Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Li Yichen reunites with Mo Yurou. She links arms with him in front of his friends, making their relationship obvious and prompting the three friends to jokingly attack him.
• Mo Yurou asks whether he missed her. He assures her he did, and she returns the sentiment, kisses him, and promises a surprise in a few days.
• On his way back to campus, Li Yichen finds Fang Enmeng at the Courier Post late at night, carefully gathering discarded cardboard to sell.
• Fang explains that the shop earns about 10,000 yuan in monthly net profit. Following Li’s advice, she has hired four more students from financially struggling families so someone is always available to work.
• Fang invites Li to a late-night noodle shop. They eat at a place she frequents, where the elderly owner, Granny Wang, assumes Li is her boyfriend and teases her about him.

Character developments

• Li Yichen is openly affectionate with Mo Yurou and supportive of Fang, praising her management and checking whether she needs help. His own past hardship makes him sympathetic to her resourcefulness.
• Mo Yurou shows growing comfort and affection toward Li, initiating physical closeness and hinting at a coming surprise.
• Fang Enmeng appears more cheerful and confident than when Li first met her. She is practical and diligent, and her work is helping other students in need as well as herself.

Significant themes

• Romance and affection: Li and Mo’s relationship is made public through playful teasing, while Fang’s feelings for Li are suggested through her excitement and shyness.
• Dignity and resourcefulness: Fang makes the most of discarded boxes to earn extra money, illustrating her determination amid financial hardship.
• Mutual support: Li’s guidance helps Fang run the Courier Post and provide work for other struggling students.
• Personal growth: Fang’s sunny side emerges as her circumstances improve.

Character interactions

• Li and Mo exchange affectionate declarations and a quick kiss, while Li’s friends react with mock outrage.
• Li approaches Fang as she sorts cardboard; she is startled, then delighted to see him and holds his hand as they talk.
• Fang insists on treating Li to noodles, and her evident disappointment when he initially hesitates leads him to accept.
• Granny Wang’s boyfriend assumption embarrasses Fang, who denies it while Li responds playfully to her enthusiasm about the food.

Plot points and events

• Li Yichen and Fang Enmeng share noodles at Granny Wang’s stall. He gives her the extra braised egg, claiming he is allergic to eggs, and teases her affectionately.
• He offers to walk her back to her dorm. Fang Enmeng is touched when he calls her pretty, but stops short of the dorm, worried Li Yichen’s girlfriend might misunderstand.
• After she leaves, Li Yichen spots a ragged figure following her. He pulls Fang Enmeng aside under the pretext of reminding her to call him if she needs help, then blocks the figure from entering the women’s dormitory.
• Li Yichen teleports the “beggar” to a secluded spot and threatens it with a white flame. The figure reveals it is a Poverty Ghost, not a lecherous spirit, and says it follows the poorest person it can find.
• The ghost admits it once followed Li Yichen, but moved on when he became wealthy. Li Yichen realizes it may have caused his prolonged poverty the previous year.

Character developments

• Li Yichen shows playful charm and considerate generosity toward Fang Enmeng, but becomes fiercely protective when he thinks she may be in danger. His discovery that the ghost once targeted him adds an unexpected explanation for his past hardships.
• Fang Enmeng grows more comfortable and emotionally attached to Li Yichen, though she remains shy and worries about overstepping because she assumes he has a girlfriend.
• The Poverty Ghost is initially frightening and suspicious, but turns out to be an unusual spirit whose presence is tied to poverty rather than predatory intent.

Interactions and themes

• The meal and walk bring Li Yichen and Fang Enmeng closer through teasing, small acts of care, and her gratitude.
• Granny Wang encourages a possible romance, while Fang Enmeng’s concern about Li Yichen’s supposed girlfriend introduces uncertainty.
• The chapter contrasts Li Yichen’s growing wealth with Fang Enmeng’s modest circumstances, and mixes romantic comedy with supernatural danger. Its central themes include kindness, vulnerability, and the surprising supernatural forces that may shape a person’s fortunes.

