Chapter Summaries

Shen Yifan asked the agency to find the elusive relative who signed annual New Year's cards as “Xiao Ying” and sent his family a three-million deposit certificate. The investigator rejected summoning his soul as too risky and began gathering clues for a conventional search.

• Shen Yifan explained that Xiao Ying was a distant relative whose real name and current address were unknown, and that his family had received a three-million deposit certificate from him.
• Shen Yifan said other supposed spiritual investigators had defrauded him, so he wanted the agency to locate Xiao Ying and return the money.
• The investigator proposed tracing Xiao Ying through the cards’ changing addresses and banking information, noting that his surname was probably Shen.
• Shen Yifan recalled that older relatives had called Xiao Ying “Little Five” and said the two families had long been estranged.
• The investigator warned that summoning Xiao Ying could endanger the family, the agency, or Xiao Ying himself, and asked how old he might be.

Shen’s account of Xiao Ying’s tangled family history gave the paranormal investigation agency little information about his identity or fate. After the agency investigated the client’s family and anonymous deposit, Shen brought them a blank postcard bearing a disturbing image of hanging figures in a forest.

• Shen described Xiao Ying’s complicated family background, but could not name his parents or sisters or say whether Xiao Ying had married or had children.
• The agency reviewed the case and decided Nangong would investigate after Shen’s family connections and the anonymous deposit account yielded few clues.
• Shen called the agency on October 30 after his mother found a postcard sticking out of their mailbox, and he brought it in that evening.
• The investigators noted the postcard’s smudged red postmark and clear Minqing postmark, and agreed to ask the local post office for clues.
• The postcard had no message or address, but its forest painting revealed figures hanging from trees among dark patches resembling congealed blood.

The investigators found no way to trace the postcard and questioned the Shen family about their reactions and memories of Xiao Ying. Mr. Shen began recounting the families’ history, tracing their connection back to Shen Mingxiu and Shen Mingyi and describing how Shen Changshou acknowledged a newborn as his godfather.

• On October 31, the investigators asked the Changhe Post Office to trace the postcard, but its staff said its origin could not be determined and it could not have been delivered normally without an address.
• On November 1, the investigators asked Mr. and Mrs. Shen to examine the postcard and learned that they noticed its hidden figure and blood immediately, which they attributed to their keen sensitivity.
• The Shen family debated whether Xiao Ying could have become a ghost and whether he had been a good person, while Mr. Shen admitted that most of his knowledge came from stories told by relatives.
• Mr. Shen explained that the Shen family’s connection to Xiao Ying’s family traced back to his great-great-grandfather, Shen Mingxiu, and Mingxiu’s brother, Mingyi.
• Mr. Shen recounted how Shen Changshou fell seriously ill as a teenager and, after a fortune-teller’s advice, acknowledged a baby less than two weeks old as his godfather.

The investigators questioned Mr. Shen about Shen Changshou’s descendants and the uncertain identity of Xiao Ying, who may have been Xiao Wuzi. They found no reliable way to confirm who sent the postcards, and the chapter ended with them asking when Mr. Shen bought his house and whether he was its first owner.

• Mr. Shen described how A Gou’s repeated marriages and inability to have children drained Shen Changshou’s land and caused conflict between the families.
• Mr. Shen recounted that Shen Changshou’s granddaughter married her wealthy godfather’s son, and their son Xiao Wuzi was adopted into A Gou’s family.
• Mr. Shen explained that several relatives later argued over whether Xiao Wuzi should return to his birth family, but he did not know which family he ultimately joined or what surname he used.
• The investigators established that Mr. Shen could not confirm Xiao Ying’s identity or contact the relatives who might help verify it.
• The investigators told Mr. Shen they had doubts about Xiao Ying’s identity, then asked when he bought his current house and whether he was its first owner.

The investigators realized their search for Xiao Ying might have focused on the wrong person and widened their inquiry into the Shen family. Ye Kai then shared memories of his maternal family, tracing its history back to wealthy ancestors and revealing how little of that past had survived.

• The family explained that they had moved into their newly built home after their old dormitory was demolished, prompting the investigators to reconsider whom they had been seeking.
• The investigators reviewed the audio and discussed whether Xiao Ying was a distant Shen family relative, while Nangong researched possible routes and customs records.
• Beautiful suggested that people in three generations of Little Five's family might have become involved in supernatural affairs.
• The investigators contacted Ye Kai, who described the strained relationship between his father and maternal grandparents and recalled his mother's stories about their family.
• Ye Kai said his great-great-grandfather had left unfinished manuscripts about the family, then recounted stories of lost relatives and ancestors who had been wealthy landowners.

