Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “No Crossing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After escorting the Luo Household’s young master away, Bian Chunchou examines the Luo Household’s substantial apology gifts and decides to divide them with Wen Xu-Xu and Chen Zui-Zui.
• Chen Zui returns carrying a palm-sized, fluffy white Spirit Beast that had stolen some of his Blood-Replenishing Pills. He gives it to Bian as a “gift,” having used it as a sword tassel.
• Bian is immediately charmed by the beast and scolds Chen for treating such a small creature roughly. He wonders whether it has an owner, but the beast falls asleep instead of responding.
• Chen leaves to cultivate after gaining insights from his Water-Cleaving technique. Bian remains behind, worrying about the strange flood surrounding Jingyuan City and Wen Xu’s delayed return.
• Bian observes that the waterways have risen rapidly despite the lack of heavy rain. Because of his Fire-Water Spiritual Root, he can tell that the water is evaporating far more slowly than it should. He concludes that the flooding is likely being manipulated by someone.
• While returning to Jingyuan City by sword, Wen Xu detects a faint, abnormal scent drifting over the water. He searches for its source but cannot locate it before nightfall and decides he may need to investigate with Bian the next day.
• Wen Xu also notices that the flood behaves unnaturally: it rises during the day but becomes comparatively calm at night, unlike ordinary floods. He suspects that powerful figures in Jingyuan City may understand the cause but are deliberately maintaining a fragile balance rather than stopping it.
• After entering the city, Wen Xu encounters Bushi, who comments that walking alone at night is dangerous. Bushi claims he is no longer afraid of the dark because he found someone to give him courage.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou: Shows a nurturing, sentimental side through his immediate affection for the Spirit Beast. His observations of evaporation and water levels establish him as perceptive and scientifically minded, as well as increasingly suspicious of supernatural interference behind the flood.
• Chen Zui-Zui: Remains blunt, practical, and somewhat careless. He treats the Spirit Beast as a minor nuisance but demonstrates trust and generosity by giving it to Bian. His commitment to cultivation also deepens as he pursues insights gained from combat.
• Wen Xu-Xu: Becomes more alert to the flood’s hidden cause. His careful investigation of the strange scent and recognition of the flood’s unnatural rhythm show his growing awareness of the larger danger.
• Bushi: Appears more confident than before—or at least claims to be. His meeting with Wen Xu hints at a new relationship or companion who has helped him overcome his fear of the night.

Significant Themes

• The unnatural flood: The disaster is presented as a mystery that violates ordinary physical and spiritual principles, suggesting deliberate manipulation or a hidden magical mechanism.
• Hidden conspiracies and unspoken knowledge: Wen Xu suspects that Jingyuan City’s powerful cultivators already understand the flood but cannot or will not openly address it.
• Compassion versus practicality: Bian’s tenderness toward the Spirit Beast contrasts with Chen Zui’s indifferent treatment, highlighting Bian’s softer nature.
• Balance and instability: The city’s flood remains in a strange equilibrium, reflecting a broader tension between forces that are being temporarily contained rather than resolved.
• The limits of perception: Both Bian and Wen Xu notice clues—the slowed evaporation and faint scent—but neither can yet identify the true source.

Character Interactions

• Bian and Chen banter over the Spirit Beast, with Bian criticizing Chen’s rough treatment and Chen responding with characteristic indifference.
• Bian tries to communicate with the beast by asking it to blink, but it simply falls asleep, reinforcing the chapter’s lighthearted tone.
• Wen Xu and Bushi meet on the quiet nighttime streets. Bushi teasingly points out Wen Xu’s solitary walk and claims that someone has given him courage, suggesting an unseen emotional or romantic development.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Wen Xu encounters Bushi at night and questions him about his motives and identity.
• Bushi reveals that Wen Xu is deliberately pretending to be blind. Wen Xu admits it openly and says he intends to continue the act, while Bushi promises not to expose him.
• Their conversation becomes a sharp exchange of sarcasm. Wen Xu accuses Bushi of “putting on airs,” while Bushi defensively explains his behavior and clarifies that he is not connected to the Yan Household.
• Bushi discusses his Buddhist cultivation and claims to possess an Innate Buddha Bone, though he admits he does not want to save people. He compares the world to a flood filled with drowning people and suggests that saving everyone is impossible and perhaps unfair.
• Wen Xu suspects Bushi’s philosophy may be connected to Jingyuan City’s disastrous flooding. Bushi denies personally causing it, noting that he had only reached Foundation Establishment when the flooding began, but his imagery suggests he views the city as spiritually or metaphorically submerged.
• Wen Xu returns late to Bian Chunchou, who asks what happened. Wen Xu says he spent the night trading riddles with Bushi.
• Bian Chunchou realizes Bushi sought Wen Xu out secretly and angrily vows to beat him, especially because Bushi uses his attractive appearance to manipulate people. Wen Xu finally understands that Bushi’s affected behavior was deliberate “weaponization” of his beauty—though Bushi had not intentionally used it on him.

Character developments

• Wen Xu demonstrates unusual frankness, openly acknowledging his false blindness. His exchanges with Bushi reveal his sharp, unsentimental personality and growing ability to see through Bushi’s performance.
• Bushi is portrayed as clever, provocative, and emotionally detached. Beneath his playful manner, he holds deeply pessimistic views about salvation, suffering, and the value of saving others.
• Bian Chunchou remains protective and impulsive, reacting with anger when he learns Bushi met Wen Xu privately. His humor also helps ease Wen Xu’s frustration.
• Wen Xu begins to suspect that Bushi’s relationship to Jingyuan City’s flooding is more significant than he admits.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Wen Xu pretends to be blind, while Bushi uses charm, beauty, and theatrical behavior to conceal his true intentions.
• The limits of salvation: Bushi questions whether anyone can truly save others in a world full of suffering, reflecting a bleak and possibly dangerous philosophy.
• Buddhism versus the Dao: Although Bushi has an Innate Buddha Bone, Wen Xu believes his indifferent worldview makes him better suited to the Emotionless Dao.
• Isolation and drowning imagery: The flooded city symbolizes widespread despair and the inability—or unwillingness—to rescue those trapped in suffering.
• Trust and concealment: Both men conceal important truths, yet their candid conversation creates an unexpected sense of familiarity.

Character interactions

• Wen Xu and Bushi engage in a tense but intellectually playful conversation filled with sarcasm, probing questions, and mutual recognition.
• Bushi attempts to draw Wen Xu into discussing his identity and motives, while Wen Xu challenges Bushi’s sincerity and connection to the flooding.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou share a lighter, more familiar exchange afterward. Chunchou’s outrage at Bushi contrasts with Wen Xu’s weary amusement and helps restore Wen Xu’s composure.

Chapter Summary

• Wen Xu’s improved mood and the spirit beast: Wen Xu returns in better spirits after thinking of something amusing. He and Bian Chunchou discuss the small white-furred beast that Chen Zui-Zui obtained in exchange for a few Blood-Replenishing Pills. Bian Chunchou suspects it may be the “spirit treasure” allegedly lost by the Luo Household’s young master, who recently came to apologize and offered compensation. Wen Xu points out that, unless the beast bears the young master’s name, there is no proof it belongs to him. Bian Chunchou enthusiastically accepts this logic, while the sleepy beast remains indifferent and secretly resents Bian Chunchou’s desire to kiss it.
• The beast’s possible future: Wen Xu worries that the tiny creature may be too young to accompany them through harsh conditions. Bian Chunchou admits he has not considered whether it has an owner or was separated from its mother, but plans to find it a proper home after the flood crisis is resolved. Wen Xu remains cautious, observing that cute creatures can also be deceptive.
• Investigation of the Jianshui River: The next day, the three investigators travel together to the Jianshui River, where Wen Xu sensed something unusual. The river is deep, frigid, gloomy, and turbulent, resembling a dangerous beast. Bian Chunchou searches underwater but finds nothing abnormal, although he notes that the water is unnaturally cold even for a Golden Core cultivator.
• Chen Zui-Zui’s recklessness: Chen Zui-Zui immediately jumps into the river without waiting for anyone’s approval. Bian Chunchou jokes that he should be called “Chen Reckless,” while Wen Xu dryly suggests saying it to Chen’s face. Chen returns quickly and explains that the river is indeed extremely cold, though he cannot determine whether that is unusual. He proposes testing several other rivers for comparison.
• Testing multiple rivers: The group spends the day jumping into different rivers under the pretext of investigating the flooding. Their actions alarm villagers, who briefly assume Chen is attempting suicide. The incident highlights the gap between Chen’s exceptional physical toughness and ordinary people’s understanding of cultivators.
• Villagers’ dependence on the river: An elderly villager explains that many rivers in Jingyuan City have claimed lives, even among strong swimmers, but the people still depend on them for survival. The river is regarded as a “mother river,” reflecting the community’s reliance on natural resources despite their dangers.
• Hints of river worship or sacrifices: Bian Chunchou asks whether the villagers perform rituals or sacrifices for the river, thinking of traditional Water God ceremonies. The old man becomes visibly alarmed and abruptly leaves, refusing to discuss the subject. This reaction suggests that the flooding and the river may involve hidden customs, secrets, or a dangerous supernatural presence.
• Character interactions and development: Bian Chunchou remains playful, curious, and prone to humorous speculation, while Wen Xu acts as the more composed and skeptical observer. Chen Zui-Zui continues to display bluntness, physical courage, and disregard for convention. Their banter strengthens the impression of a casual but increasingly cooperative team. The mysterious white beast also becomes a humorous addition to their group dynamic.
• Major themes: The chapter combines comedy with growing mystery. It explores the contrast between cultivators and ordinary villagers, the dependence of communities on dangerous natural forces, and the importance of local beliefs and traditions. The river’s unnatural coldness, the old man’s fear of sacrifices, and the unresolved flooding all suggest that deeper supernatural causes are at work. The group decides to consult Zhang Lin, a Jingyuan native, for more information.

