Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Lu Ming and Wen Ning interview candidates for an official position. Lu Ming, despite not being the chief examiner, takes the lead with a highly formal manner.
• Lu Ming asks the first candidate to explain the contents of the third volume of the Mount Tai Fengshan Ritual Code—a question designed to stump him, since the volume is only an appendix.
• The candidate panics, then explains that he studied the other volumes but did not memorize the appendix. Lu Ming reveals the truth, acknowledges the candidate’s effort, and lets him leave.
• Afterward, Wen Ning reminds Lu Ming that he once broke down over the same question. Lu Ming defends himself by calling his behavior “passing down experience.”
• A second, polished-looking candidate enters. Lu Ming frowns at him, prompting Wen Ning to worry that he is about to repeat the same ordeal.

Character developments

• Lu Ming reveals a teasing, arbitrary side as an examiner, repeating the trick that once overwhelmed him. Yet his memories of his own experience soften him, and he recognizes the first candidate’s effort.
• Wen Ning acts as the more sympathetic, steady examiner. He spots the cruelty of the trick, considers intervening, and quietly records a fair assessment.
• The first candidate moves from nervous confidence to panic and near tears, then regains some composure by honestly describing what he studied.

Significant themes

• Empathy and hypocrisy: Lu Ming inflicts on another the hardship he once suffered, while insisting that this is useful experience.
• Unfair tests versus genuine effort: The impossible question measures nerves more than knowledge, while the candidate’s preparation becomes the meaningful basis for his assessment.
• Power and pressure: An examiner’s silence and authority can intensify a candidate’s fear more than an explicit rejection.

Character interactions

• Lu Ming tests the first candidate harshly, then reassures him and acknowledges his preparation.
• Wen Ning silently questions Lu Ming’s judgment and later calls out the irony of his behavior.
• Lu Ming brushes off Wen Ning’s criticism with comic confidence; their familiar banter establishes their long-standing rapport.
• The first candidate leaves without confronting Lu Ming, though his lingering look suggests he suspects the question was deliberately unfair.

Plot points

• Lu Ming interviews a polished, highly prepared candidate by asking about volume three of the Mount Tai Fengshan Ritual Code—an appendix most people would not expect to be tested on.
• The candidate falters, becomes upset, and protests that he prepared for everything. Lu Ming admits the volume is an appendix and defends the question as part of the exam, but Wen Ning intervenes and lets the candidate pass.
• After the candidate leaves, Wen Ning warns Lu Ming that the Heavenly Court’s Misfortune Department urgently needs recruits. Its only member, Broom Star, may quit if no one joins.
• Wen Ning points out that if Lu Ming rejects every applicant, he may have to fill the vacancy himself. Lu Ming is suddenly alarmed and falls silent.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ming is shown to be petty and deliberately unpredictable as an interviewer, initially disliking the candidate partly because he is more handsome. Though he feels a little guilty when the candidate breaks down, he still defends his harsh standards. The prospect of working in the Misfortune Department quickly puts an end to his confidence.
• Wen Ning acts as the practical counterbalance: he stops Lu Ming from needlessly discouraging candidates, ensures this one is accepted, and uses the staffing crisis to rein in Lu Ming.
• The candidate begins composed and confident but loses his composure when confronted with an unexpected question. He leaves after being accepted, still hurt and bewildered.
• Lu Ming and Wen Ning’s interaction is teasing but purposeful: Wen Ning’s kick and quiet looks curb Lu Ming’s excesses, while his final warning makes the consequences personal.

Significant themes

• Unpredictability: Lu Ming argues that plans and preparation cannot guarantee that events will unfold as expected.
• Fairness versus arbitrary standards: The candidate’s preparation is undermined by an obscure question, raising doubts about whether a test can be considered fair simply because the examiner once faced the same challenge.
• Responsibility and consequences: Lu Ming’s strictness risks leaving the department understaffed—and landing him in the job himself.

Key plot points and events

• Feng Dema, a returning candidate with an awkward gait and an oversized borrowed suit, arrives for another interview. His file identifies him as the nephew of the River Earl of the Yellow River.
• Wen Ning recognizes that Feng Dema is among the candidates recommended by his own relative, Wen Zhong. Feng introduces himself loudly and oddly, explaining that he “took” his uncle’s surname.
• Feng Dema produces a precious Millennium Lingzhi, openly saying his uncle told him he would pass and that he brought the gift. Wen Ning is startled by how blatant—and tactless—the attempted influence is.
• To check that Feng Dema is not carrying any recording or listening devices, Wen Ning asks him to jump twice. Feng nearly trips both times but complies.
• Wen Ning quietly tells Feng Dema to put the lingzhi away and go park the car outside. He then sends Lu Ming to watch him. Lu Ming initially questions why Wen Ning has a car, then realizes Wen Ning is using the lingzhi as the joke’s implied “car.”

Character developments

• Wen Ning remains composed and professional despite the obvious attempt to curry favor. He is practical and discreet, handling the gift and the family recommendation without openly making a scene.
• Lu Ming continues to serve as the outspoken, comic foil, ready with sarcastic remarks. He catches on to Wen Ning’s wordplay once he sees where Wen Ning is looking.
• Feng Dema is eager and earnest but socially clumsy. His strange walk, peculiar phrasing, and direct presentation of the lingzhi make him memorable, though he follows Wen Ning’s instructions readily.

