Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Watch Out! Huo Wenye Is on the Loose!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie Yongan seeks help from his mysterious master. With rumors that the authorities may target the Xie Family, Yongan fears that decades of family power and wealth could collapse. He blames Xie Chen for the crisis and regrets having spared him in the past.
• Yongan contacts his old master, who warns that Yongan is facing certain ruin and that Xie Chen has grown far more powerful than before. The master criticizes Yongan for failing to keep Xie Chen under control, but after Yongan begs for help, the master abruptly ends the call.
• Despite the ominous conversation, Yongan smiles sinisterly, confident that his master will intervene because both of them have a grudge against Xie Chen.
• Team Leader Qin finishes investigating the nursing home and Xie Family-related matters. He deliberately times his departure so he can encounter Xie Chen, whom he admires as Professor Smith, a brilliant Harvard law professor.
• Qin reports that the investigation has gathered all necessary evidence. Xie Chen reminds him to verify that every legal procedure was followed and that fingerprints were obtained to prevent anyone from later challenging the evidence.
• Qin attempts to ask when Xie Chen will return to teaching, but Director Li interrupts, insisting that Xie Chen must remain on the variety show for another season. Qin suspects Li is trying to keep Xie Chen from being recruited elsewhere.
• When Huo Wenye approaches, Qin immediately panics and flees, ordering his team to finish and release the investigation report quickly. Director Li realizes that Huo’s intimidating presence explains Qin’s retreat.
• The variety show concludes. The elderly residents become emotional about the guests’ departure, though their complaints about the uncleaned bathrooms undermine Luo Mingyu’s sentimental reaction.
• Xie Ran loses his temper when an auntie mistakes him for staff and calls him an errand boy. He tries to push past her but is knocked backward by the strong woman, who nearly attacks him before being restrained.
• Xie Chen, Huo Wenye, and Lu Fei leave together. Xie Chen is annoyed that Lu Fei once again eagerly invites Huo into the car because of his handsome appearance.
• Lu Fei mentions wanting to visit Six-Platform Mountain to worship Buddha and pray for romance. Xie Chen suddenly focuses on the location rather than the romance comment.
• Realizing the mountain may be connected to one of Huo Wenye’s hidden identities or provide a clue for lifting his curse, Xie Chen immediately decides to sign up for the next season of the show, despite previously refusing because of his many cases.

Character Developments

• Xie Yongan becomes increasingly desperate and regretful, recognizing that his earlier decisions allowed Xie Chen to become a dangerous opponent. However, his final sinister smile shows that he remains scheming and believes he can rely on his master.
• Xie Chen continues to act casual and sarcastic, but he is increasingly focused on protecting Huo Wenye and finding the source of his curse. His attention to legal procedure also reinforces his careful, professional side.
• Huo Wenye remains mysterious and intimidating. His mere appearance causes Team Leader Qin and Director Li to panic or retreat, earning him the humorous reputation of being “on the loose.”
• Team Leader Qin is shown as both competent and starstruck. He admires Xie Chen academically, seeks his approval, and is eager to return to law studies under him.
• Director Li becomes possessive of Xie Chen’s participation in the show and treats Qin as a rival trying to take away his star.
• Lu Fei remains friendly and easily impressed by Huo Wenye, though his casual mention of Six-Platform Mountain unintentionally provides Xie Chen with a potentially important lead.
• Xie Ran displays his arrogant temper and inability to tolerate humiliation, but his confrontation with the auntie ends in comic embarrassment.

Significant Themes

• Power, consequences, and regret: Xie Yongan’s predicament reflects the consequences of trying to control Xie Chen and underestimating his growth.
• Hidden identities and supernatural mystery: Xie Chen’s suspicion that Six-Platform Mountain may reveal one of Huo Wenye’s identities advances the larger mystery surrounding Huo’s curse.
• Protection and loyalty: Xie Chen’s willingness to return to the variety show is motivated less by entertainment than by his determination to help Huo Wenye.
• Comedy amid danger: Threats against the Xie Family and the curse plot are balanced by humorous scenes involving Qin’s flight, Director Li’s jealousy, the residents’ bluntness, and Xie Ran’s failed attempt to assert himself.
• Public image versus reality: The variety show presents a lighthearted setting, while serious investigations, political pressure, and supernatural dangers unfold beneath the surface.

Character Interactions

• Xie Yongan pleads with his master, revealing his fear and dependence while attempting to manipulate the master through their shared hostility toward Xie Chen.
• Qin respectfully reports to Xie Chen and seeks guidance, while Director Li defensively interrupts to keep Xie Chen tied to the show.
• Qin and Director Li both react competitively to the possibility of losing Xie Chen, but both immediately retreat when Huo Wenye appears.
• The elderly residents affectionately bid farewell to the guests, while one auntie clashes with Xie Ran over his attitude and supposed role as staff.
• Lu Fei invites Huo Wenye into the car and mentions Six-Platform Mountain, prompting Xie Chen to change his mind about filming the next season and pursue a possible solution to Huo’s curse.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The special investigation team publishes its findings on the nursing home, revealing serious wrongdoing and triggering a massive online backlash against the Xie Group.
• Netizens connect the nursing-home scandal with other recent incidents—hiring thugs, fake credentials, illegal adoptions, rumor-spreading, victim-playing, and elder abuse—and begin suspecting that Xie Chen is deliberately exposing the Xie family’s crimes through the variety show Transform, Freaks!.
• The show announces that its fifth and final season will be filmed at Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy, with the theme of “reverence,” especially reverence for nature. Fans speculate that Xie Chen helped secure the unusual location.
• At the courthouse, Sun Feng waits for his lawyer before mediation in his civil copyright case against Pan Bing. Pan mocks him and offers a condescending settlement, provoking Sun into nearly attacking him.
• Xie Chen stops Sun from fighting and warns him to avoid causing trouble in front of the cameras. He then openly threatens Pan and coldly rejects an attempt by Xie Zhenting to speak with him.
• During mediation, Pan claims he developed the game software himself and stole it only because Sun withheld his wages. Sun angrily denies this.
• Qin Huai submits employee statements supporting Pan’s claim, but Xie Chen produces a recording of Pan conspiring with Xie Zhenting to steal the software and split the profits.
• Xie Zhenting is shocked and accuses Xie Chen of hacking his computer. Xie Chen denies it with mocking confidence, declaring that he is a “law-abiding good citizen.”

2. Character Developments

• Xie Chen: Becomes increasingly bold and strategic in his campaign against the Xie family. He publicly protects Sun Feng, exposes the conspiracy, and deliberately antagonizes Xie Zhenting while maintaining a composed, almost playful demeanor.
• Xie Zhenting: Is shown to be directly involved in the theft of Sun Feng’s software. His shock at the recording reveals that he underestimated Xie Chen and is losing control of the situation.
• Sun Feng: Though humiliated and angered by Pan’s provocation, he ultimately restrains himself after Xie Chen’s intervention and begins trusting Xie Chen’s legal strategy.
• Pan Bing: Shifts from an arrogant bully outside court to a supposedly sincere victim during mediation, but the recording exposes his dishonesty and collaboration with Xie Zhenting.
• Qin Huai: Acts as Xie Chen’s calm legal support, presenting evidence and helping maintain control during the mediation.
• The public/fans: Become increasingly convinced that Transform, Freaks! is intentionally exposing the Xie family’s wrongdoing and begin viewing Xie Chen as a one-man force dismantling his own family.