Chapter Summary: “Mutual Benefit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Lin reveals that Jingyuan City has no known Water God shrine or large-scale tradition of water sacrifices, despite suffering devastating floods for years.
• Bian Chunchou realizes this absence is unusual. Other cities commonly have shrines and festivals where ordinary people pray for protection, but Jingyuan’s people appear not to worship any gods at all.
• The group suspects that Jingyuan City may once have been protected by a shrine or deity whose existence was deliberately erased from public memory. Since a shrine weakens or dies when forgotten, its disappearance may be connected to the city’s endless floods.
• Wen Xu considers whether the floods are related to Bushi, the Buddha’s resentful disciple, and whether they might result from Divine Cultivation.
• Chen Zui explains the principles and dangers of the Divine Way, drawing on teachings from his mother. Divine Cultivators gather faith by presenting themselves as godlike figures; accumulated faith strengthens them.
• The group compares faith to a pond and believers to fish. A powerful Divine Cultivator must maintain control over many believers and continually replenish them as ordinary people die.
• Wen Xu points out that the relationship between Divine Cultivators and believers is only theoretically mutually beneficial. Human emotions are unpredictable, and even wicked people may offer sincere faith, creating serious risks of betrayal or backlash.

Character Developments

• Zhang Lin is shown to be sheltered and inexperienced with the customs of other cities. He genuinely does not recognize the absence of a Water God shrine as abnormal.
• Bian Chunchou becomes more perceptive, identifying the lack of shrines as a major clue. His humorous reactions also reveal his growing unease about the dangers of Divine Cultivation.
• Wen Xu takes the lead in analyzing the mystery. He connects the disappearance of faith, the floods, and the possible involvement of a forgotten divine entity.
• Chen Zui demonstrates a deeper understanding of Divine Cultivation through his mother’s teachings. His detached, practical explanations contrast with Bian Chunchou’s alarmed responses.
• Chen Zui’s mother is indirectly characterized as highly knowledgeable and clear-sighted, especially regarding the safeguards and complexities required of Divine Cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Faith and forgetting: A shrine’s power depends on being remembered and worshipped. Forgetting may amount to spiritual death, suggesting that the erasure of belief can have physical consequences.
• Mutual benefit and hidden danger: Divine Cultivation appears to be an exchange—gods grant wishes and believers provide faith—but human unpredictability makes the arrangement unstable.
• Power and dependence: Divine Cultivators rely on their believers, while believers rely on divine protection. Neither side is completely independent.
• The vulnerability of divine power: Divine Cultivators are not true gods and remain subject to cultivation’s risks, including betrayal, backlash, and the gradual loss of their followers.
• Knowledge and isolation: Zhang Lin’s unfamiliarity with outside customs emphasizes how isolated Jingyuan City is and reinforces the sense that its abnormal condition has been concealed.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou questions Zhang Lin about water sacrifices and guides him toward recognizing Jingyuan’s abnormality.
• Zhang Lin’s confusion prompts the group to examine why the city lacks shrines despite its disastrous floods.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou debate the nature of Divine Cultivation, with Wen Xu providing logical analysis and Bian Chunchou reacting with comic disbelief and concern.
• Chen Zui answers their questions using his mother’s “pond and fish” analogy, clarifying both the mechanics and dangers of the Divine Way.
• The conversation shifts from investigating Jingyuan City’s missing shrine to exploring the broader risks faced by Divine Cultivators, especially their dependence on unstable human faith.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zui explains that Divine Cultivation initially resembles a system of ownership and exploitation: ordinary people are like fish in a pond, while the divine cultivator governs and benefits from them through their faith.
• He clarifies that this dependence only lasts until the Body Integration Realm. At that stage, the cultivator and deity become one, faith is no longer necessary, and the cultivator undergoes a complete transformation in which Spiritual Roots cease to matter.
• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui develop a theory about Jingyuan City: it may once have been the “pond” or domain of a divine cultivator whose existence was later erased, possibly after the city changed owners.
• Wen Xu argues that complete erasure is unlikely. If someone once existed, traces should remain through memories, records, or consequences. He proposes investigating the City Lord’s Office, especially the mysterious death of the former City Lord Yan.
• The old City Lord was a powerful Spirit Transformation cultivator, yet he died from injuries so severe that even Jingyuan City’s abundant resources could not save him. The young City Lord inherited his position, while the city’s aristocratic clans weakened the office without attempting to overthrow it.
• Wen Xu plans to investigate other locations, especially places where temples might once have stood. The group also connects the villagers’ fearful reactions to the word “sacrifice” with a possible force influencing the minds of Jingyuan’s citizens.
• The chapter ends by shifting to Bushi, who is speaking with a mysterious black-robed figure. Bushi acknowledges that Wen Xu is exceptionally perceptive but claims he lacks the strength to drive away the three Golden Core cultivators investigating the city.

Character developments

• Wen Xu becomes increasingly analytical and assumes the role of the group’s principal investigator. He links scattered clues—the City Lord’s death, the absence of temples, villagers’ fear, and the city’s strange atmosphere—into a broader theory.
• Chen Zui demonstrates unusual insight through his analogy between Divine Cultivation and fish farming, though he remains uninterested in complicated reasoning and trusts Wen Xu to reach the conclusions. His single-minded dedication to his blade technique is presented as part of his personal enlightenment.
• Bian Chunchou continues to provide emotional and ethical commentary. He is disturbed by the possibility that Divine Cultivation reduces people to sources of faith, but he also actively participates in the investigation and appreciates Wen Xu’s intelligence.
• Bushi is revealed to know more about the situation than he admits. His comments suggest that he recognizes Wen Xu’s investigative ability, while his mocking attitude toward the black-robed figure shows confidence and independence despite his apparent weakness.
• The black-robed figure remains mysterious, but their conversation with Bushi implies involvement in or knowledge of the events surrounding Jingyuan City.

Significant themes

• Power, faith, and exploitation: Divine Cultivation raises questions about whether rulers genuinely protect their subjects or merely use them as sources of power.
• Transformation and transcendence: Reaching Body Integration represents a complete rebirth, suggesting that cultivation involves crossing fundamental boundaries of identity and dependence.
• Erasure and historical memory: The characters question whether a person or institution can truly be removed from history. Even suppressed events leave traces in memories, injuries, institutions, and collective fears.
• Hidden truth beneath ordinary life: Jingyuan City appears normal on the surface, but its citizens’ reactions and political history suggest deep, concealed manipulation.
• Reason versus strength: Wen Xu’s deduction and Chen Zui’s willingness to act on it contrast with the group’s limited physical power, emphasizing that uncovering the truth may be more important than confronting enemies directly.

Character interactions

• Chen Zui and Wen Xu debate the nature of Divine Cultivation, with Wen Xu expanding on Chen Zui’s unexpectedly effective analogy.
• Bian Chunchou challenges the cold implications of Chen Zui’s explanation, prompting Chen Zui to reveal the crucial information about the Body Integration Realm.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou collaborate on the Jingyuan City theory, while Chen Zui withdraws from the discussion and places complete trust in Wen Xu.
• Wen Xu’s reasoning convinces Bian Chunchou that the City Lord’s death and the citizens’ fear of “sacrifice” may be connected to the city’s forgotten religious or supernatural history.
• Bushi speaks with the unknown black-robed figure in a tense, cryptic exchange. He treats the figure with unusual disdain, while the discussion confirms that Wen Xu’s group has attracted attention.

Chapter 247: “At Odds” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bushi confronts the black-robed figure about failing to deliver the Water-Ripple Beast, which he had promised to give the young monk. The figure claims the beast escaped after causing trouble but insists it cannot leave Jingyuan City.
• The flood disaster in Jingyuan City remains unresolved, and the characters recognize that it is far beyond the ability of only three Golden Core cultivators to handle.
• The Water-Ripple Beast sleeps peacefully despite the surrounding chaos, amusing and frustrating the others. Bian Chunchou envies its ability to sleep so deeply.
• Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu discuss the lack of assistance from the nearby Hehe Sect. Wen Xu reveals that he visited their outpost and discovered they had been cut off from the outside world.
• Because both Yonglu Mountain and the Hehe Sect cannot be contacted normally, Jingyuan City has effectively become isolated.
• Wen Xu explains that he has another possible means of communication through his Jade Bottle Mini-Secret Realm, which remains connected to Her Majesty Zhaoxia.
• Wen Xu has already passed information about the flood disaster to Zhaoxia, though he is uncertain whether the message will reach Yonglu Mountain because of Lord Jun’s unusual situation.
• Bian Chunchou is reassured that powerful figures may eventually intervene if the crisis becomes unmanageable.

