his secrets but refuses to trust her, intensifying their adversarial yet psychologically charged relationship.

Chapter Summary: “A Lavish Undertaking”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Xiaotong challenges Feng Jun about why he refuses to teach women his mysterious cultivation technique, pointing out that he has shared it with Xu Leigang and Wang Haifeng.
• Feng explains that his technique is intended only for men and dismisses the idea of Zhou learning it, partly because he believes she is too clever and too accustomed to a comfortable, luxurious life.
• Zhou reveals that she has deduced Feng’s connection to the abnormal changes in the dogs and crows at Peach Blossom Valley. Rather than accepting pills as compensation, she asks for honesty and continued access to him.
• Feng warns her not to enter the back courtyard, implying that he could create an “accident” or coincidence to keep his secrets safe. Zhou obeys the immediate order but remains deliberately troublesome.
• Zhou effectively moves into Feng’s estate for the evening, having an electrician bring up two large suitcases of clothes. At the housewarming dinner, she supplies two extremely rare bottles of thirty-year-old baijiu.
• The group—Feng Jun, Zhou Xiaotong, Xu Leigang, Wang Haifeng, Lu Xiaoning, and Gazi—celebrates together. Zhou drinks heavily without becoming visibly drunk, forcing Feng to drive her away before she can stay the night.
• Feng accidentally tells Zhou she may return the following day, though she does not actually come back immediately.
• Feng begins planning the development of the barren mountain. In addition to roads and warehouses, he decides to construct a large perimeter wall to stop villagers from collecting firewood and allowing goats to graze on his land.
• Rather than building an ordinary fence, Feng chooses an elaborate wall designed to resemble a natural landscape, complete with glazed roof tiles. He is willing to spend tens or even hundreds of millions of yuan because he values privacy and convenience over financial practicality.
• Wang Haifeng is tasked with finding design and construction companies. The companies doubt the project because enclosing a barren mountain appears financially irrational and offers no obvious way to recover the investment.
• Wang explains that Feng has already spent 150 million yuan acquiring the land, which only increases the outsiders’ suspicion that the project may involve hidden financial motives.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly protective of his secrets and personal territory. He refuses to let Zhou Xiaotong investigate his abilities and shows that he is willing to spend extravagantly to avoid future trouble.
• Zhou Xiaotong demonstrates her intelligence, persistence, confidence, and talent for manipulating social situations. She understands Feng’s boundaries but constantly tests them, using humor, charm, and shamelessness to remain close to him.
• Wang Haifeng continues acting as Feng’s practical intermediary, using his family connections to help organize the mountain project, though he is placed in the awkward position of explaining Feng’s seemingly irrational spending.
• Xu Leigang, Lu Xiaoning, and Gazi function as part of Feng’s growing household and social circle. Their excitement over the rare liquor emphasizes the disparity between Feng’s wealth and ordinary people’s means.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy and trust: Zhou knows Feng is hiding extraordinary abilities, but Feng refuses to reveal the truth. Their relationship revolves around whether trust can exist without full disclosure.
• Power and personal boundaries: Feng tries to impose limits on Zhou, while Zhou repeatedly finds playful ways around them. Their exchanges highlight the struggle between his desire for control and her refusal to be controlled.
• Wealth and extravagance: Feng treats enormous expenditures as acceptable if they solve practical problems. His attitude contrasts with ordinary business logic and causes others to suspect hidden motives.
• Nature versus human construction: Feng wants a wall that protects his land while appearing natural, combining security, beauty, and artificial design.
• Private property versus local customs: Villagers view gathering firewood and grazing goats on the mountain as normal survival practices, while Feng sees them as trespassing and damage to his property.

Character Interactions

• Feng and Zhou engage in a witty but tense conversation about cultivation, gender, and the secrets surrounding Peach Blossom Valley.
• Zhou deliberately pressures Feng by refusing the pills he offers, making clear that she wants access to him rather than material compensation.
• Feng attempts to dismiss Zhou, but she turns the situation around by bringing her luggage, staying for dinner, and joking that he cannot bear to see her leave.
• The dinner temporarily unites the group in celebration, with Zhou’s rare liquor making a strong impression on everyone.
• Feng and Wang collaborate on the estate’s construction plans, while Wang’s connections become essential in finding companies willing to accept such an unconventional and lavish project.

Summary: “Winds Rising on All Sides”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s reputation remains limited in Yang City, known mainly among elite jewelry and jade dealers. Because of this, design companies are wary of taking on his large manor project without substantial upfront payment.
• Feng Jun is willing to pay roughly half the design fee in advance, but Wang Haifeng objects, insisting that industry standards require only a 10–20% deposit followed by staged payments.
• Several design companies refuse Wang Haifeng’s preferred terms, arguing that Feng Jun’s unfamiliarity and the project’s size create financial risk. Wang becomes increasingly frustrated that spending money is proving so difficult.
• Wu Limin offers Shengtang Construction’s own design institute, but Wang rejects it as lacking the creativity needed to design a natural-looking wall. Wu Jianguo also refuses to take on the combined construction and design work because the company might have to advance tens or hundreds of millions and risk nonpayment.
• Wang Haifeng’s older brother eventually finds a company willing to accept a 30% advance, though its overall price and payment requirements are still unfavorable.
• After drinking with former classmates, Wang sleeps in a hotel and wakes to 108 missed calls. Four Seasons Wind Architectural Decoration Design Company contacts him directly, offering unusually favorable terms: only 10% upfront, staged payments, and 10% retained as a quality guarantee.
• Wang learns that the design firms’ sudden interest is connected to Feng Jun’s recent receipt of 80 million yuan. His bank account manager tried to investigate the money, and Feng casually revealed that he planned to spend it developing a vast manor.
• The bank’s staff spread the information among wealthy clients and business circles, causing design companies to realize that Feng Jun is a genuine, well-funded businessman rather than someone merely making grand claims.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains unconcerned with financial negotiations and dislikes troublesome details. He is generous and confident enough to pay large sums upfront, but he also projects an intimidating sense of wealth and status by dismissing minor practical matters.
• Wang Haifeng: Becomes increasingly protective of Feng Jun’s interests and determined not to let companies exploit their lack of fame. His frustration grows as firms refuse normal payment terms, but he shows practical judgment by resisting excessive advances.
• Wu Limin: Attempts to strengthen his relationship with Feng Jun by offering Shengtang Construction’s design services. His willingness to improve the company’s design institute shows ambition, though he ultimately accepts the financial risks are too great.
• Wu Jianguo: Demonstrates cautious business sense. Despite recognizing the project’s value, he refuses to expose Shengtang Construction to enormous financial risks without payment security.
• Four Seasons Wind’s marketing manager: Shows initiative and commercial awareness by contacting Wang directly. He recognizes Feng Jun’s financial strength and uses flexible payment terms to secure a potentially valuable client.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and social recognition: In business, wealth alone is not enough; companies also judge a client by reputation, connections, and perceived reliability.
• Trust and financial risk: The negotiations emphasize how businesses protect themselves through deposits, staged payments, and retained fees.
• Information monopolies and rumor: Once the bank reveals that Feng Jun has received substantial funds, companies rapidly change their attitudes and compete for his business.
• Power shifting through wealth: Feng Jun’s financial strength transforms him from an obscure client into a highly desirable one almost overnight.
• Business pragmatism versus personal loyalty: Wang Haifeng prioritizes protecting Feng Jun, while design firms and Shengtang Construction focus on minimizing their own exposure.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng agree that the design companies’ demands are unreasonable, though Feng is more relaxed about paying while Wang takes the lead in negotiation.
• Wang clashes with multiple design firms over payment schedules, accusing them of exploiting his position despite the project’s value.
• Wang and Wu Limin discuss whether Shengtang Construction should handle the design; Wang criticizes its creative ability, prompting Wu to consider recruiting better talent.
• Wu Limin and Wu Jianguo debate the project’s risks, with Wu Jianguo ultimately rejecting involvement in both design and construction.
• The Four Seasons Wind marketing manager approaches Wang with unusually favorable terms, and their conversation reveals that the firm’s interest is based on rumors of Feng Jun’s wealth.
• Wang finally contacts Feng Jun to uncover the cause of the sudden attention and realizes that the bank’s account managers have unintentionally publicized Feng’s financial position.

