Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Chen Hao, a struggling young delivery driver in Zhonghai, is added to a WeChat group full of people claiming to be deities from the Heavenly Court. Thinking it is a joke, he joins their banter and suggests that the heartbroken Old Immortal of the South Pole try stronger liquor.
• The Old Immortal asks Chen Hao to send him alcohol through WeChat’s unfamiliar Scan feature. Chen Hao buys a bottle of erguotou and scans it; the bottle vanishes, and the app confirms it was delivered to the immortal.
• In return, the Old Immortal sends Chen Hao a copy of the Celestial Immortal Art. Chen Hao learns it, receiving knowledge that will let him recognize fine wines, drink without becoming intoxicated, and eventually gain immunity to poison.
• A delivery notification interrupts Chen Hao before he can absorb what has happened. He works through the day and later takes a night job as a designated driver, hoping to earn enough to marry his girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi.
• His passenger is his former boss, Zhang Liang. At the hotel, Zhang publicly mocks Chen Hao for working as a driver and boasts that he fired him. Chen Hao rejects the humiliation and tries to leave, but one of Zhang’s tattooed companions blocks his way and threatens to cripple him.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao begins as skeptical and practical, treating the chat as a joke. The impossible exchange makes him realize the group may be real, though his exhausting work routine quickly pulls him back to ordinary concerns. His encounter with Zhang shows that he will defend the dignity of honest work rather than accept condescension.
• The Old Immortal of the South Pole is heartbroken and unable to get drunk on Heavenly wine. He takes Chen Hao’s advice seriously, accepts the liquor, and rewards him with an immortal technique.
• Zhang Liang, Chen Hao’s former boss, is shown as petty and contemptuous. He uses their reunion to humiliate Chen Hao in front of his companions.
• Chen Hao and Zhang’s companions clash when Chen Hao refuses to tolerate the mockery; the blond man’s threat leaves the confrontation unresolved.

Significant themes

• A supernatural opening in an ordinary life: a miraculous connection to the Heavenly Court appears amid the mundane pressures of work.
• Dignity in honest labor: Chen Hao’s jobs are tiring and modest, but he refuses to be ashamed of earning money through hard work.
• Hope and hardship: his wish to marry Sun Jiaqi gives him motivation to keep going, even as financial pressure wears him down.
• Status and humiliation: Zhang’s ridicule contrasts with Chen Hao’s belief that a person’s work does not justify looking down on them.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Liang and his companions corner Chen Hao after an earlier dispute. Their leader, Brother Long, demands that Chen drink an entire half-liter bottle of baijiu as an apology.
• Chen Hao avoids the impossible demand by proposing a drinking contest: he will drink alongside all ten men. The blond accepts, and they begin with small glasses.
• Chen Hao discovers that the liquor tastes like water. Recalling that he received the Celestial Immortal Art earlier that day, he suspects it has given him extraordinary drinking capacity.
• Realizing he may be able to drink without getting drunk, Chen Hao changes the contest. He brings out large stemmed glasses and orders a case of the hotel’s most expensive liquor, collector’s-edition Moutai, on his tab.
• The men initially celebrate the costly drink, but grow uneasy as Chen Hao fills more than a dozen large glasses. Brother Long and Zhang Liang dismiss his display as a bluff, setting up the contest’s next stage.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shifts from frightened and resentful to confident and provocative once he realizes the Celestial Immortal Art may protect him from alcohol. He cleverly uses the men’s pride to avoid drinking the whole bottle, then challenges them to keep pace.
• Zhang Liang remains contemptuous, insisting Chen is a weak drinker based on their past experience. Still, Chen’s bold behavior leaves him momentarily uncertain.
• Brother Long controls the group and initially weighs the risks of forcing Chen to drink. He accepts the contest because he believes his ten men have the advantage, then backs the costly Moutai order.
• The blond is impulsive and easily baited into the first round. He fetches the Moutai but becomes wary as Chen fills the oversized glasses.
• The group’s mood changes from threatening and amused to celebratory, then anxious as Chen’s apparent confidence makes the challenge seem more serious.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness under pressure: Chen uses persuasion and provocation to turn a dangerous demand into a contest on terms he can manage.
• Pride and peer pressure: The men’s competitiveness and reluctance to appear cowardly keep them participating.
• Sudden transformation and opportunity: Chen’s possible supernatural ability hints at a new life beyond his ordinary work, though he has not yet acted on that potential.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao outdrinks Long Guangsheng’s crew, starting with the fat man and the blond. Both are among Long’s strongest drinkers, but the blond vomits after less than two rounds.
• Long forces his other lackeys to take Chen Hao on; they quickly collapse, leaving Long’s group badly weakened.
• Chen Hao pretends to be drunk to lure Zhang Liang into drinking. When Zhang tries to exploit the apparent opening, Chen Hao springs up and pressures him into finishing a glass, knocking him out.
• Chen Hao offers to end the contest and let everyone save face, but Long refuses and insists on continuing.
• Long and Chen Hao drink head-to-head. Long manages to finish a glass first, but is soon unnerved by Chen Hao’s apparent composure and the sight of his unconscious men.
• Chen Hao pours a bottle of Moutai over the unconscious Zhang Liang, spits at him, and leaves. Humiliated, Long vows revenge.

Character developments

• Chen Hao proves both exceptionally tolerant of alcohol and strategically clever. He uses feigned weakness to catch Zhang Liang off guard, but initially shows restraint by offering Long a chance to stop.
• Long Guangsheng shifts from swaggering confidence to anxiety as his men fall, then becomes furious and vengeful after Chen Hao humiliates him.
• Zhang Liang moves from anxious observer to opportunistic challenger, only to be forced into drinking and rendered unconscious.
• Long’s men, including the fat man and the blond, are shown to be no match for Chen Hao and lose their bravado as the contest progresses.

