Chapter Summaries

Summary

• Escalating crisis: Goryeo launches a major propaganda campaign over the “KING incident,” portraying Yue Xiaofei as a ruthless aggressor and Goryeo as the victim. Public protests erupt, Goryeo demands his arrest, an apology, and compensation, and military exercises near the border push regional tensions toward the brink of war. In the Dragon Kingdom, online opinion is mostly supportive of Yue, though seemingly reasonable criticism begins to create doubt.
• Su family confrontation: Terrified by the possibility of war and damage to his business, Su Guohua demands that his wife, Jiang Lan, expel Yue and publicly cut the Su Family’s ties to him. Jiang refuses, insisting that she promised Yue’s late mother she would protect him and will not abandon him, whatever the consequences. Su Guohua storms off to hold a press conference distancing the family from Yue.
• Wanning’s conflict: Su Wanning silently witnesses the argument. She is troubled by her father’s panicked self-preservation but also recognizes her mother’s courage and loyalty, leaving her feelings conflicted.
• Yue’s response: Yue offers to move out to spare Jiang trouble, but she tearfully insists that he belongs in her home. He comforts her and calmly says things will be all right. Once alone, however, his composure turns cold: he regards Goryeo’s threats as a challenge and resolves to escalate the contest, targeting its leaders first.

Character developments and themes

The chapter contrasts fear-driven self-protection with steadfast loyalty: Su Guohua prioritizes the family’s safety and reputation, while Jiang Lan keeps her promise despite the danger. Yue appears detached from the political uproar but reveals a determined, retaliatory side. Major themes include propaganda and manipulated public opinion, nationalism, the personal costs of political escalation, and loyalty under pressure.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei contacts Reverse Scale through its encrypted channel after Goryeo’s online campaign turns public opinion against him and his father.
• Rather than hack Goryeo or answer the smear campaign directly, Yue asks Han Duoduo to investigate President Yoon Seokjun and his wife, Jin Xiuyan. He wants evidence of political corruption, hidden wealth, family violence, and personal scandals—but orders that nothing be published yet.
• Wild Chicken volunteers to intimidate Yoon physically, but Han Duoduo shuts him down. Yue tells Wild Chicken to stand by and waits for the investigation.
• At Green Wa Dae, Yoon and Jin celebrate what they believe is a political victory. Yoon boasts that Goryeo’s pressure will force the Dragon Kingdom to hand Yue over and dismisses the danger posed by the legendary KING.
• Yoon claims the presidential residence is protected by advanced defenses, underground fortifications, and thousands of guards. Immediately afterward, the entire residence loses power and plunges into darkness.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei stays controlled and strategic, choosing to strike at the source of Goryeo’s pressure rather than engage in a public-relations battle. His mood briefly softens as he watches Han Duoduo and Wild Chicken bicker, revealing his trust and affection for his teammates.
• Han Duoduo is fiercely loyal and eager to act, but approaches the job with technical confidence. She rebukes Wild Chicken’s reckless suggestion and commits to producing a thorough investigation.
• Wild Chicken remains impulsive and jokey, offering physical intimidation, but accepts the instruction to stand by.
• Yoon Seokjun is boastful and overconfident, convinced his strategy and security make him untouchable. Jin Xiuyan supports his ambitions, though she expresses concern about KING.

Significant themes

• Strategic retaliation: Yue favors exposing his opponents’ vulnerabilities over reacting to their propaganda.
• Loyalty and teamwork: Reverse Scale’s members combine different temperaments and skills while remaining dependable.
• Hubris before a reversal: Yoon’s confidence in his power and defenses is immediately challenged by the unexplained blackout.
• Public image versus hidden truth: Yue’s planned investigation targets the gap between the presidential couple’s polished image and their alleged secrets.

Key plot points and events

• The presidential residence suddenly loses power, and its security staff fail to respond. Emergency power comes on, but the president’s internal security line reports that every defensive sector and the Sky Shield system have been breached.
• The guards reveal that the attacker is not a foreign army but a single man. He identifies himself by the forbidden codename KING, confirming the president’s worst fear: the man he believed imprisoned has returned.
• Yoon Seokjun’s elite guards are apparently being taken down without firing a shot. KING reaches the president’s office and knocks calmly, then tells Yoon that it has been ten years and asks him to open the door.
• As Yoon cowers, the supposedly near-indestructible door unlocks by itself.