Chapter Summary: “Clouds Gather from All Directions”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Once banks revealed the scale and legitimacy of Feng Jun’s finances, design firms began investigating him and the jade industry. They realized he was a genuine jade-mining tycoon rather than merely an extravagant investor.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng were suddenly inundated with calls from construction and design companies seeking work on the manor project. Feng Jun redirected all inquiries to Wang Haifeng, then changed his phone number after becoming frustrated by the constant interruptions.
• Wu Limin helped arrange three new phone numbers for Feng Jun, partly because Young Master Wu hoped to gain a role in the lucrative construction project.
• Sister Hong transferred another 110 million yuan to Feng Jun from their jade business. Although their personal relationship remained distant, their commercial partnership operated smoothly through detailed records and reliable accounting. Feng Jun suspected she had sent the money because she knew he needed funds for the manor.
• Gazi finally sensed qi after prolonged cultivation. Concerned about Gazi’s history of epilepsy, Feng Jun cultivated beside him for six days to ensure that internal-energy circulation did not trigger another seizure. Gazi successfully progressed through the second cultivation diagram without problems, suggesting that his epilepsy had effectively been cured.
• Because outside pressure was disrupting his cultivation, Wang Haifeng organized a bidding conference for the manor’s design work. A supervision team from Sandao City evaluated the proposals and selected Four Seasons Wind.
• Four Seasons Wind was chosen for its reliable past performance, reasonable pricing relative to its quality, and willingness to devote substantial resources to completing the project quickly.
• Feng Jun authorized increased spending when necessary to guarantee safety, quality, and speed, while also encouraging the supervision team to reduce unnecessary costs through incentive commissions. He urged Wang Haifeng to delegate more responsibility and focus on cultivation.
• The chapter ends with the White Apricot Town government asking Feng Jun to explain his plan to build a wall around the property. Feng Jun insists that his contract permits necessary infrastructure as long as forest coverage is preserved, and tells Li Xiaobin to direct the authorities to Wang Haifeng.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly recognized as a wealthy and legitimate industrialist. He remains decisive and hands-off, delegating routine negotiations while retaining control over major decisions.
• Wang Haifeng enjoys the reversal of fortune after previously being underestimated, but his family connections force him to handle petitioners diplomatically. He demonstrates practical judgment by organizing the bidding process, though he remains cautious about delegating financial authority.
• Gazi/Lu Xiaoning makes a major breakthrough by sensing qi and successfully practicing without epileptic complications. His progress strengthens Feng Jun’s confidence in his future cultivation.
• Sister Hong remains emotionally distant from Feng Jun but proves dependable as a business partner through her large payment and transparent jade-record system.
• Wu Limin shows attentiveness toward Feng Jun because he hopes to benefit from the manor project.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with Gazi is shown to be deeply protective: he delays accelerating Gazi’s cultivation and personally supervises him because he fears the risks of a seizure during practice.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and hidden wealth: Once Feng Jun’s financial background becomes credible, people who previously doubted him rapidly change their attitudes and compete for his approval.
• Money and influence: The manor project attracts businesses, personal connections, and government attention, illustrating how wealth creates both opportunities and burdens.
• Trust and delegation: Feng Jun trusts Wang Haifeng and the supervision team to manage details, while Wang remains wary of corruption and the temptation created by large sums of money.
• Responsibility amid power: Feng Jun’s concern for Gazi shows that cultivation is not merely about advancement; it carries serious physical and moral risks.
• Emotional distance versus practical cooperation: Feng Jun and Sister Hong no longer communicate personally, yet their business relationship remains stable and mutually beneficial.
• Efficiency over prestige: The selection of Four Seasons Wind reflects the project’s priorities—safety, quality, and speed—rather than fame or status.

Character Interactions

• Design firms and contractors repeatedly approach Wang Haifeng and Feng Jun for access to the manor project, leading Wang to make pointed remarks about their earlier doubts.
• Feng Jun leaves business negotiations to Wang Haifeng, reinforcing Wang’s role as his representative.
• Feng Jun and Sister Hong remain personally estranged but continue cooperating through an orderly jade-trading system.
• Feng Jun cultivates alongside Gazi, Wang Haifeng, and Xu Leigang, creating a shared training environment without resentment or accusations of favoritism.
• Wang Haifeng consults Feng Jun about the bidding process and ultimately follows his broad instructions.
• Feng Jun and Li Xiaobin discuss the county government’s inquiry, with Feng Jun again redirecting administrative matters to Wang Haifeng.

Chapter Summary: “Weight and Importance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun refuses to personally meet White Apricot Town officials merely because they request his presence. Although he acknowledges their local influence and the money he has already spent maintaining good relations, he does not want unnecessary entanglements.
• Wang Haifeng reports that a construction company connected to his older brother’s contacts is attempting to seize control of Luohua Manor’s entire wall project. The company wants both the design and construction contracts, despite having only average capabilities.
• Feng Jun rejects their demand for the entire project and refuses to let them replace Four Seasons Wind as the design firm. He allows the possibility of giving them one section of the wall as a trial, provided they can prove their ability.
• Wang Haifeng discusses the matter with his older brother and sister-in-law over dinner. They explain that the company’s backer is a powerful official nearing retirement and hoping to profit before leaving office, creating pressure to accommodate him.
• Wang Haifeng proposes a compromise: the company could serve as general contractor, while Feng Jun’s side would select the subcontractors and control the individual project sections. This would give the company status and management fees without allowing it complete control.
• The discussion reveals the corruption and leverage common in construction work, especially the ability of general contractors to control subcontractor payments.
• Wang Haifeng’s family urges him to use the project to benefit their relatives. He agrees to reserve reasonable opportunities for his own people, such as transportation, materials, and catering, but refuses to give important work to unreliable relatives.
• Wang Haifeng ultimately prioritizes maintaining Feng Jun’s trust over maximizing personal or family profits. His loyalty is strengthened by his growing belief that Feng Jun possesses genuine mystical abilities connected to the manor’s unusual energy field.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates confidence, authority, and careful pragmatism. He refuses to be bullied by local officials or politically connected contractors, yet remains willing to make limited concessions to avoid unnecessary conflict.
• Wang Haifeng shows increasing loyalty and maturity. Although caught between Feng Jun, his brother, and his wife’s family, he chooses to protect Feng Jun’s interests and reputation rather than exploit the project for money.
• Big Brother Wang is more cautious and politically aware, recognizing the danger of offending the influential person behind the construction company.
• Wang Haifeng’s wife and sister-in-law focus on family advantage and financial opportunities, urging him to favor their relatives.
• Wang Haifeng’s perception of Feng Jun changes from seeing him merely as a martial-arts teacher to regarding him as a true “master” with extraordinary, possibly supernatural abilities.

Significant Themes

• Power and social hierarchy: Feng Jun’s wealth gives him influence, but local officials and political connections still possess their own authority. The chapter examines how different forms of power compete.
• Integrity versus corruption: The construction dispute exposes favoritism, hidden financial incentives, manipulation of contracts, and the widespread abuse of payment control.
• Loyalty and trust: Wang Haifeng must choose between family interests and loyalty to Feng Jun. His decision shows that trust and long-term association may be more valuable than immediate profit.
• Pragmatism and compromise: Feng Jun avoids both total submission and needless confrontation, offering the politically connected company limited work while protecting the project’s design, standards, and schedule.
• Mysticism and personal reverence: Wang Haifeng’s observations of the manor’s unusual energy deepen his faith in Feng Jun and explain why he is unwilling to betray him.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng discuss how to respond to the politically backed contractor, with Feng Jun setting clear limits.
• Wang Haifeng’s dinner conversation with his brother and sister-in-law reveals the political pressure behind the bid and leads to the general-contractor compromise.
• His wife and sister-in-law pressure him to distribute contracts to relatives, while Wang Haifeng insists that only reliable people should receive work.
• Wang Haifeng’s final declaration—that staying close to Feng Jun matters more than extra money—highlights the growing master-disciple bond and leaves the two women suspecting that his martial-arts training has changed his judgment.

