Chapter Summaries

Xie Wenyuan met with Chu Ge, Qiu Wuji, and Old Zhu to discuss adapting Chu Ge’s story into a carefully produced xianxia series and promoting it in Japan and Korea. Qiu Wuji demonstrated her drawing ability with a portrait of Chu Tiange, leaving Xie Wenyuan convinced of her talent.

• Xie Wenyuan asked Old Zhu about his relationship with Chu Ge, then suggested Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji play the roles of Chu Tiange and Qiu Wuji.
• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji declined to act, and Chu Ge emphasized that he wanted the adaptation made with care.
• Xie Wenyuan explained that he hoped the project would help traditional martial arts and xianxia stories reach audiences in Japan and Korea.
• Xie Wenyuan said a comic adaptation, including Japanese and Korean translations, would test the market and help determine the screen adaptation’s direction.
• Qiu Wuji drew an upside-down portrait in tea on the coffee table, and Xie Wenyuan recognized it as Chu Tiange.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji agreed to work with Xie Wenyuan’s team on a comic adaptation, and Chu Ge impressed them with his detailed vision for developing the story. The group planned to settle in at a hotel before drafting agreements and meeting again.

• Xie Wenyuan offered Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji a comic contract at the top market rate, with a share of future revenue.
• Xie Wenyuan explained that a successful comic could lead to a jointly produced animated adaptation and asked Chu Ge to advise on the story’s focus and cultural presentation.
• Chu Ge outlined his plans for an ensemble story, an academy setting, and a later fantasy world that combined Western and immortal-fantasy elements.
• Xie Wenyuan welcomed Chu Ge to the project as a specially invited consultant and screenwriting adviser, with payment for his work.
• Old Zhu ended the discussion, and Xie Wenyuan arranged for the group to check into a hotel before an afternoon meeting to draft agreements.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji checked into their hotel, then went their separate ways for the afternoon: Qiu Wuji attended an investment meeting while Chu Ge visited his website’s editorial office. There, the boss offered Chu Ge a nonexclusive publishing collaboration, showing how much Xie Wenyuan’s support had strengthened his position.

• Qiu Wuji worried about sharing a hotel room and one bed with Chu Ge, while Chu Ge teased and kissed her before they discussed their plans for the afternoon.
• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji agreed to split up, with Qiu Wuji going to an investment meeting with Old Zhu and Chu Ge visiting the website’s office.
• Chu Ge arrived at the editorial department, where the editors watched him and he met the boss, his editor, and the chief editor.
• The boss asked whether Chu Ge would renew his long-term contract, and Chu Ge explained that he might not write another book.
• The boss offered Chu Ge priority publication for any future book without requiring an exclusive commitment, and Chu Ge recognized that Xie Wenyuan’s influence had made the offer possible.

Chu Ge met with the company’s boss about the animation project and urged him to pay more attention to struggling authors. He then chatted with the editors, who discussed his growth, the challenges of print publishing, and the renewed effort to publish his book.

• The boss welcomed Chu Ge’s collaboration with Xie Wenyuan on the animation and asked for suggestions about the company’s development.
• Chu Ge urged the boss to improve conditions for authors at the bottom, then left the meeting with the editors.
• Chu Ge and the editors joked about his newfound restraint, his girlfriend, and whether he would write another book.
• The editor-in-chief explained that publishers had rejected earlier proposals for Chu Ge’s book, but the team had restarted the process as his adaptations gained momentum.
• Chu Ge promised to treat the editors if the book was published and signed bookmarks for them.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji attended Xie Wenyuan’s banquet, where their flirtatious reunion drew attention from the guests. They spotted Du Lianfeng’s secretary approaching Xie Wenyuan, hinting that their past connection would resurface.

• Chu Ge left his website’s offices and took a taxi to the banquet hall, where he found Qiu Wuji.
• A young man tried to flirt with Qiu Wuji, but she told him she had come with her grandfather, and he quickly withdrew.
• Chu Ge joined Qiu Wuji, and they teased each other before he drank from her juice glass, making the onlookers assume they were a devoted couple.
• Chu Ge pointed out his boss, who had just arrived and gone to speak with Xie Wenyuan.
• Qiu Wuji recognized Du Lianfeng’s female secretary raising her glass to Xie Wenyuan, and her gaze turned icy.

Mi Xiaolin approached Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji to propose cooperation in controlling the source of Spiritual Energy, but Chu Ge rejected her. The chapter ended with Mi Xiaolin’s smile turning cold and Qiu Wuji smiling.

