Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Obsession”

• Ren Zhixiang’s recovery: Wealthy stroke survivor Ren Zhixiang takes his first dose of Feng Jun’s Body-Tempering Pill. Though the treatment is painful, it produces dramatic effects, including the expulsion of grime and signs of marrow cleansing and tendon transformation. Grateful for the medicine’s effectiveness and Feng Jun’s relatively modest price, Ren bows deeply and promises to pay promptly.
• Ren’s dedication and character: Rather than sightseeing during his recovery, Ren returns daily to Luohua Manor’s gate, where he quietly drinks tea, reads, practices Eight Brocades and Five-Animal Frolics, and plays Chinese chess with the guards. His persistence, humility, and disciplined attitude gradually win their acceptance. Feng Jun later examines him and confirms that he is recovering well.
• Request to cultivate: Ren asks Feng Jun to teach him the manor’s cultivation methods after observing others practice. Feng tactfully refuses, explaining that the techniques are too fierce for Ren’s condition and recommending gentler exercises such as Eight Brocades and Tai Chi. Their exchange shows Ren’s eagerness to improve and Feng’s cautious concern for his safety.
• Discovery of a new market: Ren suggests that Feng dilute the medicinal effects of the Body-Tempering Pill into Three Lives Liquor and market it to stroke patients and others undergoing rehabilitation. Based on his own experience and contacts with fellow patients, Ren believes there would be substantial demand. Feng realizes he has overlooked the enormous market for rehabilitation products, having previously focused mainly on health-preserving medicine.
• Concerns over safety and cost: Feng worries that the rehabilitation liquor’s effects may vary greatly between individuals and could be dangerous for weaker patients if the dosage is too strong. Ren points out that some patients may need several bottles, creating financial difficulties. Feng also rejects the idea of personally operating a rehabilitation center because of the time commitment, lack of a medical license, dosage responsibilities, and potential doctor-patient disputes.
• Ren offers to help: Ren proposes running the center as Feng’s agent, even without payment. He suggests beginning patients with very small doses and increasing them gradually to prevent accidents. Feng recognizes Ren’s intelligence, practicality, loyalty, and business sense, but reminds him that the original medicine is extremely expensive, making trial-and-error treatment financially unrealistic.
• Daoist connections and liquor sales: Guan Shanyue returns with Feng Tianyang after spending two days discussing the Dao at Baizong Mountain. Their exchange of information leads to increased Three Lives Liquor sales, especially among overlooked stroke-recovery patients. Ren’s condition has opened an unexpected commercial path for the product.
• New business complication: Guan asks whether Luohua Manor can prepare one hundred cases of Three Lives Liquor, worth over forty million, and requests assistance escorting them. Feng agrees to have Gazi handle the transport, giving him a chance to earn money independently. However, Gao Qiang soon arrives with troubling news: the tax office has demanded detailed accounts and the identities of Three Lives Liquor’s buyers. Feng immediately suspects outside interference and asks who may be causing trouble.

Key Themes

• Obsession and perseverance: Ren’s refusal to give up after his stroke drives his recovery and his repeated visits to the manor.
• Healing and responsibility: The chapter explores the promise of powerful medicine alongside the dangers of dosage, unequal results, medical liability, and affordability.
• Business opportunity versus ethics: Feng sees a potentially massive market but remains cautious about exploiting desperate patients or causing harm.
• Trust and loyalty: Ren’s willingness to promote Feng’s medicine, work without payment, and protect fellow patients strengthens their relationship.
• The hidden costs of success: As Three Lives Liquor becomes more popular, scrutiny from the tax authorities threatens to expose or complicate Luohua Manor’s operations.

Chapter Summary: “Xiang Song’s Frustration”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three Lives Liquor, which operates discreetly without advertising or public retail outlets, is targeted by tax officials attempting to shut down its distillery. The attack is traced to the Dou Family of Long City, specifically Young Master Dou.
• Gao Qiang discovers that some liquor remains stored at Luohua Manor and prepares to retrieve additional stock for Guan Shanyue.
• Feng Jun becomes furious upon learning that Three Lives Liquor is being investigated. He suspects Mayor Xiang is secretly supporting Young Master Dou, despite Xiang’s claims that he has not assisted him.
• To pressure Mayor Xiang, Feng Tianyang contacts an elderly professor at a university and implies that the school is unsafe because of drug use, AIDS rumors, and administrative cover-ups. The professor becomes enraged and publicly humiliates Xiang’s son, causing him to demand a school transfer.
• Mayor Xiang, frustrated and embarrassed, confronts Feng Jun. Feng accuses him of manipulating events from the shadows, while Xiang insists that the liquor-tax investigation is the Dou Family’s independent action.
• After investigating, Xiang confirms that the Dou Family is responsible but assures Feng Jun that he can resolve the matter. Feng reveals that Three Lives Liquor belongs to a friend—though the others know he is its true owner.
• Ren Zhixiang recalls that Young Master Dou once suffered a setback against the Wen Family. He proposes exploiting the existing hostility between Dou and the Wen Family rather than confronting Dou directly.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates both anger and restraint. Although he has the ability to eliminate Young Master Dou easily, he refuses to use Flower Flower to kill him because he does not want the spirit insect to develop a habit of harming humans.
• Mayor Xiang shifts from confusion to frustration. He initially appears suspicious to Feng Jun but ultimately tries to mediate after realizing the matter may damage his relationship with him.
• Young Master Dou is portrayed as arrogant and overconfident. He attacks Three Lives Liquor without investigating its connection to Feng Jun, intending to force the owner into submission.
• Feng Tianyang shows his skill at indirect manipulation, using his university connection to put pressure on Mayor Xiang through his son.
• Ren Zhixiang reveals useful knowledge of Dou’s past conflict with the Wen Family and begins acting as a strategic adviser.
• Gao Qiang remains loyal and practical, helping secure Three Lives Liquor supplies for Guan Shanyue during the crisis.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Young Master Dou uses official investigations to project dominance, while Feng Jun possesses overwhelming hidden power but chooses not to reveal it.
• Political and social maneuvering: The conflict is fought through relationships, rumors, university influence, and government connections rather than open confrontation.
• Restraint and moral responsibility: Feng Jun’s refusal to let Flower Flower kill Dou emphasizes his concern over moral corruption and the consequences of violence.
• Misunderstanding and hidden identities: Mayor Xiang does not know the full connection between Feng Jun, Luohua Manor, and Three Lives Liquor, while Feng Jun deliberately allows him to remain partially misinformed.
• Using rivalries strategically: Ren Zhixiang suggests turning Dou’s conflict with the Wen Family against him, introducing a plan based on indirect retaliation.

Character Interactions

• Gao Qiang and Guan Shanyue: They discuss the liquor shortage and arrange for more stock to be collected from the manor.
• Feng Jun and Mayor Xiang: Their tense phone exchanges center on responsibility for the investigation and the breakdown of their earlier understanding.
• Feng Tianyang and the elderly professor: Feng Tianyang manipulates the professor’s concern for traditional Chinese studies and student safety, prompting him to reprimand Xiang’s son.
• Mayor Xiang and his son: The son’s humiliation at school intensifies Xiang’s frustration and pushes him to challenge Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun, Feng Tianyang, Guan Shanyue, and Ren Zhixiang: They discuss the Dou Family’s actions, Feng Jun’s personal grudge, and possible ways to exploit the Dou–Wen conflict.
• Ren Zhixiang and Feng Jun: Ren earns Feng Jun’s interest by proposing a less direct but potentially effective strategy against Young Master Dou.

Chapter Summary: “The Rarity of the Truly Good”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ren Zhixiang suggests that Feng Jun use the conflict between Young Master Dou and the Wen Family heir against them. He also mentions a rumor that Dou may have AIDS.
• Feng Jun considers exploiting the rumor, even contemplating arranging for Dou to receive a confirmed HIV diagnosis.
• Yang Yuxin confirms that Dou and the Wen heir have a history of hostility but warns that deliberately provoking them into open conflict would likely cause them to unite against the instigator.
• Feng Jun instead asks Yang Yuxin for information on the Wen heir’s trusted aides, revealing that he plans to impersonate one of them and inject Dou with HIV.
• Yang quickly provides extensive intelligence on the Wen heir’s eight trusted aides, as well as a large database of AIDS patients.
• Feng Jun selects Zhao Yuhai, a trusted aide who is currently staying in Ming City. After secretly monitoring him, Feng discovers that Zhao has a mistress and an illegitimate son.
• Feng abducts Zhao, the mistress, and the child after rendering them unconscious with anesthetic gas. He keeps them unharmed so he can use Zhao’s identity.
• The following night, Feng disguises himself as Zhao and goes to Elite Club KTV, where Young Master Dou is entertaining himself.
• Using Zhao’s SIM card, expensive clothing, and watch, Feng gains access to the club and establishes himself as a wealthy, alcohol-fueled patron. He rents a private room, hires women, and waits for an opportunity to approach Dou.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly calculating and ruthless. Rather than relying only on direct confrontation, he uses surveillance, kidnapping, impersonation, and psychological manipulation to target Dou.
• Yang Yuxin demonstrates her extensive connections and intelligence-gathering ability. She is pragmatic, resourceful, and willing to assist Feng despite recognizing the danger and questionable morality of his plan.
• Ren Zhixiang is shown as a practical businessman rather than a morally pure “nice person.” His suggestions reveal a willingness to participate in schemes against their enemies.
• Gu Jiahui is characterized as outwardly concerned with morality but privately willing to support harsh retaliation when her family has been harmed.
• Zhao Yuhai is established as a capable and trusted aide to the Wen heir, but his secret second family becomes the vulnerability Feng exploits.

Significant Themes

• Moral ambiguity and revenge: The chapter emphasizes that the protagonists are not purely good people. Their willingness to infect Dou with HIV reflects a desire for revenge that overrides conventional morality.
• Power and privilege: Wealth allows Dou to afford lifelong AIDS treatment and enables people like him to escape consequences that would devastate ordinary individuals.
• Information as power: Yang Yuxin’s intelligence network and Feng Jun’s surveillance show that knowledge and access can be more useful than direct force.
• The rarity of genuine goodness: The chapter questions whether wealthy, successful, or powerful people can remain truly kind, while also portraying supposed moralists as selective in their compassion.
• Deception and identity: Feng’s use of Zhao’s appearance, possessions, phone, and social status highlights how easily identity can be manipulated when appearances and money command trust.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun consults Ren Zhixiang, Guan Shanyue, and Feng Tianyang about ways to deal with Young Master Dou.
• Yang Yuxin gives Feng background on the rivalry between Dou and the Wen heir and challenges the practicality of provoking their families into conflict.
• Feng openly explains his HIV-injection plan to Yang, Sister Hong, Zhang Caixin, and Gu Jiahui, trusting that none will oppose him.
• Yang and Feng cooperate closely: she gathers intelligence while he carries out the operation.
• Feng’s interaction with the KTV staff shows how easily wealth and generous tipping allow him to assume authority and avoid suspicion.
• The chapter ends with Feng waiting inside the KTV, disguised as Zhao Yuhai and preparing to move against Young Master Dou.

