Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen realizes that the woman posing as Ke Jiuyue is an impostor. He identifies her by her unusually high yin energy and the absence of a birthmark visible in a photo of the real Ke Jiuyue.
• The false Ke Jiuyue reveals herself as a ghost and summons a mummy infused with corpse energy. It attacks Jun Wangchen and Ke JiusI.
• Jun protects them with a golden defensive spell, but the mummy’s pliable body and transforming limbs trap him. The false Ke Jiuyue knocks Ke JiusI unconscious when he tries to help.
• The ghost explains that she was buried alive in a mine a year earlier. After becoming ghost mist and absorbing miners’ yang energy, she made a mummy of her own body and now seeks revenge.
• As she prepares to drain Jun Wangchen’s energy, he distracts her with a rambling, self-deprecating monologue. She pours her black mist into him—and Jun smiles, revealing that he deliberately baited her.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen demonstrates sharp perception, Daoist knowledge, and combat skill. Despite being trapped, he stays composed and appears to have anticipated the ghost’s move.
• Ke JiusI shifts from disbelief to fear once he recognizes the woman is not his sister. He relies on Jun for protection, then bravely tries to intervene before being knocked unconscious.
• The false Ke Jiuyue drops her innocent act, revealing a vengeful and ruthless nature driven by her death and the miners’ cruelty.
• Jun and Ke JiusI’s wary but trusting partnership is clear: Ke hides behind Jun, while Jun shields him and tells him to stay back.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus identity: A familiar face can conceal a completely different being; small details expose the imposture.
• Revenge and injustice: The ghost’s transformation is rooted in a horrific, preventable death, though her retaliation now threatens others.
• Deception and composure: Jun uses humor and apparent foolishness as a tactic, suggesting the apparent power balance may not be what it seems.
• Loyalty and courage: Ke JiusI’s attempt to help Jun shows concern despite his fear and vulnerability.

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen deliberately lets the black mist enter his body so his exorcism spells can attack its true form. Golden light burns and binds it, and a soul-powered dagger destroys it.
• The mummy, freed from the ghost’s control, turns into a remnant of black mist and tries to possess the unconscious Ke JiusI. Jun had already planted exorcism light in him, which destroys the remnant.
• Jun revives Ke JiusI, who confirms Jun’s identity with an absurdly convoluted riddle from their school days.
• They rescue Ke Jiuyue, whose life is in danger because her yang energy is weak. Jun uses herbs and his medical skill to save her, and she is taken to hospital.
• After thanking Jun, Ke JiusI accidentally reveals he deleted Jun’s treasured video collection, sparking a comic chase and argument.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen shows strategic thinking and confidence, using himself and Ke JiusI as traps to eliminate the ghost’s remaining soul. He also demonstrates compassion by saving Ke Jiuyue, while remaining unsympathetic to the ghost’s attack on innocent people.
• Ke JiusI shifts from fear and gratitude to suspicion, then to his usual foolish humor. His bond with Jun is affectionate, though his accidental confession provokes Jun’s anger.
• The black mist is driven by greed for Jun’s powerful yang energy and turns vengeful when trapped; its attempt to escape ends in its destruction.
• Jun and Ke JiusI’s brotherly trust is underscored by Ke’s thanks and Jun’s reassurance, then undercut comically by their dispute over the deleted files.

Significant themes

• Strategy and preparation: Jun anticipates both the ghost’s possession attempt and its escape into Ke JiusI.
• Justice and moral limits: The ghost’s tragic origins do not excuse harming innocent people.
• Loyalty and brotherhood: Jun risks himself to protect Ke JiusI and Ke Jiuyue.
• Comedy amid danger: Their absurd banter and the final argument provide a lighthearted contrast to the supernatural threat.

Plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen goes to Jinling Entertainment Culture Building after singer He Zihan invites him to collaborate on a duet. He hopes the project will raise his profile and promote his milk tea shop and his mother’s restaurant.
• He Zihan shares lyrics about ordinary people struggling through life while holding on to their dreams. Jun approves of their emotional subject and joins her in the composing room.
• The room includes He Zihan’s manager, Chen Huan, composer, staff, and Supreme Emperor Entertainment chairman Huang Junhao. Huang greets Jun with conspicuous warmth, surprising the staff.
• After hearing the melody, Jun praises its evocative mood but says it lacks the timeless quality of a classic. He suggests bringing out the beauty of home, personal hardship, and human warmth.
• To demonstrate, Jun plays the guqin. His music conjures a vivid village scene and stirs everyone’s memories of home.

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen reveals musical insight alongside his established abilities. He listens carefully, critiques the song precisely, and offers a compelling musical demonstration.
• He Zihan shows respect for Jun’s judgment, turning to him for feedback and appearing impressed by his understanding of music.
• Huang Junhao is surprised by Jun’s musical talent, having previously thought of him chiefly for his extraordinary magic.
• Chen Huan recognizes Jun’s potential contribution and encourages him to help improve the song.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and hope amid the burdens of ordinary life.
• The emotional power of home, memory, and human connection.
• The difference between a song that captures a particular mood and a timeless classic that can speak across generations.
• Music as a way to evoke shared experience and deeply personal feeling.

Character interactions

• Jun and He Zihan meet cordially and discuss the lyrics and song.
• Huang’s deferential greeting contrasts with the staff’s skepticism about Jun’s appearance and status.
• He Zihan, Chen Huan, and the composer all look to Jun for musical guidance.
• Jun’s guqin performance gives the group a shared emotional experience, making his ideas tangible.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Jun Wangchen performs a guqin piece that moves the room to silence. Its melody conjures the imagined life of an ordinary man, charted from age 26 to 75.
• The man marries at 29 without being sure he loves his bride, and later wonders whether the wedding marked the point when he stopped living for himself.
• Work and family responsibilities accumulate: he becomes a father, endures exhaustion and financial strain, and repeatedly sacrifices personal ambitions—such as buying a new computer or traveling—to meet others’ expectations.
• He and his wife raise their son through school, tutoring, and adolescence. Their advice to him reflects the compromises and pressures they themselves have experienced, and their relationship becomes strained.
• At 60, the man plans a trip but cancels it to care for his grandson. At 70, he tries again, but age limits him to the garden.
• On his deathbed at 75, he looks back on his life and imagines himself at 15, rushing beneath the balcony of the girl he secretly loved. His final memory is the voices of his teenage peers urging her to accept him.

Character developments

• The man moves from youthful longing into adulthood shaped by convention, duty, and financial pressure. Though he loves his child, he gradually loses sight of his own desires and becomes emotionally distant.
• He repeats patterns he once disliked: urging his son to choose security over passion, then later telling him not to compromise. His late-life advice suggests some recognition of what was lost.
• His wife and he build a shared life, but the narration leaves their affection uncertain. They argue, accommodate one another, and remain together, yet he never fully knows whether he truly loved her.
• Their son grows into an independent adult. He understands his father somewhat, but his remark—“I don’t want to live like you”—reveals the cost of the father’s choices.

Character interactions

• The man’s wedding is shaped by pressure from family and friends, rather than clear personal conviction.
• At home, he and his wife clash over money, work, and their child’s education, while continuing to share the burdens of family life.
• Teachers and employers reinforce competing demands: earn more and provide for the child, but also be more present as a parent.
• The father’s arguments with his son echo the tensions between generations: the father invokes authority when he cannot persuade him, while the son sees a life he does not want to repeat.
• In old age, the son’s request for help with childcare draws the parents back into the responsibilities they once hoped to leave behind.

Significant themes

• A life shaped by social expectations: Marriage, career, parenting, and education are presented as a sequence of obligations that can crowd out individual choice.
• Regret and lost possibility: The man’s memory of his youthful crush contrasts with the life he lived, suggesting that the deepest regret is not simply hardship but never choosing freely.
• Generational cycles: Parents pass on their anxieties and compromises, sometimes reproducing the very pressures they resented.
• Love and uncertainty: The man cares for his family, but the story questions whether affection can thrive when relationships begin or continue through habit and duty.
• Time and delayed freedom: His long-postponed plans to travel show how “later” can arrive too late. The final return to age 15 makes the life he might have chosen vivid just as it becomes unreachable.

Plot points

• Jun Wangchen’s guqin performance evokes the hardships of life: loneliness, loss, perseverance, and the choice to keep going. Its music then tells the story of Grandpa Twelfth, a gifted and gentle man whose wealthy family was destroyed during a political campaign.
• A farmer sheltered Twelfth Young Master. He and the farmer’s daughter, Sister Jing, fell in love and planned to marry, but a powerful official’s nephew forced her to marry him instead. The farmer later died, and Twelfth Young Master spent decades writing letters to Jing that were repeatedly returned.
• Twelfth Young Master remained dignified and kind, helping villagers and forming a special bond with the story’s young narrator. When he dies alone, the narrator serves as his mourning grandson and inherits a box of his letters, revealing the depth of his lifelong hope that Jing might return.
• As the narrator’s final letter to Jing blows away, an elderly woman arrives at the village entrance. The wind stops as the letter circles her, suggesting that Jing and Twelfth Young Master’s story has finally found its answer.
• Back in the present, Jun’s music leaves the listeners deeply moved. He Zihan reflects on its themes of home, hardship, and true love.

Character developments and interactions

• Grandpa Twelfth endures loss without becoming bitter or abandoning his decency. His art, generosity, and steadfast love define his life, though beneath his composure lies lasting sorrow.
• Sister Jing sacrifices her love to protect her father and Twelfth Young Master from the official’s nephew; her late return brings the story to an ambiguous but poignant close.
• The narrator moves from childhood memories of Grandpa Twelfth’s kindness to a fuller understanding of his loneliness and devotion. The villagers honor Twelfth Young Master and entrust his belongings to the narrator.
• Jun Wangchen uses music and storytelling to communicate profound emotional truths; He Zihan is struck by the feeling and apparent experience behind his performance.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and dignity amid injustice and grief.
• A lifetime of faithful, unfulfilled love—and the hope of reunion.
• The quiet importance of kindness, community, and chosen family.
• Music as a way to express experiences that words alone cannot convey.

