Recaps

Wen Ning learned why Lu Ming had been assigned to help him and agreed to investigate a Dragon King Temple where an impostor was collecting offerings. He decided to take Lu Ming on the trip, though their conversation ended before they set out.

• Wen Zhong told Wen Ning to investigate a Dragon King Temple where a monster was impersonating the Dragon King and accepting offerings.
• Wen Ning asked Wen Zhong why Lu Ming had been assigned to him, and Wen Zhong explained that the assignment would help Wen Ning while giving Lu Ming valuable experience connected to Wen Ning's previous-life identity.
• Wen Ning accepted the Dragon King Temple task and told Wen Zhong he would take Lu Ming with him.
• Wen Ning announced that he was taking Lu Ming on a business trip, and Lu Ming mistook his joking words about a proposition for a real threat.
• Wen Ning rapped Lu Ming on the forehead, then confirmed that he really was taking him on a business trip to discuss the task.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming investigated an abandoned Dragon King Temple after the real Dragon King complained that an impostor was accepting offerings there. They discovered the temple had attracted many worshippers through seemingly answered prayers, and Wen Ning sensed faint Yao Qi but said the impostor was away.

• Wen Ning told Lu Ming that Wen Zhong had assigned them to investigate a fake Dragon King at an abandoned temple.
• Wen Ning flew with Lu Ming to the temple, where they found incense burning and offerings left by worshippers.
• An elderly man described several answered prayers and explained that the Dragon King accepted any offering without charging fees.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming learned that no one had seen the Dragon King manifest in person.
• Wen Ning sensed faint Yao Qi at the temple and stopped Lu Ming from rushing inside because the impostor was not there.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming waited outside the Dragon King Temple, where a desperate young man begged the Dragon King to save his wife and unborn child. A Big Green Snake appeared carrying roast chicken, and Wen Ning recognized her from his dream as she passed by without noticing them.

• Wen Ning refused to enter the temple and told Lu Ming to wait with him.
• A young man rushed to the temple and repeatedly kowtowed, pleading for help because his wife needed surgery to give birth and he could not afford it.
• Wen Ning sensed Yao Qi from the nearby grove, and Lu Ming prepared for the Dragon King’s return.
• A fat Big Green Snake slithered out of the grove carrying half a roast chicken while the young man continued praying, unable to see her.
• Wen Ning recognized the Big Green Snake as the one from his dream and told Lu Ming to pretend they were ordinary mortals.
• The Big Green Snake passed them, glanced at the young man, and slithered away without responding to his pleas.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming followed the Big Green Snake to a house where a woman was struggling to give birth. She spent much of her cultivation to save the mother and baby, and Lu Ming resolved to help her recover.

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming followed the Big Green Snake to a house where a midwife feared the mother and baby would die without a hospital.
• The Big Green Snake transformed into a Green Flood Dragon and used her Dragon Pearl to save the woman in labor.
• The mother safely delivered a baby, and the elderly woman thanked the Dragon King for saving them.
• The Big Green Snake swallowed her weakened Dragon Pearl and left with her half roast chicken after sacrificing much of her cultivation.
• Lu Ming left an apple and biscuits as offerings, then told Wen Ning he would help the Big Green Snake recover what she had lost.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming confronted Big Green Snake over her impersonation of the Dragon King, then learned she had taken over an abandoned temple and used its offerings to help villagers. As they prepared to report back, Big Green Snake stopped Wen Ning, saying she had something to tell him.

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming waited for Big Green Snake, then cornered her at the temple entrance when she returned with a chicken skeleton.
• The two men were stunned by Big Green Snake's sweet, little-girl voice as they questioned her about impersonating the Dragon King.
• Big Green Snake explained that the temple had been without a Dragon King for nearly twenty years and said she used the offerings to help the villagers.
• Wen Ning asked about her use of the Dragon Pearl to save someone, and Big Green Snake admitted she felt she owed the villagers for their offerings.
• Wen Ning warned Big Green Snake that overusing the Dragon Pearl could make her revert to her original form, then set off with Lu Ming to report back.
• Big Green Snake hurried after Wen Ning and said she had something to tell him, while Lu Ming suspected she was trying to bribe them.