Chapter Summary: “The Script Changed”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun, disguised as Zhao Yuhai, spends the evening at Elite Club deliberately creating an extravagant scene. He pays hostesses to find additional beautiful women, eventually drawing one from a neighboring private room occupied by important guests.
• He orders more than 100,000 yuan worth of foreign liquor, using Zhao Yuhai’s bank cards to pay. This establishes him as a wealthy, high-spending customer and distracts the club staff from his real intentions.
• Feng Jun engineers an opportunity to enter the neighboring room by following a hostess inside. The room belongs to Young Master Dou and his companions.
• Young Master Dou recognizes Feng Jun as Wen’s subordinate and insults him. Feng Jun provokes the group, hoping to start a fight so he can infect Dou with AIDS-infected blood.
• The situation unexpectedly escalates when one of Dou’s bodyguards draws a gun. Feng Jun disarms him, but the second bodyguard also produces a weapon.
• Abandoning his original plan, Feng Jun changes tactics—“the script changed”—and draws his own handgun. He kills both bodyguards, Young Master Dou, and the other two men in the room with precise gunshots.
• He searches their bags to create the appearance of robbery, fires into the chandelier to silence the terrified hostesses, and returns to his own room.
• When security arrives, Feng Jun escapes by smashing through a third-floor window. He leaves the remaining cash behind as supposed compensation and disappears into the night.
• The police arrive within minutes and immediately recognize that the victims’ identities may be more important and politically dangerous than the crime itself.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates careful planning, manipulation, and adaptability. He initially intends to provoke a confrontation involving AIDS-infected blood, but his composure and combat ability allow him to react instantly when firearms appear.
• His confidence grows as he uses money, deception, disguise, and his supernatural physical abilities to control the situation. His Dust-Free Realm and enhanced coordination make him an excellent marksman despite limited formal shooting experience.
• Feng Jun also becomes increasingly ruthless. Once the conflict begins, he kills every person in the room and deliberately stages the scene to mislead investigators.
• Young Master Dou is portrayed as arrogant, intoxicated, and reckless. His recognition of Feng Jun leads him to revive their hostility, but his reliance on bodyguards and privileged status cannot save him.
• The hostesses are motivated primarily by money and professional opportunity. Their willingness to move between rooms unintentionally enables the massacre, while their fear reveals how quickly the club’s atmosphere changes from indulgence to terror.
• The club staff and security prioritize customer privacy and hesitate to intervene, allowing Feng Jun time to escape.

3. Significant Themes

• Plans versus unpredictability: Feng Jun enters the night with a specific scheme, but the appearance of guns forces him to abandon it and improvise.
• Wealth and corruption: Money allows Feng Jun to manipulate hostesses, staff, and club procedures, while the elite environment encourages people to overlook suspicious behavior.
• Violence beneath luxury: The high-end club’s atmosphere of pleasure and refinement collapses instantly into gunfire and panic.
• Identity and deception: Feng Jun’s disguise as Zhao Yuhai enables him to use another man’s money and reputation while concealing his own intentions.
• Privilege and political consequences: The police are less concerned with the mechanics of the murders than with the victims’ identities, suggesting that the deaths could have far-reaching repercussions.
• Controlled chaos: Feng Jun carefully engineers disorder, then exploits the confusion to create a misleading crime scene and escape.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun bribes the hostesses to recruit additional women and persuades them to violate the club’s usual standards by borrowing hostesses from another room.
• He cooperates with the floor supervisor by paying the liquor bill in advance, turning suspicion into admiration and making himself appear to be a reliable wealthy customer.
• The hostess’s movement between rooms provides Feng Jun with the opportunity to confront Dou’s group.
• Dou and Feng Jun exchange insults based on their previous conflict involving Wen. Their verbal hostility escalates into a physical confrontation when Feng Jun reaches for a bottle.
• The bodyguards’ sudden use of firearms transforms the planned brawl into a deadly shootout. Feng Jun responds faster, killing everyone in the room.
• Afterward, Feng Jun intimidates the surviving hostesses with a gunshot into the chandelier before escaping past the arriving security guards.

Chapter Summary: “The Serious Nature of the Case”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun urgently returns to the car where Zhao Yuhai and his family have been confined. He transports Zhao Yuhai’s mistress and child from Yang City back to Ming City using the Light-Time Shuttle, consuming forty percent of his spiritual energy.
• After releasing the Drowsing Technique on the family, Feng Jun leaves before being caught on surveillance. Patrol officers arrive less than twenty minutes later and discover the family, who are still confused and weakened from having slept for over twenty hours.
• Zhao Yuhai is arrested or questioned as the primary suspect in the Elite Club shooting, which killed five people, including Young Master Dou. Evidence links him to the crime: his phone signal appeared in Yang City, and his bank card was used at the scene.
• However, Zhao Yuhai insists he was in Ming City and argues that it was impossible for him to have committed the murder and returned within two hours. He claims someone may have forged or misused his cards.
• Investigators conclude that the shooting was likely a carefully planned murder designed to exploit the conflict between the Wen and Dou Families. Nevertheless, the available evidence points toward Zhao Yuhai, preventing them from openly claiming that another killer was responsible.
• The Wen Family cooperates only partially. Its heir suspects that someone manipulated the family’s hostility toward the Dou Family, but he is secretly pleased that Young Master Dou is dead.
• The Dou Family reacts aggressively and demands a full investigation, focusing particularly on Luohua Manor and Feng Jun, who is considered one of Young Master Dou’s strongest enemies.
• Feng Jun refuses to cooperate with investigators, claiming he is too busy. Yang Yuxin personally protects Luohua Manor from the Dou Family’s investigators.
• When one investigator attempts to seize Gu Jiahui’s camera, Gu Jiahui attacks him with pepper spray and an electric baton. Yang Yuxin condemns the group for acting like criminals under the guise of official business, forcing them to withdraw.
• Feng Jun intimidates the injured investigator, Zhang Naiqian, by revealing compromising information about him, his family, and a suspicious bank card. Zhang leaves frightened and humiliated.
• The Dou Family later asks Boss Gu to restrain Yang Yuxin, but he refuses, recalling the family’s previous attempts to undermine Yang Yuxin’s business.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates urgency, resourcefulness, and ruthlessness. He successfully covers his involvement by creating an impossible timeline and using Zhao Yuhai’s identity as a frame-up. His willingness to threaten Zhang Naiqian also shows his confidence and control over sensitive information.
• Zhao Yuhai: Becomes the central suspect despite apparently having a valid alibi. He understands that he may have been framed but cannot explain how his cards and phone were used in Yang City.
• Yang Yuxin: Takes a forceful leadership role, personally defending Luohua Manor and refusing to be intimidated by the Dou Family or official investigators.
• Gu Jiahui: Shows surprising boldness and combativeness. She protects her camera and attacks an adult investigator without hesitation, reinforcing her fearless personality.
• The Wen Family heir: Reveals both political awareness and pride. He suspects that someone used the Wen Family’s feud with the Dou Family, yet he is pleased by Young Master Dou’s death and unwilling to appear weak.
• Boss Gu: Displays loyalty toward Yang Yuxin and Feng Jun. He rejects the Dou Family’s request because of their earlier mistreatment of Yang Yuxin.
• The Dou Family: Is portrayed as powerful but constrained by its lack of evidence. Its anger pushes the conflict into a broader confrontation with Luohua Manor.

Significant Themes

• Framing and manipulated evidence: The murder is structured to make Zhao Yuhai appear guilty while preserving an impossible timeline, highlighting the difference between suspicion and proof.
• Power and political influence: The Wen and Dou Families attempt to shape the investigation through status and connections, while Luohua Manor resists their authority.
• Justice versus private retaliation: The investigation is officially about murder, but the underlying conflict involves elite family rivalries, business competition, and personal revenge.
• Information as power: Feng Jun’s knowledge of Zhang Naiqian’s secrets is more effective than physical intimidation, showing how hidden information can control conflicts.
• Protection and loyalty: Yang Yuxin, Boss Gu, and the people of Luohua Manor defend one another, creating a united front against outside pressure.
• Appearance versus reality: The apparent culprit, Zhao Yuhai, is not necessarily the actual killer, while those claiming to represent official authority behave aggressively and unlawfully.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun manipulates Zhao Yuhai’s circumstances while secretly arranging for his family to be discovered in Ming City, strengthening the false impression that Zhao was present there.
• Investigators confront Luohua Manor, but Yang Yuxin blocks them and challenges their methods.
• Gu Jiahui directly clashes with Zhang Naiqian after he tries to take her camera, and Yang Yuxin backs her up.
• Feng Jun then threatens Zhang by exposing his private misconduct and financial connections, causing him to retreat.
• Boss Gu refuses the Dou Family’s request to control Yang Yuxin, reaffirming his support for her and resentment toward the Dou Family.

Chapter Summary: “A Snake Swallows an Elephant, Never Satisfied”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Young Master Dou’s death is suppressed by the Dou and Wen Families, becoming little more than a rumor to the public.
• Although Dou is dead, the pressure on Three Lives Liquor Company continues. A tax official, Leader Shen, repeatedly harasses the company, demanding account books, customer information, and access to its business.
• Ye Qingyi refuses to reveal confidential customer details or sell liquor to distributors connected to Shen, insisting that she has the right to refuse business.
• Production drops because Ye must secretly blend the company’s special liquor while under surveillance. However, the company has more than 8,000 bottles stored, allowing her to endure the slowdown.
• After learning of Young Master Dou’s death, Shen exploits the situation for personal gain. He seals the factory under the pretext of investigating tax evasion, hoping to seize part of the company’s profits and possibly win favor with the Dou Family.
• Ye cannot prevent the sealing, but she hires workers to guard the factory around the clock. Shen responds by placing two temporary workers inside the factory, claiming they are preventing the transfer of assets.
• Ye installs battery-powered and infrared cameras after workers discover suspicious footprints near the factory, suggesting that liquor may have been removed during the night.
• Tensions rise when Shen’s vehicle is searched by Ye’s workers as he leaves the factory. Finding nothing, Shen becomes enraged and threatens to report them.
• Shen later returns with additional men, claiming they are replacing the guards. Another confrontation occurs when the workers again insist on inspecting his vehicle.
• When the situation nearly turns violent, Ye arrives and firmly takes responsibility, ordering the workers to proceed with the inspection.
• Patrol officers arrive, but one officer sees the dispute as trivial and suggests that Shen simply allow the vehicle to be checked.

