Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Xu Feng reassures Master that he will keep him alive, lifting Master’s spirits despite the dangers of their profession.
• Master explains that Yin Virtue can offer protection, but accumulating enough to guarantee safety is extraordinarily difficult.
• Master reveals that the Lost-Trace Forest contains the Yin Virtue Xu Feng seeks: resolving the matter of Li Family Village may earn enough, though Xu Feng still lacks the skills to manage it.
• Master agrees to teach Xu Feng about Stitching Calamity, a secret art of their lineage with Lesser and Greater forms. Master knows only the Lesser Calamity-Stitching Art, which protects against ill omens rather than literally stitching calamities.
• Master gives Xu Feng the untitled Corpse Manual, a treasured legacy explaining how corpses change and teaching the foundational skill of Inspection. He expects Xu Feng to master it quickly, then learn Auscultation—on pain of being paddled if he fails.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng’s confidence and determination reassure Master, though his promises are partly strategic: he hopes Master will remain alive to guide him through future challenges.
• Master moves from gloom to warmth and openness. Their growing rapport makes him more willing to share his lineage’s secrets and pass on its most important book.
• Their affectionate, teasing relationship is evident in Master’s joking warnings and his playful swat when Xu Feng salutes him instead of the book.

Significant themes

• Legacy and mentorship: Master entrusts Xu Feng with knowledge meant to survive across generations.
• Hope versus danger: Xu Feng’s optimism contrasts with Master’s hard-earned caution about the perilous world of Corpse Stitchers.
• Knowledge as preparation: Xu Feng must master the fundamentals before facing the village’s mysteries or learning the deeper art.
• Trust and persuasion: Xu Feng’s encouragement helps Master open up, showing how emotional connection can create opportunities as well as comfort.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng embraces his studies and training, quickly transforming from a novice repulsed by corpses into a skilled Corpse Stitcher.
• Using Zhao San’s life as a point of comparison, Xu Feng notices that Master’s expertise and the sophistication of Corpse Stitching seem unusually advanced. He also suspects that Luoyin County and its surroundings conceal major secrets, given the spreading Lost-Trace Forest, the Yellow River’s strange behavior, and several mysterious villages.
• Before Xu Feng can study further, someone pounds desperately on the shrine door. Master prepares for a possible attack, and Xu Feng cautiously answers.
• The visitor, a servant from Master Qian’s household, urgently asks Master Zhao to come provide a Spirit-Bait. He says the journey must begin before dark and that something may happen on the road.
• The servant offers payment for Xu Feng to come as a second Spirit-Bait. Master agrees to go but insists on packing first and learning what happened. Xu Feng recognizes that the job sounds dangerous; Master confirms that it is and says he will explain on the way.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng is increasingly capable, observant, and curious. Unlike Zhao San as a child, he can compare his experiences and question the hidden history of the region.
• Master remains cautious and authoritative: he positions himself to protect Xu Feng when the knocking begins, then calmly manages the servant’s urgency while preparing for the trip.
• The servant is panicked and pushy, but his urgency suggests he fears a specific danger. He views the shrine with distrust and discomfort.
• Xu Feng and Master work together to pack, while Xu Feng openly warns that the assignment is troubling.

Significant themes

• Learning and transformation: Willing study lets Xu Feng advance far faster than someone who merely receives knowledge.
• Perspective and hidden history: Xu Feng’s outsider-like perspective helps him notice clues that Zhao San overlooked.
• Mystery and ominous geography: The small region appears crowded with unusual people and unexplained phenomena, suggesting secrets beyond its apparent boundaries.
• Danger beneath ordinary work: The Spirit-Bait assignment is presented as an urgent job, but both Xu Feng and Master sense that something terrible may be involved.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng and Master prepare to leave with an impatient visitor, whom Xu Feng suspects is trying to lure them into danger. Master packs incense and tells Xu Feng to bring extra Incense Ash, carefully scooped with both hands.
• While packing, Xu Feng briefly senses a disturbing connection to the people of the eerie village on Yunjia Mountain. He cuts it off, but Master notices his reaction.
• Xu Feng reviews the dangers of their recent escape from the Lost-Trace Forest: disorienting fog, ghosts, unpredictable sinkholes, and the repeated need for Master’s red cord and Yin Virtue Protection to keep him safe. They recovered a corpse and raced back without stopping.
• His Character Panel shows that Great Fish Essence is fading, which reassures him that its dangerous effects will eventually end. Yin Virtue Protection will last seven days.
• He discovers a new ten-day negative status, Dragon-Head Miasma, which suppresses his Yang Energy and sharply increases encounters with supernatural beings.
• He also finds that his good deeds have greatly improved the Luoyin County Land Spirit’s opinion of him, granting him protection under ordinary circumstances.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng has become more wary and perceptive: he recognizes the visitor’s eagerness as suspicious and understands that Master’s preparations suggest danger.
• He remains uneasy about the fish’s lingering influence, despite the strength it gave him.
• Master watches Xu Feng closely, notices his shudder, and responds practically by telling him to dress warmly and collect protective Incense Ash.
• The visitor pressures Xu Feng to hurry, while Xu Feng placates him without trusting his motives.

