Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yao negotiated with Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan over his food’s ability to alleviate or cure mara-struck, and asked the Xianzhou Alliance to provide him with rare ingredients. After they agreed, he began to state a second condition.

• Jing Yuan brought Jiang Yao to an elegant guest room and served him tea before they discussed cooperation.
• Jiang Yao told Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan that his food could alleviate or cure mara-struck, astonishing them.
• Jing Yuan offered to let Jiang Yao set the terms of a deal with the Xianzhou Alliance.
• Jiang Yao asked the Alliance to provide him with plenty of ingredients, especially rare ones, and Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan agreed.
• Jiang Yao began to announce his second condition, leaving Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan on edge.

Jiang Yao negotiated with Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan for ingredients and support, then left the Xianzhou Alliance to test a new way to curb his late-night hunger. He summoned Jingliu and used her cold to help himself sleep.

• Jiang Yao asked the Luofu to provide money, supplies, and edible ingredients from the other Xianzhou ships.
• Jiang Yao required the Luofu to restrict who could eat his cooking and arrange food supply channels after he left.
• Jing Yuan warned that news of Jiang Yao's ability to cure the mara-struck condition could put the Astral Express in danger, and proposed sending Xianzhou representatives to travel with them.
• Jiang Yao told Jing Yuan to discuss the travel proposal with Himeko, then left after confirming he had no further conditions.
• Jiang Yao returned to his room, set up a ward, and summoned Jingliu to cool him while he tried to sleep.

Jiang Yao told Jingliu she was free to leave, but she asked him to help her kill the Plagues Author and offered to serve him in exchange for information. He explained the Swarm Disaster and the origins of Paths, then left Jingliu with a startling prediction about Lan and Yaoshi.

• Jiang Yao told Jingliu she could leave, and Jingliu thanked him for easing her mara-struck condition before asking if she could join him.
• Jingliu asked Jiang Yao to help her kill the Plagues Author, but he warned her to stay out of Aeon business and revealed that the coming Aeon War would continue the last one.
• Jingliu offered Jiang Yao more food and massaged him as she asked about the previous war, and he identified it as the Swarm Disaster and said Luo Ta had died quickly.
• Jiang Yao explained that the war was a struggle between Paths, which Aeons had authority to define, and said Aeons came before Paths.
• Jiang Yao told Jingliu she was lucky to have met him and predicted that he might live to see Lan and Yaoshi marry.

Jingliu chose to follow Jiang Yao so she could learn about the Aeons and pursue her goal of killing Yaoshi. Jiang Yao accepted her and promised Yaoshi could die, but began to give Jingliu a condition before the chapter ended.

• Jiang Yao warned Jingliu that Aha had given her information about killing a god, and that outsiders knew little about the Aeons.
• Jingliu decided to follow Jiang Yao so she could pass along information and learn more about the Aeons.
• Jingliu openly told Jiang Yao she wanted to kill Abundance and was willing to entrust herself to him in exchange for information.
• Jiang Yao agreed to take Jingliu in, then promised that Yaoshi could die.
• Jiang Yao began to explain that Jingliu would have to help him with something.

Jiang Yao agreed to bring Jingliu along, and after the Astral Express Crew finished their stay on the Xianzhou Luofu, Jingliu joined them as a new companion. The chapter ended with Dan Heng realizing that the Sword Champion Jingliu would be traveling aboard the Express.

• Jiang Yao asked Jingliu to kill Qlipoth, then offered to train her and told her to ask Himeko about boarding the Express.
• Jiang Yao refused Jingliu's request to stay inside his stomach, and she agreed to do her best to join the crew.
• Jiang Yao spent his days cooking on the Luofu, while Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan discovered that his food could ease or cure mara-struck condition and sent some to Marshal Hua.
• Jiang Yao sent Phantylia to raise the Borisin in captivity as Hoolay waited anxiously in the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
• The Astral Express Crew said farewell to the Luofu and returned to the Express, where Himeko introduced Jingliu as their new companion.
• Jingliu entered the carriage, and Dan Heng recoiled in shock at the sight of her.

Jingliu explained that she had joined the Astral Express to protect Jiang Yao, whose cooking could alleviate the mara-struck condition. The crew discovered she had chosen Jiang Yao’s room, and the chapter ended with her tentatively asking to stay in his room instead.

