Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• During dinner, Second Aunt pressures Feng Wencheng to criticize Feng Jun and support Zhang Zeping. Feng Wencheng avoids taking a firm position, recognizing that Feng Jun’s status and influence have changed.
• The family’s improved circumstances are revealed through Feng Wencheng’s upcoming promotion to deputy general manager of the Agriculture and Forestry Hotel. The promotion was arranged through Chao Ying because of Feng Jun’s growing importance.
• After dinner, Feng Jun stops his father from taking the night watch and reveals his first major gift: the Life-Nourishing Breathing Technique.
• The technique is designed for middle-aged and elderly cultivators. It places little strain on the body, promotes health and longevity, and can eventually connect to compatible immortal cultivation techniques.
• Feng Jun demonstrates his extraordinary abilities by summoning thunder despite the cold, rainy weather. This convinces his parents that his cultivation methods are far beyond ordinary martial arts such as the Yijin Scripture.
• He explains that his parents should focus on building a strong cultivation foundation rather than learning combat techniques. He promises that the technique can improve their health, extend their lives, and even preserve Zhang Junyi’s youthful appearance.
• Feng Jun then presents a second gift: Body-Tempering Pills, Origin-Nurturing Pills, Meridian Opening Pills, and rare treasures, along with detailed instructions for their use.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is portrayed as increasingly powerful, confident, and devoted to his parents. He wants to compensate them for their past hardships and secure their health and longevity.
• Feng Wencheng shows that he is not entirely submissive to his wife. Although he usually gives in to avoid conflict, he recognizes Feng Jun’s elevated position and refuses to recklessly challenge him.
• Feng Wenhui initially doubts whether he is still capable of cultivation because of his age, but the thunder demonstration quickly replaces skepticism with excitement. His concerns focus on whether the gifts are safe and whether Feng Jun has enough resources for himself.
• Zhang Junyi is perceptive and practical. She understands that foundation-building and longevity matter more than combat ability. Her mood brightens dramatically when Feng Jun says cultivation may preserve her beauty.
• Second Aunt becomes frustrated and resentful because Feng Jun’s success has placed him beyond the authority she once held over him.
• Zhang Zeping remains visibly unhappy after the confrontation, suggesting wounded pride and discomfort with Feng Jun’s changed status.

Significant Themes

• Family responsibility and filial devotion: Feng Jun uses his power and resources to protect and repay his parents.
• Transformation of social status: Feng Jun’s rise has altered family relationships; relatives who once treated him as a junior must now respect and depend on him.
• Longevity over power: The Life-Nourishing Breathing Technique emphasizes health, longevity, and a stable foundation rather than aggressive advancement.
• Generational cultivation: The chapter introduces the idea of “elder-generation immortals,” showing that older people can still enter the path of cultivation when given the right technique and resources.
• Trust and proof: Feng Jun does not merely make claims about his abilities; he demonstrates them by summoning lightning, turning his parents’ uncertainty into belief.
• The rewards of success: His parents’ future cultivation represents Feng Jun’s desire to share the benefits of his extraordinary life rather than enjoy them alone.

Character Interactions

• Second Aunt attempts to recruit Feng Wencheng into criticizing Feng Jun, but Feng Wencheng cautiously refuses, creating tension between the couple.
• Feng Jun interacts warmly with his parents, combining teasing humor with serious concern for their safety and future.
• His thunder demonstration shifts the relationship from parental doubt to admiration and trust.
• Zhang Junyi and Feng Wenhui respond differently but positively: she focuses on longevity and beauty, while he worries about safety and whether Feng Jun is sacrificing his own resources.
• The relaxed jokes between Feng Jun and his parents—especially the references to lightning and “Xiao Qing”—show a renewed sense of closeness and family comfort.

Chapter Summary: “Signing Ceremony”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun gives his parents two ordinary-person Storage Talismans, along with an extra one for practice. After learning to use them, Feng Wenhui and Zhang Junyi jokingly argue over whose contribution made Feng Jun possible, then discuss whether they will need a bamboo grove to cultivate.
• Feng explains that his parents can begin with Martial Cultivation without immediately needing a special environment. By the time they advance to immortal techniques, he expects the contracted mountain land to be developed. He respects their attachment to their hometown and does not pressure them to move.
• Feng attends the signing ceremony for his major investment in Chaori County. He is accompanied by Li Xiaobin and Dou Jiahui, while County Magistrate Chi Zhijie and city councilor Chao Ying represent the local government.
• The agreement is signed in the county government’s conference room and is treated as the county’s largest investment to date. The county television station films the event, though Feng specifically requests that his face not be shown.
• Afterward, Chi Zhijie holds a meeting demanding that local officials fully support Feng’s project. Chao Ying’s quiet attendance signals her backing without requiring her to speak.
• Chao Ying arranges a brief stop at the county council compound so Feng can show courtesy to Chairman Lou, who had previously supported the project. Feng meets Lou outside, exchanges polite assurances, and avoids a potentially awkward political slight.
• A celebratory dinner follows at the Agriculture and Forestry Hotel. Local officials try to establish relationships with Feng, recognizing his growing influence, though Chao Ying and Chi effectively remain closest to him.
• After the dinner, Feng learns from Mou Miao that footage of him has appeared prominently on Cloud Garden City’s news, including clear close-ups, despite his request not to appear on television. Angry, he contacts Chi Zhijie, who promises to investigate and is alarmed that the media issue could damage the newly signed agreement.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues balancing his extraordinary abilities with ordinary family responsibilities. He is thoughtful about his parents’ emotional attachment to home and allows them to choose their own lifestyle.
• He also demonstrates increasing political and social sophistication. Although Li Xiaobin sees officials’ courtesy as empty performance, Feng understands that even limited official support can be useful for smaller problems.
• Feng Wenhui and Zhang Junyi begin adapting to the supernatural changes in their lives. Their playful marital bickering shows that, despite their amazement, they remain comfortable and familiar with one another.
• Chao Ying emerges as a capable political ally who understands local etiquette and power relationships. She guides Feng through the proper courtesy toward Chairman Lou and visibly supports him at the official meeting.
• Chi Zhijie is shown as eager to protect the investment and his own reputation. Once Feng complains about the television report, Chi becomes anxious to resolve the matter quickly.
• Li Xiaobin displays growing perceptiveness about local political behavior, though Feng’s response suggests she is still learning how such relationships can be practically useful.
• Chairman Lou maintains a polite but calculated relationship with Feng, signaling that the county council wants influence and cooperation despite not attending the ceremony.

Significant Themes

• Family, roots, and personal choice: Feng respects his parents’ attachment to their homeland rather than forcing them into the more convenient life at Luohua Manor.
• The collision of the extraordinary and the ordinary: Storage Talismans and cultivation are treated alongside mundane concerns such as running a shop, signing contracts, and attending banquets.
• Political etiquette and influence: The chapter emphasizes that symbolic gestures—such as stopping at Chairman Lou’s compound—can preserve relationships and prevent unnecessary conflict.
• Public image and privacy: Feng’s attempt to avoid media exposure fails, highlighting the growing difficulty of remaining anonymous as his wealth and achievements attract attention.
• Power and social positioning: Officials recognize Feng as an important local figure, and the ceremony marks his transition from a private entrepreneur to someone with substantial political and economic influence.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng’s parents humorously argue over whether Feng’s abilities come from his father or mother, while Zhang Junyi quickly redirects the conversation toward cultivation.
• Chao Ying privately advises Feng on how to handle Chairman Lou, demonstrating her role as both ally and political guide.
• Feng and Chairman Lou exchange carefully worded pleasantries, each acknowledging the other’s importance without directly discussing the deliberate courtesy visit.
• Li Xiaobin criticizes the officials’ performative behavior, while Feng responds pragmatically, recognizing that even superficial relationships may have practical value.
• Feng confronts Chi Zhijie over the unauthorized close-up footage. Chi’s surprise and immediate concern reveal how seriously he takes Feng’s satisfaction and the success of the investment.

Chapter Summary: “Renowned Entrepreneur”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chaori County publicizes the signing of a major mountain-forest leasing agreement, emphasizing its value for industrial transformation, tourism, reforestation, and infrastructure. Feng Jun’s name is omitted from the county report to protect his privacy.
• Despite this, City TV broadcasts a report identifying Feng Jun as a “renowned entrepreneur” and showing his face prominently. The report was upgraded after a City Council leader took interest in the deal, apparently through Chairman Lou’s influence.
• County Magistrate Chi Zhijie is puzzled and irritated by the altered broadcast. He contacts the city station and then Chairman Lou to learn how Feng Jun’s identity became so prominent.
• Chairman Lou calls Feng Jun personally to explain that the city’s attention caused the change and that neither he nor Magistrate Chi had been informed beforehand. Feng accepts the explanation diplomatically.
• On his way home, Feng Jun learns that many people are waiting outside his house, including acquaintances and former teachers, hoping to meet him or his family. Dou Jiahui advises him to avoid returning home until the crowd disperses.
• While walking in the rain with Dou Jiahui and Li Xiaobin, Feng discusses Yao Jing, an old acquaintance whose marriage may be failing. He jokingly asks Dou whether he wants to rekindle an old romance, but Dou firmly says he is now committed to Lin Xiaojia.
• Meanwhile, Duck Neck and several men wait outside Feng Jun’s home to apologize or offer an explanation before the deadline Feng gave them expires. They are intimidated by Feng’s connections and reputation, especially his apparent ability to stand up to former power broker Hu Changqing.
• As the deadline approaches and Feng still does not appear, Duck Neck finally calls Dou Jiahui, seeking a way to contact Feng or resolve the situation.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: His growing wealth and influence become increasingly public despite his efforts to remain private. He handles Chairman Lou’s explanation with restraint and confidence. His connections now command enough respect that people hesitate to confront him directly.
• Chi Zhijie: Shows political awareness and concern over how the television report presents Feng Jun and the county government. He recognizes that naming Feng first subtly elevates Feng above the county administration.
• Chairman Lou: Demonstrates respect toward Feng by personally explaining the television report. His call reveals that Feng’s status has begun attracting attention beyond the county.
• Dou Jiahui: Remains loyal and protective toward Feng, steering him away from the crowd at his home. He also makes clear that he has moved on emotionally and is serious about his current relationship with Lin Xiaojia.
• Li Xiaobin: Quietly observes the men’s conversation and reacts skeptically to their treatment of past relationships. She also reveals that, because of her broader urban experience, she is not particularly impressed by Chairman Lou’s respect for Feng.
• Duck Neck: Changes from a threatening local thug into an anxious subordinate who recognizes the enormous gap between his own power and Feng Jun’s. Fearful of missing Feng’s deadline, he takes the unusual step of contacting Dou Jiahui.

