Chapter Summaries

Qin Xi began investigating the strange town and the Masked Man while waiting for Ouyang Qing, but he remained uneasy about whether the Mediocre Death God was still imprisoned by the Dragon Clan. The chapter left Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei heading downstairs to sit.

• Qin Xi looked over the empty, dark town and decided to investigate it with Ouyang Qing when they met.
• The next morning, Qin Xi ordered Di Qun to search for rumors about the Masked Man.
• Qin Xi sent Ao Xin to the edge of town to find out when Ouyang Qing would arrive.
• Daoist Yang Mei tried to reassure Qin Xi that the Mediocre Death God was secure in the Dragon Clan's underground prison.
• Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei finished their tea and went downstairs.

Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei drank downstairs and questioned the owner about why people avoided going out at night. The owner traced the disappearances of young, strong people to about a year earlier, leading Qin Xi to suspect a connection to Masked Man.

• Daoist Yang Mei suggested that he and Qin Xi drink downstairs to listen for useful information, and Qin Xi agreed.
• Qin Xi ordered wine and side dishes, and the owner joined them for a conversation.
• Qin Xi asked about the decline in business and learned that people had stopped going out after young, strong residents began disappearing about a year earlier.
• Qin Xi connected the timing of the disappearances to Masked Man, who had previously caused disciples to vanish.

Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei questioned the innkeeper about the ghosts and learned that local efforts to catch them had failed. They drank together and left the innkeeper to his work, still weighing the possibility that the ghost was the Masked Man.

• Qin Xi asked the innkeeper about the city's disappearances and whether anyone had tried to catch the ghost.
• The innkeeper said people had hired skilled Daoists, but the strange ghost appeared and vanished without a trace.
• Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei suspected the ghost's reported behavior matched the Masked Man and considered the danger of facing him.
• Qin Xi toasted Daoist Yang Mei and praised the innkeeper's ten-year-aged wine.
• The innkeeper returned behind the counter and worked his abacus.

Qin Xi and Daoist Yang Mei agreed that they needed to investigate the Masked Man, while Di Qun learned of a strange power near a forest ahead of Qiangbei. The innkeeper began to explain what he knew after Qin Xi asked about it.

• Qin Xi told Daoist Yang Mei that the strange events seemed connected to the Masked Man and that he wanted to investigate.
• Daoist Yang Mei said he would help because the matter threatened a whole town and might involve Qin Xi.
• Di Qun returned and reported that people feared a strange power in a forest ahead of Qiangbei.
• Qin Xi asked the innkeeper about the strange power, and the innkeeper realized Di Qun had heard about it and prepared to share what he knew.

Qin Xi and his companions discussed investigating the dark power in Qiangbei, then waited for Ouyang Qing to join them. Ouyang Qing arrived sooner than expected, but had not yet resolved his family affairs.

• Qin Xi thanked the boss for his warning and said they had no intention of confronting the power in Qiangbei.
• Qin Xi told Xing that they would go to Qiangbei with Ouyang Qing and investigate whether the Masked Man had captured people there.
• Qin Xi and Di Qun drank with the others until they became tipsy, then returned to their rooms to rest.
• Ao Xin brought Ouyang Qing to Qin Xi, who greeted him warmly and asked whether he had resolved his family affairs.
• Ouyang Qing told Qin Xi that he had only just arrived and had not yet dealt with those matters.

Qin Xi welcomed Ouyang Qing, who had traveled a long way to help him investigate a force in the Dark North Frontier. The chapter ended with Ouyang Qing settling into an inn room beside Qin Xi’s.

• Qin Xi asked Ouyang Qing to have the Fox Clan find out what force had arrived in the Dark North Frontier.
• Ouyang Qing agreed and told Qin Xi that he wanted to stay at the inn.
• Qin Xi asked Ao Xin to find an available room for Ouyang Qing.
• Ao Xin brought the owner, who offered Ouyang Qing the room next to Qin Xi’s.
• Qin Xi told Ouyang Qing to stay there for now.

Qin Xi prepared to investigate the Dark North Frontier for the Masked Man and heard a Fox Clan shopkeeper describe strange events there. The woman’s account of a flying mirror made Qin Xi react with sudden alarm.

• Qin Xi agreed with Ouyang Qing to investigate the Dark North Frontier after gathering information.
• Qin Xi sent the exhausted Ouyang Qing to rest and told Ao Xin to rest as well.
• The next morning, Ouyang Qing brought a woman in a red silk dress to meet Qin Xi.
• The woman introduced herself as a Fox Clan shopkeeper and described strange events that had begun a year earlier.
• When the woman said a mirror had flown back and forth, Qin Xi trembled and gripped his cup tightly.

A woman in red reported that a strange mirror in Jiangbei showed a face identical to the Masked Man and Qin Xi. Qin Xi ordered everyone to set out for Jiangbei to find out what the Masked Man was doing.