3. Significant Themes

• Justice versus powerful corruption: The chapter emphasizes the growing exposure of misconduct by wealthy and influential families.
• Public opinion and accountability: Online investigations and viral information force the Xie family’s scandals into public view.
• Law versus violence: Sun Feng’s impulse to fight is contrasted with Xie Chen’s insistence on using evidence and legal procedures.
• Truth hidden behind performance: Pan’s false victim act collapses when confronted with recorded evidence, reflecting the broader theme of exposing hypocrisy.
• Estrangement and betrayal within family: Xie Chen and Xie Zhenting’s relationship has deteriorated into open hostility, with former familial loyalty replaced by confrontation.
• Reverence and moral reflection: The variety show’s Taoist setting and theme suggest a transition toward deeper questions of nature, ethics, and human conduct.

4. Character Interactions

• Sun Feng and Pan Bing: Pan taunts Sun outside court, causing Sun to nearly attack him; inside mediation, they openly dispute ownership of the game.
• Xie Chen and Sun Feng: Xie Chen prevents Sun from committing assault and reassures him that the mediation is largely procedural, reinforcing their growing alliance.
• Xie Chen and Xie Zhenting: Their encounter is bitter and hostile. Xie Chen rejects Xie Zhenting’s attempt at reconciliation and later publicly exposes his involvement in the theft.
• Xie Chen and Pan Bing: Xie Chen humiliates Pan by revealing the recording that proves his fraud.
• Xie Chen and Qin Huai: Qin provides formal legal support while Xie Chen delivers the decisive evidence, demonstrating their coordinated strategy.
• Xie Chen and the public: Although he does not directly address the online speculation, his actions reinforce the belief that he is systematically bringing down the Xie family.

Chapter Summary: How Are They Still Like This?!

Plot Points and Events

• During mediation over the infringement case, Xie Chen plays a recording revealing that Qin Huai and Xie Zhenting had used questionable methods. Although the recording may not be legally admissible, it intimidates them and prevents a settlement.
• The judge recognizes the seriousness of the situation and ends mediation, ordering both sides to proceed toward the first-instance hearing under normal evidence procedures.
• Xie Chen mocks Qin Huai’s legal threats, insisting that publishing the recording and reporting the factual infringement would not constitute defamation. He leaves the courthouse with Sun Feng before Qin Huai can respond.
• Afterward, Qin Huai angrily reprimands Xie Zhenting and Pan Bing for allowing such incriminating evidence to exist. They realize the recording originated from an employee dispute involving unfairly divided profits and had supposedly been deleted after a settlement. They are baffled by how Xie Chen recovered it.
• Xie Chen travels with Lu Fei to the filming location. Their joking conversation about praying for romance turns into playful banter about Taoist deities and supernatural punishment.
• The Villain Group gathers for the new season of the variety show. Their unruly personalities remain unchanged, disappointing Director Li, who had hoped the program would reform them.
• Director Li and the production team secretly arrange extremely difficult academy courses to make Xie Chen suffer and restore the director’s dignity. They plan to disguise any extraordinary or dangerous footage as special effects.
• When Xie Chen arrives, the Villain Group immediately surrounds and welcomes him, completely ignoring Director Li and leaving him humiliated.

Character Developments

• Xie Chen remains confident, sharp-tongued, and fearless. He uses the recording primarily as leverage rather than formal evidence and openly challenges Qin Huai’s intimidation tactics.
• Qin Huai loses his composure after the mediation fails. His anger reveals how seriously he views the recording’s potential impact on both the court case and Xie Group’s public reputation.
• Xie Zhenting is defensive and frustrated, blaming the unexpected resurfacing of the recording rather than accepting full responsibility.
• Pan Bing is exposed as the source of the original vulnerability. Once his arrogance is removed, he becomes nervous and awkward, unable to defend himself.
• Sun Feng gains confidence from having Xie Chen as his lawyer and takes pleasure in humiliating Pan Bing, though he misses the chance to enjoy the victory because Xie Chen leaves quickly.
• Lu Fei provides comic relief through his exaggerated desire for romance and his gullible reaction to Xie Chen’s supernatural joke.
• Director Li becomes increasingly exasperated. His desire to regain control over the show turns into a plan to target Xie Chen with difficult tasks, but the cast’s immediate loyalty to Xie Chen leaves him feeling powerless.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus technical legality: The recording may be inadmissible as evidence, yet it still carries persuasive and reputational power, showing that legal battles are influenced by more than courtroom rules.
• Exposure and accountability: Past wrongdoing resurfaces despite attempts to erase it, suggesting that unethical actions can remain dangerous even after being concealed.
• Power reversal: Xie Chen, once targeted by Qin Huai and the Xie Group, now controls the situation and forces them into a defensive position.
• Public opinion and media pressure: The court, Xie Group, and production team all fear online backlash, highlighting the power of public judgment.
• Failed transformation: The Villain Group remains just as chaotic as before, turning the show’s intended reform premise into a comedy about the guests’ refusal to change.
• Friendship and group loyalty: The Villain Group enthusiastically welcomes Xie Chen, emphasizing their strong bond and contrasting their unity with Director Li’s lack of authority.

Character Interactions

• Xie Chen and Qin Huai engage in a tense battle of legal threats and sarcasm, with Xie Chen clearly holding the upper hand.
• Sun Feng openly taunts Pan Bing, celebrating his lawyer’s superiority.
• Qin Huai reprimands Xie Zhenting and Pan Bing after the mediation, exposing internal blame and conflict within their side.
• Xie Chen and Lu Fei exchange absurd jokes, showcasing their familiar and playful relationship.
• The Villain Group warmly welcomes Xie Chen while teasing him for arriving late.
• Director Li watches helplessly as the cast prioritizes Xie Chen over him, ending the chapter with his frustration and wounded pride.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Director Li prepares the cast to depart for the final season of the variety show, carefully instructing his staff to treat Xie Ran politely because the show depends on his popularity.
• Xie Ran initially refuses to participate because Six-Platform Mountain feels ominous, but his biological father, Xie Yongan, forces him to go by threatening to sever all family ties if he refuses. This convinces Xie Ran that the mountain conceals an important secret.
• On the production bus, Xie Ran sits near Director Li and receives a sarcastic remark about his ability to endure public hatred and social isolation. Meanwhile, Xie Chen sits with the other “Villain Group” guests, who tease him about missing Ye and expose his embarrassment.
• Jealous and annoyed by the lively group in the back, Xie Ran puts in earplugs and falls asleep.
• When he wakes, the bus appears empty and has stopped at a dark, isolated intersection. In reality, the others have gathered around him because he is behaving strangely and incoherently.
• Xie Ran threatens the production crew and repeatedly declares that he will kill Xie Chen, causing the livestream audience to speculate that he has been possessed by an evil spirit.
• A young Taoist priestess examines him and claims that his excessive greed has attracted something sinister. She orders the crew to feed him dirt from beneath a nearby pine tree, claiming it contains the immortal aura of cultivators.
• After eating the dirt, Xie Ran immediately regains consciousness, shocking both the cast and the livestream viewers.
• As the Taoist priestess prepares to leave, she notices Xie Chen and exclaims that he looks exactly like her patriarch, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Xie Ran: Revealed to be unwilling but coerced into joining the show. His fear of Six-Platform Mountain, jealousy toward Xie Chen, and apparent possession expose his insecurity and impulsiveness. His repeated threats against Xie Chen also make him look malicious to the public, even though he seems unaware of what he is saying.
• Xie Chen: Remains quiet and easily embarrassed, especially when the other guests tease him about Ye. His mysterious resemblance to the Taoist priestess’s patriarch suggests a hidden connection to the supernatural or to Six-Platform Mountain.
• Director Li: Shows practical opportunism and a willingness to appease Xie Ran for the sake of ratings, but he also privately resents the trouble Xie causes and takes satisfaction in making him eat dirt.
• Xie Yongan: His unusually forceful insistence that Xie Ran attend implies that he knows something significant about Six-Platform Mountain and is concealing it.
• The Taoist priestess: Introduced as a knowledgeable supernatural figure who quickly diagnoses and resolves Xie Ran’s condition. Her recognition of Xie Chen introduces a major mystery.

