Chapter Summaries

Luo Bin burst into Yu Mingxin’s courtyard and rescued Gu Ya, stopping just short of killing Yu Mingxin. Yu Mingxin revealed that he blamed Luo Shan for not making him understand the danger to Yu Xi, and Zhong Zhicheng knocked him unconscious as the villagers watched.

• Luo Bin broke into the courtyard as Yu Mingxin was about to strike Gu Ya, then caught the hammer and knocked Yu Mingxin down.
• Luo Bin stopped his hammer blow when Gu Ya begged him not to kill Yu Mingxin, but kicked him and freed Gu Ya.
• Luo Bin confronted the four villagers and Yu Mingxin, recounting how he had urged Yu Mingxin to go home before Yu Xi was assaulted.
• Yu Mingxin admitted that he had ignored Luo Shan’s warnings and accused him of being an evil spirit because he believed Luo Shan should suffer remorse too.
• Gu Ya realized she had wrongly blamed her son, and Zhong Zhicheng punched Yu Mingxin unconscious after hearing their exchange.

After the men confessed to assaulting Yu Xi, Zhong Zhicheng declared that they would face the Village Tour, while Huang Jialin grieved over what had happened to her. Luo Feng refused to sympathize with Yu Mingxin, whose fate remained undecided as Huang Jialin begged for his life.

• Zhong Zhicheng questioned the four men, who admitted sneaking into Yu Mingxin's house and violating Yu Xi while blaming the dead Zhang Jun, Zhou Xi, and Wu Qu.
• Luo Bin contradicted the men, saying they had all eagerly joined in, while Luo Feng comforted the injured Gu Ya.
• Huang Jialin learned that Yu Xi's suffering had driven her to throw herself into the River and broke down in grief.
• Zhong Zhicheng declared that the four men would take the Village Tour that night, prompting the villagers to chant for it.
• Luo Feng asked what would happen to Yu Mingxin and silently rejected Huang Jialin's pleas to spare him.

Zhong Zhicheng rejected Huang Jialin’s plea to spare Yu Mingxin, and the villagers prepared a Village Tour for the prisoners. Gu Ya then revealed that Zhang Yunling had helped You Jiang and wanted Luo Bin dead.

• Zhong Zhicheng told Huang Jialin that Yu Mingxin’s grief did not excuse his crimes and that Cabinet Mountain Village’s rules had to be enforced.
• The villagers demanded a Village Tour, and Zhong Zhicheng ordered Yu Mingxin and the four other prisoners taken to the Prisoner Cart for a nighttime procession.
• Zhong Zhicheng gave Luo Feng time off to care for Gu Ya and suggested asking Zhang Yunling to bring medicine.
• Gu Ya panicked at Zhang Yunling’s name and called her a lunatic who was as terrifying as You Jiang.
• Gu Ya said she had overheard Zhang Yunling discussing murder with You Jiang and learned that Zhang Yunling had opened the window and wanted Luo Bin killed.

After learning that Zhang Yunling had deceived his family, Luo Bin chased after Zhong Zhicheng and broke down as he remembered trusting and caring for her. Luo Feng said the betrayal could cut away Luo Bin’s naïveté and prepare him for the trials ahead.

• Zhong Zhicheng rushed out to pursue Zhang Yunling, and Luo Bin followed after telling his family she had run away.
• Luo Bin fell into a roadside ditch, then remembered Zhang Yunling’s intimate confessions and promises to help his family escape the village.
• Luo Bin realized Zhang Yunling had manipulated him to keep him from discovering Gu Ya was absent and to make the family believe Gu Ya was dead.
• Luo Bin continued after Zhong Zhicheng in tears, devastated by the realization that Zhang Yunling had only pretended to care for him.
• Gu Ya blamed herself for Luo Bin’s pain, but Luo Feng said the betrayal would strip away Luo Bin’s wishful thinking and help him endure the nine blades.

Luo Bin reunited with Gu Ya and learned that Zhang Yunling had escaped after ransacking her home. After Luo Feng and Gu Ya left to attend the village procession, Zhang Li warned Luo Bin that the Village Chief was dangerous.