• March 7th and Stelle thanked Jingliu for saving Jiang Yao, while Dan Heng worried about having her aboard the Express.
• Jingliu told Dan Heng that she wanted to travel with Jiang Yao because his cooking could treat mara-struck people and she wanted to protect him.
• March 7th asked Jingliu where her room was, and Jingliu pointed to Jiang Yao’s room, surprising the crew and Jiang Yao.
• Jiang Yao refused to let Jingliu stay in his room, but she asked where else she should sleep and then tentatively suggested his room again.
• Dan Heng struggled to accept the situation and considered asking March 7th to photograph it for Jing Yuan.

Jiang Yao let Jingliu stay in his room, then spent the night thinking about Luo Ta and woke early after smelling a True Sting nearby. He captured it and began preparing True Sting roujiamo in the dining car, leaving the Astral Express’s future encounter with the insect uncertain.

• Jiang Yao swallowed Jingliu, spat her out, and licked her before ordering her to sleep on the floor.
• Jingliu climbed into bed with Jiang Yao, misunderstood his instructions, and agreed to follow his directions more literally.
• Jiang Yao went out early after catching the scent of a True Sting, captured it, and refined it.
• Jiang Yao chose a fatty-and-lean cut of True Sting meat and prepared to make roujiamo without Phantylia’s help.
• Jiang Yao wondered whether the Astral Express would still meet Argenti and considered giving March 7th any Idrila relics he found.
• Jiang Yao chopped the True Sting meat and began making a nourishing broth for the roujiamo.

Jiang Yao prepared roujiamo with Diffraction Prism while Dan Heng fretted over Jingliu staying with him. Dan Heng arrived at the dining car, and Jiang Yao finished the ingredients, leaving only the final wait.

• Jiang Yao prepared roujiamo bread and searched for substitutes for peas and pickled mustard stems, settling on Asta's Diffraction Prism.
• Dan Heng worried that Jingliu might be mara-struck or have become involved with Jiang Yao, and he messaged Jing Yuan, who read the message without replying.
• Unable to sleep, Dan Heng left the Data Bank and followed the tempting smell of Jiang Yao's cooking to the dining car.
• Dan Heng watched quietly as Jiang Yao cooked the Diffraction Prism, using his special technique to make its texture smooth.
• Jiang Yao finished preparing the roujiamo ingredients, with only the cooking wait remaining.

Jiang Yao fed the Astral Express crew a feast of True Sting meat-stuffed flatbreads, and the group soon departed for Penacony. As the Express began its warp, Jiang Yao looked forward to developing his Path by encountering Penacony’s powerful residents.

• Jiang Yao told Dan Heng what he thought of Jingliu, and Dan Heng mistakenly took his praise as a sign that their romance was progressing.
• Dan Heng invited the crew to breakfast, and March 7th, Stelle, Jingliu, Himeko, Welt, and Pom-Pom joined the meal.
• The crew devoured Jiang Yao’s True Sting meat-stuffed flatbreads, while Dan Heng and Jingliu provided him with unexpectedly large amounts of Path Power.
• After resting, the Astral Express began its warp to Penacony, where Jiang Yao hoped to meet powerful people and develop his Path.

The Astral Express arrived at Penacony, where Asta used her connections to secure rooms for Stelle and Jiang Yao. After the crew planned to enter the Dreamscape, Jiang Yao went to Asta’s room to inspect the enormous haul of rare ingredients she had brought.

• The Astral Express arrived at Penacony, and Dan Heng stayed aboard because he was uncomfortable around Jingliu.
• Himeko and Welt realized Stelle, Jiang Yao, and Jingliu lacked reservations, but Asta appeared and arranged rooms for Stelle and Jiang Yao.
• Asta found that Jingliu was sharing Jiang Yao’s room, and she and Jingliu reached an understanding rather than competing over him.
• Himeko briefed the Express crew on their invitation, and the crew agreed to meet in the Dreamscape.
• Jiang Yao told Jingliu she did not need a Dream Pool, then went to Asta’s room to see the rare ingredients she had brought.

