Chapter Summaries

Qiguan Yuan watched a folk troupe perform “Farewell My Concubine” and gave its leader treasured gifts, including a unique Qing-dynasty manuscript containing long-lost Kunqu scores. The Chinese Xiqu Society learned of the manuscript through the livestream and urgently sought to contact the troupe, while Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai left the cultural street.

• Meng Xu agreed to let Lu Zhao stay with the production team, and the guests visited a cultural street in Dunhuang.
• Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai stayed to watch a folk troupe perform “Farewell My Concubine,” and Qiguan Yuan discussed opera with the troupe leader.
• Qiguan Yuan rewarded the troupe with jade pendants and gold bracelets, then gave the leader a rare manuscript containing long-lost Kunqu scores.
• Livestream viewers recognized the manuscript’s significance, and the Chinese Xiqu Society’s president urged the society to contact the production team and the troupe leader.
• Qiguan Yuan returned to Pei Yubai’s side, and the two walked toward the street entrance.

Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai, and Lu Zhao watched a shadow play about Yue Lao blessing an ill-fated couple, then discussed love and fate with its young performer. After hearing about the boy’s family struggles, Qiguan Yuan reassured him that he was not responsible for his parents’ unhappy marriage and urged him to find his own path.

• Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai, and Lu Zhao sat through a shadow play in which Yue Lao bound a wealthy woman and a poor scholar together for life.
• Lu Zhao and Qiguan Yuan identified the couple as an ill-fated match because the man siphoned away the woman’s fortune, and Qiguan Yuan sent the young performer 800 yuan.
• Qiguan Yuan questioned the boy about the story, and the boy explained that he wrote melodramatic romances to attract audiences and earn money.
• The boy described his parents’ frequent arguments, his guilt about their struggles, and the jobs he had taken to help pay his tuition.
• Qiguan Yuan told the boy that his parents’ marriage was not his fault and encouraged him to pursue other opportunities and build his own future.

At Cidu Temple, Qiguan Yuan discovered a violent, trapped surge of the power of marriage like the eruptions that had led to Yun Yin’s death. As Pei Yubai held his hand, Qiguan Yuan’s anger tightened the Dust-Settling Red Cord, and the group halted at the temple entrance.

• Meng Xu arranged for the guests to visit Cidu Temple after Qiguan Yuan asked to go to a large temple.
• Qiguan Yuan stepped through Cidu Temple’s gate and sensed dense, volatile power of marriage trapped within the temple.
• Qiguan Yuan recognized the surge as the source of the eruptions that had cost Yun Yin much of his cultivation and ultimately contributed to his death.
• The Dust-Settling Red Cord tightened around Qiguan Yuan’s wrist as his anger rose, while Pei Yubai clasped his hand.
• Lu Zhao, the guests, and the livestream viewers sensed Qiguan Yuan’s change in mood, and the group stopped moving toward the temple hall.

Qiguan Yuan and the others investigated Cidu Temple’s suspicious side halls and found monks manipulating worshippers through marriage rituals, threats, and coercion. After Qiguan Yuan intervened to stop a monk from pressuring a young man to fast, the livestream viewers began suspecting the temple was a cult.

• Qiguan Yuan warned Shen Yuzhou and the others not to trust or touch anything related to marriage fate inside Cidu Temple.
• Qiguan Yuan and Lu Zhao watched a monk bind a young couple with a harmful red-cord ritual and demand that the man drip blood onto the knot for forty-nine days.
• Qiguan Yuan and Lu Zhao saw another monk frighten a middle-aged woman with a fake fortune and urge her to become a nun.
• Qiguan Yuan used his Dust-Settling Red Cord to yank a monk away from a young man who had agreed to begin fasting, then helped the man recover.
• Pei Yubai blocked the cameraman’s lens as Qiguan Yuan examined the hideous statue, while livestream viewers reacted with shock and called the temple cult-like.