Significant themes

• Connections and fairness: Wen Ning has received a recommendation for Feng Dema, but the scene leaves the hiring decision implicit and highlights the awkwardness of favoritism.
• Tact and social conventions: Feng Dema’s gift is less troubling for its value than for his bluntly stating its purpose; Wen Ning privately recognizes how badly he has handled the gesture.
• Comedy through misunderstanding and implication: The “car” is never explained outright; Wen Ning’s glance at the lingzhi lets Lu Ming—and the reader—understand the joke.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming exchange quiet, knowing reactions to Feng Dema’s appearance and family connection.
• Feng Dema enthusiastically offers the lingzhi to Wen Ning, who responds without changing his professional demeanor.
• Wen Ning gives Feng Dema discreet instructions and assigns Lu Ming to supervise him; Lu Ming’s confusion turns to understanding when he notices Wen Ning’s pointed look at the gift.

Summary

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming leave the examination room with Feng Dema’s Millennium Lingzhi, which Wen Ning believes he has successfully secured. Lu Ming signals that the plan worked—but Feng Dema immediately returns and bluntly announces that Lu Ming took the gift meant for Wen Ning.
• Feng Dema explains that Lu Ming claimed Wen Ning had asked for it, exposing the scheme in front of everyone. Though embarrassed, Wen Ning quickly recovers and invents a regulation requiring quarantine inspections for goods brought from the Mortal Realm. He tells Feng Dema the lingzhi will be inspected and eventually returned through Feng Dema’s uncle.
• Feng Dema accepts the explanation and agrees not to discuss the supposed procedure. Wen Ning then opens Feng Dema’s file and officially begins the interview by asking why he wants to become a Heavenly Court civil servant.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is greedy for the valuable lingzhi but also responsible for ensuring Feng Dema passes, since his godfather expects it. When exposed, he shows remarkable composure and improvisational skill, disguising his motives with a fabricated rule.
• Lu Ming initially helps Wen Ning obtain the gift, but Feng Dema’s accusation leaves him speechless. He admires Wen Ning’s convincing performance and struggles not to laugh.
• Feng Dema is sincere and trusting but spectacularly oblivious to social cues. He openly reports the theft, then readily accepts Wen Ning’s made-up explanation and follows his instructions.
• Their interactions create the chapter’s central comedy: Wen Ning and Lu Ming try to manage a covert gift exchange, while Feng Dema’s earnest honesty repeatedly threatens to expose them.

Significant themes

• Deception and improvisation: Wen Ning turns a compromising situation into an apparently official procedure through sheer confidence.
• Incompetence and connections: The chapter jokes that Feng Dema may need influential support to pass because his lack of judgment is so pronounced.
• Appearance versus truth: Wen Ning’s solemn authority masks his self-interest, while Feng Dema’s unquestioning trust lets the false story stand.

Plot points and events

• Feng Dema explains that his uncle urged him to seek a permanent Heavenly Court civil-service job for its security, meals, and—above all—better marriage prospects.
• During the interview, Feng repeatedly treats Wen Ning as “bro” and asks whether his workplace has any single women.
• Wen asks standard questions about setbacks, misconduct, and career plans. Feng says he would persevere, but turn to his uncle if that failed; report a rule-breaking colleague to his uncle; and let his uncle decide his career path.
• The interview ends with Feng asking whether the fairies in the Heavenly Court are pretty.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Dema is sincere and enthusiastic but naïve, with his uncle’s advice shaping nearly every answer. He views the job as a route to stability and a wife, and relies heavily on his uncle for guidance.
• Wen Ning maintains a professional front despite growing exhaustion. He tries to translate Feng’s unorthodox answers into favorable interview notes, such as “clear motivation,” “multiple objectives,” and “has a backup plan.”
• Lu Ming struggles to suppress laughter, watches Wen’s improvised scoring, and admires his skill at making an assessment sound impartial.
• The interviewers repeatedly try to keep Feng focused, but he continues to steer the conversation toward his uncle and matchmaking.

Significant themes

• Comedy through contrast: Formal interview procedure clashes with Feng’s blunt, personal priorities.
• Family dependence and influence: Feng’s uncle effectively directs his career choices and even his approach to romance.
• Bureaucratic interpretation: Wen’s diplomatic notes show how an evaluator can reframe weak or irrelevant answers in professional language.
• Practical ambition: Feng’s goals are simple and candid—secure work, food, and a chance at marriage.

