Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Zhang Xin’ai formally becomes Zhang Yang’s apprentice, with Zhang Daoru asking Zhang Yang to guide her. Zhang Yang suspects Daoru mainly hopes she will learn to make Qi-Supplementing Pills, but agrees partly to repay him for sharing the ancient text.
• Zhang Daoru asks about the cultivation realms beyond Martial Arts Grandmaster. Zhang Yang explains five realms—Spirit Movement, Profound Strength, True Martial, Divine Martial, and Divine Journey—and describes a thirty-level system based on six paths. Daoru identifies his own level as the Hell stage of Spirit Movement.
• With his other reasons for hosting the banquet resolved, Zhang Daoru invites Zhang Yang, Cheng Dongxue, and Zhang Yang’s mother to Kyoto. He reveals that the powerful Zhang Family of Kyoto, headed by Zhang Hong, requested the visit, though their purpose is unknown.
• Zhang Yang accepts, partly to see Kyoto and take his wife and mother on a trip. The banquet continues late, and the drunken couple stay at the hotel.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shares what he knows about cultivation, seeing Daoru as a useful fellow traveler and rival. He remains wary of the invitation’s hidden motive but ultimately chooses to go.
• Zhang Daoru expresses gratitude for Zhang Yang’s help and presses for cultivation knowledge. He also acts as intermediary for the Kyoto family’s invitation, while withholding that its purpose is unclear.
• Zhang Xin’ai eagerly accepts Zhang Yang as her master and serves the wine; Cheng Dongxue feels awkward when Xin’ai calls her “Master’s wife.”
• Cheng Dongxue realizes how much she does not know about Zhang Yang and is surprised by his cultivation world. She is enthusiastic about joining the Kyoto trip, especially as a chance to travel with him.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and shared knowledge: Zhang Yang’s explanations open a broader path for Daoru, while their rivalry may spur both men to advance.
• Trust and hidden motives: Zhang Yang agrees to help Daoru and accepts the invitation, but remains alert to what the Kyoto family may really want.
• Marriage and discovery: Cheng Dongxue’s closeness to Zhang Yang contrasts with her sense that he remains mysterious, prompting her to want to understand him better.

Key events

• Three days after leaving for Kyoto, Zhang Yang travels by plane with his wife, Cheng Dongxue, and his mother, Liu Mei. He has told Liu Mei they are going on vacation, though he knows she has a hidden past and seems distracted during the flight.
• Zhang Daoru, a senior member of Kyoto’s powerful Zhang Family, personally welcomes them and arranges a luxury convoy, champagne, and a lavish ride to the family estate.
• The estate—once an embassy—is a vast, Western-style residence set behind imposing gates and landscaped grounds. The Zhang Family turns out in force to greet the visitors.
• Zhang Daoru formally presents Zhang Yang as a benefactor and honored “brother,” introducing Cheng Dongxue as his wife and Liu Mei as his mother.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains composed despite the extraordinary display of wealth and hospitality. He accepts Zhang Daoru’s arrangements while suspecting the trip is not solely for sightseeing.
• Liu Mei appears preoccupied on the flight and is overwhelmed by the estate’s grandeur, reinforcing the sense that she may know more—or have a history—than she has shared.
• Cheng Dongxue is impressed by the luxury, holding Zhang Yang’s arm as she takes in the mansion. She and Liu Mei both begin to question the true purpose of the visit.
• Zhang Daoru treats Zhang Yang with conspicuous warmth and respect, personally overseeing the welcome and presenting him to the family as an important benefactor.