Significant themes

• Deception and strategy: Chen Hao’s feigned drunkenness lets him trap Zhang Liang.
• Pride and face: Long’s refusal to stop stems from his public reputation and unwillingness to appear defeated.
• Power and intimidation: The drinking contest becomes a contest of dominance, with Chen Hao gradually taking control.
• Restraint versus escalation: Chen Hao offers an exit, but Long’s stubbornness turns the encounter into a deeper feud.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao publicly challenges Long’s group and forces its members to drink in succession.
• Long bullies his men into the contest, then watches helplessly as they fail.
• Chen Hao confronts Zhang Liang directly, using his own words about drinking and character to pressure him into finishing a glass.
• Long and Chen Hao face off one-on-one; Chen Hao’s composure intimidates Long, while Long’s refusal to yield fuels the final confrontation.

Plot and events

• Chen Hao grabs a red packet from Supreme Lord Lao in the immortals’ WeChat group and receives a Tribulation-Transcending Pill. Though he doesn’t understand its value, he realizes he has acquired something extraordinary.
• After a brief, affectionate exchange with his girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi, Chen Hao hears that she must work overtime and cannot visit him the next day.
• Erlang Shen asks Chen Hao for the pill because his Howling Celestial Dog is about to undergo a tribulation. Chen Hao gives it to him, hoping to build a useful relationship with the immortals.
• In return, Erlang Shen sends Chen Hao the sixth-grade Heavenly Eye Art. Chen Hao learns it and discovers that it grants X-ray vision—but the ability sees through far more than clothing, down to bones, and quickly strains his eyes.
• Chen Hao puts his designated-driver work aside and tests his new power at a scratch-card shop. By using it to identify winning cards, he wins a total of 12,000 yuan, while other customers mistakenly attribute his success to luck.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shifts from treating the immortals’ group as a bizarre curiosity to seeing it as a path to opportunity. He shows some strategic generosity by giving Erlang Shen the pill, but his first impulse with the Heavenly Eye is voyeuristic. His lottery success reveals how quickly he is willing to use his new ability for personal gain.
• Erlang Shen approaches Chen Hao politely but urgently, seeking a pill for his dog. He repays Chen Hao with a powerful technique, establishing an exchange of favors between them.
• Sun Jiaqi remains caring and supportive, checking on Chen Hao despite her demanding job and their different circumstances. Her absence leaves him disappointed.
• The immortals joke and compete over Lao’s random red packet, showing the group’s lively, informal social dynamic. Lao explains that the gift is compensation for delays in promised pills.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and ambition: Chen Hao sees supernatural connections and powers as ways to escape financial precarity.
• Reciprocity and relationship-building: He trades the pill for a technique and chooses long-term goodwill over immediate profit.
• Power and restraint: The Heavenly Eye is useful but physically taxing, and Chen Hao’s early misuse hints at the ethical risks of his new ability.
• Luck versus preparation: The lottery crowd calls Chen Hao lucky, unaware that he deliberately used his power to select winning cards.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao wakes late after exhausting himself experimenting with his newly acquired Heavenly Eye Art. He discovers he missed several red packets from the God of Wealth and feels he has lost a fortune.
• In the immortals’ group chat, Chang’e complains that a Youth-Preserving Pill made her itch. Alchemy Boy admits he mishandled the refining, earning a reprimand from Supreme Lord Lao.
• Chen Hao offers to help Alchemy Boy stay awake while refining pills. He sends him Chunghwa cigarettes and betel nuts, then explains how to use them after Alchemy Boy mistakenly chews the wrapper and lights the cigarette’s filter.
• Hoping to surprise Sun Jiaqi, Chen Hao waits near her workplace with flowers. His visit is awkward: she seems uneasy, and her coworkers mock him as a delivery worker.
• Chen Hao brushes off their snobbery and invites Sun Jiaqi to dinner. She admits she lied about working overtime because she was actually expected at a company dinner.
• Sun Jiaqi’s supervisor, Liang Hong, arrives and pressures her to attend by threatening to dock her performance pay. Chen Hao agrees to go with her, and they get into Liang’s Mercedes.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is resourceful and increasingly confident about his future, believing his connections with the immortals will help him rise in status. He remains considerate toward Sun Jiaqi and avoids retaliating against her coworkers, though Liang Hong makes him wary.
• Alchemy Boy is shown as careless and inexperienced with ordinary human products, but receptive to Chen Hao’s advice.
• Sun Jiaqi appears embarrassed and anxious about Chen Hao’s presence and about her coworkers’ judgment. She has concealed the company dinner from him, suggesting she worries he may misunderstand or react badly.
• Liang Hong comes across as controlling and possibly interested in Sun Jiaqi, using his authority over her pay to secure her attendance.

Significant themes

• Status and social prejudice: Chen Hao’s coworkers’ contempt for his delivery work exposes how people judge others by occupation and appearance.
• Resourcefulness and unlikely connections: Chen Hao uses everyday goods to help an immortal, showing how ordinary knowledge can become valuable in an extraordinary world.
• Power and insecurity: Chen Hao anticipates a better future through his supernatural network, while Sun Jiaqi faces the immediate pressure of workplace hierarchy.
• Trust and communication: Sun Jiaqi’s lie creates unease, though Chen Hao responds with reassurance rather than anger.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao builds rapport with Alchemy Boy by offering practical help, turning a comic misunderstanding into a friendly exchange.
• Chen Hao tries to make Sun Jiaqi happy with flowers and a dinner invitation, but her discomfort and her coworkers’ ridicule undermine the gesture.
• Liang Hong’s strained, superficially cordial exchange with Chen Hao shifts the scene into a workplace power struggle, with Sun Jiaqi caught between her supervisor’s demands and her relationship.

