Chapter Summaries

Lin accompanied Director Mao to Minqing Hospital for treatment of a deep wrist wound that might require surgery. While they waited for an X-ray, Lin unexpectedly saw Jingjing arrive with her husband, leaving Lin struggling to hide her reaction.

• Lin took Director Mao from a community hospital to Minqing Hospital after a doctor warned her wound might have damaged a tendon and require surgery.
• At Minqing Hospital, a doctor examined Director Mao and ordered an X-ray to assess the injury.
• While waiting, Lin and Director Mao heard patients discuss rumors that the recent hospital fire had been deliberate arson by a mentally ill person.
• A middle-aged woman waiting nearby chatted with Director Mao about her injury and the fire, then called for her son and daughter-in-law.
• Lin recognized Jingjing when the woman arrived with her husband and tried to act natural as Jingjing greeted her mother-in-law.

At Minqing Hospital, Lin Qi recognized the female ghost and realized she had aged abnormally little since an incident twenty years earlier. As the hospital plunged into darkness, Lin Qi’s thoughts cleared and he reached toward someone in front of him.

• Lin Qi watched the middle-aged woman and her family leave the X-ray area while he waited for Wu Ling’s group to arrive and obtain her blood.
• Lin Qi grew uneasy about his chance encounter with the woman and noticed a restrained patient being rushed through the lobby.
• Lin Qi recognized the doctor as Han Jiesheng and realized the female ghost still looked much younger than she should after twenty years.
• The female ghost walked past Lin Qi toward the stairwell as lights began bursting across the lobby.
• The lobby went dark after an explosion upstairs, and Lin Qi reached out toward the person in front of him.

After a catastrophic electrical accident at Minqing Hospital, the narrator drifted through disjointed visions before waking in a hospital room. He learned that he had been unconscious for a week and that the disaster had killed more than forty-eight people and left nearly a hundred others critically injured or disabled.

• A purple arc struck the instrument as the narrator tried to pull a person away, and he felt his soul fracture before losing consciousness.
• The narrator drifted through fragments of different people and eras until warmth in his palm drew him back to his body.
• The narrator woke briefly to his sister at his bedside, then fell asleep again as she called for help.
• The narrator woke that night to find Nangong Yao beside him holding his hand and learned that Ling's soul-stabilizing talisman and Mr. Tan's help had aided his recovery.
• Nangong Yao told the narrator that he had been unconscious for a week and that doctors had attributed his condition to a head injury and exhaustion.
• The narrator's parents and sister visited him at South City Hospital, where he learned that Minqing Hospital's electrical failure had caused explosions, fires, and more than forty-eight deaths.

After the hospital accident, Lin heard Han Jiesheng’s account of the paranormal events surrounding You Jing and told him what he knew about the real You Jing. Han Jiesheng revealed that he had kept You Jing in treatment for more than five years and later fled the treatment center after sensing danger there.

• Lin searched online for reports about the Minqing Hospital accident but found the coverage overwhelming.
• Han Jiesheng visited Lin to thank him for saving his life and explained that Wu Ling had told him Lin knew about his situation.
• Han Jiesheng asked Lin to explain what had happened to the real You Jing, and Lin recounted the entire dream.
• Han Jiesheng described how You Jing’s unusual behavior led him to keep her in treatment for more than five years before she left and cut contact.
• Han Jiesheng said he later sensed danger at the treatment center, settled his parents elsewhere, and went to volunteer in a remote region.

After waking in the hospital, the narrator learned that Han Jiesheng suspected a deliberate scheme and heard Nangong Yao explain that a powerful new entity had influenced people connected to Minqing Hospital. Nangong Yao revealed that the hospital accident had been a purge carried out by the entity, leaving the narrator to confront the danger overhead.

• Han Jiesheng told the narrator that he had sensed danger at Minqing Hospital for years and had planned to resign before the accident.
• The narrator underwent further tests and received visits from family and friends while struggling to discuss the supernatural danger around them.
• Nangong Yao explained that the narrator’s younger sister knew about their special abilities but did not know the truth about the narrator’s condition.
• Nangong Yao said You Qiqi had gained authority from the new entity and had tried to silence Han Jiesheng.
• Nangong Yao showed that the accident’s victims and the people who escaped unharmed had all been connected to the entity after converging at Minqing Hospital about two years earlier.
• Nangong Yao told the narrator that the new entity had carried out a purge, and the narrator dropped his phone in shock.