Character developments

• Yoon Seokjun collapses from an assertive, commanding president into a helpless, terrified man. KING’s return appears to revive a buried history and a guilt or fear that Yoon cannot face.
• Jin Xiuyan is so frightened by KING’s name that she faints.
• KING is characterized through his overwhelming power and composure: he defeats the residence’s defenses alone, yet approaches the door politely and speaks as if expecting a conversation.

Significant themes

• Power overturned: The president’s security system, guards, and authority prove useless against one person.
• Fear and the past returning: KING’s reappearance forces Yoon to confront a past he thought had been contained.
• Calm as menace: KING’s measured knock and restrained words feel more frightening than open violence.

Character interactions

• Yoon tries to reassure his wife and command his security staff, but neither his authority nor the guards can protect him.
• The guard captain reports KING’s identity with terror, triggering Yoon’s collapse.
• KING addresses Yoon directly through the locked door, framing their impending encounter as a conversation while making clear that Yoon cannot keep him out.

KING confronted Yoon Seokjun in secret and forced him to abandon the campaign against KING’s son, Yue Xiaofei. By dawn, Yoon had resigned, and Park Taegyeon publicly knelt before the Dragon Kingdom’s Embassy.

• KING entered Yoon Seokjun’s office, left a bullet as a reminder of their past, and warned that another visit would mean Goryeo no longer needed a president.
• Yoon Seokjun collapsed in terror, realizing his political career and Goryeo’s standing were ruined.
• At an emergency press conference, Yoon announced his resignation and left without taking questions.
• Park Taegyeon arrived at the Dragon Kingdom’s Embassy, knelt before its flag, and struck his forehead against the ground three times.

Plot points and events

• Four Star chairman Park Taegyeon makes a public, televised show of submission outside the Dragon Kingdom Embassy, kneeling and bowing three times before its flag.
• He announces three penalties in response to his son Park Jeongsang’s offense against a Dragon Kingdom guest: Jeongsang is expelled from the family and stripped of his inheritance; Four Star withdraws from the Dragon Kingdom and donates all its local assets; and the company pays 30 billion yuan in compensation to Mr. Yue and the Dragon Kingdom’s people.
• Park leaves the embassy visibly devastated. The extraordinary apology shocks reporters and viewers around the world.
• In Goryeo, people who had recently protested against the Dragon Kingdom are stunned when they learn that President Yoon has resigned and Four Star’s chairman has knelt. They wonder whether their anger and patriotism had been manipulated.
• Authorities and potential witnesses conceal what happened the previous night at Green Wa Dae. International intelligence agencies uncover only one clue: a mysterious man wearing a ghost-face mask was seen nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• Park Taegyeon accepts public humiliation and imposes severe costs on both his family and company, presenting them as atonement for his son’s conduct. His grief and exhaustion are evident afterward.
• Park Jeongsang, though absent, loses his status as Four Star’s sole heir and is cast out by his father.
• President Yoon resigns, further deepening the public’s sense that Goryeo’s leadership has abruptly collapsed.
• Reporters and ordinary citizens shift from outrage to confusion and disbelief, while foreign intelligence agencies pursue answers they cannot find.
• The ghost-masked man becomes the chapter’s central mystery: his appearance near Green Wa Dae is linked to the sudden reversal, but his identity and actions remain unknown.

Significant themes

• Power and submission: A powerful corporate leader’s public surrender demonstrates how quickly apparent hierarchies can be overturned.
• National pride and disillusionment: Goryeo’s collective anger gives way to doubt as events contradict its recent public bravado.
• Secrecy and uncertainty: The silencing of witnesses turns the night’s events into a national taboo and fuels speculation.
• Consequences and sacrifice: Jeongsang’s offense leads to sweeping personal, corporate, and diplomatic costs.

After Goryeo surrendered, Yue Xiaofei's reputation soared while Su Guohua regretted publicly cutting ties with him. Yue Xiaofei suspected an unseen force had driven Goryeo's sudden capitulation and wondered if his father, the Ghost-Face Masked figure, was behind it.

