Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun pressured the injured Senior Brother Rulai to offer something tangible in exchange for helping him escape the King of Huainan’s Household’s territory. After Senior Brother Rulai tried to bewitch them with a secret Incantation, Zhang Xuezhou demanded that he teach it before they continued.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun refused to treat information about the Yin-Yang Sacred Land or Li Shaojun’s ancestor as sufficient payment for helping Senior Brother Rulai.
• As the group rode through the night, Senior Brother Rulai secretly used an Incantation on them, but Zhang Xuezhou detected and broke it, leaving Rulai suffering backlash.
• Senior Brother Rulai apologized and offered to reveal information about the Yin-Yang secret place if they took him away from the nearby great cultivators.
• Zhang Xuezhou dismissed the offer and rode onward, while Li Shaojun rose into the air and Rong Tianding followed.
• Senior Brother Rulai revealed that Emperor Qin had tampered with the Yin-Yang Sacred Land and that entering it might require an emperor to perform the Feng and Shan ceremony on Mount Tai.
• Zhang Xuezhou demanded that Senior Brother Rulai teach him the Incantation he had used, then bound the painting demon so it could not interrupt.

Senior Brother Rulai explained his Soul-Seizing Incantation to Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun as they traveled, then parted ways with them. Left injured and carrying Great Sage Water Ape in his alms bowl, he was ambushed by Tian Jiu, who sought to seize the Law Treasure.

• Senior Brother Rulai described the Soul-Seizing Incantation and its limitations, while Zhang Xuezhou considered studying it and Li Shaojun remained wary of the Western Sect.
• Senior Brother Rulai told Li Shaojun that his sect had found no news of Li Shaojun's household's old ancestor, and Li Shaojun rode away.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Senior Brother Rulai he understood his choices but would not bear their consequences, then left with Rong Tianding after traveling with him for nearly an hour.
• Senior Brother Rulai found Great Sage Water Ape struggling inside his alms bowl and debated whether to kill him or preserve the Yin-Yang School cultivation technique.
• Tian Jiu attacked Senior Brother Rulai from underground and then from the air, injuring him and demanding the alms-bowl Law Treasure.

Tian Jiu ambushed Senior Brother Rulai to seize the alms bowl containing Great Sage Water Ape, but Rulai endured the attack and killed him with True Solar Fire. Rulai reclaimed the bowl and traveled west, still considering Tian Jiu’s claims about the Beast Taming Sect and Yin-Yang School.

• Tian Jiu attacked Senior Brother Rulai with his Heaven and Earth Twin Swords and demanded the Law Treasure and Great Sage Water Ape.
• Senior Brother Rulai endured repeated sword strikes while Tian Jiu wore down his golden defenses and stabbed him in the chest.
• Tian Jiu saw Great Sage Water Ape inside the alms bowl and reached for it, but Senior Brother Rulai seized him and engulfed them both in True Solar Fire.
• Senior Brother Rulai burned Tian Jiu to death, removed the swords from his body, and suppressed Great Sage Water Ape inside the alms bowl.
• Senior Brother Rulai reflected on Tian Jiu’s claims about the Beast Taming Sect and Yin-Yang School, then traveled west.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding returned to Chang'an and reunited with Xu Yuan, who had earned respect with a bountiful millet harvest. As Zhang Xuezhou discussed his missing village and the possibility that its people had been seized for corvée labor, someone nearby reacted to the conversation.

• Zhang Qian arranged to travel to Xiong State with Wu Chao, who said he needed seven days in seclusion before they could leave.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding visited Xu Yuan, whom they found harvesting a successful millet crop outside Chang'an.
• Xu Yuan explained how his farming advice and careful preparation had produced a harvest of about eight shi, earning him respect among the local farmers.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Xu Yuan that his village had disappeared and considered Xu Yuan's suggestion that its people might have been taken for corvée labor.
• Someone in the crowd frowned after overhearing Zhang Xuezhou and Xu Yuan discuss the missing villagers and major construction projects.

The new emperor inspected the harvest and living conditions outside Chang'an while weighing reports of injustice against Chancellor Wei Wan. As the emperor returned to the city, Li Guang remained unsure whether the people had enough food and asked Zhang Xuezhou for his opinion.

• The disguised new emperor visited the fields outside Chang'an, where crops cultivated by the Agricultural Sect had yielded a strong harvest.
• Li Guang considered the political efforts to remove Wei Wan and the cases of wrongful convictions brought forward by the Palace of Peace and Happiness.
• The new emperor asked Li Guang whether the people outside the city had enough food and whether they could be mobilized in wartime.
• Li Guang admitted he could not tell, then guessed that the people probably had enough to eat, and the emperor headed back toward Chang'an.
• Li Guang caught up with Zhang Xuezhou and asked whether he thought the people outside the city had enough to eat.