Plot points

• After interviewing Feng Dema, Wen Ning tells him to go home and wait for an assignment. Feng, eager for a job—and convinced his uncle can help him transfer later—leaves satisfied.
• Lu Ming reminds Wen Ning to share the spirit mushroom with everyone who saw it. Wen Ning assures him he will.
• Wen Ning reports to Wen Zhong and explains that Feng’s main qualification is that everything else about him is a weakness. He proposes assigning him to the understaffed, unpopular Misfortune Department, reasoning that Feng is capable enough for basic work and willing to go wherever he is sent.
• Wen Zhong approves the plan and instructs Wen Ning to take the paperwork to Broom Star for his signature.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming travel to the remote, shabby Misfortune Department. They find Broom Star playing mahjong with several others and losing badly. Wen Ning introduces himself and reminds Broom Star of their earlier contact about investigating Zhou Hu.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning shows himself to be practical and quietly mischievous: he frames Feng’s assignment as a sensible solution for a neglected department, while privately expecting Feng to last no more than three months. He confidently persuades Wen Zhong that the placement is appropriate.
• Feng Dema remains oblivious to the poor prospects of his assignment. His confidence rests on his beauty and the belief that his influential uncle can get him transferred.
• Lu Ming acts as Wen Ning’s companion and ally, pressing him to share the spirit mushroom and accompanying him to deliver the assignment.
• Wen Zhong recognizes Wen Ning’s reasoning and approves the placement, though he asks whether Broom Star and the River Earl will accept it.
• Broom Star is introduced as a gloomy, unlucky official who runs the nearly empty Misfortune Department and enjoys mahjong. His terrible luck is played for comedy.

Significant themes

• Bureaucratic neglect and favoritism: The Misfortune Department is chronically understaffed and overlooked, while more desirable departments take the best candidates.
• Pragmatism and comic matchmaking: Wen Ning treats Feng’s placement as a fitting match between an undemanding recruit and a department desperate for staff.
• Luck and misfortune: Broom Star’s losing mahjong hand reinforces the department’s identity and the story’s humor.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning delivers Broom Star’s long-awaited staffing assignment: Feng Dema, a qualified candidate and nephew of the Yellow River River Earl, is joining the Misfortune Department.
• Broom Star eagerly signs the form and starts preparing the neglected office for his new recruit. Wen Ning and Lu Ming leave him celebrating, while Lu Ming wonders whether Broom Star might later regret accepting Feng Dema so quickly.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming return to the Mortal Realm. At the shop, they catch Zhang Siyu and Sparrow Spirit whispering. Sparrow eventually reveals that Zhang had been asking whether Wen Ning had close relationships with female deities, had dated before, and what kind of woman he liked.
• Wen Ning says he had no romantic relationships in the Heavenly Court, but had dated someone in the Mortal Realm. He then withdraws, choosing not to encourage Zhang’s evident interest.
• Before the conversation can continue, cries from outside announce that someone has jumped from the roof of the apartment building across the street. The group rushes to see what has happened.

Character developments and interactions

• Broom Star is overjoyed at finally receiving help after more than a century alone. His excitement makes him immediately accept the assignment and begin planning for Feng Dema’s arrival.
• Lu Ming remains an amused observer, first teasingly questioning Broom Star’s decision and later sensing the awkwardness between Wen Ning and Zhang Siyu.
• Zhang Siyu reveals her romantic interest indirectly through her questions, then becomes embarrassed and defensive when Sparrow exposes them.
• Sparrow Spirit tries to protect Zhang’s secret but ultimately blurts it out under Wen Ning’s questioning.
• Wen Ning recognizes Zhang’s feelings but keeps his distance, believing his identity, obligations, and looming dangers make it unfair to draw someone else into his life.

Significant themes

• Loneliness and hope: Broom Star’s delight highlights how meaningful companionship and support can be after prolonged isolation.
• Unspoken affection and restraint: Zhang’s feelings emerge through indirect questions, while Wen Ning chooses distance rather than reciprocating or encouraging her.
• Responsibility and entanglement: Wen Ning’s divine identity and burdens shape his personal choices, suggesting that duty can limit intimacy.
• Sudden crisis: The apparent jump from the nearby building abruptly shifts the chapter from light romantic comedy to an urgent, potentially tragic event.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning, Lu Ming, and Zhang Siyu join a crowd after a man, later identified as Lin Dagang, jumps from an apartment building. A large plane tree catches him, leaving him gravely injured but alive.
• Paramedics and firefighters rescue Lin Dagang and take him to the hospital. His wife and young daughter arrive in distress, while bystanders speculate about why he tried to kill himself.
• The Jade Emperor’s Golden Register reacts during the incident. Back at the shop, Wen Ning finds two newly recorded deeds of merit and a new instruction: “Lin Dagang's allotted lifespan has not ended, yet he attempted to end his life by jumping from a tall building. Help him live again.”
• Wen Ning suspects that merely surviving his injuries may not be enough: Lin Dagang’s despair could lead him to try again. Accepting the Register’s task, Wen Ning sets out for the hospital.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning begins as a curious onlooker, but the Register’s task turns the incident into a responsibility. He reflects on what “live again” might mean and resolves to help Lin Dagang.
• Lu Ming follows Wen Ning to the scene, jokes about Lin Dagang’s unlikely survival, and later teases Wen Ning about hiding reishi mushrooms. He questions why they need to go to the hospital.
• Zhang Siyu is frightened by the incident and expresses concern for Lin Dagang, hoping he recovers.
• Lin Dagang’s wife and daughter show the human cost of the crisis: his wife rushes to his side in anguish, while his daughter trembles and cries quietly. The chapter gives no explanation yet for what drove him to jump.

