Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• The fat old man, head of the Golden Family, reveals that the Black Storm is a recurring catastrophe—and possibly a “beast disaster.” Based on centuries of reports, he suspects a flying monster carries seawater in its body and unleashes storms inland to feed on whatever the storm uproots, especially plants.
• Unlike Owl, Sa, and the old mayor, he has access to extensive records through the Golden Family’s library. He says the family built an underground passage beneath the mountain as a shelter, with room for the people from Waterwood Town.
• The old mayor secretly mourns a rare golden camphorwood variety he grew, while the fat old man grieves over his own decades-old tree. Their shared passion for cultivating unusual varieties briefly distracts them from the emergency.
• Owl uses a Red Thread to follow the men and observe through the old mayor’s senses, then withdraws it when their conversation wanders.
• The evacuees reach a courtyard but are left waiting in the rain while the girl goes to report. Once reminded of the crisis, the fat old man orders the Golden Bell rung twelve times—the alarm for a grave threat to the Lineage—and has the townspeople brought to the main courtyard.
• Jin Dong leads the group and tells Trevor that the fat old man is his grandfather. Their conversation turns to the patriarch’s long history of bizarre experiments and mishaps.

Character developments and interactions

• The fat old man shifts from joking and emotional grief over his tree to decisive action when he remembers the emergency. Though eccentric and forgetful, he takes threats to the Golden Family seriously.
• The old mayor trusts his old friend and shares both his concern about the storm and his regret over his own lost tree. Their friendship is grounded in a shared love of golden camphorwood.
• Owl remains observant and cautious, using the Red Thread to gather information without interfering.
• The girl attendant struggles to manage a large group with too few rooms, but responds immediately to the twelve-bell order.
• Jin Dong is practical and familiar with his grandfather’s shortcomings. He and Trevor bond over their inability to show much respect for their eccentric elders.

Significant themes

• Preparedness amid uncertainty: The Golden Family has built a shelter despite not fully understanding the storm.
• Knowledge and rumor: Reliable records distinguish the patriarch’s informed concern from what others know secondhand.
• Human eccentricity and affection: The family’s chaotic stories add humor, while the patriarch’s flaws coexist with responsibility and the old friends’ shared passions.
• Nature as threat and mystery: The storm may be driven by a creature whose motives and full nature remain unknown.

Key plot points and events

• Trevor, Owl, Sa, and Jin Dong join the Golden Family as it gathers after twelve chimes and follows the patriarch into a large underground shelter built beneath the mountain to withstand the approaching black storm.
• The shelter is spacious and well prepared. While everyone settles in, Owl secretly sends out a Red Thread, and Sa extends her vision to observe the storm. They see violent winds tossing trees, plants, fish, birds, and beasts through the air, though they cannot tell exactly what is happening within it.
• Trevor asks about Owl’s unusual black-and-red eyes. Owl says they are an adventurer ability; Trevor jokingly suspects they grant X-ray vision, but Owl denies it.
• Owl and Sa notice that the shelter walls bear two distinct sets of chisel marks, suggesting they were excavated at different times. Jin Dong’s understanding is that his family dug the refuge themselves, but the patriarch explains that treasure hunters made the older tunnels.
• To pass the time, Jin Gukai begins telling the legend of Duck Soup Mountain’s treasure. The mountain was once called Cat Mountain, and its ruler, the warrior Lu Yue, divided his lands between his sons, Lu Sai and Lu Jue, before secretly revealing the location of his accumulated war wealth only to Lu Jue.

Character developments

• Owl remains curious and observant, quietly investigating the storm despite telling Trevor that it is not their concern. He is also relaxed about others’ curiosity toward his eyes.
• Sa demonstrates keen perception by identifying the two phases of excavation and uses her unusual vision to study the storm.
• Trevor grows more comfortable with Owl and asks directly about his eyes, teasing him about their possible powers.
• Jin Dong learns that his family’s account of the shelter’s history is incomplete.
• The Golden Family’s patriarch appears practical and calm, having led the family into a refuge prepared for exactly this kind of disaster.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and communal survival: The family follows the shelter plan despite confusion and frustration at having left their belongings behind.
• Curiosity and hidden history: The different excavation marks expose a buried past, leading into the mountain’s treasure legend.
• Knowledge versus assumption: Jin Dong’s inherited understanding is challenged by physical evidence and the patriarch’s explanation.
• Danger beyond the shelter: Owl and Sa’s observations underline the storm’s immense force and the threat it poses outside.

Character interactions

• The Golden Family welcomes Owl and his companions, mistakenly treating them all as descendants of the patriarch’s friend; Owl has no opportunity to correct them.
• Trevor and Jin Dong ask about Owl’s eyes, while Trevor’s teasing speculation makes nearby women uncomfortable before Owl clarifies that he cannot see through clothing.
• Jin Dong challenges the interpretation of the chisel marks, then asks the patriarch for an explanation.
• The patriarch invites Jin Gukai to tell the treasure legend, turning the shelter’s waiting period into a shared storytelling moment.

Plot points and events

• Lu Jue, once confident he could build power independently, repeatedly loses wars. His elder brother, Lu Sai, repeatedly protects him, but Lu Jue blames their father’s division of the territory and eventually attacks Lu Sai instead.
• Lu Sai sends Kindaichi, the towering Golden Warrior, who defeats Lu Jue. After further military failures, Lu Jue wastes his inheritance and turns to searching for their father’s hidden treasure, guided only by the cryptic clue “stop when you encounter a cat.”
• While Lu Jue hunts, Lu Sai annexes his neglected territory to end its disorder and relieve the suffering of its people. Lu Jue sees this as betrayal, but Kindaichi’s forces stop him from confronting his brother.
• Lu Jue identifies Duck Soup Mountain as the “cat,” searches there fruitlessly for sixteen years, and eventually takes his own life. His followers spread word of the treasure, drawing treasure hunters to the mountain. Lu Sai later has the Golden Family settle there to guard Lu Jue’s grave and keep Kindaichi away from the political center. Kindaichi, hurt by the decision, gives up his armor and returns to farming.
• In the present, a Black Storm batters the mountain above the group’s underground shelter. Trevor recalls finding a strange horned red snake as a child; Owl identifies it as an Erosion Snake, a fire- and water-resistant creature that can eventually move through the air.
• Owl and Sa sense that the shaking threatens a collapse. Sa sees a treasure-filled cavern—and many snakes—directly above them, separated from the shelter by less than three meters of cracking rock. She urges everyone to retreat.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Jue shifts from proud would-be conqueror to a desperate treasure seeker, but remains resentful and self-centered; he misunderstands Lu Sai’s actions and dies without finding the fortune.
• Lu Sai is portrayed as protective yet politically pragmatic: he shields his brother, then takes control of the neglected lands to help their people.
• Kindaichi is celebrated by the Golden Family but is personally wounded by Lu Sai’s decision to station him at the mountain.
• Trevor shares a childhood memory that may connect to the strange creatures and dangers beneath the mountain. Owl explains the snake’s nature, while Jin Dong listens with interest.
• Owl and Sa work together to investigate the tremors; Sa’s vision reveals the immediate danger, prompting the group to prepare to evacuate.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus ability: Lu Jue’s confidence cannot make up for his lack of skill.
• Inheritance and responsibility: Lu Jue squanders his resources, while the story highlights the consequences of neglecting a territory and its people.
• Misjudgment and resentment: Lu Jue interprets Lu Sai’s protective actions as hostility.
• Treasure and danger: The fortune is real, but it is surrounded by snakes and may be about to collapse into the shelter.
• Storytelling and reputation: The Golden Family’s flattering account of Kindaichi—and the group’s amused reactions—shows how history can be shaped by those who tell it.

