Chapter Summaries

During a task-hunting challenge at the Yue Lao Temple, Pei Yubai accepted a task from Qiguan Yuan and buried a fortune slip beneath an old plum tree, earning five points. He returned to the front hall as the other contestants came back, where Jiang Wantang and Ji Shiyu shared a tense, silent moment.

• Meng Xu explained that the contestants had to find task givers around the Yue Lao Temple and complete tasks to earn points.
• Pei Yubai found Qiguan Yuan interpreting marriage fortunes and agreed to take a task from him.
• Qiguan Yuan instructed Pei Yubai to bury a fortune slip beneath the old plum tree marked with the character for "hidden."
• Pei Yubai buried the slip and received five points from Meng Xu.
• Pei Yubai returned to the front hall and noticed Jiang Wantang and Ji Shiyu exchange a brief glance before looking away.

Meng Xu announced Jiang Wantang as the top-ranked guest and awarded her a privilege at the next travel destination. Pei Yubai went to the side hall, found Qiguan Yuan away from the fortune-telling table, and explained that fans had come to his livestream to see him.

• Meng Xu announced that Jiang Wantang had placed first and would receive a special privilege at the next travel destination.
• The guests dispersed to explore Yue Lao Temple, while Pei Yubai headed for the side hall.
• Pei Yubai found a monk at the fortune-telling table and spotted Qiguan Yuan sitting by the back door with a red thread.
• Pei Yubai told Qiguan Yuan that his fans were watching the livestream and had wanted to see him.

Qiguan Yuan watched Pei Yubai’s livestream and read fans’ comments, playfully flirting with viewers while saying he would soon leave to meet an old acquaintance. After spotting a comment suggesting Pei Yubai liked him, Qiguan Yuan turned to Pei Yubai and asked whether it was true.

• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai to show him the livestream and began reading the viewers’ comments aloud.
• Qiguan Yuan flirted with fans who called him their wife, sending the livestream’s viewer count past the show’s previous record.
• Qiguan Yuan gently told a fan not to travel to see him because he would be leaving soon.
• Qiguan Yuan said he could not join the show because he had promised to meet an old acquaintance.
• Qiguan Yuan read a comment suggesting Pei Yubai liked him, then asked Pei Yubai directly whether he did.

Qiguan Yuan left the temple after teasing Pei Yubai with a question about whether he liked him, telling the viewers they would meet again if fate allowed. Pei Yubai returned to his courtyard, lingered over the paper Qiguan Yuan had given him, and began reading his script.

• Qiguan Yuan took Pei Yubai's phone, told him there was no need to give his love to someone just passing through, and said goodbye to him and his fans.
• Pei Yubai remained alone in the side hall after Qiguan Yuan left, then folded the blank paper wrapper from the marriage fortune stick and put it back in his pocket.
• Shen Yuzhou, Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Wantang, Ji Shiyu, and Lin Yanru each noticed Pei Yubai as he left the temple hall.
• Pei Yubai returned to his private courtyard, unfolded and studied the paper, and watched the closed courtyard where Qiguan Yuan had stayed.
• Pei Yubai picked up his script, opened it to act four, and began reading the first line.

At Yue Lao Temple, Jiang Wantang learned that Qiguan Yuan had already left after interpreting three ill-fated bonds, while Pei Yubai watched the lanterns and later set out alone toward the back mountain. The chapter ended with Pei Yubai walking deeper into the woods along a remote dirt road.

• Meng Xu gathered the guests to release wish lanterns on their last night at Yue Lao Temple.
• Jiang Wantang asked the monk about Qiguan Yuan, but he told her Qiguan Yuan had left after interpreting fortunes for three people.
• The monk explained that Qiguan Yuan interpreted only ill-fated bonds, and Jiang Wantang thanked him before leaving.
• Ji Shiyu watched Jiang Wantang walk away while Pei Yubai stayed behind to watch the lanterns fade into the sky.
• At dawn, Pei Yubai left a message for Meng Xu saying he would wait in town, then headed down the mountain alone.
• Pei Yubai followed a remote road toward the back mountain and continued into the woods.

