Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Qi Ning tells Chen Miao about the Curse Cult, its yin-pattern tattoos, and how the Administration handles captured evil cultivators. The tattoos appear only during intense emotion, making cult members hard to identify.
• Chen Miao wonders whether the Six Livestock Art could trigger the tattoos, but he lacks a soul body to use the technique and is unwilling to risk using his own.
• His Points Mall account has no polluted objects available, likely because Peripheral Investigators cannot access them. He spends 40 of his 48 points on Bloodlight Talisman instructions and Revealing Spray; the items are sent to the Administration office.
• Chen Miao returns to his routine at Tianmen Funeral Home. Tao Bo has still not resigned, possibly because Chen Miao’s early return reduced his workload, though Chen Miao doubts he will stay for long.
• Chen Miao collects his purchases from Chen Guokun, learns to make a Bloodlight Talisman, and adds several new talismans to his box.
• Xiang Shang visits to ask for his cultivation method. Chen Miao gives him instructions and sample talismans, promising more once Xiang reaches a 50-percent success rate.
• Xiang Shang reveals that he and Li Zi are now dating, and offers to help Chen Miao find a partner. He also reports that he found a house with a basement: his father bought him a villa with three floors above ground and two below.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao remains cautious and practical: he considers the risks of the Six Livestock Art, saves his remaining points, and does not interfere with Tao Bo’s uncertain employment plans.
• Xiang Shang is excited about his new relationship and eager to advance his training, though his ambitions—especially learning “Universe in the Sleeve”—outpace his experience.
• Shi Manman quietly brings Chen Miao fruit and tea while Xiang Shang is present. Her natural familiarity with Chen Miao surprises Xiang Shang and prompts him to tease Chen about having a secretary—and possibly someone in mind.
• Chen Miao and Xiang Shang trade friendly banter, with Chen setting limits on Xiang’s training and deflecting his matchmaking suggestions.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and identification: The Curse Cult’s concealed tattoos show how difficult it is to distinguish dangerous people from ordinary ones.
• Caution and risk: Chen Miao weighs the potential value of new techniques against the cost and danger of using them.
• Routine amid change: Daily life at the funeral home continues even as Chen gains new tools, relationships shift, and future plans take shape.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Miao accompanies Xiang Shang to his new villa in the Low Mountain district outside Shannan City. Xiang Shang explains that he chose the public house number 1314 himself.
• The villa is already furnished, but Xiang Shang plans to renovate it. He intends to use the first basement for leisure facilities and reserve the second for their cultivation work.
• Chen Miao and Xiang Shang decide to preserve most of the second basement, while hiding two corner rooms as secret chambers.
• Chen Miao places the Soul-Sealing Memorial Tablet in one chamber, disguising its inscription beneath wood-grain paper labeled “God of the Mortal World.” He activates Yin Gathering and adjusts the tablet’s field so it covers only the tabletop, creating a practical setup for drawing talismans.
• Xiang Shang receives Chen Miao’s scorched Peach Wood Sword Blank. Chen Miao plans to demonstrate talisman drawing that evening, so Xiang Shang rushes out to buy supplies.
• After eating, Chen Miao takes a walk and unexpectedly encounters Xie Songde, who recognizes him only after a moment.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiang Shang is excited about his new home and eager to make it a base for their supernatural work. He is enthusiastic about secret chambers, talisman-drawing equipment, and receiving Chen Miao’s sword blank.
• Chen Miao is increasingly cautious about supernatural details, even hesitating to dismiss Xiang Shang’s concern over the house number. He also takes a practical, collaborative approach to adapting the villa for talisman work.
• Their friendship is warm and trusting: Chen Miao shares his equipment and knowledge, while Xiang Shang makes space for their work and eagerly prepares to learn.
• Chen Miao’s chance meeting with Xie Songde sets up an unexpected encounter, though the chapter ends before their conversation begins.

Significant themes

• Making a home for supernatural practice: The villa’s hidden rooms turn an ordinary residence into a discreet base for their work.
• Trust and mentorship: Chen Miao equips Xiang Shang and prepares to teach him, while Xiang Shang supports their shared plans.
• Ordinary life beside the uncanny: Renovations, meals, and a neighborhood stroll unfold alongside yin energy, talismans, and spiritual tools.

Plot points

• Chen Miao runs into Xie Songde at a villa complex. Xie is hurried and distracted, then rushes home, where his son, Xie Yun, says his mother has gone to fetch a ritual master to deal with a troubling presence in the house.
• Xie Songde considers asking Chen for help. Remembering Chen’s past involvement with unusual matters, he calls him and learns that Chen is visiting a newly purchased neighboring villa. The property records show it is the house next door.
• Xie invites Chen inside and asks whether he is a Corpse Bearer. Chen denies it but offers to hear what is happening.
• Xie explains that a week earlier, his daughter saw a dark figure in the bathroom while washing her hair. The next day, Xie saw the same kind of figure while showering: a disheveled, silent presence in the corner, with blood dripping from its wrists.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Songde has shifted from a lifelong skeptic to a frightened father seeking help, though he is reluctant to ask business associates and risk their costs or ridicule. He recognizes Chen as a possible source of assistance and approaches him warmly.
• Chen Miao remains practical and observant. He initially assumes Xie’s distraction has an ordinary explanation, then notices the sudden change in Xie’s behavior and asks directly what he needs.
• Xie Yun is curious and eager to discuss the ghost, in contrast to his father’s anxiety. His casual manner makes the family’s reactions seem uneven.
• The encounter is marked by Xie’s urgent friendliness and Chen’s cautious willingness to help, while Xie’s question about Chen’s occupation suggests he hopes Chen has supernatural expertise.