Significant Themes

• Hidden supernatural secrets: Six-Platform Mountain is portrayed as an eerie place connected to possession, cultivators, and unexplained spiritual forces.
• Appearance versus reality: Xie Ran appears to willingly endure public humiliation, but he is actually being forced to participate. Likewise, his apparent murderous behavior may be caused by possession rather than his true intentions.
• Public image and spectacle: The production crew and livestream audience treat the incident as both a dangerous supernatural event and entertaining content, showing how reality television turns personal crises into performances.
• Family secrets and coercion: Xie Yongan’s threat to disown Xie Ran strongly suggests that the Xie family is hiding information about the mountain.
• Jealousy and social exclusion: Xie Ran feels isolated from the close-knit group surrounding Xie Chen, intensifying his resentment and insecurity.

Character Interactions

• Director Li and his assistant discuss the need to avoid offending Xie Ran, highlighting his influence over the show’s ratings.
• Director Li sarcastically praises Xie Ran’s “mental fortitude,” while Xie Ran responds with forced politeness.
• The Villain Group jokingly teases Xie Chen about missing Ye; Xie Chen becomes visibly flustered, and the others continue provoking him.
• Xie Ran reacts jealously to their camaraderie and deliberately shuts them out with earplugs.
• During Xie Ran’s apparent possession, the guests and crew observe him cautiously rather than immediately confronting him, while Xie Chen even moves aside so the camera can capture the scene.
• The Taoist priestess’s final recognition of Xie Chen links him to an unknown patriarch and suggests that his identity may be central to the mountain’s secrets.

Xie Chen and the production team followed Daoists Feng Qing and his junior sister up Six-Platform Mountain, where the disciples’ accusations and apparent lightning summoning unsettled the livestream viewers. As they neared the temple, Xie Chen sensed that someone was waiting for him.

• Feng Qing stopped his junior sister from mistaking the young Xie Chen for their founding patriarch and led the group up the mountain.
• Xie Ran hurried after the others, still shaken by his possession and the evil spirit that had attacked him.
• On the dark trail, Xie Chen teased the two Daoists about evil spirits and human bones, prompting them to draw glowing peachwood swords and accuse the crew of poaching students.
• After Xie Chen reminded them they were livestreaming, the disciples sheathed their swords and told viewers to trust science, while their argument coincided with dark clouds and crackling lightning.
• Xie Chen used a divination gesture, sensed someone waiting for him near the mountaintop temple, and brushed off the cameraman’s question.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Feng Qing and Chenyue bring the soaked production crew into the Taoist temple after their chaotic journey up the mountain, during which wind, rain, and thunder leave everyone drenched and disheveled.
• Their master initially orders everyone to rest and assigns the two disciples to handle the guests’ needs, but then punishes them with a Five Thunder Curse for causing trouble. The incident leaves them blackened and humiliated.
• The guests are shown to their primitive lodging in the side hall. The temple has no electricity there, forcing everyone to use candles.
• The production team discovers that the temple’s rules apply to everyone who enters, including the guests and staff. Everyone must wake at four in the morning for lessons, despite Director Li’s assumption that only the guests would participate.
• Director Li angrily blames the planner for failing to warn them about the harsh conditions, while the guests joke that he has accidentally made the production crew suffer alongside them.
• At dawn, gongs and drums wake the group. Luo Mingyu initially assumes Xie Chen is repeating his usual method of waking people, but realizes Xie Chen is still half-asleep. The chapter ends with everyone wondering who has copied the “patriarch’s” notorious tactics.

Character developments

• Feng Qing and Chenyue: Their playful, unruly behavior is contrasted with their deep respect for their master. Despite being powerful enough to manipulate the weather, they remain obedient when punished and take responsibility for the temple’s guests.
• The white-bearded master: He is revealed to be stricter and more formidable than his disciples, using the Five Thunder Curse as a disciplinary measure. His brief, meaningful glance at Xie Chen hints at a possible connection or recognition.
• Director Li: His attempt to make the guests suffer backfires when he is forced to endure the same primitive conditions and early schedule. His frustration provides much of the chapter’s comedy.
• Xie Chen: He remains calm and observant, offering dry explanations and jokes about cultivation. His unexplained connection to the temple’s master is subtly emphasized.
• Luo Mingyu and Wei Mingqi: They provide comic reactions, voicing the group’s disbelief and fear at the temple’s rules and living conditions.

Significant themes

• Consequences and discipline: Even powerful disciples are subject to strict punishment when they misuse their abilities.
• Suffering as “cultivation”: The temple treats hardship, early rising, and strict routines as part of spiritual training, while the production crew experiences them as absurd punishment.
• Inheritance and imitation: The closing reference to Xie Chen’s gong-and-drum wake-up method suggests that his influence—or the patriarch’s teachings—may have been passed on to others.
• Hidden connections: The master’s unusual glance at Xie Chen hints that Xie Chen may have a deeper relationship with the temple or its traditions than he has revealed.
• Comedy from clashing worlds: Modern entertainers and production staff are forced into an ancient, supernatural environment, creating humor through their confusion and discomfort.

Character interactions

• The disciples exchange teasing banter while escorting the crew, then immediately become humble and obedient before their master.
• The master’s silent exchange of glances with Xie Chen creates an understated moment of tension and mystery.
• Chenyue warns the guests about the disciplinary master, while Luo Mingyu responds with exaggerated complaints about waking before the chickens.
• Xie Chen and the others mock Director Li’s failed plan, suggesting that even his wife would punish him if he tried to abandon the mortal world.
• The final scene pairs Luo Mingyu’s panic with Xie Chen’s exhaustion, setting up the mystery of who is responsible for the temple’s dawn wake-up ritual.

Luo Mingyu and the production crew were awakened before dawn and taken to morning class at the Taoist Academy, where Xie Chen’s familiarity with the place unsettled its residents. When the disciplinary master challenged him to learn the scripture Clear Resonance, Xie Chen began reciting it from memory, leaving the crew and the Taoists stunned.