• Mi Xiaolin recognized Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji from their earlier encounter and asked whether they wanted Spiritual Qi Revival to happen.
• Chu Ge admitted he wanted to keep his abilities because losing them might mean losing Qiu Wuji, while Mi Xiaolin explained that she wanted to control Spiritual Energy and prevent others from gaining power.
• Mi Xiaolin said Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai were dead and suggested Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji cooperate with her, claiming they could use Chu Ge’s reputation and influence the project.
• Mi Xiaolin threatened that refusing could jeopardize Chu Ge’s book adaptation project, but Chu Ge rejected her offer because they had no common cause.

After leaving Xie Wenyuan’s reception, Chu Ge explained why he refused to work with Mi Xiaolin’s venture capital group, and he and Qiu Wuji rejected a rich young man’s advances. Chu Ge sensed that the young man’s arrival might be a provocation someone had arranged.

• Xie Wenyuan told Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji that he had rejected Mi Xiaolin’s firm because of its aggressive business practices and suspected overseas capital.
• Chu Ge endured introductions at the reception, then left with Qiu Wuji after they had eaten and drunk their fill.
• As they walked, Chu Ge said he had no interest in profiting from Spiritual Qi Revival through people who harmed others, and Qiu Wuji agreed that Mi Xiaolin’s group seemed dangerous.
• A young man from the reception pulled up in a Ferrari and offered Qiu Wuji a ride, but she refused and walked away holding Chu Ge’s hand.
• The young man insulted Chu Ge as poor and beneath notice, while Chu Ge laughed and suspected that the encounter was an arranged provocation.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji brushed off a rich young man who tried to pay Chu Ge to leave, and Chu Ge confronted the unseen Mi Xiaolin about using the man as bait. Afterward, Old Zhu called to say Zhong Yi was at the hospital caring for Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai, and Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji prepared to visit them.

• A young man offered Chu Ge money to leave Qiu Wuji, but Chu Ge mocked him and refused.
• Chu Ge stopped the young man's moving car with one hand and called out Mi Xiaolin for trying to make him look like a troublemaker to Mr. Xie.
• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji walked away together, and Chu Ge admitted he had used his spatial ability to stop the car while keeping up his cool appearance.
• Old Zhu called Chu Ge and said Zhong Yi was at the hospital looking after someone.
• Chu Ge correctly guessed that Zhong Yi was caring for Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai.

Chu Ge and his companions visited Zhong Yi at a guarded hospital, where he explained why he had rescued Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai and planned to use them against their organization. Qiu Wuji agreed she could cure their damaged souls, but warned that they should move them elsewhere because Mi Xiaolin was growing desperate.

• Chu Ge and his companions found Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai hospitalized in vegetative states under Zhong Yi's care.
• Zhong Yi explained that he had abandoned Du Lianfeng's group because they had become greedy and abusive, and that he rescued the two men to turn them against their organization.
• Zhong Yi said Mi Xiaolin had likely decided to kill Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai after their assets and influence were taken, while he expected them to seek revenge and expose the organization.
• Zhong Yi revealed that Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai had murky overseas connections, which Chu Ge recognized as significant.
• Old Zhu agreed to allow treatment, and Qiu Wuji said she could cure the men's damaged souls but recommended moving them elsewhere because Mi Xiaolin was getting desperate.

Mi Xiaolin and Lei Jiangyong discussed how to deal with Chu Ge and the two vegetative men, Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai, whose survival threatened their faction. Mi Xiaolin sent Lei Jiangyong to attack Chu Ge while her master prepared to strike the hospital if the fight drew guards away.

• Mi Xiaolin explained that Zhong Yi had moved Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai to Zheng Xiulan’s hospital and arranged undercover police protection.
• Mi Xiaolin and Lei Jiangyong argued over their past failures and why their attempts to pressure Chu Ge had not worked.
• Mi Xiaolin suggested killing Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji to prevent them from waking Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai, and Lei Jiangyong agreed to target Chu Ge.
• Mi Xiaolin privately called Lei Jiangyong an idiot and told her unseen master that his death or Chu Ge’s legal trouble would benefit their plans.
• Mi Xiaolin’s master revealed that they had come to Magic City and would personally attack the hospital if the ensuing battle weakened its guards.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji moved Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai to a remote factory so Qiu Wuji could treat their shattered Divine Souls safely. Chu Ge went out alone to buy supplies as bait, and Lei Jiangyong ambushed him on the road.