Significant themes

• Survival versus recovery: Physical rescue may not address the despair that led Lin Dagang to attempt suicide.
• Compassion and responsibility: Wen Ning moves beyond witnessing a tragedy to acting on the task assigned by the Register.
• The fragility of life and family bonds: The rescue’s narrow margin and the family’s distress underscore the stakes of Lin Dagang’s fate.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming wait outside the emergency room while Lin Dagang undergoes surgery after attempting suicide.
• Doctors save Lin Dagang’s life, but his brain injuries may leave him in a vegetative state. His wife and young daughter are devastated.
• Wen Ning realizes the Golden Register’s task to “bring him back to life” means waking him from the vegetative state—not merely preventing his death.
• Concerned that Lin Dagang might attempt suicide again even if he recovers, Wen Ning approaches his family to learn what drove him to it.
• Lin Dagang’s wife reveals that business losses left him owing several hundred thousand, and relentless debt collectors pressured and harassed the family. Wen Ning comforts her and urges her to stay strong, offering cautious hope that things may improve.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming leave the hospital determined to find a way to wake Lin Dagang, though neither yet knows how.

Character developments

• Wen Ning interprets the Golden Register’s task more clearly and recognizes that Lin Dagang’s emotional crisis must be understood alongside his physical condition. He shows compassion and practical concern for the family.
• Lu Ming remains humorous and supportive, pretending to be injured to help Wen Ning seem approachable. His levity gives way to genuine uncertainty about how to help.
• Lin Dagang’s wife shifts from shock and grief to cautiously considering hope after Wen Ning encourages her.
• Lin Dagang’s daughter is frightened and grieving, clinging to her mother.

Significant themes

• Survival versus recovery: Being kept alive is not the same as truly returning to life.
• Despair and social pressure: Debt and harassment push an otherwise honest man toward suicide.
• Family responsibility and resilience: Lin Dagang’s condition threatens his family’s stability, while his wife must find strength for their child.
• Compassion and hope: Wen Ning offers comfort without making promises, emphasizing that problems can be faced step by step.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming exchange dry, teasing remarks while waiting, but share serious concern about Lin Dagang’s future.
• Wen Ning gently comforts Lin Dagang’s wife and daughter, then carefully draws out the cause of the suicide attempt.
• Lu Ming backs up Wen Ning’s approach with comic acting, but Wen Ning’s glance keeps him from interrupting the conversation.

Key events

• Wen Ning reveals that he knows Spirit Roaming and Qi Control, a powerful technique taught by his godfather. He plans to use it to enter the unconscious Lin Dagang’s consciousness and uncover the emotional wounds keeping him from waking.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming return to the shop, where Zhang Siyu asks whether Lin Dagang has recovered. Wen Ning explains that he remains in a vegetative state; Lu Ming pretends his earlier limp was an act.
• At night, Wen Ning leaves his body and finds Lu Ming watching videos on his phone. After teasing him, Wen Ning guides Lu Ming through leaving his own body as well.
• The two travel to the hospital as spirits and enter Lin Dagang’s consciousness. After a frightening plunge through darkness, they arrive in a gray, hazy place.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning displays confidence in his supernatural abilities, but also a serious, compassionate understanding that Lin Dagang’s emotional pain—not just his debts—may be preventing recovery. He and Lu Ming trade familiar, teasing insults throughout the chapter.
• Lu Ming is initially incredulous and uneasy about spirit travel, but follows Wen Ning’s instructions and becomes curious about the experience. His jokes and embarrassment over his videos provide comic relief.
• Zhang Siyu briefly checks on Lin Dagang’s condition and Lu Ming’s limp, then returns to sleep.
• Wen Ning takes the lead and reassures Lu Ming as they enter the hospital and Lin Dagang’s consciousness, while Lu Ming relies on him for guidance.

Significant themes

• Emotional healing: Awakening may require confronting inner wounds, not merely solving practical problems.
• Trust and companionship: Lu Ming follows Wen Ning into an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous spiritual journey.
• Humor amid serious stakes: Their banter contrasts with Lin Dagang’s critical condition and the ominous descent into his mind.

Key plot points

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming enter Lin Dagang’s dream, where they witness a childhood memory: young Lin kneels alone at his father’s funeral while the adults ignore him.
• Lin explains that his father died saving him from drowning, and asks whether that makes him a jinx. His mother had already died giving birth to him.
• As the day passes, Lin’s relatives argue over who should take him in. None wants the responsibility, and the boy listens silently, aware of their rejection.
• An elderly woman finally arrives carrying an old hen and walks toward the child. The chapter ends before revealing what she will do.

Character developments

• Lin Dagang appears emotionally numb as he revisits a defining childhood trauma. His quiet question about being a jinx reveals lingering guilt and pain.
• Wen Ning remains restrained and offers no easy comfort, recognizing that words cannot undo the boy’s suffering.
• Lu Ming responds with visible compassion, disturbed by the child’s neglect and urging Wen Ning to say something.
• Young Lin is grieving, hungry, and isolated, yet still watches his father’s coffin with desperate hope.