Pei Yubai searched the woods for Qiguan Yuan’s vanished residence, realizing how little he knew about him. He found Qiguan Yuan and admitted he did not know whether he liked him, but he did not dislike him.

• Pei Yubai walked deep into the forest but could not find the residence or the stream that had once led him out.
• Pei Yubai reflected on how little he knew about Qiguan Yuan and wondered why he had come looking for him.
• As Pei Yubai turned to leave, Qiguan Yuan appeared and asked whether he had been looking for him.
• Pei Yubai told Qiguan Yuan he had not meant to reject him when he said he did not like him.
• Pei Yubai admitted he did not know whether he liked Qiguan Yuan, but said he did not dislike him.

Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai to remain chaste for him, and Pei Yubai agreed before leaving Cloud-Hidden Town with the others. As Pei Yubai traveled away wearing Qiguan Yuan’s red thread, Qiguan Yuan realized he was lost in the forest again.

• Qiguan Yuan touched Pei Yubai’s earlobe and asked him to keep himself chaste until they met again, and Pei Yubai agreed.
• Qiguan Yuan left Pei Yubai with a red thread tied around his wrist, which Pei Yubai tightened before heading out of the woods.
• Pei Yubai met Meng Xu and the others at the village entrance, then boarded the coach and left Cloud-Hidden Town.
• Pei Yubai smelled Qiguan Yuan’s fragrance on the red thread as he rode with his eyes closed.
• Qiguan Yuan searched the Marriage Register and wondered where his home was, realizing he was lost again.

Qiguan Yuan followed the red thread to his courtyard, where he dug up eighteen wine jars and chose the one marked “Yin.” Drinking from it, he remembered Yun Yin, who had been gone for eight hundred and twelve years, and ended by preparing to fulfill their old promise to drink until they could not go home.

• Qiguan Yuan used the red thread on his wrist to find his courtyard after losing his way.
• Qiguan Yuan dug up eighteen wine jars beneath the old elm and asked Yun Yin which one had aged long enough.
• Qiguan Yuan chose a jar marked “Yin,” opened it, and drank its wine beneath the tree.
• Qiguan Yuan told Yun Yin that he could no longer remember Yun Yin’s face and recalled finding Yun Yin in Fated Marriage Village.
• Qiguan Yuan looked at the remaining jars and resolved to keep his and Yun Yin’s promise to drink until they could not go home.

Qiguan Yuan buried the wine jars beneath the old elm and went to rest, while Pei Yubai remained preoccupied with the red thread on his wrist during the bus ride. After Qiguan Yuan became a trending topic, Meng Xu sent Pei Yubai a post asking whether the production team could invite Qiguan Yuan onto the show.

• Qiguan Yuan woke at sunset, buried a fresh jar among the seventeen others, and told Yun Yin he would return after sleeping.
• On the bus, Pei Yubai studied the red thread around his wrist and hid it when Shen Yuzhou asked about it.
• Shen Yuzhou showed Pei Yubai that Qiguan Yuan was trending for interpreting fortune sticks and that a compilation of his appearances had passed ten million views.
• At a service-area stop, Pei Yubai stayed on the bus and wondered when Qiguan Yuan would come find him.
• Meng Xu messaged Pei Yubai that he had chosen their next stop, then sent him a post asking whether the production team could invite Qiguan Yuan onto the show.

Pei Yubai and the production team arrived at a remote Miao village called the Village Above the Clouds, while Qiguan Yuan slept alone in Cloud-Hidden Town. The chapter ended with someone knocking at Qiguan Yuan’s door as his silver ears twitched in his sleep.

• Pei Yubai ignored Meng Xu’s message about inviting Qiguan Yuan onto the show and waited without knowing when Qiguan Yuan would visit him.
• Meng Xu brought the group to a remote Miao village, where they admired the terraced fields at dusk.
• The group climbed to the village guesthouse, and Pei Yubai noticed that Qiguan Yuan’s scent had faded from the red thread around his wrist.
• Qiguan Yuan slept in Cloud-Hidden Town as silver ears appeared on his head.
• Someone knocked twice at Qiguan Yuan’s door, making his ears twitch without waking him.