• Chenyue and Feng Qing woke the guests with gongs at half past three, and Luo Mingyu complained before joining the group on the way to the class hall.
• Xie Chen felt an uncanny familiarity with the Taoist Academy, while Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan teased each other about their closeness to him.
• A white-bearded figure watched Xie Chen leave and wondered whether reincarnation could be real.
• Luo Mingyu discovered that ordinary morning class began at five, but Feng Qing explained that new nonresident disciples had to arrive early to focus their minds.
• Xie Chen questioned whether the academy’s rules had truly come from its founding patriarch, and the disciplinary master froze when he saw Xie Chen’s face.
• When the disciplinary master ordered the guests to study Clear Resonance, Xie Chen claimed he knew it by heart and began reciting it, making Director Li despair.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie Chen astonishes the disciplinary instructor by effortlessly reciting not only the Clear Resonance but also the Pure Heart Spirit Mantra, Pure Mouth Spirit Mantra, and Land-Pacifying Mantra.
• His chanting carries an unusually powerful resonance, suggesting that his knowledge is more than simple memorization. The instructor becomes so shaken that he leaves to consult the dean, leaving Feng Qing and Chenyue behind.
• Director Li and the planner, who arranged the morning class as a test for the newcomers, are stunned. They console themselves by assuming Xie Chen may only have a photographic memory and decide to test him in the upcoming talisman-drawing class.
• The Villain Group celebrates Xie Chen’s performance, praising his many hidden talents and mocking the Dao Academy’s unequal treatment of commuting disciples. Xie Ran remains skeptical, believing Xie Chen is merely good at memorization and will fail at practical magic.
• At the dean’s residence, the disciplinary instructor encounters Huo Wenye, who is suffering from a mysterious Curse Art. The dean and instructor discuss both the curse and Xie Chen’s extraordinary performance.
• The instructor reveals that Xie Chen’s chanting reached an exceptionally profound spiritual state and that Xie Chen resembles the Dao Academy’s Patriarch. The dean interrupts him before he can say more, implying that Xie Chen’s identity may be connected to the Patriarch.
• Huo Wenye asks to see the Patriarch’s portrait, but the dean refuses because it cannot be shown to outsiders. Huo accepts the refusal and leaves.
• After class, the Villain Group members attract the attention of the Dao Academy disciples. Luo Mingyu flirts with a female Daoist, who nearly attacks him with lightning before others restrain her.
• Just as Luo Mingyu asks Xie Chen to protect him—assuming Huo Wenye is absent this season—Huo suddenly appears and declares that he is still participating. He teasingly claims that Xie Chen can only look out for him.

Character Developments

• Xie Chen: Demonstrates extraordinary mastery of Daoist mantras and remains calm and almost playful despite shocking the instructor. His abilities deepen the mystery surrounding his identity and suggest a possible connection to the Patriarch.
• Disciplinary Instructor: Begins confident in his role but becomes visibly unsettled by Xie Chen’s knowledge and spiritual resonance. He recognizes that Xie Chen’s ability is far beyond ordinary recitation.
• Director Li and the planner: Their confidence in their plan collapses after Xie Chen passes the first test effortlessly. They shift their hopes to the talisman-drawing class.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue: Feng Qing is surprised and develops a complicated view of Xie Chen, while Chenyue suspects the newcomers may be deliberately challenging or threatening the Dao Academy.
• Xie Ran: Remains jealous and dismissive, insisting that recitation proves nothing and that Xie Chen will fail when practical skills are tested.
• Huo Wenye: Is introduced as a powerful, enigmatic figure afflicted by a Curse Art. His interest in the Patriarch’s portrait and his familiar, possessive teasing toward Xie Chen hint at a significant relationship or shared history.
• Luo Mingyu: Provides comic relief through his flirtation with the female Daoists, but quickly becomes frightened when his teasing provokes a magical response.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and concealed power: Xie Chen’s abilities and resemblance to the Patriarch suggest that important truths are being deliberately hidden.
• Appearance versus reality: Others assume Xie Chen is merely an intelligent law professor or bookworm, but his spiritual resonance reveals a far greater level of cultivation.
• Competition and testing: The Dao Academy repeatedly attempts to expose the newcomers, while Xie Chen’s effortless success reverses the power dynamic.
• Equality and outsider status: The Villain Group challenges the Academy’s treatment of commuting disciples, highlighting tensions between insiders and outsiders.
• Humor amid mystery: Comedic reactions and banter contrast with serious issues involving curses, forbidden techniques, and the Patriarch’s identity.

Important Character Interactions

• Xie Chen calmly counters the disciplinary instructor’s challenges, leaving him shocked and prompting him to seek the dean’s advice.
• The Villain Group enthusiastically praises Xie Chen while Wei Mingqi intentionally taunts the senior Daoist disciples.
• The dean discreetly prevents the instructor from openly discussing Xie Chen’s resemblance to the Patriarch in front of Huo Wenye.
• Huo Wenye questions the dean about the Patriarch, revealing his curiosity and possible connection to the Academy’s secrets.
• Luo Mingyu’s flirtation provokes a female Daoist, leading to a comic confrontation involving threatened lightning.
• Huo Wenye’s unexpected arrival culminates the chapter with playful tension as he implies that Xie Chen is his protector.

Xie Chen joined the Dao Academy’s talisman class while Huo Wenye stayed close by, and the Xie family’s secret price for its wealth came to light. The chapter ended with Xie Chen offering to improve the academy’s Thunder Summoning Curse.

• Huo Wenye arrived at the academy and openly squatted beside Xie Chen, while Li Jingfei and Li Sifan suspected the Huo family had approved their relationship.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue hinted that Xie Ran’s declining fortune was tied to karma, and Xie Chen noticed it had fallen sharply since he joined the show.
• Huo Wenye peeled an egg for Xie Chen and touched his hand, delighting the livestream viewers with their flirtation.
• Mrs. Xie confronted Xie Yongan about using Xie Ran’s birth details, and Xie Yongan insisted the Xie family had to pay a bloody price for its wealth.
• At the talisman lesson, the teacher called on Xie Chen, who agreed to draw a talisman but said he could improve the Thunder Summoning Curse.

Chapter Summary: “What Life Did You Starve to Death In?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Director Li grows increasingly nervous when Xie Chen claims he can improve the Daoist Academy’s Thunder Summoning Curse. He fears Xie Chen may actually succeed and even wonders whether the academy accepted the show because of Xie Chen.
• In class, the Daoist disciples mock Xie Chen’s confidence, insisting that years of study cannot be surpassed by a casual visitor.
• The Daoist teacher challenges Xie Chen to match his Thunder Summoning Curse. As a reward, Xie Chen negotiates for an extra meal, while the teacher adds that the production crew must leave if Xie Chen loses.
• The teacher successfully draws a talisman and summons a powerful lightning strike, impressing the students, crew, and livestream viewers.
• Xie Chen then draws his own talisman in only half a minute. His spell creates far more dramatic effects: dark clouds cover the sky, violent winds erupt, a purple dragon appears in the clouds, and an enormous lightning bolt strikes a nearby mountaintop tree.
• The stunned teacher concedes Xie Chen’s victory, promises him extra meat for lunch, and immediately leaves to report to the dean. The class is dismissed for independent study.
• Xie Chen refuses to cause unnecessary destruction, explaining that damaging the tree would violate environmental responsibility.