Plot and key events

Chen Hao rides with his girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi, and her boss, Liang Hong, to a company get-together. In the car, Liang mocks Chen Hao’s former takeout work and doubts his claim that a new job will let him save enough for their wedding. Chen fires back, and Sun Jiaqi, caught between them, becomes upset and withdraws.
At the Nightlife club, Liang enjoys the group’s admiration as a successful manager with a home and car. He introduces Chen as Jiaqi’s boyfriend, then humiliates him by announcing that he delivers takeout. When the group turns to three-card brag, Liang repeatedly provokes Chen into joining, implying he is too poor or inexperienced to play. Jiaqi warns Chen that the stakes are high, but he insists he can handle it. Hurt and embarrassed, she leaves the room.
The card game begins. Liang and his regular partners appear to be conspiring against Chen. Though Chen has little experience, he secretly activates his Heavenly Eye, which lets him see everyone’s cards. He prepares to turn the game against Liang.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is increasingly determined to prove himself and protect his relationship, but his pride and anger lead him to take Liang’s bait rather than follow Jiaqi. His hidden ability gives him an unexpected advantage.
• Sun Jiaqi initially feels hopeful about Chen’s new job, but Liang’s taunts and the public embarrassment wear her down. She tries to warn Chen, then leaves when he ignores her.
• Liang Hong uses his wealth, status, and social influence to belittle Chen and undermine his relationship with Jiaqi. His apparent confidence masks a deliberate plan to exploit Chen in the card game.
• The gathered coworkers amplify the humiliation through gossip, flattery of Liang, and laughter at Chen. A few of Liang’s regular card partners appear to cooperate with him.

Significant themes

• Status and class prejudice: Liang and the others judge Chen by his former job and presumed income.
• Pride versus judgment: Chen wants to defend his dignity, but his anger makes him vulnerable to provocation.
• Social pressure and relationships: Jiaqi is affected by public embarrassment and doubts about their future, while Chen worries that circumstances could threaten their relationship.
• Hidden power and reversal: Chen’s Heavenly Eye shifts the balance, setting up a possible reversal in the game.

Plot and key events

• Chen Hao uses the Heavenly Eye Art to read his cards and repeatedly bets blind, first folding weak hands and then baiting Liang Hong into large pots.
• He beats Liang with a pair of aces against Liang’s pair of kings, then wins again with a ten-high flush against Liang’s straight.
• In a later hand, Chen Hao bluffs with king-high, making Liang fold a pair of aces and letting Chen sweep the pot.
• Frustrated, Liang raises the betting limit from 200 to 1,000. Chen accepts, and the two escalate the game until the pot exceeds 120,000, adding 50,000 each through transfers.
• Liang reveals a straight flush and assumes he has won. Chen throws his unseen cards at him; Liang freezes when he sees them. The chapter ends on that cliffhanger, before revealing Chen’s hand.

Character developments

• Chen Hao grows increasingly confident and theatrical. He uses his apparent recklessness—and the Heavenly Eye Art—to unsettle his opponents and exploit Liang’s pride.
• Liang Hong shifts from mockery and confidence to anxiety, anger, and reckless escalation. Even after earlier losses, he cannot resist raising the stakes or backing down.
• The other players move from amused spectators to nervous, bewildered witnesses as the bets grow.

Themes

• Perception and deception: Chen’s blind betting hides whether he is lucky, skilled, or bluffing, while Liang repeatedly misreads him.
• Pride and self-control: Liang’s wounded ego drives him to keep playing and raise the stakes despite mounting losses.
• Luck versus skill: The game looks like a run of extraordinary luck, but Chen’s secret advantage gives him control over the outcome.
• Escalation and consequences: A casual card game becomes a high-stakes contest that alarms even the onlookers.

Character interactions

• Chen taunts Liang into calling by challenging his nerve; Liang answers each provocation rather than withdrawing.
• Chen presents himself as lucky and inexperienced, confusing Liang and the other players.
• When someone tries to calm the game, Chen points out that Liang—not he—insisted on raising the stakes.
• Liang’s colleagues gather around him when he checks his final hand, while Chen remains isolated until the final reveal.

Plot points and events

• After winning over 100,000 at cards, Chen Hao is praised by the group and trades barbs with the sore loser, Liang Hong, who dismisses the winnings as trivial. Liang later watches Chen Hao from his car and calls someone named Brother Long for help.
• Chen Hao calls Sun Jiaqi to apologize, but she is upset that he gambled and picked a fight over what she considers a pointless matter. Their disagreement ends with her hanging up.
• Chen Hao discovers that Alchemy Boy wants more cigarettes and betel nuts, which have helped him stay awake while refining pills. Chen Hao negotiates carefully, trading the scarce goods for an Immortal Spirit Pill—but learns it is too powerful for a mortal.
• Alchemy Boy then sends an expired, substandard qi-nourishing pill, supposedly made by Supreme Lord Lao. Chen Hao is initially impressed, but learns it is made from cow dung—and hears an even more revolting story about how it was produced.
• After struggling with disgust, Chen Hao finally swallows the pill. It produces a powerful warmth that soon becomes intense, so he gets into a cold bath. Steam fills the bathroom, and he falls asleep.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is newly confident after his gambling win, but his pride and sense of masculine honor strain his relationship with Sun Jiaqi. He also shows growing cleverness in negotiating with Alchemy Boy, though his curiosity eventually outweighs his disgust.
• Sun Jiaqi reveals that she values Chen Hao’s former restraint and worries about his finances and behavior; she is unwilling to accept his explanation.
• Liang Hong remains resentful and humiliated by his loss, and his call to Brother Long hints at possible retaliation.
• Alchemy Boy is eager for Chen Hao’s cigarettes and betel nuts and treats him as an esteemed immortal, though his “gift” is comically gross.

