Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang and Jiang Li hear dripping water and return to the sixth floor.
• They find Xu Zhi'an, the clerk, attempting to strangle himself.
• Bai Yanliang breaks Xu Zhi'an's arms to save him from self-strangulation.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang demonstrates exceptional strength and calmness under pressure.
• Jiang Li shows concern for others' safety and follows Bai Yanliang's lead.

Significant Themes

• The theme of helplessness and desperation is emphasized as Xu Zhi'an tries to strangle himself.
• Bai Yanliang's calm and decisive actions contrast with the chaos and fear around him.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Jiang Li work together to try and save Xu Zhi'an.
• Bai Yanliang's calm demeanor contrasts with Jiang Li's fear and desperation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu Zhi'an wakes up injured but alive, revealing that he was tortured for information.
• He leads Bai Yanliang and Jiang Li to the rooftop, where they find something hidden in the water tank.
• Yu Hanzhou realizes the true danger of the mirror taboo: it's not just mirrors, but anything that reflects an image.
• He decides to warn the others despite the risk to himself.
• Lu Guo and Qi Nian hide together. Lu Guo suspects that only Yu Hanzhou, as a Grudge-Bound, might survive.
• They hear something dragging Hua Xiaoxiao's corpse, which suddenly looks at them with pleading eyes.

Character Developments

• Xu Zhi'an shows resilience and determination to survive despite his injuries.
• Yu Hanzhou demonstrates empathy and a desire to help others, despite his initial self-preservation instincts.
• Lu Guo shows strategic thinking and a willingness to abandon Qi Nian if she becomes a liability.
• Qi Nian is shown to be hysterical and unstable under pressure.

Significant Themes

• Survival and Self-Preservation: Characters prioritize their own survival, but Yu Hanzhou's actions challenge this theme.
• Human Nature: Characters display various aspects of human nature, from selfishness to empathy.
• Perception vs. Reality: The mirror taboo plays with the characters' perceptions of reality.

Character Interactions

• Xu Zhi'an, Bai Yanliang, and Jiang Li work together to find the hidden object.
• Yu Hanzhou's internal struggle leads him to decide to help the others.
• Lu Guo and Qi Nian hide together, with Lu Guo trying to keep Qi Nian calm and focused.
• Hua Xiaoxiao's corpse pleads for help, showing a desperate need for interaction despite being deceased.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hua Xiaoxiao is dying, and Lu Guo refuses to help her, believing she's beyond saving.
• Bai Yanliang, Jiang Li, and Xu Zhi'an discover three water tanks on the rooftop, suspected to contain the missing people's bodies.
• Bai Yanliang suggests Jiang Li step on his shoulders to climb the tanks and investigate.

Character Developments

• Lu Guo shows indifference and despair, unwilling to help Hua Xiaoxiao.
• Bai Yanliang displays unusual calm and lack of fear around ghosts, raising concerns from Jiang Li and Xu Zhi'an.
• Xu Zhi'an starts to trust Bai Yanliang despite his odd behavior.

Significant Themes

• Despair and helplessness in the face of death and the supernatural.
• The struggle between fear and the desire for survival.
• The question of whether Bai Yanliang is a normal person, given his peculiar behavior.

Character Interactions

• Lu Guo and Qi Nian discuss Hua Xiaoxiao's fate, showing no intention to help.
• Jiang Li and Xu Zhi'an express unease about Bai Yanliang's behavior.
• Bai Yanliang offers to help Jiang Li climb the water tanks, showing no signs of fear or hesitation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Li and Bai Yanliang investigate the water tanks, finding two corpses (a bloated woman and a disfigured man) but no sign of the third ghost.
• The discovery suggests two people were killed and dumped in the tanks, with one killer still unaccounted for.

Character Developments

• Jiang Li shows resilience and determination in facing the gruesome task of inspecting the tanks.
• Bai Yanliang demonstrates his strength and analytical skills, deducing the possible sequence of events leading to the deaths.
• Xu Zhi'an is shown to be squeamish and less resilient than Jiang Li.