Significant themes

• Wealth and power: The Zhang Family’s immense resources are shown through its formal reception, convoy, estate, and large household.
• Hidden motives and secrets: Zhang Yang’s cover story of a vacation contrasts with the uncertain purpose of the trip and Liu Mei’s unexplained distraction.
• Belonging and status: Zhang Yang’s formal recognition as a benefactor places him within the Zhang Family’s sphere, while the extravagant welcome marks him as an honored guest.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang and his family arrive at the Zhang family estate in Kyoto. The family welcomes them warmly, grateful because Zhang Yang helped Zhang Daoru gain mysterious powers.
• Zhang Yang meets Zhang Daoru’s six-year-old granddaughter, Zhang Xin’ai, and jokingly calls himself her “little grandpa,” leaving her unimpressed.
• Zhang Daoru keeps the reason for the visit secret. That evening, he takes Zhang Yang to a quiet, eerily deserted park, claiming an influential man named Zhang Hong wants him to look around.
• Inside the park, twelve powerful martial artists ambush Zhang Yang. Zhang Daoru disappears, making Zhang Yang suspect he has been betrayed.
• Though initially restrained and outnumbered, Zhang Yang fights back, uses a Qi-Supplementing Pill to replenish his energy, and defeats all twelve attackers. Zhang Daoru and another hidden observer watch from nearby.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains wary and direct, insisting on handling serious matters first. The ambush reveals his resourcefulness: he uses unconventional tactics and cultivation energy to overcome opponents far stronger than those he has faced before.
• Zhang Daoru is warm toward Zhang Yang but deliberately evasive about the purpose of the trip. His disappearance during the ambush raises questions about whether he is testing Zhang Yang or has misled him.
• Zhang Xin’ai is curious about Zhang Yang but quickly finds his joking familiarity strange.
• The Zhang family shows deep gratitude and respect toward Zhang Yang because of his role in Zhang Daoru’s transformation.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and a changing world: The family’s belief in mysterious abilities is reinforced by Zhang Daoru’s powers and Zhang Yang’s cultivation.
• Trust and deception: Zhang Daoru’s secrecy and the sudden ambush make Zhang Yang question whom he can trust.
• Power and adaptation: Zhang Yang’s success comes not simply from strength, but from alertness, improvisation, and using his unique resources.
• The limits of local dominance: Kyoto’s concentration of skilled fighters challenges Zhang Yang’s confidence after his relative ease in Gong City.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang’s playful exchange with Zhang Xin’ai establishes his irreverent manner and her skeptical reaction.
• The Zhang family’s hospitality contrasts with Zhang Daoru’s later secrecy.
• During the ambush, Zhang Yang calls to Zhang Daoru but receives no answer, intensifying his suspicion.
• Zhang Yang’s victory impresses the two concealed observers, including Zhang Daoru, whose tension visibly eases.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang defeats twelve martial-arts experts who had attacked him. Zhang Hong arrives with Zhang Daoru, dismisses the men, and reveals an uncanny resemblance to Zhang Yang.
• Zhang Hong asks where Zhang Yang’s mother, Liu Mei, is, making Zhang Yang suspect that he knows her and is connected to her past.
• In a van, Zhang Daoru says Zhang Hong has followed Zhang Yang’s growing reputation and worked to bring them together. Zhang Yang rejects the idea that this is “fate” and demands to get out.
• Before the van stops, Zhang Yang jumps out and is struck by a Bentley. Though he appears limp and is thrown several meters, he is only scraped and quickly gets up.
• Zhang Hong breaks down and apologizes to Zhang Yang and his mother, confirming Zhang Yang’s suspicions. Zhang Daoru stays behind to manage the aftermath while Zhang Yang flees.
• Zhang Yang takes a taxi back to Zhang Daoru’s mansion, tells himself that he must take Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue away, and arrives looking dusty and shaken.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shifts from bafflement to anger and distress as he realizes Zhang Hong may be tied to his mother’s painful, hidden history. Rather than hear more, he abruptly leaves, even risking his life to escape the conversation.
• Zhang Hong is delighted to meet Zhang Yang but becomes devastated when Zhang Yang rejects him. His tearful apology suggests deep guilt over what happened to Zhang Yang and Liu Mei.
• Zhang Daoru tries to bridge the gap between the two men and later takes charge of the roadside situation, but cannot stop Zhang Yang from running off.
• The twelve defeated fighters reappear as Zhang Hong’s entourage and help secure the scene after the collision. Passersby watch and react in disbelief at Zhang Yang’s apparent recovery.
• At the mansion, Zhang Xin’ai notices Zhang Yang’s condition and wants to ask what happened.

Significant themes

• Family secrets and painful history: Zhang Hong’s question and apology imply a serious connection to Liu Mei’s past, which she has kept from her son.
• Fate versus personal choice: Zhang Daoru frames the meeting as fate, but Zhang Yang rejects that framing and insists on leaving.
• Protection and escape: Zhang Yang’s urgent priority is to get Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue away, suggesting he fears the consequences of the revelation.
• Resilience: Zhang Yang survives both the earlier fight and a collision that appears catastrophic, underscoring his extraordinary toughness.

Key events

• After meeting with Zhang Daoru, Zhang Yang returns to the Zhang family residence alone, visibly shaken and angry. He refuses to explain what happened and insists that Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue leave Kyoto with him.
• Unable to catch a flight that night, the three stay at a hotel. Zhang Yang withdraws to his room, while Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue worry about his sudden distress.
• Zhang Daoru returns with Zhang Hong. When they learn Zhang Yang has left, Zhang Hong collapses in despair and admits he pushed too hard. The Zhang family begins searching Kyoto for Zhang Yang.
• Cheng Dongxue eventually gets Zhang Yang to open his door. He tells her he believes he has found his biological father—but refuses to meet him or let Liu Mei see him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is deeply hurt by the discovery and reacts by shutting out the Zhang family. His anger stems from believing his father abandoned him and Liu Mei; memories of childhood bullying and hardship reinforce his rejection.
• Cheng Dongxue approaches him gently, recognizing that his distress comes from emotional pain rather than physical danger. She listens and urges him to consider Liu Mei’s feelings.
• Liu Mei is anxious and feels she no longer understands her son, but trusts Cheng Dongxue to comfort him.
• Zhang Hong is devastated by Zhang Yang’s rejection. After decades of searching, he fears their first meeting has been ruined by his own impatience.
• Zhang Daoru realizes that his attempt to bring father and son together may have backfired and helps organize the search.

Significant themes

• Abandonment and resentment: Zhang Yang’s belief that his father deserted the family has shaped his identity and makes reconciliation feel impossible.
• Family, responsibility, and belonging: Zhang Yang values the life he built with Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue, and questions whether a biological bond can erase years of absence.
• The cost of forcing reconciliation: Zhang Daoru’s good intentions have caused a painful rupture, showing that emotional truths cannot be rushed.
• Different perspectives within family: Zhang Yang rejects contact, while Cheng Dongxue asks him to consider what Liu Mei might want.