Plot points and events

• Li Yichen questions the poverty ghost about what it witnessed while following him. The ghost recalls Li’s hole-ridden underwear and his embarrassing habit of calling out the name of his old crush, Juan’er, in his sleep. When it adds that his sheets were wet afterward, Li kills it with a white flame and disappears.
• Jiang Tianhao drinks contentedly despite the turmoil among the Jiang, Su, and other families, hinting that the crisis suits him.
• The three families’ spy scandal quiets down, but the spies have vanished. Suspecting the Su Family arranged their disappearance, the other families retaliate by driving down the stocks of companies linked to it.
• Su Shengnan convenes a meeting of senior Su Family members and asserts her authority as family head. She rebukes her uncle, Su Changyuan, for addressing her informally and criticizes his son Su Liang for arriving late.
• Su Liang rolls into the meeting in a wheelchair and openly challenges Su Shengnan. She turns the accusation into a potential charge of coveting the family-head position, alarming him and the elders.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen is ruthless when embarrassed, while the poverty ghost’s lack of tact seals its fate.
• Jiang Tianhao appears unusually pleased by the families’ conflict, suggesting he may be benefiting from it.
• Su Shengnan demonstrates disciplined, strategic leadership: she enforces meeting rules and uses Su Liang’s provocation to expose the danger of his ambition.
• Su Changyuan is humiliated by his niece’s formal treatment of him, but cautious about openly confronting her.
• Su Liang tries to undermine Su Shengnan, then becomes anxious when she frames his behavior as a threat to her position.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Su Shengnan insists that family rank and rules apply even to her elders.
• Political maneuvering and suspicion: The missing spies and financial retaliation deepen conflict among the families.
• Reputation and humiliation: Li’s comic embarrassment contrasts with the deadly consequences of political missteps.
• Ambition as a threat: Su Liang’s challenge becomes dangerous once his desire for leadership is voiced publicly.

• Plot and events: Su Shengnan orders Su Liang punished and expelled for disrespect and suspected ambition to seize her leadership. When Su Changyuan threatens to leave with his son, she accepts, expels them both, strips them of their family shares and property, and has them thrown out. The remaining relatives fall into line. Facing attacks from the Jiang, Qin, and Shen families, Su Shengnan announces a plan to hold them off while preparing a decisive next move—but privately admits she has no such plan yet. After the meeting, remembering her grandfather said Li Yichen might help her contact him, she drives to Hidden Dragon Manor to find Li. Meanwhile, Li agrees to accompany Ouyang Hai to meet Boss Zhou, suspecting Ouyang is concerned about his safety. Ouyang then calls Zhou, whose taunting greeting signals that their real intentions are about to surface.
• Character developments: Su Shengnan demonstrates ruthless resolve, using Su Changyuan and Su Liang as a warning to consolidate her authority. Yet her outward confidence masks desperation and uncertainty: she is trying to prevent family members from fleeing with their money while the family faces a three-family threat. Su Changyuan’s bluster collapses when she takes him at his word, and Su Liang’s confidence gives way to fear. Li Yichen shows loyalty to Ouyang Hai, while Ouyang appears protective and cautious.
• Character interactions: Su Shengnan confronts the four elders, directs the punishment, and forces the assembled family to choose obedience. Her exchange with Su Changyuan turns his threat to leave into his actual expulsion. Later, she reassures the family publicly while concealing her doubts. Li and Ouyang speak cordially before agreeing to face Boss Zhou together; Zhou greets Ouyang with a taunt.
• Themes: The chapter highlights leadership through discipline, the cost of consolidating power, and the contrast between public confidence and private fear. It also sets up looming conflicts: the Su Family’s struggle for survival and the confrontation between Ouyang Hai, Li Yichen, and Boss Zhou.

Key plot points and events

• Ouyang Hai tells Boss Zhou that the goods are ready and he will bring them over that day. Boss Zhou questions how he managed it, then warns Jiang Tianhao, who threatens him if the deal goes wrong.
• Panicking, Boss Zhou gathers more than a hundred armed security guards and takes a pistol from his desk.
• Ouyang Hai drives to Boss Zhou’s company with Li Yichen, who effortlessly carries a huge, jade-filled safe.
• At the company, Boss Zhou has his guards lined up, ostensibly to welcome Ouyang Hai. Li Yichen sees the display as an obvious threat, while Boss Zhou is struck by his strength.
• Boss Zhou tries to take Ouyang Hai inside without Li Yichen. When Li refuses to stay behind, Ouyang Hai insists that he is his future son-in-law and must accompany him.
• Boss Zhou gives the order to cripple them. As the guards charge, Li sets down the safe and casually breaks the first attacker’s hand with a finger flick, sending him flying.

Character developments

• Ouyang Hai remains composed despite Boss Zhou’s intimidation, confident after his recent experiences with Li. He openly stands his ground and acknowledges Li as his future son-in-law.
• Li Yichen is unconcerned by the crowd and shows extraordinary strength. His priority is keeping Ouyang safe, and he refuses to let him enter alone.
• Boss Zhou shifts from false friendliness to open hostility. Fearing Jiang Tianhao’s consequences, he prepares an ambush, though Li’s strength unsettles him.
• Jiang Tianhao appears indirectly as a threatening force, pressuring Boss Zhou and making failure seem potentially fatal.

Significant themes

• Deception and false civility: Ouyang Hai and Boss Zhou exchange polite smiles while each distrusts the other; Li recognizes the hypocrisy.
• Power and intimidation: Boss Zhou relies on armed numbers and threats, but Li’s strength makes the show of force seem inadequate.
• Loyalty and protection: Li insists on staying beside Ouyang Hai, while Ouyang publicly claims him as family.
• Confidence born of experience: Ouyang’s earlier journey with Li has changed how he responds to danger.