Significant themes

• Protection comes with risks: Xu Feng’s supernatural advantages—fish essence, Yin Virtue, and the Land Spirit’s favor—are accompanied by danger or limitations.
• Good deeds have consequences: Helping others has earned Xu Feng powerful spiritual protection.
• The uncanny intrudes into ordinary life: Even a moment of packing brings signs of supernatural influence and looming peril.
• Caution and trust: Xu Feng must rely on Master’s experience while judging the intentions of people around him.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng discovers that his affinity with the local ninth-rank Earth God has risen from 30 to 45 points. He gains permanent Land God Protection, which helps against local ghosts and lesser spirits.
• His new Dragon-Head Miasma effect partly offsets his improved abilities. Its cryptic description—especially its references to becoming a dragon and “Gun”—makes Xu Feng suspect it may hint at something important.
• Xu Feng takes incense ash from Master’s storage jar, feels a strange jolt when handling it, and secretly carries some with him.
• Master and Xu Feng set out with a Qian Family servant to assist Mr. Zhou’s ritual. They travel on donkeys kept calm by talismans.
• Master explains that Xu Feng’s role as a Soul-Banner Spirit-Bait would normally involve guiding souls away, but Mr. Zhou’s ritual to feed and deliver the dead may attract blood-hungry entities.
• Master warns that the greater danger is not the spirits but the Earth-Fire Cult. He describes its members as dangerous fanatics who pose as Daoists while practicing ancient sorcery uncovered from a burial chamber.

Character developments

• Xu Feng gains a useful protective blessing and reflects pragmatically on how new benefits come with drawbacks. He remains alert to the game-like descriptions attached to his effects and quietly prepares by taking incense ash.
• Master reveals more of his knowledge and caution, showing that he understands the ritual may involve serious human threats, not just supernatural ones.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng asks Master about the donkey’s talisman, prompting a brief comic exchange over its bluntly named purpose.
• During the ride, Master explains the risks of Xu Feng’s assigned role. Xu Feng initially focuses on the possible blood-feeding spirit, but Master corrects him: the Earth-Fire Cult is the threat to watch.
• The Qian Family servant leads the journey and urges them onward, while Master keeps him ahead so he can speak privately with Xu Feng.

Significant themes

• Protection and vulnerability: Xu Feng’s growing spiritual defenses are counterbalanced by a new harmful effect.
• Hidden meaning and foreshadowing: The mysterious notes about Dragon-Head Miasma, along with the incense ash’s strange reaction, suggest deeper powers and dangers.
• Human evil alongside the supernatural: Master emphasizes that people—especially the Earth-Fire Cult—may be more dangerous than ghosts or spirits.
• Ritual and belief as risk: The spirit-baiting ceremony may draw dangerous entities, making religious practices a source of both purpose and peril.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng’s master identifies the six murdered women as victims of an Earth-Fire Cult technique involving incense to draw in souls. He believes the cult will appear during Mr. Zhou’s ritual because it threatens their plans, possibly tied to the Qian family or one woman’s birth date.
• The master suspects Mr. Zhou already knows the danger and is using the ritual as a trap. He warns Xu Feng that the cult’s members think and behave unlike ordinary people: Xu Feng must follow orders, avoid killing them, and survive. The pair may need to flee Luoyin County afterward.
• As they approach town through the dark, wind-lashed countryside, a firecracker scares off watching beasts. Luoyin County appears desolate and ominous.
• At Qian Dayou’s residence, white lanterns and funeral-like decorations contrast with a lavish red-lit banquet in the courtyard. Incense burns continuously by the open front gate.
• Mr. Zhou gathers local figures to serve as “Spirit-Bait,” offering each a tray of copper coins. Xu Feng and his master arrive and eat before the work begins.
• Mr. Zhou assigns the guests to carry chipped bowls and Soul-Summoning Banners to a nearby street corner at midnight, leave them there, and return—after which, he claims, whatever happens to the host is no longer their responsibility.

Character developments

• Xu Feng grows increasingly uneasy as he realizes the night may mark the start of a larger crisis. Though he does not fully understand his master’s warnings, he chooses to trust and obey him.
• Xu Feng’s master reveals unusual knowledge of the Earth-Fire Cult and speaks with grave certainty. His concern for Xu Feng is clear, though he offers only cryptic instructions.
• Mr. Zhou appears calm, methodical, and prepared, gathering Spirit-Bait and arranging the ritual as if expecting the cult’s arrival.

Significant themes

• The unknown and the supernatural: The cult’s unnatural methods and disregard for ordinary logic make conventional assumptions unreliable.
• Foreboding and impending danger: The stormy approach, eerie town, and ritual preparations build the sense of a coming confrontation.
• Trust and obedience: Xu Feng must rely on his master despite not understanding the full danger.
• Cost and responsibility: Mr. Zhou’s payment and disclaimer suggest the Spirit-Bait are being drawn into danger under carefully limited terms.

Character interactions

• The master questions and instructs Xu Feng, emphasizing strict obedience and warning him not to kill cult members.
• Xu Feng outwardly agrees but privately remains confused, showing both loyalty and uncertainty.
• At the banquet, Mr. Zhou addresses the Spirit-Bait as hired participants, offering payment and clearly defining their role in the ritual.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng worries that Mr. Zhou’s plan to place a broken funerary bowl at a street corner may endanger the Spirit-Bait. The reckless, thin man challenges Zhou to explain what will go into the “feast.”
• Xu Feng hears a strange incantation that the others cannot hear. Master Zhao confirms that the sound is expected, though he gives no explanation. With roughly half an hour before the ritual, he takes Xu Feng and the others outside to wait.
• Mr. Zhou fills the bowl with Ritual Rice, earth, and a chicken’s blood. Xu Feng recognizes this as a rite to awaken the local Earthbound Spirit—not merely lure away a wandering ghost.
• A cry announces that the old madam has disappeared. Master Zhao immediately takes the bowl and Soul-Summoning Banner outside with Xu Feng.
• At the mansion gate, Master Zhao finds that the incense there has burned out. Before they can approach, the white lanterns flare, and Xu Feng glimpses new couplet scrolls on the gate.
• In a parallel scene set half an hour earlier, Fa Ming follows Master Zhao’s directions through the mansion’s deserted rear quarters, checking the soil at designated spots. Unseen by him, an aged face settles silently against his shoulder.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows caution and growing supernatural awareness: he questions the bowl’s purpose, hears the hidden incantation, and correctly identifies the ritual’s aim.
• Master Zhao remains composed and seems to anticipate events. He trusts Xu Feng’s report and acts decisively when the old madam is reported missing.
• Mr. Zhou calmly manages the Spirit-Bait and prepares the disturbing ritual, despite the group’s suspicions.
• The reckless man openly challenges Zhou, voicing the group’s mistrust before agreeing to wait outside.
• Fa Ming is frightened but obeys Master Zhao’s instructions, unaware of the presence following him.

