Chapter Summaries

Lynae ordered Crimson Snow and Carlotta to pop a balloon back to back, but Carlotta’s height made the challenge difficult and they failed. Xiao Ling drew a punishment card, and both women tasted their chosen foods while the others sampled the especially foul Hedyotis water.

• Lynae drew an order card and sent Crimson Snow and Carlotta to pop a balloon back to back.
• The group teased Carlotta about the height difference as she struggled to reach the balloon.
• Crimson Snow and Carlotta failed to pop the balloon before time ran out, so Xiao Ling drew a punishment card.
• Carlotta chose canned herring and swallowed a bite despite its overpowering smell, while Crimson Snow drank Hedyotis water.
• The others tried the Hedyotis water and recoiled from its taste, leaving Carlotta desperate for something sweet to wash away the flavor.

Aemeath had Lynae and Cartethyia compete against Sigrika and Dania in a blindfolded watermelon-eating contest, with snake grass water and surströmming as the losing team's punishment. Sigrika and Dania won, and Lynae and Cartethyia endured the foul-tasting punishment before Dania tried the surströmming too.

• Aemeath chose Lynae and Cartethyia to face Sigrika and Dania in a blindfolded watermelon-eating contest.
• Aemeath made the losing team drink snake grass water and eat surströmming, so both teams hurried through the contest.
• Heartfox rang the bell, and Sigrika and Dania's Fruit Team beat Lynae and Cartethyia's Blond Team.
• Lynae and Cartethyia swallowed their punishments, recoiled at the taste, and left to rinse their mouths.
• Dania tried a piece of surströmming and reacted with disgust.

During the King's Game, Chisa and Xiao Ling played the Pocky Game, and Xiao Ling kissed her after she dropped her Pocky. Chisa fled to her room, flustered, while the party continued.

• Dania chose numbers seven and seventeen and drew the Pocky Game command, pairing Chisa with Xiao Ling.
• Chisa remembered how she had first discovered Pocky and realized the game could express feelings between two people.
• Xiao Ling and Chisa began eating opposite ends of a Pocky stick as the others watched and teased them.
• As they drew close, Chisa dropped the last piece of Pocky, and Xiao Ling gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
• Chisa blushed, addressed Xiao Ling as her senior, and hurried back to her room.

Chisa reflected on her love for Xiao Ling and decided to confess through another Pocky game. She and Xiao Ling kissed and spent the night together, leaving Chisa’s feelings openly returned.

• Chisa recalled how Xiao Ling had helped her and realized she had loved him from the beginning.
• Chisa brought Pocky to Xiao Ling’s room and invited him to play another game, with a penalty for the loser.
• Chisa finished her Pocky stick, pushed Xiao Ling onto the bed, and kissed him.
• Chisa declared that Xiao Ling could only look at her and began to undress, but Xiao Ling soon took the lead.
• Chisa embraced Xiao Ling and asked him to make her his, and he agreed.

Roccia found Xiao Ling and Chisa together after they slept late, then spoke privately with Chisa about her relationship with Xiao Ling. Chisa learned that she was the sixth woman in his life.

• Yangyang noticed that Xiao Yu and Chisa were missing from lunch, while Aemeath guessed they had taken their relationship further.
• Roccia went to wake Xiao Ling and Chisa, found them lingering in bed, and sent Xiao Ling to wash up and join the others.
• Roccia checked on Chisa and learned she was sore, then told her about her own relationship with Xiao Ling.
• Chisa asked Roccia how many women Xiao Ling had been with, and Roccia told her she was the sixth.

Phrolova and Funuo Nuo arrived in the Imperial Capital, where Roccia and her students kidnapped them at Xiao Ling’s request. The chapter ended with the two unconscious guests being taken to Xiao Ling’s home.

• Phrolova and Funuo Nuo arrived at the Imperial Capital airport and got into a car driven by Roccia in disguise.
• Phrolova noticed the car was heading the wrong way and discovered Roccia had blocked their phone signal.
• Aemeath knocked Phrolova unconscious, and Funuo Nuo was knocked out as well while Sigrika worried about the kidnapping.
• The previous day, Dania told Xiao Ling that Phrolova would arrive, and Xiao Ling asked Roccia to bring Phrolova and Funuo Nuo to his home.
• Roccia arranged for Professor Morning to make a signal jammer and recruited students to help capture the two guests.

