Ch. 1It's Called Chapter One

Chapter One Summary: “It’s Called Chapter One”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • In the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian kneels beside a lake for seven days, waiting for Gu Yue— the awakened incarnation of the Silver Dragon King—to recover her memories and divine consciousness.
  • While waiting, Di Tian recalls the name Lu Menge, an almost forgotten legendary soul beast known as the Nine-Headed White Tiger.
  • Lu Menge is rumored to:
    • Have existed longer than even the Dragon God.
    • Possess no divine position and remain outside the authority of the God Realm.
    • Appear sporadically throughout ancient soul-beast legends before disappearing again.
    • Currently be connected to East Sea City.
  • Gu Yue awakens and questions Di Tian about Lu Menge. Though skeptical because his information is based entirely on rumors, she recognizes Lu Menge’s potential importance to the soul-beast race.
  • Gu Yue orders Di Tian to find Lu Menge, even if there is no proof that she is still alive. Di Tian accepts the task with complete loyalty and determination.
  • The scene shifts to East Sea City, where Lu Menge is working as a teacher at Eastsea Academy. Her casual actions and mysterious presence reveal that she is the legendary white tiger Di Tian has been seeking.
  • Lu Menge senses that someone connected to the distant past has remembered her. She appears to recognize that Di Tian—or possibly the Dragon God’s legacy—has begun searching for her, and she welcomes the coming confrontation or reunion.

Character Developments

  • Di Tian: Revealed as deeply loyal to Gu Yue and intensely committed to the survival and restoration of the soul-beast lineage. Despite his immense age and power, he is uncertain about Lu Menge’s existence, showing that even ancient beings are limited by lost history and fragmented memories.
  • Gu Yue: Awakens with her authority and cold composure intact. Her questions demonstrate caution and intelligence, but her decision to search for Lu Menge suggests that she understands the strategic and historical importance of this mysterious figure.
  • Lu Menge: Introduced as an ancient, extraordinarily powerful being who hides in plain sight as a teacher. Her relaxed behavior contrasts with the terrifying legends surrounding her. She is confident, patient, and seemingly aware of events far beyond East Sea City.

Significant Themes

  • Forgotten history and fragmented memory: The past has been obscured by the fall of the Dragon God and the decline of the soul beasts. Even Di Tian cannot distinguish clearly between personal experience, oral history, and ancient records.
  • Power outside established order: Lu Menge’s refusal to accept a divine position places her beyond the God Realm’s systems of authority, suggesting that true power may exist outside official recognition.
  • Longevity and isolation: Immortality is portrayed as a burden involving endless solitude, fading memories, and watching others pass through history while remaining outside it.
  • The return of the past: The awakening of Gu Yue and Di Tian’s recollection of Lu Menge signal that buried conflicts, alliances, and relationships from the Dragon God’s era may soon re-emerge.
  • Anticipation and mystery: The chapter establishes Lu Menge as a legendary figure without explaining her motives or full history, creating suspense around why she disappeared and what role she will play.

Character Interactions

  • Di Tian and Gu Yue’s exchange emphasizes their hierarchy: he remains respectfully submissive, while she commands with calm authority.
  • Gu Yue challenges the reliability of Di Tian’s information, questioning whether Lu Menge exists and why they should pursue an unconfirmed legend.
  • Despite her skepticism, Gu Yue accepts Di Tian’s judgment that Lu Menge may be as important to the soul beasts as she is.
  • Lu Menge’s final remarks imply that she is willing—or even eager—to let those searching for her make the first move, establishing a subtle connection between her and the newly awakened Gu Yue.

Ch. 2It's Called Chapter Two

Chapter Two Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • In the Star Dou Great Forest, Gu Yue’s daily life has stabilized while her Silver Dragon King divine sense continues to recover. Meanwhile, Di Tian remains increasingly tense as he investigates the mysterious “Nine-Headed White Tiger” and monitors East Sea City.
  • A tiny White Tiger cub mysteriously appears outside Gu Yue’s Stone Palace without triggering the defenses of the forest’s powerful beasts. The cub reveals that it was sent by Lu Menge.
  • Through fragmented divine intent, the cub tells Gu Yue that Lu Menge knows she has awakened but is still recovering, warning her not to move recklessly. It also relays a teasing remark that Di Tian’s methods of locating people are “too old-fashioned.”
  • The cub delivers a second, more substantial message before using an ancient law-like ability to vanish without leaving spatial soul-power traces.
  • Gu Yue discovers that the final message has been left behind as written words in ancient beast-clan script. Though the exact contents are not stated, the message deeply affects her. She destroys the divine intent but quietly repeats Lu Menge’s name, indicating that the encounter has made a lasting impression.
  • The cub returns to Lu Menge in East Sea City through the same mysterious power. Lu Menge praises it, offers to warm its milk, and reflects with relief that Gu Yue has awakened.
  • Lu Menge ends the chapter by promising that the confrontation with Gu Yue will involve more than a simple show of power, hinting at a deliberately embarrassing or psychologically overwhelming future meeting.

Character Developments

  • Gu Yue: Her normally controlled, detached demeanor is disturbed by Lu Menge’s unexpected intervention. Although she remains outwardly calm, she experiences curiosity, resentment, vigilance, and a reluctant emotional reaction. Lu Menge’s name becomes memorable and significant to her, while her calmness takes on a more dangerous intensity.
  • Lu Menge: She demonstrates immense reach, confidence, and playful control by sending a seemingly harmless cub into the most heavily guarded region of the forest. Beneath her teasing and languid personality, she shows genuine concern and emotional attachment toward Gu Yue, whom she calls her “cousin.” Her relief at Gu Yue’s awakening suggests a long-standing relationship and buried affection.
  • Di Tian: Though he does not appear directly, his growing tension and traditional investigative methods establish him as cautious, worried, and increasingly outmatched by Lu Menge’s abilities.
  • White Tiger cub: The cub provides comic relief through its clumsy behavior, weak roar, and attempts to appear intimidating. At the same time, it serves as a trustworthy messenger capable of carrying divine intent and traveling through an ancient, undetectable pathway.

Significant Themes

  • Power beyond conventional understanding: Lu Menge’s ability to send the cub into the forbidden core region and transport it without spatial fluctuations suggests powers governed by older laws than ordinary soul power.
  • Control versus emotional disturbance: Gu Yue prides herself on composure, but Lu Menge’s message awakens feelings she cannot fully suppress.
  • Playfulness masking deep history: Lu Menge’s teasing attitude hides genuine concern, relief, and anticipation connected to a relationship that appears ancient and emotionally important.
  • The limits of surveillance and authority: Di Tian and the forest’s savage beasts cannot detect the cub, emphasizing that their power and methods are inadequate against Lu Menge.
  • Anticipation of confrontation: The chapter functions as a prelude to a future meeting between Gu Yue and Lu Menge, framing it as both a power struggle and a deeply personal reunion.

Character Interactions

  • Gu Yue and the White Tiger cub: Their first meeting is awkward and humorous. The cub tries to act fierce, while Gu Yue remains expressionless but carefully observes its unusual divine intent and abilities.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: They never meet directly, but Lu Menge communicates with Gu Yue through the cub. Her message provokes Gu Yue’s strongest emotional response in the chapter.
  • Lu Menge and the White Tiger cub: Lu Menge treats the cub affectionately as a student or child, praising its successful mission and promising it warm milk. The cub proudly reports Gu Yue’s reaction.
  • Lu Menge and Gu Yue’s future relationship: Lu Menge’s final comments imply that she intends to unsettle or embarrass Gu Yue when they meet, combining affection, teasing, and a calculated display of dominance.

Ch. 3This Is Called Chapter Three

Chapter Three Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Tang Wulin celebrates passing Teacher Mang Tian’s forging assessment. Though his soul power remains only Level 3 and his Blue Silver Grass martial soul is ridiculed at school, forging gives him confidence and hope.
  • On his way home, Tang Wulin meets Lu Menge, a mysterious and striking woman in a white coat. She knows his name, martial soul, and soul-power level despite never having met him.
  • Lu Menge examines Tang Wulin and identifies the presence of the Golden Dragon King bloodline hidden within his seemingly ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul. She affectionately pinches his cheeks, treating him like a valuable treasure rather than an underachieving child.
  • Without giving him a real choice, Lu Menge follows Tang Wulin home, claiming that his teacher is having dinner there.
  • At the Tang family home, Lu Menge introduces herself as a senior teacher at Eastsea Academy and claims to be a Level 89 attack-type soul master. She tells Tang Wulin’s parents that Blue Silver Grass and innate Level 3 soul power may conceal extraordinary potential.
  • Tang Wulin’s parents, reassured by her praise, welcome her warmly and prepare an elaborate dinner.
  • Lu Menge gives Tang Wulin a pale-gold bead bracelet, disguising it as a simple health-preserving gift. In reality, it quietly tempers and strengthens the Golden Dragon King bloodline within him.
  • After dinner, Lu Menge leaves with braised pork, satisfied that she has successfully established contact with Tang Wulin and his family.
  • Later, she uses the Tiger Soul Sacred Seal’s detection array to monitor Tang Wulin from across the city. She confirms that the bracelet is functioning and that his blood and qi remain stable.
  • The chapter ends by revealing that Lu Menge has deliberately been waiting and hiding for a long time. She has now taken Tang Wulin under her observation, while publicly posing as an “ordinary” Eastsea Academy teacher.

Character Developments

  • Tang Wulin: Gains confidence from passing his forging test but remains insecure about his low soul power and mocked martial soul. His encounter with Lu Menge introduces the possibility that he possesses hidden, unprecedented potential. He is cautious around her but ultimately drawn along by her confidence and warmth.
  • Lu Menge: Reveals herself as powerful, perceptive, manipulative, and playful. She masks her true intentions behind the role of a kind teacher, while privately viewing Tang Wulin as a rare treasure. Her interest is specifically connected to the Golden Dragon King bloodline.
  • Tang Ziran and Lang Yue: Their fears about Tang Wulin’s weak martial soul are temporarily eased by Lu Menge’s encouragement. They quickly accept her because she offers the validation they have long wanted to hear, though Lang Yue senses that Lu Menge’s comments carry a hidden meaning.
  • Teacher Mang Tian: Does not appear directly, but his successful forging assessment and reward are important to Tang Wulin’s growing self-esteem.

