Chapter Summaries

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le seeks help from the Landlady of Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant to purify the evil spirits in a wooden boat.
• The Landlady recommends Zen Master Nengqian from Yuantong Zen Temple.
• Shen Le meets Nengqian, who tries to purify the spirits but fails due to their immense resentment.
• Shen Le contacts an old monk, Renlun, who sends his junior martial brother, Renhuai, to help. They conclude that forty-nine monks of their level would need to chant sutras for three years to deliver the spirits.
• Shen Le contacts Daoist Qingyue, who inspects the boat and reveals it's a complex Daoist ritual, the Divine Firmament Pestilence-Expelling Boat-Sending Ritual, that's beyond his current capabilities.

Character Developments

• Shen Le: Shows determination in finding a solution for the evil spirits, seeking help from various sources.
• Nengqian: Demonstrates his compassion and skill in Buddhist practices but admits his limitations in handling the intense resentment.
• Renhuai & Renlun: Show their dedication and skill in Buddhist practices, providing an estimate of the scale needed to deliver the spirits.
• Daoist Qingyue: Reveals his knowledge of the complex Daoist ritual and his willingness to help find a solution.

Significant Themes

• The power and limitations of different spiritual practices (Buddhism, Daoism).
• The interconnectedness of life and death, and the consequences of past actions.
• The struggle against immense, accumulated resentment and evil.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le interacts with the Landlady, seeking her advice and following it to meet Nengqian.
• Nengqian and Shen Le discuss the situation, with Nengqian attempting to purify the spirits.
• Shen Le contacts Renlun and Renhuai, who work together to assess the situation.
• Shen Le consults Daoist Qingyue, who provides insight into the ritual's complexity and offers to help find a solution.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Daoist Qingyue leaves a promise to help find the ship's original owners and orders five Spirit Gathering Array daybeds.
• Two Daoists from Longhu Mountain attempt to lay the ship's death qi to rest but fail, dispersing only a thin layer.
• Two experts from Maoshan Sect arrive, suggesting a Grand Luotian Rite with three thousand people for forty-nine to eighty-one days, costing millions to billions of points.
• Shen Le seeks alternative methods, and the Maoshan Taoist suggests using lightning to strike the ship.
• Shen Le learns about the Five Thunder Orthodox Method from cultivators in a group chat.

Character Developments

• Shen Le: Struggles to understand and adapt to the world of cultivation, learns about the Five Thunder Orthodox Method.
• Little Oil Lamp: Evolves and learns to cultivate the Five Thunders, becoming more powerful.

Significant Themes

• The power of collective effort vs. individual strength in cultivation.
• The struggle between preserving the past and moving forward.
• The importance of understanding and adapting to new knowledge.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le interacts with various cultivators, seeking their advice and expertise in dealing with the ship's death qi.
• Little Oil Lamp and Shen Le work together to create a Five Thunder Peach Wood Sword to cleanse the ship.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le seeks ways to enhance Little Oil Lamp's Five Thunders.
• He consults Daoist Priests, tries using Elixirs, Magic Artifacts, and Formations, but to no avail.
• He complains to the Landlady and Gu Yulin, but they can't provide much help.
• Xiang Yang, an electrician, suggests charging Little Oil Lamp with different types of electricity from various power plants.
• Shen Le takes Little Oil Lamp to a small hydropower station, where it successfully charges with Water Thunder.
• They then visit a community green space and a streetlamp, confirming Earth Thunder and Wood Thunder respectively.

Character Developments

• Shen Le demonstrates persistence and resourcefulness in seeking solutions to enhance Little Oil Lamp's abilities.
• Little Oil Lamp shows curiosity and eagerness to experiment with different types of electricity.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of power and enhancement, both literally (electricity) and metaphorically (cultivation).
• The importance of experimentation and exploration in learning and growth.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le seeks advice from Daoist Priests, the Landlady, Gu Yulin, and Xiang Yang.
• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp work together to test different types of electricity, with Shen Le facilitating the experiments and Little Oil Lamp providing feedback.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le realizes he can incorporate nuclear energy into the Five Thunders.
• He asks the Shanghai Special Affairs Bureau to coordinate a visit to a nuclear power plant.
• The bureau arranges for Shen Le to visit the Dragon Roc Nuclear Power Station.
• Shen Le successfully uses the nuclear power to temper the Peach Wood Swords.