Chapter Summary: “Planning Issues (Second Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Haifeng consults Feng Jun about letting another group participate in the barren mountain project. Feng Jun agrees to general contracting but reminds him to emphasize three previously stated conditions.
• Haifeng’s family suggests appointing his younger brother as a subcontractor. Haifeng angrily rejects the idea, arguing that it would benefit his brother while harming Haifeng’s own interests. His unusual firmness surprises his family.
• When Haifeng presents Feng Jun’s offer to the prospective contractors, they demand involvement in the design as well. Haifeng suspects that joint design would create opportunities for corruption and hidden dealings.
• The contractors continue pressing for concessions, even suggesting that Great Tang be given a small share. Feeling insulted and realizing negotiations are pointless, Haifeng ends the discussion and reports the matter to Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun’s counterattack begins that afternoon when a Planning Bureau vehicle arrives at the mountain entrance, claiming that road construction was unauthorized.
• The guards refuse to be intimidated and wait for instructions. After Feng Jun tells them to verify the officials’ identities, they allow the vehicle inside.
• Li Xiaobin receives the officials at the villa because Feng Jun deliberately refuses to appear. She explains that the road was built on contracted land and was necessary for developing the barren mountain.
• The officials shift their focus to the planned wall, arguing that a large wall would isolate the property, damage the scenery, and require approval from higher authorities.
• Li Xiaobin refuses to sign any documents or provide Feng Jun’s location, repeatedly directing them to Wang Haifeng. The officials become increasingly frustrated but eventually leave after giving a verbal notification that Feng Jun must report to the district.
• Afterward, Feng Jun questions whether the Planning Bureau truly has authority over the barren mountain. Gazi and Li Xiaobin argue that the officials are merely using regulations to control the project.
• The next day, an official notice from the Municipal Planning Bureau and Tourism Bureau is delivered to the checkpoint, accompanied by a deputy director from the White Apricot Patrol Bureau, suggesting that the authorities are escalating the matter.

Character Developments

• Wang Haifeng becomes more assertive and protective of his own interests. Rather than blindly accommodating his family, he refuses to let his brother profit at his expense and firmly ends the contractors’ unreasonable demands.
• Feng Jun demonstrates strategic caution. He avoids confronting the contractors and government officials directly, using Haifeng and Li Xiaobin to handle them while observing how far they will go.
• Li Xiaobin shows increasing confidence and competence. Although she admits she is not an expert in official procedures, she calmly challenges the Planning Bureau officials, refuses to let them pressure her into signing, and takes satisfaction in turning bureaucratic tactics back on them.
• Gazi remains blunt and confrontational, believing that forceful resistance is sometimes more effective than negotiation. His attitude prompts Feng Jun to reconsider whether he has become too cautious.
• The Planning Bureau officials are portrayed as self-important and increasingly hostile when they cannot gain access to Feng Jun or secure his cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Family loyalty versus self-interest: Haifeng wants to help his family but refuses to sacrifice himself financially for them.
• Bureaucratic power and administrative obstruction: Officials invoke regulations, reporting requirements, and overlapping jurisdictions to exert control over private development.
• Resistance to authority: Feng Jun’s group refuses to be intimidated, while the guards and Li Xiaobin challenge officials who rely on status rather than clear legal authority.
• Strategic confrontation: Feng Jun avoids direct conflict, allowing others to absorb pressure while he evaluates the situation.
• Changing courage and identity: Gazi’s defiance makes Feng Jun wonder whether his experiences in the martial world have made him overly cautious.

Character Interactions

• Haifeng clashes with his wife and brother over subcontracting, ultimately making it clear that he will not let family pressure undermine him.
• Haifeng negotiates with the contractors but ends the discussion when they repeatedly demand greater control.
• Feng Jun supports Haifeng’s negotiation strategy by phone but stays out of the direct confrontation.
• Li Xiaobin repeatedly frustrates the Planning Bureau officials by refusing to sign documents, reveal Feng Jun’s whereabouts, or accept their authority without question.
• Gazi encourages Feng Jun to respond more boldly, while Li Xiaobin reinforces the view that the officials are using bureaucracy to maintain control.
• The chapter ends with government involvement intensifying, setting up a larger confrontation over the mountain’s development.

Chapter Summary: “Bats Have Lofty Ambitions Too (Third Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The gate guard initially refuses to accept an official notice concerning Feng Jun’s construction project, claiming it falls outside his duties. The deputy director of the Patrol Bureau forces the issue by confirming that delivery has occurred.
• Feng Jun learns that multiple government bodies are interfering with his project:
  • The city bureau has issued a notice.
  • The Tourism Bureau is questioning the development of barren hills as a tourism project.
  • The district Agriculture and Forestry Department investigates the road and wall construction under the pretext of environmental protection.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng conclude that these departments are using procedural concerns as excuses to pressure him and possibly seize economic benefits from his project.
• Wang Haifeng tries unsuccessfully to contact Deputy Mayor Duan, who first approved the construction but later claims that circumstances have changed and the matter is no longer under his control.
• Feng Jun decides that continuing to yield will only make others view him as weak. He orders Wang Haifeng to proceed with the design drawings and construction preparations while he handles the political pressure.
• Meanwhile, Patrol Bureau deputy director Zhang Hongfei meets with local associates to discuss ways of profiting from Feng Jun’s large project. They consider taking contracts for earthmoving, transportation, and security.
• Zhang reveals that local authorities intend to use him to test Feng Jun’s strength. He plans to profit cautiously, initially setting a personal limit of five million yuan, with hopes of securing long-term security work after the wall is built.
• While driving home after drinking, Zhang is attacked by a mysterious, extremely powerful figure. The attacker kicks through the windshield, damages the headlights, and leaves an egg-sized hole straight through the hood, engine protection, and underside of the vehicle.
• Zhang is unable to catch the attacker. The chapter ends with him and others staring at the incredible damage, unable to determine what weapon or force caused it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shifts from cautious tolerance to a more assertive stance. He recognizes that officials are coordinating pressure against him and resolves to begin construction rather than continue appeasing them.
• Wang Haifeng becomes increasingly angry at the local authorities’ betrayal, especially Deputy Mayor Duan’s refusal to honor earlier promises. He remains loyal to Feng Jun and offers to use his connections, but Feng Jun believes official relationships will not help once higher authorities have made a decision.
• Deputy Mayor Duan is shown as opportunistic and cowardly. After accepting favors and making assurances, he distances himself once the political situation changes.
• Zhang Hongfei is portrayed as calculating and greedy but more cautious than his companions. He understands that Feng Jun may be dangerous and advises others not to demand too much too quickly. His confidence is badly shaken by the mysterious attack.
• The local businessmen and officials reveal themselves as opportunists who view Feng Jun’s project primarily as a source of profit.

Significant Themes

• Power and exploitation: Local officials and contractors attempt to exploit an outsider’s wealth through bureaucratic interference and unofficial demands.
• Weakness versus restraint: Feng Jun’s earlier patience is mistaken for weakness, leading him to reconsider his strategy.
• Corruption and shifting loyalties: Officials abandon previous promises when stronger political interests become involved.
• Hidden strength and intimidation: The attack on Zhang Hongfei suggests that Feng Jun—or someone connected to him—possesses extraordinary power and is willing to retaliate indirectly.
• Greed and overreaching: The local figures want to profit from the project but risk provoking an opponent far more formidable than they understand.

Character Interactions

• The deputy director of the Patrol Bureau pressures the gate guard into accepting the notice, demonstrating how official authority is being used against Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng discuss the government’s interference. Wang reacts emotionally, while Feng remains analytical and warns him not to underestimate the Agriculture and Forestry Department.
• Feng rejects Wang’s suggestion of seeking more official connections, arguing that once those in power decide against them, personal relationships will have little effect.
• Zhang Hongfei’s associates encourage him to exploit Feng Jun’s vulnerability, but Zhang urges caution because Feng may have a dangerous background.
• The mysterious attacker interacts violently but silently with Zhang, leaving behind only the wrecked vehicle as a warning or demonstration of power.