Significant Themes

• The unintended consequences of fame: Feng Jun wants to keep a low profile, but official publicity and political interest make secrecy increasingly impossible.
• Power and reputation: Feng’s influence is measured less by formal titles or a company and more by the powerful people willing to support or explain themselves to him.
• Political hierarchy and media framing: The order in which Feng Jun and the county government are mentioned reflects shifting perceptions of authority and importance.
• Fear and social status: Duck Neck’s group becomes terrified after learning about Feng’s connections, showing how information can transform someone’s perceived power.
• Old relationships versus new commitments: The discussion of Yao Jing and Dou Jiahui’s current romance contrasts nostalgia with the need to move forward.
• Public image versus private identity: Feng is officially labeled a “renowned entrepreneur,” even though he lacks a conventional company, illustrating how society and government create identities around influential individuals.

Important Character Interactions

• Chi Zhijie and Chairman Lou: Chi investigates the unexpected city broadcast, while Lou explains that city-level political attention caused the report’s change.
• Feng Jun and Chairman Lou: Their phone conversation is polite but strategically restrained; both avoid directly naming the powerful city official behind the coverage.
• Feng Jun and Dou Jiahui: Dou protects Feng from the crowd and discusses Yao Jing with him. Their exchange shows their close friendship and mutual understanding.
• Feng Jun, Dou Jiahui, and Li Xiaobin: Their rainy walk provides a relaxed, personal contrast to the political and social pressure surrounding Feng.
• Duck Neck and his men: Their argument reveals their fear of Feng and their uncertainty about how to approach him.
• Duck Neck and Dou Jiahui: The chapter ends with Duck Neck calling Dou for help, signaling that Feng’s enemies or former rivals must now seek assistance through his trusted associates.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Duck Neck, having realized Feng Jun is dangerous, contacts Dou Jiahui and goes to apologize for barging into Feng Jun’s home and intimidating him the previous night.
• He offers Feng Jun an expensive phone as compensation, also claiming it could make up for his earlier mistreatment of Zhang Zeping. Feng Jun rejects the gift.
• Feng Jun demands that Duck Neck explain how he will handle Liu Laogen’s debt. Duck Neck offers to let Uncle Gen repay the 150,000 principal within six months, waiving the interest.
• Feng Jun refuses to accept this arrangement, criticizing Duck Neck’s gambling operation as dishonest and exploitative. He reveals that he knows Xiao Kai was deliberately trapped into gambling and borrowing money because Duck Neck had learned the family’s property might be demolished.
• Feng Jun declares that the entire debt must be “written off in one stroke,” and that Duck Neck’s offenses against him must likewise be considered settled. He makes clear that this is not a negotiation.
• Duck Neck appeals to Dou Jiahui, claiming Feng Jun is violating the rules. Dou Jiahui refuses to intervene, stating that Feng Jun’s authority matters just as much as Duck Neck’s so-called rules and that Feng Jun does not need his assistance.
• Realizing he cannot win the confrontation, Duck Neck asks for time to think. Feng Jun agrees, ominously telling him to “cool off.”
• Duck Neck hides at a mistress’s small courtyard with six of his men. They drink, eat, play mahjong, and discuss how to respond.
• Duck Neck considers paying 500,000 yuan to have Feng Jun killed, but none of his men is willing to attempt murder. They understand that injuring Feng Jun would be pointless because his wealth and connections could allow him to retaliate.
• After drinking through the night, Underwear advises Duck Neck to accept the 150,000 loss as the price of peace, arguing that some dangers cannot be escaped and that money spent avoiding greater trouble is worthwhile.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly dominant and uncompromising. He shifts from demanding an explanation to imposing a complete cancellation of Uncle Gen’s debt, using overwhelming confidence and intimidation to establish control.
• Duck Neck changes from a confident local thug into a frightened and humiliated businessman. Although he initially tries to preserve his “industry rules” and recover the principal, he eventually recognizes that Feng Jun is an opponent he cannot safely challenge.
• Dou Jiahui demonstrates pragmatic neutrality. He does not openly support Feng Jun, but he refuses to defend Duck Neck and acknowledges that Feng Jun’s authority supersedes Duck Neck’s local rules.
• Underwear emerges as the most realistic and cautious of Duck Neck’s followers, recommending surrender rather than provoking a potentially disastrous conflict.
• Uncle Gen and Xiao Kai remain mostly offstage, but their exploitation by Duck Neck motivates Feng Jun’s intervention.

Significant Themes

• Power versus informal rules: Duck Neck insists that gambling debts and repayment rules must be respected, but Feng Jun shows that superior power can override rules created by weaker people.
• Exploitation and hypocrisy: Duck Neck complains about being bullied while ignoring that he manipulated Xiao Kai and threatened Uncle Gen’s family for profit.
• Wealth as protection and influence: The thugs realize that Feng Jun’s money makes ordinary violence ineffective and exposes them to serious retaliation.
• Humiliation and reputation: Duck Neck fears not only financial loss but also becoming a laughingstock among other criminals if he cannot recover the principal.
• Peace bought through surrender: The chapter presents financial loss as preferable to escalation, especially when confronting someone powerful enough to cause much greater damage.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Duck Neck: Their meeting is a confrontation disguised as a negotiation. Duck Neck speaks politely and offers compensation, but Feng Jun rejects every compromise and dictates the outcome.
• Feng Jun and Dou Jiahui: Dou Jiahui’s presence reinforces Feng Jun’s position. Rather than challenge Feng Jun, he watches passively and confirms that Feng Jun’s words carry authority.
• Duck Neck and Dou Jiahui: Duck Neck seeks support by invoking “the rules,” but Dou Jiahui dismisses his appeal and refuses to become involved.
• Duck Neck and his followers: The men share his resentment but lack the courage to directly oppose Feng Jun. Their discussion gradually shifts from retaliation to accepting the loss.
• Duck Neck and Underwear: Underwear acts as the voice of reason, urging Duck Neck to treat the canceled debt as payment for safety and peace.

Chapter Summary: “So Cool”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Duck Neck and Underwear discuss how to deal with Feng Jun, reasoning that paying him off might be safer than resisting him. Their companion Er Qiang, however, advocates a more reckless plan: kidnapping Feng Jun’s parents and extorting money.
• Feng Jun overhears them and confronts the group. When Er Qiang attacks him with a bottle, Feng Jun effortlessly incapacitates him before subduing Duck Neck and Underwear.
• Feng Jun hangs Duck Neck and Underwear upside down from the county television station’s transmission tower during a cold, rainy November night. They remain there for roughly two hours before being rescued, suffering severe hypothermia.
• While the two men are hospitalized, they learn that Er Qiang has died after being struck by a truck while crossing the road. Duck Neck suspects the death was connected to Feng Jun, while Underwear accepts that they have no power to challenge him.
• The men agree to cooperate with Feng Jun and fabricate a story for the police, claiming that strangers attacked and hung them from the tower. They avoid mentioning Feng Jun, even though they believe he was responsible.
• The county authorities focus mainly on recovering the rescue costs from them. Er Qiang’s death is officially treated as an ordinary traffic accident.
• Zhang Zeping, who knows the gang’s connections, notices the suspicious timing of Er Qiang’s death and the tower incident. He concludes that Feng Jun orchestrated both events.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is revealed as calm, highly capable, and intimidating. He uses a terrifying but controlled form of retaliation, punishing threats without openly exposing himself.
• Duck Neck shifts from reluctant defiance to complete fear and submission. Though initially considering resistance or negotiation, he realizes that Feng Jun is far beyond his ability to oppose.
• Underwear becomes the more perceptive and pragmatic of the two. He recognizes that Feng Jun could have killed them more discreetly and understands that survival depends on obedience.
• Er Qiang embodies reckless bravado. His confidence that fearlessness can overcome wealth leads directly to his confrontation with Feng Jun and, apparently, his death.
• Zhang Zeping emerges as an observant outsider who correctly interprets the events, recognizing the pattern behind what others dismiss as coincidence.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: The chapter contrasts ordinary gangsters’ threats with Feng Jun’s overwhelming, nearly invisible power.
• The consequences of recklessness: Er Qiang’s boastful proposal to target Feng Jun’s parents results in fatal consequences.
• Silence and self-preservation: Duck Neck and Underwear understand that survival requires concealing Feng Jun’s involvement, even when they have been victimized.
• Justice outside the law: Feng Jun delivers punishment privately, while the authorities accept a false explanation and treat Er Qiang’s death as an accident.
• Fear as a tool of control: Feng Jun does not need to kill Duck Neck and Underwear; the ordeal and the unexplained death of Er Qiang are enough to force their submission.

Character Interactions

• Duck Neck and Underwear debate whether money or violence is the best way to handle Feng Jun.
• Er Qiang mocks their caution and argues for kidnapping Feng Jun’s parents.
• Feng Jun confronts Er Qiang directly, defeating him instantly and frightening the others into silence.
• In the hospital, Duck Neck and Underwear discuss Er Qiang’s death and agree that they must obey Feng Jun and protect themselves by lying.
• Zhang Zeping later connects the two incidents and privately identifies Feng Jun as the person responsible.

Chapter Summary: “Aftermath” (Third Update)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Zeping, who remembers Feng Jun as an exemplary and gentle young man, is shocked to learn that Feng has become ruthless enough to arrange a deadly car accident and brutally punish Duck Neck and Underwear.
• He visits the hospital to investigate what happened, but Duck Neck treats him warmly, gives him a used high-end phone, and asks him to send Liu Gen to the hospital.
• Duck Neck and Underwear maintain a false public story that they were injured in a drunken fight with passing outsiders. Their refusal to reveal the truth confirms to Zhang Zeping that they fear Feng Jun.
• Zhang realizes Feng’s harsh actions were partly intended as a warning to relatives and associates: Feng is not merely a family connection but someone capable of extreme retaliation.
• Liu Gen visits Duck Neck, who returns the gambling IOU. Duck Neck agrees to stop deliberately luring Liu Gen’s son into gambling, though he warns that he will still accept money if the son chooses to gamble voluntarily.
• Relieved, Liu Gen decides to give Feng Wenhui’s family 50,000 yuan as thanks. His wife initially wants to give less, but Liu argues that maintaining a close relationship with Feng’s family may be extraordinarily valuable.
• Liu Gen’s brother-in-law initially doubts the plan, but after seeing the torn IOU and understanding Feng Jun’s influence, he agrees to lend the money immediately.
• The lender himself hopes that Liu Gen can introduce him to Feng Jun, since Feng’s mountain-development project is expected to create many profitable business opportunities.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Though absent from most of the chapter, his power and ruthlessness dominate events. He deliberately uses Duck Neck’s punishment to intimidate enemies and caution potential allies.
• Zhang Zeping: His admiration and trust in Feng Jun are replaced by fear and uncertainty. He begins questioning whether becoming involved in Feng’s affairs is safe, though he remains tied to him through family and potential profit.
• Duck Neck: Once an aggressor who exploited Liu Gen’s son, he becomes deferential and cautious after Feng Jun’s intervention. He cooperates by returning the IOU and agreeing to stop targeting the family.
• Liu Gen: Freed from the gambling debt, he becomes deeply grateful to Feng’s family and recognizes that their relationship may be worth far more than the immediate cost of repayment.
• Liu Gen’s wife and brother-in-law: Their disagreement reflects the tension between immediate financial security and investing in powerful social connections. The brother-in-law quickly recognizes Feng Jun’s growing influence and acts decisively.
• Liu Gen’s lender: His willingness to lend the money shows how Feng Jun’s reputation and upcoming project are already attracting people seeking business opportunities.