Character Developments

• Shen Le demonstrates his determination and persistence in pursuing his goals.
• The director of the Shanghai Special Affairs Bureau shows his resourcefulness and willingness to help Shen Le.
• The plant employee at the nuclear power station displays his professionalism and concern for safety.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and Determination: Shen Le's relentless pursuit of his goals, despite the challenges and obstacles he faces.
• Resourcefulness and Adaptability: The director's ability to navigate the system and find solutions, as well as the plant employee's quick thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Safety and Responsibility: The emphasis on safety procedures and the responsibility of professionals in their fields.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and the Director: Shen Le's straightforward and honest approach contrasts with the director's resourcefulness and understanding of the system's intricacies.
• Shen Le and the Plant Employee: Shen Le's lack of knowledge about nuclear power plants is balanced by the plant employee's expertise and concern for safety.
• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp: Shen Le acts as a intermediary between Little Oil Lamp and the external world, facilitating its growth and development.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Oil Lamp evolves, absorbing nuclear power and changing its material to a jade-like texture.
• Shen Le and the Special Affairs Bureau guy observe Little Oil Lamp striking Peach Wood Swords with lightning at Dragon Roc Nuclear Power Station.
• They proceed to Witch Mountain Hydropower Station, where Little Oil Lamp absorbs hydroelectric power.
• Little Oil Lamp strikes Peach Wood Swords with lightning at the hydropower station, causing them to grow leaves and blossom, worrying Shen Le about the supply of Peach Wood Swords.

Character Developments

• Shen Le: Shows concern for the Special Affairs Bureau guy's safety and tries to control Little Oil Lamp's actions.
• Little Oil Lamp: Evolves and gains the ability to control metal lightning. It enjoys absorbing hydroelectric power and expresses its happiness.
• Special Affairs Bureau guy: Shows distress at the destruction of century-old Peach Wood Swords and tries to intervene, resulting in him being struck by lightning.

Significant Themes

• The power of nature and humanity's control over it, as seen in the hydropower station's scale and impact on the environment.
• The consequences of uncontrolled power, exemplified by Little Oil Lamp's destruction of Peach Wood Swords and the potential impact on the electrical grid.
• The struggle between control and freedom, as seen in Shen Le's attempts to control Little Oil Lamp and the Artifact Spirit's desire to absorb more power.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and the Special Affairs Bureau guy: They work together to observe and control Little Oil Lamp's actions. The guy shows distress at the destruction of Peach Wood Swords, leading to him being struck by lightning.
• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp: Shen Le tries to control Little Oil Lamp's actions and soothe it when it expresses its happiness at absorbing hydroelectric power. He worries about the supply of Peach Wood Swords as Little Oil Lamp ruins them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le and his companion from the Special Affairs Bureau visit a thermal power plant housing the world's largest wind turbine.
• Shen Le flies up to the top of the turbine with Little Oil Lamp to absorb electricity and manufacture Peach Wood Swords.
• A bird demon steals a Peach Wood Sword, but Little Oil Lamp strikes it down with lightning.

Character Developments

• Shen Le demonstrates his flying ability and determination to protect Little Oil Lamp.
• The wind power station worker shows proficiency in his job and remains calm under unusual circumstances.

Significant Themes

• The power of nature and human ingenuity in harnessing it (wind turbines).
• The consequences of theft and the importance of protecting one's belongings.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and the wind power station worker collaborate to secure Little Oil Lamp at the top of the turbine.
• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp work together to retrieve the stolen Peach Wood Sword.