Nangong Yao explained that the accident was likely connected to Heaven and warned that Minqing City could face worsening paranormal threats. After recovering in the hospital, the narrator learned Greenleaf had placed hidden talismans around the rooms and was invited to watch its move against You Qiqi.

• Nangong Yao said the victims might have been affected by Heaven or the new thing, and that You Qiqi had escaped but was being tracked.
• Nangong Yao warned that paranormal activity and conflict could intensify, possibly making Minqing City a focal point.
• The narrator recovered in South City Hospital while Greenleaf monitored You Qiqi and family and friends visited.
• The narrator spotted talisman-like patterns in a hallway painting and learned Greenleaf had placed protective works around the hospital.
• After the hospital tests showed the narrator had recovered, Wu Ling invited them to watch Greenleaf make a move on You Qiqi.

The narrator and his friends waited in the old Tiexiang neighborhood while Greenleaf dealt with You Qiqi, and Chen Xiaoqiu spotted a strange phenomenon near Building 18. Greenleaf arrived after catching You Qiqi, leaving the narrator uneasy about You Jing’s reaction as Wu Ling began sealing off the road with patterned tape.

• The narrator drove with Skinny and the others through the residential complex while they searched for Tiexiang.
• Chen Xiaoqiu noticed blurry gray lines near a building and suggested she might be able to see unusual phenomena, possibly including Underworld offices.
• Wu Ling messaged that Tiexiang could be reached through Building 18 and told the narrator that Greenleaf had already caught You Qiqi.
• The narrator worried about whether Greenleaf had grounds to act against You Qiqi and how You Jing would respond to learning the truth.
• Wu Ling arrived with Greenleaf and stretched patterned packing tape across the road.

Wu Ling used enchanted packing tape to mark off the neighborhood and the remaining stretch of the Iron Alley, where Chen Xiao Qiu helped Greenleaf locate the sisters’ site. Wu Ling removed the talismans controlling You Qiqi, and as You Qiqi’s anger returned, Guo Yujie noticed fog gathering.

• Wu Ling laid enchanted packing tape around the neighborhood, causing passing residents to unknowingly avoid the enclosed area.
• Wu Ling finished marking off the area and the Iron Alley, then joined the group as You Qiqi was brought out under talismans.
• Wu Ling and Chen Xiao Qiu used Chen Xiao Qiu’s sighting to pinpoint the area around the Iron Alley, while Gu Mo described hearing echoes of its ghosts and history.
• Wu Ling drew a talisman on You Qiqi’s face and removed the talismans from her chest and back, restoring her awareness and anger.
• Guo Yujie noticed that fog was gathering.

Wu Ling and the others used Iron Alley’s remaining power to draw out You Jing, who confronted her sister You Qiqi. You Jing took on You Qiqi’s deformities and gave up Iron Alley’s power to protect her, then vanished, leaving You Qiqi helpless and screaming.

• Fog spread from Iron Alley and caused You Qiqi’s body to age and become grotesquely deformed.
• You Jing appeared and embraced You Qiqi, while Wu Ling explained that the sisters’ encounter was beyond their control.
• You Jing comforted You Qiqi and transformed into a young woman, then took on You Qiqi’s deformities as You Qiqi’s body began to heal.
• You Jing’s sacrifice dispersed the fog and Iron Alley’s remaining power, and she vanished.
• You Qiqi clawed at the empty air, cried out for her power, and collapsed as the others watched.

You Qiqi died after You Jing stripped away the new thing’s power, and Wu Ling confirmed that both You Jing and You Qiqi’s soul were gone. The group suspected the new thing was in Xiantai District, and Wu Ling later told Qi that the autopsy found You Qiqi had died of cardiac arrest while the new thing had also disappeared.

• Wu Ling examined You Qiqi and explained that You Jing had removed the new thing’s influence before disappearing with Iron Alley.
• Wu Ling burned the packing tape while the group left, and the road behind them changed back into the neighborhood wall.
• Chen Xiaoqiu said Nangong Yao and Gu Mo had looked northeast as You Qiqi’s power was drawn out, and the group considered whether the new thing was in Xiantai District.
• Qi told Fatty that his ability might let him dream about the new thing again, and the group went their separate ways.
• Wu Ling called Qi and said the preliminary autopsy showed You Qiqi had died from cardiac arrest, her soul was gone, and the new thing had disappeared.