Significant Themes

• Power through fear: Feng Jun establishes control not only by punishing direct enemies but by ensuring others hear enough to fear him.
• Relationships as economic capital: The chapter portrays personal connections with influential people as potentially more valuable than large sums of money.
• Transformation and reputation: Feng’s former image as a model youth contrasts sharply with his current ruthless reputation, showing how success has changed others’ perceptions of him.
• Pragmatism versus morality: Characters are less concerned with whether Feng’s methods are ethical than with whether his protection can improve their security and financial prospects.
• Indirect power: Feng Jun does not need to appear personally; his reputation alone makes Duck Neck submit, Liu Gen show gratitude, and others seek access to him.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Zeping’s encounter with Duck Neck reveals Duck Neck’s submission and confirms Feng’s dominance.
• Duck Neck’s meeting with Liu Gen resolves the gambling dispute while preserving his pride through a warning that he is cooperating only because of Feng Jun.
• Liu Gen and his wife debate how much gratitude should be expressed, while Liu’s brother-in-law intervenes and recognizes the strategic value of their connection to Feng’s family.
• The final exchange between the potential lender and Liu Gen’s wife underscores how quickly Feng Jun’s influence is spreading throughout the county.

Chapter Summary: “Choice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Gen accepts Section Chief Baozi’s offer of a 50,000-yuan loan so he can thank Feng Wenhui’s family for Feng Jun’s help in resolving his 150,000-yuan debt to Duck Neck.
• At Feng Wenhui’s home, Liu Gen explains that Feng Jun had settled the debt completely. He then presents the 50,000 yuan as a token of gratitude.
• Feng Wenhui firmly refuses the money, recognizing that Liu Gen must have borrowed it and believing Feng Jun would not want him to go into debt merely to repay a favor.
• An old neighbor, Dajun, initially supports Liu Gen’s desire to compensate Feng Jun, suggesting that Feng Jun must have spent money or favors to solve the problem. However, Zhang Junyi also refuses the payment.
• Zhang Junyi gives Liu Gen only one condition for accepting Feng Jun’s help: he must keep his son Xiao Kai under control. Liu Gen returns home with the money, feeling conflicted and humbled by the family’s refusal.
• News of Feng Jun’s rapid rise and wealth spreads through Cloud Garden News, surprising his former classmates and neighbors. Some classmates attempt to contact him, though his old phone number is no longer active.
• University classmate Yue Pengfei, now working at Transport Bank, visits Feng Jun. He offers banking services and suggests using loans to expand Feng Jun’s business.
• Feng Jun rejects the offer, refusing to disclose his financial situation or depend on bank loans. Although he still needs over 200 million yuan to pay a contract fee, he has alternative funding available through Yang Yuxin, who could arrange hundreds of millions in financing based on her trust in him.

Character Developments

• Liu Gen shows gratitude and a strong desire to preserve his dignity and social relationships, even borrowing money to repay Feng Jun’s kindness. His disappointment after the refusal reveals how deeply he values reciprocity.
• Feng Wenhui is established as principled, self-respecting, and unwilling to profit from a neighbor’s hardship. He protects the family’s integrity by rejecting the money.
• Zhang Junyi demonstrates confidence in Feng Jun’s wealth and abilities. Her perspective has shifted from frugality and concern over small sums to pride in her son’s extraordinary achievements.
• Feng Jun is portrayed as increasingly powerful and financially independent, yet still sentimental about old friendships. He refuses to let success erase the value of his former classmates.
• Yue Pengfei acts pragmatically, using his bank position to offer Feng Jun financial assistance. His visit also shows how Feng Jun’s success is beginning to attract professional and social attention.
• The old neighbor Dajun represents ordinary community solidarity: he is willing to speak up for Liu Gen, even if his actual influence is limited.

Significant Themes

• Gratitude versus dignity: Liu Gen believes kindness must be repaid materially, while the Feng family believes genuine help should not become a financial transaction.
• Changing social status: Feng Jun’s extraordinary success has widened the gap between him and former neighbors and classmates, altering how others approach him.
• Poverty and pride: Liu Gen’s family struggles with the humiliation of borrowing money to show gratitude, while Feng Wenhui refuses to accept money that would burden them.
• Maintaining old relationships: Despite his wealth and power, Feng Jun wants to preserve the simpler, sincere bonds of former classmates and neighbors.
• Financial independence: Feng Jun rejects conventional bank financing because his resources and connections exceed what ordinary people can access.
• Parental pride and responsibility: Zhang Junyi’s refusal of money reflects her confidence in her son, while her demand concerning Xiao Kai emphasizes that personal conduct still matters more than financial compensation.

Character Interactions

• Liu Gen and Section Chief Baozi: Baozi casually lends Liu Gen 50,000 yuan, showing his direct and practical personality.
• Liu Gen and Feng Wenhui: Liu Gen tries to repay Feng Jun through his father, but Feng Wenhui rejects the gift and challenges the logic behind it.
• Liu Gen and Dajun: Dajun offers moral support and initially argues that Feng Jun should be compensated, but he ultimately defers to Zhang Junyi’s judgment.
• Zhang Junyi and Liu Gen: Zhang Junyi rejects the money but gives Liu Gen a clear condition: control Xiao Kai and avoid causing further trouble.
• Feng Jun and Yue Pengfei: Their meeting reflects the tension between old, modest friendships and Feng Jun’s new status. Yue offers financial opportunities, while Feng Jun calmly maintains his independence.
• Feng Jun and his former classmates: Though they were never especially close, Feng Jun chooses to honor their shared history and avoid treating them according to social rank.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun refuses a bank loan because the required financial documentation could expose his numerous secrets and unexplained wealth.
• His former classmate, Yue Pengfei, offers to introduce him to reputable construction companies and industry contacts. Feng Jun accepts the proposal, seeing it as a way to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and avoid local interference.
• Feng Jun develops a construction-management strategy for the barren mountain project:
  • Hire an experienced outside company as the general contractor.
  • Allow local county and city businesses to handle lower-level subcontracting.
  • Have his own supervision team monitor the general contractor rather than dealing with every subcontractor directly.
  • Use local workers’ ability to report abuses as an additional check on the main contractor.
• This structure helps Feng Jun manage local political and personal pressures, especially from townspeople and government departments seeking preferential treatment.
• Yue introduces a sizable construction company from Jiangxia, which already knows about Feng Jun’s previous large-scale mountain-wall project. Feng Jun leaves future coordination to his assistant, Li Xiaobin.
• Feng Jun spends much of his time helping his parents cultivate at Sun-Moon Lake Reservoir to avoid constant business visitors.
• His mother, Zhang Junyi, successfully develops her first thread of Inner Qi, while his father, Feng Wenhui, reaches the Beginner Martial Warrior stage.
• Once both parents establish Inner Breath and begin genuine cultivation, Feng Jun prepares to leave.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more strategic and organized in handling large projects, recognizing that personal supervision is insufficient in a relationship-driven society. He also shows deep concern for his parents, prioritizing their health and longevity over cultivation potential or stable foundations. Despite his growing power, he remains cautious about revealing the origins of his cultivation method.
• Yue Pengfei: Demonstrates the value of his banking connections and professional influence. His assistance provides Feng Jun with a practical solution to the construction and management problems surrounding the mountain project.
• Li Xiaobin: Gains greater responsibility as Feng Jun’s representative, taking over communication and coordination with the outside construction company.
• Zhang Junyi and Feng Wenhui: Make rapid progress in cultivation despite their age. Their diligence and willingness to endure hardship impress Feng Jun, and both become genuinely invested in extending their lives and improving their health.
• Zhang Junyi: Reveals a more playful and anxious maternal side by worrying about Feng Jun’s romantic life and suspecting that his cultivation method might require celibacy.

Significant Themes

• Trust and secrecy: Feng Jun must balance accepting help with protecting his hidden wealth, powers, and origins.
• Practical governance: The chapter emphasizes the importance of layered supervision, outside expertise, and accountability when managing large projects in a society shaped by personal connections.
• Family and filial devotion: Feng Jun’s primary motivation in teaching his parents cultivation is to preserve their health and extend their lives, not to help them achieve great power.
• Aging and the pursuit of longevity: His parents’ urgency and dedication stem from their awareness that time is running out, making cultivation a chance to resist decline.
• The value of relationships: Yue’s assistance demonstrates that old friendships and professional networks can be more useful than money alone.
• Generational misunderstanding: Feng Jun’s parents admire his abilities but cannot understand his mysterious cultivation method, leading to both concern and humorous speculation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Yue Pengfei: Their meal leads to a productive discussion in which Yue offers industry connections rather than a loan. Feng Jun appreciates the practical value of his classmate’s support.
• Feng Jun and local authorities/businesses: Feng Jun must navigate pressure from county officials, city departments, and local contractors who want access to the project. His proposed general-contractor system allows him to cooperate with locals without surrendering control.
• Feng Jun and Li Xiaobin: He formally delegates project coordination to her, signaling increased trust and giving her authority to act without consulting him over minor matters.
• Feng Jun and his parents: He personally massages them with spiritual energy and administers Body-Tempering Pills, treating their cultivation more carefully and attentively than that of his disciples.
• Feng Jun and Feng Wenhui: His father asks about his unusual cultivation method, but Feng Jun gives only a vague answer to avoid exposing dangerous secrets.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Junyi: His mother first protects him from further questioning, then privately asks about marriage and whether his cultivation requires virginity. She recommends Zhang Caixin as a potential girlfriend, embarrassing and surprising Feng Jun.

