Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• With the Horned Python gone, stronger Demon Beasts are likely to move into its territory, making the Ashen Wasteland increasingly dangerous. The group decides it is time to leave for Kru Town, still three days away by Starhorn Horse.
• During their camp dinner, Ye Chuqi tires of the group’s usual barbecue, mushroom soup, bread, and fruit. Hoping to improve their meals, she borrows Coke’s cooking utensils and sets up her own fire.
• Ye Chuqi gathers spices from Coke and from Xiya’s Alchemy workshop, after checking that the unusual potion ingredients are safe to eat. She plans to make red-braised pork from a tender, marbled cut of Demon Beast meat.
• The aroma from her cooking attracts Ed, who abandons dinner to investigate. Ye Chuqi keeps the pot covered, leaving him curious about what she is making.
• As she cooks, Ye Chuqi considers using ale or stout in place of cooking wine, but is unsure how they will affect the flavor. She also wishes she had something like chili peppers.

Character development and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows initiative, resourcefulness, and a strong attachment to good food. She adapts unfamiliar ingredients and limited supplies to pursue a more satisfying meal.
• Coke is established as a competent but limited cook, mainly experienced with roasting meat. He lends Ye Chuqi his equipment and seasonings.
• Ed, usually intent on seeming mature, reveals his youthful curiosity when the smell draws him over. He presses Ye Chuqi for details, but she gives him little attention.
• Jun Ruofeng’s discomfort with the repetitive meals helps underline the group’s shared fatigue with their camp diet.
• Ye Chuqi briefly consults Xiya about the safety of alchemical ingredients, showing cooperation and caution.

Significant themes

• Comfort and quality of life: Even in a dangerous, resource-poor wilderness, food can lift morale and make hardship more bearable.
• Adaptability and ingenuity: Ye Chuqi turns available supplies—including ingredients from an alchemy workshop—into a chance to improve camp life.
• Anticipation and curiosity: The chapter builds interest around Ye Chuqi’s covered pot and the enticing smell of her cooking.

Key plot points and events

• During the mercenary assignment, spirits are forbidden, though ale and stout are allowed.
• Ye Chuqi cooks demon-beast meat as red-braised pork, using spices and several potion-making ingredients taken from Xiya.
• The rich aroma draws Ed, Coke, and then much of the camp away from their usual soup and barbecue. Some worry the ingredients could be poisonous, but everyone who gets a small portion enjoys it.
• Coke enthusiastically praises the dish and asks how Ye Chuqi made it, then realizes he may have been impolite to ask for her recipe.
• Ye Chuqi offers to teach him the next day. Coke eagerly accepts and offers to supply ingredients, including more of Xiya’s materials.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains quiet and has a limited speaking vocabulary, but her cooking earns the group’s attention. She is generous about sharing what she knows and is already thinking about improving the dish.
• Ed watches Ye Chuqi closely, curious about her strength and survival in the Ashen Wasteland. Her apparent ability—and her cooking—both challenge his assumptions about himself.
• Coke reveals his enthusiasm for cooking and his abandoned dream of opening a restaurant. His excitement briefly overrides his usual careful manners, but Ye Chuqi’s offer turns the exchange warm and friendly.
• Xiya is implicated in the dish because Ye Chuqi used her potion-making supplies; the group jokes about their possible use in poison, while Coke openly asks for more.

Significant themes

• Food as connection: Ye Chuqi’s cooking brings the group together and opens a friendship with Coke.
• Unexpected talents and assumptions: Her cooking and strength surprise those around her, while Ed’s confidence is unsettled by someone younger who may surpass him.
• Lost dreams and renewed possibility: Coke’s abandoned restaurant ambition resurfaces through his encounter with Ye Chuqi, who gives him a chance to pursue cooking again.
• Sharing versus guarding knowledge: Coke worries that asking for a recipe is presumptuous, but Ye Chuqi readily offers to teach him.

Summary

• Inspired by Coke’s eagerness to cook, Ye Chuqi decides that teaching others to prepare good food could let her enjoy more meals without doing all the work herself. Coke quickly learns her methods and prepares Red-Braised Pork and roast meat for the group’s dinner. Though Jun Ruofeng disapproves of the dishes, Coke and Red Beard enjoy them.
• On the third day, the Red Wind Mercenary Group reaches Kru Town. Ye Chuqi is struck by its high stone walls, flying magical beasts, crowded streets, and lively shops—a sharp contrast with the barren Ashen Wasteland she came from.
• The group boards its Starhorn Horses outside town. Coke explains the costs of beast companions and notes that the elite Red Wind group can enter without paying or registering, privileges that also apply in the Imperial Capital.
• Red Beard and Jun Ruofeng go to the Adventurers’ Guild to complete their task. The others have the day free and plan to meet again the next morning. Xiya offers to show Ye Chuqi the shops, while Coke is eager to find ingredients for new dishes.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi recognizes Coke’s cooking talent and starts treating him as a promising cook-in-training. She also softens toward Jun Ruofeng after remembering he gave her gold coins, though her motivation is practical.
• Coke proves naturally skilled in the kitchen and enthusiastically shares information about town. Xiao Nuo, meanwhile, stays close to Ye Chuqi in hopes of getting treats.
• Jun Ruofeng remains refined and fussy about food, but the chapter also establishes his importance to the group through his alchemy, business skills, and status.
• Xiya kindly invites Ye Chuqi to explore, while the group’s relaxed day together highlights its camaraderie.

