Celestial

Story context

Li Huowang enters a tense negotiation with the persistent fat woman, Lian Zhibei, who offers him a deal he literally cannot walk away from. What starts as a blunt refusal to sell his Immaculate Lifespan turns into a life-altering bargain when she reveals she can remove the Celestial Immortal from Bai Lingmiao. And just as he’s about to say no, the Second Spirit drops a bombshell that makes the choice for him: the Celestial Immortal has been threatening Bai Lingmiao and forcing her to spirit-dance all along. Cue a furious Li Huowang striking the deal on the spot, a paranoid road trip back to the capital, and a final power play at the Supervisory Heavenly Office where he learns that bureaucracy, not monsters, is the real gatekeeper of his reward.

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterclass in *offering a deal the protagonist would be an idiot to refuse.* Lian Zhibei plays it perfectly: she shows up openly (removing suspicion of ambush), picks a public venue with the magistrate’s office across the street (establishing safety), and appeals first to pity before pivoting to the one thing Li Huowang can’t ignore—Miaomiao’s well-being. The true horror here isn’t any monster but the realization that the person you trusted has been hiding a deadly secret from you for your own good. Li Huowang’s fury isn’t at the Immortal; it’s at being kept in the dark. The chapter ends on a brilliantly pragmatic note: he’s learned that in this world, even the reward you’ve rightfully earned can get eroded by bureaucratic middlemen before it ever reaches your hands. *That* is a horror that needs no ghosts.

Quick facts

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Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian