Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Three days after Zhou Guangfu leaves, his daughter Liu Nian arrives at Wen Ning’s shop. A dream and a clue from someone in town led her there.
• Wen Ning explains that Zhou has gone, then shows her the candy he left behind. Liu Nian is devastated that she missed him, but agrees to help search.
• Wen Ning follows the faint trace of Zhou’s presence to a bridge near the abandoned Old Power Plant. The group finds him weak and alone beneath it.
• Liu Nian asks her father to come home and promises he will not be a burden. With Wen Ning’s encouragement and Feng Dema’s help, Zhou agrees.
• At home, Liu Nian cares for Zhou. They remember how he once fed her porridge as a child and how painful it was for him to send her away. She promises to care for him now.
• Zhou dies peacefully in his sleep the following morning. Liu Nian later buries him on a sunny hillside, where Wen Ning, Lu Ming, Feng Dema, and Liu Dazhu pay their respects.

Character developments

• Liu Nian moves from searching and regret to reconciliation: she finds her father, cares for him, and stays beside him through his final night.
• Zhou Guangfu accepts the care he had long resisted, recognizing his daughter’s love and returning home before he dies.
• Wen Ning acts with compassion and practical resolve, helping reunite father and daughter and honoring Zhou’s wishes.
• Lu Ming and Feng Dema support the search and reunion; Feng Dema also offers a tender, childlike tribute at the grave.

Significant themes

• Family, forgiveness, and reconciliation: Even after years apart, Liu Nian and Zhou reconnect through care and affection.
• Dignity and self-reliance: Zhou’s reluctance to burden others reflects a life lived according to his principles.
• Regret and the value of time: Liu Nian cannot undo the years or prevent her father’s death, but she is able to spend his last hours with him.
• A meaningful life and peaceful death: Zhou’s epitaph celebrates his integrity and the clean conscience with which he lived.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning gently tells Liu Nian what happened and helps her locate Zhou.
• Liu Nian takes Zhou’s hand and insists on bringing him home; Wen Ning reassures him that accepting help is all right.
• Father and daughter reconnect through their shared memory of his feeding her porridge, reversing their old roles as she cares for him.
• At the burial, Liu Dazhu brings Zhou noodles, while Feng Dema leaves colorful candies—small gestures that reflect the bonds Zhou formed with others.

Plot points and events

• While bathing the Sparrow Spirit’s lice-ridden chicks at the shop, Feng Dema meets Fang Qingqin, a university student looking for temporary work. He is instantly smitten, but Lu Ming tells her the shop isn’t hiring.
• Fang returns that afternoon and explains that she needs an internship for her journalism degree. She is willing to work without pay in exchange for the required paperwork.
• Feng enthusiastically urges the shop to take her on, while Lu Ming checks her background. Wen Ning ultimately agrees to let her intern, offering lunch rather than wages. Fang is told to arrive at nine the next morning.
• After Fang leaves, Feng can hardly contain his excitement and asks Wen Ning to order her an extra lunch.

Character developments

• Feng Dema develops an immediate crush on Fang. His usual distracted, childlike manner becomes focused on her: he watches her leave, asks where she studies, and eagerly welcomes her back. His uncle’s advice to take initiative clearly influences him, though he has little practical grasp of how hiring works.
• Lu Ming remains the practical, skeptical voice, restraining Feng’s enthusiasm and keeping the shop’s work moving.
• Wen Ning makes the final decision, accepting Fang as an intern on modest terms.
• Fang Qingqin comes across as polite and earnest, returning despite the initial refusal and clearly explaining her university requirement.

Character interactions

• Lu Ming repeatedly teases and reins in Feng, reminding him that he is not in charge and redirecting him to finish bathing the birds or clean the windows.
• Feng tries to persuade Lu Ming to hire Fang, then beams and welcomes her directly.
• Wen Ning listens to Fang’s request and agrees after consulting Lu Ming and observing Feng’s enthusiasm.
• Fang’s calm politeness contrasts with Feng’s barely contained excitement.

Significant themes

• First attraction and awkward courtship: Feng’s instant crush leads to comically intense attention and a hopeful anticipation of seeing Fang again.
• Everyday responsibility: Romantic excitement keeps interrupting the shop’s chores, especially Feng’s duty to wash the sparrows.
• Work and opportunity: Fang seeks practical experience and required documentation, while the shop offers an informal, low-paid internship rather than a conventional position.