Chapter Summary: “A Leaking Roof Meets Nightlong Rain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The shelter’s ceiling suddenly cracks, sending a massive boulder, treasure, and venomous snakes crashing down on the people below.
• Owl and Sa quickly evacuate those near them, while the fat old man—revealed to possess immense strength—catches the falling boulder and later throws it aside.
• The Golden Family mobilizes to rescue people, clear debris, kill snakes, and move the elderly, children, and injured toward safety. Several people are bitten, and some die from the venom.
• Owl and Sa help defend the group: Owl uses throwing knives and his staff, while Sa fires Silver Edge at snakes still falling from above.
• Owl identifies several snake species, warning especially about the colorful Eight-Treasure Snake, whose venom contains a poison capable of penetrating their energy defenses.
• With proper antidotes unavailable, Owl advises the group to bind the wounds and suck out the venom, giving the victims their only immediate chance of survival.
• At the same time, people near the outer gate realize that the Black Storm is repeatedly battering it. They brace the gate with their bodies while Xiaohua is sent to warn the patriarch.
• Wind-driven debris, including an ancient tree and a large wall, repeatedly strikes the gate. The stone bolt finally shatters, forcing the gate open.
• Torrential rain and violent wind rush into the passage, killing or seriously injuring those guarding the entrance and blowing bodies deeper into the cave.
• The wind reaches the shelter and extinguishes the torches, plunging everyone into darkness. The snakes, accustomed to darkness, gain a major advantage and begin biting people throughout the shelter.

Character Developments

• Owl remains calm, observant, and decisive despite the disaster. He accurately identifies the snake species and quickly organizes emergency treatment, demonstrating both combat skill and practical knowledge.
• Sa shows restraint and tactical judgment by firing only at snakes still falling from above, avoiding Silver Edge’s dangerous penetrating shots near civilians.
• The fat old man proves himself exceptionally strong and protective by catching the massive boulder, directing the evacuation, and ordering the men and women to fulfill their roles.
• The Golden Family demonstrates its warrior heritage through rapid reactions, coordinated rescue efforts, and willingness to fight the snakes despite the confusion.
• Trevor and Jin Dong take responsibility for protecting children and seek Owl’s help for the wounded, showing concern for the wider group rather than focusing only on their own survival.
• The young men defending the gate display courage and endurance, physically holding it shut even as the storm repeatedly batters them.

Significant Themes

• Survival under compounding disaster: The characters face falling rocks, venomous snakes, structural collapse, flooding, and the storm simultaneously.
• Preparedness versus desperation: The lack of medicinal supplies leaves the group dependent on improvised treatment, highlighting the consequences of entering the shelter in haste.
• Teamwork and sacrifice: Survival depends on everyone taking responsibility—fighting snakes, protecting children, treating the wounded, or bracing the gate.
• Nature’s overwhelming power: The Black Storm turns ordinary debris into deadly weapons and exposes the shelter’s vulnerability.
• Darkness as a shift in power: Once the torches go out, the humans lose their advantage while the snakes become more dangerous, intensifying the threat.

Character Interactions

• Owl and Sa work together at the shelter’s edge, combining close combat and ranged attacks to protect the evacuees.
• The fat old man commands the Golden Family and orders the women to care for vulnerable people while directing the men to evacuate and fight.
• Jin Dong and Trevor approach Owl for information and medical guidance after witnessing the large number of snakebite victims.
• Owl explains the different snakes to Sa and warns her specifically about the Eight-Treasure Snake.
• The young gate defenders coordinate under pressure, with the burly young man ordering Xiaohua to notify the patriarch.
• The entire group’s cooperation begins to break down once darkness and panic spread, leaving many vulnerable to the snakes.

Plot points and events

• When the torches go out, Owl and Sa float above the snake-infested shelter. Sa identifies an Eight-Treasure Snake by its distinctive skull; Owl lands with her on a rock beside broken treasure chests and kills another snake with his staff.
• Owl uses a flashlight to warn the crowd about a collapsing rock face, but the warning comes too late for most people beneath it. At least five are trapped and presumed dead.
• As the wind continues to ravage the shelter, the group struggles to restore light and deal with the snakes. Owl borrows a Fire-Tail Snake’s unusual dark vision through his Red Thread, then tries an Eight-Treasure Snake’s infrared vision. Sa unknowingly disrupts both attempts by shooting the snakes with Silver Edge.
• Jin Dong leads a party toward the main doors to stop the wind. They find a girl killed on the stairs by the storm and push onward through rising water and powerful gusts.
• A fast, clawed creature breaks through the doors, badly injures a young man, and rushes into the passage. Jin Dong’s group confronts it. His saber cannot cut it, but he recognizes it as a Mountain Ogre, a rare, savage creature described in the Golden Family’s books.
• Knowing it must not be allowed to reach the people below, Jin Dong prepares to fight it in the narrow passage. The chapter ends as he chooses whether to hold his ground or retreat from its attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Sa shows how effectively her expanded sight lets her identify snakes, while acting quickly and decisively in danger. She remains unaware that her shots repeatedly cut off Owl’s borrowed vision.
• Owl stays alert and resourceful, warning others about the rockfall, using light to help the crowd, and adapting his Red Thread ability to see in darkness. His attempts to explain himself to Sa are repeatedly interrupted.
• Jin Dong emerges as a courageous and disciplined leader. Though frightened by the Mountain Ogre’s speed and toughness, he organizes his companions and risks himself to prevent it from reaching the shelter. His companions respond promptly, reflecting their long-standing trust and close ties.
• The fat old man urges the Golden Family to rescue survivors, fight the snakes, and relight the torches, while Jin Dong takes responsibility for confronting the danger at the doors.