Significant Themes

• The investigation into the ghosts' origins and deaths, highlighting the need to understand the cause to combat the effect.
• The potential existence of a serial killer or copycat killer within the Ruyi Inn.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Li and Bai Yanliang work together, with Jiang Li relying on Bai Yanliang's strength and analytical skills, while Bai Yanliang respects Jiang Li's courage and determination.
• Xu Zhi'an is shown to be less capable than Jiang Li, highlighting the differences in their resilience and determination.

Key Plot Points

• Xu Zhi'an and Jiang Li discover two corpses on their first day.
• Bai Yanliang decides to act alone, warning them to be cautious of water.
• Bai Yanliang returns to the staff break area to investigate, encountering Zhang Wen.

Character Developments

• Xu Zhi'an becomes more cautious and worried about the mission's increasing danger.
• Jiang Li shows concern for Xu Zhi'an's well-being.
• Bai Yanliang demonstrates his intelligence, initiative, and fearlessness, deciding to act alone for better investigation.

Significant Themes

• The increasing difficulty and danger of Mist Gathering missions.
• The use of water as a potential killing method by the vengeful ghost.

Character Interactions

• Xu Zhi'an and Jiang Li work together, supporting each other.
• Bai Yanliang separates from the group to investigate independently, showing confidence in his abilities.
• Bai Yanliang interacts with Zhang Wen, showing assertiveness and determination to uncover the truth.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang visits Zhang Wen to uncover her secrets.
• Zhang Wen reveals she's Zhang Qiao's biological older sister.
• She recounts a complex love triangle involving her, Ding Lei, Li Yuhua, and Ding Peng.
• Zhang Wen confesses to plotting Li Yuhua's murder with Ding Peng.
• She believes her sister, Zhang Qiao, is communicating with her from a mirror.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang: Remains calm and composed, even when faced with Zhang Wen's erratic behavior. He begins to suspect that the ghost under his bed is not the real Zhang Qiao.
• Zhang Wen: Reveals her obsession with Ding Lei and her younger sister, Zhang Qiao. Her mental state is increasingly unstable, displaying signs of delusion and paranoia.

Significant Themes

• Love and Obsession: Zhang Wen's love for Ding Lei and her sister has twisted into an unhealthy obsession, driving her to plot murder and causing her mental deterioration.
• Appearance vs Reality: The story explores the contrast between the seemingly normal Zhang Wen and her true, deranged state. It also questions the identity of the ghost haunting the inn.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Zhang Wen: Their interaction highlights Zhang Wen's instability and Bai Yanliang's growing unease. He senses a familiarity between her and the patients he encountered in Ye City Psychiatric Hospital.
• Zhang Wen and 'Qiao'er': Zhang Wen's conversation with the 'Qiao'er' in the mirror suggests a delusional relationship, with 'Qiao'er' influencing Zhang Wen's actions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Sheng, disturbed, seeks Jiang Chaojie's company.
• Jiang Chaojie reveals they both witnessed Ding Lei drowning Li Yuhua, the boss's wife.
• They decide to keep silent about the incident, fearing Ding Lei's retribution.
• While going to the bathroom together, they feel an eerie presence in the hallway.
• Jiang Chaojie finds blood in the toilet bowl and a hand reaching out, causing him to collapse in terror.

Character Developments

• Wang Sheng: Becomes increasingly paranoid and fearful, even seeing Li Yuhua's ghost.
• Jiang Chaojie: Struggles to maintain composure but is also affected by the incident, experiencing fear and paranoia.
• Ding Lei: Implied to be a murderer, as he drowned Li Yuhua.