Significant themes

• Food as connection and opportunity: Cooking brings pleasure to the group and gives Ye Chuqi the idea of teaching others.
• Contrasts between worlds: Kru Town’s abundance and bustle emphasize how isolated and impoverished the Ashen Wasteland was.
• Privilege and social status: The mercenary group’s special access to the town shows how rank brings material advantages.

Chapter 24 Summary

Key events

Xiya takes Ye Chuqi shopping and brings Coke along after he offers to help carry purchases and possibly pay. She uses the outing to teach Ye Chuqi the names of unfamiliar objects, while San San urges Ye Chuqi to seek information more efficiently. At the bookstore, Ye Chuqi rapidly turns through books so San San can memorize their contents; Coke eventually falls asleep waiting.
The group later returns to the Red Wind Mercenary Group’s base in Kru Town, which is crowded with members searching for their missing leader. The group has secured the contract to deliver the Red Sun Fruit to the Imperial Capital. They suspect the earlier danger in the Ashen Wasteland may have been a trap aimed at Red Beard, though the possible insider is dead and the evidence is thin.
That night, Ye Chuqi asks Xiya about the fruit’s value. Xiya explains that it is extraordinarily rare and can save people with grave injuries; combined with other ingredients, it can make a powerful healing potion. Its reappearance, along with rumors of a mineral vein in the Ashen Wasteland, raises suspicion that someone may be drawing attention there.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi continues learning about the world, but relies on San San to absorb information quickly. She privately believes Red Beard survived because of her Spirit Origin Pill, not the Red Sun Fruit.
• Xiya acts as Ye Chuqi’s guide, teaching her during their shopping trip and explaining the fruit’s history and importance.
• Coke eagerly joins the shopping trip to be useful, but is worn down by it and falls asleep in the bookstore.
• San San pushes Ye Chuqi toward books as a faster source of knowledge and memorizes their contents through her rapid page-turning.
• Red Beard and the mercenary group face unanswered questions about the Ashen Wasteland incident and the fruit’s delivery mission.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts everyday learning and companionship with the larger mystery surrounding the Ashen Wasteland. It also emphasizes the value of knowledge, the extraordinary power and scarcity of healing resources, and the danger of coincidences that may conceal deliberate manipulation.

Plot points and events

• The Red Wind Mercenary Group’s planned departure is halted when Kru Town’s garrison seals the town and searches houses for Duke Fulton’s missing daughter.
• Ed learns that other girls had disappeared before her, but the earlier cases were apparently kept quiet. The group suspects the families may have been intimidated or silenced.
• Worried that the Red Sun Fruit could make them targets, Red Beard sends Jun Ruofeng and two others to investigate.
• The next morning, the group splits up to gather information. Ye Chuqi instead returns to the bookshop to continue reading, carrying the group’s red badge.
• At noon, the others discover she is missing from the courtyard. Baz explains that he let her leave because the badge marked her as an honorary member.

Character developments

• Ye Chuqi appears curious, independent, and more confident in her ability to defend herself than the group might expect. Despite her injuries and difficulty using Spiritual Power, she believes she can handle an ordinary attacker.
• Red Beard responds cautiously to the town’s crisis, prioritizing investigation and the group’s safety.
• Jun Ruofeng follows Red Beard’s lead and goes to investigate.
• Baz recognizes Ye Chuqi’s status through the badge but does not realize she should still be kept safe.

Character interactions

• Ed reports the missing girls and the town lockdown to the group; Red Beard and Jun Ruofeng coordinate a response.
• At the bookshop, the sleepy shopkeeper teases Ye Chuqi about her unusual reading habits and warns her that girls are being taken. She apologizes but remains unconcerned.
• The shopkeeper’s warning contrasts with Ye Chuqi’s confidence, while the group’s later alarm shows they had assumed she would stay in the courtyard.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and silence: The earlier disappearances suggest that vulnerable families may have been forced not to speak.
• Safety versus independence: Ye Chuqi acts on her own, while the mercenaries’ discovery of her absence exposes the risks of underestimating danger.
• Conflict between institutions: The chapter raises the irony that Kru Town, associated with the Adventurers’ Guild, is now under the control of a powerful noble’s demands.