Character interactions

• Lin tells Wen Ning and Lu Ming about his parents and childhood, while they witness the memory without being noticed by the people in it.
• Lu Ming presses Wen Ning to comfort Lin, but Wen Ning cannot find anything meaningful to say.
• Lin’s relatives argue over responsibility for him, exposing their reluctance and resentment.
• The elderly woman’s arrival suggests a possible change in the boy’s fortunes.

Significant themes

• Childhood abandonment and grief: Lin loses both parents and receives little care from his relatives.
• Guilt and self-blame: He wonders whether his survival caused his father’s death.
• The limits of comfort: Wen Ning and Lu Ming can witness the pain but cannot easily ease it.
• Compassion amid hardship: The relatives’ poverty complicates their choices, while the elderly woman’s arrival offers a fragile possibility of kindness.

Key plot points and events

• In Lin Dagang’s dream, his grandmother arrives at the mourning courtyard and comforts him as he grieves for his father. She firmly tells the relatives she will raise him herself and refuses their pity or interference.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming witness this emotional memory, but a rooster’s crow at dawn abruptly ejects them from the dream. Wen Ning promises Lin Dagang he will return.
• Both men wake in their own beds, exhausted and sore. Wen Ning explains that daylight forcibly pulled his spirit back while he was roaming through qi; he expects to recover with rest.
• Lu Ming is moved by the grandmother’s devotion and wonders whether Lin Dagang can wake. Wen Ning says their visit was worthwhile because they now understand more about Lin Dagang’s condition. He plans to return to the dream that night.
• At breakfast, Zhang Siyu questions their sleepless appearance. Lu Ming nearly reveals their dream journey, but Wen Ning covers for him with a teasing explanation.

Character developments

• Lin Dagang’s grandmother is shown as deeply loving, resilient, and fiercely protective. Despite her age and grief, she claims responsibility for raising her grandson.
• Lu Ming is emotionally affected by the reunion between Lin Dagang and his grandmother, and remains concerned about whether Lin Dagang can recover.
• Wen Ning stays composed and focused, explaining the risks of their return from the dream and deciding to continue investigating.
• Zhang Siyu is practical and observant, noticing that the two men look exhausted, though she does not uncover what they were doing.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and responsibility: The grandmother’s promise to care for Lin Dagang stands against the relatives’ doubts.
• Grief and comfort: The boy’s tears finally surface when he reunites with his grandmother.
• Persistence and hope: Though the dream journey ends abruptly, Wen Ning intends to return and learn more about Lin Dagang’s condition.
• Humor amid tension: The men’s exhaustion and their awkward breakfast cover story lighten the chapter’s emotional and supernatural events.

Character interactions

• The grandmother comforts Lin Dagang and confronts relatives who question her ability to raise him.
• Lu Ming and Wen Ning share concern over Lin Dagang; Lu Ming expresses his feelings, while Wen Ning offers a measured assessment and plan.
• Zhang Siyu scolds Lu Ming for his loud phone and later teases both men about their lack of sleep. Wen Ning jokingly blames Lu Ming’s videos, helping conceal their secret.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming prepare to enter Lin Dagang’s dream again, hoping to help wake him. Zhang Siyu suspects they are hiding something, but Wen Ning reassures her—unconvincingly—that they are not.
• Using Wen Ning’s Wandering Spirit and Commanding Qi ability, the two enter Lin Dagang’s dream. This time they see a courtyard from his young adulthood, where Lin’s grandmother lies dead in bed.
• A young Lin Dagang has returned from university too late to see her alive. He begs her to wake, offers her the biscuits she had wanted, and breaks down in grief.
• The older Lin Dagang watches the scene from the courtyard, silently reliving his loss. He explains that his grandmother died of a heart attack while he was away; a neighbor found her after she had been dead for three days.
• Lin still regrets not being there and had hoped to bring his grandmother to the city after graduating. Wen Ning tells him she would have been happy to know how devoted he was. The dream begins to shake, and Wen Ning and Lu Ming are forced out.
• They wake abruptly, again startling Zhang Siyu. Wen Ning tells Lu Ming they will return to the dream that night.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Dagang is revealed to carry lasting guilt over his grandmother’s death and the family he lost. His dream repeatedly forces him to witness painful farewells.
• Lu Ming is deeply affected by the scene and admits he does not want to keep watching; his usual restlessness gives way to empathy and sorrow.
• Wen Ning remains calm and observant, recognizes the dream’s pattern, and gently challenges Lin’s self-blame. He remains determined to continue.
• Zhang Siyu notices the pair’s secretive behavior and scolds them after their noisy awakening, but does not yet learn what they are doing.

Significant themes

• Grief and the persistence of painful memories.
• Regret and survivor’s guilt—especially the belief that being present might have changed an unavoidable death.
• Love expressed through ordinary hopes and acts of care, such as the grandmother’s wished-for biscuits and Lin’s plans for her future.
• Compassion: witnessing another person’s pain can be difficult, but acknowledging their love may offer comfort.