Character Developments

• Xie Chen demonstrates that his casual confidence is justified. He is not only capable of drawing talismans but can perform them at a level far beyond the academy teacher. Despite his overwhelming power, he remains focused on food and practical rewards.
• Director Li shifts from anxious disbelief to fascinated anticipation. He remains concerned about the program’s consequences and orders a disclaimer encouraging viewers to “believe in science.”
• The Daoist teacher begins as dismissive and confident but is completely overwhelmed by Xie Chen’s superior spell. His stunned reaction and decision to seek the dean show that his view of Xie Chen changes dramatically.
• The students move from contempt and skepticism to shock and admiration, though some initially assume Xie Chen is rushing because he is afraid.
• Luo Mingyu, the narrator, is impressed by Xie Chen’s power and humorously encourages him to cause even more destruction.
• Huo Wenye continues to show concern for Xie Chen’s hunger, even considering finding game for him.
• The fans are amazed by the supernatural display and become even more enthusiastic about Xie Chen.

Significant Themes

• Hidden ability versus outward appearance: Xie Chen’s relaxed, food-obsessed behavior causes others to underestimate him, making his overwhelming success more surprising.
• Tradition and challenged authority: The academy’s formally trained disciples and teacher assume their expertise cannot be surpassed, but Xie Chen overturns their hierarchy in moments.
• Comedy amid the extraordinary: The spectacular supernatural event is repeatedly undercut by Xie Chen’s concern about getting an extra meal.
• Power and responsibility: Although Xie Chen can produce devastating effects, he deliberately limits the damage and invokes environmental protection.
• Entertainment versus reality: The production crew treats the event as a television spectacle, while the livestream audience struggles to determine whether the supernatural display is real.

Character Interactions

• The students and teacher confront Xie Chen with ridicule, prompting the challenge.
• Xie Chen bargains directly with the teacher, turning the tense duel into a negotiation over food.
• Director Li reacts anxiously to Xie Chen’s unauthorized promise and then eagerly watches the competition once he sees the rising audience numbers.
• The teacher’s impressive initial demonstration establishes the challenge, while Xie Chen’s vastly stronger performance reverses the classroom’s attitude.
• After winning, Xie Chen casually asks the teacher for meat, while Luo Mingyu praises the spectacle and Xie Chen responds with a humorous lecture about environmental protection.

The dean and instructor realized Xie Chen had caused the powerful displays of Taoist magic, while the instructor struggled to keep him from damaging the academy. After class, Xie Chen went with Huo Wenye to examine his chest, and Xie Ran suspected Xie Chen had cursed him.

• The dean guessed that Xie Chen had summoned the Purple Dragon Clone, but the instructor rushed out when an explosion shook the mountain.
• The instructor found Xie Chen preparing more talismans after students had demanded another demonstration, then dismissed the class and confiscated the papers in exchange for an extra dish at lunch.
• Luo Mingyu asked Xie Chen to teach him Taoist magic, but Li Sifan dragged him away and argued with him.
• Huo Wenye told Xie Chen that his chest hurt because they had spent the night apart, and Xie Chen agreed to examine him in the guest room.
• Xie Ran watched Xie Chen leave with Huo Wenye and suspected that Xie Chen had placed a Head Curse on him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie Ran secretly follows Xie Chen and Huo Wenye, hoping to discover what they are doing, but the cameraman immediately calls him out for stalking them. Xie Ran tries to disguise his intentions as sightseeing, though neither the cameraman nor the livestream audience believes him.
• When they reach the shared guest room, Xie Ran attempts to enter, claiming he needs medicine for his stomach. Xie Chen blocks him, while the cameraman exposes the inconsistency between Xie Ran’s excuse and his earlier claim that he merely wanted to admire the scenery.
• Xie Chen turns the confrontation against Xie Ran by suggesting that his illness and misfortune may stem from someone stealing his fortune using his birth date and birth hour. He implies that Xie Ran’s biological parents may be responsible.
• Huo Wenye reinforces Xie Chen’s suggestion, bluntly pointing out that Xie Ran already knows who is most suspicious. Xie Ran is visibly shaken and refuses to believe that his biological parents could harm him.
• Class interrupts the confrontation. Xie Chen and Huo Wenye leave for physical training while Xie Ran remains stunned. The cameraman continues filming his distressed reaction, worsening his humiliation.
• During the Eight Brocades exercise class, Xie Chen displays graceful, expert movements, impressing the teacher and viewers. Fans begin imagining him and Huo Wenye starring together in a historical drama.
• Because news of Xie Chen’s ability to draw a Lightning-Summoning Talisman has spread, the other guests are now afraid to provoke him.
• At lunch, Xie Chen receives a note from a classmate asking for more “face-slapping” scenes and expressing appreciation for the iron-pot stewed goose. Huo Wenye jokingly—or possessively—tells Xie Chen that night he will sleep beside him, while Xie Chen must sleep next to the wall.

Character Developments

• Xie Ran: Becomes increasingly desperate and frustrated as his schemes are exposed. His attempt to manipulate public sympathy fails, and Xie Chen’s insinuation about his biological parents deeply unsettles him. His normally performative confidence gives way to genuine shock and emotional distress.
• Xie Chen: Remains calm, sharp-tongued, and strategically composed. He uses Xie Ran’s own accusations and excuses against him, publicly humiliating him without losing his pleasant outward demeanor. His skill in Taoist practices and physical training further strengthens his intimidating reputation.
• Huo Wenye: Continues to support Xie Chen and acts as a direct, authoritative ally. He openly confirms the implication about Xie Ran’s parents and later displays a teasingly possessive attitude toward Xie Chen’s sleeping arrangements.
• The Cameraman: Functions as a blunt commentator and comic foil, repeatedly challenging Xie Ran’s lies and ensuring that his embarrassing moments are broadcast to the audience.
• Livestream Audience: Becomes increasingly entertained by Xie Ran’s failed schemes, Xie Chen’s reversals, and the apparent chemistry between Xie Chen and Huo Wenye.

Significant Themes

• Exposure of hypocrisy: Xie Ran’s attempts to appear innocent repeatedly collapse under scrutiny.
• Public image and entertainment: The livestream turns every confrontation into a spectacle, allowing viewers to judge and mock the characters in real time.
• Traditional belief versus skepticism: The chapter continues the tension between Taoist mysticism and modern disbelief, especially through Xie Chen’s talisman and fortune-related claims.
• Power and psychological control: Xie Chen gains power not only through supernatural knowledge but also through his ability to manipulate conversations and remain composed.
• Romantic and comedic tension: Huo Wenye’s protective teasing and the audience’s enthusiasm suggest growing intimacy between him and Xie Chen.

Character Interactions

• Xie Ran clashes with the cameraman, who openly questions his motives and exposes his excuses.
• Xie Ran attempts to confront Xie Chen but is instead psychologically cornered by Xie Chen’s comments about stolen fortune and his biological parents.
• Huo Wenye joins Xie Chen in confronting Xie Ran, reinforcing their united front.
• The livestream audience reacts enthusiastically to the conflict, praising the cameraman and celebrating Xie Chen’s “face-slapping.”
• At lunch, Huo Wenye teases Xie Chen about a possible love letter and then dictates their sleeping positions, creating a playful, intimate exchange.

Xie Chen learned that the court had accepted his guardianship case and thanked Huo Wenye for helping protect his grandmother. He arranged for Li Jingfei to be considered for a female villain role in Journey Through the Sword Domain, then woke to find Huo Wenye confronting him jealously in the dark.