Key plot points and events

• After hearing Jun Wangchen’s guqin composition, He Zihan agrees to use it for their duet. They create the song together, but leave its release date to Huang Junhao.
• Jun returns to Jinling University and reflects on how far he has risen through the opportunities brought by the Groundhog Phone. Though powerful and well-connected, he believes he needs greater strength to reach the top of Jinling City and protect the people close to him.
• On campus, Jun accidentally bumps heads with policewoman Mo Li. Hoping to avoid being pulled into another case, he hides his face and tries to evade her.
• Mo Li tricks him into turning around, recognizes him, and confronts him. Jun retaliates by loudly inventing outrageous stories about her exploiting and mistreating him.
• Bystanders believe Jun’s performance and turn against Mo Li. A well-meaning man and the crowd stop Jun from leaving to “get justice” for him.
• The chapter ends with Jun tearfully asking the man, “Mister, can I beat you up?”

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen is ambitious and reflective, recognizing that his current power is not enough to fulfill his goals. In contrast to his serious inner resolve, he is also quick-witted, theatrical, and mischievous when trying to escape trouble.
• Mo Li remains forceful and short-tempered. Her attempt to confront Jun is derailed by his elaborate public accusations, leaving her furious and unable to control the crowd’s reaction.
• He Zihan shows confidence in Jun’s musical ability by agreeing to build their duet around his composition.

Significant themes

• Ambition and self-improvement: Jun’s success has not satisfied him; he sees greater strength as necessary to reach his aspirations.
• Public perception and performance: Jun manipulates the crowd through acting and exaggeration, showing how easily appearances can shape people’s judgments.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: A minor collision becomes an absurd confrontation as the bystanders mistake Jun’s fabricated story for truth.

Character interactions

• Jun and He Zihan collaborate musically, with Jun leaving practical decisions to Huang Junhao.
• Jun tries to avoid Mo Li, but she pursues him until she uncovers his identity.
• Their confrontation becomes a public spectacle: Jun’s false claims turn the crowd against Mo Li, while the crowd’s sympathy traps Jun and prevents his escape.

Plot points

• Jun Wangchen’s attempt to escape Mo Li’s arrest is derailed when a well-meaning older man mistakes him for a dangerous, long-wanted drug offender. Mo Li flashes her police ID and draws her pistol, clearing the crowd and letting her handcuff Jun.
• The older man becomes fixated on Jun’s looks and keeps demanding a chance to hit him. Jun responds with increasingly ridiculous boasts about his beauty, while Mo Li joins in by offering the man a rock. The pair eventually get away.
• Later, beside a lake at Jinling University, Jun tries to slip away from Mo Li. When she grabs his collar, his shirt tears, and he theatrically mourns the “death” of his shirt.
• Mo Li says she needs Jun’s help with a serious case. He refuses until she threatens to tell his university that he took advantage of a policewoman and caused her to get an abortion. Jun immediately agrees to help.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains quick-witted, vain, shameless, and determined to avoid police trouble. He uses melodrama, jokes, and absurd improvisation to evade Mo Li, but her leverage ultimately works.
• Mo Li is amused by Jun’s antics but remains firmly in control. She uses her authority to manage the crowd and later resorts to blackmail to secure his cooperation.
• The older man shifts from protective bystander to Jun’s self-proclaimed admirer—and would-be attacker—because he envies Jun’s appearance.
• Jun and Mo Li trade sarcastic banter throughout, with their comic rivalry giving way to an uneasy partnership when Mo Li recruits him.

Significant themes

• Appearance and vanity: Jun’s exaggerated pride in his looks drives much of the humor.
• Deception and performance: Jun repeatedly invents dramatic stories to manipulate those around him, while Mo Li counters his theatrics with practical tactics.
• Power and reluctant cooperation: Mo Li’s police authority and personal leverage overcome Jun’s resistance.
• Comic inversion: The crowd’s desire to protect Jun, then the older man’s desire to attack him, repeatedly frustrate Jun’s plans.

Key plot points and events

• Fu Xuner, Deputy Mayor Fu Fubin’s daughter, is kidnapped while shopping. Her kidnappers demand ten billion yuan and a helicopter within three hours, threatening to kill her if their demands aren’t met.
• Police search for the kidnappers, whose unlicensed red car was seen heading toward abandoned factories near the Heavenly Summit. Captain Mo Li doubts the footage is enough to identify their hideout and orders officers to watch the area and continue investigating.
• Mo Li brings Jun Wangchen to help. Though he initially jokes and resists, Fu Fubin recognizes him as the newly named Supreme Leader of the Four Urban Districts and places great hope in his abilities.
• Jun says he has a seventy-to-eighty-percent chance of rescuing Fu Xuner, but first needs something from her room. There, he searches her wardrobe and pulls out a pair of her pink panties, leaving Mo Li and Fu Fubin stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen presents himself as playful and self-assured, but hints that he has a practical plan and confidence in his abilities.
• Mo Li is determined and increasingly relies on Jun, despite being baffled by his behavior. She balances her confidence in him with skepticism about his unusual methods.
• Fu Fubin, usually composed, is devastated by his daughter’s abduction. He trusts Jun after learning of his reputation and promises support in return for her rescue.
• Mo Li and Fu Fubin both react with disbelief when Jun searches Fu Xuner’s wardrobe and produces her underwear.