Key plot points and events

• Red Beard awards Ye Chuqi the rare red Honor Medal, surprising the others. Jun Ruofeng challenges his decision, but Red Beard trusts his instincts about Ye Chuqi’s strength and believes she deserves it.
• Xiya fears Ye Chuqi may have left while gravely injured. Coke guesses she has returned to the bookshop, where she had been rapidly flipping through books, but Ye Chuqi soon comes back on her own.
• Ye Chuqi apologizes for leaving without telling anyone. Her companions reassure her, and Red Beard encourages her to revisit the shop and offers to have Jun Ruofeng provide money for books.
• Xiya explains that the Honor Medal is an unfinished alchemical base that can be crafted into an item of its owner’s choosing. Ye Chuqi asks whether it could become spatial equipment, which she needs to conceal her own space, but Xiya says the badge’s materials would make the result costly and unreliable.
• San San reveals that spatial-stabilizing materials might be available from “Big Black Fish,” hinting at an unexpected source.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi realizes her companions worried about her, and feels unexpectedly touched. She remains focused on books and finding a way to obtain spatial equipment.
• Red Beard shows his confidence in Ye Chuqi by giving her one of the Corps’ exceptionally rare Honor Medals. He also supports her freely spending money on books.
• Jun Ruofeng questions Red Beard’s decision but begins to suspect he has underestimated Ye Chuqi. He accepts the expectation that he should fund her purchases, partly out of gratitude for her saving his life.
• Xiya looks after Ye Chuqi and explains the Honor Medal’s significance and limitations.
• Coke calms Xiya’s anxiety and teases Ye Chuqi about her “flipping through” books.
• The group’s concern and easy teasing show that Ye Chuqi is becoming part of their circle, despite having known them only briefly.

Significant themes

• Trust and recognition: Red Beard’s award signals confidence in Ye Chuqi’s hidden strength, even when others are unsure.
• Belonging and care: Ye Chuqi discovers that her companions worry about her and feels moved by their concern.
• Resources and ingenuity: The high cost of spatial equipment makes Ye Chuqi’s search difficult, while San San’s revelation suggests a creative alternative.

Plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi realizes Big Black Fish must be able to travel through space, explaining how he reached Little Oasis. San San reveals that the fish possesses spatial bluestone.
• Big Black Fish offers the stone as a kind of rent for staying in Ye Chuqi’s space. He hopes she will let him keep a little, since the stone has been precious to him for years.
• Ye Chuqi decides to use some of it to turn Red Beard’s mercenary badge into discreet Spatial Equipment. She refuses Jun Ruofeng’s offer to simply exchange it for a Spatial Ring, wanting both the customized badge and the ring.
• Red Beard persuades Jun Ruofeng to make the badge and offers to cover any shortfall against his future earnings. Ye Chuqi then produces a second piece of spatial bluestone for the Spatial Ring.
• At San San’s suggestion, Ye Chuqi also offers a huge chunk of black ghost stone to help conceal the finished equipment’s spatial fluctuations. Jun Ruofeng confirms it can help, though only a small amount is needed. The chapter ends with Ye Chuqi setting down the immense stone, which leaves a large pit.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows fairness toward Big Black Fish by letting him choose how much bluestone to give, while still making practical use of what he offers. She is also resourceful and determined: rather than accept Jun Ruofeng’s straightforward trade, she finds a way to obtain both items she wants.
• Big Black Fish proves more calculating and cooperative than he first appeared. He willingly offers a treasured resource to secure his place in the space and build goodwill with Ye Chuqi.
• San San acts as an intermediary, conveying Big Black Fish’s thoughts and helping Ye Chuqi anticipate how to conceal the equipment.
• Jun Ruofeng is initially incredulous at Ye Chuqi’s extravagant plan, but agrees to craft the items. Red Beard laughs at her boldness and supports the arrangement, even volunteering to cover the cost.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Big Black Fish offers a valuable resource to earn a place in Ye Chuqi’s space, and Ye Chuqi responds without taking more than necessary.
• Resourcefulness and self-reliance: Ye Chuqi plans around the risk of losing a Spatial Ring and chooses a badge that will be less conspicuous.
• Humor and warmth: The negotiations turn into a playful contest of generosity, debts, and unexpected treasures, softening the characters’ practical concerns with camaraderie.

