Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• After Master leaves Xu Feng alone, an eerie gust tries to force the partly open door inward. Yin Virtue Protection holds it shut, and Xu Feng calmly recognizes the wind as an early sign of danger.
• Xu Feng waits for the night’s Corpse Stitching, reviewing what he has learned and treating the coming danger like an exam.
• He hears heavy pounding at the mourning door, wailing, and a fierce wind. Master later returns and takes him downstairs.
• In the courtyard, Xu Feng notices the same strange scent he encountered before, along with cart tracks, suggesting someone has delivered the corpses.
• Master reveals the plan has changed: seven corpses arrived instead of six—six women likely connected to Qian Dayou, and a man pulled recently from the Yellow River.
• The man is a River Drifter, a particularly troubling corpse. Master explains that the Yellow River Corpse Collectors usually retrieve such bodies by day, but nighttime operations indicate a serious incident; the corpses that require Corpse Sewers are now all Demon Corpses.
• Master teaches Xu Feng four gestures for honoring the gods, then sends him to kowtow at the Main Hall and gather more Incense Ash for protection.

Character developments

• Xu Feng is calmer and more capable than before. He relies on his training, Incense Ash, talismans, and Yin Virtue Protection rather than giving in to fear.
• Master becomes increasingly grave as the danger grows. He shifts from preparation to urgent instruction, making clear that Xu Feng’s survival is uncertain.

Character interactions

• Yin Virtue Protection quietly helps Xu Feng by holding the door against the hostile wind.
• Master and Xu Feng share tea before Master explains the changed circumstances and teaches him protective gestures.
• Xu Feng questions Master about the River Drifter and connects the corpses to Qian Dayou, showing growing awareness of the wider situation.

Significant themes

• Preparation under pressure: Xu Feng’s studies become an “exam” as danger arrives.
• Composure and courage: Familiar routines and practical defenses help him face the supernatural threat.
• Escalating danger: The unexpected River Drifter and signs of a nighttime recovery suggest the crisis is far more serious than planned.
• Protection and uncertainty: Rituals and supernatural safeguards offer help, but Master admits Xu Feng’s survival is ultimately uncertain.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng recalls his master’s instructions for petitioning the Earth God and performing the shrine ritual. He understands that the ritual’s success depends on earning the god’s favor through accumulated Yin Virtue.
• While his master prepares for a dangerous Corpse Stitching, Xu Feng is told to act independently: petition the Earth God, then burn offerings for wandering spirits.
• Xu Feng performs the petition correctly, burns it, and receives a blessing: the protection of the Land Spirit of Luoyin County.
• When he tries to leave the shrine, an unseen force holds the door shut. Xu Feng confronts it with a sudden burst of courage, and the force releases the door.
• Outside, a chilling presence and earthy-smelling wind interfere with his offering: the paper becomes inexplicably wet and will not burn. Xu Feng counters with a gesture and throws Incense Ash into the wind. His talisman and the shrine lanterns respond, the hostile force retreats, and the paper catches fire.

Character developments

• Xu Feng quickly applies his new knowledge, moving from basic instruction to competent ritual practice. He recognizes that his skills are improving but remains keenly aware of how unprepared he would be against greater threats.
• His fear gives way to anger and resolve when supernatural forces obstruct him. His courage appears to strengthen his Protective Talisman and draw power from the shrine’s lanterns.
• His master trusts Xu Feng with a demanding task while preparing for the fight, showing both confidence in his disciple and the urgency of the situation.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng follows his master’s instructions and receives responsibility for the shrine rites while his master readies tools and lanterns for Corpse Stitching.
• Xu Feng confronts unseen hostile forces directly. Their resistance escalates from blocking the door to spoiling the offerings, but his defiance and use of Incense Ash drive them back.
• The Earth God does not appear, but the blessing suggests Xu Feng’s petition has been accepted; the lanterns and talisman also seem to support him.

Significant themes

• Ritual knowledge and practical learning: Xu Feng succeeds by connecting his master’s explanation to what he has observed.
• Courage against supernatural danger: Resolve becomes an active defense when Xu Feng refuses to yield.
• Protection and reciprocity: The shrine’s blessing and apparent aid from its lanterns reflect the importance of ritual offerings and earned favor.
• The limits of experience: Xu Feng’s growing competence does not erase his awareness of how dangerous the world—and the threats still to come—may be.

Key plot points and events

• After Xu Feng successfully settles the wandering spirits around the Earth God Shrine, Master praises his progress, saying he has learned the fundamentals and has “three-tenths” of Master’s skill.
• Master sews an unexplained badge onto his clothes, then prepares Xu Feng with a large bundle and several pouches.
• At the West Room, Master tests the presence inside by thrusting in a torch. A face appears, blows the torch out, and is driven back by Master’s Incense Ash and other techniques. Master spits at it, and something burns and explodes, filling the air with ash.
• Inside, Master lights candles that burn green. He sends Xu Feng to relight the torch, warning him to throw Incense Ash at anyone he sees besides them.
• Outside, the shrine’s lights are being smothered, the main-hall curtain has fallen, and a damp, muddy smell—like Yellow River water—fills the wind. Xu Feng senses that the situation has become dangerous.
• Black birds crash into the ground and a lantern, extinguishing more light. Xu Feng hears a cat yowling and repeated knocks at the gate. He recalls these as signs of Corpse Awakening.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng proves capable and attentive, carrying out Master’s instructions without hesitation. He admires Master’s strength and hopes to learn more from him.
• Master shows growing confidence in Xu Feng but remains cautious, taking the lead in confronting the West Room’s threat and giving clear instructions.
• Xu Feng reflects that, in the original timeline, Master’s early death prevented Zhao San from learning many of his arts. This suggests Xu Feng’s present training may help avert that loss.