Qiguan Yuan exposed Cidu Temple’s fraudulent practices and revealed that he was the former Yue Lao, while Lu Zhao was the current one. He bound the corrupt monks and destroyed the temple’s counterfeit divine statues on livestream, leaving viewers stunned.

• Qiguan Yuan questioned the gray-robed monk about the temple’s fabricated guardian Buddha, then shattered its statue with a touch.
• Pei Yubai told Meng Xu to call the police and bring the crew back to filming, while the guests gathered in the courtyard.
• Lu Zhao read from the Marriage Register, exposing how Cidu Temple’s halls had deceived and harmed hundreds of people.
• Qiguan Yuan introduced himself as Yue Lao and identified Lu Zhao as the current Yue Lao, causing the livestream to surge and crash.
• Qiguan Yuan used the Dust-Settling Red Cord to bind the monks and destroy the counterfeit statues and other items throughout Cidu Temple.
• Pei Yubai massaged Qiguan Yuan’s aching wrist as the livestream viewers reacted to what they had witnessed.

Police secured Cidu Temple after exposing its cult, while authorities and fans suppressed reports that Qiguan Yuan was Yue Lao. Qiguan Yuan found evidence linking the temple’s marriage-fate practices to the Tree of Fate’s upheaval and Yun Yin’s destruction.

• Police arrived at Cidu Temple, questioned the worshippers, and took evidence from the victims.
• Meng Xu saw the livestream and trending topics cut off, then posted that Qiguan Yuan’s appearance as Yue Lao had been staged for the show.
• Fans helped control discussion of Qiguan Yuan’s identity, while people on obscure forums sought to buy his red strings.
• Qiguan Yuan found a dated scrap of yellow paper and realized the temple had been gathering the Power of Marriage through its deceptive rituals.
• Qiguan Yuan connected the cult’s actions to the turmoil in the Tree of Fate and the scattering of Yun Yin’s soul as Pei Yubai placed a hand on his shoulder.

After the temple’s false marriage ties were exposed, Lu Zhao coordinated with the police to help identify and correct the victims’ Threads of Fate. Qiguan Yuan rested with Pei Yubai and the others as the investigation concluded, and once the livestream ended, everyone eagerly turned to him.

• Lu Zhao reported that more than forty-six thousand people had been affected by false marriage ties, and Qiguan Yuan told him to prioritize correcting the Threads of Fate of those still alive.
• Qiguan Yuan burned the scrap of yellow paper in the incense burner, then rested in the eastern pavilion while Pei Yubai massaged his strained wrist and held his hand.
• Shen Yuzhou and the others brought Qiguan Yuan water and fans, then cautiously talked with him after seeing him destroy the false statue.
• The police escorted the abbot and the monks involved into police cars, while Lu Zhao gave the officers a USB drive containing information about missing people.
• Meng Xu ended the livestream after a worshipper bowed to Qiguan Yuan, and everyone turned to look eagerly at him.

After Cidu Temple fell quiet, Qiguan Yuan gave red cords to the guests and told Meng Xu that he had no Thread of Fate. Outside the temple, Pei Yubai proposed to Qiguan Yuan, who accepted and joined their rings with their Thread of Fate.

• Lin Yanru asked Qiguan Yuan for red cords, and he tied one around her and Su He'an as a symbol of their relationship.
• The crowd rushed forward for red cords, and Qiguan Yuan let everyone take one for themselves.
• Qiguan Yuan told Meng Xu he had no Thread of Fate and that a romantic red cord would not help him, then asked him to have Chenchen request his own cord when he grew up.
• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai what marriage certificates looked like, then teased him about proposing.
• Pei Yubai knelt and proposed to Qiguan Yuan, who accepted and asked him to put the ring on his finger.
• Qiguan Yuan wound their Thread of Fate around their rings, and the two declared their love before kissing.

Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai made their relationship public, and Pei Yubai asked Qiguan Yuan to marry him when they returned to Jing City. Shen Lingyi sent helicopters to collect them and the production crew, bringing Qiguan Yuan to the Pei Family estate.

