Chapter Summaries

Lu Ban learned from the Divine Cherry Tree how Amber was sacrificed and how her suffering became the purifying fire that protected Harmony Island. As the miko sent him away, Lu Ban realized Amber had left him a final message of hope, and he glimpsed her watching him across time.

• The Divine Cherry Tree told Lu Ban that the mikos drugged Amber, bound her, and burned her alive to create the purifying fire that protected Harmony Island.
• The miko explained that Amber had endured despair and resentment but kept calling Lu Ban’s name, and her last words before it were “I’m sorry.”
• The Divine Cherry Tree revealed that Amber’s final wish was for Lu Ban to live, and Lu Ban laughed in grief as he understood her message.
• The miko sent Lu Ban away, and he reflected that Amber’s hope had sustained Harmony Island and perhaps guided the purifying-fire arrow to Song Island.
• Lu Ban saw a smiling figure of Amber waving to him and answered, “You saw me.”

After completing his task in Harmony Island, Lu Ban returned home and reunited with Feng Yu and Laika. Feng Yu explained that the Otherworld’s civilizations were all moving toward pollution and ruin, while Lu Ban found comfort in her embrace and recognized that he had truly entered the Otherworld.

• The system declared Lu Ban’s task complete, awarded him 86,000 Silence Points and the item Spring No War, and welcomed him back to The Silent Land.
• Lu Ban reflected on the sacrifices required to survive in the Otherworld and considered the unknown truth behind Night Country’s Gray Tower and magic.
• Lu Ban found Feng Yu cooking at home, then washed up, greeted Laika, and shared a meal with her.
• Feng Yu told Lu Ban that every Otherworld was heading toward pollution and described civilizations destroyed despite abandoning everything to survive.
• Lu Ban laughed uncontrollably, and Feng Yu comforted him with an embrace before he joked that she had used his shampoo and body wash.
• Feng Yu offered Lu Ban another hug, and he accepted, realizing that he had truly set foot in the Otherworld.

Lu Ban decided to take a break at Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital and arranged a stay with Doctor Hao. He arrived safely, but asked to room with the severely ill patients so he could talk with them and gather material.

• Lu Ban called Doctor Hao late at night and asked whether the hospital had a bed for him.
• The next day, Lu Ban told his nervous cab driver that he was going to be hospitalized and directed him along a quicker route.
• Lu Ban startled the driver by addressing Amber as if she were in the empty back seat, then entered the hospital with Doctor Hao.
• Lu Ban told Doctor Hao he wanted to chat with patients, gather material, and perhaps help treat them, so Doctor Hao assigned him to the severe-illness ward.

Lu Ban entertained the severe-illness ward patients with dramatic stories and discussed their supposed pasts with Doctor Hao. After Lu Ban left for his nap holding an invisible hand, Doctor Hao worried that people in the film industry might blame him for Lu Ban’s condition.

• Lu Ban ate breakfast with the other patients and felt at home among them.
• During recreation time, Lu Ban told stories that captivated the patients until the session ended.
• A young nurse worried that Lu Ban was influencing the patients, but Doctor Hao dismissed her concern.
• Lu Ban told Doctor Hao that several patients’ stories deserved to be included in a textbook, and Doctor Hao asked him to spare him.
• Lu Ban headed back to his ward while holding an invisible hand, leaving Doctor Hao unsettled.

Painter Bi Jia entered Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital to seek artistic inspiration and encountered Lu Ban leading a group of patients. After Lu Ban guided him through a drawing exercise, Bi Jia created a disturbing yet soothing portrait and realized it showed an empty chair across from him.

• Bi Jia wandered from the mild-symptom area into the severe-symptom area after finding the patients he met too ordinary for inspiration.
• He joined a group listening to Lu Ban tell a story and recognized the filmmaker, whose wristband marked him as a severe-symptom patient.
• Lu Ban spoke with Bi Jia about a painting he wanted to create and gave him a sketchbook and pen for a guided drawing exercise.
• Bi Jia drew a seated, indistinct figure surrounded by unsettling tentacles and slime, while the image also eased his melancholy.
• Bi Jia noticed that the chair depicted in his drawing stood across from him and was empty.

