Chapter Summaries

Silver Wolf reunited with Bai Heng on the Xianzhou and clung to him as they walked through the central district. She invited him to join the Stellaron Hunters, but after he declined, she also refused to meet his sister-in-law the next morning.

• Silver Wolf struggled to greet Bai Heng, then embraced him and climbed onto his back.
• Bai Heng and Silver Wolf walked through the Sea of Stars Skiffs central district, reminiscing and trading playful remarks.
• Silver Wolf used Prometheus to pitch Bai Heng a job with the Stellaron Hunters, but he declined.
• Bai Heng offered to take Silver Wolf to meet his sister-in-law the next morning, and Silver Wolf said she would not go.

Bai Heng took Silver Wolf around the Xianzhou Luofu as she struggled with his upcoming marriage, then helped her find comfort in food, games, and their shared memories. They ended the night together at Silver Wolf’s secret internet café, playing games until morning.

• Silver Wolf agreed to leave the next morning to attend Bai Heng’s wedding, but kept hold of his hand as they explored the Luofu and sampled street food.
• In Chang Le Tian, Bai Heng left Silver Wolf listening to a storyteller, then walked away from a fortune-teller who tried to charge him 999 Credits to ward off a supposed disaster.
• Bai Heng brought Silver Wolf to a tile parlor, where she played Di Yuan Jade Tiles with him, Qingque, and Qingque’s friend despite having poor luck.
• Silver Wolf used Aether Editing to take Bai Heng to her secret internet café, where he stayed up all night playing games with her.

Bai Heng spent the night gaming with Silver Wolf, then brought her to meet Jingliu at his residence. Jingliu saw Silver Wolf beside him and asked whether she was the third person he had mentioned, then accused him of being a lolicon.

• Bai Heng played games late into the night while Silver Wolf fell asleep against his shoulder, and he covered her with a blanket.
• Silver Wolf woke Bai Heng by tickling his face with his hair, showing off her new outfit and telling him she had bought breakfast.
• Bai Heng and Silver Wolf ate breakfast and headed to his residence, where he asked about Sam; Silver Wolf said she was in Penacony following Elio's script.
• Bai Heng noticed Silver Wolf's hostility as they reached his home, pinched her cheek, and told her to smile when meeting his sister-in-law.
• Bai Heng entered the courtyard and found Jingliu practicing with her sword; Jingliu saw Silver Wolf and asked if she was the third person he had mentioned, then asked if he was a lolicon.

Bai Heng introduced Silver Wolf to Jingliu and explained that he had to leave the Luofu to meet another woman he had a relationship with. As his star skiff headed toward Herta Space Station, Herta informed him that Ruan Mei had gone to Finlay V Planet.

• Bai Heng introduced Silver Wolf, whom he called Brownie, to Jingliu and Bai Heng, and Silver Wolf learned that Jingliu was Bai Heng’s fiancée.
• Bai Heng told Jingliu he planned to leave the Luofu, and Jingliu agreed to postpone their wedding and gave him locks of hair tied with a red cord.
• Bai Heng asked Silver Wolf to stay on the Luofu, then explained that he was leaving to meet another of her sisters-in-law; Silver Wolf agreed to wait for him.
• More than ten System Hours later, Herta told Bai Heng that Ruan Mei had been invited to an interstellar exhibition on Finlay V Planet and had taken an interest in something there.

Bai Heng traveled to Finlay-V and used Herta’s invitation to enter an exhibition manor, where he asked to see Ruan Mei. Ruan Mei told him to come find her, and the chapter ended with her waiting in a boat and asking whether he no longer wanted to ride with her.

• Bai Heng landed in Finlay-V’s Lanzhou District and traveled by pleasure boat to an exhibition manor on a lake island.
• Bai Heng asked the manor’s guide where Ruan Mei was and said he was her lover, perhaps.
• The guide contacted Ruan Mei, who first denied being his lover but then gave Bai Heng her location.
• Bai Heng went to the rainy riverbank, where a boatman directed him to Ruan Mei in his cabin.
• Ruan Mei appeared with a white oil-paper umbrella and asked Bai Heng whether he no longer wished to ride a boat with her.

Bai Heng and Ruan Mei shared memories of their childhood and discussed the love he had found with Jingliu, while Ruan Mei admitted she had once hoped to be his lifelong partner. When Bai Heng recited a poem about growing old together, Ruan Mei accepted their parting—until his final line suggested that their feelings still caused them pain.

