Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian is arrested by Lu Xiaofeng, who insists that he follows the law regardless of Luo’s connections. Yin Quanyin and Du Lengning recognize that Luo may be important, but Luo keeps his identity quiet and says he expects to return within three days.
• Zheng Daoguang seeks help from the Deputy Hall Steward. Though anxious to protect Luo, Zheng is warned that intervening could invite an investigation by the emperor’s Imperial Execution Bureau and endanger his own career.
• The Deputy Hall Steward promises to prevent Lu from holding Luo without evidence. He argues that letting Lu make his case—and then fail—may be safer than giving Luo’s enemies grounds to pursue him later. Zheng understands the strategy as releasing pressure before it erupts.
• In the Immortal Apprehension Office, Luo clears a long-neglected cell of its vermin, then taunts the jailer. He claims to be a Secret Investigation Bureau operative and confidently predicts his release within three days.
• As Luo presses the jailer’s anxieties, an unidentified dark figure arrives and announces that Luo’s time has come.

Character developments

• Zheng Daoguang shows both fierce loyalty to his subordinates and growing political judgment. He initially resists abandoning Luo, but grasps the Deputy Hall Steward’s strategy and accepts its logic.
• The Deputy Hall Steward emerges as a calculating protector: he intends to restrain Lu Xiaofeng while managing the political risks to Zheng and Luo.
• Luo Qian remains resourceful, proud, and commercially minded. He treats dignity as something not to bargain away and uses bluff and psychological pressure to control the jailer.
• Lu Xiaofeng is portrayed as stubbornly committed to enforcing the law, even against powerful connections.
• The jailer, initially swaggering, becomes unnerved by Luo’s claims and the possibility that his private misconduct could be exposed.

Significant themes

• Law versus influence: Lu’s insistence on procedure clashes with the powerful officials trying to shape the outcome.
• Political pressure and risk management: The Deputy Hall Steward treats controversy like a buildup of pressure that must be released before it becomes destructive.
• Loyalty and self-interest: Zheng risks his standing to protect a subordinate, while Luo weighs even his dignity like a merchant weighs a deal.
• Bluff and perception: Luo’s confidence unsettles the jailer, showing how reputation and uncertainty can be weapons.

Character interactions

• Lu refuses to yield to Luo’s apparent connections; Luo, in turn, relies on Zheng’s reputation and the expected weakness of the case.
• Zheng pleads with the Deputy Hall Steward, who warns him of the danger but offers a controlled way to protect Luo.
• Luo verbally dominates the jailer, turning the man’s authority into anxiety—until the arrival of the mysterious figure changes the situation.

Key plot points and events

• A mysterious, sharp-featured man arrives at the prison claiming to carry Lord Lu’s orders. When the jailer asks to inspect his jade token, the man uses it to blind and kill him with a burst of golden blades.
• The man frees Luo Qian with the jailer’s key and identifies himself as Luo Renwang, a paid troubleshooter. He escapes with Luo Qian in a magical bell, while a gray cloud summoned from a Beast-Sealing Puppet blocks six pursuers from the Immortal Apprehension Office.
• Luo Renwang’s Thousand-Ghost Demon Beast kills two pursuers. Lu Xiaofeng recognizes the assassin, orders his surviving men to withdraw, and warns that Luo Renwang’s employer will suffer the same fate as the Feng Household. Luo Renwang replies that even the Immortal Emperor may be powerless this time, then escapes with Luo Qian.
• Luo Renwang drops Luo Qian in a remote mountain region, saying his fee covers only the rescue and that the woman who hired him may come to explain. After waiting in vain, Luo Qian washes in a river and returns to True Transformation Source by night.
• Rather than go to his jewelry shop, Luo Qian visits the Secret Investigation Bureau’s garden contact point to see Zheng Daoguang. Zheng immediately orders his subordinates to seize him; Luo Qian is bound again.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains irreverent and fatalistic, joking about execution and imagining that he could simply start over in another realm. Though puzzled by who arranged his rescue, he accepts that he cannot solve the mystery by brooding. He trusts Zheng enough to seek him out, only to be arrested again.
• Luo Renwang is revealed as a renowned, highly capable assassin who treats the rescue strictly as paid work. He is calm in danger, protects his own interests, and refuses to disclose his employer’s identity.
• Lu Xiaofeng shows sound judgment by withdrawing once he recognizes that his forces cannot defeat Luo Renwang, despite his anger and the loss of two subordinates.
• Zheng Daoguang’s abrupt order to seize Luo Qian creates uncertainty about whether he suspects him, is following procedure, or has another motive. Luo Qian protests that returning voluntarily should count in his favor.

Significant themes

• Mercenary loyalty and secrecy: Luo Renwang fulfills only the terms of his contract, withholding even the identity of his employer.
• Power and institutional limits: The Immortal Apprehension Office cannot stop a legendary assassin, and Luo Renwang’s claim that even the Immortal Emperor may be helpless hints at a still larger threat.
• Uncertainty and fatalism: Luo Qian faces danger with humor and resignation, preferring to act rather than dwell on what he cannot know.
• Cycles of fortune and downfall: The history of the Feng and Zuo households illustrates how wealth, influence, and security can shift over time.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian explains his return to Zheng Daoguang, who admits he believed Luo Qian was innocent but had to make a public show of discipline. He says Luo Qian’s escape has caused a stir across the Immortal Realm, prompting the Immortal Emperor to put the Imperial Execution Bureau in charge of capturing Luo Renwang.
• Lu Xiaofeng has used the crisis to win twenty elite Golden Turtle Immortal Soldiers. Zheng Daoguang predicts that placing these powerful soldiers under a low-ranking commandant may cause conflict. He promises to devise a solution for Luo Qian and quietly draws him in to discuss it.
• Elsewhere, an Imperial Execution Bureau squad tracks Luo Renwang’s trail. Their young commander initially seems uninformed and arrogant, but notices a clue left by the Autumn Spring Formation Casket: a faint green glow to the southeast. He identifies the hidden formation and finds a trapped man.
• The captive is Luo Qian, restrained by the Eight-Ghost Vein Lock. The commander recognizes the technique and uses a demanding sequence of palm strikes to release him. Luo Qian wakes confused.