Significant themes

• Mastery and inheritance: Xu Feng’s training preserves knowledge that would otherwise have been lost.
• Foreboding and supernatural danger: The failing lights, eerie wind, dead birds, cat’s cry, and knocks build toward an imminent awakening.
• Knowledge through observation: Xu Feng learns to read Master’s moods and interpret signs, even when direct explanations are unavailable.

Key plot points and events

• As darkness and supernatural disturbances overtake the Earth God Shrine, Xu Feng sees signs of danger: something climbing the wall, a falling curtain, green candlelight, and pounding at the doors.
• In the West Room, Master has uncovered six of seven corpses and begun work on one. The bodies have been grotesquely made up, appear hollow, and are sprouting fine white hair. One corpse struggles to rise, while the shrine’s protections seem to be failing.
• Master explains that corpse sewing has two purposes: restoring the dead so they can be buried whole, and drawing out dangerous breath or energy that could cause a corpse to awaken.
• He has Xu Feng dust the bodies with Incense Ash, which absorbs fluids and helps suppress evil energy. Then he demonstrates sewing and the “Large Needle” method, using needles to guide a corpse’s trapped breath out safely.
• A corpse expels poisonous gas, which Master directs Xu Feng to burn. Though the room is increasingly threatened by moving bodies, strange water, falling tiles, and noises outside, Master insists Xu Feng focus on learning the needle techniques. Xu Feng obeys, concentrating despite his fear.
• Master hints that the supernatural presence is taking shape nearby, but says it is not yet time to intervene. He promises to pass on his inherited needles someday—not because of the crisis unfolding now.

Character developments

• Xu Feng struggles with fear and uncertainty but steadies himself by staying close to Master. He shows discipline and attentiveness, choosing to learn even as danger intensifies.
• Master reveals the ethical foundation of his craft: respect the dead, preserve their dignity, and treat them with the care one would give the living. His composure and commitment to teaching remain firm under pressure.

Significant themes

• Compassion and dignity in death: The dead deserve respect, and their bodies should not be defiled.
• Learning amid danger: Master treats the crisis as no reason to abandon instruction; skill and principle must be learned under pressure.
• Duty and restraint: The craft is not merely technical—it combines practical work with moral responsibility.
• Fear versus discipline: Xu Feng manages terror by focusing on his training.

Character interactions

• Master guides Xu Feng through the work, explaining the craft’s purpose and demonstrating its techniques step by step.
• Xu Feng assists with the corpses and follows Master’s instructions, including burning the expelled poisonous breath.
• Master emphasizes empathy, recalling that he arranged for Xu Feng to witness an execution so he would remember the humanity of those who suffer.

Plot points and events

• Master agrees to make Xu Feng a set of corpse-sewing needles if Xu Feng can properly sew the six bodies. Xu Feng chooses to learn to make and use his own needles, eager to help protect Master.
• As Xu Feng sews, supernatural threats gather around the Earth God Shrine: drowned ghosts, hostile cats, and an especially dangerous male corpse beneath a straw mat. Master says the shrine’s protections are holding for now and keeps watch while Xu Feng works.
• Xu Feng completes the corpse’s “Filling and Sewing” rites despite the room being besieged by howling ghosts, prowling cats, and rising water.
• A waterlogged ghost appears near the Baleful Exit. Xu Feng throws a protective parcel at it, then kicks away a black cat trying to reach the corpse. When a gust of Yin wind extinguishes the lights, he hurls more incense ash into the darkness.
• Xu Feng turns to see the male corpse sitting upright before Master. Master remains calm and greets it: “So you’ve finally woken up!”

Character developments

• Xu Feng proves resourceful and determined under extreme pressure. He applies what he has learned, protects the corpse, and uses his life-blood and protective materials to fight off supernatural attacks.
• Master shows both affection and confidence in Xu Feng, teasing him while offering him a path to become a proper Corpse Sewer. He also demonstrates strategic composure, keeping watch and anticipating threats.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng sincerely asks to help Master; Master responds warmly, promising him a needle set if he completes the work.
• Master repeatedly tells Xu Feng to focus on sewing rather than worry about the disturbances outside, while explaining the dangers.
• During the attack, Xu Feng acts independently to defend the corpse, and the chapter ends with Master facing the awakened male corpse without fear.

Significant themes

• Apprenticeship and loyalty: Xu Feng’s desire to learn is tied to his determination to protect his master.
• Courage under pressure: He keeps working despite being surrounded by supernatural threats.
• Hidden danger and suspense: The apparent attackers may not be the greatest threat; the male corpse’s awakening becomes the chapter’s climactic reveal.