• Lu Fei told Xie Chen that the court had accepted the guardianship case and that a protection order had been granted, while Captain Wang Qiming had taken Xie Chen's grandmother from the Xie Family.
• Xie Chen thanked Huo Wenye for helping his grandmother, but Director Li interrupted before they could finish talking and offered Xie Chen the male lead in Journey Through the Sword Domain.
• Xie Chen agreed to consider the role if Li Jingfei could play the female villain, and Director Li promised to speak with the director.
• That night, Huo Wenye covered Xie Chen's mouth and asked why he had helped Li Jingfei, saying he was jealous.

The Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy’s instructors debated Xie Chen’s identity and decided to watch him, while the villain guests returned to morning lessons without an early wake-up. Xie Ran called his mother about his worsening symptoms, and Mrs. Xie’s confrontation with Xie Yongan revealed that Chen Shuhua’s return to her senses could put them both in danger.

• The headmaster told the instructors to wait and observe Xie Chen rather than accuse him of practicing dark arts.
• The villain guests complained about being woken early, and Feng Qing explained that they only needed to arrive at the regular time.
• Xie Ran secretly called Mrs. Xie and asked whether she or Xie Yongan had given anyone his birth details for a fate reading.
• Mrs. Xie denied it and blamed Xie Chen for Xie Ran’s headaches and illness.
• Mrs. Xie confronted Xie Yongan about Xie Ran’s condition, and he slapped her, warning that they would both be dead if Chen Shuhua regained her senses.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Xie Yongan ominously declares that he and Mother Xie may both have to die, she becomes terrified and flees to her bedroom.
• Watching Xie Chen’s livestream, Mother Xie realizes that he may be responsible for exposing the family’s secrets. She curses him and vows to kill him, then calls her third son, Xie Jinran, demanding that he return from overseas with the second son.
• Xie Jinran recalls leaving the variety show after witnessing conflict between Xie Chen and the eldest brother. Although he had tried to avoid the family’s turmoil, he continued following the livestream and was stunned to discover that Xie Chen was actually Professor Smith.
• He remembers Xie Chen achieving perfect marks in middle school and realizes that the family had reacted with suspicion and fear rather than pride. Jinran had mocked him at the time, assuming he had cheated, but now understands that Xie Chen may have deliberately concealed his extraordinary abilities.
• Investigating Professor Smith’s background, Jinran discovers that Xie Chen had been targeted overseas and had his memories forcibly erased by mysterious, dangerous people.
• Meanwhile, the metaphysics-themed episode sends Villains Variety and Xie Chen trending. Topics include his talismans, possible connection to Taoism, the popularity of his Eight Brocades exercise, and rumors that he will star in Journey Through the Sword Domain.
• Li Jingfei learns that she has finally been cast as the female villain in Journey Through the Sword Domain, largely because Xie Chen recommended her. She tries to hug him in excitement, but Huo Wenye blocks her protectively. Xie Chen credits Director Li as well.
• The production team plans a visit to Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy, hoping to uncover information about Xie Chen and attract more online attention. Director Li and the planner decide to frame the investigation as mutually beneficial rather than simply trying to defeat Xie Chen.

Character Developments

• Mother Xie: Shifts from anger to genuine fear, recognizing that Xie Chen may have enough influence or knowledge to destroy the family. She becomes desperate enough to summon her biological sons.
• Xie Yongan: Reveals intense hostility toward Mother Xie, suggesting that the family’s hidden crimes are severe and that he may be willing to kill her.
• Xie Jinran: Begins reassessing his past treatment of Xie Chen. His old jealousy turns into shock and fear as he realizes Xie Chen’s brilliance was present from childhood and that he may have suffered persecution and memory loss.
• Xie Chen: Continues gaining fame and influence while remaining calm and playful. His single recommendation secures Li Jingfei’s coveted role, demonstrating his growing authority in the entertainment industry.
• Huo Wenye: Displays a protective, possessive attitude toward Xie Chen by stopping Li Jingfei from hugging him.
• Li Jingfei: Receives the role she has worked toward for months and becomes openly grateful to Xie Chen.
• Director Li and the planner: Grow increasingly obsessed with finding a challenge or mystery that can stand up to Xie Chen, though they ultimately recognize that cooperating with him may be more productive.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and suppressed brilliance: Xie Chen’s childhood perfection and secret identity as Professor Smith reveal how thoroughly he concealed his abilities.
• Family betrayal and abuse: The Xie family responded to Xie Chen’s achievements with suspicion and mistreatment rather than support, contributing to the current confrontation.
• Fear of truth and exposure: Mother Xie and Xie Yongan’s reactions show that the family is terrified of what Xie Chen may remember or reveal.
• Power reversal: Xie Chen, once neglected and underestimated, now controls public attention, career opportunities, and even the behavior of those who once dismissed him.
• Entertainment, publicity, and spectacle: Every revelation about Xie Chen generates online trends, while the variety-show staff actively turn mysteries surrounding him into content.
• Protection and loyalty: Huo Wenye’s intervention and Xie Chen’s support of Li Jingfei highlight the relationships forming around him, contrasting with the Xie family’s exploitation.

Character Interactions

• Mother Xie’s fearful exchange with Xie Yongan establishes the deadly tension within the family.
• She then pressures Xie Jinran by phone, ordering him to return and bring the second son with him.
• Jinran’s memories reveal how he once mocked Xie Chen, while his current investigation forces him to reconsider his guilt and fear.
• Li Jingfei’s gratitude toward Xie Chen leads to a humorous confrontation with Huo Wenye, who prevents her from embracing him.
• Xie Chen redirects Li Jingfei’s thanks toward Director Li, giving the director overdue recognition.
• Director Li and the planner collaborate on the Taoist academy visit, combining their frustration with Xie Chen and their desire to exploit his mysterious background for the show’s benefit.

The group agreed to investigate the academy’s forbidden Cave of Reflection after Xie Chen revealed it was shown on the official website. As a grime-covered figure charged out of the cave and bowed to Xie Chen, he wondered whether the academy was connected to a world from his past missions.

• Xie Chen pointed out that the academy’s official website showed the Cave of Reflection, and the headmaster allowed the group to visit it despite the discipline instructor’s warning.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue explained that students who turned to evil arts were sent to the cave and warned everyone not to touch its carved incantations.
• Xie Chen headed for the cave, while Huo Wenye and the Villain Group chose to go with him; Xie Ran offered to visit the scripture library instead.
• Director Li decided to enter the cave but asked Xie Chen to go in first.
• A disheveled figure rushed out of the cave, and Xie Chen wondered if its world was connected to his past missions.
• The figure dropped to its knees and shouted, “I bow before the founding master!”

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• During the livestream, a disheveled man suddenly kneels before Xie Chen and calls him “the Patriarch,” causing viewers to speculate about a hidden identity. The production team quickly explains him away as the academy’s eccentric Deputy Dean, who is allegedly unmedicated and confused.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue argue over who should take responsibility for the Deputy Dean, but he breaks free while shouting about finding the elixir of immortality and disappears into the woods.
• The group enters the Cave of Reflection. Huo Wenye secretly takes Xie Chen’s hand and claims he is frightened, but Xie Chen realizes his chest pain has returned. He suspects the person who cursed Huo Wenye is somewhere inside the cave.
• Xie Chen accidentally reveals that he founded the Taoist academy, but Luo Mingyu overhears only part of the statement. Huo Wenye prevents him from questioning Xie Chen further.
• Xie Ran begins suffering severe pain and behaves as though cursed. He is carried out of the cave and loses consciousness. Feng Qing and Chenyue confirm that he has actually been cursed, making Xie Ran question whether his biological mother deceived him.
• The remaining group continues deeper into the cave, finding walls covered in ominous, black-glowing talismans. Xie Chen concludes that the curse caster and the person siphoning away luck are likely the same Taoist from the Six-Platform Mountain Taoist Academy.
• Huo Wenye eventually collapses. Xie Chen panics and prepares to take him outside, but Huo Wenye uses the moment to teasingly ask whether Xie Chen is worried because he has fallen in love with him. Frustrated but emotionally affected, Xie Chen internally admits that he loves him.