Wu Ling told the narrator that the new entity had vanished after changing its state, and he could not dream about it. As work resumed and his sister left on a graduation trip with friends, he saw her off wearing a protective charm.

• Wu Ling explained that the new entity had escaped detection after Nangong and Mushroom noticed its unusual frequency, and the narrator worried that his ability could not find it.
• The narrator failed to dream about the entity and returned to work, where demolition compensation votes showed no clear majority across the teams.
• The teams submitted their tallies and spent days in meetings discussing how to prepare for a second vote.
• The narrator's younger sister organized a graduation trip with more than twenty girls, and he made sure she wore a protective charm before seeing her onto the bus.

Dou Fu sought help for recurring dreams of a monk asking him to bring the monk his head, which began during a trip to Qingsha Tea Manor. Investigators found no clear lead in the dream recordings, confirmed Pudu Temple was the area's only temple, and traveled to Qingsha Tea Manor to investigate.

• Dou Fu told the investigators that a monk had repeatedly asked him in dreams, “Benefactor, could you bring this humble monk's head to me?”
• Dou Fu said the dreams began while he was visiting Qingsha Tea Manor and had grown less frequent over time.
• The investigators analyzed the recordings, found no sound or yin energy, and debated how to locate the monk's head.
• The investigators confirmed that Pudu Temple was the only temple ever built in Qingsha Tea Manor and obtained its registered list of monks.
• Wu, Ye, and Liu checked into a guesthouse in Qingsha Tea Manor, where the boss explained that the area mainly grew and sold tea.

Wu Ling and Greenleaf’s group searched the area around Jiajing for anything unusual and visited a small temple. After finding no sign of a ghost or an unusual Buddha statue, Wu Ling offered the monk money and began asking him questions.

• Wu Ling and Liu Miao found no ghosts at their lodging and decided to search the surrounding area, possibly including Nanxing.
• The group visited a temple that the local lodging owner said was usually closed and had been built in the 1980s or 1990s.
• Wu Ling persuaded the monk to let them enter the temple by offering incense and a donation.
• Wu Ling examined the Buddha statue and confirmed it was ordinary, while Ye Qing noticed nothing unusual.
• The monk explained that the temple was built in 1989, had few Buddhists, and was run by his granduncle, then Wu Ling offered to pay him to answer questions.

Wu Ling and Greenleaf's people questioned a man at a temple about Mr. Dou's dream and learned of an old feud between two tea shops that ended in several deaths, arson, and a suicide. They went to investigate one of the shops, where Wu Ling noticed something strange about its sign.

• Wu Ling interviewed the temple man, who denied that monks had gone missing or that the area had any hauntings.
• The man recounted a postwar brawl between Tongren and Wanfu that killed seven or eight people, followed by an arson attack and the Wanfu owner's daughter's suicide.
• Wu Ling said Greenleaf's people should investigate the two tea shops, and the recording showed a quiet street without ghosts or traces of yin energy.
• The group arrived at a tourist-style building resembling an old shop, and Wu Ling frowned at its sign.

Wu Ling interviewed Tongrenhao's Manager Yang about the tea shop's history and its relationship with local tea farmers. Yang described a failed merger with Wanfuhao that led to a violent brawl and a fire, leaving both families divided.

• Wu Ling and Liu Miao examined the symbol above Tongrenhao's entrance before Greenleaf's team entered the shop.
• Wu Ling asked Manager Yang about Tongrenhao's treatment of tea farmers and the shop's past conflicts.
• Manager Yang denied that Tongrenhao controlled the farmers or deliberately set fire to Wanfuhao.
• Manager Yang recounted how Tongrenhao and Wanfuhao planned to merge after a battle had depleted Qingshanzhuang's people and damaged its tea fields.
• Tea farmers opposed the merger, and their dispute escalated into a brawl that killed and injured people.
• Manager Yang said a cousin died in the brawl and a Wanfuhao girl was disfigured in the fire before taking her own life; the families kept their businesses separate afterward.

Wu Ling’s team investigated Qingsha Manor’s past tragedies and questioned Shao Lin about the tea farmers’ fight, a fire, and his cousin’s suicide. Shao Lin agreed to take them to the well’s former location in the tea fields.