Plot and key events

• The male corpse suddenly rises, but Master forces it back onto the bed with a forceful shove and orders Xu Feng to help.
• Xu Feng is grabbed by the leg. A mysterious voice urges him to go, and unseen hands push him free. He reaches Master and helps pin the corpse down.
• Master begins stitching the corpse despite there being no visible thread. Strange extra features—a second, vacant, terrifying head and another pair of arms—grow from Master and help restrain it.
• Master gives Xu Feng a wooden tablet and tells him to draw the face he saw and place the drawing inside the corpse. Xu Feng finds the drawing unnaturally easy. While sketching, he sees a shadow resembling a bamboo grove and experiences a supernatural connection to the Desolate Village. He glimpses an old woman there and realizes he is viewing the village from beneath the Memorial Arch Tower.
• As dawn nears, Xu Feng survives the game and completes Main Story, Act Two: “Master Qian’s Troubles.” Outside the game, only one minute has passed.
• Xu Feng reviews the three objectives he completed—corpse stitching, handling the strange incident, and stitching the demon corpse—and begins using meditation to reconstruct details from the final confrontation. He recalls that Master had planted several incense sticks in the West Room.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng proves resourceful under pressure, using incense ash and the torch to resist danger, then obeying Master’s instructions and drawing the face. Afterward, he shifts from survival to careful analysis, applying a meditation technique learned through past competitive work.
• Master remains composed and decisive amid the chaos, restraining the corpse and directing Xu Feng. His supernatural transformation suggests abilities or a nature Xu Feng does not yet understand.
• The voice and unseen hands that free Xu Feng imply an unknown presence is protecting or assisting him.

Significant themes

• Survival through cooperation: Xu Feng’s escape and the corpse’s restraint depend on working with Master and accepting mysterious help.
• The uncanny beneath the ordinary: Shadows, transformations, and the village vision reveal hidden supernatural realities.
• Retrospection as strategy: Xu Feng treats survival as only the first step, using deliberate recall to learn from what he witnessed.
• Unresolved mysteries: The face, the old woman, the Memorial Arch Tower, Master’s powers, and the unseen helper remain unexplained.

Plot and events

• Xu Feng reviews the previous night’s Corpse Stitching, trying to identify the insight his master had unintentionally revealed. He recalls that the master used rising incense smoke as thread to sew shut the huge neck wound of a corpse pulled from the Yellow River.
• During the stitching, a disturbingly human-like face appeared on the corpse. The master pressed it down with Incense Ash, forced a strange laugh out of it as “harmful breath,” and covered the corpse’s face with yellow silk. Xu Feng suspects this face was the thing from the Yellow River that attached itself to the body—and perhaps the reason his master declined the Earth God’s protection.
• Xu Feng concludes that “Corpse Stitching” and “Fengxiong” are separate abilities, and that his master may have relied on some dangerous power or presence of his own. He recognizes that he has learned only the surface of his master’s art.
• Mentally drained by his reflections, Xu Feng plans to recover using an unusual posture that lets him sleep in short, restorative bursts.
• On leaving the storage room, he discovers that Uncle Liu the Executioner’s Protective Talisman has crossed from the game into the real world. His Character Panel confirms it is equipped and lists it as an item.

Character development

• Xu Feng is becoming more analytical and perceptive, piecing together the rules and mysteries of Corpse Stitching from small details.
• He is increasingly wary of both the game’s supernatural dangers and the consequences of its abilities in the real world.
• He notices that his skills, including Corpse Stitching and Invoking the Gods’ Protection, have advanced to “Familiarity,” while “Broad Learning and Rapid Recall” has appeared as a new skill. He wonders whether skills gained through personal effort become permanent.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng’s understanding of his master deepens through recollection: the master’s choices suggest hidden abilities, unresolved supernatural baggage, and knowledge he has not fully shared.
• Xu Feng also considers Zhao San’s desire to learn Fengxiong, using that detail to distinguish it from Corpse Stitching.
• Uncle Liu’s gift—the Protective Talisman—becomes unexpectedly important when Xu Feng realizes it can be brought out of the game.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and inference: Xu Feng reconstructs events from memory, treating seemingly minor details as clues.
• The boundary between game and reality: The talisman’s appearance in the real world raises new questions about what can cross over.
• The uncanny and imitation: The face is disturbing because it imitates humanity while seeming fundamentally alien.
• Hidden costs of power: The master’s refusal of divine protection suggests that some abilities may involve dangerous alternatives or consequences.

Plot and key events

Xu Feng confirms that his newly acquired Skill and Protective Talisman are real, then rests. After waking, he reconsiders the Forest Ranger Rules—especially the permission to leave during heavy rain and the instruction to obey orders received by landline. He suspects these rules may warn of dangers rather than merely address ordinary emergencies.
Trying to assess the threat, he tests the courtyard with three incense sticks and calls the convenience-store owner. He concludes that the courtyard and village seem outwardly safe, but the lack of visible trouble makes the mountain’s calm feel ominous. Researching ranger recruitment notices and staff changes, he discovers many similar ranger courtyards at places with unsettlingly suggestive names. Their locations form no obvious pattern, but he suspects these sites are only a fraction of a wider problem.
Xu Feng decides the game and its Skills may help him survive. He plans to study that evening and visit local religious sites in the city the next day, borrowing the store owner’s motorcycle. He then studies anatomy and forensic medicine, connecting the material to his recent ordeal and to the Stitching Calamity method, which appears to use a tablet in place of traditional filling materials.