Character Developments

• Bushi remains skeptical and pragmatic, demanding proof rather than accepting empty promises. His insistence that the flood must eventually end emphasizes his determination.
• The black-robed figure appears embarrassed and weakened when questioned about the beast, suggesting that his control over the situation is less certain than he claims.
• Bian Chunchou continues to use humor and complaints to cope with danger, but he is responsible and committed. Although he knows the mission is beyond their level, he refuses to retreat and has sent an accurate report to his sect.
• Wen Xu demonstrates calm foresight and resourcefulness. He has already investigated the Hehe Sect’s position and found an alternate communication route through Zhaoxia.
• Chen Zui, though absent from the chapter’s direct action, is portrayed as an exceptionally intense cultivator whose relentless training contrasts with Bian Chunchou’s desire for rest.
• Her Majesty Zhaoxia is revealed to maintain an unexpected connection with Wen Xu and to seek his advice on writing storybooks, adding a humorous and humanizing detail to her otherwise formidable image.

Significant Themes

• Isolation and helplessness: The magical communication network has failed, leaving Jingyuan City cut off like an “isolated island.”
• Responsibility despite overwhelming odds: Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu recognize that the disaster exceeds their strength, yet they continue their mission rather than abandoning the people affected.
• Trust versus proof: Bushi’s demand to see the Water-Ripple Beast reflects the chapter’s broader tension between promises and tangible results.
• Humor amid crisis: Sleep jokes, teasing about cultivation maniacs, and Zhaoxia’s storybook hobby provide comic relief while emphasizing the characters’ ability to preserve their relationships under pressure.
• Connections and influence: Wen Xu’s secret link to Zhaoxia shows how personal relationships and hidden resources can overcome institutional barriers.

Character Interactions

• Bushi challenges the black-robed figure over the missing beast, creating a direct conflict between skepticism and evasive excuses.
• Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu banter about the Water-Ripple Beast’s sleep and Chen Zui’s obsessive cultivation habits, revealing their friendly but contrasting personalities.
• Bian Chunchou questions Wen Xu about the Hehe Sect and becomes alarmed when he learns that the city’s communications are blocked.
• Wen Xu reassures him by revealing his connection to Zhaoxia, while Bian Chunchou jokingly accuses him of keeping secrets and celebrates the advantage of having powerful allies.

Chapter Summary

• Investigation of Jingyuan City: Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Bian Chunchou have spent half a month investigating the disastrous flooding. Chen Zui controls the waters during the day and dives through the city’s connected rivers searching for abnormalities, while Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou look for traces of ancient temple ruins.
• Discovery about the “temple”: Chen Zui concludes that the ruins may not be located beneath one particular river. Instead, the entire network of flooded waterways may itself constitute the temple, suggesting that the temple has somehow overturned or been submerged. This could explain the unnaturally cold water.
• Summons from the City Lord: The City Lord’s Office invites the three cultivators to discuss an important matter. Wen Xu suspects City Lord Yan has both information and ulterior motives, especially since their investigation has produced few concrete results.
• Connection between City Lord Yan and Bushi: City Lord Yan reveals that Buddhist Cultivator Bushi’s secular surname is Yan and that Bushi was originally part of the Yan Household before entering Bitter Crossing Temple. Yan asks the three cultivators to mediate and persuade Bushi to return to the City Lord’s residence to resolve a long-standing misunderstanding.
• Wen Xu’s cautious response: Although Wen Xu initially refuses to help without knowing the truth, he agrees to hear City Lord Yan’s explanation. He points out that the five great sects traditionally support one another, so Bushi’s refusal to enter his former home must stem from something serious.
• The Yan family background: City Lord Yan explains that he was adopted into the Yan Household from a collateral branch. Though he is over two hundred years old and appears unrelated to Bushi by generation, he reveals that Bushi was actually born only one or two years apart from him. This suggests that their apparent generational difference—and perhaps their relationship—conceals a deeper secret.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Chen Zui demonstrates remarkable diligence and unconventional thinking through his extensive underwater searches and theory about the temple.
• Wen Xu remains guarded and strategic. He recognizes City Lord Yan’s manipulative intentions, refuses to accept a one-sided account, and presses him for the real history.
• Bian Chunchou provides humorous reactions, especially when Wen Xu unexpectedly agrees to help and when Wen Xu confirms the resemblance between Yan and Bushi.
• City Lord Yan shifts from a seemingly straightforward city lord to a calculating but apparently desperate figure. His appeal is motivated by his great-grandfather’s dying wish and fear that reconciliation will soon become impossible.
• Bushi’s character is developed indirectly: he is revealed to have a hidden connection to the Yan Household and to harbor a serious grudge against the City Lord’s Office.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The possible “temple” is not a conventional building, and Yan and Bushi’s apparent family relationship differs from the truth.
• Hidden histories and concealed motives: Both the flooded city and the Yan Household contain mysteries that outsiders cannot understand from appearances alone.
• Family, inheritance, and identity: Adoption, cultivation longevity, and complicated generational structures blur the meaning of blood relations and social status.
• Skepticism and trust: Wen Xu insists on hearing City Lord Yan’s version before acting, emphasizing the danger of accepting a politically motivated story without evidence.

Chapter Summary — Page 428

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Che, Jingyuan City’s lord, explains Bushi’s unusual age: Bushi was born more than thirty years ago but had his growth frozen by a spell, making him technically only a little over thirty.
• Yan Che claims Bushi misunderstood their relationship, believing Yan Che was his biological father who had abandoned Bushi’s mother after deceiving her. Yan Che admits that he once cared for Bushi but says later conflicts deepened Bushi’s hatred.
• Yan Che offers to return the position of city lord to Bushi, claiming it originally belonged to him and that this was the dying wish of Yan Che’s great-grandfather.
• Bushi unexpectedly arrives and reveals that he deliberately walked into the trap meant to capture him. He mocks the others’ attempt to tell his story and immediately challenges Yan Che’s version of events.
• Bushi denies that his secular surname is Yan and accuses the Yan family of sinister schemes, including manipulating the populace and causing or worsening the long-standing Jingyuan Flood Disaster.
• The confrontation becomes openly hostile. Bushi suggests that Yan Che’s claim that they are related is false and proposes using the Bloodline Tracking Technique to prove he is not a Yan.
• Yan Che displays intense jealousy and anger toward Bushi despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator while Bushi is only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
• Bushi condemns the city’s powerful families for betraying an old pact and exploiting ordinary citizens. Yan Che counters that “the god” abandoned them, but Bushi implies that this god was manipulated and ultimately consumed Yan Che’s faction as punishment.

Character Developments

• Yan Che: Presents himself as regretful and self-sacrificing, but his carefully selective explanation suggests he is manipulating Wen Xu and the others. His anger and jealousy expose deeper resentment toward Bushi.
• Bushi: Abandons his usual riddling, playful manner and speaks with unusual directness. He demonstrates that he knows far more about Jingyuan City’s history, the pact, and the “god” than Yan Che realizes.
• Wen Xu: Plays along with Bushi’s performance and remains observant, recognizing the political manipulation beneath Yan Che’s story. Though unable to read facial expressions, he can interpret physical behavior and follows the conflict intelligently.
• Bian Chunchou: Functions as a skeptical observer, noticing the contradictions in Yan Che’s account and reacting with confusion to the mysterious references.
• The Yan family/city authorities: Are increasingly portrayed as having exploited both the city’s people and a powerful divine being for their own benefit.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and unreliable narratives: Yan Che presents a sympathetic version of the past while omitting crucial details; Bushi’s arrival exposes how incomplete and self-serving that account is.
• Power and exploitation: The ruling families are accused of using ordinary citizens, political authority, and even divine power for personal gain.
• Identity and bloodline: Bushi’s true surname, parentage, and relationship to Yan Che remain uncertain, making lineage a central source of conflict.
• Betrayal and consequences: The old pact, the Jingyuan Flood Disaster, and the “god’s” retaliation all suggest that past betrayals continue to shape the present.
• Appearance versus truth: Similar features between Yan Che and Bushi create assumptions about their relationship, while their conflicting accounts reveal that outward resemblance does not establish genuine kinship.

Character Interactions

• Yan Che attempts to win Wen Xu and the others’ sympathy by portraying himself as a remorseful guardian willing to surrender power.
• Bushi interrupts and turns the conversation into an accusation, directly challenging Yan Che’s version of their shared history.
• Wen Xu cooperatively pretends not to know Bushi, allowing Bushi to control the exchange while he observes the situation.
• Yan Che and Bushi trade increasingly personal accusations, with Bushi attacking Yan Che’s intelligence and motives and Yan Che responding with anger and claims that Bushi is ignorant.
• The argument ends in confusion for Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and the others because Bushi’s references to the god, the pact, and the Yan family’s punishment reveal a much larger hidden history.