• News of Goryeo's surrender spread, and people in the Dragon Kingdom celebrated Yue Xiaofei's apparent victory.
• Su Guohua watched the reports and regretted publicly severing ties with Yue Xiaofei, while Jiang Lan was relieved she had not cast him out and Su Wanning grew curious about him.
• Yue Xiaofei realized Goryeo's surrender went far beyond his own plans and suspected someone had intervened behind the scenes.
• Yue Xiaofei recalled the figure wearing a Ghost-Face Mask and wondered if his father had caused Goryeo's capitulation.

Yue Xiaofei learned that a masked figure matching KING’s description had taken over Goryeo’s government and military networks, strengthening his suspicion that his missing father was protecting him. Meanwhile, Goryeo’s retreat turned public opinion against Su Guohua, whose business partners began cutting ties with him.

• Yue Xiaofei asked Han Duoduo to investigate what had happened at Green Wa Dae in Goryeo.
• Han Duoduo reported that an untraceable force had seized Goryeo’s military and government networks for five minutes and erased the surveillance footage.
• Han Duoduo said a Ghost-Face Masked man matching KING’s description had been spotted near Green Wa Dae, leading Yue Xiaofei to suspect his missing father, Yue Changlong, was behind it.
• Yue Xiaofei resolved to uncover the secrets surrounding the Yue Family and take control of his own fate.
• After Goryeo retreated, the public praised Yue Xiaofei’s stance and condemned those who had advocated restraint, including Su Guohua.
• Su Guohua’s business partners called to end their partnerships with him and denounced him for abandoning Yue Xiaofei.

After Su Guohua’s company collapsed, he tried to win Yue Xiaofei’s forgiveness, but Xiaofei said he would soon leave. Xiaofei then prepared to attend Elder Xu’s belated centennial banquet, where rumors spread that the Xu Family would personally welcome a mysterious honored guest.

• Su Guohua returned home and pleaded with Jiang Lan to forgive his earlier treatment of Yue Xiaofei, while Su Wanning watched in disappointment.
• Su Guohua brought expensive gifts to Yue Xiaofei’s room and knelt outside, but Xiaofei said he would be leaving soon.
• Yue Xiaofei looked over Senior Colonel Hong Wu’s invitation and decided he had to attend Elder Xu’s centennial banquet.
• Rumors circulated among Longdu’s elite that the Xu Family had ordered its direct descendants to greet a special honored guest at the banquet entrance.

At Elder Xu’s birthday banquet, Su Wanning hoped to meet the national hero she admired, while the guests speculated about the mysterious figure Elder Xu respected most. Yue Xiaofei arrived at Dragon Spring Manor by taxi, leaving his identity and the guests’ reaction unresolved.

• Powerful officials and military leaders gathered at Dragon Spring Manor for Elder Xu’s birthday banquet.
• Su Wanning accompanied Xu Yaoyang around the manor while hoping to catch a glimpse of her idol, the hero who planted the Dragon Kingdom’s flag on Mount Fuji.
• Su Wanning approached Xu Yiming, who told her that even he did not know the identity of the guest his family’s senior members were awaiting.
• Xu Yiming revealed that his grandfather had called the guest the hero Elder Xu admired most, prompting the young guests to speculate about who it could be.
• Yue Xiaofei arrived at the manor in a taxi and walked toward its gates.

Chapter Summary — “Do You Have an Invitation?”