• Key events: Zhang Yang apologizes to Cheng Dongxue rather than explain the painful truth about Zhang Hong, whom she suspects is his biological father. Their private conversation is interrupted when a tattooed, dark-skinned man kicks Zhang Yang into the room. The man claims Zhang Yang damaged his boss’s Bentley and demands compensation. Zhang Yang writes a check for one million, but the man also insists that he apologize and come with him. When Zhang Yang refuses, they fight. The stranger proves to be a Martial Arts Grandmaster and attacks alongside his monkey, Four Monkey, which Zhang Yang recognizes as a demonized beast. Zhang Yang easily knocks the monkey away, then anticipates the pair’s coordinated attack and sweeps the man off his feet.
• Character developments: Zhang Yang remains wounded and guarded about his father, but he tries to protect Cheng Dongxue from the situation. Though furious at being assaulted, he initially pays for the Bentley rather than prolong the dispute; his patience ends when the stranger keeps making demands. He is also increasingly intrigued by Kyoto’s powerful martial artists and supernatural creatures. Cheng Dongxue supports him tenderly and tries to defend him, while the stranger’s confidence gives way to shock when he realizes Zhang Yang is a formidable opponent.
• Character interactions: Cheng Dongxue comforts Zhang Yang and carefully asks about the man he refuses to identify. Later, she confronts the intruder and helps Zhang Yang up. Zhang Yang shields her by moving her to the bed before fighting. The stranger and Four Monkey coordinate their attacks against him, but Zhang Yang reads their strategy and counters it.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts family pain and intimate support with sudden, escalating violence. It also emphasizes restraint versus pride: Zhang Yang is willing to pay for the damage, but refuses to be bullied into further submission. His encounters with the Grandmaster and demonized beast widen the story’s world and highlight how much remains unknown about power and spirit energy.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang defeats the dark-skinned bodyguard who came to demand compensation after a car accident. He returns the man’s pet monkey and tells them to leave, considering the matter settled.
• Back at the hotel, Cheng Dongxue tends Zhang Yang’s scraped elbow and worries about his injuries. She tells him she is upset that, as his wife, she is kept in the dark. Zhang Yang agrees, and she stays with him.
• In Kyoto, Zhang Hong, Zhang Daoru, and the Wu Family search for Zhang Yang. They confirm he has not left the city.
• The Bentley’s owner, Fatty Wu, is furious that Zhang Hong’s departure from the accident scene insulted the Wu Family. His bodyguard, Wu Baobao—a Martial Arts Grandmaster—returns with the compensation but admits he could not defeat Zhang Yang. Fatty Wu orders an investigation into Zhang Yang’s identity.
• Zhang Hong’s people locate Zhang Yang at the Kyoto Hotel. Zhang Daoru urges Zhang Hong to speak honestly with him, and suggests seeing Liu Mei first.
• Zhang Xin’ai arrives and encourages Zhang Yang to meet Zhang Hong and hear his explanation. Zhang Yang refuses, questioning why his father never returned after abandoning him and Liu Mei. He also wants to shield his mother from the pain of the past.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows overwhelming strength but avoids further conflict once the dispute is settled. His anger toward Zhang Hong remains rooted in years of absence, and his concern for Liu Mei shapes his refusal to meet his father.
• Cheng Dongxue acts with tenderness and candor: she cares for Zhang Yang’s wound but insists that marriage should mean greater openness between them.
• Zhang Hong is anxious rather than triumphant at finding Zhang Yang, suggesting guilt and uncertainty about facing him.
• Zhang Daoru serves as mediator, pressing Zhang Hong to speak sincerely and Zhang Yang to consider hearing him out.
• Wu Baobao is humiliated by his defeat and by Fatty Wu’s insults; his loyalty to the Wu Family is increasingly tied to his dependence on its money.
• Fatty Wu treats the accident as a matter of family honor and begins investigating Zhang Yang.

Significant themes

• Family responsibility and abandonment: Zhang Yang judges his father not only for leaving but for failing to return during the decades afterward.
• Trust and communication in marriage: Cheng Dongxue asks Zhang Yang to stop keeping important matters from her.
• Power and pride: Zhang Yang’s effortless victory contrasts with Wu Baobao’s wounded martial pride and Fatty Wu’s concern for status.
• Reconciliation versus protection: Zhang Yang resists confronting the past, partly because he wants to protect Liu Mei from renewed hurt.

Key plot points

• Cheng Dongxue urges Zhang Yang not to avoid the truth about Zhang Hong and to ask his mother, Liu Mei, what she wants.
• Zhang Hong arrives at the Kyoto Hotel with a large entourage, but agrees to approach Zhang Yang alone so he won’t feel surrounded or provoked.
• Zhang Yang, distressed by the news, waits in his room with Cheng Dongxue. A young woman arrives and says she knows Zhang Hong’s past.
• Though Zhang Yang initially refuses to hear her, she tells him that his mother, Liu Mei, once worked as a servant in the Zhang household. She claims Zhang Hong took advantage of Liu Mei, then drove her away when she became pregnant—leaving Liu Mei and Zhang Yang to struggle alone.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang is heartbroken and defensive, unwilling to hear more about Zhang Hong. His suspicion and anger are heightened by the woman’s account.
• Cheng Dongxue supports Zhang Yang but recognizes that avoiding the truth cannot resolve the situation. She remains cautious and protective when the stranger arrives.
• Zhang Hong is determined to reunite with his family and accepts that Zhang Yang may react violently, yet chooses to face him alone.
• Zhang Daoru worries that Zhang Yang’s extraordinary power could make a confrontation dangerous, but respects Zhang Hong’s decision.
• The young woman presents herself as the daughter of a former Zhang-family servant and as someone with painful knowledge of the family’s past.

Significant themes

• Confronting painful truths: Zhang Yang’s instinct is to avoid the past, while others argue that facing it is necessary.
• Abandonment and responsibility: The revelation raises questions about Zhang Hong’s conduct and the hardship Liu Mei and Zhang Yang endured.
• Family, power, and vulnerability: Zhang Hong’s status contrasts sharply with Liu Mei’s powerlessness, while Zhang Yang’s strength threatens to make the reunion volatile.