• Zhong Yi moved Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai from Doctor Zheng's hospital to a remote factory, where Qiu Wuji gave them pills to stabilize their body-soul unions.
• Qiu Wuji began preparing to reconstruct the men's Divine Souls and warned Zhong Yi that they would likely lose their Esper Abilities.
• Chu Ge drove away alone to buy food while Qiu Wuji and the others watched for an attack.
• Lei Jiangyong spotted Chu Ge leaving alone and prepared an ambush on the dark outskirts road.
• An attacker struck Chu Ge's car with Wind Blades, but Chu Ge crushed one with his bare hand and identified Lei Jiangyong as the likely enemy.

Chu Ge overcame Lei Jiangyong’s ability and prepared to kill him after Lei drew a gun, while Qiu Wuji faced a sound-wave attack as she treated Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai. The chapter ended with Chu Ge’s fire giant trapping Lei Jiangyong and his men, bringing Chu Ge close to his first killing.

• Chu Ge mocked Lei Jiangyong, dodged his attacks, and used his cultivation to strike him despite Lei’s ability weakening his physical strength.
• Chu Ge dodged the three attackers and used a flying sword to knock a hidden wind-blade Esper from a tree.
• Lei Jiangyong drew a gun, prompting Chu Ge to declare that he would kill him.
• Qiu Wuji countered a sound-wave attack with a burst of sound that tore through the factory roof and formed a dragon in the sky.
• Chu Ge disarmed Lei Jiangyong’s group, stopped their escape, and summoned a fire giant to trap them.
• Chu Ge told the fire giant to carry Lei Jiangyong and his men into public view and burn them, while Lei panicked and the giant called Chu Ge its Father God.

Qiu Wuji defeated the mysterious sonic Esper with her sword, while Wan Zijun and Zhong Yi drove off the attackers at the factory. The wounded master and Mi Xiaolin fled together, shaken by the power of the immortals they had challenged.

• Qiu Wuji used a sword song to counter the sonic Esper, then destroyed the tornado with Sword Breaks the Great Void.
• Wan Zijun's dragon illusion frightened the black-suited attackers into fleeing from the factory.
• Mi Xiaolin used her Butterfly Effect ability to blow apart Zhong Yi's hand, but he recovered and knocked her into the mud.
• Mi Xiaolin escaped as a phantom butterfly, while the sonic Esper collapsed in a Magic City villa after Qiu Wuji's attack.
• Mi Xiaolin returned to her injured master, and both were horrified by the strength of the people they had called mere mortals.

After the suspects regained consciousness, Gu Ruoyan took charge of the investigation while Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji stayed nearby. Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai revealed that Mi Xiaolin represented foreign capital seeking control of their corporation, whose overseas influence extended well beyond Magic City and Nanjiang.

• Gu Ruoyan arrived with the police and said she was taking over the case, while Zhong Yi acknowledged that he had acted outside normal procedures.
• Qiu Wuji confirmed that Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai had recovered their memories, and Chu Ge stopped her from revealing too much about her abilities.
• Du Lianfeng agreed to testify against Mi Xiaolin and Lei Jiangyong, and Qi Chengtai explained that their group had built a corporation by exploiting Esper Abilities and pursuing Spiritual Energy resources.
• Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai said Mi Xiaolin represented foreign investors who had gained influence through the corporation and had been the person Ruan Jian's group awaited in Nanjiang.
• Du Lianfeng warned that the corporation had become a cancer controlled by overseas forces with reach across multiple regions.

After Chu Ge urged Gu Ruoyan to arrest Mi Xiaolin, Mi Xiaolin’s plans collapsed under a police investigation and a tax probe, forcing her to flee overseas by ship. She escaped prison for now, but was left penniless and dependent on her master.

• Chu Ge suggested arresting Mi Xiaolin, and Gu Ruoyan ordered her team to take Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai into custody before moving to arrest Mi Xiaolin.
• Mi Xiaolin learned that Lei Jiangyong had set himself on fire and realized that Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai could expose her company’s crimes.
• Mi Xiaolin arrived at her company and found tax inspectors investigating its acquisition of Zijin Mining, then left to escape with money from her personal accounts.
• Gu Ruoyan ordered Mi Xiaolin’s accounts frozen and alerted the airport, but Mi Xiaolin used her butterfly ability to teleport onto a departing ship.
• Mi Xiaolin escaped overseas aboard the ship, where she endured the captain’s abuse, and wondered whether her downfall had begun with her decision to seize Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai’s assets.

After the battle, Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji went to a hotel, where they discussed killing, the powerful foreign Sound Cultivator, and the limits of their abilities. They settled down to sleep together while waiting for news from Gu Ruoyan and Zhong Yi.