Significant themes

• Survival under mounting disaster: Darkness, snakes, collapsing rock, wind, rising water, and the Mountain Ogre compound the danger.
• Courage and responsibility: Jin Dong and his companions act despite the odds, prioritizing the safety of those behind them.
• The limits of knowledge and control: Owl can borrow animal senses, but his perception is fragile; Jin Dong’s knowledge of the Mountain Ogre helps him identify the threat but does not make it easy to defeat.

Plot points and events

• Jin Dong and his companions fight a Mountain Ogre during a violent windstorm. Jin Dong knocks it back, and a companion wounds it with a spear, exploiting its vulnerability to piercing attacks.
• The gate holding back the storm begins to fail. As people are swept away by the wind and deadly debris, Jin Dong uses the Golden Family’s stored medicinal power—far earlier than he should—to rescue them.
• The power gives Jin Dong extraordinary strength, but using it now may damage his future and weaken his standing within the family. He saves several people, though he cannot save everyone: forced to choose between two people blown apart, he rescues the woman while the young man crashes into a wall.
• After the gate collapses, Jin Dong pushes through the storm to save a man clinging to a failing torch bracket. When the man is struck by debris and falls, Jin Dong catches him.
• The Mountain Ogre ambushes Jin Dong while his hands are occupied. Jin Fang intervenes, briefly disrupting the creature with a Red Thread and striking it with his shield. A flying stone hits the ogre, which retreats into the stairway.

Character developments and interactions

• Jin Dong proves courageous, self-sacrificing, and deeply protective of his companions. He knowingly sacrifices a rare source of future strength to save lives, then keeps advancing despite exhaustion and physical danger. His inability to save everyone leaves him anguished and furious.
• Jin Fang, Jin Dong’s trusted right-hand man, remains behind to watch the Mountain Ogre and ultimately saves Jin Dong from its ambush. He recognizes the serious consequences Jin Dong’s premature use of power may have for his future and family authority.
• The Mountain Ogre is agile and opportunistic, taking advantage of Jin Dong’s distractions. Its mockery of the casualties enrages Jin Dong, while its injury eventually drives it to flee.
• The rescued companions express gratitude and concern, while Jin Dong repeatedly directs them to safety and entrusts Jin Fang with guarding against the ogre.

Significant themes

• Self-sacrifice and responsibility: Jin Dong puts others’ survival ahead of his own future.
• The cost of heroism: His rescue efforts save lives but carry personal, physical, and political consequences.
• Impossible choices: He cannot save everyone, and choosing whom to rescue brings grief and guilt.
• Family loyalty and competition: The Golden Family is united, yet Jin Fang worries that Jin Dong’s sacrifice may upset the balance of power between its branches.

Chapter summary

• The battle and rescue: A wounded mountain ogre flees toward the shelter, threatening the people below. Jin Dong pursues it while carrying an injured young man, but the ogre attacks more people on its way down. Sa kills it with a fast silver projectile just as it emerges, saving those in its path. Owl and Sa, meanwhile, help illuminate the shelter and fight the remaining venomous snakes.
• Aftermath of the snake attack: The snake swarm has caused heavy casualties—at least fifty deaths and more than a hundred bites. Once the immediate danger passes, Sa gives Owl a Nine-Aperture Snake King Gallbladder, and he prepares antidote soup for the victims. The soup can also cleanse the bodies of people who have not been poisoned. Waterwood Town’s residents help deal with the snakes, while the injured receive care.
• Securing the shelter: Owl advises Patriarch Jin to block the passage with the fallen boulder rather than try to repair the damaged entrance. Though Jin Dingtian worries that it could leave them trapped if the ceiling collapses, Owl points out a nearby weak spot where they can dig an alternate exit. Jin Dingtian accepts the plan, moves the boulder into place, and orders a new passage dug.
• The treasure and a secret agreement: With the wind stopped and the shelter calmer, people notice the scattered gold coins and realize that Lu Yue’s Treasure is indeed on Duck Soup Mountain. Owl focuses on collecting snakes for an ordinary soup, deliberately avoiding any special cooking that might reveal his abilities. Meanwhile, elders from the Golden Family’s other branches decide that the outsiders—Owl, Sa, and the people of Waterwood Town—must be killed to keep the treasure’s discovery secret. They agree to deal with Jin Dingtian first, since he would oppose such a plan.

Character developments and interactions

• Owl remains cautious and practical: he protects the injured, shares the antidote, plans an alternate escape route, and keeps his unusual culinary abilities hidden to avoid creating a reason to kill witnesses.
• Sa proves capable in combat with her precise shot, then cooperates with Owl in treating the wounded by providing the snake-gallbladder ingredient.
• Jin Dong acts urgently to protect the shelter and its people, pursuing the ogre despite the danger. He later helps organize the response and drinks Owl’s soup without first asking what it does.
• Jin Dingtian (Patriarch Jin) shows strength by moving the boulder and responsibility by weighing the risk of sealing the main passage. He ultimately trusts Owl’s proposal enough to act on it.
• Trevor helps manage the snakes and accepts Owl’s reassurance about the soup. Waterwood Town’s residents prove especially useful because of their experience handling snakes.
• The Golden Family’s branch elders shift from survival to secrecy and political self-preservation, agreeing to murder potential witnesses—and even to remove Jin Dingtian as an obstacle.

Significant themes

• Survival and cooperation: The shelter’s occupants survive through quick action, shared skills, and collective care, especially after the snake attack.
• Trust versus self-preservation: Owl hides his secret to avoid harming others, while the Golden Family elders respond to the same danger of exposure with a murderous plan.
• Leadership under pressure: Jin Dingtian and Owl must make practical decisions amid uncertainty, balancing immediate safety against the danger of being trapped.
• Treasure and moral corruption: The discovery of Lu Yue’s Treasure turns a rescue situation into a political threat, showing how the promise of wealth can make people view outsiders as liabilities.

