Recaps

After dying as an impoverished dock laborer, Su Li received a reincarnation trait that made him exceptionally handsome and returned to the moment he first arrived in the Orenda Kingdom. He recognized that guards were about to arrest him again and moved quickly to avoid repeating his old life.

• Su Li died in Grey Gull Port after fifty years of labor and received an F-rated life evaluation.
• The reincarnation system awarded Su Li the permanent trait Sword Brows Starry Eyes.
• The system sent Su Li back to the moment he first arrived in the Orenda Kingdom.
• Su Li awoke young on the shore and remembered that guards would soon arrest him.
• Hearing approaching boots, Su Li moved quickly as the guards neared.

Su Li discarded his modern clothes, evaded Orenda Kingdom guards, and disguised himself in rags while seeking food in Grey Gull Port. At an abandoned reservoir, he discovered that his F-rank Sword Brows Starry Eyes trait had transformed his appearance.

• Su Li tied stones into his modern clothes and threw the bundle into the sea.
• Su Li hid naked behind a reef while two Orenda Kingdom guards patrolled nearby, then escaped once they left.
• Su Li searched Grey Gull Port's garbage heap, found ragged clothing, and disguised himself with mud as a homeless man.
• Several women noticed Su Li as he passed, whispering about his profile and making him hurry away.
• Su Li washed the mud from his face at an abandoned reservoir and saw that Sword Brows Starry Eyes had given him striking beauty.

Su Li entered Dark Alley to obtain a fake Resident ID, hoping to survive in Grey Gull Port without official papers. He found Old Jack, who immediately recognized him as an undocumented stowaway and asked whether he wanted an ID.

• Su Li decided that official identification was impossible without money or noble guarantors, so he set out for Dark Alley.
• Su Li followed directions through the sewers and emerged into Dark Alley, where he covered his face to avoid drawing attention.
• Su Li's striking appearance and confident gaze made the suspicious residents hesitate as he searched for Old Jack.
• Su Li found Old Jack and removed his face covering when ordered.
• Old Jack deduced that Su Li was an illegal stowaway and asked if he wanted a Resident ID, and Su Li sat down without pretending otherwise.

Su Li negotiated with Old Jack for a legal identity but could not afford the fifty Gold Coins Old Jack demanded. Old Jack offered him a way to earn the papers by receiving ten masked visits from wealthy women, leaving Su Li weighing an unexpected job.

• Old Jack demanded fifty Gold Coins to arrange a high-status identity for Su Li.
• Su Li rejected the price and pretended he would return to carrying loads at the docks, but Old Jack called him back.
• Old Jack admitted he knew Su Li had no money and proposed that he work off the cost with his looks.
• Old Jack offered Su Li free identification if he washed, dressed up, wore a mask, and received ten guests without speaking or removing it.
• Old Jack explained that wealthy noble widows and merchants' wives would visit and might touch Su Li, leaving him stunned by the proposed work.

Su Li agreed to become the star attraction of a high-end club, and Old Jack prepared him for the role after seeing his transformed appearance. The chapter left Su Li accepting a dramatic false identity as an Eastern prince seeking funds to reclaim his destroyed country.

• Su Li chose the fifty Gold Coins over his pride and agreed to Old Jack's deal.
• Su Li bathed, dressed in Old Jack's silk robes, and admired his newly optimized appearance.
• Old Jack was stunned by Su Li's appearance and asked if he was an Easterner.
• Old Jack decided Su Li could earn more by posing as an exiled Eastern prince whose country had been destroyed by an evil dragon.
• Su Li accepted Old Jack's backstory about seeking funds to restore his country.

Su Li taught Old Jack to use chopsticks, convincing him that Su Li was a noble from the East. They went to the wealthy district’s Golden Wheat Ear restaurant to carry out Old Jack’s plan, and a doorman let them in after being intimidated by Su Li’s presence.

• Old Jack tried to teach Su Li noble dining etiquette, but Su Li dismissed his knife-and-fork lesson.
• Su Li made chopsticks from firewood and demonstrated how deftly he could use them, persuading Old Jack to adopt the custom for their noble act.
• Old Jack dressed in a velvet coat and fake gemstone ring, then led hooded Su Li from Dark Alley through Grey Gull Port’s wealthy district.
• At Golden Wheat Ear, the doorman recognized Old Jack but opened the doors after Su Li’s calm gaze unnerved him.
• Old Jack chose a window seat in the restaurant, and a waiter approached with a menu.

Old Jack ordered Su Li a cheap vegetable meal at the Golden Wheat Ear Restaurant, disguising his frugality as an Eastern Imperial Court health recipe. Su Li’s elegant manners captivated the young noblewomen, while a wealthy widow began scrutinizing him.