A family member recounted the long history of resentment between the Shen family branches, tracing it from Shen Mingyi’s birth through Shen Changshou and Shen Ankang. The account ended with Shen Ankang adopting a son, a decision that had rankled the other branch’s women.

• The speaker described how Shen Mingyi’s twin sister died during childbirth and how their father favored the frail Shen Mingyi, while Shen Mingxiu was raised to care for him.
• Shen Mingyi’s son, Shen Changshou, became seriously ill before his wedding, and the family arranged rituals and a godfather ceremony to help him recover.
• The speaker said Shen Mingxiu continued helping Shen Changshou after the branches split, fueling resentment over favoritism and the division of family property.
• Shen Changshou’s son Shen Ankang had no children with his wives, and disputes arose between his family and his in-laws.
• The speaker recalled that Shen Ankang eventually adopted a son, which upset the women in the other Shen branch.

A family member recounted suspicions that Shen Ankang had received an inheritance intended for Shen Mingyi and Shen Changshou, then passed important assets to the adopted Xiao Ying. The account ended with no proof of the inheritance and no contact with Xiao Ying beyond his New Year cards.

• The speaker explained that relatives suspected Shen Ankang had gained an inheritance by arranging his sister's marriage and adopting Xiao Ying, though they never confirmed the theory.
• The speaker said Shen Ankang's wives later refused to return Xiao Ying to the Xiao and Guan families, despite disputes over the adoption's conditions.
• The speaker recalled that their mother identified Xiao Ying from his New Year cards, even though the name on the cards differed from the name he had received after adoption.
• The speaker described Xiao Ying as polite and well liked by the elders, who felt sorry for him when his birth family tried to reclaim him.
• The speaker said their mother sent Xiao Ying cards for a few years, then stopped after his return addresses changed to different countries.
• The interviewer confirmed that the family had found no clues about the suspected inheritance and had no contact with Xiao Ying apart from the cards.

Shen received a second postcard depicting his family hanging in a forest and feared it was a threat, while investigators continued tracing Xiao Ying. A third postcard arrived with the family’s faces distorted, and investigators identified three possible matches for Xiao Ying’s travel routes.

• Shen showed the investigators the second postcard, which depicted him and his parents hanging among numerous figures in a forest, and said he feared Xiao Ying was threatening his family.
• The investigator helped Shen assess his fear and arranged to inspect his home and install a camera near his mailbox.
• Investigators discussed the weak evidence linking Xiao Ying to Ye Kai and noted that the postcards from both sides followed the same yearly route pattern.
• Shen received a third postcard showing his family grinning with blood at their mouths and terror in their eyes.
• Investigators compiled Xiao Ying’s travel routes and identified Guan Zusheng, Jack Lee, and Jean Yves as three possible matches.

The investigation into the deaths of Shen Yifan and his parents found a blank postcard and unclear surveillance footage, but Xiao Ying could not be located and the case was suspended. Years later, Shen Xue contacted the investigators to learn about Xiao Ying and her family history, recalling how she learned of her relatives’ deaths.

• Investigators documented that Shen Yifan and his parents had died by hanging, and found a blank postcard in their car after the deposit slip disappeared.
• Surveillance footage showed a figure obscured by static approaching the mailboxes, Shen Yifan retrieving a small white card, and the Shen family leaving the building under strange shadows.
• Investigators failed to contact Guan Zusheng, Jack Lee, or Jean Yves, later ruled out Guan Zusheng, and suspended the unresolved case because Xiao Ying could not be found.
• On June 15, 2006, Shen Xue asked investigators to find Xiao Ying so she could interview him and learn about her family for a school paper.
• Shen Xue recalled that she had been nine when she learned from her mother that her father’s cousin, uncle, and aunt had died by suicide.

Shen Xue asked the agency to investigate her family’s past and Xiao Ying, then revealed that a bank deposit slip bearing Xiao Ying’s name had appeared under her hotel-room door. The agency accepted her case and warned that she and her parents might be in danger.

• Shen Xue asked the agency to investigate Xiao Ying and learn about her relatives, but they refused without her parents’ consent.
• The agency played recordings about Shen Xue’s relatives, revealing painful family history and more about Xiao Ying’s identity.
• Shen Xue asked to meet Xiao Ying, but the agency said they had lost his trail and could not find him.
• Shen Xue revealed that someone had slipped a bank deposit slip addressed from Xiao Ying under her hotel-room door and admitted she had hidden details about her plans.
• The agency accepted Shen Xue’s request, demanded the full story of the New Year’s cards, and said they would contact her parents because the family was in danger.