Plot points and events

• Jun Ruofeng realizes that Black Ghost Stone, which is usually found in water, cannot be broken by force alone. Ye Chuqi guesses that fire is the answer and asks Chris, the Elite Group’s Fire Mage, to help.
• Chris cuts the stone into pieces with a blade of fire. Jun Ruofeng, Red Beard, and Chris each keep some; Ye Chuqi stores the rest. The group now knows she has Black Ghost Stone and Spatial Equipment, including an unusual embroidered cloth Storage Bag. She has already hidden most of the stone in her Portable Space.
• Red Beard returns Ye Chuqi’s belongings and gives her a Spatial Ring. She insists that having more storage is always useful. Later, she has San San use some Black Ghost Stone to improve Big Black Fish’s small pool.
• Red Beard announces that the Red Wind Mercenary Group will investigate the disappearances of young women in Kru Town. Ye Chuqi volunteers to act as bait.
• Ed objects, but Red Beard proposes a spar to test her strength. The group expects Ed to overwhelm her. Instead, their brief exchange shows he cannot gain an advantage, and the others begin watching Ye Chuqi’s unusual fighting rhythm more closely.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi is resourceful, cheerful about her growing collection of Spatial Equipment, and eager to help with the investigation. She also feels gratitude toward San San for protecting her during their earlier ordeal.
• Chris is usually quiet, but his enthusiasm for the Black Ghost Stone shows when he sees it; he helps Ye Chuqi by cutting it.
• Red Beard trusts Ye Chuqi enough to let the spar test her claim, while Ed’s earlier confidence gives way to a serious contest.
• San San regrets having exhausted its strength and left Ye Chuqi alone before, but Ye Chuqi does not blame it. Big Black Fish, meanwhile, is pleased with his improved pool and sees the loss of a little Spatial Bluestone as worthwhile.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and hidden abilities: Ye Chuqi solves the stone problem by recognizing the need for fire, while her concealed storage and unexpected combat skill reveal how much the others still do not know about her.
• Trust and mutual care: Ye Chuqi’s forgiveness of San San and Big Black Fish’s willingness to give up something valuable underscore the group’s growing bonds.
• Proving oneself: The spar challenges the group’s assumption that Ye Chuqi is merely a child who needs protecting, while her offer to act as bait shows her determination to contribute.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi spars with Ed using a fist technique and footwork she has practiced for nearly ten years. Her eldest senior brother taught her the techniques and adapted the footwork to help her build strength, balance, and control.
• Though she appears to be defending, Ye Chuqi repeatedly interrupts Ed’s attacks and anticipates his movements, preventing him from landing a blow. Ed eventually quits, accusing her of taking the match lightly.
• Red Beard points out that Ed was holding back too: he did not use fighting spirit. Ye Chuqi understands that she can currently fight without spiritual energy, but would struggle against fighting spirit while her injuries remain serious.
• Ye Chuqi’s physical exertion seems to ease her damaged meridians somewhat. She avoids using spiritual energy because it could interfere with the healing San San is providing.
• The spar leaves the others eager to test themselves against Ye Chuqi. Xiya objects, worried about her injuries, but Red Beard supports letting Ye Chuqi try, recognizing that she wants to prove she can protect herself.

Character developments

• Ye Chuqi shows that her strength and skill are formidable even without spiritual energy. She also demonstrates restraint and control, holding back during the match and staying mindful of her recovery.
• Ed shifts from cautious sparring to frustration once he realizes Ye Chuqi keeps stopping his attacks. He remains proud, noting that he too was holding back.
• Red Beard acknowledges Ye Chuqi’s ability but cautions her not to become overconfident; he also supports her wish to be capable of defending herself.
• Xiya acts protectively, emphasizing how serious Ye Chuqi’s injuries are—something the others do not fully understand.
• Chris, usually quiet, speaks up to praise Ye Chuqi’s strength, surprising the group.

Significant themes

• Strength beyond appearances: Ye Chuqi’s seemingly simple techniques conceal years of practice and unusual power.
• Restraint and self-protection: She carefully controls her strength and avoids spiritual energy while healing.
• Different kinds of combat ability: Martial skills, experience, and fighting spirit all matter, and strength in one area does not guarantee mastery in another.
• Independence versus care: Ye Chuqi wants to prove she can protect herself, while Xiya fears others will push her beyond her limits.

Character interactions

• Ye Chuqi’s controlled style frustrates Ed, who feels she is not treating the spar seriously.
• Red Beard teases Ed and explains the limits of the match, then casually ruffles Ye Chuqi’s hair.
• Chris’s unexpected praise prompts surprise from the others.
• Xiya challenges Red Beard’s willingness to let Ye Chuqi spar, insisting that her injuries deserve more concern.

Chapter 30 Summary

• Red Beard returned from investigating the disappearances with two officials: a Martial Arts Master sent by the mayor and a Junior Archmage representing Duke Fulton. They confirmed that the missing girls were young women with long golden hair, so the group chose Ye Chuqi as bait.
• Ye Chuqi agreed, despite her badge and Spatial Ring being unavailable. She used Xiya’s hair dye and a wig to appear as a golden-haired young woman. Her dramatic transformation surprised everyone, including the two officials.
• Red Beard assigned Ed to follow her discreetly and told the officials to remain behind so they would not draw attention.
• Ye Chuqi first visited a bookshop, where the shopkeeper warned her that she looked conspicuously like bait. Realizing her mistake, she changed her manner and pretended to be an inexperienced newcomer to Kru Town.
• She spent the afternoon wandering, shopping, and eating at inns. Ed followed her, increasingly exasperated—and hungry—as she continued her outing. San San informed her that several people were watching her, though it was unclear whether they were connected to the culprit or merely interested in her spending.