Chapter Summary: “Beast Hostage”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The riddler reveals the true history of Jingyuan City and the cause of its flood.
• Jingyuan City was originally created and protected by a powerful female Divine Cultivator at the peak of Spirit Transformation. Though the City Lord’s Office and Aristocratic Clans governed the city, the people worshipped her as their true guardian deity.
• Because Divine Cultivators could not freely interfere in worldly affairs, she focused on advancing to Body Integration. She regarded Jingyuan City as her tribulation and believed overcoming its crisis would help her break through.
• The guardian deity was betrayed by the person she trusted most. She fell into the water, after which the traitor sealed the city, controlled its inhabitants, and prohibited all water-related rituals. However, her body was never found.
• Although the new rulers tried to erase her influence, the people continued secretly worshipping her. Her kindness remained ingrained in the blood and traditions of those born in Jingyuan City, eventually leaving the city spiritually hollow and “without faith.”
• Yan Che threatens to kill the three protagonists for exposing these secrets, but Bushi openly mocks him and insists that Yan Che is incapable of killing even one of them.
• Bushi addresses Wen Xu as “Little Martial Granduncle,” revealing Wen Xu’s connection to the Dragon Venerable and suggesting that his apparent blindness is false. Yan Che realizes that Wen Xu is the Dragon Venerable’s disciple.
• Wen Xu and Bushi use their sect connections and apparent lack of fear to pressure Yan Che. Wen Xu offers to keep the matter secret if they are released, though he carefully limits the promise to information shared outside the city.
• Yan Che admits that he does not truly control Jingyuan City. He is only a public puppet for the Aristocratic Clans, who took control after his great-grandfather Yan Fu died from backlash. He originally lured Bushi to the city hoping to escape his own position and the clans’ control.
• Yan Che decides he cannot release the group, believing Jingyuan City’s isolation will allow him to kill them without immediate consequences.
• Bushi and Yan Che exchange personal insults, especially over Yan Che’s use of the name “Che.” Their hostility suggests a deeper connection, possibly involving Yan Che as a substitute or imitator of Bushi.

Character Developments

• Yan Che: His threatening exterior is exposed as partly defensive. He is politically powerless, controlled by the Aristocratic Clans, and resentful of his role as City Lord. His desperation leads him to consider murdering the protagonists to secure his freedom.
• Bushi: He remains irreverent, fearless, and deliberately provocative. He mocks Yan Che even under threat, while also using Wen Xu’s identity and status as a weapon. His intense reaction to Yan Che’s name suggests a personal history between them.
• Wen Xu: His true importance becomes clearer through Bushi’s respectful title and Yan Che’s recognition of his connection to the Dragon Venerable. Though he dislikes being used as a threat, he participates in the group’s attempt to negotiate their release.
• Bian Chunchou: He continues observing and mentally commenting on the strange relationships around him, though even he cannot fully understand the apparent connection between Bushi and Yan Che.
• The guardian deity: Though absent and presumed lost, her influence persists through the people’s inherited loyalty and the city’s continuing relationship with water.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and corrupted authority: The city’s downfall began when the guardian deity was betrayed by someone she trusted, while the City Lord’s Office and Aristocratic Clans transformed governance into control.
• Faith and collective memory: Attempts to suppress worship cannot erase the guardian deity’s influence. Her compassion survives through customs, bloodlines, and the people’s unconscious loyalty.
• Political powerlessness: Yan Che appears to be the city’s ruler but is actually controlled by stronger factions, highlighting the difference between public authority and genuine power.
• Identity and imitation: The conflict over the name “Che” hints at questions of replacement, stolen identity, and the tension between an original person and a substitute.
• Defiance under threat: Bushi and the others refuse to show fear, using humor, lineage, and psychological pressure to challenge Yan Che’s authority.

Character Interactions

• The riddler explains Jingyuan City’s hidden history while the three protagonists listen eagerly.
• Bushi ridicules Yan Che’s threats, while Wen Xu repeatedly invokes or is pushed to invoke his master’s reputation.
• Yan Che recognizes Wen Xu as the Dragon Venerable’s disciple but remains willing to risk retaliation because the city is isolated.
• Wen Xu attempts to negotiate by offering secrecy in exchange for release.
• Bushi and Yan Che trade increasingly personal insults, especially concerning Yan Che’s name and appearance, revealing deep unresolved hostility.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou both notice that Bushi and Yan Che’s relationship seems to involve a “substitute and original,” though its true nature remains unexplained.

Chapter 430 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Che confronts Bushi and reveals that Bushi is connected to Si Ying, the powerful Divine Cultivation practitioner who created Jingyuan City. He attempts to manipulate Bushi into surrendering himself as a sacrifice to save the city.
• Yan Che disappears after activating a massive formation surrounding Jingyuan City. The formation is designed to trap Bushi and use his bloodline and sealing power to sustain the remnants of Si Ying’s foundation and prevent the city from being destroyed by the flood.
• Bushi explains Jingyuan City’s history. A thousand years earlier, Si Ying survived a catastrophic flood that destroyed her home. After becoming a powerful Divine Cultivation practitioner, she returned and built Jingyuan City, reshaping its waterways through her own power.
• The present flood is not a natural disaster. It is Si Ying’s dissipating power, causing Jingyuan City to gradually revert to the vast body of water it originally was. The city’s collapse had already begun long before the disaster became publicly visible.
• Bushi reveals that he is Si Ying’s son. His growth was frozen by a spell, and the Water-Ripple Beast used its powers to conceal and preserve him, allowing him to survive despite the difficulty Divine Cultivation practitioners faced in bearing children.
• More than thirty years earlier, after the Water-Ripple Beast disappeared, Bushi was discovered and forced into Yan Che’s family, where he was treated as a tool and raised as the Young City Lord. Yan Che and the others intended to make him willingly sacrifice himself for Jingyuan City.
• Bushi removes his monk’s robe and prepares to use the sealing power inherited from Si Ying to resolve the crisis, apparently at the cost of his own life.
• He asks Wen Xu to deliver his robe to Bitter Crossing Temple. Wen Xu refuses to accept the possibility of Bushi’s death outright but takes the robe after revealing that he has already alerted the outside world, giving Bushi reassurance that the others will not be trapped or forgotten.

Character Developments

• Bushi: His hidden identity, origins, and motives are finally exposed. His detached and mocking attitude toward Si Ying conceals deep resentment toward both his mother and the people who exploited him. He accepts responsibility for his inherited power and appears prepared to sacrifice himself, though he no longer speaks in the formal, self-effacing manner of a monk once he removes his robe.
• Yan Che: He is revealed as a calculating antagonist who views Bushi primarily as a sacrificial tool. His appeal to the lives of Jingyuan City’s residents is a manipulation intended to force Bushi into compliance.
• Si Ying: Her past is clarified. She was not merely a revered founder but an immensely powerful, obsessive figure who attempted to recreate the homeland destroyed by the flood. Her power literally sustains Jingyuan City, but its dissipation now threatens to erase it.
• Wen Xu: He demonstrates foresight by notifying the outside world before the final confrontation. His exchange with Bushi shows quiet concern and trust, while his willingness to accept the robe acknowledges Bushi’s determination.
• Bian Chunchou and the others: They learn the truth about Bushi and Si Ying, react with disbelief to Bushi’s unusual birth and history, and recognize the Water-Ripple Beast’s importance.

Significant Themes

• Inherited burdens and lack of choice: Bushi is trapped by his birth, bloodline, and the power left within him, despite never choosing the role imposed on him.
• Exploitation and sacrifice: Yan Che and the former city authorities manipulate Bushi into becoming a living sacrifice, treating him as a means to preserve the city.
• The destructive nature of unresolved trauma: Si Ying’s inability to move beyond the flood that destroyed her home leads her to build Jingyuan City, but the city ultimately depends on the same power that is now collapsing.
• The boundary between divinity and madness: Si Ying’s ability to reshape an entire region makes her seem godlike, yet her obsessive reconstruction of the past is described as the work of an “arrogant madwoman.”
• Choice versus destiny: Bushi cannot change his origins, but he chooses how to confront the burden left by Si Ying and whether to sacrifice himself on his own terms.
• Truth and emotional release: Bushi abandons his former riddling restraint and openly explains his past, suggesting that he has reached a point where concealment is no longer useful.

Important Character Interactions

• Yan Che tries to pressure Bushi by invoking the suffering of Jingyuan City’s inhabitants, while Bushi counters with sarcasm and refuses to accept Yan Che’s moral authority.
• Bushi’s explanation of Si Ying’s history shocks Bian Chunchou and the others, especially when he reveals that he is her son.
• Bian Chunchou connects the Water-Ripple Beast’s reputed abilities with the small beast associated with Chen Zui-Zui, hinting at a potentially important connection.
• Wen Xu understands that Bushi’s resentment comes not only from Si Ying but also from the years of abuse and manipulation he endured under Yan Che’s control.
• Bushi entrusts Wen Xu with his monk’s robe, and Wen Xu’s revelation that he has contacted help gives Bushi confidence as he prepares for the final confrontation.