Significant Themes

• Guilt and its consequences: Both Wang Sheng and Jiang Chaojie are haunted by guilt after witnessing Li Yuhua's murder.
• Fear of the unknown: The men are terrified of the supernatural, with Li Yuhua's ghost serving as a manifestation of their guilt.
• Silence and complicity: They choose to remain silent about the murder, contributing to their psychological distress.

Character Interactions

• Wang Sheng and Jiang Chaojie: They seek each other's company for comfort but end up fueling each other's fears and paranoia.
• Wang Sheng and Jiang Chaojie with Ding Lei: Their fear of Ding Lei's retribution keeps them silent about the murder.
• Jiang Chaojie with Li Yuhua's ghost: Jiang Chaojie's fear reaches its peak when he encounters Li Yuhua's ghost in the bathroom.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang hears dripping water, possibly indicating a death, and reflects on the nature of the Mist Space and its potential purpose.
• Yu Hanzhou, the last survivor of his group, hides in a chimney, hoping his friends are still alive.
• Lu Guo and Qi Nian, the remaining survivors, cautiously return to the first-floor living room, avoiding the vengeful ghost's taboos (mirrors and looking back).
• Lu Guo finds a hiding spot but is discovered by the ghost, which grabs him from behind.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang: He remains indifferent to the deaths of the inn's staff, believing they deserve to die. He plans to resolve everything tonight and visits a certain place during the half-hour window before six o'clock.
• Lu Guo: He takes care of Qi Nian, not because he's attracted to her, but because she resembles his younger sister, Lu Ran, who died protecting him. He's determined to survive for Lu Ran's sake but won't risk his life for Qi Nian.
• Qi Nian: She's terrified and relies on Lu Guo for protection. She believes Lu Guo is helping her because she's a beautiful woman.

Significant Themes

• Despair and Hope: Characters face despairing situations but cling to hope, such as Lu Guo hoping to survive for Lu Ran's sake.
• The Past and Its Influence: The characters are stuck in a past timeline, grappling with the consequences of their actions and the possibility of changing them.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Zhang Wen: Bai Yanliang doesn't reveal the truth about the ghost to Zhang Wen, letting her believe it's her younger sister to maintain her mental stability.
• Lu Guo and Qi Nian: Lu Guo protects Qi Nian, not out of romantic interest, but because she resembles his deceased sister. Qi Nian, however, believes Lu Guo is helping her due to her beauty.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Guo realizes everyone has violated the taboo of not looking back, leading to their deaths.
• Qi Nian witnesses Lu Guo being attacked by a monstrous ghost and decides to intervene.
• Qi Nian uses a makeup mirror to reflect the ghost's eye, causing it to freeze.

Character Developments

• Lu Guo accepts his impending death but is surprised by Qi Nian's bravery.
• Qi Nian overcomes her fear and takes action to save Lu Guo, demonstrating unexpected courage.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of breaking taboos and rules.
• The power of reflection and facing one's fears.
• The importance of human connection and helping others in desperate situations.

Character Interactions

• Lu Guo and Qi Nian's relationship shifts from acquaintances to allies against the ghost.
• Qi Nian's intervention saves Lu Guo, highlighting the importance of their bond.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qi Nian's mirror reflects the vengeful spirit, causing it to release Lu Guo and melt away.
• The world turns black and white, excluding Qi Nian and Lu Guo.
• They are stripped from the past world, ending the mission.
• Feng Xinghan investigates Room 406, encountering a terrifying, shadowy figure.

Character Developments

• Qi Nian: Shows unexpected bravery and resourcefulness by using the mirror to reflect the spirit.
• Lu Guo: Survives the mission, relieved but disbelieving in Qi Nian's actions.
• Feng Xinghan: Confronts a horrifying entity in Room 406, experiencing a terrifying hallucination.

Significant Themes

• The power of belief and determination (Qi Nian's mirror reflection).
• The unknown and its terror (Feng Xinghan's encounter).
• The consequences of curiosity and investigation (Feng Xinghan's actions).