Summary of “Temporary Retreat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The treasure discovered beneath Duck Soup Mountain contains tens of thousands of Gold Coins bearing markings from Lu Yue’s reign, creating both enormous opportunity and serious danger for the Golden Family.
• The Golden Family’s branch elders decide that everyone who knows about the treasure—including the people of Waterwood Town, traveling merchants, and possibly members of the Noble Hunting Team—must be killed to preserve the secret.
• They conclude that Jin Dingtian, who would oppose the massacre because of his loyalty to the town mayor and concern for the refugees, must also die. His removal is seen as necessary to prevent resistance from his supporters.
• While dealing with snakes, Sa notices the elders behaving suspiciously. Owl uses one of his Red Threads to spy through a guard and overhears the murder plan.
• Because the group is trapped underground and has no proof with which to expose the elders, Owl devises a temporary escape: he and Sa fly into the upper level of the cavern, beyond the reach of the armed men.
• Their sudden flight alarms the elders, who wonder whether their plot has been discovered. They decide to wait rather than attack immediately.
• Owl and Sa remain above for half an hour, avoiding the snakes and surveying the vast treasure. Meanwhile, Trevor and Jin Dong prepare snake stew and wait for them to return.
• A young Golden Family member eventually asks about the pair. Jin Dong casually says that Owl and Sa deserve to take some treasure because they saved many people, revealing his lack of interest in money.

Character Developments

• Owl demonstrates caution, intelligence, and leadership. Rather than confront the elders without evidence, he recognizes the danger and chooses a strategic retreat using his ability to fly.
• Sa proves observant and perceptive, immediately sensing that the elders’ behavior is suspicious. She trusts Owl’s judgment and follows his escape plan.
• Jin Dingtian is portrayed as principled and protective. His opposition to murdering outsiders makes him a major obstacle to the Golden Family’s plan, placing his life in danger.
• The branch elders reveal themselves as morally compromised. Although they rationalize the planned killings as necessary to save their family, they are willing to murder innocents and even their own clan head.
• Jin Dong remains innocent and detached from wealth. He sees no problem with Owl and Sa taking treasure as a reward, since money has little practical meaning in his life.
• Trevor is shown as exhausted and extremely hungry after repeatedly fighting snakes and helping evacuate and rescue people.

Significant Themes

• Greed versus morality: The treasure exposes how quickly fear of losing wealth can justify violence and betrayal.
• Human nature and distrust: The elders assume that secrecy cannot be maintained through promises and choose extermination instead.
• Family loyalty versus ethical responsibility: The elders claim to protect the Golden Family, but their actions threaten to destroy its moral foundation and provoke rebellion.
• Practical intelligence over brute force: Owl avoids a dangerous confrontation by exploiting his and Sa’s unique ability to fly.
• The meaning of wealth: While the elders are prepared to kill for Gold Coins, Jin Dong considers money nearly worthless, emphasizing how value depends on personal circumstances.
• Appearance and misunderstanding: The elders mistake Owl and Sa for nobles because of their clothing and abilities, showing how limited information shapes their decisions.

Character Interactions

• Sa alerts Owl to the elders’ suspicious gathering, and Owl confirms their intentions by infiltrating a guard’s body with his Red Thread.
• Owl explains the murder plot to Sa, and the two cooperate quickly to escape upward.
• The elders discuss how to deal with Owl and Sa, debating whether their flight was deliberate or motivated by greed.
• Trevor and Jin Dong prepare food together while waiting for Owl and Sa, with Trevor’s hunger contrasting with the tense conspiracy surrounding them.
• A young Golden Family member questions Jin Dong about the missing pair, and Jin Dong defends their right to take treasure because they helped save others.

Key plot points and events

• Owl and Sa use their abilities to uncover the branch elders’ plan to drug the gathered outsiders, then kill them to conceal the Golden Family’s possession of the Lu Yue Treasure.
• The elders realize Owl and Sa suspect them, but cannot reach the pair while they remain airborne. They decide to drug the crowd first and deal with the two later.
• Owl spots a young man slipping pills into the snake soup. He secretly uses his red threads to control Jin Shuce, who attacks the Second Elder and publicly exposes the plot.
• When the Second Elder admits that he intended to kill the outsiders, Jin Dingtian—the Golden Family’s head—rejects the elders’ justification. He kills the Second and Third Elders, arguing that protecting the family does not excuse betraying people who helped them.
• A female elder and other supporters launch a coup, insisting that the treasure’s secrecy is essential to the family’s survival. Jin Dingtian, Jin Dong, and their allies fight back, and a bloody battle breaks out.
• Owl tells Sa that he controlled Jin Shuce but claims the wider conflict is not his doing.

Character developments and interactions

• Owl uses his abilities strategically: rather than attack the elders himself, he engineers a public exposure that gives the Golden Family evidence and a reason to act. He presents himself as innocent to Sa, though he admits his role.
• Sa recognizes Owl’s influence over events and directly asks whether he caused the confrontation.
• Jin Shuce appears to betray his own family, but Owl has taken control of him so he will expose the elders’ plan.
• Jin Dingtian chooses loyalty and moral responsibility over the elders’ fear-driven strategy. His decision turns the dispute into open conflict.
• The elders and their supporters are divided between those willing to murder outsiders to protect the family and those who resist the plan. Jin Jiejie and other hardliners attack Jin Dingtian after he refuses to cooperate.
• Jin Dong sides with Jin Dingtian and joins the fight.

Significant themes

• Power and information: Owl and Sa’s abilities let them uncover and disrupt a conspiracy before it can unfold.
• Morality versus survival: The elders frame murder as protecting their family, while Jin Dingtian insists that treachery would be a deeper threat to its identity and honor.
• Trust and betrayal: The conflict pits family loyalty against conscience, and the apparent betrayal by Jin Shuce becomes the catalyst for exposing the real betrayal.
• Consequences of fear: Anxiety over the treasure attracting powerful enemies drives the elders toward extreme violence and ultimately civil conflict.