Significant Themes

  • Hidden potential beneath apparent weakness: Tang Wulin’s Blue Silver Grass and Level 3 soul power appear unimpressive, but they conceal the dangerous and extraordinary Golden Dragon King bloodline.
  • Appearance versus reality: Lu Menge presents herself as a friendly, ordinary teacher, yet she is actually an immensely powerful soul master with secret knowledge and plans.
  • Recognition and validation: Tang Wulin is accustomed to being mocked, so Lu Menge’s admiration affects him deeply. His parents are similarly comforted by someone finally affirming their son’s worth.
  • Protection and manipulation: Lu Menge’s bracelet appears to be a harmless present, but it secretly modifies Tang Wulin’s body. Her concern may be protective, but she also treats him as an object of study and possession.
  • Destiny and awakening: The chapter suggests that Tang Wulin’s meeting with Lu Menge is part of a larger, long-prepared plan connected to ancient or hidden forces returning to the current era.

Character Interactions

  • Tang Wulin and Lu Menge: Their first meeting is playful but unsettling. Lu Menge teases, studies, and physically handles him while speaking as though she already understands his deepest secret. Tang Wulin is suspicious yet instinctively senses that she does not mean him harm.
  • Lu Menge and Tang Wulin’s parents: She carefully adopts a polite, professional demeanor and reassures them about their son’s future. Her calculated praise wins their trust almost immediately.
  • Tang Wulin and his parents: His parents treat Lu Menge as an honored guest and instruct him to serve her, leaving him confused by how quickly the situation changes.
  • Lu Menge and the family during dinner: She maintains a convincing teacherly persona, discussing academy matters and giving the family hope, while privately viewing Tang Wulin as something far more extraordinary than a normal student.

Ch. 4Arresting the Silver Dragon King

Chapter Summary: “Arresting the Silver Dragon King”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Gu Yue spends the day brooding over the White Tiger cub’s lingering aura and the mysterious message calling her “Cousin.”
  • She orders Di Tian to stop searching for Lu Menge, explaining that Lu Menge has already found her. Gu Yue withdraws the forest’s patrols and prepares to wait for her visitor.
  • Lu Menge arrives at the Stone Palace through a spatial rift, accompanied by nine phantom tails. Her presence is impossible for Gu Yue’s divine consciousness to detect.
  • When Lu Menge calls Gu Yue “cousin,” Gu Yue reacts with hostility and unleashes her Silver Dragon King aura and ice elements.
  • Lu Menge effortlessly neutralizes Gu Yue’s attack with a world-shaking tiger roar, revealing nine solid tiger tails and confirming herself as the legendary Nine-Headed White Tiger, an existence older than the Dragon God.
  • Lu Menge explains that she has come to take Gu Yue to the human world. She invites her to attend Eastsea Academy, emphasizing ordinary human experiences such as school life, food, and the sea.
  • Lu Menge reveals that the Golden Dragon King has already been found and is living among humans, implying that Gu Yue is the final missing piece in the Dragon God’s continuation.
  • Gu Yue accepts the need to leave the forest, though the decision is clearly driven by curiosity and the importance of Lu Menge’s revelations.
  • After Lu Menge departs, Gu Yue tells Di Tian she will leave the next morning and orders him to guard the forest.
  • The chapter ends with Lu Menge returning to Eastsea Academy, where she jokes with the Little White Tiger about Gu Yue and prepares for Gu Yue’s arrival.

Character Developments

  • Gu Yue: Her usual composure and pride are shaken by Lu Menge’s inexplicable power. She recognizes that she still has much to learn, particularly about humans and forces beyond the known divine system. Although she remains guarded, she becomes curious and agrees to enter the human world.
  • Lu Menge: She is established as powerful, eccentric, and casually confident. Despite her playful manner, she understands the importance of the Dragon God legacy and actively guides both the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings.
  • Di Tian: He remains deeply loyal and cautious. He recognizes that Lu Menge is extraordinarily dangerous but wisely avoids interfering with Gu Yue’s decision.
  • Little White Tiger: The cub acts as Lu Menge’s companion and reinforces the connection between her and the White Tiger lineage.

Significant Themes

  • Pride versus humility: Gu Yue’s encounter forces her to acknowledge that her strength and knowledge are limited.
  • The unknown beyond established power systems: Lu Menge possesses immense authority without divine rank, suggesting a realm of power older or fundamentally different from gods and soul beasts.
  • Humanity and lived experience: Lu Menge argues that Gu Yue has studied humans only as “specimens” and must experience their warmth directly.
  • Reunion and continuation of the Dragon God: The discovery of the Golden Dragon King and Lu Menge’s effort to bring Gu Yue into the human world advance the larger destiny of the dragon lineage.
  • Contrasting personalities: Gu Yue is restrained, proud, and serious, while Lu Menge is playful, casual, and irreverent, creating tension and comic contrast.

Important Character Interactions

  • Gu Yue and Di Tian: Gu Yue changes the strategy from searching for Lu Menge to waiting for her, demonstrating her growing certainty and trust in her own judgment.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: Their meeting begins confrontationally, with Gu Yue testing Lu Menge’s presence and power. Lu Menge responds effortlessly, then shifts the encounter from intimidation to an invitation and mentorship.
  • Lu Menge and the Little White Tiger: Their playful conversation after the meeting shows Lu Menge’s relaxed nature and reveals her plans to nurture the Golden Dragon King while helping Gu Yue adapt to human life.

Ch. 5Call Me Big Sister

Chapter Summary: “Call Me Big Sister”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Tang Wulin arrives early at Eastsea Academy for enrollment, excited but nervous about finally entering the school. He wears the pale golden bracelet connected to his mysterious heritage.
  • Lu Menge unexpectedly appears and reveals that she works at the academy. She tells Tang Wulin to wait for another freshman before entering.
  • The other student is Gu Yue, a silver-haired girl standing outside the gate and struggling emotionally with the decision to enter human society. Lu Menge pressures her into coming inside.
  • In her private office, Lu Menge introduces Tang Wulin and Gu Yue as the children she will oversee in the human world.
  • Lu Menge identifies their hidden significance: Tang Wulin carries the Golden Dragon King bloodline, while Gu Yue is the Silver Dragon King. Their shared aura suggests a connection, though Tang Wulin does not understand it.
  • Lu Menge demands that both children call her “Big Sister.” Tang Wulin agrees immediately, but Gu Yue refuses until Lu Menge playfully overpowers and spanks her, forcing her to reluctantly say “Big sister.”
  • Lu Menge establishes rules: they must not fight, destroy the school, reveal their true identities, or mention the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King around humans.
  • She then begins giving them a tour of the campus, ending the chapter by leading them toward the cafeteria for sweet-and-sour ribs.

2. Character Developments

  • Tang Wulin: Begins his academy life with excitement and anxiety. He remains innocent, obedient, and confused about the deeper power within him. He quickly accepts Lu Menge’s authority and becomes curious about Gu Yue.
  • Gu Yue: Is portrayed as proud, isolated, and distrustful of human civilization. Her hesitation at the school gate reflects her internal conflict between her identity as the Silver Dragon King and her need to interact with humans. Although she resists Lu Menge, she gradually submits to the role of a student and guardian’s charge. She notices Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon King aura but chooses not to reveal what she knows.
  • Lu Menge: Establishes herself as a powerful, mischievous, and overbearing guardian figure. Beneath her playful behavior, she is deeply aware of Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s identities and the danger they represent. Her affection for them—and for the divided Dragon God—is genuine.
  • Little White Tiger: Adds a playful, domestic element to Lu Menge’s otherwise intimidating presence, following her around and resting on her shoulder.

3. Significant Themes

  • Identity and concealment: Tang Wulin and Gu Yue must hide their true origins and powers while entering human society.
  • The beginning of a shared destiny: Their Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King auras connect them, foreshadowing a significant relationship and possible conflict.
  • Civilization versus isolation: Gu Yue’s reluctance to enter the academy reflects her long-standing hostility toward and alienation from humanity.
  • Authority disguised as affection: Lu Menge uses humor, teasing, and force to impose rules, but her strictness comes from a protective desire to guide the two children.
  • Family and guardianship: By making them call her “Big Sister,” Lu Menge symbolically creates a family-like relationship and claims responsibility for them.
  • Comedy amid serious mythology: The chapter contrasts immense supernatural stakes with everyday school life, teasing, and the mundane promise of cafeteria food.

4. Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge immediately treats Tang Wulin and Gu Yue like troublesome younger siblings, while Tang Wulin responds with cautious obedience.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge engage in a tense power struggle. Gu Yue’s pride and resistance are ultimately overcome by Lu Menge’s overwhelming strength and teasing persistence.
  • Tang Wulin observes Gu Yue with innocent curiosity, while Gu Yue studies him because she senses the Golden Dragon King’s aura within him. She nearly reveals their connection but withdraws at the last moment.
  • Lu Menge silently enjoys the growing tension and curiosity between the two, suggesting she understands their future bond better than they do.
  • The chapter ends with Lu Menge physically and emotionally leading both children into their new school life as their self-appointed guardian and “big sister.”