Chapter Summary: “Unconvinced”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Patrol Director Zhang Hongfei survives an attack on his vehicle by a mysterious man in black. The windshield is shattered and a frightening hole is punched into the car, but Zhang himself is unharmed.
• With no dashcam or nearby surveillance footage, the only evidence is Zhang’s description of the attacker: a fierce middle-aged man with a square face and a scar through one eyebrow.
• Zhang immediately suspects Feng Jun, the owner of the barren mountain and jade mine. He believes Feng Jun attacked him in retaliation for Zhang’s participation in delivering an official notice targeting Feng’s estate.
• Although Zhang wants revenge, he recognizes that he lacks evidence. The attacker was clearly not Feng Jun himself, and Feng’s wealth and status make an unsupported arrest dangerous.
• Zhang reports the incident to the Patrol Bureau but privately tells colleagues that Feng must be responsible. He is warned not to speak too openly, since rivals within the bureau may exploit the situation.
• After an uneasy night, Zhang returns to inspect the damaged vehicle. Technical officers warn him that the attacker’s strength was extraordinary and that a single kick could have caused him severe injury.
• Angered by the attack and unwilling to appear intimidated, Zhang borrows a subordinate’s motorcycle and decides to confront Feng Jun personally. The subordinate offers to accompany him and suggests a recording pen, but Zhang refuses both backup and covert recording, though he discreetly acknowledges the need for caution.
• At Feng’s estate, Zhang is admitted only after the guards receive permission. Li Xiaobin directs him upstairs to Feng’s room.
• Feng deliberately humiliates Zhang by ordering him to leave and knock properly. Zhang suppresses his anger, follows the instruction, and reenters.
• Feng then ignores him for nearly forty minutes, playing on his phone and smoking. When he finally acknowledges Zhang, he mocks him by calling him an “idiot.”
• Zhang’s anger disappears when he realizes Feng is not merely arrogant but apparently unconcerned about surveillance, recordings, or consequences. Zhang concludes that Feng is extremely confident and resolves to wait for an opportunity to bring him down.

Character Developments

• Zhang Hongfei shifts from outrage and a desire for immediate retaliation to wary respect and fear. He remains aggressive and proud, but Feng’s confidence makes him recognize that impulsive action could be dangerous.
• Feng Jun is established as calm, contemptuous, and psychologically dominant. He controls the encounter through deliberate delays, insults, and refusal to show concern about Zhang’s authority.
• Li Xiaobin acts as a composed intermediary, following Feng’s instructions and refusing to be intimidated by Zhang’s official position.
• Zhang’s subordinate demonstrates loyalty by offering backup and practical protection, while Zhang’s response reveals both pride and an awareness that the confrontation may be risky.

Significant Themes

• Power versus authority: Zhang possesses official authority, but Feng’s wealth, confidence, and mysterious capabilities undermine Zhang’s sense of control.
• Evidence and suspicion: Zhang is convinced of Feng’s guilt but knows that conviction without proof cannot justify legal action.
• Pride and restraint: Zhang wants to retaliate but must repeatedly suppress his temper to avoid giving Feng evidence or an advantage.
• Psychological warfare: Feng’s insults, calculated waiting, and casual behavior are designed to unsettle Zhang and demonstrate that he is not intimidated.
• Hidden power: The unexplained damage to the vehicle and the unknown attacker suggest that Feng’s influence and resources may be far greater than Zhang understands.

Character Interactions

• Zhang’s conversations with his colleagues reveal the tension between official procedure and private assumptions within the Patrol Bureau.
• His exchange with his subordinate shows mutual loyalty but also Zhang’s reluctance to admit vulnerability.
• Li Xiaobin treats Zhang courteously but firmly, controlling his access to Feng.
• The confrontation between Zhang and Feng becomes a battle of composure: Zhang tries to preserve his authority, while Feng repeatedly humiliates him and forces him to wait.
• By the end, Zhang no longer sees Feng merely as an arrogant rich man; he views him as a dangerous opponent whose confidence may conceal overwhelming power.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Hongfei confronts Feng Jun about the previous day’s attack and demands to know how Feng Jun could act so openly.
• Feng Jun unapologetically admits responsibility, mocks Zhang’s authority, and reminds him that he is a patrol officer—not someone entitled to bully others or seize property.
• Feng confidently dismisses Zhang’s concern about carrying a listening device, making it clear that he considers Zhang completely powerless against him. Humiliated and unsettled, Zhang leaves.
• Outside the villa, a fat subordinate insults Zhang but quickly departs. Zhang then witnesses an intelligent Crow collect cigarette butts, arrange them neatly, and throw them into a trash bin. The Crow even appears to look at him with disdain.
• This strange incident, combined with the Crow’s behavior, the fat man’s deference to Feng, and the unexplained damage to a vehicle, makes Zhang reconsider Feng’s true abilities. He begins to suspect that Feng may possess supernatural powers or connections with spirits.
• Zhang investigates the fat man and learns that his surname is Xu and that he is the son of a high-ranking director-general. Despite this powerful background, Xu addresses Feng as “Master.”
• Frightened, Zhang returns to the guards and gives them cigarettes, hoping to soften relations and perhaps have his apology conveyed to Feng. The guards politely but firmly remind him that he must contact Feng before visiting. Zhang claims he will not come again.
• Back at the station, Zhang falsely describes Feng as amiable and reasonable, concealing how thoroughly he was intimidated. He then takes leave, pretending that his recurring cholecystitis has worsened.
• Zhang does not withdraw his official report, since doing so would look suspicious, but he stops encouraging his associates to act against Feng. Instead, he advises them to wait and let others make the first move, secretly keeping Feng’s frightening capabilities to himself.
• The next day, Wang Haifeng rudely rejects another proposal for cooperation, angering an unnamed young master.
• That afternoon, the town director visits Feng’s organization and speaks with Li Xiaotong instead. He claims there are unresolved historical problems with the land contract, including its previous designation for returning farmland to forest and the transfer of compensation funds.
• The director implies that because the current contract holder is an outsider, the town can terminate the agreement more easily. Li Xiaotong refuses to accept this, insisting that the paperwork is complete. The director threatens them with retaliation if they do not comply.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains domineering, fearless, and contemptuous of authority. He deliberately humiliates Zhang while demonstrating absolute confidence in his own power.
• Zhang Hongfei undergoes a major reversal. Initially aggressive and arrogant, he becomes frightened and cautious after observing the Crow and recalling Feng’s other inexplicable abilities. He abandons plans to provoke Feng and begins protecting himself through retreat and secrecy.
• Wang Haifeng continues to respond bluntly to outside pressure, showing loyalty and unwillingness to compromise with Feng’s rivals.
• Li Xiaotong gains confidence from Feng’s recent behavior and resists the town director despite lacking experience in handling official pressure.
• The town director is presented as an intimidating official attempting to exploit bureaucratic complications to force Feng’s group out of the property.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Feng’s power is so overwhelming that even a bullying patrol officer is reduced to fear and evasive behavior.
• The supernatural and the unknown: The Crow’s intelligence and apparent contempt reinforce the mystery surrounding Feng and suggest abilities beyond ordinary explanation.
• Humiliation and reversal: Zhang visits intending to assert dominance but leaves psychologically defeated, while Feng barely needs to exert effort.
• Political and social pressure: Feng’s opponents use official positions, contracts, and administrative threats to challenge his enterprise.
• Strategic concealment: Zhang hides what he has learned, refusing to warn his allies because he does not want them to benefit from his painful lesson.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Zhang Hongfei: Their confrontation is dominated by Feng’s sarcasm and Zhang’s growing helplessness. Feng insults Zhang’s conduct and dismisses his authority, while Zhang eventually retreats.
• Zhang and the fat man, Xu: Xu mocks Zhang despite being only a subordinate, emphasizing the hierarchy surrounding Feng. Zhang is irritated but does not retaliate.
• Zhang and the Crow: Their silent encounter becomes psychologically important, as the Crow’s unnatural behavior convinces Zhang that Feng may be connected to supernatural forces.
• Zhang and the guards: Zhang attempts to win their goodwill, but they maintain Feng’s rules and refuse to treat him as an exception.
• Zhang and the junior bureau chief: Zhang’s unexpected praise of Feng shocks his superior, revealing how deeply frightened he has become.
• Li Xiaotong and the town director: Li resists the director’s attempt to invalidate the contract, while the director escalates from explanation to an open threat.