Key plot points and events

• On the third night, Wen Ning and Lu Ming enter Lin Dagang’s dream again. This time, they see his memories of working late in a commercial office.
• Young Lin Dagang is harshly berated by his manager for a work mistake and threatened with the financial consequences. Despite the humiliation, he returns to his desk and keeps working.
• Lin Dagang explains that the scene occurred early in his career, when he earned little and felt trapped by rent, food costs, and the need to keep his job. He often wondered whether dying might reunite him with his grandmother, but continued living because someone needed to honor her.
• A phone beside the younger Lin Dagang repeatedly receives calls and a message from “Rou,” whom Lin Dagang reveals is his wife. He admits he sees himself as a burden to her and their child while he lies in the hospital with debts.
• The office fades into darkness, leaving Lin Dagang isolated. He again tells Wen Ning to leave him, questioning whether someone like him is worth saving. Wen Ning answers that he will return the next night.

Character developments

• Lin Dagang: His dream reveals the roots of his despair: years of exhausting work, low self-worth, unresolved grief for his grandmother, and the belief that his family would be better off without him. His memories also show how long he has endured suicidal thoughts.
• Wen Ning: He continues to approach Lin Dagang calmly and persistently. By promising to return, he refuses to accept Lin Dagang’s self-condemnation.
• Lu Ming: He is outraged by the manager’s cruelty and deeply affected by Lin Dagang’s suffering, though Wen Ning reminds him that they cannot intervene physically in the dream.

Significant themes

• Worth and self-worth: Lin Dagang measures his value by his success and financial contribution, concluding that failure makes him undeserving of life.
• Endurance under exploitation: The workplace scene shows how economic pressure can force someone to keep going even after humiliation and exhaustion.
• Grief and obligation: Lin Dagang’s wish to honor his grandmother helped him survive, but grief also shaped his thoughts of death.
• Family and responsibility: Wen Ning challenges Lin Dagang to consider what his wife and child would face if he gave up.
• Persistence and hope: Wen Ning’s promise to return offers a small counterpoint to the dream’s darkness.

Character interactions

• Lu Ming’s anger at the manager contrasts with Wen Ning’s restraint; Wen Ning keeps him from trying to interfere in a dream.
• Wen Ning questions Lin Dagang about his past and directly challenges his belief that waking up would change nothing.
• Lin Dagang’s memories of his wife’s unanswered calls expose the distance created by his work and his sense of being a burden.
• The chapter ends with Wen Ning’s determined promise, leaving the attempt to reach Lin Dagang unresolved.

• The previous night and morning: Wen Ning wakes to find Lu Ming’s leg draped across his thigh and is privately horrified. In the morning, Lu Ming jokes about their shared bed and insists he must keep sleeping beside Wen Ning to protect him if their souls leave their bodies again. Wen Ning remains exasperated and wary.
• A happier dream: That night, they return to Lin Dagang’s dream after Wen Ning makes Lu Ming put on pants first. The oppressive office building has been replaced by a sunny lawn where a younger Lin Dagang proposes to Xiao Rou. Lin Dagang, watching his own memory, says it happened six years earlier and was the happiest day of his life. Though he smiles, he seems separated from that happiness by grief.
• Lin Dagang’s despair: Wen Ning asks whether the memory makes Lin Dagang reconsider giving up. Lin Dagang instead laments that his grandmother never saw the proposal and doubts his wife and child could have reason to wait for him while he lies in the hospital. He also admits that staying unconscious keeps debt collectors away, revealing that financial fear is part of his despair.
• Wen Ning offers hope: Wen Ning insists he will save Lin Dagang and says he may have a way to address the debt, though he wants to wake Lin Dagang first. Lin Dagang questions Wen Ning’s determination and asks what he does, but Wen Ning avoids answering. He urges Lin Dagang to trust him by recalling how, when Xiao Rou accepted, Lin Dagang thought his life had been worthwhile. Lin Dagang finally stops refusing, his eyes reddening.
• The dream collapses: As the memory fades and the sky cracks, Wen Ning quickly pulls Lu Ming out of the dream. Back in bed, he finds Lu Ming’s pants have kept his legs from sprawling over him again, though Wen Ning decides he may need to find someone else to share the nightly vigil.
  Character developments and interactions: Wen Ning remains determined and compassionate, using Lin Dagang’s happiest memory to reconnect him with a reason to live. Lin Dagang’s grief and financial anxiety are exposed, but he shows the first sign of accepting help. Lu Ming is unusually quiet during the proposal scene and continues to stay close to Wen Ning, balancing teasing with genuine concern.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts remembered happiness with present despair, and highlights how love, family, and human connection can offer hope. It also introduces the burden of debt as a source of hopelessness, while the dream’s collapse keeps the danger and uncertainty surrounding Lin Dagang’s condition in view.