Key Plot Points and Events

+ Shen Le helps Little Oil Lamp process Peach Wood Swords at a wind farm and a thermal power plant.
+ A bald eagle demon tries to steal Shen Le's sword, leading to an investigation by the Special Affairs Bureau.
+ Shen Le travels to a solar thermal power station, where he plans to help Little Oil Lamp process the remaining swords.
+ The local Special Affairs Bureau warns of recent abnormalities in the area.

Character Developments

+ Shen Le demonstrates his willingness to help Little Oil Lamp, even at personal cost.
+ Little Oil Lamp shows eagerness to consume electricity and grow stronger.
+ The Special Affairs Bureau agents show concern for Shen Le's safety and willingness to assist him.

Significant Themes

+ The power of electricity and its potential for growth and destruction.
+ The importance of balance and control in cultivation, as demonstrated by Little Oil Lamp's hunger for electricity.
+ The responsibility of External Experts like Shen Le in dealing with supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

+ Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp communicate and work together to process the Peach Wood Swords.
+ Shen Le interacts with Special Affairs Bureau agents, who provide assistance and protection.
+ Shen Le encounters a co-pilot who enthusiastically shares local knowledge and lore.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp arrive at the solar power plant.
• Little Oil Lamp begins absorbing earth-element electricity and undergoes a Thunder Tribulation.
• A demon lurking underground senses Little Oil Lamp's power and plans to steal it.
• Little Oil Lamp successfully completes its upgrade and descends to continue processing Peach Wood Swords.
• A demon attacks Little Oil Lamp, causing it to scream and alert Shen Le.

Character Developments

• Little Oil Lamp successfully upgrades and becomes a higher-tier Magic Artifact, gaining confidence in processing Peach Wood Swords.
• Shen Le demonstrates his concern and protective instincts towards Little Oil Lamp.

Significant Themes

• The power of lightning and its role in cultivation and artifact enhancement.
• The consequences of delaying or disrupting power supply to a city.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp have a playful exchange about the latter's confidence in processing Peach Wood Swords.
• Shen Le shows concern for Little Oil Lamp's safety when it is attacked by the demon.
• The driver of the engineering vehicle expresses worry about the safety of the power plant facilities.

Plot and events

A Black Wind Monster attacks the Mogao Grottoes solar power plant, fighting Shen Le and his artifact spirit, Little Oil Lamp. The plant’s vast stores of molten salt and its receiver tower make the battlefield dangerously difficult: a stray fireball or lightning strike could cause a catastrophic accident. Shen Le focuses on protecting nearby workers, visitors, and two Special Affairs Bureau agents, using wind to push them into cover.
Little Oil Lamp’s lightning and Shen Le’s fireballs hurt the monster, but it keeps circling near the plant, exploiting their need to avoid damaging the facilities. Shen Le realizes the monster may fear the intense sunlight concentrated by the plant’s 12,000 heliostats. He asks Little Oil Lamp to redirect the mirrors, while the Bureau sends drones to harry the creature. A drone briefly parts the black wind, revealing a small, human-shaped, shriveled figure at its center.
When the monster dives at Shen Le, he withstands it with a blue fireball, wind defenses, and a barrage of Cleansing Spells. The monster’s nearly invisible yin-wind attack is mostly stopped by Little Oil Lamp’s lightning net and Shen Le’s defenses. Shen Le then lures the monster toward the receiver tower, buying Little Oil Lamp time to reposition the mirrors. Once the monster follows him upward, Shen Le and Little Oil Lamp coordinate: all the heliostats turn at once, directing their concentrated sunlight onto the creature.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Le shows growing tactical judgment and protectiveness. He avoids reckless attacks near the plant, shields bystanders and agents, and eventually takes the risk of acting as bait to create an opening.
• Little Oil Lamp fights fiercely but is initially constrained by the need to avoid striking the plant. Shen Le’s plan gives it time to control the mirrors, and it responds decisively at the climax.
• The Black Wind Monster is revealed to be a predatory, humanoid creature that fears lightning, fire, and concentrated sunlight. It becomes fixated on eating Shen Le, whom it considers unusually valuable prey.
• The Bureau agents begin frightened and poorly equipped for the fight, but both overcome their fear and try to support Shen Le with weapons and talismans. The Bureau’s commanders and drone crews struggle to attack without endangering him or the plant.
• Shen Le repeatedly keeps the agents and other civilians out of danger, while the agents’ attempts to protect him underscore the mismatch between their duty and his greater combat ability.