• Old Jack rejected the expensive menu and ordered shredded potatoes, cabbage, and diced beef, claiming the dishes came from a secret recipe.
• Su Li ate the meager meal with polished manners, making the shabby food seem refined.
• Young noblewomen admired Su Li’s looks, hands, and graceful use of chopsticks.
• Old Jack quietly celebrated how Su Li’s appearance and setting made him seem mysterious and noble.
• A wealthy widow in a dark purple gown studied Su Li and remarked that his face was unfamiliar.

The Purple-Skirted Lady recognized the red string on Old Jack’s wrist as a sign that Su Li was for sale and went to the kitchen to pursue a private deal. After Old Jack drove off a young noblewoman who approached Su Li, a bell rang from the kitchen and Old Jack hurried away, telling Su Li to keep his composure and not respond to anyone.

• The Purple-Skirted Lady and her companion recognized Old Jack’s red wrist-string as a mark that Su Li was available for a special service.
• The Purple-Skirted Lady went to the kitchen to make a private arrangement, while Su Li ignored her as she passed.
• A girl from the Baron of South City’s family asked Su Li for his name, but Old Jack insulted her and sent her away.
• Old Jack explained that rejecting the girl protected Su Li’s aloof reputation and dismissed her as too poor to be worth the trouble.
• A bell rang from the kitchen, and Old Jack hurried off after warning Su Li not to speak to anyone and to keep his composure.

Old Jack secured Lady Charlotte’s sponsorship for Su Li in exchange for bringing him to Red Maple Manor that evening, where he was expected to entertain her. Su Li accepted the plan, hoping to obtain a legitimate Resident ID, and prepared by eating and bathing.

• Old Jack met Lady Charlotte, who agreed to arrange a Resident ID for Su Li if he came to Red Maple Manor that night.
• Old Jack returned to the restaurant, paid the bill extravagantly, and told Su Li the deal had succeeded.
• Su Li recognized Lady Charlotte’s name and agreed to go to her manor to secure the ID.
• Old Jack warned Su Li to maintain the persona of a cold, melancholic fallen prince and told him a carriage would collect him that evening.
• Su Li asked for proper food, and Old Jack brought him meat pies before telling him to bathe and wash away the restaurant’s smell.

Su Li went to Red Maple Manor to earn a Resident ID, only to discover Lady Charlotte had invited two other women to join them. After surviving the night and returning to Dark Alley, he received the ID and considered what to do next.

• Old Jack sent Su Li to Red Maple Manor to serve Lady Charlotte and reminded him to keep quiet and work hard.
• After bathing and waiting in Lady Charlotte's bedroom, Su Li found Lady Charlotte accompanied by two other women and agreed to face them together.
• Su Li left Red Maple Manor the next morning in pain and returned to the lower district.
• Old Jack gave Su Li a Resident ID bearing his name, portrait, and the City Hall seal.
• Su Li thanked Old Jack and said he would not seek another wealthy woman to keep him.

Su Li learned that becoming a knight required wealth, noble connections, and a Breathing Method, but an armored force suddenly raided Dark Alley and targeted him. The chapter ended with a knight killing Old Jack and advancing on Su Li.

• Su Li asked Old Jack about knights and mages, and Old Jack explained that knight training required thousands of Gold Coins and a noble family's Breathing Method while dismissing mages as rumors.
• Su Li resolved to find a way to obtain a Breathing Method, but noticed that Dark Alley had gone quiet and heard soldiers in armor outside.
• Su Li and Old Jack tried to flee as soldiers announced a purge of Dark Alley and blasted their door inward.
• An armored knight found Su Li, identifying him as an Easterner with distinctive features, and ordered his attendants to act.
• The knight beheaded Old Jack when he tried to plead, then approached Su Li with his sword.

After Lady Charlotte’s knight killed him, Su Li’s reincarnation evaluation revealed that he had fathered three children and rewarded him with the [Introvert] trait. Reborn at the Orenda Kingdom’s shore, Su Li used the trait to evade the patrol and set off for the city to find clothes.

• A knight killed Su Li and dismissed him as a commoner who should have stayed away from nobles.
• The reincarnation screen rated Su Li’s short life, revealed that Lady Charlotte and two other women had conceived his children, and awarded him the [Introvert] trait.
• Su Li returned to his arrival point on the beach and buried his modern clothes in a mud pit before the patrol arrived.
• Su Li activated [Introvert] and crouched beside the reef as the guards passed within two meters without noticing him.
• Su Li left the beach and headed toward the city to find clothes.