Key plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei arrives at Dragon Spring Manor in a battered taxi and is stopped by guards who doubt that someone dressed so modestly could be attending Elder Xu Anbang’s prestigious hundredth-birthday banquet.
• Yue calmly explains his purpose and presents an invitation personally signed by Xu Anbang. The guard confirms that it is genuine but, not recognizing Yue’s name, radios his superior to verify his identity.
• Nearby, Xu Yaoyang and other young heirs mock Yue, assuming he is a driver, an attention-seeker, or an impostor.
• Su Wanning recognizes Yue and initially assumes he must have come to the wrong place. Though she feels some satisfaction at seeing him challenged, she becomes uncomfortable when others ridicule him and considers helping.
• Xu Yaoyang stops her, warning that association with Yue would embarrass her. Su hesitates between protecting her own standing and not leaving her relative alone.
• The guard receives confirmation, apologizes, and respectfully admits Yue to the manor, shocking the onlookers.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei remains calm and courteous despite being judged by his clothes and arrival. His genuine invitation reveals that he has a connection to Elder Xu that others do not know about.
• Su Wanning shows conflicting feelings: she looks down on Yue and worries about social status, yet feels uneasy as the crowd humiliates him and is moved to intervene.
• Xu Yaoyang displays arrogance and concern for appearances, discouraging Su from helping Yue because it might damage her reputation.
• The guards begin suspiciously but follow procedure; once Yue’s identity is confirmed, they treat him with respect.
• The young heirs form a mocking crowd, confidently judging Yue before learning who he is.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Yue’s modest clothing and taxi lead people to underestimate him, while his invitation proves their assumptions wrong.
• Status and social prejudice: The guests measure belonging by wealth, influence, and appearance rather than evidence.
• Public humiliation and shifting power: The crowd laughs at Yue, but their confidence collapses when he is admitted.
• Moral hesitation: Su’s struggle highlights the tension between compassion and fear of social embarrassment.

Key events

• At Dragon Spring Manor, Yue Xiaofei’s invitation is accepted and the guards respectfully admit him, humiliating Xu Yaoyang, who had insisted Yue would never get inside.
• Xu Yaoyang confronts Yue and, learning that he has no job and is staying with the Su family, encourages the other young heirs to assume Yue is a servant who borrowed an employer’s invitation. They mock his clothes, status, and supposed place at the banquet.
• Su Wanning initially stays quiet, then defends Yue as her family’s guest. Xu Yaoyang grabs her arm and reminds her that she depends on connections like his to enter Longdu’s entertainment circles. She falls silent, conflicted and ashamed.
• Before Xu Yaoyang can continue humiliating Yue, Major Xu Yiming arrives and demands to know what the commotion is about. The young heirs immediately lose their confidence around the powerful naval officer.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei remains composed while others belittle him; his unexplained invitation makes him a target of speculation and resentment.
• Xu Yaoyang shifts from boasting about his connections to trying to reassert his superiority by presenting Yue as an unworthy intruder. He pressures Wanning when she defends Yue.
• Su Wanning is torn between loyalty to Yue and ambition in Longdu’s entertainment world. She speaks up for him, but Xu’s reminder of her dependence on influential people silences her.
• Xu Yiming’s arrival changes the balance of power: unlike the privileged heirs, he has authority of his own and commands their respect.

Significant themes

• Class prejudice and status: The heirs judge Yue by his clothes, employment, and living situation, assuming he cannot belong.
• Power and connections: Xu Yaoyang uses his family’s influence to intimidate others, while Xu Yiming’s military rank gives him genuine authority.
• Loyalty versus ambition: Wanning’s defense of Yue clashes with her desire to advance socially and professionally.
• Appearance versus reality: Yue’s valid invitation contradicts the group’s assumptions, leaving them eager to invent explanations rather than reconsider their contempt.

Plot and events

• At Elder Xu’s birthday banquet, Xu Yaoyang tries to impress Major Xu Yiming by claiming Yue Xiaofei is an intruder who should be removed.
• Xu Yiming ignores Xu Yaoyang and greets Yue warmly, revealing they are friends. He confronts Xu Yaoyang for mistreating Yue and makes clear that disrespecting Yue means crossing him.
• Xu Yaoyang and the other heirs quickly apologize. Xu Yiming dismisses them and offers to take Yue to Pine Crane Hall, reserved for important guests.
• Yue refuses. Instead, he points toward the guarded vermilion gate at the estate’s deepest point and announces that he is going to the Longevity Hall.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yiming shows his loyalty to Yue openly, using his authority to stop the heirs’ bullying and defend his friend.
• Xu Yaoyang shifts from smug and contemptuous to frightened and apologetic once he realizes Yue has Xu Yiming’s protection.
• Yue Xiaofei remains composed throughout the confrontation, treating Xu Yaoyang’s apology with indifference. His choice to head for the Longevity Hall suggests confidence and an ambition beyond the status Xu Yiming offers.
• Su Wanning, surprised by Xu Yiming’s warmth toward Yue, feels an unexpected pang of loss as Yue is led toward the more exclusive part of the estate.