• The woman in red told Qin Xi that a black-energy-wreathed mirror drifted through the darkness and issued commands.
• She revealed that the face inside the mirror looked exactly like Qin Xi.
• Qin Xi crushed his cup in shock while Ouyang Qing wiped up the spilled water.
• Qin Xi ordered everyone to head to Jiangbei and investigate the Masked Man.
• Ouyang Qing dismissed the woman in red, then waited silently for Qin Xi's next order.

Qin Xi gathered his companions after discovering possible traces of the Masked Man and decided they would investigate the Dark North Frontier without alerting their enemy. The group prepared to depart, and the chapter ended as Qin Xi and Ouyang Qing joined Di Qun and Daoist Yangmei's group downstairs.

• Qin Xi told Ouyang Qing to summon the others so they could prepare to leave for the Dark North Frontier.
• Qin Xi informed Di Qun, Ao Xinyi, and Ouyang Qing that they had found possible traces of the Masked Man and ordered them to investigate cautiously without packing for a long journey yet.
• Di Qun and Ao Xinyi agreed with Qin Xi's plan and withdrew to prepare.
• After resting overnight, Ouyang Qing told Qin Xi that he had recovered, and they went downstairs together.
• Qin Xi and Ouyang Qing sat down as Di Qun and Daoist Yangmei's group of three came downstairs.

Qin Xi and his companions prepared to leave for Jiangbei to search for Masked Man and learned that the woman in red was named Hong Lian. They set out from the inn to meet her at the end of the street.

• Qin Xi asked the group what they wanted for breakfast, and Di Qun ordered porridge, side dishes, steamed buns, and flatbreads.
• Di Qun and Ao Xin assured Qin Xi they were ready to travel and would not be burdens.
• The group ate breakfast, collected their packed bundles, and left their rooms at the inn without checking out.
• Qin Xi asked Ouyang Qing the woman in red's name, and Ouyang Qing told him she was Hong Lian.
• Ouyang Qing pointed out where Hong Lian was waiting, and Qin Xi and the others hurried down the street to meet her.

Qin Xi and his companions traveled by horse and carriage toward the Nightmare Wetland, following the mortal world's rules instead of flying. As dusk fell, Hong Lian explained the wetland's eerie reputation before they reached it.

• Ouyang Qing introduced the carriage Hong Lian had prepared, and Qin Xi thanked Hong Lian for arranging their transportation.
• Qin Xi chose to ride a horse, while Daoist Yangmei took the carriage and the others mounted horses.
• Hong Lian led the group along the official road toward the outskirts, explaining that they had to obey mortal customs and avoid flying.
• As the sky darkened, Hong Lian said they would soon reach the Nightmare Wetland and described how people there had fallen into hallucinations.

Qin Xi’s group reached the edge of Nightmare Wetland and stayed in a small shelter for the night before entering. They endured the wetland’s bitter cold as Qin Xi drifted to sleep protected by his cultivation method.

• Hong Lian warned Qin Xi’s group that Nightmare Wetland’s bogs made people lose their way and disappear.
• Hong Lian suggested they camp at the wetland’s edge and enter the next day, and Qin Xi agreed.
• Hong Lian led the group to a small courtyard where they ate before going to rest.
• Qin Xi, Ouyang Qing, and Daoist Yangmei shared a cramped room and complained of the damp, bone-chilling cold.
• Qin Xi drifted off under the protection of his cultivation method while Ouyang Qing shivered beneath a thin quilt.

Qin Xi and his group entered Nightmare Wetland, where Hong Lian warned him about the dangerous swamps and explained how she had first seen Masked Man’s mirror. After traveling for hours, the hungry, exhausted group stopped on firm ground to eat and rest.

• Qin Xi asked Hong Lian about the dangers of Nightmare Wetland, and she warned that travelers could fall into swamps and said they would need tools.
• Qin Xi let Hong Lian prepare the equipment, and the group set out for Nightmare Wetland after breakfast.
• Qin Xi asked Hong Lian where she had first seen the mirror, and she described spotting it floating amid black mist at dusk near the little house.
• Qin Xi and the others crossed the wetland with walking sticks and specially made shoes, then followed Hong Lian toward firmer ground.
• Qin Xi’s group stopped to eat their dry rations and rest after the long, exhausting journey.

Qin Xi and his companions continued deeper into the Nightmare Wetland, relying on Hong Lian’s knowledge of the area. They headed for a raised spot where Hong Lian said they could rest safely.

• Qin Xi told Hong Lian they would follow the routes she used when searching for treasures.
• Hong Lian explained that the wetland’s air grew thin as the sky darkened, making it harder to breathe.
• Ouyang Qing praised Hong Lian for her ability to live in the wetland, and she thanked him.
• Hong Lian pointed out a relatively safe resting place on higher ground, and Qin Xi led the group toward it.