Lu Zhao asked retired Yue Lao Qiguan Yuan to fix a marriage bond that his young attendant had mistakenly turned ill-fated. Qiguan Yuan agreed to visit Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang in the Village Above the Clouds, while secretly keeping a feather from Lu Zhao.

• Lu Zhao told Qiguan Yuan that his attendant had muddled Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang’s destined match into an ill-fated bond that would become irreversible in ten days.
• Qiguan Yuan agreed to help Lu Zhao and learned that Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang were in the Village Above the Clouds near Cloud-Hidden Town.
• Qiguan Yuan revealed that he was a nine-tailed fox and followed a red thread through the woods while secretly dozing.
• Qiguan Yuan warned Lu Zhao not to bother him with another mistake and ordered the young attendant to copy the Marriage Record a hundred times without sleeping.
• After Lu Zhao left, Qiguan Yuan toyed with a feather he had secretly plucked from Lu Zhao’s head.

Meng Xu assigned the guests daily chores and village-custom tasks as they moved into old stilt houses, and Pei Yubai cleaned, planted rice seedlings, and gathered food. When Pei Yubai went to learn the door-blocking wine custom, Qiguan Yuan appeared beside him and offered him the first bowl.

• Meng Xu announced that the guests would spend fifteen days completing daily tasks, including settling into stilt houses, gathering ingredients, and learning Miao customs.
• The guests inspected their assigned old houses and began cleaning them, while Pei Yubai aired and swept his room and made his bed.
• Pei Yubai learned to transplant rice seedlings from an elder, then picked wild vegetables and caught fish for the day's ingredients.
• Ji Shiyu volunteered to cook after Pei Yubai struggled to start a fire, and Shen Yuzhou told Pei Yubai that the twelve rounds of door-blocking wine had different rules.
• Pei Yubai went to the village center to learn the wine custom, where Qiguan Yuan appeared, lifted a bowl, and asked whether Pei Yubai was barring his way.

Qiguan Yuan arrived at the Village Above the Clouds and reunited with Pei Yubai, who was flustered by his teasing. After Qiguan Yuan completed the gate-blocking wine custom, Pei Yubai led him into the village.

• Qiguan Yuan teased Pei Yubai about his reddening ears while Pei Yubai struggled to respond.
• Pei Yubai explained that guests had to drink gate-blocking wine before entering the village, and Qiguan Yuan asked whether he counted as a guest.
• Qiguan Yuan drank from a bowl, and Pei Yubai finished the remaining wine from the same bowl.
• Qiguan Yuan asked how the twelve-bowl gate-blocking challenge worked, then began it and paid his respects to heaven and earth before drinking.
• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai to show him the way, and Pei Yubai led him into the village.
• Qiguan Yuan realized that Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang were filming a livestream with Pei Yubai.

Pei Yubai arranged for Qiguan Yuan to stay with him in the Village Above the Clouds while he dealt with a problem. Qiguan Yuan went to sleep, leaving Shen Yuzhou wondering why he had come, and Pei Yubai said he did not know.

• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai to find him a place to stay in the village, and Meng Xu arranged for him to share Pei Yubai's room.
• Qiguan Yuan agreed to be filmed for the production team and said he did not mind being paid.
• Pei Yubai brought the exhausted Qiguan Yuan to the stilt house, where Shen Yuzhou and Ji Shiyu were surprised to see him.
• Qiguan Yuan told Shen Yuzhou that he had come to deal with a little problem, then went to sleep in Pei Yubai's room.
• Shen Yuzhou asked Pei Yubai why Qiguan Yuan had come, and Pei Yubai said he did not know.

Ji Shiyu welcomed Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Wantang, and Lin Yanru to dinner, while Pei Yubai confirmed that Director Song had come out of retirement and was preparing a film. After dinner, Pei Yubai gave Ji Shiyu advice about acting, then slept on the sofa so he would not disturb Qiguan Yuan.

• Pei Yubai set aside food for Qiguan Yuan, and Ji Shiyu invited Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Wantang, and Lin Yanru to join their dinner.
• Lin Yanru asked about Pei Yubai’s new project, and Pei Yubai confirmed that Director Song had come out of retirement but said the details had to wait for an official announcement.
• After dinner, Shen Yuzhou washed the dishes while Ji Shiyu asked Pei Yubai for advice about acting.
• Pei Yubai watched scenes from Ji Shiyu’s films and explained how he could make his performances feel more natural.
• Pei Yubai chose to sleep on the sofa rather than disturb Qiguan Yuan and fell asleep without insomnia for the third time.