Significant themes

• Trust in exceptional ability: The police turn to Jun because his past feats suggest he can accomplish what ordinary investigation has not.
• Desperation and hope: Fu Fubin’s fear for his daughter contrasts with the cautious optimism Jun offers.
• Humor amid danger: Jun’s teasing manner and the surprising final reveal undercut the seriousness of the kidnapping and set up the mystery of his plan.

Plot points and events

• Mo Li catches Jun Wangchen sniffing Fu Xuner’s underwear and assumes he is acting perverted. Jun explains that he is using his exceptional sense of smell to help locate the kidnapped woman—a method that helped solve a previous murder.
• Jun demonstrates his ability by identifying Fu Fubin’s recent movements and the scents on his hands. Impressed, Fu begs him to rescue his daughter. Jun promises to help and leaves with Mo Li.
• Jun announces that kidnappers were active at an abandoned coal-briquette factory near Heavenly Summit. Mo Li doubts him, but police officers independently report the same location, confirming his deduction.
• As Mo Li and Jun prepare to investigate, Captain Han Qingyun returns. He is a former suitor of Mo Li’s, known for his ambition and for using his position to intimidate men around her.
• Han tries to embrace Mo Li. Jun intervenes, falsely claims that he and Mo Li are engaged, and takes her away in a police car. Furious and jealous, Han orders someone to follow them.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen displays confidence and unconventional methods, using his scent-recognition ability—and a brief enhancement through needlework—to pinpoint the kidnappers’ location. He also acts possessively toward Mo Li, inventing an engagement to fend off Han.
• Mo Li moves from outrage and skepticism to renewed respect for Jun’s abilities. She prioritizes the rescue over questioning how he found the factory, but is also uncomfortable with his antics.
• Fu Fubin shifts from confusion to gratitude after Jun proves his talent, entrusting him with the rescue of Fu Xuner.
• Han Qingyun is introduced as Mo Li’s resentful, calculating former suitor. Jun’s public claim that Mo Li is his fiancée provokes Han’s jealousy and hostility.

Significant themes

• Unusual ability and evidence: Jun’s extraordinary sense of smell provides a lead that conventional investigation has not yet produced.
• Duty amid personal tension: The rescue remains urgent even as Jun and Mo Li’s interactions—and Han’s arrival—create conflict.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Han’s entitlement toward Mo Li contrasts with Jun’s bold, possibly strategic intervention.
• Appearance versus reality: Han presents his return as devotion, but the narration reveals it was forced by trouble in Hai City; Jun’s crude-looking behavior, meanwhile, is tied to the investigation.

Plot points and events

• At 6:30 p.m., Jun Wangchen and Officer Mo Li drive to the abandoned Coal Briquette Factory to search for Fu Xuner, the Deputy Mayor’s kidnapped daughter.
• Mo Li confronts Jun over publicly calling her his fiancée. He says it helped stop Han Qingyun from obstructing their rescue effort, though his teasing about her appearance quickly turns her briefly warm feelings into anger.
• At the factory, Han arrives and challenges the claim that Jun is Mo Li’s fiancé. Mo confirms it, and Jun taunts Han until Han tries to punch him. Mo intervenes and reminds them that rescuing Fu Xuner comes first.
• Han assesses the factory and the available evidence. Police report that the kidnappers’ red car was seen there and left tire tracks, but they have no further leads. Mo organizes officers into teams to question residents and search the factory.
• Jun examines the tire tracks and soil, detecting Fu Xuner’s scent and rubber. He appears to recognize a possible lead, but Han accuses him of tampering with evidence and grabs his collar.
• Jun retaliates, painfully twisting Han’s hand and lifting him by the throat, warning him not to mistake restraint for weakness.

Character developments and interactions

• Mo Li balances irritation with reluctant dependence on Jun. She is unsettled by the warmth of his embrace and protects him from Han, but remains focused on the rescue.
• Jun Wangchen uses humor and provocation to control situations, while showing confidence in his ability to find Fu Xuner. His patience with Han finally runs out.
• Han Qingyun is jealous and possessive toward Mo Li. Though he backs down to prioritize the hostage, his suspicion of Jun leads him to provoke a physical confrontation.
• The tension between Jun and Han escalates from romantic rivalry and insults to violence, while Mo’s authority and the urgency of the rescue briefly keep their conflict in check.

Significant themes

• Duty over personal conflict: Mo insists that Fu Xuner’s rescue take precedence over the men’s rivalry.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Han treats Mo as someone he can claim, while Jun challenges his assumptions.
• Appearance versus ability: Jun’s boastful jokes mask his practical investigative instincts and physical strength.
• Cooperation and mistrust: The rescue requires the characters to work together, yet suspicion and ego threaten to undermine the effort.