Plot points and events

• An enormous beetle carrying Lion-Ant-Bee Warriors attacks Gretel Town near Layton City. The invaders kill fleeing residents with crystal projectiles, while ordinary arrows fail to pierce their armor.
• Mailon, Gretel Town’s celebrated hunter, wakes to the assault. He watches the town guard captain die and sees butcher Ximen, his wife Jinlian, and their son Dalang killed. Though enraged and eager to act, Mailon cannot bring himself to shoot. He studies the attackers for weaknesses and worries about his own wife and daughter, who are elsewhere in town.
• Hoping to reach Layton City, Mailon slips through the streets with some of his family’s long-preserved flatbread. A Lion-Ant-Bee Warrior emerges behind him, dragging an unidentified, badly injured person.
• At Duck Soup Mountain, the rebellion against the Golden Family’s elder, Jin Dingtian, has ended. He condemns ten rebels to beheading for plotting to murder members of the Lineage, and the sentence is carried out.

Character developments and interactions

• Mailon shifts from enjoying his temporary freedom from family life to recognizing how much he loves Gretel Town and desperately wanting its people rescued. His anger at the attackers clashes with fear and helplessness: he studies them, but cannot bring himself to fire.
• Jin Dingtian is burdened by the decision to execute fellow Golden Family members. He understands their argument that the mountain’s treasure could endanger the Lineage, but believes their willingness to sacrifice innocents violates its spirit. His sentence is firm, though he remains uncertain and heartbroken.
• The rebels believe they acted to protect the Golden Family from the nobles’ suspicions and retaliation. Their spokesman accuses Jin Dingtian of dooming the Lineage and predicts he will be remembered with disgrace.
• Ximen’s sacrifice fails to save his family, underscoring the invaders’ overwhelming power and Mailon’s inability to intervene.

Significant themes

• Helplessness and courage: Mailon’s wish to fight is repeatedly checked by fear as the attack overwhelms the town.
• Loyalty and moral compromise: The Golden Family’s conflict pits preserving its ideals against protecting its members and political position.
• The cost of survival: Both the rebels and Jin Dingtian claim to act for the Lineage, but their choices demand lives—innocent victims in one case, condemned kin in the other.

Summary

• Aftermath of the Black Storm: Owl and Sa witness the execution of the Golden Family rebels, shaken by the helplessness of the condemned. They wonder whether Jin Dingtian truly believed in his choice; Owl admits that, in the same position, he might have sacrificed Waterwood Town’s outsiders to protect his own people. Sa agrees, reflecting that they care most about each other because so little else matters to them.
• A devastated landscape—and signs of life: Once the storm passes, survivors emerge to find Duck Soup Mountain in ruins. Owl and Sa spot a duck and its ducklings, while Trevor briefly catches the adult duck for food but changes his mind. Sa then notices a dead Kunwheel Eel in a lake, and the two fly off to retrieve it.
• Rebuilding and cooperation: The survivors organize recovery efforts, searching ruins for supplies and gathering fresh animal carcasses left by the storm. Owl cooks for the group, impressing the Golden Family’s chef, Jin Dashi, who declares himself Owl’s apprentice despite repeated refusals. Over the next few days, residents repair enough homes to regain shelter.
• Waterwood Town joins the Golden Family: The old mayor decides that the townspeople will settle on Duck Soup Mountain rather than return to their likely-ruined town. The move offers a fresh start and avoids the dangers and limitations of their former livelihood, while also addressing the Golden Family’s fears that outsiders might expose its treasure.
• New arrivals: While helping with repairs, Owl and Sa see a ragged crowd climb the mountain. Trevor and Jin Dong meet them on the steps. The newcomers identify themselves as survivors from Volt Town and plead for help: their town has fallen, and a huge number of monsters are moving south.

Character developments and interactions

• Owl and Sa reveal their pragmatic loyalty to each other, while continuing to help with recovery. Owl also feels embarrassed for leaving Trevor alone during the earlier crisis, though Trevor holds no grudge.
• Trevor and Jin Dong have become effective companions and are planning to ask Owl and Sa for help hunting a Three-Eyed Lion when they encounter the Volt Town survivors.
• Jin Dashi admires Owl’s cooking and persistently treats him as a master despite Owl’s rejection.
• The old mayor and the fat old man cooperate to settle Waterwood Town’s survivors with the Golden Family, balancing practical needs with mutual trust.

Significant themes

• Survival and loyalty: People weigh obligations to outsiders against loyalty to their own, while Owl and Sa prioritize their bond.
• Renewal after catastrophe: The storm destroys communities but also gives survivors a chance to rebuild and choose a different life.
• Resilience of life: The surviving duck family offers a small but hopeful sign that nature can recover.
• Threat beyond the disaster: The news from Volt Town suggests the storm’s aftermath may be only the beginning of a wider crisis.

Plot points and events

• Refugees fleeing the destruction of Layton City report a vast swarm of bee-headed monsters moving toward the region. The creatures have overwhelmed cities, killed powerful beasts, and can shoot deadly crystals over long distances.
• Owl identifies them as Lion-Ant-Bees—monsters that destroyed his hometown, Moreya. Each becomes immune to a type of injury after suffering it, so they must be eliminated before they can adapt and grow stronger.
• The fat old man orders Owl and Sa to scout ahead, while Trevor and Jin Dong prepare to warn nearby settlements. He also begins planning for Waterwood Town’s evacuation, recognizing that fighting the swarm may be impossible.
• Flying toward Layton City, Owl and Sa find a town under attack by three Lion-Ant-Bees riding an enormous beetle. Sa uses her Silver Edge weapon to kill all three with precise shots through the beetle, rescuing the town’s inhabitants.

Character developments

• Owl recognizes the threat from the destruction of his own hometown and acts cautiously, weighing whether he and Sa can intervene without being killed.
• Sa shows strong long-range vision and exceptional marksmanship, successfully killing the attackers one after another.
• The fat old man shifts from his usual frivolous manner to decisive leadership, organizing reconnaissance, warnings, and preparations to flee the town he has called home.
• Trevor and Jin Dong take responsibility for helping the refugees and alerting nearby communities.

Significant themes

• The cost of survival: The monsters’ ability to adapt makes ordinary combat increasingly futile.
• Duty amid danger: Owl and Sa risk intervening to save strangers, while local leaders work to protect their community.
• Loss and displacement: Refugees have left loved ones behind, and the fat old man faces the possibility of abandoning his lifelong home.
• Collective preparation: With direct victory unlikely, warning others and evacuating may be the only way to endure the crisis.

Character interactions

• The refugees’ testimony alarms Trevor, Jin Dong, and the fat old man; their fear and grief make the threat personal as well as strategic.
• Owl explains the Lion-Ant-Bees’ origin and adaptive defenses, shaping the group’s understanding of the danger.
• The fat old man assigns complementary roles: Owl and Sa scout, while Trevor and Jin Dong prepare to spread the warning.
• In the attacked town, Sa urges Owl to act. They agree to try a ranged strike and retreat if it fails; Sa’s success turns the rescue into a decisive victory.