Key events

• After helping Lin Dagang in his dream, Wen Ning senses that a small spark of hope has returned, but believes Dagang needs further encouragement.
• Wen Ning travels to the Underworld to find Dagang’s grandmother, Duan Xiu, who died ten years ago. Judge Lu checks the Book of Life and Death and discovers she is still waiting for reincarnation—with an estimated fifty years to go.
• Duan Xiu is summoned. Wen Ning tells her that Dagang is hospitalized and unconscious, and explains that Dagang feels exhausted by life and believes he has become a burden because he failed to give her a better life.
• Duan Xiu rejects that idea, insisting that her grandson could never be a burden. Judge Lu permits her to visit Dagang, with White Impermanence escorting her. Wen Ning arranges for her to come to his shop that night.

Character developments

• Wen Ning acts decisively and compassionately, using his knowledge and influence in the Underworld to find the person he believes can reach Dagang.
• Duan Xiu is devastated to learn of Dagang’s condition, but her fierce love for him is immediately clear. She is eager to see him and reassure him.
• Judge Lu and Xie Bi’an show goodwill toward Wen Ning and agree to help, despite the Underworld’s rules and bureaucracy.

Themes

• Hope and emotional recovery: Dagang’s hope has begun to return, but he still needs a reason to keep living.
• Family love and belonging: Duan Xiu’s unconditional affection challenges Dagang’s belief that he is a burden.
• Compassion and intervention: Wen Ning goes beyond offering comfort, bringing together the person who may best help Dagang.
• Bureaucracy and human kindness: The Underworld’s long reincarnation backlog provides humor, while its officials make an exception to help.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning coordinates with Xie Bi’an and Judge Lu to locate Duan Xiu and arrange her visit.
• When Duan Xiu hears about Dagang, she anxiously asks after him, blames herself, and reacts angrily to the idea that he could be a burden.
• Judge Lu authorizes the visit, and Xie Bi’an volunteers to escort her to Wen Ning’s shop that evening.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning prepares to enter Lin Dagang’s dream, believing they must act while Dagang’s renewed will to live is still strong.
• White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an, brings Duan Xiu’s spirit to the shop. Wen Ning, Lu Ming, and Duan Xiu travel to the hospital in spirit form.
• In Lin Dagang’s hospital room, Duan Xiu tries to touch her unconscious grandson but remembers she is dead. Seeing his exhausted wife, Xiao Rou, Wen Ning brings her spirit into the dream as well.
• The group enters a dream depicting Dagang and Xiao Rou’s wedding. The present-day Dagang watches the joyful scene from outside, longing for the happiness he once had.
• Dagang admits that his greatest regret is that his grandmother never saw him marry. Wen Ning tells him to turn around, revealing Duan Xiu and Xiao Rou waiting for him.
• Dagang embraces his grandmother and breaks down, confessing how tired he is. Duan Xiu comforts him, while Xiao Rou reminds him that she is beside him at the hospital.

Character developments

• Lin Dagang moves from quietly yearning for his past to openly expressing his grief and exhaustion. His reunion with his grandmother gives him a chance to share feelings he has kept inside.
• Duan Xiu is overwhelmed to see her grandson and comforts him with the same tenderness she showed him as a child.
• Xiao Rou is shown as devoted and emotionally worn down, but she remains by Dagang’s side and reassures him.
• Wen Ning acts with compassion and insight, recognizing that seeing both the people he loves may help Dagang reconnect with life.
• Lu Ming is briefly uncomfortable when Xie Bi’an teases him about an embarrassing incident, then quietly responds to the emotional scene.

Significant themes

• Family love and emotional refuge: Dagang’s grandmother’s affection gives him permission to admit his pain.
• Regret and memory: The wedding dream contrasts Dagang’s former happiness with his present condition and highlights what he wishes he could have shared with his grandmother.
• Choosing to keep living: The reunion offers Dagang reasons to return to the people waiting for him.
• The enduring bond between the living and the dead: Though Duan Xiu cannot touch Dagang physically, their love remains powerful.

Character interactions

• Xie Bi’an and Lu Ming trade a brief, teasing exchange before Xie leaves them to their task.
• Wen Ning gently guides Duan Xiu and Xiao Rou into the dream, then gives Dagang space to confront his regret.
• Duan Xiu and Dagang reunite in an embrace, with Dagang clinging to her as he cries.
• Xiao Rou joins them and reassures Dagang that she is still waiting with him in the hospital.

Key plot points and events

• In Lin Dagang’s dream, the wedding scene shifts to the present. Dagang and Xiao Rou kneel before his grandmother, Duan Xiu, and apologize for not having honored her properly before. Duan Xiu warmly blesses them and urges Dagang to treat Xiao Rou well.
• The dream is violently disrupted, sending Wen Ning and Lu Ming back to the hospital. Duan Xiu, weakened by the ordeal, thanks Wen Ning and leaves with Xie Bi’an for the Underworld.
• Lin Dagang shows signs of improvement—his color returns, and his fingers and eyelashes move—but he remains unconscious. Wen Ning thinks he needs one final push and leaves Xiao Rou beside him.
• At dawn, Xiao Rou wakes and tells the still-unconscious Dagang about her dream of their wedding and Duan Xiu’s message: she wanted him to live well, because his being alive mattered most.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Dagang appears to have released much of his long-held guilt toward his grandmother, though he has not yet awakened.
• Duan Xiu shows her enduring love for Dagang, accepting his apology and reassuring him before departing.
• Xiao Rou promises to look after Dagang and remains devotedly at his bedside, sharing the dream with him after waking.
• Wen Ning guides the dream encounter, believes Dagang will recover, and recognizes that Xiao Rou’s presence may help.
• Lu Ming provides comic relief with his hunger and skepticism, while trusting Wen Ning’s judgment.
• Xie Bi’an escorts Duan Xiu away, joking about the Underworld’s “free soul delivery.”