Character Developments

• Ye Qingyi demonstrates increasing courage, stubbornness, and leadership. Though physically delicate and outwardly gentle, she refuses to surrender her company and boldly confronts Shen when her workers need support.
• Leader Shen is revealed as opportunistic and greedy. He uses Young Master Dou’s reputation and death to pressure the liquor company, hoping to profit from the situation and improve his connections with the Dou Family.
• The factory workers become loyal and protective of Ye. Their willingness to guard the factory, inspect vehicles, and confront Shen grows stronger once Ye personally stands behind them.
• Young Master Dou, despite being dead, continues to influence events through the fear and power associated with his family name.

Significant Themes

• Abuse of power and opportunism: Shen manipulates official authority and the Dou Family’s influence to pursue private profit.
• Resistance against intimidation: Ye refuses to be bullied, using legal evidence, surveillance, loyal employees, and public documentation to defend herself.
• Greed and exploitation: The title reflects Shen’s endless desire for profit—having already gained authority to seal the factory, he still seeks control over its valuable liquor stock.
• Loyalty and collective courage: Ye’s workers become willing to risk confrontation because she protects and leads them.
• Power after death: Young Master Dou’s influence persists even after his death, showing how social status and connections can continue affecting others.

Important Character Interactions

• Ye repeatedly clashes with Shen over customer information, sales, tax investigations, and the factory sealing.
• Shen attempts to intimidate Ye with threats of fines and imprisonment, while Ye counters by recording his actions and warning that reopening the factory will be difficult.
• Ye and her workers form a united front, guarding the factory and inspecting Shen’s vehicles.
• Shen’s confrontations with the workers expose his anger and lack of genuine authority once they refuse to be frightened.
• Ye’s decisive intervention transforms the workers’ hesitation into confidence, while the arriving patrol officers reveal that Shen’s escalating accusations may not be taken seriously by everyone.

Chapter Summary: “Where Was the Liquor?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chief Shen’s claim that he had taken liquor for “testing” collapses when workers discover ten cases hidden in his vehicle: eight cases of Three Lives Aged Liquor and two cases of Three Lives Liquor.
• The liquor is worth more than five million yuan at market value, though Chief Shen falsely insists it is worth only about thirty yuan per bottle.
• The theft is revealed to be part of a larger scheme. Chief Shen had arranged for temporary workers to steal liquor from the distillery and planned to accumulate enough genuine stock to sell through unofficial channels for millions of yuan.
• After security cameras stopped the initial nighttime thefts, Chief Shen deliberately came to the distillery during the day, allowing his vehicle to be inspected as part of a plan to transport liquor out later.
• Ye Qingyi challenges Shen’s justification, arguing that taking company property without permission is theft and that tax-related seals do not give officials the right to remove or dispose of the company’s goods.
• Ye Qingyi demands an inventory of the factory’s warehouse. Shen refuses, knowing that an inventory could expose further irregularities and interfere with his plan to manipulate the paperwork.
• The patrol officers initially try to avoid involvement, claiming they are only there to mediate a tax dispute. Ye Qingyi reframes the matter as an active theft investigation, forcing them to remain as witnesses.
• Repeated phone calls fail to produce cooperation from the tax authorities, who appear intent on delaying the matter until morning.
• Near dawn, Ye Qingyi orders the workers to turn on the lights, prepare cameras, and inspect the distillery immediately. She insists that waiting could allow the authorities to remove evidence or prevent her from entering the factory later.
• She finally reminds the patrol officers that their body cameras can document the inspection, strengthening her position and putting official conduct on record.

Character Developments

• Chief Shen is exposed as corrupt, calculating, and deeply motivated by greed. His “inspection” excuse is revealed as a cover for organized theft and a broader plan to profit from Three Lives Liquor.
• Ye Qingyi becomes increasingly assertive and strategic. Although unfamiliar with business regulations, she relies on common sense, persistence, public pressure, and documentation to defend her company.
• The patrol officers shift from confident supporters of Shen to reluctant witnesses. Their uncertainty grows as the evidence makes it clear that Shen may have committed theft.
• The workers demonstrate solidarity and practical experience. They uncover the liquor, push for police involvement, and help Ye Qingyi recognize the need to document the authorities’ actions.

Significant Themes

• Abuse of official power: Shen uses tax inspections and official seals as a pretext to seize valuable property.
• Greed and corruption: His stated concern about testing the liquor conceals a calculated plan to steal and resell it.
• The importance of evidence: Inventory records, surveillance footage, cameras, witnesses, and body cameras become crucial tools for resisting manipulation.
• Standing up to authority: Ye Qingyi refuses to be intimidated by Shen’s position and forces the officials to confront the possibility of criminal conduct.
• Appearances versus reality: The incident initially appears to be a routine tax dispute, but is gradually exposed as an attempted theft and conspiracy.

Character Interactions

• Shen argues with Ye Qingyi over whether removing liquor without notice constitutes theft. She calmly but firmly dismantles his excuses.
• The workers confront the situation directly by searching the vehicle and later pressuring the patrol officers to acknowledge the suspected crime.
• The patrol officers attempt to remain neutral, but Ye Qingyi’s insistence that a theft is occurring within their jurisdiction makes neutrality increasingly impossible.
• Ye Qingyi uses Shen’s own actions against him, demanding an inventory and public documentation before he can conceal or manipulate the company’s property.

Chapter Summary: “The Liquor Was Gone”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After forcibly entering her sealed distillery, Ye Qingyi discovers that the warehouse has been completely emptied of Three Lives Liquor. Hundreds of cases have disappeared during the four-day closure.
• Chief Shen, whose men were responsible for guarding the warehouse, is shocked and immediately accuses Ye Qingyi of secretly transferring the liquor and hiding it through a secret door or tunnel.
• Shen orders his subordinates to search and dismantle the distillery. They roughly move equipment, nearly damaging a liquor vat, provoking the factory workers.
• The workers confront Shen’s men, leading to a brief physical altercation that the constables must break up.
• Ye Qingyi presents earlier photographs and videos proving how much liquor had been stored before the sealing. The constables realize the disappearance is highly suspicious.
• She also reveals that ten cases of Three Lives Liquor were found in Shen’s vehicle, apparently taken under the excuse of “testing.” The workers mockingly suggest that perhaps the entire warehouse was taken as one enormous batch of test samples.
• Shen attempts to leave and threatens to accuse Ye Qingyi of defamation, but the workers block him and treat him and his men as theft suspects. The constables ultimately agree to take them back for investigation.
• Ye Qingyi’s side escalates the situation by bringing in reporters from several media outlets and a tax bureau leader, turning the warehouse theft into a public scandal.
• The tax official initially pressures Ye Qingyi to keep the matter quiet, warning that she will still need to deal with the authorities in the future.
• Ye Qingyi refuses to be intimidated. She argues that she is the victim and asks whether the official would truly acknowledge the theft if she did not make the matter public.
• The official admits that the authorities would likely try to suppress or gradually minimize the case, but he cannot deny that Shen’s people controlled the warehouse and that Shen’s vehicle contained the company’s liquor.

Character Developments

• Ye Qingyi becomes increasingly assertive and politically savvy. Although initially inexperienced in handling official disputes, she listens to advice, preserves evidence, uses media pressure, and directly challenges both Shen and the tax official.
• She demonstrates a strong refusal to accept intimidation or institutional bullying, even when threatened with future retaliation or business difficulties.
• Chief Shen shifts from arrogant confidence to panic and desperation. He had apparently treated the warehouse’s liquor as his own property and cannot accept its disappearance. His accusations against Ye Qingyi become increasingly frantic as his own responsibility becomes obvious.
• The factory workers grow more openly loyal and protective of Ye Qingyi and the company. They defend the distillery physically, mock Shen’s excuses, block his escape, and help her understand how to handle the authorities.
• The constables begin as passive observers but gradually recognize the seriousness of the situation. Though reluctant to become involved, they acknowledge that Shen’s group must be investigated.
• The tax bureau leader is caught between protecting his subordinate and avoiding a scandal that could damage his own career. His initial attempt at coercion fails, forcing him to adopt a more cautious and conciliatory attitude.

Significant Themes

• Abuse of authority and institutional corruption: Shen uses his official position to seal the factory, guard the goods, and apparently remove liquor for personal benefit. Senior officials consider suppressing the issue rather than immediately pursuing justice.
• Evidence versus power: Ye Qingyi’s photographs, videos, and the liquor found in Shen’s vehicle give her leverage against officials who would otherwise dismiss her claims.
• Public exposure as protection: By involving reporters, Ye Qingyi prevents the authorities from quietly burying the case.
• Resistance to intimidation: The chapter emphasizes that confidence and persistence can challenge bureaucratic threats, especially when backed by evidence and public attention.
• Collective solidarity: The workers’ support transforms Ye Qingyi’s position from that of an isolated business owner into one backed by employees, witnesses, media, and sympathetic officials.

Character Interactions

• Ye Qingyi and Shen clash over responsibility for the missing liquor. Shen accuses her of transferring the goods, while she points out that his personnel controlled the warehouse and therefore must explain the disappearance.
• Shen’s men confront the workers during the search, but the workers refuse to tolerate further damage or theft.
• Ye Qingyi uses the constables as witnesses and pressures them to act rather than allowing Shen to leave.
• The workers support Ye Qingyi through both jokes and practical advice, helping her turn Shen’s “testing” excuse into evidence of wrongdoing.
• Ye Qingyi and the tax bureau leader engage in a tense verbal confrontation. He attempts to warn and pressure her, but she turns the accusation back on him, forcing him to acknowledge the uncomfortable facts surrounding the theft.

Chapter Summary: “Who Took the Loss?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Qingyi persuades the local leader to investigate the incident as a case of negligence and possible theft rather than simply a dispute. She also plans to demand compensation, seek state compensation, and pursue criminal responsibility if the guards are proven to have stolen the liquor.
• Three Lives Liquor Company presents its records and surveillance evidence, showing that over 8,200 bottles of liquor—worth more than 200,000 at the negotiated price—had been stored in the warehouse.
• Headman Shen denies stealing the liquor and accuses the company of transferring the goods and framing him. However, his story becomes increasingly implausible:
  • He claims the warehouse was still full when his men removed ten crates.
  • He suggests the missing liquor was moved through a secret passage.
  • He admits the surveillance cameras had been turned off because his people considered them useless.
• Shen’s superior realizes the situation is damaging the entire unit and distances himself from Shen, warning him that he may not be allowed to return if he cannot resolve the matter.
• Shen refuses to compensate the company and causes a prolonged scene. With no support from his leader or the bystanders, he eventually tries to report the matter as a theft, but the constables point out that he cannot establish that the goods were actually lost without accepting responsibility for their disappearance.
• Ye Qingyi rejects Shen’s attempt to blame temporary workers and insists that he is responsible because he appointed them. The constables compromise by assigning negligence to the two guards Shen had arranged.
• After bargaining, the compensation is set at twenty-five per bottle, totaling slightly over 200,000. Shen believes the stolen liquor would not have earned him anywhere near that amount, meaning he has suffered a financial loss despite refusing to admit guilt.
• Afterward, the distillery remains partially sealed as a crime scene, disrupting the company’s operations.
• Shen attempts to seek help from people connected to the Dou Family, claiming that Three Lives Liquor is improperly reopening a matter involving a company Young Master Dou once suppressed. The Dou Family’s representatives dismiss him and drive him away.
• Later, Second Monk and a group of thugs beat Shen and demand 500,000, claiming it is repayment for his debt to Three Lives Liquor. They threaten to charge interest and demonstrate that they know where he lives.
• Shen tries to seek protection from influential acquaintances, but everyone avoids him. A shady relative eventually tells him that Second Monk had previously been dealt with by Three Lives Liquor Company, warning that Shen has provoked a powerful opponent.