Character interactions

• Boss Zhou reports Ouyang’s unexpected delivery to Jiang Tianhao and receives a severe warning.
• Ouyang and Boss Zhou trade courteous but hostile remarks at the company.
• A guard tries to keep Li away from the meeting; Li refuses, and Ouyang backs him.
• Boss Zhou escalates the confrontation by ordering his men to attack, prompting Li’s swift first response.

Key plot points

• After Li Yichen breaks one attacker’s hand, Fatty Zhou offers ten million to anyone who can kill Li and Ouyang Hai. The crowd rushes them, but Li uses an Immobilization Spell to freeze more than a hundred men, then makes them collapse unconscious.
• Fatty Zhou draws a handgun and shoots at Li. Li catches the first bullet and stops the other seven with an energy field, then drops them into his hand. Fatty Zhou panics and agrees to complete his transaction with Ouyang Hai, transferring the outstanding balance.
• As Li and Ouyang leave, Li senses Fatty Zhou reaching for another gun and sends the bullets back, killing him. He explains the threat by pointing out the weapon in Zhou’s drawer, then burns the body to leave no trace.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen remains calm and confident under attack, revealing formidable supernatural abilities and a ruthless willingness to kill when he perceives a continuing threat.
• Ouyang Hai shifts from nervousness to excitement at the prospect of fighting, but Li protects him and takes control. Afterward, Ouyang is pleased to secure the funds needed to launch his pharmaceutical company, though Zhou’s death unsettles him.
• Fatty Zhou moves from commanding a crowd to abject terror as his men and weapons prove useless. He pays Ouyang, then secretly reaches for another gun, confirming Li’s suspicion that he remains dangerous.
• The crowd’s greed briefly overwhelms its fear when Zhou offers a huge reward, but its members are swiftly incapacitated.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Li’s supernatural strength overturns the crowd’s numbers and Zhou’s conventional authority.
• Greed and consequences: Zhou’s bounty draws attackers into danger, while his attempted betrayal ends in his death.
• Justice versus ruthlessness: Li frames Zhou’s second weapon as justification for killing him, and his destruction of the body raises questions about whether he is acting in self-defense or enforcing his own judgment.
• Loyalty and protection: Li shields Ouyang from danger and helps him secure the money for his business.

Key plot points and events

• Ouyang Hai stores the safe in his Space Ring, while Li Yichen assures him that the unconscious guards will wake with no memory of what happened.
• Ouyang plans to establish a pharmaceutical company in Jinling, but the Su Family’s control of the local industry makes entering the market difficult. Li Yichen offers to speak to them, giving Ouyang hope.
• At the apparently deserted Hidden Dragon Manor, Su Shengnan investigates why Li Yichen had everyone withdrawn.
• A small Stone Demon attacks her. She knocks it apart with a wooden club, but it reassembles. It runs off and returns with dozens of others.
• Su Shengnan fights the Stone Demons for about half an hour, holding her own until the creatures retreat deeper into the manor.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen continues to inspire Ouyang Hai’s confidence; Ouyang sees him as a lucky star and entrusts him with approaching the Su Family.
• Ouyang Hai shows both gratitude and caution, securing the safe and seeking Li Yichen’s help with his business plans.
• Su Shengnan proves capable and fearless, responding to danger with quick instincts and a competitive, playful enthusiasm. Rather than flee from the Stone Demons, she treats the encounter as a challenge.
• The Stone Demons shift from attackers to an amusing, persistent group of opponents: they can reassemble after being broken apart and retreat to summon reinforcements.

Significant themes

• Power and trust: Ouyang relies on Li Yichen to solve problems that seem difficult to handle alone.
• The uncanny amid the ordinary: Su Shengnan’s routine visit to a familiar manor turns into a supernatural encounter.
• Resilience and playful combat: Both Su Shengnan and the Stone Demons keep going after being knocked down, making the fight feel more comic than threatening.

Plot points

• Su Shengnan enters Hidden Dragon Manor and is chased by a ten-meter Stone Demon that rises from a boulder she once paid to have brought in.
• Li Yichen senses trouble, rushes back, and intercepts her. He commands the Stone Demon to stop, and it obeys.
• Li Yichen explains that the Stone Demon guards the estate. He scolds Su Shengnan for the damage its pursuit caused; she apologizes and offers to pay for repairs.
• Su Shengnan says she wants to see her grandfather, who previously told her to ask Li Yichen for help. Li Yichen says he can arrange it but asks what he will get in return. She promises to agree to anything.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shengnan is bold and curious enough to enter the manor, but quickly panics when the giant pursues her. Once safe, she is eager to acquire the Stone Demon and, more seriously, to reunite with her grandfather.
• Li Yichen demonstrates his control over the Stone Demon, which is friendly and obedient toward him. He is protective of his property, though his irritation softens when Su Shengnan offers to repair the damage. He also becomes flustered after noticing her exposed neckline and awkwardly disguises his comment.
• Their relationship remains teasing and transactional: Su Shengnan asks for Li Yichen’s help, while he bargains for a favor. She trusts him enough to make an open-ended promise.