Significant themes

• Pride and relationships: Chen Hao sees standing up to Liang Hong as a matter of dignity, while Sun Jiaqi sees needless risk and conflict.
• Scarcity and bargaining: Chen Hao deliberately presents the cigarettes and betel nuts as limited to preserve their trading value.
• The absurd gap between appearance and reality: A pill bearing Supreme Lord Lao’s name sounds precious, but is expired, ungraded, and made from cow dung—yet it still has a startling effect.
• Risk and transformation: Chen Hao takes an unknown substance despite its origin, setting up the possibility of a significant change.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao and Liang Hong exchange pointed insults after the card game, while the other guests celebrate Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao and Sun Jiaqi’s apology call exposes their differing ideas about dignity, prudence, and his changing personality.
• Chen Hao and Alchemy Boy bargain over cigarettes and betel nuts, then argue about the disgusting pill before Chen Hao ultimately takes it.

Plot points and events

• After taking the mysterious Qi-Nourishing Pill, Chen Hao wakes to find the bathwater covered in foul, oily residue. Though disgusted, he feels reborn: his body is now lean, muscular, and unusually strong. He eats an enormous breakfast and heads to Sun Jiaqi’s home to apologize for the previous day.
• On the way, he chats with the Old Immortal of the South Pole, who enjoyed the strong liquor Chen Hao sent and asks for more. Chen Hao promises to send different wine. He also learns from the God of Wealth that his nickname, “Little Charlatan,” is permanently assigned according to his magical ability and moral character.
• A traffic accident blocks the road. Chen Hao’s perception seems to sharpen dramatically, letting him see the crash in detail from a distance. A sparking utility pole has crushed a car, trapping an injured woman as gasoline leaks beneath it.
• Ignoring warnings to wait for emergency services, Chen Hao rushes into danger. His Heavenly Eye reveals the car’s structure and shows that his ability has reached 38% progress. He struggles to free the woman as sparks ignite the fuel, but kicks the damaged door loose, tears it off, and carries her out just before the car is consumed by flames.
• The crowd cheers Chen Hao as a hero. He checks the woman with his Heavenly Eye, sees no obvious injuries beyond her head and face, and leaves once paramedics arrive. He dismisses a woman claiming to be a television reporter and accepts a ride from a taxi driver who offers it for free, though Chen Hao insists on paying.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Hao discovers that the pill has greatly enhanced his physique, strength, speed, reflexes, and perception. He also appears to have advanced in his Heavenly Eye Art. His willingness to risk himself for a stranger shows courage and compassion, while his humor and skepticism remain evident in his reactions to the immortals, his nickname, and the supposed reporter.
• The Old Immortal of the South Pole reveals an unexpectedly enthusiastic interest in Chen Hao’s liquor, while their friendly exchange reinforces Chen Hao’s growing connections in the immortal group.
• The bystanders first try to restrain Chen Hao or warn him away, then celebrate his successful rescue. The middle-aged man who stopped him later praises him; a taxi driver shows gratitude by offering him a free ride.
• Chen Hao’s everyday plans—apologizing to Sun Jiaqi and navigating his unusual group identity—are interrupted by the emergency, shifting the chapter’s focus to his newfound abilities and public heroism.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Chen Hao’s new abilities quickly place him in a position to save someone, and he chooses to use them despite the danger.
• Courage and self-sacrifice: He refuses to wait passively when the woman’s life appears to be at immediate risk.
• Transformation and discovery: The pill changes both Chen Hao’s body and the capabilities of his Heavenly Eye, hinting at further development.
• Humor amid danger: Chen Hao’s comic disgust, frustration with his nickname, and skepticism toward the reporter contrast with the chapter’s life-threatening rescue.

Key plot points and events

• In a taxi, Chen Hao misses another WeChat red packet and buys a tool to grab future ones faster.
• The taxi driver diverts him to a derelict industrial site, where thugs surround and escort him to a group of men.
• Chen Hao recognizes them as Blondie, Big Guy, and their leader, Long Guangsheng, whom he encountered at the Golden Splendor Hotel two nights earlier.
• The gang attacks him, but Chen Hao’s enhanced abilities—gained after taking an expired Qi-Nourishing Pill—let him evade punches and shrug off blows. He easily defeats the thugs.
• Long attacks with a baseball bat. Chen Hao’s punch shatters it, though his fist hurts afterward. Long admits Liang Hong hired him to target Chen Hao.
• To intimidate Long, Chen Hao kicks his minivan hard enough to shift it and deploy its airbags. Long immediately submits, and Chen Hao orders him to drive.

Character developments

• Chen Hao goes from being ambushed to confidently overpowering the gang. He discovers just how formidable the pill has made him, though he remains vulnerable to pain and uses intimidation as much as force.
• Long Guangsheng shifts from swaggering gang leader to fearful, compliant subordinate once he sees Chen Hao’s strength.
• The taxi driver is revealed to have helped deliver Chen Hao into the ambush.
• Liang Hong is identified as the person who arranged the attack, apparently in retaliation for losing money.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao and the taxi driver exchange brief reassurances before the driver’s apparent betrayal becomes clear.
• Chen Hao trades familiar, joking remarks with Blondie and Big Guy, then faces Long and the gang in a fight.
• After extracting Liang Hong’s name, Chen Hao intimidates Long by damaging his vehicle; Long responds by abandoning his authority and obeying Chen.

