Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Wen Ning’s Thunder Arts barely mark the Evil Flood Dragon. The dragon knocks him into the mud, then prepares to eat him and the other cultivators.
• Wen Ning refuses to flee because the wounded cultivators and people downstream would be left in danger. With no realistic way to win, he calls out, “Godfather, help me!”
• The call seems to go unanswered at first, and the dragon mocks him. Just as it is about to bite, the clouds split open and Wen Zhong arrives with the entire Thunder Department.
• Wen Zhong’s presence alone immobilizes the Flood Dragon. The Thunder Department’s generals turn their attention to it, and the thunder drums begin pressing down its baleful energy.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is badly injured but remains determined to protect others, even when escape might save him. His unusual, almost comic appeal to his godfather gives way to relief when Wen Zhong appears.
• Wen Zhong arrives in overwhelming force and briefly scolds Wen Ning for not retreating, but the chapter emphasizes his concern and authority.
• The Flood Dragon shifts from amused confidence to helpless terror once Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department appear.
• The bystanders, including the Taoist and monk, react with disbelief and confusion to Wen Ning’s plea. Wen Ning explains his choice to stay to Wen Zhong, while Wen Zhong turns immediately to confront the dragon.

Significant themes

• Self-sacrifice and responsibility: Wen Ning will not abandon others to save himself.
• Power and protection: His strength cannot defeat the dragon, but calling on Wen Zhong brings a force capable of stopping it.
• Humor amid danger: The absurd “Godfather, help me!” breaks the tension before the dramatic arrival of the Thunder Department.
• A cliffhanger: The Flood Dragon is subdued, but the confrontation has not yet concluded.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department strike down the thousand-year-old Flood Dragon, clearing the Canglang River’s black haze and dispersing the typhoon.
• Wen Zhong warns Wen Ning that the flood is already underway and will not stop just because the monster is dead. The heavenly generals take the Flood Dragon’s corpse away.
• Wen Ning returns to his shop, changes, and asks Chen Yang to send Ghost Messengers to patrol the levees before heading downstream to help with evacuation efforts.
• At a village evacuation point, Wen Ning sees the levee rupture. With villagers still in danger, he uses Water Control to halt the rushing flood and Moving Mountains and Filling Seas to dig a drainage channel. He redirects the water away from the village and toward low-lying land near the river mouth.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning moves quickly from victory over the Flood Dragon to the urgent work of protecting civilians. Despite his injury and rapidly draining magical power, he holds back the flood until it can be diverted. His brief thoughts about cooking the Flood Dragon provide comic relief amid the crisis.
• Wen Zhong acts decisively as the Thunder Department’s leader, then reminds Wen Ning that defeating the monster does not undo the natural disaster.
• Zhang Siyu is relieved to find Wen Ning alive after the battle and fusses over his injuries; she later accompanies him back to the shop.
• The riverside cultivators and villagers witness Wen Ning and the Thunder Department’s supernatural power. The village officials, especially the exhausted official with the dead megaphone, are left stunned by Wen Ning’s impossible feat.

Significant themes

• Responsibility beyond victory: Defeating the source of the danger is only the first step; the consequences still require action.
• Power used in service of others: Wen Ning risks exhausting himself to protect the villagers.
• Faith, wonder, and the limits of explanation: The cultivators respond with reverence to divine law, while the officials’ firsthand experience challenges their scientific understanding.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning redirects the flood into a newly created drainage ditch, saving every villager, then vanishes in golden light.
• The villagers debate what they witnessed, while a village official organizes cleanup and checks on residents.
• The official reports the incident to the mayor, who refers him to the National Special Affairs Processing Center. The Center takes over and asks him not to spread the story.
• The Center connects Wen Ning to a Daoist who fought beside him earlier that day against a Flood Dragon. The Daoist confirms Wen Ning’s identity and describes his power.
• When asked whether Wen Ning might join the organization, the Daoist warns that he has no interest and has powerful backing. The Center says it will approach him only through a routine, official visit.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is shown using extraordinary power not just in combat but to protect ordinary people; he leaves without seeking recognition.
• The villagers move from shock and argument to practical cooperation. A little girl enthusiastically calls Wen Ning “amazing.”
• The village official shifts from stunned witness to responsible reporter, and becomes unsettled by the existence of a government agency prepared to handle supernatural events.
• The Daoist speaks with awe about Wen Ning and bluntly cautions the Center against assuming it can recruit him.
• The Special Affairs Processing Center responds calmly and methodically, indicating that supernatural incidents are part of its established remit.