Significant themes

• Power and control: The terrifying Stone Demon is dangerous to Su Shengnan but calmly follows Li Yichen’s orders.
• Responsibility and compensation: The creature’s strength protects the manor but causes damage, which Su Shengnan agrees to repair.
• Trust and bargaining: Su Shengnan relies on Li Yichen to reach her grandfather and offers a favor in exchange.

• Plot and events: Su Shengnan insists on accompanying Li Yichen to visit Elder Mo. After playful arguing—and her threat to spread a false rumor about him—Li Yichen gives in and takes her to Goodwill Hall, a modest funeral-supply shop. Elder Mo emerges after Li Yichen loudly calls him out, confirms that the items Li Yichen ordered are ready, and directs him to the storeroom. There, Su Shengnan discovers a hidden courtyard and a stockpile of paper goods, including model airplanes. Li Yichen explains that he plans to sell them to ghosts in the Underworld. He magically makes the entire stock vanish, then says Su Shengnan is coming with him. Overwhelmed by the revelations, she faints into his arms.
• Character developments: Su Shengnan’s spoiled, determined side is on display as she presses to accompany Li Yichen, but her confidence gives way to fear and shock as she learns about his supernatural activities. Li Yichen remains casual and mischievous, teasing her and treating extraordinary powers—flight, storing goods magically, and visiting the Underworld—as ordinary. Elder Mo is irritable with Li Yichen but respectful and courteous toward Su Shengnan.
• Character interactions: Su Shengnan clings to Li Yichen’s arm to persuade him, prompting awkward flirtation and teasing. At the shop, she respectfully greets Elder Mo, who contrasts her manners with Li Yichen’s irreverence. Li Yichen and Elder Mo bicker familiarly over Li Yichen’s loud entrance and his order, while Elder Mo ultimately lets him retrieve the goods. Li Yichen takes Su Shengnan’s hand into the hidden courtyard and, despite her growing alarm, announces that she will accompany him to the Underworld.
• Significant themes: The chapter blends comedy and flirtation with supernatural adventure. Its central contrast is between the ordinary appearance of Goodwill Hall and the extraordinary world concealed within it. Su Shengnan’s escalating reactions also highlight the gap between her assumptions and Li Yichen’s casual familiarity with the supernatural.

Plot points and events

• After Su Shengnan wakes in Li Yichen’s arms, she catches him staring at her. She pulls away, scolds him, and says they can settle the matter later.
• That evening, Su asks whether Li really meant to take her to the Underworld so she could see her grandfather. He confirms it, and she nervously agrees to go.
• Li opens a spatial rift and brings her to a modern villa in the Underworld. Su is startled to discover that the afterlife does not match her expectations.
• They meet Little Black, a white skeletal dog who was black when alive. Li explains that they met at Meng Po’s place.
• Black and White Impermanence appear and warmly greet Li and Su, calling her “sister-in-law.” Li says Su has come to visit her grandfather and is granted permission.
• Li contacts the Ghost King and other Underworld figures to collect goods. As they arrive, Su encounters several startling, inhuman-looking officials and realizes how much she has yet to understand about the world.

Character developments

• Su Shengnan moves from embarrassment and annoyance with Li to overcoming her fear enough to enter the Underworld. Her amazement and discomfort grow as she meets its inhabitants.
• Li Yichen remains playful and irreverent, but also reassures Su and helps her navigate the unfamiliar realm. He is visibly awkward when others call her “sister-in-law.”
• Black and White Impermanence show familiarity and affection toward Li, while White Impermanence treats Su with special warmth.

Significant themes

• The extraordinary hidden within the ordinary: A modern villa and familiar surroundings coexist with supernatural beings in the Underworld.
• Fear and discovery: Su’s journey challenges her assumptions and expands her view of reality.
• Humor amid the supernatural: Li’s teasing, Su’s reactions, and the officials’ casual greetings make the eerie setting comic as well as fantastical.

Character interactions

• Su confronts Li over his staring and teasing, while he tries to smooth things over.
• Li guides Su through the spatial rift and introduces her to Little Black and the Underworld’s residents.
• Black and White Impermanence’s “sister-in-law” greeting makes Su suspicious and leaves Li scrambling for an explanation.
• Li arranges the meeting with the other Underworld figures, whose arrival turns Su’s visit into an overwhelming firsthand encounter with the supernatural.