Character Developments

• Ye Qingyi becomes increasingly assertive and strategic. She uses legal procedures, financial claims, evidence, and public pressure to force Shen’s side to accept responsibility rather than allowing the matter to be dismissed as an internal dispute.
• Headman Shen shifts from confident denial to desperation. He first relies on his position and superior’s support, then attempts to manipulate the authorities, blame temporary workers, invoke the Dou Family’s influence, and seek protection from local connections. Each strategy fails, leaving him isolated and frightened.
• Shen’s superior reveals himself as pragmatic rather than loyal. Once Shen’s misconduct threatens the larger organization, he immediately distances himself and makes Shen bear the consequences alone.
• The constables act as mediators but also steadily expose the weakness of Shen’s claims. Their questions force him to confront the contradiction between denying responsibility and insisting that a theft occurred.
• The villagers and local bystanders increasingly side with Ye Qingyi, treating Shen as someone who has clearly lost control of the situation.
• The Dou Family is portrayed as unwilling to protect a minor opportunist who tries to exploit the reputation of a dead member. Their refusal further strips Shen of influence.

Significant Themes

• Accountability and responsibility: Shen cannot claim both that he is innocent and that the goods were stolen while under his protection. The chapter emphasizes that authority brings responsibility.
• Institutional self-preservation: Shen’s superior abandons him as soon as his actions threaten the unit, showing how organizations protect themselves before individuals.
• Power and changing alliances: Shen assumes the Dou Family’s influence will shield him, but discovers that old connections are useless when he becomes a liability.
• Justice versus manipulation: Ye Qingyi uses formal procedures and evidence, while Shen relies on excuses, intimidation, and personal connections. The contrast makes her approach increasingly effective.
• Irony and consequences: Shen’s refusal to admit that he lost the liquor ultimately causes him to pay compensation—and then face additional extortion—so that he “takes the loss” regardless of how he defines the incident.

Character Interactions

• Ye Qingyi negotiates firmly with the local leader and refuses to accept vague accountability.
• Shen argues with his superior, who warns him that he may be expelled from the unit.
• The constables challenge Shen’s claims and force a compromise over who bears responsibility.
• Ye Qingyi directly confronts Shen’s attempt to blame the temporary workers.
• Villagers mock Shen while supporting Ye Qingyi.
• Shen seeks assistance from the Dou Family and several local contacts, but all reject or ignore him.
• Second Monk’s violent confrontation with Shen shows how completely Shen’s former protection and status have collapsed.

Chapter Summary: “Each Had Their Own Choice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Young Master Dou’s death continues to disrupt Yang City’s elite circles. After investigating for more than ten days, the Dou Family targets Li Yongrui, the head of Li Dafu, suspecting he may have had the means and connections to cause the tragedy.
• Yang City strongly resists the Dou Family’s investigation because there is no solid evidence against Li Yongrui. The Dou Family realizes it has overreached outside its own territory and restrains its actions.
• Three Lives Liquor Company must relocate again because its rented factory is unsuitable. Ye Qingyi rents another plot of land.
• Chief Shen is ruined by the aftermath of the investigation and struggles to repay five hundred thousand yuan, including the unreasonable three-hundred-thousand-yuan demand from Second Monk.
• The people responsible for the Peach Blossom Valley car accident try repeatedly to persuade Feng Jun to withdraw his lawsuit. They offer private and then public apologies and even contact Feng Jun’s parents, but Feng Jun refuses. He believes that forgiving them would reward their earlier slander and keep the cost of wrongdoing too low.
• Sister Lou’s health improves, and she sends Feng Jun two pairs of handmade insoles.
• Gao Qiang successfully breaks through to the Martial Master realm.
• Di Aixin decides to leave Luohua Manor and seek fame through boxing matches. Feng Jun delays his search for the Jade Ruins Mountain Gate, choosing to wait until after winter and go in the spring.
• Feng Tianyang reports that Baizong Mountain has located the approximate area of the Jade Ruins Mountain Gate. Feng Jun had originally requested the investigation as a form of pressure against Jade Ruins, but since Jade Ruins has not reacted, he decides not to act immediately.
• Instead, Feng Jun travels to Mount Fugu after nourishing the Mountain-River Seal. Guan Shanyue receives him warmly and proposes publicly opening the secret land of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven.
• Several Daoist and martial sects arrive to witness the opening, including the Martial Sect, Green Mountain Sect, Four Ming Mountain, South Mountain, and unexpectedly Qingcheng Mountain.
• Qingcheng’s representative, Zhang Dongyuan, apologizes for the sect’s previous offense against Feng Jun and offers him a copy of the rare encyclopedia Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era. Feng Jun refuses to accept it and immediately asks who invited Qingcheng.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly firm and principled. He refuses to withdraw the accident lawsuit, believing that justice requires consequences for malicious behavior. He also shows restraint regarding Jade Ruins, choosing not to attack immediately despite having enough information to do so.
• Di Aixin reveals his impatience and ambition. Feeling overlooked by Feng Jun and unwilling to wait for cultivation opportunities, he leaves to pursue success independently. His departure reflects both insecurity and a strong desire to prove himself.
• Gao Qiang advances significantly by reaching the Martial Master realm, demonstrating the benefits of his continued training under Feng Jun’s influence.
• Guan Shanyue becomes more open and politically confident. Rather than hiding Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven, she decides to announce its opening and position Feng Jun as the lineage’s protector.
• Zhang Dongyuan acts as a conciliatory representative for Qingcheng Mountain, attempting to repair relations with Feng Jun through an apology and a valuable gift.
• Chief Shen suffers a complete collapse in status and finances, paying heavily for his earlier actions.
• Sister Lou continues recovering, while her handmade gifts strengthen her personal connection with Feng Jun.

Significant Themes

• Justice and accountability: Feng Jun rejects apologies that come only after wrongdoing becomes costly. He believes society must impose real consequences on those who spread false accusations or harm others.
• Personal choice and ambition: Di Aixin’s departure emphasizes that individuals must decide whether to wait patiently for guidance or pursue opportunities on their own.
• Restraint versus retaliation: Feng Jun has the power to attack Jade Ruins but deliberately postpones action, showing that strength does not require immediate revenge.
• Political pressure and alliances: The investigation into Li Yongrui and the gathering at Mount Fugu demonstrate how business, martial sects, and cultivation forces influence one another.
• Reputation and reconciliation: Qingcheng Mountain attempts to repair its damaged relationship with Feng Jun, while Guan Shanyue uses the public opening of the secret land to strengthen Fugu’s position.
• Civilization and social responsibility: Feng Jun hopes that punishing malicious behavior will discourage future wrongdoing and prevent society from rewarding those who exploit tragedy.

Character Interactions

• The Dou Family clashes with Yang City over its investigation of Li Yongrui.
• Feng Jun’s parents relay the accident victims’ plea but do not pressure him, respecting his judgment.
• Feng Jun advises Di Aixin not to rush, but Di Aixin leaves anyway, insisting that he must seek his own path.
• Feng Jun and Guan Shanyue discuss how to announce the opening of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven, with Guan Shanyue humorously naming him the lineage’s “supreme protector.”
• Guan Shanyue invites numerous sect leaders and cultivators to witness the event.
• Zhang Dongyuan approaches Feng Jun directly to apologize for Qingcheng Mountain’s past offense and offer compensation. Feng Jun’s refusal to accept the gift signals that he remains cautious and wants to know Qingcheng’s true motives.

Chapter Summary: “Daoist Sect Assembled”

Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Dongyuan of Qingcheng unexpectedly arrives at Mount Fugu’s gathering after hearing that the Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven Secret Land is about to reappear. Guan Shanyue is uneasy because Qingcheng has a good relationship with Mount Fugu, despite Feng Jun’s unresolved conflict with the sect.
• Feng Jun deliberately keeps his distance from Zhang Dongyuan, choosing instead to go shopping with Zhang Caixin and Tang Wenji. His coldness is partly motivated by his lingering resentment over the shooting involving Yang Yuxin.
• Feng Tianyang of Baizong Mountain arrives the following morning. Soon afterward, Yue Yao, a monk from the Lotus Mountain Sect, also appears without invitation.
• Yue Yao attempts to discover the purpose of the gathering by questioning various Daoists. Feng Tianyang and Guan Shanyue refuse to let him participate, emphasizing that the meeting is an internal Daoist discussion.
• Yue Yao claims that he sensed an extraordinary treasure or “divine object” would appear at Mount Fugu. His remarks make everyone suspect that he is trying to investigate or claim the Secret Land’s treasure.
• Guan Shanyue orders him to leave, but Yue Yao tries to remain by appealing to the unity of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism and requesting vegetarian food. She sarcastically tells him to register his presence and report the supposed treasure to the authorities.
• Before departing, Yue Yao approaches Tang Wenji. She openly tells him that she dislikes him and threatens him by placing her hand on her Nine-Section Whip, forcing him to withdraw.
• After Yue Yao leaves, Zhang Dongyuan identifies him as a notorious “treasure-hunting rat”—a wandering monk who searches for valuable antiques and ritual objects, then connects them with Buddhist powers in exchange for personal gain.
• Zhang Dongyuan recalls that Yue Yao once nearly transferred a Qingcheng treasure to another Buddhist figure, causing a serious dispute between the two sides.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains guarded and politically cautious. He does not forgive Qingcheng easily because of his concern for Yang Yuxin and his awareness of how his actions may affect her.
• Guan Shanyue demonstrates strong leadership and discretion. She carefully conceals the true purpose of the gathering and the nature of the painting and Secret Land, while firmly defending Mount Fugu’s interests.
• Yue Yao is portrayed as clever, persistent, opportunistic, and shamelessly inquisitive. His polite and humorous exterior hides an intense desire to uncover valuable treasures.
• Tang Wenji becomes openly hostile toward Yue Yao. Her blunt rejection and implied threat show her confidence, decisiveness, and loyalty to the Daoist side.
• Zhang Dongyuan proves knowledgeable about sectarian personalities and hidden dealings. Although Feng Jun distrusts him, he provides useful information about Yue Yao’s reputation.
• Feng Tianyang takes a firm stance against outsiders, directly refusing Yue Yao’s attempt to join the gathering.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy and ownership: The Daoists want to establish internal agreement over the ownership of the mysterious painting and Secret Land before outsiders or government authorities learn of it.
• Sectarian rivalry: Although Buddhism and Daoism are outwardly harmonious, competition over treasures, influence, and legitimacy remains strong.
• Appearances versus motives: Yue Yao presents himself as a harmless wandering monk, but his behavior reveals a calculated treasure hunter.
• Political and social maneuvering: The characters use politeness, sarcasm, refusal, and implied threats to control access without openly escalating the conflict.
• Trust and resentment: Feng Jun’s unwillingness to overlook Qingcheng’s past involvement reflects the continuing importance of personal loyalty and unresolved grievances.