Zhang Xuezhou and Xu Yuan discussed the harvest and the people’s food supply, then planned a seed-selling business to help them establish themselves in Chang’an City. They left the chapter preparing to store and sell selected millet seeds, with Zhang Xuezhou funding the venture, Xu Yuan handling cultivation and storage, and Rong Tianding buying and selling grain.

• Li Guang asked Zhang Xuezhou how he should answer the emperor’s question about whether people outside the city had enough to eat, and Zhang Xuezhou advised judging by conditions after winter.
• Xu Yuan said the harvest should keep people from starving, but explained that limited crops and the lack of winter growing options made food supplies precarious.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested that Xu Yuan select superior millet and sell it as seed, arguing that customers would pay more for reliable seed.
• Xu Yuan raised concerns about costs and restrictions on grain dealing, and Zhang Xuezhou proposed buying and selling grain while setting suitable seed aside.
• Zhang Xuezhou, Xu Yuan, and Rong Tianding agreed to launch the seed business, with Zhang Xuezhou providing money, Xu Yuan managing expertise and storage, and Rong Tianding running errands.

Zhang Xuezhou, Xu Yuan, and Rong Tianding started trading grain at their new stall in Chang'an, buying millet from farmers and reselling it. They met Sang Hongyang, a young buyer who purchased their stock and proposed a larger, ongoing business.

• Zhang Xuezhou rented a stall for Three Brothers' Good Grain and Materials Stall, and Xu Yuan brought millet to sell.
• Rong Tianding found price differences between grain sellers across the market, so Zhang Xuezhou sent him and Xu Yuan to buy millet cheaply for resale.
• Sang Hongyang arrived at the stall and offered to buy all the millet at twelve banliang coins per shi.
• Zhang Xuezhou chatted with Sang Hongyang and tested his arithmetic with several number problems.
• Rong Tianding and Xu Yuan delivered their grain to Sang Hongyang, earning a profit, and Sang Hongyang sought a long-term partnership with the stall.

After Zhang Xuezhou’s new grain shop made a quick profit, he learned that the court was recruiting talent and submitted a conspicuously brief recommendation slip seeking office. He left convinced his path to becoming an official had begun.

• Xu Yuan marveled at the profit from reselling millet, while Zhang Xuezhou explained that Sang Hongyang was likely moving grain through official channels.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Xu Yuan and Rong Tianding not to imitate Sang Hongyang’s business and advised them to stick to buying small lots of grain.
• Xu Yuan and Rong Tianding took the money and went to find more farmers selling millet, while Zhang Xuezhou watched the shop.
• Zhang Xuezhou overheard people discussing the court’s recruitment of worthy and talented people and decided to seek a minor official post.
• Zhang Xuezhou wrote a bamboo-strip recommendation reading “Seeking office, Dongfang Shuo,” delivered it to the Jingzhao Intendant’s office, and left satisfied.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed arithmetic and millet trading with Sang Hongyang, who explained the many vacant government posts and how donations could secure sinecures. Zhang Xuezhou remained interested in entering official service but could not afford to buy a position.

• Sang Hongyang bought millet from Zhang Xuezhou and repeatedly asked him for arithmetic problems, which Zhang Xuezhou supplied.
• Sang Hongyang asked why Zhang Xuezhou was running a shop, and Zhang Xuezhou told him he had submitted a self-recommendation to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant.
• Sang Hongyang explained that the court had over a thousand vacancies after a crackdown following the late emperor's death.
• Sang Hongyang advised Zhang Xuezhou that donating money could secure a sinecure and described the sums required to approach high-ranking officials or enter the palace.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Sang Hongyang had donated money to become an imperial palace attendant, but he could not afford to donate for a post himself.

After learning that his first application for an official post had failed, Zhang Xuezhou followed Sang Hongyang’s advice and prepared to apply again with different handwriting. He returned to the market stall unsure whether he could take up a post even if selected, since he might soon need to rest.

• Sang Hongyang told Zhang Xuezhou that his name was missing from the first batch of minor officials and suggested his handwriting might have hurt his application.
• Sang Hongyang showed Zhang Xuezhou his own handwriting, and Zhang copied its style on a bamboo slip before deciding to submit another application.
• While Zhang Xuezhou was away, Sang Hongyang counted millet and calculated discrepancies in the market’s measures of weight and volume.
• Zhang Xuezhou and his companions completed the grain exchange, and Sang Hongyang left with the cart and payment.
• Rong Tianding complained that Zhang Xuezhou had not been selected, while Zhang said he expected better luck with his second application.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered that he might soon need to rest and could be unable to report for duty even if the second application succeeded.