Plot points and events

• Fang Qingqin starts her internship at the shop. Lu Ming shows her the work, while Wen Ning tells her to follow Lu Ming’s instructions and ask questions when needed.
• Feng Dema is immediately flustered by Fang Qingqin and keeps finding small ways to help her. She declines his offer of water, but lets him sweep while she wipes the tables.
• At lunch, Dema gives Fang Qingqin his drumstick, claiming he dislikes them. Lu Ming exposes the lie, since Dema had recently said drumsticks were his favorite; embarrassed, Dema kicks him under the table. Fang Qingqin accepts the drumstick.
• While bathing a notoriously difficult orange cat, Fang Qingqin helps Dema hold it still. Their teamwork gets the bath done, and a brief brush of their hands leaves Dema blushing.
• Over the following days, Qingqin proves capable and hardworking, handling cleaning, animal care, calls, and orders. Dema follows her around, while Lu Ming teases him and complains that he has become obsessed.
• On her fifth day, Qingqin brings homemade cookies for everyone. Dema praises them extravagantly, despite Lu Ming pointing out that he has called other treats the best before. When Qingqin leaves, Dema asks whether she will return; reassured that her internship continues, he watches her go, smiling.

Character development

• Feng Dema is openly smitten but shy and awkward. His affection appears through practical help, sharing food, and enthusiastic praise; he grows more cheerful as Qingqin returns each day.
• Fang Qingqin is reserved but warm, diligent, and capable. She accepts Dema’s help when useful and joins him in handling the cat, though she shows no clear romantic interest yet.
• Lu Ming acts as a teasing observer, recognizing Dema’s crush and puncturing his attempts to impress Qingqin.
• Wen Ning remains calm and hands-off, allowing Dema’s behavior as long as it does not interfere with work.

Significant themes

• Unspoken affection: Dema’s feelings come through in bashful gestures rather than direct confession.
• Everyday intimacy: Shared work, meals, and small acts of kindness gradually bring the characters closer.
• Teasing and contrast: Lu Ming’s dry remarks highlight the gap between Dema’s usual habits and his lovestruck behavior.
• Belonging through work: Qingqin earns the shop’s respect by contributing reliably and fitting into its daily routines.

Character interactions

• Qingqin and Dema build a tentative rapport through work, food, and their shared effort bathing the cat.
• Dema’s eagerness to assist contrasts with Qingqin’s independent, matter-of-fact manner.
• Lu Ming repeatedly teases Dema, while Wen Ning quietly declines to intervene.
• Qingqin’s promise to return reassures Dema and ends the chapter on his hopeful anticipation.

Plot points and events

• Fang Qingqin is late arriving at the shop, and lovesick Feng Dema grows anxious. Lu Ming jokes that he has fallen for her and should go find her; Dema takes him literally and rushes out.
• Dema, Lu Ming, and Wen Ning find Qingqin cornered by three thugs near the university’s back gate. Dema charges in, knocks the attackers down despite his awkward fighting, and drives them off.
• Back at the shop, Qingqin checks that Dema is unhurt. Wen Ning later asks Dema about her and learns that she is from the south, an only child, and was often ill as a child.
• Wen Ning privately grows suspicious of how conveniently Qingqin appeared and how quickly she affected Dema. He decides not to share his concerns with Dema yet.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Dema shows how deeply he cares for Qingqin: he rushes to find her and instinctively shields her from danger. Though powerful in other ways, he fights clumsily and seems to forget his divine nature. He is openly smitten and eager to be near her.
• Fang Qingqin appears frightened when confronted by the thugs but remains composed afterward, expressing concern for Dema and resisting his fussing over her.
• Wen Ning acts as a cautious observer. He supports Dema in the immediate situation but privately questions Qingqin’s arrival and background, worrying Dema may fall for her without knowing who she is.
• Lu Ming teases Dema about his feelings, then follows to help. He and Wen Ning share amused observations about Dema’s awkward heroics.

Significant themes

• Protective love and impulsiveness: Dema’s feelings prompt him to act without hesitation.
• Hidden identities and suspicion: Qingqin’s seemingly ordinary presence may not be as coincidental as it appears.
• Comedy alongside danger: Dema’s dramatic rescue contrasts with his inept fighting and transparent infatuation.

