Chapter Summaries

Xianyu tried to take Hua under his care after meeting her at a barbecue restaurant, where she mistook him for a kidnapper and became ill from eating his grilled meat. After learning she had no records or known family, he declared himself her guardian, studied how to raise a child, and ended the night by carrying her badly and getting vomited on.

• At a barbecue restaurant, Hua accused Xianyu of kidnapping her, but the diners dismissed her claims and Xianyu’s subordinates found him and handled the situation.
• Xianyu brought Hua to the Alchemy Commission after she developed stomach pain, and a healer determined that she had eaten something she should not have.
• Xianyu learned that Hua was a ten-year-old girl with no records on the Xianzhou or other planets, and declared himself her guardian.
• Xianyu ordered death row prisoners to be selected for a future procedure involving Fenghuang Down, then asked Akivili for advice on raising Hua.
• Xianyu bought picture books and studied child-rearing overnight, then carried Hua over his shoulder when she felt better, causing her to vomit on him.

Xianyu tried to recruit Hua as his heir and persuade her to erase memories, while hiding how desperately he needed her ability to save Guan Liang. After dealing with Hua’s illness and a hair-cutting mishap, he visited the immobilized Guan Liang and produced a Surgical Knife, leaving his subordinate fearing Xianyu still planned to kill him.

• The Cauldron Master found Xianyu in Hua’s ward after Hua vomited on him and grabbed his hair; Xianyu cut off the stained lock and arranged for clean clothes.
• The Cauldron Master assured Xianyu that Hua would recover soon, and Xianyu decided she would remain at the Alchemy Commission for two more days.
• Xianyu told Hua he wanted her to become his heir, promising her ships, planets, and an easy life while concealing that he needed her to use Fenghuang Down to erase memories.
• Xianyu returned to his mansion, showered, finished his documents, and went to visit the bedridden Guan Liang.
• Xianyu asked Guan Liang’s name, tried to explain himself, then took a Surgical Knife from the System Inventory, making Guan Liang fear his superior still intended to kill him.

Guan Liang refused Xianyu’s plan to kill him and learned that Xianyu had made Hua his heir, though Xianyu expected to wait only ten years before dying. Guan Liang persuaded Xianyu to reconsider, but a subordinate then reported that Hua had run away and been found.

• Xianyu offered Guan Liang death by his hand, mechanical ascension, or having Hua erase his memories, and Guan Liang rejected death.
• Xianyu told Guan Liang how he had taken Hua in and tried to recruit her as his heir with exaggerated promises and threats.
• Xianyu said he would wait ten years before leaving the Marshal’s post, while Guan Liang argued that Hua should have more time and a choice about her future.
• Guan Liang reminded Xianyu that he had found solutions before, and Xianyu fell silent rather than insist on his plan.
• A subordinate called to report that Hua had run away and been found, and Xianyu ordered them to bring her to the Chief Strategist’s residence.

Xianyu brought Hua back and Guan Liang persuaded her to use the Fenghuang Down to erase memories as a way to treat the mara-struck condition. After Hua agreed, she erased the memories of prisoners and then Guan Liang, who left a letter for his future self.

• Xianyu worried about Hua's disappearance, and Guan Liang told him to consider her feelings instead of treating her like an adult.
• A guard brought Hua to Guan Liang's residence, where Xianyu's impatient questions prompted Guan Liang to ask to speak with her alone.
• Guan Liang explained why Xianyu had acted out of worry and described the mara-struck condition, and Hua agreed to help save him.
• Guan Liang negotiated for Hua to decide for herself whether to use the Fenghuang Down, and Xianyu accepted the condition.
• Hua erased the memories of more than a dozen death row prisoners before using the Fenghuang Down on Guan Liang, who gave her a letter for his future self.
• After Guan Liang lost his memories, Xianyu joked that the surgery had succeeded.

Xianyu and Guan Liang cared for Hua while Xianyu used teasing and a birthday celebration to draw her into Xianzhou leadership. At the Thanksgiving Festival, Hua won a building in the prize draw, and Xianyu hoped the gift would make her accept the Marshal’s position.

• Xianyu discovered Guan Liang remembered his old work schedule and carried Hua away when she tried to help him attack Xianyu.
• Hua repeatedly bit Xianyu, who threatened to display her bitten glove at her coming-of-age ceremony and deduct his medical expenses from her New Year’s money.
• Xianyu and Guan Liang enrolled Hua in an academy and prepared for the Thanksgiving Festival, which also hosted the Xianzhou leaders’ gathering.
• Xianyu chose a one-day gathering at a luxury hotel on the Yaoqing, and Guan Liang suspected he had another plan for Hua’s birthday.
• At the festival, the leaders greeted Hua as the Crown Princess and gave her gifts, while Xianyu intercepted the red envelopes meant for her.
• Hua drew a building as a prize, and Xianyu told Guan Liang he hoped her new assets would make her accept the position of Xianzhou Marshal.