Significant themes

• The dead and the living: The funerary bowl and ritual materials blur the boundary between the two.
• Hidden knowledge and unequal perception: Xu Feng hears what others cannot, while Fa Ming remains unaware of the danger behind him.
• Dread through uncertainty: Strange sounds, vanished incense, blazing lanterns, and the unseen presence build suspense without explaining what is happening.

Plot and events

• While waiting for his apprentice Fa Ming, Mr. Zhou anxiously weighs the risks of his plan and hopes to uncover a source of wealth that could help him gain access to a Longevity Method.
• He pieces together a theory about the Qian family’s sudden rise: their fortune began less than a year after the Earth-Fire Cult was destroyed in the county. Recalling the Cult’s interest in feng shui, a rumored Dragon Pearl, and a Daoist’s strange actions at the Cult’s execution, he suspects the family may have gained wealth through a temple and “Borrowed Ghost Fortune.”
• Fa Ming returns just as the Feeding Ritual is about to begin. Mr. Zhou checks him with a talisman, then learns that Fa Ming found a hidden courtyard behind a wall of trees, reached after the path grew unnaturally cold.
• Fa Ming describes it as a small, ordinary courtyard, but his own memories reveal something very different: a vast, brightly lit complex with halls, young women, a horse, and a lively feast. He does not notice the contradiction.

Character development and interactions

• Mr. Zhou shifts from anxious waiting to focused, ambitious deduction. He sees the Qian family’s history as an opportunity and intends to use whatever he discovers to his advantage.
• Fa Ming appears to have encountered something uncanny, yet reports it inaccurately or incompletely. His calm, unaware account contrasts with the extraordinary scene he experienced.
• Mr. Zhou’s relief at Fa Ming’s return is cautious: he verifies that Fa Ming is truly himself before questioning him. Their exchange deepens the mystery rather than resolving it.

Significant themes

• Wealth and ambition: Money is presented as a means to obtain connections and spiritual knowledge, making the temptation to exploit the Qian family’s fortune powerful.
• Hidden history and inference: Mr. Zhou connects seemingly unrelated events into a theory, but still lacks proof.
• The uncanny and unreliable perception: The hidden courtyard seems to distort distance, appearance, or memory, suggesting supernatural forces at work.
• Borrowed fortune and its cost: The possibility that the Qian family’s success came from a ghostly source raises the question of what repayment may eventually be demanded.

Key plot points and events

• Mr. Zhou concludes that the Qian Family temple’s feng shui formation may be Borrowed Ghost Fortune: the temple’s god appears to keep a dangerous ghost restrained while Master Qian profits from its power. He suspects the Dragon Pearl is part of the arrangement.
• Mr. Zhou checks that Fa Ming obeyed his instructions and that his protective talisman remains intact, then sends him to prepare for the ritual.
• Fa Ming recalls an uncanny vision reflected in the wine jug: a tall, godlike figure with red lamps, a long beard, and a centipede-like posture. Mr. Zhou’s bell abruptly breaks the memory, suggesting he may have deliberately suppressed it.
• Mr. Zhou seals the compound, warns everyone not to open the gate, and draws a protective circle with Incense Ash. Though he claims the City God will protect them, his reassurance sounds uncertain.
• Outside, Xu Feng and the other Spirit-Bait are caught in a supernatural transformation that makes the Qian residence appear as ruined doors surrounded by icy wind. Yin Virtue Protection helps, but cannot pull Xu Feng free.
• Xu Feng instinctively responds with a Daoist Sword-Finger Gesture, surges with anger, and curses the force confronting him. His blood vitality breaks through the icy wind, ending the illusion or attack and restoring the group to the mansion’s exterior.
• The other Spirit-Bait watch Xu Feng warily. Without realizing it, he has made his first public display of power and earned a reputation.

Character developments

• Mr. Zhou shows sharp, cautious reasoning, but his confidence in the compound’s defenses is shaky. His questioning and the bell’s effect on Fa Ming suggest he is hiding or controlling information.
• Fa Ming remains obedient and naïve, but his strange vision hints that he may have encountered something significant without understanding it.
• Xu Feng has changed from someone who needed to steel himself against ghosts into someone who meets supernatural danger with immediate, instinctive fury. His blood vitality and unorthodox use of the hand seal prove unexpectedly powerful.

Significant themes

• Fear and power: Xu Feng’s defiance reverses the expected relationship between humans and ghosts: the ghosts, not the living, should be afraid.
• Hidden bargains and uncertain protection: The temple’s apparent divine power may be restraining a ghost even as someone exploits its fortune.
• Reputation and survival: In a dangerous world, a single public show of strength can establish a person’s standing.
• Suppressed knowledge: Fa Ming’s vision and its sudden disappearance imply that supernatural truths may be deliberately concealed.

