Recaps

Shen Le accompanied Dr. Qin to a Trading Fair, where he became interested in an old Comb. Dr. Qin and Old You both tried to buy it, and Old You believed it would make the perfect gift for the big shot he hoped to impress.

• Dr. Qin flew to meet Shen Le while complaining that phones were designed only for humans, and Shen Le briefly threatened him with lightning.
• Dr. Qin and Shen Le discussed distressing international news as they headed to the Trading Fair, where they passed several demons openly moving about in their original forms.
• At the fair, Dr. Qin explained that demons hid belongings by swallowing them with their own power rather than using storage equipment.
• Shen Le examined several antiques and lingered over a worn Comb with an unusual radiance, prompting Dr. Qin and Old You to offer to buy it.
• The stall owner hesitated between Dr. Qin and Old You, while Old You judged the Comb’s wear and history would interest the big shot he wanted to curry favor with.

Shen Le found the Trading Fair’s Magic Artifacts too expensive and failed to find anyone willing to hire him to repair theirs. Back in Zhuxi Town, Ge Jin arrived with food and the wooden comb Shen Le had wanted, along with a request for his help.

• Shen Le backed away from Old You when he realized the man was competing with him for a comb, and Dr. Qin led him to look at other stalls.
• Shen Le inspected expensive Magic Artifacts and considered ways to earn more points, but he had no repaired items to show potential clients.
• A long-eared practitioner declined to entrust his Magic Artifact to Shen Le, and Miss Yaoyao dismissed him after Dr. Qin introduced him backstage.
• Shen Le returned to Zhuxi Town, where the shopkeeper messaged that someone had brought him a gift and wanted his help.
• Ge Jin arrived with a food box containing the wooden comb Shen Le had failed to buy at the Trading Fair.

Shen Le tested a calming bed for a monster client and discovered the client was Old You, whom he had encountered at the Trading Fair. Old You supplied Dragon Blood Fragrant Sandalwood and spiritual jade, and Shen Le began testing arrangements for a bed that could gather energy.

• Shen Le examined the gifted comb, asked the landlady about its giver, and learned that Old You wanted a bed that could suppress inner demons and gather spiritual energy.
• Shen Le asked Zheng Mo to make a stronger calming bed, and Little Ink Marker crafted a carved bed whose effect surpassed an expensive meditation cushion.
• Shen Le brought the trial bed to the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant and discovered that the client was Old You, who reacted fearfully upon recognizing him.
• Old You tested the bed and praised its calming effect, then offered to provide better wood and spiritual treasures for an improved version.
• The landlady offered Old You a piece of old Dragon Blood Fragrant Sandalwood, and Old You produced twelve jade stones that could gather spiritual energy.
• Shen Le experimented with different arrangements of the jade stones and asked Old You which pattern might work best with his cultivation method.

Shen Le sold Old You a meditation bed and explored how to reward Little Ink Marker before using his energy to inspect the antique comb. He sensed the comb’s scattered companions and wondered whether reuniting its makeup set could restore its power.

• Old You chose to test Shen Le’s Spirit-Gathering Formation options, paid 24,000 points for the bed and comb, and planned to contact him within three days about another bed.
• Shen Le returned home and offered Little Ink Marker a reward, but it declined new tools, saw blades, and better wood, so he ordered sharpening stones instead.
• Shen Le ordered a microscope and examined the comb’s lacquer, inlay, and damage while considering how to restore it.
• Shen Le sent his energy into the comb and sensed several other antique objects, including a carved mirror, combs, powder boxes, and a distant wooden chest.
• Shen Le realized the comb might have belonged to a larger makeup set and asked whether it wanted to find its companions.

Shen Le researched and practiced repairing the Wooden Comb’s lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay, but learned he needed more experience before attempting the real restoration. He met Old You to plan a Spirit Gathering Array, then struggled to fit the design onto an Arhat Bed made from the limited Dragon Blood Fragrant Sandalwood.

• Shen Le ordered restoration supplies and shell samples, then bought a temperature- and humidity-controlled chamber to prepare for repairing the Wooden Comb.
• Shen Le practiced applying Raw Lacquer to a mother-of-pearl box, but the new lacquer differed in color and texture from the original, so he ordered more lacquerware to practice on.
• Shen Le checked the Doll Cabinet, which reported no unusual activity, monsters, crimes, or trouble in town.
• Shen Le met Old You at the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant, where Old You chose an array layout with the Four Symbols inside and the Big Dipper and Polaris outside.
• Shen Le considered how to fit the array and intricate calming carvings onto an Arhat Bed, but the available Dragon Blood Fragrant Sandalwood seemed too small and thin for the design.