Character development and interactions

• Luo Qian remains wary of official life and says he would rather keep a modest post and tend to his business. He flatters Zheng Daoguang to secure his help, while privately feeling little ambition.
• Zheng Daoguang shows both political pragmatism and personal concern: he publicly disciplines Luo Qian for appearances but privately reassures him and offers to manage the fallout. Their exchange is familiar and teasing, though Zheng reminds Luo Qian of his earlier reluctance to help with the Lu Household.
• The young commander proves far more perceptive and capable than his subordinates first assume. He uses knowledge of the formation’s weakness to uncover the trap, then takes charge of freeing Luo Qian.
• The commander’s rough treatment of a subordinate exposes his intimidating, authoritarian side. The other soldiers’ initial resentment turns to respect after he demonstrates his skill.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Zheng’s public stance differs from his private belief, and the seemingly incompetent commander reveals unexpected ability.
• Fortune’s reversals: Lu Xiaofeng’s new command may be a “blessing” that becomes a burden, echoing the old-man-and-horse proverb.
• Power, hierarchy, and political maneuvering: Elite troops under a junior officer may create friction, while Zheng seeks a settlement that satisfies competing interests.
• Knowledge as power: Recognizing the formation’s subtle flaw allows the commander to outwit Luo Renwang’s protections and find Luo Qian.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Hu, a young fifth-rank commander in the Imperial Execution Bureau, takes Luo Qian away from the pursuit of Luo Renwang. Luo Qian suspects Zheng Daoguang engineered the operation, risking execution to help him.
• Xu Hu brings Luo Qian to a secluded islet and up a magically concealed path to a hilltop garden. The powerful but unidentified host’s effortless use of an eighth-tier art impresses Xu Hu’s subordinates.
• In the garden, Luo Qian is overwhelmed by the beauty of a dancing fairy. Xu Hu, visibly jealous and emotionally affected, warns Luo Qian not to stare.
• The host invites Luo Qian to drink Hundred-Flower Brew. Their easy, joking conversation reveals the host knows Luo Qian’s background and sees his shrewd, opportunistic nature. He also mentions Luo Qinglei and the Qian Household, making Luo Qian uncomfortable.
• The host asks Luo Qian not to blame Lu Xiaofeng for arresting him, saying he has arrangements to address the situation involving Luo Renwang.
• Luo Qian correctly guesses the host is the Immortal Emperor, Taiqing Mingyao. The Emperor then questions him about a Communication Conch. Under the Emperor’s penetrating gaze, Luo Qian admits it came from the Divine Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains cautious and calculating, but his curiosity, love of fine wine, and instinct to seize an advantage make him candid and amusing. The Emperor’s authority briefly unsettles him, especially when questioned about the conch.
• Xu Hu is disciplined and deferential toward the Emperor, yet his reaction to the fairy reveals intense attraction or jealousy. He escorts Luo Qian and follows the Emperor’s orders without question.
• The Immortal Emperor presents himself as relaxed and genial, teasing Luo Qian and sharing wine, but his knowledge and commanding presence make clear that he is powerful and perceptive.
• The fairy has a profound effect on Luo Qian and Xu Hu, though she remains largely silent and mysterious.
• Their conversation establishes a tentative rapport between Luo Qian and the Emperor, while the Emperor’s request about Lu Xiaofeng signals that he intends to intervene in Luo Qian’s troubles.

Significant themes

• Power and hidden identity: The Emperor’s casual manner conceals immense authority, while the concealed path and effortless magic emphasize the gulf between ordinary observers and powerful immortals.
• Guile, truth, and scrutiny: Luo Qian habitually looks for advantage and prepares to lie, but the Emperor’s gaze draws out a reluctant admission.
• Beauty and desire: The fairy’s dance overwhelms both Luo Qian and Xu Hu, exposing emotions they struggle to control.
• Favor and political risk: Zheng Daoguang’s apparent help and the Emperor’s intervention suggest that Luo Qian’s fate depends on dangerous alliances and powerful patrons.

Key plot points and events

• Emperor Taiqing Mingyao questions Luo Qian about reaching the Divine Realm. Luo Qian gives a guarded version of the story, and the emperor recognizes that crossing the Carefree Cloud Sea remains extremely difficult.
• Concerned that contact between the Divine and Immortal Realms could lead to invasion or another devastating war, the emperor appoints Luo Qian a third-rank Dark Blade Guard. Luo is tasked with gathering intelligence on the Western Divine Realm and reporting to Xu Hu. He receives a Three-Colored Jade Seal that can secure support from major Imperial agencies.
• Luo Qian confirms he will not need daily roll call, preserving time for his business. The emperor laments that Luo’s lack of interest in official service may prevent him from fulfilling the emperor’s plan to repay Qian Qinglei’s old debt by eventually elevating Luo to high office.
• Xu Hu receives orders to capture Luo Renwang within a month. After leaving the emperor, Luo Qian returns to find his jewelry shop locked. He contacts Du Lengning, who is relieved to hear he is safe and explains that he and the others spent money seeking help during Luo’s absence.
• Luo reunites with Du Lengning, Xiao Xiangzi, and Ling Xiaose. Over drinks, he tells them about the emperor’s appointment and shows them the Jade Seal. His friends celebrate their new connection to imperial authority.
• Lu Xiaofeng arrives with Golden Turtle Immortal Soldiers and accuses Luo of murder and escaping prison. Luo realizes the emperor’s decree has not yet reached the authorities, so he willingly allows himself to be arrested, expecting to rely on the decree later.
• At the Immortal Apprehension Office, Lu Xiaofeng boasts about Green Mound Prison’s twelve layers of restrictions. Rather than reveal his imperial seal, Luo decides to enter the prison and test it, hinting that someone other than Luo Renwang may be able to break in.

Character developments

• Luo Qian remains wary and opportunistic: he withholds details from the emperor, secures a prestigious secret appointment without sacrificing his commercial freedom, and treats his new arrest as a chance to investigate the prison.
• Emperor Taiqing Mingyao reveals a strategic, cautious side, fearing the consequences of opening a route between realms. He also shows personal regret that Luo will not pursue the career he had planned for him.
• Xu Hu accepts Luo as his subordinate and follows the emperor’s orders, including the mission to capture Luo Renwang.
• Du Lengning and the other partners show deep concern and loyalty during Luo’s disappearance. Their excitement over the Jade Seal reveals how much they value the protection and status it offers.
• Lu Xiaofeng remains arrogant and hostile, confident that his forces and new prison can contain Luo.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: The emperor warns that desire persists even among immortals and can drive conflict between realms.
• Commerce versus public service: Luo values his business and independence over the rank and influence offered by government service.
• Authority and protection: The Jade Seal promises institutional backing, while Lu Xiaofeng’s actions show how unevenly power may be used.
• Luck, risk, and confidence: Luo’s improbable survival shapes how others view him, and he continues to take calculated risks—this time by entering the prison voluntarily.