• Bai Heng joined Ruan Mei on a rain-soaked boat ride, and they remembered playing in the rain together as children.
• Ruan Mei noted that Bai Heng had not changed and urged him to restrain himself when he met the right person; Bai Heng said he would never forget those he had acknowledged.
• In the cabin, Ruan Mei described a lifelong partner and admitted she had once thought she could be that person.
• Ruan Mei acknowledged that Jingliu had waited seven hundred years for Bai Heng and wondered whether she herself had come later.
• Bai Heng recited a poem about being caught in the snow and growing old together, and Ruan Mei began to accept that she had no regrets.
• Bai Heng added the poem's line about hearts suffering, leaving Ruan Mei's understanding of their relationship unsettled.

Bai Heng reassured Ruan Mei that he would take responsibility for her and the other person she asked about, and promised not to forget her in another life. Later, they visited an exhibition where Bai Heng learned of Oden Stones, a scientist who escaped a simulated world, though the mystery of his escape remained unresolved.

• Ruan Mei warned Bai Heng that he was taking on too much, but he insisted he would keep trying and take responsibility for her and the other person.
• Ruan Mei told Bai Heng he could not forget her in the next life, and he promised her as their boat reached a peach blossom grove.
• Bai Heng and Ruan Mei attended the North District Exhibition Hall opening, where Ruan Mei declined to join the dancing and they explored the exhibits together.
• Bai Heng learned the story of Oden Stones, whose attempts to lead Colma's people into space were disproven when their simulated world proved to be bounded by a void.
• Oden Stones later concluded his world was simulated and escaped into the real world, leaving a dated note; the exhibition staff sealed Colma's parameters to prevent another such incident.

Bai Heng joined Ruan Mei at the exhibition and learned that she was investigating relics from the destroyed civilizations Izumo and Takama-ga-hara. The chapter left them examining artifacts and a simulation of the two civilizations’ conflict.

• Bai Heng downloaded the Tysonberg software and let Ruan Mei set the civilization’s initial parameters.
• Bai Heng accompanied Ruan Mei around the exhibition, where she teased him about the women interested in him and his relationship with Jingliu.
• Ruan Mei told Bai Heng that Bonesm had acquired relics from Izumo and Takama-ga-hara, and they went to see them.
• Bonesm greeted Ruan Mei and Bai Heng, explained that the exhibit simulated the civilizations overthrowing one another, and recalled knowing Edmond.
• Bai Heng looked at a broken blade and a ceremonial decree sword with a shattered guard.

Bai Heng and Ruan Mei watched the models of Izumo and Takama-ga-hara repeat a cycle of exchanging places beneath a Black Sun, then considered why the cycle had ended. Bonesm gave Bai Heng the damaged Edict Blade as an advance wedding gift after asking for his thoughts on eternal recurrence.

• Ruan Mei explained that she was more interested in the civilizations of Izumo and Takama-ga-hara than in the damaged Edict Blade.
• Bai Heng watched the models show Izumo and Takama-ga-hara repeatedly trading places beneath the Black Sun, with each civilization taking its turn under the shadow.
• Bai Heng and Ruan Mei wondered why the cycle had ended, since both civilizations had perished.
• Bonesm offered Bai Heng the Edict Blade, then asked what he thought of the civilizations' cycle.
• Bai Heng described eternal recurrence as an extreme form of nihilism, and Bonesm gave him the blade as an advance wedding gift.

Bai Heng and Ruan Mei discussed their wedding plans and the possibility of her meeting Jingliu, while Ruan Mei made clear that she still wanted Bai Heng despite his complicated relationships. They agreed to meet after the Harmony Gala, leaving Bai Heng planning to head to Penacony and arrange for the imperial blade to be sent to Zhuming.

• Bonesm asked Ruan Mei and Bai Heng whether they had set a wedding date, and Ruan Mei said they had not.
• Ruan Mei asked Bai Heng about his wedding with Jingliu and suggested holding both weddings at the same time, but Bai Heng said neither woman would likely agree.
• Ruan Mei said she would consider the arrangement and would not pay attention to gossip, then asked when she could meet Jingliu.
• Bai Heng said he could not go with Ruan Mei because of the upcoming Harmony Gala and his work, so they agreed to visit the Xianzhou after the gala.
• Bai Heng planned to go to Penacony, answer Diamond, and have the imperial blade and two cases of Trumm shipped to Zhuming for reforging.

Topaz and Bai Heng discussed their upcoming assignment to reclaim Penacony for the company, where numerous factions were gathering. As they prepared to depart, Bai Heng remembered his Life Simulator had reset, but he would have to wait until reaching Penacony to use it.

