Chapter Summaries

The narrator watched Nakamura suffer as the cat skinned and killed Mrs. Shimada, then saw Nakamura’s buried memories surface when “Han Ji” called him Zheng Da. The chapter ended with the narrator striking Zheng Da as he was forced to skin his younger sister, Zheng Xiaoxi.

• The cat slashed Mrs. Shimada’s face while the female ghosts laughed, and Nakamura watched in terror.
• Nakamura was beaten by an unseen force and struggled to recall the name Lin Chun Niu.
• The cat slit Mrs. Shimada’s throat, and “Han Ji” addressed Nakamura as Zheng Da.
• The narrator witnessed Zheng Da’s memories: he betrayed Zheng Xiaoxi by identifying her to villagers after she was caught with Master Cheng.
• The villagers forced Zheng Da to skin Zheng Xiaoxi, and the narrator clenched their teeth and struck him.

Lin Qi witnessed Zheng Xiaoxi and the female ghosts reenact their revenge on Zheng Da, then rescue Han Ji and descend into the pool. The pool dragged Lin Qi into a vision of ghosts traveling along a river, and Lin Qi later found the scene depicted in a new painting by Bai An.

• Lin Qi touched Zheng Da and saw a memory of Zheng Da being beaten while Zheng Xiaoxi lay dying, consumed by hatred for him.
• Back at the hot spring resort, Zheng Xiaoxi skinned Zheng Da while the female ghosts chanted, then led them toward the mountain pool.
• The ghosts threw Zheng Da into the pool and sank after him, while Zheng Xiaoxi's restored face appeared as she dragged him under.
• Nantian called to Lin Qi, who used her ability to revive Han Ji, but a strange sound pulled Lin Qi's soul into the water.
• Lin Qi saw female ghosts moving across other ghosts' bodies, recognized Zheng Xiaoxi among them, and returned to reality to find the scene in Bai An's new painting.

The narrator’s thoughts about reincarnation and the possibility of repeating past mistakes plunged them into despair before they found themselves witnessing Furukawa Kazuma and Director Otsuka Ichiro in a bathhouse. Furukawa learned that the police had found Mrs. Shimada and Shimada Daiki dead, while a priest’s account suggested the mountain had once been filled with ghosts.

• The narrator wondered what kind of person they had been in a past life and feared they might repeat an irreparable mistake, sinking into hopelessness.
• The narrator’s surroundings shifted to a bathhouse, where they saw Furukawa Kazuma and Director Otsuka Ichiro talking.
• Furukawa recalled that the crew had lost their memories and that police found Mrs. Shimada mutilated and Shimada Daiki drowned in the pond.
• Director Otsuka told Furukawa that a Kyoto priest had said the mountain was once full of ghosts and that he had protected Mrs. Shimada’s inn with a barrier.
• Furukawa concluded that the case would probably die down soon, since Mr. Ogasawara trusted the priest.

After finding more than a dozen crew members dead, including Bian Sijun, the narrator was pulled into a new scene inside the women’s bath. The bath turned dangerous as the female ghosts’ yin energy spread, and Zheng Xiaoxi appeared behind Bian Sijun.

• The director and Furukawa learned that something had happened in the women’s bath and hurried there.
• The narrator saw more than a dozen dead crew members, including Bian Sijun, and was pulled away from Furukawa into a new soul’s scene.
• The narrator found Bian Sijun and other crew members showering, frightened by the deaths and rumors of a ghost.
• Bian Sijun tried to leave, but the bath door would not open as yin energy spread and the steam thickened.
• The exhaust fan stopped, the shower water seemed to turn black, and long strands of hair emerged from a showerhead.
• A woman’s hands covered Bian Sijun’s mouth, and the narrator saw Zheng Xiaoxi appear behind her.

After dreaming that Zheng Xiaoxi and other ghosts killed Bian Sijun and said no one could be reincarnated, the narrator rushed to Ye Qing's office to ask what had happened to the underworld. Ye Qing confirmed that fate was gone, warned that demons would run wild, and said he and the narrator would soon be able to do many things.

• In the narrator's dream, Zheng Xiaoxi and other female ghosts killed Bian Sijun and the bathroom staff, then departed toward the mountains as the narrator sensed and severed a mysterious thread.
• The narrator woke, feared the dream was a warning, and hurried to Workers and Peasants Sixth Village to find Ye Qing.
• At the damaged office, the narrator asked Ye Qing what had happened to the underworld and whether Heaven had done something again.
• Ye Qing confirmed that the narrator had guessed correctly, said all fate was useless and demons would run wild, and declared that he and the narrator were close to being able to do many things.