Character interactions

• The emperor alternates between cordial conversation and commanding authority, while Luo responds with caution, humor, and negotiation.
• Xu Hu and Luo establish a formal subordinate–commander relationship, though Luo also offers Xu a teasing expression of confidence before his mission.
• Luo’s reunion with his partners is affectionate and emotional, but their celebration quickly gives way to confrontation when Lu Xiaofeng arrives.
• Luo’s apparent compliance with Lu Xiaofeng masks a plan of his own, setting up a clash between the official’s confidence and Luo’s ingenuity.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian expects the Immortal Emperor to pardon him, but Lu Xiaofeng mistakes this for an attempt to arrange another escape. He angrily has Luo thrown into Green Mound Prison, whose newly reinforced gates and restrictions are meant to make escape impossible.
• Luo Qian rests in his cell, but the God King uses their Equal Summoning Contract to pull him into the Divine Realm. Lu Xiaofeng later discovers the cell empty and, convinced Luo has defied the law again, vows to catch him.
• The God King presses Luo to deliver ten thousand pills. Luo claims imprisonment and the authorities’ scrutiny have disrupted his supply, then invokes force majeure and risks losing his Divine Realm property. When the God King offers to compensate his losses, Luo agrees to deliver the pills soon.
• In Loback Province, Luo inspects a successful perfume sample. He orders Gesberti to recruit Potion Makers and establish a factory, planning to manufacture perfume cheaply in the Divine Realm and sell it in the Immortal Realm.
• The God King grows suspicious of Luo’s expanding Potion Maker operation. After Luo returns with the promised ten thousand pills and accepts another order, the God King’s suspicions deepen—but Luo’s visit also reveals why the pills matter: the Divine Realm is struggling against a fierce demonic offensive, and the medicine has greatly improved battlefield survival and morale.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains an inventive, self-interested merchant. He turns his supposed predicament into leverage, persuading the God King to cover his losses while concealing that he already has the pills. At the same time, he advances a new perfume business.
• Lu Xiaofeng is rigidly devoted to enforcing the law and increasingly sees Luo as a deliberate threat to the Immortal Realm’s justice system. He does not realize Luo’s disappearances were caused by the God King’s summoning.
• The God King is courteous but desperate for the pills. His willingness to apologize and compensate Luo reflects the military crisis; his curiosity about Luo’s factory hints that he may suspect the pills are being produced in the Divine Realm.
• The chapter’s central interaction is Luo’s negotiation with the God King: the God King needs Luo’s medicine, while Luo uses that dependence to protect his interests. Meanwhile, Luo and Lu Xiaofeng remain at odds, largely because Lu misunderstands what is happening.

Significant themes

• Law versus circumstance: Lu Xiaofeng treats Luo’s unexplained absences as lawbreaking, though they are beyond Luo’s control.
• Commerce, trust, and opportunism: Luo wraps self-interest in the language of loyalty and contractual clauses, while the God King must bargain because he urgently needs the goods.
• Interdependence in conflict: The pills’ effects show how trade can shape a war by saving soldiers and restoring morale.
• Entrepreneurial ambition: Luo turns cross-realm connections and inexpensive labor into the foundation of a new perfume enterprise.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Xiaofeng’s realm-wide hunt for Luo Qian ends when the Jade Emperor secretly orders him to withdraw it. Lu is furious but obeys; the Emperor is amused by the confusion surrounding Luo Qian’s escape.
• Luo Qian stays hidden until the warrant is lifted, then seeks shelter with Lei Laohu. Lei explains how widely Lu’s embarrassment has become known, while Luo keeps the secret of his escape to himself.
• Luo gives Lei a small supply of perfume to distribute among his clients. His larger aim is to introduce cosmetics—such as mascara, eye shadow, and foundation—to the Immortal Realm, using perfume to attract interest.
• With the danger past, Luo resumes business at the Luo Trading Company. He gets more cosmetic formulas from Dongfang Chen, who organizes promotion and recruits contestants for sponsorships ahead of the beauty pageant.
• Zhu Ke’er, the pageant’s leading favorite, visits Luo in men’s clothing. Rather than seeking a crown, she mainly wants clothes like those Luo designed for the Broken Moon Realm contestants. Luo offers her a makeover in exchange for serving as a paid company spokesperson, and she tentatively agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains quick-witted and entrepreneurial. He turns a dangerous escape into a comic victory, keeps his methods secret, and pursues a new cosmetics market. His meeting with Zhu Ke’er also reveals a playful, flirtatious side.
• Lu Xiaofeng is forced to abandon his conspicuous manhunt after the Emperor’s order, exposing the limits of his authority despite his anger and determination.
• Lei Laohu acts as Luo’s cautious ally, warning him about the surveillance and helping distribute the perfume.
• Dongfang Chen becomes Luo’s marketing partner, arranging sponsorships and teasing him about Zhu Ke’er.
• Zhu Ke’er is lively, independent, and uninterested in the pageant’s usual prize of becoming one of the Nine Celestial Maidens. She values personal style and agrees to consider a business arrangement on her own terms.

Significant themes

• Authority and power: Lu’s legal zeal is checked by the Jade Emperor’s superior command.
• Cleverness and reputation: Luo’s escape humiliates his pursuer and enhances his standing, though he keeps the crucial trick private.
• Commerce and innovation: Luo adapts lower-realm marketing and cosmetics to the Immortal Realm, where their appeal is different.
• Individual choice: Zhu Ke’er resists the pageant’s conventional ambitions, preferring clothing and self-expression to status.

• Highwaymen attack a major caravan: Disguised as men in yellow robes and golden masks, the bandits ambush the Eastern Trade Caravan in the desert, killing most of its guards in moments and escaping with horses and valuable cargo. In response to the growing raids, the Secret Investigation Bureau orders Zheng Daoguang to investigate, and he has Luo Qian keep watch. Luo Qian strengthens his own, smaller caravan’s guard force as a precaution.
• The rival Golden Divine Pills are revealed: Daoist Wanwan and Mu Fengming invite prominent immortals to Colorful Butterfly Isle to witness the opening of their Golden Divine Pills. Their challenge follows Master Longque’s recent success, achieved with Luo Qian’s help, which earned him the title of the Immortal Realm’s foremost Pill Refiner. Longque is convinced their pills will fail and eagerly sets out with Luo Qian and Zhao Xihe to see for himself.
• Longque and Wanwan clash: On the journey, Longque mocks the island’s shape and its supposedly poor spiritual energy. Bi’er, irritated and out of Spirit-Accumulating Pills, roars at him; Longque is ready to punish it, but holds back when onlookers recognize the party. At the island, Wanwan pointedly snubs Longque while welcoming Zhao and Luo, and the two senior refiners trade increasingly petty insults as they wait.
• The pills succeed: Mu Fengming carefully tends the furnace through its crucial final stage. At sunset, a burst of power destroys the pill hut and throws him aside, but three radiant Golden Divine Pills emerge. Wanwan and several black-clad figures quickly trap them before they can escape. Zhao notices the mysterious helpers, while Longque realizes his short reign as top pill refiner is likely over. Luo Qian is pleased: the rivals’ success will pressure Longque to work harder, advancing Luo’s plans whether or not they found Sacred Blood Condensate.
  Character developments and interactions: Longque’s professional pride fuels his contempt for Wanwan and his boasting, though public attention forces him to restrain his temper. Wanwan’s resentment shows in his deliberate snub, while Mu Fengming’s concentration and sacrifice establish his role as the painstaking craftsman behind the pills. Luo remains tactful outwardly but strategically welcomes the rivalry; Zhao is observant, particularly about the unexplained black-clad figures. Bi’er’s brief flare of temper contrasts with its lingering fear of Longque.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts public prestige with genuine achievement, showing how titles and rivalries can be unstable. It also emphasizes preparation and vigilance—from Luo’s response to the highwaymen to Mu Fengming’s precision at the furnace—and hints that hidden forces may be involved in the pill-making contest.