Shen Le arranged for Old You to sell trial meditation beds to demons and began making a Spirit Gathering Array for Little Ink Marker. While meditating with the Wooden Comb and Copper Fragment, he saw an artisan carefully making black lacquer.

• Shen Le agreed to make trial beds, and Old You offered to sell them to demons for a twenty percent commission.
• Shen Le asked Old You to look for spiritual-energy-gathering stones and old items, including pieces from the Wooden Comb’s set.
• Shen Le returned to the Old Mansion and arranged the Mutton Fat Jade beads around Little Ink Marker so Zheng Mo could work on a Spirit Gathering Array.
• Shen Le meditated with the Wooden Comb and Copper Fragment and saw an artisan boiling Raw Lacquer in an iron pot to make Black Lacquer.

Shen Le practiced restoring mother-of-pearl lacquer by studying an old formula, improving his sanding and lacquer techniques with Little Ink Marker’s help. Little Ink Marker completed three prototype Arhat Beds, and Old You sold them before returning with seven bags of jade for Shen Le to inspect.

• Shen Le studied the lacquer-making process through meditation and practiced filling and sanding cracks in mother-of-pearl inlaid crafts.
• Little Ink Marker suggested Shen Le practice applying lacquer to round pieces of wood, then made him rods and wooden combs to work on.
• After dozens of coats, Shen Le learned to apply lacquer smoothly and developed a curved sanding tool using Quick-drying Resin and Sandpaper.
• Little Ink Marker finished three prototype Arhat Beds, and Shen Le and Old You settled on the second design to sell.
• Old You sold all three beds within three days and returned with seven bags of jade, prompting Shen Le to ask why he had brought so much.

Shen Le had Little Ink Marker make trial beds from seven bags of jade, then struggled to prepare mother-of-pearl for repairing Wooden Comb. After Little Ink Marker and its tool friends cut the shell into pieces, Shen Le studied a craftsman's memory and began filing them by hand, leaving him absorbed in the work while Xiao Ling complained that he was ignoring it.

• Shen Le accepted seven bags of jade from Old You and asked Little Ink Marker to make trial beds from them, hoping the spiritual energy would help it advance.
• Shen Le practiced lacquering Wooden Comb and struggled for two days to cut mother-of-pearl into small pieces.
• Little Ink Marker enlisted Pliers, Needle-nose Pliers, and a Wire Saw, which held the shell steady and cut it neatly along Shen Le's design.
• Shen Le used Wooden Comb and the Copper Fragment to witness a craftsman's memory of filing and setting mother-of-pearl, and realized he needed to learn the work himself.
• Shen Le began filing the cut pieces with Tweezers, became completely absorbed, and only later noticed Xiao Ling standing on a lunchbox and complaining that he was ignoring it.

Shen Le finished restoring the Little Wood Comb and guided its aura, awakening a vision of Peilan’s wedding and the women blessing her future. The scene faded as he followed the Comb’s connection, hoping to find its companions.

• Xiao Ling helped Shen Le polish mother-of-pearl and reminded him to eat as he practiced repairing the Little Wood Comb.
• Shen Le restored the Comb with black lacquer and mother-of-pearl, leaving its missing tooth unrepaired.
• Shen Le carefully regulated the Comb’s aura and heard women sing a traditional hair-combing blessing.
• Shen Le witnessed Mother Wu comb Peilan’s hair at her wedding while the women praised her marriage and gave her jewelry.
• Shen Le wished Peilan happiness, then followed the Comb’s mysterious connection to search for its companions.

Shen Le traveled to Lin'an with Old You to search for the pieces that belonged with Little Wood Comb, guided by the Copper Fragment and the comb's resonance. After meeting the rat-spirit shopkeeper who had sold the comb, Shen Le began examining his shop and was led into the storeroom.

• The Copper Fragment showed Shen Le a vision of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and suggested the missing pieces were somewhere in a Lin'an secondhand market.
• Shen Le arranged for Xiao Ling and the peonies to be cared for while he traveled, and Gu Yulin gave him the contact details for the Special Affairs Department's Lin'an branch.
• Old You offered to accompany Shen Le, explaining that the rat-spirit seller lived near Lin'an and had promised to help search for the Makeup Box.
• Shen Le and Old You met in downtown Lin'an, and Old You quickly led him to the shopkeeper who had sold Little Wood Comb.
• The frightened shopkeeper insisted he had acquired only one piece, so Shen Le offered a jade bead as a reward for helping find the Makeup Box or its other pieces.
• Shen Le used the Copper Fragment and Little Wood Comb to inspect the shop's objects, found no matching aura, and followed the shopkeeper into the storeroom.