Character interactions

• Cheng Dongxue counsels Zhang Yang and urges him to consider Liu Mei’s perspective.
• Zhang Daoru warns Zhang Hong about the risks of approaching Zhang Yang, but Zhang Hong insists on going alone.
• Cheng Dongxue stays beside Zhang Yang as he grieves, then cautiously questions the stranger.
• Zhang Yang resists the stranger’s account but ultimately listens as she links Zhang Hong to Liu Mei’s pregnancy and expulsion from the Zhang household.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Xinxin tells Zhang Yang that the Zhang Mansion has come looking for him because the family’s businesses are under pressure and his growing reputation could be useful to them.
• She says her mother, Jiang Ailian, was close to Zhang Yang’s mother, Liu Mei, and was forced out of the mansion alongside her. Jiang Xinxin also bears a grudge against the Zhang family’s eldest son.
• Zhang Yang asks Liu Mei whether she knows Jiang Ailian. Liu Mei confirms that she was a servant at the mansion, validating Jiang Xinxin’s account. Zhang Yang returns to his room troubled.
• Zhang Hong comes to explain himself. Already furious, Zhang Yang attacks him before he can speak, kicking him into a wall and leaving him bleeding. Zhang Yang declares that their relationship ended the moment they met.
• Liu Mei rushes to Zhang Hong and breaks down, desperately comforting him. Hotel staff call for an ambulance and police, while Zhang Mansion guards and Zhang Daoru hurry to the scene.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang grows more distrustful and angry after learning the circumstances behind the Zhang family’s interest in him. His unresolved resentment toward Zhang Hong erupts into violence.
• Jiang Xinxin acts as the bearer of a painful family secret, presenting herself as motivated by her mother’s history and her hatred of the Zhang family’s eldest son.
• Liu Mei appears delighted at first by Zhang Yang’s return, but her deep attachment to Zhang Hong becomes clear when she sees him injured. Her reaction confounds Zhang Yang.
• Cheng Dongxue recognizes Zhang Yang’s dangerous state and tries to stop him, but cannot restrain him.
• Zhang Hong arrives seemingly remorseful and tries to speak, but after being struck, he smiles at Zhang Yang. The meaning of his response remains unclear.
• Zhang Daoru arrives amid the commotion and addresses Zhang Yang reproachfully, calling him “Brother.”

Significant themes

• Family bonds and betrayal: Zhang Yang believes Zhang Hong’s abandonment severed their relationship, while Liu Mei’s grief suggests her feelings are more complicated.
• Resentment and unresolved history: The long separation has left wounds that neither an attempted explanation nor a reunion can immediately heal.
• Manipulation and self-interest: Jiang Xinxin warns that the Zhang family may be seeking Zhang Yang for his usefulness, not out of affection.
• Conflicting emotional interpretations: Zhang Yang sees Zhang Hong’s visit as too late, while Zhang Hong’s smile and Liu Mei’s devotion complicate the apparent story of rejection.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang kicks Zhang Hong so severely that he collapses coughing blood. When Zhang Hong’s twelve bodyguards attack, Zhang Yang defeats them but spares their lives.
• Zhang Hong is rushed to Kyoto University Hospital. Zhang Yang believes his injuries are beyond ordinary treatment and that he may die within a week.
• Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue condemn Zhang Yang’s impulsiveness. After hearing Cheng’s account, Zhang Daoru realizes Zhang Yang may have been manipulated by Jiang Xinxin or someone behind her.
• Alarmed that Liu Mei may be in danger, Zhang Yang rushes to the hospital. Zhang Daoru follows; his influence has so far kept the police from arresting Zhang Yang.
• It is revealed that Zhang Hong had confirmed Zhang Yang was his son and arranged the Kyoto meeting to explain the past and acknowledge his own mistakes. Instead, the meeting ended in violence.
• Zhang Hong’s adult children, Zhang Liangyin and Zhang Yinyin, arrive. They blame Liu Mei for the family’s troubles; Zhang Liangyin slaps her, and Zhang Yinyin threatens her.
• Zhang Hong’s wife arrives and orders Liu Mei thrown out and beaten.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shifts from forceful certainty to stunned silence after the attack. Learning he may have acted on false or manipulated information, he hurries to the hospital—not to continue the violence, but amid fear for Liu Mei’s safety.
• Liu Mei is distressed by Zhang Yang’s actions and then becomes the target of the Zhang family’s hostility. The slap revives painful memories, leaving her hurt and unable to defend herself.
• Zhang Daoru recognizes that Zhang Yang may have been used and accompanies him to the hospital.
• Cheng Dongxue rebukes Zhang Yang and helps Zhang Daoru understand how the confrontation unfolded.
• Zhang Liangyin, Zhang Yinyin, and Zhang Hong’s wife treat Liu Mei as an enemy, escalating the conflict before Zhang Hong’s fate is known.

Significant themes

• Impulsiveness and manipulation: Acting before hearing both sides can cause devastating harm, especially when someone may be exploiting another’s anger.
• Inherited resentment and blame: Zhang Hong’s children and wife condemn Liu Mei for the past and present crises, despite knowing little about her.
• Family ties and painful history: Zhang Hong’s attempt to reconnect with his son and admit past mistakes is interrupted by violence, leaving reconciliation uncertain.
• Protection and accountability: Zhang Yang spares the bodyguards, but his actions still carry serious consequences for Zhang Hong, Liu Mei, and both families.

