Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian endured Yuan Shan’s use of the Meria Flower Ball to awaken his inner potential, and golden fire emerged from his body during the final lash. He discovered that the fire could coat bullets, while Yuan Shan recognized him as another successful case.

• Fu Qian endured repeated lashes from Yuan Shan’s Meria Flower Ball and found that his divinity remained unusually stable.
• Yuan Shan delivered the final blow, and golden fire rose from Fu Qian’s mangled body.
• Fu Qian recovered and showed Yuan Shan that he could summon the golden flames from his hand.
• Fu Qian explained that the fire had appeared with the final lash and that the process would not have worked if stopped early.
• Fu Qian fired Mercy at his palm and demonstrated that the golden fire could coat bullets.

Fu Qian discovered that the bullets Yuan Shan provided could awaken a flame resembling the power of Tyrant's Fist, and he explained how his weapon had threatened the Prisoner. After visiting the recovering Wen Li, he returned to the bookstore and swallowed the Tyrant's Fist ring, hoping to investigate its connection to the King of Prison Break.

• Fu Qian recognized the flame awakened by the bullets as similar to techniques used by Stos Old Man and the power of Tyrant's Fist, then snuffed it out in his palm.
• Yuan Shan asked about the bullets' added effect, and Fu Qian explained that the flame needed a vessel and could inflict a true multiple attack.
• Yuan Shan led Fu Qian to the Warehouse, where he collected ammunition and explained that the risk of extra damage had made the Prisoner reconsider attacking him.
• Fu Qian visited Wen Li as she recovered, praised her work, and assigned her to help with materials Yuan Shan had promised.
• Fu Qian returned to the bookstore, considered the Tyrant's Fist ring's possible link to the King of Prison Break, and swallowed it.

After digesting Tyrant's Fist, Fu Qian chose the Left and Right ability, which let him distort the concepts of his hands and resonate more easily with the Forsaken Prison. He finished testing the skill and planned to rest before continuing his investigation into the prison and the former King of Prison Break.

• Tyrant's Fist produced the Bloodthorn and Left and Right abilities after Fu Qian digested it, and their descriptions linked the ring to the Forsaken Prison and a dismembered king.
• Fu Qian chose Left and Right over Bloodthorn because he wanted to resonate with the Forsaken Prison.
• Fu Qian activated Left and Right and discovered that it could transfer wounds between his hands and let one hand strike as though it were the other.
• Fu Qian realized the ability's distortion could be useful in combat and wondered what had happened to the former King of Prison Break.
• Fu Qian considered seeking clues from Old Man Stos and the Forsaken Prison, then decided to rest after the law investigation.

Fu Qian investigated Lady Xixi’s strange silence and followed her message to a white car, where a switch lit a window in a nearby house. He found Lady Xixi waiting inside, wearing a crown-shaped ornament, and she invited him in.

• Fu Qian collected his side-job payment and noticed that Lady Xixi’s call was completely absent despite her frequent messages.
• Fu Qian read Lady Xixi’s latest message, memorized the address of a white car, and went to investigate.
• Fu Qian found an unlocked black box in the car and pressed the switch inside, turning on a light in a nearby building.
• Lady Xixi appeared at the window and told Fu Qian she had been waiting for the light to come on.
• Fu Qian noticed Lady Xixi’s ornate crown-shaped ornament, and she welcomed him into her home.

Fu Qian visited Xixi, who showed him a crown she had found and explained its connection to the Bronze Lady and the Larrea family. Xixi revealed that her gift had been a test of Fu Qian’s choice, and the chapter ended with her slyly saying he had already made it.

• Fu Qian followed Xixi into her home and learned she bought a place to stay whenever she visited a city.
• Xixi handed Fu Qian a crown and said it had probably belonged with the Bronze Lady, whom she remembered wearing it when she was a child.
• Fu Qian recognized the crown’s design from a statue at Ermu Mansion Palace and thanked Xixi for the treasure hunt.
• Xixi explained that if Fu Qian had not arrived in time, she would have left the switch in a box and offered him the house instead.
• Xixi told Fu Qian he had already made his choice, leaving him to suspect she was practicing the advice he had given her.