Chapter Summary: “Unsolvable”

Key plot points and events

• While observing the Lion-Ant-Bees from over a kilometer above the ground, Owl and Sa are suddenly attacked by long-range crystal projectiles. One crystal pierces the falcon accompanying them, and several more are fired from different directions.
• Owl grabs a crystal and uses its momentum to propel himself and Sa upward, narrowly escaping the Lion-Ant-Bees’ attack range. The crystals are revealed to be extremely hard, translucent, green, diamond-shaped weapons.
• From the safety of the high altitude, Owl uses his Red Thread to investigate the Lion-Ant-Bees’ numbers and movements. He discovers that they are spread through forests, mountains, and other areas, slaughtering every living creature they encounter—not just humans.
• The Lion-Ant-Bees form a battle line stretching for dozens of kilometers and methodically advance while carrying their captured prey back to an unknown destination.
• Owl and Sa follow them to a ruined city, where they find a huge green, slime-covered nest. Inside are pools of liquid and tentacles, along with a gigantic, unidentified creature that the Lion-Ant-Bees treat with reverence.
• When Sa uses her enhanced vision to inspect the creature, it notices her and causes severe pain and blurred vision, apparently through some mental or sensory attack. Owl immediately aborts the investigation and takes her back toward Duck Soup Mountain.
• Sa speculates that the creature may be the Lion-Ant-Bee Insect Emperor and wonders whether killing it could end the crisis. Owl doubts this, noting that the intelligent Lion-Ant-Bees would not casually expose their leader.
• On the journey back, Owl concludes that the Lion-Ant-Bees are nearly impossible to defeat. Each one appears to grow stronger whenever it survives or is killed by a particular method, meaning attackers may actually help them evolve. Owl and Sa accept that they must prepare either to flee or face the approaching swarm.

Character developments

• Owl demonstrates quick thinking and courage by saving Sa, catching a crystal, and using it to escape the attack zone. However, the encounter leaves him increasingly aware of the limits of his abilities and the overwhelming scale of the threat.
• Sa continues developing her vision ability through repeated use, allowing her to observe distant locations and gather crucial intelligence. Her curiosity and willingness to investigate the mysterious creature nearly result in serious injury, showing both her bravery and recklessness.
• Owl becomes more protective of Sa, immediately prioritizing her safety when she is hurt. Sa, in turn, encourages him when he becomes discouraged, assuring him that they will grow stronger.
• Both characters recognize that they are not yet strong enough to fight the Lion-Ant-Bees directly, strengthening their resolve to make a practical retreat if necessary.

Significant themes

• The overwhelming power of nature or hostile life: The Lion-Ant-Bees act as an unstoppable force that threatens all living things indiscriminately.
• Survival over heroism: Owl and Sa must abandon the desire to uncover every secret and retreat when the danger becomes too great.
• Growth through danger: Their abilities improve through continued use, but the Lion-Ant-Bees likewise become stronger through combat, making direct confrontation dangerous.
• Limits of understanding: The unknown creature, the purpose of the green nest, and the origin of the mass attack remain mysteries.
• The moral paradox of fighting evil: Killing Lion-Ant-Bees may strengthen the surviving swarm, making resistance potentially counterproductive.

Character interactions

• Owl repeatedly protects Sa, first by pulling her away from the projectile and later by supporting her when the creature’s gaze injures her.
• Sa warns Owl to be careful with the crystal, while Owl insists that she remain at a safe altitude and watch for flying monsters.
• They cooperate closely in observing the swarm: Owl uses the Red Thread while Sa extends her vision.
• Their discussion of the giant creature reveals differing instincts—Sa wants to investigate and test whether Silver Edge could kill it, while Owl emphasizes caution and retreat.
• By the end, they share an unspoken understanding that Duck Soup Mountain cannot safely withstand the Lion-Ant-Bees and that escape may be their only realistic option.

As humanity fled the Lion-Ant-Bees, Owl and Sa’s group struggled with hunger, losses, and the creatures’ growing strength. Owl revealed that his cooking could grant abilities to trusted companions, but the group’s plans changed when a messenger arrived recruiting soldiers for Lord Poxun’s Desperate Frontier Guard.

• Jin Dingtian died after severely wounding a Lion-Ant-Bee while covering the evacuation, and the Golden Family collapsed and fled.
• Owl and Sa watched human counterattacks fail as the Lion-Ant-Bees grew stronger, and Sa barely escaped a reflected Silver Edge attack.
• Owl told Jin Dong and Trevor that his cooking could grant abilities and proposed strengthening a small group of people he trusted.
• Sa spotted a mounted messenger, who announced that Lord Poxun was forming the Desperate Frontier Guard with secret medicines and support for soldiers’ families.
• Jin Dong urged the group to consider enlisting, and many people signed up, including a burly man from the Golden Family.

Owl prepared Jin Dong and Trevor to gain abilities inside the Void Mushroom Market while a Lion-Ant-Bee's remains revived Di Shikun inside a God's Feast. Di Shikun discovered that dying strengthened his defenses, but the God's Feast's eye killed him again with red beams.

• Owl let the recruits leave, then brought Jin Dong and Trevor into the Void Mushroom Market to prepare them for gaining abilities.
• Owl cooked for Chen Danian, Lin Daiyu, and Old Zhou while a God's Feast swallowed a four-winged dragon bird carrying a Lion-Ant-Bee.
• The Lion-Ant-Bee's remains merged with Di Shikun's liver, and Di Shikun revived with a powerful new body and memories of the Lion-Ant-Bees.
• Di Shikun ate the God's Feast's flesh and realized that after dying and reviving, his body could resist the attack that had killed him.
• The God's Feast's eye struck Di Shikun with red beams until he was completely destroyed.