• Luo Feng brought Gu Ya home while Zhong Zhicheng searched Zhang Yunling’s empty, ransacked house with Luo Bin and admitted that finding her would be difficult.
• Zhong Zhicheng promised Luo Bin that he would warn the villagers and protect Luo Bin’s family, and Luo Bin returned home to find Gu Ya recovering from her injuries.
• Luo Bin, Luo Feng, and Gu Ya ate together, and Zhang Li arrived, asked about the prisoners at the village entrance, and learned that Zhang Yunling had been working with You Jiang.
• Zhang Li told Luo Bin that he had encountered Zhang Yunling before and feared that he and Gu Ya would have died if they had met her while escaping.
• Luo Feng and Gu Ya left to explain matters to Kong’s wife and attend Yu Mingxin’s execution, and Zhang Li closed the gate before warning Luo Bin to stay away from the Village Chief.

Luo Bin learned that Gu Yiren had uncovered a dangerous secret about Zhong Zhicheng and decided to keep his distance from the village chief. At the Village Tour, Yu Mingxin accused Luo Bin of being an evil spirit, but the villagers dismissed him when Luo Bin showed that he still had the nail on his left little finger.

• Zhang Li told Luo Bin that Gu Yiren had discovered an earth-shattering secret about Zhong Zhicheng and warned him to stay away from the village chief.
• Luo Bin reassured Zhang Li that they would remain cautious around Zhong Zhicheng, and the two set off to watch the Village Tour.
• Zhang Li rebuked four prisoners who claimed that harassing a woman did not warrant punishment, and nearby women joined in condemning them.
• Yu Mingxin shouted that Luo Bin was an evil spirit who ate people and claimed he had seen evil spirits pull out Luo Bin's nails.
• Luo Bin raised his left hand to show the villagers the nail on his left little finger, and they treated Yu Mingxin's accusation with scorn.

After the village rejected Luo Bin and his family, they headed for Village End to stay near the Mountain God Temple and observe the mountain road. They found the temple crowded with hostile relatives of the dead men, and Zhang Li suggested they use the Wooden Cabin instead.

• Luo Bin and Zhang Li found Luo Feng and Gu Ya waiting outside Old Kong's closed house, then searched unsuccessfully for another place to stay.
• Luo Bin persuaded his parents to head for the Mountain God Temple, hoping to observe the Evil Spirits and plan how to leave Cabinet Mountain Village.
• Luo Bin carefully studied the village during the long walk to Village End, which they reached at sunset.
• Luo Feng explained that the families of seven dead men were gathered in the temple and had long been close to one another.
• Zhang Li pointed out that the Wooden Cabin had sheltered Luo Shan before and suggested the family avoid the hostile crowd in the temple.

Luo Bin watched the Evil Spirits enter Cabinet Mountain Village through a strange mist and questioned whether it could offer a way out. Elsewhere, a beautiful woman harvested fruit from flowers fed by the faces of the dead, then noticed a dewdrop that contained no fear and complained about an annoying person.

• Luo Bin noticed that the mountain behind the Mountain God Temple resembled a sheep's head and wondered how it related to Headless Mountain and Cabinet Mountain.
• Luo Feng, Gu Ya, Zhang Li, and Luo Bin spent the night in a Wooden Cabin and watched the village from its window.
• Luo Bin saw oppressive mist and a dense crowd of Evil Spirits approach the village, then wondered whether the mist brought them and could help people escape.
• A woman on a mountaintop picked and ate fruit from lush nursery beds whose dew held the faces of dead villagers.
• The woman found a dewdrop with no face, reacted as if it burned her, and complained that someone had brought another person without fear into Cabinet Mountain Village.

You Jiang hid from the evil spirit outside his tree hollow, while Luo Bin and the others watched the village procession and traced the evil spirits’ route toward the mist. The chapter ended with Luo Bin warning Zhang Li that following the spirits might offer a way out but could also get them killed.

• You Jiang hid in a tree hollow and refused to open the door when an evil spirit resembling Xu Kaiguo urged him to leave Cabinet Mountain Village and kill someone.
• Luo Bin, Luo Feng, Zhang Li, and Gu Ya watched the evil spirits drag five prisoners to the Mountain God Temple and feast on them.
• Near dawn, Luo Bin asked Luo Feng the time and noticed the evil spirits heading toward the mountain road and the mist beyond the village.
• Luo Bin ran beyond Village End with Zhang Li and found that the evil spirits had disappeared where the mist began.
• Luo Bin reasoned that the mist marked the spirits’ route out of the village, but warned Zhang Li that following them could be dangerous.