Summary of “A Desperate Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu confronts Bushi and pressures him to take action, describing his plan as extremely dangerous and likely to result in death.
• Wen Xu uses the Water-Ripple Beast as leverage, revealing that he has found and is holding the sleeping creature hostage. Bushi, despite his hatred and determination, is forced to compromise and agrees to let Wen Xu keep the monk’s robes for the time being.
• Wen Xu explains that he may have been bluffing about identifying the Water-Ripple Beast. His real purpose was to remind Bushi that he still has something in the world to care about besides his hatred and the Bitter Crossing Temple.
• Reflecting on Bushi’s hatred, Wen Xu recognizes similarities to his own past resentment. He realizes that people can change and that his own transformation has led him to become more compassionate.
• After Bushi leaves to draw away the enemy forces, Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Bian Chunchou decide to rescue everyone trapped in Jingyuan City.
• The three fight their way out of the City Lord’s Office. The defensive formation surrounding the office had been intended for Bushi, so with Bushi attracting the main attack, the group has a chance to escape.
• City Lord Yan Che returns, motivated partly by jealousy and resentment toward Bushi and toward more talented cultivators. He intends to kill the three disciples of major sects to vent his anger.
• Yan Che, a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, engages Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Bian Chunchou. Although he expects an easy victory against three newly advanced Golden Core cultivators, the trio’s teamwork and combat experience allow them to resist him.
• During the battle, Wen Xu unexpectedly breaks through to the Middle Golden Core stage. Yan Che becomes enraged at what he sees as the group’s unfair talent and potential.
• Yan Che’s momentary distraction gives the trio an opening. Their long familiarity with one another allows them to coordinate instinctively through swordplay, blade attacks, and talismans.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu demonstrates strategic boldness and emotional insight. By using the Water-Ripple Beast as a hostage, he forces Bushi to acknowledge that he still has attachments. Wen Xu also recognizes how much he himself has changed, moving from resentment and resistance toward empathy and kindness.
• Bushi is shown to be less detached than he appears. His immediate surrender of the monk’s robes reveals that the Water-Ripple Beast matters deeply to him. Though still consumed by hatred, he retains emotional attachments that may prevent him from being completely destroyed by revenge.
• Chen Zui remains an aggressive and passionate fighter, eagerly welcoming a powerful opponent. His instinctive, almost uncontrollable offensive style contrasts with Wen Xu’s measured leadership.
• Bian Chunchou acts as a dependable support fighter, protecting and assisting Chen Zui while also observing the deeper emotional conflicts around him. He recognizes the significance of Wen Xu’s manipulation of Bushi.
• Yan Che is revealed to be driven by jealousy, insecurity, and resentment. His hatred of Bushi stems from Bushi’s privileged birth and natural advantages, while his hostility toward the trio reflects his bitterness toward younger, more talented cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Hatred versus human connection: Wen Xu understands that hatred can consume not only its target but also the person who carries it. His attempt to remind Bushi of the Water-Ripple Beast represents an effort to reconnect him with something other than revenge.
• Change and personal growth: Wen Xu reflects on how he has changed from someone resistant to transformation into someone capable of compassion. The chapter suggests that change can be painful but ultimately beneficial.
• The power of companionship: Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Bian Chunchou function as a highly coordinated team. Their shared experience allows them to fight far beyond what their individual cultivation levels might suggest.
• Talent, jealousy, and resentment: Yan Che’s bitterness highlights the destructive effects of comparing oneself to naturally gifted rivals. His envy of Bushi and anger at Wen Xu’s breakthrough fuel his recklessness.
• Desperate courage: The battle is dangerous and uneven, but the protagonists embrace the challenge rather than retreat. Their excitement in combat shows their determination and confidence in one another.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu psychologically outmaneuvers Bushi by threatening the Water-Ripple Beast, exposing Bushi’s hidden emotional vulnerability.
• Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Bian Chunchou quickly shift from discussing rescue to directly fighting their way out, illustrating their shared decisiveness.
• Yan Che attempts to target Wen Xu, but Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou immediately intervene, demonstrating their protective teamwork.
• During the fight, the trio’s attacks naturally complement one another: Chen Zui leads the assault, Wen Xu manages the broader battle and uses his sword, and Bian Chunchou provides support with talismans.
• Yan Che’s shock and frustration at Wen Xu’s advancement deepen the conflict, turning the battle into both a physical struggle and a confrontation between bitterness and youthful potential.

Chapter Summary: “Strong and Miserable”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Che, realizing he cannot defeat Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui through ordinary means, attempts to use a High-Grade Violent Talisman to gain an advantage.
• Before he can activate it, Jun Zhaoying—acting through a strand of divine sense from Wen Xu’s Small Jade Bottle Secret Realm—kills him with a gentle but overwhelming attack.
• Jun Zhaoying notices Wen Xu has advanced to the Middle Golden Core stage, gives the injured cultivators instructions to recover and rescue others, and leaves to deal with Jingyuan City’s flooding.
• The three survivors learn that enormous water barriers have risen around Jingyuan City. These are the water veins resisting Si Ying’s control and symbolizing the city’s final rebellion.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou infer that Bushi intends to release the cultivation power sealed within his Buddhist heart. They suspect he plans not only to avenge his mother but also to destroy Jingyuan City itself.
• Bushi breaks the seal on his power despite being only at Foundation Establishment Late Stage. His body cannot withstand it, causing blood to pour from his seven orifices, but he accepts the pain as proof that he is still alive.
• Facing the enemies who manipulated and tormented him, Bushi challenges them all at once, embracing the moment as the culmination of years of suppressed hatred.
• The chapter reveals Bushi’s deeper connection to Jingyuan City: like Si Ying, he has remained psychologically trapped by the city and its past. However, while Si Ying tried to escape her obsession by building the city, Bushi resolves to destroy it and use its destruction as a belated grave for her.

Character Developments

• Bushi: His restrained Buddhist identity gives way to a terrifying, revenge-driven form. He knowingly sacrifices his future cultivation and possibly his life by shattering the seal prematurely. His hatred is shown to be deeply rooted in childhood trauma and years of forced patience. Despite becoming almost indistinguishable from a Devil Cultivator, he retains enough clarity to pursue a deliberate goal: destroying Jingyuan City and avenging his mother.
• Wen Xu: His rapid growth to Middle Golden Core is recognized by Jun Zhaoying, emphasizing his exceptional talent. His connection with Bushi is also reinforced, as both once cultivated urgently for revenge, though Wen Xu has progressed further.
• Bian Chunchou: He remains outspoken and humorous even during a dangerous battle. His jokes about Yan Che “cheating” and the flooding help relieve tension, while his insight allows him to understand Bushi’s plan.
• Chen Zui: His battle-focused personality remains intact. Even after suffering injuries, he is eager to fight again and regrettably views Yan Che’s death as a lost opportunity for combat.
• Jun Zhaoying: She demonstrates overwhelming power and authority by killing Yan Che effortlessly. Her concern for Wen Xu and the others shows a protective side, while her immediate departure to address Jingyuan City highlights her willingness to intervene in the larger crisis.
• Yan Che: His arrogance and desperation become clear when he resorts to outside help. His attempt fails instantly, and he dies without understanding who defeated him.

Significant Themes

• Strength born from adversity: The three young cultivators improve during combat, while Bushi transforms years of suffering into overwhelming but destructive power.
• The cost of revenge: Bushi’s power comes at the price of his physical stability and possibly his life. His decision to break the seal represents the destruction of the safe path laid out for his cultivation.
• Being trapped by the past: Both Bushi and Si Ying are bound to Jingyuan City through trauma and obsession. Their different responses—Si Ying building the city and Bushi destroying it—reveal two opposing ways of dealing with unresolved pain.
• The blurred line between righteousness and evil: Though Bushi is a Buddhist Cultivator, his hatred and killing intent make him appear almost demonic. The chapter questions whether one’s identity is defined by beliefs, actions, or motives.
• Destruction as liberation: Jingyuan City’s flooding and Bushi’s plan to annihilate it suggest that destruction may be the only way to end the cycle of suffering connected to the city.
• Humor amid tragedy: Bian Chunchou’s jokes and Chen Zui’s blunt comments contrast with the surrounding violence, keeping the group dynamic lively despite the grim circumstances.

Character Interactions

• Yan Che’s attempted cheating prompts Bian Chunchou to prepare a protective talisman, but Jun Zhaoying intervenes first and kills him.
• Jun Zhaoying reassures and directs Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui, while her brief attention to the saber-wielding youngster suggests continued concern about their allies.
• Bian Chunchou jokes about being saved by a supreme expert, while Chen Zui claims he may recognize Jun Zhaoying; Bian immediately mocks him for habitually saying he has met powerful people before.
• Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu discuss the meaning of Jingyuan City’s flood and Bushi’s intentions, gradually realizing that Bushi plans to destroy the city.
• Bushi confronts his enemies directly, taunting them for scheming against him and inviting them to attack him together.

Page 433 Summary

• Key events: Bushi, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with a Buddha Heart, forcibly draws on power approaching the Late Spirit Transformation Realm. Because the power exceeds what his body can safely contain, he suffers severe backlash and bleeds from all seven apertures. He nevertheless fights three Spirit Transformation experts—the leaders of Jingyuan City’s major households—who are trying to exhaust him and use his body and cultivation to sustain the city’s flood-control formation.
• Conflict and turning point: The Luo Household leader provokes Bushi by calling him “Yan Min,” the humiliating false identity imposed on him by Yan Fu. Enraged, Bushi fights with reckless determination, intending to kill at least one opponent and rely on his “little martial granduncle” for protection if necessary. As the battle nears its end, he pretends to be defeated and appears ready to self-detonate. When the three enemies move in to restrain and exploit him, Bushi reveals that he has been concealing additional strength. He condenses his remaining power into a devastating spiritual-energy attack, catching them off guard.
• Character developments: Bushi demonstrates both ferocity and strategic cunning. Although his body is nearly destroyed, he refuses to die in Jingyuan City, where his mother, Si Ying, perished, and he remains committed to fulfilling his agreement to touch the Water-Lan Beast. His apparent despair is revealed to be a calculated ruse. Jun Zhaoying recognizes Bushi as Si Ying’s son and deliberately refrains from intervening, believing that the battle is an important opportunity for his growth.