Character Interactions

• Qi Nian and Lu Guo: Share a moment of disbelief and relief after the mission ends.
• Feng Xinghan and the shadowy figure: A one-sided, terrifying encounter with an unknown entity.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Xinghan encounters a terrifying entity in the stairwell of his apartment building.
• He tries to escape using the elevator but is pursued by the entity.
• Li Yuejun reports a murder at the Ruyi Inn to the police, identifying the victim as Zhang Qiao.
• She learns that Ding Lei, the inn's owner, has an identical twin brother named Ding Peng, who is a habitual offender.

Character Developments

• Feng Xinghan: Shows courage when facing the unknown but is ultimately terrified and desperate to escape.
• Li Yuejun: Demonstrates bravery in reporting a crime and maintains composure despite the bizarre circumstances.

Significant Themes

• Fear and desperation in the face of the unknown and supernatural.
• The consequences of past actions and the inescapable nature of the supernatural world.
• The theme of twins and their potential connection to the supernatural events.

Character Interactions

• Feng Xinghan's encounter with the entity is a solo experience, highlighting his isolation and vulnerability.
• Li Yuejun interacts with the police officer, seeking information about Ding Peng, which leads to a disturbing revelation about the twins.
• The chapter ends with Li Yuejun's discovery, setting the stage for potential future interactions and revelations involving the twins.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang discovers that Ding Lei and Ding Peng are twins.
• He learns that Ding Peng had a plan to gain a fortune after killing Li Yuhua.
• A staff member, Wang Sheng, finds his colleague Jiang Chaojie dead in the restroom, killed in a gruesome manner.
• Bai Yanliang finds an agreement in Jiang Chaojie's room, revealing that Jiang and Wang Sheng had witnessed the body disposal and were paid to keep quiet.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang: He solves the mystery of Ding Peng's motive, proving his investigative prowess.
• Ding Peng: His true intentions are revealed; he's willing to kill for personal gain.
• Wang Sheng and Jiang Chaojie: They are shown to be corrupt and fearful, hiding the truth for money.

Significant Themes

• Greed and corruption: Wang Sheng and Jiang Chaojie's actions are driven by greed, leading to their downfall.
• Trust and deception: Ding Peng's deception of Zhang Wen and the staff's betrayal of their trust highlight the theme of broken trust.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and the Ruyi Inn staff: He interacts with them as a detective, questioning and investigating their actions.
• Bai Yanliang and Ding Peng: Though not directly interacting, Bai Yanliang's understanding of Ding Peng's plan shows his insight into the latter's character.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Lei returns to the hotel to find his office in disarray and his wife, Zhang Qiao, missing.
• Bai Yanliang confronts Ding Lei, revealing he knows about Ding Lei's wife's death and his involvement in other murders.
• Ding Lei attacks Bai Yanliang, but Bai Yanliang subdues him, pinning his hand to the desk with a dagger.
• Bai Yanliang deduces Ding Lei's plan to kill his brother, Ding Peng, and take his place, and his role in the murder of Li Yuhua and Ding Lei.

Character Developments

• Ding Lei: Revealed to be a cold-blooded murderer, willing to kill his own brother and wife to gain wealth and status.
• Bai Yanliang: Demonstrates exceptional combat skills, calm demeanor, and keen deductive abilities.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and betrayal within family relationships.
• The consequences of jealousy and resentment.
• The struggle between conscience and personal gain.

Character Interactions

• Ding Lei and Bai Yanliang: A tense and violent confrontation, with Ding Lei attacking Bai Yanliang and Bai Yanliang subduing him.
• Ding Lei's internal struggle: Between his desire for wealth and status and his lingering affection for Zhang Qiao.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang discovers a primitive Jade Ruyi in Ding Peng's safe, which is the true treasure of Ruyi Inn.
• Ding Peng reveals that the Jade Ruyi is haunted and caused Zhang Qiao's death.
• Bai Yanliang confronts the ghostly apparitions on the fourth floor, including a woman on the ceiling and a figure resembling him (Bai Yanren).
• He uses the Jade Ruyi to absorb and banish the anomalies, successfully completing his mission.
• The world around him shatters, and he returns to reality.

