Ch. 21Ice Empress's Visit, Xianyun Tours the City!
Chapter Summary: “Ice Empress’s Visit, Xianyun Tours the City!”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Ice Empress visits Qin Qi’s house intending to challenge Guga and avenge her previous defeat. Zhongli answers the door and informs her that the owner is away. She leaves a message promising to defeat and humiliate Guga, while warning him to stay away from her “Xue’er.”
- Zhongli compares Ice Empress’s mischievous behavior to Hu Tao’s and reflects nostalgically on friendships lost to the passage of time.
- Xianyun arrives in the city searching for Soul Tools and hoping to meet their craftsmen or fellow enthusiasts.
- She finds a luxurious shop selling a storage-type Soul Tool, but the shopkeeper demands 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. Since Xianyun has almost no money, she offers her powerful storage hourglass as collateral.
- The clerk mocks the hourglass as worthless junk and rudely drives her away. Xianyun remains calm but is disappointed that others cannot recognize the device’s true value.
- Remembering Qin Qi’s comments about the prosperous central regions, Xianyun decides to continue traveling toward the continent’s center.
- Meanwhile, a struggling Soul Master hunting group returns from the Far North. They stop at Qin Qi’s house seeking warmth and food, but their leader becomes interested in the unusual Sunflower growing without snow around it.
- The leader suspects the flower is a valuable treasure and considers stealing it. Zhongli watches from inside, uncertain whether the group intends to rob the house.
Character Developments
- Ice Empress remains proud, aggressive, and protective of Xue’er, but her willingness to knock politely and leave a message adds a humorous, childlike quality to her threatening behavior.
- Zhongli acts as a calm host and observer. His comparison of Ice Empress to Hu Tao and his reflections on former friends reveal a more sentimental side shaped by the erosion of time.
- Xianyun demonstrates her confidence, dignity, and unusual worldview. She sincerely believes her ancient adeptal mechanism should be valued, yet handles the clerk’s insult with remarkable composure.
- The hunting-group leader is shown as opportunistic and treasure-driven, willing to steal if he believes the Sunflower is valuable. His subordinates are less perceptive and dismiss the flower as ugly.
Significant Themes
- Misunderstood value: Xianyun’s priceless hourglass is dismissed as junk, while the hunting group recognizes that the Sunflower may be extraordinary. The chapter humorously contrasts true worth with ordinary people’s limited perception.
- Cultural and technological unfamiliarity: Xianyun struggles to understand the city’s Soul Tools and commercial customs, while the shopkeeper cannot comprehend her ancient adeptal devices.
- The passage of time and nostalgia: Zhongli’s memories and melancholy thoughts emphasize how time changes relationships and deepens his sentimentality.
- Lighthearted misadventure: The chapter maintains a humorous, healing tone, turning potential conflicts—Ice Empress’s challenge, Xianyun’s shopping failure, and the attempted theft—into comedic situations rather than serious grudges.
Character Interactions
- Ice Empress and Zhongli: Their polite but amusing exchange establishes Ice Empress’s challenge and allows Zhongli to observe her personality.
- Xianyun and the shop clerk: Their misunderstanding over the hourglass creates the chapter’s main comedic confrontation. Xianyun seeks intellectual discussion, while the clerk sees only a customer who cannot pay.
- Xianyun and Zhongli, indirectly: The rejected “antique” reminds Xianyun of Zhongli’s expertise in appraising old objects.
- The hunting group and the Sunflower: Their discovery introduces a possible threat to Qin Qi’s house. Zhongli silently observes as the group prepares to test or steal the flower.