Ch. 6Teacher Wu

Chapter Summary: “Teacher Wu”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wu Changkong returns to Eastsea Academy after a delayed mission in the Soul Beast Forest. His return attracts little attention from the academy staff, but Lu Menge enthusiastically welcomes him.
  • Lu Menge visits Wu in his office, teasing him about his mission, inviting him to dinner, and deliberately refusing to leave despite his repeated attempts to redirect her toward work.
  • Wu informs Lu that a new student, Tang Wulin, has been assigned to her class. He also reveals that he knows she visited Tang Wulin’s home the previous evening.
  • Lu examines the new students’ files, comments on them playfully, and repeatedly watches and provokes Wu.
  • She jokes that Wu has become even colder and asks when he last smiled. When he attempts to end the conversation by citing work obligations, she counters every excuse.
  • Lu makes a final joke about Wu’s Heavenfrost Sword being able to freeze even its wielder if he tried to smile. This finally causes a small crack in Wu’s normally perfect composure.
  • Before leaving, Lu tells him to remember to eat and secretly leaves a warm milk candy in his office.
  • Wu stores the candy in a drawer already filled with similar wrappers, revealing that Lu has long been leaving him such sweets and that he quietly keeps them.
  • Outside, Lu enjoys another candy and jokes with her Little White Tiger about Wu’s “secret drawer,” clearly pleased with both her new student and her successful teasing.

2. Character Developments

  • Wu Changkong: He remains outwardly cold, disciplined, and work-focused, but his reactions show that Lu’s teasing affects him more than he admits. His pale knuckles, hurried page-turning, and frustrated pen slap reveal restrained emotion. Keeping the milk candies suggests quiet fondness, familiarity, or appreciation for Lu despite his dismissive behavior.
  • Lu Menge: She is established as lively, fearless, intrusive, and highly perceptive. She enjoys breaking through Wu’s emotional reserve and recognizes even his smallest reactions. Her teasing masks genuine concern, shown when she tells him to eat after his difficult mission. She also takes an immediate, enthusiastic interest in Tang Wulin and her new teaching responsibilities.
  • Tang Wulin: Though he does not appear directly, he becomes important as Lu’s newly assigned student and as a point of connection between her and Wu. His home visit shows Lu’s early investment in him.
  • Little White Tiger: The creature acts as Lu’s playful companion and reacts to her amusement, reinforcing the lighthearted tone of the ending.

3. Significant Themes

  • Emotional restraint versus open affection: Wu suppresses nearly all visible emotion, while Lu expresses herself freely. Their contrasting personalities create both humor and subtle emotional tension.
  • Hidden care beneath teasing: Lu’s jokes and interference are balanced by practical concern for Wu’s wellbeing. Wu’s collection of candies shows that his apparent indifference does not mean he is unaffected.
  • Familiarity and long-standing bonds: Their effortless banter and Lu’s use of “Changkong” imply a close history. She understands his habits and boundaries well enough to challenge them deliberately.
  • The warmth of ordinary life: Amid missions, martial souls, and dangerous soul beasts, small gestures—tea, candy, dinner invitations, and school paperwork—give the characters a sense of everyday companionship.
  • New beginnings: Wu’s return and Tang Wulin’s admission mark the start of a new academic period, while Lu’s excitement suggests that teaching and mentoring may bring renewed purpose to her life.

4. Character Interactions

  • Wu and Lu’s exchange dominates the chapter. Wu repeatedly tries to maintain a professional distance, while Lu invades his office, challenges his composure, and turns work-related discussion into personal teasing.
  • Their conversation reveals a familiar push-and-pull dynamic: Wu uses silence and formal titles to create distance, whereas Lu counters with humor, persistence, and personal familiarity.
  • Tang Wulin connects the two teachers professionally. Wu brings up Lu’s home visit partly as a factual observation and partly as a subtle challenge, while Lu defends herself by calling it responsible teaching.
  • Lu’s final candy gesture and Wu’s private decision to keep it provide the chapter’s clearest indication that their relationship contains mutual, understated affection beneath the banter.

Ch. 7Wu Changkong's Overactive Imagination

Chapter Summary: “Wu Changkong’s Overactive Imagination”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • On Friday afternoon, Lu Menge enters Wu Changkong’s office without knocking and casually asks him to take her to a movie over the weekend.
  • Wu initially finds the request strange, but becomes fixated on her statement that she has never seen a movie.
  • He invents an elaborate, tragic backstory for her, imagining that she grew up in poverty, was denied education and entertainment, struggled with low soul power, and learned to survive by pleasing others and constantly smiling.
  • Convinced that Lu merely wants to experience an ordinary person’s happiness—and that she has chosen him because he is lonely and available—Wu agrees to take her.
  • After she leaves, he researches the best cinema in East Sea City, reserves two tickets, and decides to pay for any drinks or additional treats she wants.
  • Wu’s concern deepens when he notices the milk-candy wrappers Lu has given him, interpreting her inexpensive tea and glamorous clothing as signs of hidden hardship.
  • On Saturday evening, Wu waits outside the faculty apartments in unusually careful casual clothes.
  • Gu Yue arrives with a secret message from Di Tian reminding her to ensure Lu eats regularly. Before she can deliver it, she sees Lu dressed elegantly and provocatively, leaving with Wu for the movie.
  • Gu Yue reports back that Lu is not neglecting food because someone is taking her to a movie, jokingly concluding that Lu has begun disrupting human society—and that Wu is her first victim.

2. Character Developments

  • Wu Changkong: Reveals a surprisingly sensitive and imaginative side. His normally detached demeanor gives way to protectiveness, empathy, and romantic—or at least emotionally invested—concern. However, his compassion is based almost entirely on assumptions rather than facts. He goes out of his way to plan a pleasant evening for Lu, showing that he cares deeply about her comfort.
  • Lu Menge: Remains playful, confident, and mysterious. Her casual invitation and flirtatious behavior unsettle Wu, while her glamorous appearance and teasing manner suggest she may understand the effect she has on him. She appears to be deliberately drawing him into her orbit.
  • Gu Yue: Acts as an observer who provides the chapter’s humorous outside perspective. Her encounter with Lu and Wu exposes how dramatically Lu’s presence affects others.
  • Di Tian: Appears indirectly through his secret instruction, showing his continued concern for Lu’s well-being and her habit of forgetting to eat.

3. Significant Themes

  • Misinterpretation and projection: Wu constructs an entire tragic history for Lu from a single remark, demonstrating how easily concern can turn into unfounded assumptions.
  • Hidden identities and mystery: Lu’s real background, abilities, and motives remain unclear. Her claim of being an eighty-ninth-rank teacher may not be reliable, reinforcing the uncertainty surrounding her.
  • Loneliness and companionship: Wu assumes both Lu and himself lack ordinary relationships, and the movie outing becomes meaningful because it offers a chance for connection outside work.
  • Ordinary happiness: The movie symbolizes access to everyday pleasures and social experiences, though it is uncertain whether Lu truly seeks them for the reasons Wu imagines.
  • Humor through dramatic overthinking: The contrast between Wu’s solemn internal narrative and Lu’s casual request creates much of the chapter’s comedy.

4. Character Interactions

  • Lu’s unannounced visit and teasing invitation challenge Wu’s reserved nature.
  • Wu responds with unusual consideration, agreeing to the outing and privately planning every detail.
  • Their exchange suggests a developing dynamic in which Lu playfully provokes Wu while he attempts to interpret and protect her.
  • Gu Yue’s observation of them leaving together provides an external interpretation: Lu may be manipulating or entertaining herself at Wu’s expense.
  • Di Tian’s concern for Lu’s eating habits contrasts with Wu’s exaggerated concern about her entire imagined childhood, emphasizing how little anyone truly knows about her.

Ch. 8Watching a Movie

Chapter Summary: “Watching a Movie”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wu Changkong waits outside Starsea Cinema for Lu Menge, who is late for their first movie outing together.
  • Lu arrives dressed unusually elegantly, surprising Wu with her appearance and causing him to avoid looking at her for too long.
  • Wu buys popcorn and drinks, and they take seats near the back of the theater.
  • Lu’s intense, innocent reactions to the action movie reveal that she has never watched a film in a cinema before. She becomes completely absorbed in the screen, reacts emotionally to the action, and instinctively grabs Wu’s sleeve during an explosion.
  • While observing her, Wu reinterprets her cheerful, teasing personality. He realizes that her exaggerated warmth may be a defense mechanism shaped by poverty, loneliness, and a lack of family support.
  • After the movie, Lu asks whether there is a post-credits scene, then immediately begins thinking about taking Gu Yue to a quieter movie.
  • Outside, she discovers a milk tea shop. Since Wu paid for the movie, she insists on treating him, despite having never tried milk tea herself.
  • Wu suggests ordering one of each signature drink. Lu accepts happily, and Wu resolves to take her to more movies whenever she wants.

2. Character Developments

  • Wu Changkong: Initially treats the outing as a simple activity, but gradually becomes deeply empathetic toward Lu. He recognizes the loneliness and hardship behind her cheerful façade and develops a stronger desire to care for and provide experiences for her.
  • Lu Menge: Her usually playful and self-assured exterior gives way to genuine excitement, nervousness, curiosity, and happiness. Her unfamiliarity with movies and milk tea exposes how deprived she has been of ordinary pleasures. She also shows her instinctive concern for Gu Yue by planning an outing suited to the child’s sleeping difficulties.

3. Significant Themes

  • Hidden loneliness beneath cheerfulness: Lu’s joking, warm personality is revealed as emotional armor rather than mere frivolity.
  • The importance of ordinary experiences: A movie and milk tea, mundane activities for many people, become meaningful discoveries for Lu because she has been denied such comforts.
  • Care expressed through small gestures: Wu’s decision to accompany and treat Lu, and Lu’s insistence on treating him in return, demonstrate growing mutual consideration.
  • Healing through companionship: Wu understands that Lu has never had someone promise to help her obtain what she wants. His willingness to do so marks the beginning of emotional support and connection.
  • Reevaluation of others: Wu moves beyond his initial assumptions about Lu and begins to see the vulnerable person behind her social mask.

