Chapter Summaries

Jingliu impressed Xianyu with her swordsmanship, and their teasing exchange left Jing Yuan and Dan Feng feeling like awkward bystanders. As Jingliu asked Dan Feng what to do about someone who neglected their safety, Dan Feng thought of the person who resembled Xianyu.

• Dan Feng explained that Jingliu's sword, Shattered Star, weighed three thousand pounds, and Xianyu marveled at her strength.
• Jingliu performed a sword routine for the gathered Cloud Knights and caught Xianyu's gaze while she practiced.
• After the crowd dispersed, Jingliu teased Xianyu by offering to teach him swordsmanship, and he said her moves looked cool.
• Jingliu asked Dan Feng to wait and speak with her, while Xianyu handed her a drink and Jing Yuan began grappling with him.
• Jingliu asked Dan Feng what should be done about someone who disregarded their body and safety, and Dan Feng thought of the person who resembled Xianyu.

Dan Feng described the Former Marshal’s selfless, death-defying nature to Jingliu, who suspected he resembled Xianyu. After sharing a meal, Xianyu concluded Jingliu liked him but decided he needed to reject her because of their age gap.

• Dan Feng told Jingliu that the Former Marshal had shown little regard for his own life and had ultimately died.
• Jingliu connected Dan Feng’s description of the Former Marshal to Xianyu, but Dan Feng dismissed the idea after seeing Xianyu playfully chase Jing Yuan.
• Jingliu decided Jing Yuan needed more training after he collapsed during his chase with Xianyu, then went with Xianyu to the Cloud Knights’ dining hall.
• Xianyu complained about the strange meals served at the Divination Commission, prompting Jingliu to worry about his well-being.
• Xianyu noticed Jingliu’s blushing ears and concluded she liked him, then resolved to turn her down because of their age gap.

Xianyu sought advice on how to gently reject Jingliu, but the forum commenters and Hua challenged his assumption that he wanted to turn her down. Hua advised him to wait and listen to his feelings, leaving Xianyu facing the question of whether he wanted to be human.

• Xianyu posted an anonymized account of his interactions with Jingliu on a forum, where commenters accused him of leading Jingliu on and suggested he might like her.
• Xianyu considered the age gap, his complicated past, and the danger posed by the Aeons as reasons not to enter a relationship with Jingliu.
• Xianyu shared the forum post with Hua and asked for advice; Hua told him to wait until he listened to his heart rather than relying only on rational thinking.
• Xianyu asked Hua whether the man in question wanted to be human, and Hua replied by asking whether he had ever been human.
• Hua told the Chief Strategist that Xianyu was troubled about rejecting a woman, and the Chief Strategist worried that the Interastral Peace Corporation might be in danger.

As Jingliu fought on the front lines, she kept in touch with Xianyu and eventually returned to the Luofu with a carefully preserved sprig of peach blossoms for him. She explained the gift with a poem about sending a sprig of spring to a long-parted friend, leaving Xianyu to consider the care behind it.

• The Chief Strategist and Hua sorted the Former Marshal’s belongings and worried that he might hurt the girl he loved, so Hua agreed not to send him weapons.
• Xianyu searched for ways to reject Jingliu’s confession and wondered how to avoid the two meals he had promised to share with her.
• Teng Xiao led the Cloud Knights to the front lines, and Jingliu messaged Xianyu updates and photos during the prolonged fighting.
• Jingliu shared a photo of a peach tree blooming on a barren battlefield, and Xianyu performed a divination that showed no problems with the war.
• After the Cloud Knights won, Jingliu met Xianyu near the Divination Commission and gave him a preserved sprig of peach blossoms.
• Jingliu quoted a poem about sending a sprig of spring to a long-parted friend and told Xianyu that the battlefield had offered her nothing else to bring him.

Xianyu accepted Jingliu’s carefully preserved peach blossom and invited her to share desserts instead of going to work. After Jingliu tried to limit the cost and reimburse him, Xianyu explained that he was wealthy, leaving her relieved about his finances but still concerned about his safety.

• Xianyu accepted Jingliu’s peach blossom gift and told her he loved it.
• After learning Jingliu had the day off, Xianyu invited her to eat something sweet and decided to skip work at the Library.
• Xianyu and Jingliu went to a dessert shop Baiheng had mentioned, where he ordered the shop’s signature desserts.
• Jingliu transferred Xianyu money for the desserts, and he sent it back, explaining that he was not short on money.
• Jingliu felt relieved that Xianyu had no financial troubles but wondered why he cared so little about his safety.