Significant themes

• Status and power: The heirs’ behavior changes instantly when Yue’s connection to Xu Yiming is revealed.
• Loyalty and respect: Xu Yiming’s friendship is expressed through decisive public support.
• Ambition and self-assurance: Yue declines an invitation to a prestigious hall and sets his sights on an even more imposing destination.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei says he is going to Longevity Hall, the exclusive banquet room where Elder Xu receives his most important guests.
• The privileged young men, led by Xu Yaoyang, ridicule him, while Su Wanning is mortified and Xu Yiming warns him that even he lacks the standing to enter.
• Yue remains composed, calls an unnamed number, and addresses the person who answers as “Grandpa Xu.”
• Xu Yiming recognizes the voice as his great-grandfather, Elder Xu Anbang. Elder Xu warmly asks why Yue is waiting outside and says he will send security to bring him in.
• The chapter ends with the onlookers stunned and the mockers struggling to deny what they have heard.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei reveals a close, apparently established relationship with Elder Xu, showing that his confidence was justified.
• Xu Yiming shifts from concern for Yue to shock as he realizes his friend has a personal connection to the head of the Xu family.
• Xu Yaoyang and the other young men lose their confidence as their ridicule gives way to nervous disbelief.
• Su Wanning moves from embarrassment at Yue’s claim to astonishment at the call.

Character interactions

• Xu Yiming sincerely tries to protect Yue, cautioning him against entering a place reserved for the Xu family’s senior members and powerful guests.
• Yue brushes off the warning without hostility and handles the situation himself.
• Xu Yaoyang and his companions taunt Yue, but Elder Xu’s warm response abruptly undercuts their mockery.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: The crowd assumes Yue is an ordinary outsider, but his private connection to Elder Xu overturns their judgment.
• Status and access: The scene emphasizes the rigid hierarchy surrounding Longevity Hall—then challenges it through Yue’s unexpected personal bond.
• Humiliation and reversal: Those who publicly ridicule Yue may soon be exposed as having badly misread him.

After Xu Yaoyang insulted Yue Xiaofei, Dragon Spring Manor opened its main gates and lit all nine golden lanterns to welcome him with its highest honors. Xu Anbang and a procession of powerful figures came out, fixing their attention on Yue Xiaofei.

• Elder Xu's warm words on the phone left Xu Yaoyang terrified and humiliated over how he had treated Yue Xiaofei.
• Dragon Spring Manor opened its massive main gates and lit all nine golden lanterns in the Golden Lantern Procession and Grand Gate Opening.
• The guests realized the ceremony was for a mysterious honored guest, and Xu Yaoyang understood that Yue Xiaofei was the reason for it.
• Xu Anbang emerged from Longevity Hall with prominent generals, officials, and Xu Wanqing, then looked directly toward Yue Xiaofei.

Plot points and events

• Elder Xu arrives with nearly every senior member of the Xu Family’s direct line, along with prominent military figures, to welcome a mysterious guest. Their procession makes it clear that the guest is Yue Xiaofei.
• Su Wanning and Xu Yiming are stunned that Elder Xu would greet Yue so ceremonially. Su Wanning cannot believe Yue himself could merit such respect.
• Yue downplays the spectacle, explaining that his grandfather and Elder Xu were old comrades-in-arms.
• Su Wanning, Xu Yaoyang, and the other privileged heirs conclude that the welcome is for Yue’s grandfather rather than Yue. Their fear eases, and some replace it with envy and contempt.
• Xu Yaoyang apologizes to Yue and asks about his grandfather’s military service, hoping to gauge the consequences of their earlier conflict.
• Yue reveals that his grandfather was Yue Qinhu, who was a regimental commander of the Jiangcheng Garrison Regiment when he knew Elder Xu.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei remains calm and restrained, explaining the reception without boasting, though his family background proves significant.
• Su Wanning swings from shock and fear to relief, then dismisses Yue as someone benefiting from his grandfather’s reputation.
• Xu Yaoyang goes from despair to renewed hope, calculating that the offense may be repairable if Yue’s status is inherited rather than personally earned.
• Xu Yiming is left astonished by the revelation of Yue’s standing.
• The other heirs reveal their insecurity: they fear Yue when they believe he is powerful in his own right, but feel contempt once they attribute his position to ancestry.