Plot points and events

• Daoist Wanwan and Mu Fengming’s successful pill refinement restores their status as two of the Immortal Realm’s foremost Pill Refiners, alongside Longque. The shared title satisfies no one: Longque goes into seclusion, while Wanwan fumes about having to share first place.
• Mr. Ri hosts the two refiners aboard his extravagant ship, Dewflower Terrace. He flatters them, emphasizes their ambition to surpass Longque, and reminds them that he spent a fortune obtaining Heavenlight Whisker and Great Beast Blood for their experiments.
• Mr. Ri offers them an ongoing supply of rare ingredients in exchange for every Golden Divine Pill they produce. Though wary of his intentions, the refiners find the offer tempting and begin to consider accepting. Mr. Ri watches, confident he has drawn them into his influence.
• Meanwhile, Luo Qian is occupied with preparations for the beauty contest finals. Luo Group has signed most likely finalists, but two popular contestants—“Xiao Yan” and “Kuosi Ren”—remain unidentified and elusive. Luo Qian also delivers contestant information and beauty-treatment materials, then takes formulas and ingredients to Potion Maker Saberdin for urgent preparation.
• Lei Laohu tells Luo Qian that Mr. Ri’s buyer wants a long-term supply of Heavenlight Whisker, now at half the previous price, and is also seeking Great Beast Blood. Luo Qian can provide the whisker but doubts he can supply suitable blood—until he remembers the Ant Snake King’s blood and gives Lei Laohu a sample to offer.

Character developments and interactions

• Daoist Wanwan remains proud and competitive, but his desire to surpass Longque makes him receptive to Mr. Ri’s flattery and offer.
• Mu Fengming is more easygoing and cautious, yet the prospect of limitless ingredients also appeals to him.
• Mr. Ri reveals himself as a calculated patron: he uses hospitality, flattery, and delayed disclosure of the whisker’s enormous cost to make the refiners feel indebted and encourage them to accept his terms.
• Luo Qian is shown juggling business and contest preparations, while his resourcefulness turns an overlooked store of Ant Snake King blood into a possible solution.
• Lei Laohu acts as Luo Qian’s intermediary with Mr. Ri’s buyer and maintains their practical, familiar rapport.

Significant themes

• Patronage and control: Generous support can conceal an attempt to bind talented people to a patron.
• Ambition and rivalry: Wanwan and Mu Fengming’s wish to outdo Longque makes them vulnerable to persuasion.
• The cost of success: The refiners’ achievement depends on rare, expensive ingredients and the obligations attached to them.
• Resourcefulness and commerce: Luo Qian’s ability to recognize the value of what he already possesses keeps opportunities moving despite his many responsibilities.

Plot points and events

• The Nine Realms beauty pageant’s final round opens in the Broken Moon Realm, drawing more than a hundred thousand spectators.
• Zhu Ke’er arrives secretly at Luo Qian’s jewelry shop, refusing her driver’s offer to accompany her. She asks Luo to help prepare her appearance and performance; he agrees, and they rehearse through the morning.
• Luo Qian’s neon wall advertises the event and his business. He is pleased by the huge audience and the publicity it will bring.
• Zhu Ke’er and Luo enter the venue together, prompting loud jealousy and curses from her many admirers. Yin Quanyin sends her backstage and directs Luo to a front-row box.
• Luo joins Du Lengning, Xiao Xiangzi, and Ling Xiaose. Their teasing turns to nervous silence when Ling hints that Li Feier would disapprove of their talk.
• The contest begins with dramatic lighting and staged entrances. As the eighty-one contestants appear, the crowd watches in awe.
• During the thirty-ninth performance, a dancer keeps her back to the audience until the end, then turns with her face partly concealed. Her gaze falls toward Luo’s box, and he is struck motionless.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Ke’er shows her playful independence by sneaking out and confidently brushing off her driver’s concern. She trusts Luo’s judgment and responds quickly to his coaching. Their easy rapport highlights her warmth and charm.
• Luo Qian balances genuine appreciation for Zhu Ke’er with his usual commercial instincts: even amid the spectacle, he is focused on the advertising value. He also playfully trades insults with his friends.
• Du Lengning mocks Luo about his supposed romantic success and teases Ling Xiaose, while quickly backing down when Luo mentions a formidable young rival.
• Ling Xiaose is bashful around the beauties but surprises his companions by invoking Li Feier to silence their joking.
• The men’s banter is abruptly displaced by the pageant’s theatrical spectacle—and finally by the mysterious dancer’s look toward Luo.

Significant themes

• Public spectacle and commercial ambition: Luo turns the pageant into both entertainment and a powerful advertising opportunity.
• Beauty, performance, and personality: The contestants’ carefully staged appearances shape how the audience sees them; Zhu Ke’er’s appeal, by contrast, rests on natural warmth and innocence.
• Humor and romantic jealousy: Zhu Ke’er’s popularity provokes the crowd, while the friends’ teasing reveals both their rivalries and their fear of romantic consequences.
• Suspense and attraction: The concealed dancer’s slow reveal and apparent attention to Luo end the chapter on a moment of personal intrigue.