Key plot points

• Su Shengnan watches Li Yichen trade for many Ability Pearls and realizes his ring is a Space Ring. He admits what it is but refuses to let her inspect it.
• When she tries to take it, their teasing turns unexpectedly intimate. Black and White Impermanence interrupt, reminding them that the Underworld could harm Shengnan, who has no cultivation.
• White Impermanence brings Old Master Su to reunite with Shengnan. After an emotional embrace, Li Yichen and the others step outside to give them privacy.
• Shengnan explains that the Jiang, Qin, and Shen families have allied against the Su Family. Old Master Su agrees their opponents dominate nearly every area, but says the Su Family has one possible advantage: pharmaceuticals. Shengnan recognizes this as their potential path to survival.

Character development and interactions

• Su Shengnan is curious and bold with Li Yichen, then deeply moved to see her grandfather. Despite her distress over the family crisis, she seeks his advice and looks for a way forward.
• Li Yichen is pleased by his growing stock of Ability Pearls, guarded about their value, and flustered by Shengnan’s advances. He accepts the interruption and shows concern for her safety.
• Old Master Su is affectionate toward his granddaughter but quickly shifts from their reunion to assessing the family’s predicament.
• Black and White Impermanence tease Li Yichen and Shengnan as a couple, then tactfully separate them so Shengnan can reunite with her grandfather and avoid being harmed.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and reunion: Shengnan’s reunion with her grandfather offers comfort amid the Su Family’s crisis.
• Power and survival: The Su Family’s weaker position forces them to identify a sector where they can compete.
• Romance and restraint: Li Yichen and Shengnan’s playful attraction is interrupted by the dangers of their supernatural surroundings.

Key plot points and events

• Old Master Su reveals that pharmaceuticals are the Su Family’s last major advantage and urges Su Shengnan to help develop a breakthrough product so the family can recover. She vows to do whatever it takes to protect them.
• After their long conversation, Li Yichen interrupts and finds Su Shengnan emotional as she says goodbye to her grandfather. Old Master Su entrusts her to Li, while Black and White Impermanence mistakenly treat them as a couple and give her an Ability Pearl as a “welcoming gift.”
• Back at Hidden Dragon Manor, Su Shengnan realizes the pearl may grant a supernatural ability. Knowing the Su Family’s fighting strength has been weakened by the Jiang Family, she asks Li how to use it.
• Su Shengnan willingly fuses with the pearl by adding a drop of blood. The process is intensely painful, and she bites Li Yichen’s arm while enduring it.
• After absorbing the pearl’s energy, she discovers she has Mind Control, demonstrated by making a stone float.

Character developments

• Su Shengnan shows fierce loyalty and resolve, accepting pain for her family’s sake. She is also excited by the chance to gain power that could help restore the Su Family.
• Li Yichen remains awkward about others assuming he and Su Shengnan are romantically involved. Despite teasing her, he is considerate during the painful fusion and ultimately helps her.
• Old Master Su is grateful for Su Shengnan’s commitment and entrusts her to Li Yichen’s care.
• Black and White Impermanence appear generous but misread Li and Su’s relationship, joking about marriage and children.

Significant themes

• Family duty and sacrifice: Su Shengnan is willing to endure any hardship to protect her family.
• Power and recovery: The Su Family’s weakened position makes supernatural abilities a potential means of rebuilding its strength.
• Misunderstandings and comic tension: Others interpret Li and Su’s awkward interactions as signs of romance.

Character interactions

• Old Master Su encourages Su Shengnan and entrusts her to Li Yichen, while Li privately insists there is nothing between them.
• Black and White Impermanence tease the pair and give Su Shengnan the pearl; Li tries unsuccessfully to reclaim it.
• Su Shengnan asks Li for help using the pearl. During the fusion, she clings to and bites his arm, then apologizes afterward.

Key events

• Su Shengnan experiments with her new ability to control stone, delighting in it at first. She then turns the demonstration into a playful attack on Li Yichen.
• Her attacks escalate from a single fast-moving stone to a long whip of rocks, then a storm of projectiles that seems to block every escape. The assault damages trees and marble paving.
• Li Yichen easily evades or passes unharmed through the stones, revealing a level of power Su Shengnan cannot comprehend.
• As Su Shengnan tires, Li Yichen approaches and teases her. She kisses him repeatedly; he eventually kisses her back, and their flirtation turns passionate.
• Su Shengnan tears his shirt and begins undoing his belt. Li Yichen stops her hand, carries her to a bedroom, and the chapter ends as she invites him to continue.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shengnan shifts from a playful, carefree user of her new power to an exhausted but determined attacker. Her boldness carries over into her romantic pursuit of Li Yichen.
• Li Yichen is captivated by the youthful, playful side of Su Shengnan, contrasting with the heavy responsibilities she bears as head of a great family. He jokes about the property damage and feigns alarm during her attacks, but remains effortlessly in control.
• Their dynamic moves from mock combat and teasing into mutual passion. Su Shengnan initiates the kisses, while Li Yichen responds and takes the lead as they leave for the bedroom.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Su Shengnan’s growing command of stone is impressive, but Li Yichen’s unexplained ability places him far beyond her reach.
• Responsibility versus youthful spontaneity: Su Shengnan’s carefree excitement hints at a more playful self beneath her serious family role.
• Playful rivalry and romance: Their combat becomes flirtation, with teasing and provocation paving the way for intimacy.
• Destruction and cost: Li Yichen’s comic concern over the damaged grounds contrasts with the escalating spectacle of Su Shengnan’s powers.