4. Character Interactions

  • Wu quietly observes Lu throughout the film, while Lu’s unguarded reactions gradually draw out his compassion.
  • Lu grabs Wu’s sleeve during a frightening scene and continues holding it afterward, creating a moment of physical and emotional closeness.
  • Afterward, Lu pulls Wu toward the milk tea shop, reversing the dynamic by insisting on treating him.
  • Their conversation is simple but intimate: Wu recommends ordering several drinks, and Lu happily trusts his judgment.
  • The chapter ends with Wu silently deciding to give Lu more opportunities to enjoy life, signaling his growing affection and protectiveness.

Ch. 9I Think I Have a Brother-in-Law

Chapter Summary: “I Think I Have a Brother-in-Law”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • During dinner at Eastsea Academy, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue discuss Lu Menge’s unusual absence from the academy.
  • Gu Yue reveals that Lu Menge had been preparing herself unusually carefully: trying on multiple skirts, applying elaborate makeup, and appearing both happy and nervous.
  • Gu Yue and Tang Wulin infer that Lu Menge may be preparing to meet Wu Changkong.
  • Tang Wulin recalls several recent changes in Wu Changkong’s behavior:
    • He has asked about Lu Menge’s schedule.
    • He has inquired about her favorite fruit.
    • He has asked what she has been doing recently.
    • He watches her when she is nearby and behaves subtly differently around her.
  • Tang Wulin realizes that Wu Changkong may be planning to invite Lu Menge to dinner or a movie.
  • The two discuss Wu Changkong’s mistaken belief that Lu Menge is a young, ordinary, and possibly vulnerable woman who has suffered hardship.
  • Gu Yue concludes that Lu Menge is deliberately allowing Wu Changkong to misunderstand her circumstances so she can enjoy his concern and affection.
  • Tang Wulin finally asks whether Wu Changkong might like Lu Menge. Gu Yue’s reaction confirms that this is likely.
  • The chapter ends humorously with Gu Yue suggesting she could send Di Tian a “movie review” in her next secret letter, implying that Wu Changkong may become Lu Menge’s romantic partner—and possibly her brother-in-law.

Character Developments

  • Tang Wulin: Demonstrates his innocent but gradually improving understanding of romantic and emotional behavior. He notices Wu Changkong’s unusual actions but needs Gu Yue to connect them to affection.
  • Gu Yue: Shows sharp insight into human relationships and Lu Menge’s manipulative behavior. She is observant, skeptical, and increasingly uncomfortable with the way Lu Menge exploits Wu Changkong’s mistaken assumptions.
  • Lu Menge: Is revealed to be intentionally cultivating Wu Changkong’s protective instincts. Her nervous preparation suggests she is genuinely interested in the meeting, but she also continues to treat the situation as an entertaining opportunity to tease and “fish” for affection.
  • Wu Changkong: Despite his normally cold and restrained personality, he has begun showing concern for Lu Menge. He awkwardly tries to learn about her preferences and schedule while maintaining a distant exterior. His feelings appear sincere, though based on a serious misunderstanding of her identity and strength.
  • Di Tian: Remains off-page but is connected to Gu Yue through secret letters. His concern about Lu Menge becomes part of the chapter’s humor.

Significant Themes

  • Romantic misunderstanding: Wu Changkong mistakes Lu Menge for a fragile, ordinary woman in need of protection, while she is actually an immensely powerful ancient being.
  • Emotional blindness and gradual realization: Tang Wulin slowly recognizes signs of attraction that seem obvious to Gu Yue.
  • The contrast between appearance and reality: Lu Menge appears playful, vulnerable, and socially unconventional, but is secretly powerful and ancient. Wu Changkong appears cold and indifferent, yet is quietly developing strong feelings.
  • Manipulation and affection: Lu Menge knowingly encourages Wu Changkong’s misconceptions, raising questions about whether her teasing is harmless flirtation or unfair manipulation.
  • Humor through incompatibility: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes the contrast between Wu Changkong’s icy silence and Lu Menge’s energetic, talkative personality.

Character Interactions

  • Tang Wulin and Gu Yue: Share a quiet, familiar meal while analyzing their teachers’ behavior. Their conversation combines Gu Yue’s sharp deductions with Tang Wulin’s earnest confusion.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: Gu Yue is wary of Lu Menge’s hidden motives and recognizes that Lu Menge is deliberately exploiting Wu Changkong’s protective feelings.
  • Wu Changkong and Lu Menge: Although they do not interact directly in the chapter, their relationship is revealed through Wu Changkong’s awkward questions and Lu Menge’s careful preparation to meet him.
  • Gu Yue and Di Tian: Gu Yue’s secret correspondence with Di Tian provides a humorous framing device, as she considers reporting the unexpected romantic development to him.

Ch. 10Why Don't You Scold Me?

Chapter Summary: “Why Don’t You Scold Me?”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge reflects on Wu Changkong’s recent change in behavior. He has stopped reprimanding her when she teases or behaves provocatively and has instead begun showing her quiet, indirect concern.
  • She recalls several examples:
    • He left throat lozenges on her desk after she strained her voice.
    • He tried to reassure her about Tang Wulin’s progress after she argued with Director Long.
    • He waited outside her health examination to ask about her results.
    • He visits her late at night with an extra serving of cafeteria food.
  • Lu Menge realizes that Wu Changkong likely cares for her but is too reserved and embarrassed to express it openly.
  • She considers confronting him but decides not to, fearing that exposing his concern would make him withdraw and stop treating her specially.
  • She accepts that she enjoys being cared for and chooses to preserve the misunderstanding between them.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Although she is an ancient, immensely powerful being revered and feared by others, Lu Menge discovers that she enjoys being treated as an ordinary, vulnerable woman. She becomes emotionally attached to Wu Changkong’s awkward care and admits that it is unfamiliar but addictive. Rather than correcting his mistaken assumptions about her past and weakness, she deliberately allows them to continue.
  • Wu Changkong: His relationship with Lu Menge shifts from irritation and restrained tolerance to discreet affection and protectiveness. He remains outwardly cold and formal, but his actions—providing medicine, checking on her health, easing her burdens, and bringing her food—reveal growing emotional investment.
  • The Little White Tiger: It provides brief comic relief and silently witnesses Lu Menge’s reflections, while also highlighting her connection to her animal identity.

Significant Themes

  • Hidden affection and indirect communication: Wu Changkong expresses care through practical actions rather than words, while Lu Menge understands his intentions without forcing him to confess them.
  • The comfort of being cared for: Lu Menge, accustomed to being feared, worshipped, or respected for her power, finds unexpected happiness in being treated as someone who needs protection.
  • Identity versus perception: Wu Changkong’s image of Lu Menge is largely false—he believes she is fragile and pitiable—yet she allows the illusion because the resulting affection feels genuine to her.
  • Emotional vulnerability and control: Lu Menge usually maintains complete control over others and over herself, but Wu Changkong’s sincerity unsettles her and introduces a new kind of vulnerability.
  • Preserving fragile intimacy: Lu Menge avoids confronting Wu Changkong because she fears that exposing his feelings would cause him to retreat, showing that she values the relationship’s quiet, ambiguous nature.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge’s playful teasing traditionally provokes Wu Changkong’s cold reprimands, creating a familiar pattern of flirtatious banter. His refusal to continue scolding her makes her realize that their relationship has changed.
  • Wu Changkong’s awkward attempts to care for her contrast with Lu Menge’s sharp perception and playful amusement. She recognizes every excuse he makes but pretends to believe him.
  • Their late-night exchange over the food is especially revealing: Wu Changkong claims he merely took an “extra portion,” while Lu Menge understands that he deliberately brought it for her. She thanks him but does not expose him, allowing the emotional tension to remain unresolved.
  • By the end, Lu Menge is openly enjoying the idea that Wu Changkong notices and remembers intimate details about her, including her clothing and appearance.

Ch. 11Conservative

Chapter Summary: “Conservative”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • The day after her late-night meeting with Wu Changkong, Lu Menge deliberately dresses in a restrained, professional style: a turtleneck, trousers, low heels, and a low ponytail. She hopes appearing more “proper” will reinforce Wu’s belief that she is fragile and encourage him to continue caring for her—and bringing her late-night snacks.
  • Lu Menge takes Tang Wulin and Gu Yue shopping during the weekend. She chooses new clothes for both children, insisting that Tang Wulin replace his worn-out shirts and persuading Gu Yue to try on a light-gray trench coat.
  • Gu Yue initially resists the coat, claiming its sleeves are too long, but eventually emerges wearing it. Lu Menge ties the belt for her, compliments her appearance, and buys it, strengthening their affectionate “sister” relationship.
  • At the register, Lu Menge secretly buys a dark-gray cashmere scarf, strongly implying it is intended as a gift for Wu Changkong.
  • After leaving the mall, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue discuss Lu Menge’s unusual behavior. Gu Yue reveals that Di Tian detected a faint trace of Wu Changkong’s Heavenfrost Sword aura near Eastsea Academy the previous night.
  • Gu Yue also remembers sensing a brief tiger-soul fluctuation from Lu Menge’s room around the same time. From these clues, she concludes that Lu Menge met Wu Changkong and pretended to be weak and helpless around him.
  • Gu Yue reasons that Lu Menge will continue the act until Wu Changkong learns how to care for others. She also raises the possibility that Wu may feel deceived if he discovers the truth.
  • The chapter ends with Lu Menge taking the children to hotpot, subtly reacting to a milk-tea shop because it reminds her of Wu. She decides she will treat him to milk tea with her next salary.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Reveals her deliberate manipulation of her image around Wu Changkong. Although she is immensely powerful, she enjoys being treated as vulnerable and cared for. Her conservative outfit also gives her a genuine sense of comfort and solidity, suggesting she is beginning to appreciate a more natural, less performative side of herself. She acts as a caring and generous guardian toward Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.
  • Wu Changkong: Does not appear directly, but his relationship with Lu Menge advances through implication. His protective behavior after their previous night together has clearly affected her, and she appears to be developing romantic or emotionally attached feelings toward him.
  • Gu Yue: Demonstrates sharp observation and analytical ability. She quickly notices Lu Menge’s changed appearance, connects the detected Heavenfrost aura with the tiger-soul fluctuation, and correctly infers Lu Menge’s deception. Despite her suspicion, she shows a more understanding and gentle attitude toward Lu Menge.
  • Tang Wulin: Remains innocent and earnest but is increasingly drawn into the adults’ complicated relationship. He is surprised by Gu Yue’s deductions yet gradually accepts that Lu Menge may be intentionally cultivating Wu’s protective instincts.
  • Di Tian: Appears indirectly through his secret communication with Gu Yue and his detection of Wu Changkong’s aura, showing the continued surveillance of Lu Menge’s activities.