Xiao Ling questioned Phrolova and Funuo Nuo after bringing them to the Imperial Capital, and discovered that the two might share their senses. Xiao Yue arrived and scolded Xiao Ling for mistreating her guests, while Phrolova quietly found comfort in seeing Dania welcomed by a caring family.

• Phrolova and Funuo Nuo awoke tied up, and Xiao Ling untied them despite Rover and Iuno’s objections.
• Xiao Ling questioned the two about Funuo Nuo’s resemblance to Phrolova, their living arrangements, and their concert visit, but they gave few useful answers.
• When Funuo Nuo burned her hand on hot water, Xiao Ling noticed Phrolova react as if she had been burned too and suspected they shared senses.
• Xiao Yue arrived looking for the girls, and Funuo Nuo told her that Xiao Ling had kidnapped them.
• Xiao Yue ordered Dania and Aemeath to help punish Xiao Ling while the others watched, and Phrolova felt warmth seeing Dania among the family.

After Phrolova and her sister left, Xiao Ling and Shorekeeper discussed Funuo Nuo’s origins and her connection to Phrolova. Xiao Ling decided to approach Funuo Nuo carefully and use their relationship to learn how Phrolova was doing.

• Xiao Ling stopped giving Phrolova and her sister a hard time, and his mother escorted them out after glaring at him.
• Shorekeeper kissed Xiao Ling’s cheek to comfort him after he was struck by his mother, then asked why he had been studying Phrolova.
• Xiao Ling told Shorekeeper that Funuo Nuo was an incomplete Phrolova whose frequency was intertwined with more than a thousand frequencies containing information about her.
• Xiao Ling and Shorekeeper concluded that Funuo Nuo might have emerged from the town residents’ wish for Phrolova to have a happy life, much as Singilum had formed from others’ frequencies and an obsession.
• Xiao Ling said he would build a relationship with Funuo Nuo but would not rush to forgive Phrolova or invite her to live with them, given her past and the grudges of Cart and Iuno.

Xiao Ling accompanied Sigrika on a birdwatching trip to Wild Duck Lake, where they photographed birds and shared a playful lunch. After they returned home to edit the photos, Sigrika kissed Xiao Ling, and he carried her to bed, leaving their evening together in progress.

• Sigrika asked Xiao Ling to accompany her birdwatching at Wild Duck Lake, and he accepted.
• Xiao Ling and Sigrika photographed birds at the wetland, and Xiao Ling challenged a courting coo-coo with his own cooing until it flew away.
• Xiao Ling and Sigrika shared lunch, fed each other, and admired the photos they had taken.
• After returning home, Xiao Ling edited the photos while Sigrika watched and saved pictures of him competing with the coo-coo for herself.
• Sigrika kissed Xiao Ling as a reward, and Xiao Ling carried her to bed, where they kissed and began an intimate encounter.

Xiao Ling’s girls grew worried about his week-long exhaustion and suspected a fox spirit was draining him, unaware that he was being worn out by dreams of Heartfox. Cantarella overheard their investigation and decided to use the situation to test her “poison.”

• Xiao Ling woke exhausted after another dream in which Heartfox drained him, and he fell asleep again after wondering whether to ask Qingxiao for help.
• Dania and the other girls discussed Xiao Ling’s worsening fatigue and ruled out a decline in his feelings for them.
• The girls suspected a fox spirit was secretly draining Xiao Ling and reviewed their shared schedule for giving him time to rest.
• Iuno said she had seen Cantarella enter Xiao Ling’s room alone late at night, and Roccia agreed to investigate her.
• Cantarella overheard the conversation and decided to use the opportunity to test her “poison.”

Yangyang and the others investigated Xiao Ling’s worsening fatigue and suspected that a Resonator was disturbing his dreams. Qingxiao revealed that Heartfox, Xin, had been draining Xiao Ling’s yang essence, and Xin planned to explain herself when the truth came out.