At the Yaoqing annual party, Xianyu watched Hua win several prizes while he drew only participation awards, then spent the evening trying to help her feel more at ease with him. After the guests left, Hua found Xianyu awake in the presidential suite, where he teased her by asking for a moment of her time.

• Hua drew two third prizes and a first prize, while Xianyu drew all three participation prizes and Guan Liang won fishing grounds, real estate, and a Stellar Destroyer.
• Xianyu asked Guan Liang to trade him the fishing grounds so he could try fishing to calm his mind, but decided to focus on brewing tea instead.
• Xianyu and Guan Liang fed Hua cakes before joining the dinner, where Xianyu gave a polished toast and Hua left most of her food uneaten.
• Guan Liang encouraged Hua to bring fruit and yogurt to Xianyu after the other guests had left, and Xianyu agreed that Hua could sleep in the presidential suite.
• Unable to sleep, Hua went downstairs and found Xianyu drinking the yogurt she had brought him; he asked whether she had a moment to talk.

Xianyu tried to keep Hua at arm’s length while making her his heir, but he cared for her when she fell ill after practicing his talismans. He introduced Hua to Lan as his chosen successor, and Lan questioned whether Hua had agreed willingly.

• Xianyu showed Hua the house and luxury cruise ship he had given her, promised to cover their expenses, and sent her to school without accompanying her.
• Xianyu later invited Hua to learn talisman drawing at midnight, and Guan Liang arranged a room for her at Xianyu’s mansion.
• Hua developed a fever, and Xianyu suspected her practice talismans were responsible, so he burned the paper before she recovered.
• Xianyu braided Hua’s hair into a Longevity Braid, told her to rest, and promised to teach her something more interesting.
• Xianyu lifted Hua up and introduced her to Lan as his chosen heir, and Lan asked whether she had agreed willingly.

Xianyu arranged for Lan to stay nearby and teach Hua, while he tried to understand a mysterious fable linked to Zandar One Sangyuan and Eric Fish. As Akivili suddenly appeared and warned Xianyu to get out of the way, the chapter ended on an imminent threat.

• Lan gave Hua the divine arrow that could make her an Emanator, but Hua set it aside to do her homework.
• Xianyu asked Lan to stay on the Yaoqing and teach Hua, and Lan offered to teach her archery, language arts, and fighting.
• Xianyu searched his System Inventory for teaching materials and found a fable about a fish, an elder, and the cats and dogs.
• Xianyu recognized Zandar One Sangyuan and Eric Fish in the fable, then tried to piece together its hidden meaning.
• Akivili appeared before Xianyu and shouted for him to get out of the way.

After Lan’s arrow and Hua’s shot wrecked several walls, Xianyu confronted them and assigned Lan repair costs as teaching fees. Akivili met Hua and Lan, but his attempt to explain Xianyu’s sheltered upbringing left both of them speechless.

• Guan Liang heard walls collapse, alerted the neighborhood authorities and the Alchemy Commission, and arrived to find Xianyu unharmed with an arrow in hand.
• Guan Liang identified the culprits as Hua and her teacher, Mountain Breeze, and Akivili recognized the teacher as Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt.
• Xianyu led Akivili and Guan Liang to the damaged courtyard, where Lan and Hua admitted they had caused the destruction; Xianyu accused Lan of framing Hua and ordered him to pay teaching fees at the Xianzhou minimum wage.
• Hua realized that her archery teacher was the Reignbow Arbiter, while Akivili introduced himself and offered her a Gray Rabbit Plush.
• Akivili described Xianyu as a sheltered young lady from a great noble family, prompting Lan to explain the terms and leaving both Lan and Hua alarmed.

Xianyu spoke with Akivili about raising Hua and agreed to stop indulging her, while promising to join the Astral Express when she turned eighteen. After Akivili left, Xianyu reconsidered a line from the fable and concluded that Zandar wanted to turn his student from a human into a god.

• Akivili and Lan speculated about how Xianyu would behave in a romantic relationship, and Xianyu later confirmed he would support a partner even if she left him.
• Xianyu shared a story about a subordinate’s mistaken compliment, while Hua wondered whether her guardian and his close associates were normal.
• Akivili exchanged contact information with Lan, who discovered a group chat message that Xianyu had written about Nous.
• Akivili visited Xianyu’s tea room, declined a transfer of Credits, and asked when Xianyu would join the Astral Express; Xianyu said he would go when Hua turned eighteen.
• Akivili advised Xianyu to treat Hua as he treated the Xianzhou natives and encourage her independence, and Xianyu agreed that he should stop spoiling them.
• After Akivili left, Xianyu reflected on the fable and concluded that Zandar wanted to transform his student from a human into a god.