Character interactions

• Mr. Zhou carefully questions Fa Ming, verifies his talisman, and directs him to prepare for the ritual.
• Fa Ming obeys his master but privately dwells on his unsettling vision until Mr. Zhou’s bell breaks his concentration.
• Mr. Zhou rallies the compound’s occupants, ordering them to stay inside and invoking the City God for protection.
• Yin Virtue Protection manifests as people trying to pull Xu Feng away from danger, while the other Spirit-Bait witness his resistance and begin treating him with caution.

Key plot points and events

• After using a desperate, forceful hand seal against the supernatural threat, Xu Feng is left exhausted and sweating. His Protective Talisman provides some warmth, and he receives a notification that the Luoyin County City God’s favorability toward him has risen significantly—suggesting the god was watching and remains active, though seemingly slow to intervene.
• Master praises Xu Feng’s courage, then helps him sit and recover. Xu Feng realizes the people who once saw him as merely a Spirit-Bait now regard him as someone powerful and potentially dangerous.
• Xu Feng asks about the broken gate and cryptic inscriptions he saw. Master identifies the vision as likely the Sword-Sacrificing Temple, once home to a Ritual Sword. He suspects the strange “couplets” were secret words added by the Earth-Fire Cult, a group that falsely claimed ties to the Elixir School and used local gentry to further its plans.
• Master explains that the temple was supposedly razed after the cultists were executed and a Daoist performed a suppression ritual. Its reappearance may signal a Yin-Yang Confluence, when the boundary between the living and dead blurs. He suspects the cult has drawn people into a long-running scheme and warns Xu Feng to follow him and run when told.
• Master quietly gives Xu Feng a Broken Blade, explaining that its strong baleful aura makes it dangerous but that Xu Feng is now capable of handling Baleful Objects. Xu Feng sees a game notification and begins reading the blade’s description.

Character developments

• Xu Feng proves capable of confronting supernatural forces through sheer resolve, despite lacking formal techniques. He gains the City God’s favor and public recognition, but the effort leaves him physically drained.
• His understanding of the danger deepens: he connects the Earth-Fire Cult’s apparent long-term planning with the possibility that Master’s death may not have been a simple accident.
• Master shows pride in Xu Feng and acknowledges that he has underestimated his growth. His urgent warning and decision to entrust Xu Feng with the blade reveal both his concern and trust.

Character interactions

• Master praises Xu Feng repeatedly, teases him for using a reckless method, and helps him recover.
• Xu Feng and Master discuss the temple, the Earth-Fire Cult, and the danger of the coming night. Master orders Xu Feng to follow him without hesitation if they have to flee.
• The gathered Spirit-Bait treat Xu Feng with new caution, recognizing him as someone who may pose a threat.

Significant themes

• Power and recognition: Xu Feng’s actions change how others perceive him, even as his strength comes at a physical cost.
• Uncertainty and hidden agendas: The reappearing temple and the cult’s apparent decades-long plan suggest that past events may be more complicated than they seemed.
• Trust and mentorship: Master’s praise, warning, and gift of the blade mark a growing bond and his willingness to rely on Xu Feng.
• A world out of balance: Ghosts appearing in daylight and the possibility of a Yin-Yang Confluence signal that the boundary between life and death is breaking down.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng equips the Old Executioner’s Beheading Blade (Broken), a powerful but dangerous weapon tainted by evil and unresolved karma. It can harm lesser supernatural beings, but damages its wielder too; after the owner dies, it may summon ghosts.
• Xu Feng’s master warns him that if danger breaks out, they must drop the Soul-Summoning Banner and flee to the City God Temple. Xu Feng must also leave the blade outside, since it must not enter the temple.
• They spot Earth-Fire Cult members approaching—and Xu Feng sees a red-name enemy identified as the Earth-Fire Cult Leader.
• As suona horns and cymbals sound from Qian Dayou’s residence, panic erupts there. Qian Dayou and his brother, Qian Laosan (also called Flaming Monkey), are among the last surviving men of their family.
• Qian Dayou retrieves a bundle containing the severed head of an Earth-Fire Cult member, the source of the brothers’ wealth. Qian Laosan objects, fearing that disturbing it will bring disaster.
• Qian Laosan notices their missing mother’s face has appeared on Qian Dayou’s neck, suggesting supernatural possession or transformation, just as Qian Dayou opens the bundle.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng is increasingly confident in his abilities and sees the blade as a major advantage, though his excitement distracts him from his master’s instructions. His master corrects him and emphasizes caution and escape.
• Xu Feng’s master remains practical and protective, laying out a clear plan for survival and warning against bringing the cursed blade into sacred ground.
• Qian Dayou is anxious at first, then acts recklessly, digging up the forbidden head despite his brother’s objections.
• Qian Laosan/Flaming Monkey tries to reassure his brother with the strength of their defenses, but his composure fails when he sees the strange face on Qian Dayou’s neck.
• Their disagreement highlights the contrast between Qian Dayou’s impulsiveness and Qian Laosan’s fear of the consequences.