Character interactions

• The Luo Household leader attempts to weaken Bushi psychologically by using his former name.
• Jun Zhaoying observes the battle, recalls Si Ying and her past connection to Yonglu Mountain, and feels both sympathy and faint jealousy that Bushi has already been claimed by Bitter Crossing Temple.
• Bushi relies emotionally on the expected support of his little martial granduncle.
• After unleashing his hidden attack, Bushi encounters an unidentified person who claims to have come to save him. Bushi, barely conscious, immediately wonders whether this rescuer was sent by his martial granduncle.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes exploitation beneath the appearance of order, contrasting Jingyuan City’s prosperous exterior with the corruption of its ruling families. It also highlights endurance, filial memory, strategic deception, and the importance of choosing one’s own fate—even in death.

Chapter Summary: “Bushi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bushi, gravely wounded after the battle, forces himself to remain conscious so he can witness his enemies’ deaths.
• Siying’s remaining power—sealed into Bushi years earlier—activates and kills the three enemies. Bushi explains that Siying gave him her strength because she could no longer advance and feared he would suffer the same fate as a cultivator without a Spiritual Root.
• Unlike Siying, Bushi possesses a Spiritual Root, as well as a Buddhist nature recognized by his grandmaster and master. Despite this, he refuses to pray for the enemies’ rebirth and takes satisfaction in watching them die in terror and regret.
• Afterward, Bushi is emotionally hollow and physically near death. He announces that Jingyuan City is about to be consumed by floodwaters and tries to leave, but collapses.
• Jun Zhaoying saves Bushi from falling and uses his Windwielding Technique to halt the flood temporarily. He also searches for Siying’s remains and discovers the last traces of her sealed power, which may provide one final benefit.
• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and the other cultivators evacuate Jingyuan City’s residents. Jun’s control over the wind gives them enough time to complete the evacuation.
• The city is ultimately doomed to destruction, with the flood poised to erase it and perhaps allow it to be rebuilt anew.
• The chapter ends with the characters worrying about whether Bushi survived. The awakened Waterbillow Beast silently cries, suggesting its deep attachment to Bushi.

Character Developments

• Bushi: Demonstrates extraordinary endurance, surviving despite catastrophic injuries. His desire for revenge is fulfilled, but the victory leaves him emotionally empty. His possession of a Spiritual Root marks him as more fortunate than Siying, while his Buddhist heart contrasts sharply with his merciless attitude toward his enemies.
• Siying: Her past sacrifice is revealed. She sealed her remaining strength into Bushi both to help him and to prevent him from sharing her fate. Even after death, her power protects him and contributes to the defeat of their enemies.
• Jun Zhaoying: Displays overwhelming power by stopping the flood and controlling the wind throughout the city. Although detached and lightly humorous, he protects Bushi and ensures that the residents can escape.
• Wen Xu: Experiences a major shift in ambition after witnessing Jun’s mastery of wind. His Wind Spiritual Root allows him to perceive the technique more deeply, inspiring him to imagine how powerful he might become.
• Bian Chunchou: Continues to provide comic relief, jokingly encouraging Wen Xu to train harder, while also acting as a compassionate caretaker for the Waterbillow Beast.
• Waterbillow Beast: Its tears reveal its fear and grief over Bushi’s possible death, emphasizing the bond between them.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and emotional emptiness: Bushi achieves the revenge he wanted, but the result leaves him hollow rather than fulfilled.
• Sacrifice and inheritance: Siying’s remaining power becomes Bushi’s strength, allowing her influence and protection to continue after death.
• Destruction and rebirth: Jingyuan City’s destruction is presented as potentially necessary for renewal, paralleling Bushi’s near-death experience and possible transformation.
• The limits and majesty of power: Jun’s control over the wind gives the younger cultivators a new understanding of the vast gap between ordinary cultivation and the power of a Divine Venerable.
• Hope amid catastrophe: Even as the city is lost, the residents are saved, and the possibility of rebuilding remains.
• Conflicting identities: Bushi’s Buddhist heart coexists uneasily with his hatred and refusal to grant mercy, highlighting the tension between spiritual ideals and personal vengeance.

Important Character Interactions

• Bushi and Jun Zhaoying: Jun supports Bushi after his collapse and protects him from the flood. Their exchange reflects Jun’s curiosity and Bushi’s grim determination.
• Bushi and Siying: Though Siying is absent in person, her past decision and remaining power shape the entire battle and Bushi’s survival.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou: Bian notices Wen Xu’s newfound fascination with power and encourages him to pursue cultivation, while their banter lightens the otherwise tragic scene.
• The Waterbillow Beast and Bian Chunchou: Bian comforts the grieving beast, promising that Bushi will return, though its continued crying suggests that even he is uncertain.
• The cultivators and Jingyuan’s residents: They work together to evacuate everyone before the city is overwhelmed, turning the chapter’s focus from battle to collective survival.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou tries to rescue the crying Water-Ripple Beast, but it unexpectedly leaps into Bushi’s hand.
• Bushi has undergone a dramatic transformation: his hair has turned white, and his cultivation has completely disappeared. He explains that he is starting over from the beginning.
• Unable to fly without cultivation, Bushi collapses and must be carried by Bian Chunchou. His joking complaints and demands—such as asking for his robe to be cleaned—lighten the otherwise serious situation.
• Bushi is caught by his master, Siren True Lord, after secretly leaving Bitter Crossing Temple. He had used sealed power to travel to Jingyuan City under the pretense of secluded cultivation.
• Though Bushi will avoid severe punishment, his master intends to discipline him once matters in Jingyuan City are resolved.
• Wen Xu, recovering from his injuries and newly motivated by witnessing Jun Zhaoying’s strength, has become intensely devoted to cultivation. Bushi visits him with wine as thanks, though Wen Xu does not drink.
• Bushi reveals that he also tried to thank Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou, but Chen left with his saber and Bian fled after taking the Water-Ripple Beast.
• In a more serious conversation, Bushi admits that surviving has left him emotionally numb and unable to find interest in anything.
• He recounts how he was raised believing he was truly surnamed Yan and treated Old Man Yan’s final words as sacred commands. He endured Yan Che’s mistreatment because he believed filial obedience was required.
• Bushi realizes that his identity and life were manipulated by others, particularly Si Ying. His shame and self-loathing over having been controlled prevented him from advancing to Golden Core.
• His obsession with revenge and desire to perish alongside his enemy became a psychological abyss. Bushi acknowledges that he never truly wanted to save himself.

Character Development

• Bushi: His loss of cultivation and white hair symbolize the consequences of his ordeal and the beginning of a new life. Although he remains playful and mischievous on the surface, he is deeply traumatized, emotionally exhausted, and burdened by self-loathing. He begins to speak honestly about his manipulated identity and destructive desire for revenge.
• Wen Xu: He has grown stronger after his recent battle and breakthrough, becoming more disciplined and ambitious in cultivation. Despite his awkward manner, he shows compassion by listening to Bushi and offering emotional support.
• Bian Chunchou: He is portrayed as responsible but exasperated, unwillingly becoming Bushi’s caretaker while also being burdened with the Water-Ripple Beast.
• Siren True Lord: He appears stern and amused while confronting Bushi, revealing the consequences of Bushi’s reckless escape from the temple.
• Chen Zui: His quiet, stern reaction and decision to leave with his saber reinforce his reserved personality.

Significant Themes

• Loss and rebirth: Bushi’s white hair and vanished cultivation represent the destruction of his former identity and the difficult prospect of beginning again.
• Identity and manipulation: Bushi confronts the realization that his beliefs, family identity, and behavior were shaped by others.
• Trauma and self-loathing: His inability to advance in cultivation reflects how guilt, humiliation, and unresolved pain have trapped him psychologically.
• The difficulty of self-preservation: Bushi recognizes that revenge and mutual destruction were easier for him to imagine than healing or saving himself.
• Compassion beneath awkwardness: Wen Xu’s willingness to listen demonstrates that support can come from unexpected people, even when it is expressed bluntly.
• Humor amid suffering: Bushi’s jokes, complaints, and interactions with the Water-Ripple Beast provide comic relief while highlighting the seriousness of his emotional state.

Character Interactions

• Bushi and Bian Chunchou: Their exchange is comedic, with Bian struggling to carry Bushi while Bushi complains and plays with the sleeping beast.
• Bushi and Wen Xu: Their conversation shifts from teasing and thanks to genuine emotional disclosure. Wen Xu responds with unexpected kindness, encouraging Bushi not to regard his suffering as shameful.
• Bushi and Siren True Lord: Their confrontation exposes Bushi’s secret escape and establishes that he will be punished, though the scene remains lightly humorous.
• Bushi and Chen Zui/Bian Chunchou: Bushi’s failed attempts to thank them show his desire to acknowledge those who helped him, while their evasive reactions reflect their discomfort with emotional sincerity.