Shen Le used the aura left on an old tray to trace three matching porcelain boxes, with the Mouse Shopkeeper helping him recover their separated parts. Their resonance with Little Wood Comb revealed no other matching components near Lin'an, so Shen Le planned to return and repair it bit by bit.

• Shen Le found a faint trace of Little Wood Comb’s aura on a storeroom tray and deduced that three related boxes had once rested there.
• The Mouse Shopkeeper searched his ledger and discovered that the boxes had been sold to Xinyi Antique Shop before passing through other shops.
• Shen Le found all three Doucai porcelain boxes, including a separated lid hidden beneath a cabinet.
• The Mouse Shopkeeper transformed into a rat to retrieve the lid despite a nearby black cat, and Shen Le rewarded him with jade beads.
• Shen Le meditated with Little Wood Comb and the boxes, but their resonance found no matching components around Lin'an.

Shen Le experimented extensively to match the glaze and patterns while restoring the damaged porcelain boxes, then rested after finishing a small painted area. When he woke, the restored Little Wood Comb animated itself, and his other restored objects declared that Shen Le had turned into a ghost.

• Shen Le photographed, cleaned, and assessed the three Guangxu-era round boxes before planning their repairs.
• Shen Le asked Old You to fly to Jingdezhen for matching porcelain, and Old You returned with porcelain pieces and shards supplied by an ancient porcelain demon.
• Shen Le sorted and ground the shards, recorded paint formulas, and spent weeks matching the glaze and painting the damaged area of a box.
• Shen Le fell asleep after finishing the painstaking painting and refused to think about further restoration work.
• The Little Wood Comb glowed, wriggled, and attached itself to Shen Le's forehead to comb his hair.
• The Little Puppet, Little Ink Marker, and Little Oil Lamp exclaimed that Shen Le had turned into a ghost, leaving him bewildered.

Shen Le discovered that Little Wood Comb and the three Porcelain Boxes could act on their own, then used them to witness a Qing-era couple’s memories. The chapter ended with Peilan’s husband declaring that their country needed a revolution.

• Shen Le found his face covered in makeup and discovered Little Wood Comb was combing his hair in ways that caused bizarre illusions.
• Shen Le put Little Wood Comb and the three Porcelain Boxes into the Storage Box, then reached out to them with his consciousness.
• The opened boxes showed Shen Le a man carefully painting his new wife Peilan’s eyebrows and encouraging her to unbind her feet.
• Peilan and her husband spoke privately about their day, and she warned him that criticizing the Jin bandits could get him beheaded.
• Peilan’s husband reassured her and said their country had become so backward and endangered that revolution was necessary.

Shen Le saw Peilan and her husband build a happy life together before refusing to continue searching for the Powder Box’s missing pieces. After the objects pointed north and tried to persuade him, Xiao Ling asked them to give her gothic makeup, leaving Shen Le facing her request for a makeup kit.

• Shen Le watched Peilan unbind her feet, attend school, and study new ideas alongside her husband.
• The Wooden Comb and porcelain boxes opened and used fragrance and a colored arrow to urge Shen Le to find their companions to the north.
• Shen Le resisted going and scolded the objects, but the Wooden Comb combed his hair until he agreed to think about helping.
• That night, Xiao Ling asked Shen Le to change her painted face and then asked the Wooden Comb and porcelain boxes to do her makeup.
• The objects gave Xiao Ling a dark gothic look, and she asked Shen Le to buy her a makeup kit because she had spent her allowance.

Shen Le discovered that the Porcelain Boxes could work with the Doll Cabinet to create portraits of people involved in cases, and Gu Yulin confirmed the portraits would help investigators find demons. He then tried using meditation to locate the Porcelain Boxes’ missing companions, extending his mind northward with their guidance before struggling to maintain the connection.

• Shen Le bought Xiao Ling a large collection of cosmetics but stopped her from adding more lipsticks to her order.
• The largest Porcelain Box demonstrated its makeup skills, and Shen Le took the three boxes to the Doll Cabinet to test whether they could draw suspects from the dolls’ memories.
• The Doll Cabinet and the Porcelain Boxes produced a detailed portrait, which Gu Yulin said would be valuable for investigations, especially when searching for demons who could change their appearance.
• Shen Le told the Porcelain Boxes he would help them find their companions, then entered meditation to sense where the missing pieces were located.
• The little ones guided Shen Le’s thoughts northward, and he extended his mental reach several times from Zhuxi Town toward Lin'an before his concentration began to fail.