Character Developments and Interactions

Ye Chuqi is willing to take risks to help uncover the disappearances, but she also shows resourcefulness and adaptability, quickly adjusting her performance when she realizes she is too conspicuous. Xiya supports her by changing her appearance, while Red Beard organizes the operation and Ed provides covert protection. The shopkeeper tries to warn Ye Chuqi, though she initially misunderstands him.

Significant Themes

The chapter emphasizes disguise and performance, as Ye Chuqi adopts a carefully constructed identity to lure the culprit. It also highlights the tension between apparent confidence and real danger: her carefree outing may be part of the plan, but the watchers around her make clear that she is not entirely in control of the situation.

Plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi continues acting like an inexperienced runaway while watching for danger. San San senses that someone is following her and warns that he feels intensely malicious.
• Ye Chuqi pretends to pass out at a windowsill, hoping to draw the hidden watcher into the open. Ed rushes to protect her, but the attacker traps him in a Darkness Cage and abducts Ye Chuqi.
• The attacker touches Ye Chuqi’s hair and taunts her about whether anyone can protect her. Though she does not know the spell, she remains calm because the darkness cannot cut off her connection with San San. She asks San San to observe what is happening and waits to see where she is taken.
• Ed wakes in the inn courtyard after Chris frees him from the weakened, scroll-cast spell. He realizes the kidnapper is a thief far stronger and more skilled than himself, and fears Ye Chuqi may be harmed.
• Xiya and Chris explain that Ye Chuqi left a message visible to their hidden allies, alerting them to the danger. Their captain has already led a group in pursuit.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows confidence and composure under threat. She deliberately makes herself appear vulnerable, then relies on San San rather than panicking once captured.
• San San acts as Ye Chuqi’s trusted companion and supernatural lookout, strongly warning her about the pursuer’s malice.
• Ed is protective but feels guilty and helpless after being overcome instantly. His concern reflects how seriously he takes Ye Chuqi’s involvement.
• Chris and Xiya respond quickly: Chris identifies and breaks the spell, while Xiya checks Ed for injuries. The team’s allies coordinate through Ye Chuqi’s hidden signal.

Significant themes

• Trust and companionship: Ye Chuqi’s bond with San San gives her reassurance when others cannot reach her.
• Deception and vigilance: Ye Chuqi uses a staged vulnerability to expose a threat, while the attacker’s ambush shows how dangerous appearances can be.
• Power and vulnerability: The kidnapper’s overwhelming skill contrasts with Ed’s inability to react, but Ye Chuqi’s calm and planning preserve her agency.

Chapter 32 Summary

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi, abducted by Gree and trapped in a Darkness Cage, realizes he has carried her beyond Kru Town toward the Lost Forest—the likely destination for the girls who have previously disappeared.
• She considers the danger of being taken into the kidnappers’ hideout and decides to act before reaching the forest.
• As Gree nears the Lost Forest, Ye Chuqi breaks out of the cage by drawing on the Spiritual Power stored in her space. She surprises him with a black dagger, cutting his waist.
• Gree stops the bleeding and prepares to face her. He suspects her confidence comes from hidden backup, but no allies appear; only Magic Beasts stir nearby.

Character developments

• Ye Chuqi recognizes that her confidence in handling danger may have been naïve, but responds decisively rather than letting herself be taken farther. Her ability to use Spiritual Power shows that she can escape a magical restraint even if she cannot perceive it herself.
• Gree is revealed as a calculating kidnapper who accepted the job for money. He knows Ye Chuqi was meant as bait, but had planned to deliver her, collect payment, and disappear. Her sudden attack unsettles him.

Significant themes

• Courage tempered by caution: Ye Chuqi chooses not to gamble on infiltrating the kidnappers’ operation once the danger becomes clear.
• Deception and counter-planning: Both Ye Chuqi’s allies and Gree have used bait and hidden intentions, but Ye Chuqi disrupts his plan.
• Different kinds of power: Ye Chuqi’s Spiritual Power gives her an advantage Gree cannot detect or anticipate.

Character interactions

• Ye Chuqi and San San discuss where Gree is taking her and whether she should risk entering the Lost Forest; San San helps identify the destination and sense the Darkness Cage.
• Gree and Ye Chuqi exchange a brief, tense conversation after her attack. He asks how she escaped, but she refuses to explain, answering, “Guess.”

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi refuses to go with Gree and resolves to keep him from escaping until the Red Wind Mercenaries arrive.
• Though Gree is the more experienced dagger fighter, Ye Chuqi’s speed, instincts, and Spiritual Power let her disrupt his attacks and damage his weapon. His treasured dagger eventually shatters.
• While fighting, Ye Chuqi and San San secretly begin setting up a simplified Demon-Trapping Formation, using purified Beast Cores to anchor its nodes.
• Gree’s fury and desperation make him attack relentlessly, preventing Ye Chuqi from completing the formation. She is badly injured, but keeps evading him until Red Beard and the others arrive.