Hong Lian led Qin Xi, Daoist Yangmei, and the others through the Nightmare Wetland to a relatively safe hillside where they prepared to camp. As darkness fell and breathing grew difficult, Hong Lian warned them that dangerous animals roamed nearby and they would need to take turns keeping watch.

• Daoist Yangmei complained about how exhausting the journey had been, and Qin Xi urged him to keep going a little longer.
• Hong Lian pointed out a relatively safe spot on a hillside, where the group found a large rock and prepared to sleep outdoors.
• Qin Xi noticed the air growing thinner and remarked that they had not seen any animals since entering the wetland.
• Hong Lian explained that dangerous animals lived in the wetland and that the group would need to take turns keeping watch.
• Hong Lian took a piece of dry rations from her bundle.

Qin Xi rationed supplies for the group, warned them about poisonous wetland water, and took the first night watch while the others rested. As he wondered whether they would find the Masked Man, he opened the video Chat Group to speak with the Big Bosses.

• Qin Xi and the others handed out limited water and food, and Hong Lian explained that the nearby wetland's water had become poisonous over a year earlier.
• Qin Xi told Hong Lian they would inspect the wetland the next day.
• Qin Xi ordered Ao Xin and Di Qun to rest while he kept watch, and they agreed to take turns after two hours.
• Qin Xi opened the video Chat Group, startling the Nine-to-Five Admiral just as he was about to rest.

Qin Xi joined the Chat Group from Nightmare Wetland and caught up with the others about his recent search for Masked Man. Nine-to-Five Admiral warned him that the wetland was extremely dangerous, leaving Qin Xi hoping he could share what he knew.

• Qin Xi told Nine-to-Five Admiral that he had found traces of Masked Man and had come to Nightmare Wetland to investigate.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl joined the Chat Group, and she and Qin Xi teased each other about her appearance.
• Leona arrived and joked that Qin Xi had finally opened the Chat Group after being busy.
• Qin Xi told the group he was in Nightmare Wetland, which they could not identify from the darkness around him.
• Nine-to-Five Admiral recognized Nightmare Wetland and warned Qin Xi to be careful, surprising him.

Qin Xi told the others he had gone to the Nightmare Wetland after hearing that a mirror resembling him had appeared there, but he had not found Masked Man. The group noticed Di Qun, Ao Xin, and Daoist Yangmei tossing and moving in their sleep, leaving them concerned that something was wrong.

• Wukong asked Qin Xi about the place, while Leona warned that it was dangerous and asked why he had gone there.
• Qin Xi explained that Hong Lian of Ouyang Qing's family had heard of a mirror that looked exactly like him drifting around the Nightmare Wetland.
• Qin Xi said he had not found Masked Man and would have to keep searching the next day.
• Neeko reassured Qin Xi that they would kill Masked Man if they encountered him, and Qin Xi said he was sure to catch him with their help.
• Qin Xi noticed Di Qun and Ao Xin tossing and turning, and Nine-to-Five Admiral urged him to check on them.
• Daoist Yangmei began waving his hands as the group saw that all three sleepers looked distressed.

Qin Xi discovered that Daoist Yangmei, Di Qun, and Ao Xin had fallen into nightmares in Nightmare Wetland and could not be woken by ordinary means. Hong Lian recognized the danger, but the group had not yet found a way to wake them.

• Qin Xi noticed the others dreaming and learned from Nine-to-Five Admiral that gas in Nightmare Wetland could trap sleepers in nightmares.
• Qin Xi tried slapping and shaking Daoist Yangmei, then hurried to wake Di Qun and Ao Xin, but none of them responded.
• Hong Lian woke and explained that the nightmare was keeping the others asleep and that they needed to be woken quickly.
• Hong Lian became frightened by the Chat Group's glowing screen, and Qin Xi reassured her that the voices were his friends.
• Qin Xi asked Hong Lian what to do, and she said they had to find a way to wake the sleepers before they woke inside their nightmares.

Qin Xi and the others struggled to wake people trapped in nightmares, but no one knew how to bring them out. Ouyang Qing woke and joined the effort after learning the situation could become fatal if it continued.

• Qin Xi and Hong Lian failed to find a way to wake the people trapped in nightmares.
• Qin Xi noticed Ouyang Qing was sleeping peacefully and asked Hong Lian to wake him.
• Hong Lian woke Ouyang Qing and told him that the Big Bosses had fallen into nightmares.
• Ouyang Qing greeted the figures on the screen, then Nine-to-Five Admiral told him to help Qin Xi wake the three people.
• Hong Lian warned Ouyang Qing that remaining trapped in their dreams could harm their bodies or cost them their lives.