Bi Jia learned from Lu Ban and found inspiration among the patients at the psychiatric hospital, only to discover that he had been cured. Lu Ban returned home and received a new task: release a film-universe work and win three world-class awards.

• Bi Jia stayed at the psychiatric hospital, learned from Lu Ban, and drew paintings inspired by the patients’ raw emotions.
• Bi Jia worried that he was losing his mind because he felt at ease among the severe-ward patients, but a doctor’s tests showed he was completely cured.
• Bi Jia studied his new paintings and felt they could bring peace and healing to modern audiences.
• Lu Ban decided he had rested enough and completed the procedures to leave the hospital.
• Lu Ban opened the Spring No War folder, then saw a system task requiring him to release a film-universe work and obtain three world-class awards.
• Lu Ban considered the difficulty of winning prestigious awards as a successful commercial director and resolved to work hard.

Lu Ban prepared a literary film based on his and Amber’s journey, finishing the storyboards before New Year’s Eve. During a New Year’s feast with Feng Yu and Qin Tiantian, Qin Tiantian noticed that food placed in the extra bowls disappeared, though she chose not to ask about it.

• Lu Ban reviewed award-winning films and concluded that Spring No War had the elements needed to succeed as a literary film.
• After checking festival schedules, Lu Ban completed the storyboards in three days and consulted Laika, the Gray Fog, the Lan Lan Lu doll, and Air Friend about his choices.
• Qin Tiantian stayed in Jiangcheng for New Year’s Eve and joined Lu Ban and Feng Yu in preparing a lavish meal.
• Lu Ban set out eight sets of bowls and chopsticks, and Feng Yu and Lu Ban served food into the empty bowls as they ate.
• Qin Tiantian saw the food in an empty bowl disappear and decided to pretend she had not noticed.

After New Year, Lu Ban announced that Silent Media would make a warm, healing art film and aim for the Palme d'Or, Golden Bear, and Golden Lion. His employees questioned the tight schedule, but the footage he showed them from Harmony Island began to win them over.

• Bai Qiquan met his girlfriend's parents after receiving a large bonus, and he relaxed after drinking with her father.
• Lu Ban gave Silent Media's employees New Year's red envelopes and announced a new film project.
• Lu Ban said the film would target the Palme d'Or, Golden Bear, and Golden Lion, surprising his employees.
• An employee pointed out that the film had to be submitted by the end of March, leaving little time to make it.
• Lu Ban brought everyone to the screening room and showed scenic and character footage from Harmony Island, where Bai Qiquan saw cherry blossoms drifting across the screen.

Lu Ban showed Silent Media employees footage for his new art film and described it as a story of tenderness, growth, and healing, leaving them doubtful about his change in direction. After watching the uploaded footage over several days, Bai Qiquan found the story unexpectedly moving, while Lu Ban kept footage of Amber’s final moments for himself to handle.

• Lu Ban showed employees a short seaside clip and explained that the film would focus on tenderness, growth, healing, love, and hope.
• Silent Media employees questioned Lu Ban’s change from horror films to an art film, then speculated about his motives in their group chats.
• Lu Ban uploaded the original footage to the server and assigned preliminary editing work.
• Bai Qiquan watched the footage for nearly six days and found the story tender and moving, ending by declaring Amber was his wife.
• Lu Ban opened footage of Amber’s final moments on his home computer and prepared to handle it personally.

Lu Ban reviewed the footage of Amber’s journey and prepared to shape it into an art-film road movie for international festivals. As his new project attracted attention, critics began questioning whether he had let his success go to his head.

• Lu Ban asked Amber for consent while selecting footage to edit, then gathered his employees to discuss the original footage.
• The employees praised the romance, visuals, and female lead’s acting, while Beaver suggested presenting the story as a road movie.
• Lu Ban assigned storyboarding work and asked Mei Juan to help submit the film to Venice, Cannes, and Berlin.
• News spread that Lu Ban was entering international film festivals with an art film, stirring renewed interest among critics and audiences.
• By the end of February, Lu Ban’s team completed the first trailer, and an article appeared asking whether his reinvention was bold or a sign of excessive pride.

Lu Ban faced mixed reactions after a critic accused him of both sticking to his old style and becoming arrogant for attempting an art film. As Spring No War finished production, Bai Qiquan doubted the film’s understated approach until Lu Ban’s trailer captivated him with Amber’s charm.