• Wu Ling asked a local man about the grave of Shao Lin’s cousin and the well where a Wanfu Tea House worker had died, and learned that the grave was in a public cemetery while the well’s location was unknown to him.
• The local man said Qingsha Manor had little religious presence and that a temple established by the authorities had failed to attract worshippers.
• Wu Ling’s team interviewed Shao Lin, who explained that a dispute over merging the tea shops had led to a fight between tea farmers and that the businesses had mishandled the situation.
• Shao Lin recounted how a fire caused by human error burned his cousin’s face and arms, after which she jumped into a well and was found several days later.
• Shao Lin said the well had been filled in to prevent rumors about tea grown near it, then agreed to show Wu Ling’s team where it had stood.

Wu Ling investigated the missing traces of death in Qingcha Village and learned that Tongren Tea Shop’s sign had copied a Buddhist design from an old account book. During a visit to the shop’s tea garden, Ye Qing noticed something on the ground and said it was right there.

• Wu Ling questioned a local man about the filled-in well, local religious customs, and Tongren Tea Shop’s sign, but he knew neither who designed it nor why it bore a Buddhist symbol.
• The investigators found no lingering sounds at the well and checked Qingcha Village’s death records, which listed 76 deaths from January to March 2009.
• Yang Shengli told Wu Ling that the sign’s design had come from a picture in his great-granduncle’s old account book, which had since disappeared.
• Wu Ling and the others visited Tongren Tea Shop’s visitor area in the tea garden, where Manager Yang showed them around.
• Ye Qing stopped beside a row of tea bushes, told Liu Miao that it was right there, and looked toward the ground.

Ye Qing uncovered an ancient Buddha head buried in Green Tea Manor, and Zhou Sihai revealed that his father had warned their family that monks would eventually come for them. The Greenleaf reporters investigated the area's history, while Liu Miao learned that the Buddha head’s residual awareness could not provide directions for returning it.

• Ye Qing dug up an intact stone Buddha head, which Wu Ling estimated was three or four hundred years old.
• Manager Yang questioned Zhou Sihai, who panicked and said his father had claimed the county had wronged monks who would someday come for them.
• Wu Ling asked Manager Yang to help find elderly locals and preserve the Buddha head while they investigated its history.
• The reporters questioned local residents, but Manager Yang found no clear accounts of monks or an earlier temple in the area.
• Liu Miao asked whether the Buddha head could guide them to where it belonged, and Wu Ling said its residual awareness could not give complex instructions.

Shao’s team investigated the Buddha’s head and Green Tea Estate’s past, learning that a religious conflict may have destroyed the area’s old records and temples. An Yu then revealed that his family had preserved documents about the former Yu County and confessed that he had helped someone steal the Buddha’s head.

• Xu Hao told Shao’s team that his family had once been wealthy, owned a carved stone fragment, and lost its heirlooms after a conflict involving monks.
• Mr. Dou dreamed that the monk thanked him and apologized, but he still asked the team to find the Buddha’s body.
• The team learned that religious wars had led to temples being closed and religious figures being arrested and executed, while their investigation at Green Tea Estate found no immediate leads.
• An Yu invited the team to meet his elderly granduncle, Mr. An, who explained that Green Tea Estate had once been Yu County and that his family’s land had covered much of the area.
• Mr. An showed that his family had preserved deeds and a genealogy book, then confessed that he had leaked information that enabled someone to steal the Buddha’s head.

Mr. An recounted how he and Old River stole a Buddha head from a cave near Green Tea Manor, then buried it when war disrupted their plan to return it. Old River died during the flight from the war, and Mr. An never found the buried head again.

• Mr. An explained that Old River learned about his family's treasures and persuaded him to rob a cave filled with Buddha statues near Green Tea Manor.
• Mr. An and Old River cut off one Buddha head, and the disturbing sound and their dream of a monk demanding its return frightened them.
• Mr. An and Old River left Green Tea Manor with the head, but recurring dreams drove them to return and try to give it back.
• When soldiers were being recruited and the county fell into chaos, Mr. An and Old River buried the Buddha head and fled as war spread.
• Old River was trampled to death during the mass flight, while Mr. An survived injured and later returned to find the tea fields changed and the Buddha head's location lost.