Wen Ning questioned the big Green Snake about the mysterious person who had told her to wait for him, but she had forgotten nearly every detail. The Green Snake described her unglamorous work as Dragon King, while the identity of Wen Ning’s acquaintance remained unknown.

• The big Green Snake said someone she met as a young snake had told her Wen Ning would come and asked her to impersonate the Dragon King until then.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming tried to learn the person's message and name, but the Green Snake kept forgetting, recalling only that his name might include something people ate during a holiday.
• Lu Ming gave up questioning the Green Snake, then accidentally got hit in the forehead by a pebble he had kicked.
• Wen Ning asked whether she enjoyed being Dragon King, and the Green Snake complained that villagers came to her for help with pests and missing livestock.
• The Green Snake admitted she had caught rats, chased away wild boars, and found a stubborn cow for the villagers.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming helped the Big Green Snake catch field mice for the villagers, then decided to conceal the temple’s situation from the Heavenly Court. They left her behind to continue caring for the fields, with Wen Ning taking responsibility for the report.

• The Big Green Snake explained that she kept helping the villagers because nobody else would care for them, then asked Wen Ning and Lu Ming to help catch field mice.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming joined the Big Green Snake at Old Mr. Zhao’s fields, where she caught mice while Lu Ming drove them from their burrows and Wen Ning stood watch.
• After a long day of mouse-catching, Lu Ming asked what they should tell the Heavenly Court, and Wen Ning said they would report that the temple was empty and nothing unusual had happened.
• Wen Ning said he would take responsibility for the report, then told the Big Green Snake they would not return the next day because they had to report back to the Heavenly Court.
• Lu Ming warned the Big Green Snake to avoid wild boars as he followed Wen Ning away, still worried they would get in trouble for covering things up.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming protected Big Green Snake from Xuan Yin, a black snake monster surrounded by dense baleful energy. After they struck him down and prepared to bind him, Big Green Snake realized they were professionals at beating up snakes.

• Xuan Yin appeared and offered to take over Big Green Snake's role as Dragon King, and she eagerly agreed.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming recognized Xuan Yin's dangerous baleful energy and warned Big Green Snake that he was not there to help her.
• Wen Ning declared that Big Green Snake was under their protection and demanded to know who Xuan Yin was and where his baleful energy came from.
• Wen Ning struck Xuan Yin with the Five Thunder Righteous Method while Lu Ming kicked him, sending him crashing through the offering tables.
• Xuan Yin complained about their attack, but Wen Ning and Lu Ming ignored him and prepared to bind him with the Demon-Binding Rope.
• Big Green Snake watched the fight and quietly remarked that Wen Ning and Lu Ming were professionals at beating up snakes.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming left the ruined temple with Xuan Yin bound, planning to pin the Dragon King impersonation cases on him. Xuan Yin protested and threatened to complain, but Lu Ming warned him that Wen Ning was the godson of a powerful Heavenly Venerable.

• Wen Ning told the Big Green Snake to stay in the village and not let anyone else take over as Dragon King.
• Lu Ming said Xuan Yin’s arrival gave them a suspect to report after their investigation had made no progress.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming explained that they intended to arrest Xuan Yin and present his motive, baleful aura, and words as evidence in the impersonation case.
• Xuan Yin denied being behind the other incidents and threatened to report the two law enforcement officers for abuse of authority.
• Lu Ming told Xuan Yin that Wen Ning was the godson of the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Thunder and questioned whether a complaint would do any good.

Lu Ming and Wen Ning brought Xuan Yin, who had impersonated the Dragon King, to the Heavenly Court and delivered him to Wen Zhong. Xuan Yin was sentenced to five hundred years in prison, then another five hundred after objecting, while Wen Zhong questioned Wen Ning about the case.

• Lu Ming reminded Xuan Yin that Wen Ning was the godson of the head of the Thunder Department, and Xuan Yin resigned himself to his fate.
• Lu Ming and Wen Ning carried the bound Xuan Yin to the Thunder Department and met Wen Zhong in his office.
• Wen Zhong ordered the Heavenly Soldiers to take Xuan Yin away and sentenced him to five hundred years in prison.
• Xuan Yin protested that he had been framed, so Wen Zhong added another five hundred years to his sentence.
• After Xuan Yin was taken away, Wen Zhong asked Wen Ning to confirm that he was the snake who impersonated the Dragon King, and Wen Ning denounced him as guilty of countless crimes.