Significant themes

• Power and reversal: The gang expects Chen Hao to be helpless, but his hidden strength reverses the balance of control.
• Consequences and revenge: The ambush stems from Liang Hong’s grudge, extending an earlier conflict.
• Appearance versus reality: Chen Hao looks like an easy target, while Long’s imposing confidence proves fragile once challenged.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao forces Long Guangsheng to drive him to Liang Hong’s company so Long can identify Liang’s role in the attempt against Chen.
• On the way, Chen Hao secretly takes two bottles of Wuliangye and sends them to the Old Immortal of the South Pole, hoping for a favor in return. The immortal accepts the gift but misses Chen’s hint that he should reciprocate, leaving Chen frustrated.
• At the company, Long publicly recounts Liang Hong’s wrongdoing. Liang admits the accusations, and the company owner fires him.
• Chen blocks Liang from leaving and knocks out several of his teeth with a slap.
• Long appears deferential to Chen and is allowed to leave, but secretly plans to gather armed men to retaliate over the damage to his van and his public humiliation.
• Sun Jiaqi criticizes Chen for beating Liang. Chen argues that he was defending himself, but Sun says he still does not understand her and walks away. Chen leaves, deciding they both need time to cool off.

Character developments

• Chen Hao acts decisively and violently toward those he sees as threats, while also showing his opportunistic, scheming side in his exchange with the immortal. His confidence falters when Sun Jiaqi objects to his actions.
• Long Guangsheng is cowed by Chen in public and reluctantly exposes Liang, but his submission is only temporary: he secretly intends revenge.
• Liang Hong loses his reputation and job after his misconduct is revealed, then is further humiliated and injured by Chen.
• Sun Jiaqi shows that she is troubled not only by Liang’s wrongdoing but by Chen’s response; she feels he does not understand her perspective.
• The company owner shifts from defending Liang to firing him once the accusations are confirmed.

Significant themes

• Power, intimidation, and retaliation: Chen’s physical dominance controls the confrontation, but Long’s secret plan suggests the conflict may continue.
• Public reputation and accountability: Liang’s standing collapses when his actions become known, and he faces professional consequences.
• Miscommunication and differing perspectives: Chen sees violence as justified self-defense, while Sun focuses on what his conduct reveals about him.
• Self-interest beneath generosity: Chen gives the liquor partly to secure a return favor, while the immortal takes his words literally.

Character interactions

• Chen intimidates Long into cooperating, while Long’s fear contrasts with his later private thirst for revenge.
• Long’s public accusation turns the employees against Liang; Liang’s attempts to resist and escape fail.
• Chen’s assault on Liang reinforces his authority in the room but also helps trigger Sun’s disapproval.
• Chen and Sun end the chapter emotionally estranged, with neither managing to understand the other’s point of view.

Key plot points and events

• While Chen Hao worries about how to make use of his connections with the immortals, thugs outside his rented room locate him and plan to attack that night. He remains unaware of the threat.
• In the Heavenly Court chat, Marshal Tianpeng makes an inappropriate boast, prompting Sun Wukong to tease him about his former identity and claims.
• Alchemy Boy asks Chen Hao to clean the Eight Trigrams Furnace for one hundred Daoist Merit. Chen Hao agrees, partly because the job may let him visit the Heavenly Palace. Though his immortal power is sealed, Alchemy Boy offers to bring him there through Soul Projection.
• Alchemy Boy warns that Chen Hao must return to his body within two hours; otherwise, both body and soul will be destroyed. Chen Hao accepts the risk.
• In Doushuai Palace, Chen Hao meets Alchemy Boy and gives him cigarettes and betel nut. Alchemy Boy assigns him to clear the furnace ash, supplying a fly-whisk and a Qiankun Bag.
• Inside the furnace, Chen Hao injures his already swollen hand, but contact with the ash seems to heal it. He realizes the ash may have unusual restorative properties.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is resourceful and opportunistic: he feigns reluctance to improve his bargaining position, then eagerly accepts a dangerous method of reaching the Heavenly Palace. His curiosity shifts to the furnace ash once he discovers its apparent healing effect.
• Alchemy Boy is practical and somewhat self-interested, recruiting Chen Hao when other immortals refuse the unpleasant work and readily accepting his gifts.
• Sun Wukong continues to needle Marshal Tianpeng, while Tianpeng tries to distance himself from the name Bajie.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and risk: Chen Hao takes a potentially fatal chance for access to the immortal world.
• Unexpected value in humble things: A menial chore and seemingly worthless furnace ash may yield an important benefit.
• Pragmatism and bargaining: Chen Hao uses flattery, negotiation, and gifts to secure the opportunity he wants.
• Suspense: The planned attack outside Chen Hao’s room remains unresolved as he travels in projection.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao negotiates with Alchemy Boy over the furnace-cleaning job, then trades cigarettes and betel nut for access to Doushuai Palace.
• Alchemy Boy explains the danger and time limit of Soul Projection, then equips Chen Hao for the task.
• Sun Wukong challenges Tianpeng’s boast and rejects his request to be addressed by his preferred name.