Character Developments

• Ding Peng: Shows remorse for his actions and reveals the truth about the Jade Ruyi and Zhang Qiao's death.
• Bai Yanliang: Demonstrates calm and determination in facing the supernatural threats. He successfully completes his mission and returns to reality.

Significant Themes

• The power of ancient artifacts (Jade Ruyi) and their connection to the supernatural.
• The consequences of greed and selfishness (Ding Peng's actions leading to Zhang Qiao's death).
• The importance of determination and calmness in facing adversity (Bai Yanliang's approach to the ghostly apparitions).

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Ding Peng: Bai Yanliang extracts information from Ding Peng about the Jade Ruyi and Zhang Qiao's death. He shows no interest in saving Ding Peng.
• Bai Yanliang and the ghostly apparitions: Bai Yanliang faces the ghosts on the fourth floor with calm determination, ultimately banishing them using the Jade Ruyi.

Summary of Chapter 35: Return

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang and his group return from the Mist Gathering.
• Zhou Li shares the contact details and warns about the rules learned through repeated brushes with death.
• Bai Yanliang learns about a celebrity coming to Ye City.
• Bai Yanliang returns to reality and meets Yang Wanlong's daughter, Yang Yiyi, who mistakes him for an intruder.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang: Realizes he is different from others in the Mist Gathering, as his door was unlocked with a key left by his brother. Feels exhausted and bewildered after his experiences.
• Qi Nian: Still seems shaken by his experiences in the Mist Gathering.
• Zhou Li: Shows admiration for Bai Yanliang's group and shares crucial information about the Mist Gathering.

Significant Themes

• The mysterious and dangerous nature of the Mist Gathering.
• The importance of understanding and learning the rules of the Mist Gathering through experience.
• The bizarre and paused nature of time in the Mist Gathering compared to reality.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Zhou Li: Zhou Li admires Bai Yanliang's group and shares important information with them.
• Bai Yanliang and Yang Yiyi: Yang Yiyi mistakes Bai Yanliang for an intruder and is initially terrified, but they eventually communicate, and she recognizes him as her father's informant.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang tacitly accepts the identity of an informant.
• Yang Yiyi, excited by Bai Yanliang's mysterious demeanor, imagines him as a hero from novels.
• Yang Yiyi shares that a student stabbed a teaching assistant at her school, leading to a campus closure.
• Yang Wanlong arranges for Yang Yiyi to accompany Bai Yanliang to buy a phone and investigate the campus incident.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang: Shows reluctance to discuss his past, maintains a serious demeanor, and expresses his appreciation for life after a disturbing dream.
• Yang Yiyi: Demonstrates immaturity and excitement, misinterprets Bai Yanliang's situation, and shows eagerness to investigate the campus incident.
• Yang Wanlong: Aims to keep in touch with Bai Yanliang via phone, understands Bai Yanliang's desire to investigate the campus incident, and arranges for Yang Yiyi to accompany him.

