Stainless

Story context

Li Huowang finally has a plan, but it comes with a price tag that makes his eyeballs sweat. After learning that the Buddhist relic to save Bai Lingmiao’s sight costs a staggering four hundred Yang-Life Pills (and the Dharma Eye is even more expensive at five hundred), our broke protagonist heads straight to the Supervisory Heavenly Office’s job board. He’s not here to make friends—he wants the highest-paying gig available. And that, dear readers, is where things get interesting. He bypasses the tempting Zuowandao bounties (too much baggage, he’s learned his lesson) and zeros in on a mysterious entry: **Spirit Perversion**. The reward is juicy, but the job description is a terrifying lottery ticket. The chapter ends on a surprisingly peaceful note—a month and a half later, with Bai Lingmiao washing clothes by a riverside, tapping a bamboo pole in front of her. The calm before the storm.

Why it matters

This chapter is a classic *preparation arc* with an emotional gutpunch twist. The plot is simple: Li Huowang needs money, takes a dangerous job. But the execution is all about cost. The staggering gap between the *four pills* Li Zhi once had and the *four hundred* Li Huowang needs now visually represents how far he’s fallen into this world’s economy. He’s no longer a novice scraping by—he’s a veteran who understands the value of human life, and it’s terrifyingly expensive.

Quick facts

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Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian