Chapter Summaries

Hua reflected on Xianyu and Jingliu’s difficult but promising relationship, then explained her plans for Yingxing and asked Xianyu how to handle the Vidyadhara. They reached a mansion, where Hua recalled Xianyu’s promise as she carefully kept him away from a pond.

• Hua concluded that Jingliu’s steadiness and directness had helped her and Xianyu build a relationship and discuss marriage.
• Hua told Xianyu that Yingxing had cooperated with her inquiry and would undergo a blood test, while a public transfer order would keep him safe from attention.
• Hua explained that Yingxing could live freely once the Xianzhou and Vidyadhara established regulations for the River of Child and Mother Water and the Dragon Transformation Technique.
• Hua asked Xianyu how to address the Vidyadhara’s independent faction, and he suggested resolving the issue gently.
• Hua and Xianyu arrived at a mansion, and Hua placed herself between him and a pond before telling him, “You kept your promise.”

Hua met Xianyu over wine to discuss using the Shuhu incident as bait for the Hunt and to persuade him to preserve the history of his subordinates. Their conversation ended when Hua revealed Tenseiga, the blade she had received on her twentieth birthday, which was also the day she learned of her father's death.

• Hua met Xianyu at their promised appointment and carefully served him wine and fruit while discussing Shuhu's breach of Scalegorge Waterscape.
• Xianyu proposed using the incident as bait to draw out a new target for the Hunt, warning Hua that keeping the Luofu's Starskiff Haven sealed would be costly.
• Hua received Yingxing's blood test results, learned that Yingxing knew nothing and suspected Dan Feng, then ordered the reports destroyed and asked Daiyang to test someone's loyalty.
• Hua proposed a new history book titled Walking Alongside You to record Xianyu's forgotten subordinates, and Xianyu accepted the proposal.
• Hua read Xianyu a foreword, then revealed Tenseiga in a wooden box; Xianyu recognized the blade that Hua had received on her twentieth birthday, the day her father died.

Hua spoke with Xianyu about Tenseiga, the Nameless, and his plans with Jingliu, believing she had eased his worries. After learning Dan Heng had requested a medical kit for Xianyu, Hua realized their meeting might have been his final visit and feared he was gravely injured.

• Hua dodged Xianyu's questions about how she obtained Tenseiga and carefully steered their conversation toward his past and family.
• Xianyu examined Tenseiga, believed Akivili was alive, and said he would keep the knife safe for its owner.
• Hua updated Xianyu about the Nameless and arranged flowers and fireworks as he discussed marrying Jingliu and giving her his remaining Strales.
• Daiyang told Hua that Dan Heng had asked Dan Feng to find Xianyu a medical kit, prompting Hua to suspect Xianyu was saying goodbye.

Hua failed to stop Xianyu from escaping, then overheard Aha and Marty discuss their loyalty to the Marshal and Aha’s desire to keep his best friend happy. Xianyu reached Zandar, where an awkward exchange about Jingliu’s relationship with him ended with Guan Liang and Zandar questioning his denial.

• Hua tried to trick Xianyu into staying, but he put her to sleep and left without taking the Jade Abacus or Tenseiga.
• Hua woke to find Xianyu gone, then overheard Aha tell Marty that he wanted his best friend to live happily and remain on Aha’s Path.
• Hua urged Marty and her guards to search for Xianyu, then asked Guan Liang whether Xianyu had gone to Zandar.
• Xianyu held Guan Liang at blade-point and used his Jade Abacus to reply to Hua on his behalf before joining Zandar.
• Zandar noticed the marks on Xianyu’s neck and asked whether Jingliu had hurt him, prompting Guan Liang and Zandar to warn him about marrying her just because they had slept together.
• Xianyu objected to discussing his relationship with Jingliu, but Guan Liang and Zandar both doubted his claim that he was not that sort of person.

Zandar tried to draw Xianyu into a confidential Genius Society project called “Cosmic Genesis” by teasing him about relationships, marriage, and doctorates. Xianyu learned the project was meant to address the mara-struck condition, but recoiled when Zandar said solving it would require earning a few dozen doctorates.

• Zandar reasoned that Xianyu planned his relationships carefully and decided to persuade him to abandon using his own flesh and blood, buy time, and leave the final choice to him.
• Zandar suggested introducing Xianyu to a few dozen girls, and Xianyu said he had not broken up and demanded that Zandar stop discussing it.
• Zandar raised marriage and children, then hinted that Xianyu could go back to his hometown; Xianyu pressed him to explain what he meant.
• Zandar revealed that he and members of the Genius Society were working on a confidential project called “Cosmic Genesis” and invited Xianyu to join the Society.
• Xianyu objected that he did not want to earn a doctorate or write a thesis, while Zandar said the project had come close to succeeding but needed more people.
• Zandar claimed that a few dozen doctorates would let Xianyu solve the Xianzhou natives’ mara-struck condition, and Xianyu decided he was unwilling to do that for them.

Zandar tried to steer Xianyu away from researching his blood by revealing the Genius Society's Cosmic Genesis project and claiming it could erase Aeons. He urged Xianyu to begin by disposing of the Reignbow Arbiter, leaving Xianyu stunned and Guan Liang alarmed.

• Zandar explained that Cosmic Genesis could alter or erase universal concepts, including the concept of gods.
• Guan Liang discreetly signaled for help, then brought Xianyu a cooling patch for the marks on his neck.
• Zandar asked Xianyu to start using the Astral Computer to erase an Aeon, and Xianyu assumed he meant Erudition.
• Zandar shifted his demand to the Luofu and told Xianyu to dispose of The Hunt, leaving Xianyu speechless.

Zandar pressed Xianyu to kill the Aeons, arguing that they would eventually kill him if he did not strike first. Xianyu resisted the demand and redirected their conversation to the timing of cosmic genesis, while Zandar prepared to leave the final choice to him.

• Zandar reflected on Xianyu's death and blamed Aha, Shuhu, and himself for helping set it in motion.
• Zandar urged Xianyu to kill the Aeons, claiming cosmic genesis could eventually erase the concept of gods.
• Xianyu questioned why he had to kill Lan immediately, and Zandar warned that the Aeons would kill him if he did not act first.
• Zandar expanded his demand to include people who questioned the leadership and suspected it of wasting tax money.
• Xianyu asked how long they would have to wait for cosmic genesis, and Zandar silently decided to leave the choice to him.

Zandar tried to regain Xianyu’s trust by discussing his past as an Emanator and letting him choose his own path. He gave Xianyu a syringe and suggested they try an easier way, leaving its purpose unclear.

• Zandar urged Xianyu to join the Genius Society, but Xianyu refused and also rejected an offer to deal with an Astral Computer.
• Zandar asked Xianyu about his history with the Aeons and explained that Nanook had been his longest-serving subordinate and had survived attacks from the others.
• As Guan Liang served food, Zandar described Xianyu’s former empire, its shared currency and statues, while Guan Liang teased Xianyu about doing the same on the Xianzhou.
• Zandar handed Xianyu a silver box containing a syringe and softly suggested they try an easier way.

Zandar tried to help Xianyu die, believing it would free him from his suffering, but Xianyu refused and asked to leave with him instead. Zandar agreed and called on Gray Wind to take them away.

• Zandar revealed that Xianyu had a coagulation disorder and explained that Xianyu had repeatedly suffered fatal injuries without realizing the danger.
• Zandar asked Xianyu whether he had been hurt or afraid, and Xianyu said he only regretted choosing the wrong method.
• Zandar prepared to inject Xianyu, intending to end his life and send him into a different existence.
• Xianyu pulled his wrist away and told Zandar that dying went against what he originally wanted.
• Xianyu asked Zandar to take him away, and Zandar summoned Gray Wind and placed his Round Felt Hat on Xianyu.

Xianyu rejected Guan Liang’s attempt to stop him and chose to leave with Zandar, who comforted him by recalling the loving, peaceful life he had before their meeting. As Xianyu and Zandar departed, Daiyang and Chenzhen knelt to deliver a farewell blessing on behalf of those who had betrayed him.

• Xianyu accused Guan Liang and Hua of betraying him and demanded that Guan Liang let him leave with Zandar.
• Zandar reassured Xianyu that he had been loved and had grown up in peace, then promised to take him home to sleep.
• When Guan Liang continued blocking their way, Xianyu ordered him to move, and Zandar shoved Guan Liang aside as Xianyu’s distress intensified.
• Hua ordered everyone except Daiyang and Chenzhen to remain on the first floor, and Jingliu collected and crushed the earpieces.
• Daiyang and Chenzhen knelt before Xianyu, and Daiyang delivered their message of regret and wished him well before clearing his path.