Chapter Summary: “Lion-Ant-Bee & Di Shikun & Clash”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Di Shikun battles God’s Feast from inside its stomach. After discovering that its attacks cannot harm him, he eats its flesh and even destroys its single eye.
• By consuming God’s Feast, Di Shikun’s body undergoes dramatic changes: he grows larger, stronger, heavier, and increasingly resistant to damage. His digestive abilities also improve each time he dies and revives from overeating.
• After several days, Di Shikun tears through God’s Feast’s body and escapes through its belly, falling into a village being raided by three Lion-Ant-Bees.
• The Lion-Ant-Bees have slaughtered the villagers and hung their corpses from a giant beetle. A survivor named Mario hides in a well and witnesses Di Shikun’s arrival.
• One Lion-Ant-Bee kills Di Shikun by stabbing into his eye and brain, but Di Shikun soon revives. He catches the creature off guard, crushes its fingers, and begins fighting back.
• Two additional Lion-Ant-Bees attack him simultaneously, shattering his kidneys, but Di Shikun remains eager to fight. He throws them aside and kills the first Lion-Ant-Bee by biting through its face and destroying its brain.
• Dozens of Lion-Ant-Bees surround Di Shikun. Their crystal projectiles and coordinated attacks injure him but fail to seriously threaten him.
• Di Shikun impales one Lion-Ant-Bee with the bone from his severed arm, killing both himself and the creature in the process. The remaining Lion-Ant-Bees recognize him as an exceptional human warrior and decide he should be offered to their “Mother.”
• The chapter ends by revealing that the Lion-Ant-Bees can speak human languages, though they normally regard humans only as food and do not bother communicating with them.

Character Developments

• Di Shikun: Becomes vastly more powerful through consumption and repeated resurrection. He develops extreme physical strength, durability, regenerative ability, and a terrifying appetite. His personality grows increasingly savage and battle-crazed; rather than fearing death, he welcomes powerful opponents and treats combat as an opportunity to test himself.
• Mario: Is established as a frightened but intelligent survivor. His caution allows him to hide from the village massacre, and he reacts with horror and fascination as he watches Di Shikun fight.
• Lion-Ant-Bees: Are shown to be organized, cruel predators capable of teamwork, speech, and advanced biological or crystal-based attacks. Despite their strength, they underestimate Di Shikun and ultimately view him as a valuable specimen or warrior to present to their Mother.

Significant Themes

• Evolution through consumption: Di Shikun’s body and abilities evolve by eating God’s Feast, suggesting that survival and strength come from absorbing and adapting to other life forms.
• Death and regeneration: Death is temporary for Di Shikun. His repeated revivals make him increasingly fearless and allow him to use lethal situations as experiments.
• Predator versus predator: The chapter reverses the usual human-monster dynamic. Although the Lion-Ant-Bees hunt humans as prey, Di Shikun becomes an even more dangerous predator who eats and overpowers them.
• The limits of strength and numbers: The Lion-Ant-Bees rely on coordinated attacks and superior numbers, but their strategy is undermined because Di Shikun can endure injuries that would kill ordinary humans.
• Dehumanization and monstrosity: Mario questions whether Di Shikun is still human, reflecting how Di Shikun’s appearance, behavior, and appetite increasingly resemble those of a monster.

Character Interactions

• Di Shikun taunts God’s Feast while consuming its flesh, treating the creature as both an opponent and a source of power.
• Mario watches Di Shikun’s emergence and first death from hiding, experiencing fear at the Lion-Ant-Bees’ brutality and astonishment at Di Shikun’s resilience.
• Di Shikun initially thanks a Lion-Ant-Bee for pulling him from the rubble, but the creature immediately attacks him, triggering their violent confrontation.
• During the battle, Di Shikun mocks the Lion-Ant-Bees’ attacks and invites them to continue fighting, while they coordinate to target his vital organs.
• After Di Shikun kills one and survives multiple attacks, the Lion-Ant-Bees shift from treating him as ordinary prey to recognizing him as a powerful human warrior worthy of being offered to their Mother.

Chapter Summary: “Evil Man”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Di Shikun battles a group of Lion-Ant-Bees and brutally kills one by biting off its fist, tearing out its organs, and eating them.
• He explains that consuming flesh greatly accelerates his recovery, making eating during combat a key part of his survival strategy.
• When one Lion-Ant-Bee attempts to flee, Di Shikun pursues and kills it, condemning it as a “deserter” despite its strength.
• The remaining Lion-Ant-Bees use red crystals to create massive explosions and engulf Di Shikun in flames. Believing him dead, they relax—but Di Shikun survives because pieces of his body scattered around the battlefield allow him to regenerate.
• He continues eating a Lion-Ant-Bee within the flames, revealing that he has become immune to fire damage. He then rampages through the group, killing many of them until the survivors retreat.
• Di Shikun returns to the village with two corpses and discovers that eating Lion-Ant-Bees is highly nutritious, equivalent to consuming several mouthfuls of God’s Feast flesh.
• Mario emerges from the well and claims he wants to avenge the villagers. Di Shikun tests his resolve by ordering him to kill a Lion-Ant-Bee.
• Mario immediately declares the task impossible, exposing himself as an opportunist. Di Shikun kills him with one slap, stating that someone unworthy of being human is unworthy of living.
• Di Shikun remains in the village because he is waiting for a stronger Lion-Ant-Bee, believing the creatures he defeated are only low-ranking “cannon fodder.”

Character Developments

• Di Shikun: Becomes increasingly savage, confident, and uncompromising. He embraces his ability to regenerate through eating and adopts a predatory mindset toward the Lion-Ant-Bees. He also reveals strict, severe standards for what he considers “human”: courage, action, and genuine resolve. Though he calls himself an “evil man,” he sees his brutality as a means of forcing humanity to become stronger and preventing other races from preying on humans.
• The Lion-Ant-Bees: Demonstrate fear, intelligence, and the ability to learn. Their retreat shows that they are not mindless monsters, but their panic and reliance on numbers and explosives cannot overcome Di Shikun’s resilience.
• Mario: Initially presents himself as a determined survivor seeking revenge, but his resolve proves false. His death confirms that Di Shikun has little sympathy for weakness, cowardice, or manipulation.

Significant Themes

• Strength and survival: The chapter presents the world as governed by the principle that the weak become prey to the strong.
• The meaning of humanity: Di Shikun believes being human requires courage and the willingness to become strong. Mere survival or claiming noble motives is not enough.
• Brutality as protection: Di Shikun accepts the role of the “evil man,” arguing that harshness is necessary to protect humans from stronger species.
• Predator and prey reversal: The Lion-Ant-Bees begin as hunters of humans but become terrified prey once Di Shikun turns the hunt against them.
• Deception and true resolve: Mario’s false claim of revenge contrasts with Di Shikun’s demand for action rather than words.
• Evolution and intelligence: The Lion-Ant-Bees’ fear, tactics, and organization suggest an evolving society with different ranks and possibly stronger leaders.