Character Developments

• Xie Chen becomes increasingly protective of Huo Wenye and enraged that someone from the academy he founded is harming him. His emotional control breaks when Huo collapses, revealing the depth of his feelings.
• Huo Wenye continues to mask his pain with flirtation and humor. Despite his weakness, he deliberately provokes Xie Chen into acknowledging his concern and possible romantic feelings.
• Xie Ran suffers the clearest supernatural consequence in the chapter. His curse undermines his confidence in his mother’s explanation of his past and suggests that he may have been deceived.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue maintain their bickering senior-and-junior-sibling dynamic while attempting to conceal the Deputy Dean’s strange behavior and protect the academy’s reputation.
• Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan show a playful, affectionate relationship, with Li Sifan restraining and calming Luo Mingyu.
• The Deputy Dean is presented as eccentric and possibly mentally unstable, though his reference to immortality and the Patriarch adds mystery to the academy’s hidden history.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and buried history: The Patriarch accusation and Xie Chen’s accidental revelation that he founded the academy hint at his extraordinary past.
• Corruption within institutions: Xie Chen struggles with the possibility that the academy he created produced someone capable of curses and theft of luck.
• Love expressed through protection and teasing: Huo Wenye’s flirtation exposes Xie Chen’s growing attachment, while Xie Chen’s panic demonstrates that his concern has become deeply personal.
• Truth versus deception: Xie Ran’s curse makes him doubt his mother’s story, while the group’s attempts to disguise the Deputy Dean’s behavior show how easily reality is concealed.
• Supernatural danger: The Cave of Reflection amplifies curses, linking the cave, the curse caster, and the academy’s darker secrets.

Character Interactions

• The livestream audience reacts skeptically and humorously to the supposed Patriarch reveal, contrasting with the tense confusion at the filming site.
• Feng Qing and Chenyue quarrel while both try to shift responsibility for the Deputy Dean onto the other.
• Xie Chen and Huo Wenye share the chapter’s central intimate moment: Huo holds his hand for comfort, then teases him about being in love after collapsing.
• Huo Wenye sharply stops Luo Mingyu from interrogating Xie Chen, while Li Sifan restrains and reassures Luo.
• Xie Chen’s protective response to Huo’s collapse marks a clear shift from guarded concern to openly emotional attachment.

Chapter Summary: “Kissing Relieves Pain?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After watching Xie Ran collapse during the livestream, Mother Xie confronts Xie Yongan, demanding that he remove the spell harming their son.
• The three Xie brothers learn that their father used Fortune Borrowing to take Xie Ran’s luck in order to rescue the Xie family business.
• Xie Yongan openly justifies sacrificing Xie Ran, arguing that he is a member of the family and that any son’s fortune could be used for the family’s survival.
• The eldest son, Xie Zhenting, confirms that the company’s finances and public standing have improved significantly since the ritual. Despite recognizing the danger to Xie Ran, he refuses to offer his own fortune.
• Xie Yuchen is shocked and upset that their father would harm their biological younger brother, but he also cannot bring himself to sacrifice his own fortune.
• Xie Jinran reveals that he recognized Xie Ran’s symptoms from books about Fortune Borrowing, though he hides the possibility that his own fortune may also have been taken in the past.
• Mother Xie ultimately accepts Xie Ran’s suffering because she fears losing the family’s wealth and lifestyle, telling herself that he can be compensated later.
• Meanwhile, Huo Wenye awakens after collapsing and finds Xie Chen caring for him. Once they are alone, Huo teases Xie Chen about his concern and unexpectedly kisses him.
• Huo jokingly claims that kissing relieves pain and suggests that tongue-kissing would work even better. Embarrassed, Xie Chen flees the room, only to discover that the production crew and the Villain Group have been secretly eavesdropping.
• Xie Chen threatens them with lightning, sending everyone running while the livestream audience enthusiastically reacts to the flirtation.

Character Developments

• Xie Yongan is revealed as ruthless and unapologetic. He views his sons’ fortune as a resource belonging to the family and prioritizes the company over Xie Ran’s health.
• Mother Xie shows that her maternal concern is limited by her attachment to wealth and security. Though initially outraged, she ultimately accepts Xie Ran’s sacrifice.
• Xie Zhenting is practical and loyal to the family’s financial interests, but morally passive. He understands the company’s danger yet refuses to sacrifice himself.
• Xie Yuchen is openly distressed by the truth but remains unwilling to bear the same cost as Xie Ran.
• Xie Jinran appears more observant and morally cautious than his brothers. His knowledge of Fortune Borrowing suggests he may investigate further, though he keeps his suspicions secret.
• Huo Wenye becomes more openly playful and flirtatious with Xie Chen, using his injury as an excuse to initiate physical intimacy.
• Xie Chen is caring but easily flustered. His concern for Huo Wenye is obvious, even though he reacts with denial and embarrassment to Huo’s advances.

Significant Themes

• Family exploitation and betrayal: The Xie parents justify harming one child for the benefit of the family, exposing the conditional nature of their love.
• Wealth versus morality: The family recognizes that Xie Ran is suffering but chooses financial stability and luxury over his wellbeing.
• Self-preservation: None of the brothers is willing to surrender his own fortune, highlighting the selfishness and hypocrisy within the family.
• Hidden truths and supernatural consequences: Fortune Borrowing functions as both a literal curse and a symbol of how powerful people consume the vulnerable for their own success.
• Romantic tension and comic relief: Huo Wenye and Xie Chen’s playful exchange contrasts sharply with the darker Xie family conflict, providing a lighter emotional beat.

Character Interactions

• Mother Xie confronts Xie Yongan, but he dismisses her objections and challenges the sons to sacrifice their own fortunes instead.
• The three brothers react differently but ultimately fail to defend Xie Ran decisively.
• Xie Jinran and Mother Xie discuss how he discovered the truth, with Jinran concealing his deeper suspicions.
• Huo Wenye teases Xie Chen after waking, turning his caretaker’s concern into a flirtatious exchange.
• Xie Chen’s embarrassment becomes public when the crew is caught eavesdropping, creating a humorous scene for the livestream audience.