Chapter Summary: “Reconstruction”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu confronts Bushi about his despair and self-destructive refusal to move forward. He argues that wanting to live and be saved is not shameful, and that Bushi must stop punishing himself for his past.
• Wen Xu’s blunt, forceful encouragement reveals how much he has changed after his experiences in the Mortal Realm. He physically lifts Bushi and insists that Bushi cannot continue hiding behind cryptic speech and emotional defenses.
• Bushi responds with teasing praise, acknowledging that Wen Xu has truly saved him. Their exchange shows a growing familiarity and mutual understanding, even though both still struggle to speak openly about their pain.
• When Wen Xu asks about the aftermath of Jingyuan City’s destruction, Bushi avoids answering by pretending to be dead.
• After recovering from his injuries, Bushi revisits the flooded ruins of Jingyuan City with his master. The city—once built by Si Ying—has been completely destroyed by the ancient flood. Although Bushi feels a grim satisfaction because the city was connected to his hatred and revenge, he also realizes that his resentment has not disappeared.
• Bushi insists that he does not regret destroying the city. Wen Xu urges him to stop dwelling on the past and instead save people, mockingly nicknaming him a “Duck Spirit” because of his stubbornness.
• Bushi’s master, True Lord Siren, criticizes him for constantly bothering Wen Xu and jokes that he might as well change sects. Bushi replies that since Lord Jun of the Hehe Sect saved him, that sect would be his first choice, irritating Siren further.
• The chapter then shifts to the people of Jingyuan City. Although the flood destroys their homes, no one dies, and the citizens retain their belongings and lives. They interpret the catastrophe as the consequence of the three powerful Venerables’ crimes and therefore feel little resentment.
• Strangely, the survivors experience a deep sense of calm, comfort, and even gratitude after the flood. Though they know the old city is gone, they remain rather than abandoning it.

Character Development

• Wen Xu has become more direct, assertive, and emotionally courageous. Rather than hiding behind politeness and scholarly restraint, he openly criticizes Bushi and forces him to confront his desire to live. His compassion is expressed through harsh honesty.
• Bushi begins to show his genuine feelings beneath his habitual riddles, false smiles, and self-protective humor. He admits that Wen Xu’s intervention was meaningful, though he still refuses to openly acknowledge regret or vulnerability.
• True Lord Siren is presented as a frustrated but caring master who recognizes Bushi’s stubbornness and attempts to push him toward greater clarity.
• The relationship between Wen Xu and Bushi grows closer. Their teasing and arguments function as a form of emotional support, showing that both are gradually learning to trust one another.

Significant Themes

• Recovery and the right to live: Wen Xu emphasizes that survival is not shameful and that suffering does not justify abandoning oneself.
• The burden of the past: Bushi’s destruction of Jingyuan City may have satisfied his hatred, but it cannot fully resolve the pain connected to Si Ying and his history.
• Reconstruction and transformation: The literal destruction of Jingyuan City parallels the characters’ emotional reconstruction. Both Bushi and Wen Xu are rebuilding themselves after confronting their origins and trauma.
• Friendship as healing: Wen Xu’s bluntness reflects the influence of his friends and demonstrates how relationships can pull someone out of despair.
• Letting go versus denying pain: Bushi claims not to regret his actions, but his discomfort shows that emotional resolution requires more than simply refusing to acknowledge regret.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Bushi trade insults and sarcastic praise, but their banter conceals genuine concern and affection.
• Wen Xu challenges Bushi’s evasive communication and refuses to let him retreat into self-pity.
• Bushi compliments Wen Xu for saving him, marking a rare moment of sincere gratitude.
• Siren scolds Bushi for troubling Wen Xu and jokes about losing him to another sect, while Bushi responds with irreverent humor.
• The people of Jingyuan City collectively respond to the disaster with unexpected acceptance, suggesting that the destruction has released them from an unseen spiritual or emotional burden.

Chapter Summary: “Cloud Terrace”

Plot Points and Events

• After the destruction of Jingyuan City, cultivators and ordinary people decide to rebuild on the same waters. The new settlement does not need to resemble the old city or even retain its name, but the area remains their homeland.
• Despite the disaster, the survivors are optimistic and energetic. The city’s former ruling Lineages, however, decline rapidly after their Spirit Transformation ancestors are killed and their exploitation of Si Ying’s legacy is exposed.
• Bitter Crossing Temple protects its disciple and prevents the old powers from continuing to bully him. With no Spirit Transformation cultivators remaining, Jingyuan’s cultivation environment becomes more balanced and healthy.
• Once recovered, Bushi takes responsibility for reconstruction work. Having lost his cultivation, he is effectively an ordinary person and remains embittered, resentful, and unwilling to submit to anyone.
• As the old city and its entrenched powers disappear, memories and stories about Si Ying gradually return. Bushi learns that, regardless of her Dao Heart or cultivation, the people of the region remain grateful for what she did for them. This prompts him to reflect on whether people should be judged by their actions rather than their inner motives.
• Bian Chunchou, Wen Xu, and Chen Zui-Zui prepare to leave Jingyuan. They tease Bushi while saying goodbye, especially over his attachment to the Water-Ripple Beast. Bian threatens to steal the beast if Bushi continues insulting it.
• Because Jingyuan’s teleportation arrays and transport routes are suspended, the trio briefly considers traveling by sword. After getting lost, encountering bandits, and nearly entering a demonic plant’s lair, they decide to resume traveling by flying boat from the next available city.
• The group discusses the upcoming Five Sects Assembly. They realize they have advanced to Golden Core without participating in the Foundation Establishment competitions, meaning they cannot compete in that division. Bian instead plans to enthusiastically support Lin Congcong.
• The chapter ends with Wen Xu appearing to conceal a thought about his relationship with Lin Congcong. Bian notices his attempt to change the subject, while Chen Zui-Zui innocently fails to understand the implication.

Character Developments

• Bushi: Loses his cultivation and becomes involved in rebuilding Jingyuan. His bitterness remains, but hearing the people’s gratitude toward Si Ying begins to challenge his rigid judgments and deepen his understanding of Buddhist ideas.
• Bian Chunchou: Remains playful, shameless, and fond of animals. He is especially attached to the Water-Ripple Beast and enjoys provoking Bushi. His eagerness to support Lin Congcong hints at a close, complicated bond.
• Wen Xu: Continues to be biased in favor of Bian and participates in teasing Bushi. His evasive behavior suggests he is privately thinking about his connection with Lin Congcong.
• Chen Zui-Zui: Acts as the practical member of the group, impatient to depart and more willing than the others to travel by sword. She is also straightforward and often misses the subtext in the others’ conversations.
• Si Ying: Though absent, her influence becomes clearer. The locals’ recovered memories reveal that she was valued and appreciated despite the moral ambiguity surrounding her.

Significant Themes

• Rebuilding and resilience: The survivors treat the destruction of Jingyuan as a chance to create a healthier society rather than as the end of their world.
• Homeland and belonging: A homeland’s value comes from shared memories and roots, not its appearance, name, or prosperity.
• Justice versus intention: Bushi struggles with whether Si Ying should be judged by her actions or by the nature of her heart, emphasizing the difficulty of moral judgment.
• The collapse of corrupt power: The destruction of the Spirit Transformation elites allows ordinary cultivators and society as a whole to develop more freely.
• Recovery and transformation: Both Jingyuan and Bushi are rebuilding after collapse, suggesting that destruction can lead to a new beginning.
• Friendship and comic relief: The teasing among the travelers contrasts with the chapter’s heavier themes and shows their growing familiarity and affection.

Character Interactions

• Bushi and Bian Chunchou bicker over the Water-Ripple Beast, with Bian defending it and Bushi trying to make his companions leave.
• Wen Xu openly sides with Bian, reinforcing the playful alliance against Bushi.
• Chen Zui-Zui grows impatient with the prolonged farewell and later provides a more practical perspective on travel.
• Bian, Wen Xu, and Chen discuss their future participation in the Five Sects Assembly, revealing their competitive ambitions and their interest in Lin Congcong.
• Bian recognizes that Wen Xu is hiding thoughts about Lin, while Chen remains oblivious, creating a humorous contrast between perceptiveness and innocence.

Chapter 438 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a difficult and unexpectedly dangerous journey involving battles, traps, waterways, teleportation, and travel on foot, Bian Chunchou, Chen Zui-Zui, and Wen Xu-Xu finally arrive at Pingshui City in late autumn.
• They learn that Pingshui City is a distinctive water city, with much of it floating above the surface due to the local terrain.
• The city treats cultivators and ordinary people equally, though those with Water Spiritual Roots receive special privileges. Because Bian Chunchou has a Water Spiritual Root, he receives a city waist token granting him discounts at inns and priority at many spiritual-food establishments.
• Bian Chunchou jokes that cultivators with Five-Element Spiritual Roots should therefore be able to move freely through every major city. Wang Li, a nearby Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivator, overhears and takes offense.
• Chen Zui-Zui confronts Wang Li, defending Five-Element Spiritual Roots and insisting that such cultivators are no less capable than those with Single Spiritual Roots.
• The argument escalates when Chen challenges Wang Li to a duel. Since private spell battles are prohibited within the city, Wang proposes fighting at the Cloud Platform, a designated arena for cultivators.
• The group learns that the Low Cloud Platform is intended for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. Once a spiritual-energy contract is formed, neither fighter can leave until one admits defeat or is knocked into the water; breaking the contract would result in severe backlash.
• Chen and Wang enter the arena and prepare to fight. Meanwhile, Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu-Xu wait outside. The chapter ends before the duel begins, with Wen Xu-Xu still brooding over the thousand Spirit Stones he previously lost through deception.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou becomes more aware of how complicated and dangerous the Cultivation Realm can be. His earlier belief that the world was straightforward has been replaced by wary respect for its schemes and hidden traps.
• He remains observant and humorous, immediately recognizing that Chen’s righteous argument is really an excuse to challenge Wang to a fight.
• Chen Zui-Zui displays his direct, uncompromising personality. He sincerely defends Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivators and readily turns words into action by challenging Wang.
• His eagerness to fight suggests both confidence and frustration at not having had a satisfying battle during their journey.
• Wang Li is proud of his Five-Element Spiritual Root and sensitive to perceived insults. Although he accepts the duel confidently, the seriousness of the Cloud Platform’s rules causes him to experience some regret.
• Wen Xu-Xu remains quiet and emotionally subdued, still preoccupied with the Spirit Stones he was tricked out of.