Significant themes

• The extraordinary entering everyday life: A supernatural rescue transforms a village’s understanding of reality.
• Service without reward: Wen Ning saves everyone and departs without asking for thanks or attention.
• Power and influence: Wen Ning’s celestial allies make ordinary institutional incentives—such as a salary or benefits—seem inadequate.
• Hidden systems and unsettling order: The Center’s efficient procedures suggest that the wider world has quietly adapted to supernatural affairs.

Key plot points

• After helping stop a flood at Wanghe Village, Wen Ning takes three days off at his bathhouse, watching Zhang Siyu work.
• Xu Zhao, an official from the National Special Affairs Processing Center, visits to discuss the incident. The agency has confirmed Wen Ning’s identity through eyewitness reports.
• Xu explains that Wen Ning’s actions are classified as an emergency rescue, not a violation of rules. He offers Wen Ning a modest bravery award, which Wen Ning declines.
• Xu then invites Wen Ning to join the agency, which manages relations between cultivators and ordinary society. Wen Ning suspects the real purpose is recruitment, but points out that the agency already knows he has powerful backing.
• Xu admits he came both to extend the invitation and to assess whether Wen Ning might be dangerous. When asked if he would intervene in another disaster, Wen Ning immediately says he would.
• Xu leaves his personal number and asks whether Wen Ning truly has connections in heaven. Wen Ning’s knowing smile suggests that he does.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning remains relaxed and self-assured. He rejects both the award and the need for a government post, but makes clear that he will continue helping people in danger.
• Xu Zhao is professional and candid. Though tasked with evaluating Wen Ning, he recognizes his good intentions and offers future cooperation rather than pressing him to join.
• Zhang Siyu appears briefly, cheerfully bathing a cat monster and teasing it, reinforcing the bathhouse’s unusual, peaceful atmosphere.

Significant themes

• Duty beyond institutions: Wen Ning acts from personal conscience, regardless of whether he belongs to an official organization.
• Cooperation between cultivators and government: The agency seeks to manage supernatural affairs while allowing intervention in emergencies.
• Power and responsibility: Wen Ning’s extraordinary abilities and connections matter less to Xu than how he chooses to use them.
• Recognition versus motive: Wen Ning refuses formal praise, suggesting his rescue was not done for reward or status.

Key plot points and events

• After recovering from the battle at the Canglang River, Wen Ning decides to thank the Thunder Department for rescuing him. He buys two bottles of Moutai and two cartons of cigarettes as gifts for his godfather, Wen Zhong.
• At the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning orders twenty cups of Immortal Dew Milk Tea for the Thunder Department. The shopkeeper, having heard about Wen Ning’s injuries, adds extra immortal dew.
• Lu Ming helps carry the drinks to the department. The staff enjoy the milk tea, and Wen Ning thanks them for saving his life.
• The gathering turns into a lively feast, with Lu Ming even buying duck snacks. Just as Wen Ning is preparing to leave, Wen Zhong arrives, tells Lu Ming to clean up, and asks Wen Ning to come with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning shows gratitude and humility, making a point of thanking the Thunder Department despite having been the one in danger. He also feels secure in his strong Heavenly Court connections.
• Lu Ming is eager for the treats and helps Wen Ning carry them, but Bai Lu and Meng Jiang tease him about being stingy. He gets flustered and retreats behind his milk tea; later, he contributes to the celebration by buying snacks.
• Bai Lu and Meng Jiang banter with Lu Ming, creating a playful, affectionate atmosphere. Bai Lu also reassures Wen Ning that the department will support him when he is in trouble.
• Wen Zhong remains a respected, authoritative presence. He lets the staff enjoy their gathering before summoning Wen Ning privately.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and loyalty: Wen Ning repays the Thunder Department’s support with gifts and sincere thanks.
• Community and belonging: The department’s teasing, shared food, and readiness to defend Wen Ning reveal a close-knit group.
• Humor and warmth: The characters’ playful exchanges balance the chapter’s reminder of Wen Ning’s recent danger.

Key events

• Wen Zhong takes Wen Ning along an unfamiliar, ominous cloud road beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, eventually bringing him to the Jade Void Palace, headquarters of the Interception Sect.
• Wen Ning is startled to find more than a hundred powerful Interception Sect figures gathered there, including Zhao Gongming, Lü Yue, and other senior Heavenly Court officials.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning welcomes Wen Ning, jokes about the Maotai and cigarettes he brought, then praises his conduct at the Canglang River: Wen Ning stood firm against the powerful Evil Flood Dragon and bought his companions time to respond.
• The Heavenly Lord clarifies that praise is not the reason for the gathering. He produces an ancient, golden, rune-covered booklet and tells Wen Ning to take it. The chapter ends before its purpose is explained.