Significant themes

• Power comes with a cost: The blade offers Xu Feng a way to fight supernatural threats, but its use carries serious physical and spiritual risks.
• Overconfidence and denial invite danger: The Qian brothers trust their guards and hired experts, yet Qian Dayou’s decision to uncover the head undermines their precautions.
• The past cannot be safely buried: The severed head and the family’s hidden history return as immediate threats.
• Unease before a crisis: The red-name Cult Leader, the ritual music, and Qian Dayou’s transformation signal that the confrontation is beginning.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• In the game, Qian Laosan recalls that years earlier he and his brothers had been ordered to bury the executed members of the Earth-Fire Cult. The decayed corpses came alive and promised them wealth if they were taken to Third Grandpa Temple.
• Back in the present, Qian Dayou brings out a strangely renewed head during the Calamity Star’s eclipse, apparently intending to dispel its baleful energy. The head looks freshly fleshed and even babbles like a baby, terrifying Qian Laosan.
• Xu Feng exits the game after completing the scenario. The game reports that he earned the highest rating, “Beyond Expectations,” encountered the Yellow River Corpse Collectors, and obtained Master’s permission to learn Stitching Calamity.
• Outside the game, Xu Feng confirms that an equipped item can be brought into the real world: he has carried out the Broken Blade.
• He reflects on the previous night’s events. Earth-Fire Cult attackers and the soldiers fighting them seemed not to notice Xu Feng or Master, allowing the pair to flee and hide. The cultists were later killed or captured, while the Qian family, servants, bystanders, and several of Mr. Zhou’s disciples were left dead.
• Xu Feng suspects the cultists’ convenient arrival and defeat served some larger purpose, but he lacks enough information to investigate. He focuses instead on learning the Lesser Calamity-Stitching Art.

Character developments and interactions

• Qian Laosan is overwhelmed by the return of a horrific memory and freezes in terror as Qian Dayou approaches him with the uncanny head.
• Xu Feng grows more confident and decisive. His willingness to act boldly impressed Master and earned him access to a powerful technique. He also remains cautious, refusing to get involved in events he cannot understand.
• Master trusts Xu Feng enough to teach him Stitching Calamity after Xu Feng’s conduct during the crisis. The two escape together and later hear the aftermath from Master’s investigation.
• Mr. Zhou disappears after the night’s events, leaving Xu Feng uncertain whether the chaos unfolded according to his plans.

Significant themes

• The return of buried consequences: The old crime of abandoning the cultists’ bodies resurfaces in the form of a reanimated, horrifying head.
• The gap between rules and reality: Xu Feng questions why heretics’ bodies might be stitched despite the usual prohibition, suggesting hidden exceptions or concealed events.
• Survival amid larger forces: Xu Feng and Master escape by avoiding a conflict that seems to involve powers beyond their control.
• Power borrowed rather than owned: The Lesser Calamity-Stitching Art is introduced as a way to “borrow the tiger’s might,” hinting at using another force’s power to achieve one’s aims.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng studies the Lesser Calamity-Stitching Art. Its core is to use Yin Virtue to borrow a local deity’s protection, then bind an Ominous Fiend to a physical object so it can be controlled. Mastering it requires solving practical problems—choosing a suitable object, subduing the fiend, and ensuring the two can be joined—before he can even begin learning the greater art.
• He uses speech-to-text to turn the books he has memorized into reorganized manuals in his own words, then repeatedly reviews and annotates them.
• Xu Feng realizes that his game level reflects the Yin Virtue he has accumulated and the standing it earns him. Even if he spends that virtue, his level may still signal his reputation to gods who could offer protection.
• His intensive study advances Broad Learning and Rapid Recall from Initial Exposure to Understanding. The Yellow River Carp’s effect on Zhao San’s body in the game also seems to support his mental stamina, though Xu Feng’s real body still tires.
• Before bed, Xu Feng leaves incense and an apple offering by the doorway for the Broken Blade and sleeps holding his Protective Talisman. Just as he settles down, a work-group notification announces new forest-patrol safety inspection guidelines, prompting him to suspect something has happened.

Character developments

• Xu Feng shows growing discipline and confidence as a learner, adapting difficult texts to his own study methods.
• He becomes more aware of how much remains to master, but also recognizes that Yin Virtue—and the status it represents—may give him a rare advantage as a Corpse Sewer.
• He remains cautious about supernatural dangers, continuing his ritual offering and keeping the talisman close.

Significant themes

• Learning and mastery: Understanding an art’s principles is only the beginning; practical skill requires repeated study and experience.
• Merit, status, and protection: Yin Virtue is both a resource and a record of reputation, potentially gaining Xu Feng divine aid.
• Effort and physical limits: Xu Feng’s focused study boosts his alertness, but his real body cannot sustain effort indefinitely.
• The ordinary and supernatural intertwined: His mysterious night work and protective rituals sit alongside mundane workplace messages.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng has no direct conversation with other characters in this chapter. His interactions are indirect: he reflects on local and City Gods as possible protectors, makes an offering connected to the Broken Blade, and receives an urgent-looking group-chat notice from administrator Zhang Jun.

Key plot points and events

• An unexpected late-night safety-inspection notice makes Xu Feng worry that something may be wrong. He checks the work group, but few people respond, and the office sends no follow-up—suggesting there is no immediate emergency.
• After restoring his energy through sleep and meditation, Xu Feng plans to check the group again in the morning and ask colleagues what they know.
• He makes a list of supplies for a trip into the city, including medicinal ingredients for brewing a Decoction Formula. He hopes to use it to draw a protective “Tiger Form” around the Small Courtyard. He is also considering whether to install a Stone Guardian there.
• Before committing to a course of action, Xu Feng wants to find out whether the danger is widespread or limited to the mountain, so he can decide whether to fight or flee.
• He returns to studying the extraordinary books Master gave him. The text on “Inspection” reveals that the Calamity-Stitching Art is far more profound than he had assumed: it presents a broad theory of “corpses,” including anything unmoving, and teaches ways to perceive them.
• Xu Feng plans to test the book’s methods in daylight—first by observing people in the city, and especially by looking for beings that are not human.