Chapter Summary: Escalating Further (Third Update)

Plot and major events

White Apricot Town’s director threatens Li Xiaobin over Feng Jun’s lease of the barren mountain, making it clear that the town intends to reclaim the land. Feng Jun decides not to seek outside help or surrender easily. Since he does not rely on the land for profit, he feels prepared to make the dispute public if necessary, while continuing construction at Luohua Manor.
Two days later, local hooligans and a group of delinquent teenagers block the manor’s entrance with concrete barriers, claiming to charge an “access fee.” Wu Limin contacts Feng Jun before taking action. Feng Jun orders him to call the Patrol Bureau rather than fight. The police eventually arrive but refuse to intervene, labeling the issue a dispute between the town and the leaseholder. Their presence prevents the construction workers from immediately retaliating.
Xu Leigang then returns and orders the barriers removed. When the hooligan leader, Ermao, confronts him, Xu deliberately mocks and intimidates him. He contacts an underworld associate, who calls Ermao and confirms Xu’s connection to the powerful Sister Hong. Xu further reveals that Sister Hong is Feng Jun’s business partner. Nervous but still suspicious, Ermao demands that Sister Hong personally confirm the relationship. Xu agrees to pass along the request, then enters the manor. Feng Jun is displeased that Sister Hong has been brought into the dispute, though Xu clarifies that he has not actually contacted her.

Character developments

• Feng Jun becomes more resolute and self-reliant. He refuses to beg for assistance or become entangled in favors and political bargaining, choosing instead to focus on his work and confront the town if necessary.
• Wu Limin demonstrates loyalty and restraint. Although capable of fighting, he consults Feng Jun first and follows the legal route rather than escalating immediately.
• Xu Leigang displays confidence, street knowledge, and a willingness to use his underworld connections. His sharp behavior contrasts with Wu Limin’s caution, but he remains considerate of Feng Jun’s complicated relationship with Sister Hong.
• Ermao initially acts aggressively, believing local influence and the town’s support protect him. Once he realizes Xu may be connected to Sister Hong, he becomes cautious, though pride and ambition lead him to demand personal confirmation.
• Feng Jun’s attitude toward Sister Hong shows concern and protectiveness: he does not want her successful jade business or reputation dragged into a messy territorial conflict.

Themes

• Escalation and institutional pressure: The town moves from verbal threats to deliberate obstruction, while the police avoid taking responsibility.
• Independence and leverage: Feng Jun’s lack of dependence on the mountain gives him bargaining strength; because he fears neither financial loss nor political pressure, he cannot easily be coerced.
• Power through reputation and connections: Xu’s association with Sister Hong becomes more influential than direct violence, showing how names, alliances, and perceived status operate in the underworld.
• Law versus informal power: The authorities’ unwillingness to intervene leaves the parties relying on personal networks and intimidation.
• Restraint amid conflict: Despite repeated provocations, Feng Jun and Wu Limin initially avoid violence, while Xu uses threats and reputation to resolve the immediate confrontation.

Character interactions

Feng Jun and Wu Limin establish a clear approach: respond through official channels rather than fight. Xu and Ermao engage in a tense verbal contest, with Xu undermining Ermao’s authority and then invoking Sister Hong’s name. Ermao’s later request to speak directly with Sister Hong creates a new complication. After hearing Xu’s account, Feng Jun criticizes the possibility of involving her and emphasizes that she should remain separate from the conflict.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ermao allows construction vehicles and Xu Leigang’s car through the blockade, but orders his men to close the road again.
• The blockade continues throughout the day until Wang Haifeng arrives and has the concrete barriers removed. Ermao lets him pass, choosing not to escalate the confrontation.
• After the construction vehicles leave, Ermao orders his men to return the next morning with an excavator to permanently destroy the road, while still hoping Sister Hong will intervene during the night.
• Ermao takes his men to a restaurant, where they drink, gamble, and seek entertainment. He arranges gambling for his underlings and calls two hostesses for himself before falling asleep.
• He later awakens outdoors in the cold, wearing only a hotel bathrobe. A threatening man dressed in black has abducted him and taken his phone.
• The man, later identified as Feng Jun, intimidates and beats Ermao while pretending to arrange a “plane ticket” for him—an ominous reference to Sister Hong’s punishment.
• Ermao explains that he continued blocking the estate’s entrance because Zhao Haicheng from the town government had ordered him to do so in exchange for clearing his men’s records.
• Feng Jun warns that Ermao has violated Sister Hong’s “taboo” and that merely withdrawing from the blockade is insufficient. Ermao must also understand that Zhao Haicheng has overreached.
• Feng Jun leaves on a motorcycle, warning that a second “plane ticket” would come without allowing Ermao to explain himself. Terrified, Ermao decides to withdraw and avoid provoking either side.

2. Character Developments

• Ermao is shown as cunning, pragmatic, and cautious rather than simply reckless. He uses temporary barriers instead of immediately destroying the road so he can retreat if necessary. However, his confidence and greed lead him to underestimate Sister Hong’s influence.
• After being abducted and beaten, Ermao’s bravado collapses into fear. He becomes submissive, readily confesses his mistake, and recognizes that he has become trapped between powerful forces.
• Ermao still displays survival instincts: he pretends weakness, offers explanations, and tries to redirect blame toward Zhao Haicheng.
• Wang Haifeng is presented as more imposing and authoritative than Xu Leigang. His calm refusal to acknowledge Ermao reinforces the hierarchy between them.
• Feng Jun appears as a ruthless enforcer for Sister Hong. His controlled manner, physical strength, and mysterious arrival make him more frightening than a conventional thug.
• Sister Hong, though absent, gains greater influence through the fear her name inspires. Even Ermao’s knowledge of her reputation is enough to make him panic.
• Zhao Haicheng is revealed to be the official backing Ermao’s actions, using him to pressure the estate while seeking benefits for Ermao’s gang.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Political authority, wealth, criminal muscle, and Sister Hong’s hidden influence compete behind the blockade.
• Strategic restraint versus recklessness: Ermao’s temporary blockade reflects practical caution, but his continued defiance shows the danger of misjudging a stronger opponent.
• Invisible power: Sister Hong never appears, yet her authority dominates the chapter. Her reputation allows others to act in her name and terrifies those who cross her.
• Loyalty and self-interest: Ermao claims he acted for his brothers, but his concern with profit, gambling, and maintaining his gang’s income suggests that loyalty is mixed with personal interest.
• Humiliation and loss of control: Ermao moves from acting as an empowered enforcer to being helplessly interrogated and threatened, exposing how fragile his authority is.
• Survival through submission: Once confronted by overwhelming power, Ermao abandons pride and focuses entirely on escaping consequences.

4. Character Interactions

• Ermao and Wang Haifeng: Their brief exchange establishes a hostile power imbalance. Ermao tries to mock Wang, but Wang ignores him and proceeds, demonstrating superior status.
• Ermao and his underlings: Ermao maintains authority through food, alcohol, gambling, and shared profit, but he also worries about the financial burden of keeping them stationed at the blockade.
• Ermao and Feng Jun: Their encounter is the chapter’s central confrontation. Feng Jun physically dominates and psychologically terrorizes Ermao, while Ermao shifts from defiance to desperate pleading.
• Ermao and Sister Hong: They do not meet directly, but Ermao’s fear of her reputation drives the entire conflict. Feng Jun acts as her representative and enforces her will.
• Ermao and Zhao Haicheng: Although Zhao does not appear, Ermao invokes him as the official who recruited and protected the gang. Feng Jun’s warning implies that Zhao may also face consequences for exceeding his authority.