Lin learned that women at a bathhouse and several members of the film crew had died, while Wu Ling warned that the dead might have become ghosts. At Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, Lin helped Song Xian reach her apartment, where Song pointed out a hidden compartment in a cabinet.

• Lin called Wu Ling and told her about the dream, Zheng Xiaoxi’s words, and Ye Qing’s cryptic message.
• Wu Ling reported that women had died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a bathhouse and that several film crew members had suddenly died, possibly from fright.
• Lin went to Workers and Peasants Sixth Village and found Song Xian alone, then helped her return to her apartment in Building Ten.
• Song Xian directed Lin to a dusty box in a balcony cabinet and told Lin to pry open the cabinet’s concealed space behind it.

The narrator and Song Xian uncovered two urns and a locked wooden box hidden in a cabinet. Song Xian tried to take them to Wanshou Cemetery, but no one could find the place or persuade her to call her son.

• The narrator pried open a false panel in the cabinet and found two bottles and a carved wooden box.
• Song Xian wiped the bottles and recognized them as urns bearing the names Ah Ba and Ah Niang.
• Song Xian said she had forgotten the key to the combination lock and refused to call her son, insisting the box be smashed open.
• The narrator helped Song Xian carry the urn and box downstairs, where Skinny joined them.
• Song Xian told the taxi driver to take them to Wanshou Cemetery, but the driver refused and Skinny could not find a nearby cemetery by that name.
• Song Xian got out of the taxi and insisted on going herself, while the narrator tried to persuade her to return home for now.

The narrator helped Song Xian return her parents’ urns and belongings to her old house, then learned that no demons appeared during the day. While reading news about the deaths at the hot spring resort, the narrator recalled an invisible sharp object that had cut their finger and realized Han Ji had not been in the women’s bathhouse.

• The narrator and the Skinny Guy accompanied Song Xian to her house, where she placed her parents’ urns in the sun and the narrator hid a wooden box among the clutter.
• The narrator secured the house, arranged a taxi for Song Xian, and called her sons to tell them about the urns and belongings.
• The narrator and the Skinny Guy spoke with Director Mao, who said Song Xian had never mentioned her parents or visiting their graves.
• The narrator watched for the demons Ye Qing had predicted, but saw nothing unusual before returning home.
• The narrator read reports about the deaths of Han Ji and Bian Sijun, then recalled an invisible sharp object that had cut their finger in the bathhouse.
• The narrator realized Han Ji had not been in the women’s bathhouse despite reports that she died there, and added the discovery to a message to Wu Ling.

The narrator possessed Director Otsuka and watched as ghosts from the production's previous deaths cornered him. They pulled his soul from his body and led it toward the mountain, leaving the narrator unsure what the living-looking figures were.

• The narrator woke inside Director Otsuka's body and learned that women had suffocated in an unlocked bathroom while the police kept the production crew at the venue.
• Director Otsuka realized Mrs. Shimada's time at the police station might offer a clue and tried to investigate the local station's Jizo-like mascot.
• Takahashi appeared at the venue, followed by Ono, and the two ghosts approached Director Otsuka from opposite sides.
• Director Otsuka fled outside, where Furukawa, Miss Sakai, and Mrs. Yoshinaga stood with the drowned woman and grabbed him.
• Takahashi and Ono seized Director Otsuka as Furukawa, Miss Sakai, and Mrs. Yoshinaga declared the production unfinished, then pulled his soul from his body and led it toward the mountain.

The narrator remained troubled by encountering ghosts with no yin energy, then watched the Thin Guy try a new livestream app at work. Liu Zhiguo came to retrieve Song Xian’s belongings, but the narrator insisted that Song Xian and Liu Zhiguo’s brother accompany them.

• The narrator warned Wu Ling and the others about ghosts appearing without yin energy and stayed alert on the way to work.
• At Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, the Thin Guy watched a livestream and showed the group the new Great-Horned Deer app.
• Liu Zhiguo arrived alone to collect his grandparents’ belongings and said he planned to take them home before burying them in his parents’ cemetery.
• The narrator refused to retrieve the belongings alone with Liu Zhiguo and suggested bringing Song Xian and Liu Zhiguo’s brother, prompting Liu Zhiguo to react angrily.