Significant themes

• Power paired with responsibility: Shen Le must fight without causing a disaster at the plant.
• Teamwork and improvisation: Shen Le, Little Oil Lamp, and the Bureau combine their different strengths to counter a difficult enemy.
• Courage under pressure: The agents act despite their fear, while Shen Le risks himself to protect others and make the plan work.
• Turning the environment into an advantage: The heliostats, initially part of the danger, become the key weapon against the monster.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le encounters a Black Wind Monster while working on his wooden boat.
• He fights the monster using Little Oil Lamp's electric net and eventually defeats it with the help of the Special Affairs Bureau.
• The Bureau takes the monster's corpse, and Shen Le continues working on his peach wood swords.
• He returns to Shanghai and uses the swords to cleanse and awaken the wooden boat's Artifact Spirit.
• The boat is restored, but it shrinks and takes Shen Le with it into a waterway.

Character Developments

• Shen Le demonstrates his bravery and combat skills by fighting the Black Wind Monster.
• He shows his determination and dedication to his work by continuing to craft peach wood swords despite the monster's attack.
• The Artifact Spirit of the wooden boat awakens and grows stronger during the cleansing process.

Significant Themes

• The power of determination and perseverance in overcoming obstacles (Shen Le's dedication to his work despite the monster's attack).
• The importance of proper burial and laying to rest (the need to cleanse and awaken the wooden boat's Artifact Spirit).
• The consequences of one's actions (the boat taking Shen Le with it into the waterway after he helps restore it).

Character Interactions

• Shen Le interacts with the Special Affairs Bureau, who help him fight the Black Wind Monster and later take its corpse.
• He communicates with Little Oil Lamp, his spiritual artifact, throughout the chapter, working together to defeat the monster and restore the wooden boat.
• Shen Le has a one-sided interaction with the awakening Artifact Spirit of the wooden boat, sensing its growth and presence.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le is taken by Cloud Kun, the wooden boat's Artifact Spirit, to the Dragon Palace's underwater palace.
• He meets the Dragon Lord, who offers him a damaged wooden boat to repair, much more powerful than Cloud Kun.
• Shen Le is unable to repair the boat due to its immense power.

Character Developments

• Shen Le: Shows respect and humility when meeting the Dragon Lord, but also displays determination and courage in facing the powerful wooden boat.
• Cloud Kun: Awakens and remembers its past, expressing sadness over its lost companions. It forms a deep connection with Shen Le.
• Dragon Lord: Reveals himself as a benevolent ruler, caring for the aquatic clans and showing kindness to Shen Le. He is knowledgeable about antiques and their repair.

Significant Themes

• The power of ancient artifacts and their connection to the past.
• The responsibility of a ruler towards their subjects.
• The importance of respect and humility in the face of power.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and Cloud Kun: Form a deep bond, with Cloud Kun showing affection towards Shen Le and following his guidance.
• Shen Le and the Dragon Lord: Display mutual respect and understanding. The Dragon Lord shows trust in Shen Le, offering him powerful artifacts to repair.
• The Dragon Lord and Qing Li: Qing Li, a servant of the Dragon Lord, shows deference and respect towards his master, while the Dragon Lord treats him kindly.

Key Plot Points and Events

+ Shen Le enters meditation after absorbing energy from the Copper Fragment.
+ He sees a map on the fragment, depicting mountains, rivers, and a barrier around Huaxia.
+ The fragment grows, revealing nipple patterns that emit roars of demonic beasts.
+ Shen Le's cultivation method changes, and he gains new Talismans.
+ The Dragon Lord reveals that the world has Secret Realms and a barrier separating it from a wilderness.

Character Developments

+ Shen Le's cultivation advances, and he gains new abilities.
+ The Dragon Lord shows nostalgia for his past and reveals his knowledge of the world's structure.