Key plot points

• Wen Ning asks Xu Zhao to investigate Fang Qingqin. Her university, high-school, family, and home records appear legitimate, but no trace of her schooling before high school can be found. Her high-school file’s photograph is also blank, suggesting either deliberate erasure or that she had not previously been part of the ordinary human system.
• On their weekend outing, Dema and Fang Qingqin walk to a bookstore. When an electric bike nearly hits them, Dema stops it with an invisible force by holding out his hand. The rider and bystanders do not seem to recognize what happened.
• Fang Qingqin notices Dema’s strange ability and becomes subdued, leaving the shop early. Dema assumes she is simply shaken and remains cheerfully unaware of her reaction.
• Wen Ning quietly reviews Xu Zhao’s findings and watches Fang Qingqin leave, apparently linking the missing photo and records to the incident.
• The chapter closes with Dema teasing Big Yellow about missing a male dog.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is increasingly suspicious of Fang Qingqin. He investigates discreetly and keeps the information from others, especially Dema.
• Fang Qingqin remains warm toward Dema, bringing him cookies and joining him on an outing, but her demeanor changes after witnessing his power. Her silence and early departure suggest fear or concern.
• Feng Dema is affectionate and enthusiastic about Fang Qingqin, but his instinctive use of supernatural force reveals that he may not fully understand—or control—the impression he makes.
• Lu Ming offers dry commentary on Fang Qingqin’s excuse about the cookies and checks in with Dema, while remaining largely an observer.
• Xu Zhao helps Wen Ning uncover the gaps in Fang Qingqin’s background.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and erased histories: Fang Qingqin’s otherwise convincing records contain conspicuous gaps.
• Supernatural power concealed in everyday life: Dema’s ability appears amid an ordinary walk, unnoticed by everyone except Fang Qingqin.
• Uneven knowledge and suspicion: Wen Ning sees a potential connection between the records and Dema’s power, while Dema remains oblivious to Fang Qingqin’s unease.
• Affection alongside uncertainty: Dema’s earnest courtship contrasts with the growing mystery around Fang Qingqin.

Key plot points and events

• Howling Celestial Dog visits Wen Ning’s shop after receiving time off from Yang Jian. He is warmly reunited with Big Yellow, whom he calls “Little Yellow.”
• While inside, he detects faint demonic aura mixed with unusually heavy baleful aura near the chair Fang Qingqin used earlier.
• Howling explains that Fang herself does not seem to be a monster and shows no signs of cultivation. Instead, the scent on her clothes and hair suggests she has spent considerable time near a monster.
• He cannot identify the creature from the lingering traces. The baleful aura may come from its history of violence or from an unusual place where it lives; neither necessarily means it is hostile.
• Wen Ning agrees to alert Howling when Fang next visits so he can examine her scent directly. Until then, Wen Ning will quietly keep an eye on her. They decide not to alarm Dema.

Character developments and interactions

• Howling’s playful, affectionate side appears in his reunion with Big Yellow, but his trained nose quickly shifts him into a serious investigator.
• Wen Ning takes the discovery seriously and recalls that Fang’s strong buttery-cookie scent may have masked other clues. He remains cautious rather than jumping to conclusions.
• Lu Ming questions what the aura means and worries that Dema is being kept in the dark. Howling reassures him that Fang’s connection to a monster could have several explanations.
• Howling recognizes Dema as the Heavenly Court’s notoriously unsuccessful romantic pursuer and teases him, though Dema is not part of the investigation.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Howling is a divine beast in human form, while Fang’s demonic aura does not mean she is a monster.
• Uncertainty and restraint: The characters avoid judging Fang or the nearby creature before gathering better evidence.
• Trust and closeness: A scent can reveal sustained contact, suggesting an important bond between Fang and an unidentified monster, though its nature remains unknown.