Plot points and events

• During the Flower Queen contest, Luo Qian recognizes the mysterious contestant Xiao Yan as Xie Tang from her eyes and the reversed characters of her name. He suspects she noticed him arriving with Zhu Ke’er.
• Li Feier gives a graceful, understated presentation, drawing loud applause. Luo Qian reflects on how the contest means different things to its participants and its organizers.
• Pei Sefei appears in a warrior’s outfit and performs with a saber, directing her strikes toward Luo Qian’s box. She cannot finish her final swing and breaks down in tears, making clear that she is deeply hurt by him.
• Backstage, Yun Xi and Yin Quanyin speculate about Luo Qian’s complicated romantic life; Yun Xi jokingly warns her husband against taking a concubine.
• After the preliminary round, Luo Qian waits backstage, unsure whether he is waiting for Xie Tang or Pei Sefei. Zhu Ke’er and Li Feier both approach him, but he sends them away. Li Feier realizes he is waiting for another woman and leaves upset.

Character development

• Luo Qian is forced to confront feelings he thought he had buried for Xie Tang, while Pei Sefei’s grief makes him recognize the consequences of his romantic entanglements. His usual focus on business gives way to confusion and regret.
• Xie Tang remains guarded and enigmatic, communicating through a brief, emotionally charged glance and a performance that conceals her face.
• Pei Sefei reveals how wounded she is: despite her fierce, controlled public image, she cannot bring herself to complete the saber strike and begins to cry.
• Li Feier shows both her familiar boldness and a more vulnerable side when she realizes Luo Qian is emotionally occupied by someone else.
• Zhu Ke’er is cheerful at first, but Luo Qian’s distraction and rejection leave her hurt.

Significant themes

• Public performance versus private emotion: The contestants present carefully crafted images onstage, while their personal feelings surface through glances, hesitation, and tears.
• Love, jealousy, and divided loyalties: Luo Qian’s unresolved relationships create pain for several women and leave him unable to act decisively.
• The stakes of the contest: For Luo Qian it is business, for Yin Quanyin politics, and for the contestants a chance to change their lives.
• The limits of control: Pei Sefei’s inability to finish her final strike shows that emotion can overwhelm even discipline and resolve.

Character interactions

• Du Lengning and the other men notice Luo Qian’s reaction to the contestants and quietly infer that he has personal ties to them.
• Pei Sefei’s performance becomes a direct, wordless confrontation with Luo Qian.
• Yun Xi challenges Yin Quanyin over his joking about Luo Qian’s affairs, turning their gossip into playful marital banter.
• Zhu Ke’er and Li Feier clash when Li Feier pushes in to speak with Luo Qian; both ultimately leave after realizing he is waiting for someone else.

Key plot points and events

• After the contest, Luo Qian speaks with Xie Tang, who reveals that she paid Luo Renwang to rescue him after hearing he had been captured. She teases Luo Qian into thinking she sacrificed herself, then admits she pawned her jewelry to pay for the rescue.
• Xie Tang leaves, but secretly gives Luo Qian her Communication Conch contact. Pei Sefei, who has overheard their conversation, flies away in tears.
• Luo Qian pursues Pei Sefei with the Thundercloud Fire Leopard. He catches up and explains that he and Xie Tang are merely business partners—technically true, though deliberately misleading.
• Reassured but still hurt, Pei Sefei breaks down in Luo Qian’s arms. They reconcile after three years apart.
• Pei Sefei explains that a spirit Luo Qian sent to protect her awakened her Ghost Phoenix Physique. Given a cultivation method, she trained rapidly and eventually ascended, hoping to see Luo Qian again. They kiss.

Character developments

• Luo Qian shows genuine affection for both women, but relies on merchant-like half-truths to defuse Pei Sefei’s jealousy. He is moved by Xie Tang’s costly attempt to help him.
• Xie Tang reveals her concern and resourcefulness while keeping her feelings veiled behind teasing and playful misdirection.
• Pei Sefei reveals how deeply she suffered during their separation. Her cultivation was driven in part by her determination to reunite with Luo Qian.
• The Thundercloud Fire Leopard demonstrates its strength and loyalty, while Luo Qian’s joking threat is checked by the discovery that the Golden-Blood Demon Tiger is pregnant.

Significant themes

• Love and sacrifice: Xie Tang risks her fortune to help Luo Qian; Pei Sefei endures years of cultivation and hardship to find him.
• Jealousy and miscommunication: Pei Sefei’s overhearing of Luo Qian and Xie Tang sparks hurt, while Luo Qian’s evasive explanations provide only partial reassurance.
• Cunning and ambiguity: Xie Tang and Pei Sefei both maneuver to express or protect their feelings, while Luo Qian uses literal truths to avoid the full truth.
• Love as motivation: Pei Sefei’s desire to reunite with Luo Qian gives her cultivation a powerful personal purpose.

Character interactions

• Xie Tang and Luo Qian share a teasing but emotionally charged exchange, combining gratitude, concern, and unresolved intimacy.
• Pei Sefei confronts Luo Qian with jealousy and pain, then gradually softens as he reassures her; their reunion ends in an embrace and kiss.
• Du Lengning and his companions watch the romantic drama from afar, gossiping and joking about Luo Qian’s appeal.

Plot and key events

• Luo Qian’s intimate moment with Pei Sefei is interrupted when Little Black, the Thundercloud Fire Leopard, urgently signals that his mate, the Golden-Blood Demon Tiger, is giving birth.
• Luo Qian rushes the tiger to Zhao Xihe, a skilled Beast Cultivator. With Zhao’s help, she delivers six healthy cubs. The parents’ tenderness impresses everyone, and Zhao reflects that animals can show deeper parental care than people.
• Zhao cannot identify the cubs’ species, so he suggests naming them after the legendary dragon-eating Howl. Luo Qian combines their parents’ names and calls them Golden Vein Cloud Demon Howls.
• After a week of recovery, Luo Qian and Pei Sefei return with the tiger family to True Transformation Source. Luo orders a room prepared for the cubs and discreetly arranges for Li Xuexiao to join the household, partly to distract Du Lengning from Pei Sefei, whose familiar appearance worries him.
• Luo’s Communication Conch business is flourishing, but supplies are depleted. Before leaving for the Divine Realm to sell pills and restock his supplies, he is interrupted by Longque, who asks him to find Octopus Whale Ambergris. Longque explains that Heavenlight Whisker helped Wanwan reclaim the title of foremost Pill Refiner.
• In the Divine Realm, the God King confronts Luo about secretly recruiting Potion Makers. He proposes producing Luo’s pills there, but Luo insists they require Immortal Realm ingredients and techniques. Rather than provoke the God King, Luo offers to show him his factory, claiming it makes products for women.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shows both affection and pragmatism: he eagerly anticipates time with Pei Sefei but immediately prioritizes the animals’ emergency, then manages the God King’s suspicions with a tactful cover story.
• Pei Sefei shares Luo’s concern for the tiger and cubs and gently rebukes him for thinking about romance during the birth.
• Little Black emerges as a devoted mate and father, anxiously guarding the tiger and carefully helping deliver and protect their cubs.
• Zhao Xihe acts as a competent caregiver and mentor, guiding the birth and advising Luo on raising the cubs.
• Longque is eager to surpass Wanwan in pill refinement and trusts Luo to find rare ingredients, while Luo privately recognizes that he has already played a role in Wanwan’s success.
• The God King shifts from business partner to suspicious investigator, testing Luo’s honesty; Luo remains cautious because he depends on Divine Realm trade.