Key plot points

• Li Yichen and Su Shengnan spend a passionate night together. The following morning, they start again, but the bed collapses, bringing their encounter to an abrupt end.
• Su Shengnan needs to return to the Su Family. Before she leaves, Li asks her to consider partnering with the Ouyang Family on a Jinling pharmaceutical venture to produce a powerful scar-removal medicine from the Kunlun Sect.
• Su agrees in principle, but wants evidence that the medicine works before committing to a larger partnership.
• When Li stops her again, Su assumes he wants her to stay. Instead, he asks her to arrange repairs to the damaged grounds of his estate. Annoyed, she stamps on his foot and leaves.
• The chapter then shifts to a middle-aged man arriving in Jinling after a long train journey. He is going to Jinling University to check on his daughter, Xia, whose calls and messages have gone unanswered.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen and Su Shengnan grow more intimate, though their playful morning turns into a comic mishap. Li is eager to keep her close but becomes awkwardly practical when discussing the estate repairs.
• Su Shengnan shows both personal warmth and business caution: she is excited by the pharmaceutical opportunity but insists on verifying the product first. Her irritation at Li’s priorities is expressed humorously.
• The middle-aged traveler is proud of his daughter, yet his inability to contact her makes him anxious. His journey suggests that something may be wrong with her.

Significant themes

• Intimacy mixed with comedy: The romance is undercut by the collapsed bed and Li’s unexpectedly mundane request.
• Family and business interests: The proposed partnership could help the Su Family strengthen its position in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Parental concern and suspense: The father’s long journey and failed attempts to reach Xia introduce a new, unresolved plot thread.

Plot points and events

• Duan Zhiyuan arrives at Jinling University after a long train journey, hoping to find his daughter, Duan Xia Xia.
• The security guard cannot find Xia Xia in the university system and refuses to let him enter without authorization.
• Panicked, Zhiyuan forces his way onto campus, but security catches him and removes him.
• He shows the guard a photo of Xia Xia outside the university, but the guard says it does not prove she studies there.
• Zhiyuan waits outside the gates, asking students whether they recognize her. After getting nowhere, he leaves late at night, then returns early the next morning and continues searching.
• At last, a student recognizes the photo and identifies Xia Xia as “the girl in red who jumped off a building.” Zhiyuan collapses in shock.

Character developments

• Duan Zhiyuan begins hopeful but grows increasingly anxious and desperate as he cannot reach his daughter or gain entry. His determination to find her drives him to breach campus security and spend the night searching.
• The security guard remains focused on enforcing campus rules and protecting his job. Though he initially treats Zhiyuan politely, he becomes wary and dismissive as the situation escalates.
• The student who recognizes Xia Xia provides the first clue about her fate, though the chapter ends before he can explain further.

Significant themes

• A parent’s love and desperation: Zhiyuan’s exhausting journey and persistence show how far he will go to find his daughter.
• Bureaucracy and helplessness: The university’s records and entry rules block Zhiyuan from learning what has happened.
• Hope turning to dread: Each failed inquiry deepens his fear, and the final revelation abruptly transforms his search into a crisis.
• Isolation and uncertainty: Zhiyuan has no reliable way to contact Xia Xia and must depend on strangers’ memories.

Character interactions

• Zhiyuan repeatedly pleads with the guard to let him in; the guard checks the system, refuses entry, and later helps restrain him.
• Zhiyuan shows Xia Xia’s photo to students leaving campus, but most do not recognize her.
• The final student recognizes her and links her to a reported jump, triggering Zhiyuan’s collapse.

Key plot points and events

• Overcome by grief at the possibility that his daughter Xia is dead, Duan Zhiyuan searches frantically for the young man he believes knows what happened. Unable to find him, he spits up blood and screams; a security guard strikes him with a baton, knocking him unconscious.
• He wakes in the rain, leaves behind his suitcase of clothes and Xia’s favorite foods, and staggers away.
• Despite his injuries, Duan climbs over a glass-topped wall and watches the women’s dormitory. He recognizes three girls from photos Xia sent him and identifies them as her roommates.
• He waits until one of them, Zhao Min, leaves alone for a late-night meeting. He follows her, grabs her on a dark path, and threatens her into silence.
• The chapter ends with Zhao Min bound to a chair in an abandoned laboratory classroom, pleading with Duan not to kill her.