• Yangyang made nourishing soup for Xiao Ling, and Dania asked her to teach her how to cook meals for Ling.
• Cantarella told Roccia that Xiao Ling’s exhaustion seemed mental rather than physical and suggested someone might be controlling his dreams.
• Aemeath, Chisa, and Sigrika suspected Heartfox after hearing Xiao Ling mumble about Sister Fox in his sleep.
• Qingxiao told them they lacked evidence linking Heartfox to Xiao Ling’s condition, but promised to intervene if his health worsened.
• After the others left, Qingxiao confronted Xin, who transformed into her humanlike form and admitted that Xiao Ling’s yang essence had broken her bodily restriction and that she was punishing him for his past rudeness.

After Xiao Ling woke feeling weak, Dania fed him snow fungus soup made with a potion from Cantarella, and he quickly regained his strength. At dinner, the women celebrated his recovery and loaded his bowl with food while Cantarella continued observing the potion’s side effects.

• Dania woke Xiao Ling and gave him snow fungus soup she had made with sweetened osmanthus from Sister Xiao Xue.
• Xiao Ling learned that Dania had added a qi-and-blood-nourishing potion from Sister Cantarella to his bowl, then recovered enough to get out of bed.
• Yangyang told Xiao Ling that Dania had made three batches of soup before getting it right and invited him to dinner.
• The women welcomed Xiao Ling back and took turns filling his bowl with nourishing food and drink.
• Cantarella watched Xiao Ling at dinner and decided she needed more time to observe the potion’s side effects.

After Xiao Ling and Dania discovered the special medicine’s side effect, its effects drew Aemeath, Chisa, Roccia, Sigrika, and Cantarella into the chaos in Xiao Ling’s room. A few days later, Cantarella recorded a warning about the medicine’s unpredictable effects in her experiment notebook.

• Dania admitted she had tasted the special-medicine tremella soup, and Xiao Ling realized its effects were beginning to affect her.
• Dania’s desire intensified, and Xiao Ling took her to bed to help her.
• Aemeath and Chisa came to check on Xiao Ling, but he pulled them into the room as the medicine’s effects took hold.
• Roccia hurried to Xiao Ling’s room after Aemeath’s message, but Xiao Ling pulled her inside too.
• Cantarella arrived last, and Xiao Ling turned to her after Sigrika succumbed to the medicine’s effects.
• A few days later, Cantarella wrote in her notebook that the medicine magnified a subconscious desire for an unpredictable duration and should be used cautiously.

Xiao Ling woke after a day and night to find Heartfox in his bed, and she teased him about their recent intimacy. The chapter left him facing Jinhsi’s shocked belief that Heartfox was his wife after Heartfox kissed him in front of her.

• Xiao Ling woke feeling exhausted and discovered Heartfox hiding naked beneath his covers.
• Heartfox said she had regained strength, could sense everything in the residence, and had spent the day reading romance stories.
• Heartfox playfully restrained Xiao Ling as he tried to dress before someone reached his room.
• Jinhsi entered with soup and found Heartfox in Xiao Ling’s bed.
• Heartfox kissed Xiao Ling and claimed they were married, prompting Jinhsi to flee in shock.
• Xiao Ling blamed Heartfox for the misunderstanding while she admitted she had miscalculated.

Xiao Ling helped Heartfox obtain a household registration and phone in the Imperial Capital, then spent the day exploring the city with her. They ended their outing with a stack of sticker photos decorating Heartfox’s phone and headed home together, still bickering playfully.

• Xiao Ling and Heartfox arranged her identity using her illusions and Xiao Ling’s Data Hacking ability.
• Xiao Ling explained the importance of an ID card and planned to get Heartfox a phone and SIM card.
• Heartfox sampled street food and pulled Xiao Ling into a sticker photo booth, where they took several pictures together.
• Heartfox decorated her new phone with their sticker photos and said the pictures would remind her of their time together.
• Xiao Ling and Heartfox walked home while joking and arguing about her life as a fox.