Significant themes

• Family and parental care: The birth and the parents’ devotion emphasize tenderness and responsibility—even among powerful beasts.
• Commerce, secrecy, and political power: Luo’s business success attracts scrutiny, forcing him to balance profit, independence, and diplomacy.
• Ambition and recognition: Longque’s rivalry with Wanwan shows how rare ingredients and hidden advantages shape status in pill refinement.
• Humor and contrast: Luo’s interrupted romantic plans and his improvised explanation of a “women’s products” factory lighten the chapter’s tense business negotiations.

Key plot points and events

• The God King, still suspicious of Luo Qian’s claims, visits Luo’s potion factory disguised as an ordinary divine being and introduced as “Wang.” Saberdin’s truthful tour confirms that the factory and its work are genuine, though the God King remains puzzled.
• Luo checks on the production of eye shadow and concealing foundation, which Saberdin expects to finish within a few days.
• Luo collects ten thousand Communication Conches from Gesberti and pays him with a thousand Five-Star Storage Rings. He also obtains special bait and a hundred thousand Energy Coins from Futis, hoping the Divine Realm creatures he fishes for might eat them.
• Luo invites Futis to go whaling. Gesberti recognizes the business opportunity and plans to buy whatever valuable materials they bring back, telling his staff to sell the Storage Rings quickly to raise funds.
• Luo is searching for rare “Octopus Whale Ambergris,” but Futis has never heard of ambergris being found in Giant Octopus Whales. Using the Mirage Tide Pearl and a Golden-Armored Automaton, Luo and Futis catch seven whales over two days.
• Dissections yield valuable Alchemy materials but no ambergris, and experienced workers say they have never encountered it. Luo begins to suspect he is mistaken and plans to hunt one more day before returning to the Immortal Realm.
• On the third day, no whales appear. As Luo and Futis prepare to return, an enormous shadow rises beneath their boat, unnoticed by either of them.

Character developments

• Luo Qian demonstrates confidence and resourcefulness, but his search for the ambergris becomes uncertain when repeated evidence challenges his assumption. He also takes pleasure in fishing despite viewing it as a practical errand.
• Futis eagerly reconnects with his old life as a fisherman. With better equipment and Luo’s magical device, he experiences an exhilarating return to the sea.
• Gesberti reveals his sharp commercial instincts: he anticipates that Luo’s catch may be highly valuable and prepares to buy the proceeds.
• The God King remains distrustful but is forced to reconsider Luo’s account after seeing the factory and hearing Saberdin’s accurate explanation.
• Saberdin appears capable and dependable, having assembled a skilled workforce and advanced production steadily.

Significant themes

• Trust and verification: The God King investigates Luo’s claims firsthand, yet truth does not immediately resolve his doubts.
• Commerce and opportunity: Gesberti turns Luo’s adventures into potential profit, illustrating how closely business-minded characters watch for advantage.
• Persistence amid uncertainty: Luo continues searching for a rare ingredient even as his expectations weaken.
• Renewed enjoyment and freedom: Whaling gives Futis a welcome escape from business and restores an important part of his former identity.

Character interactions

• Luo and the God King maintain a careful façade: Luo protects the King’s identity, while the King observes the factory without revealing his status.
• Saberdin gives the God King a straightforward account of the factory’s operations, earning his approval despite his lingering suspicions.
• Luo’s partnership with Futis blends practical cooperation with shared enjoyment of the sea.
• Gesberti’s eagerness to profit contrasts with Luo’s focus on finding ambergris, creating comic tension when Luo mistakes his excitement for concern.

Plot points and events

• A Poison Gas Bubble from the Giant Octopus Whale Emperor engulfs Luo Qian and Futis. They take detoxifying Three-Color Pills, then steer toward the shallows, hoping to force the hidden emperor into the open.
• Luo Qian places the Snow Eagle King’s Baleful Crystal into the Golden-Armored Automaton. The Killing Intent within it transforms the construct: red energy surrounds it, and tendrils fuse it with the Half Blood Moon and Spring and Autumn Sword.
• The emperor attacks with towering waves and enormous tentacles. The empowered automaton drives it back and forces it toward the surface.
• Luo Qian uses the Mirage Tide Pearl to distract the emperor. While it is entranced, he strikes its head with a golden dragon, killing it—but the blow also smashes the ambergris inside its brain.
• Dissection reveals that the ambergris can be recovered from the brain pulp and refined. Saberdin undertakes the process, and two days later Luo Qian receives the purified ambergris.
• Luo sells the captured whales to Gesberti at a bargain price in exchange for ten thousand Communication Conches, while keeping all top-grade materials from the emperor. He then opens a Teleportation Gate back to the Immortal Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shows resourcefulness by adapting the Baleful Crystal to the automaton and using the Mirage Tide Pearl to create an opening. His confidence turns to regret when he realizes he has ruined the ambergris, then to relief when Saberdin explains it can be salvaged.
• Futis is poisoned and rescued by Luo Qian’s pill. He remains a practical companion, acknowledging the danger and later marveling at the Mirage Tide Pearl’s effect.
• The Golden-Armored Automaton changes from a tool Luo Qian expects to sacrifice into a bloodlust-driven, extraordinarily powerful fighter after being infused with the Baleful Crystal.
• Gesberti continues to think in commercial terms, encouraging Luo Qian after the apparent loss of the ambergris and buying the whale carcasses.
• Saberdin arrives with his cosmetic-related work completed and provides the crucial solution for recovering the ambergris. Luo’s initial distraction and frustration give way to renewed hope.