Chapter Summary: “Gazi Advanced”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun returns to Luohua Manor after a fifteen-day journey, bringing fifty Boiler-Backed Engines from the Phone Plane.
• He learns that Lu Xiaoning—“Gazi”—has advanced from High-Rank Martial Warrior to Beginner Martial Master. This makes him the first Martial Master on the Blue Star Plane apart from Feng Jun.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang test themselves against Gazi and discover the enormous gap between Martial Warriors and Martial Masters. Gazi can resist Xu Leigang’s two-handed strength with one hand, despite previously being evenly matched with Di Aixin.
• Gazi has not yet mastered Outward Internal Energy Release, the ability that most clearly distinguishes Martial Masters from ordinary people, so he has been practicing it intensely in preparation for Feng Jun’s return.
• After examining Gazi’s progress, Feng Jun gives him several martial manuals. Gazi chooses Mountain-Crushing Fist, Windshadow Kick, and Sleeve-Hidden Staff to improve his force generation and physical combat skills.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang are impressed by the techniques and ask Feng Jun for permission to train alongside Gazi. Feng Jun agrees but reminds them that cultivation, not combat moves, is the real path to advancement.
• Feng Jun also inspects the construction and communications equipment at Luohua Manor. He worries that the networking equipment is taking up space needed for the Boiler-Backed Engines but decides to move some equipment to the Phone Plane later.

Character Developments

• Lu Xiaoning/Gazi: His advancement marks a major transformation in strength. Although his cultivation has progressed rapidly—after only about nine months—his combat experience and technique remain inferior to those of long-trained Martial Masters such as the Deng brothers and Lang Zhen. He begins studying specialized martial techniques to compensate for this weakness and better control his power.
• Feng Jun: He acts as Gazi’s evaluator and mentor, carefully distinguishing between realm advancement and accumulated combat skill. He recognizes that Gazi’s immense strength could accidentally injure or kill people if left uncontrolled, prompting him to provide formal martial training.
• Wang Haifeng: Despite his limited natural attributes and modest combat ability, he remains eager to improve. He becomes especially enthusiastic about the Sleeve-Hidden Staff technique.
• Xu Leigang: His confidence is shaken by the vast difference between Martial Warrior and Martial Master strength. He repeatedly challenges Gazi, refusing to accept the result at first, but eventually acknowledges the superiority of the higher realm.
• Gu Jiahui: She becomes increasingly attached to Luohua Manor and Feng Jun, hoping to remain in Yang City rather than return to school in Long City. Her open declaration that Feng Jun “should be hers” reveals strong romantic jealousy toward Zhang Caixin and the other women around him.
• Yang Yuxin: She is torn between concern for her daughter and her growing recognition of Feng Jun’s abilities and attractiveness. Although she wants Gu Jiahui to continue her education safely, she also sees value in her daughter cultivating at Luohua Manor. Her fear that Gu Jiahui will become emotionally involved with Feng Jun causes the argument between them.

Significant Themes

• The qualitative gap between realms: The chapter emphasizes that the transition from Martial Warrior to Martial Master is not merely a small increase in power but a fundamental transformation. Physical strength, combat ability, and potential abilities such as Outward Internal Energy Release become vastly different.
• Cultivation versus technique: Feng Jun stresses that martial techniques can improve control and combat effectiveness, but cultivation remains the essential foundation. Gazi’s rapid breakthrough gives him tremendous strength, yet he lacks the years of refinement possessed by older practitioners.
• Power and responsibility: Gazi’s new strength creates the danger of accidental harm, making self-control and disciplined training necessary.
• Family protection and romantic rivalry: Yang Yuxin’s resistance to Gu Jiahui’s plans reflects both maternal concern and anxiety over Feng Jun’s influence. Gu Jiahui’s possessiveness introduces tension among the women connected to him.
• Modern society and cultivation: The characters must balance advanced cultivation and martial arts with school, communications infrastructure, business, and the practical limits of living in the modern world.

Character Interactions

• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang challenge Gazi to contests of strength, leading them to recognize the overwhelming superiority of Martial Master cultivation.
• Gazi waits to reveal his breakthrough to Feng Jun as a surprise, while intensely practicing Outward Internal Energy Release.
• Gu Jiahui and Yang Yuxin have a heated argument over whether Gu should transfer schools or remain near Luohua Manor. Gu ultimately exposes her jealousy by insisting that Feng Jun belongs to her.
• Feng Jun examines Gazi’s abilities and gives him personal guidance, acknowledging both his impressive advancement and his lack of combat experience.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang respectfully ask Feng Jun to let them train with Gazi. Feng Jun accepts, reinforcing their relationship as his disciples while reminding them not to lose sight of cultivation.

Chapter Summary: Remember When No One Applauded

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun explains the purpose of martial techniques to Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang: their true function is not merely to improve cultivation realms, but to help practitioners control their strength and increase combat ability.
• They discuss Mountain-Crushing Fist, including its increasingly advanced versions. Feng Jun estimates that nine or ten bursts could kill a lion, while Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang would still struggle despite mastering twelve bursts.
• Feng Jun permits them to discuss the technique with Gao Qiang, though he reassures them that Gao lacks Inner Breath and can only learn its fundamentals.
• Concerned that Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang may lose confidence if Gao Qiang surpasses them, Feng Jun announces a reward for anyone who reaches the Martial Master realm: a Storage Talisman.
• Gazi, the manor’s first Martial Master, receives a mortal Storage Talisman and demonstrates how to use it. His advancement is celebrated with a lavish feast for the manor workers.
• During the celebration, Feng Jun reflects on how lonely his own breakthroughs were. Unlike Gazi, he had no family or close friends present to applaud him, and his path had involved enormous danger and sacrifice.
• Gao Qiang realizes that Gazi has likely surpassed him. Though eager to become Feng Jun’s disciple, Gao is still under a two-and-a-half-year observation period and wonders whether he should pursue the opportunity himself or recommend the talented Di Aixin.
• Gu Jiahui becomes envious of Gazi’s advancement and asks about transferring to Yang City so she can visit the manor more often. She also expresses interest in cultivation.
• The adults argue indirectly over Gu Jiahui’s future, education, and possible cultivation. Her mother, Yang Yuxin, subtly challenges the others’ attempts to restrict her daughter, while Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin react defensively.
• Hao Fengjing defuses the tension by suggesting a trip on Feng Jun’s yacht to attend the lantern festival.
• On the yacht, Feng Jun discusses the manor’s Misty Confinement Formation with the men. Its permanent white mist has impressed workers and attracted online attention.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Shows greater maturity as a teacher, recognizing that power without control can cause accidental deaths. He also reveals his emotional loneliness and takes satisfaction in giving his friends and followers the communal support he once lacked.
• Gazi/Lu Xiaoning: Reaches the Martial Master realm and becomes the first among the manor’s martial practitioners to do so. His achievement earns him Feng Jun’s respect, a Storage Talisman, and a public celebration.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang: Become anxious about falling behind, especially after learning that Gao Qiang may surpass them. Their envy of Gazi’s reward reveals their competitive spirit, but they also acknowledge Gao’s dedication to protecting the manor.
• Gao Qiang: Remains highly capable and self-disciplined. He recognizes that Gazi may now be stronger but continues waiting for a chance to become Feng Jun’s disciple. His willingness to consider recommending Di Aixin shows generosity beneath his ambition.
• Gu Jiahui: Displays her usual willfulness and growing curiosity about cultivation. Her envy and desire to join the manor bring her into conflict with the adults.
• Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin: Both react jealously to Gu Jiahui and Yang Yuxin, revealing their protectiveness toward Feng Jun and their rivalry over his attention.
• Yang Yuxin: Demonstrates confidence and social influence, defending her daughter while subtly challenging the manor’s established hierarchy.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: Martial strength must be accompanied by precise control, or it can become deadly.
• Competition and insecurity: The characters’ reactions to Gazi’s breakthrough show how advancement can threaten established relationships and self-confidence.
• Recognition and loneliness: Feng Jun’s memories emphasize that success feels different when no one is present to celebrate it. He now finds meaning in enabling others to experience the support he lacked.
• Mentorship and opportunity: Feng Jun rewards genuine progress but remains cautious about casually passing on cultivation teachings.
• Jealousy and belonging: Gu Jiahui’s desire to enter the manor intensifies existing tensions among the women and reflects the manor’s growing importance as a place of privilege and opportunity.
• Hidden power becoming public: The formation’s white mist and the workers’ online posts hint that the manor’s supernatural nature may attract increasing outside attention.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun reassures Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang about sharing Mountain-Crushing Fist with Gao Qiang while warning them not to fall behind.
• He deliberately motivates them by tying advancement to the reward of a Storage Talisman.
• Gazi’s celebration brings together the manor’s workers and friends, contrasting sharply with Feng Jun’s isolated past.
• Gu Jiahui’s request to cultivate triggers a tense exchange among Feng Jun, Sister Hong, Zhang Caixin, Xu Leigang, and Yang Yuxin.
• Sister Hong and Zhang Caixin’s conflicting responses reveal their rivalry and jealousy, while Gu Jiahui interprets Zhang’s friendliness as an alliance.
• Hao Fengjing interrupts the escalating dispute by organizing the yacht outing, allowing Feng Jun to withdraw from the women’s conflict and discuss the manor’s formation with the men.