Key plot points and events

• At the hospital, Zhao Yuzhu recognizes Liu Mei and orders her bodyguards to throw her out, reviving the old hostility between them. Liu Mei stands her ground and warns Zhao not to provoke her.
• Zhang Yang and Cheng Dongxue arrive. Seeing her son, Liu Mei breaks down and embraces him.
• Zhao insults Zhang Yang as a “little bastard.” Zhang Yang responds by slapping her to the floor and rebuking her for disrespecting his parents and judging him.
• Zhang Liangyin tries to confront Zhang Yang, while Zhang Daoru attempts to mediate. Zhang Xin’ai also chastises Liangyin for disrespecting their grandfather.
• Zhang Yang says the family should visit Zhang Hong’s twelve bodyguards, implying he has already defeated them. His strength shocks Zhao and Zhang Yinyin.
• Zhang Yang leaves with Liu Mei and the others. Liangyin privately resolves to have him killed before he can establish himself in the Zhang family.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Mei shifts from fear and helplessness toward confidence, standing up to Zhao and finding strength in her son’s new status.
• Zhang Yang protects his mother decisively and shows both formidable power and a refusal to accept humiliation. His resemblance to Zhang Hong unsettles the family.
• Zhao Yuzhu remains consumed by her old hatred of Liu Mei, but is stunned and frightened after Zhang Yang strikes her.
• Zhang Liangyin reveals himself as arrogant and increasingly irrational; his resentment of Zhang Yang turns into a plan to kill him.
• Zhang Daoru tries to prevent the confrontation from escalating, but Liangyin insults him. Zhang Xin’ai defends her grandfather and rebukes Liangyin.

Significant themes

• Family status and legitimacy: Zhang Yang’s arrival threatens Liangyin’s expected inheritance and position.
• Protection and dignity: Zhang Yang’s defense of Liu Mei allows her to reclaim a sense of standing after years of mistreatment.
• Power and intimidation: Zhang Yang’s reputation and strength reshape how the family treats him, while exposing the limits of their authority.
• Revenge and rivalry: Old grievances between Zhao and Liu Mei feed into a broader struggle over the Zhang family’s future.

Plot points and events

• A confrontation erupts between Zhang Yang and his estranged father, Zhang Hong, after Zhang Yang believes his mother, Liu Mei, was abandoned. Zhang Hong is gravely injured and falls into a coma; Zhang Yang leaves the hospital shaken.
• Zhao Yuzhu orders a bodyguard to follow Zhang Yang, fearing that Liu Mei and her son may threaten her claim to the Zhang family fortune. Zhang Liangyin is also angry and wants retaliation.
• Zhang Yang plans to leave Kyoto, but Zhang Daoru urges him to stay and hear the full story. He explains that Zhang Hong did not simply abandon his wife and child: facing opposition within the Zhang household, he sent Liu Mei and young Zhang Yang away for their protection.
• Liu Mei confirms Zhang Daoru’s account, admitting she had hidden the truth from her son. Zhang Yang realizes he may have attacked his father on the basis of a false story and feels deep remorse.
• With tensions still high and the hotel no longer safe, Zhang Daoru invites Zhang Yang, Liu Mei, and Cheng Dongxue to stay at his home while they rest and sort things out.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shifts from defiance and anger to shock, guilt, and uncertainty once he learns his understanding of his parents’ past may have been wrong. He agrees to pause rather than leave immediately.
• Liu Mei is consumed by guilt, believing her silence helped cause the disastrous confrontation. She is proud of Zhang Yang but regrets bringing him back to Kyoto without explaining the past.
• Zhang Daoru takes responsibility for arranging the meeting without preparing Zhang Yang. He tries to reconcile the family by patiently explaining Zhang Hong’s side and offering practical help.
• Cheng Dongxue focuses on Zhang Yang’s safety and encourages him to calm down and consider giving his parents another chance.
• Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin respond with hostility and fear of losing influence or wealth, adding a political threat to the family conflict.

Significant themes

• Miscommunication and secrecy: Different versions of the past, combined with Liu Mei’s long silence, drive Zhang Yang to act on incomplete information.
• Family, regret, and reconciliation: The chapter turns on whether the family can overcome old wounds and the consequences of a violent misunderstanding.
• Power and self-interest: Zhao Yuzhu’s concern for the family fortune contrasts with the emotional stakes facing Zhang Yang and Liu Mei.
• Impulse and accountability: Zhang Yang recognizes that he acted too quickly, but the harm may already be done.

Key plot points and events

• At Kyoto University Hospital, doctors tell the Zhang family that Zhang Hong’s lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, and other organs have suffered irreversible damage. They cannot cure him, and he may not live much longer.
• Zhang Hong’s wife, Zhao Yuzhu, offers to pay anything to save him, while Zhang Liangyin threatens the doctors. Zhang Xin’ai remains composed and privately asks senior physician Qian Rong to keep Zhang Hong alive until she can bring someone who might help.
• Zhang Xin’ai plans to seek Zhang Yang, whom she believes may succeed where conventional medicine has failed, then hurries home to inform her grandfathers.
• Meanwhile, Wu Hao and Jiang Xinxin are together at a hotel. Jiang reports that she has driven a wedge between Zhang Hong and Zhang Yang, leaving Zhang Hong badly injured and hospitalized.
• In exchange for Jiang’s service, Wu Hao promises her a solo magazine-cover shoot. He makes clear, however, that her career prospects depend on her usefulness and that he can replace or sacrifice her if necessary.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Xin’ai shows restraint and concern, treating Dr. Qian respectfully while pressing him to preserve Zhang Hong’s life. Her faith in Zhang Yang gives the family a possible, if uncertain, path forward.
• Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin respond to the crisis with desperation and anger: Zhao tries to buy further help, while Zhang Liangyin directs a threat at the hospital staff.
• Dr. Qian acknowledges the limits of the hospital’s treatment but agrees to continue supporting Zhang Hong.
• Jiang Xinxin has traded intimacy and manipulation for professional advancement. She is eager for fame but dependent on Wu Hao’s patronage.
• Wu Hao treats Jiang as both a sexual partner and a disposable business asset. He rewards her when she serves his plans, but keeps control by threatening to replace her.