• Lu Ban read a critic’s article predicting that his move into art films would fail, despite the critic previously faulting him for staying in his comfort zone.
• Audiences and industry insiders split between supporters, skeptics, and people who wanted to wait for the film’s release.
• Spring No War completed production near the end of March, but Bai Qiquan felt the film lacked something and seemed too bland for Lu Ban.
• Lu Ban released the festival-submission trailer, which followed the girl through the four seasons with her narration and gentle piano music.
• Bai Qiquan was entranced by the trailer’s images and admitted that he had fallen in love with Amber.

Cannes judge Ms. Merritt Leslie watched Lu Ban’s trailer for Spring No War and, despite being moved by its young actress, published a scathing review dismissing the film as a vulgar romance unworthy of the Palme d'Or. Her article spread online as Lu Ban’s completed film arrived in Europe for the jury to evaluate.

• Ms. Merritt Leslie heard fellow judge Michael Vivo praise Lu Ban’s trailer and clicked on it intending to criticize it.
• The trailer’s cherry blossoms and young girl captivated Ms. Merritt, leaving her eager to learn what happened next.
• Ms. Merritt convinced herself that the trailer relied on attractive scenery and acting, then wrote that Spring No War could not even earn a Palme d'Or nomination.
• Ms. Merritt’s review spread across major forums, where critics of Lu Ban used it to attack the film.
• Lu Ban’s complete film master reached the Palme d'Or jury, which began a week of screenings and evaluations.

Film critic Ms. Merritt Leslie watched Spring No War after her colleague Professor Michael Vivo urged her to see it, but she initially dismissed it as an ordinary commercial film. The chapter ended as she watched the protagonist arrive in town and meet the distant, celebrated shrine maiden, still convinced director Lu Ban was nothing special.

• Ms. Merritt Leslie received a copy of Spring No War after watching several other films competing for the Palme d'Or.
• Professor Michael Vivo emailed Ms. Merritt, urging her to watch Spring No War and praising its emotional power.
• Ms. Merritt began the film and watched Pale flames destroy the island and its monsters, leaving a few villagers and children to escape by boat.
• The film shifted to a lively springtime town, where the protagonist and his companions walked through the streets and entered a grand building.
• Ms. Merritt saw the black-haired shrine maiden at a window and heard that she was Harmony Island's genius and hope.
• Ms. Merritt called the story predictable and concluded that Lu Ban was an ordinary director.

Ms. Merritt watched more of Lu Ban’s film and became captivated by Amber’s performance as a reserved shrine maiden who longed for freedom. The film set up an impending attack on the protagonists’ fleet, while messages from fellow judges urged Ms. Merritt to watch "Spring No War."

• Ms. Merritt continued watching and admired the young leading actress’s skill and Lu Ban’s character-based casting.
• Amber impressed Ms. Merritt by showing both her aloof daytime manner and her focused, captivating side at night.
• As the fleet sailed, Ms. Merritt recognized Amber’s longing for freedom beneath her distant demeanor and praised the character’s performance.
• Ayame warned that the journey would be dangerous, and the camera revealed the Bandaged Man leading warships toward the protagonists’ fleet.
• Ms. Merritt paused the film to get more sparkling wine and found messages from fellow judges telling her to watch "Spring No War."

Ms. Merritt watched the film’s storm-at-sea battle escalate as Amber called down a beam of light and the protagonist fought the Bandaged Man. After the wounded Bandaged Man sank into the sea, a gigantic shadow appeared beneath the waves, and the film fell silent except for a heartbeat.

• Ms. Merritt continued watching as the protagonist discovered the Bandaged Men’s conspiracy and the enemy fleet approached in a raging storm.
• The protagonist asked Amber to calm the sea, and she chanted as a beam of light shone down on his ship.
• The Bandaged Man attacked Amber and fought the protagonist while the protagonist’s dog transformed into a tentacled monster and attacked enemy ships.
• The protagonist ambushed the Bandaged Man and dealt him a mortal wound, causing the smoke around him to churn.
• The Bandaged Man fell into the sea, where his body spread blackness across the water and a gigantic shadow appeared beneath the waves.

Ms. Merritt watched Amber and the male lead survive the shipwreck, drift at sea, and find a brief, peaceful life together on Changfeng Island. She wished their story could end there, but the director introduced a turning point.