Chapter Summary: “Strange Conflict”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ermao awakens after being mysteriously beaten and transported to a wasteland less than three hundred meters from his hotel. He changes clothes and returns to investigate.
• Hotel surveillance shows no record of him leaving, and no footage captures the black-clad man with the broken eyebrow entering. The only plausible entry point is Ermao’s open fourth-floor window, suggesting the attacker possessed extraordinary agility or strength.
• Troubled by the inexplicable incident, Ermao reconsiders his plan to stay neutral in the conflict surrounding Luohua Manor. He had intended to stage a minor incident, flee, and avoid choosing sides.
• He orders his men not to participate in the next day’s activities and instructs them to communicate privately rather than through their group chat.
• His subordinate Qiangzi brings up Zhang Hongfei’s strange car accident, which occurred after Zhang apparently went to cause trouble for Feng Jun. Zhang suffered a recurrence of cholecystitis and did not pursue the matter, leading to rumors that Feng Jun—and possibly his crow—possesses supernatural abilities.
• Ermao investigates Zhang’s behavior and concludes that Zhang’s retreat was significant. Nevertheless, he decides to proceed with his original strategy, choosing Zhao Haicheng as the person he will “accidentally” injure.
• The next day, Ermao and Qiangzi confront Zhao while he is dining with local merchants. A seemingly spontaneous argument escalates into a brutal beating: Zhao’s arm is broken, his hands are badly injured, and his face is wounded. Ermao and Qiangzi flee.
• The attack unexpectedly reduces the pressure on Luohua Manor, since one of its major opponents is incapacitated and Ermao has disappeared.
• The incident angers a powerful young master, who blames local officials for failing to handle the situation. The mayor is summoned and reprimanded, then in turn scolds Zhang Hongfei.
• Zhang responds by taking extended leave to undergo gallbladder surgery in Yang City.
• Three days into Zhang’s leave, the tax bureau audits Four Seasons Wind Design Company and begins asking whether Luohua Manor has paid taxes, signaling a new official attack on the manor.

Character Developments

• Ermao: Initially focused on self-preservation and avoiding commitment, Ermao becomes increasingly cautious after realizing he may have been targeted by a supernatural or extraordinarily powerful figure. He still chooses to manipulate events rather than openly support either side, but his attack on Zhao effectively benefits Luohua Manor.
• Qiangzi: Acts as Ermao’s trusted enforcer and subordinate. Though fearful of Feng Jun and the rumors surrounding him, he honestly warns Ermao and helps carry out the plan against Zhao.
• Zhao Haicheng: His unstable alliance with Ermao collapses. He is severely injured and temporarily removed from active involvement in the conflict.
• Zhang Hongfei: His earlier confrontation with Feng Jun appears to have frightened or incapacitated him. His illness and extended leave remove him from the immediate struggle, though his absence creates room for other authorities to act.
• Feng Jun: He does not appear directly, but his reputation grows through rumors about supernatural powers and the mysterious consequences suffered by those who provoke him.
• The young master and local officials: The young master becomes frustrated with the failure of his allies to suppress Luohua Manor, while the mayor and Zhang are pressured into taking harsher administrative measures.

Significant Themes

• Fear of the unknown: Ermao’s inability to explain how he was abducted makes him reconsider his assumptions about power and safety. Feng Jun’s rumored abilities create an atmosphere of supernatural intimidation.
• Political and criminal opportunism: Ermao survives by balancing both sides, manipulating conflicts, and avoiding unnecessary commitments. Alliances are shown to be temporary and driven by self-interest.
• Unintended consequences: Ermao attacks Zhao to preserve his own options, but the result unexpectedly weakens the forces opposing Luohua Manor.
• Escalation through indirect pressure: When direct actions fail, the opposition turns to bureaucratic tactics, using tax audits and official investigations to target Luohua Manor’s associated businesses.
• Power and reputation: Much of the conflict is shaped not only by actual strength but by rumors, fear, and the perceived consequences of challenging influential figures.

Character Interactions

• Ermao and his underling interact with a mixture of loyalty, fear, and secrecy; Ermao gives strict instructions while Qiangzi carefully raises sensitive concerns.
• Ermao reflects on his relationship with Sister Hong and worries that fleeing would betray her, showing the tension between self-interest and obligation.
• Ermao’s long-standing hostility toward Zhang Hongfei prevents open communication, but he secretly investigates Zhang’s condition.
• Ermao and Zhao Haicheng shift from unstable collaborators to violent enemies, with Ermao using their existing distrust as justification for the attack.
• The mayor, Zhang Hongfei, and the young master are linked through a chain of blame and intimidation, while the tax bureau’s audit extends the conflict from physical confrontation into economic and administrative warfare.

Chapter Summary: “Economic Tactics”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Haifeng warns Feng Jun that the authorities may investigate whether he paid taxes on his jade sales. Since the jade comes from a secret source and was sold through various businesses, Feng has no clear, conventional record of income.
• Feng argues that taxes may effectively have been paid during the jade’s circulation through jewelry companies, particularly Li Dafu’s business. He believes the complicated accounting and questionable finances of those companies would make a tax investigation difficult.
• Wang reminds Feng that although Feng is a private individual, Zhang Hongfei’s company could be implicated. This alarms Feng because he does not want Sister Hong to suffer because of his activities.
• Feng contacts Yuan Huapeng for advice. Yuan explains that although the authorities could legally investigate Feng, directly examining an individual’s finances is inefficient and risky because few people’s accounts are entirely clean. He believes the threat is mainly intimidation and offers the Yuan Family’s assistance.
• Feng declines to rely on the Yuan Family, feeling that their previous dealings were merely business transactions and that accepting help would create a difficult debt of gratitude.
• To reduce the money trail connected to Zhang Hongfei’s company and make investigations harder, Feng decides to move his funds out of his main bank account. He plans to distribute the money among other banks, securities companies, and possibly even withdraw large amounts of cash.
• Feng attempts to withdraw more than one hundred million from his account at a Yang City commercial bank. The account manager questions the withdrawal and delays the process, claiming the bank must monitor such a large transfer.
• After waiting two hours, Feng calls again. The manager eventually admits that higher-level officials ordered the bank to prevent major clients—especially Feng—from withdrawing money because the bank is experiencing liquidity problems.
• The chapter ends with Feng angered by the bank’s deliberate obstruction and demanding to know which leader issued the order.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains confident, resourceful, and confrontational. He refuses to be intimidated by possible tax action and relies on loopholes, complicated financial records, and his wealth to protect himself.
• He also reveals a strong sense of responsibility toward people connected to him, particularly Zhang Hongfei. Though he is willing to use aggressive tactics, he does not want her company or reputation harmed because of him.
• Feng shows increasing distrust of institutions and allies. He is wary of the bank, reluctant to ask the Yuan Family for help, and determined to handle the problem independently.
• Wang Haifeng acts as Feng’s cautious adviser, emphasizing the real danger posed by tax authorities and pointing out the vulnerability of Zhang Hongfei’s company.
• Yuan Huapeng demonstrates the Yuan Family’s willingness to repay past favors, while also offering a more realistic legal and political assessment of the situation.
• The bank account manager is caught between Feng’s influence and pressure from his superiors. He tries to remain respectful but ultimately reveals the bank’s hostile policy.

Significant Themes

• Money as power and protection: Feng believes wealth can absorb fines, complicate investigations, and give him leverage over institutions.
• Legal ambiguity and corruption: The chapter highlights the blurred line between tax avoidance, tax evasion, hidden income, and taxes indirectly paid through business transactions.
• Institutional self-interest: The bank’s concern is not only regulatory compliance; it is also desperate to retain Feng’s deposits because of its liquidity problems.
• Trust and indebtedness: Feng refuses Yuan Huapeng’s help because favors create obligations. The chapter presents gratitude and personal debt as burdens that can be more difficult than financial debts.
• Escalating pressure: Feng’s previous confrontations have not produced a broad warning against targeting him, so new rivals and institutions continue to test him.
• Independence versus cooperation: Feng prefers to solve problems alone, even when allies are available, because relying on others could create vulnerabilities.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng: Wang raises the tax threat, while Feng dismisses it with legal and financial counterarguments. Their exchange shows Wang’s caution contrasting with Feng’s confidence.
• Feng Jun and Yuan Huapeng: Feng discreetly alerts the Yuan Family and seeks advice. Yuan offers both reassurance and assistance, but Feng politely refuses direct help.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Hongfei: Though Zhang does not appear directly, Feng’s concern for her company drives his decision to move his money and avoid exposing her to investigation.
• Feng Jun and the bank manager: Their conversation shifts from routine questioning to open confrontation. Feng challenges the bank’s right to interfere with his money, while the manager eventually exposes the higher-ups’ deliberate attempt to block his withdrawal.
• Feng Jun and the unidentified bank leadership: The final exchange sets up a new conflict, as Feng realizes that someone specifically targeted him rather than merely enforcing standard banking procedures.