Character developments

• Xu Feng has become more cautious and proactive now that his life is at risk. He weighs practical defenses, gathers information, and keeps multiple options open.
• His confidence as a scholar is growing. Comparing the books from Master with what he previously knew, he recognizes the depth and unusual origins of the Calamity-Stitching Art.
• Master appears to trust Xu Feng more, having given him several important books after his strong showing at the Qian Family Mansion.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng watches for replies from his coworkers and considers asking them about the inspection, but the group remains mostly quiet.
• His relationship with Master is reflected in the valuable books Master has entrusted to him.
• Xu Feng’s plans also take into account the Earth God’s presence at the shrine: Master avoided using the Tiger Form there out of respect, while Xu Feng is willing to try it around his own courtyard.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and survival: Xu Feng must assess threats before choosing whether to confront them or escape.
• Practical preparation: He combines ordinary planning—shopping, checking messages, studying—with supernatural defenses.
• Knowledge and perspective: The books teach that observation depends on having the right framework, and Xu Feng now sees secrets that Zhao San and others missed.
• The uncanny in everyday life: Xu Feng’s next task is to look beyond ordinary appearances for nonhuman presences hiding in the world.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng decides to visit busy, public places rather than remote temples, hoping to learn about the world and find something that might improve his safety.
• With his [Status Bar] empty, he cannot rely on [Yin Virtue Protection], so he plans to try traditional spirit-sight methods. He packs a small makeup mirror, which can be used to look behind him discreetly.
• While reviewing the difficult Calamity-Stitching Art, Xu Feng realizes that mastering it will involve much more than simply learning its principles: identifying suitable intangible and tangible things, and matching them correctly, will be exceptionally hard.
• At dawn, he leaves Yunjia Mountain, rides to the village, and then takes a borrowed Motorcycle to Shishui City.
• The city seems lively and vital, unlike the deathly atmosphere of the game’s [Corpse Sewer]. Xu Feng visits the City God Temple, but finds it commercialized and spiritually unimpressive. After he offers incense and sees only ordinary statues, an old woman tells him that the truly effective temple is the Great King Temple.

Character development

• Xu Feng remains cautious and practical: he prioritizes safety, chooses crowded places, and prepares discreet methods for spotting spirits.
• His study of the Calamity-Stitching Art makes him more aware of how much he does not know, increasing his concerns rather than giving him confidence.
• He shows curiosity about the world beyond the game, especially whether it is as dangerous as—or different from—the game.

Character interactions

• The village shopkeeper casually lends Xu Feng his Motorcycle and accepts five yuan for its use; Xu Feng also buys a soda there.
• At the City God Temple, Xu Feng watches the locals and offers incense. A talkative elderly woman notices his disappointment and points him toward the Great King Temple.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus hidden reality: The peaceful village and lively city conceal a supernatural dimension Xu Feng has already glimpsed.
• Tradition and commercialization: The City God Temple retains its outward religious function, but its surrounding attractions and subdued atmosphere suggest that its spiritual significance has faded.
• Uncertainty and preparation: Xu Feng lacks reliable supernatural protection, so he relies on observation, research, and practical precautions.
• The limits of knowledge: Both spirit-sight and the Calamity-Stitching Art demand difficult skills, underscoring how little Xu Feng can safely assume.

Plot points and events

• At the City God Temple, Xu Feng hears from an elderly woman about an allegedly powerful “Great King Temple” hidden in an alley beside the Confucius Temple. She says visitors need a QR-code appointment and warns that its priest is odd.
• Xu Feng finds the City God’s statue spiritually empty, then searches the Affliction, Golden Star, and Confucius Temples. He finds nothing unusual and considers quitting his job and leaving Shishui.
• On his way out, he spots the old restaurant and alley the woman described. He enters, passes a county-boundary stele, and explores the quiet neighborhood, hearing ordinary sounds from homes and a nearby kindergarten.
• As he turns back, he glimpses the shadow that has been following him. Three incense sticks mark a sudden boundary between warm sunlight and a cold, gloomy space. Xu Feng suspects a dangerous supernatural “Yin-Yang Confluence.”
• A robed, scholarly-looking middle-aged man steps through a wooden door, cuts the incense sticks, and asks whether Xu Feng has an appointment and QR code. Xu Feng leaves as instructed, but prepares to defend himself with his Mirror. The chapter ends with him raising it toward something behind his shoulder.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng remains cautious and analytical, using ordinary explanations where possible while staying ready for supernatural danger. His anxiety grows when the shadow and strange incense reveal that the alley is not as ordinary as it seemed.
• The elderly woman casually directs Xu Feng toward the Great King Temple, presenting it as a local secret.
• The temple’s robed man is brisk and procedural: he removes the incense barrier and refuses Xu Feng entry without an appointment.
• Xu Feng avoids confrontation with the man but quietly prepares for a possible attack.

Significant themes

• The ordinary beside the supernatural: Everyday street life continues right up to an uncanny boundary.
• Uncertainty and hidden danger: Xu Feng cannot tell whether the Great King Temple is a genuine refuge, a threat, or something stranger.
• Protection and vulnerability: The City God offers no protection, forcing Xu Feng to rely on his own judgment and tools.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng reaches the Great King Temple, an unmarked building that looks like an ordinary home. Its incense divination indicates that “someone is seeking something,” suggesting the shrine—or something connected to it—has a supernatural purpose.
• A man on a nearby balcony calls out about Grandpa Heaven, Grandpa Earth, and many red threads above Xu Feng’s head. His words fill Xu Feng with dread, and Xu Feng suspects the man’s condition may fit a supernatural illness described in Zhu You Art.
• The man vanishes from the balcony and speaks to Xu Feng from behind a locked gate, warning that Grandpa Heaven has awakened and that escape is impossible. He claims to be the Great King, then gives the names Song Chuming and Wang Guan before becoming incoherent.
• When Xu Feng knocks again, the man roars and pounds on the gate, drawing out neighbors. They identify him as the “Martial Madman” and warn Xu Feng to leave.
• Xu Feng departs without getting answers, but sees a hand holding three incense sticks reach from the second floor. The divination still signals that someone is seeking something. Rather than return directly up the mountain, he goes to a nearby restaurant.