Significant Themes

+ The relationship between the human world and the wilderness.
+ The decline of spiritual energy and the difficulty of cultivation.
+ The preservation of ancient artifacts and their significance.

Character Interactions

+ Shen Le and the Dragon Lord discuss the repair of the ship and the nature of the world.
+ Shen Le expresses his concerns about repairing the barrier and encountering ancient great demons.

Key Plot Points and Events

+ Shen Le visits the Water Manor, meets the Dragon Lord, and accepts his help in repairing the Cloud Kun.
+ The Dragon Lord gifts Shen Le spiritual fruits, jade talismans, and invites him to the Water Manor whenever he needs help.
+ Shen Le returns home with Cloud Kun, which emerges from the river near his house, causing him to worry about potential attention.

Character Developments

+ Shen Le becomes more confident in his abilities and gains new resources to aid him.
+ The Dragon Lord demonstrates his power and generosity, while Qing Li shows courtesy and understanding.
+ Gu Yulin exhibits dedication and eagerness to help Shen Le, despite the unusual circumstances.

Significant Themes

+ The power of friendship and alliances, as seen in Shen Le's relationship with the Dragon Lord and Gu Yulin.
+ The importance of resourcefulness and adaptability, as demonstrated by Shen Le's handling of the situation with Cloud Kun.
+ The responsibility of those with power to help others, as shown by the Dragon Lord's assistance to Shen Le.

Character Interactions

+ Shen Le and the Dragon Lord: They form a mutually beneficial relationship, with the Dragon Lord providing aid and Shen Le offering his skills.
+ Shen Le and Gu Yulin: They work together to manage the situation with Cloud Kun, demonstrating trust and cooperation.
+ Shen Le and Cloud Kun: They establish a bond, with Shen Le treating the ship as a living entity and Cloud Kun showing enthusiasm and eagerness to please.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Yulin suggests renting Cloud Kun to the navy, causing Shen Le to panic.
• The director of the Shanghai Special Affairs Bureau and Doctor Senior Brother's group arrive to discuss Cloud Kun's future.
• Both sides present their proposals for Cloud Kun: the museum wants to study and display it, while the Special Affairs Bureau wants to use it for naval purposes.

Character Developments

• Shen Le: Struggles to manage Cloud Kun's potential uses and keep both sides happy.
• Cloud Kun: Eager to participate in naval activities and defend the country, but Shen Le tries to keep it calm.
• The Director: Persistent in his desire to use Cloud Kun for naval purposes, presenting various proposals.
• Doctor Senior Brother: Supports the museum's cause, providing evidence and arguments to counter the director's proposals.

Significant Themes

• The value and purpose of historical artifacts: Both the museum and the navy see value in Cloud Kun, but for different reasons.
• The tension between historical preservation and practical use: The museum wants to preserve Cloud Kun as is, while the navy wants to use it for modern purposes.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and Cloud Kun: Shen Le tries to reason with Cloud Kun, while Cloud Kun eagerly wants to participate in naval activities.
• The museum and the Special Affairs Bureau: Both sides present their proposals, trying to convince Shen Le and each other.
• The Temple Keeper and the old monk: They communicate with Cloud Kun, learning about its past experiences and supporting the museum's cause.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cloud Kun embarks on its first long voyage, accompanied by Shen Le.
• The destination is the East Sea Secret Realm to deliver supplies and test the feasibility of future deliveries.
• Cloud Kun demonstrates its ability to navigate using Zheng He's Navigation Map and communicates with the Special Affairs Bureau about its compensation.

Character Developments

• Cloud Kun shows initiative and understanding of its mission, proving its independent will.
• Shen Le acts as a guardian and advocate for Cloud Kun, ensuring it is treated fairly and compensated appropriately.
• The Special Affairs Bureau director shows understanding and cooperation in handling Cloud Kun's affairs.