Character developments

• Duan Zhiyuan shifts from a devastated father into a desperate, dangerous pursuer. His grief, physical collapse, and fixation on learning what happened to Xia drive him to stalk and abduct her roommate.
• Zhao Min begins the evening carefree and excited about a date, but is suddenly terrified and powerless after Duan captures her.
• Xia never appears, but the untouched bed in her dorm room and the photos she sent her father make her absence central to the events.

Character interactions

• The crowd recoils from Duan’s distress, while a security guard responds to his screaming with violence.
• Duan silently observes the roommates rather than confronting them together, fearing they might summon help.
• Zhao Min’s roommates tease her about her late-night outing, then fall quiet at the sight of Xia’s empty bed.
• Duan confronts Zhao Min alone, controlling her with a threat; she begs him to spare her life.

Significant themes

• Grief turning into obsession: Duan’s love for his daughter is overwhelmed by the need to uncover the truth, pushing him toward violence.
• Isolation and indifference: The crowd and guard offer no meaningful help, leaving Duan alone in his anguish.
• Foreboding and absence: The empty bed, stormy weather, and secluded nighttime setting build a sense of danger around Xia’s fate and Duan’s pursuit.

Plot points and events

• Duan Zhiyuan confronts Zhao Min, Xia’s former roommate, and demands to know where his missing daughter is. He initially threatens and strikes her when he believes she is lying.
• Zhao Min reveals that Xia died before National Day. She recounts Xia returning to the dorm in distress, showering for a long time, then changing into bright red clothes before later jumping from a building.
• Zhao Min says Xia left a blood-written curse on a White Silk Sash, vowing to die with deep resentment and become a vengeful ghost.
• She identifies Student Union president Han Wenqi and vice president Song Yi as likely connected to Xia’s death—but says both are already dead, having jumped from the same place as Xia. Some believe Xia’s ghost killed them.
• Duan’s fury collapses into grief and despair when he learns there is no one left for him to punish. He then decides to join Xia in death and walks away, leaving Zhao Min tied up.

Character developments

• Duan Zhiyuan shifts from an anxious, grieving father into a violent avenger, then breaks down after learning Xia’s alleged perpetrators are dead. He ends the chapter resolved to die so he can be with his daughter.
• Zhao Min moves from terror and evasiveness to confession and remorse. She admits she had been jealous of Xia and had even felt pleased at first about her death, but now recognizes the loss and its horror.

Character interactions

• Duan interrogates Zhao Min, alternating between threats, pleading, and anguished questions about Xia’s final days.
• Zhao Min’s account gives him the first details of his daughter’s death and points him toward Han Wenqi and Song Yi.
• After Duan leaves, Zhao Min calls after him, but only because he has forgotten to untie her.

Significant themes

• Grief and vengeance: Duan’s desire for revenge is driven by unbearable parental loss, but the revelation that the suspected culprits are dead leaves him without purpose.
• Jealousy and regret: Zhao Min’s jealousy once clouded her feelings toward Xia; after Xia’s death, it gives way to guilt and sorrow.
• The fragility and absurdity of life: The chapter contrasts how difficult people can be to understand or confront with how suddenly life can end.
• Death and supernatural retribution: Xia’s curse and the rumors surrounding the deaths of Han and Song introduce the possibility that her resentment survives beyond death.

Plot points and events

• Su Shengnan visits Li Yichen at Hidden Dragon Manor, ostensibly to deliver a sturdy new bed. The two are intimate, and she eventually leaves because the Su Family is in trouble and she cannot stay away from her responsibilities.
• Li Yichen reassures her that he will help if she needs him. After she departs, he resolves to return to school, though he seems partly motivated by a desire to see another girlfriend.
• Li Yichen unexpectedly climbs into Su Shengnan’s car—without clothes—and asks for a ride to the university. She suspects his real reason is to visit his “little girlfriend” and drives off in a jealous mood.
• Near Jinling University, a rain-soaked man suddenly runs in front of the car. Su Shengnan swerves and brakes, but the car still strikes him. Li Yichen and Su Shengnan rush to help.
• The injured man, badly bleeding, insists the collision was not their fault and offers them a bank card as an apology, saying he has no further use for the money.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shengnan shows both affection and vulnerability: she has chosen Li Yichen, but remains duty-bound to her troubled family. Her jealousy surfaces when she suspects he is using her for a ride to see another woman.
• Li Yichen is playful and physically affectionate with Su Shengnan, while also recognizing that his romantic life may be becoming excessive. Despite his joking, he offers her dependable support.
• The injured man appears strangely resigned and considerate, apologizing and offering compensation even as he lies seriously hurt.
• Su Shengnan and Li Yichen move from flirtatious intimacy to a sudden emergency, responding together to the accident.