Chapter summary

• Han Qingyun confronts Jun Wangchen at the coal plant, accusing him of tampering with evidence and assaulting an officer after Jun throws him to the ground. Mo Li challenges Han’s accusation, and Jun redirects attention to the search for kidnapped Fu Xuner.
• Jun identifies the likely hideout by detecting rubber and Fu Xuner’s scent in the soil and distinguishing tracks from two vehicles. A police officer’s tests confirm his observations. Mo Li trusts his reasoning and leaves with him, while Han stays behind, humiliated and furious.
• Han sends Fan Yi to follow Jun and Mo Li, while vowing revenge. Fan Yi’s strange smile hints that he may have ulterior motives.
• Jun and Mo Li investigate an eastern rubber factory. Following Fu Xuner’s scent, Jun concludes she is probably inside. They spot a car, armed lookouts, and a guard dog.
• Mo Li starts to move in, but Jun restrains her to keep them hidden from the dog. When two kidnappers come to investigate, Jun swiftly kills them and the dog, clearing the way into the factory.
• Jun and Mo Li sneak toward the buildings—but a dozen police cars arrive outside, abruptly changing the situation and leaving their rescue attempt in suspense.

Character developments and relationships

• Jun Wangchen proves exceptionally perceptive and capable, combining an extraordinary sense of smell with fast, decisive combat. He remains dismissive of Han and focused on rescuing Fu Xuner.
• Mo Li shifts from questioning Jun’s deductions to relying on them. Though embarrassed and irritated by his close physical contact, she recognizes that his actions kept them hidden and follows his lead.
• Han Qingyun is exposed as arrogant and insecure. Jun’s success—and Mo Li’s choice to leave with him—deepens Han’s resentment and desire for revenge.
• Fan Yi’s unexplained smile suggests possible deception or an undisclosed agenda.

Significant themes

• Competence over rank: Jun’s evidence-based deductions outperform the conventional police search and earn Mo Li’s trust.
• Pride and jealousy: Han’s wounded authority and romantic jealousy turn professional conflict into personal hatred.
• Trust under pressure: Mo Li must rely on Jun despite their awkward, uncomfortable interactions.
• Suspense and hidden motives: Fan Yi’s reaction and the sudden arrival of police cars raise questions about who can be trusted and whether the rescue has been compromised.

Plot points and events

• At the Rubber Factory, the kidnappers reveal they are holding Fu Xuner for a ten-billion ransom from her father, Deputy Mayor Fu Fubin. Their leader says the Wang Family of Jinling helped them learn her movements because Fu Fubin had opposed their rise to power.
• Police sirens unexpectedly announce the officers’ arrival, alerting the kidnappers. The scar-faced leader orders some men to guard Fu Xuner while the rest prepare to attack.
• Jun Wangchen and Mo Li, already hiding in the courtyard, realize the rescue has become much harder. Jun blames Han Qingyun for carelessly sounding the sirens.
• When Han Qingyun’s officers enter, the kidnappers open fire with far superior weapons. Several officers are killed, and the rest retreat despite Han’s orders to advance.
• Mo Li suggests withdrawing, but Jun argues that escape would be difficult and the kidnappers may soon move Fu Xuner. He uses his soul power to map the factory and locates her in the innermost room, guarded by four or five men.
• Jun plans to eliminate the kidnappers room by room while Mo Li follows and gets Fu Xuner to safety. He warns Mo Li to cooperate if she is captured rather than risk her life. Despite Mo Li’s concern, he moves toward the first room alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen remains focused and tactical under pressure. He condemns Han’s leadership and chooses a dangerous solo approach to create a chance of rescuing Fu Xuner.
• Mo Li is shaken by the violence and doubts that Jun can face the kidnappers alone, but she understands the urgency and worries for him.
• Han Qingyun appears reckless and ineffective: his decision to lead an exposed charge costs officers their lives, and his command is ignored.
• The scar-faced leader is ruthless and confident, treating the kidnapping as a profitable scheme and ordering the kidnappers to kill the police.

Significant themes

• Leadership and responsibility: Han’s poor judgment contrasts with Jun’s measured planning.
• Courage and sacrifice: Jun risks himself to rescue Fu Xuner, while the officers suffer the cost of a disastrous assault.
• Loyalty and trust: Jun and Mo Li must rely on each other amid danger.
• Corruption and power: The Wang Family’s assistance suggests political grudges and influence are entangled with the kidnapping.

Key plot points and events

• While police distract the kidnappers, Jun Wangchen sneaks into the outer room and incapacitates three armed guards with Tree Needles and precise strikes.
• He signals Mo Li to join him. When four kidnappers investigate the broken window, Jun silently disables them as they enter.
• Jun and Mo Li move toward the inner room, where Fu Xuner is being held. Jun warns Mo Li to be cautious because a hostage is inside.
• Jun quickly takes out the two guards with Tree Needles and knocks the scar-faced leader unconscious with a powerful soul-force attack.
• Jun frees Fu Xuner just as police officers arrive. They find the kidnappers subdued and Fu safe.
• Han Qingyun arrives and claims over the phone that he arrested the kidnappers single-handedly. Mo Li recognizes his attempt to take credit and becomes angry.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen displays exceptional agility, composure, and combat skill, carefully adapting his tactics to overcome armed opponents while minimizing danger to Fu.
• Mo Li begins anxious about Jun’s safety, then is astonished by his abilities. Her admiration gives way to indignation when Han claims credit for their work.
• Fu Xuner is rescued unharmed and develops an immediate, idealized admiration for Jun, whom she recognizes as the Contest winner.
• Han Qingyun prioritizes personal advancement: despite arriving after Jun and Mo Li have subdued the kidnappers, he presents the rescue as his own achievement.
• Jun and Mo Li work together cautiously, while Jun’s rescue of Fu and Han’s false claim set up a contrast between genuine heroism and self-serving ambition.