Chapter Summary: “Eerie Aura”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and his subordinates discuss the people living and working at Luohua Manor and whether anyone has attempted to enter the mysterious Bamboo Grove. Most are curious but too afraid to trespass.
• Zhang Caixin has sensed spiritual energy within the white mist surrounding the area, confirming that the Misty Confinement Formation is powered by spiritual energy.
• Gazi and Gao Qiang question whether maintaining the formation is wasteful, suggesting that surveillance cameras and infrared alarms could replace it. Feng Jun rejects the idea, insisting that the Bamboo Grove must remain protected because a future theft could result in more than a hundred deaths.
• The discussion recalls the previous robbery of the Spirit-Gathering Array, during which several people died. Local rumors also credit Feng Jun—or Crow King—with eliminating criminals, including Wang Laili, though there is no direct evidence.
• Hao Fengjing and Sister Hong attempt to advance their cultivation but fail, emphasizing that cultivation breakthroughs are difficult and cannot be forced.
• A cold front brings strong winds and rain. Feng Jun completes the Spirit Plant Formation, unexpectedly expanding its coverage from one mu to two on his first attempt.
• Just as he considers expanding the formation further, Feng Jun senses an intensely eerie aura near the Mountain Gate. He immediately drives there to investigate.
• At the gate, he finds two cars and a middle-aged couple arguing with the guards, apparently seeking access to Feng Jun or his supernatural aid. The chapter ends as Feng Jun arrives at the scene.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains cautious and decisive. He values security over resource conservation and understands the catastrophic consequences of exposing the Bamboo Grove’s secrets.
• Gazi shows his frugal, practical nature, worrying that spiritual energy is being wasted on the protective formation.
• Gao Qiang supports Gazi’s proposal because he considers spiritual energy more valuable than purchasable security equipment. His reaction also reveals growing fear and curiosity about Feng Jun’s power and possible past killings.
• Xu Leigang privately regrets leaving Peach Blossom Valley, where the spiritual energy benefited his family and made cultivation more convenient. He also displays a strong sense of pride and refuses to help relatives who previously mistreated Feng Jun.
• Zhang Caixin is shown to possess unusually keen spiritual perception.
• Hao Fengjing and Sister Hong experience ordinary cultivation setbacks, reinforcing that advancement is uncertain.
• The guards have become accustomed to constant visitors seeking help. Higher salaries have made them more patient, but they remain firm about protecting private property.

Significant Themes

• Security versus conservation: The characters debate whether precious spiritual energy should be spent on defense, but Feng Jun stresses that protection is worth the cost when the consequences of failure are enormous.
• The danger of supernatural power: The Bamboo Grove’s value and the deaths connected to it suggest that spiritual resources can provoke greed, violence, and large-scale disaster.
• Rumor and reputation: Feng Jun’s abilities have created a supernatural reputation among locals. Although many stories about his killings are unverified, people believe them and behave accordingly.
• Pragmatic worship and folk superstition: Locals seek help for both serious and trivial problems, offering incense to Feng Jun or Crow King when they cannot gain entry to the manor.
• Cultivation as a gradual process: Failed breakthroughs contrast with Feng Jun’s successful formation work, showing that different aspects of cultivation and spiritual practice progress at different rates.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun questions the others about trespassing and the workers’ reactions, while Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang discuss their curiosity about the restricted areas.
• Gazi and Gao Qiang challenge Feng Jun’s decision to maintain the mist formation, but Feng Jun ends the debate by explaining the potentially deadly consequences of another theft.
• Xu Leigang’s thoughts reveal lingering resentment toward relatives who once disrespected Feng Jun, while also showing his dependence on Feng Jun’s abilities.
• The guards confront visitors at the Mountain Gate, reflecting the ongoing tension between the local community’s desire for Feng Jun’s help and his insistence on privacy.
• Feng Jun’s sudden arrival, prompted by the eerie aura, suggests that the argument at the gate may be connected to a more serious supernatural or dangerous event.

Chapter Summary: “Mongolian Zhuang Family”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A middle-aged couple arrives at Feng Jun’s mountain estate seeking help for their seriously ill son, who suffers from unexplained paralysis resembling motor neuron disease but has been ruled not to have ALS.
• The guards explain that Feng Jun is not a licensed doctor and refuse the couple’s attempts to bribe them with a red envelope. They also emphasize that the estate is private property.
• The couple reveals that they can offer hundreds of millions of yuan and even promises to make Feng Jun famous, but Feng Jun remains unimpressed and questions them about their child’s condition.
• The couple initially fails to recognize Feng Jun, believing he is merely a young bystander. Local villagers identify him as the master they came to find.
• Feng Jun notices a small stone hanging in the couple’s car. When he examines it, he senses an ominous, cold, murderous aura and traces of resentment rather than the supposed wealth-bringing power claimed by the family.
• He suspects the stone may be connected to the son’s illness and asks about its origin. When the couple avoids answering, Feng Jun briefly refuses to help, prompting the husband to reveal that he possesses additional information.
• Feng Jun allows the couple into the estate and meets them at Number One Pump, where he prepares tea and questions them further.
• He bluntly suggests that the “ancestral heirloom” may actually have been taken from a tomb. The woman is shocked, while the man admits the matter is complicated and identifies his family as the Mongolian Zhuang Family.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates confidence, sharp observation, and indifference to wealth or flattery. He remains calm when challenged and prioritizes investigating the supernatural object before discussing treatment.
• Gao Mengang and the other guard show loyalty and caution. They refuse bribery because accepting it could cost them their jobs, while also trying to explain Feng Jun’s status to the couple.
• The middle-aged man begins arrogant and skeptical but becomes increasingly respectful once he realizes Feng Jun is the master. He is willing to offer enormous sums and eventually agrees to disclose more about his family’s secrets.
• The middle-aged woman is impatient and emotionally focused on saving her son. She questions Feng Jun’s qualifications and repeatedly urges him to discuss treatment, but becomes alarmed when he links the stone to the illness.
• The villagers provide comic relief by pointing out that the couple has been speaking to Feng Jun without recognizing him.

Significant Themes

• True ability versus reputation: The couple believes money, fame, and status can secure treatment, while Feng Jun’s actual power makes such offers meaningless.
• The danger of hidden supernatural objects: The stone’s sinister aura suggests that objects presented as lucky heirlooms may carry curses or harmful forces.
• Desperation and parental love: Despite their wealth and frustration, the couple’s actions are driven primarily by their determination to save their child.
• Secrets and buried history: The stone’s possible connection to a grave and the revelation of the Mongolian Zhuang Family introduce a mysterious family background.
• Appearances and mistaken identity: The couple dismisses Feng Jun because of his youth and casual appearance, only realizing his identity after others correct them.

Character Interactions

• The guards politely but firmly reject the couple’s bribe and explain the limits of their authority.
• The couple attempts to use wealth and promised fame to gain access, but Feng Jun counters by questioning the man’s actual resources and motives.
• Feng Jun and the couple clash over priorities: the woman wants immediate medical discussion, while Feng Jun insists that understanding the stone may be essential to treating their son.
• Feng Jun’s accusation that the stone came from a tomb creates tension between the couple, especially when the woman turns suspiciously toward her husband.
• The chapter ends with the husband beginning to reveal the origins of the Zhuang Family, setting up a deeper mystery surrounding the stone and the child’s illness.

Chapter Summary: “After the Big Shot”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun recognizes that the visitors belong to the ancient Zhuang Family of Mengdi, a lineage connected to Taoist traditions and possibly to Zhuang Xian.
• The family possesses an ingot-shaped stone taken from a hidden ancestral cave. Feng Jun determines that it contains both resentment and baleful energy, though it has also protected and benefited the family.
• Feng Jun agrees to examine the family’s other similar stones and their sick son, Zhuang Zesheng, but only on the condition that the stones serve as payment or a nonrefundable deposit if he fails to cure the boy.
• Zhuang Haoyun recounts the family’s history:
  • An ancestor discovered a hidden cave filled with treasure, Taoist scriptures, and an underground river.
  • The cave served as a refuge during wartime and was later renovated in preparation for possible nuclear conflict.
  • During renovation, the family discovered a stone chamber containing eight skeletons and many strange stones.
  • The family prospered afterward, with members entering politics, business, and Taoist cultivation.
• Zhuang Haoyun explains that the stone has accompanied him through business crises and seems to suppress opponents, leading him to call it the “Fortune-Bringing Stone.”
• Feng Jun learns that Zhuang Haoyun’s son is hospitalized and can arrive within an hour. He offers the use of his RV, but emphasizes that even conveniences must be paid for separately.
• Zhuang Haoyun reveals that Elder Ye directed him to Feng Jun after hearing about Feng Jun’s miraculous treatment of Old Master Yuan. He and his wife investigated Feng Jun’s connections and tracked down details about his medicine and previous patients.
• Concerned that the Zhuang family may know too much about him, Feng Jun insists that they bring the stones first and warns that he will not treat the boy unless the quantity is sufficient.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates increasing confidence, firmness, and strategic calculation. He openly values the mysterious stones and refuses to provide treatment without compensation. He also shows awareness that his abilities and medicines are becoming known among powerful families.
• Zhuang Haoyun: Is revealed as a capable and successful businessman with strong family resources, investigative ability, and a pragmatic attitude. He respects Feng Jun’s abilities but remains protective of his ancestral stone and skeptical of outside religious figures.
• Zhuang Haoyun’s wife: Initially reacts emotionally and urgently because of her son’s illness, but quickly becomes cooperative once Feng Jun offers a possible solution.
• Zhuang Zesheng: Though absent from the chapter, his illness motivates the family’s visit and drives the negotiations.
• The Zhuang Family: Emerges as a powerful, secretive clan blending business, politics, ancestral wealth, and Taoist cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Power and negotiation: Feng Jun refuses to act out of charity and uses the family’s desire to save their son to secure valuable resources.
• Heritage and ancestral identity: The Zhuang family’s history, treasures, scriptures, and stones connect its present influence to centuries of hidden traditions.
• Baleful energy and fortune: The stone embodies both danger and protection, suggesting that fortune may come with a cost and that only people with sufficient personal strength can control dark forces.
• Secrecy and information networks: Feng Jun’s reputation is spreading through elite families, despite attempts at confidentiality. The chapter highlights how easily influential people can investigate and share information.
• Sectarian rivalry: Zhuang Haoyun’s reluctance to let Buddhist monks handle a Taoist ancestral object reflects tension between Buddhist and Taoist traditions.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun negotiate over treatment, payment, and the ancestral stones, with Feng Jun maintaining the upper hand.
• Feng Jun challenges Zhuang Haoyun’s belief that the stone is purely fortunate, explaining its protective power is tied to its resentment and baleful energy.
• Zhuang Haoyun openly discusses his family’s history and acknowledges the stone’s influence, but refuses to surrender it to outsiders.
• The couple’s urgent concern for their son contrasts with Feng Jun’s detached, businesslike attitude.
• The final exchange shows Zhuang Haoyun recognizing that Feng Jun is dissatisfied and deliberately demanding more stones before agreeing to help.