Character development and interactions

Xu Feng shifts from treating his surroundings and the ranger rules as ordinary to actively investigating them and planning for self-protection. He is cautious and analytical, using tests, phone calls, maps, and research to build a picture of the danger. His experience also makes him a more effective learner: practical trauma helps him understand specialist texts, while his Skill Bar lets him track growing proficiency.
His interactions are limited but purposeful: he calls the convenience-store owner, first chatting before asking to borrow the motorcycle, and tries calling out at the courtyard, receiving no response. The monkeys, once a nuisance, now provide welcome signs of life amid the oppressive quiet.

Significant themes

• Hidden danger beneath normality: Places and routines appear safe, but that very calm deepens Xu Feng’s suspicion.
• Folklore and authority: Earth Gods, shrines, temples, and official ranger rules may have more significance than their mundane explanations suggest.
• Preparation and learning as survival: Xu Feng turns fear into research, study, and practical plans.
• Theory joined to experience: His recent ordeal gives new meaning to what he reads, making knowledge more useful and his skills more measurable.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng studies medical texts with disciplined breaks, finding that his memory is improving and that his Corpse Stitching skill is progressing from Basic Understanding toward Proficiency.
• He prints a complete Human Meridian Diagram assembled from several versions. Although he can imitate his master’s hand gestures for guiding qi, he cannot yet understand or verify the technique’s inner workings.
• Before his next mountain patrol, Xu Feng plans to enter the game again and complete its third act, despite not knowing what it involves.
• In Qu City, analyst Xiao Zhang briefs his team leader on a rise in accidental deaths near sites containing objects that suppress something dangerous. The deaths form a line along an Earth Vein, from Yunjia Mountain toward Longevity Grotto.
• Unable to identify the cause or source, the team leader issues an internal blue alert, with the possibility of escalating to yellow. He orders continued monitoring and asks that Xu Feng and Wang Wu be warned. The team will disguise the warning as a Safety Month bulletin.
• The known warning signs are torrential rain at Yunjia Mountain and thick fog at Longevity Grotto. The team leader suspects the danger is serious but lacks access to the higher-level information about what is being contained.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows growing discipline and confidence in his learning, while recognizing the limits of what books and imitation can teach. His study connects theoretical knowledge with practical skill.
• Xiao Zhang presents the evidence cautiously, emphasizing data rather than personal speculation. He and the team leader work together to assess the threat and protect the wardens.
• The team leader is cautious and pragmatic, but his frustration reveals that he has limited authority and knowledge. He relies on warnings and safety procedures because the underlying danger remains unclear.

Significant themes

• Preparation under uncertainty: Xu Feng studies and practices before knowing what challenges lie ahead, while the city unit prepares for a threat it cannot explain.
• The limits of knowledge: Medical diagrams cannot convey hands-on technique, and the officials lack access to the full truth about what is buried beneath the sites.
• Hidden danger and escalating warnings: Seemingly accidental deaths, environmental warning signs, and the blue alert suggest a danger growing along a concealed supernatural network.

Chapter summary

• After resting, Xu Feng reloads his game at the Earth God Shrine in Luoyin County. He checks the new Affinity Panel: Master Zhao Er has 90 affinity points, the Earth God 30, and the Day and Night Wandering Gods five each. Xu Feng realizes that exceeding his master’s expectations in the previous act greatly improved their relationship—and may increase his chance of receiving a set of needles.
• Act Three, “Shadow over the Ancient City,” begins. Its quests require Xu Feng to learn about Fengxiong and earn permission to be taught, resolve Master Qian’s troubles and identify their cause, and safely make contact with the Yellow River Corpse Collectors.
• Zhao Er, visibly exhausted, tells Xu Feng to tidy the shrine and handle the approaching Corpse Retriever. Xu Feng must watch but not speak to the man, draw the curtain so the Earth God cannot see him, and use a blade of grass to ward him off if necessary. If the man becomes dangerous, Xu Feng should call for Zhao Er—or open the curtain and seek the Earth God’s protection. Zhao Er then withdraws to rest.
• Xu Feng starts cleaning the shrine. The courtyard is muddy and foul-smelling, with several decomposing black cats. As he works, he spots strange snake-like marks in the mud and recognizes them as water marks.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng is more confident and practical than before: he assesses his relationships, understands how his performance affects Zhao Er’s expectations, and tackles the grim cleanup methodically. He accepts the responsibility of dealing with the Corpse Retriever.
• Zhao Er shows trust in Xu Feng by assigning him an important task, while his exhaustion hints that the shrine’s recent events have taken a toll. His detailed warnings also suggest the Retriever may pose an unusual threat.
• Xu Feng and Zhao Er’s interaction is marked by growing trust: Zhao Er offers guidance, and Xu Feng follows his instructions without pressing him when he says he needs rest.

Significant themes

• Trust and apprenticeship: Xu Feng is being given greater responsibility as he grows into his role.
• The uncanny intruding into ordinary life: The shrine’s routine cleanup is complicated by dead animals, strange smells, and unexplained water-like tracks.
• Consequences and expectations: Xu Feng’s previous success has strengthened his bond with Zhao Er, but future accomplishments may be harder as his master’s expectations rise.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng discovers strange Snake-Trail Patterns in and around the Earth God Shrine. Their muddy grooves appear to have been made by a huge, water-slick creature that surged in through the drain and thrashed across the courtyard. The trail extends from mud to dry ground, with no clear beginning or end.
• Exhausted after restoring the shrine, Xu Feng treats his aches with medicinal water, performs protective rituals, eats, and offers incense. A brazier unexpectedly flares up as he steps over it, frightening and hurting him.
• A Daoist visitor, Mr. Zhou, arrives with two attendants. He says he has come to pay the remaining silver for the Corpse Stitching.
• Xu Feng refuses to accept the payment on his master’s behalf and keeps the visitors outside, insisting that his master should handle the important transaction. Mr. Zhou remarks that the Reed Grass Xu Feng carries may no longer be enough to protect him, then leaves.
• Xu Feng discovers that his master is awake and has overheard the exchange. The master tells him to rest and says he will handle what remains. Xu Feng falls into a deep sleep, only to be awakened by an unidentified “someone.”