Significant themes

• Skepticism confronted by experience: Xie’s disbelief collapses when the haunting reaches his own family.
• Fear and vulnerability in ordinary routines: Washing one’s hair—when sight is obscured—becomes a moment of helplessness and dread.
• Family and responsibility: Xie’s search for help is driven by concern for his household, even as he struggles with pride and uncertainty.

• Key events: Chen Miao visits Xie Songde’s villa, where a ghost has reportedly appeared in two upstairs bathrooms. Xie’s wife has summoned a self-proclaimed Grand Mage. After inspecting both rooms alone, the mage says he has found the spirit’s hiding place and can resolve the haunting through a ritual. He explains that his Heavenly Derivation Sect performs a forty-nine-day rite, supposedly giving a spirit a chance to abandon its malice—or destroying it if it refuses. Xie’s family is impressed, while Chen Miao grows skeptical.
• Character developments and interactions: Xie Songde is relieved and eager to cooperate, despite having earlier become less worried because the ghost had not harmed anyone. His wife supports the mage confidently, and their son, Xie Yun, is fascinated by him; the mage praises Yun’s understanding when he completes the phrase “Heaven derives forty-nine.” Chen Miao remains curious and polite but privately questions the mage’s claims and the excessive length of the ritual.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts sincere spiritual authority with possible charlatanism, highlighting the difference between impressive-sounding doctrine and demonstrated ability. It also explores belief, fear, and the tension between a spirit’s possible redemption and its destruction. The chapter closes with an author’s note about bonus chapters and monthly votes.

Key plot points and events

• At the Xie family home, a self-proclaimed grandmaster agrees to deal with the supposed haunting. He demands an elaborate list of ritual supplies, costing about ten thousand a day for forty-nine days, with more expensive materials required afterward if the spirit remains.
• Xie Songde agrees to pay and insists that everyone connected to the haunting attend every rite. He wants to keep the house, both because his recently deceased father bought it and because it holds family memories.
• Chen Miao leaves without challenging the grandmaster: he has no proof the man is a fraud and doubts Xie would believe him. He calls Qi Ning to investigate, concerned that a fake exorcism could allow a real ghost to grow dangerous—especially for Xiang Shang, who lives next door.
• Back at Xiang Shang’s villa, Chen prepares to use a Yin-Gathering Talisman near the Soul-Sealing Memorial Tablet. He and Xiang Shang return late that night to find the room unnaturally cold.
• Inside, they see a bloodied, disheveled figure crouched over the tablet, apparently bleeding onto the table. Chen realizes the figure has come into the trap he prepared.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Songde is relieved to have found help, but his attachment to his family home makes selling it a last resort. He is cooperative and willing to shoulder the grandmaster’s steep costs.
• Chen Miao acts cautiously and responsibly: rather than make an unsupported accusation, he asks Qi Ning to investigate and stays alert to the danger to Xiang Shang. He also reflects on keeping his growing supernatural abilities within the bounds of ordinary law and morality.
• Xiang Shang supports Chen by bringing the materials he needs and spending the evening with him. He witnesses the apparition with him at the chapter’s end.
• The grandmaster presents himself as compassionate and certain, but his costly, lengthy ritual raises Chen’s suspicions.
• Chen’s concern for Xiang Shang, and his decision to prepare a trap for the supernatural presence, lead directly to the final encounter.

Significant themes

• Responsibility and caution: Chen seeks professional investigation rather than acting on suspicion alone.
• Attachment to home and memory: Xie’s reluctance to sell reflects the emotional value of his family home.
• Power and self-restraint: Chen recognizes that supernatural abilities do not excuse abandoning social rules or ethical limits.
• Fraud versus genuine danger: The grandmaster may be exploiting fear, but the haunting appears real—and Chen’s preparation may have brought it within reach.

Plot points and events

• Chen Miao enters the room alone and finds a female ghost trapped inside the field around the Soul-Sealing Memorial Tablet. He deduces she was drawn there by the Yin-Gathering Talisman and became trapped after following the concentrated yin energy.
• Rather than attack her with his Peach Wood Sword, he captures her in the Ghost Cube. He then gathers excess yin energy and channels it into the tablet’s field, leaving enough for talisman practice.
• Chen Miao teaches Xiang Shang how to prepare ink and draw talismans, stressing that Xiang must work only inside the field and take breaks every three minutes to protect his health. Chen successfully makes a Spirit-Sealing Talisman and a Yin-Dispelling Talisman.
• After Xiang leaves, Chen makes a Soul-Splitting Paper Knife, coats its edge with cinnabar, and explains its purpose: each knife can be used to cut only one soul, since contact with a soul leaves its aura on the blade.
• Chen releases the female ghost from the Ghost Cube, immobilizes her with a Spirit-Sealing Talisman, and prepares to test the Soul-Splitting Technique.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao is methodical and confident, both in handling the ghost and teaching Xiang. His choice to capture rather than destroy the ghost reflects his interest in experimenting with the Soul-Splitting Technique.
• Xiang Shang is startled and frustrated that Chen gives him little explanation about the ghost, but he listens carefully to the lesson. He recognizes Chen’s unusually serious teaching manner and leaves wondering what Chen plans to do with the captured ghost.
• Their relationship remains teasing but supportive: Xiang complains and jokes, while Chen is blunt, protective of Xiang’s health, and focused on instruction.

Significant themes

• Practical mastery of the supernatural: Chen turns a dangerous incident into an opportunity to refine his skills.
• Risk and responsibility: Talisman work and exposure to yin energy carry physical dangers, prompting Chen to set strict limits for Xiang.
• Curiosity versus compassion: Chen spares the ghost from an immediate attack, but treats her capture as a chance to conduct an experiment.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Miao uses the Soul-Splitting Technique to cut pieces from a female ghost’s soul. The cuts must be slow; otherwise the soul resists. A severed piece quickly dissolves unless stabilized with a soul-splitting knife and cinnabar ink, then stored in yin ground—or bound inside a Six Livestock Doll.
• After the first cut, the ghost’s soul appears to fill in the gap, though Chen Miao realizes it has only redistributed what remained. He cuts a larger piece and manages to pin it with the knife, but the female ghost’s soul suddenly collapses and explodes in a powerful burst of icy yin energy.
• The explosion destroys the ghost and the captured soul fragment. Chen Miao tears up the knife and resolves to make a Six Livestock Doll before attempting this again.
• Later, he rests with Xiang Shang, who chats about catching ghosts together, proposing to Li Zi, and the idea of Chen Miao starting a ghost-catching company.
• Before sleeping, Chen Miao checks his book and discovers the completed chapter’s reward is Li Meifeng’s memory fragment, not the yin virtue he expected.

Character developments

• Chen Miao gains practical knowledge of soul-splitting, including the danger of cutting too much. The ghost’s collapse makes him newly wary of the woman who once cut her own soul to create a six livestock soul mark.
• He reflects on how his abilities—and the dangers he faces—have grown since even minor hauntings once triggered predictions from his book.
• Xiang Shang is shown as sociable and future-minded, discussing shared ghost-hunting plans and his intention to propose to Li Zi.

Significant themes

• Knowledge gained through risk: Chen Miao learns the technique’s limits through a costly experiment.
• The fragility of the soul: Severed soul pieces dissipate without binding, and excessive damage can cause a catastrophic collapse.
• Growing power, growing danger: Chen Miao’s changing experience is reflected in the book’s silence during a serious supernatural event.
• Uncertain rewards: The chapter ends with Chen Miao puzzled that his expected yin virtue has been replaced by a memory fragment.

Character interactions

• Chen Miao and Xiang Shang spend the late night chatting casually, avoiding discussion of the ghost. Their conversation mixes practical ideas about ghost-catching with Xiang Shang’s personal plans.
• Chen Miao’s thoughts also compare his own experiment with the more extreme act of the woman who cut apart her soul, deepening his sense of how dangerous that practice is.

Plot and events

• After Chapter Six, Chen Miao receives no yin virtue for defeating a ghost. He suspects the reward depends not only on what happened but on his motives: using a ghost-splitting technique for personal gain may not count as helping a soul pass on, or any virtue earned may have been spent to offset consequences.
• Chen Miao resolves to be cautious with mystical techniques that use souls or ghosts, though he still intends to learn them, reasoning that such arts can be used for good or evil.
• In Li Meifeng’s memory, she recalls her happy relationship with her boyfriend and close friendship with Zhang Li. While visiting Zhang’s new home, she discovers that Zhang has a necklace identical to the one her boyfriend gave her. She then overhears her boyfriend and Zhang together in the shower and realizes they are having an affair.
• Heartbroken, Li Meifeng returns to Zhang’s bedroom and dies by slitting her wrist with the necklace’s heart-shaped half. Her final thought is whether the couple has finished showering.
• The next morning, Chen Miao wakes from a dream of feeling watched while washing his hair. He discovers he has gained the state Eyes-Closed Perception, which lets him sense nearby surroundings with his eyes shut. He tests it: normally he can sense about two meters, but using the Iceheart State extends the range to roughly four meters.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao reflects more carefully on the role of intent in earning yin virtue and recognizes the moral risks of using supernatural techniques for selfish purposes.
• Li Meifeng goes from trusting, delighted love and friendship to shock and betrayal after discovering her boyfriend’s affair with Zhang Li; her memories reveal the tragedy behind her death.
• Li Meifeng and Zhang Li are portrayed as exceptionally close friends, making Zhang’s betrayal especially painful. Li Meifeng and her boyfriend had also been planning a future together.
• Chen Miao and Xiang Shang have no substantial interaction; Chen briefly notices Xiang sleeping while testing his new ability.

Significant themes

• Intent and morality: Chen questions whether supernatural acts earn merit based on their outcome or the motives behind them.
• Betrayal and tragedy: Li Meifeng’s apparently happy life is undone by the betrayal of the two people she trusts most.
• Perception and vulnerability: Chen’s new ability offers practical protection, while Li Meifeng’s final, bitter curiosity underscores the emotional aftermath of her discovery.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Miao checks the basement’s Soul-Sealing Memorial Tablet and finds that dawn’s yang energy has depleted much of the yin energy there, suggesting yin ground depends on conditions beyond simply being shielded from sunlight. He takes Xiang Shang’s unused talisman-making supplies and pays him 30,000 to replace them.
• Chen Miao and Xiang Shang joke about Xiang starting a company to supply his materials. Xiang learns that his neighbor, Xie Songde, believes a ghost in his home has been suppressed by a ritualist. Chen Miao explains that he already dealt with the ghost and advises Xiang to use the basement memorial tablet if another appears.
• Chen Miao tells Qi Ning that the ghost was real, but that its accidental removal has strengthened the family’s trust in the ritualist’s apparent fraud. Qi Ning agrees to investigate promptly.
• A prospective hire responds to Chen Miao’s recruitment post but insists on meeting in Shannan City rather than traveling to Tianmen County. Curious, Chen Miao agrees to meet him.
• At Xie Songde’s home, the Grand Mage begins another ritual, claiming the family must shout “Suppress!” repeatedly over forty-nine days to destroy the ghost. A knock interrupts the ritual; the family ignores the door and completes the chant. When Xie Songde answers afterward, an Emergency Affairs Administration investigator presents search and arrest warrants.

Character developments

• Chen Miao remains practical and observant: he pays fairly for supplies, recognizes the risks of the ritualist’s deception, and uses his connection with Qi Ning to bring in authorities. He also shows curiosity about the unusual job applicant.
• Xiang Shang is startled to learn his neighbor’s house was haunted but accepts Chen Miao’s reassurance and advice. Their exchange hints that Xiang may become a supplier for Chen’s work.
• Xie Songde has become convinced the Grand Mage’s ritual worked, despite Chen Miao having actually dealt with the ghost. His confidence leads him to continue cooperating with the ritualist.
• Xie Ya remains frightened and reluctant to return to the house, in contrast to the enthusiastic Xie Yun.
• The Grand Mage maintains control through confident instructions and promises of a lengthy ritual.

Significant themes

• Deception reinforced by coincidence: The ghost’s disappearance makes the fraudulent ritualist seem effective, even though Chen Miao caused it.
• Uneven knowledge and misplaced confidence: Xie Songde mistakes timing for proof, while Chen and the reader know what really happened.
• Trust, responsibility, and fair dealing: Chen pays Xiang for materials rather than taking them without compensation.
• The growing intersection of supernatural events and law enforcement: Qi Ning’s response and the investigators’ arrival suggest that the ritualist’s conduct will face official scrutiny.

Character interactions

• Chen and Xiang’s friendly banter mixes practical business with supernatural advice.
• Chen speaks respectfully with Xie Songde, whose gratitude and confidence contrast with Chen’s private awareness of the truth.
• Chen discreetly updates Qi Ning, setting an investigation in motion.
• The Grand Mage directs the Xie family through the ritual, while Xie Songde’s wife and Xie Yun support him; Xie Ya participates uneasily.
• The family’s chant delays their response to the door, but the investigator’s arrival abruptly confronts the Grand Mage’s operation.

Plot points

• Qi Ning exposes the Grand Mage and his junior disciple as con artists. They had repeatedly posed as different spiritual experts, charged Xie Songde a fortune for cheap online props, and used paid introductions to gain his trust.
• The Grand Mage admits the fraud, but Xie Songde remains confused about who actually dealt with the haunting. Qi Ning tells him the house is safe and takes a necklace from Xie Yun’s room, explaining that it is connected to a ghost.
• After hearing more about the Emergency Affairs Administration, Xie Songde realizes Chen Miao may have been the one who found and handled the ghost. Xie Yun confirms Chen had checked the bathroom for ghosts, and Xie Songde rushes to find him.
• Chen Miao, meanwhile, has rejected an over-demanding job applicant from the Shannan City Funeral Center. Before he can leave town, Xie Songde calls him and meets him at a café.
• Grateful for Chen’s help, Xie Songde gives him a black-gold card for his family’s chain of bathhouses, bars, and karaoke venues. Chen accepts it, thinking his cousin in Shannan City might use it.
• Just as Chen is about to leave, Zhong Cai calls with another request for help, prompting Chen to wonder if Shannan City will ever let him go.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Songde shifts from trusting the fraudulent Grand Mage to recognizing Chen Miao’s quiet competence. His regret turns into sincere gratitude, expressed through the gift and an offer of future help.
• Chen Miao remains modest about his role in resolving the haunting, but accepts Xie’s gift without making a fuss. His planned departure is repeatedly interrupted by people seeking his assistance.
• Xie Yun is still disappointed by the revelation that his “master” was a fraud, but his recollection helps Xie Songde identify Chen as the real source of help.
• Qi Ning calmly exposes the scam and clarifies that the Grand Mage did not solve the haunting. His actions leave Xie Songde with lingering questions about the Administration and the ghost.
• The Grand Mage is stripped of his composed persona and revealed as a serial impostor.

Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The Grand Mage’s theatrical authority masks an ordinary scam, while Chen’s understated actions conceal genuine ability.
• Recognition and misplaced trust: Xie Songde trusts a convincing fraud yet overlooks the person who actually helped him.
• Gratitude and obligation: Xie repays Chen despite Chen’s reluctance to seek reward.
• The pull of duty: Chen’s attempts to leave are continually derailed by new requests for help.

Key plot points

• Chen Miao drives to Zhong Cai’s suburban home and is struck by how the carefully arranged courtyard eases his fatigue and irritation.
• Zhong Cai explains that the yard is designed around a feng shui layout called the Courtyard Spring Breeze Formation, which channels gentle air, suppresses negative influences, and steadies people’s emotions through the placement of water, stones, plants, and buried copper coins.
• Zhong Cai gives Chen Miao written instructions for the formation as payment for a favor. Chen Miao initially refuses, surprised by how valuable the gift seems.
• The favor is to let Xiao Bai stay with Chen Miao for a while. Zhong Cai explains that he and Xiao Bai encountered a troubling case after visiting Xiao Bai’s grandmaster’s grave: a young man repeatedly vanishes and returns to a remote mountain village called Sealed Gate Village.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao is curious and receptive, notices the courtyard’s unusual effect, and admires Zhong Cai’s knowledge. He is also cautious about accepting a valuable gift before knowing what is being asked of him.
• Zhong Cai is generous but appears troubled, briefly faltering when Chen Miao asks about Xiao Bai. He offers the formation’s instructions as compensation and gradually reveals why he needs help.
• Their conversation is warm and trusting, though Chen Miao notices Zhong Cai’s unease and waits for him to explain.