Fu Qian asked Xixi to recount the night she saw two versions of her mother and to sketch the hatchet she used afterward. He suspected the hatchet and one of the figures might be connected to a senior member of the Warehouse, and planned to watch for clues.

• Fu Qian accepted Xixi's offer of a house and asked her to describe an unusual childhood experience instead of requesting repayment.
• Xixi recalled seeing two identical versions of her mother sitting together after thunder woke her, and said one seemed to look at her.
• Fu Qian asked Xixi about the hatchet she had used that night, and she described it and drew a detailed sketch.
• Fu Qian returned the sketch to Xixi and said he would keep an eye out for the hatchet.
• Fu Qian suspected a senior member of the Warehouse had taken the hatchet and might have impersonated Xixi's mother.

Fu Qian turned down Xixi’s invitation, returned to the Midnight Bookstore, and listened in on a call about An Jing recruiting people. The caller revealed that the group hoped to use An Jing’s intelligence network to find the person who received the blessing.

• Xixi explained her distant relationship with her father and suggested that she and Fu Qian shared a similar past.
• Fu Qian declined Xixi’s flirtatious invitation, saying his professional ethics and the bookstore’s opening time required him to leave.
• Xixi said she would return the next day, while Fu Qian welcomed her to Lin City without promising they would meet again.
• Fu Qian placed Xixi’s crown in the Warehouse, put on the Messenger, and opened the Midnight Bookstore.
• Priest Tooth Choker challenged someone for getting involved with An Jing, and the person answered that An Jing’s intelligence network could help find the recipient of the blessing.

Fu Qian overheard Tooth Choker and another Greedy Worm member debate whether to seek help finding the Gifted One, while learning more about their recruitment oath. Laurie joined the discussion and argued they could not afford to wait because recent events, including An Jing Shizhi’s condition and a strange celestial phenomenon, might be connected.

• Fu Qian listened as Tooth Choker questioned a Greedy Worm member’s plan to ask Yasui for help finding the Gifted One.
• The man argued that the team had to act rather than keep waiting or risk returning to Shangjing.
• Tooth Choker objected that the plan could expose the Greedy Worm’s secrets and revealed they could recruit only one new member each year.
• Laurie arrived and supported the plan, saying the team could not afford to be too patient.
• Laurie pointed to An Jing Shizhi’s condition, the strange celestial phenomenon in Night Holy Capital, and their mysterious guide as signs that recent events were not a coincidence.

Laurie explained why the Greedy Worms had agreed to take risks after receiving the King of Prison Break’s Honored Name, and Tooth Choker received a new revelation from Fu Qian. The revelation showed an unfamiliar idol that Laurie sensed was grand and strangely familiar, possibly connected to the King of Prison Break.

• Laurie told Tooth Choker that he believed the King of Prison Break’s message pointed to a threat beyond the companies’ conflicts and had persuaded the Greedy Worms to investigate.
• Fu Qian realized the Greedy Worms could selectively disable their shared senses and sent Tooth Choker an image of the Idol of Fools.
• Tooth Choker received the image as a hazy revelation and sketched it for Laurie and Ji Yin.
• Ji Yin and Tooth Choker said they had never seen the idol, but Laurie sensed grandeur and familiarity and wondered whether it was connected to the King of Prison Break.
• Fu Qian ended the connection after considering what Laurie’s reaction might mean about the idol and his growing ties to divine powers.

Fu Qian closed his bookstore after driving away a stubborn young customer, then began a new assignment when the Messenger reported a containment breach involving Bitter Fruit, Number 1-011. The scene opened with Fu Qian experiencing an overwhelming sensation before someone interrupted him with a pat on the shoulder.

• Fu Qian told the bookstore customers to leave and argued with a bespectacled young man who challenged his unfair dress code.
• Fu Qian closed the shop after a quiet day without unusual visitors and noted that Chief Yuan and Miss Wen remained on guard while Greedy Worm continued its efforts.
• Fu Qian removed the Messenger and received a warning that Bitter Fruit, Number 1-011, had breached containment.
• Fu Qian entered Containment Scene 1-011 with his selected skills and items, and the scene loaded around swirling currents and black pillars.
• Fu Qian experienced an intense, wordless pleasure that was interrupted when someone patted him on the shoulder.