• Lin Yanru, Su He'an, Jiang Wantang, and other guests posted photos of their red threads, while Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai shared matching ring photos and handed out red packets on Weibo.
• Pei Yubai held Qiguan Yuan in the tent and asked him to get a marriage certificate after they returned to Jing City, and Qiguan Yuan agreed.
• Shen Lingyi sent a man and three helicopters to pick up Pei Yubai, Qiguan Yuan, and the production crew from the Gobi camp.
• Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan flew with the guests and crew to Jing City, holding hands during the flight.
• The helicopters landed at the Pei Family's private estate, where Shen Lingyi greeted Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan.

Pei Yubai brought Qiguan Yuan to the Pei estate, where Shen Lingyi warmly fussed over him and learned his preferences. After Pei Yubai said they had returned to Jing City to register their marriage, Shen Lingyi began planning their wedding gifts, and Pei Zhongkang welcomed Qiguan Yuan and invited him to play Go.

• Shen Lingyi greeted Qiguan Yuan, worried that he had lost weight and that the desert had dried his face, then teased Pei Yubai for not taking better care of him.
• Shen Lingyi welcomed Shen Yuzhou and Meng Xu, then led the guests through the estate to the main residence.
• Shen Lingyi seated Qiguan Yuan beside Pei Yubai, poured his tea, and asked about his preferences and comfort.
• Pei Yubai told Shen Lingyi that he and Qiguan Yuan had returned to Jing City to register their marriage, prompting her to plan wedding gifts, a new residence, and a honeymoon.
• Pei Zhongkang returned, greeted Qiguan Yuan, invited him to stay longer, and asked to play Go with him.

After exploring the estate, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai shared an intimate evening in the estate's hot spring and bedroom. Pei Yubai tenderly dried Qiguan Yuan's feet, then stopped himself from going further and adjusted his bathrobe.

• Shen Lingyi arranged for the guests to explore the estate, where Jiang Wantang and Ji Shiyu visited the stables, Lin Yanru and Su He'an took photos in the conservatory, and Shen Yuzhou brought Cheng Yanqiu to the golf course.
• Shen Lingyi told Qiguan Yuan he could sleep in Pei Yubai's room and send Pei Yubai to a guest room if he wished.
• Pei Yubai took Qiguan Yuan to the estate's hot spring, where Qiguan Yuan traced his body and told him that it belonged to him; Pei Yubai agreed.
• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai to dry his feet, and Pei Yubai knelt to kiss and carefully towel them.
• Qiguan Yuan teased Pei Yubai with his feet, and Pei Yubai said he liked every part of him before finishing drying both feet.
• Pei Yubai kissed Qiguan Yuan between the brows, straightened his bathrobe, and drew back to keep himself from losing control.

Pei Yubai learned to cook for Qiguan Yuan while his parents welcomed and bonded with their future son-in-law. The next morning, Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan received their marriage certificates, and Pei Yubai proudly showed them off as they left the civil affairs bureau.

• Shen Lingyi supervised Pei Yubai as he learned to cook, and Qiguan Yuan praised the meal he prepared.
• Shen Yuzhou showed Cheng Yanqiu, Jiang Wantang, Ji Shiyu, Lin Yanru, and Su He'an around the renovated estate.
• Pei Zhongkang played Go and drank tea with Qiguan Yuan, then received a peace knot Qiguan Yuan braided for him and Shen Lingyi.
• Pei Yubai drove Qiguan Yuan to the civil affairs bureau, where they took their registration photo and received their marriage certificates.
• Pei Yubai held Qiguan Yuan's hand and raised their marriage certificates as they left the bureau.

After registering their marriage, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai joined the family’s lively wedding-planning preparations before hosting their final livestream. Qiguan Yuan said goodbye to his fans, and the chapter ended with him asleep in the estate while Pei Yubai watched over him.