Xianyu met Jingliu for dessert, then joined her and the High-Cloud Quintet for a meal at Scalegorge Waterscape. The five prepared for a barbecue to redeem themselves after their previous hot-pot disaster, while Xianyu watched their questionable cooking preparations.

• Jingliu told Xianyu that Dan Feng had punished the clan members who tampered with the ginseng and invited him and the others to Scalegorge Waterscape for drinks.
• Xianyu agreed to meet the group after they had rested, and Jingliu packed up the remaining desserts after eating one Tiger-Skin Taro Roll.
• A month later, Jing Yuan accompanied Xianyu to Scalegorge Waterscape, where Jingliu, Dan Feng, Yingxing, Baiheng, and Jing Yuan prepared a barbecue themselves.
• Baiheng tried to skewer grapes and described other unusual grilled dishes from her friend's restaurant, leaving Xianyu bewildered.
• The High-Cloud Quintet worked determinedly to cook for themselves and redeem their previous failure, unaware of Xianyu's thoughts.

The five friends reunited after the war and prepared a barbecue at Scalegorge Waterscape, while Jingliu finally gave Xianyu the peach blossom branch she had preserved for him. The chapter ended with the group deciding to cook the meal themselves and leaving Dan Feng to choose the ingredients.

• Jingliu preserved a peach blossom branch in ice for Xianyu, and her friends helped arrange for her to return to the Luofu with the first fleet.
• Jingliu returned to the Luofu, gave Xianyu the branch, and later told her friends through messages that he had accepted it.
• Dan Feng failed to get permission to build a room beside Scalegorge Waterscape after the Dragon Preceptors objected, then vented to his friends.
• Jing Yuan exposed how extravagant Dan Feng’s idea of a room had been, and Jingliu reminded the group that they were only gathering for a meal.
• Baiheng persuaded Dan Feng to join a barbecue, and the five friends decided to cook together, with Dan Feng choosing the ingredients.

Xianyu took charge of grilling after the others burned or undercooked their food, then helped Jingliu learn to cook. Over dinner, his remarks about prejudice and exploiting workers left the group baffled, while Jing Yuan wondered what Xianyu intended with Jingliu.

• Dan Feng and the others burned or undercooked their skewers, so Xianyu grilled food properly and shared it with them.
• Jing Yuan persuaded Jingliu to learn grilling from Xianyu, and the two cooked together after the others slipped away to give them time alone.
• Xianyu told Jingliu he had once been poor at cooking and had eaten burned food, then helped her season the food when the others returned.
• Xianyu grilled with Jing Yuan and later sat beside Jingliu, pouring her a drink as the group shared food and conversation.
• Yingxing complained about prejudice against short-life species, and Xianyu joked about making Intellitrons do the work, prompting Baiheng to call him a living Yama.
• Jing Yuan wondered why Xianyu had made those remarks and concluded that his visit to Scalegorge Waterscape meant he was interested in Jingliu.

After a dinner with Yingxing, Xianyu walked Jingliu home, where her words moved him despite his warnings about his nature. Unable to sleep, he tested Hua’s promise and confirmed that the Aether-Phase Engine was the contingency that made the Aeons wary, then realized Fuli had used his past-life memories to discourage him from activating it.

• Xianyu got along with Yingxing at the banquet, while drunken Yingxing nearly punched Dan Feng’s valuable table before Jing Yuan stopped him.
• Dan Feng gave Xianyu a gift and dismissed him and Jingliu, who accepted Xianyu’s offer to walk her home.
• Jingliu invited Xianyu to drink together again and compared him to a weapon tempered by hardship, leaving him speechless before he hurried home.
• Unable to sleep, Xianyu asked Hua whether using the Aether-Phase Engine to take Xianzhou natives to a higher-dimensional world would violate her conditions, and Hua told him to pick something else.
• Xianyu concluded that the Aether-Phase Engine was his contingency and suspected Fuli had given him his past-life memories to keep him from using it.

Xianyu collected a cat and discovered Aha had come to the Luofu in a child’s form, then deliberately teased Jingliu to unsettle Aha and Teng Xiao. Jingliu blushed at his words while Aha was left too shaken to laugh.