Chapter Summary: “Yin Fiend Aura”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun declines to ask the Zhuang Family to take him into their closely guarded cave, deciding that forcing the matter would violate his principles. He remains suspicious of their lack of trust.
• Gu Jiahui is sent back to school despite wanting to stay at Luohua Manor to observe Feng Jun’s treatments. Her mother permits her to return only on Saturdays after catching up on her studies.
• Feng Jun spends the next few days studying the Spirit Plant Formation and communications networking.
• Three days later, Zhuang Haoyun returns with over a hundred stone fragments, weighing about 1.5 tons. More than a dozen fragments contain fiendish aura and appear to be pieces of a powerful shattered magical artifact.
• Feng Jun realizes the artifact may have been used by powerful cultivators and wonders whether Dust-Free Realm or even Gold Core cultivators once existed on the Blue Star Realm.
• After receiving the fragments, Feng Jun agrees to treat Zhuang Haoyun’s son, Zhuang Zesheng, who is brought to the manor and housed in the family’s vehicle because Luohua Manor does not allow outsiders to stay inside.
• Zesheng is eighteen, extremely thin, mentally withdrawn, and paralyzed from the abdomen downward. Feng Jun examines him and determines that the condition is treatable but will require at least three months of recuperation.
• Feng Jun explains that Zesheng’s illness is the result of congenital deficiency caused by fiendish aura exposure in the womb. The family realizes that the “Fortune-Bringing Stone,” given to Zesheng’s mother during pregnancy, was responsible.
• Zhuang Haoyun blames himself and his father, who originally brought back the stone, but Feng Jun tells them that assigning blame is useless.
• When Zesheng asks how quickly his legs can move, Feng Jun claims he can restore their movement within minutes. The entire family immediately asks him to begin treatment.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains principled but increasingly irritated by the Zhuang Family’s secrecy and lack of trust. He is blunt, confident, and somewhat abrasive, yet he takes his medical responsibilities seriously and refuses to abandon a treatment midway.
• Zhuang Haoyun: Demonstrates desperation and trust in Feng Jun’s abilities. He accepts Feng Jun’s explanation about the fiendish aura and openly blames himself for exposing his son to the harmful stone.
• Zhuang Zesheng: Initially appears emotionally numb and distrustful after years of failed treatments and frauds. However, Feng Jun’s promise that his legs can move again sparks his first clear reaction and a glimmer of hope.
• Zesheng’s mother: Protective and anxious, she defends her family and worries about the treatment’s duration and inconvenience. She also realizes that the stone she believed would protect her child may have caused his illness.
• Gu Jiahui: Shows strong curiosity about Feng Jun’s abilities and wants to remain at the manor to learn more, but her mother insists that she prioritize school.

Significant Themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Feng Jun resents that the Zhuang Family expects his help while refusing to trust him with their cave. Their guarded behavior causes him to question how much trust he should offer in return.
• Consequences of ignorance: The family believed the stone protected against evil, but its fiendish aura harmed an unborn child. Good intentions and traditional beliefs can produce disastrous results when their true nature is misunderstood.
• Responsibility and blame: Zhuang Haoyun initially blames himself and his father, but Feng Jun emphasizes that blame cannot undo the past; practical action is more important.
• Hope after prolonged suffering: Zesheng has endured four years of paralysis, failed treatments, and emotional decline. Feng Jun’s confidence offers him and his family their first genuine hope.
• Cultivation and hidden history: The magical fragments suggest that powerful cultivators once operated in the Blue Star Realm, raising questions about the realm’s forgotten past.

Character Interactions

• Yang Yuxin argues with Gu Jiahui over her wish to stay at the manor, ultimately sending her back to school under strict conditions.
• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun maintain a tense but cooperative relationship: Feng Jun is suspicious of the family, while Haoyun relies on him completely.
• Zesheng’s mother reprimands him for failing to greet Feng Jun, while Haoyun explains that his son’s withdrawn behavior is the result of prolonged illness.
• Feng Jun’s diagnosis causes Zhuang Haoyun and his wife to connect Zesheng’s condition with the Fortune-Bringing Stone. Haoyun reacts with guilt, and his wife tries to stop him from punishing himself.
• Zesheng, initially detached from everyone, directly addresses Feng Jun about his recovery, prompting the family’s renewed excitement and anticipation.

Chapter Summary: “Crying That Filled the Sky”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun begins treating Zhuang Zesheng, who has been paralyzed and deprived of normal sensation for four years.
• By sending spiritual energy into Zesheng’s leg, Feng Jun restores his ability to feel pain. Zesheng immediately realizes that his legs are responding again and breaks down in joyful tears.
• Feng Jun massages Zesheng’s body, administers an Origin-Nurturing Pill, and uses repeated slaps to stimulate the treatment. Zesheng’s body begins recovering, including his legs, stomach, and general vitality.
• Feng Jun tells Zhuang Haoyun that six days of treatment—daily massages and pills every other day—should allow Zesheng to stand and walk. He instructs the family to improve Zesheng’s nutrition.
• Feng Jun charges ten million yuan per day for the initial six-day treatment, totaling sixty million. He explains that a full three-month treatment would address the root cause but could cost approximately nine hundred million.
• The shorter treatment would cure the immediate symptoms but might allow the illness to return. The longer treatment could correct Zesheng’s innate physical deficiencies and potentially extend his life by twenty or thirty years.
• Zhuang Haoyun struggles with the financial and practical implications. He can afford six days but cannot easily pay for three months, especially because the family’s continued presence inconveniences Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun also warns that Zesheng’s negative attitude toward him could interfere with treatment. However, once Haoyun returns to the bus, it becomes clear that Zesheng deeply admires Feng Jun and wants to treat him like a revered master.
• Zesheng’s parents rejoice at the possibility of his recovery. His mother breaks down in tears, expressing guilt over their inability to help him during the past four years.
• Zesheng reassures her, insisting that the important thing is that he is finally getting better. Shortly afterward, his stomach begins functioning again, forcing him to use the makeshift toilet chair outside the bus.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates remarkable confidence and medical-spiritual ability. He remains detached and practical, treating the family’s needs as a business arrangement while clearly understanding the severity of Zesheng’s condition.
• Zhuang Zesheng experiences his first real sign of recovery and shifts from a suspicious, helpless patient to an enthusiastic believer in Feng Jun. His restored pain sensation and renewed bodily activity give him hope and emotional energy.
• Zhuang Haoyun remains protective of his son but becomes conflicted over the cost and duration of treatment. He is willing to spend heavily for Zesheng’s survival but is troubled by the possibility of paying hundreds of millions more.
• Zesheng’s mother reveals the emotional burden she and her husband have carried. Her tears express both relief and guilt after years of failed attempts to cure their son.
• Driver Ge provides a brief humorous contrast to the family’s emotional scene when he reacts to the unpleasant smell caused by Zesheng’s recovering digestion.

Significant Themes

• Hope after prolonged suffering: Zesheng’s first experience of pain becomes a symbol of recovery rather than harm, giving the family hope after four years of desperation.
• The cost of healing: The chapter contrasts the priceless value of restored health with the enormous financial burden of treatment.
• Treating symptoms versus curing the root cause: Feng Jun’s explanation raises the question of whether a partial recovery is enough when a complete cure could extend Zesheng’s life.
• Parental devotion and guilt: Zesheng’s parents have pursued every possible avenue, including spiritual and unconventional remedies, because they refused to abandon their son.
• Faith in extraordinary ability: Zesheng quickly develops reverence for Feng Jun, while his parents cautiously assess the treatment through its visible results.
• Recovery as a physical and emotional process: Zesheng’s renewed sensations, digestion, energy, and emotional release all suggest that healing affects his entire body and spirit.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun’s direct, authoritative instructions contrast with Zhuang Haoyun’s respectful questioning and negotiation.
• Haoyun and Feng Jun discuss treatment costs, revealing their differing priorities: Feng Jun values his privacy and convenience, while Haoyun focuses on securing the best possible care for his son.
• Zesheng’s parents share their relief and remorse with him, while Zesheng comforts his mother and downplays their past failures.
• Zesheng’s enthusiastic praise of Feng Jun reassures Haoyun that the patient is psychologically receptive to treatment.
• The final exchange between Zesheng and Driver Ge adds comic relief as the returning function of Zesheng’s digestive system creates an immediate practical problem.

Chapter Summary: “Forcing His Way Through the Mountain Gate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Zesheng experiences a dramatic physical reaction after Feng Jun’s treatment, including severe diarrhea and later intense pain and swelling in his legs. Despite the discomfort, he is thrilled because he believes these symptoms indicate that his illness is being cured at its root.
• His family celebrates when Feng Jun confirms that he may eat normally again. Zhuang Haoyun explains the concept of baleful energy, revealing that the Zhuang family’s ancestral “Fortune-Bringing Stone” is connected to the cause of Zesheng’s illness.
• Feng Jun’s treatment plan distinguishes between temporarily treating symptoms—allowing Zesheng to leave bed within six days—and eliminating the underlying cause, which will take roughly three months. Zesheng and his mother insist on pursuing the complete treatment, regardless of cost or the possibility of a shorter lifespan under the faster method.
• Zhuang Haoyun worries that the treatment cannot continue because Feng Jun has said he is inconveniently placed to remove the root cause. Driver Ge suggests that Feng Jun may be interested in rare Daoist scriptures or mystical materials rather than money.
• Feng Jun continues treating Zesheng. After the second Origin-Nurturing Pill, Zesheng regains slight movement in his legs and eventually manages to stand and walk symbolically after six days, though his weakened legs cannot yet support him properly.
• Meanwhile, Feng Jun studies fragments of the Zhuang family’s mysterious stone object. He reconstructs enough pieces to identify it as a stone lock, but at least two fragments are missing. When assembled, the fragments release an extraordinarily powerful baleful and murderous aura, even causing the sky to darken and suggesting the approach of heavenly pressure. Feng Jun quickly separates the pieces and begins to suspect that the object may be far more powerful than an ordinary artifact—possibly comparable to a True Treasure.
• Since Zhuang Haoyun has not returned and the family cannot yet settle the bill, Feng Jun allows them to remain in the luxury coach for several additional days.
• Outside the medical situation, Feng Jun’s other projects progress: his Spirit Plant Formation expands to ten mu, he accumulates two hundred Boiler-Backed Engines, and construction of the jade villa is completed. Security is strengthened after workers attempt to steal pieces of the valuable jade.
• The chapter ends with an emergency: Zhuang Haoyun appears to be forcing his way through Luohua Manor’s mountain gate while another vehicle pursues him. Feng Jun’s guards order the gate closed and attempt to stop the pursuing car.