Plot points and events

• The Howling Celestial Dog returns to the shop while Fang Qingqin is present. He secretly sniffs her jacket and detects a demonic aura resembling that of a vicious creature once sealed in the south. He cannot identify it, but suspects it was released or escaped and notes that its southern origin matches Fang’s connection to Yunxi County.
• Fang notices Wen Ning coming out of the storeroom after the Dog reports his findings.
• Fang then stays away from the shop for several days. At dinner, she asks Dema whether Wen Ning has been investigating her. Unable to convincingly deny it, Dema gives himself away.
• Fang calmly tells Dema to relay that there is nothing to investigate because she is “just an ordinary person.” She continues the meal pleasantly, leaving Dema unsettled.
• Dema repeats her message to Wen Ning. Wen Ning realizes Fang knew about the investigation and anticipated that Dema would pass along her words. He wonders whether she is afraid of Dema.
• Fang returns to the shop the next day and behaves as usual. Wen Ning reads her return as a clear signal that she is not hiding from him and agrees to pause the investigation.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning becomes increasingly wary of Fang, focusing less on the demonic traces themselves and more on how calmly and deliberately she responds to being investigated. He ultimately chooses restraint.
• Fang Qingqin demonstrates sharp awareness and composure. Rather than confronting Wen Ning directly, she communicates through Dema, then returns to the shop without changing her behavior.
• Dema remains trusting and affectionate toward Fang, struggles to hide the truth, and is confused by the tension he senses. His closeness to both Fang and Wen Ning makes him the messenger between them.
• The Howling Celestial Dog provides the supernatural clue but cannot identify the creature behind Fang’s aura.

Significant themes

• Trust and suspicion: Wen Ning’s investigation strains the quiet familiarity between the shop’s residents and Fang.
• Knowledge and control: Fang appears to know more about the investigation—and how its participants will react—than she lets on.
• Ordinary appearances versus hidden danger: Fang’s gentle, everyday manner contrasts with the mysterious demonic aura associated with a dangerous sealed creature.

Key plot points and events

• While the shop is quiet, Fang Qingqin asks Wen Ning to speak privately and admits she knows he investigated her and had someone examine her.
• She explains that she grew up poor in a remote village, where her birth name, Fang Zhaodi, reflected her family’s wish for a son. She studied relentlessly to escape her abusive, controlling father.
• Before her college entrance exam, exhausted and desperate, she prayed at a ruined mountain temple and promised to do anything if she could get into university. She succeeded, but afterward developed recurring fevers, uncontrollable anger, memory gaps, and nightmares in which the temple’s statue asks whether her promise still stands.
• She found the shop through an online forum but hesitated to seek help, fearing the staff might be frauds or dismiss her as unstable.
• Convinced the shop’s people are kind, she finally asks Wen Ning for help. Dema returns, immediately pledges the shop’s help, and urges Wen Ning to agree. Wen Ning confirms he will help and says they may need to visit her hometown.

Character developments

• Fang Qingqin opens up about her painful upbringing and the supernatural bargain that may be behind her declining health. Despite her fear and uncertainty, she chooses to trust the shop.
• Wen Ning remains cautious and asks sensible questions, but his silence and eventual agreement show he is willing to take responsibility for helping her.
• Dema shows spontaneous loyalty and compassion, promising to help before Wen Ning has even answered.
• Lu Ming is described as sharp-tongued but considerate, while Big Yellow quietly shows affection by letting Fang pet him.

Significant themes

• Desperation and the cost of wishes: Fang’s plea to escape poverty may have bound her to an unknown price.
• Trust and belonging: Her fear of being disbelieved gives way to trust in people who treat her kindly.
• Escaping inherited hardship: Education offered Fang a path out of her family’s oppression, but the supernatural consequences threaten her newfound freedom.
• Compassion and responsibility: Dema’s instinctive support and Wen Ning’s practical commitment show the shop’s willingness to help people in distress.

Character interactions

• Fang speaks candidly with Wen Ning, explaining both her suspicions and why she delayed asking for help. Wen Ning listens without judgment, then agrees to investigate.
• Dema interrupts with an emphatic offer of support, surprising Fang and prompting Wen Ning to confirm the decision.
• The chapter ends with Fang accepting that the next step may involve returning to the village where the temple—and possibly the source of her troubles—lies.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning tells Lu Ming and Feng Dema about Fang Qingqin’s connection to the abandoned temple where she once wished to attend university and escape her village. The group decides to investigate in Yunxi County the next day.
• Feng Dema insists on joining and agrees to obey Wen Ning’s instructions. The Howling Celestial Dog also tags along, despite being told the trip is serious.
• At the ruined hillside temple, the Dog recognizes the clay statue as belonging to the Five-Power God—an entity he and his master supposedly wiped out. He explains that the Five-Power God grants wishes to people desperate to change their lives, then demands repayment once those wishes come true.
• Finding no evidence of recent worship, Wen Ning proposes clearing the temple before examining what is attached to Fang Qingqin.
• As Wen Ning prepares to attack, gray-black smoke emerges from the statue and forms a figure. It claims it has done nothing wrong and begs them not to attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning takes charge, accepts Feng Dema’s help on the condition that he follow orders, and protects the others when the spirit appears. He bluffs that they are the Heavenly Court’s Special Investigation Team; Lu Ming quietly points out that this is news to him.
• Feng Dema shows loyalty and concern for Fang Qingqin, refusing to be left behind, though the apparition frightens him.
• Lu Ming remains practical and observant, offering an initial explanation for Fang Qingqin’s predicament and reacting with dry humor to Wen Ning’s improvised authority.
• The Howling Celestial Dog brings comic irreverence but recognizes the danger and history behind the temple, explaining the Five-Power God’s bargain.
• The spirit appears fearful rather than hostile, complicating the group’s assumption that the temple must be destroyed.

Significant themes

• The cost of wishes: A wish that offers escape or transformation may carry a hidden debt.
• Desperation and freedom: Fang Qingqin’s wish reflects her longing to leave a life she felt trapped in.
• Uncertainty about good and evil: The spirit’s plea challenges the group’s expectations and leaves its role—and Fang Qingqin’s true danger—unresolved.

Key events

• Wen Ning and the others confront a spirit haunting an abandoned shrine. When Feng Dema asks about a girl who once wished to enter university, the spirit reveals that she is his daughter—not Fang Zhaodi, but Wang Mingzhu.
• The spirit, Wang Jin, recounts how Mingzhu was abducted as a child and sold to the Fang family. His wife, Xiulan, died from grief while searching for her. Years later, Wang Jin found Mingzhu, but the Fangs and villagers mistook him for a kidnapper, beat him, and left him for dead.
• Wang Jin’s soul remained near the shrine so he could watch Mingzhu grow up, though she never recognized him as her father. When she came to pray for success on her university entrance exam, he recognized her but could not speak to her.
• Wang Jin explains that he did not grant Mingzhu’s wish. The weakened Five-Power God still survives beneath the shrine. Wang Jin had promised to serve him for a hundred years if Mingzhu got into university, and the god accepted.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Jin shifts from defensive and apparently threatening to a grieving father whose haunting is driven by love and attachment. His story explains both his presence at the shrine and his role in Mingzhu’s wish.
• Wen Ning halts his attack when Wang Jin claims Mingzhu as his daughter, listens to his account, and questions how the wish was granted.
• Feng Dema prompts the revelation and listens with visible sympathy; Lu Ming grows quiet and avoids looking at Wang Jin.
• The Howling Celestial Dog challenges the revelation that the Five-Power God remains beneath the shrine.

Significant themes

• Parental love and grief: Wang Jin’s devotion persists beyond death, while Xiulan’s loss proves fatal.
• Identity and belonging: Mingzhu’s birth name and history were erased as she was raised by the Fangs.
• Misjudgment and powerlessness: Wang Jin’s attempt to reclaim his daughter was interpreted as a crime, and no one believed him.
• Sacrifice and wishes: Mingzhu’s success came at the cost of Wang Jin’s century-long service to the Five-Power God.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning and the Howling Celestial Dog uncover the Five-Power God’s weakened true body, sealed in a jar beneath the ruined temple. The Dog breaks the seal, and the spirit disperses.
• With the god gone, Wang Jin’s burden lifts: the red light leaves his eyes, his figure briefly becomes clearer, and he asks to see Mingzhu—Fang Qingqin—once before fading.
• Wen Ning agrees to bring her back. Fang Qingqin learns that, as a child, a man called her Mingzhu and tried to take her from her village; she has no memory of the event.
• Wen Ning tells her the temple’s influence has ended and the thread binding her to it has loosened. To finish matters, she must return and fulfill her vow.
• At the temple, Fang Qingqin kneels and states her name and the wish she made—to attend university and leave home—then declares that she has come to fulfill it. A faint figure appears and fades. Wen Ning confirms that it is over.

Character developments

• Wang Jin shifts from a hunched, burdened presence to one briefly at peace after the Five-Power God’s destruction. His final wish is to see Mingzhu again.
• Fang Qingqin confronts a childhood mystery and returns to the place of her vow. She calmly completes it and accepts closure.
• Feng Dema remains emotionally invested in Fang Qingqin’s safety; Wen Ning credits him for bringing the case to his attention.
• Wen Ning and the Howling Celestial Dog act decisively to destroy the buried spirit and help Fang Qingqin resolve her connection to the temple.

