Chapter Summaries

Nan Li woke in the night to find five unfamiliar men in her living room, and learned that they claimed to be characters from The Grave Robbers' Chronicles. The men had searched her locked-up house and were still trying to understand how they had arrived there.

• Nan Li went downstairs for water and was restrained by a man when she returned through the living room.
• The lights came on, revealing five men, and Blind Man told Nan Li to stay quiet before releasing her.
• Wu Xie asked where they were and who she was, and Nan Li introduced herself as Nan Li.
• Wu Xie introduced the others as Xie Yuchen, Fatty Wang, Zhang Qiling, and Blind Man.
• Nan Li doubted their identities, while the men considered how they had appeared in a house with no other resident and doors and windows that would not open.

Nannan tested whether Wu Xie and his companions were really the people from The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, and Zhang Qiling's abilities and tattoo convinced her. The group began reading the novel on her devices, leaving Nannan to figure out how to live with them.

• Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen asked Nannan to verify their identities after she showed them The Grave Robbers' Chronicles on her phone.
• Zhang Qiling pierced a glass bottle with two fingers, and Nannan asked to see his Kirin Tattoo.
• Zhang Qiling revealed the Fire-Stepping Kirin tattoo when warm napkins were placed on his shoulder, convincing Nannan they were real.
• Fatty asked to read The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, and Nannan brought out several devices and showed the group how to use them.

Nannan and the others searched Hangzhou and Beijing for clues but found no trace of the Xie Family or related groups. A mysterious thunderstorm at Changbai Mountain suggested the Bronze Gate had opened, so they prepared to go investigate.

• Blind Man sold bracelets in Hangzhou and learned that the antique shop had belonged to the Li family, disappointing Wu Xie.
• Nannan, Wu Xie, and Little Brother sold fans beside Blind Man before the group traveled to Beijing.
• The group found no Xie Family, Huo Family, Hong Family, or Xinyue Hotel in Beijing and returned home without clues.
• Nannan noticed a trending report that thunder had sounded at Changbai Mountain without rain or lightning.
• Little Brother said the Bronze Gate would open again, and Blind Man decided to buy cold-weather and climbing equipment before they left for Changbai Mountain.