Su Li stole clothes and boots, then slipped out of Grey Gull Port by hiding in Old Pete’s wagon. He headed toward the countryside, hoping to live a quiet life far from the dangers of the city.

• Su Li used [Introvert] to steal clothes and boots from a balcony, then decided to leave Grey Gull Port for the countryside.
• Su Li found the land gate heavily guarded and realized he could not pass without a Resident ID.
• Su Li watched Old Pete bribe a guard to let his wagon of barrels through the gate and seized the chance to hide among them.
• A guard questioned the wagon’s heavy wheels, but another dismissed the concern, and Old Pete drove out of the city with Su Li concealed aboard.
• Su Li celebrated his escape, said goodbye to Grey Gull Port, Old Jack, and the three women, then settled between the barrels and fell asleep.

Su Li escaped from Old Pete’s carriage at Wading Village, hoping to steal food with his Introvert trait, but discovered its weekly usage had run out. He hid beneath an oak tree as Old Pete departed, leaving him stranded and hungry.

• Su Li rode hidden among wine barrels for a day before Old Pete stopped at Wading Village.
• While Old Pete and George went into a hut, Su Li slipped off the carriage and tried to activate Introvert mode to steal food.
• The system warned Su Li that Introvert mode had failed because his weekly usage was exhausted, with nearly seven days of cooldown remaining.
• Su Li gave up on entering the hut and crawled beneath an oak tree to sleep.
• Old Pete returned to the carriage and drove away, leaving Su Li without transportation.

Sena found the handsome, starving vagrant Su Li asleep beneath the village’s ancient tree and became captivated by him. When Su Li woke from a dream, he grabbed her wrist, and the two stared at each other in startled silence.

• Sena spotted a person curled beneath the tree at the village entrance and sneaked out to investigate.
• Sena first mistook the person for a vagrant, then was stunned by his extraordinary beauty.
• Sena crouched beside Su Li, admiring him while feeling insecure about her pockmarked face.
• Su Li dreamed of food, woke suddenly, and grabbed Sena’s wrist as she leaned close to him.

Su Li woke in the woods and met Sena, a village girl who was immediately captivated by him. After she brought him food and rum, she invited him to stay at her house, and he followed her into the village.

• Su Li woke to find Sena crouching beside him and asked who she was.
• Sena said she was from the village and ran off to fetch food after Su Li asked for something to eat.
• Sena returned with rye loaves, salted meat, a bitten apple, and Old Buck's prized rum, which Su Li ate and drank.
• Su Li introduced himself, and Sena guessed that he came from the East.
• Sena invited Su Li to her house, warned him to stay quiet around her dog, and led him into the village.

Su Li followed Sena to her family’s blacksmith workshop, where she offered him a place in her bedroom for the night. He refused to risk damaging her reputation and chose the stable instead.

• Sena led Su Li through the yard, where he worried briefly about waking the black dog before she calmed it.
• They entered Sena’s house quietly while her father slept loudly in another room.
• Sena offered to let Su Li sleep in her bedroom, even suggesting they could share the bed.
• Su Li refused because he did not want villagers to gossip about Sena or harm her chances of marriage.
• Su Li asked whether the stable would shelter him from wind and rain, then decided to sleep there.

Su Li spent the night in Old Buck’s stable, where Sena brought him a blanket and promised to bring food in the morning. At dawn, Old Buck discovered him and suspected that his daughter had taken a liking to the handsome wanderer.

• Su Li settled into a dry corner of the stable and accepted a blanket from Sena.
• Sena promised to bring Su Li freshly laid eggs the next morning, then returned to the house.
• Su Li fell asleep dreaming of becoming a wealthy landowner and making Old Jack and Lady Charlotte serve him.
• At dawn, Su Li woke to Old Buck hammering iron and introduced himself as a wanderer who had slept in the stable.
• Sena told Old Buck that she had brought Su Li there, and Old Buck suspected the boy was about to win his daughter’s heart.

Su Li explained his fabricated background and said he hoped to learn a trade and live quietly, while Sena and Aunt Martha warmed to the idea of keeping him at the blacksmith shop. The chapter left Old Buck outnumbered as the family considered letting Su Li stay.

• Old Buck called Aunt Martha out after seeing Sena protect Su Li, and Aunt Martha was immediately impressed by Su Li's appearance.
• Sena introduced Su Li and explained that he had slept in the stable, had nowhere to go, and had not eaten.
• Aunt Martha questioned Su Li about his origins, and he claimed his family business in the East had been destroyed by war.
• Su Li said he wanted to learn a trade, earn enough to eat, and live peacefully, and Sena offered to let him stay.
• Aunt Martha imagined Su Li as a potential son-in-law and began considering how to keep him at the blacksmith shop.