Chapter Summary: “Self-Preservation of a Pawn”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s bank account manager, Li Liangquan, meets him privately to explain why the bank has been delaying or monitoring his transactions.
• Li reveals that Director Luo instructed him to keep watch over Feng Jun’s account because the bank was short on liquid capital and wanted to prevent a major withdrawal. However, Li suspects Director Luo’s actions may be personal rather than officially sanctioned.
• Feng Jun learns that withdrawing a large amount of money requires Director Luo’s approval. Li advises him to bypass the account manager and confront Director Luo directly, making clear that he does not want to be blamed for the situation.
• Feng Jun and Li establish mutual trust over drinks. Li prioritizes avoiding unjustified responsibility and angering a wealthy client over protecting his bank position.
• Afterward, Feng Jun tries to relax in the city. He contacts friends, but when they are unavailable, he visits Manager Chang’s entertainment bar. Despite intending to indulge, he refuses to take two women home while drunk and wakes up at the Penglai Grand Hotel.
• The next morning, Feng Jun goes to the bank to find Director Luo. Luo is absent, and Feng Jun suspects he is deliberately avoiding the confrontation.
• Feng Jun waits in the bank’s reception area for the entire morning, orders lunch, and remains there conspicuously, causing the staff to realize he is seeking trouble with Director Luo.
• Li secretly informs Feng Jun that Director Luo has gone to a café in Century Building. Feng Jun immediately travels there by public bicycle.
• At the café, Feng Jun identifies Director Luo through a photograph and questions the hostess, pretending to be a detective. The hostess sees through the lie, and Feng Jun attempts to maintain control of the interaction with his usual confidence and flirtatious charm.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly assertive and suspicious. Rather than waiting passively or accepting the bank’s evasions, he decides to confront the person responsible. His tendency to assume the worst motivates him to investigate, though he is still capable of recognizing and rewarding genuine loyalty.
• Li Liangquan shifts from a cautious employee merely following orders to an independent ally. He realizes that Director Luo may be using him as a scapegoat and chooses to protect himself by telling Feng Jun the truth.
• Director Luo is portrayed as evasive and potentially self-serving. His absence from the bank and apparent attempt to avoid Feng Jun deepen suspicions about his motives.
• Feng Jun’s personal restraint is also highlighted. Although he wants companionship and entertainment after spending too much time isolated at Luohua Manor, he ultimately remains unwilling to act against his deeper habits and principles while intoxicated.

Significant Themes

• Self-preservation and responsibility: Li’s central concern is avoiding being made responsible for a superior’s questionable decisions. The chapter suggests that lower-ranking employees often become expendable pawns in institutional maneuvering.
• Power and wealth: Feng Jun’s status as a billionaire gives him influence, but it also makes ordinary people wary of offending him. The bank treats his account differently because of the scale of his wealth.
• Institutional opacity and corruption: Banks may give employees vague instructions when handling sensitive accounts, allowing senior figures to avoid direct accountability. Director Luo’s behavior hints at possible abuse of authority.
• Trust and loyalty: Feng Jun does not trust easily, but Li earns his confidence by taking a personal risk and speaking honestly. Their relationship changes from formal client-and-manager dealings to cautious cooperation.
• Isolation and restraint: Feng Jun’s life at Luohua Manor provides comfort and status but leaves him socially isolated. His failed attempt to “let loose” shows that his self-control and ingrained values remain stronger than his momentary impulses.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Li Liangquan: Their private dinner is the chapter’s main relationship-building scene. Feng Jun questions Li’s account, while Li openly explains the bank’s internal pressures and distances himself from Director Luo’s decisions. Their joking exchange about wealth and job security ends with a toast and mutual trust.
• Feng Jun and his friends: His unsuccessful attempts to contact Zhang Wei, Li Qiang, and Hao Fengjing emphasize his temporary loneliness and difficulty finding companionship.
• Feng Jun and Manager Chang: Manager Chang treats him generously and tries to arrange entertainment, but Feng Jun ultimately refuses to take advantage of the opportunity.
• Feng Jun and the bank staff: His prolonged wait in the reception area becomes a silent act of pressure, signaling that he will not be easily dismissed.
• Feng Jun and the café hostess: Their brief exchange reveals Feng Jun’s confidence and improvisational nature. He tries deception and charm to locate Director Luo, while the hostess remains perceptive enough to challenge his story.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun visits a bank to confront Director Luo after being unable to withdraw his own money.
• He waits in Luo’s office for hours, then finds him in the main hall dining with Yu Qingzhu and another capable-looking businesswoman.
• Director Luo initially pretends not to know Feng Jun and tries to shift responsibility to Li Liangquan, claiming that cash-flow problems and operational matters prevent an immediate withdrawal.
• Feng Jun sees through Luo’s evasiveness and demands to know who ordered the bank to obstruct him. When Luo refuses to answer, Feng Jun warns that Luo will regret his decision.
• Feng Jun clarifies that he is not borrowing money but withdrawing his own funds—and intends to close the account entirely.
• Director Luo realizes Feng Jun has more than one hundred million in the account, far more than the thirty to fifty million he initially claims.
• Yu Qingzhu offers to deposit an equivalent amount herself, partly to challenge Feng Jun and partly to protect the bank’s relationship with her family.
• After checking the account, she discovers that Feng Jun’s balance exceeds one hundred million, making it impossible for her to casually cover the withdrawal.
• Director Luo claims there is a “problem” with Feng Jun’s account, but avoids explaining further. The chapter ends with Feng Jun demanding clarification.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Displays confidence, sharp instincts, and a refusal to be intimidated. He quickly recognizes Director Luo’s dishonesty and aggressively confronts both the bank’s obstruction and Yu Qingzhu’s assumptions. His decision to close the account shows that he is willing to sever ties rather than tolerate manipulation.
• Director Luo: Reveals himself as evasive and cowardly. He repeatedly denies involvement, blames Li Liangquan, and hides behind vague claims about technical difficulties. His attitude changes once Yu Qingzhu’s connection to the Yu Family becomes clear, showing that he fears powerful patrons.
• Yu Qingzhu: Remains openly hostile and dismissive toward Feng Jun, calling him rude and barbaric. However, she is surprised by his wealth and begins to question whether the bank’s behavior is legitimate. Her willingness to offer financial backing suggests pride and a desire to avoid losing face.
• The capable woman: Acts as an outspoken but uninformed observer. She initially assumes Feng Jun is a borrower and criticizes his attitude, but gradually realizes that the bank is withholding his own money.
• Li Liangquan: Though absent, he appears to be the operational figure Director Luo uses as a scapegoat. His message confirms the unusually large balance in Feng Jun’s account.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Feng Jun challenges a bank director who relies on institutional authority and hidden backing, while Director Luo becomes submissive when confronted with the Yu Family’s influence.
• Dishonesty and accountability: The chapter focuses on Luo’s refusal to take responsibility and his attempts to conceal who is obstructing Feng Jun.
• Wealth as leverage: Feng Jun’s large account balance gives him power over the bank, while Yu Qingzhu’s family background gives her influence over Director Luo.
• Misjudgment and appearances: Yu Qingzhu and the other woman assume Feng Jun is a desperate borrower because of his aggressive behavior, only to discover that he is a wealthy depositor demanding access to his own funds.
• Pride and personal conflict: Much of the confrontation is driven by wounded pride, especially between Feng Jun and Yu Qingzhu, who continue trading insults despite becoming involved in the same dispute.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Director Luo engage in a tense confrontation, with Feng Jun demanding direct answers while Luo repeatedly evades him.
• Feng Jun and Yu Qingzhu exchange sarcastic insults. She condemns his manners, while he mocks her assumptions and questions her intelligence.
• The capable woman sides against Feng Jun at first, but her questions unintentionally expose the bank’s suspicious conduct.
• Yu Qingzhu pressures Director Luo to explain the account issue and silently challenges his attempts to hide behind vague excuses.
• Director Luo recognizes that Feng Jun and Yu Qingzhu already know each other and have a hostile relationship, prompting him to rely more heavily on Yu Qingzhu’s presence for protection.
  The chapter ends with Director Luo finally admitting that Feng Jun’s account has a problem, leaving the nature of the alleged issue unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Unexpected Gain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun confronts Director Luo in a café, pressing him about the consequences of acting as someone else’s scapegoat. Luo avoids answering directly, relying on the prestige of the Yu family for protection.
• Feng Jun warns Luo that the “price” of being a scapegoat may be more than he can bear, then leaves to investigate further.
• A young café hostess follows Feng Jun outside after revealing customer information about Luo. She jokingly asks him to compensate her with dinner, and their conversation quickly becomes flirtatious.
• Although Feng Jun initially declines to arrange a meal because he is preoccupied with dealing with Luo, the hostess reveals that Luo is a regular customer and shares useful information about him. Feng Jun then invites her to dinner and exchanges contact information with her.
• That evening, Feng Jun takes the hostess to an expensive seafood restaurant. She tells him that Luo is notoriously lecherous and has been involved with numerous women.
• She further reveals that Luo keeps a mistress in a residential complex outside the city. Luo’s wife is extremely jealous, but he has previously concealed his affairs by claiming to be discussing business.
• Feng Jun is delighted by this unexpected lead, joking that the information is worth far more than one meal. However, he tells the hostess he is not actually a private detective and does not intend to inform Luo’s wife.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates confidence, resourcefulness, and social flexibility. Though frustrated by Luo’s resistance, he quickly adapts by gathering information indirectly. He also uses flirtation and generosity strategically while maintaining a playful, calculating attitude.
• Director Luo: Appears evasive and dependent on the Yu family’s influence. His reputation is further damaged by revelations of habitual infidelity and manipulation.
• Yu Qingzhu: Remains composed and sharp-tongued. Her remark about Feng Jun knowing “his own account” implies respect for his awareness and financial confidence, though she privately doubts his suitability as a romantic partner.
• White Bone Spirit/Jingping: Shows open disdain for Feng Jun’s flirtation with the hostess, but also admits that his combination of wealth, attractiveness, and roughness appeals to her.
• The hostess: Develops from a casual informant into a lively, flirtatious potential acquaintance. She is direct, confident, and interested in Feng Jun, while also proving observant and useful because of her familiarity with Luo’s behavior.