Investigators questioned Shen Xue’s parents about the Shen family’s history and the strange New Year cards. Shen Jiajun described rumors of an ancestral treasure, while Shen Xue suspected Xiao Ying’s postcards and the family’s sudden interest in her were connected to it; the investigators planned to take a more proactive approach.

• The investigators asked Shen Jiajun and Wang Xinfang to explain what they knew about Xiao Ying and the Shen family.
• Shen Jiajun recalled childhood stories about a hidden family treasure, which he later dismissed as implausible.
• Shen Jiajun described favoritism toward Shen Mingyi’s branch and suggested that its descendants had access to inherited money.
• Shen Xue connected Xiao Ying’s postcards, the distant relatives’ sudden attention, and the New Year cards to a possible bloodline-linked treasure.
• Shen Jiajun said his father had supported the family’s emigration and warned them away from the Shen family, but they had never possessed any inherited valuables.
• The investigators said they would take a more proactive approach after Shen Jiajun could provide no further information.

After Shen Jiajun reported that Shen Xue had received a threatening postcard, the investigators urged the family to summon Xiao Ying’s soul before the danger escalated. The Shens agreed to proceed, though Shen Xue insisted on staying with her parents as the ritual began.

• The investigators told Shen Jiajun that they could summon Xiao Ying’s soul to find him, but warned the attempt could be dangerous.
• While analyzing an audio recording, the investigators theorized that a Shen family heirloom or inheritance might have prompted someone to target the family, and wondered whether two ghosts were involved.
• Shen Jiajun called to report that a postcard had arrived in Shen Xue’s room and brought it to the investigators with his parents.
• The Shen family denied wanting the inheritance, but Shen Xue’s parents agreed that the investigators should summon Xiao Ying’s soul.
• Shen Xue refused to leave her family, and the investigators prepared to begin the summoning with all three Shens present.

Wu Ling and Ye Qing summoned and destroyed the ghost haunting the Shen family’s greeting cards, but a second ghost failed to appear, so the family stayed with the agency until the investigation ended. After reading the file, the narrator entered a vision of a newborn being carried from a hospital to a family gathering, where people discussed his father, Dog.

• Wu Ling used blood and a ritual to summon the ghost behind the Shen family’s greeting card, and it lunged at the family before disappearing.
• Wu Ling repeated the ritual with a bank statement, but no ghost appeared; Ye Qing suggested there might be another spirit connected to someone named Rong.
• Wu Ling tried summoning the ghost again with more greeting cards, but the attempt also failed, so the Shen family agreed to stay at the agency.
• The agency recorded no unusual events through June 30, 2006, and ended its investigation.
• The narrator read the file and then experienced a vision of a newborn being carried from a hospital to a restaurant gathering, where a woman referred to the baby’s father as Dog.

The narrator witnessed Xiao Ying’s memories of Shen Ankang’s death and his relatives’ conflict over Xiao Ying. Shen Ankang revealed that Master Rong’s hidden treasures were tied to the Shen bloodline, and the chapter ended as Xiao Ying saw a vision of people watching him in a forest.

• Xiao Ying stayed beside the dying Shen Ankang, who accused him of waiting for his death and said he was not truly part of the Shen family.
• Shen Ankang claimed Master Rong could be reborn through the Shen bloodline and that his accumulated treasures were hidden with him.
• Shen Ankang died that night, and Xiao Ying’s relatives argued and fought over him.
• Xiao Ying went abroad, found no inheritance, and struggled with poverty and his family ties.
• A sudden pain brought Xiao Ying a vision of indistinct people watching him in a dark forest.

The narrator witnessed Xiao Ying’s visions of a blood-soaked forest filled with hanging corpses and learned how the Shen family’s history was tied to the haunting. The chapter ended with the narrator noticing faint yin energy around the tenant farmer who revealed the family’s past.

• Xiao Ying’s visions grew from a mysterious forest into scenes of hanging adults and children, and he feared the Shen family was behind them.
• Xiao Ying hired a private detective to investigate the Shen family and trace its history through old records and a former tenant’s descendant.
• The tenant farmer said the Shen family had killed its own children and that a daughter-in-law had strangled her baby and hanged herself in the orchard.
• The farmer described the haunted woods, where people became trapped in a ghostly maze and sometimes hanged themselves.
• The narrator noticed a faint trace of yin energy around the farmer and wondered whether it came from a ghost or the Shen family’s past.