Significant themes

• Release and closure: Destroying the spirit frees Wang Jin and ends Fang Qingqin’s supernatural entanglement.
• The power of vows and memory: A childhood wish remains significant even when its maker barely remembers the circumstances.
• Compassion and connection: The group’s willingness to help—and Wang Jin’s longing for one last meeting—gives the resolution its emotional weight.

Character interactions

• The Howling Celestial Dog consults with Wen Ning and takes responsibility for destroying the Five-Power God’s remains.
• Wen Ning offers Wang Jin hope of seeing Mingzhu and later guides Fang Qingqin through completing her vow.
• Fang Qingqin thanks Feng Dema, acknowledging his role in helping her; his bashful response reveals his concern for her.
• At the temple, Wen Ning waits without pressuring Fang Qingqin, allowing her to complete the ritual in her own time.

Plot points

• After Fang Qingqin leaves, Wen Ning confirms that Wang Jin has no unresolved business. Although reluctant to leave, Wang Jin agrees to go.
• Wen Ning escorts him along the Yellow Springs Road. White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an, and Judge Lu verify that Wang Jin’s resentment has faded and approve him for reincarnation.
• At Wen Ning’s request, Judge Lu arranges for Wang Jin to be born into a kind, comfortable family and live a peaceful old age. Wang Jin thanks Wen Ning before disappearing into the passage to rebirth.
• Wen Ning returns to the village and reunites with Lu Ming and Feng Dema. Fang Qingqin stays behind to visit her adoptive parents, then later visits the shop to thank them.
• Fang Qingqin says her health and temper have improved. She still wonders about the temple and why Wang Jin called her “Mingzhu,” but chooses not to dwell on what she cannot explain.
• Life at the shop resumes its ordinary rhythm. Feng Dema is plainly happy that Fang Qingqin promises to visit again.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning quietly helps Wang Jin move on, showing compassion by asking for a better future for him. He also offers Fang Qingqin space to accept what happened without needing every answer.
• Wang Jin is reluctant to leave the living world but accepts reincarnation once his resentment has faded. His departure brings closure to his long lingering presence.
• Feng Dema is moved by Wang Jin’s departure and becomes increasingly cheerful around Fang Qingqin, eagerly welcoming her and watching her leave.
• Fang Qingqin appears healthier and more even-tempered. Though still curious about the past, she prioritizes her improved present and reconnects with the group.
• Lu Ming remains practical and dryly amused, supporting Wen Ning and teasing Feng Dema about his obvious affection.
• Xie Bi’an and Judge Lu provide the formal passage into reincarnation; Xie Bi’an’s joking gives way to sympathy after learning Wang Jin’s story.

Significant themes

• Letting go and closure: Wang Jin can finally leave after his resentment is resolved.
• Compassion and second chances: Wen Ning’s request gives Wang Jin hope for a gentler next life.
• Acceptance amid uncertainty: Fang Qingqin does not need to solve every mystery to recognize that she is doing better.
• Ordinary life after hardship: The return to the shop’s familiar routines suggests healing and continuity.

Plot points

• Feng Dema asks Wen Ning why he has not told Fang Qingqin that Wang Jin was her father. Wen Ning says the truth would burden her: Wang searched for her for years, died after being mistaken for a kidnapper, and watched over her spirit from a ruined temple. Since Wang only wanted to see her and never asked to be recognized, they agree to keep the secret.
• Two days later, Feng Dema’s uncle, Feng Yi—the River Earl of the Yellow River—visits the shop. He has heard about Dema’s work and exploits from Howling Celestial Dog, including his interest in Fang Qingqin, and reminds him to consider his family’s standing.
• Feng Yi reveals that Dema’s Heavenly Court assignment is nearly over and asks whether he plans to return. Dema admits he likes life at the shop and has not decided.
• Feng Yi says he is not there to force Dema home. He asks Wen Ning whether Dema has caused trouble; Wen Ning describes a few mishaps but affirms that Dema is kind and no real burden. Feng Yi accepts that Dema may choose to stay.
• The group shares dinner. Feng Yi leaves afterward, and Dema watches him go, admitting to Lu Ming that he misses him a little.