• Pei Yubai treasured their marriage certificates, and Shen Lingyi gathered the family to plan a seaside wedding, where Qiguan Yuan chose handmade invitations and a moon-white peony bouquet.
• Meng Xu announced that Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai would leave the show after that night and asked the guests to livestream separately for their viewers.
• Qiguan Yuan answered viewers’ questions about love and marriage, urging them to approach relationships with sincerity.
• Zhen Wei called to thank Qiguan Yuan for encouraging her during her cancer treatment, then said goodbye on behalf of the Xiao Yuan Grains; Qiguan Yuan promised their bond would endure until they met again.
• After the livestream, Qiguan Yuan fell asleep, and Pei Yubai covered him with a blanket and messaged Meng Xu about bringing Chenchen to visit another day.

Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai returned to Cloud-Hidden Town to restore Pei Yubai’s divinity as Xiu Yun Yin. After regaining his memories, Pei Yubai embraced Qiguan Yuan, and Qiguan Yuan welcomed him home.

• Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai returned to Cloud-Hidden Town, where Qiguan Yuan summoned Lu Zhao to help restore the Moon Official’s divinity.
• Qiguan Yuan revealed that Pei Yubai was Xiu Yun Yin and used their marriage power to draw the divinity fragments from the Tree of Fate.
• Lu Zhao gathered the scattered fragments, and Pei Yubai’s divinity merged with his soul, restoring his memories.
• Pei Yubai remembered hearing Qiguan Yuan’s words from within the tree during the centuries they were apart and apologized for his suffering.
• Pei Yubai held Qiguan Yuan, who told Xiu Yun Yin, “Welcome home.”

On the eve of their wedding, Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan prepared for the ceremony at Qiguan Yuan’s newly decorated home and admitted their nerves to each other. At dawn, the wedding procession arrived, and Pei Yubai took Qiguan Yuan’s hand as the ceremony began.

• Pei Yubai prepared Qiguan Yuan’s residence for the wedding, laying a path through the woods and decorating the courtyard with new rooms, lanterns, and wedding details.
• Pei Yubai joined Qiguan Yuan beneath the covered walkway, and they held hands as Pei Yubai confessed he was nervous about the long-awaited wedding.
• Before dawn, Pei Yubai dressed Qiguan Yuan in his chosen scarlet wedding robes, and Lu Zhao added a red-thread tassel to his jade crown.
• The wedding procession arrived, led by Shen Yuzhou, Ji Shiyu, Su He'an, Cheng Yanqiu, Meng Xu, and Chenchen, who scattered osmanthus petals over Pei Yubai.
• Pei Yubai rode to the courtyard, dismounted before Qiguan Yuan, and held out his hand; Qiguan Yuan placed his hand in Pei Yubai’s palm.

Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai married beneath the Tree of Fate, binding their names in the Marriage Register and renewing the tree’s faded red threads. After the ceremony, Pei Yubai used his primordial spirit to safeguard their marriage bond, and the main story ended with them together.

• Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan exchanged vows and bowed to heaven and earth, their elders, and each other beneath the Tree of Fate.
• Qiguan Yuan wrote his name in the Marriage Register, and Pei Yubai added his; Qiguan Yuan tied the Dust-Settling Red Cord around their ring fingers, joining their names with a crimson thread.
• The old, faded threads in the Tree of Fate turned red again, and Pei Yubai promised Qiguan Yuan that he would stay with him and keep his word.
• Shen Lingyi excused the newlyweds from making the rounds to offer toasts, and they returned to the rear courtyard.
• Pei Yubai, in the form Qiguan Yuan knew as Xiu Yun Yin, kissed Qiguan Yuan’s ring finger and used his primordial spirit to protect their marriage bond.

Xiu Yun Yin managed the Hall of Fate alone while Qiguan Yuan avoided his duties beneath the Tree of Fate. After the Heavenly Emperor summoned every god to a banquet, Xiu Yun Yin found Qiguan Yuan, and they agreed to attend together.