Significant themes

• Courage and competence: Jun’s calm, precise actions overcome a dangerous situation.
• Teamwork and trust: Mo Li follows Jun’s lead and assists in the rescue.
• Recognition and credit: Han’s dishonesty raises the question of who deserves public praise.
• Admiration and heroism: Fu’s response shows how Jun’s actions transform fear into hope and affection.

Plot points

• Han Qingyun takes credit for capturing the armed robbers and expects the recognition to secure him a promotion. Mo Li confronts him, insisting Jun Wangchen deserves the credit.
• Han dismisses her account, claiming the robbers must have been incapacitated by poisoned food. A forensic examiner disproves this: the robbers were paralyzed or killed by needles striking specific points on their bodies.
• Despite the evidence, Han tries to have Jun arrested by falsely accusing him of interfering with police work and aiding the robbers.
• Jun insults Han, then slaps him hard enough to knock out a tooth. Enraged and humiliated, Han draws his pistol and aims it at Jun.
• Mo Li urges Han to lower the weapon, but he reveals his resentment over her rejecting his three-year pursuit and becoming engaged to Jun. As his officers hesitate to intervene, Jun dares Han to shoot.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Qingyun shifts from smug ambition to exposed dishonesty, then to furious, reckless desperation. His jealousy of Jun and resentment toward Mo Li drive him to threaten a man with his service weapon.
• Mo Li openly defends Jun and condemns Han’s false claim to credit. Her view of Han changes as she recognizes his willingness to slander Jun for advancement.
• Jun Wangchen remains defiant under accusation, verbally humiliates Han, and escalates the confrontation with a slap. He shows no fear when Han points a gun at him.
• Fu Xuner is angered by Han’s attempt to take credit from the person who rescued her.
• Han’s subordinates become alarmed by his loss of control but are uncertain how to stop him.

Significant themes

• Integrity versus ambition: Han’s pursuit of status leads him to steal credit and fabricate accusations.
• Jealousy and wounded pride: Han’s personal resentment toward Mo Li intensifies the danger of the confrontation.
• Courage and power: Jun’s fearlessness contrasts with Han’s abuse of police authority.
• Truth and recognition: The forensic findings confirm Jun’s role, even as Han tries to suppress it.

Key plot points and events

• Han Qingyun threatens Jun Wangchen with a gun, but Jun correctly calls his bluff and swiftly breaks Han’s wrist.
• Han tries to shoot with his other hand. Jun takes the pistol and crushes it with one hand, confirming the extraordinary strength behind his earlier defeat of the robbers.
• Jun lifts Han by the throat and condemns him for arriving with sirens blaring, which nearly exposed the police and endangered Jun, Mo Li, and Fu Xuner.
• Jun repeatedly slams Han against a wall, accusing him of doing nothing and trying to claim credit while abusing his authority. Han is left bloodied and orders his officers to kill Jun.
• The officers aim their guns, but Jun intimidates them with his presence and demonstrates his power by cracking a wall with one punch. He gives them five seconds to lower their weapons; they back down before he finishes counting.
• As Jun mocks their retreat, Han grabs a subordinate’s gun and prepares to fire. Mo Li moves to protect Jun, but an unseen person shouts for Han to stop. The chapter ends on this interruption.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen is fearless and controlled at first, then openly furious over Han’s recklessness and arrogance. He uses overwhelming force and intimidation to protect himself and those endangered by the police response.
• Han Qingyun shifts from threatening authority to helplessness and humiliation. His pain and wounded pride turn into desperate, reckless hatred.
• Mo Li and Fu Xuner fear that Jun’s provocation will get him shot; Mo Li later tries to shield him from Han’s final attack.
• Han’s subordinates initially follow his orders, but their fear of Jun overwhelms their willingness to confront him, and they lower their guns.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts genuine courage and capability with empty authority: Jun condemns Han for claiming credit and abusing his rank.
• Recklessness and responsibility are central, as Han’s siren nearly turns a dangerous situation into a disaster.
• Fear, power, and intimidation shape the confrontation: Jun’s strength forces even armed officers to retreat, while Han’s wounded pride drives him toward further violence.