Pei Yubai woke early and lent Qiguan Yuan a set of his clothes, flustering when Qiguan Yuan teased him. After Pei Yubai changed into his running gear, Qiguan Yuan decided to join him for a morning run and see the scenery.

• Pei Yubai woke before dawn and chose not to enter the room while Qiguan Yuan was still asleep.
• Qiguan Yuan asked to borrow clothes, and Pei Yubai gave him a black linen shirt from his suitcase.
• Qiguan Yuan teased Pei Yubai about watching him change, sending Pei Yubai out of the room in embarrassment.
• Qiguan Yuan came out wearing Pei Yubai's shirt, and Pei Yubai changed into his running clothes.
• Qiguan Yuan agreed to join Pei Yubai on his morning run to see how the scenery compared with Cloud-Hidden Town.

Pei Yubai went looking for Qiguan Yuan after his morning run and found him surrounded by village children, dressed in silver jewelry. Qiguan Yuan beckoned Pei Yubai over, and Pei Yubai joined the curious children at the edge of the group.

• Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai he could go running while he wandered around the village.
• Pei Yubai ran through the Village Above the Clouds, then turned back to look for Qiguan Yuan.
• Pei Yubai found Qiguan Yuan beneath a tree, playing with the children as they covered him in silver jewelry.
• Pei Yubai noticed several young men giving jewelry to the children for Qiguan Yuan and felt an urge to take him away.
• Qiguan Yuan saw Pei Yubai and beckoned him over, and Pei Yubai approached the children.

Qiguan Yuan returned the children’s silver ornaments and encouraged one quiet boy to believe he deserved affection. He then arrived at breakfast in a striking new look, leaving the guests speechless and sending the livestream audience into a frenzy.

• Qiguan Yuan noticed Pei Yubai was breathless after his run, then returned the children’s silver ornaments and reassured the older boy who had given him a bangle.
• Qiguan Yuan said goodbye to the children and walked back to the stilt house with Pei Yubai, remarking that the children were adorable.
• Qiguan Yuan entered the living room in a black shirt with his long silver hair loose, surprising the guests who had not known he was staying.
• Viewers flooded the livestream with exclamation marks and quickly became captivated by Qiguan Yuan’s appearance.
• Meng Xu watched the viewer numbers soar and celebrated Qiguan Yuan as his lucky star.

Qiguan Yuan joined the filming as a special guest and shared breakfast with the others, drawing Pei Yubai’s attention as he enjoyed the food. Meng Xu then announced a Miao-language task that would place the guests into teams for the rest of their fifteen days in the Village Above the Clouds.

• Meng Xu announced that Qiguan Yuan would join the filming as a special guest, and the other guests welcomed him.
• Pei Yubai served Qiguan Yuan congee, and Qiguan Yuan enjoyed the meal, especially the pickled cucumbers.
• Qiguan Yuan watched Jiang Wantang and Ji Shiyu interact briefly over the pickled cucumbers, then complimented Ji Shiyu’s congee.
• Meng Xu announced that the guests would learn the Miao language from a village elder and draw lots to form three teams for future tasks.

The guests drew teams and began learning the Miao language at the Village Above the Clouds’ drum tower. Qiguan Yuan revealed that he already knew Miao and secretly told Pei Yubai that he was his destined partner, leaving Pei unaware of the confession.

• Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai drew the same team number, while Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang drew another, and Qiguan Yuan praised Pei Yubai for preserving his chastity.
• Meng Xu led the guests to the drum tower, where the village elder began teaching them Miao words and pronunciation.
• Qiguan Yuan demonstrated fluent Miao, surprising Shen Yuzhou and the village elder, then helped Pei Yubai practice.
• Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai in Miao that he was his destined marriage partner and the only one his heart had chosen, but claimed it meant Pei Yubai was good-looking.
• Pei Yubai suspected Qiguan Yuan had lied, while viewers translated the real meaning of the sentence in the livestream chat.