Character Developments

• Zhuang Zesheng becomes increasingly hopeful and determined. Previously bedridden and restricted by illness, he now accepts severe pain and swelling as worthwhile sacrifices for the chance to regain his health and live a normal lifespan.
• Zhuang Haoyun shifts from relief over his son’s rapid recovery to anxiety about securing the complete treatment. He begins searching for a way to persuade Feng Jun and is willing to reveal family secrets while considering Driver Ge’s advice.
• Zhuang Zesheng’s mother displays fierce devotion and decisiveness, immediately rejecting any treatment that might shorten her son’s life and insisting that money is irrelevant.
• Driver Ge demonstrates perceptiveness and loyalty by proposing that Feng Jun might be motivated by Daoist knowledge or esoteric objects rather than financial compensation.
• Feng Jun appears increasingly intrigued by the stone lock. His caution and uncertainty show that he recognizes its potential danger and significance, even though he cannot yet identify its true nature.
• Zhang Caixin and Di Aixin take active responsibility for protecting the jade villa, catching workers attempting to steal valuable materials.

Significant Themes

• Treating symptoms versus curing the root cause: The chapter emphasizes the difference between temporary improvement and true healing, with Zesheng and his mother valuing long-term health over immediate results.
• Family loyalty and sacrifice: Zesheng’s parents are prepared to accept any cost or hardship to save their only son.
• Mysticism and hidden power: Baleful energy, Daoist scriptures, spiritual cultivation, and the stone lock deepen the supernatural world and suggest that the Zhuang family’s history contains dangerous secrets.
• The limits of knowledge: Feng Jun, despite his cultivation and experience, cannot determine the stone lock’s classification or full power, highlighting the existence of forces beyond his current understanding.
• Wealth, security, and greed: The jade villa symbolizes immense wealth, but its construction also attracts theft, requiring surveillance and protection.
• Growing tension and outside threats: The mysterious pursuit at the mountain gate introduces a new conflict and suggests that Zhuang Haoyun’s actions—or the object connected to his family—have attracted dangerous attention.

Character Interactions

• Zhuang Zesheng questions his parents about baleful energy and the treatment timeline, prompting explanations about his illness and the Zhuang family’s artifact.
• He and his mother firmly oppose the faster but potentially life-shortening treatment, while Zhuang Haoyun explains Feng Jun’s position and the difficulty of persuading him.
• Driver Ge privately advises Zhuang Haoyun to appeal to Feng Jun’s interest in Daoist and mystical objects.
• Feng Jun treats Zesheng directly, warning him about the pain and swelling while respecting his decision to endure them.
• Zhang Caixin and Di Aixin cooperate in supervising construction and protecting the jade villa from dishonest workers.
• Hao Fengjing and the manor guards coordinate through the intercom to stop the pursuing vehicle and prevent an unauthorized entry, setting up the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Reckless and Brazen”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun learns that Zhuang Haoyun has apparently forced his way through Luohua Manor’s Mountain Gate, while Hao Fengjing has once again become involved in the incident.
• Hao Fengjing witnesses Zhuang Haoyun rushing into the manor just as a car carrying four Daoists speeds toward the gate, apparently intending to smash through it.
• To prevent the car from hitting the gate—and possibly killing Zhuang Haoyun—Hao Fengjing throws an iron wok from her Storage Ring onto the road. The car hits it, flips over, and is badly damaged.
• The four occupants emerge wearing Daoist robes. They accuse Feng Jun’s people of stealing an important treasure and demand compensation for the wrecked car and the injuries they suffered.
• Feng Jun refuses to compensate them, arguing that they caused the accident by recklessly trying to ram the gate. The two gate guards support his account and point out that the Daoists might have killed Zhuang Haoyun.
• The Daoists reveal that they belong to the Green Mountain Lineage. Their ancestral plaque was stolen after Zhuang Haoyun had previously visited their sect and requested to borrow it.
• The chapter ends with the explanation that Green Mountain disciples believe Zhuang Haoyun arranged the theft, leading them to pursue him and the plaque to Luohua Manor.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is shown to be increasingly confident and assertive. He refuses to tolerate the Daoists’ hypocrisy or intimidation, especially when they demand compensation after endangering others. His protective anger becomes especially obvious when the female Daoist threatens Hao Fengjing.
• Hao Fengjing demonstrates boldness, quick thinking, and extraordinary abilities. She acts decisively to stop the speeding car, using an iron wok from her Storage Ring without concern for revealing her unusual powers. Her practical, fearless nature is emphasized.
• Zhuang Haoyun is portrayed as ambitious and unwilling to accept refusal. His desire to borrow the Green Mountain ancestral plaque, despite the sect’s reluctance, makes him the primary suspect in the theft.
• The Green Mountain Daoists appear reckless, emotional, and hypocritical. They endanger lives while pursuing Zhuang Haoyun, then complain about the damage to their own vehicle. The older Daoist is more composed and eventually takes control of the explanation.
• The gate guards and Feng Jun’s allies reinforce the manor’s authority and respond quickly to the confrontation, showing their loyalty and readiness to defend it.

Significant Themes

• Recklessness and hypocrisy: The Daoists condemn Zhuang Haoyun for theft while excusing their own dangerous attempt to break through the gate.
• Justice and personal responsibility: Feng Jun insists that those who create danger must bear the consequences, rather than shifting blame to others.
• Power and intimidation: The Daoists rely on numbers, status, and threats, but Feng Jun’s calm authority and Inner Qi prevent them from dominating the confrontation.
• Tradition versus worldly wealth: Zhuang Haoyun believes money can persuade the Green Mountain Sect to lend him its sacred relic, while the sect views the ancestral plaque as an irreplaceable part of its heritage.
• Modern life alongside cultivation: Cars, automatic gates, cameras, and motorcycles coexist with Daoist sects, Inner Qi, Storage Rings, and martial abilities, creating a clash between ordinary modern behavior and supernatural practices.

Character Interactions

• Hao Fengjing and the Daoists: She stops their vehicle, then avoids further involvement once Feng Jun arrives, leaving him to handle the confrontation.
• Feng Jun and the four Daoists: Their exchange quickly becomes hostile. Feng Jun rejects their compensation demands and challenges their claim that Zhuang Haoyun’s alleged theft justifies endangering human life.
• Feng Jun and Hao Fengjing: When the female Daoist attempts to stop or threaten Hao Fengjing, Feng Jun immediately intervenes and orders her to address him instead.
• Feng Jun and the gate guards: The guards provide an eyewitness account and support Feng Jun’s position, establishing that the Daoists were responsible for the dangerous incident.
• The Green Mountain Sect and Zhuang Haoyun: Their earlier negotiations over the ancestral plaque reveal the underlying conflict. Zhuang Haoyun’s refusal to accept the sect’s decision has led the Green Mountain disciples to suspect him of arranging the theft.

Chapter Summary: “By Any Means Necessary”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Daoist Ma confronts Zhuang Haoyun over taking Green Mountain Sect’s Ancestral Tablet without permission.
• Zhuang admits he forced the issue because Green Mountain refused to lend the tablet, despite his willingness to pay. He insists that his son’s life justified using any available means.
• Zhuang reveals that his son, Zhuang Zesheng, has begun recovering after nine days of treatment at Luohua Manor. Though still weak after four years bedridden, Zesheng manages to leave a bus, stand, and walk with a cane and assistance.
• Daoist Ma and Daoist Nun Zeng are shocked because Green Mountain had previously failed to help Zesheng, despite performing an expensive ritual for him.
• Zhuang credits Feng Jun’s profound cultivation for his son’s recovery, provoking Daoist Ma’s skepticism and disdain.
• Tensions rise when Daoist Ma accuses Zhuang of harming Green Mountain, while Zhuang maintains that he merely “borrowed” the tablet by force.
• The confrontation moves from the mountain gate to a pavilion to avoid attracting attention.
• When Green Mountain members complain about their overturned vehicle, Gazi effortlessly flips it upright, demonstrating his rapidly improving martial abilities.
• Manager Mei, who had been trying to leave, is ordered to remain because Daoist Nun Zeng believes she may be involved or has information.
• At the pavilion, Daoist Ma demands an explanation. Feng Jun intervenes when the argument becomes disorderly, insisting that everyone speak with basic courtesy.

Character Developments

• Zhuang Haoyun: Revealed as determined, ruthless, and fiercely devoted to his son. His desperation has led him to violate Green Mountain’s wishes, but his son’s improvement has made him confident that the risk was worthwhile. Now that his goal has been achieved, he is calmer and less interested in provoking further conflict.
• Zhuang Zesheng: Shows the first clear signs of recovery after years of paralysis and illness. His ability to stand and walk marks a major turning point, though he remains physically frail and far from fully recovered.
• Daoist Ma: Moves from anger and moral condemnation to disbelief when he sees Zesheng walking. His pride is wounded because Green Mountain could not help the young man, while Feng Jun apparently can.
• Daoist Nun Zeng: Shares Ma’s shock at Zesheng’s improvement and becomes suspicious of Manager Mei, preventing her from leaving.
• Feng Jun: Acts as a mediator. He understands why Zhuang acted as he did and does not wish to escalate the conflict, especially because Green Mountain has suffered little actual damage. He also firmly imposes order when the discussion becomes hostile.
• Gazi/Lu Xiaoning: Demonstrates impressive progress in Windshadow Kick by reaching and overturning the vehicle with seemingly effortless strength, subtly intimidating the Green Mountain group.
• Manager Mei: Becomes an incidental participant in the dispute after lingering at the scene and attempting to leave.

Significant Themes

• Parental desperation and moral justification: Zhuang believes a parent has the right to use any means necessary to save a child, challenging conventional ideas of property, consent, and justice.
• Faith versus practical results: Green Mountain possesses ritual authority and an important Ancestral Tablet, but its formal treatment failed. Feng Jun’s methods, by contrast, produce visible results.
• Decline of traditional institutions: Zhuang doubts the usefulness of the Daoist scriptures and rituals available through his own clan because their practitioners failed to recognize or treat his son’s baleful aura.
• Power and reputation: Green Mountain’s prestige is undermined by the contrast between its failure and Feng Jun’s success, while Gazi’s physical display reinforces the power imbalance.
• Conflict tempered by restraint: Although the confrontation could become violent, Feng Jun and Zhuang both show some willingness to avoid unnecessary escalation once their immediate goals are met.