Significant Themes

  • Deception and performance: Lu Menge conceals her true strength and uses an image of weakness to influence Wu Changkong’s behavior.
  • Care and emotional dependence: Her deception is not purely malicious; she genuinely enjoys being looked after and uses the situation to obtain affection and attention.
  • Domestic affection: Shopping, clothing, food, and milk tea create an atmosphere of ordinary family life and contrast with the characters’ supernatural identities and dangerous backgrounds.
  • Identity and self-presentation: Lu Menge’s clothing reflects both her attempt to appear proper for Wu and her discovery that modest, comfortable clothing better suits her true preferences.
  • Trust and potential betrayal: Gu Yue recognizes that Wu may feel deceived if he learns Lu Menge has been pretending, foreshadowing possible emotional conflict.
  • Found family: Lu Menge’s interactions with the children emphasize her protective, playful role as an older sister or guardian.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge playfully pinches Tang Wulin’s cheek and orders him to model clothes, using humor and authority to overcome his reluctance.
  • She observes Gu Yue’s concealed interest in the trench coat and gently pushes her to try it on without openly exposing her embarrassment.
  • When Gu Yue appears in the coat, Lu Menge responds with sincere praise and ties the belt for her, causing Gu Yue’s normally guarded composure to soften.
  • Tang Wulin and Gu Yue privately analyze Lu Menge’s relationship with Wu Changkong, with Gu Yue providing the sharper interpretation and Tang Wulin reacting with confusion and concern.
  • Lu Menge finishes the outing by holding both children’s hands, deciding on a split hotpot meal, and continuing to care for them while quietly thinking about Wu Changkong.

Ch. 12This Doesn't Seem Right, Does It?

Chapter Summary: “This Doesn’t Seem Right, Does It?”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge notices that Wu Changkong has been watching her more closely since she changed from flamboyant clothing to more modest, casual outfits. She had hoped the change would reassure him, but it only seems to make him more concerned.
  • While Lu Menge grades homework in her office, Wu Changkong visits under the pretense of obtaining her signatures on several forms. After she signs them, he remains behind and begins asking about her past.
  • He asks where she lived, whether she had family, how she survived as a child, and whether she had friends.
  • Lu Menge answers that she has lived in many places, has had no parents for as long as she can remember, and survived by simply eating when food was available and sleeping wherever she could.
  • She explains that she once had a few close friends, but they are all dead. In reality, these “friends” included ancient beings such as the Dragon God, Titan, and the Dragon Kings, who died through persecution and conflict involving the God Realm.
  • Wu Changkong interprets her vague answers as evidence of a deeply traumatic childhood marked by poverty, homelessness, persecution, and repeated personal loss.
  • Before leaving, Wu Changkong promises that if anyone bullies Lu Menge in the future, she should tell him. He insists that because she once said she was alone, that must change now.
  • Lu Menge accepts his promise and tells him he will be the first person she turns to if anything happens.
  • After Wu Changkong leaves, Lu Menge reflects on how far his assumptions are from the truth. Although she finds the misunderstanding amusing, she is deeply moved because no one has ever sincerely told her that she does not have to face everything alone.
  • The chapter ends with Lu Menge emotionally overwhelmed, swearing under her breath, while Little White Tiger comforts her.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Her outwardly carefree, teasing demeanor briefly gives way to vulnerability. Although she conceals her true ancient identity and the extraordinary scale of her past, Wu Changkong’s sincere concern affects her deeply. She realizes that his promise offers an emotional reassurance she has never received before.
  • Wu Changkong: He becomes more emotionally proactive and personally invested in Lu Menge. His normally restrained nature gives way to a quiet but firm vow to protect her. He interprets her guarded statements compassionately, though inaccurately, and responds to what he believes is her hidden suffering.
  • Little White Tiger: Acts as an amused observer of the emotional misunderstanding and then offers physical comfort when Lu Menge is affected by Wu Changkong’s words.

Significant Themes

  • Loneliness and belonging: The central emotional conflict is Lu Menge’s lifelong isolation and Wu Changkong’s insistence that she should no longer be alone.
  • Miscommunication and projection: Lu Menge speaks literally about her ancient past, while Wu Changkong translates her words into the framework of ordinary human hardship. Their mutual misunderstanding nevertheless produces genuine emotional connection.
  • Protective affection: Wu Changkong’s promise shows his care through action rather than overt sentimentality. His restraint makes the promise more meaningful.
  • Hidden identity and emotional concealment: Lu Menge must disguise the supernatural truth behind her history, while also masking the grief and exhaustion accumulated over her extraordinarily long life.
  • Healing through human connection: Even though Wu Changkong cannot understand the real nature of her losses, his willingness to stand beside her helps ease Lu Menge’s sense of having endured everything alone.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Their conversation shifts from a practical excuse about paperwork to an intimate discussion of family, survival, friendship, and loss. Wu Changkong’s restrained concern contrasts with Lu Menge’s casual answers and private amusement. His final promise creates a new level of trust between them.
  • Lu Menge and Little White Tiger: Little White Tiger recognizes the emotional impact of Wu Changkong’s words and reacts teasingly, then comforts Lu Menge when she is visibly moved.

Ch. 13Out of Options

Chapter Summary: “Out of Options”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge decides to correct Wu Changkong’s mistaken belief that she is weak and in need of protection. She plans to casually reveal that she is an eight-ring Soul Master.
  • Before taking Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to the Spirit Pagoda, Lu Menge brings them to the training grounds, where Wu Changkong is demonstrating the overwhelming power of his Heavenfrost Sword against several upperclassmen.
  • Lu Menge asks Wu Changkong to examine Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s Soul Power circulation. While he does so, she repeatedly hints that she independently cultivated from one ring to eight rings.
  • When Wu Changkong fails to react with sufficient surprise, Lu Menge openly reveals all eight of her exceptionally powerful purple Soul Rings and briefly manifests the White Tiger Sacred Image.
  • Rather than simply admiring her strength, Wu Changkong focuses on the apparent contradiction between her orphaned background and her extraordinary cultivation. He concludes that someone must have supported her with immense resources.
  • Wu Changkong awkwardly asks whether Lu Menge had previously been “kept” by someone. Lu Menge is stunned and deeply offended by the misunderstanding.
  • Although she denies it, Wu Changkong assumes she is concealing a painful past and assures her that such circumstances would not change his opinion of her. His sympathy only makes the situation more humiliating.
  • Lu Menge abandons her attempt to make him understand her strength and leaves with Tang Wulin and Gu Yue for the Spirit Pagoda, ordering them not to discuss the incident.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Her confidence and pride are undercut by her inability to control how Wu Changkong interprets her actions. She wants to be seen as formidable and self-sufficient, but her efforts produce the opposite result. Although she could reveal her true identity as the Nine-Headed White Tiger, she chooses to preserve her disguise—and her access to Wu Changkong’s care and midnight snacks.
  • Wu Changkong: His protective concern for Lu Menge becomes even clearer. He notices her unusual cultivation and tries to explain it through the information she has given him. His sincere but misguided reasoning reveals both his seriousness and his belief that she has suffered.
  • Tang Wulin: He remains confused by the adults’ exchange but shows concern for Lu Menge afterward. He reacts with innocent surprise to Wu Changkong’s question.
  • Gu Yue: She quietly observes the situation and understands Lu Menge’s motives better than Tang Wulin does. Her restrained reactions reveal amusement and disbelief, especially because she knows Lu Menge’s true nature. Her comment that revealing her true form would cost her Wu Changkong’s midnight snacks exposes Lu Menge’s real reluctance.
  • Little White Tiger: It serves as Lu Menge’s silent, skeptical companion, repeatedly warning through its reactions that her plan is unlikely to succeed.

Significant Themes

  • Miscommunication and mistaken identity: Lu Menge attempts to communicate her power, but Wu Changkong interprets the evidence according to his preexisting belief that she is vulnerable.
  • The limits of rational deduction: Wu Changkong’s conclusion is logically based on Lu Menge’s background and cultivation, yet it is completely wrong because he lacks the supernatural context behind her abilities.
  • Pride versus concealment: Lu Menge wants recognition for her strength but refuses to expose her true identity, trapping herself between boasting and secrecy.
  • Protectiveness and unintended humiliation: Wu Changkong’s concern is genuine, but his protective attitude makes Lu Menge feel misunderstood and insulted rather than cared for.
  • Comedy through dramatic irony: The reader and Gu Yue understand that Lu Menge is an ancient sacred beast, making Wu Changkong’s assumption that she was financially supported by someone absurdly inaccurate.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge repeatedly complains to Little White Tiger about Wu Changkong’s protective behavior, while the animal silently doubts her plan.
  • With Tang Wulin and Gu Yue present, Lu Menge engineers an encounter with Wu Changkong and uses them as an excuse to visit the training grounds.
  • Wu Changkong gives Tang Wulin and Gu Yue brief cultivation advice, noting Tang Wulin’s progress and warning Gu Yue to keep warm because of her cold blood and qi.
  • Lu Menge showcases her eight Soul Rings directly to Wu Changkong, expecting admiration, but receives only calm acknowledgment.
  • Wu Changkong’s question about whether she had been “kept” completely derails the interaction. Lu Menge is horrified, while Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Little White Tiger react with varying degrees of shock and disbelief.
  • Afterward, Tang Wulin checks on Lu Menge, while Gu Yue perceptively identifies that Lu Menge has been emotionally defeated by the encounter.