Significant themes

• Status and inherited influence: The reception demonstrates how family connections can command respect and shape consequences.
• Prejudice and social judgment: Yue is mocked for his plain clothes, then feared and envied when his connections become apparent.
• Self-serving interpretations: The onlookers quickly recast the revelation to protect their pride and hopes.
• Reputation and legacy: Yue’s grandfather’s past service continues to affect how others treat his family.

Character interactions

• The Xu Family’s formal welcome contrasts sharply with the earlier crowd’s dismissive treatment of Yue.
• Su Wanning privately seeks an explanation from Xu Yiming, who is as surprised as she is.
• Yue’s brief explanation reassures some observers but also invites them to underestimate him.
• Xu Yaoyang shifts into flattery and apology, while asking about Yue’s grandfather to assess his own position.

Key plot points and events

• The crowd learns that Yue Xiaofei’s grandfather, whom Elder Xu has welcomed with great ceremony, was the commander of the Jiangcheng Garrison Regiment.
• Xu Yaoyang and the other young elites initially take this as proof that Yue is unimportant. They decide Elder Xu is merely indulging an old soldier’s memory, and they return to mocking Yue and calling him a country bumpkin.
• Su Wanning remains uneasy: Elder Xu and the gathered generals show Yue genuine respect, which seems excessive for an ordinary regimental commander.
• Xu Yiming cautions the group that Elder Xu was once a navy commander-in-chief and would not make such a display for just anyone. He suggests Yue’s grandfather may have had a more significant identity than they know.
• As speculation grows, a bespectacled middle-aged man suddenly recognizes the name “Yue Qinhu” and exclaims that he remembers something—setting up a revelation.

Character developments

• Xu Yaoyang swings from fear to overconfidence, then becomes uncertain again when Xu Yiming challenges his assumptions.
• Su Wanning trusts her intuition despite the group’s plausible explanation, sensing that Yue’s background is not ordinary.
• Xu Yiming shows better judgment than his peers, questioning their snap conclusions and reminding them of Elder Xu’s stature.
• Yue Xiaofei remains calm and quiet while others debate his importance; the respect shown to him contrasts with the elites’ contempt.

Significant themes

• Status and mistaken assumptions: The elites judge Yue by his grandfather’s rank, while the generals’ respect suggests rank alone does not explain the situation.
• Arrogance and social prejudice: The young elites quickly resume looking down on Yue once they believe he is beneath them.
• Reputation and hidden history: A name from the past may reveal that Yue’s family is far more significant than the crowd assumes.

Character interactions

• Xu Yaoyang and the other elites ridicule Yue and reassure one another that Elder Xu’s welcome was merely sentimental.
• Su Wanning watches the contrast between Yue’s composure and the generals’ sincere respect, deepening her doubts.
• Xu Yiming directly rebukes the group’s reasoning, forcing them to reconsider.
• The middle-aged man’s sudden recognition of Yue Qinhu interrupts the debate and points toward the chapter’s next revelation.

Editor Li identified Yue Xiaofei’s grandfather, Yue Qinhu, as a legendary defender of Jiangcheng, and the Xu Family welcomed Yue Xiaofei with exceptional warmth. Xu Yiming was admitted to the Xu Family’s main hall through his acquaintance with Yue Xiaofei, while Xu Yaoyang and Su Wanning were left outside.