Fu Qian woke in a dim stone chamber with a veiled woman who had been helping him pursue a strange form of spiritual transformation. He refused to try again and asked her to listen to the darkness in his will, leaving their conversation poised to begin.

• Fu Qian surveyed the chamber and realized he was wearing a work uniform and had taken on a pale new appearance.
• The veiled woman told Fu Qian he could not handle any more of her treatment yet.
• Fu Qian apologized for profaning her help and performed a display of self-loathing.
• The woman offered to let Fu Qian try again, warning that it could bring unpredictable risks.
• Fu Qian refused and asked her to help him identify the cause of his condition.
• The woman explained that her method brought impurities in a person's will to the surface, and Fu Qian suggested she listen to the darkness within his will.

Fu Qian spoke with Xilaliya in a church basement, pretending to seek help so he could learn more about the strange place. After climbing upstairs, he encountered a veiled bride and heard a kind voice ask how he was feeling.

• Fu Qian realized Clear Dream could not be used and suspected the place was unreal and watched over by a powerful entity.
• Fu Qian pretended that another personality had disrupted his sense of self, prompting Xilaliya to introduce herself and suggest he explore upstairs.
• Xilaliya warned Fu Qian not to leave the church after dark and admitted she had lost track of day and night.
• Fu Qian climbed the long stairs and found a bride-like woman with scars on her back.
• A gentle voice asked Fu Qian whether he was feeling any better.

Fu Qian questioned the church’s residents about the dangers outside and learned that they worshiped a Higher Being called Akons. He hinted that Xilaliya’s treatment had revealed a new self, unsettling the Scar Bride.

• Fu Qian approached the old woman, who warned him not to go outside into the darkness and described the threat there.
• Fu Qian asked what happened to anyone who entered, and a gaunt man said they lost their humanity and suffered a gruesome fate.
• Fu Qian challenged the man’s description, then asked the old woman about the church’s deity.
• The old woman named the deity Akons and described His wisdom and all-seeing gaze.
• Fu Qian said Xilaliya’s treatment had helped him uncover a new self, and the Scar Bride reacted with surprise but no sympathy.

Fu Qian questioned Akons’s followers about Xilaliya’s treatment and learned that those who were cured usually stopped communicating, while failed patients rarely wanted another session. He announced that he would go outside and return for a second treatment, leaving Bride Lady to tear off her veil and disappear into the darkness.

• Fu Qian watched the followers gloat over his apparent failure and asked whether Xilaliya’s treatment had truly failed.
• The middle-aged man in the hat claimed cured outsiders lost interest in communicating, but Fu Qian revealed he had returned to prove communication was still possible.
• Fu Qian said he planned to go outside that night and come back, and Bride Lady eagerly offered to go with him.
• Fu Qian explained that he had promised to return and intended to undergo a second treatment with Xilaliya.
• After Fu Qian confirmed he wanted to see Xilaliya again, Bride Lady tore off her veil and stumbled into the darkness, laughing wildly.

Fu Qian gathered information from the church’s four other occupants and learned about their faith, his physician Xilaliya, and the terror in the darkness. After accepting a blessed medicine from the old woman, he left the church to follow the path Bride Lady had taken.

• Fu Qian guided the church’s occupants into a group conversation and learned that he was a stranger seeking treatment for a heart condition, while the locals worshiped Akons and suspected his physician, Xilaliya, of heresy.
• The old woman gave Fu Qian a vial of blessed medicine and told him to rub it beneath his nose to help him smell the lurking presence.
• The middle-aged man warned that Bride Lady was growing more unstable, while the old woman prayed for her safe return.
• Fu Qian noticed the silent, muscular young man in the corner and left without disturbing him.
• Fu Qian stepped into the courtyard’s oppressive darkness and onto a stone-paved path, following the route Bride Lady had taken.