• Topaz reviewed the Evening Primrose project reports during lunch, and Bai Heng joined her with coffee and treats for Numby.
• Bai Heng teased Topaz about her work and recalled their time on Jarilo-VI, but she pretended she had forgotten their conversation.
• Topaz and Bai Heng discussed the many factions gathering in Penacony and their assignment to reclaim it for the company.
• Bai Heng revealed he was going to Penacony partly to see an old friend from the Stellaron Hunters, and said his wedding date needed to be adjusted.
• After lunch, Topaz and Bai Heng returned to their work handovers ahead of their departure the next day.
• Bai Heng checked his Life Simulator and realized its cooldown had reset, but he lacked enough points to run another simulation before reaching Penacony.

Bai Heng began his fifth life simulation as Beichen Heng, the double-pupiled son of Beichen Xueyi, head of the Beichen Clan. After Xueyi died defeating an evil god, Heng resisted taking up her blade, and the simulation left him meeting Raiden Mei at the Amaterasu Conference.

• Bai Heng chose Double Pupils, Born Rebellious, and Oni Clan before entering the simulation.
• Beichen Heng was born into the Beichen Clan to clan head Beichen Xueyi and her husband, Beichen Kong.
• When Heze Child devastated the land, Xueyi slew the evil god but was corrupted by the Black Sun and died, leaving Retsu with Beichen Kong.
• Beichen Kong became acting clan head while Heng resisted learning swordsmanship because he hated the blade that had killed his mother.
• At the Amaterasu Conference, seven-year-old Heng met Raiden Mei, whose grandfather had once proposed a childhood betrothal between them.

Seven-year-old Beichen Heng broke the tense silence among the Twelve Houses' children by bringing games, then impressed the women with accurate fortune-telling. His own reading warned of dangerous romantic entanglements, and he resolved to remain faithful.

• At the family banquet, Beichen Heng met Himejima Yūta and the other children gathered in the side hall.
• Beichen Heng brought out games, drawing the children into noisy play and giving his seat to the crying Sakurai Satsuki.
• Beichen Heng invited Mei to join the games, but she declined.
• Beichen Heng charged the women five yuan each to read their fortunes, and his accurate divinations won their favor.
• Lady Raiden and Lady Sakurai joked about marrying their daughters into the Beichen Clan, while Mei glared at her mother.
• Beichen Heng read his own romantic fortune, saw the Peach Blossom Star Affliction, and resolved to be faithful.

During the Raiden Clan gathering, Beichen Heng impressed the children with his Kyūdō and taught them its basics while Mei kept her distance. At the evening banquet, Mei finally answered Beichen Heng when he asked if her legs had gone numb.

• Mei practiced sword swings in the courtyard until the rain drove her back beneath the eaves.
• Beichen Heng practiced Kyūdō, striking the bullseye with his first arrow as the children watched.
• Himejima Yūta and the other children asked Beichen Heng to teach them Kyūdō, while Mei declined to join.
• Mei chatted gracefully with Yabuki Yuiko, Sakurai Satsuki, and the ladies, but did not speak to the men.
• At the Raiden Clan banquet, Beichen Heng asked Mei if her legs were numb, and she replied, “Numb...”

At the Tenchō-setsu Festival, Beichen Heng watched Raiden, Wàngchuān Guardian, Mei perform the Kagura Dance and slipped away to mourn his mother. Mei found him and sat beside him, but their quiet moment ended when Heng struck her great-grandfather with a bamboo branch, mistaking him for a lecherous stranger.

• At the banquet, Tsuyi accepted Beichen Heng's cushion, told him she would not marry someone she could not defeat, and Sakurai Satsuki arrived to play cards with him.
• The next day, Beichen Heng and the other children were excluded from the Amaterasu Conference negotiations and toured the city with the women of their household.
• At the Tenchō-setsu Festival, Beichen Heng sampled festival food with Beichen Kong before watching Raiden, Wàngchuān Guardian, Mei perform the Kagura Dance.
• Beichen Heng left the shrine grounds and sat beneath the torii gate, where Mei found him and asked whether he missed his mother.
• When Mei's great-grandfather approached them, Beichen Heng shielded Mei and struck the old man on the arm with a bamboo branch before learning who he was.

Beichen Heng spent the Tenchō-setsu Festival with Tsuyi and her Great-Grandfather, then kept in touch with the other children after the Twelve Houses of Izumo gathering ended. As Beichen Heng grew older, his father’s research into delaying the decree blade’s erosion stalled and was publicly shut down, but his father later brought him a tube of serum.