• The nameless darkness swallowed the ships, and Ms. Merritt watched the survivors disappear beneath the sea.
• The male lead pulled Amber from the water, and she recovered from the damage caused by her prayer.
• Amber, the male lead, and the dog survived at sea, then reached an island and shared quiet moments together.
• The pair discovered a pirate camp and continued their journey by taking a ship.
• On Changfeng Island, they pretended to be siblings, and Amber admitted she wanted to leave her duties behind and live as an ordinary girl.
• Ms. Merritt hoped the story would end on the island, but the director introduced a turning point.

Ms. Merritt watched the protagonist kill the Bandaged Man and escape the island as monsters consumed it, then followed Amber’s choice to remain behind as shrine maiden. After the ceremony, the protagonist investigated the shrine and entered the attic, where Ms. Merritt saw Amber in a far more disturbing state than she had imagined.

• The protagonist killed the Bandaged Man, then fled the island with the dog, the girl, and her mother as the black mist transformed its people into monsters.
• Amber chose to stay and protect the world, and Ms. Merritt watched her part from the protagonist before the ceremony and grieved at their farewell.
• Amber hit the bull's-eye with ten arrows at once, and the ceremony brought the island peace as the protagonist prepared to leave.
• The protagonist used the Bandaged Man's mask to enter the sealed courtyard and discovered that the shrine maidens' residence had long been empty.
• The protagonist found urns in the shrine hall, then followed scorch marks and bloodstains into the attic, where Ms. Merritt saw Amber and covered her mouth.

Ms. Merritt watched Amber’s death and the protagonist’s farewell, then broke down under the film’s emotional impact. After recovering, she realized she could not condemn Lu Ban without spoiling the film and that her anger showed how completely the story had affected her.

• Ms. Merritt watched the ghostly witch reveal that Amber’s sacrifice had helped preserve the world and saw Amber die while repeating the protagonist’s name.
• The protagonist heard Amber’s final wish to live on, left the shrine, and disappeared beneath cherry blossoms after seeing a blazing arrow in the sky.
• Ms. Merritt vomited, cursed the director, and fainted from the shock of Amber’s death.
• After regaining consciousness, Ms. Merritt began to write an article condemning Lu Ban but stopped because she could not spoil the film or risk her career.
• Ms. Merritt realized her fury and sorrow proved Amber had reached her, and she understood that the film’s storytelling had made her feel the protagonist’s despair.

After watching Spring No War, Ms. Merritt recognized it as a masterpiece and struggled with her duty to keep its ending secret while helping Lu Ban promote it. Overwhelmed by the film and a mysterious summons, she nearly fell from a windowsill, then resolved to recommend the film to everyone she met.

• Ms. Merritt reflected on Spring No War’s devastating ending and concluded that its portrayal of despair and hope made it a perfect art film.
• Ms. Merritt realized she could not reveal the ending or damage Lu Ban’s work, and that she would have to help market the film as a heartwarming romantic road movie.
• Ms. Merritt heard a mysterious summons, climbed onto the windowsill, and nearly stepped out before her dog startled her.
• Ms. Merritt slipped from the windowsill and fell into the grass, suffering scrapes and apparently breaking a bone.
• Ms. Merritt understood why her colleagues had emailed her and decided the best response was to recommend the film to anyone she met.

Bai Qiquan discussed traveling to France with his girlfriend, Pang Zhen, to watch his film, Spring No War, at Cannes. After reading a judge’s glowing praise and seeing online speculation about Lu Ban’s publicity tactics, Bai Qiquan grew unsure what to believe, but he had tickets to attend the festival with Pang Zhen.

• Bai Qiquan and Pang Zhen discussed traveling to France and watching Spring No War together during the holiday.
• Pang Zhen offered to recommend the film to her friends, and Bai Qiquan explained that he did not know when it would be released domestically.
• Bai Qiquan read an article quoting Merritt Leslie praising Spring No War after previously criticizing Lu Ban’s films.
• Bai Qiquan read comments accusing the judge of changing her tune for money or publicity and wondered whether Lu Ban had bribed her.
• As the Cannes Film Festival approached, Bai Qiquan had two company-provided tickets so he could take Pang Zhen to the screening.