Character developments

• Wen Ning is intimidated by the Jade Void Palace and its famous attendees, and remains deferential toward Wen Zhong despite his own status. He is also surprised—and slightly embarrassed—to receive sincere recognition from the Heavenly Lord.
• Wen Zhong acts as a protective but authoritative godfather, guiding Wen Ning into an important gathering without explaining where they are going.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning shifts from light humor to serious approval, showing that he has closely assessed Wen Ning’s actions and considers them significant.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning questions Wen Zhong about their destination, but Wen Zhong tells him to stop asking and follow.
• The Heavenly Lord’s teasing about Wen Ning’s unexpected gifts draws laughter from the gathering and helps ease Wen Ning’s anxiety.
• The Heavenly Lord publicly commends Wen Ning’s courage and tactical role at the river before presenting him with the mysterious booklet.

Significant themes

• Recognition and merit: Wen Ning’s actions matter even though he sees himself as having done little.
• Belonging and hierarchy: He is an ordinary newcomer among powerful sect figures, yet the Heavenly Lord’s welcome and praise affirm his place in the Interception Sect.
• Mentorship and trust: Wen Zhong’s guidance brings Wen Ning into a setting where he may receive an important responsibility or opportunity.

Key plot points and events

• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning gives Wen Ning a golden book, identifying it as his Companion Spirit Treasure: the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register.
• Touching it sends Wen Ning visions of the Heavenly Court and its imperial throne.
• The Heavenly Lord reveals that Wen Ning is the Jade Emperor reincarnated. Once Wen Ning’s merit reaches the required measure—the Heavenly Stem Count—he can recover his memories and reclaim the throne.
• The Golden Register records Wen Ning’s past deeds, including his work resolving the Snail Maiden affair and defeating the Canglang River Evil Flood Dragon.
• Wen Ning worries that becoming the Jade Emperor might erase his current identity. The Heavenly Lord assures him that he will remain Wen Ning, only taking on the role of emperor.
• Wen Ning suspects the Interception Sect has gathered to advance its own plans. The Heavenly Lord insists the sect simply supports him because the Register chose him; Wen Zhong silently affirms this.
• Wen Ning offers the Heavenly Lord mortal gifts—Moutai and cigarettes. The unexpected gesture breaks the tension and delights the assembled immortals.
• Before Wen Ning leaves, the Heavenly Lord warns that the path ahead will be difficult. The Interception Sect’s defeat in the Third Investiture of the Gods War makes the coming struggle both dangerous and an opportunity.

Character developments

• Wen Ning shifts from confusion and panic to cautious acceptance. He is less concerned with the grandeur of the role than with whether he will remain himself.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning balances humor and reassurance with a serious warning about Wen Ning’s responsibility.
• Wen Zhong offers quiet support through a subtle nod, reinforcing his bond with Wen Ning.
• Zhao Gongming and the gathered immortals respond with amusement, helping turn a tense revelation into a warm, communal moment.

Significant themes

• Identity and transformation: Wen Ning must confront a destiny that could change his status without, he is assured, erasing who he is.
• Merit and responsibility: The Jade Emperor’s throne must be earned through Wen Ning’s mortal trials and good deeds.
• Destiny and choice: The Register marks Wen Ning for a role, but the path to fulfilling it remains his to undertake.
• Humor amid the supernatural: Wen Ning’s ordinary life and practical worries contrast comically with the immense stakes of heavenly succession.
• Danger and opportunity: The Interception Sect’s past defeat casts Wen Ning’s future role as part of a larger, uncertain struggle.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning questions the Heavenly Lord directly, challenging the revelation and seeking reassurance about his identity.
• The Heavenly Lord answers calmly, then accepts Wen Ning’s mortal gifts with genuine enthusiasm, easing the tension between them.
• Wen Ning looks to Wen Zhong for confirmation and receives a silent sign of support.
• Zhao Gongming’s laughter and the disciples’ good-natured reaction give the gathering a lighter atmosphere before the Heavenly Lord’s final solemn warning.

Plot points

• Hongjun summons the six sages to Zixiao Palace and announces that the fifth heaven-and-earth calamity—the god-demon calamity—is approaching.
• He reveals that the Jade Emperor has reincarnated in the mortal world. The Jade Emperor must accumulate merit before returning to the Heavenly Court to lead the gods against the demon threat.
• The Interception Sect is appointed to lead this calamity, despite its losses in the previous one. Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning agrees that the sect will protect the Jade Emperor and help him complete his mission.
• Hongjun warns that no faction can avoid the calamity and that events will unfold according to their destined course.
• Thirty years later, Wen Ning visits Jade Void Palace carrying Maotai, Zhonghua cigarettes, and the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register. After he leaves, Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning reflects that Wen Ning could become a good Jade Emperor, though Zhao Gongming notes that he still has much merit and training to gain.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun sets the calamity’s stakes and assigns the Interception Sect its role, presenting the Jade Emperor’s reincarnation as a deliberate opportunity within Heaven’s ordained plan.
• Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning accepts responsibility without hesitation, then later shows measured optimism about Wen Ning’s potential.
• Taishang Laojun asks which sect will lead, drawing attention to the political consequences of the calamity.
• Jieyin, Zhunti, and the other sages shift from curiosity to seriousness when they learn the Jade Emperor himself has descended to the mortal world.
• Wen Ning appears casual and youthful, contrasting with the immense destiny attached to him. Zhao Gongming tempers Primordial Beginning’s praise by stressing how much work Wen Ning still has ahead.

Significant themes

• Fate and the possibility of change: The Dao’s “fifty” and Heaven’s “forty-nine” symbolize a destined order that still leaves one chance for survival or transformation.
• Cycles of rise and decline: The Interception Sect’s renewed leadership reflects the idea that power shifts over time.
• Merit, duty, and preparation: The Jade Emperor’s return depends on earning merit, while Wen Ning’s potential must be developed through further trials.
• The scale of personal responsibility: The Jade Emperor’s mortal journey is tied to the survival of the Three Realms.

Key plot points and events

• After leaving the Southern Heavenly Gate, Wen Ning reels from learning that he is destined to become the Jade Emperor’s reincarnation and play a central role in the coming God-Demon Calamity.
• At home, he examines the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register. It records ten past deeds of merit in precise detail, including helping spirits and mortals resolve their troubles, and his recent victory over the Evil Flood Dragon.
• Wen Ning realizes that many other good deeds he has done are missing. When he challenges the register, it explains that only “predestined events” count toward his merit.
• The register adds that “The Heavenly Dao reserves the right of final interpretation.” Wen Ning protests that this is an unfair rule, but eventually gives up arguing.
• He later asks whether he can appeal. The register answers “Appeal denied” directly in his mind, prompting another furious outburst.

Character development

• Wen Ning shifts from a carefree Heavenly Official accustomed to an ordinary, comfortable life to someone forced to confront a vast, predetermined cosmic role.
• Despite his shock, he responds with characteristic humor and stubbornness, challenging celestial authority using everyday legal and workplace comparisons.
• His concern that ordinary kindness does not count suggests he values helping others for its own sake, even when the official system does not recognize it.

Significant themes

• Fate versus free will: Wen Ning’s life and future seem scripted before his birth.
• Bureaucratic absurdity: The register treats merit like a rigid performance-review system, counting only assigned, predestined deeds.
• Power and accountability: The Heavenly Dao claims final interpretive authority and rejects Wen Ning’s appeal without due process.
• Intrinsic goodness: The chapter contrasts genuine, voluntary kindness with deeds rewarded by an official system.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning interacts mainly with the Golden Register, treating it like an unreasonable bureaucrat and demanding explanations and fair procedures.
• The register responds tersely and authoritatively, while its warm glow and vibration suggest it can react to Wen Ning’s words—though it offers no meaningful dialogue or recourse.

Plot points and events

• After returning from the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning finds Zhang Siyu still awake in the shop.
• Siyu tells him that a Mr. Liu came by to ask the agency to sell his nearby, sixty-square-meter apartment. She took his number but knows no further details.
• Wen Ning is overwhelmed with excitement: despite running a real estate agency, he has rarely handled ordinary property sales, having spent much of his time dealing with monsters and Heavenly Court matters.
• He carefully saves Mr. Liu’s contact information and plans to call him the next morning and view the apartment.
• When Siyu asks about his day at the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning hides the truth about being the Jade Emperor’s reincarnation and the coming calamity. He claims he attended routine meetings instead.
• After Siyu goes upstairs, Wen Ning reflects on the golden register, the calamity, and the thirty-six meritorious deeds he must accumulate, then sets those worries aside for the night.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is both burdened by his extraordinary heavenly responsibilities and delighted by the chance to do ordinary real-estate work. His eagerness about the listing reveals how much he wants his business to function like a real agency.
• Zhang Siyu is practical and attentive. She notices Wen Ning’s odd behavior and suspects he is hiding something, but accepts his explanation and leaves the matter alone.
• Their exchange is warm and familiar: Siyu teases him about staying up gaming, while Wen Ning thanks her for managing the shop and asks her to keep an eye on it during his viewing.

Significant themes

• Ordinary life amid the supernatural: A routine property listing briefly gives Wen Ning a welcome focus outside divine prophecies and cosmic danger.
• Secrecy and trust: Wen Ning conceals major revelations from Siyu, even as her intuition suggests she senses something is wrong.
• Responsibility versus normalcy: Wen Ning tries to postpone thoughts of his destiny and concentrate on the practical task awaiting him tomorrow.

Plot points

• Wen Ning calls Liu Mingyuan about selling an apartment in Splendid Garden. Liu wants to list it at 420,000 yuan and invites Wen to inspect it that afternoon.
• Wen learns the apartment belonged to Liu’s elderly godparents. After their only son, an anti-drug police officer, died at twenty-four, Liu—then their neighbor—became their godson and later brought them into his home, where he cared for them for more than three years.
• Before their deaths, the couple made a notarized will leaving Liu the apartment. He plans to sell it and donate the proceeds to an anti-drug police family support fund.
• Moved by the story, Wen insists on handling the sale without commission. He visits the apartment, finds it in good condition, and leaves to seek buyers.
• On the way downstairs, the two young men strike up a friendly conversation and go for milk tea.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning shows compassion and moral conviction, setting aside business income to honor the kindness behind the home. The story also makes his grand ideas about accumulating merit feel less important than ordinary people’s real acts of care.
• Liu Mingyuan comes across as warm, generous, and practical. He treated the couple as parents, accepted their inheritance only because refusing would send it to charity, and intends to give the money to a cause connected to their lost son.
• The chapter traces the bond between Liu and the elderly couple—from neighborly help, to chosen family, to their final expressions of gratitude—and begins a lighthearted friendship between Liu and Wen.

Significant themes

• Chosen family and compassion: Care and kinship are defined by devotion, not blood.
• Everyday goodness: Ordinary people’s kindness can matter more than supernatural ideas of merit or intervention.
• Grief transformed into generosity: The couple’s loss and Liu’s remembrance of their son inspire a donation supporting other affected families.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning arranges a viewing for the apartment in Splendid Garden after the listing quickly attracts Zhou Min and her husband, Liu Qing.
• The couple arrive with their young daughter, Doudou. They admire the apartment’s sunlight, open views, clean surroundings, and practical layout, while noting that the kitchen and bathroom need renovation.
• Liu Qing asks why the price is unusually low. Wen Ning explains the owner’s personal reasons, recounting what Liu Mingyuan told him.
• Moved by the story, Zhou Min says she wants her daughter to grow up in a home with such a history. The couple decide to buy the apartment immediately and agree to pay the listed price without bargaining.
• As Doudou laughs in her father’s arms, Wen Ning notices a faint veil of gentle yin energy surrounding her.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning handles the viewing patiently, giving the couple space to explore rather than pressuring them. His heightened spiritual perception becomes evident when he detects yin energy around Doudou.
• Zhou Min and Liu Qing begin as practical buyers, discussing room sizes and repairs, but grow emotionally attached to the apartment after hearing about its previous owner. Their decision reflects both their approval of the home and their sympathy for its history.
• Doudou is shy around Wen Ning but relaxes with her father. Her laughter draws Wen Ning’s attention to the supernatural energy around her.
• The couple interact warmly as parents, sharing ideas about how the rooms might suit their family and their daughter as she grows.

Significant themes

• Home and family: The buyers imagine the apartment as a place where Doudou can grow up, giving the home meaning beyond its physical features.
• Compassion and integrity: The couple’s willingness to pay the asking price reflects respect for the owner’s circumstances and a refusal to exploit the low price.
• The ordinary and the supernatural: A routine property viewing ends with Wen Ning’s discovery of yin energy around a child, hinting that the supernatural plot is entering the family’s story.

Plot points and events

• While showing an apartment to Liu Qing and Zhou Min, Wen Ning notices a faint layer of yin energy surrounding their young daughter, Doudou. Unlike harmful yin energy he has encountered before, it seems gentle and does not affect her health.
• Zhou Min mentions that Doudou sometimes laughs alone at night, but the family considers this normal for a child. Wen Ning keeps his discovery to himself, since he has no reason to alarm them and the energy appears protective.
• The couple accept the listed price without negotiating and want to complete the purchase quickly. Wen Ning promises to arrange the online contract, loan, and ownership transfer.
• As the family leaves, Doudou smiles at Wen Ning; the yin energy ripples slightly in response.
• Back at the shop, Wen Ning asks Zhang Siyu whether yin energy can exist without harming someone. She has no explanation.
• Wen Ning calls the apartment’s owner, Liu Mingyuan, to report the sale. They agree to sign the online contract and visit the bank the day after tomorrow.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning balances his professional responsibilities with curiosity about Doudou’s unusual condition. He stays cautious rather than raising an unverified concern with her parents.
• Zhou Min and Liu Qing are enthusiastic, trusting buyers eager to secure a home before their rental lease expires. Liu Qing promises to recommend Wen Ning to coworkers.
• Doudou appears healthy and cheerful, and her smile—and the energy’s subtle response—deepens the mystery.
• Zhang Siyu takes Wen Ning’s observation seriously but cannot identify its cause.
• Liu Mingyuan is surprised and pleased that the apartment has sold, and grateful for Wen Ning’s work.