Ch. 14Little Kitty

Chapter Summary: “Little Kitty”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • After leaving the training ground, Lu Menge is unusually quiet because Wu Changkong’s question—whether she has been “kept” by someone—has deeply unsettled her.
  • Tang Wulin quickly returns to the dormitory with his new clothes, while Gu Yue stays behind to tease Lu Menge.
  • Gu Yue openly enjoys seeing Lu Menge stumped, especially because Lu Menge has previously bullied and humiliated her by spanking her, dragging her from the Stone Palace, and frightening her with the Little White Tiger.
  • Lu Menge explains that she cannot tolerate Wu Changkong misunderstanding her as a weak woman financially supported by someone else. His question contained genuine concern rather than ridicule, making her determined to correct his impression.
  • She proposes using a partial Martial Soul Avatar transformation—revealing tiger ears, a tail, and possibly claws—to prove that she is truly powerful and has cultivated through her own strength.
  • Gu Yue mocks the plan, suggesting Lu Menge would look less like a frightening White Tiger and more like a “little kitty trying to seduce Teacher Wu.”
  • Gu Yue further points out Lu Menge’s carefully styled hair, makeup, lashes, and clothing, leaving Lu Menge embarrassed and speechless.
  • The two continue toward the Spirit Pagoda. Lu Menge remains determined to demonstrate her strength, while Gu Yue enjoys having successfully turned the tables on her.

2. Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Her usual playful confidence gives way to vulnerability and insecurity. She is affected not by Wu Changkong’s possible contempt, but by his sincere concern. This reveals that she values his opinion and wants him to recognize her true identity and strength. Despite her embarrassment, she becomes more determined to confront the misunderstanding.
  • Gu Yue: She displays an unusually mischievous and openly amused side. Her teasing is a form of revenge for Lu Menge’s past treatment of her, but she also recognizes Lu Menge’s loneliness and emotional pain. Gu Yue’s rare smile suggests genuine enjoyment and perhaps growing intimacy in their relationship.
  • Wu Changkong: Though he appears only through the others’ recollections, his question reveals concern for Lu Menge. His restrained, nonjudgmental attitude has a stronger emotional impact on her than mockery would have.
  • Tang Wulin: He remains obedient and cautious, immediately following Gu Yue’s instruction to stay silent and retreating once dismissed.

3. Significant Themes

  • Strength versus appearances: Lu Menge wants to prove that her glamorous appearance and unusual circumstances do not mean she is weak or dependent.
  • Misunderstanding and emotional vulnerability: Wu Changkong’s question exposes how easily Lu Menge’s true nature can be misread, while also revealing how much she cares about being understood by him.
  • Humor as intimacy and revenge: Gu Yue’s teasing allows her to retaliate for Lu Menge’s past bullying while strengthening their bond.
  • Identity and self-presentation: Lu Menge struggles between revealing her supernatural nature and maintaining a believable human identity.
  • Hidden loneliness: Beneath Lu Menge’s teasing, seductive confidence lies the loneliness of someone who has lived for immense ages and rarely encounters sincere concern.

4. Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge and Gu Yue: Their exchange is the chapter’s central interaction. Gu Yue repeatedly needles Lu Menge, while Lu Menge alternates between irritation, embarrassment, and reluctant openness. Their banter shows a close, antagonistic friendship built on mutual understanding.
  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Although they do not meet directly, Wu Changkong’s question dominates Lu Menge’s thoughts. She interprets his concern as proof that he cares about her, motivating her desire to reveal her strength.
  • Gu Yue and Wu Changkong: Gu Yue indirectly comments on him by imagining his reaction to Lu Menge’s transformation, using the hypothetical encounter to intensify her teasing.
  • Lu Menge and Tang Wulin: Their brief interaction emphasizes Tang Wulin’s obedience and Lu Menge’s temporary authority after the training session.

Ch. 15Meow

Chapter Summary: “Meow”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge spends nearly two hours pacing in the faculty apartments, anxious about clearing up Wu Changkong’s misunderstanding of her after their earlier encounter at the training ground.
  • Determined to explain that her abilities are greater than he assumes, she forces Gu Yue to accompany her to Wu Changkong’s office.
  • When Wu opens the door, Lu Menge intends to make a serious statement, but Gu Yue’s earlier teasing phrase—“like seduction”—comes to mind. Instead of speaking, Lu Menge accidentally lets out a cat-like “meow.”
  • Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she immediately flees down the corridor, abandoning her coat.
  • Gu Yue records the incident and bursts into unusually uninhibited laughter. Wu Changkong is left confused, trying to understand why Lu Menge behaved so strangely.
  • Gu Yue tells Wu that Lu Menge had intended to explain herself and advises him to let her finish speaking if she returns.
  • Gu Yue sends the video to Tang Wulin, who reacts with disbelief and amusement. He watches it repeatedly, despite worrying that Lu Menge may retaliate.
  • Gu Yue returns Lu Menge’s coat by leaving it on her door. She overhears Lu Menge agonizing over the humiliation but chooses not to interrupt.
  • The chapter ends with Tang Wulin laughing at the recording while Gu Yue privately treasures the memory.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Her usual confidence and composure collapse under embarrassment. Despite being an ancient and powerful sacred beast, she becomes nervous and self-conscious when trying to correct Wu Changkong’s opinion of her. Her inability to control the accidental meow reveals a more vulnerable, easily flustered side.
  • Gu Yue: She takes on the role of Lu Menge’s amused accomplice and emotional observer. Recording and sharing the incident demonstrates her mischievous side, while returning the coat and quietly sparing Lu Menge further embarrassment reveal unexpected tenderness.
  • Wu Changkong: Though outwardly stoic, he is genuinely baffled by Lu Menge’s behavior and continues thinking about the incident afterward. His interest in her loss of composure suggests that the moment has affected his perception of her.
  • Tang Wulin: He serves as a humorous audience for the recording, reacting with shock and repeatedly replaying it.

Significant Themes

  • The contrast between power and vulnerability: Lu Menge’s immense history and strength are humorously juxtaposed with her inability to survive a moment of social embarrassment.
  • Loss of composure and emotional exposure: The accidental meow exposes feelings Lu Menge normally keeps hidden behind confidence and bravado.
  • Friendship and teasing: Gu Yue’s laughter and recording are mischievous, but her returning the coat and not revealing that she overheard Lu Menge show genuine care.
  • Humor as emotional release: The incident breaks through the characters’ usual seriousness, especially for Gu Yue, whose laughter is portrayed as unusually sincere and liberating.
  • Misunderstanding and communication: Lu Menge’s failed attempt to explain herself leaves the original misunderstanding unresolved, while Wu’s curiosity about her behavior deepens.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge and Gu Yue: Lu Menge relies on Gu Yue for moral support, while Gu Yue knowingly intensifies her embarrassment through teasing and secretly recording the event. Their dynamic combines trust, mockery, and growing affection.
  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Lu Menge approaches him intending to clarify their earlier misunderstanding, but her accidental meow prevents any meaningful conversation. Wu is left puzzled and intrigued.
  • Gu Yue and Wu Changkong: Gu Yue explains that Lu Menge had something important to say and advises Wu not to interrupt if she returns. Her playful attitude contrasts sharply with his serious confusion.
  • Gu Yue and Tang Wulin: Gu Yue shares the video with Tang Wulin, turning Lu Menge’s humiliation into a private joke between them.
  • Lu Menge and Little White Tiger: Lu Menge vents to the animal after fleeing, revealing how deeply embarrassed and distressed she is.

Ch. 16Unworthy

Chapter Summary: “Unworthy”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wu Changkong notices that Lu Menge has unexpectedly taken sick leave after her emotionally strange encounter with him the previous night. He becomes suspicious, especially because of her involuntary catlike cry, which he interprets as evidence that she has been conditioned or coerced.
  • Believing Lu Menge may be suffering abuse or manipulation, Wu questions her cousin Gu Yue during lunch.
  • Gu Yue initially denies that anything is wrong, but Wu’s persistent questions about coercion, Soul Rings, and Lu Menge’s behavior eventually break her composure.
  • Gu Yue gives an extremely emotional account of Lu Menge’s supposed suffering: being forced to entertain dangerous people, returning home injured, enduring extreme cold, suffering psychological trauma, and continuing to work and care for Gu Yue while pretending everything is fine.
  • She also claims that Lu Menge considers herself “dirty,” unworthy of Wu Changkong, and undeserving of his kindness. Gu Yue begs Wu to arrange her withdrawal from school so Lu Menge will not abandon her for revealing these secrets.
  • Wu believes the story completely. He reassures Gu Yue that neither she nor Lu Menge is at fault, refuses to let her withdraw, promises to conceal her confession, and sets off to confront or rescue Lu Menge.
  • After Wu leaves, Gu Yue reveals that the entire breakdown was an elaborate performance. She laughs over the dramatic lines she invented, including Lu Menge being “not worthy” of Wu and describing his voice as “like the winter wind.”
  • Gu Yue messages Tang Wulin that Wu has “set off” to save the “fallen woman” he thinks he has discovered. She then plans to hide near the ancient tree until Lu Menge discovers what happened.
  • The chapter ends with Gu Yue preparing to report the prank to Di Tian and teasing Lu Menge that she is only beginning to repay her for past mistreatment.