Asta showed Jiang Yao a shipment of sixty ingredients, including several extraordinarily rare creatures, and revealed how much her family valued his cooking. Jiang Yao marveled at the shipment and considered how the Astral Diner could work with the Corporation.

• Asta welcomed Jiang Yao and offered to show him the ingredients her family had brought.
• Jiang Yao examined the first forty varieties and praised the high-quality ingredients.
• Asta displayed rare ingredients, including an Aberrant Light-Treading Beast, a Star-Devouring Whale, Vishnu, and Nineveh.
• Jiang Yao realized the rare creatures’ scarcity made the shipment exceptionally valuable and thought about infiltrating the Corporation.
• Jiang Yao was astonished when Asta revealed Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, a rare dragon-phoenix hybrid.

Jiang Yao inspected Asta’s rare ingredients, gathered memoria and small True Stings in the Asdana Galaxy, then sought out Sparkle to enlist Aha’s help. He approached Sparkle at a bar, where she challenged him to show what he could do.

• Asta took Jiang Yao to the fleet outside Penacony, where he inspected the Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow and decided to raise their sources before slaughtering them.
• Jiang Yao returned to Penacony, sent a hair clone to keep Asta company, and collected memoria and small True Stings across the Asdana Galaxy.
• Jiang Yao returned with his haul and decided he needed an ally to protect himself from the Aeons who disliked him.
• Jiang Yao sought out Sparkle, one of Aha’s favored followers, and found her wearing Sampo’s clothes at a bar.
• Sparkle challenged Jiang Yao to prove himself, and he replied, "Heh, baby, you're awfully cocky," making her shudder with revulsion.

Jiang Yao exposed Sparkle’s disguise and recruited her into a plan to make food from the Aeons. In Dream’s Edge, Firefly stumbled upon Stelle and Robin together, while the chapter explained how Jiang Yao’s interference had brought Robin into Stelle’s story.

• Jiang Yao called Sparkle by name despite her disguise, and Sparkle suspected he was Aha.
• Jiang Yao proposed making sandwiches from the Aeons’ powers and ingredients, and Sparkle agreed to join in.
• Firefly, unable to enter The Reverie normally, wandered through Penacony while searching for Jiang Yao’s food.
• Firefly found Stelle and Robin talking in Robin’s secret hideout, apologized, and left to alert Kafka.
• The chapter explained that Robin had disguised herself to investigate a traitor in the Family, met Stelle after escaping the hounds, and spent time with her as an artist from the Iris Family.

Jiang Yao brought Jingliu to meet the Stellaron Hunters as part of his plan to stir up trouble on Penacony and arrange a feast. The meeting ended with Blade succumbing to mara and lunging at Jingliu.

• Jiang Yao sent Sparkle to investigate Robin and planned to intercept Firefly, Jingliu, and the other Stellaron Hunters for a meal.
• Jiang Yao woke Jingliu, told her Himeko and Welt he was taking her out, and asked Asta to prepare a feast.
• Jiang Yao and Jingliu found Kafka, Firefly, Silver Wolf, and Blade together.
• Blade recognized Jingliu, succumbed to mara, and charged at her with his sword before the others could react.

Jiang Yao knocked Blade unconscious when he attacked Jingliu, then invited the Stellaron Hunters to dinner aboard a Corporation ship. Silver Wolf warned him that sheltering wanted fugitives could put him on the Corporation’s blacklist, leaving his confidence untested.

• Blade attacked Jingliu, but Jiang Yao knocked him unconscious before he could hit her.
• Jiang Yao greeted Kafka, Firefly, and Silver Wolf, and Kafka sensed that he could see through her.
• Jiang Yao invited the Stellaron Hunters and Blade to dinner, with Jingliu introduced as a new member of the Astral Express.
• Jiang Yao said he would cook aboard a Corporation ship using ingredients Asta had brought him.
• Silver Wolf warned Jiang Yao that sheltering the wanted Stellaron Hunters could put him on the Corporation’s blacklist.

Jiang Yao invited the Stellaron Hunters to a meal and revealed that he was the Voracity Aeon after recounting how he had eaten the planet Firefly had destroyed. The Hunters understood Elio’s warnings but were left wondering what Jiang Yao intended to do with them.