Character developments

• Xu Feng is increasingly alert to danger: he studies the unnatural tracks, prepares himself before opening the door, and recognizes that Mr. Zhou’s polite manner conceals an attitude of superiority. Though physically depleted, he is cautious and refuses to overstep his role.
• Mr. Zhou appears courteous but lets his attendant speak dismissively to Xu Feng. He seems aware that something dangerous happened at the shrine and leaves a warning about Xu Feng’s inadequate protection.
• Xu Feng’s master remains largely offstage but is awake, observant, and ready to take charge of the visitors and the shrine’s remaining business.

Significant themes

• Unseen supernatural danger: The enormous, inexplicable tracks suggest that a powerful creature has visited the shrine.
• Vulnerability and protection: Xu Feng’s exhaustion and flimsy Reed Grass contrast with the dangers surrounding him; his rituals show how he tries to protect himself.
• Hierarchy and respect: Xu Feng insists that payment be handled by his master, while Mr. Zhou’s conduct reveals the social distance between them.
• Uneasy interruption: Just as Xu Feng finally rests, an unknown presence wakes him, extending the chapter’s tension.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng cautiously questions Mr. Zhou’s purpose and refuses to accept his money, while Mr. Zhou’s attendant pressures him to admit the visitors.
• Mr. Zhou warns Xu Feng that his Reed Grass may not be enough, then leaves the matter for a later visit.
• The master reassures Xu Feng and takes responsibility, but the chapter ends before the identity or purpose of the person who wakes Xu Feng is revealed.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng wakes after sleeping for two days following the previous night’s corpse-stitching work. He discovers that his Yin Virtue Protection, which should have expired, still has a full day remaining. He wonders whether helping his Master stitch the corpses caused this.
• Master has been repairing the ground near the courtyard and says the flood nearly carried away the Soul Bottle at Uncle Liu’s home.
• Xu Feng notices mysterious wheel ruts leading to and from the West Room, where the Corpse Collection Cart had gone—but no footprints accompany them. The visitor’s strange odor has also vanished.
• After eating cautiously to recover from his prolonged sleep, Xu Feng asks about the corpses. Master explains that only one was truly a Demon Corpse; the other six had been created through corpse-refinement methods involving incense, talismans, and witchcraft.
• Master identifies the Daoist Xu Feng met as Mr. Zhou, a Householder Daoist who delivered the final payment on behalf of his employer. The corpses came from wealthy Qian Dayou’s household. Master suspects someone is targeting Qian’s family fortune and may have unlawfully killed and exhumed one of the victims.
• Master warns that those behind the deaths could pose a danger, but advises Xu Feng not to panic. He teaches him to avoid trouble when possible without becoming so afraid that he loses his judgment.
• Xu Feng decides to continue probing Master, now about Fengxiong.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng is increasingly observant and cautious: he notices the unexplained cart tracks, checks his status, and questions Master indirectly to learn what happened. He remains respectful, letting Master speak rather than confronting him.
• Master is protective and practical, tending to Xu Feng’s hunger and reassuring him about possible danger. His advice balances caution with courage.
• Their conversation shows mutual trust, though Xu Feng still keeps some suspicions to himself and carefully tests what Master knows.

Significant themes

• Hidden forces and unresolved mysteries: The unexplained protection, footprintless cart, and lingering supernatural events suggest that unseen powers are at work.
• Caution without cowardice: Master’s lesson is to avoid danger when possible, but not let fear dictate one’s actions.
• Moral uncertainty and danger: The corpse-refinement and possible murder reveal a corrupt, threatening world in which ordinary work can draw people into larger conflicts.

Key plot points and events

• Master explains that Mr. Zhou is cautious and likely came to investigate what happened during the Corpse Stitching. He again advises Xu Feng to trust Uncle Liu, the Executioner, but avoid Doctor Qi unless necessary.
• Xu Feng tries to ask about the strange corpses and those found in the Yellow River, but a visitor interrupts.
• The visitor is Uncle Sun, a gaunt but powerfully built old man. He grips Xu Feng’s arm hard enough to cause pain, then gives him a basket of fish as a welcoming gift.
• Master tells Xu Feng to light the lantern before coming inside. Uncle Sun notices this and remarks that Master is both strengthening Xu Feng’s body and teaching him the visible work of the trade.
• Uncle Sun proposes a match between Xu Feng and his daughter. Master refuses, warning that Xu Feng’s birth chart could endanger her—and perhaps even Uncle Sun.
• Master identifies Uncle Sun as the man who retrieved the corpses from the Yellow River, prompting Xu Feng to wonder why he has come to the shrine after dark.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng remains curious and alert, but shows politeness toward Uncle Sun and recognizes the danger behind the old man’s formidable strength.
• Master continues guiding Xu Feng, offering practical advice and quietly protecting him by rejecting Uncle Sun’s proposed match.
• Uncle Sun appears blunt, physically intimidating, and unusually perceptive. His interest in Xu Feng grows after seeing how Master is training him.
• The meeting is cordial on the surface—Uncle Sun brings a gift and shares soup—but Master’s grave warning hints at serious underlying risks.