Plot points and events

• Deputy Mayor Fu Fubin arrives with Police Chief Zheng Zhi and dismisses Captain Han Qingyun, condemning his reckless conduct during the hostage rescue, his repeated interference with Jun Wangchen, and his attempt to claim credit.
• Fu Fubin thanks Jun for rescuing his daughter, Fu Xuner, and kneels to show his gratitude. Jun kneels in return and says he would have risked himself for any citizen, not just someone important.
• As Jun approaches Xuner for a photo, he suddenly knocks out a police officer. He suspects the man is a kidnapper’s accomplice and exposes him as one by removing his human-skin disguise.
• Police discover that the surviving kidnappers have died in a bizarre, drained state. Jun recognizes the signs of Bloodthirsty Gu and suspects the same Gu Master connected to the poisoned students at Jinling University killed them to cover his tracks.
• Jun keeps his suspicions to himself. After evidence is collected, the rescuers leave, and Xuner’s mother hosts a dinner in their honor.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Qingyun falls from arrogant captain to disgraced ex-officer; Fu Fubin’s reprimand and dismissal leave him devastated.
• Jun Wangchen earns the officers’ and Fu Fubin’s admiration through his courage, humility, and perceptiveness. He returns Fu Fubin’s gesture of respect and later exposes the disguised mole.
• Fu Fubin shifts from gratitude to decisive action, punishing Han and openly honoring Jun.
• Fu Xuner grows more attracted to Jun, interpreting his request for a photo as a sign of personal interest.
• Mo Li feels a flash of jealousy as she watches Jun and Xuner together.
• Zheng Zhi and the other officers recognize both Jun’s role in saving the police department’s reputation and his ability to detect the hidden threat.

Significant themes

• Public service versus self-interest: Jun’s willingness to protect anyone contrasts with Han’s ambition and concern for credit.
• Humility and respect: Jun’s response to Fu Fubin’s kneeling underscores his sense of equality and dignity.
• Appearance and deception: The disguised kidnapper reveals that danger remains hidden even within the police.
• A larger, unseen threat: The Gu Master’s actions connect the kidnapping to the poisoned students and foreshadow a continuing conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Jun Wangchen returns to Dormitory Room 520 and finds his roommates joking about terrible dating advice. They tease him over his upcoming song collaboration with pop star He Zihan, which has brought a rush of attention to their public account.
• Jun checks on the Milk Tea Shop, which is thriving: Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli have earned a million in net profit. He offers to help if problems arise and suggests Ke JiusI join as an owner, prompting another round of crude teasing and bickering.
• A call interrupts the lighthearted scene: an unknown man claims to have kidnapped Jun’s mother and orders him to a bamboo grove north of Baijia Town. Jun confirms her phone is off and uses a Void Teleportation Talisman to arrive almost instantly.
• In the grove, Jun confronts a masked black-robed man. The man says Jun’s mother is merely unconscious, but reveals that he has trapped Jun inside four Soul-Devouring Gates created with witchcraft.
• Jun identifies the spell and presses the attacker about his employer. The man admits he previously framed Jun at the police station and names Wei Caijun as the person who ordered the killing.
• The gates close in, and black mist immobilizes Jun. The attacker sees Jun engulfed and assumes he has killed him—only for Jun to appear suddenly behind him, smiling and declaring, “Surprised? Didn’t see that coming, did you?”

Character developments

• Jun Wangchen moves swiftly from relaxed roommate and business partner to an enraged, determined son when his mother is threatened. Even while facing a lethal trap, he remains perceptive and composed, recognizing the witchcraft and questioning his attacker.
• Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli are shown as successful but still playful, eccentric partners, proud of the shop’s growth and eager to tease Ke JiusI.
• Ke JiusI remains an enthusiastic, easily impressed friend, though he is frustrated that the others have not made him a shop owner.
• The black-robed man appears confident and well-prepared, but his surprise at Jun’s abilities—and his apparent failure to finish him—undercut that confidence.
• Wei Caijun emerges as the hidden antagonist, acting on a threat he made earlier.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and family: The threat to Jun’s mother immediately overrides the evening’s casual concerns.
• Hidden power and deception: Jun’s instant arrival and mysterious survival show that appearances—and seemingly decisive attacks—can be misleading.
• Ambition and success: The milk tea business and He Zihan collaboration reflect the roommates’ sudden opportunities and rising prospects.
• Revenge and consequences: Jun’s past conflicts with powerful families and individuals have escalated into an assassination attempt.

Character interactions

• Jun shares affectionate, sarcastic banter with his roommates, while the three friends trade insults over the shop and Ke JiusI’s proposed ownership.
• He takes a supportive role with Zhang Zhengxiao and Wang Nuli, encouraging them to bring him any business problems.
• The confrontation with the black-robed man is a battle of information and nerve: Jun demands answers, identifies the trap, and learns of Wei Caijun’s involvement before the apparent climax.
• The final reveal reverses the attacker’s confidence, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

Summary

• Jun Wangchen turns the tables: The black-robed man traps Jun with a binding spell and attacks him with the lethal Soul-Devouring Gate. Jun escapes by using Shifting Form, Changing Shadow, a technique that lets him swap positions through space. He refuses to explain how he survived, frustrating the attacker.
• The attacker’s corpse fails: The black-robed man animates a corpse whose claws are coated in deadly poison. Jun’s Sword Domain, the second form of the Green Lotus Sword Art, destroys the corpse’s attacks and then tears the creature apart. Jun notes that the technique is powerful but lasts only about half a minute.
• The Witch Ghost exposes a weakness: The black-robed man releases a fast, powerful spirit from a mirror. Because Sword Domain cannot affect spiritual entities, the ghost knocks Jun into a tree. Jun recognizes this limitation but gets back up, determined to end the fight quickly while his mother’s safety remains uncertain.
• Jun summons a stronger spirit: Jun invokes the Ghost Power King, a giant that blocks and crushes the Witch Ghost with ease. Terrified, the black-robed man tries to flee, but the giant’s fist lands in front of him, trapping him. Jun declares that he will not let the man escape.