Significant themes

• Feng shui and the natural world: Carefully arranged plants, water, stones, and other materials are presented as shaping both the environment and people’s moods.
• Trust and reciprocity: Zhong Cai frames his gift as payment, while Chen Miao questions whether it is fair before agreeing to anything.
• The uncanny versus the ordinary: The young man’s apparently normal behavior contrasts with his repeated, inexplicable returns to the village.
• Isolation and danger: The empty-of-young-people mountain village is introduced as a place that feels deeply wrong, setting up the mystery to come.

Key plot points

• Zhong Cai explains that supernatural incidents are more common in the mountains, where yin energy is stronger and traditional customs persist.
• On a previous trip to a remote village, Xiao Bai screamed and fainted at the entrance. Medical tests found no illness, only extreme stimulation to his eyes, leaving him temporarily blind. Zhong Cai sensed no yin energy, despite Xiao Bai’s ability to see unusual beings.
• Zhong Cai suspects the village may contain a feng shui formation and plans to return to investigate, though he promises to leave if the danger exceeds his abilities.
• Chen Miao offers to look after Xiao Bai while Zhong Cai is away. Zhong Cai says Xiao Bai is unusually comfortable around Chen Miao, suggesting the boy has already accepted him.
• After they eat, Chen Miao and Zhong Cai begin the talisman exchange they had discussed. Chen Miao offers Spirit-Sealing and Yin-Dispelling Talismans; Zhong Cai has several other types and agrees to explain their uses.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao shows genuine concern for Xiao Bai and offers practical help, while quietly recognizing that Zhong Cai is more willing to investigate danger than he is.
• Zhong Cai is grateful for Chen Miao’s concern and trusts him with Xiao Bai, partly because the boy has shown no usual shyness around him.
• Chen Miao realizes his own yin-gathering abilities resemble those of someone who has “entered yin,” though he doubts that he has truly reached that state.

Significant themes

• The unknown and supernatural danger: Xiao Bai’s unexplained reaction signals that the village may conceal something powerful.
• Trust and care: Zhong Cai’s decision to leave Xiao Bai with Chen Miao reflects the trust forming between them and Xiao Bai’s unusual ease with Chen Miao.
• Caution versus curiosity: Chen Miao favors seeking help rather than risking himself, while Zhong Cai feels compelled to investigate.
• Learning and exchange: Their talisman trade strengthens their partnership and gives Chen Miao a chance to learn about unfamiliar tools.

Plot points and events

• Chen Miao learns about Zhong Cai’s talismans and their uses, including tools for breaking evil, miasma, and illusions, finding a person, and concealing living people from ghosts.
• The two exchange talismans: Chen Miao gives Zhong Cai Spirit-Sealing and Yin-Dispelling Talismans, while taking one of each of Zhong Cai’s other types. They agree to trade again after Zhong Cai makes more.
• Chen Miao visits Xiao Bai, whose eyes are injured and covered, and lets him keep sleeping. Later, after Xiao Bai wakes, he seems to recognize Chen Miao despite being unable to see.
• Chen Miao and Zhong Cai discuss the Six Livestock incident and the wider world of Yin Gate work, its many professions, and the different paths of Yin and Yang cultivation.
• Zhong Cai sends Xiao Bai with Chen Miao for a few days while he prepares to leave. Chen Miao promises to look after him.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Miao gains practical knowledge about talismans and the supernatural professions, and becomes more curious about Xiao Bai’s unusual perception. He readily agrees to care for him.
• Zhong Cai shows the breadth of knowledge he accumulated during years of wandering. He trusts Chen Miao with Xiao Bai and seems quietly emotional as they depart.
• Xiao Bai remains physically vulnerable, but his response to Chen Miao suggests he may sense people through an aura or other nonvisual means. He goes with Chen Miao willingly.
• Chen Miao and Zhong Cai share a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship, trading supplies and knowledge. Zhong Cai’s affectionate farewell to Xiao Bai resembles a parent seeing a child off.

Significant themes

• Tradition and modernity: Urban life provides resources for Yang cultivators but restricts Yin Gate practitioners’ methods; advancement often requires leaving modern society.
• Knowledge gained through experience: Zhong Cai’s independent learning and years of travel have expanded his expertise beyond formal records.
• Care, trust, and companionship: Chen Miao’s willingness to take Xiao Bai and Zhong Cai’s emotional farewell highlight the bonds between them.
• Hidden abilities: Xiao Bai’s possible aura-based perception hints that his blindness may not prevent him from recognizing people.