2. Character Developments

  • Wu Changkong: His normally controlled, emotionally distant nature gives way to genuine concern and protective determination. He misreads the situation because of his sincere feelings for Lu Menge, but his response shows that he is willing to act decisively on her behalf. His helplessness while comforting Gu Yue also reveals an unfamiliar emotional vulnerability.
  • Gu Yue: She demonstrates both strong loyalty to Lu Menge and considerable theatrical skill. Her apparent emotional collapse is staged to manipulate Wu’s assumptions, though it draws upon believable fears and knowledge of Lu Menge’s past. She moves from seeming distressed and powerless to openly amused and mischievous.
  • Lu Menge: Although absent for most of the chapter, she becomes the emotional center of the story. Her kindness toward Gu Yue, her habit of hiding pain behind a smile, and her gift of the handkerchief deepen Wu’s attachment to her. Her mysterious history remains unresolved, while the chapter hints that she and Gu Yue have an ongoing pattern of pranks and retaliation.
  • Tang Wulin: He acts as a supportive but confused friend, following Gu Yue’s instructions and agreeing to keep the incident secret.
  • Wu Changkong and Lu Menge’s relationship: Wu’s concern has clearly developed into a protective emotional attachment, while Lu Menge appears to have noticed and perhaps intentionally encouraged his mistaken assumptions.

3. Significant Themes

  • Appearance versus reality: Lu Menge’s cheerful behavior hides nothing—or perhaps something entirely different—from what Wu assumes. Gu Yue’s tearful confession is itself another layer of performance.
  • Misinterpretation and emotional projection: Wu interprets ambiguous behavior through the lens of his concern, transforming a ridiculous incident into evidence of severe abuse.
  • Protection and sacrifice: The fabricated story centers on Lu Menge sacrificing herself for Gu Yue, reflecting genuine themes of family responsibility and self-denial even within the deception.
  • Trauma and manipulation: The chapter uses descriptions of abuse, shame, and psychological damage to show how easily sincere compassion can be directed by a carefully constructed narrative.
  • Affection expressed through action: Wu struggles to speak emotionally, but his decision to protect Lu Menge, comfort Gu Yue, and refuse her withdrawal reveals his feelings more clearly than words could.
  • Pranks, revenge, and intimacy: Gu Yue’s scheme is portrayed as playful retaliation against Lu Menge, suggesting a close relationship in which teasing and elaborate deception function as forms of affection.

4. Character Interactions

  • Wu Changkong and Gu Yue: Their lunch conversation shifts from restrained questioning to an intense emotional confrontation. Wu presses for the truth, while Gu Yue performs distress convincingly enough to make him believe Lu Menge is in danger.
  • Wu Changkong and Lu Menge: Though Lu Menge is absent, Wu’s memories of her behavior and the handkerchief she gave him shape his response. He sees himself as responsible for protecting her.
  • Gu Yue and Tang Wulin: Gu Yue sends Tang Wulin updates and recruits him into maintaining the deception. Tang Wulin is concerned for her but accepts her instructions.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: Their relationship is revealed as more playful and conspiratorial than Wu realizes. Gu Yue fabricates an elaborate story to provoke Wu’s intervention and considers the scheme repayment for Lu Menge’s previous treatment of her.
  • Gu Yue and Di Tian: Gu Yue plans to report the successful prank to Di Tian, suggesting that the adults or higher-ranking figures around them are aware of—and possibly entertained by—their schemes.

Ch. 17Then I'll Do It

Chapter Summary: “Then I’ll Do It”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wu Changkong visits Lu Menge late at night after learning from Gu Yue that Lu had secretly endured severe mistreatment while obtaining resources for Gu Yue’s tuition.
  • Lu Menge initially hides behind her usual playful smile, but Wu confronts her with the details of her suffering: physical abuse, exposure to freezing weather, illness, exhaustion, and her efforts to conceal everything from Gu Yue.
  • Wu assumes Lu is sacrificing herself for money, supplements, or soul rings and angrily asks how much she needs.
  • He gives Lu his salary bank card, explaining that he has arranged a supplementary card for her and that she will never need to repay him. He offers to cover both her and Gu Yue’s expenses so she will no longer seek help from dangerous people.
  • Lu tries repeatedly to explain that Gu Yue’s account is misleading, but Wu refuses to let her justify or minimize her actions. He tells her to meet him for breakfast the next morning.
  • After Wu leaves, Lu is overwhelmed and embarrassed by his unexpected kindness. She repeatedly marvels that he wants to “support” her and finally crouches down, trembling with suppressed laughter or emotion.
  • Outside, Wu privately contacts the Federal Investigation Bureau to investigate the people Lu supposedly visited, using his personal connections and instructing them not to alert the targets.

Character Developments

  • Wu Changkong: Reveals a deeply protective and compassionate side beneath his normally cold, disciplined exterior. His anger comes from genuine fear that Lu may be seriously harmed or die. He is awkward but decisive in offering practical support and immediately begins investigating the people involved.
  • Lu Menge: Her confident, teasing façade cracks under Wu’s concern. Although she is actually far more powerful and ancient than he realizes, she becomes flustered by his sincere attempt to protect her. Her embarrassment and suppressed amusement show that his care affects her emotionally.
  • Gu Yue: Though absent from the scene, her conversation with Wu drives the confrontation. Her exaggerated description of Lu’s supposed suffering unintentionally causes Wu to misunderstand the situation and become intensely protective.
  • The Little White Tiger: Provides a humorous reaction to Lu’s embarrassment, silently witnessing her shock over Wu’s offer.

Significant Themes

  • Misunderstood sacrifice: Wu believes Lu has endured degradation and abuse for Gu Yue, while Lu knows the truth is far less tragic. The gap between reality and perception drives both the humor and emotional tension.
  • Care expressed through action: Wu is unable to offer comforting words easily, so he demonstrates concern by giving Lu financial security, promising support, and arranging an investigation.
  • Hidden identities and appearances: Lu’s cheerful persona conceals her true feelings, while her apparent vulnerability conceals her immense power and age.
  • Emotional vulnerability: Both characters struggle to express themselves. Wu’s normally icy composure gives way to nervous generosity, while Lu’s playful mask collapses into embarrassment and emotional confusion.
  • Protective affection: Wu’s willingness to take responsibility for Lu and Gu Yue suggests a growing personal attachment, even though he does not openly acknowledge it.

Character Interactions

  • Wu confronts Lu directly, refusing to accept her attempts to dismiss or explain away her supposed suffering.
  • Lu tries to preserve her usual teasing manner, but Wu’s detailed accusations gradually overwhelm her.
  • Wu interprets Lu’s situation as desperate and offers unconditional financial support; Lu is too flustered to correct him.
  • Their exchange ends with Wu taking responsibility for her well-being and arranging breakfast, while Lu is left stunned by his sincerity.
  • Wu’s final decision to investigate Lu’s alleged abusers shows that his concern extends beyond words and may lead to further conflict.

Ch. 18Set Up

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge brings Gu Yue back from the ancient tree to the teachers’ dormitory after Gu Yue has spoken extensively with Wu Changkong about Lu Menge’s supposed mistreatment and illness.
  • During a private interrogation, Gu Yue explains that Wu Changkong repeatedly questioned her about Lu Menge. To persuade him to help Lu Menge, Gu Yue exaggerated her suffering, describing her fever, emotional distress, self-neglect, and supposed abuse.
  • Gu Yue also reveals that she physically embraced Wu Changkong and clinically analyzed his physique, heartbeat, breathing, and combat-trained body. Her blunt description embarrasses Lu Menge and exposes Gu Yue’s deliberate matchmaking.
  • Gu Yue directly confronts Lu Menge about her feelings for Wu Changkong, pointing out that Lu Menge behaves unlike her usual indifferent self whenever Wu misunderstands or distances himself.
  • She argues that Lu Menge’s fear is not that Wu will discover her lies, but that he will reject or look down on her. Gu Yue urges her to accept Wu’s care and take the risk of being emotionally vulnerable.
  • Lu Menge realizes Gu Yue intentionally manipulated events to push Wu toward her, though the salary card and some of Wu’s actions were spontaneous. Despite accusing Gu Yue of scheming, she thanks her.
  • Gu Yue helps Lu Menge to bed, then privately jokes that Lu Menge may eventually marry Wu and plans to report the development to Di Tian.

2. Character Developments

  • Gu Yue: Demonstrates sharp emotional insight, strategic manipulation, and a mischievous sense of humor. Though outwardly analytical and detached, she clearly cares about Lu Menge and deliberately engineers a chance for her to receive affection. Her “technical” observations of Wu also serve to tease Lu Menge.
  • Lu Menge: Her confident, ancient, and intimidating exterior gives way to embarrassment, defensiveness, and vulnerability. She is forced to acknowledge that she loves Wu Changkong and fears his judgment more than the judgment of gods, enemies, or mortals. By the end, she begins accepting the possibility of being cared for.
  • Wu Changkong: Although absent from the chapter, his actions reveal genuine concern. He investigates Lu Menge’s alleged abusers, gives her his salary card, and offers unconditional financial support despite his awkwardness and misunderstanding of her situation.
  • Little White Tiger: Provides comic relief and silently confirms Gu Yue’s observations about Lu Menge keeping Wu’s salary card.

3. Significant Themes

  • Emotional vulnerability: Lu Menge has survived countless battles and cared for others, but has never learned how to accept care herself.
  • Love overcoming pride: Her fear of Wu’s rejection reveals that even an ancient, powerful being can be affected by ordinary human emotions.
  • Trust and honesty: Gu Yue pressures Lu Menge to confess before Wu discovers that her tragic story was fabricated, emphasizing that continued deception could damage their relationship.
  • Care expressed through action: Wu’s salary card symbolizes not wealth but his willingness to sacrifice everything he has for Lu Menge.
  • The contrast between strength and tenderness: Lu Menge is nearly invincible physically, yet emotionally defenseless around Wu; Gu Yue uses teasing and manipulation to guide her toward happiness.
  • Matchmaking and chosen family: Gu Yue acts as both mischievous conspirator and loving younger relative, pushing Lu Menge toward a relationship she would never pursue on her own.