Character Interactions

• Guan Shanyue and Zhang Dongyuan interact formally but cautiously, with Guan clearly uncomfortable about Qingcheng’s presence.
• Feng Tianyang and Guan Shanyue jointly reject Yue Yao’s attempt to enter the Daoist discussion.
• Yue Yao probes Qiu of South Mountain, Feng Tianyang, and Guan Shanyue for information, but each gives him little.
• Qiu openly mocks Yue Yao’s possible intention to claim the treasure for Buddhism.
• Tang Wenji personally confronts Yue Yao, rejecting both his Buddhist form of address and his presence.
• Zhang Dongyuan later aligns himself with Guan Shanyue and Feng Jun by exposing Yue Yao’s history and motives, even though Feng Jun still does not fully trust him.

Chapter Summary: “Thunder Without End”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Dongyuan hints that Qingcheng Mountain possesses a preserved “treasure,” prompting Guan Shanyue to suspect that the monk Yue Yao may be attempting something underhanded.
• To deter Yue Yao from approaching further, Feng Jun summons lightning with a hand seal, striking him twice. The attacks knock Yue Yao down but deliberately leave him alive.
• Daoist Qiu praises Feng Jun’s Thunder Method, recognizing it as evidence that Feng Jun has reached the Qi Refining Stage and is qualified to establish his own lineage.
• Yue Yao interprets the punishment as a warning. After the second strike, he bows toward the Daoist temple and leaves, though Feng Jun is prepared to strike him again.
• Zhang Caixin asks to use her own Thunderclap Talisman. Feng Jun allows her to do so, and her attack is far more powerful than Feng Jun’s restrained strikes.
• The lightning leaves Yue Yao incapacitated for several minutes. Once he recovers, he performs repeated prostrations and kowtows toward the temple before retreating backward while facing it.
• Guan Shanyue praises Zhang Caixin as Feng Jun’s most promising disciple. Her modest response—that she has not yet reached the Qi Refining Stage—shocks the older cultivators because she has cultivated for less than two years.
• Zhang Dongyuan asks about her spiritual root and constitution, leading to an awkward explanation that Qingcheng’s “spiritual root” system was adapted from web novels as a modern method of evaluating aptitude.
• The chapter concludes with Guan Shanyue explaining that Qingcheng was the Daoist lineage most successful at preserving its heritage, even more so than the Green Mountain Sect.

Character Development

• Feng Jun demonstrates precise control and restraint. Although he could have killed Yue Yao, he uses minimal power to warn and humiliate him rather than cause unnecessary death. He also shows confidence in his disciples by allowing Zhang Caixin to handle the final strike.
• Zhang Caixin gains a chance to prove her abilities publicly. Her powerful Thunderclap Talisman reveals her rapid advancement and growing independence, while her modesty disguises—or perhaps unintentionally emphasizes—how extraordinary her progress is.
• Yue Yao is established as an ordinary, non-cultivating monk who is completely outmatched. His repeated bows, kowtows, and retreat show that he recognizes Feng Jun’s overwhelming power and accepts the warning.
• Zhang Dongyuan is portrayed as pragmatic and innovative. He represents Qingcheng’s willingness to combine traditional cultivation with modern information and even fictional concepts.
• Guan Shanyue acts as an observer and commentator, highlighting Zhang Caixin’s potential and Qingcheng’s historical success.
• Daoist Qiu reveals his worldly experience by interpreting the lightning attacks as a formal warning and explaining the consequences if Yue Yao returns.

Significant Themes

• Power combined with restraint: Feng Jun’s attacks emphasize that true strength includes the ability to control one’s force and choose not to kill.
• The rise of a new generation: Zhang Caixin’s performance suggests that Feng Jun’s disciples may surpass older cultivators and reshape the Daoist world.
• Tradition versus modernization: Qingcheng preserves ancient knowledge while openly incorporating modern ideas, including data collection and concepts borrowed from web fiction.
• Public recognition and legitimacy: Feng Jun’s Thunder Method and Zhang Caixin’s talisman demonstrate the growing influence and credibility of his emerging lineage.
• Humility and hidden superiority: Zhang Caixin speaks modestly about not reaching Qi Refining, yet her rapid progress makes the older cultivators feel inadequate.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Yue Yao: Their confrontation is one-sided. Feng Jun uses lightning to enforce a boundary, while Yue Yao responds with fear, reverence, and submission.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin: Their mentor-disciple relationship is supportive. Feng Jun immediately understands her desire to prove herself and gives her the opportunity to act.
• Zhang Caixin and Guan Shanyue: Guan praises her talent, while Zhang responds politely and modestly.
• Zhang Caixin and Zhang Dongyuan: His questions about her cultivation expose the extraordinary speed of her advancement and lead into Qingcheng’s unconventional spiritual-root theory.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Dongyuan: Their exchange contrasts Feng Jun’s practical skepticism with Qingcheng’s willingness to experiment and learn from modern sources.
• Tang Wenji and the group: Tang ingratiates herself with Feng Jun by lighting his cigarette, prompting Zhang Caixin’s private irritation and adding a small note of rivalry or possessiveness.

Chapter Summary: “Watching the Battle”

Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and the Daoists travel from Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven to a massive bluestone in the back mountains, where a hidden stone gate to a Secret Land can be opened using a scroll and Divine Sense.
• The gate’s appearance astonishes the group. Daoist Qiu compares it to the legendary “Empty Chamber Births White” technique, while Zhang Dongyuan offers a more modern explanation involving spatial distortion.
• Feng Jun warns everyone that two Dust-Free Realm Yin Entities inhabit the Secret Land and announces his intention to confront them.
• Temple Master Guan Shanyue insists on accompanying him, emphasizing her responsibility as the leader of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven. Tang Wenji and several other Daoists also request permission to enter and observe.
• Guan agrees but firmly establishes her authority, ordering everyone to obey her commands. The group enters the Secret Land and discovers that more Nether Bees have appeared since Feng Jun’s previous visit.
• Near the main hall, Feng Jun secretly enters the Phone Plane and retrieves his Flame Armor, which has become usable now that he has reached the Dust-Free Realm. The armor is specifically suited to fighting Yin Entities.
• Guan has the observers hide around a bend and arrange mirrors and cameras so they can watch the battle safely.
• Feng Jun enters the main hall and deliberately approaches the stone wall, provoking the two Yin Entities into attacking.
• He binds one entity with the Immortal-Binding Rope and engages the other with the Stone Mace. However, both entities prove extremely fast and possess powerful long-range attacks, firing freezing baleful-energy arrows.
• Zhang Caixin attempts to assist with a Thunderclap Talisman, but the attack barely affects the Yin Entity. Daoist Qiu explains that these are indeed Yin Ghosts, but their Dust-Free Realm cultivation makes them extraordinarily resistant.
• Realizing ordinary lightning will not be enough, Feng Jun orders Zhang Caixin to retreat and combines three Thunderclap Talismans with a Blazing Flame Talisman. He had previously avoided using fire because it might damage the quality of any Netherworld Pearls dropped by the Yin Entities, but the difficulty of the battle forces him to change tactics.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates confidence and preparation by obtaining specialized Flame Armor and devising a strategy to isolate and defeat the two Yin Entities. His willingness to abandon concerns about preserving the Netherworld Pearls shows that survival and victory have become his priorities.
• Guan Shanyue displays courage, leadership, and political awareness. She insists on joining the battle despite her limited combat ability and uses the expedition to reinforce Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s control over the Secret Land.
• Zhang Caixin shows loyalty and initiative by attempting to aid Feng Jun directly, though her Thunderclap Talisman proves inadequate against a Dust-Free Realm opponent.
• Daoist Qiu establishes himself as knowledgeable and experienced, recognizing the nature of the Yin Entities and placing their power in perspective.
• The assembled Daoists move from curiosity and excitement to shock and caution as they witness the true strength of the Secret Land’s guardians.

Significant Themes

• Tradition and modernization: Qingcheng’s ability to connect Daoist traditions with the Mortal World is praised, while Zhang Dongyuan interprets supernatural phenomena through a semi-scientific framework.
• Authority and territorial control: Guan Shanyue’s strict rules reveal the political importance of the Secret Land and her determination to preserve Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s authority.
• Curiosity versus danger: The Daoists enter primarily to observe, but the encounter quickly demonstrates that the Secret Land is genuinely hazardous.
• Preparation and adaptation: Feng Jun relies on specialized equipment, careful planning, and the ability to revise his strategy when his initial approach fails.
• Limits of conventional power: Lightning, traditionally considered especially effective against Yin Ghosts, proves nearly useless against opponents at the Dust-Free Realm, emphasizing the gap between ordinary and high-level cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun’s warning about the Yin Entities alarms the gathered Daoists, while Guan Shanyue immediately volunteers to accompany him.
• Elder Guo questions whether Guan might hinder Feng Jun, prompting her to assert her experience and confidence.
• Guan then establishes rules for all participants, balancing hospitality with a clear warning that disobedience will not be tolerated.
• Zhang Caixin supports Feng Jun during the fight, but he orders her to retreat once he recognizes the danger.
• Elder Guo and Daoist Qiu debate whether the creatures are truly Yin Ghosts, with Qiu confirming their identity and explaining their exceptional strength.
• The observers’ shared shock as the battle begins reinforces the terrifying power of the two hidden entities.