• Female immortals visited the Hall of Fate and discovered that Yue Lao was the handsome young Xiu Yun Yin, not an old immortal.
• Xiu Yun Yin recalled that Qiguan Yuan had left him to handle the Hall of Fate for ten years, and he warded off curious visitors with a barrier.
• Xiu Yun Yin received the Heavenly Emperor's invitation and contacted Qiguan Yuan, who initially did not recognize him.
• Xiu Yun Yin walked to the Tree of Fate and delivered the invitation to Qiguan Yuan, who was eating candy in the branches.
• Qiguan Yuan asked whether Xiu Yun Yin resented him for neglecting the hall, then suggested they go to the banquet together with Xiu Yun Yin leading the way.

At the Jade Pool banquet, a female immortal mistook Qiguan Yuan for an attendant and asked him to arrange a match, only to learn he was Yue Lao. Qiguan Yuan called Xiu Yun Yin his, and the chapter ended with Xiu Yun Yin accepting the Heavenly Emperor’s description of the Moon Official as one who guards fate—by guarding Qiguan Yuan.

• Xiu Yun Yin and Qiguan Yuan arrived at the Jade Pool banquet, where the immortals assumed Qiguan Yuan was Xiu Yun Yin’s attendant.
• A female immortal offered Xiu Yun Yin a merfolk tear pearl and asked him to tie a Thread of Fate between her and Qiguan Yuan.
• Qiguan Yuan revealed that he was Yue Lao, and the female immortal redirected her request toward Xiu Yun Yin.
• Qiguan Yuan refused the match, telling the female immortal that Xiu Yun Yin was his; Xiu Yun Yin did not correct him.
• Qiguan Yuan explained that he and Xiu Yun Yin had both emerged from the Tree of Fate, and the Heavenly Emperor described the Moon Official as guarding fate.
• Xiu Yun Yin silently accepted that his role was to guard Qiguan Yuan.

At the Heavenly Emperor’s banquet, Ling Xiao challenged Qiguan Yuan and Xiu Yun Yin, but Xiu Yun Yin defeated him with the Plain Radiance Punishment Scythe. When Ling Xiao launched a sneak attack, Qiguan Yuan used the Dust-Settling Red Cord to destroy his arm.

• The immortals watched Qiguan Yuan and Xiu Yun Yin as Ling Xiao grew resentful of their status and approached their table.
• Ling Xiao insulted the two Primordial Gods and challenged Qiguan Yuan to a fight, so Xiu Yun Yin stood to face him instead.
• Xiu Yun Yin summoned the Plain Radiance Punishment Scythe and defeated Ling Xiao in two strikes, shattering his saber and sending him crashing to the ground.
• Ling Xiao drew a concealed short blade and attacked Xiu Yun Yin, but Qiguan Yuan wrapped the Dust-Settling Red Cord around his wrist and turned his left arm to ash.

After the immortal banquet, Xiu Yun Yin began visiting Qiguan Yuan more often, and Qiguan Yuan invited him to live beneath the Tree of Fate. They settled into a shared routine, with Qiguan Yuan claiming Xiu Yun Yin’s bonded scythe as his own to inspect while Xiu Yun Yin began practicing with an ordinary sword.

• Xiu Yun Yin repeatedly visited Qiguan Yuan with errands and treats, and Qiguan Yuan grew accustomed to seeing him.
• Xiu Yun Yin told Qiguan Yuan that female immortals kept bothering him, so Qiguan Yuan invited him to move beneath the Tree of Fate.
• Xiu Yun Yin moved into a house beneath the tree, and Qiguan Yuan hung a bell at its door so they could announce their returns.
• Qiguan Yuan asked Xiu Yun Yin to keep his Plain Radiance Punishment Scythe from everyone else, and Xiu Yun Yin agreed.
• After Qiguan Yuan made the scythe his personal toy, Xiu Yun Yin bought an ordinary iron sword and began practicing with it before dawn.