• Editor Li searched for Yue Qinhu and explained that Yue Qinhu’s regiment had held Jiangcheng against a vastly larger enemy force, earning a plaque personally inscribed by the Commander-in-Chief.
• Elder Xu warmly greeted Yue Xiaofei, and Xu Wanqing, Xu Jingtao, Xu Mingzhu, and Qin Qianshan welcomed him as well.
• Yue Xiaofei told Xu Jingtao that he and Xu Yiming had met after a clash at a club.
• Xu Jingtao praised Xu Yiming and invited him to join the group in the main hall, leaving Xu Yiming astonished by the honor.
• Xu Yaoyang resented Yue Xiaofei’s influence as Yue Xiaofei and Xu Yiming entered the main hall, while Su Wanning watched the doors close with doubts about what she had seen.

At Xu Anbang’s centennial banquet, Yue Xiaofei was welcomed by powerful generals and officials who treated him with deep respect, leaving Xu Yiming bewildered. Xu Anbang then led the Xu Family’s direct line in saluting Yue Xiaofei as the Dragon Kingdom’s greatest hero and called his presence the Xu Family’s crowning glory.

• Elder Xu entered Longevity Hall holding Yue Xiaofei’s hand, and generals and provincial leaders gathered to greet Yue Xiaofei warmly.
• Xu Yiming asked Xu Jingtao why everyone knew Yue Xiaofei, but Xu Jingtao was surprised that Xu Yiming did not know who he was.
• Elder Xu led Yue Xiaofei to the platform as the Xu Family’s core members stood solemnly behind them.
• Elder Xu commanded the Xu Family to salute Yue Xiaofei, calling him the Dragon Kingdom’s greatest hero.
• Elder Xu said that Yue Xiaofei’s attendance was the honor of his lifetime and the crowning glory of the Xu Family.

Key plot points and events

• At the Xu family gathering, Elder Xu salutes Yue Xiaofei, calling the gesture an honor for himself and the whole Xu family. Yue tries to stop him, but Xu insists Yue deserves it.
• Seeing the guests’ confusion, Xu publicly reveals Yue’s identity and recounts his deeds:
  • Yue alone disrupted Japan’s attempt to provoke conflict in the East Sea, killing its commanders.
  • He later infiltrated the Japanese government’s center and forced its Female Chancellor and imperial family to submit and apologize.
  • He planted the Dragon Kingdom’s flag atop Mount Fuji, declaring that the country would not be bullied or humiliated.
  • In Modu, he shielded people from a catastrophic disaster and saved tens of thousands.
• The guests are stunned as they realize the quiet young man is the celebrated but anonymous hero behind these events.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei is revealed as a self-effacing national hero who avoids fame and rewards despite extraordinary achievements.
• Elder Xu expresses deep admiration and gratitude, publicly honoring Yue and defending his right to receive the salute.
• Xu Yiming recognizes Yue as the legendary soldier he has long admired. His earlier conflict with Yue now gives way to pride and reverence.

Significant themes

• Selfless service: Yue seeks no recognition or reward for protecting the country.
• Patriotism and national dignity: His actions symbolize resistance to humiliation and foreign aggression.
• Honor and humility: The chapter contrasts Yue’s modesty with the immense respect his deeds have earned.
• Recognition of unsung heroes: Xu’s speech brings Yue’s hidden contributions into public view.

Character interactions

• Yue respectfully tries to lower Elder Xu’s salute, but Xu insists on honoring him.
• Elder Xu addresses the gathering to explain why Yue deserves the Xu family’s respect.
• As Xu recounts Yue’s exploits, the guests react with disbelief and awe; Xu Yiming recognizes his idol and feels newly proud of having met him.

At Elder Xu’s birthday banquet, Yue Xiaofei accepted Xu Anbang’s tribute as a national hero and earned the hall’s admiration. The Eight Great Clans then arrived unexpectedly, and Xu Yiming warned Yue Xiaofei about Cao Xuanye, the Cao Family’s young master.

• Xu Anbang bowed to Yue Xiaofei and praised him as the Dragon Kingdom’s Peerless National Scholar.
• Yue Xiaofei accepted Xu Anbang’s bow, calling his deeds a soldier’s duty, and the guests applauded him.
• Xu Yiming applauded Yue Xiaofei and resolved to follow him as his lifelong ideal.
• A guard announced that representatives of the Capital City’s Eight Great Clans had arrived, stunning the banquet guests.
• Cao Xuanye entered the Longevity Hall, and Xu Yiming warned Yue Xiaofei to be careful around him.