Significant themes

• Desire versus responsibility: Su Shengnan balances her relationship with Li Yichen against obligations to her family; Li Yichen reflects on his own romantic excesses.
• Jealousy and trust: Their teasing reveals affection but also unease about Li Yichen’s other relationships.
• Sudden consequences and compassion: A routine drive becomes a crisis, shifting the characters from flirtation to concern for a stranger.

Key plot points and events

• Duan Zhiyuan collapses after saying he is coming to join “Xia.” Li Yichen suspects Xia may be someone he knows and uses his Heavenly Eye to assess the injuries: a ruptured spleen, five broken ribs, and a rib puncturing a lung.
• Li Yichen decides to operate himself. He takes the unconscious Duan to an empty classroom after making Su Shengnan’s Ferrari disappear with his powers.
• Using his bare hands and supernatural abilities, Li Yichen removes the rib from Duan’s lung, repairs the fractures and damaged organs with white flame, and extracts internal bleeding using Netherworld Power. He burns away the collected blood.
• Duan wakes up seemingly healed, but is angry that Li Yichen saved him: he had hoped to die and reunite with his daughter. As he prepares to leave and jump from a building, Li Yichen asks whether “Xia” is his daughter.

Character developments

• Li Yichen shows compassion and remarkable confidence in his healing abilities, while hinting at a personal reason for caring about Duan’s reference to Xia. His supernatural powers continue to amaze those around him.
• Su Shengnan is astonished by Li Yichen’s abilities and increasingly admires him. She also playfully demands that he provide her with a Ferrari in exchange for access to her bed.
• Duan Zhiyuan is revealed to be grieving his daughter and seemingly suicidal. His anger at being saved reflects the depth of his despair.

Significant themes

• Life, death, and grief: Duan’s wish to die stems from longing for his daughter, while Li Yichen insists on preserving his life.
• Hidden power and wonder: Li Yichen’s extraordinary abilities transform a seemingly impossible emergency into a successful operation.
• Compassion and responsibility: Li Yichen saves Duan despite Duan’s lack of desire to live, partly because he refuses to leave him to die.

Character interactions

• Su Shengnan asks whether they should take Duan to a hospital, but Li Yichen takes charge and treats him himself.
• She is awed by his powers and teases him about getting a Ferrari; he agrees to try to provide one.
• After waking, Duan argues with Li Yichen over being saved and threatens to seek death elsewhere.
• Li Yichen’s question about Xia’s identity ends the chapter on a personal mystery.

Plot points and events

• Li Yichen tells Duan Zhiyuan that he knew a girl named Xia, who died after jumping from a building. Though Duan initially loses hope, Li explains that Xia is now Meng Po’s apprentice in the Underworld and offers to take him to see her.
• Su Shengnan insists on joining them, partly because she hopes to obtain more valuable items. Li opens a Spatial Gate, and the three travel to the Underworld.
• Duan is astonished to find it transformed with modern villas, cars, and a helicopter. Li proudly claims credit for introducing these improvements and is recognized by the ghosts they pass.
• At the Bridge of Helplessness, they find Xia struggling to make soup while Meng Po supervises. Xia repeatedly gets the water and medicine proportions wrong, leaving Meng Po exasperated.
• A ghost makes an inappropriate remark about Meng Po’s appearance and smell. Meng Po has him taken away to be reincarnated blind.

Character developments and interactions

• Duan Zhiyuan moves from grief and disbelief to urgent hope when he learns Xia can be seen in the Underworld. His determination to reunite with her outweighs his fear of death or the afterlife.
• Li Yichen acts as guide and mediator, confidently bringing Duan and Su into the Underworld. His pride in modernizing it—and the ghosts’ recognition of him—reveals his influence there.
• Su Shengnan admires Li’s status but also shows a self-interested side, hoping the visit will help her acquire more valuable goods. She persuades him to take her along.
• Xia is revealed as Meng Po’s inexperienced apprentice: capable at magic, but comically inept at preparing soup.
• Meng Po is both a frustrated mentor to Xia and a powerful, quick-tempered authority who punishes disrespect decisively.

Significant themes

• Grief and reunion: Duan’s longing for his daughter drives his willingness to cross into the Underworld.
• Expectation versus reality: The modern, lively Underworld overturns Duan’s traditional assumptions about the afterlife.
• Power and responsibility: Li’s influence is celebrated, while Meng Po’s authority is demonstrated through her punishment of the lecherous ghost.
• Comic contrast: The supernatural setting and serious emotions are balanced by Xia’s cooking mishaps, Su’s opportunism, and the ghost’s foolish attempt to flatter Meng Po.