Significant Themes

• The unpredictability of the Cultivation Realm: The journey reinforces that even seemingly simple travel can involve schemes, traps, and unexpected complications.
• Prejudice and spiritual talent: The disagreement highlights the social stigma surrounding Five-Element Spiritual Roots and challenges the assumption that Single Spiritual Roots are inherently superior.
• Actions revealing character: Chen’s straightforward defense of equality is genuine, but it also exposes his instinctive love of combat.
• Local customs and regional diversity: Pingshui City’s floating architecture, entry rules, and Cloud Platforms demonstrate the unusual laws and independent cultures of different cultivation cities.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter balances potentially serious conflict with Bian Chunchou’s commentary, especially his comparison of the Cloud Platform’s contract weapon to the Sword of Damocles.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou jokes about the advantages of Five-Element Spiritual Roots, unintentionally provoking Wang Li.
• Chen Zui-Zui confronts Wang on Bian’s behalf, defending Five-Element cultivators and challenging Wang to prove his abilities through combat.
• Wang accepts, turning a verbal dispute into a formal duel governed by the Cloud Platform’s binding contract.
• Bian acts as an amused observer who understands Chen’s motives and comments on the developing conflict.
• He also teases Wen Xu-Xu about continuing to mourn the thousand Spirit Stones he lost, reinforcing the group’s familiar, lighthearted dynamic.

Chapter Summary: “Tricks”

• Wen Xu’s frustration: After being tricked out of Spirit Stones, Wen Xu sulks despite Bian Chunchou’s attempts to cheer him up. Bian suggests earning money by fighting on the Cloud Platform, and Wen eventually considers the idea.
• Chen Zui’s prolonged duel: Chen Zui’s match lasts three days, ending at sunset. He does not win, but he faces Wang Li, a Late Golden Core rogue cultivator whose exceptional body cultivation makes him nearly impervious to weapons. Impressed, Chen Zui agrees to fight him again in three days. Their rivalry is presented as mutual respect formed through competition.
• Cloud Platform and Pingshui City: Bian Chunchou learns that the Cloud Platform charges heavily for spectators, reinforcing the Shu Household’s commercial dominance in Pingshui City. The household controls or influences everything from weapon shops and dueling arenas to ordinary daily necessities, making it far wealthier and more powerful than the local branch of Golden Cauldron Pavilion.
• Chen Zui contacts Shu Menghua: After learning about the Shu Household, Chen Zui decides to send a Communication Talisman to Shu Menghua, whom he calls “Aunt Meng.” Shu Menghua is initially angry over ongoing troubles within her household, but her mood improves when she learns Chen Zui has reached Pingshui City and is visiting.
• The Shu estate: Chen Zui and Bian visit the Shu Household’s enormous clan estate, built across a wide body of water and resembling a resting roc. Wen Xu remains at the Cloud Platform, apparently engaged in another challenging duel. Because flying is prohibited, the visitors are unsure how to cross to the estate.
• Conflict at the gates: Shu Jinze, a flamboyantly dressed young member of the Shu Household, insults Chen Zui and Bian as “country bumpkins” and tries to order them away. Bian remains calm, having grown used to arrogant cultivators, while Chen Zui bluntly identifies the estate as his Aunt Meng’s home and challenges Shu Jinze’s authority.
• Shu Jinze humbled: Before Shu Jinze can threaten them further, another person calls him out, asking what authority he has to represent the Shu Household. Shu Jinze immediately loses his confidence, ending the chapter on a comedic cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou shows greater composure and tolerance toward insults, suggesting experience has made him less reactive. He also acts as the practical observer, gathering information about Pingshui City and the Shu Household.
• Chen Zui demonstrates a strong competitive spirit and respect for worthy opponents. Although he loses to Wang Li, he views the match positively and eagerly anticipates their rematch. His casual relationship with Shu Menghua reveals that he is more closely connected to the influential Shu Household than outsiders might expect.
• Wen Xu is unusually upset by being cheated but begins considering the Cloud Platform as a way to recover or earn Spirit Stones. His absence also highlights his growing enthusiasm for finding challenging opponents.
• Shu Menghua appears powerful, short-tempered, and burdened by household troubles, yet she clearly cares about Chen Zui.
• Shu Jinze is portrayed as arrogant, ostentatious, and lacking real authority. His immediate submission when challenged exposes the weakness beneath his bluster.

Major Themes

• Competition as friendship: Chen Zui and Wang Li develop mutual respect through an unresolved battle, suggesting that rivalry can create meaningful bonds.
• Wealth and social hierarchy: The Shu Household’s vast influence contrasts with the arrogance of its lesser members, showing how wealth creates both power and entitlement.
• Appearances versus substance: Shu Jinze’s extravagant clothing and loud threats cannot compensate for his lack of authority, while Chen Zui and Bian’s understated behavior proves more substantial.
• Experience and emotional growth: Bian’s indifference to insults reflects his increasing maturity, while Wen Xu’s reaction to being cheated shows how personal losses still affect the group.
• Humor through contrast: The characters’ casual reactions, Chen Zui’s bluntness, and Shu Jinze’s sudden humiliation create a lighthearted tone despite the chapter’s focus on wealth, rivalry, and household conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou arrive at the Shu Household, where Household Head Shu Menghua personally welcomes them.
• Shu Jinze initially confronts them, but quickly apologizes when Shu Menghua orders him to do so. He later learns that Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou are renowned figures on the Prodigies Ranking and panics over his disrespect.
• Shu Menghua brings the two visitors to Dream Flower Court, the Shu Household’s spiritually richest residence.
• She catches up with Chen Zui, noting his rapid cultivation progress—he is nearing the Middle Golden Core stage—and asks about his mother, with whom he is estranged.
• Bian Chunchou presents a low-grade spirit sword for Shu Menghua to examine. She identifies it as an extraordinary weapon forged from ordinary iron by a master craftsman.
• Shu Menghua concludes that the sword is one of a pair and promises to investigate its origins and search for the missing companion sword or its maker.

Character developments

• Chen Zui is shown to be powerful and talented but socially blunt, forgetful, and emotionally distant from his mother. He remains attached to his newly forged natal blade and values it deeply.
• Bian Chunchou appears respectful, cautious, and well-mannered, contrasting with Chen Zui’s directness. His presence on the Prodigies Ranking establishes him as an exceptional young cultivator.
• Shu Menghua is revealed as both an intimidating household leader and a warm, familiar elder. She recognizes Chen Zui’s unchanged stubbornness but takes an immediate liking to Bian Chunchou’s sensible nature.
• Shu Jinze is chastened by the encounter and displays a humorous fear of Shu Menghua’s displeasure, despite his normally bold personality.

Significant themes

• Reputation and recognition: The Prodigies Ranking establishes how quickly young cultivators’ reputations can spread, even when family members or acquaintances have failed to notice their achievements.
• Hidden worth: The sword’s humble materials conceal remarkable craftsmanship, emphasizing that true value cannot always be judged by outward appearance or grade.
• Family and estrangement: Chen Zui’s refusal to return home and his mother’s unwillingness to see him hint at unresolved family conflict.
• Mentorship and lineage: Shu Menghua’s knowledge may uncover the sword’s history, linking the younger generation to forgotten masters and the Shu Household’s long forging tradition.
• Contrasting personalities: The chapter repeatedly sets Chen Zui’s blunt, troublesome temperament against Bian Chunchou’s restraint and Shu Menghua’s authoritative but caring nature.

Character interactions

• Shu Menghua immediately establishes authority over Shu Jinze, whose obedient apology and hasty retreat provide comic relief.
• Chen Zui and Shu Menghua interact with the familiarity of an extended family relationship; he casually calls her “Aunt Meng,” while she openly criticizes his temperament.
• Bian Chunchou respectfully addresses Shu Menghua as an elder, but she encourages him to adopt the same familial familiarity as Chen Zui.
• Chen Zui jokingly complains that Bian Chunchou is the one who angers him more, revealing the easy friction and friendship between the two.
• Shu Menghua’s examination of the sword becomes the chapter’s most important substantive exchange, giving Bian Chunchou new hope of uncovering his father’s legacy.