Significant themes

• The unexplained supernatural: Doudou’s yin energy defies expectations because it seems harmless, perhaps even protective.
• Restraint and responsibility: Wen Ning avoids alarming the family without evidence while continuing to investigate privately.
• Home and security: The buyers’ excitement centers on gaining a stable home and avoiding further rent.

Key plot points

• Wen Ning meets Liu Qing and Zhou Min at the property transaction center. Their paperwork, mortgage, and title transfer all go smoothly, and he hands them the keys to their new home.
• Before they leave, Zhou Min tells Wen Ning about a dream in which a strange woman identified herself as Doudou’s mother in a previous life. She said she had stayed near Doudou to protect her and had come to say goodbye before being reincarnated.
• Wen Ning recognizes that the faint yin energy surrounding Doudou was not harmful but a mother’s protective attachment. It is now fading as the mother’s spirit departs.
• He reassures Zhou Min that Doudou is safe and that the mother’s decision to leave shows she trusts the people caring for her.
• Back at the shop, Wen Ning tells Zhang Siyu what happened. She reflects that leaving Doudou must have been difficult for the mother.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning shifts from observing the property transfer to interpreting the supernatural signs. He reassures Zhou Min with compassion and certainty, helping her feel at peace.
• Zhou Min moves from unease about her dream to gratitude and acceptance, comforted by Wen Ning’s explanation.
• Liu Qing supports Zhou Min quietly, putting an arm around her and acknowledging Wen Ning’s help.
• Zhang Siyu listens to Wen Ning’s account and empathizes with the departed mother’s difficulty in letting go.
• Doudou remains blissfully unaware, safely held by her parents as the protective energy around her fades.

Significant themes

• Parental love transcends death and lifetimes: Doudou’s former mother continues to protect her even after death.
• Love includes letting go: The mother’s farewell shows trust in Doudou’s new family and willingness to move on.
• Family and belonging: Doudou is loved by both a mother from a past life and devoted parents in this one.
• Closure and reassurance: The property transfer marks a new beginning for Liu Qing and Zhou Min, while the spirit’s departure brings emotional closure.

Plot points and events

• The bathhouse for monsters is thriving, but Wen Ning’s human-facing business has dried up. Zhang Siyu’s exhausting workload leaves her hands badly wrinkled, and she suggests closing the bathhouse; Wen Ning refuses, citing its status as a Heavenly Court office.
• After a particularly unpleasant day of monster baths, Wen Ning is about to close when White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an, arrives to ask for help with two unusual souls in the Underworld.
• Xie explains that the souls are a married couple who spent their lives teaching in a remote mountain village. They supported their impoverished students with their own money, lodging, food, and persistent efforts to keep children in school.
• Their former students went on to become teachers, doctors, soldiers, and engineers. Because the couple’s teaching helped shape their students’ later good deeds, merit from those deeds continues to accrue to the couple.
• Xie reveals that the couple’s child is the reason the Underworld has sought Wen Ning’s help. Before he can explain further, Wen Ning’s Jade Emperor’s Golden Register begins to heat up.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning remains reluctant to accept another complication, but listens as Xie explains the couple’s story. His supernatural register’s reaction suggests he may be drawn into the case.
• Zhang Siyu is overworked and openly resentful of the bathhouse’s demands, though she continues serving customers despite her exhaustion.
• Xie Bi’an approaches Wen Ning respectfully and recounts the couple’s lifelong sacrifices, framing the matter as a special case rather than something the Underworld can simply resolve through its usual procedures.
• Wen Ning and Zhang exchange dry humor over her waterlogged hands and the increasingly disgusting bath customers; Wen Ning quietly avoids handling the worst-smelling one.

Significant themes

• The lasting influence of teaching: The couple’s care continues to produce good deeds long after their deaths.
• Selflessness and sacrifice: They devote their income, labor, and lives to their students and community.
• Legacy and moral causation: The story suggests that good deeds can ripple through generations, with merit traced back to those who helped make them possible.