Wei Shao'er found Zhang Xuezhou at his millet stall and begged him to help with her dangerous pregnancy, offering wealth and resources in return. After learning that she planned to fake her death after giving birth, Zhang reconsidered and accepted that she might be a benefactor.

• Wei Shao'er arrived at Zhang Xuezhou's stall and ordered her coachman, Chen Fu, to buy all the millet and give it away to passersby.
• Zhang Xuezhou resisted Wei Shao'er's pleas, reminding her that her previous troubles had nearly gotten him and his older male cousin killed.
• Wei Shao'er revealed that Chen Zhang was bewitched by her and supplied her with meat and pills, and she asked Zhang to deliver her baby and stop her bleeding.
• Wei Shao'er explained that she would take a Breath-Concealing Pill after giving birth and fake her death to sever her ties to the prince's residence and imperial palace.
• Zhang Xuezhou reconsidered Wei Shao'er's offer and decided she could count as a benefactor whose fortune might help him.

Zhang Xuezhou agreed to help Wei Shao'er one last time and accepted Deer Fetus Pills as a deposit, while she prepared to endure the months until childbirth. After she left, Huo Zhongru questioned Zhang Xuezhou about her, leaving him puzzled about the young man's intentions.

• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to cooperate with Wei Shao'er after she swore not to cause him trouble again.
• Wei Shao'er gave Zhang Xuezhou a bottle of Deer Fetus Pills and left after making a preliminary agreement.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided that he, Rong Tianding, and Xu Yuan would use the pills rather than sell or barter them.
• Huo Zhongru asked Zhang Xuezhou whether Wei Shao'er had been riding in a marquis's carriage, then left without explaining why he wanted to know.
• Zhang Xuezhou speculated that Huo Zhongru had admired Wei Shao'er and decided to seek medical texts before helping deliver her baby.

After returning to reality, Zhang Xuezhou studied childbirth techniques and noticed that his Gene Power had grown stronger. Ren Anran returned to Western Capital City and headed to the institute to discuss something with him, while Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian debated his romantic prospects and their parents’ marriage pressure.

• Zhang Xuezhou left his Chang'an market stall to Rong Tianding and Xu Yuan, then asked Zhang Manqian for materials on delivering babies.
• Zhang Xuezhou read Zhang Manqian’s book on traditional delivery techniques and sensed that his Gene Power had increased since his previous replenishment.
• Zhang Manqian warned that Zhang Xuezhou’s Tuer God and Whispers with Exotic Beasts might not suit Alliance States journals, and Ren Anran called to say she had returned to Western Capital City.
• Ren Anran set off for the B13 Research Institute to meet Zhang Xuezhou in person.
• Zhang Manqian suggested Ren Anran as a romantic prospect, but Zhang Xuezhou rejected the idea and urged her to deflect their parents’ marriage pressure by talking about divorce.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian stopped their discussion when Ren Anran arrived at the institute and honked her car horn.

Ren Anran brought back Ren Yisheng and Huang in Spirit Jade, and Zhang Xuezhou discussed Ren Yisheng’s childlike form and Huang’s place among them. Huang offered to use Divine Descent to improve their fighting ability, leaving Zhang Xuezhou considering how the newcomers to Qinmeng could benefit from it.

• Ren Anran showed Zhang Xuezhou two pieces of Spirit Jade, and Ren Yisheng appeared in the form of a child.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested that Ren Yisheng use the Aging Technique to look older, though it would not change his height.
• Ren Anran explained that Huang had helped them obtain the Spirit Jade and wanted a body like Ren Yisheng’s in exchange for joining them.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked what Huang could offer, and Ren Yisheng returned from speaking with Huang to describe his Divine Descent ability.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered using Huang’s ability to help Zhang Manqian, Wang Li, and the others survive in Qinmeng.

Zhang Xuezhou and the others tested Huang’s Divine Descent by having him control Zhang Manqian, and he demonstrated formidable combat skills. Huang discovered that Zhang Manqian’s body contained two sources of consciousness, including a dead Hongku, leaving Zhang Xuezhou wondering how an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon could have perished.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained Huang’s potential to Zhang Manqian, who agreed to let him control her body.
• Huang took fifteen seconds to possess Zhang Manqian and told the group that her consciousness would remain adrift while he controlled her.
• Huang demonstrated rapid, powerful ancient martial techniques through Zhang Manqian’s body.
• Huang ended the demonstration early and returned to the Spirit Jade after finding that two sources of consciousness made her body unusually difficult to control.
• Ren Yisheng explained that Zhang Manqian contained a dead, chaotic Hongku consciousness, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to question how an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon could die.