Plot points and events

• Chen Miao brings Xiao Bai to his office at Tianmen Funeral Home and takes responsibility for caring for him while Xiao Bai’s master, Zhong Cai, is away.
• He prepares a bed and supplies, sets a reminder for Xiao Bai’s daily eye ointment, and gives him a Seven-Star Peach Wood Sword to hold. Chen Miao takes him for walks and introduces him to the funeral-home staff.
• Over the next two days, Chen Miao balances work, talisman drawing, and looking after Xiao Bai. When he changes Xiao Bai’s bandages, the boy reports that he can see a little, suggesting his eyes may be improving.
• Tao Bo resigns and leaves the funeral home. Chen Miao pays him his wages and overtime, then learns that Tao Bo immediately gets into Du Xiang’s car—an apparent betrayal that irritates him.
• With Tao Bo gone, Chen Miao contacts Cui Xing, an eccentric Master of Ceremonies he previously rejected. They negotiate a one-month probation period, full pay, dormitory residence, and delayed fuel reimbursement. Cui Xing accepts and plans to start the next day.
• Chen Miao announces the hire to the staff group, anticipating that Du Xiang will hear about it and wondering whether he will try to recruit Cui Xing.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao becomes more comfortable caring for a child. Xiao Bai’s quiet trust softens his former dislike of children, and Chen Miao takes thoughtful steps to meet his needs. He also responds to Tao Bo’s departure by recruiting Cui Xing, seemingly with a larger strategic purpose.
• Xiao Bai remains quiet and attached to Chen Miao, finding comfort in the sword. His slight improvement in vision offers hope for his recovery.
• Tao Bo leaves despite Chen Miao’s attempt to persuade him to stay; his silence about the overtime pay and his departure with Du Xiang’s car deepen Chen Miao’s suspicion and frustration.
• Cui Xing is confident and demanding in negotiations, stressing his professional superiority. Chen Miao agrees to his terms, though the hire appears to be about more than simply filling a vacancy.
• Sister Li teases Chen Miao about being unprepared to care for a child and offers to look after Xiao Bai, but Xiao Bai stays close to Chen Miao.

Significant themes

• Care and unexpected attachment: Looking after Xiao Bai challenges Chen Miao’s assumptions about children and brings warmth into his routine.
• Trust and loyalty: Tao Bo’s departure with Du Xiang raises questions about divided loyalties and workplace competition.
• Strategy beneath ordinary decisions: Chen Miao’s recruitment of Cui Xing seems designed to provoke or outmaneuver Du Xiang, setting up a new conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Frustrated by favoritism and shrinking earnings at Shannan City’s funeral center, master of ceremonies Cui Xing accepts a job at Tianmen Funeral Home. He negotiates generous probationary pay and a fuel allowance, but views the job mainly as a stepping stone to the more prosperous Fushou Funeral Center.
• Cui Xing performs well for three days, then resigns without taking his wages after arranging a position with Fushou. Chen Miao realizes Cui Xing had been using Tianmen just as Chen had hoped to use him against Fushou.
• Chen Miao is untroubled because he has already recruited his old classmate Luo Zhiyong. Luo agrees to work through his contract despite admitting he is not a good writer. Chen will prepare the eulogies and scripts; Luo will conduct the services. Luo signs a contract matching Tao Bo’s salary, with an added attendance bonus.
• Chen takes Xiao Bai to Li Fu in the cold-storage area before going to eat with Luo. Xiao Bai says Li Fu feels “warm” to him, though Chen does not understand why. Luo’s sudden question about Xiao Bai’s age leaves Chen startled.

Character developments and interactions

• Cui Xing is ambitious and opportunistic. He leaves his old workplace resentful, uses Tianmen to secure a better position, and only later seems to realize that Fushou’s crowded workload may make the move a poor bargain.
• Chen Miao is pragmatic and candid: he tells Luo about Tianmen’s difficulties and Fushou’s tactics rather than risking mistrust. He accepts Cui Xing’s resignation calmly and has a replacement ready.
• Luo Zhiyong shows loyalty and straightforwardness, promising to fulfill his contract even though his writing is weak. His unexpected question about Xiao Bai hints at a personal connection or concern.
• Xiao Bai remains socially reserved but is unusually comfortable with Li Fu, whom he describes as warm. Chen respects that preference despite not understanding it.

Significant themes

• Mutual opportunism: Chen and Cui each try to use the other’s workplace for their own advantage, leaving the question of who truly benefits unresolved.
• Loyalty and trust: Chen’s honesty helps establish a straightforward working relationship with Luo, contrasting with Cui’s self-interested approach.
• Work, competition, and delayed consequences: Cui’s apparent success at securing a new job may come at the cost of exhausting competition and lower earnings.
• Unexplained intuition and connection: Xiao Bai’s sense that Li Fu is “warm” introduces a mysterious emotional bond.