Key plot points and events

• Xie Bi’an brings Wen Ning to the Underworld’s Special Affairs Office to meet the spirits of Teacher Chen and Teacher Fang, an elderly married couple.
• Wen Ning sees the immense merit clouds above them. Xie explains that their lifelong work as teachers—and the good deeds of generations of their students—has built up extraordinary merit. Their standing makes it impossible for the Underworld to use force against them.
• The couple explain that they came not to seek help for themselves, but to find out how their daughter, Chen Mu, is doing.
• Xie gives Wen Ning a copy of the Book of Life and Death. Chen Mu, a 25-year-old primary-school teacher, is recorded as having only one month left to live. The final entry says: “Meet with calamity. Encounter a monster.”
• Wen Ning is startled by the prediction. The chapter ends with the parents’ confusion and fear: Chen Mu was healthy when they died, so they cannot understand what threatens her.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning accepts the case despite his initial curiosity about the Golden Register. He is unusually courteous toward the teachers and becomes visibly alarmed by Chen Mu’s fate.
• Xie Bi’an guides Wen Ning through the meeting and explains the couple’s merit and why the Underworld must treat them with care.
• Teacher Chen and Teacher Fang are shown as dignified, gentle, and deeply devoted parents. Teacher Chen quietly comforts his trembling wife while they ask Wen Ning to investigate.
• The main interaction is a respectful appeal: the couple entrust Wen Ning with their concern, while he listens and examines the official record.

Significant themes

• The lasting impact of teaching: A teacher’s influence spreads through students and the good they later do, creating merit that endures across generations.
• Parental love and grief: Even after death, the couple’s concern is focused entirely on their daughter.
• Fate and responsibility: Chen Mu’s predicted death raises an urgent mystery, setting Wen Ning up to confront a threat the Underworld cannot resolve through ordinary means.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mu’s parents explain that they spent most weekdays teaching at a distant village school, leaving their daughter in her grandmother’s care. After her grandmother died, Chen Mu was only eleven and had to manage alone, including heating the week’s prepared meals and enduring a broken water heater in winter without telling her parents.
• Despite this difficult childhood, Chen Mu excelled academically, became a teacher, and built a successful career at a prestigious primary school. Her students and colleagues admired her, and she was planning a reading program for her class.
• Her parents, who died shortly after one another, cannot understand how Chen Mu met such a tragic end. They ask Wen Ning to find out what happened and help her.
• Wen Ning promises to investigate within a week and heads out to see Chen Mu. Xie Bi’an offers to accompany him, warning that the Book of Life and Death may not be alterable. Wen Ning insists they must find out for themselves.

Character developments

• Chen Mu emerges through her parents’ memories as independent, resilient, conscientious, and deeply devoted to teaching—but also as someone who hid hardship rather than burdening others.
• Her parents are proud of her achievements but haunted by guilt and grief, especially by their belief that they cannot protect or reach her now.
• Wen Ning responds with growing seriousness and compassion, committing himself to the case despite uncertainty about whether Chen Mu’s fate can be changed.
• Xie Bi’an quietly supports Wen Ning and provides a sober reminder about the limits of changing fate.

Significant themes

• The lasting effects of childhood hardship and emotional self-reliance.
• Parental love, pride, and regret after loss.
• The contrast between outward success and hidden suffering.
• Fate versus agency: the Book of Life and Death may record an outcome, but Wen Ning believes action is still worth trying.

Character interactions

• Chen Mu’s parents recount her life to Wen Ning, shifting from pride in her achievements to anguish over her death.
• The old lady breaks down while recalling Chen Mu’s reassurance at her funeral; Xie Bi’an silently offers her a handkerchief.
• Wen Ning respectfully reassures the elders and accepts their request. As he leaves with Xie Bi’an, they discuss whether fate can be changed.

Key plot points and events

• Wen Ning returns home late after helping an elderly couple whose daughter, Chen Mu, died by suicide less than six months after her parents’ deaths.
• He finally examines the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register and discovers its instruction: “Help Chen Mu change her fate.” When he asks for guidance, it offers only the evasive disclaimer that the Heavenly Dao has “the right of final interpretation.”
• Frustrated, Wen Ning argues with the register, then accepts that Chen Mu’s case is an unavoidable task he must complete.
• The next morning, Zhang Siyu angrily confronts him for leaving her asleep on a living-room chair while he rushed off the previous night. Wen Ning apologizes and offers her water. She then asks what happened when he suddenly disappeared.

Character developments

• Wen Ning moves from irritation at the register’s vagueness to resigned determination to help Chen Mu. He also recognizes that his supernatural responsibilities can make him careless toward people close to him.
• Zhang Siyu is hurt and angry about being forgotten, but her frustration softens somewhat when Wen Ning admits fault and explains that the situation was urgent.