4. Character Interactions

  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: The chapter centers on their confrontation. Gu Yue teases, interrogates, and emotionally dissects Lu Menge, while Lu Menge alternates between denial, embarrassment, anger, and reluctant acceptance. Their exchange ultimately becomes affectionate and supportive.
  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Their relationship develops indirectly through Wu’s concern and Lu Menge’s intense reaction to his opinions. His care exposes feelings she has tried to suppress.
  • Gu Yue and Wu Changkong: Gu Yue manipulates Wu’s sympathy by presenting an exaggerated account of Lu Menge’s suffering. She also evaluates him as a potential partner and concludes that he is unusually devoted.
  • Gu Yue and Little White Tiger: The tiger humorously validates Gu Yue’s claims about Lu Menge preserving Wu’s salary card, reinforcing the sense that Gu Yue has carefully observed the situation.

Ch. 19Am I Crazy?

Chapter Summary: “Am I Crazy?”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lu Menge meets Wu Changkong beneath the ginkgo tree to correct Gu Yue’s false accusations from the previous day. She calmly explains that she was never abused or kept by anyone.
  • She then reveals the truth about her identity: she possesses the Nine-Headed White Tiger martial soul, has lived for an extraordinarily long time, commands the Beast God Di Tian, and treats Gu Yue—whom she claims is the reincarnated Silver Dragon King—as her cousin.
  • Wu Changkong appears to accept her words, but his changed behavior reveals that he instead believes she has developed a severe psychological disorder. He begins watching her carefully, convinced that she may be emotionally fragile and detached from reality.
  • Wu Changkong contacts Gu Yue and recounts Lu Menge’s claims. He diagnoses her statements as possible dissociative identity disorder or delusional disorder, interpreting her grand identity as a defense mechanism created by deep trauma.
  • He decides to take Lu Menge to a seven-ring spiritual-element healer for psychiatric treatment and asks Gu Yue to help because Lu Menge trusts her.
  • Gu Yue suppresses her amusement and agrees to cooperate, privately recognizing that Wu Changkong has mistaken the truth for insanity.
  • Gu Yue informs Tang Wulin, who is incredulous but agrees that Lu Menge’s claims sound impossible. They conclude that Wu Changkong now believes both contradictory versions of Lu Menge: the abused victim and the delusional patient.
  • Gu Yue reveals that Wu Changkong’s concern is genuine: regardless of which version he believes, he continually finds reasons to pity and protect Lu Menge.
  • Gu Yue warns Lu Menge about the planned psychiatric visit. Lu Menge is stunned and determined to explain the truth again rather than submit quietly.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Moves from controlled explanation to shocked indignation when she learns Wu Changkong has interpreted her honesty as mental illness. Her confidence remains strong, but her affection for Wu Changkong prevents her from truly wanting to punish or hurt him.
  • Wu Changkong: Becomes increasingly protective and emotionally invested in Lu Menge. His clinical interpretation of her statements is misguided, but it reflects genuine concern and a willingness to remain beside her regardless of the diagnosis.
  • Gu Yue: Demonstrates remarkable self-control by hiding her amusement. Although she helped create the misunderstanding, she remains protective of Lu Menge and plans to prevent the psychiatric consultation from taking place.
  • Tang Wulin: Acts as a humorous sounding board, reacting with disbelief and helping Gu Yue analyze the absurd situation.

Significant Themes

  • Truth versus plausibility: Lu Menge tells the truth, but the claims are so extraordinary that Wu Changkong finds them less believable than a psychological explanation.
  • Compassion and misinterpretation: Wu Changkong’s mistaken diagnosis still comes from sincere care. His concern causes him to reinterpret every version of Lu Menge’s story in the most tragic possible way.
  • Trauma and identity: The chapter explores how an apparently grandiose identity could be understood as a psychological defense against unbearable suffering—even though, in Lu Menge’s case, the identity is genuine.
  • Romantic concern and emotional attachment: Wu Changkong’s protectiveness reveals how deeply he cares for Lu Menge, while her inability to retaliate against him shows her growing affection for him.
  • Comedy through dramatic irony: The audience and Gu Yue know Lu Menge is telling the truth, while Wu Changkong confidently constructs an elaborate but completely incorrect psychiatric explanation.

Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Their serious conversation establishes the central misunderstanding. Lu Menge seeks belief; Wu Changkong offers concern instead, interpreting her truth as illness.
  • Wu Changkong and Gu Yue: He asks Gu Yue to help get Lu Menge treatment, believing she is the person Lu Menge trusts most. Gu Yue agrees while secretly struggling not to laugh.
  • Gu Yue and Tang Wulin: They discuss Wu Changkong’s diagnosis and Lu Menge’s likely reaction, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: Gu Yue bluntly informs Lu Menge about the psychiatry plan, prompting Lu Menge’s shocked resolve to confront Wu Changkong.
  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong’s unseen bond: Although frustrated, Lu Menge cannot bring herself to attack or harshly reject him because his actions come from genuine affection and concern.

Ch. 20Seeing a Doctor

Chapter Summary: “Seeing a Doctor”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wu Changkong takes Lu Menge to Zhen Hua Psychology Clinic after becoming concerned about her claims that she is the ancient Nine-Headed White Tiger and has lived for tens of thousands of years.
  • Gu Yue accompanies them at Wu’s request, secretly amused by the situation and prepared to report the “psychiatric escort” to Di Tian.
  • Dr. Zhang Xiaopeng, a highly accomplished spiritual-type Titled Douluo recommended through Zhenhua, begins by conducting a casual consultation.
  • Lu Menge insists that she is not mentally ill and challenges Dr. Zhang to scan her sea of consciousness, claiming that her spiritual power is far greater than his.
  • Wu Changkong privately explains her strange behavior and traumatic history as he understands it. Dr. Zhang interprets her beliefs as delusions formed from prolonged abuse, concluding that her imagined identity as a powerful Sacred Beast is a psychological defense mechanism.
  • During the scan, Dr. Zhang encounters Lu Menge’s genuinely immense and terrifying spiritual presence. However, he misinterprets it as an impenetrable barrier created by an exceptionally powerful delusional system.
  • Dr. Zhang recommends medication, sleep treatment, and continued therapy rather than confronting Lu Menge’s beliefs directly.
  • Wu Changkong accepts the treatment plan, pays for everything himself, asks Gu Yue to monitor Lu Menge, and carefully collects her medicine.
  • Gu Yue later tells Lu Menge how much effort Wu made to help her: arranging the appointment overnight, waiting downstairs early in the morning, preparing hot milk, and obtaining a referral from Zhenhua.
  • Touched by Wu’s concern, Lu Menge accepts the medicine and allows him to continue caring for her, even though she knows the diagnosis is wrong.

Character Developments

  • Lu Menge: Remains confident and amused by the doctors’ disbelief, but Wu’s quiet care affects her deeply. She begins to recognize that his mistaken belief in her illness is motivated by genuine concern rather than rejection. For perhaps the first time, she feels that someone is willing to protect and support her without demanding anything in return.
  • Wu Changkong: His usual cold composure masks intense anxiety and tenderness. He spends the night arranging expert medical help, pays for Lu Menge’s treatment, prepares food and milk, and commits himself to supporting her patiently. His protectiveness becomes more obvious, even though he still misunderstands the truth.
  • Gu Yue: Acts as an observer and subtle mediator. She understands that Lu Menge is not delusional and recognizes the limitations of the doctor’s interpretation, but she chooses not to reveal the truth immediately. She encourages Lu Menge to respond to Wu’s affection and care.
  • Dr. Zhang: Initially approaches Lu Menge professionally and skeptically, then is overwhelmed by the power of her consciousness. Despite the evidence he encounters, his assumptions lead him to preserve his trauma-based diagnosis rather than accept her supernatural explanation.
  • Di Tian: Does not appear directly, but remains important through Lu Menge’s claims and Gu Yue’s secret communications. His supposed status as Lu Menge’s subordinate is treated by the humans as part of her imagined mythology.

Significant Themes

  • Truth versus interpretation: Lu Menge is telling the truth, but her reality is so extraordinary that ordinary people inevitably interpret it as madness.
  • Care expressed through misunderstanding: Wu Changkong’s diagnosis is incorrect, yet his actions provide Lu Menge with genuine emotional comfort and stability.
  • Trauma and protective identities: From Dr. Zhang’s perspective, Lu Menge’s mythological identity represents a defensive fantasy built to survive abuse. The chapter explores how suffering can shape a person’s sense of self.
  • Power and helplessness: Lu Menge possesses overwhelming power, but Wu and Dr. Zhang interpret her behavior through the lens of vulnerability and victimhood. The contrast creates both humor and emotional tension.
  • Quiet affection: Wu’s concern is conveyed through practical gestures—arranging treatment, preparing milk, paying bills, and insisting she keep financial support—rather than open declarations.
  • The limits of human knowledge: Even a powerful spiritual specialist cannot comprehend Lu Menge’s true nature, showing how completely she exists beyond normal categories.

Important Character Interactions

  • Lu Menge and Wu Changkong: Their journey to the clinic reveals Wu’s concern and Lu Menge’s reluctance to be treated as mentally ill. By the end, she responds to his care with quiet acceptance rather than anger.
  • Lu Menge and Dr. Zhang: Lu Menge confidently challenges the doctor’s assumptions, while Dr. Zhang attempts to reinterpret her claims as symptoms of trauma. Their interaction becomes ironic when his scan confirms her extraordinary power but he still reaches the wrong conclusion.
  • Wu Changkong and Dr. Zhang: Wu shares his observations of Lu Menge’s behavior, unintentionally persuading Dr. Zhang that her beliefs come from abuse and delusion. He then entrusts her treatment to the doctor and asks for a gentle, nonconfrontational approach.
  • Gu Yue and Wu Changkong: Gu Yue silently observes Wu’s anxiety and recognizes the depth of his efforts. She understands the truth but allows him to continue caring for Lu Menge.
  • Gu Yue and Lu Menge: Gu Yue reveals Wu’s sacrifices and encourages Lu Menge to appreciate them and “figure out how to coax him.” Her teasing helps Lu Menge process her unexpected emotional response.
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