Significant themes

• Love and family devotion: Duan Xiu’s care for Dagang persists beyond death, while Xiao Rou supports him through his crisis.
• Guilt, forgiveness, and closure: Dagang’s apology and his grandmother’s acceptance help him lay down a lifelong burden.
• Life and recovery: Duan Xiu’s insistence that Dagang live well reinforces the chapter’s hope that emotional reconciliation can help draw him back to life.

Plot points and events

• On the sixth night, Wen Ning and Lu Ming return to the hospital to enter Lin Dagang’s dream, hoping to help him wake.
• They find him reliving the birth of his daughter: young Lin Dagang anxiously waits outside the delivery room, then weeps with joy when he learns both Xiao Rou and the baby are safe.
• Present-day Lin Dagang watches his younger self and gently reaches toward his newborn daughter. Xiao Rou, within the dream, pleads for him to come back to the family waiting for him.
• Lin Dagang’s past and present selves finally run toward each other and merge. He promises Xiao Rou he will not give up on them.
• The dream expels Wen Ning and Lu Ming. In the real ward, Lin Dagang wakes and tells Xiao Rou, “I’m back.” She breaks down with relief.

Character developments

• Lin Dagang reconnects with the love and responsibility that once defined him as a husband and father. His reunion with his younger self marks a decision to return to his family and face life again.
• Xiao Rou remains devoted through his prolonged unconsciousness, and her plea becomes the emotional turning point that reaches him.
• Wen Ning stays calm and trusts Lin Dagang to make the final choice himself.
• Lu Ming masks his concern with jokes, but his relief at Lin Dagang’s recovery is unmistakable.

Significant themes

• Family, love, and responsibility give Lin Dagang a reason to return.
• Reconciliation with the past allows him to recover a sense of purpose.
• Hope after hardship is reflected in Lin Dagang’s awakening and the dawn breaking outside.

Character interactions

• Lu Ming jokes with Wen Ning during their journey, while Wen Ning remains focused on the task.
• In the dream, Xiao Rou’s appeal reaches Lin Dagang, prompting him to reunite with his younger self.
• In the hospital, Lin Dagang and Xiao Rou share a tender reunion: he touches her cheek, and she clutches his hand, overwhelmed with relief.

Plot points and events

• After returning from Lin Dagang’s dream, Wen Ning and Lu Ming collapse from exhaustion. Over breakfast, Lu Ming asks what Lin should do about his debts; Wen Ning says that is for Lin to handle himself.
• At the hospital, Lin wakes and learns he is out of danger. Xiao Rou brings their daughter, Duoduo, to visit him.
• On an unexplained impulse, Xiao Rou buys a scratch-off ticket and wins the first prize: 500,000 yuan. After taxes, the winnings should be enough to clear the family’s debts.
• Xiao Rou and Lin share a strikingly similar dream involving their family’s past and two indistinct strangers. They decide that Lin’s grandmother must be watching over them and resolve to pay off their debts and start over.
• The chapter reveals that Wen Ning arranged the stroke of luck: he asked Wen Zhong to take him to Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, who granted Lin financial luck as part of Wen Ning’s training. Wen Ning had returned to the mortal world before Lu Ming woke.

Character developments

• Wen Ning shows compassion and quiet initiative by seeking help for Lin, while treating the experience as part of his own training.
• Lu Ming remains concerned about Lin’s fate, though Wen Ning’s practical answer leaves him frustrated.
• Lin Dagang wakes weakened but resolves to live responsibly and rebuild his family’s life.
• Xiao Rou moves from fear and exhaustion to relief and hope, embracing the chance to free the family from debt.
• Duoduo offers innocent comfort, urging her parents not to cry and believing her great-grandmother protects her.

Character interactions

• Xiao Rou, Lin, and Duoduo reunite emotionally in the hospital, sharing the relief of Lin’s recovery and the lottery win.
• Lin and Xiao Rou compare their dreams and find they experienced overlapping memories, including a scene of their wedding and his grandmother.
• Wen Ning asks Wen Zhong for help, and Zhao Gongming agrees to direct financial luck toward Lin. Their warm, informal exchange contrasts with Wen Ning’s formality.
• Back home, Lu Ming wonders how Lin is doing; Wen Ning simply answers that he is living his life.

Significant themes

• Compassion and indirect help: Wen Ning intervenes to give Lin and his family a chance, while leaving them to make their own choices.
• Family, hope, and renewal: The reunion and unexpected prize give Lin’s family a path toward paying their debts and beginning again.
• The unseen and spiritual influence: The shared dream, the strangers in Lin’s memories, Duoduo’s belief in her great-grandmother, and Wen Ning’s divine request suggest a hidden hand guiding events.