Character developments

• Xu Feng remains composed despite his growing fear. He applies his knowledge of Zhu You Art to interpret the madman’s behavior, asks direct questions, and tries to investigate, but recognizes when the situation is too dangerous or the locals too guarded.
• The Martial Madman appears to move impossibly quickly and speaks in fragmented, ominous warnings. His shifting claims of identity and repeated incense offerings leave unclear whether he is merely ill, possessed, or tied to the supernatural events.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty about the supernatural: Places associated with suspicious or unofficial worship react to incense, while recognized “righteous” shrines seem to show no supernatural signs.
• Identity and spiritual disorder: The madman’s shifting names and Xu Feng’s theory of “Ghost-God Collision” blur the boundary between illness, spiritual possession, and personal identity.
• Inevitability and threat: The madman insists there is no escape, while the unseen meanings of the red threads and shadows suggest Xu Feng may be marked by forces he does not understand.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng tries to engage the madman, asking what he has seen and who he is; the madman responds with warnings and contradictory identities.
• Xu Feng’s knocking brings neighbors out. They initially view him suspiciously, then relax when they see his incense, explain the man’s reputation, and advise him to leave.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng investigates the cramped restaurant shrine, where the incense again forms a request for a sacrifice. Its apparent hunger makes him wonder whether “Grandpa Heaven” or “Grandpa Earth” is asking to be fed.
• He learns that the Martial Madman is named Wang Guan and confirms that the Great King, Song Chuming, and Wang Guan are significant names, though locals cannot explain their full meaning. He also hears about a deadly collapse near the former Great King Temple site.
• At the collapse site, Xu Feng’s blade vibrates and his protective talisman turns scorching hot. Taking this as a warning of extreme danger, he leaves immediately.
• A reminder call from coworker Xiao Zhang, after the same message was already posted in a large group chat, deepens Xu Feng’s suspicion that his workplace may be concealing something. He considers the possibility that supernatural forces are returning on a broad scale.
• Back at the mountain, Xu Feng realizes the newly built Earth God shrine—and whatever occupies it—could provide the physical and supernatural materials for his Calamity-Stitching Art. He plans to use the game to create support before attempting anything dangerous in the real world.
• Xu Feng patrols the mountain, investigates folklore and past disasters, and checks on coworkers who have stopped replying. Several cannot be reached. He also scrapes online information and studies anatomy and funeral-service theory to prepare for what may come.
• He then enters the game. The new save places him at the Earth God shrine, where he receives a five-part quest list, including eliminating tomb raiders, stitching the Ancient Corpse beneath the Third Grandpa Temple, and strengthening the shrine.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng becomes more cautious but also more composed: he assumes the worst about people and the world so that any trustworthy or competent behavior will be a welcome surprise.
• His instincts as a corpse sewer and his experience in the game guide his decisions; he trusts the blade and talisman’s warning rather than risking a closer look at the collapse.
• Xu Feng treats local residents, coworkers, and online information as sources to cross-check, while his indirect inquiries and private messages show growing distrust of official explanations.
• He shifts from gathering information to actively preparing for danger, relying chiefly on himself and the game console.

Significant themes

• The supernatural returning: Xu Feng suspects that supernatural forces may have been dormant and are now rising again.
• Preparedness and self-reliance: Faced with uncertainty, he gathers knowledge, tests dangers, and plans to use every available resource.
• Faith, hunger, and sacrifice: The shrines’ requests suggest that local gods or other entities may demand human offerings.
• Knowledge as protection: Folklore, disaster records, online research, anatomy, and funeral theory all become practical tools for survival.
• Reality and game overlap: Xu Feng hopes to turn progress in the game into tangible support in the real world.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng reviews the five objectives for “Pillar of the Temple,” which require him to clear dangerous locations with his Master, rescue the Master’s own teacher, perform several corpse-stitching rites, earn approval from county officials, and keep his Master alive during a dangerous task.
• He realizes that the objectives imply his Master’s teacher is still somewhere in Lost-Trace Forest or Li Family Village, likely dead and possibly in a corrupted state. Stitching that corpse might satisfy more than one objective.
• Before the night’s work, Master warns that the dead may retain grievances and cause trouble if their resentment is not properly settled. They expect to stitch the Qian family and other townspeople, though more bodies may arrive.
• Xu Feng asks whether the Qian family’s deaths mean the Heavenly Lord is “taking people.” Master explains that such a calamity is far larger—destroying whole regions—and beyond the power of ordinary people to resist. The Qian family’s deaths, he says, do not qualify.
• Xu Feng asks whether the Earth Lord can also become angry. Realizing this could offend the local Earth God, both men quickly apologize. Xu Feng checks his status and finds the Earth God’s favor toward him has increased; the City God and other local deities also regard him more favorably.
• Xu Feng then asks whether living people can have baleful energy above their heads, as corpses do when they need an outlet. Master dismisses the idea, explaining that a living person has a flame above the head and a soul beneath it—not a corpse-like “leash.”