Significant themes

• Power and exploitation: Wu Hao uses wealth, influence, and Jiang’s ambitions to control her.
• Family crisis and responsibility: Zhang Hong’s condition threatens the stability of the Zhang household, while Zhang Xin’ai takes practical steps to help.
• The limits of conventional medicine: The doctors’ failure creates urgency and opens the possibility of Zhang Yang’s unconventional treatment.
• Transactional relationships: Both Jiang’s career arrangement and Wu Hao’s supposed favors are framed as exchanges, not mutual loyalty.

Key plot points and events

• After a sleepless night, Zhang Xin’ai returns from the hospital with grim news: doctors believe Zhang Hong’s injuries cannot be treated. She has asked the hospital to keep him alive while the family seeks another solution.
• The Zhang family concludes that Zhang Yang may be the only person able to save Zhang Hong, despite their conflict and the practical obstacle that he lacks a medical license. Zhang Daoru decides to enlist Liu Mei’s help in persuading him.
• Zhang Daoru tells Liu Mei that Zhang Hong’s life may depend on Zhang Yang. Shocked and nearly fainting, Liu Mei regains her composure when reminded of Zhang Yang’s medical skill and agrees to try to persuade him.
• The Zhang family is also trying to locate Jiang Xinxin, but she works for an agency owned by the Wu family, making it difficult to take her into their custody.
• At Zhang Mansion, Zhang Hong’s collapse sparks a succession crisis. Relatives and business associates watch his condition, some begin moving assets, and Zhang Xiong proposes dividing the family’s wealth. Zhang Liangyin objects, fearing the family and its business empire will disintegrate.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Daoru shifts from concern about responsibility to a practical plan: save Zhang Hong first, using Liu Mei as the person most likely to reach Zhang Yang.
• Zhang Xin’ai acts as a messenger and organizer, reporting the hospital’s diagnosis and helping rally Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue.
• Liu Mei is initially overwhelmed by the news, but accepts that she must approach Zhang Yang because he may be their only hope.
• Cheng Dongxue remains anxious but reassures Liu Mei about Zhang Yang’s abilities and supports the appeal to him.
• Zhang Liangyin shows concern for the family’s unity, while Zhang Xiong presents asset division as practical but appears motivated by greed and opportunity.

Significant themes

• Family conflict and possible reconciliation: Zhang Yang’s help could provide a way for him to resolve his grievances with the Zhang family.
• Power and succession: Zhang Hong’s illness exposes how fragile the family’s authority is without him.
• Greed versus responsibility: Some relatives prioritize personal gain, while Zhang Liangyin worries about the family’s survival.
• Urgency and dependence: The family’s plans hinge on Zhang Yang’s willingness and ability to act before Zhang Hong’s condition worsens.

Key plot points

• With Zhang Hong hospitalized and incapacitated, his relatives fight over the Zhang Mansion’s assets instead of focusing on his recovery. Zhang Liangyin is disgusted by their greed but directs his anger at Zhang Yang, whom he blames for his father’s condition.
• Zhang Liangyin hires the martial arts grandmaster Yin Zhiping to kill Zhang Yang. Yin demands that his fee rise from 100 million to 200 million because Zhang Yang is staying at Zhang Daoru’s home. Consumed by hatred, Zhang Liangyin agrees.
• Zhang Yang wakes after a night’s sleep. His mother, Liu Mei, and Cheng Dongxue have stayed by him, worried about his state of mind. They urge him to eat, recover, and accept responsibility without letting grief overwhelm him.
• Zhang Yang asks Liu Mei whether she still has feelings for Zhang Hong. She admits she does. Realizing that his mother has forgiven Zhang Hong, Zhang Yang decides to go to the hospital and try to save him.
• Zhang Daoru agrees to accompany Zhang Yang. At the hospital, they meet Zhang Xin’ai and the Zhang family, who are already waiting. The chapter ends with an angry family member confronting Zhang Yang.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Liangyin turns grief and anger into a plan to murder Zhang Yang, abandoning any sense of brotherly connection.
• Zhang Yang begins recovering from his shock and chooses to act for his mother’s sake, despite the danger and likely hostility he will face.
• Liu Mei stops hiding her lingering feelings for Zhang Hong, while Cheng Dongxue supports both her and Zhang Yang and reminds him to take responsibility.
• Zhang Daoru continues protecting Zhang Yang and backs his attempt to reach Zhang Hong.
• Yin Zhiping, a greedy and ruthless martial arts grandmaster, accepts the assassination contract and exploits the risk to raise his price.