Key plot points and events

• Long Guangsheng and his gang break into Chen Hao’s apartment to take revenge. Chen Hao appears to be asleep; even when Long Guangsheng hits him and smashes a club against his knee, he remains unharmed and snores on. Fearing the police and growing crowd outside, the gang carries him away.
• The real Chen Hao is inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, collecting its ash into his Qiankun Bag. He suspects the ash has powerful healing properties after it instantly healed his swollen hand.
• Sun Wukong mistakes Chen Hao for a demon and knocks him back into the furnace. The Alchemy Boy explains that Chen Hao is his friend and is helping clean it.
• Sun Wukong visits Doushuai Palace looking for pills, then discovers cigarettes and betel nuts on the Alchemy Boy. He takes a cigarette and, misunderstanding its purpose, bites into it before the boy explains how to smoke it.
• When Chen Hao wakes and recognizes Sun Wukong, his anger at being slapped quickly turns to fear. He invents a story about a hidden realm to avoid revealing where the cigarettes came from, then promises to bring Sun Wukong more.
• Sun Wukong accidentally leaves a magical hair on Chen Hao. Chen Hao learns it can create copies of its owner, with their strength and number depending on the owner’s level. Sun Wukong leaves on a cloud after securing Chen Hao’s promise.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is resourceful and opportunistic: he gathers potentially valuable furnace ash and bargains with Sun Wukong using modern goods. His confidence falters when he realizes who struck him, and he carefully hides the truth about his origins.
• Sun Wukong remains impulsive, intimidating, and curious. He attacks before checking who Chen Hao is, but his interest in cigarettes makes him unexpectedly easy to distract and appease.
• The Alchemy Boy acts as mediator, clarifying Chen Hao’s identity and introducing Sun Wukong to cigarettes.
• Long Guangsheng is left baffled when his usual threats and weapons cannot harm Chen Hao.

Significant themes

• Mortals and immortals: Chen Hao’s ordinary-world knowledge and goods prove novel and valuable in Heaven, while magical items offer him extraordinary opportunities.
• Opportunity and resourcefulness: Chen Hao turns furnace ash and a fallen monkey hair into potential advantages.
• Comedy through misunderstanding and contrast: Sun Wukong’s mistaken attack and attempt to eat a cigarette juxtapose mythic power with mundane objects.

Plot points and events

• While Chen Hao’s soul is away, Long Guangsheng and his thugs beat his unconscious body severely. Long plans to stab him with a dagger, despite his men’s fear of the consequences.
• In Doushuai Palace, Chen Hao finishes cleaning the Eight Trigrams Furnace and demands the promised Daoist Merit. The Alchemy Boy admits he cannot pay yet, so Chen Hao negotiates for the Fly-whisk and Qiankun Bag, then asks for something mortals can use to cultivate.
• The Alchemy Boy gives him the Yellow Emperor’s Book of Changes, a rare text containing knowledge of acupuncture, diagnosis, medicine, and alchemy. As Chen Hao’s Soul Projection ends, the boy waves goodbye.
• Chen Hao awakens just as Long is about to stab him. He breaks his restraints, knocks Long aside, and quickly defeats several attackers; the rest flee.
• Seeing his badly injured face, Chen Hao confronts Long. Long begs for mercy and offers compensation. Chen initially signals for a small amount, but rejects Long’s offer of ten thousand, then one hundred thousand, and demands one million.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao gains a powerful new cultivation and medical text, along with the promised treasures, but returns to find his body badly beaten. His enhanced strength lets him overwhelm the thugs, and his anger gives way to bargaining for compensation.
• The Alchemy Boy is playful and evasive: he tries to avoid paying Daoist Merit, but ultimately compensates Chen Hao with valuable items and the ancient book.
• Long Guangsheng shifts from an aggressive captor willing to use a dagger to a terrified, submissive victim once Chen Hao awakens and defeats his men. His thugs likewise lose their nerve and flee.

Significant themes

• Power reversals: Chen Hao goes from helpless captive to overwhelming victor in an instant.
• Bargaining and opportunism: Both the Alchemy Boy and Chen negotiate over rewards, with Chen securing valuable substitutes for the payment he is owed.
• Comedic contrast: The grim beating and threat of murder are undercut by Chen’s deep sleep, the boy’s cheeky excuse, and Chen’s outrage over his ruined appearance and compensation.

Key plot points

• Chen Hao demands compensation from Long Guangsheng for the previous day’s trouble. He jokingly asks for a million, then settles for the few tens of thousands in Long’s WeChat wallet.
• While handling the transfer, Chen discovers that his WeChat Favorites now contain several supernatural items, including the Yellow Emperor’s Book of Changes. He learns it and gains extraordinary medical knowledge, from acupuncture and diagnosis to healing and pill-making.
• Long, impressed by Chen’s resilience and apparent martial-arts ability, offers to become his follower. Chen refuses and sends him away.
• Back home, Chen applies ash from the Eight Trigrams Furnace to his injuries. His wounds and swelling disappear within minutes, confirming the ash’s remarkable healing power.
• The next morning, Long and his gang approach Chen, but instead of attacking, they hail him as their “boss.” Long’s admiration has grown, partly because Chen’s injuries have vanished overnight. Chen rejects their loyalty and leaves.
• Long shows Chen a viral video of him saving an Audi, but Chen remains uninterested in the attention.
• Chen checks the Heavenly Court chat and learns the Old Immortal of the South Pole loved the Wuliangye Chen sent him. In return, Chen receives a jar of Peach Blossom Wine, which can prolong life.
• Seeing the commercial potential of the healing ash and the wine, Chen decides to pursue wealth and start a company, hoping to prove himself to those who have looked down on him.
• On his way to tell his girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi, about his plans, Chen sees her at a café. As he approaches, he notices a familiar man bringing her coffee and freezes.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shifts from uncertainty about his future to confidence and ambition, encouraged by his supernatural resources and newly acquired medical knowledge. He is firm with Long and focused on building a successful life.
• Long Guangsheng goes from adversary to admirer, treating Chen as a powerful leader and asking to follow him. Chen repeatedly rejects his attempts at friendship and loyalty.
• The Old Immortal of the South Pole enjoys Chen’s ordinary wine and trades him Peach Blossom Wine, strengthening Chen’s connection to the Heavenly Court chat group.
• Chen and Sun Jiaqi have not yet spoken in this scene; Chen intends to share his new plans with her, but the chapter ends on the unsettling sight of another familiar man approaching her.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and self-reinvention: Chen sees the supernatural gifts as a way to escape poverty and change his prospects.
• Power and reputation: Long’s respect and the viral video show how quickly Chen’s apparent strength attracts attention, though Chen does not want followers or fame.
• The value of the extraordinary: What immortals consider an ordinary wine is precious to Chen because it can prolong human life.
• Ambition and social judgment: Chen’s desire to succeed is tied to the past disdain he experienced because of his poor background.