Wen Ning admitted to Wen Zhong that the snake demon he had mentioned was not the one responsible, and Wen Zhong warned him to claim his rightful place soon as tribulation energy grew heavier. Outside the office, Lu Ming revealed a scandalous story about Wen Zhong’s third eye, only to find Wen Zhong standing behind him as he tried to explain.

• Wen Ning told Wen Zhong that another snake, not the demon he had named, was responsible, and Wen Zhong accepted the explanation after Wen Ning took responsibility.
• Wen Zhong warned Wen Ning that tribulation energy was growing heavier and urged him to take his rightful place soon, then asked him to bring cigarettes and liquor for the Grandmaster.
• Wen Ning found Lu Ming arguing with Meng Jiang after Lu Ming had spread a rumor that she liked him and had caused his outside posting.
• Wen Ning asked whether Lu Ming had spread rumors about Wen Zhong, and Lu Ming claimed the story that someone had gouged open Wen Zhong’s third eye had evidence behind it.
• Wen Ning criticized Lu Ming for his rumors, but Wen Zhong appeared behind Lu Ming with his Celestial Eye glowing, and Lu Ming begged to explain.

Wen Zhong spared Lu Ming’s antlers and took Wen Ning to meet the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning, who invited him to play chess. Wen Ning won the game, and the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning responded with an inscrutable look before praising his play.

• Wen Zhong threatened to take Lu Ming’s antlers for his rumor about Wen Zhong’s heavenly eye, then let him go.
• Wen Zhong warned Lu Ming not to spread rumors again and escorted Wen Ning to meet his Great-Grandmaster.
• Wen Zhong reassured the nervous Wen Ning on the way to the Imperial Garden, where the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning was waiting.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning invited Wen Ning to play chess and promised him a gift if he won.
• Wen Ning found an opening, captured the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning’s chariot, and won the game.

After Wen Ning won a chess wager, the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning revealed that Huang Yin, a Phoenix Clan princess, had agreed to become Wen Ning’s weapon. Huang Yin transformed into the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident, which Wen Ning accepted as his new weapon.

• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning told Wen Ning that he had won Huang Yin in their wager, and Huang Yin agreed to follow Wen Ning.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning explained that Huang Yin was a powerful Phoenix Clan princess who had willingly agreed to become Wen Ning’s weapon.
• Huang Yin transformed into the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident, stunning Wen Ning with its appearance and power.
• Wen Ning took hold of the trident, felt warmth flow through his meridians, and thanked the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning.
• The trident conveyed impatience to Wen Ning, and he smiled at her apparent eagerness to move on.

Wen Ning left the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning and Wen Zhong, then discovered that the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident was Huang Yin in weapon form. After he touched her sensitive feathers, Huang Yin settled into a tattoo on his arm and warned him against teasing her.

• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning dismissed Wen Ning and Wen Zhong from the Pavilion, and Wen Zhong returned to the Thunder Department while Wen Ning headed for the mortal world.
• Wen Ning admired the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident and ran his hands over its phoenix-wing blades.
• Huang Yin transformed into her true form and struck Wen Ning for feeling her up, while Wen Ning protested that he had not known what he was touching.
• Huang Yin transformed back into the trident and settled into a tattoo on Wen Ning's right forearm, saying she would emerge when there was a fight.
• Wen Ning asked whether Huang Yin could see him bathing, and she burned his arm with heat until he apologized.

Wen Zhong and Dipper Mother questioned the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning about Huang Yin’s presence beside Wen Ning, and he explained that the Phoenix Clan had sent her to help repay its ancient karmic debts. He could not predict when Wen Ning would attain complete merit, but reassured Wen Zhong that he would protect his godson as the calamity approached.