Xianyu pieced together his history with Zandar and arranged for the Genius Society scholar to visit the Yaoqing so he could determine whether Zandar was still an ally. Zandar arrived and finally met the Marshal, greeting him with a handshake.

• Xianyu reasoned that he and Zandar had worked together on the Aether-Phase Engine, the system, and a plan to gather experimental data across repeated attempts at dimensional ascension.
• Xianyu decided to stop equipping the “mara-struck” debuff and resolved to keep his connection with Zandar hidden from the Aeons until he knew where they stood.
• Xianyu arranged for the Galaxy Rangers to invite the Genius Society to the Xianzhou, and Zandar applied to visit the Yaoqing Museum.
• Marty volunteered to receive Zandar, and the Marshal told him he also wanted to meet the scholar.
• Zandar arrived at the Yaoqing and, after a long silence, stepped forward to shake the Marshal’s hand and greet him.

Xianyu used Zandar’s request to borrow the Purge Core to keep him on the Yaoqing and persuade him to teach Hua. A few days later, Hua encountered a formation of bodyguards waiting for her at the Academy.

• Xianyu met Zandar at dinner, where Zandar asked to borrow the Purge Core and refused Xianyu’s implied invitation to take another student.
• Xianyu suggested Zandar stay on the Yaoqing for a tour, and Zandar agreed to remain for at least half a year while asking what help Xianyu wanted.
• Xianyu asked Zandar to teach Hua, his adopted child, and Zandar agreed to give her lessons without making her his formal student.
• Zandar told a fable about animals overcoming a crisis through persistence, and Xianyu reflected that fables and reality differed.
• A few days later, Hua left the Academy with her classmates and was greeted by a dozen bodyguards who called her “young miss.”

Hua returned home to find that Xianyu had arranged excessive protection for her, then tricked her into agreeing to become his heir. After discussing her troubles with Zandar, Hua considered his suggestion to get back at Xianyu by praising him and telling him she loved him.

• Hua was escorted home by bodyguards, where she learned Xianyu had sent them because of a danger he would not explain.
• Xianyu tried to make Hua accept bodyguards and become his heir by threatening to embarrass her at the Academy, and she reluctantly agreed before smashing a stone stool to prove she needed no protection.
• Guan Liang accused Xianyu of doing something to Hua, and the two adults fought over a damaged guqin while Hua left to do her homework.
• Hua recalled that Zandar had become her teacher and that he described creating the Aeon of Erudition as a dull, tedious process.
• Zandar advised Hua to praise Xianyu and tell him she loved him, explaining that the gesture would make him squirm, and Hua considered taking his advice.

Xianyu rejected Guan Liang’s attempts to ease his stress, while Hua tried to praise him as Zandar had advised. Xianyu turned her words back on her, and Hua returned the next day defeated after another attempt to win their exchange.

• Guan Liang offered Xianyu cigarettes and suggested exercise, a pet, or a vacation, but Xianyu agreed only to try smoking and reflected that he no longer wanted to wait for the Xianzhou’s future.
• Hua recited sentimental lines from her Father’s Day essay, and Xianyu teased her by asking to see it before checking her forehead and declaring that she was talking nonsense.
• After Hua insisted she meant her praise, Xianyu repeated her lines even more tenderly, making her flee to do homework, then declared that he had won the exchange.
• Xianyu and Guan Liang bet on when Hua would give up, while Xianyu guessed Zandar was behind her efforts and agreed to sleep daily if Guan Liang won.
• Hua told Zandar his advice had failed, so he suggested she learn from an AI; she practiced lines and memorized more, then returned the next day discouraged after Xianyu overwhelmed her with sentimental assurances and dismissed her guilt about being protected.

Xianyu tried out prepared farewell letters and exaggerated compliments on Hua, Guan Liang, Lan, and Zandar, while Guan Liang realized Xianyu might be reacting to caffeine. Zandar declined Xianyu’s offer to join the Xianzhou, received the Purge Core for his research, and left him with an unexpected blessing.

• Xianyu showed Guan Liang two possible farewell letters for Hua, and Guan Liang objected to his reading them to her in advance.
• Guan Liang suspected Xianyu was allergic to caffeine after learning coffee made his heart race, but Xianyu dismissed the idea.
• After Hua stopped challenging him, Xianyu used phrases he had collected online to praise Guan Liang and Lan, then traded compliments with Zandar.
• Zandar secretly recorded Xianyu’s praise, and Lan decided he had learned how social niceties worked.
• Zandar asked Xianyu for the Purge Core for his research and declined Xianyu’s offer to join the Xianzhou.
• Xianyu lent Zandar the Purge Core, and Zandar blessed him with a wish for a carefree and happy life.