Significant Themes

• The value and significance of cultural heritage and artifacts, as discussed by the professor.
• The importance of communication and understanding between different parties, as seen in the interactions between Shen Le, the Special Affairs Bureau, and Cloud Kun.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and the Special Affairs Bureau director discuss Cloud Kun's compensation and future arrangements.
• Shen Le and Cloud Kun communicate about its first mission and the challenges it might face.
• Cloud Kun interacts with the naval soldiers at the East Sea Secret Realm, demonstrating its ability to navigate and deliver supplies.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cloud Kun, the wooden ship, goes missing and is found at the bottom of the pool in the Taoist temple, causing a commotion.
• Cloud Kun brings back a large number of ancient artifacts from the seabed, which are sold to the Special Affairs Bureau.
• Cloud Kun expresses a desire to install missiles on the ship to sink aircraft carriers, but naval personnel explain that modern naval warfare doesn't involve such close-range combat.

Character Developments

• Cloud Kun demonstrates its ability to dive and shrink, as well as its curiosity and mischievousness.
• Shen Le shows concern and responsibility for Cloud Kun, lecturing it when it misbehaves and trying to find ways to accommodate its wishes while keeping it safe.

Significant Themes

• The clash between ancient and modern warfare methods is highlighted through Cloud Kun's desire to install missiles and the naval personnel's explanations of modern naval tactics.
• The theme of responsibility and consequences is explored as Shen Le lectures Cloud Kun about obeying orders and following commands.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and Cloud Kun have a father-son-like relationship, with Shen Le acting as a mentor and guide to the wooden ship.
• Naval personnel interact with Cloud Kun, trying to explain the realities of modern naval warfare and finding a suitable task for the wooden ship to perform.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cloud Kun sets sail, promising to bring back a Secret Realm from the seabed.
• Shen Le and Cloud Kun spend a month training together, with Cloud Kun learning various skills and techniques.
• Cloud Kun successfully scans and maps the seafloor, far exceeding human capabilities.
• Cloud Kun salvages an ancient shipwreck, but damages some artifacts due to its inexperience.
• The voyage concludes, and the experts are amazed by Cloud Kun's capabilities.

Character Developments

• Cloud Kun grows and learns, demonstrating its incredible abilities and childlike enthusiasm.
• Shen Le shows patience and understanding, guiding and supporting Cloud Kun throughout the journey.
• The experts from various fields gain new insights and adapt to the extraordinary events they witness.

Significant Themes

• The power of ancient artifacts and their potential when awakened.
• The importance of patience, guidance, and understanding in helping others grow and learn.
• The impact of extraordinary events on people's worldviews and adaptability.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le and Cloud Kun: Shen Le acts as a mentor and guide to Cloud Kun, while Cloud Kun eagerly learns and seeks to please Shen Le.
• The experts and Cloud Kun: The experts are initially skeptical but gradually come to respect and marvel at Cloud Kun's abilities.
• The experts and Shen Le: Shen Le is seen as a key figure in harnessing and understanding Cloud Kun's powers, and the experts consult him on various matters.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Le visits the Shanghai Special Affairs Bureau's warehouse, finding it lacking in quality and historical depth compared to the Imperial Capital's warehouse.
• At the Imperial Capital's warehouse, Shen Le encounters a vast collection of artifacts, each with its unique spiritual aura.
• He enters a storage room filled with miscellaneous items, ranging from a bloodstained round fan to a pair of fighting zither cases.
• Shen Le finds an unusual safe that enjoys playing games to unlock and decides to consider taking it home.

Character Developments

• Shen Le demonstrates his ability to communicate with Artifact Spirits and his expertise in artifact restoration.
• The Special Affairs Bureau staff member accompanying Shen Le shows patience and understanding, accommodating Shen Le's thorough examination of the artifacts.

Significant Themes

• The importance of historical heritage and the impact of weak earthly energy on the power of demons and ghosts in Shanghai.
• The variety of spiritual auras in artifacts, ranging from sad and painful to lively and mischievous.

Character Interactions

• Shen Le interacts with the Special Affairs Bureau staff member, who guides him through the warehouse and shares information about the artifacts.
• Shen Le communicates with the Artifact Spirits of the round fan, zither cases, and the safe, though he ultimately decides not to take the fan and zither cases.