Character Interactions

• Zhuang Haoyun and Daoist Ma: Argue over whether taking the Ancestral Tablet was theft or a forced loan. Zhuang frames his actions as necessary, while Ma condemns them as an abuse of Green Mountain’s rights.
• Zhuang Haoyun and Feng Jun: Zhuang openly credits Feng Jun with curing his son, placing Feng Jun at the center of the dispute. Feng Jun responds pragmatically and attempts to keep the conflict peaceful.
• Zhuang Haoyun and Zhuang Zesheng: Their relationship is defined by the father’s relentless efforts to find a cure. Zesheng’s first steps validate his father’s dangerous decision.
• Gazi and the Green Mountain group: Gazi silently intimidates them by righting their overturned car, displaying the strength of Feng Jun’s side without directly threatening anyone.
• Feng Jun and Daoist Ma: Feng Jun restrains Ma’s aggressive tone and insists on orderly conversation, establishing himself as the authority guiding the negotiations.
• Daoist Nun Zeng and Manager Mei: Zeng stops Mei from leaving, creating an additional layer of suspicion and tension around the gathering.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Haoyun explains why he forcibly borrowed Green Mountain Sect’s Ancestral Tablet:
  1. The sect’s ritual for curing his son cost nearly six hundred thousand but failed.
  2. The Ancestral Tablet proved useless in treating his son.
  3. His son needs time to recover at Luohua Manor, where Feng Jun can study the tablet and perhaps help him further.
• Daoist Master Ma condemns the theft, calling the tablet a sacred inheritance. Zhuang Haoyun counters with blunt commercial logic, arguing that if the sect can charge for rituals, he should be able to pay to borrow the tablet.
• Feng Jun becomes the focus of the confrontation. Master Ma challenges him over his cultivation and implies that he looks down on Green Mountain Sect.
• Feng Jun repeatedly responds that he cured Zhuang Haoyun’s son, frustrating Master Ma and humiliating the sect.
• When a short, fat Daoist insults Feng Jun, Feng Jun releases a terrifying shout that causes blood to flow from the man’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Master Ma outwardly thanks Feng Jun for “disciplining” his junior, though the exchange makes the hostility between them clear.
• Zhuang Haoyun offers five million to borrow the tablet for ten days. The substantial offer softens Master Ma’s attitude, since Green Mountain Sect depends increasingly on wealthy secular patrons to preserve its declining inheritance.
• Master Ma realizes that arguing with Zhuang Haoyun is pointless and turns his attention to Feng Jun, hoping to force him to demonstrate his abilities and restore the sect’s prestige.
• Feng Jun uses telekinesis to pull the Ancestral Tablet from Zhuang Haoyun’s briefcase without touching it, shocking the Green Mountain Sect members.
• He inspects and taps the tablet despite Master Ma’s warning that only the lineage-holding Heavenly Master may touch it after ritual purification.
• After Gazi jokes about cleaning the tablet, Master Ma proudly claims it never gathers dust, even after a thousand years.
• Feng Jun confirms that the tablet does repel dust and evil, but explains that its underlying formation is nearly ineffective and can only function for a limited time. This revelation leaves Master Ma suspicious yet unexpectedly hopeful.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates overwhelming confidence and power. He remains calm, dismissive, and deliberately low-key, but his telekinetic ability and intimidating shout establish that he is far beyond the Green Mountain Sect members.
• Zhuang Haoyun is revealed as pragmatic, wealthy, and willing to offend powerful religious figures to protect his son and gain Feng Jun’s favor. He uses money and sharp reasoning to justify his actions.
• Daoist Master Ma shifts from righteous indignation to negotiation. Though proud of his sect, he recognizes its dependence on wealthy believers and begins searching for a way to regain control of the situation through Feng Jun.
• The short, fat Daoist is shown to be impulsive and easily provoked. His attempt to challenge Feng Jun ends in humiliation and physical suffering.
• Gao Qiang acts as a firm physical barrier, preventing the Green Mountain Sect disciples from approaching the tablet.
• Gazi remains blunt and stubborn, questioning the tablet’s claimed properties, though he immediately stops once Feng Jun confirms they are real.

3. Significant Themes

• Decline of traditional institutions: Green Mountain Sect’s ancient inheritance is weakened by the Dharma-ending age and its increasing reliance on money and secular patrons.
• Faith versus practical results: The sect possesses ritual authority and sacred traditions, but it fails to cure Zhuang Haoyun’s son, while Feng Jun succeeds.
• Commercialization of spirituality: Both the costly failed ritual and the proposed five-million payment expose the tension between religious inheritance and financial transactions.
• Power and legitimacy: The sect claims authority through tradition, while Feng Jun establishes legitimacy through direct results and superior ability.
• Pride versus pragmatism: Master Ma must balance defending the sect’s dignity with accepting lucrative opportunities that could help preserve it.
• Hidden supernatural mechanisms: The tablet’s miraculous properties are not entirely mystical; Feng Jun identifies them as the result of a deteriorating formation.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhuang Haoyun and Master Ma: Their argument is filled with sarcasm and competing claims of legitimacy. Zhuang relies on money and logic, while Master Ma invokes sacred inheritance and sectarian authority.
• Feng Jun and Master Ma: Their conversation is a battle of status. Master Ma seeks to test or expose Feng Jun, but Feng Jun’s repeated claim that he cured the patient and his effortless display of telekinesis leave Master Ma increasingly frustrated and cautious.
• Feng Jun and the short, fat Daoist: The Daoist’s verbal challenge provokes Feng Jun’s overwhelming retaliation, establishing a sharp power imbalance.
• Gao Qiang and the short, fat Daoist: Gao Qiang physically blocks him from approaching the tablet, reinforcing Luohua Manor’s control over the situation.
• Gazi and Master Ma: Gazi’s casual skepticism insults the sect, but Master Ma accepts the challenge because he trusts the tablet’s abilities.
• Feng Jun and the Ancestral Tablet: Feng Jun treats the supposedly sacred object as an artifact to be examined scientifically and spiritually, identifying both its remaining functions and the weakness of its formation.

Chapter Summary: “The Ancestral Plaque Held Hidden Mysteries”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun spends over an hour examining Green Mountain Sect’s ancestral plaque. He identifies its warding and dust-cleansing formations, implying that the plaque was created by a cultivator whose abilities were limited compared with the masters Feng Jun has encountered.
• Feng Jun openly criticizes Green Mountain Sect’s Patriarch Yuanxin, provoking the sect’s four Taoists. Master Ma explains that Yuanxin belonged to a later lineage and helped revive the sect after several near-extinctions.
• Feng Jun claims that the Zhuang family’s ancestral connections included figures more powerful than the person who made the plaque. He further states that only Green Mountain Sect’s Celestial Master might be qualified to understand his assessment.
• Feng Jun demonstrates Telekinetic Grasp by summoning the plaque through the air, calling it merely a Martial Cultivation technique. This shocks the Taoists because the ability has supposedly disappeared from the modern cultivation world.
• Auntie Zeng questions Hao Fengjing about the sudden appearance of an iron pot, suspecting he used a storage artifact. Manager Mei evasively claims the pot had been left unopened in the car, leaving the Taoists uncertain but increasingly convinced that Feng Jun’s group possesses extraordinary abilities.
• Master Ma decides to investigate Feng Jun after returning to the sect, but first asks for the plaque’s return. Feng Jun refuses, saying he needs more time to study it and insisting that Green Mountain Sect’s Celestial Master come personally to negotiate.
• After a tense exchange, Feng Jun sets a three-month limit. He warns that Green Mountain Sect—not he—will regret it if its Celestial Master fails to appear.
• The mood shifts when Yang Yuxin and her daughter, Gu Jiahui, arrive. Feng Jun permits them to enter, and Jiahui brings four suitcases, apparently intending to stay for several days. Zhuang Haoyun recognizes Yang Yuxin as a prominent figure, though he modestly introduces himself as “an insignificant nobody.”

Character Developments

• Feng Jun displays greater confidence and authority. He is openly dismissive of Green Mountain Sect’s historical prestige and deliberately uses the ancestral plaque to pressure the sect into sending its highest-ranking expert.
• Master Ma remains disciplined and diplomatic at first, but Feng Jun’s insults and refusal to return the plaque gradually anger him. Despite his frustration, he recognizes Feng Jun’s genuine abilities and resolves to investigate him carefully.
• The other Green Mountain Taoists are visibly offended by Feng Jun’s remarks but restrain themselves after witnessing his power and remembering his earlier intimidation of them.
• Auntie Zeng becomes more respectful toward Hao Fengjing and Feng Jun’s group after concluding they may be genuine cultivators rather than practitioners of suspicious or evil techniques.
• Hao Fengjing and Manager Mei continue to conceal the true nature of their abilities and equipment, reinforcing the mystery surrounding Feng Jun’s companions.
• Gu Jiahui appears more mature and socially aware after ten days away, greeting everyone politely rather than demanding attention. Nevertheless, she treats Feng Jun’s residence as a place she can casually visit and stay.
• Yang Yuxin maintains a humble, deferential manner around Feng Jun, though her status and wealth are obvious. Her arrival introduces an important connection to the outside world.
• Zhuang Haoyun continues trying to curry favor with Feng Jun by facilitating access to the ancestral plaque. His awkward modesty when Yang recognizes him suggests he is eager to avoid drawing attention to his own influence.

Significant Themes

• Hidden cultivation power and lost techniques: Feng Jun’s Telekinetic Grasp and the suspected storage artifact suggest that ancient abilities may be reappearing in the modern world.
• Tradition versus true ability: Green Mountain Sect relies on its thousand-year history and revered patriarchs, while Feng Jun judges individuals by actual cultivation and technical mastery rather than reputation.
• Authority and negotiation: Feng Jun uses the plaque as leverage, challenging Green Mountain Sect to send its most powerful representative.
• Caution in the face of the unknown: The Taoists are offended but avoid direct confrontation because Feng Jun’s capabilities are far beyond their understanding.
• Strategic relationships and patronage: Feng Jun rewards Zhuang Haoyun’s support while also warning Green Mountain Sect, showing that he carefully manages both allies and potential rivals.
• Contrasting social worlds: The mystical confrontation is interrupted by the arrival of Yang Yuxin and Gu Jiahui, linking Feng Jun’s cultivation affairs with wealthy, influential ordinary society.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Master Ma engage in a tense verbal contest over the value of Patriarch Yuanxin and the authority of Green Mountain Sect.
• Feng Jun implicitly elevates the Zhuang family above Green Mountain Sect’s recent patriarchs, strengthening his alliance with Zhuang Haoyun while humiliating Master Ma.
• Auntie Zeng questions Manager Mei about the iron pot, testing whether Feng Jun’s group possesses storage artifacts. Manager Mei’s evasive answer preserves their secrets.
• Master Ma asks Feng Jun to return the plaque, but Feng Jun refuses and demands an audience with the sect’s Celestial Master.
• Feng Jun’s final warning turns the dispute into a formal challenge between his emerging influence and Green Mountain Sect’s traditional authority.
• Yang Yuxin and Gu Jiahui’s arrival creates a more personal and domestic atmosphere. Jiahui immediately asks Gazi to help with her luggage, while Zhuang Haoyun recognizes Yang’s identity and reacts with unusual modesty.