Xianyu weighed whether to trust Zandar and how to prepare Hua to inherit the Xianzhou Alliance, while Guan Liang tried to give her more time and protect her future. Xianyu attended Hua’s motorboating event and received an ominous Tarot reading about his upcoming travels.

• After Hua stopped approaching Xianyu, he lost his bet with Guan Liang and asked about Hua’s school life and expenses.
• Xianyu proposed taking Hua out of school at twelve and arranging tutors and activities, but he accepted Guan Liang’s suggestion to wait until she was fourteen and have the generals teach her.
• Hua agreed to learn to pilot a Starskiff and dive, refused private tutoring instead of school, and invited Xianyu to her Academy sports meet.
• Xianyu attended Hua’s motorboating race with Guan Liang, and Hua offered them a ride before heading off to compete.
• A little girl offered Xianyu a Tarot reading; The Chariot answered yes to whether he should trust Zandar, while three cards for his travels prompted her to draw Death Reversed.

Xianyu turned a tarot-card assassination attempt into an excuse to damage the Mechanical Lifeforms’ standing and advance his political plans. After Guan Liang checked the cards’ ominous meanings, he urged Xianyu to stay on the Yaoqing.

• Xianyu and Guan Liang suspected the tarot-reading girl was an assassin, and the girl warned Xianyu that he would suffer betrayal, punishment, and death.
• A concealed guard attacked the girl, revealing her as a Mechanical Lifeform, and Xianyu ordered his subordinates to cause a larger explosion before escaping into the water.
• The explosion halted Hua’s competition, while Xianyu used the incident to persuade a Company Shareholder to condemn the Mechanical Lifeforms and propose their extermination.
• Xianyu explained his plans for a Starsea Council disaster-response proposal and reassured Hua that he did not care how frightened or hostile others were.
• Guan Liang interpreted Xianyu’s tarot cards and advised him not to leave the Yaoqing because he had drawn three of the most ominous cards.

Xianyu survived an assassination attempt and let Hua decide how to respond to the Intellitrons, while teasing her through a sports meet. A report about the mara-struck left Guan Liang shaken, and he wondered whether the machine’s words had been a warning rather than a curse.

• Xianyu dismissed Guan Liang’s concern about the machine’s curse, teased Hua about being his child, and watched her leave to prepare for the competition.
• Guan Liang briefed Xianyu on a decades-long conspiracy in which Intellitrons had smuggled components into Yaoqing and recruited Xianzhou natives to assemble an assassin.
• Xianyu and the guards cheered Hua through a megaphone, and Hua won the jet ski race before Xianyu joked about putting her trophy in the Xianzhou Museum.
• After news of the attack spread, Xianyu told Guan Liang to leave the Intellitrons’ fate to Hua.
• The Alchemy Commission Cauldron Master gave Guan Liang a report about the mara-struck, and Guan Liang asked whose report it was before asking whether he could smoke.

Guan Liang and the Cauldron Master discovered that Hua and the Fenghuang Down could address mara-struck symptoms, but agreed to hide the solution from the Marshal so she would not blame herself for past losses. After arranging a way to conceal the report, Guan Liang revisited a Tarot Reader's message and realized its prediction of grief had come true.

• Guan Liang read the Cauldron Master's report and realized it revealed a way to break the immortality curse and address being mara-struck.
• The Cauldron Master confessed that he had discovered the Marshal's lingering injury while treating her, then secretly researched a cure and found the solution.
• Guan Liang tested whether the Cauldron Master would reveal the discovery, and the Cauldron Master insisted he would protect the Marshal from learning it.
• The Cauldron Master explained that he had destroyed the evidence and presented a retirement application, while he and Guan Liang agreed to keep the report secret.
• Guan Liang promised that no third person would learn of the secret, then returned home and reread the Tarot Reader's prediction, concluding that it had been a prophecy.

Guan Liang interpreted the tarot reading as a warning that Xianyu would learn the truth about his condition and suffer, so he resolved to keep the truth from him and prevent further injuries or encounters with Abominations of Abundance. Meanwhile, Xianyu mistook Guan Liang’s questions about romance for a matchmaking scheme, then worried that Hua might fall for a blond punk and warned her against it.

• Guan Liang read the tarot interpretations and concluded that Xianyu was vulnerable to a mental breakdown if he learned the truth about his condition.
• Guan Liang discovered that the Cauldron Master had kept bloodstained medical supplies and burned them, then set out to retrieve similar items from other people.
• Guan Liang decided to protect Xianyu by preventing his injuries and removing potential enemies, and he asked what kind of woman Xianyu liked.
• Xianyu described an ideal partner from his storybooks, while Guan Liang dismissed the answer and walked away.
• Xianyu read romance storybooks to understand Hua’s thoughts, devised a plan to keep her too busy for romance, and warned her not to be fooled by a blond punk.