Significant themes

• Improvisation and risk: Luo Qian’s unconventional use of the Baleful Crystal turns a desperate situation around, though it also introduces an unpredictable force.
• Power and control: The automaton’s savage transformation is effective but hints that greater strength may come with dangerous consequences.
• Fortune, loss, and recovery: Luo’s careless finishing blow seems to destroy his prize, but knowledge and cooperation make recovery possible.
• Commerce and practical alliances: Even amid a monster hunt, characters negotiate, calculate value, and turn danger into business.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian reflects on how he balances business, profit, and personal safety: he sells only lesser-quality goods, keeps rare treasures for himself, and carefully portions out the Giant Octopus Whale Emperor’s precious ambergris.
• After returning from the Western Divine Realm, he devotes time to Pei Sefei, taking her sightseeing around the Immortal Realm. Their romantic moment in a carriage is interrupted by Feng Feitian, the formidable Colorful-Robed Demoness, who warns Luo not to spoil the apprentice she has chosen.
• Luo and Feng trade insults; Luo’s undressed appearance frightens them both, and he later boasts that he drove her away. Humiliated and furious, Feng demolishes a mountain peak, then decides to recruit Pei Sefei, whose rare Ghost Phoenix Physique makes her an ideal successor.
• Feng’s sect requires its disciples to be virgins, so she worries Luo will interfere with her plans. She enlists Zhao Xihe, who invites Luo and Pei Sefei to Phoenix Paulownia Mountain.
• At Zhao’s residence, Feng and Luo meet again. Luo insults her before Zhao explains that she is second among the Nine Great Experts of the Heaven Ranking. Feng openly identifies herself as the Colorful-Robed Demoness; Luo continues provoking her, leaving Zhao worried that the powerful pair may come to blows.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains shrewd in business but is also affectionate toward Pei Sefei and impulsive, boastful, and irreverent when provoked. His crude teasing repeatedly clashes with Feng’s authority.
• Pei Sefei is affectionate and committed to Luo, though shy about intimacy in public. Her Ghost Phoenix Physique makes her valuable to Feng, setting up a possible conflict between her relationship and her future training.
• Feng Feitian is both terrifyingly powerful and comically volatile: she can level a mountain, yet her desire to recruit Pei Sefei—and her embarrassment at Luo’s behavior—drives her scheme.
• Zhao Xihe acts as mediator, relying on his friendship with Luo and seniority over Feng to bring the parties together, but he fears Luo’s provocations will trigger a fight.
• The Thundercloud Fire Leopard family and their young accompany Luo and Pei Sefei to visit Zhao, where they reunite warmly with Bi’er.

Significant themes

• Commerce and self-preservation: Luo’s selective selling reflects the compromises merchants make between profit and political or personal risk.
• Love versus obligation: Pei Sefei’s bond with Luo may conflict with Feng’s plans for her as a disciple.
• Power and reputation: Feng’s rank commands immediate fear and deference, while Luo’s irreverence creates comic tension with her fearsome status.
• Humor through contrast: Romantic embarrassment, insults, and misunderstandings sit alongside displays of overwhelming supernatural power.

Key plot points and events

• Feng Feitian offers to take Pei Sefei as her disciple, explaining that Pei’s rare Ghost Phoenix Physique suits her sect’s secret arts. Pei accepts, wanting to become strong enough to stand beside Luo Qian rather than remain dependent on him.
• Feng warns that Pei must remain a virgin until she masters the cultivation method, and threatens Luo Qian if he jeopardizes her training. She then takes Pei away to Eaglebeak Cliff immediately, leaving the newly reunited couple no chance to say goodbye.
• Zhao Xihe invites Luo Qian to join the hunt for escaped Heavenly River Demon Beasts, explaining their danger and the valuable materials they may yield. Luo declines, wary of joining powerful experts on a perilous expedition. Zhao later sets out himself.
• At the Jewelry Shop, Zheng Daoguang tells Luo Qian that Luo Renwang fought the Imperial Execution Bureau, was badly wounded, and escaped with help from his Thousand-Ghost Demon Beast.
• Zheng warns that Luo Renwang may implicate Luo Qian if captured, and recommends eliminating him. He offers to hire an assassin for one hundred million High-Grade Immortal Jades. Luo Qian is deeply troubled and leaves without deciding.
• The next morning, Du Lengning returns looking shaken and insists that a clerk deny having seen him leave, hinting at some secret or troubling nighttime activity.

Character developments and interactions

• Pei Sefei shows independence and resolve by choosing cultivation, while her affectionate farewell and promise to Luo Qian reveal her continued devotion.
• Luo Qian supports Pei’s choice but is frustrated by Feng’s taunts and their sudden separation. He also shows caution in refusing the demon-beast hunt, and moral hesitation over paying for Luo Renwang’s assassination.
• Feng Feitian is unusually patient when recruiting Pei, though she remains sharp-tongued and protective of her disciple. Her teasing of Luo Qian underscores their antagonistic rapport.
• Zhao Xihe acts as an encouraging mentor figure, first backing Pei’s opportunity and later inviting Luo Qian to hunt. He respects Luo’s refusal and does not force the matter.
• Zheng Daoguang presses Luo Qian to consider the danger Luo Renwang poses, presenting assassination as a practical solution while leaving the choice to him.
• Du Lengning’s furtive return and demand for secrecy introduce a new note of mystery.

Significant themes

• Independence and partnership: Pei wants strength of her own so she can help Luo Qian, not merely rely on him.
• Love tested by separation: The couple’s reunion is brief, and Pei’s demanding training delays their life together.
• Prudence versus ambition: Luo Qian avoids a dangerous hunt, while others pursue the rewards and prestige it offers.
• Survival and moral compromise: Zheng frames murder as self-preservation, forcing Luo Qian to weigh safety against his conscience.
• Power and vulnerability: Even formidable figures face danger, while Luo Qian’s lack of strength leaves him dependent on wealth, judgment, and alliances.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Qi Ren discovers that 100 million High-Grade Immortal Jade—nearly half of Du Lengning’s assets—has disappeared from Du’s Draft Bank account. Luo Qian knows nothing about it, and Du acts strangely when asked if he is all right.
• Preoccupied with the Thousand-Ghost Demon Beast, Luo Qian decides that cloning technology from the Mortal Realm might help Zhao Xihe create a similar creature. His trip also gives him a reason to avoid getting drawn into the troubling situation involving Zheng Daoguang and the missing money.
• Luo Qian travels to the Mortal Realm, but forged papers prevent him from flying normally. He crosses Europe using his Sky-Leaping Vault technique. Along the way, he accidentally captures a fighter jet and stores it in the Torch Dragon Boat, hoping Xiao Xiangzi can eventually transform it into an Immortal Artifact.
• Unable to carry out his original plan to infiltrate MI6, Luo Qian searches online for organ-cultivation research and breaks into a British research institute. He steals its files, then destroys its equipment and data because he is horrified by experiments growing human organs in animals.
• On his return journey, Luo Qian realizes a group is openly pursuing him. The pursuers are high-ranking members of the Holy See, seeking to restore the Church’s reputation after years of tensions with Eastern cultivators. Their bishop confronts him over an old East–West agreement dating back two thousand years.