• Wen Zhong returned to the Pavilion with Dipper Mother and asked why Huang Yin, a Phoenix princess, had been placed beside Wen Ning.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning explained that the Phoenix Clan chose to send Huang Yin so she could help repay the clan’s karmic debts by taking part in the calamity.
• Dipper Mother asked whether other powers would be involved, and the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning said that all who must come would come.
• Wen Zhong asked when Wen Ning would attain complete merit, but the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning said that even a sage could not predict it amid the approaching calamity.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning reassured Wen Zhong that Wen Ning was hard to kill and that he would protect him with the Four Swords of Zhu Xian.

Wen Ning returned to his shop after meeting the Heavenly Venerable and showed off the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident tattoo on his arm. Lu Ming and Zhang Siyu noticed the tattoo, but Wen Ning kept its origins mysterious.

• Wen Ning admired the Phoenix-Wing Gilt Trident tattoo on his arm as he returned to the mortal world and headed to his shop.
• Lu Ming worried that the Heavenly Venerable had troubled Wen Ning, and Wen Ning reassured him that his godfather doted on him.
• Wen Ning pranked Lu Ming by claiming he would be transferred to an office in India, and Lu Ming clung to him in tears before Wen Ning confessed it was a joke.
• Lu Ming tried to hit Wen Ning with a bottle of body wash, then went back to organizing the shop after Wen Ning apologized.
• Wen Ning showed Lu Ming his exposed arm, but Lu Ming failed to notice the tattoo and boasted that he was more handsome.
• Zhang Siyu spotted Wen Ning's tattoo, and Wen Ning proudly displayed it while refusing to explain it.

Wen Ning and Lu Ming bickered over Wen Ning’s Divine Weapon before welcoming an unfamiliar old lady into the shop. As Wen Ning noticed signs of her quiet resignation and avoided pressing her, she gave her surname, Li, but evaded his question about where she was staying.

• Wen Ning stopped explaining his arm weapon after a warning sounded in his mind and claimed his Great-Grandmaster had given it to him.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming argued over Wen Ning’s special treatment and whether Lu Ming should become the Heavenly Venerable’s god-grandson.
• Zhang Siyu noticed an old lady at the entrance, and Wen Ning welcomed her while Lu Ming brought her warm water and Zhang Siyu offered her a comfortable chair.
• The old lady said she was staying with her second son for a month and described her three children as caring, though Wen Ning noticed her eyes showed resignation.
• Wen Ning asked the old lady where her son lived and what her surname was; she said her surname was Li but did not answer where she was staying.

Wen Ning suspected that Grandma Li was not as happy with her family as she claimed, despite her son's polite manner when he came to take her home. He chose not to investigate without her permission and waited to see whether she would return to the shop.

• Grandma Li's son arrived and took her away, supporting her arm and carrying her bag.
• Wen Ning asked Lu Ming about the son's behavior and said his excessive politeness seemed suspicious.
• Wen Ning pointed out that Grandma Li's stays with her children had strict one-month limits, while Zhang Siyu noted the age and sentimental nature of her silver ring.
• Wen Ning said Grandma Li's eyes suggested she might not be truly happy, but refused to pry into her affairs unless she asked for help.
• Wen Ning decided to talk with Grandma Li if she returned, then sat back with his eyes closed and tapped his fingers thoughtfully.

Wen Ning welcomed Grandma Li into his shop and learned that the bag she carried everywhere held nearly all her possessions, including a photograph of her late husband. After Grandma Li revealed she had no home of her own among her children, Wen Ning invited her to visit the shop whenever she felt lonely.

• Grandma Li visited Wen Ning’s shop and told him she had finished unpacking at her second son’s home.
• Wen Ning asked about the floral cloth bag Grandma Li always carried, and she showed him her late husband’s photograph and a folded shirt.
• Grandma Li explained that she took the bag everywhere because she had nowhere to leave her belongings while rotating among her children’s homes.
• Wen Ning brewed Grandma Li jasmine tea and told her she could come sit in the shop whenever she felt cooped up.
• Grandma Li finished her tea, thanked Wen Ning, and walked back toward her daughter-in-law’s home.

Wen Ning spoke with Grandma Li’s second son, Mr. Zhao, about his mother’s unhappiness since she began rotating among her children’s homes. Mr. Zhao admitted he had noticed her distress but had not known she carried her late husband’s photograph, and Wen Ning explained that she would not tell her children how burdened she felt.