Zhang Xuezhou considered the hidden presence inside Zhang Manqian and learned that Huang could not remove it, though Huang promised Yu could. Zhang Manqian recovered with a new feel for combat, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to help Huang find Yu in exchange for future help.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked whether Huang could remove the source of consciousness inside Zhang Manqian, and Ren Yisheng relayed that Huang could only destroy everything completely.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered asking Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds for help, then set the matter aside as Zhang Manqian recovered from her ordeal.
• Zhang Manqian tested her Gene Fighting Techniques and close-combat moves, finding that Huang had left her with a feel that made them flow more smoothly.
• Zhang Xuezhou expressed dissatisfaction through Ren Yisheng as part of negotiating with Huang.
• Huang promised to resolve their bodily problems and kill the presence inside Zhang Manqian if they helped him find Yu, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed.

Ren Yisheng advised Zhang Xuezhou to temper his aggressive temperament by acting absurdly, and Ren Anran helped him practice boasting. The lesson left Ren Anran worrying about her age and resolving to improve her strength and develop better Life-series potions.

• Ren Yisheng had Ren Anran tell Zhang Xuezhou that his aggressive temperament could make it difficult for him to get along with others.
• Ren Anran explained that Zhang Xuezhou could conceal that temperament by behaving absurdly, and he asked her how to practice.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried a boast about meeting Ren Anran in a previous life, then put an arm around her while attempting to act absurdly.
• Ren Anran questioned Zhang Xuezhou about a supposed woman in white, and he admitted that she had appeared only in a dream.
• After leaving Zhang Xuezhou's study, Ren Anran worried that he was younger and resolved to stabilize her strength and develop better Life-series potions.

Ren Anran revealed that she had copied Tur People technical documents while serving as sacrificial saintess, and Zhang Xuezhou helped her consider how to use them. The group discussed family expectations and a possible expedition to Qinmeng, which Zhang Xuezhou agreed to join if he could rest safely on the journey.

• Ren Anran told Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng that she had copied classified Tur People technical documents, and Zhang Xuezhou reassured her that the documents could be traded or used.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the documents had value despite being mostly middle- and lower-tier technologies, and Ren Yisheng came to view him more favorably.
• Ren Yisheng asked Zhang Manqian whether she had someone she liked, and she said she had urged her parents to divorce so they would stop pressuring her to marry.
• Ren Yisheng decided to respect young people's freedom to love and marry, then listened as Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran discussed traveling to Qinmeng to join Ren Wuyang.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to take part in exploring Qinmeng if he could lie down safely for twelve days on the journey.

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Wang Li to prepare for investments in communications manufacturing, drawing on the Tuer Clan's Class B data and Luo Gaogao's plans for satellite communications. He also told Wang Li they planned to travel to Qinmeng in a month or two, giving Wang Li a chance to pursue the exotic beasts needed for his Gene Fighting Technique.

• Wang Li warned Zhang Xuezhou that expanding their visual-device factory and investing in manufacturing could waste their money, since they had sold fewer than a thousand devices.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Luo Gaogao, Jiang Feng, and others could help open opportunities in communications, and that the Tuer Clan's Class B data could support their research and development.
• Wang Li agreed to find struggling communications equipment manufacturers for them to acquire, and promised to work on it with Song Fengying.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Wang Li to prepare for a trip to Qinmeng in about a month or two.
• Wang Li welcomed the trip because hunting exotic beasts could let him obtain blood serum for the Zhou Household's Gene Fighting Technique.

Changkong Yinglian interpreted The Smiling, Proud Wanderer as an allegory for the political struggle in Western Capital City and proposed asking its writer to imagine Zuo Lengchan winning without becoming stronger. Changkong Yinghao agreed to try her idea, though he doubted fiction could offer a reliable solution.

• Changkong Yinglian watched her scenes as Abbess Dingxian and concluded that the drama reflected political factions and power struggles.
• Changkong Yinglian compared the Mount Song Sect to their own faction and identified Yue Buqun with whoever had leaked information about Luo Burang.
• Changkong Yinglian speculated that Genas had taken Luo Gaogao to develop advanced life potions and bargain with Mengtesi Badun.
• Changkong Yinglian argued that unstable genetic research could hurt potential allies and asked how to make the Mount Song Sect win.
• Changkong Yinglian suggested asking the writer to make Zuo Lengchan the protagonist and devise a victory without changing his strength.
• Changkong Yinghao doubted the idea but, unable to propose another solution, agreed to follow Changkong Yinglian's advice.