Character developments

• Luo Qian shows both moral limits and reckless confidence. He refuses to kill someone merely to protect Xie Tang, but avoids confronting the surrounding trouble by leaving. He is resourceful in pursuing his cloning goal, though his actions—stealing a jet and burning the research institute—are impulsive and ethically complicated.
• Du Lengning appears distracted and evasive after the withdrawal of the enormous sum, hinting that he is concealing something from Luo Qian.
• Xiao Xiangzi remains behind with Du to manage affairs and may soon face the challenge of working on Luo Qian’s stolen fighter jet.
• The Holy See’s leaders are introduced as organized and politically motivated, pursuing Luo Qian as part of a larger effort to regain standing.

Significant themes

• Technology and supernatural power: Modern security, aviation, and research complicate the lives of immortals, while immortal abilities let Luo Qian bypass many human safeguards.
• Moral ambiguity: Luo Qian objects to animal experiments but uses theft and destruction to achieve his goal; the chapter leaves the ethical cost of his methods in view.
• East–West rivalry: Scarce resources and competition among cultivators have intensified old tensions, and the Holy See’s pursuit is tied to institutional reputation as much as to Luo Qian himself.
• Avoidance and uncertainty: Luo Qian’s departure lets him postpone dangerous questions, while Du’s unexplained financial dealings remain unresolved.

Character interactions

• Qi Ren notices the missing money, while Luo Qian remains unaware; Du’s evasive response adds tension to their otherwise ordinary conversation.
• Luo Qian tells Du and Xiao Xiangzi he is leaving, and Xiao Xiangzi reassures him that they can manage matters.
• Luo Qian’s accidental encounter with a fighter pilot turns into a bizarre abduction of the jet.
• At the chapter’s close, the Holy See’s bishop confronts Luo Qian about the old agreement. Luo Qian is more struck by the bishop’s fluent Chinese than intimidated by the group’s sacred weapons and armor.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian is ambushed by six martial experts and a lookout. He avoids their attacks with his superior speed, then uses a half-learned Western holy spell to convince them he is a god.
• The attackers refuse to let him leave and demand a token to prove their encounter. Luo Qian gives them a Golden Conch—an object that once served him as a toilet—and escapes. The Holy See later reveres it as a sacred artifact, even using it to hold holy water.
• Back in the Immortal Realm, Luo Qian has Ling Xiaose painstakingly transcribe his translated cloning technology onto a Jade Tablet.
• Zhao Xihe arrives with Old Roughworker and Lin Chang, leader of the Vertical and Horizontal Sect. They ask Luo Qian to help capture a powerful, elusive Fish Jie demon beast from the Heavenly River.
• The Fish Jie can pass through solid matter and attacks, making it nearly impossible to contain. Zhao explains that only a rare plant called Spear Vine can hold it.
• Luo Qian unexpectedly produces a thousand-year-old Spear Vine he had collected earlier. Impressed, Zhao proposes that Luo join the hunt; Lin agrees reluctantly.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shows restraint and resourcefulness: rather than kill his attackers or reveal his strongest weapons, he uses deception and speed to escape.
• His prank with the Golden Conch highlights his mischievous, opportunistic nature—and the gullibility of the Holy See’s representatives.
• Ling Xiaose’s trustworthiness is evident, though the tedious transcription leaves him exhausted.
• Zhao Xihe trusts Luo Qian’s unusual connections and luck. Lin Chang and Old Roughworker initially underestimate the merchant, but Luo’s possession of the Spear Vine quickly changes their view.
• Luo and the sect leaders establish a practical alliance, though Lin’s agreement remains grudging.

Significant themes

• Appearances and belief: A staged display of power turns Luo into a god in the attackers’ eyes, while an absurd object becomes a revered relic.
• Ingenuity over force: Luo succeeds through speed, performance, and a lucky resource rather than direct combat.
• Pragmatism and profit: The sect’s stated concern for the Immortal Realm is mixed with its desire to obtain the demon beast’s treasure.
• Unexpected value: Luo’s seemingly incidental collection of the Spear Vine becomes crucial to a major mission.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian joins Zhao Xihe, Lin Chang, and Old Roughworker to capture Fish Jie, a powerful demon beast hiding on Dangtu Mountain. Old Roughworker’s fire chariot and thirty-six fire-breathing dragons drive Fish Jie into a trap, where Luo Qian catches it in a cage made from spear shafts.
• While examining Fish Jie, Zhao Xihe discovers a concealed Magical Artifact containing an ancient Soul-Seizing Formation. The group cannot determine why the beast carried it, but the capture appears successful.
• On their way back, the party is lured into an ambush. A disguised Three-Tailed Soaring Serpent attacks, injuring Old Roughworker and Lin Chang and revealing that it has been cooperating with Fish Jie.
• Bi’er initially overwhelms the serpent, but it tricks him and defeats him with its horns and tails. The serpent then creates a distraction by throwing the sect’s immobilized members into the air, allowing it to steal Fish Jie’s cage and flee.
• The serpent strikes Luo Qian as it escapes. Luo’s Nine-Dragon Claw Arm unexpectedly proves powerful enough to tear off one of its tails. Zhao Xihe’s summoned beasts then help kill the serpent, ending the battle—but the group suffers heavy casualties and must tend to the wounded.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shows quick reflexes and confidence in capturing Fish Jie. His unusually powerful blow against the serpent surprises even him, suggesting his strength or technique has changed. His boast that he will make Longque compensate Bi’er also reveals his playful affection for the beast.
• Zhao Xihe acts as the experienced strategist, organizing the hunt and recognizing the serpent’s danger. His concern for the sect members leads him and Lin Chang to rescue them, giving the serpent time to escape.
• Bi’er shifts from his normally gentle demeanor to a fierce combatant. His initial dominance is undone by the serpent’s deceptive tactics.
• Lin Chang is cheerful after the capture but is injured in the ambush; he and Zhao Xihe prioritize their people over pursuing the fleeing enemy.
• Old Roughworker supplies the fire-based equipment and spear-shaft expertise. He is the first badly hurt in the surprise attack.
• The serpent’s taunting response to Luo Qian’s earlier remarks turns their encounter personal, while its alliance with Fish Jie overturns the group’s assumptions about the escaped beasts.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and deception: The party assumes Fish Jie is the sole threat and underestimates the serpent, whose feigned weakness and surprise attack reverse the apparent victory.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Zhao Xihe and Lin Chang sacrifice the chance to pursue the serpent to save their injured subordinates.
• Hidden power and mystery: Luo Qian’s sudden strength and the ancient artifact found inside Fish Jie raise questions about forces and histories not yet understood.
• Victory at a cost: Although the serpent is killed, Fish Jie escapes and the group is left with serious injuries and losses.