After using the Copper Fragment to locate a distant point of light, Shen Le discovered it showed him a map of China and traveled to Capital City to search for the Little Wood Comb’s companions. He found two matching porcelain boxes at an antiques stall and bargained for them, still trying to get some broken ceramic shards thrown in.

• Shen Le pushed his thoughts toward a distant light until the Copper Fragment projected a golden map, but the effort left him exhausted.
• The next morning, Shen Le saw that the Copper Fragment’s illusory map depicted China, marked the light’s location, and decided to return to Capital City.
• Shen Le reached Capital City with the Little Wood Comb, Powder Box Set, and Little Oil Lamp, then used meditation to locate several nearby companions.
• Shen Le searched the antiques market and dismissed its overpriced fakes before finding a stall with ceramics that resonated with his companions.
• Shen Le selected two matching famille rose porcelain boxes, bargained the vendor down to 2,000 yuan, and asked him to include some broken shards.

Shen Le traced a set of antique makeup pieces to Teacher Lin’s home and asked her to entrust him with a matching makeup case so he could restore it. After examining his work and teaching him about its flaws, Teacher Lin offered him a choice from her collection.

• Shen Le collected porcelain boxes, combs, and a bronze mirror, then searched a residential compound for the next piece.
• Teacher Lin caught Shen Le outside her apartment, and he explained that he was restoring makeup pieces and looking for a matching case.
• Teacher Lin confirmed Shen Le was Teacher Han’s student by calling his advisor, who verified his identity and told Teacher Lin she could put him to work.
• Teacher Lin showed Shen Le her collection, where he spotted a damaged mother-of-pearl-inlaid makeup box matching his combs.
• Shen Le laid out the pieces he had collected and asked Teacher Lin to entrust him with a makeup case for restoration.
• Teacher Lin examined Shen Le’s restored comb and porcelain box, pointed out flaws in his work, and asked which makeup case he wanted.

Shen Le sought to earn Professor Lin’s trust so she would let him restore her black-lacquer makeup box, and he spent more than ten days analyzing a related comb in the university lab. He arrived at Professor Lin’s home with his report, only to be confronted by an angry young man accusing him of trying to scam her.

• Shen Le asked Professor Lin to let him restore her black-lacquer makeup box, but she tested his knowledge and told him to prove his skills first.
• Shen Le discussed preparing a formal restoration application with his advisor and asked how an outsider could access university lab equipment.
• Shen Le used help from the Special Affairs Department and his advisor to secure lab access.
• Shen Le spent more than ten days conducting scientific analyses on a black-lacquer fine-toothed comb and writing his report.
• Shen Le went to Professor Lin’s home with the report, where a young man burst in and accused him of trying to scam his grandmother.

Shen Le protected Professor Lin from her angry grandson Dehong, then faced her son Guohua’s suspicions about her plan to give him part of her antique collection. After Professor Lin praised Shen Le’s restoration skills and challenged Guohua to settle the dispute with a contest, Shen Le agreed, and Guohua apologized but insisted they compete.

• Dehong rushed at Professor Lin, but Shen Le restrained him until his uncle arrived and sent him home.
• Guohua apologized for Dehong’s behavior, then questioned whether Shen Le deserved Professor Lin’s collection.
• Professor Lin defended Shen Le and asked him to show Guohua the wooden comb he had restored.
• Guohua examined the comb but claimed he could restore it too, so Professor Lin contrasted his years of training with Shen Le’s few months of practice.
• Professor Lin suggested a skills contest, and Shen Le agreed to compete without payment.
• Guohua apologized for suspecting Shen Le, then insisted that they still hold the contest.

Shen Le presented Professor Lin with his research on a mother-of-pearl inlay comb, impressing her with his findings and answers. Professor Lin’s son then took Shen Le to his restoration studio, where they began a contest restoring damaged black lacquer jewelry boxes with mother-of-pearl inlay.

• Shen Le showed Professor Lin his research and explained his analysis of the comb’s materials and techniques.
• Professor Lin’s son failed to answer her questions about current restoration research, and she criticized his lack of study and practice.
• Professor Lin’s son dragged Shen Le to his studio and challenged him to compete at restoration.
• Shen Le chose to restore black lacquer pieces with mother-of-pearl inlay, and the son damaged two matching jewelry boxes for them to work on.
• Shen Le photographed and measured his box, then began trimming the axe damage as employees gathered to watch.