Significant Themes

• Power and borrowed authority: Director Luo relies on the Yu family’s prestige rather than his own strength, highlighting how social connections protect people from consequences.
• Information as leverage: Feng Jun gains more useful information through an apparently casual dinner than through direct confrontation.
• Appearances and reputation: The hostess, Feng Jun, and Luo are all judged by outward behavior, wealth, attractiveness, and social standing.
• Flirtation and transactional relationships: The dinner begins as playful compensation for leaked information but develops into a mixture of personal attraction and mutual benefit.
• Infidelity and hypocrisy: Luo presents himself as respectable while secretly maintaining affairs, revealing the contrast between public image and private conduct.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Luo engage in a tense power struggle, with Feng Jun issuing an indirect threat while Luo tries to remain composed.
• Yu Qingzhu and White Bone Spirit comment critically on Feng Jun’s behavior, revealing both skepticism and hidden interest.
• Feng Jun and the hostess flirt throughout their conversation, with each testing the other’s intentions.
• During dinner, the hostess exchanges gossip and inside knowledge about Luo for Feng Jun’s attention and hospitality.
• Feng Jun responds to the hostess’s revelations with humor, but privately recognizes that the information may provide the key to handling Luo.

Chapter Summary: “Fate Matters”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun treats the young hostess to a seafood dinner. He initially considers getting her drunk and sleeping with her, but changes his mind after realizing that his impending retaliation against Director Luo may put her in danger.
• He explains that he intends to deal with Director Luo directly rather than simply exposing his affair to Luo’s wife. Feng Jun suspects that someone more powerful is behind the trouble Luo caused him and wants his revenge to clearly target both Luo and those backing him.
• To compensate the hostess for the information she provided and to distance her from him, Feng Jun gives her 20,000 yuan, later adding another 10,000 when she expresses disappointment at his rejection. Their flirtation continues, but their relationship gradually becomes more friendly than sexual.
• Hao Fengjing calls Feng Jun and tells him to wait for her. When she arrives, she finds him dining with the young hostess, but the situation remains cordial.
• Hao Fengjing’s mother-in-law suddenly appears with her nephew, accusing Hao Fengjing of meeting a “wild man” and committing adultery. She had secretly followed Hao after arguing with her about caring for her injured son.
• The accusation collapses when the mother-in-law realizes that Feng Jun is accompanied by another young woman. The young hostess angrily defends Hao Fengjing, while the restaurant server points out that Feng Jun and Hao appear to be a couple of similar age.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shows restraint and strategic thinking. Although he is attracted to the hostess, he chooses not to involve her in his dangerous plans. His decision reflects both concern for her safety and his desire to keep his activities hidden.
• He also reveals a more deliberate side of his revenge. Rather than using an ordinary method that might be traced to anyone, he wants to make his retaliation unmistakably personal.
• The young hostess develops genuine feelings for Feng Jun and is visibly hurt when he rejects a closer relationship. However, she maintains her dignity, accepts his money reluctantly, and quickly adapts to the situation. By the end of the meal, she interacts with him more like a teasing friend and even defends Hao Fengjing.
• Hao Fengjing appears frustrated and burdened by her family situation. She refuses to abandon her own life merely because her injured husband needs assistance, and she is embarrassed by her mother-in-law’s public accusations.
• Hao Fengjing’s mother-in-law is aggressive, suspicious, and determined to control Hao’s behavior. Her attempt to expose Hao as unfaithful instead makes her look foolish when the circumstances prove otherwise.

Significant Themes

• Fate and relationships: Feng Jun’s remark that “people need fate to come together” reflects the chapter’s focus on missed romantic opportunities, emotional attachment, and the uncertain boundaries between attraction and friendship.
• Restraint versus desire: Feng Jun is tempted by the hostess but suppresses that desire because he recognizes the risks of involving her in his dangerous affairs.
• Revenge and hidden power: Feng Jun believes Director Luo is only part of a larger conspiracy. His planned retaliation is meant not only to punish Luo but also to identify and intimidate the people behind him.
• Money and emotional obligation: The money Feng Jun gives the hostess serves as compensation, protection, and a substitute for the intimacy he refuses. Her reluctance to touch it shows that she does not want to appear motivated solely by greed.
• Public reputation and domestic conflict: Hao Fengjing’s mother-in-law uses accusations of adultery as a weapon, highlighting the social pressure placed on Hao and the family’s attempts to control her.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the hostess maintain a flirtatious but increasingly sincere exchange. He teases her, touches her provocatively, and gives her money, while she responds with disappointment, jealousy, and playful retaliation.
• The hostess shows signs of jealousy when Hao Fengjing calls and later pinches Feng Jun after asking whether the newcomer is another woman.
• Hao Fengjing arrives with an ambiguous relationship to Feng Jun, prompting the hostess to present herself confidently as part of the conversation.
• The confrontation with Hao’s mother-in-law shifts the mood from intimate and playful to public and chaotic. The hostess unexpectedly becomes Hao’s defender, while Feng Jun pretends confusion to undermine the accusation.
• The chapter ends with the mother-in-law’s claims being challenged by the obvious presence of the young hostess and the server’s observation that Feng Jun and Hao appear to be a couple rather than adulterous strangers.