Su Li accepted Aunt Martha’s offer to apprentice under Old Buck at his blacksmith shop in Wading Village, gaining food and shelter in exchange for work. He began pumping the forge bellows despite his weak body, determined to endure and survive.

• Aunt Martha offered Su Li food and lodging if he stayed to help Old Buck and learn blacksmithing.
• Old Buck objected to taking on the frail Su Li but agreed after Aunt Martha insisted, warning Su Li to stay away from Sena.
• Su Li gratefully accepted the apprenticeship and ate a bowl of rye porridge with salted meat.
• Old Buck assigned Su Li to work the bellows and control the furnace heat while he hammered iron.
• Su Li kept pumping despite exhaustion, and Old Buck was impressed by his determination.

Su Li settled into village life, learned blacksmithing from Old Buck, and grew stronger and more handsome over the course of a month. As village girls gathered to watch him work shirtless, Sena felt proud of him and possessive for the first time.

• Sena brought Su Li a stew that he praised and eagerly finished.
• Old Buck trained Su Li in blacksmithing, and Su Li endured the hard work without complaint until the old man's disdain became approval.
• Over a month, Su Li grew muscular and sun-browned while continuing to work at the smithy.
• After Old Buck left to deliver spearheads, Su Li remelted iron alone in the hot smithy with his shirt off.
• Village girls gathered behind the hedge to watch Su Li work, and Sena felt pride and secret possessiveness as they admired him.

Sena’s friends teased her about living with Su Li, and she admitted she was afraid to confess her feelings because she feared he would reject her. Su Li overheard her and wondered whether he had feelings for her, but remained uncertain as the girls hurried away and he waited for Old Buck to return.

• Sena proudly showed her friends Su Li and said he treated her well.
• Sena’s friends asked whether she and Su Li had been intimate, and Sena insisted they had not even held hands.
• Sena admitted she wanted Su Li but feared he would think she was not good enough for him.
• Su Li overheard Sena and wondered whether he had feelings for her, while worrying that he might ruin her peaceful life.
• Su Li struck the anvil, startling the girls into scattering, then watched the sunset as Old Buck’s return approached.

Martha tried to push Su Li and Sena together by insisting he move into Sena’s room, while Su Li and Old Buck objected over propriety and reputation. Martha left the two young people cornered by suggesting that Su Li’s refusal meant he had something to hide.

• Old Buck returned from delivering the spearheads with extra silver and brought home a roast goose for dinner.
• Martha watched Sena sneak glances at Su Li and decided to act before another woman claimed his attention.
• Martha told Su Li he seemed worn down and proposed that he move out of the stable and into the house.
• When Old Buck and Su Li protested, Martha pointed out that Su Li could sleep on the floor in Sena’s room.
• Su Li refused to risk damaging Sena’s reputation, but Martha dismissed his objections and challenged him to explain what he was hiding.

Su Li accepted Aunt Martha's offer to sleep in Sena's room and eased their awkwardness by telling her the story of Sun Wukong. After Sena fell asleep, Su Li reflected on his struggle to escape the cycle and put off thinking about it until tomorrow.

• Su Li agreed to Aunt Martha's request to sleep in Sena's room, while Old Buck drank and grumbled.
• Su Li entered Sena's room and settled onto a bedroll beside her bed as they both struggled with the awkward situation.
• Su Li told Sena a tale about Sun Wukong, and she listened eagerly as he described the monkey's adventures.
• Su Li ended the story with Sun Wukong trapped beneath Five Finger Mountain, and Sena fell asleep listening.
• Su Li wondered how long he would remain trapped in the cycle and decided to think about it tomorrow.

Two years later, Su Li had become a skilled blacksmith, while Sena had grown into a confident young woman whose teasing left him wrestling with his feelings. After a restless night, Su Li found her washing their blanket and accepted her flimsy excuse that she had spilled soup on it, leaving their unspoken tension unresolved.

• Two years passed, and Su Li became a strong, capable blacksmith while Sena grew prettier and more confident.
• Sena deliberately changed clothes in front of Su Li, but he left to cool off outside rather than respond to her teasing.
• Su Li told Sena the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger, and she watched him instead of listening to the tale.
• That night, Sena rustled her blanket while Su Li lay awake, weighing whether he should accept his feelings and take responsibility for her.
• In the morning, Su Li found Sena washing the blanket and claiming she had spilled soup on it, and he let the excuse pass without calling her out.