Significant themes

• Trust and caution: Master distinguishes between people who can be relied upon and those best avoided.
• Fate, birth charts, and physical strength: Master and Uncle Sun speak of the relationship between a person’s body, soul, and destiny, suggesting Xu Feng’s unusual fate may affect others.
• Training and inheritance: Master is shaping Xu Feng both inwardly and outwardly, preparing him to carry on the trade.
• Unanswered mysteries: Xu Feng’s questions about the Yellow River corpses remain unresolved, while Uncle Sun’s nighttime visit raises new questions.

Key events

• Xu Feng meets Sun Dashi, a Yellow River Corpse Retriever, while sharing meat soup with his master, Old Zhao. He realizes the encounter fulfills one of his third-act tasks and listens closely, treating the conversation as a chance to learn about the world.
• Sun Dashi reveals that the recovered corpse belonged to A Qing, the cherished son of the chief of Fisherfolk Village. Old Zhao is surprised: A Qing came from a community with a special relationship to the Yellow River, and retrieving his body was not ordinarily the corpse retrievers’ responsibility.
• Old Zhao explains that Fisherfolk Village lies upstream of Luoyin County, supplies the authorities with rare fish and other river goods, and is known for its ability to help recover people lost in the river.
• Sun Dashi explains that he brought a Yellow River carp for Xu Feng to restore his strength, and warns that river fish can be dangerous—especially at night. Some carp follow supernatural “River Drifters”; eating one may cause a person to share the drifter’s fate.
• Sun Dashi says the villagers themselves asked him to retrieve A Qing’s body at dusk. He only agreed because he owed them a favor, and the incident leaves him wary of becoming further involved.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows himself to be an attentive, practical learner: he records unfamiliar details mentally and plans to ask Old Zhao about them later. He also responds warmly when he learns his master brought the carp for his benefit.
• Old Zhao appears deeply invested in teaching Xu Feng, explaining local customs and accepting Sun Dashi’s teasing about how much effort he puts into being a good master.
• Sun Dashi is blunt, generous, and fond of mysterious storytelling. He recognizes Old Zhao’s care for Xu Feng and shares both practical knowledge and warnings about the river.
• The conversation between Old Zhao and Sun Dashi combines friendly banter with serious concern over A Qing’s death and the dangers of the Yellow River.

Significant themes

• Knowledge is learned through observation and experience: Xu Feng listens first and intends to understand the theory later.
• Tradition and inherited fate: Corpse Retrievers pass their craft from father to son, while Corpse Stitchers take disciples; each trade has its own rules and dangers.
• The supernatural hidden in ordinary work: Fishing and corpse recovery involve mysterious river beings and risks that even experienced workers do not fully understand.
• Mentorship and care: Old Zhao’s efforts to teach and nourish Xu Feng reveal a protective bond, noticed and affirmed by Sun Dashi.

Plot points and events

• Sun Dashi and Xu Feng discuss the strange tracks outside. Xu Feng thinks they resemble a snake, but Sun suggests they might belong to a person—an extraordinary possibility he declines to explain.
• Master tells Sun that, while stitching A Qing’s corpse, he sensed “a breath of harmful qi.”
• Sun describes A Qing’s uncanny death: the young man was found upright in a whirlpool, staring at Sun, and the current resisted both the body hook and Sun’s boat until others helped.
• Master returns an object he found in A Qing’s stomach, which A Qing apparently swallowed just before death. Sun recognizes its significance, concludes someone may have killed the boy, but does not take the object.
• Sun says Fisherfolk Village will owe Master a favor and predicts that Master will now teach Xu Feng his real skills.
• Xu Feng sleeps upstairs. In the middle of the night, he hears a soft, steady rain.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng struggles to reconcile the tracks and Sun’s claim that they may come from a person. He chooses not to reveal everything he knows, following Master’s lead and showing loyalty and restraint.
• Master remains guarded, sharing only his observation of harmful qi and discreetly returning the object to Sun. He appears to have his own reasons for withholding details.
• Sun Dashi demonstrates his expertise and concern through his account of A Qing’s death. His reaction to the object suggests it confirms a troubling suspicion; he trusts Master to handle the matter.

Significant themes

• The uncanny intruding into the ordinary: The tracks, whirlpool, corpse, and object point to forces beyond straightforward explanation.
• Trust and discretion: Xu Feng prioritizes loyalty to Master over displaying his knowledge, while Master carefully controls what is revealed.
• Duty and danger: A Qing’s strict observance of river customs did not protect him, deepening the mystery around his death.
• Foreshadowing: Sun’s prediction about Xu Feng’s training, the unexplained object, and the sudden nighttime rain all hint that events are about to intensify.