Chapter Summary: “Could It Really Stop the Pain?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie Chen retreats to the back mountain after overhearing the absurd claim that a French kiss can relieve pain.
• He encounters the eccentric vice dean, who warns him that there is a traitor within the Taoist temple before abruptly disappearing when someone approaches.
• In the Cave of Reflection, Xie Chen discovers that the mysterious runes connected to Huo Wenye’s curse have been deliberately scraped away. He photographs the damaged wall, suspecting that someone is destroying evidence.
• Outside the cave, Xie Chen reunites with Huo Wenye, who admits he followed him because he feared Xie Chen was angry about their earlier kiss.
• Huo Wenye cleverly interprets Xie Chen’s lack of anger as permission to kiss him again. Though flustered, Xie Chen finds himself unable—or unwilling—to object and wonders whether the kisses truly ease Huo Wenye’s pain.
• Xie Ran wakes in the academy infirmary and immediately contacts his father, Xie Yongan, hoping to learn whether his birth details were compromised.
• Xie Yongan reveals the Xie family’s secret: to preserve the family’s wealth and prosperity, each descendant must sacrifice their fortune. Xie Ran’s brothers have already done so, and now Xie Ran is being forced to make the same sacrifice.
• Xie Ran learns that his suffering was caused by his own family, not Xie Chen. When he begs for his fortune to be restored, his father dismisses him and ends the call.
• Desperate and heartbroken, Xie Ran contacts the rural man who raised him, but the man rejects him and tells him never to call again.

Character Developments

• Xie Chen remains suspicious and sharp-minded, recognizing the destruction of the runes as deliberate evidence tampering. However, around Huo Wenye, he becomes increasingly flustered and emotionally vulnerable.
• Huo Wenye grows bolder and more openly affectionate. He directly addresses the kiss, tests Xie Chen’s boundaries, and confidently takes his hand, suggesting a developing romantic relationship.
• The vice dean appears even more eccentric and unpredictable, but his warning about a traitor indicates that he may possess important information.
• Xie Ran moves from suspicion and denial to devastating realization. He discovers that his biological family has knowingly sacrificed his fortune and feels abandoned both by his wealthy family and by the rural family who raised him.
• Xie Yongan is revealed as cold, calculating, and devoted to the family’s prosperity over his son’s well-being.

Significant Themes

• Family betrayal and exploitation: Xie Ran’s suffering is not accidental but the result of a deliberate family ritual, exposing the cruelty beneath the Xie family’s wealth.
• Truth and concealed wrongdoing: The erased runes and the Xie family’s secret both emphasize attempts to hide harmful actions.
• Romantic trust and consent: Huo Wenye’s apology and teasing pursuit contrast with Xie Chen’s embarrassment, showing their relationship moving toward greater intimacy while raising questions about boundaries.
• Abandonment and belonging: Xie Ran is rejected by both the family that exploited him and the family he hoped might comfort him.
• Pain and healing: Physical pain, curse-related suffering, and emotional anguish run throughout the chapter, contrasted with the possibility that affection may offer relief.

Important Character Interactions

• Xie Chen and the vice dean: Their brief encounter combines comic absurdity with a serious warning about a traitor in the temple.
• Xie Chen and Huo Wenye: Huo Wenye reassures Xie Chen that he was concerned about upsetting him, then playfully seeks permission for future kisses. Xie Chen’s inability to refuse reveals his growing feelings.
• Xie Ran and Xie Yongan: Their phone call exposes the family’s cruel secret and confirms Xie Ran’s exploitation. Xie Yongan treats his son’s suffering as an obligation rather than a tragedy.
• Xie Ran and his rural father: Xie Ran seeks emotional refuge, but the call ends in rejection, leaving him completely isolated.

Chapter Summary: “A Lesson Must Be Taught, or Won’t He Become Unstoppable?!”

Key plot points and events

• Xie Ran reflects on his miserable situation. His biological family uses him as a tool to siphon luck, while his adoptive parents have abandoned him. Despite this mistreatment, he decides that the Xie Family’s wealth and luxurious lifestyle are worth enduring the pain.
• To reassure his father, Xie Yong’an, Xie Ran messages him, claiming that he is proud to contribute his luck to the family and will continue enduring the consequences. His father praises him for finally understanding his “good intentions.”
• Still suffering from severe headaches, Xie Ran develops the idea of transferring his pain to Xie Chen. He asks his biological mother to find a practitioner in Thailand who can perform a substitute curse or similar spell.
• Mother Xie agrees to investigate and promises to compensate him by having his eldest brother find him acting opportunities and provide promotional resources.
• During filming, both Xie Ran and Huo Wenye collapse, causing concern among the production crew and fans. However, Xie Chen’s loud protest about not wanting to “French kiss” Huo Wenye diverts public attention. Fans begin creating humorous and romantic trending topics about the two men.
• Huo Wenye returns to the courtyard holding Xie Chen’s hand, intensifying the apparent romantic rumors. Xie Chen quickly pulls away and focuses instead on suggesting the next filming task.
• Xie Chen proposes that the participants copy talismans drawn by teachers at the Dao Academy and compete to determine whose talisman is most effective. He boldly offers to challenge all the academy’s senior figures himself.
• Xie Ran supports the proposal, hoping to remain at the location long enough to obtain an item belonging to Xie Chen for the planned curse. He privately mocks Xie Chen’s confidence and believes his abilities are fraudulent.
• The Dao Academy’s teachers are enraged by Xie Chen’s challenge. A disciplinary teacher insists that they must accept in order to teach him a lesson and prevent him from becoming even more arrogant.

Character developments

• Xie Ran: Reveals his selfish and calculating nature. Although he recognizes that his family exploits him, he chooses wealth over dignity and willingly continues serving as a vessel for borrowed luck. His desire to shift his pain onto Xie Chen shows his growing hostility and willingness to use sinister methods.
• Mother Xie: Shows affection toward Xie Ran but enables his resentment and schemes. She is willing to seek out occult means to harm Xie Chen and attempts to pacify Ran by promising him career opportunities.
• Xie Yong’an: Reinforces the family’s manipulation by praising Xie Ran for accepting his role as a source of luck.
• Xie Chen: Appears confident, provocative, and unconcerned with the consequences of his challenge. He takes the initiative in designing an entertaining task and willingly offers to face the Dao Academy’s experts alone.
• Huo Wenye: His collapse remains unexplained, but his hand-holding with Xie Chen fuels public speculation about their relationship.
• Dao Academy teachers: Their pride is wounded by Xie Chen’s challenge, turning confusion into determination to confront and humble him.

Significant themes

• Exploitation disguised as family love: Xie Ran’s relatives frame the use of his luck as a noble sacrifice, while ignoring his suffering.
• Greed and moral compromise: Xie Ran understands that he is being abused but accepts it because he values luxury more than freedom or genuine affection.
• Public image and entertainment: The livestream audience quickly shifts from concern over Huo Wenye’s collapse to gossip about his interaction with Xie Chen, showing how easily serious events become spectacle.
• Arrogance and retaliation: Xie Chen’s bold challenge provokes the Dao Academy, setting up a confrontation centered on pride and the desire to “teach him a lesson.”
• Supernatural rivalry: Curses, luck transfer, talismans, and mysterious abilities continue to drive the conflict between Xie Ran and Xie Chen.

Character interactions

• Xie Ran reassures Xie Yong’an through WeChat, pretending to accept the family’s exploitation.
• Xie Ran asks Mother Xie to help transfer his pain to Xie Chen; she responds with sympathy and promises both occult assistance and career benefits.
• Xie Chen and Huo Wenye’s hand-holding and flirtatious misunderstanding become the focus of fan speculation.
• Xie Chen proposes the Dao Academy challenge to Director Li, while Xie Ran supports it for his own hidden purpose.
• Director Li remains sarcastic toward Xie Ran but recognizes the entertainment value of the proposed task.
• The production planners relay Xie Chen’s challenge to Feng Qing, Chenyue, and the teachers, provoking the disciplinary teacher to demand a direct confrontation.