Character development

• Xu Feng shows growing insight into how the quest objectives connect, while also revealing anxiety about the immense supernatural forces described by his Master. He remains cautious and respectful toward the gods, and his rising favor with them reflects his growing reputation.
• Master acts as a practical guide, warning Xu Feng about the night’s risks and correcting his misunderstandings about calamities, divine anger, and the signs of life.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng and Master share a meal and discuss the coming corpse-stitching work. Their exchange is familiar but instructional: Xu Feng asks questions, and Master responds with blunt advice and warnings.
• Master’s rebuke about the Heavenly Lord prompts Xu Feng to consider how powerless people may be before a true catastrophe.
• When Xu Feng’s question risks offending the Earth God, Master’s reaction prompts them both to make immediate apologies, highlighting their shared respect—and caution—toward local deities.

Significant themes

• Human limits before divine and supernatural power: A true divine calamity is beyond ordinary people’s ability to fight.
• Duty and protection: Xu Feng’s quest requires not only skill and public approval but also keeping his Master safe.
• Respect for the unseen: Careless words can offend gods, so ritual respect matters.
• Reputation and spiritual ties: Xu Feng’s growing standing among local gods suggests that social recognition and supernatural favor are closely connected.

Key events

• After dinner, Xu Feng’s master warns that the many bodies in the shrine are dangerous. He checks them and finds no immediate change, then asks Xu Feng to brew three kinds of Righteousness Soup while he prepares protective objects.
• Xu Feng worries that, according to Wang Guan, he has become spiritually “tethered” to several beings through things he has eaten or drunk. He hopes Yin Virtue or the game system might eventually help him break free.
• While brewing and studying, Xu Feng reflects that he lacks the advanced skills needed for badly damaged bodies. His master encourages him, praising their craft and saying Xu Feng will inherit it.
• The pair perform a ritual for the Stone Guardian, and Xu Feng is entrusted with making an offering to it.
• In the West Room, they count six Qian Family bodies—one woman and five men—and drive away evil influences. Most of the spirits seem to settle, but a pale, featureless shape remains above one body.
• Xu Feng begins repairing a body, carefully filling its bite-like wounds before sewing. The watching spirit whispers its thanks and warns him to inspect the Zhou Family followers’ bellies.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng stays composed and focused despite his fear of being bound to supernatural forces. He shows growing confidence and skill, applying his reading and medical knowledge to his work.
• His master treats Xu Feng increasingly like family: he lets him use any room without a key, praises his ability, speaks of him inheriting the craft, and involves him in important shrine rituals. He remains vigilant about the bodies’ dangers.
• The lingering spirit appears grateful rather than hostile, but its warning suggests the bodies—and particularly the Zhou Family followers—may conceal another threat.

Significant themes

• Obligation and entanglement: Xu Feng fears that supernatural ties may restrict his freedom.
• Apprenticeship and inheritance: His master’s trust and encouragement affirm Xu Feng’s growing place in the craft.
• Knowledge through practice: Xu Feng combines books, anatomy, and hands-on work to improve his abilities.
• Ritual, danger, and uneasy mercy: The corpse-cleansing rites manage resentment, while the spirit’s gratitude hints at compassion within a perilous supernatural world.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng finishes sewing the Qian Family’s recently deceased members under his master’s supervision. Because they died with unresolved desires and may rise as corpses, he uses incense divination and careful corpse-handling techniques.
• While releasing trapped air from one corpse, Xu Feng hears its lingering spirit whisper clues: “Old Liu’s shop,” silver buried beneath a tree, and a nearby burial ground. The spirit then disperses.
• Master praises Xu Feng’s work, and the two continue through the night. Master promises to bring Xu Feng more Yellow River Carp, whose effects have strengthened his stamina.
• When they attempt to move the final three bodies, one is impossibly heavy. Incense divination gives no warning, but examining the corpses reveals missing flesh and soft, flesh-colored scales growing inside one corpse’s mouth.
• Master recognizes the anomaly as something originating from the Yellow River and orders Xu Feng to cut open the corpse’s belly. The corpse abruptly sits up, grabs Xu Feng, and appears to suck something from him—not his life force, but his Dragon-Head Miasma.

Character developments

• Xu Feng demonstrates growing skill and confidence as a Corpse Sewer, carefully following procedure while adapting to supernatural signs. His improved endurance from eating Yellow River Carp helps him withstand the all-night work.
• Master remains a demanding but supportive teacher, praising Xu Feng and promising to help restore his strength. His moment of bewilderment at the strange corpses suggests the Yellow River phenomenon is unusual even to him.

Character interactions

• Master supervises Xu Feng’s work and instructs him to guide the dead’s trapped air out rather than simply force it down.
• Xu Feng seeks his master’s assessment after successfully handling a corpse; Master responds with measured approval and urges him to continue.
• When the final bodies prove abnormal, Xu Feng relies on Master’s experience. Master identifies their Yellow River connection and directs Xu Feng to open one—but the corpse attacks before they can respond.

Significant themes

• Unresolved desires and the dead: A corpse’s lingering obsession can survive death and reveal clues to the living.
• Tradition and practical knowledge: Xu Feng’s ritual methods and Master’s experience are essential, but the new anomaly exceeds ordinary expectations.
• Strength with a cost: Yellow River Carp improve Xu Feng’s physical endurance, while the supernatural consequences tied to the Yellow River remain dangerous.
• Escalating mystery: The scales, missing flesh, abnormal weight, and attack introduce a deeper threat connected to the Yellow River and Xu Feng’s Dragon-Head Miasma.