Significant themes

• Greed and selfishness emerge as the Zhang family quarrels over wealth while Zhang Hong lies in the hospital.
• Grief can turn family bonds into hatred, as Zhang Liangyin’s blame of Zhang Yang leads to murderous intent.
• Responsibility, forgiveness, and love motivate Zhang Yang’s decision to help Zhang Hong, even after the family’s past has caused him pain.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang returns to the hospital with Zhang Daoru and Zhang Xin’ai, despite the Zhang Family’s hostility. Zhang Liangyin orders the bodyguards to attack, but Zhang Daoru stops them.
• Zhang Daoru tries to broker peace, saying Zhang Yang has accepted Zhang Hong as his father. Zhao Yuzhu rejects the reconciliation and insists the family wants nothing to do with Zhang Yang.
• Zhang Xin’ai urges the family to focus on Zhang Hong’s health. Zhang Daoru explains that Zhang Yang has come to treat him, since the hospital has exhausted its options.
• Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin mock Zhang Yang’s ability and accuse him of causing trouble. Liu Mei appeals for Zhang Hong to receive treatment, but Zhao Yuzhu insults her as a homewrecker.
• Zhang Yang swiftly slaps Zhao Yuzhu and warns the family not to insult his mother. He then declares that Zhang Hong is his father, that they have acknowledged each other, and that he will treat him. No one dares object.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang moves from seeking acceptance to asserting his relationship with Zhang Hong and his right to treat him. He shows fierce protectiveness toward Liu Mei and confidence in his own strength.
• Liu Mei sets aside her resentment toward the Zhang Family because she wants to repay Zhang Hong’s kindness and save him.
• Zhao Yuzhu prioritizes her position and her son’s standing in the family over Zhang Hong’s care, responding to Liu Mei with jealousy and hostility.
• Zhang Daoru acts as mediator, trying to prevent violence and explain Zhang Yang’s purpose.
• Zhang Xin’ai takes the side of compassion, urging the family to put Zhang Hong’s health above their quarrel.

Significant themes

• Family, recognition, and belonging: Zhang Yang openly accepts Zhang Hong as his father, despite the family’s rejection.
• Loyalty and protection: Zhang Yang’s defense of Liu Mei underscores his devotion to his mother.
• Power and intimidation: The family’s resistance collapses when Zhang Yang demonstrates that force cannot stop him.
• Jealousy and self-interest: Zhao Yuzhu’s fear of losing influence fuels her hostility and prevents her from putting Zhang Hong first.

Character interactions

• Zhang Daoru confronts the Zhang Family’s bodyguards and urges Zhao Yuzhu to allow reconciliation.
• Zhang Xin’ai appeals to Zhao Yuzhu to consider Zhang Hong’s condition.
• Liu Mei asks that Zhang Hong be treated, but Zhao Yuzhu responds with an insult.
• Zhang Yang retaliates against Zhao Yuzhu, warns the family about further insults, and challenges anyone to stop him from treating Zhang Hong.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang wants to treat his critically injured father, Zhang Hong, but Zhang Liangyin denounces him as a quack and appeals to the hospital to stop him.
• A doctor refuses because Zhang Yang is an outsider without a medical license—and because the hospital would bear responsibility if treatment went wrong. Zhang Yang’s family explains that the earlier assault was a misunderstanding and that he wants to make amends, but the doctor remains unconvinced.
• Zhang Daoru privately asks senior physician Qian Rong whether Zhang Hong can be saved. Qian says the hospital has exhausted its options and expects Zhang Hong to die within days.
• Qian agrees to ask hospital administrators whether Zhang Yang may treat Zhang Hong in the ICU, provided the family consents and signs a liability waiver.
• Zhang Daoru leaves with Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue, while Xin’ai remains on watch. Zhang Yang stays behind and challenges the Zhang family to object to his treating his father.
• Zhang Yinyin warns that a failed treatment could make Zhang Yang a murderer. He insists he understands the risk and is acting because Zhang Hong is his father. Zhang Liangyin still refuses to let him proceed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains forceful but shows a sense of responsibility: he is determined to save his father and accepts the seriousness of the risk.
• Zhang Daoru acts as Zhang Yang’s advocate, explaining his abilities to the hospital and negotiating a possible path forward through Qian Rong.
• Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue support Zhang Yang, affirming that he has come to save Zhang Hong and make amends.
• Qian Rong is medically helpless but willing to explore an exception, balancing his duty to save a life against hospital policy.
• Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin oppose Zhang Yang’s involvement; Zhang Yinyin cautions him about the consequences, though his motives remain unclear.
• Zhang Yang’s supporters and opponents are divided, while the hospital’s consent and liability requirements remain an obstacle.

Significant themes

• Medical authority versus unconventional healing: Zhang Yang’s claimed ability is blocked by licensing rules and institutional responsibility.
• Responsibility and redemption: His attempt to treat his father is presented as a way to repair the harm caused by the earlier assault.
• Family conflict and trust: The Zhang family’s fear and hostility stand against the support Zhang Yang receives from his allies.
• Risk in desperate situations: With conventional medicine out of options, the characters must weigh a dangerous last chance against doing nothing.

Plot points and events

• Zhao Yuzhu refuses to let Zhang Yang treat Zhang Hong, fearing that his recovery would cost her influence in the family.
• Zhang Yang defeats Zhang Liangyin’s dozen bodyguards with ease, forcing Zhao Yuzhu to concede. She signs the hospital’s liability waiver along with her children.
• With permission secured, Zhang Yang enters the ICU with Liu Mei and medical staff, including Dr. Qian Rong. He examines Zhang Hong and uses three traditional acupuncture needles to bring him briefly back to consciousness.
• Zhang Hong wakes and recognizes Liu Mei; they clasp hands and weep.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang demonstrates overwhelming physical strength and calm confidence in his medical ability. His success begins to impress even skeptical medical staff.
• Zhao Yuzhu reluctantly gives way but remains hostile and searches for a way to stop Zhang Yang. Her son Zhang Liangyin claims he has a plan for the next day.
• Dr. Qian Rong shifts from doubt to admiration after witnessing Zhang Yang’s acupuncture.
• Liu Mei is deeply moved and relieved when Zhang Hong wakes.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang confronts Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin, compelling them to allow treatment and sign the waiver.
• He reassures Liu Mei, then takes her into the ICU while excluding the rest of the family.
• Qian Rong questions Zhang Yang’s methods, but watches in amazement as the needles work.
• Zhang Hong’s first words are Liu Mei’s name, and the couple reunites emotionally.