Character developments

• Ye Chuqi shows resourcefulness and resolve: despite limited skill with daggers and injured meridians, she uses Spiritual Power sparingly, adapts her clothing for movement, and fights mainly to buy time.
• Gree is revealed as ruthless and skilled, but his attachment to his dagger and his greed cloud his judgment. He becomes fixated on capturing Ye Chuqi after losing the weapon.
• San San supports Ye Chuqi by lending Spiritual Power and helping arrange the formation.

Significant themes

• Courage and ingenuity over raw strength: Ye Chuqi cannot overpower Gree outright, so she relies on strategy and endurance.
• Pride and poor judgment: Gree’s arrogance and underestimation of Ye Chuqi contribute to his defeat.
• Loyalty and solidarity: Ye Chuqi risks herself for her companions, while the mercenaries’ protectiveness toward one another is clear when they see her injuries.

Character interactions

• Ye Chuqi and Gree trade attacks, with her repeatedly blocking his escape routes and him growing increasingly enraged.
• San San quietly assists Ye Chuqi during the fight, helping her set the trap without Gree noticing.
• Red Beard and the mercenaries arrive to find Ye Chuqi battered and immediately assume Gree has mistreated her, overlooking how badly he is hurt too.

Plot points and events

• Gree tries to escape using a Spatial Teleportation scroll, but the teleportation fails. Ye Chuqi reveals that she has caught him.
• Red Beard and the others arrive, relieved to find Ye Chuqi alive, though she has superficial injuries. They had expected her only to draw out the attackers and had not anticipated how badly things would go.
• Ye Chuqi explains that she used a simplified Demon-Trapping Formation, with herself as its Formation Eye. It created a separate space that blocked Gree’s teleportation—an effect she discovered by chance.
• She warns the group not to touch the objects scattered on the ground. After Gree is restrained and searched, she explains that the objects are Beast Cores used to power the formation.
• A companion realizes the cores have been purified and is astonished. The formation has drained some completely, while others still retain energy; Ye Chuqi collects the usable ones.

Character development and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows quick thinking and composure under pressure, improvising with the formation to stop Gree’s escape. Despite her injuries, she remains focused on securing the area and protecting the others from possible danger. Her casual attitude toward the wound concerns Red Beard.
• Red Beard is protective and relieved when he sees Ye Chuqi is safe. He gently scolds her for rubbing her injured face, then takes charge of the investigation and promises to handle the captured Gree.
• Gree is left stunned by the failed escape and is bound and searched to prevent him from using another hidden scroll.
• The curious companion shifts from inspecting the scene to excitedly collecting the Beast Cores once he recognizes their value, eager to learn how Ye Chuqi purified them.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness under pressure: Ye Chuqi turns an improvised formation into an effective counter to Gree’s escape.
• Trust and teamwork: Red Beard’s group arrives to support her, while Ye Chuqi provides the warning and information needed to keep everyone safe.
• Unexpected discovery: The formation’s side effect—purifying Beast Cores—opens a new question about Ye Chuqi’s abilities and the cores’ potential.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Chuqi’s companion eagerly claims the half-drained Beast Cores left after she uses them, paying her a pouch of Gold Coins. He hopes to use them to practice alchemy, since their low energy makes them safer to handle than ordinary low-rank cores.
• Red Beard realizes Ye Chuqi has been revealing unusual abilities and valuable knowledge. He warns her to be more cautious, then treats the injuries on her arm and face.
• Ye Chuqi says she trusts the mercenaries because they are her friends. Red Beard jokes that he would sell her and make her count the money, but privately resolves to keep her close and protect her.
• The Red Wind Mercenary Group divides its efforts: one team takes Gree back to Kru Town to question him discreetly, while another searches the Lost Forest for the people he was meant to meet.
• Red Beard brings Ye Chuqi back to recover. She changes clothes and dyes her hair chestnut again; he persuades her not to cut it short.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi remains generous and trusting, sharing her used cores without understanding how valuable they are to her companion. Her casual openness worries Red Beard, though she believes her trust in the group is justified.
• The aspiring alchemist is thrilled to receive the cores and pays generously, revealing how long he has struggled to pursue his dream.
• Red Beard balances teasing affection with genuine concern. He cautions Ye Chuqi about exposing too much, tends her wounds, and decides she needs watching over.
• Their exchanges show a growing bond: Ye Chuqi treats the group as friends, while Red Beard responds with protective, almost parental care.

Significant themes

• Trust and vulnerability: Ye Chuqi’s faith in the mercenaries contrasts with Red Beard’s awareness of the risks she faces.
• Hope and opportunity: The discarded cores give the companion a rare chance to make progress toward his alchemy dream.
• Protection and belonging: The group’s practical care for Ye Chuqi, and their coordinated investigation, reinforce their growing sense of responsibility toward one another.