Key plot points and events

• After an unusually easy objective in the third act, Xu Feng realizes the game’s fixed deadline is drawing closer. He worries that he is underprepared for the dangers ahead: he has learned only part of Corpse Stitching and lacks mastery of its other disciplines.
• He recognizes that he must balance urgent training with recovering his exhausted body, and sleeps until dawn.
• Master serves Xu Feng soup made from the Yellow River Carp Uncle Sun brought the previous night. The meal quickly eases Xu Feng’s aches and leaves both him and Master steaming with heat.
• Xu Feng’s status changes: Hidden Virtue Blessing expires and is replaced by Great Fish Essence (Crimson), which strengthens his qi and blood. Its description warns that eating the fish’s essence has entangled Xu Feng with its owner, whom he may encounter nearby.
• Master says the heat is a sign Xu Feng has eaten something powerful and must be worked off. He gives Xu Feng chores—repairing the shrine’s drainage ditch and burying the Soul Bottles deeper—then plans to take him to Lost-Trace Forest to build Yin Virtue.
• Master also warns Xu Feng to avoid Fisherfolk Village, saying its people are not their kind. Uncle Sun has already left before dawn to avoid entering the village after dark.

Character developments

• Xu Feng becomes more alert to the looming deadline and acknowledges the limits of his current skills. Though anxious, he accepts that physical recovery is essential to surviving what lies ahead.
• Master shows practical care for Xu Feng by encouraging rest, feeding him, and giving him tasks to manage the fish’s effects. His warning about Fisherfolk Village reveals a guarded, protective attitude.
• Uncle Sun remains mostly offstage, but his early departure underscores the danger associated with Fisherfolk Village.

Significant themes

• Deadlines and mounting pressure: Delays accumulate, and the apparent ease of one objective makes Xu Feng more wary rather than relieved.
• Preparation and limits: Skill, knowledge, and bodily strength all matter; Xu Feng cannot rely on incomplete training alone.
• Consequences of power: The fish’s essence strengthens Xu Feng but may draw him into contact with a dangerous being.
• Care and caution: Master supports Xu Feng while keeping him away from threats he considers beyond their sphere.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng and Master share a warm, hearty breakfast, and Master reassures him that his physical symptoms are harmless—though the fish’s heat must be worked off.
• Xu Feng asks Master about Fisherfolk Village; Master refuses to explain, instead advising him to keep his distance.
• Master directs Xu Feng’s day, combining practical shrine work with a plan to improve his Yin Virtue.

Key plot points and events

• While Xu Feng works under his master at the Earth God Shrine, he begins to gain benefits from the “big fish.”
• In Luoyin County, Qian Dayou’s residence is turned into a funeral site for the six recovered bodies. Mr. Zhou oversees elaborate preparations, including hanging the coffins, burning offerings, setting soul-guiding banners, and having servants circulate to spread “human breath” and restrain lesser ghosts.
• Mr. Zhou waits for Third Master Qian, the county-office figure known as the “Flaming Monkey.” After a private discussion, they agree on a plan.
• Mr. Zhou orders Qian Dayou to find four pairs of Soul-Banner Spirit-Bait—people with especially hardy fates and low-status occupations, capable of facing dangerous ghosts. Unlike ordinary Spirit-Bait, who are treated as disposable substitutes, these recruits are meant to withstand the rite’s hazards.
• Mr. Zhou warns his disciple Fa Ming and several sturdy disciples that the night’s ceremony may involve danger beyond ghosts. They must hold their positions, refuse to open doors, and follow orders.
• He equips them with slingshots and iron pellets, revealing that they are meant to shoot people—not spirits. Mr. Zhou expects that some people may die during the ceremony and intends for those deaths to be included in the rite.

Character developments and interactions

• Mr. Zhou appears calm and authoritative, but his preparations reveal a ruthless willingness to sacrifice others. He gives Qian Dayou orders, keeps the real danger from being publicly known, and trains his disciples to act decisively.
• Qian Dayou begins ashamed and dispirited, but after meeting Third Master Qian he becomes more resolute, even murderous in bearing. He understands the cruel purpose of Spirit-Bait and agrees to find recruits.
• Fa Ming questions the need for Spirit-Bait and recognizes that slingshots cannot harm ghosts. Mr. Zhou rebukes him and clarifies that the weapons are for targeting people.
• Third Master Qian works privately with Mr. Zhou to finalize the plan, then leaves to prepare.
• Xu Feng is only briefly present, but his work at the shrine is beginning to produce tangible benefits.

Significant themes

• Exploitation and expendability: Spirit-Bait are people used as substitutes for others’ deaths; Mr. Zhou’s plan extends that logic to anyone who dies during the rite.
• Fate and moral evasion: Mr. Zhou blames victims’ “weak fates” rather than accepting responsibility for putting them in danger.
• Ritual alongside practical violence: Funeral customs and ghost-control measures coexist with preparations to attack living people.
• Power and obedience: Mr. Zhou’s disciples are expected to follow orders without question, even when the true purpose is troubling.