Significant themes

• Duty and fate: The register makes Chen Mu’s case an obligation, while providing no clear guidance on how to change her fate.
• The limits of control: Wen Ning can question the register, but cannot force answers from it.
• Responsibility in ordinary relationships: His supernatural work has consequences for those around him, and his neglect of Zhang Siyu demands an apology.

Character interactions

• Wen Ning confronts the silent, cryptic register, venting his anger before accepting its command.
• Wen Ning and Zhang Siyu argue over his leaving her behind. He acknowledges his mistake, tries to soothe her, and she presses him to explain his sudden disappearance.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning recounts the previous night’s events to Zhang Siyu. She eagerly asks to come with him, but he refuses, saying she must mind the shop and would be of little use without knowing what is happening.
• Zhang Siyu accepts, though his remark visibly hurts her. Wen Ning senses her disappointment but decides that trying to explain would only make matters worse.
• As he leaves, Wen Ning complains that his Companion Spirit Treasure, the Jade Emperor’s Golden Register, offers almost no useful information. The Register briefly warms in response; Wen Ning dismisses its protest, and it falls silent.
• Wen Ning recalls Chen Mu’s address and workplace from the Underworld’s Book of Life and Death. To save time, he uses Earth-Covering Golden Light to travel directly to H City Experimental Primary School.
• Rather than sneak into the camera-monitored school, he approaches the gate openly. After a weak attempt to claim he is a parent, he admits he wants to see Teacher Chen.
• The elderly guard challenges him and calls him a “nitwit.” Wen Ning then claims to be Chen Mu’s older cousin, and the guard tells him to wait by the gate until school lets out.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning is practical but blunt with Zhang Siyu, and his dismissal of her usefulness leaves her feeling inadequate. He also shows irritation and irreverence toward the Golden Register, despite its supernatural status. At the school, he shifts from a transparent lie to a more plausible explanation when challenged.
• Zhang Siyu begins excited and confident about joining the investigation, but Wen Ning’s refusal and criticism dampen her enthusiasm. She withdraws into chores rather than arguing further.
• The elderly guard is observant, skeptical, and authoritative. He sees through Wen Ning’s first excuse and makes him explain himself before allowing him to wait.
• Wen Ning and Zhang Siyu share a strained farewell, while Wen Ning’s exchange with the guard is a comic contest of excuses versus hard-earned suspicion.

Significant themes

• Hurt feelings and unspoken tension: Wen Ning’s practical reasoning overlooks how deeply his words affect Zhang Siyu.
• Responsibility and competence: Zhang Siyu wants to prove she can contribute, while Wen Ning decides for her that she cannot.
• The gap between divine power and practical help: The Golden Register sounds grand but provides little guidance, prompting Wen Ning’s frustration.
• Ordinary scrutiny amid supernatural events: Wen Ning can travel by magic, yet still has to deal with school security and a guard who is not easily fooled.

Plot points and events

• Wen Ning waits outside Chen Mu’s school for nearly an hour, attracting the suspicious attention of the elderly security guard.
• When the school day ends, Wen Ning identifies Chen Mu after the guard calls her over. He has claimed to be her cousin, but Chen Mu says she does not recognize him.
• The guard confronts Wen Ning with a restraining fork, convinced he is a threat. Wen Ning then reveals that Chen Mu’s mother sent him to discuss troubling events in Chen Mu’s life.
• Chen Mu’s attitude changes. She tells the guard she knows Wen Ning and assures him Wen Ning is harmless, then leads Wen Ning away to talk.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Ning tries to maintain a respectable, dignified manner despite being treated like a suspicious stranger. His thoughts humorously contrast his status as an immortal official with his helplessness before the guard’s fork.
• Chen Mu is initially curious and skeptical, but becomes serious when Wen Ning mentions her mother. She appears to understand that his visit concerns something important and chooses to protect him from the guard’s continued suspicion.
• The security guard is vigilant and fiercely protective of the school. He distrusts Wen Ning’s false “cousin” story, physically intervenes, and only backs down when Chen Mu confirms she knows him.
• The encounter is marked by comic tension: Wen Ning’s cover story fails, the guard escalates quickly, and Chen Mu’s confirmation finally resolves the standoff.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Wen Ning is a supernatural official, yet the guard sees only an unfamiliar young man making suspicious claims.
• Trust and family: Mentioning Chen Mu’s mother shifts the encounter from a comic confrontation to a serious, personal matter.
• Humility and perspective: Wen Ning’s lofty self-image is undercut by an ordinary security guard who refuses to be intimidated.