After Song Xian insisted on retrieving her parents’ ashes and taking them to Wanshou Cemetery, Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun struggled to persuade her. Lin and Guo Yujie agreed to accompany her and let her lead them to the cemetery.

• Director Mao advised Liu Zhiguo to discuss Song Xian’s wishes with her and listen to her.
• Song Xian argued with Liu Zhiguo outside and insisted she would bury her parents at Wanshou Cemetery.
• Liu Zhiguo said he and Liu Zhijun could not find the cemetery and suspected Song Xian was remembering things incorrectly.
• Liu Zhijun arrived and suggested accompanying Song Xian to look for the cemetery, but Song Xian clung to Guo Yujie and remained wary of her sons.
• Lin offered to go with Guo Yujie and Song Xian, and Song Xian finally agreed.

The narrator took Song Xian and her sons to the place she remembered as Longevity Cemetery, but found a factory there instead. Song Xian appeared to reunite with her parents beyond the factory railings, leaving the others stunned by the possibility that she could see them.

• The narrator rode with Song Xian, Liu Zhiguo, Liu Zhijun, and Guo Yujie as Song Xian directed them out of People's Celebration City toward Longevity Cemetery.
• Song Xian identified People's Celebration Changde Machinery Products as the place where her parents were buried and insisted on approaching its perimeter wall.
• Liu Zhiguo tried to persuade Song Xian to move her parents' ashes to a new grave, and Song Xian struck at him while accusing him of being heartless.
• Song Xian wept and reached through the factory railings as though she could touch her parents, although the narrator saw no ghosts or yin energy.
• The narrator noticed Song Xian's silver hair move as if an invisible hand were stroking it, and Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun jumped in alarm.

Song Xian insisted on bringing her parents’ ashes to the factory grounds, and the others tried to calm her and let her say goodbye. Liu Zhijun recalled that his mother had rarely spoken about her parents, leaving the reason for her strange behavior unresolved.

• Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun tried to take Song Xian away as she struggled and cried, but Guo Yujie restrained her gently.
• The narrator asked Guo Yujie to let Song Xian go and carefully reminded her that her parents had died.
• Song Xian insisted that her parents’ ashes had to be brought to the factory and said they should be placed in her parents’ hands.
• Liu Zhijun suggested scattering the ashes inside the apparently empty factory, and Liu Zhiguo did not object.
• Song Xian put her hands through the railings, bowed her head, and spoke tearfully in a dialect her sons did not recognize.
• Liu Zhijun recalled that his mother had only said her parents had been dead for ages when he once asked about them.

After Song Xian left the factory, she told the group about her childhood on Duantou Island and the promise Liu Zhongliang had broken to bury her parents’ ashes there. Back at Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, she still wanted to retrieve the urns, while Liu Zhijun urged her to wait until Saturday.

• Song Xian watched the factory grounds recede from the car and cried as they drove away.
• Song Xian told the group she had grown up on Duantou Island, fled war for Minqing, and had carried her parents’ ashes with her ever since.
• Song Xian revealed that Liu Zhongliang had promised to bury her parents on Duantou Island but never did, so she had hidden their urns at home.
• Song Xian said her parents had called the factory grounds the Longevity Cemetery, leaving Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun troubled.
• After returning to Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, Song Xian urged Liu Zhijun to take her to retrieve the urns, but he asked her to wait until Saturday.

Song Xian insisted on staying at her parents’ old house, and Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun agreed to spend the night there with her. After Wu Ling investigated the factory and the missing island, Chen Xiaoqiu began to fear that souls stranded in the Netherworld might have nowhere to go, and Wu Ling proposed examining the site that night.

• Song Xian refused to leave Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, and after an hour of arguing, Liu Zhiguo and Liu Zhijun agreed to stay with her at the old house overnight.
• Wu Ling confirmed that no cemetery called Wanshou existed in Minqing and that the island with no head had likely sunk in the 1970s.
• Nangong Yao’s records supported Song Xian’s account, while Lu Yang’s disappearance and the closure of his factory added to suspicions about the site.
• Wu Ling suggested that Chen Xiaoqiu investigate the factory grounds because her soul belonged to a Netherworld constable.
• Chen Xiaoqiu wondered what had happened to souls still in the Netherworld when it disappeared, and Wu Ling agreed the possibility had been overlooked.
• Wu Ling ended the call by suggesting they visit the site that night.