• Tsuyi’s Great-Grandfather recognized Beichen Heng as Xueyi’s son and took him and Tsuyi around the festival before returning them to their parents.
• The Amaterasu Conference ended, and Beichen Heng exchanged contact information with the other children before they parted ways.
• At eight, Beichen Heng kept in touch with the group, while his father expanded the family business and funded research into the decree blade’s erosion.
• At nine, Beichen Heng’s father shut down the research institute, dismissed its staff with generous settlements, and continued visiting the abandoned facility alone.
• Beichen Heng’s father eventually came to him carrying a tube of serum.

Beichen Heng’s father, Beichen Kong, returned home mortally wounded and became a ghost before him. The head of the Yabuki Family explained that Beichen Kong had secretly pursued experiments to create lucid artificial ghosts, including testing his serum on Beichen Heng.

• Beichen Heng waited at home for Beichen Kong, who arrived in the rain with a fatal wound and a crimson edict blade.
• Beichen Kong embraced Beichen Heng, but his ghostlike hiss revealed that he had become a ghost; Beichen Heng stayed with him as he died.
• Swordsmen from the Twelve Houses of Izumo arrived and mistook Beichen Kong’s final embrace for taking his son hostage.
• The head of the Yabuki Family told Beichen Heng that Beichen Kong had spent years researching how to turn humans into lucid ghosts.
• The family head explained that Beichen Kong had tested the serum on condemned prisoners before secretly giving it to Beichen Heng, and that the monitoring swordsmen had eventually moved to kill him.

After learning why the Beichen lineage was cursed, Beichen Heng used the edict blade "Blaze" to stop the rain, but his attack could not harm the Black Sun and left his arms badly injured. As he recovered, the Twelve Houses sealed his father's research and decided to confine him while sealing away Blaze.

• The Yabuki Family head told Beichen Heng that the Beichen eyes were meant to see the Black Sun and that his father had pursued his research to spare his son the same fate.
• Beichen Heng asked for his parents to be buried together at the Red Well, took Blaze, and used it to end the rain, though his slash vanished before reaching the Black Sun.
• Beichen Heng collapsed from the effort and later woke in a Japanese-style room with both arms bandaged and severely injured.
• The Twelve Houses voted seven to four to terminate and seal away Beichen Kong's research into transforming humans into demons.
• The families decided Beichen Heng could not inherit the Beichen family headship and sent him to the Raiden Clan ancestral lands under restrictions.
• The other eleven families jointly sealed Blaze until Beichen Heng was deemed safe or another inheritor was found.

At the Raiden Clan’s ancestral grounds, Beichen Heng spent a peaceful childhood under the Ryoma Patriarch’s protection and learned the clan’s swordsmanship from Mei’s great-grandfather. The old man told him about the pressure Mei faced as the clan’s future leader, then revealed that Mei had already judged Beichen Heng to be “not a good person.”

• At eleven, Beichen Heng arrived at the Raiden Clan’s ancestral grounds under the identity of an orphan and settled into a protected, quiet life.
• As Beichen Heng grew older, Mei’s great-grandfather taught him swordsmanship and forged him an edict blade, which Beichen Heng named Chi.
• At thirteen, Beichen Heng continued intensive sword training and avoided romance because he feared the love-murder foretold by his Peach Blossom Star Affliction.
• While sharing udon by the seaside, Mei’s great-grandfather told Beichen Heng that Mei was under heavy pressure to inherit the clan leadership and trained alone for long hours.
• Mei’s great-grandfather said Mei remembered Beichen Heng and had described him as “not a good person.”

At fourteen, Beichen Heng watched the old swordsman return from slaying an evil god with the decree blade Narukami, only to die peacefully after a final night by the sea. At the old man's funeral, Beichen Heng comforted Mei, whom he had not seen for seven years, and invited her to release soul-guiding lanterns.

• Beichen Heng learned that Mei had stopped visiting because her father feared his sensitive identity, while his swordsmanship and decree blade Chi continued to develop under the old man's guidance.
• The old man, convinced his time was nearly up, set out to slay an evil god with the Raiden Clan's decree blade Narukami, and Raiden · Wangchuanshou · Longma agreed to lend it under strict conditions.
• Three days later, the old man returned victorious with Narukami but missing an arm, celebrated his feat publicly, and then came back to the seaside town three days after that.
• Beichen Heng shared fried noodles and baijiu with the old man by the sea as they talked through the night; when dawn came, the old man had died beside him.
• At the old man's grand funeral, Beichen Heng found Mei kneeling in grief and spoke to her about how funeral arrangements helped the living face loss.
• Mei thanked Beichen Heng, who invited her to join him in releasing soul-guiding lanterns.