Xiao Ying questioned a villager about his ancestor’s connection to the Shen family and learned that the ancestor had beaten Shen Mingxiu’s elder brother before fleeing. The villager then claimed the Shen family had ordered the woods burned, after which the people who helped seemed possessed.

• Xiao Ying asked the man about Shen Mingyi and Shen Mingxiu, and the man said his ancestor had done Shen Mingyi’s family a great favor by injuring the elder brother.
• Xiao Ying challenged the man’s inherited story, and the man admitted his ancestor had beaten someone and fled, though he did not know how severe the injury was.
• The man said his ancestor kept moving after hearing that the elder brother’s family favored the younger brother’s son, then eventually settled far away.
• Xiao Ying asked about the hanging ghost story and why the man’s family had been excluded from the village orchard project.
• The man claimed the younger brother had asked his ancestor to burn down the woods, and that the people involved seemed possessed afterward.

Xiao Ying learned more about the woods and tried to escape his visions by having a child, but the haunting worsened. After he received a mysterious 1972 deposit slip and used a medium’s ink to send New Year’s cards, the ghosts from his visions attacked him.

• A man told Xiao Ying that his ancestor had heard cries and seen ghosts after burning the woods, which led him to beat Shen Mingxiu and flee Minqing.
• Xiao Ying married and had Shen Zhuangzhuang, but his visions grew clearer, and his son cried in fear whenever he saw him.
• A Black reaper left a bank deposit slip in Xiao Ying’s mailbox; Xiao Ying recognized it and learned it was for three million deposited in 1972.
• Xiao Ying withdrew the money and sent New Year’s cards written with ink bought from a local medium, hoping to sense the recipients’ ill will.
• The Black reaper summoned ghosts that matched Xiao Ying’s visions, and they rushed into him as he fell screaming.

Xiao Ying’s death and the destruction of his family left him seeking the Shen bloodline, while the narrator discovered that Shen Xiaorong had sent the bank deposit slip and witnessed a glimpse of Shen Xiaorong’s past. Shen Xiaorong then explained how he founded the Shen family and arranged to be reborn into it.

• Xiao Ying’s yin energy killed his wife and infant son, and the ghosts destroyed his wife’s soul before departing.
• Xiao Ying’s soul remained behind, learned that police had ruled his death a heart attack, and sent the bank deposit slip to Shen Yifan’s family to frighten them and grow stronger.
• The narrator realized Shen Xiaorong had sent a bank deposit slip to a young woman, then was pulled into a vision of a forest fire where an infant girl survived.
• Shen Xiaorong met the narrator in a dark factory and said his original name was Ran and that he had lived several hundred years earlier.
• Shen Xiaorong explained that he had served as a ghost messenger, chosen to be reborn into the Shen family, and returned when the family had become prosperous.

Shen Xiaorong recounted how his repeated reincarnations shaped the Shen family and revealed that he was Shen Mingyi, whose family’s crimes and supernatural troubles eventually left him trapped in the underworld. He admitted to killing Xiao Ying and using him to kill the others, then offered to help the narrator in exchange for being released.

• Shen Xiaorong explained how he first built the Shen family’s power through official service, then turned to secretly accumulating wealth after the family was purged.
• He said his descendants discovered his secret, came to expect his fortune, and eventually descended into violence and disorder.
• Shen Xiaorong revealed that he had reincarnated as Shen Mingyi, whose father killed his twin sister and favored him as a sickly child.
• He described how his twin sister became a vengeful ghost, the family’s past killings came to light, and his brother secretly arranged for another man to father a child with his wife.
• Shen Xiaorong admitted that he killed Xiao Ying and used him to kill other Shen family members, then offered to help the narrator if the narrator helped him leave the underworld.

The narrator considered Shen Xiaorong’s offer to find souls from the past but withheld the identity of the person they sought. A wave of violent ghostly wailing erupted at Wanshou Cemetery, and Shen Xiaorong confronted a disfigured boy named Shen Youkang before the factory went dark.

• Shen Xiaorong claimed he could find souls from nearly any period, including a king from 3000 BC, but the narrator doubted that soul could reveal when ghosts first appeared.
• The narrator kept Ye Qing’s plan secret as ghostly sobs and wails spread through Wanshou Cemetery, frightening its ghosts.
• Shen Xiaorong hurried into a factory building, where an empty assembly line started running and sprayed a fleeing ghost, badly disfiguring his face.
• Shen Xiaorong called out to Shen Youkang, a disfigured boy who accused his father of having him hanged after his younger brother poured boiling oil on his face.
• The assembly line crashed, the factory lights went out, and the narrator heard something heavy hit the ground nearby.