Plot and events

• Xu Feng and his Master arrive at the mist-shrouded Lost-Trace Forest. Master has planned their route: they must tie a rope to the stone marker at Li Family Village to find their way out.
• They hope to recover and burn a woman’s corpse near the marker, but must leave before dusk or risk dying in the forest.
• Master makes offerings with nine incense sticks—to Houtu, their ancestors, and the dead—then prepares their tools. He explains that corpses behave differently inside the forest and will not decay until carried out.
• While waiting for the incense smoke to enter the woods, Master tells Xu Feng about a future trip to Dayuan Town, where a specialist craftsman can make their unusual needles.
• Xu Feng imagines eventually helping with difficult corpse-stitching work. Master warns that cultivating needles into powerful tools takes years of care, then challenges Xu Feng to prove he remembers the lessons from their journey.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng is confident and eager to take on responsibility. He says he is unafraid of carrying a corpse and sees his work as meaningful: restoring dignity to the dead.
• Master is protective and experienced, balancing practical instruction with ritual respect. He indulges Xu Feng’s questions and ambition, but also teases and disciplines him.
• Their relationship is affectionate yet hierarchical: Master jokes about striking Xu Feng, then turns the exchange into a test of his knowledge.

Significant themes

• Respect for the dead: The offerings and planned burial rites emphasize care for those who died.
• Courage and preparation: Entering the forest requires both nerve and careful adherence to Master’s instructions.
• Ambition versus patience: Xu Feng wants to advance quickly, while Master stresses that skill and powerful tools must be cultivated over time.
• Roots and belonging: Master’s remark that “everyone needs roots” hints that their work and future may be tied to the forest and its history.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng practices a corpse-breathing technique on his master, using a sequence of hand movements to expel trapped air. His master stops the test after Xu Feng applies overwhelming force.
• The master says he will teach Xu Feng the Bone-Touching Method as well. He explains that corpse-bone reading complements the Depiction and Filling Methods, and that Depiction, bone-reading, and a medicinal bath are needed to handle a Demon Corpse.
• The master ties himself and Xu Feng together with a red thread, then makes the thread vanish while leaving its connection magically intact. This ritual will keep them from getting lost as they enter the Lost-Trace Forest.
• Meanwhile, Qian Dayou sends eight family members out on donkeys to find Spirit-Bait, despite the danger of traveling in the rain.
• Mr. Zhou prepares a crude version of the Iron Pot Food Offering. Fa Ming reports that he has covered the rear courtyard with talismans. Zhou says they can wait until midnight, when the rain should stop, to witness officials carry out beheadings.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng demonstrates that he has mastered the breath-smoothing technique, though his excessive strength surprises his master. He is becoming more confident in the dangerous forest, which now seems almost ordinary to him.
• Xu Feng’s curiosity about the deeper craft—and how its methods connect—continues, but his master offers only partial answers, pointing toward future training and the challenge of Demon Corpses.
• The master guides and protects Xu Feng through the forest, stressing that they must follow carefully and avoid mistakes.
• Fa Ming supports Mr. Zhou’s preparations by securing the rear courtyard, while Zhou remains focused and composed despite the storm and the commotion outside.

Significant themes

• Apprenticeship and gradual mastery: Xu Feng’s progress comes through practice, while deeper knowledge is revealed only when he is ready.
• The living and the dead: Techniques used on corpses resemble treatment of the living, blurring the boundary between the two.
• Ritual knowledge and hidden dangers: The red thread, talismans, and corpse-handling methods show how supernatural practices depend on precise procedures.
• Growing familiarity with danger: Xu Feng’s changing response to the Lost-Trace Forest suggests that experience is reshaping his instincts.

• Mr. Zhou prepares for danger: Before the evening ritual, Mr. Zhou orders Fa Ming to organize and number the junior disciples, hide their slingshots, and keep watch. He suspects the Earth-Fire Cult may target the Qian Family residence because of its unusual feng shui, and warns that everyone must gather at his courtyard when the signal cannon sounds. He insists Fa Ming keep the warning secret, trusting him despite his lack of cleverness.
• A rumor reshapes Mr. Zhou’s thinking: Mr. Zhou recalls an old tale that a slain river dragon’s resentment flowed toward Luoyin County, where the mountain trapped it and formed a “Dragon Pearl.” A temple was supposedly built somewhere in the city to suppress the ominous force. Though he once dismissed the story, he now suspects Qian Dayou’s house may stand over the temple—and that the Earth-Fire Cult has discovered the site. To protect himself during the ritual, he plans to use eight spirit mediums as a buffer. He also explains the customary bargain for hiring them: payment in advance and the right to take three items afterward, obligations that bind both host and mediums.
• Xu Feng witnesses a death rite: While the Qian family’s representatives search for his master, Xu Feng is at the Earth God Shrine with him. Under his master’s supervision, Xu Feng guides the Li Family Woman’s final breath. Her body dissolves into black ash, which rises through the roof, and the harmful energy disperses. The experience leaves Xu Feng awed and solemn; he offers her a peaceful farewell and feels the sacred weight of having taken responsibility for her.
• The master offers a bleak explanation: Xu Feng asks whether the woman’s energy has departed and whether she has ascended to heaven. His master says the scene was instead the scattering of a long-dead woman’s soul—not proof of heavenly reward. He reflects that this may be his own fate someday, though even such an ending would be fortunate for him.
  Character developments and interactions: Mr. Zhou shifts from dismissing folk history to treating it as a plausible warning, revealing both his fear and his protective concern for his disciples. Fa Ming responds obediently and is valued for his honesty. Xu Feng grows more conscious of mortality and duty, while his master’s reflection exposes his resignation about death. Their exchange contrasts Xu Feng’s hope for spiritual release with his master’s grimmer view.
  Themes: The chapter explores death and the uncertain fate of the soul, the burden of responsibility, folk belief and the power of rumor, and the rules and reciprocal obligations governing dangerous work.