Character developments

• Wen Ning remains protective and compassionate, choosing to spare Fang Qingqin painful knowledge about her father.
• Feng Dema shows that he has become attached to the Mortal Realm and the shop’s people, though his future remains undecided. His affection for his uncle is also clear.
• Feng Yi begins stern and concerned with family reputation, but his affection for Dema softens his approach. He recognizes Dema’s kind nature and is willing to let him decide where he belongs.
• Lu Ming remains teasing but supportive, warning Dema to keep the secret and later helping him through his uncle’s departure.

Significant themes

• Protective silence: Wen Ning weighs truth against the harm it could cause and chooses to protect Fang Qingqin’s peace.
• Belonging and choice: Dema must decide between his expected place in the Heavenly Court and the meaningful life he has found at the shop.
• Family and acceptance: Feng Yi’s concern shifts from reputation to Dema’s happiness, while their farewell reveals genuine affection.
• Kindness over status: Dema’s humble work and good-hearted nature matter more to Wen Ning and, ultimately, Feng Yi than his official rank.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning and Feng Dema agree to keep Wang Jin’s identity from Fang Qingqin; Lu Ming reinforces the need for discretion.
• Feng Yi scolds Dema about his public behavior and romance, then asks him to make a thoughtful decision about his assignment.
• Wen Ning reassures Feng Yi that Dema is welcome, prompting Feng Yi to accept the possibility that he may stay.
• The shopmates and Feng Yi share a warm, comic dinner, followed by a tender but understated farewell between uncle and nephew.

Plot points and events

• After the shop closes, Wen Ning quietly checks the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register. Its latest entries record merit earned for helping Zhou Guangfu pass peacefully and resolving the karmic bond between Wang Jin and Fang Qingqin. He notes he is halfway to the required Heavenly Stem Count.
• Drawing on the merit he has accumulated, Wen Ning breaks through a cultivation bottleneck, reaching the Late Heavenly Immortal stage. Huang Ming manifests from the trident to watch over him during the dangerous breakthrough.
• Sect Master Tongtian senses the advancement from Biyou Palace. He recognizes Wen Ning’s rapid progress and seems intrigued.
• The next morning, Fang Qingqin visits the shop to say farewell. She has found a teaching job at an elementary school and will no longer be able to help at the shop every day. She thanks Wen Ning, brings steamed buns, and leaves on warm terms.
• As she departs, Fang tells Feng Dema that her school is only three bus stops from the shop. He repeats the detail to himself, clearly pleased, while Lu Ming urges him back to work.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning continues advancing through merit-based cultivation, though his casual approach to a breakthrough worries Huang Ming. Their exchange shows her watchful concern beneath her dry, teasing manner.
• Huang Ming silently guards Wen Ning through the breakthrough, then withdraws back into the trident.
• Tongtian takes a quiet interest in Wen Ning’s growing strength.
• Fang Qingqin moves toward a more independent life through steady work as a teacher, while expressing gratitude to Wen Ning and affection for the shop’s companions.
• Feng Dema is happy that Fang’s new job is nearby and fixates on the convenient bus route, hinting at his feelings for her. Lu Ming responds with practical teasing and keeps the shop’s routine moving.

Significant themes

• Merit and spiritual progress: Wen Ning’s good deeds directly fuel his cultivation.
• Care expressed indirectly: Huang Ming’s silent watchfulness and Fang’s thoughtful mention of the bus route convey concern and affection without grand declarations.
• Moving forward while staying connected: Fang begins a new chapter in her life but promises to visit, and the shop remains a source of companionship and continuity.

After Fang Qingqin left, Feng Dema began visiting the school where she taught and gradually spent time with her there and at the shop. Their visits continued at an unhurried pace, and Feng Dema happily cared for a plant she brought him.

• Feng Dema asked Wen Ning to visit the west side, found Fang Qingqin’s school, and returned pleased with the trip.
• Feng Dema visited the school every few days while keeping up with his work at the shop.
• Fang Qingqin visited the shop, invited Feng Dema to come see her at school, and he met her after classes for noodles two days later.
• Feng Dema and Fang Qingqin continued visiting each other, while Lu Ming wondered about their relationship and Wen Ning told him not to pry.
• Fang Qingqin brought a small potted plant to the shop, and Feng Dema happily tended it every day.