• The Black Room crowd discussed Qiu Wuji's strength, and Wan Zijun told Pan Da that Chu Ge had taken her to a hotel.
• At the hotel, Little Flame praised the chance to kill, while Qiu Wuji reassured Chu Ge about killing his enemy and told him he would need to face such choices again.
• Qiu Wuji explained that the foreign Sound Cultivator had forced her to use a weakened Taixu Divine Sword and would be a major enemy in the future.
• Chu Ge decided to wait for word from Gu Ruoyan or Zhong Yi before handling the remaining business and leaving.
• Chu Ge pulled the exhausted Qiu Wuji onto the bed, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji woke up together in a hotel room and teased each other before Gu Ruoyan called with news about the Sky Curtain Group’s collapse. As Chu Ge prepared to finish his business in Magic City and return home, Mi Xiaolin’s escape left the conflict unresolved.

• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji woke up in each other’s arms, kissed, and playfully argued about Gu Ruoyan and the Ferrari-driving young man.
• Gu Ruoyan told Chu Ge that Du and Qi had confessed to more than a hundred illegal cases, leaving the Sky Curtain Group leaderless as its shareholders were arrested, dead, or wanted.
• Gu Ruoyan implied she had helped cover up Lei Jiangyong’s death and said investigators had no solid leads on the foreigner who fought Qiu Wuji with sound waves.
• Gu Ruoyan suggested Chu Ge consider buying the group’s comics or animation studios and told him his cooperation agreement with Xie Wenyuan was nearly ready to sign.
• Chu Ge realized signing the agreement would finish his business in Magic City, while Mi Xiaolin remained at large and could cause trouble later.

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji toured the Bund, discussed the sound-based Esper they had encountered, and reflected on what the trip had shown them. Qiu Wuji said she wanted to return to their world and draw its wonders, so they agreed it was time to go home and took a photo together.

• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji walked along the Bund, where she asked about the Huangpu River and he shared what he knew about its name.
• Qiu Wuji explained that the Esper who attacked them had used music to affect emotions and blood qi, and Chu Ge decided to tell Gu Ruoyan about the musician clue.
• Chu Ge jokingly suggested renaming Cloudreach Mountain Mount Akina, and Qiu Wuji approved before realizing he meant something naughty.
• Qiu Wuji said she had seen enough of the city and wanted to return to their world to draw its martial and immortal wonders.
• Chu Ge agreed it was time to go home, and Qiu Wuji took a photo of them together for Weibo.

Chu Ge finalized a comics partnership with Xie Wenyuan and arranged with Old Zhu to acquire an animation studio, then returned home with Qiu Wuji to begin adapting her world into a comic. As they settled into their work, Qiu Wuji resisted Chu Ge’s attempts to share her bed but admitted in her diary that she wanted to hold him.

• Chu Ge agreed with Old Zhu to acquire an animation studio, with Zhu Mengmeng helping Qiu Wuji manage it and Old Zhu covering the initial cost.
• Chu Ge signed a contract with Xie Wenyuan, who gave him full control over the comic adaptation and promised to fund its promotion.
• Chu Ge reflected on the upheaval in Magic City and the larger organization behind Mi Xiaolin, then left further action to Gu Ruoyan and the authorities.
• Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji returned home and began working on the comic, with Qiu Wuji drawing character designs and Chu Ge adapting the first volume.
• Chu Ge tried to convince Qiu Wuji to share her bed, but she kicked him out and privately wrote that she still wanted to hold him.

On the Start of Winter, Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji settled into domestic life while Chu Ge chatted with Long Sijia, who was struggling to find work and had paid for a dubious writing course. Chu Ge warned him against scams and against joining Zhang Qiren in Japan, and Long Sijia ended the chapter with a second interview at an international music company.

• Qiu Wuji decided to cook tangyuan for the Start of Winter while Chu Ge worked on comic character designs and joked with his reader groups about their relationship and his updates.
• Long Sijia told Chu Ge he felt useless after failing to help Zhong Yi and failing a job interview, and Chu Ge encouraged him to take setbacks lightly.
• Long Sijia revealed he had paid over a thousand yuan for a writing course that promised a contract, and Chu Ge explained why the teacher was likely running a scam.
• Long Sijia said Zhang Qiren had invited him to work in Japan, but Chu Ge advised him against following Zhang Qiren down a bad path and said writing was not a reliable way to make a living.
• Long Sijia received a call inviting him to a second interview at an international music company and excitedly accepted.