Fu Qian crossed beyond the church courtyard and met Bride Lady in the darkness, where she had begun physically merging with the night. When he refused to abandon his promise to report the truth to the others, she screamed and reached for the elixir, which he calmly handed to her.

• Fu Qian opened the iron gate and entered the dangerous darkness, carrying the glowing elixir without applying it to himself.
• Bride Lady emerged from the darkness and said she had been waiting for Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian examined Bride Lady and saw dark, writhing marks devouring her skin, which explained her scars and how she navigated the night.
• Bride Lady declared that the stone had lied and said they never had to return to the church.
• Fu Qian insisted that he had promised to report the answer to the others, prompting Bride Lady to scream and reach for the elixir.
• Fu Qian easily intercepted Bride Lady's reaching hand and placed the elixir in it.

Fu Qian gave Bride Lady the spirit medicine, and she swallowed the external-use potion, then ran into the darkness in a state of ecstatic pain. Her cries seemed to warn him to return to the church, but Fu Qian stayed put, suspecting she was trying to make him believe the darkness was dangerous.

• Fu Qian gave Bride Lady the spirit medicine as a wedding gift and told her it had come from an old lady who was worried about her.
• Bride Lady recognized the spirit medicine, thanked Fu Qian, and drank every drop despite the warning that it was for external use.
• Bride Lady smashed the bottle and said she could already feel more before sprinting into the darkness.
• Fu Qian realized Bride Lady's distant laughter sounded both painful and ecstatic, and used it as a moving detector in the darkness.
• Fu Qian stayed where he was instead of returning to the church, suspecting Bride Lady was trying to convince him that the darkness was dangerous.

Fu Qian tested whether the church refugees were deceiving him, then discovered that his experiences in the darkness had been part of a medical treatment. He met his attending physician, Dorian, who questioned how Fu Qian had ended the treatment.

• Fu Qian suspected the church refugees were acting together to keep him inside and tested Bride Lady by handing her his potion.
• Bride Lady tried to explain her actions and continued warning Fu Qian about the thing in the darkness, but it never reached him.
• A candlelike reflection appeared in the darkness, and Fu Qian found himself in a wooden cabin surrounded by dolls resembling Xilaliya and the four church refugees.
• Dorian spoke from behind Fu Qian and revealed that the events had been part of his treatment at a clinic.
• Dorian introduced himself as Fu Qian's attending physician and said the potion had caused Fu Qian to forget him.
• Dorian asked how Fu Qian had known that staying in the darkness would end the treatment, and Fu Qian said he had simply wanted to see what the thing was.

The narrator questioned Dr. Dorian about the treatment dream and concluded that Dorian had been watching and manipulating events inside it. The narrator explained how doubt had kept the dream’s unseen pursuer from appearing, then faced Dorian’s challenge by calling themself an outsider.

• The narrator assessed the puppets and realized the Warehouse’s mission description covered only the treatment dimension, suggesting the place had kept information from the Warehouse.
• The narrator questioned Dr. Dorian about the unnamed entity to determine how closely he had monitored the dream.
• Dorian approached the narrator with an ice-pick-shaped spike and challenged the idea that the entity had no name or existence.
• The narrator reasoned that Dorian’s suggestions could have made the entity appear, but their doubts had prevented it from manifesting and helped them escape the dream.
• Dorian lost his composure and asked what the narrator was; the narrator answered that they were an outsider.

Fu Qian provoked Dorian to reveal that the real Xilaliya and the other originals were nearby, and that he wanted Fu Qian to bring Xilaliya back as material for a new puppet in exchange for better treatment. Fu Qian accepted the proposal and asked where she was.

• Fu Qian reflected that the mission Warehouse had given him no instructions, so he deliberately raised Dorian's suspicions to provoke a response.
• Dorian questioned why Fu Qian had pretended to need treatment, and Fu Qian criticized the puppets while praising Xilaliya's supernatural effect.
• Dorian admitted that the puppets were inferior copies and asked Fu Qian to bring him the real Xilaliya to use as material for a new tool.
• Fu Qian learned that the other originals were nearby too, then agreed to pursue Xilaliya and asked Dorian where she was.