• Wen Ning waited for Grandma Li’s second son, Mr. Zhao, and invited him into the agency after explaining that he did not sell health supplements.
• Wen Ning told Mr. Zhao that Grandma Li had brought only a change of clothes and a black-and-white photograph of her husband.
• Mr. Zhao admitted that his mother had seemed less lively since she began staying a month at a time in each child’s home.
• Mr. Zhao explained that Grandma Li feared being a burden and treated herself like a guest, doing chores despite his telling her to rest.
• Wen Ning told Mr. Zhao that Grandma Li would only say her children were doing well and that their care was enough, leaving Mr. Zhao startled.

Wen Ning suggested that Zhao’s family let Grandma Li stay with each household for six months at a time, with the other two families contributing money to her care. Zhao accepted the idea and left to discuss it with his siblings.

• Zhao explained that his limited income and family obligations made it difficult for him and his siblings to care for their mother.
• Zhao said they feared leaving Grandma Li alone in the village because she might fall again, while monthly moves between their homes left her unsettled.
• Wen Ning proposed lengthening each household’s turn to six months and having the other two families contribute five hundred a month to the household caring for her.
• Zhao decided the arrangement was affordable and said he would discuss it with his siblings that night.

Wen Ning helped Zhao and Grandma Li find a nearby apartment so she could live close to her son without continually moving between her children. Zhao signed a six-month lease, and he and Grandma Li set off to pack her belongings and move in.

• Grandma Li brought Wen Ning homemade steamed buns, and Zhao told him his siblings had agreed to share the cost of renting a place for their mother.
• Wen Ning took Zhao and Grandma Li to Building Five, where he found a vacant one-bedroom apartment on Zhao's eighth-floor landing.
• Zhou showed them the clean apartment, and Zhao described how he would furnish it for Grandma Li.
• Grandma Li chose the apartment, and Zhao signed a six-month lease and gave her the keys.
• Zhao planned to buy furniture and move Grandma Li in that day, while Wen Ning returned to his shop with her buns.

After Xiulian died, Old Zhao returned from the road to reincarnation to wait for her, and Wen Ning witnessed the couple reunite. The Ghost Messenger then led them away together.

• Uncle Liu told Wen Ning that Xiulian had died, and Wen Ning joined the neighbors in preparing her mourning hall.
• Old Zhao appeared at the mourning hall with the Ghost Messenger and explained that he had turned back because he could not leave Xiulian alone.
• Xiulian's soul emerged from her body and reunited with Old Zhao, grieving and then laughing with him.
• The Ghost Messenger opened a fissure, and Old Zhao and Xiulian left hand in hand after thanking Wen Ning.

Wen Ning learned that the Heavenly Court was holding another recruitment exam and agreed to proctor it with Lu Ming. He hinted that some candidates had connections to Wen Zhong’s friends, leaving Lu Ming eager to follow Wen Ning’s signals while Zhang Siyu doubted their integrity.

• Wen Ning received a message from Wen Zhong asking him to proctor the Heavenly Court’s recruitment exam the next day.
• Wen Zhong mentioned that some candidates were connected to his friends, and Wen Ning agreed to attend without asking further questions.
• Wen Ning invited Lu Ming to come along, and Wen Zhong approved; Zhang Siyu asked them to take pictures for her.
• Lu Ming suggested showing connected candidates some consideration, but Wen Ning said they should simply watch for his signals.
• Zhang Siyu accused Wen Ning and Lu Ming of planning to favor candidates, while Wen Ning privately wondered whether Lu Ming could be trusted.

Wen Ning met with Wen Zhong and learned that he would serve as chief examiner for a large joint Heavenly Court recruitment examination. As candidates gathered, Wen Ning told Lu Ming to leave several applicants connected to Wen Zhong’s friends to him.

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming entered the Heavenly Court through the Southern Heavenly Gate and went to Wen Zhong’s office.
• Wen Zhong told Wen Ning that several departments were hiring together and appointed him chief examiner for the interviews.
• Wen Ning collected the candidate list and joined Lu Ming at the examination hall, where officials were preparing the room and materials.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming watched candidates gather outside and noted how large and competitive the examination was.
• Wen Ning quietly instructed Lu Ming to let him handle the candidates connected to Wen Zhong’s friends.