Character developments and interactions

Jun shifts from calmly testing his abilities to acting decisively once he considers the danger to his mother. He reveals several powerful techniques, adapts after discovering Sword Domain’s weakness, and gains the upper hand. The black-robed man, initially confident in his lethal spells and creatures, becomes increasingly bewildered and then terrified. Their exchanges underscore the reversal of power: each of the attacker’s escalating weapons is defeated, while Jun remains composed.

Significant themes

• Hidden abilities and reversals: Jun’s concealed techniques repeatedly overturn the black-robed man’s expectations.
• Adaptation and limits: Jun identifies Sword Domain’s inability to affect spirits and responds with a different power.
• Escalation and hubris: The attacker’s confidence collapses as his supposedly formidable weapons prove ineffective.
• Protection and urgency: Jun’s concern for his mother motivates him to finish the confrontation quickly.

Key plot points and events

• The black-robed assassin, hired by the Wei Family’s eldest young master to kill Jun Wangchen, begs for his life and offers a mysterious manual as a bribe.
• Jun refuses to trust him. When the assassin secretly pulls a pistol, Jun raises a soul-power barrier—but a hidden attacker kills the assassin with a needle-like leaf before he can fire.
• The newcomers emerge: Mo Long, son of General Mo, and a veiled woman named Xiaomin. Mo explains that his father sent him to help Jun deal with the Witch who framed him and had him taken to the police station.
• Mo also reveals that Jun’s mother has been rescued and is safe at Jun’s home.
• Jun and Mo exchange polite compliments about each other’s abilities. Mo praises Jun’s strength and his giant summoned fighter; Jun admires Mo’s concealment and precision.
• Xiaomin criticizes Jun for letting down his guard and argues the pistol could have killed him. Jun insists he knew the assassin’s intention and could not have been harmed, but she dismisses this as arrogance.
• Mo rebukes Xiaomin for insulting Jun, reminding her that Jun saved their grandfather. Xiaomin remains contemptuous, while Jun avoids further argument and takes the assassin’s pistol.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen stays confident and sarcastic, but the encounter exposes a possible gap between his self-assurance and others’ view of his caution. He is relieved to learn his mother is safe and remains courteous to Mo despite Xiaomin’s hostility.
• Mo Long appears composed, skilled, and respectful toward Jun. He has been secretly watching over him and acts swiftly to prevent the assassination.
• Xiaomin is blunt, suspicious, and openly disdainful of Jun, seeing his confidence as dangerous conceit. Mo’s defense of Jun reveals loyalty and respect between Mo and Jun.
• The assassin tries to survive through pleading and deception, but is killed before his attack succeeds.

Significant themes

• Confidence versus carelessness: Jun claims he had the situation under control, while Xiaomin warns that overconfidence can be fatal.
• Deception and hidden threats: The assassin conceals a firearm, and Mo and Xiaomin have been watching from the bushes, reinforcing the chapter’s atmosphere of unseen dangers.
• Debt and loyalty: Mo’s family’s gratitude for Jun’s past help motivates them to protect him and his mother.

Key plot points and events

• The veiled woman, Xiaomin, accuses Jun Wangchen of being ungrateful after he draws a pistol. Mo Long becomes wary, prepared to defend himself if Jun attacks.
• Jun fires at himself to prove his ability: the bullet stops just short of his head, then he sends it speeding past Xiaomin and into a tree with destructive force.
• Jun explains that he can control an object’s movement, making the offered assistance unnecessary for his own safety. He warns Xiaomin that her careless words could have had worse consequences.
• Mo Long apologizes on Xiaomin’s behalf. Jun accepts the apology and prepares to leave to check on his mother.
• Before he can go, Mo Long gives him a provisional membership token for the Mythic Heavenly Palace, secured by Mo Long’s father. He describes the organization as Huaxia’s elite force, with exceptional members, status, and privileges.
• Jun learns that provisional spots are extremely scarce—Jinling City has only eight—and questions why the Mo Family would give him one.

Character developments and interactions

• Jun Wangchen reveals a powerful, previously hidden ability to manipulate objects’ movement. His calm demonstration overturns the others’ assumptions about his strength and makes clear that he does not need their protection. Though he rebukes Xiaomin, he ultimately accepts her apology.
• Xiaomin shifts from angry suspicion to shock and guilt after Jun’s demonstration. She wants to defend herself but yields when Mo Long signals her to stop.
• Mo Long moves from guarded caution to respect and deference. He apologizes for Xiaomin and offers Jun a valuable opportunity, suggesting his family recognizes Jun’s potential.

Significant themes

• Misjudging strength: Jun’s apparent Black Tier rank conceals an ability comparable to what the others associate with Heaven Tier power.
• Respect and restraint: Xiaomin’s dismissive comments have consequences, while Jun chooses to accept an apology rather than escalate the conflict.
• Power, privilege, and opportunity: The rare token introduces the Mythic Heavenly Palace as a path to status and influence—and leaves open the question of why the Mo Family is willing to offer Jun a place.