Chapter Summary: “Where Was the Netherworld Pearl?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun battles two Yin Ghosts guarding the Secret Land. To avoid damaging Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s stone wall, he uses a Dust-Free Realm Blazing Flame Talisman, the Lightning-Calling Technique, and his mace rather than forcibly dragging the ghosts into the Phone Plane.
• The first Yin Ghost is destroyed by the combined fire, lightning, and physical attacks. The second, still restrained by the Immortal-Binding Rope, is quickly beaten apart by Feng Jun’s Profound Origin Blade Technique.
• After the fight, Feng Jun considers whether the Soul-Calming Bell would have made the battle easier, but deliberately avoids using the Mountain-River Seal because its connection to the Walking Seal from Jade Ruins is known to others.
• Guan Shanyue and the Daoist Sect members enter the hall. Feng Jun instructs Zhang Caixin and Cai Xin to lead because they possess his Blood Essence Protective Talismans.
• Several older Daoist members object to the implication that the two young women need protection, offering to go first themselves. Zhang Caixin is pleased by their concern and hints that she and Cai Xin possess defensive treasures.
• The group searches the dim, mist-filled hall for the Netherworld Pearl and other treasures, but finds nothing. Guan Shanyue concludes the empty hall could instead serve as a cultivation area because it is a place of intense yin energy.
• Feng Tianyang notices that part of the stone wall resembles a sealed stone door. Guan Shanyue recognizes it as a place where the authority seal of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven can be inserted.
• Though uncertain whether the others should witness what happens, Guan Shanyue inserts the seal after Feng Jun reassures her that he will protect her. After a short delay, the mechanism activates and swallows the seal.
• A small black shadow in the form of a girl less than a foot tall emerges from the stone wall, leaving the group stunned and setting up the next development.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increased strength, tactical flexibility, and caution. Although he has powerful methods such as spatial travel and the Immortal-Binding Rope, he prioritizes protecting another sect’s Secret Land and avoiding unnecessary damage.
• He also shows awareness of political and social complications, worrying about how ownership of the Netherworld Pearl would be explained and considering how to preserve his reputation.
• Guan Shanyue becomes more trusting of Feng Jun, asking directly for his judgment before activating the authority seal. Her curiosity about the hall’s potential treasures also reveals her responsibility toward her sect.
• Zhang Caixin shows emotional sensitivity and loyalty. She appreciates that the others are willing to protect her and Cai Xin, and she responds with warmth rather than resentment.
• Cai Xin is portrayed as grateful and perceptive, valuing fairness and remembering how others treat her.
• The Daoist Sect members, particularly Daoist Qiu and Zhang Dongyuan, display pride in their abilities and concern for the younger women, while also maintaining respect for Feng Jun.

Significant Themes

• Power versus restraint: Feng Jun possesses methods that could end the battle more quickly, but deliberately limits himself to avoid harming the Secret Land.
• Responsibility and ownership: The chapter emphasizes that discovering a treasure does not automatically establish ownership, especially when it belongs to another sect’s inheritance.
• Trust and cooperation: The group works together despite differing levels of power, and Guan Shanyue ultimately trusts Feng Jun enough to activate a potentially dangerous mechanism.
• Hidden inheritances and mystery: The apparently empty hall conceals a mechanism tied to Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s authority, suggesting that the real secret of the Netherworld Pearl may lie beyond the stone door.
• Gender and protection: The older members’ discomfort at allowing two young women to lead reflects traditional assumptions about strength, while Zhang Caixin and Cai Xin quietly prove they are capable and well protected.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Guan Shanyue cooperate closely, with him offering tactical advice and protection while respecting that the Secret Land belongs to her sect.
• Zhang Caixin and Cai Xin are treated protectively by Feng Jun, prompting Daoist Qiu and Zhang Dongyuan to volunteer for the dangerous position instead.
• Zhang Caixin’s response reveals her growing emotional connection to the group and her appreciation of their goodwill.
• Feng Jun jokes with Zhang Dongyuan about reading webnovels, creating a brief humorous moment amid the tension.
• Guan Shanyue ultimately follows Feng Jun’s encouragement and inserts the seal, after which the mysterious childlike black shadow emerges from the wall.

Chapter Summary: Artifact Spirit Ma Sanniang

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guan Shanyue and Feng Jun encounter the soul-like form of a mysterious little girl inside Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s Secret Land. Guan initially mistakes her for a Yin Ghost, but Feng Jun recognizes that she has no baleful aura.
• The girl criticizes Guan’s newly recreated Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven Seal as a “counterfeit,” then questions why outsiders from other blessed lands and grotto-heavens have entered the Secret Land.
• She identifies herself as “Patriarch Ma” and attempts to command everyone except Guan Shanyue to leave. Feng Jun challenges her authority, revealing that she is merely an artifact spirit and warning her not to provoke him.
• After negotiating, the girl allows Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin to remain, while the other cultivators withdraw. Zhang Caixin makes clear that Luohua follows Feng Jun rather than outsiders’ orders.
• Ma Sanniang eventually reveals that she is not truly a living patriarch but a clone and artifact spirit connected to the Secret Land. Her original body was the Ma Sanniang depicted in the painting outside.
• She explains the history of the Secret Land: Ma Sanniang’s mother obtained a powerful treasure and intended to refine it into Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s mountain-protecting treasure. Ma Sanniang used her Clone Technique to refine it, died before her mother, and became the treasure’s artifact spirit.
• Because Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven later produced no new Dust-Free Realm cultivators, the treasure could not safely be revealed. Ma Sanniang instead raised two Yin Ghosts to strengthen the sect’s defenses.
• The Yin Ghosts eventually rebelled, grew stronger, and cultivated their own Dust-Free Realm subordinates, including the Netherworld Wolf and Nether Serpent. Ma Sanniang became locked in a prolonged struggle with them over control of the Secret Land.
• Feng Jun and his companions’ earlier victories over the Yin Ghosts and their subordinates have eliminated the Secret Land’s internal threat. Ma Sanniang can now control the secret treasure again.
• Guan Shanyue realizes that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven effectively possesses a hidden Dust-Free Realm master. She asks what the treasure is, but Ma Sanniang first questions whether Feng Jun can be trusted not to covet it.
• Feng Jun dismisses the concern, claiming his own wealth is far greater than anything in the Secret Land, and offers to leave if Guan Shanyue doubts him.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates confidence, strength, and sharp judgment. He immediately sees through Ma Sanniang’s patriarchal posturing, recognizes her true nature, and establishes himself as someone she cannot casually command. Despite his arrogance, he has remained to protect Guan Shanyue from the Yin Ghosts.
• Guan Shanyue: Acts cautiously and respectfully toward Ma Sanniang because of her connection to Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven. She shows strong leadership by explaining the sect’s decline and carefully weighing whether obeying Ma Sanniang is safe. Her discovery that the sect possesses a hidden Dust-Free Realm ancestor greatly changes her understanding of Fugu’s situation.
• Zhang Caixin: Displays loyalty to Feng Jun and Luohua, refusing to obey Ma Sanniang automatically. Her exceptional aptitude also impresses Ma Sanniang.
• Ma Sanniang: Evolves from an arrogant, mysterious “patriarch” into a tragic and complicated guardian. She is revealed to be a deceased genius whose clone became the artifact spirit of the Secret Land. Her efforts to protect Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven ultimately led to the creation of powerful Yin Ghosts that turned against her.
• The Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven lineage: Is shown to have declined severely, lacking Dust-Free Realm successors and failing to support Ma Sanniang for many years. Their survival has depended on the hidden treasure and Ma Sanniang’s continued presence.

Significant Themes

• Decline and inheritance: Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s former glory has faded, leaving Ma Sanniang to preserve its legacy alone while later generations fail to match their ancestors.
• The cost of protection: Ma Sanniang created the Yin Ghosts to defend the sect, but they eventually became its greatest threat, showing how protective measures can produce unintended disasters.
• Identity and legitimacy: The dispute over whether the girl is a patriarch, clone, or artifact spirit reflects questions about what remains of a person after death and whether an artifact spirit can legitimately represent an ancestral founder.
• Trust and authority: Ma Sanniang tries to control the group through her ancestral status, while Feng Jun challenges her authority. The final issue centers on whether she can trust Feng Jun with knowledge of the secret treasure.
• Power and responsibility: Feng Jun’s strength gives him the ability to seize or threaten the treasure, but he presents himself as a protector rather than an opportunist. The chapter tests whether power can be used without exploitation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun repeatedly clashes verbally with Ma Sanniang, exposing her bluff and forcing her to acknowledge that she is an artifact spirit.
• Guan Shanyue treats Ma Sanniang with reverence as an ancestral figure, while Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin remain more skeptical and independent.
• Zhang Caixin openly prioritizes Feng Jun and Luohua’s authority over Ma Sanniang’s commands, reinforcing her loyalty to her own group.
• Ma Sanniang recognizes Zhang Caixin’s talent and reluctantly accommodates Feng Jun after realizing that she cannot compel him to leave.
• Guan Shanyue serves as the mediator between the ancient artifact spirit and the modern cultivators, defending Feng Jun while also seeking Ma Sanniang’s guidance for Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven.
• The chapter ends with Ma Sanniang and Feng Jun locked in a cautious negotiation over trust, access, and the identity of the Secret Land’s powerful treasure.