• Xianyu chose a blue-eyed white cat from Hua’s pets and went to collect her at Starskiff Haven.
• Xianyu recognized Bai Zhu as one of Hua’s people and told her to inform Hua that Aha was on the Luofu.
• Xianyu saw child-form Aha approaching Baiheng and Jingliu, then called Teng Xiao for help and went to meet them.
• Jingliu asked about Xianyu’s cat, and Xianyu joked through the cat’s persona by asking whether she liked him, making Jingliu blush.
• Aha was profoundly shaken by Xianyu’s teasing, while Teng Xiao had arrived to witness it.

Teng Xiao stumbled upon Xianyu teasing Jingliu and was so shaken by the scene that he feared for his life. After Jingliu fled with Baiheng, Xianyu and Aha joked together, and Xianyu quietly decided to stay on the Luofu rather than use the Aether-Phase Engine to ascend to another dimension.

• Teng Xiao arrived and overheard Xianyu calling Jingliu “big sis,” then panicked as Jingliu struggled to answer him.
• Jingliu turned and fled with Baiheng while Xianyu took a photo of the stunned child version of Aha.
• Xianyu refused Aha’s request for the photo, and Teng Xiao realized Aha was the Lord of Eternal Joy before Xianyu signaled him to leave.
• Xianyu stopped Aha from messing with Teng Xiao, then asked Aha if he wanted to visit another world.
• Xianyu decided he had no reason to use the Aether-Phase Engine and planned to remain on the Luofu, keeping that decision from the other Aeons.

Xianyu sent Aha to deliver a deliberately provocative message to Fuli, then reflected on his insecurity, his feelings for Jingliu, and his habit of planning ahead. He asked Hua how to prepare for a possible confession, but her questions about dating left him stumped.

• Xianyu teased Aha into leaving to pass a message to Fuli, then warned Teng Xiao to keep watch.
• Xianyu took the kitten home and considered how his persona and the possibility of past universe resets might affect the Aeons.
• Xianyu reflected on his attraction to Jingliu and realized he might have been preparing for a relationship without admitting it.
• Xianyu asked Hua whether he had bought Gemstones and proposed giving Jingliu 31 rings if he confessed.
• Hua questioned how Xianyu would maintain a relationship, and Xianyu realized he had no idea.

Xianyu tried to work out how to handle a possible relationship with Jingliu by studying romance advice and consulting Hua. He concluded that he should offer money, companionship, and tolerance, while leaving unresolved whether he would consider his own feelings or tell Jingliu about his secrets.

• Xianyu asked Hua whether he should use money to make Jingliu feel too awkward to break up with him, and questioned why he would need to confess everything.
• Xianyu read forum posts about romance and concluded that relationships depended on money, companionship, and tolerance.
• Hua warned Xianyu that lasting relationships could not be sustained by lies or one-sided giving, and asked how he planned to get along with Jingliu.
• Xianyu told Hua he would put himself in Jingliu's shoes, then sent her a cat meme that left her silent.
• Xianyu reflected that Jingliu seemed to respond to gentleness and liked protecting other people.

Xianyu searched for advice on winning Jingliu over, but rejected the romance novels and sent Hua a collection of children's books instead. He then learned that Baiheng had become an Emanator of the Lord of Eternal Joy and ended the chapter by teasing Jingliu with a photo of his cat.

• Xianyu bookmarked advice about acting weak and sent it to Hua, who told him to read the books she had chosen for him.
• Xianyu struggled to understand the romance novels, then bought Hua the children's picture books recommended by a colleague.
• Teng Xiao informed Xianyu that Baiheng had become an Emanator of the Lord of Eternal Joy, and Xianyu reassured him that the Luofu would be fine.
• Teng Xiao asked whether something had happened to the Marshal and Chief Strategist after they read messages on their Jade Abacuses, and Xianyu offered comfort before ending the conversation.
• Xianyu sent Jingliu a photo of his cat, and Jingliu replied that she liked the cat.

Xianyu considered how to confess to Jingliu, abandoning plans to shower her with money or commission dozens of rings, and arranged a meeting with help from Baiheng. The chapter ended when an Interastral Peace Corporation executive saw Xianyu and nervously asked Baiheng whether he was really her friend.

