Ch. 81Chapter 81
Chapter 81 Summary
This chapter is a collection of brief, largely disconnected scenes involving numerous characters and settings rather than one continuous storyline.
Key Plot Points and Events
- Black Tiger’s restaurant is destroyed in an attack. He and everyone present are injured, with Black Tiger suffering a broken arm, head wounds, and a concussion. His family faces severe financial pressure, owing over 300,000 yuan and having taken out usury loans.
- Merlin wins three consecutive matches in an iron-fist competition, prompting enthusiastic cheers from Class Three.
- A skilled driver regains control of a Citroën C4 during a dangerous turn and completes an impressive drift.
- Several battles and supernatural confrontations occur. A black giant emerges from a gate during an eclipse, while the Cold Gleam sword releases terrifying baleful energy against an enemy.
- In the military storyline, the narrator returns to the army and continues serving as deputy leader of Eighth Squad and chief sniper of Third Platoon. The squad preserves the former leader’s bed and belongings in his memory.
- Miyamori Saki wins a card-game confrontation, exploiting the fact that players without monster cards can be attacked directly.
- Xiao Yetong prepares a room after learning that Hua Xiyan is pregnant, replacing the incense in anticipation of her arrival.
- Several political and martial disputes develop: Ye Feng orders an investigation, a young man challenges a clan’s disciples, and the Black Wind Twins retreat to the clouds while angrily cursing their opponents.
- Characters travel rapidly through dangerous or mysterious locations, including Purple Lang Mountain and dark waters where a faint light is discovered.
- Social and family scenes include An Cheng meeting her maternal uncle Shen Peng, discussions about inviting guests, and tensions between a newlywed mistress and Nanny Song.
- Wang Ke conserves his remaining cigarettes after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, viewing them as a finite luxury.
Character Developments
- Black Tiger’s severe injuries and financial hardship emphasize his family’s vulnerability after the attack.
- The narrator’s continued care for the former squad leader’s bed shows loyalty, grief, and respect for military tradition.
- Sun Daolin, despite possessing great power, is shaken by witnessing a bloody fight because he lacks practical combat experience.
- One character realizes that she has become emotionally attached to Ji Yuan and may have forgotten her original purpose, revealing an internal conflict between affection and duty.
- Yin Yutang’s insecurity becomes important enough that others consider revealing the truth to him.
- Ling Feng’s behavior causes Zi Ning to become angry, but she quickly hides her emotions and moves closer to him, suggesting a complicated or strategic relationship.
- The narrator’s competence is displayed through driving, sniping, combat, and decisive leadership, while other characters show varying degrees of fear, pride, inexperience, or emotional restraint.
Significant Themes
- Loyalty and remembrance: The preserved military bed and the narrator’s daily folding of the blanket symbolize devotion to a fallen or absent leader.
- Hardship and survival: Black Tiger’s family debt, battlefield dangers, and the exile examination system show characters struggling against circumstances beyond their control.
- Power versus experience: Several scenes contrast formal strength or high cultivation with a lack of real-world combat experience.
- Emotional conflict: Characters must balance affection, insecurity, duty, secrecy, and personal goals.
- Competition and dominance: Martial contests, card games, clan confrontations, and political disputes all revolve around proving superiority.
- Mystery and discovery: Hidden mechanisms, unexplained lights, supernatural gates, and latent possibilities suggest larger mysteries still unfolding.
Character Interactions
- The maids quietly react to seeing Sha Kuanglan and Wukong, showing their awareness of social tension or gossip.
- Wuchang argues with the Resentment Demon, whose pride and verbosity make him defensive.
- Huang Yan takes Xiahou Dun’s seat without acknowledging his complaint.
- Wang Kaiqi and a woman share an intimate moment, though her feelings are complicated by memories of Leng Jialin.
- Ye Zixuan explains to someone that using Meihui’s phone exposed their plans and allowed the opposing side to prepare.
- An Cheng meets Shen Peng and notices his resemblance to Madam Shen.
- Xun Qingran and Nanny Song remain silent after the nanny refuses an assignment, creating tension in the household.
- Ye Feng confronts Lei Gang and demands that higher authorities, including Xiang Fei, address the matter.
- The Black Wind Twins exchange insults with the defenders from a safe position in the sky rather than risk attacking the city wall directly.
- Huang Zhong, Liu Gui, and Huang Xu silently agree to proceed with determination, while Liu Ruxue’s discovery of a light in the water redirects everyone’s attention.
Overall, the chapter functions more as a compilation of excerpts from multiple narratives than as a unified chapter, shifting rapidly between modern crime, military action, cultivation battles, romance, fantasy, historical travel, and comedy.