Plot and key events

Chen Hao discovers his girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi, laughing with Liang Hong—the man whose teeth he smashed the day before. When Jiaqi answers Chen’s call coldly and then avoids his gaze, Chen realizes she has been seeing Liang. Liang deliberately puts his arm around her to provoke Chen. Jiaqi openly declares that she prefers Liang, and Chen ends their relationship, insisting that he is the one dumping her.
As Chen turns to leave, Liang flicks a cigarette butt at him, then drives his Mercedes toward him to intimidate him. Chen stands his ground and strikes the car with his thigh; the impact triggers the airbags and leaves the car’s front end badly wrecked. Liang and Jiaqi are injured, and Liang calls the police, claiming Chen damaged his car. Chen counters that Liang drove at him and asks the officers to check surveillance footage.
At the station, Liang boasts that he knows Chief Zhang and tries to use his family connections. A young officer refuses to be impressed and proceeds with the statements. Chief Zhang arrives, and Liang greets him as an old acquaintance; Zhang recognizes him as the son of “Old Liang.”

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao moves from hurt and disbelief to decisive rejection of Jiaqi. Though emotionally wounded, he stays calm during their confrontation and confidently turns Liang’s attempted intimidation back on him.
• Sun Jiaqi reveals her disloyalty openly, insults Chen over his lack of a good job, and sides with Liang. After being hurt by the airbags, she continues to blame Chen rather than reconsider her choices.
• Liang Hong uses Jiaqi to provoke Chen, then escalates the conflict by driving at him. Once his car is damaged, he plays the victim and tries to rely on his connections.
• The young officer remains professional despite Liang’s attempts to curry favor, earning Chen’s respect. Chief Zhang’s arrival leaves it unclear whether Liang’s claimed influence will help him.

Significant themes

The chapter centers on betrayal and the contrast between love and money: Chen concludes that Jiaqi’s affection was overshadowed by material status. It also explores pride, retaliation, and the danger of using wealth or connections to evade responsibility. Chen’s unusual strength—and the officers’ need to establish what happened through evidence—sets up the dispute’s next stage.

Key plot points and events

• Liang Hong recognizes Chief Zhang Guojun, a friend of his father, and asks him to intervene in the dispute with Chen Hao. Zhang promises to help.
• Zhang takes over the case from the young officer and hands it to Captain Zhao, who treats Chen Hao as guilty from the outset. When Chen Hao brushes off Zhao’s hand, Zhao has him handcuffed for “assaulting an officer.”
• Chen Hao chooses not to resist, hoping to avoid making his situation worse. Liang Hong and Sun Jiaqi are pleased, while Zhang assures Liang that Chen Hao will pay for the damage.
• In the interrogation room, Zhao threatens Chen Hao with charges and tries to get him to sign a fabricated statement. Chen refuses, and Zhao nearly strikes him with a baton.
• Zhang enters with an urgent notice from the municipal bureau bearing Chen Hao’s photograph. He and Zhao assume Chen is a wanted criminal, though Chen himself has no idea why the bureau is seeking him.
• Zhang calls Director Sun, who confirms the notice and says he will come to the station. He instructs Zhang to keep Chen under watch and, notably, to “treat him well.”
• Zhang and Zhao misinterpret this as an order to interrogate Chen aggressively. Zhao returns to the interrogation room, eager to extract a confession before Director Sun arrives.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains defiant but shows restraint: despite being strong enough to overpower the officers, he avoids fighting back and tries to think strategically. The municipal notice leaves him genuinely unsettled.
• Zhang Guojun uses his authority to favor Liang Hong and assumes he can advance his career by impressing the municipal director. His eagerness clouds his judgment.
• Captain Zhao is aggressive and willing to bend the law, escalating from coercive questioning to preparing to beat Chen.
• Liang Hong and Sun Jiaqi are confident that their connections have secured Chen’s punishment.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and corruption: Zhang and Zhao prioritize personal connections and career ambitions over fairness and due process.
• Misinterpretation and irony: Director Sun’s instruction to treat Chen well is twisted into permission for a harsher interrogation, setting up dramatic irony.
• Restraint versus provocation: Chen’s decision not to use force contrasts with the officers’ escalating aggression.

Character interactions

• Liang appeals to Zhang through their families’ friendship, and Zhang responds by intervening on his behalf.
• Zhao intimidates and provokes Chen, while Chen refuses to cooperate with a false statement.
• Zhang and Zhao reinforce each other’s assumptions, interpreting Director Sun’s cautious instructions in the worst possible way.