Wen Ning agreed to take the Sparrow Spirit to the Heavenly Court after the bird begged to come along. They passed through the South Heaven Gate undetected, and Wen Ning continued toward the Thunder Department with the Sparrow Spirit hidden in his sleeve.

• Wen Ning told Lu Ming and Feng Dema he was going to visit his godfather in the Heavenly Court and left them to mind the shop.
• The Sparrow Spirit begged Wen Ning to take him along, and Wen Ning agreed on the condition that he stay quiet and wait outside while Wen Ning met his godfather.
• Wen Ning hid the Sparrow Spirit in his sleeve and flew to the South Heaven Gate.
• One heavenly general suspected Wen Ning was carrying demonic aura, but his colleague warned him not to search Wen Ning because of his powerful connections.
• Wen Ning entered the Heavenly Court and headed toward the Thunder Department while the Sparrow Spirit whispered that the heavenly general might have noticed him.

Wen Ning visited the Thunder Department, caught up with Bai Lu and Meng Jiang, and brought gifts to his godfather Wen Zhong. After Wen Zhong told him how to register the Sparrow Spirit for travel to the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning returned to the shop, where Lu Ming heard Meng Jiang’s latest threat.

• Wen Ning visited Bai Lu and Meng Jiang at the Thunder Department, where Meng Jiang complained about Lu Ming’s rumors and antler velvet.
• Wen Ning gave Wen Zhong cigarettes, liquor, and tea, and Wen Zhong praised his recent work and cultivation.
• Wen Zhong told Wen Ning he could register the Sparrow Spirit as a pet for future trips through the South Heaven Gate.
• Wen Ning returned to the Mortal Realm, and the Sparrow Spirit flew off after boasting that he had visited the Heavenly Court.
• Wen Ning told Lu Ming that Meng Jiang planned to strip off his antler velvet herself the next time he went up.

At the shop, Feng Dema told Lu Ming and Wen Ning that the woman he liked had agreed to date him, while Lu Ming accidentally scrubbed fur off the Squirrel Spirit. Wen Ning followed a wave of resentment to a cemetery, where he discovered it came from the living father of a nineteen-year-old girl named Lin Jin; he returned to the shop and decided to leave the matter alone for now.

• Feng Dema told Lu Ming and Wen Ning that the woman he liked had agreed to date him, and Lu Ming accidentally scrubbed a patch of fur off the Squirrel Spirit.
• Wen Ning sensed resentment at the shop entrance and followed a middle-aged man to Green Mountain Cemetery.
• The man left wilted wildflowers at the grave of Lin Jin, who had died at nineteen, and sat silently beside it for more than ten minutes.
• Wen Ning returned to the shop and told Lu Ming and Feng Dema that the resentment came from a living person, but he would leave it alone for now.
• The Squirrel Spirit warned Lu Ming to be more careful before leaving the shop.

Wen Ning, Lu Ming, and Feng Dema followed a resentful man and stopped him from abducting a girl. The man revealed that he planned revenge for his daughter Lin Jin’s murder, and Wen Ning confronted him about harming an innocent girl.

• Wen Ning and Lu Ming followed the man’s aura west with Feng Dema.
• They found the man trying to put an unconscious girl into his van, and Feng Dema disarmed and restrained him.
• Wen Ning called the police and checked that the girl was still breathing.
• The man said his nineteen-year-old daughter, Lin Jin, had been killed and that he meant to abduct the daughters of those he blamed.
• Wen Ning asked how the man differed from his daughter’s killers, and the man accused him of speaking righteously about people who were not human.

Wen Ning and his companions gave statements after Lin Feng was arrested for kidnapping the girl who had helped spread rumors about his daughter, Lin Jin. The girl and her parents blamed Lin Feng and dismissed their online harassment, while Wen Ning and the others waited to speak with the police.

• Police arrived and arrested Lin Feng after Wen Ning explained that they had caught him kidnapping a girl.
• Lin Feng confronted the officer, saying that online rumors had led to Lin Jin's death and that justice could not bring her back.
• Wen Ning, Lu Ming, and Feng Dema went to the police station to give statements, while the girl was questioned in the next room.
• The girl and her parents insisted that her online posts were harmless and demanded that Lin Feng be locked up.
• Wen Ning told Feng Dema to wait for their turn to give statements, and the three followed an officer into the interview room.