Chapter Summary: “Small World”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guan Shanyue declares her trust in Feng Jun, despite Ma Sanniang’s concern over whether he should remain involved.
• Ma Sanniang reveals that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s secret treasure is actually a Small World, shocking Feng Jun and Guan Shanyue. Such a treasure could attract Gold Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Feng Jun insists that he will not compromise his Dao heart or principles for the Small World, though he privately recognizes its value and understands that Ma Sanniang needs his cooperation.
• Ma Sanniang proposes an alliance: Luohua disciples may enter the Small World for training in exchange for Spirit Stones.
• She admits that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven is desperately short of Spirit Stones and asks Feng Jun for one hundred. Feng Jun refuses to simply give them to her, arguing that cooperation should be a fair exchange.
• Ma Sanniang points out that Feng Jun killed the Netherworld Wolf, Nether Serpent, and two Yin Ghosts, implying that he owes Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven compensation because he obtained the valuable Netherworld Pearls.
• Feng Jun counters that he earned the pearls by defeating the enemies and saving Ma Sanniang, and that he could have demanded the entire Small World if he were truly greedy.
• Guan Shanyue supports Feng Jun, emphasizing the immense favor he has done for Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven and the desperate conditions of the current era.
• A compromise is reached: Feng Jun will provide Spirit Stones in exchange for Luohua disciples’ access to the Small World, though the exact arrangement depends on the world’s resources and environment.
• Ma Sanniang privately questions Guan Shanyue about the current state of the Eight Desolations. She learns that Feng Jun may be the only surviving Dust-Free Realm cultivator, that Jade Ruins has likely lost its own Venerables, and that the Xianlai lineage has apparently been severed.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates confidence, negotiation skill, and strong principles. He refuses to exploit an ally by force but also refuses to be treated as someone who can be freely demanded from. He subtly uses Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s dependence on Spirit Stones to secure a favorable agreement.
• Ma Sanniang is revealed to be pragmatic and resource-starved despite her former status. Her attitude toward Feng Jun softens; she treats him with greater respect after realizing his strength and importance. She also displays anxiety over protecting the Small World and preserving her sect’s future.
• Guan Shanyue becomes increasingly loyal to Feng Jun and acts as a mediator. She recognizes that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven must maintain a good relationship with him, especially now that he may be the strongest cultivator in the region.
• Zhang Caixin continues to show confidence in her own talent, humorously objecting when Feng Jun claims she might need ten years to reach the Dust-Free Realm.
• Ma Sanniang’s reflections reveal her loneliness and complicated state as an existence that is neither fully human nor ghost, despite having survived for a thousand years.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and survival: The Dharma-Ending Era has depleted spiritual energy and resources, making Spirit Stones extremely valuable and forcing sects to negotiate for survival.
• Power and diplomacy: The Small World has immense strategic value, but openly possessing it could invite disaster. Alliances and mutual dependence are safer than relying solely on strength.
• Fairness and entitlement: Feng Jun distinguishes between compensation earned through effort and resources demanded merely because someone believes they are owed them.
• Decline of civilization and sects: Once-powerful lineages and cultivation forces have weakened or disappeared, leaving only a few Dust-Free cultivators and making ancient treasures especially dangerous.
• Long-term ambition: Feng Jun’s refusal to be distracted by the Small World reflects his larger goal of advancing beyond the Gold Core realm.
• Legacy and impermanence: Ma Sanniang’s memories of former Venerables, the decline of Xianlai, and her own transformed existence emphasize how dramatically the cultivation world has deteriorated.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Ma Sanniang engage in a tense but ultimately productive negotiation, balancing suspicion, pride, and mutual necessity.
• Guan Shanyue openly sides with Feng Jun, indirectly pressuring Ma Sanniang to moderate her demands.
• Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin share a brief, teasing exchange that highlights their familiar teacher-disciple relationship.
• After Feng Jun and Zhang Caixin leave, Ma Sanniang questions Guan Shanyue privately, revealing her fear that the Small World could attract powerful enemies and her concern about the remaining strength of the Eight Desolations.

Chapter Summary: Spirit Beast Garden

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun exits the newly opened Secret Land during a light mountain rain. The gathered cultivators, including Feng Tianyang, Zhang Dongyuan, Tang Wenji, Elder Guo, and the little Daoist nun, are waiting to question him about what occurred inside.
• Feng Jun eases the awkward atmosphere by producing a parasol and chair, then explains that the Secret Land may contain an awakened artifact spirit. He emphasizes that naturally formed artifact spirits can possess exceptional growth potential.
• Tang Wenji worries that the mysterious entity associated with the Secret Land might harm Guan Shanyue because of its connection to Yin Ghosts. Feng Jun dismisses the concern and advises everyone not to pry into matters Guan Shanyue is unwilling to reveal.
• Guan Shanyue emerges after privately consulting with the entity inside. She gives the others a deliberately vague explanation: the Secret Land is a treasure of Mount Fugu whose artifact spirit has awakened, making it suitable for cultivation.
• The cultivators press her for details and suggest that such a resource should be shared or exchanged. Guan Shanyue firmly refuses to promise access, warning them against coveting Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s treasure.
• The discussion broadens into a debate about cooperation and resource exchange among Daoist sects during the Dharma-Ending Era. Zhang Dongyuan argues that communication and exchange are especially important in the modern age.
• Guan Shanyue finally reveals that the Secret Land is actually a Spirit Beast Garden left by Mount Fugu’s patriarch. It contains many ancient beasts, though she has not yet explored it fully.
• She further discloses that the artifact spirit has reached the Dust-Free Realm and that a few of the beasts are at the Mortal Transcendence—or Qi Nurturing—level and can use spells. This excites Feng Jun, who sees them as useful trials for his people.
• As the rain intensifies, the group retreats to the Daoist temple’s guest courtyards. Guan Shanyue hosts a dinner featuring game, but Feng Jun prevents her from serving alcohol and instead offers Spirit Rice as a congratulatory gift.
• In private, Guan Shanyue reveals that the Secret Land’s opening depended largely on negotiations between herself and Feng Jun. Her patriarch had contemptuously regarded everyone except Luohua as insignificant, prompting Feng Jun to caution her against insulting fellow practitioners.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates calm authority, social tact, and generosity. He manages the group’s discomfort, protects Guan Shanyue from excessive questioning, and offers valuable Spirit Rice. His interest in the Spirit Beast Garden also shows his focus on practical benefits and training opportunities.
• Guan Shanyue becomes more assertive and politically minded. She guards Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s secrets, negotiates from a position of strength, and seeks to establish her sect’s importance through the newly awakened treasure.
• Tang Wenji reveals concern for Guan Shanyue and frustration at having been excluded from the Secret Land’s inner events. She also advocates for resource sharing by citing Green Mountain Sect’s own public Spirit Spring and Spirit-Gathering Array.
• Zhang Dongyuan takes a measured, diplomatic position. He supports broader cooperation and reminds everyone that Qingcheng possesses resources worth exchanging.
• Daoist Qiu acts as an aggressive but pragmatic negotiator, repeatedly pushing Guan Shanyue for information while framing his demands as reasonable exchange rather than seizure.
• Elder Guo shows immediate interest in the Spirit Beast Garden because he himself possesses a Spirit Plant Garden.
• Feng Tianyang serves as a tactful mediator, first correcting Feng Jun’s terminology about high-level beasts and later avoiding conflict with both Guan Shanyue and Tang Wenji.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy versus cooperation: Guan Shanyue insists that ownership gives her the right to control access, while others argue that Daoist prosperity depends on sharing and exchange.
• The changing Daoist world: The characters recognize that the Dharma-Ending Era and modern information age make isolation increasingly impractical. Reputation, influence, and “traffic” are treated as important sources of power.
• Power, status, and diplomacy: Guan Shanyue intimidates the group by revealing the artifact spirit’s Dust-Free Realm strength, while Feng Jun’s authority helps protect her from overt pressure.
• Adaptation to scarcity: The ability of Blue Star’s beasts to conserve and efficiently use spiritual energy reflects how living beings adapt to a spiritually depleted environment.
• Practical cultivation: Feng Jun views dangerous Spirit Beasts not merely as treasures but as training tools capable of tempering cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Guan Shanyue share a relationship of mutual trust and negotiation. He publicly supports her right to guard the Secret Land, while she seeks his opinion and acknowledges his importance.
• Tang Wenji challenges Guan Shanyue’s secrecy but ultimately frames her concern as protection rather than greed.
• Guan Shanyue and Daoist Qiu engage in a verbal negotiation: he presses for access and information, while she warns that her resources cannot be demanded.
• Zhang Dongyuan positions Qingcheng as a potential trade partner, helping shift the discussion from entitlement to mutually beneficial exchange.
• Feng Jun quietly corrects Guan Shanyue’s contemptuous attitude toward the other sects, reinforcing his preference for maintaining goodwill among fellow cultivators.

Chapter Summary: “Buying Shares”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun hosts a banquet at Luohua Manor, where his Spirit Rice astonishes the visiting cultivators. Zhang Dongyuan, familiar with Qingcheng Mountain’s rare Celestial Master Rice, declares Feng Jun’s rice even more spiritually potent.
• The guests enthusiastically consume the rice and later drink Daoist Master Qiu’s century-old liquor and Feng Jun’s specially blended Spirit Wine. Guan Shanyue secretly stores large quantities of rice and wine in her bamboo basket for her ancestor, Ma Sanniang.
• As the drinking continues, Daoist Master Qiu proposes forming a mutual-aid organization for the various Daoist branches. Zhang Dongyuan and Tang Wenji oppose creating a formal organization, fearing that clearly defined rules and structures would attract unwanted attention from the authorities.
• Elder Guo encourages Feng Jun to let Luohua Manor participate. Feng Jun initially doubts that such an alliance would benefit him, but he realizes that ancient Daoist lineages may still possess valuable artifacts and resources. He therefore agrees to support the idea if it is genuinely mutually beneficial.
• The banquet is replaced with tea and group discussions. Since Luohua Manor possesses considerable power and resources, the other cultivators focus heavily on winning Feng Jun’s support.
• Feng Jun discovers that Ma Sanniang is absorbing Spirit Wine through the bamboo basket. He gives Guan Shanyue a Spirit Stone for her ancestor, prompting Ma Sanniang to express her gratitude.
• Guan Shanyue invites Feng Jun to visit Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s small world after Ma Sanniang adjusts its restrictions. She hopes to allow other cultivators to enter and help strengthen the isolated and weakened Daoist branch.
• Feng Jun objects that Luohua Manor would bear the burden of supplying Spirit Stones while others enjoy access to the small world. To ensure fair compensation, he proposes “buying shares” in the small world and receiving a proportionate share of its future output.
• Ma Sanniang reacts angrily, accusing Feng Jun of trying to seize Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s treasure. Feng Jun dismisses her outrage and insists that he is proposing a practical business arrangement rather than taking control.
• The chapter ends with the two sides preparing for a private negotiation over ownership, access, resources, and authority.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more commercially minded and strategic. Rather than simply donating Spirit Stones, he seeks a formal stake in the small world, showing that he intends to protect Luohua Manor’s interests and secure long-term returns.
• Ma Sanniang is revealed to be a powerful but proud Dust-Free Realm cultivator with an old-fashioned understanding of sect authority. She is grateful for Spirit Stones but deeply offended by Feng Jun’s proposal to treat her magical artifact and Daoist lineage as an investment.
• Guan Shanyue acts as the intermediary between Feng Jun and Ma Sanniang. She recognizes Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s dependence on outside support and tries to negotiate cooperation while also understanding Feng Jun’s concerns about fairness.
• Zhang Dongyuan appears calm and moderate but privately recognizes the enormous significance of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s artifact spirit. He realizes that the branch may now rival or surpass major Daoist powers in combat strength.
• Daoist Master Qiu is sociable and enthusiastic, proposing broader cooperation among the Daoist sects, though his ideas are less cautious than Zhang Dongyuan’s.
• Elder Guo shows himself to be perceptive and politically shrewd, deliberately encouraging Feng Jun to join the alliance because Luohua Manor’s participation would greatly increase its value.
• Guan Shanyue’s ancestor, Ma Sanniang, gains greater importance as the artifact spirit of the Spirit Beast Garden. Her Dust-Free Realm cultivation makes Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven a formidable force despite its historical weakness.