Plot points and events

• Red Beard and the group return secretly to Kru Town. Gree is moved to another base, and Ye Chuqi returns safely to the courtyard, where Xiya rushes to care for her.
• Red Beard tells the two representatives that the opposing Rogue escaped into the Lost Forest and that the search is underway. The Grand Mage accuses the mercenaries of incompetence and threatens to complain to the duke and the Town Chief. The more perceptive Martial Grandmaster recognizes that Red Beard is signaling them to leave and departs with him.
• Recovering in the courtyard, Ye Chuqi’s injuries continue to heal with help from her space. Her damaged meridians still cannot hold Spiritual Power, but using it is becoming less painful; she also realizes her repaired meridians are stronger than before.
• Ye Chuqi asks Deputy Commander Jun Ruofeng to recommend someone to make her a custom weapon. When he asks what she wants, she answers: a sword.

Character developments and interactions

• Red Beard’s attempt to tie Ye Chuqi’s hair ends in a comically unruly style. Her cheerful gratitude contrasts with his frustration.
• Ye Chuqi shows greater caution after her injuries: she recognizes the danger of the world and wants a weapon to protect herself, rather than assuming she can manage without one.
• Xiya’s relief at Ye Chuqi’s safe return reveals her concern and affection. Ye Chuqi’s bemused reaction to the Grand Mage’s behavior lightens Xiya’s earlier sadness.
• The Grand Mage is arrogant and quick to take offense, while the Martial Grandmaster is experienced and socially perceptive. Jun Ruofeng is practical and teasing, pressing Ye Chuqi about whether she can afford a custom weapon.

Significant themes

• Competence versus arrogance: The Martial Grandmaster’s judgment contrasts with the Grand Mage’s bluster.
• Recovery and adaptation: Ye Chuqi is healing, but must rebuild her ability and adjust to her vulnerabilities.
• Self-reliance and preparation: Her search for a suitable sword reflects a new understanding that she needs dependable means of defense.

• Ye Chuqi wants a sword: After trying Ed’s black dagger, Ye Chuqi decides its workmanship is excellent but its unusual weight makes it unsuitable for most thieves. Since her own fighting style relies on strength, she thinks it suits her. Jun Ruofeng suggests she might even use a greatsword.
• The dagger’s value is revealed: Jun explains that it was forged by Beverly, the Empire’s only Ninth-Rank Artifact Forging Grandmaster. Beverly is famously selective and rarely takes commissions; even this flawed dagger fetched an enormous price. Ed spent all his money and borrowed from Jun to buy it, then gave it to Ye Chuqi at Red Beard’s request—partly because she saved Red Beard. Ye Chuqi decides she should repay Ed someday.
• A possible way to reach Beverly: Jun can introduce Ye Chuqi to the master, but cannot guarantee he will forge anything for her. San San suggests offering Beverly a basic Artifact Forging technique from Ye Chuqi’s cultivation-world knowledge. Ye Chuqi hopes it may give the reclusive master fresh ideas after his recent failed experiment and agrees that it is a promising gift.
• The search in Kru Town continues: The Red Wind Mercenary Group and the town mayor have spent two days searching the town. Jun has calmed Duke Fulton’s people, but the companions who followed the trail into the Lost Forest have not reported back, which is worrying. Red Wind identifies two suspicious townspeople and takes them into custody; questioning Gree has also yielded new progress.
  Character developments and interactions: Ye Chuqi shows practical confidence in her strength, gratitude toward Ed, and resourcefulness in finding a suitable gift for Beverly. San San supports her with knowledge and encouragement, while Jun provides information and assistance; he also notices Ye Chuqi’s sudden enthusiasm. Red Beard’s influence is evident in both Ed’s gift and the group’s efforts in town.
  Themes: Gratitude and reciprocity, knowledge exchanged across cultures, the limits of wealth and status, and the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing search.

Key plot points and events

• Red Beard tells Ye Chuqi that Jun Ruofeng used unusual methods to investigate the girls’ disappearances. He identified three groups involved, including the thief who abducted Ye Chuqi, but keeps his precise methods secret.
• The investigation establishes that the abductors took the girls into the Lost Forest, where others collected them for delivery to an important person in the Imperial Capital. The trail then goes cold, and the forest’s chaotic magnetic field defeats Jun Ruofeng’s tracking technique.
• Duke Fulton, angered by pressure from others and the lack of progress, takes the three prisoners—including Gree—from the Red Wind Mercenary Group. Red Beard lets him, since the group has reached the limit of what it can learn from them.
• Ye Chuqi worries that the investigation’s failure will harm the group’s standing. Red Beard explains that they accepted an intermediate town-assistance mission, not Duke Fulton’s higher-level rescue mission, and have fulfilled their assignment by making arrests and uncovering leads.
• The group plans to leave Kru Town to deliver the Red Sun Fruit. Red Beard’s silence leads Ye Chuqi to suspect the missing girls may already be dead, and that the larger operation extends beyond the town.
• Before they depart, the group returns from the Lost Forest with the girls’ bodies, including Duke Fulton’s daughter. Ye Chuqi notices something strange about their condition.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi is curious about Jun Ruofeng’s investigative abilities and anxious about the mission’s outcome. She also reflects that she expects to grow taller, despite Red Beard teasing her for worrying too much.
• Red Beard is playful and physically familiar with Ye Chuqi, teasing and patting her head, but he is also shrewd: he chose a mission the group could complete and avoids wasting effort once the investigation stalls.
• Jun Ruofeng remains mysterious and resourceful. His unusual skill can trace evidence in town, but even he cannot overcome the Lost Forest’s conditions.
• Duke Fulton grows impatient and uses his authority to take custody of the suspects, ending the group’s direct involvement with them.
• Red Beard and Ye Chuqi’s exchanges mix humor with serious discussion, while his silence about the girls’ fate helps her grasp the grim reality.