Jinhsi acted on Changli’s advice and boldly kissed Xiao Ling, while Heartfox and Qingxiao watched from elsewhere and discussed Jinhsi’s character and their own complicated feelings. The chapter left Xiao Ling caught off guard by Jinhsi’s advance, as Heartfox teased Qingxiao about her feelings for her disciple.

• Xiao Ling finished writing and hid his work when Jinhsi came to his room late at night.
• Changli noticed Jinhsi’s low spirits after she witnessed Heartfox and Xiao Ling together, then urged her to seize the initiative in love.
• Jinhsi visited Xiao Ling at night and kissed him before they could have the intimate conversation he expected.
• Heartfox and Qingxiao discussed Jinhsi’s devotion to Jinzhou City and Heartfox’s role in encouraging her to act.
• Heartfox teased Qingxiao about her feelings for her disciple, while Qingxiao denied feeling anything beyond their master-disciple bond.

Jinhsi took the initiative with Xiao Ling, but he paused when he sensed she was not ready and reassured her that he would wait. After clearing up her jealousy over Heartfox and easing her fears, they shared a mutual kiss and moved forward together.

• Jinhsi kissed Xiao Ling and pinned him to the bed, but Xiao Ling stopped when he sensed her trembling and told her he was willing to wait.
• Jinhsi asked whether Xiao Ling liked her, and he reassured her before explaining that Heartfox’s claim that they were married had been a misunderstanding.
• Xiao Ling told Jinhsi that Heartfox had been draining his energy in his dreams, and Jinhsi realized her jealousy had been misplaced.
• Jinhsi admitted she had feared Xiao Ling would stop paying attention to her as other girls gathered around him, and Xiao Ling answered by having them feel their synchronized heartbeats.
• Feeling reassured and ready, Jinhsi kissed Xiao Ling again, and he accepted her affection as they continued their intimate encounter.

Xiao Ling took the girls to the Great Wall, where they discussed its history and construction while enjoying the landmark. The group then gathered for a photo as their Imperial Capital trip neared its end.

• Dania complained about the heat, and Cartethyia sent a strong gust of wind before gently cooling her down.
• Aemeath asked Xiao Ling about the Great Wall’s length, construction, and route, and he explained its history and the challenges of walking along it.
• Jinhsi, Heartfox, and Xiao Ling discussed the Great Wall’s purpose, the Qin Dynasty’s construction efforts, and the human labor behind its legacy.
• Heartfox said she would have used mechanical puppets to reduce the workers’ burden if she had helped build the wall.
• Xiao Ling ended the history discussion and arranged a group photo with Aemeath, Heartfox, and Jinhsi.

Sigrika and Dania encountered friendly birds on the Great Wall, while Roccia and the others teased Lynae about her reputation as a reckless, troublesome student. The group’s outing ended with Lynae admitting she was wrong as the women shared a laugh.

• Sigrika caught a kestrel that dived at her, took its picture, and released it.
• Dania let a magpie perch in her palm, and Roccia gave it crumbs of bread.
• Lynae gossiped about Xixi and Xiao Ling, prompting the others to recall Heartfox’s earlier fight with them and how Xiao Ling later settled matters.
• Dania, Sigrika, and Roccia teased Lynae about her fan-made image, academy disciplinary record, and reckless driving.
• Lynae dropped to her knees and begged them to stop, admitting she had been wrong.

Yangyang worried that Xiao Ling would choose another girl, so Suisui and Cartethyia helped her plan how to win his attention. The chapter ended with Cartethyia revealing that Aemeath and the others were already eager to pursue their own chances.

• Yangyang watched Hajiling among the other girls and confided her worries to Suisui.
• Suisui reassured Yangyang that Xiao Ling was giving the girls a fair chance and reminded her of the pillow-fight prize.
• Cartethyia told Yangyang and Suisui that their final trip stop would be Qiongzhou, known for its beaches.
• Suisui suggested choosing swimsuits to attract Xiao Ling's attention, and Cartethyia proposed a more aggressive plan.
• Yangyang resisted Cartethyia's plan until Cartethyia warned that Aemeath and the others were already eager to make their moves.