Character Interactions

• Di Shikun’s physical and psychological domination of the Lion-Ant-Bees transforms the encounter from a human hunt into a desperate insect retreat.
• His taunting of the fleeing Lion-Ant-Bee reflects his hatred of deserters and his rigid belief in courage.
• The Lion-Ant-Bees’ coordinated attacks using red crystals fail because Di Shikun uses regeneration and fire immunity against them.
• Di Shikun interrogates Mario’s supposed desire for revenge, tests him with an impossible task, and kills him when he refuses even to try.
• The chapter ends with Di Shikun anticipating an encounter with a higher-ranking Lion-Ant-Bee, suggesting that the conflict is about to escalate.

Chapter Summary: “Deep Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An enormous antlered Lion-Ant-Bee emerges near the village riding a giant black beetle. Its chest contains a flame-filled red gemstone, and it possesses overwhelming strength and powerful fire attacks.
• Di Shikun provocatively questions whether it is the leader of the monsters, prompting the creature to attack with a concentrated stream of high-pressure flames.
• Di Shikun survives the attack by tearing off and regenerating his arm, but the Lion-Ant-Bee incinerates the arm and then unleashes a wide-area inferno that destroys the entire village, leaving behind a field of magma.
• Di Shikun survives in an underground river connected to Mario’s well. He regenerates from a fragment of flesh, eats a fish, and reflects that battling powerful enemies is the fastest way for him to grow stronger.
• He bursts back to the surface and deliberately challenges the Lion-Ant-Bee again. His immunity to ordinary fire allows him to charge through its flames.
• Di Shikun destroys the giant beetle with a single collision, forcing the Lion-Ant-Bee to fight him directly.
• The two engage in a brutal hand-to-hand battle. Both demonstrate enormous durability and strength, exchanging punches, grappling, biting, and aerial attacks.
• Di Shikun tears off one of the creature’s distinctive antlers, enraging it and damaging its pride.
• The Lion-Ant-Bee reveals three specialized attack methods using explosive Insect Oil:
  1. A concentrated flame beam
  2. A wide-area flame assault
  3. Insect-Oil Bombs that trap extreme heat inside the target’s body
• The Insect-Oil Bombs cause Di Shikun’s internal temperature to rise catastrophically, killing him temporarily. However, he revives before the Lion-Ant-Bee can finish him.
• The battle continues at close range, with both combatants biting each other’s faces. The Lion-Ant-Bee gains the advantage through rapid punches and kicks, launching Di Shikun through a mountain and a forest.
• The chapter ends with the Lion-Ant-Bee repeatedly pummeling Di Shikun and delivering a particularly vicious kick to his reproductive organs.

Character Developments

• Di Shikun: Displays extreme regenerative ability, fire immunity, physical power, and a reckless enthusiasm for dangerous opponents. Rather than fearing death, he treats near-death experiences as opportunities to improve. His confidence grows as he learns to withstand and counter the Lion-Ant-Bee’s attacks.
• Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee: Emerges as an intelligent and highly adaptive enemy rather than a mindless monster. It analyzes Di Shikun’s regenerative abilities, experiments with different attack strategies, and recognizes that completely destroying every fragment of his body may be necessary to kill him.
• The Lion-Ant-Bee’s emotional side becomes visible when Di Shikun tears off its antler, a symbol of its unique identity and status among the Lion-Ant-Bees.

Significant Themes

• Evolution through combat: Di Shikun believes that fighting stronger creatures is the surest path to becoming stronger.
• Regeneration and the nature of death: The chapter repeatedly challenges the idea that Di Shikun can be killed, showing death as a temporary setback rather than an ending.
• Adaptation and counteradaptation: Both sides study each other’s abilities and modify their tactics, turning the battle into an escalating contest of strategy as well as strength.
• Pride and identity: The Lion-Ant-Bee’s antlers distinguish it from the others, making their loss personally significant.
• Brutality and endurance: The prolonged fight emphasizes overwhelming violence, pain tolerance, and the willingness of both characters to continue despite severe injuries.

Character Interactions

• Di Shikun taunts the Lion-Ant-Bee from the beginning, intentionally provoking it into a direct confrontation.
• The Lion-Ant-Bee attempts to eliminate him completely with large-scale flames, while Di Shikun repeatedly survives and returns to challenge it.
• Their physical exchanges become increasingly personal: they grapple by the hair and antlers, punch and bite each other, and exploit openings in one another’s defenses.
• The fight develops into a contest between Di Shikun’s regeneration and resilience and the Lion-Ant-Bee’s intelligence, attack variety, and superior combat technique.

Di Shikun fought the Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee through Dragonbone City, where Long Na joined the battle and was badly injured. Di Shikun and the Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee killed each other, but Di Shikun revived and grew stronger by eating its corpse, while Long Na was carried off by a Great Emperor Bird until a streak of silver light struck it from below.

• The Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee relentlessly battered Di Shikun and drove him through Dragonbone City's wall, but Di Shikun stopped its attack and countered.
• Long Na flew out from the City Lord's Manor, but the Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee defeated her and punched through her abdomen.
• Di Shikun bit off part of the Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee's fist, headbutted it, and hurled Long Na away before resuming their fight.
• Di Shikun and the Antlered Lion-Ant-Bee battered each other to death, but Di Shikun revived and devoured the creature, gaining strength.
• A Great Emperor Bird caught the injured Long Na and carried her through the sky, but a streak of silver light struck its abdomen and sent it plummeting.

Sa and Owl brought the gravely wounded Long Na to the Void Mushroom Market, where medicines healed her in minutes. After waking, Long Na learned Dragonbone City’s fate was unknown, then devoured Owl’s food and asked for more.

• Sa shot down a Great Emperor Bird, and Owl spotted Long Na in its mouth as it fell.
• Owl rescued Long Na from the bird and carried her to the Void Mushroom Market, where Jin Dong identified her as the city lord of Dragonbone City.
• Trevor, Owl, and the others treated Long Na’s devastating injuries with Golden Wound Medicine and Old Zhou’s red potion, and her wounds rapidly healed.
• Long Na woke and learned that only about fifteen minutes had passed since her rescue, while nobody knew what had happened to Dragonbone City.
• Long Na ate Owl’s fried rice ravenously, then began devouring his Ao King’s Thousand-Treasure Soup as dragon horns appeared.