Significant themes

• Limits of justice and rescue: The group uncovers part of the criminal network but cannot save the victims in time.
• Power and obstruction: The Imperial Capital’s involvement and Duke Fulton’s influence complicate the search and constrain the mercenaries’ actions.
• Pragmatism and responsibility: Red Beard fulfills the task the group accepted, while recognizing that a larger conspiracy exceeds one mercenary group’s reach.
• Hidden truths: Jun Ruofeng’s methods, the wider trafficking operation, and the strange state of the bodies all remain unresolved.

Plot points

• Investigators determine that the young women found dead in Kru Town were drained of their blood while still alive; their bodies were unnaturally shriveled.
• The deaths remind Xiya of her near-abduction by nobles in the Imperial Capital who believed young women’s blood could preserve their youth. Red Beard had rescued her.
• Duke Fulton recognizes the possible connection to the Imperial Capital’s corrupt aristocracy and leaves Kru Town with his people.
• The Red Wind Mercenary Group considers using Kru Town’s costly Teleportation Array to avoid crossing the dangerous Lost Forest while carrying the valuable Red Sun Fruit. Jun Ruofeng, who controls the group’s funds, agrees.
• As the array activates, San San warns Ye Chuqi that space is twisting abnormally. Following his directions, Qi Qi cuts a specific line in the Formation and pushes Red Beard clear.
• The teleportation is disrupted. The group arrives somewhere, but Qi Qi is missing. She lands alone in the Lost Forest, with San San still beside her, and realizes she must find her way through the forest after all.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiya reveals a painful part of her past, explaining why the victims’ condition unsettles her.
• Red Beard is shown as Xiya’s rescuer and as the person Qi Qi instinctively protects during the teleportation crisis.
• Jun Ruofeng is willing to spend heavily for comfort and safety, despite Red Beard’s outstanding debt to him.
• Qi Qi and San San demonstrate their close trust: San San warns and guides her, and she follows his instructions immediately. Their bond reassures her even when she is stranded.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts wealth and privilege with danger: Duke Fulton can spend a fortune to travel, but money cannot prevent the array’s failure.
• It highlights the exploitation of vulnerable people by powerful elites, linking the murders to Xiya’s near fate.
• Trust and quick action become essential when familiar protections—such as the Teleportation Array—fail.

Key plot points and events

• Soon after teleporting, Ye Chuqi realizes the array may have been tampered with. She suspects Duke Fulton, possibly acting out of anger over his daughter’s death.
• Stranded far inside the Lost Forest, she chooses to continue north toward the Imperial Capital rather than return to Kru Town. Her supplies should last, and returning would cost money she no longer has.
• For several days, she survives by using San San’s warnings to avoid high-rank magic beasts, which she is not strong enough to confront.
• San San recovers enough for Ye Chuqi to enter and leave her portable space freely. She uses it as a safe place to rest while healing.
• San San detects a bloodied, black-clad person being pursued by a high-rank beast behaving abnormally. When the beast passes Ye Chuqi’s hiding place, she throws something onto it.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Chuqi shows practical judgment and resourcefulness: she conserves money and supplies, avoids unnecessary fights, and relies on San San’s ability to monitor danger.
• San San acts as her lookout and guide, interpreting the forest’s subtle signs and warning her of threats.
• Big Black Fish hopes the journey might let him return to his home in the Lost Forest, but gives up the idea when he learns they are deep in its most dangerous region.
• The mysterious injured stranger runs past Ye Chuqi without stopping. She intervenes indirectly against the beast, though her precise action and motive are not yet revealed.

Significant themes

• Survival through caution and ingenuity: Ye Chuqi lives by evading threats rather than overpowering them.
• Isolation and uncertainty: The forest’s strange magnetic field, mist, and dangerous wildlife make travel unpredictable.
• Suspicion and hidden motives: The teleportation malfunction and the beast’s unnatural frenzy suggest deliberate interference.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Limited money, injuries, and a hostile environment force Ye Chuqi to make careful choices.