Plot points and events

• Luo Zhiyong, Chen Miao’s former classmate, joins Tianmen Funeral Home after seeing Chen’s recruitment posts. He had built a modest but successful career as a rural funeral emcee, earning more than he could likely make working for Chen.
• Luo explains that he chose to join because Chen once tutored him in school, helping him earn the qualification that led to his career. Chen had thought of them as mere classmates, but realizes Luo considers him a friend.
• Luo’s arrival reassures Chen that the funeral home is stable and eases his workload.
• Chen remains concerned that Zhong Cai has been out of contact for eight days. He calls, gets a silent connection that ends abruptly, and then cannot reach him again. Xiao Bai, whose eyesight has recovered, is also growing increasingly depressed while waiting for Zhong Cai.
• Chen continues practicing talisman-making and has built up a stock of more than thirty talismans. During a break, he opens his book and finds a new chapter despite nothing unusual having happened at the funeral home.
• The chapter’s ending reveals a horrifying possible future: Chen and everyone at Tianmen Funeral Home are massacred.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao feels awkward when he learns Luo gave up a potentially more lucrative independent career to work for him. He also reassesses their past relationship after learning how much Luo valued his help. His growing worry about Zhong Cai disrupts his concentration.
• Luo Zhiyong is shown as quiet, grateful, and loyal. His career reflects persistence: after being dismissed from a funeral home, he built a reputation by taking rural jobs and gradually raising his rates.
• Xiao Bai is emotionally affected by Zhong Cai’s absence, becoming more despondent as the days pass.
• Chen and Luo grow closer through their conversation; Chen’s attempted call to Zhong Cai heightens the chapter’s tension.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and friendship: A small act of help from Chen had lasting meaning for Luo, revealing that friendship can be understood differently by the people involved.
• Loyalty versus financial gain: Luo chooses a less profitable path because of personal obligation and trust.
• Uncertainty and foreboding: Zhong Cai’s silence, Xiao Bai’s sadness, and the unexplained new chapter build suspense before the mass-killing revelation.

Plot points and events

• Tianmen Funeral Home’s revenue rises 50%, but Zhong Cai has been missing for over half a month, leaving his apprentice Xiao Bai withdrawn and apparently tempted to leave.
• One night, a black dog’s barking and screams alert Chen Miao to an attack at the dormitory. In the original version of events, he rushes over with a Seven-Star Peach Wood Sword, discovers the dog dead, and is overwhelmed and killed by several crawling attackers.
• Chen Miao, reading the book that reveals his future death, realizes the threat will arrive before month’s end but cannot identify its source. He changes the work schedule by announcing that the dormitory will be closed for renovation on September 29–October 1.
• The book’s account changes: the attack begins at the East Gate, where the attackers kill the guard Qi Hui and his dog, then swarm Chen Miao’s room. He fights them with the sword, peach-wood shavings, and leftover dog blood, learning that the creatures are zombies.
• A powerful green-eyed being appears, overcomes Chen Miao’s defenses, drains his blood, and takes Xiao Bai away unharmed. A remaining zombie kills Chen Miao and leaves incense sticks thrust into his chest.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao is proud of his improved management of the Funeral Home, but becomes increasingly concerned about Xiao Bai’s loneliness and Zhong Cai’s disappearance. Faced with his foretold death, he responds practically by trying to alter events.
• Xiao Bai remains quiet and vulnerable; he obeys Chen Miao’s instruction to flee, but is ultimately captured by the green-eyed being, whose decision not to harm him raises questions.
• Qi Hui and his dog become the first victims in the revised account. Chen Miao’s confrontation with the attackers shows his courage and resourcefulness, though he is badly outmatched.
• Zhong Cai’s absence continues to trouble Chen Miao, but the chapter provides no explanation for it.

Significant themes

• Fate and intervention: Chen Miao’s attempt to change the schedule alters the predicted events, but does not prevent the attack or his death.
• Uncertainty and investigation: The book reveals outcomes without explaining the threat’s origin or motives.
• Loyalty and protection: Chen Miao risks himself to protect others, especially Xiao Bai.
• Horror and mystery: The zombies’ arrival, the green-eyed being’s power, and the symbolic incense-filled death deepen the chapter’s supernatural mystery.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Miao studies the newly appeared chapter while in his “iceheart” state. He concludes that the attackers are zombies and identifies their leader as a Flying Jiangshi, a rare creature that can fly, drain blood at a distance, manipulate objects, and control other zombies.
• The zombies seem to be seeking Chen Miao or Xiao Bai rather than attacking the dormitory at random. Their leader’s apparent decision to torture Chen Miao suggests a personal grudge, but he cannot determine its cause.
• Chen Miao suspects the chapter’s opening reference to Zhong Cai’s absence may connect the threat to a phone call he made that morning. He cannot tell whether the call caused the events, but decides the immediate priority is protecting Xiao Bai.
• Rather than closing the Funeral Home or risking further attacks there, Chen Miao takes Xiao Bai to the Shannan City Administration, hoping its investigators can provide protection.
• Qi Ning explains that the Administration has a daycare and agrees to take Xiao Bai in under his own name for up to seven days. Chen Miao leaves Xiao Bai there and immediately checks the book; its contents make him freeze, though the chapter does not reveal what has changed.

Character developments

• Chen Miao methodically analyzes the threat, recognizes the Flying Jiangshi from the corpse-driving manual, and shifts from investigating its motives to taking practical steps to protect Xiao Bai. He also promises to help find Xiao Bai’s master despite having little confidence he can do so.
• Xiao Bai shows trust and unusual cooperation, then directly asks Chen Miao to help find his master.
• Li Fu quietly supports Chen Miao’s decision by packing up the gomoku set and toys he had bought for Xiao Bai, though he is saddened by the departure.
• Qi Ning proves accommodating and informative, arranging a safe place for Xiao Bai while clarifying Zhong Cai’s status.

Significant themes

• Protection and responsibility: Chen Miao’s concern for Xiao Bai drives his choices, even when the danger’s cause and limits are unknown.
• Uncertainty and cause and effect: Chen Miao searches for a link between the phone call, Zhong Cai’s disappearance, and the sudden chapter, but cannot yet establish one.
• Knowledge versus power: Identifying the attacker helps Chen Miao understand the danger, but the Flying Jiangshi’s abilities leave him unsure whether even powerful investigators can stop it.
• Loyalty and belonging: Zhong Cai’s refusal to join the Administration reflects his ties to his lineage, while Xiao Bai’s appeal highlights his attachment to his absent master.