• Jiang Yao assured the Stellaron Hunters that an old acquaintance would come and protect them if a fight broke out, alarming Jingliu.
• Kafka accepted Jiang Yao’s invitation to eat, while Firefly asked why he had sent her a Light Cone as thanks for a meal she could not remember sharing with him.
• Jiang Yao reminded Firefly of the planet she had destroyed and claimed he had eaten it, including the True Sting left behind.
• Jiang Yao confirmed he was the Voracity Aeon and said he had come to feed Firefly and the other Stellaron Hunters.
• The Stellaron Hunters realized Elio’s prophecy had brought them close to an Aeon and possibly to becoming food.

Jiang Yao brought Jingliu and the Stellaron Hunters to Asta’s ship for a meal and chose ingredients for their food therapy. He decided that Hoolay, imprisoned on the Luofu, would be the main course for Jingliu and Blade’s combined treatment.

• Silver Wolf and Kafka accepted Jiang Yao’s invitation to dinner, and Jiang Yao brought them, Jingliu, Firefly, and Blade to Asta’s ship.
• The Stellaron Hunters concealed their identities, and Jiang Yao asked Asta to keep uninvolved people away.
• Asta welcomed the group and considered the value of Jiang Yao’s cooking and the Stellaron Hunters’ potential business dealings.
• Jiang Yao reviewed his ingredients and ruled out Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow and the Star-Devouring Whale for the meal.
• Jiang Yao chose Hoolay, held in the Luofu’s Prison of Deep Seclusion, as the main course for Jingliu and Blade’s treatment.

Jiang Yao examined Firefly, Kafka, and Silver Wolf to identify their conditions and choose ingredients for his cooking. He then went to the Prison of Deep Seclusion, where Hoolay hoped Jiang Yao would finally kill him.

• Jiang Yao had Firefly examined and decided that True Sting could treat her entropy loss syndrome.
• Jiang Yao examined Kafka, identified her inability to feel fear as a nerve problem, and chose Vishnu as an ingredient.
• Silver Wolf entered Jiang Yao and emerged confused, while Jiang Yao realized she was not sick and had no condition to treat.
• Jiang Yao left the IPC ship unnoticed and appeared in the Prison of Deep Seclusion.
• Hoolay, whose body was recovering while his strength remained sealed, feared he had become a renewable ingredient and hoped Jiang Yao would kill him quickly.

Jiang Yao manipulated Hoolay into believing he was an Emanator of the Compassionate Medicine King, then demanded that Hoolay prove his faith by praying for healing. Hoolay eagerly accepted, hoping to earn Jiang Yao’s favor and survive.

• Hoolay begged Jiang Yao to kill him, but Jiang Yao questioned him about his mistakes and criticized him for giving up too easily.
• Jiang Yao claimed the Xianzhou Alliance was insignificant, leading Hoolay to conclude that Jiang Yao was not allied with it.
• Hoolay convinced himself that Jiang Yao was an Emanator of the Compassionate Medicine King and that his past actions had been a test and an attempt to heal him.
• Hoolay declared his loyalty to the Compassionate Medicine King, and Jiang Yao praised him.
• Jiang Yao ordered Hoolay to pray for the Compassionate Medicine King to heal him, and Hoolay eagerly agreed.

Jiang Yao arranged for Hoolay’s prayer to Yaoshi to be answered, drawing Yaoshi to the Xianzhou Luofu, where Yaoshi recognized Jiang Yao and gave him wheat ears before escaping. Hoolay was left newly restored but devastated after Yaoshi abandoned him.

• Hoolay prayed to the Compassionate Medicine King for his body to be restored, and Jiang Yao secretly sent the prayer to Yaoshi.
• Yaoshi appeared on the Xianzhou Luofu and instinctively blessed Hoolay, restoring his strength.
• Yaoshi recognized Jiang Yao and remembered that he had once bitten Yaoshi and nearly eaten Yaoshi’s wheat ears.
• Jiang Yao asked Yaoshi for wheat ears and warned that Lan might join him in chasing Yaoshi.
• Yaoshi gave Jiang Yao a large pile of wheat ears and fled, leaving Hoolay to break down.