Significant themes

• Power and control: The family’s struggle over Zhang Hong’s treatment reflects its wider fight for influence.
• Unconventional expertise: Zhang Yang’s traditional technique succeeds where the hospital’s methods have failed, challenging assumptions about credentials and medical authority.
• Family devotion and hope: Liu Mei’s grief and Zhang Yang’s determination center the rescue on care for Zhang Hong, while his brief awakening offers renewed hope.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang gives Zhang Hong a red Qi-Supplementing Pill. Zhang Hong takes it without hesitation, trusting his newly discovered son and accepting the chance to make amends.
• Zhang Hong rapidly recovers, removes his medical tubes, and insists on going home. Though Qian Rong recommends tests, Zhang Yang agrees so the recovery can be verified.
• A hospital doctor dismisses the recovery as a “brief return to life” and disparages Zhang Yang as a wandering healer. Zhang Hong rejects the warning, and his steady pulse and ability to walk support Zhang Yang’s success.
• The ICU doors open, revealing Zhang Hong alive and well. Zhang Daoru is delighted; Zhao Yuzhu and her relatives are stunned.
• Zhang Hong confronts Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Liangyin for their behavior, making clear that he knows what they are like and expects them to change.

Character developments

• Zhang Hong places his trust in Zhang Yang and begins to reconnect with him and Liu Mei. His recovery restores his authority and resolve.
• Zhang Yang demonstrates both exceptional healing skill and confidence in having the result objectively confirmed. He is also open to forming professional friendships.
• Qian Rong moves from cautious observer to admirer, acknowledging Zhang Yang’s ability and asking to learn from him.
• The dismissive doctor reacts to Zhang Yang’s success with resentment, fearing it will undermine the hospital’s reputation and his own standing.
• Zhao Yuzhu and her family reveal their conflicted motives: they fear Zhang Hong’s death but also fear losing their status if he survives.

Significant themes

• Trust and reconciliation: Zhang Hong’s faith in Zhang Yang marks the beginning of a father–son bond after decades apart.
• Skill versus status: Zhang Yang’s results challenge the hospital doctor’s assumption that authority and formal reputation determine who can heal.
• Jealousy and self-interest: The relatives’ concerns are tied to power and inheritance, while the doctor’s hostility stems from professional insecurity.
• Accountability: Zhang Hong’s return allows him to confront family members and demand that they change.

Character interactions

• Zhang Hong trusts Zhang Yang’s treatment and accepts support from both him and Liu Mei as he stands and walks.
• Zhang Yang and Qian Rong cooperate: Qian Rong urges testing, and Zhang Yang welcomes it as proof of the recovery.
• Qian Rong rebukes the other doctor for frightening Zhang Hong, while Zhang Hong openly dismisses the doctor’s judgment.
• Zhang Daoru celebrates Zhang Yang’s success, and Zhang Hong’s reunion with Liu Mei and their son is witnessed by the anxious relatives—whom he promptly challenges.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hong wakes after Zhang Yang’s treatment and immediately questions Zhao Yuzhu’s conduct toward Liu Mei and her son. He insists they remain while he undergoes tests.
• Professor Qian confirms Zhang Hong’s recovery, praises Zhang Yang’s medical skill, and helps arrange his discharge.
• Zhang Hong wants to take Liu Mei and Zhang Yang back to Zhang Mansion, but Zhang Liangyin persuades him to delay, presenting it as a chance to prepare a proper welcome. Zhang Hong agrees and goes with Liu Mei to Zhang Daoru’s home.
• Zhang Liangyin secretly tells Zhao Yuzhu and Zhang Yinyin that Zhang Yang will not survive the night. He warns Yinyin to keep quiet; Zhao Yuzhu is pleased by the prospect of removing Liu Mei’s “bargaining chip.”
• At Daoru’s home, Zhang Hong and Liu Mei spend hours reconnecting. Zhang Yang gives them space, and Daoru encourages him to stay in Kyoto.
• In a separate scene, Lin Kun praises the profits from stones selected by Zhang Yang. Lin Xiaofei defends Zhang Yang’s reputation, and her father acknowledges that Cheng Dongxue is fortunate to have married him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hong becomes openly protective of Liu Mei and Zhang Yang, confronting Zhao Yuzhu and eagerly seeking time with Liu Mei after their long separation.
• Liu Mei and Zhang Hong begin repairing their relationship through a long, private reunion.
• Zhang Yang is recognized for both his medical ability and his role in reuniting the family; he prioritizes his mother’s happiness over his own chance to speak with Zhang Hong.
• Zhang Liangyin appears considerate in public but reveals a dangerous plan against Zhang Yang in private. Zhao Yuzhu supports him, while Zhang Yinyin is worried and wary.
• Zhang Daoru supports the reconciliation and urges Zhang Yang to remain in Kyoto.
• Lin Xiaofei openly admires Zhang Yang, while Lin Kun revises his earlier low opinion of him.

Significant themes

• Family reconciliation: Zhang Hong and Liu Mei’s reunion begins to heal decades of separation.
• Deception and hidden motives: Zhang Liangyin’s polite explanation conceals a planned attack.
• Reputation and recognition: Zhang Yang’s actions challenge the dismissive assumptions others once held about him.
• Power and family standing: Zhao Yuzhu sees Zhang Yang’s survival and Liu Mei’s return as threats to her position.