The narrator joined the Greenleaf group to investigate the dark center of an abandoned machinery factory, where Chen Xiaoqiu and the others sensed a gathering of unknown spirits. The group decided to enter the grounds and began preparing to pick the gate’s lock.

• The narrator asked his mother about their grandparents and learned that family arguments over medical and funeral costs had ended contact with relatives.
• The narrator told his mother about Song Xian’s difficulty with her parents’ ashes, then returned to the office as the skinny guy and two others volunteered to come along.
• The narrator and his companions met Wu Ling, Gu Mo, Nangong Yao, and the others from Greenleaf, then drove to the abandoned machinery factory.
• Chen Xiaoqiu sensed an especially dark area inside the factory, while Nangong Yao and Gu Mo described a large gathering of unfamiliar spirits chatting like people at a market.
• Wu Ling decided the group needed to get closer, and Liu Miao began preparing to pick the factory gate’s lock.

The narrator and the Greenleaf group reached the factory and spoke with Song Xian’s parents, who were trapped there as ghosts and knew nothing about what had happened in the underworld. They learned that the couple had stayed behind out of worry for Xiaoxian and were relieved to discover she had survived and lived a long, happy life.

• The group found a security camera moving on its own, and a ghostly guard appeared to unlock the factory gate for them.
• Wu Ling asked the guard about the underworld, but he said he knew nothing and went to fetch someone.
• Song Xian’s parents came to the gate and explained that the ghosts there had been discussing the strange changes in the underworld without finding answers.
• Song Xian’s parents told the group they had refused reincarnation because they feared Xiaoxian had died during the island attack.
• The couple learned from other ghosts that the war had ended and that Xiaoxian had grown old, and they tearfully celebrated her long life and family.

Wu Ling questioned the ghost couple about why they wanted their ashes and what had happened at Wanshou Cemetery and the factory. Chen Xiaoqiu concluded that they wanted to destroy proof of their deaths, leaving the group to consider what the ghosts were really seeking.

• The ghost couple said they instinctively needed their ashes and wanted to see Song Xian, whom they believed could sense them.
• The couple explained that ghosts had gathered at Wanshou Cemetery and that some had tried to scare the factory's owner and workers away.
• The man admitted that a worker had fallen and been injured after being startled by the ghosts, though the couple said they had not intended harm.
• Wu Ling suggested the couple could no longer be reincarnated or leave the factory grounds, and they stayed silent.
• Chen Xiaoqiu said the couple wanted to destroy proof of their deaths rather than obtain their ashes.

The group confronted Wanshou Cemetery’s ghosts about their plan to erase evidence of their existence, but an elderly man in charge appeared and spoke of upheaval in the Underworld. His remarks left the narrator wondering whether the living and ghosts were moving toward a struggle as separate kinds of beings.

• Wu Ling warned the ghost couple that the group could seal off the industrial park and pressured them to act as messengers.
• An elegantly dressed old man arrived, and the couple and the security guard trembled and bowed before him.
• Liu Miao asked about the ghost who had hurt someone, and the old man said the ghost had gone where he belonged and described his belief in repayment and fairness.
• The old man explained that his conscience and standards kept him on a different side from people like Liu Miao, then drew a line with his cane.
• Wu Ling asked what had happened in the Underworld and what would happen next, and the old man said change was inevitable and its outcome depended on who won.

Wu Ling and the others left the Longevity Cemetery after meeting Shen Xiao Rong, a composed ghost who wanted freedom and claimed ghosts gathered in many places across the underworld. As they weighed the danger of releasing the ghosts, Wu Ling suggested Shen Xiao Rong might be connected to file number seven.

• Shen Xiao Rong introduced himself to Wu Ling and warned that the Longevity Cemetery was only one of many places where ghosts gathered, some of them volatile.
• Wu Ling ended the conversation, and the group left the factory grounds as Shen Xiao Rong and the others remained behind.
• The group discussed Shen Xiao Rong's control over the ghosts and learned from Liu Miao that Shen Xiao Rong's actions had caused deaths, though he had not killed anyone himself.
• Wu Ling told Lin Qi to check file number seven because Shen Xiao Rong might be the ghost they had been unable to find in that case.