Character interactions

• Chen Miao consults his manual and the chapter to reason through the zombies’ behavior and possible motives.
• He informs Li Fu that he is taking Xiao Bai away; Li Fu responds by giving them the child’s toys.
• At the Administration, Chen Miao asks Qi Ning for temporary care. Qi Ning arranges it and explains that Zhong Cai is an independent yin-cultivation practitioner, not an Investigator.
• Before leaving Xiao Bai with Qi Ning, Chen Miao talks with him and agrees to try to find his master.

Plot points and events

• Chen Miao’s recorded account describes a night when eighteen zombie-like creatures break into his home. He uses peachwood shavings, a Yang-Suppressing Talisman to hide from them, and Spirit-Sealing Talismans to immobilize them before decapitating them and dousing their remains in black-dog blood.
• The next day, he learns that the Shannan City Administration has been wiped out. That night, a powerful entity attacks him, forces him to swallow incense sticks, and kills him.
• Back in the present, Chen Miao is shaken by the account. He concludes that the entity’s main target is Xiao Bai, while he was attacked afterward. He suspects both Xiao Bai’s damaged eyes and Zhong Cai’s disappearance are connected to Sealed Gate Village, where they had gone.
• Chen Miao realizes that hiding or fleeing has repeatedly failed. Rather than reveal his knowledge to the Administration, he decides to take the initiative and find Zhong Cai, who may still be alive or trapped.
• With ten days remaining, Chen Miao prepares for the trip. He reviews his talismans and equipment, decides to focus on making Spirit-Sealing Talismans, and notices that his talisman-drawing proficiency has improved. He plans to seek a bottle of Concealment Spray from Chen Guokun, then begins drawing talismans.

Character development

• Chen Miao moves from shock and uncertainty toward a deliberate plan. He accepts that defensive measures alone will not change his fate and chooses to confront the source of the danger.
• His caution remains evident: he weighs the risks of informing the Administration, inventories his supplies, and adapts his preparations to what he has learned.
• His improved talisman-drawing proficiency gives him a new practical advantage, though his resources are still limited.

Significant themes

• Fate and agency: Chen Miao has repeatedly seen himself die, but hopes that acting differently can alter the outcome.
• Knowledge and risk: Sharing what he knows might bring help, but could expose him to the Administration’s suspicion and intervention.
• Hidden connections and pursuit: Sealed Gate Village appears linked to Xiao Bai, Zhong Cai, and the entity, which may be able to track its targets.
• Preparation under pressure: Chen Miao responds to supernatural danger through careful planning, resource management, and adapting his tactics.

Character interactions

• Chen Miao and Xiao Bai: Chen Miao believes Xiao Bai is the entity’s primary target and regrets that Xiao Bai was absent during the first attack.
• Chen Miao and Zhong Cai: Zhong Cai’s disappearance motivates Chen Miao’s decision to search for him; a recent phone call gives Chen Miao hope that he may be alive.
• Chen Miao and Qi Ning: Chen Miao considers telling Qi Ning the full truth so the Administration can respond, but fears the consequences of exposing himself.
• Chen Miao and Chen Guokun: Chen Miao plans to ask Chen Guokun for Concealment Spray or offer a Peachwood Talisman in exchange.

Plot points and events

• Chen Miao trades two Peachwood Talismans to Chen Guokun for his partly used Concealment Spray, needing it before a new bottle can arrive. Guokun offers to help, but Chen Miao chooses to go alone.
• Chen Miao has prepared for the supernatural danger, including six Spirit-Sealing Talismans—three of them premium—but doubts they will be enough against the Flying Jiangshi.
• Outside Tianmen County, the book updates with a new account. Chen Miao’s character travels to find Zhong Cai after losing contact with him, leaving Xiao Bai in Qi Ning’s care.
• After a long drive and hike, he reaches remote Sealed Gate Village. The villagers are all elderly, the village is unnervingly empty, and its residents warn him away or offer little explanation.
• He finds no sign of Zhong Cai and stays overnight in a house where two coffins stand in the main hall. The host explains the local custom of keeping deceased spouses at home until both have died.
• At one in the morning, a woman cooking outside attacks him. A Peachwood Talisman cracks, confirming the threat; he restrains her with a Spirit-Sealing Talisman.
• He then sees dozens of pairs of eerie green eyes watching from over the courtyard walls. While retreating to retrieve his sword, he is bitten to death.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Miao remains self-reliant despite Guokun’s concern, though his preparations and uncertainty reveal how seriously he takes the danger.
• Chen Guokun is disappointed that Chen Miao chose to serve under Qi Ning, but remains supportive and offers both practical help and a warning not to face danger alone.
• In the book’s account, Chen Miao shows growing attachment to Xiao Bai, hiding his worries about Zhong Cai to spare the child distress.
• The village’s elderly residents are distant and secretive. The host permits Chen Miao to stay but does not invite him to share dinner; the late-night encounter turns violently hostile.

Significant themes

• Foreboding and isolation: The remote, silent village and its strange customs signal danger before the attack begins.
• The limits of preparation: Talismans help Chen Miao respond to the first assault, but cannot protect him from the overwhelming threat.
• Care and responsibility: Chen Miao’s concern for Xiao Bai and Zhong Cai contrasts with his decision to confront the danger alone.
• Death and burial customs: The coffins in the home foreshadow the chapter’s deadly encounter and raise questions about the village’s relationship with the dead.