Shen Le visits the Special Affairs Bureau's Storage Room and selects a batch of wedding procession figurines for restoration. Upon bringing them home, he discovers that the figurines grow in size when exposed to air, causing him to rethink the extent of the restoration work involved. He decides to use a CT scanner to examine the figurines' internal structure, but encounters difficulties in transporting them due to their size and fragility. After consulting with Qing Deng, Shen Le manages to shrink one of the figurines using the Five Thunder Peach Wood Sword and successfully scans it using the CT machine. The scan reveals an unexpected internal structure, consisting of bones rather than the typical Wood Base or rattan/bamboo framework used in clay sculptures.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Le scans a set of ancient dowry-bearer figurines and finds a small animal skeleton inside one. Gu Yulin identifies it as a rat, and the landlady says it is likely a minor rat demon—but too old and weak to come back to life. Shen Le is relieved, reasoning that its remaining spirituality is not the same as the demon’s resurrection.
• The figurines’ carrying poles and chest also prove unusual. The chest lid is fragile and cannot be opened safely, while the material inside only resembles silk. CT scans show that it remains intact.
• Shen Le carefully photographs, scans, and catalogs the figurines’ damage. The labor of documenting and restoring hundreds of objects leaves him joking that he needs Nüwa’s power to make little people for him.
• He sends samples of clay, fibers, and pigments to the lab, guarded by a Five Thunder Peach Wood Sword. His junior students take over the analyses.
• Gu Yulin asks to buy Shen Le’s Peach Wood Swords, explaining how valuable they are for protecting staff and handling supernatural sites. Shen Le gives him two spares, while his advisor considers lending another sword to test at archaeological sites. Making more would require a major effort, so Gu Yulin decides to save his favors for when the swords are truly needed.
• Shen Le practices restoration on a small Earth God figurine provided by Old You. Synthetic consolidants interfere with its spirituality, and his attempt to revive its decayed plant fibers initially seems to fail.
• After Shen Le steps away, however, the fibers respond belatedly: they grow vigorously, break the clay figure apart, and produce a small white flower.

Character developments

• Shen Le is methodical and conscientious, documenting damage in detail and experimenting cautiously. He is also overwhelmed by the scale of the work, relies on humor to cope, and is increasingly learning that his supernatural abilities can have delayed, unpredictable effects.
• Gu Yulin is shown as practical and resourceful, but also intensely eager to obtain protective weapons. He accepts Shen Le’s limited supply after weighing the cost of making more.
• The landlady displays confident knowledge of demons and offers Shen Le reassurance, though her familiarity with demon remains leaves him privately unnerved.
• The advisor is willing to use a Peach Wood Sword to protect university fieldwork and test its effectiveness.
• Old You helps Shen Le by gathering suitable practice sculptures, despite the difficulty of meeting the exact requirements.

Significant themes

• The demands of preservation: Restoration requires painstaking records, careful testing, and respect for an object’s fragile condition.
• The limits of control: Shen Le’s powers do not always work as expected—or on his schedule—and even a failed experiment may have delayed consequences.
• Tradition and supernatural forces in modern work: CT scanners, lab analysis, and conservation materials coexist with spells, spiritual objects, and demons.
• Responsibility and resource scarcity: Powerful protective tools are valuable to many people, forcing Shen Le to balance generosity with limited supplies.
• Humor amid overwhelming labor: Shen Le’s Nüwa jokes and the students’ mock-superstitious lab habits lighten the chapter’s demanding work.

Character interactions

• Shen Le consults Gu Yulin and the landlady about the skeleton, receiving different but compatible explanations of its identity and danger.
• He delegates scientific testing to the junior students and leaves them a Peach Wood Sword for protection; a senior student stops a curious junior from touching it.
• Gu Yulin pleads for more swords, while Shen Le explains why he has few to spare and why producing more is difficult. Shen Le also consults his advisor about lending a sword for university fieldwork.
• Old You answers Shen Le’s request by finding practice figurines, enabling Shen Le’s restoration experiments.