Key plot points and events

• Zhonghai police director Sun Long mobilizes officers to find Chen Hao, explaining to his deputy Zou Jian that Commander Chu specifically wants to see him.
• At Erdaokou Police Station, Chief Zhang Guojun is preparing to welcome the city officials while Chen Hao remains handcuffed and is pressured to confess to charges he denies.
• Sun arrives and is angered to learn Chen Hao has been put in the interrogation room, despite his instruction that the man be treated well.
• Sun addresses Chen as “Mr. Chen” and says he will take him to meet Commander Chu. Chen, who does not recognize the name, agrees to go.
• Chen then points out that he is still handcuffed. When Zhang tries to unlock him, Chen refuses, confronting Zhang over his earlier treatment. Zhang panics, apologizes, and drops to his knees.
• Sun asks Chen not to hold Zhang’s mistake against him. Chen implies Zhang’s conduct involved more than simple ignorance, leaving Zhang terrified.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shifts from quietly enduring the station’s treatment to asserting himself once Sun’s arrival gives him leverage. He uses the handcuffs to make Zhang answer for his behavior.
• Sun Long is deferential toward Chen and sharply rebukes Zhang, even though he does not know precisely how Chen is connected to Commander Chu.
• Zhang Guojun goes from smugly pressuring Chen to fearful, groveling submission when he realizes Chen has powerful connections.
• Zou Jian learns that the search for Chen is tied to Commander Chu, but does not yet know why.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and accountability: Zhang uses his position to detain and intimidate Chen without establishing the facts.
• Status and power: The police officials’ behavior changes dramatically once Chen’s link to Commander Chu is revealed.
• Justice versus intimidation: Chen refuses to confess falsely and insists that Zhang’s mistreatment should have consequences.

Key plot points and events

• Director Sun Long arrives at the police station after Chen Hao reports that Chief Zhang Guojun and Captain Zhao abused their authority and tried to frame him.
• Zhang insists he followed procedure and asks Captain Zhao to produce the surveillance footage as proof. The video instead shows Liang Hong driving into Chen Hao; it does not show Chen smashing the car.
• Sun dismisses Zhang and Zhao pending investigation, apologizes to Chen, and has his handcuffs removed. Chen accepts the apology, and Sun invites him to meet Commander Chu.
• Chen, Sun, and Sun’s assistant Zou Jian travel to Zhonghai Military General Hospital. They need Commander Qiao Shan’s permission to enter the guarded facility.
• At the hospital, they learn Commander Chu has suddenly collapsed and is being treated in the emergency room. Qiao confirms the situation is confidential and learns that Chen is the person Commander Chu had been seeking. The chapter ends as the emergency-room door opens.

Character developments

• Chen Hao moves from anger at the police’s treatment to confidence as the evidence clears him. He accepts Sun’s apology and support, though he remains privately uncertain about why Commander Chu wants to see him.
• Sun Long acts decisively against the police misconduct and treats Chen with unusual respect. He offers Chen his personal contact information and assumes Chen is being discreet about Commander Chu.
• Zhang Guojun and Captain Zhao lose their composure when the footage disproves their case and are taken away pending investigation.
• Qiao Shan is formal and protective of military protocol. He is curious about the person Commander Chu sought, but Chen’s ordinary appearance initially makes him dismissive.
• Zou Jian voices irritation at the military’s strict security, but Sun warns him to be careful.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and accountability: Evidence exposes the officials’ attempt to manipulate a case, and they face consequences.
• Status and power: Sun commands respect in civilian government but must defer to military officials and security rules.
• Appearance versus significance: Chen seems unremarkable, yet a powerful commander has specifically sought him.
• Escalating uncertainty: The expected meeting with Commander Chu is interrupted by his sudden collapse, raising the stakes.

Character interactions

• Chen gives Sun a full account of the misconduct; Sun responds by confronting Zhang and later apologizing to Chen.
• Zhang tries to defend himself and relies on Zhao for footage, but the recording undermines his claim.
• Sun and Chen grow more familiar during the drive, exchanging phone numbers and talking casually.
• At the hospital, Sun requests access through Qiao, while Qiao questions Chen’s identity and learns he is Commander Chu’s sought-after visitor.

Plot points and events

• Commander Chu is taken into intensive care after repeatedly collapsing. His aide, Qiao Shan, refuses to disclose his condition because Chu had forbidden him from informing the family.
• Using the Heavenly Eye Art and medical knowledge from the Yellow Emperor’s Book of Changes, Chen Hao sees that Chu has late-stage lung cancer. He believes modern medicine cannot cure it, but that he may be able to help.
• Chu asks to see Chen Hao. Qiao Shan explains that Chen Hao saved Chu’s granddaughter, Chu Mengling, in a car accident. Her facial injuries have left her emotionally devastated, and she is threatening suicide. Chu hopes Chen Hao can persuade her to keep going.
• Chen Hao agrees to try. He then whispers something to Chu that visibly excites him, prompting a coughing fit and an angry reprimand from Qiao Shan.
• Chu orders Qiao Shan out and tells him not to let anyone enter. Chen Hao asks for an acupuncture kit; Qiao Shan objects, but Chu’s anger makes him leave.
• Alone with Chen Hao, Chu asks how he knew about the cancer. Chen Hao says he saw it and offers to try to save him, though he cannot guarantee success. Chu, who had lost hope, decides to trust him and take the chance.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains calm despite Qiao Shan’s suspicion and shows compassion for both Chu and his granddaughter. His ability to diagnose Chu impresses and unsettles those around him.
• Commander Chu is a proud, private man who has concealed his illness even from his son. His concern for Mengling reveals his deep devotion to her; Chen Hao’s words restore some of his hope.
• Qiao Shan is fiercely protective of Chu and initially distrusts Chen Hao’s intentions, but ultimately obeys Chu’s command.
• Sun Long becomes more curious about Chen Hao after seeing that Chu specifically requested him.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and sacrifice: Chu’s illness and his granddaughter’s suffering weigh heavily on him.
• Hope in the face of despair: Chen Hao offers Chu a final possibility when conventional medicine has failed.
• Trust and uncertainty: Chu chooses to believe Chen Hao despite the risks, while others remain wary.
• Hidden burdens: Chu keeps his terminal illness secret, bearing it alone even as he worries most about his family.