Shen Le impressed the restoration experts with his rapidly improving porcelain-repair skills during a competition with Chen Guohua. Chen Guohua left to investigate reports of a box whose shards danced after repeatedly breaking, while Shen Le continued working and focused on honing his craft.

• Chen Guohua challenged Shen Le to a restoration competition as the studio's master craftsmen gathered to watch.
• Shen Le used Internal Energy to sharpen his focus and steadily improved his cutting technique, while Chen Guohua became distracted and damaged his work.
• Monkey rushed in with news that a restored box kept breaking and its shards were dancing on the table.
• Monkey showed Chen Guohua a video, and Chen Guohua left to inspect the strange box, asking Master Jiang to take his place in the competition.
• Shen Le continued working, while Monkey told their class group that Shen Le had been invited to compete against the boss.

Shen Le finished restoring the mother-of-pearl box in General Manager Chen’s studio, then persuaded Chen to let him inspect the sealed room containing the troublesome porcelain fragments. Through his Spirit Eye, Shen Le saw that several fragments carried an energy familiar to the three Porcelain Boxes in his backpack, and Little Oil Lamp urged him to bring them back.

• Shen Le completed the mother-of-pearl box repairs while General Manager Chen watched and admitted he could not compete with Shen Le’s focus.
• Shen Le asked Chen whether he had resolved the problem with the box fragments, and Chen explained that the sealed room held fragments that had been moving on their own.
• Chen warned Shen Le about strange incidents caused by old objects and said he had not found a trustworthy professional to handle the fragments.
• Shen Le persuaded Chen to let him view the fragments from outside the sealed studio, and Chen loaded him with protective religious objects before taking him there.
• Shen Le saw through his Spirit Eye that four or five porcelain fragments were tumbling with a distinctive energy, and Little Oil Lamp called them companions and urged him to bring them back.

Shen Le revealed that he was a freelance worker for the Special Affairs Department and calmed the supernatural porcelain shards at General Manager Chen’s studio. He bought the shards and began restoring the pieces of the Makeup Box, hoping to show Professor Lin his improved craftsmanship.

• Little Oil Lamp, Wooden Comb, and Porcelain Box reacted excitedly to the porcelain shards, and Chen Guohua tried to protect Shen Le by handing him several supernatural objects.
• Shen Le showed Chen Guohua his Special Affairs Department freelance ID and offered to handle the shards.
• The shards rose and spun until Shen Le entered the room, after which they fell still; he selected and assembled the pieces of the Porcelain Box.
• Chen Guohua agreed to sell Shen Le the shards, and Shen Le paid double the original cost in exchange for permission to use the studio and its equipment.
• Shen Le began restoring the Makeup Box’s combs, mirror, and porcelain boxes so he could later discuss buying it from Professor Lin.

Shen Le made progress restoring porcelain boxes while General Manager Chen neglected his contest box, then restored two more boxes and entered a dream of their former owner, Peilan. The dream ended with Peilan confronting her husband Jing'an over his drinking and despair.

• Shen Le restored two Famille Rose Little Porcelain Boxes while General Manager Chen left his contest box unfinished.
• Teacher Lin asked Shen Le to bring the restored box for her to inspect, and Shen Le looked forward to making Chen explain his lack of progress to his mother.
• Shen Le arranged the restored boxes, shards, combs, and mirrors, then guided spiritual energy through the two newly restored boxes.
• The boxes' energy drew Shen Le into a dream of Peilan, who taught at a women's school and helped her husband support a revolutionary meeting.
• As Jing'an became increasingly absent and drunk, Peilan confronted him, showed him his reflection in the Bronze Mirror, and smashed it.
• Peilan accused Jing'an of betraying the progressive man she had believed him to be.

Shen Le witnessed Peilan learn that her husband Jing'an had died in the revolution, then watched her escape, raise their son, and rebuild her life in Binhai City. Back in the present, he continued restoring the scattered Makeup Box artifacts and prepared his work for Professor Lin's inspection, while Master Jiang asked him to examine something with his special abilities.

• Jing'an left Peilan after hiding his final letter in her porcelain box, and a messenger later warned her that Jing'an had been executed for rebellion.
• Peilan read Jing'an's letter, fled with his parents, and gave birth to their son in a remote house.
• Peilan mourned that Jing'an had died ten months before the revolution's victory, then moved to Binhai City and returned to teaching.
• Shen Le returned from the Makeup Box's memories and resolved to restore its scattered pieces to learn more about their past.
• Shen Le repaired the artifacts and worked on the Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Box while seeking advice from Master Jiang.
• Professor Lin gave Shen Le two more days to finish his work, and Master Jiang asked him to use his special abilities to inspect something.