• Xianyu decided not to rush into a relationship with Jingliu and began planning a confession gift.
• Xianyu asked Hua how old Jingliu was so he could give her one million Credits for every year of her life, but Hua refused and warned him to approach relationships healthily.
• Xianyu asked Jingliu to contact Baiheng about finding someone at the Interastral Peace Corporation, and Jingliu arranged a lunch meeting with Baiheng and an executive.
• Xianyu left work early and reached the restaurant before the others, choosing a private room.
• Jingliu and Baiheng arrived with the Interastral Peace Corporation executive, who trembled at the sight of Xianyu and asked Baiheng whether he was really her friend.

At dinner with Baiheng and Jingliu, Xianyu's casual presence terrified a company executive who recognized him as the supposedly dead Former Marshal. The executive paid for the meal and nervously offered to do anything Xianyu needed.

• Baiheng urged Jingliu to sit with Xianyu, then greeted her executive friend.
• The executive tried to leave, but Xianyu noticed and asked whether he worked for the Interastral Peace Corporation.
• Xianyu switched seats with Jingliu and told the executive he did not need to call him “sir.”
• The executive recognized Xianyu from classified records about the Former Marshal and froze in fear at the thought that he had returned from the dead.
• After Baiheng and Jingliu chose their dishes, the executive paid for dinner and asked Xianyu what he needed.

Xianyu tried to buy some pretty stones through an Interastral Peace Corporation executive, whose fear of the former Marshal made him imagine a sinister plot. The executive offered to connect Xianyu with an upcoming auction, while Jingliu quietly waited for Xianyu to open up about his past.

• The bearded executive panicked while meeting Xianyu, and Xianyu tried to reassure him that he only wanted to buy something.
• Baiheng praised Xianyu, and Xianyu playfully asked Jingliu to praise him to his face, leaving her embarrassed.
• Jingliu reflected on Xianyu’s changed, mischievous behavior and resolved to wait until he was ready to share his hardships.
• Xianyu clarified that he wanted to buy pretty stones, while the executive imagined the request was part of a dangerous scheme.
• The executive offered to provide the organizer’s contact information and arrange an invitation to the Corporation’s upcoming auction.

Xianyu shared a meal with Jingliu, Baiheng, and a terrified company executive, then asked how his purchases could increase their commissions. The executive began explaining the company’s profitable offers and promised to deliver anything Xianyu wanted.

• The company executive tried to pass Xianyu’s potential purchases to a colleague, but Xianyu ignored his communication device and asked everyone to eat first.
• Xianyu checked Baiheng’s panel and confirmed that Aha had only made her an Emanator, then asked whether Baiheng received commissions for bringing in clients.
• Xianyu served Jingliu soup and suggested buying extra pastries for Jing Yuan, while Baiheng noticed his unusually attentive behavior toward Jingliu.
• After Jingliu and Baiheng left, Xianyu asked the executive how to earn him and Baiheng larger commissions, and the executive explained which purchases paid better.
• The executive grew less afraid as Xianyu listened and ended by offering to have the company deliver anything he wanted.

Xianyu worked with an Interastral Peace Corporation executive to choose antique jewelry for his confession gifts, relying on the executive’s advice and buying more than a dozen pieces. After selecting a ring that matched Jingliu’s eyes, he realized he did not know anyone’s ring size.

• Xianyu asked how Baiheng and the company executive would earn their commissions and told the executive to follow normal procedure.
• The executive showed Xianyu photos of the auction lots and explained the gemstones as Xianyu chose rings.
• Xianyu selected a pink diamond ring and a blue-green paraiba pendant, then asked the executive to recommend bracelets and earrings.
• Xianyu added an alexandrite ring to his shopping list after seeing it change color in candlelight like Jingliu’s eyes.
• The executive asked for the rings’ sizes, and Xianyu realized he did not know Jingliu’s ring size.

Xianyu arranged to buy expensive jewels for Jingliu and asked Yingxing to make jewelry sturdy enough to withstand an Emanator's full-power strike. Yingxing received Xianyu's enormous commission payment, leaving him stunned.

• Xianyu calculated a budget for the auction jewels based on several years of earnings and transferred Credits to the bearded IPC executive.
• Xianyu agreed to have the rings designed so they could also be worn as pendants, since Jingliu practiced martial arts.
• Xianyu asked the bearded man to treat him like an ordinary customer, and the man decided not to report his identity to his superiors.
• Xianyu returned to the Library and contacted Yingxing to commission jewelry strong enough to withstand an Emanator's full-power strike.
• Xianyu transferred Yingxing an eight-figure sum, and Yingxing reopened his Jade Abacus to check that the payment was real.