Significant Themes

• The fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
• The duality of human consciousness: knowing too much about ourselves can be a curse.
• The contrast between the city's hustle and bustle and the beauty of nature.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Yang Yiyi: Yang Yiyi pesters Bai Yanliang with questions, misinterpreting his situation, while Bai Yanliang remains taciturn.
• Bai Yanliang and Yang Wanlong: They share a tacit understanding; Yang Wanlong arranges for Yang Yiyi to accompany Bai Yanliang to investigate the campus incident.
• Yang Yiyi and her father: Yang Yiyi shares information about the campus incident with her father, and he arranges for her to accompany Bai Yanliang.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang withdraws money from Yanren's bank account and buys a mobile phone.
• He discovers a social group of thirty-seven people, including himself, discussing the recent Mist Gathering's events.
• They discuss the premature start of the curse and the neutralized malevolent spirit, Yu Hanzhou.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang adapts to modern social norms, understanding the need for personal space and distance in interactions.
• He joins the social group, showing interest in the Mist Gathering's dynamics and events.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation to modern society and its norms.
• The rules and dynamics of the Mist Gathering, including the premature curse and the neutralized malevolent spirit.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang interacts with Yang Yiyi, learning about Feng Yiru, a popular celebrity.
• He communicates with the group members through the social app, learning about the recent Mist Gathering events.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Yanliang accepts Feng Xiuxue's meeting request.
• Bai Yanliang and Yang Yiyi visit the training hospital where the incident occurred.
• Officer Wang reveals that the assistant instructor predicted his own murder via an emergency call.

Character Developments

• Bai Yanliang demonstrates his keen observational skills and deductive reasoning at the crime scene.
• Yang Yiyi shows resourcefulness and connections, using her father's influence to gain access to the crime scene.

Significant Themes

• The supernatural and inexplicable events continue to be a central theme.
• The theme of prediction and foreshadowing is introduced through the assistant instructor's emergency call.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Yang Yiyi work together to investigate the crime scene.
• Yang Yiyi uses her connection with Officer Wang to gain favor and access.
• Officer Wang shares information with Bai Yanliang, showing respect for his observations and insights.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Officer Wang reveals that the distress call was made 45 minutes before the crime, suggesting the victim knew his fate in advance.
• Li Degang, the assistant instructor, is found dead, killed by having his throat pierced.
• Bai Yanliang and Officer Wang visit Hao Bowen's home; Bai Yanliang notices the extreme tidiness of Hao Bowen's room and his interest in drawing, but finds no drawings.

Character Developments

• Officer Wang: Shows dedication to the case, keeps a close eye on Bai Yanliang.
• Yang Yiyi: Struggles with her desire to participate in the investigation and her fear of the murderer.
• Hao Bowen: Implied to have a near-pathological need for order and a strong interest in drawing.

Significant Themes

• The strange and complex nature of the crime, with a victim who seemed to anticipate his fate and a perpetrator with immense strength.
• The theme of inequality, hinted at by Bai Yanliang's thoughts on some people being unable to do certain things.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Officer Wang: Work together on the case, with Officer Wang being cautious of Bai Yanliang.
• Bai Yanliang and Yang Yiyi: Bai Yanliang encourages Yang Yiyi to persist in her studies and not be discouraged by her current limitations.
• Bai Yanliang and Hao Bowen's parents: Bai Yanliang observes Hao Bowen's room while his parents express their disbelief in their son's involvement in the crime.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Officer Wang and Bai Yanliang discover Hao Bowen's room, which is extremely clean and organized.
• Under UV light, they find disturbing drawings on the walls and ceiling, revealing Hao Bowen's inner turmoil and twisted thoughts.
• Hao Bowen's parents faint and react in shock upon seeing the drawings.
• Hao Bowen's father reveals that they sent him to Yehua Education Center to treat his internet addiction.

Character Developments

• Hao Bowen: His inner world is revealed to be deeply troubled, with extreme repression, pain, and confusion.
• Hao Bowen's Parents: They are shown to be traditional, controlling, and negligent in their parenting, prioritizing appearances over their son's well-being.

Significant Themes

• The destructive effects of poor parenting and lack of emotional support.
• The contrast between appearances and reality, both in Hao Bowen's room and his parents' perception of him.

Character Interactions

• Bai Yanliang and Officer Wang work together, with Bai Yanliang demonstrating his keen observational skills and understanding of Hao Bowen's state of mind.
• Hao Bowen's parents react in shock and disbelief upon seeing the drawings, with his father lashing out in anger and his mother falling into a trance-like state.