Significant Themes

• Mutual benefit versus exploitation: Feng Jun insists that cooperation must not become one-sided charity. His demand for shares reflects the need to balance investment, risk, and reward.
• Ancient resources and hidden legacies: Feng Jun realizes that modern cultivators may be poor in spiritual energy but could still possess treasures inherited from a much stronger ancient Daoist era.
• Power shifts within the Daoist world: Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven, formerly weak and remote, becomes a major force because of its artifact spirit. Its sudden rise changes the balance among the Daoist branches.
• Tradition versus modern commerce: Ma Sanniang thinks in terms of lineage, authority, and unified command, while Feng Jun applies concepts of ownership, equity, and business partnership to cultivation resources.
• Caution toward formal organizations: Several characters fear that openly establishing a Daoist alliance with rules and structure would draw official scrutiny. Cooperation is acceptable, but institutionalization is dangerous.
• Resources as a source of influence: Spirit Rice, Spirit Wine, and Spirit Stones are not merely luxuries; they determine relationships, strengthen cultivation, and give Feng Jun significant negotiating power.

Character Interactions

• Feng Tianyang humorously urges Daoist Master Qiu to eat more Spirit Rice, while Qiu complains that his digestion limits him.
• Guan Shanyue repeatedly corrects others who call Feng Jun “Master Feng,” insisting that he be addressed as “Immortal Feng.”
• Elder Guo pressures Feng Jun to support the proposed Daoist mutual-aid arrangement, recognizing that Luohua Manor’s involvement is essential.
• Feng Jun privately communicates with Guan Shanyue about Ma Sanniang’s behavior and provides the Spirit Stone, creating a moment of reluctant cooperation and gratitude.
• Guan Shanyue tries to persuade Feng Jun to support opening Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven to outside cultivators, while Feng Jun challenges the fairness of the arrangement.
• Zhang Dongyuan and Daoist Master Qiu observe the developing private negotiation and recognize that Feng Jun and Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven are the true decision-makers.
• The final confrontation between Feng Jun and Ma Sanniang establishes the central conflict: Feng Jun wants an equitable investment, while Ma Sanniang views the proposal as an insult to the authority and integrity of her Daoist lineage.

Summary of “Small World Trial”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun, Ma Sanniang, and Guan Shanyue negotiate how Luohua and Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven will share access to the Small World.
• Feng Jun argues that Luohua deserves substantial recognition because its Spirit Stones are essential to keeping the Small World operational. He rejects the idea that all contributors should receive equal shares.
• Guan Shanyue supports his position, emphasizing that Luohua contributes not only valuable resources but the Small World’s necessary power source.
• Ma Sanniang eventually agrees to let Guan Shanyue oversee the arrangement, acknowledging that Guan helped free her and that Luohua does not seek a controlling stake.
• The parties decide to enter the Small World first before finalizing Luohua’s exact investment and share percentage.
• Feng Jun insists on retaining the right to exclude certain factions, specifically Dragon-Phoenix Mountain and Jade Sect Mountain. He is willing to allow Qingcheng because he has a favorable impression of Zhang Dongyuan.
• Feng Jun offers ten Spirit Stones so invited Daoist cultivators can inspect the Small World the following day. Ma Sanniang initially demands more, hoping to recover the Small World’s accumulated operating losses.
• Their negotiation nearly collapses when Feng Jun refuses to subsidize those past losses and threatens to abandon the cooperation entirely.
• Ma Sanniang then reveals a crucial limitation: the Small World only permits cultivators below the Dust-Free Realm to enter, and its strongest inhabitants are merely early Qi Refining-stage demon cultivators.
• She also explains that the Small World may once have been a grotto-heaven connected to Danxia Mountain, possibly one of the legendary ancient grotto-heavens.
• Feng Jun asks whether other grotto-heavens still exist, but Ma Sanniang has no definite answer, naming the East Sea Water Palace as the last grotto-heaven mentioned in legend.
• When Feng Jun asks whether Luohua’s Mortal Transcendence Eighth Layer disciples will be safe, Ma Sanniang refuses to guarantee their survival. She explains that the Small World is a genuine trial ground, though powerful Talismans can greatly improve their chances. At least one member of the group is expected to survive.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates his pragmatic and possessive approach to resources. He is generous with Spirit Stones when doing so does not threaten his monopoly, but he refuses to let others dictate their value or exploit his investment.
• He also reveals a strong dislike of Dragon-Phoenix Mountain and Jade Sect Mountain, while showing that personal impressions influence his political decisions regarding Qingcheng.
• Ma Sanniang gradually shifts from defending Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s interests to accepting cooperation with Luohua. Her concern for recovering from a thousand years of losses exposes both her financial desperation and her attachment to the Small World.
• Her late disclosure about the Small World’s entry restrictions makes her appear either poorly informed or overly cautious, frustrating Feng Jun and changing the significance of the proposed trial.
• Guan Shanyue acts as the main mediator. She translates Feng Jun’s position into terms Ma Sanniang can accept and recognizes when Feng Jun’s authority is useful for dealing with influential Daoist factions.

Significant Themes

• Resource control and monopoly: The discussion centers on who provides the Small World’s power and who therefore deserves control. Feng Jun’s broader strategy is to maintain his monopoly over Spirit Stones.
• Cooperation versus ownership: The characters must balance shared access with unequal contributions, especially when multiple factions want to benefit from the Small World.
• Pragmatism and political influence: Access cannot be determined solely by fairness; the factions’ influence and ability to create enemies also matter.
• Investment and long-term cultivation: Feng Jun accepts that cultivation projects may require losses, but he rejects investments that become irrational or excessively burdensome.
• Ancient inheritances and lost civilizations: The Small World may be connected to the legendary grotto-heavens, suggesting that forgotten ancient legacies still exist and may shape the present.
• Trials and survival: The Small World is not merely a resource or tourist attraction but a dangerous testing ground in which cultivators must prepare for genuine loss.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Ma Sanniang repeatedly clash over Spirit Stones, investment, and authority. Their exchange becomes openly confrontational when Ma Sanniang asks for more than Feng Jun considers reasonable.
• Guan Shanyue mediates between them, persuading Ma Sanniang to accept Luohua’s terms while also explaining why Feng Jun should handle politically sensitive exclusions.
• Ma Sanniang claims she can control access herself as the Small World’s artifact spirit, but Guan explains that Feng Jun’s independent authority makes him better suited to oppose powerful factions.
• Feng Jun’s final questions about the disciples’ survival expose the practical consequences of Ma Sanniang’s revelations: the planned visit will involve real danger, not merely an inspection of the Small World.

Chapter Summary: “Those Who Teach Others”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun learns that the Small World trial will not kill everyone, easing his concern for the participants. Although he wants to protect his people—especially the women—he believes they must still undergo challenges and gain experience.
• The visiting Daoists remain at Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven after hearing that Feng Jun will spend ten Spirit Stones to open the Spirit Beast Garden. Temple Master Guan delays the visit for a day while Ma Sanniang stabilizes and repairs the Small World.
• Feng Jun draws Talismans for the upcoming trial. Daoist Qiu exchanges a Swift Movement Talisman for a Thunderclap Talisman, while Feng Tianyang purchases a Golden Armor Talisman. Feng refuses to sell him a second one, emphasizing its value as a life-saving item.
• Dong Zenghong of the Gugui Lineage arrives after learning about the Spirit Beast Garden from Feng Tianyang. Though initially casual and somewhat disrespectful toward Guan Shanyue, he properly asks Feng Jun for permission to join the excursion. Feng agrees after Dong confirms he has not spread the information.
• The next morning, the group enters the Bluestone Secret Land. Guan Shanyue activates the stone gate using the steward’s seal and ten Spirit Stones. Feng Jun again cannot enter, confirming that only selected participants are permitted.
• Feng secretly equips Zhang Caixin with low-grade Talismans and Storage Talismans, and instructs her and Tang Wenji to remain together inside the Small World so their martial and Daoist abilities can complement each other.
• Feng waits outside for several days, becoming increasingly impatient. Ma Sanniang explains that the trial will take roughly two more days and argues that allowing the participants to learn more will make future cooperation more effective.
• While Guan Shanyue and the others are absent, officials from the Antiquities Appraisal Bureau visit Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven. They claim to be investigating reports of unearthed cultural relics, but their promise merely to “register” them implies that they may eventually attempt to seize them.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to act as a protective but pragmatic leader. He wants to shield his companions but recognizes that excessive protection would prevent them from growing. His preparation of supplies for Zhang Caixin shows his care, while his willingness to let the trial proceed demonstrates trust in their abilities.
• Zhang Caixin and Tang Wenji are positioned as a cooperative pair. Their different cultivation paths give them complementary strengths, and Feng Jun deliberately improves their chances of survival without publicly favoring them.
• Feng Tianyang shows his closeness to Feng Jun by approaching him for Talismans and notifying Dong Zenghong about the Spirit Beast Garden.
• Dong Zenghong demonstrates both independence and social awareness. He begins with a joking, slightly dismissive attitude toward Guan Shanyue but quickly adjusts, respectfully seeking Feng Jun’s permission and acknowledging the proper hierarchy.
• Guan Shanyue grows more comfortable acting as a representative of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven. She uses Feng Jun’s support to strengthen the temple’s prestige and deterrent power, while still deferring to him on matters involving the Spirit Beast Garden.
• Ma Sanniang remains focused on repairing and managing the Small World. She also thinks strategically, viewing the trial as a way to assess potential partners and prepare for future cooperation.
• Feng Jun is also shown as impatient and restless when separated from his companions, revealing that beneath his confidence he remains deeply concerned for their safety.

Significant Themes

• Protection versus personal growth: Feng Jun believes that people must face danger and hardship rather than be treated as helpless dependents.
• Power, status, and cooperation: The Spirit Beast Garden serves not only as an attraction but also as a demonstration of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s connection with Feng Jun and Luohua Manor.
• The value of life and wealth: The discussion of the Golden Armor Talisman highlights how survival tools are priced according to people’s ability to pay, raising the contrast between human equality and social inequality.
• Trust and controlled secrecy: The Small World and Spirit Beast Garden are carefully guarded secrets. Access depends on relationships, loyalty, and proper etiquette, while information spreads selectively through trusted networks.
• Institutional claims over private inheritance: The officials’ visit introduces tension between the Daoist temple’s spiritual and cultural ownership and the government’s authority over unearthed relics.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Daoist Qiu exchange Talismans, showing mutual benefit rather than one-sided dependence.
• Feng Jun helps Feng Tianyang but refuses his request for another Golden Armor Talisman, balancing generosity with caution.
• Guan Shanyue and Dong Zenghong trade pointed remarks, reflecting the tension between formal respect and genuine allegiance.
• Dong’s respectful appeal to Feng Jun, followed by Guan’s approval, reinforces Feng Jun’s central authority while preserving Guan’s role as host.
• Feng Jun privately prepares Zhang Caixin and Tang Wenji for the trial, emphasizing his close concern for them.
• Ma Sanniang challenges Feng Jun’s impatience by defending the trial’s strategic value.
• The officials’ confrontation with the temple staff foreshadows a broader conflict over Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s discoveries and secrets.