Definition
A chaotic folk festival where young men scramble to snatch buns from tall towers; the buns are stamped with the longevity character (寿) and the towers are arranged like incense sticks, suggesting a sacrificial undertone.
Seize
A chaotic folk festival where young men scramble to snatch buns from tall towers; the buns are stamped with the longevity character (寿) and the towers are arranged like incense sticks, suggesting a sacrificial undertone.
Story context
Welcome to Shangjing, folks—the crown jewel of Great Liang and the hornet’s nest where the Supervisory Heavenly Office calls home. Our battered little caravan finally rolls through the gates, and the sheer scale of it all is dizzying: thousands of heads, a drum tower you can barely see in the haze, and enough depth of history to make your head spin. But this isn’t a sightseeing trip. Between a bizarre “Seize the Bun Mountain” ritual that stinks of unspoken sacrifice, and an inn-side face-changer who picks the absolute wrong mark to show off, this chapter is a masterclass in **mismatched signals**. Bai Lingmiao is flaunting her new, sword-corrupted boldness—lounging on the cart roof, sassing Li Huowang, threatening to swap out her own eyeballs—while Li Huowang is quietly, desperately checking every corner for threats. And when that actor’s face literally shifts in front of him? The wrong trigger gets pulled, and we’re reminded that this guy is still *this close* to the breaking point. It’s a chapter of gorgeous world-building, a splash of Xianxia street fair, and a slow-burn dread that says: something’s watching, something’s waiting, and Li Huowang is walking right into its nest.
Why it matters
You can practically *hear* the tension in this chapter. On the surface, it’s an almost cozy travel log: new city, local festival, inn with a stage, dinner. But beneath that, every beat is a war drum. Bai Lingmiao’s voice has *completely* shifted—you’ll notice she’s no longer the tentative, ribbon-twirling girl. She’s sharp, she’s brash, she snarks at the locals and calls her own eyes “useless.” That’s the Purple-Tasseled Sword talking through her. Pay attention to how Li Huowang handles her: he’s gentle but firm, pats her head, doesn’t indulge her outbursts—a man trying to manage a ticking bomb he still loves. And his reaction at the end isn’t just PTSD. It’s the inevitable collision between a man trained to see deception in every change and an art form that *celebrates* change. If you’ve read this far, you know this doesn’t end with the actor simply walking away. The Office is here. The rituals are everywhere. And Li Huowang’s trigger finger is *tight*.
Quick facts
Source novel
Dao Gui Yi Xian
First appearance
Shangjing
Chapter references
1
Type hints
Li Huowang, Bai Lingmiao, Shangjing
Guide tags
city arrival, festival chaos, face-changing trigger
Appears in chapters
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