Daiyang and Chenzhen comforted Xianyu with memories of people who had missed him, and a Doll from the Ten-Lords Commission called Marty suddenly embraced him. The chapter ended with Xianyu recognizing Marty, followed by an author’s note about suspected similarities with another fanfic and the author’s difficulties.

• Daiyang broke down in tears as Xianyu came over and gently tried to comfort her.
• Chenzhen clung to Xianyu, called him Daddy, and said that she, Daiyang, Guan Liang, and the Crown Princess had missed him.
• Daiyang told Xianyu that someone had appeared in her dream and said Xianyu had lost weight, prompting Xianyu to stare at his bloodless hands.
• Chenzhen claimed Chaoyan had visited her in a dream and asked whether she could take thousands of photos of Xianyu when he got married.
• As Xianyu headed for the stairs with Zandar, a Doll from the Ten-Lords Commission rushed into his arms and called him Marshal, and Xianyu recognized Marty.

Xianyu sought Akivili’s advice after realizing Jingliu had feelings for him, then decided to ask Hua to accept Jingliu as a younger sister. Hua recognized his plan and recalled seeing Jingliu kiss Xianyu after a banquet.

• Xianyu described his situation to Akivili through a supposedly hypothetical example, and Akivili realized Hua had fallen for him.
• Akivili asked whether Xianyu might have feelings for the woman he wanted to reject, leaving Xianyu silent.
• Xianyu blamed himself for letting Jingliu grow attached to him and decided to ask Hua to accept her as a younger sister.
• Xianyu contacted Hua on the Yaoqing and asked whether she wanted a younger sister, then identified Jingliu as the woman he meant.
• Hua remembered seeing Jingliu kiss Xianyu in the pavilion after a banquet before Jingliu left for her Luofu post.

Hua tried to manage Jingliu’s feelings for her father by warning her that he wanted to adopt her and that he was too fragile for an emotional shock. Jingliu submitted a transfer application to a remote planet, and Xianyu confronted her about her feelings, leaving her to answer that they had not lasted long.

• Hua met Jingliu after she had returned the Marshal to his bedroom and agreed to pass along Jingliu’s blessing.
• After hearing the blessing, Hua’s father seemed lonely, so Hua kept Jingliu’s apparent feelings for him secret for hundreds of years.
• Hua called Jingliu and told her that her father wanted to adopt her, urging her to consider his age and emotional state.
• Jingliu searched for the Xianzhou Alliance’s most remote subsidiary planet and wrote a transfer application.
• Jingliu presented the application to Xianyu at breakfast, and he realized she intended to leave for a remote planet.
• Xianyu asked Jingliu when her feelings had begun and how long they had lasted, and Jingliu said, “Not long.”

Xianyu learned that Marty had witnessed his death and broke down crying as he held him, while Zandar reflected on how Eric had changed from a detached god into a human. Xianyu tried to make a concession to the Mechanical Species, but Hua rejected it outright.

• Marty told Xianyu that he had seen his death and knew Xianyu would not have wanted them to leave.
• Xianyu clutched Marty and cried without realizing it, while Zandar comforted him and recalled the life Eric might have had.
• After regaining his composure, Xianyu continued downstairs with Marty as Guan Liang hauled Daiyang and Chenzhen along.
• Xianyu told Hua that the Mechanical Species' application should no longer be rejected at meetings.
• Hua understood that Xianyu was making the concession for Marty's sake, but she refused to let the Mechanical Species join the Starsea Community.

Hua confronted Xianyu over the danger posed by the Mechanical Species, but he revealed that he had spared them for her sake and explained why he could not die yet. As Hua tried to stop him from leaving, she revealed that the Reignbow Arbiter had received the share of power allotted to Xianyu on her coming-of-age day.

• Hua argued that another loss of control by the Mechanical Species could trigger an Emperor's War and threatened to have inorganic beings classified as a cosmic natural disaster.
• Xianyu praised Hua's political maneuvering but said he had deliberately spared the Mechanical Species for her sake, so she could help them while distancing herself from him.
• Xianyu reasoned that he could not die in the Low-Dimensional World and considered either reaching the Aeon of Nihility or trusting Zandar and Cosmic Genesis to help him break through the Fourth Wall.
• Xianyu decided to deal with the Vidyadhara first, while Hua turned toward the door and Guan Liang, Daiyang, and Chenzhen moved to follow her.
• Hua returned to Xianyu and explained that she did not celebrate her birthday because, on her twentieth birthday, the Reignbow Arbiter told her he had received the share of power allotted to Xianyu.

Hua revealed that Xianyu had died on her coming-of-age day and tried to persuade him to stay, while Xianyu entrusted Marty to Zandar and left with Jingliu. Hua then sealed Starskiff Haven and confronted the wounded figure known as Imbibitor Lunae.

• Hua told Xianyu that she had learned of his death on her coming-of-age day, and Daiyang and Chenzhen wept as they learned he had died alone on his birthday.
• Hua said that she and the others had waited nearly a thousand years and could not wait any longer, but Xianyu saw through her attempt to make him stay.
• Xianyu asked Zandar to take responsibility for Marty and granted him access to the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon and the Aether-Phase Engine.
• Zandar took Marty away, and Jingliu invited Xianyu to go home with her so he could tell her part of the truth.
• Hua ordered Starskiff Haven sealed, entered a private room, and confronted the wounded figure she called Imbibitor Lunae.

Dan Feng met Hua after the Ten-Lords Commission ordeal and carefully concealed how he had injured himself while weighing the consequences for Xianyu. Hua discussed Marty and the problems on the Luofu, then showed Dan Feng Yingxing’s blood test report, leaving him to ask about Fenghuang Down.

• Dan Feng concluded that he had to hide the special properties of Xianyu’s flesh and blood from Hua.
• Hua met Dan Feng, and he told her that Daiyang had not caused his neck wound and that he had injured himself accidentally.
• Hua dismissed everyone except Guan Liang and Mountain Breeze, then made small talk with Dan Feng while reflecting on Marty and the troubles on the Luofu.
• Hua gave Dan Feng Yingxing’s blood test report, and Dan Feng went rigid after seeing it.
• Dan Feng asked Hua about her treasure, Fenghuang Down.

Hua pressured Dan Feng into swearing an oath to protect the Vidyadhara, then confronted Lan about how to erase a man's memories and decided to take him to Xuling for ten years. Meanwhile, Jingliu and Xianyu returned home, where Xianyu told her he could not give her what she wanted, and she asked how he would respond if she said the same to him.

• Hua accepted Dan Feng's explanation and demanded that he swear an oath on the Vidyadhara, threatening his clan with death if he broke it.
• Hua hinted that Dan Feng should provide a grand welcome for a distinguished guest, and he understood that she meant his sixteen attendants.
• Hua confronted Lan about breaking his promise to help a man, then asked how to make him lose his memories; Lan answered that only death could do it.
• Hua decided to bring the man to Xuling under strict watch for ten years, then let him choose what to do.
• Jingliu returned home with Xianyu, who said he could not give her what she wanted, and she asked how he would answer if she said that to him.

Jingliu confronted Xianyu about hiding his identity and the Gift Agreement, then reassured him about his fear of growing old and being left. She marked his finger with a bite as a promise that he owed her, and Xianyu embraced her after she asked whether he would accept a mortal's protection.

• Jingliu took Xianyu farther inside after he admitted he did not know what to say.
• Jingliu sat Xianyu on the sofa, kissed him, and asked whether he would leave her if she were short-lived; Xianyu fell silent.
• Jingliu confronted Xianyu about forging the Gift Agreement with her signature, and he admitted he had done it.
• Jingliu bit Xianyu's middle finger, leaving a ring-shaped mark, and told him he owed her one.
• Jingliu asked Xianyu whether he would stay under a mortal's protection, and he embraced her.
• Jingliu held Xianyu and resolved to leave a light on for him instead of letting him face the darkness alone.

Jingliu and Xianyu confessed their feelings and spent the night together, while Jingliu planned to secure the documents for their marriage. The next morning, she left Xianyu asleep with his Jade Abacus and went to find Dan Feng.

• Jingliu asked Xianyu to accept her, and he agreed, telling her to stop speaking so formally.
• Jingliu showed Xianyu the flowers and clothes she had kept and prepared a change of clothes so he could stay the night.
• Jingliu held Xianyu as they went to sleep, then lied that it was Sunday when he woke and asked the day.
• Jingliu returned with their marriage documents and Xianyu's Jade Abacus, then left him asleep.
• Jingliu climbed over the wall into Dan Feng's courtyard, and he questioned why she was doing it again.