Luo Bin decided to trust Gu Yiren’s promise that she would follow when he left the village, and he told Zhang Li to prepare to escape with them. After returning home, Luo Bin stunned Luo Feng and Gu Ya by announcing that they would leave Cabinet Mountain Village as soon as possible.

• Luo Bin reconsidered his fear of bringing Gu Yiren along and decided she could remain safely in the mountains until they left.
• Luo Bin convinced Zhang Li to trust Gu Yiren, prepare food, water, and a weapon, and wait for the signal to leave.
• At Village End, grieving relatives tore apart Yu Mingxin’s corpse while other villagers tried to dismantle the prison carts.
• Luo Feng warned Luo Bin and Zhang Li that the evil spirits vanished at dawn, and Gu Ya said Luo Feng planned to teach Luo Bin saber techniques.
• Luo Bin told Luo Feng and Gu Ya to pack their things so they could leave the village as soon as possible, leaving them shocked.

Luo Bin told Luo Feng and Gu Ya that Gu Yiren had revealed a way to leave Cabinet Mountain Village by following the evil spirits, but his parents remained uncertain. Luo Feng pieced together how Luo Shan and Gu Yiren had uncovered the village’s secrets and realized they might finally have a chance to escape.

• Luo Bin told Luo Feng and Gu Ya that Gu Yiren had said they could leave by following the evil spirits as they withdrew from the village.
• Luo Feng questioned Luo Bin about Gu Yiren and the plan, while Gu Ya warned that the explanation still had holes.
• Luo Feng recalled Luo Shan’s warnings about the courtyard and the danger of uncovering secrets in Qiang Village.
• Luo Feng concluded that a presence across Cabinet Mountain killed people who discovered the way out and that Luo Shan had tried to keep him from becoming its target.
• Luo Feng recognized that Luo Shan and Gu Yiren, as observers rather than ordinary villagers, might have discovered a real chance for their family to escape.

Luo Bin found Zhang Li’s home ransacked and feared she had been taken just as they planned to leave the village. On the mountain, You Jiang realized the Evil Spirit’s note had pointed him out of a looping path, but he hesitated to return to the village.

• Luo Feng reassured Gu Ya that their son could shoulder the family’s burdens, and the two went to their room to consider life after leaving the village.
• Luo Bin prepared oil packets and found a canvas pack outside his room, then hurried to Zhang Li’s home to make sure she was ready.
• Luo Bin found Zhang Li’s courtyard damaged and her Main Hall wrecked, with blood on the floor, and concluded she had fought someone and disappeared.
• You Jiang found a note calling him an idiot, shredded it, and wandered through the repeating mountain path until he discovered a hanging corpse and ate some of its dried flesh.
• You Jiang recognized the tree that marked the path’s starting point and realized he had escaped the loop, but he remained torn between returning and leaving the village.

You Jiang chose to re-enter the path that trapped him, determined to escape the village. Meanwhile, Luo Feng and Luo Bin searched for missing Zhang Li and learned that Yu Mingxin’s body could not be burned, before Zhong Zhicheng suddenly rushed home in alarm.

• You Jiang accepted his missing hand and willingly walked back into the looping path, insisting he would escape the village.
• Luo Bin returned to the Luo Family courtyard after searching for Zhang Li and reported finding blood and signs of a struggle at his home.
• Gu Ya urged Luo Feng and Luo Bin to find Zhang Li, and Luo Feng decided to ask Zhong Zhicheng to mobilize the Able-Bodied Team.
• Luo Feng and Luo Bin found Zhong Zhicheng in the Morgue, where he explained that Yu Mingxin’s left forearm was missing and his corpse would not burn.
• After Luo Feng reported Zhang Li’s disappearance and the signs of a struggle, Zhong Zhicheng exclaimed that something was wrong and sprinted home.

Luo Bin, Luo Feng, and Zhong Zhicheng discovered that Chen Xianxian had escaped with help and might have taken Zhang Li. Meanwhile, Chen Xianxian beat Zhang Li for Gu Yiren’s whereabouts until her ugly accomplice confronted her over Zhang Li’s taunt.

• Luo Bin and Luo Feng followed Zhong Zhicheng to an empty cage and realized Chen Xianxian had escaped, likely with an accomplice.
• Zhong Zhicheng warned that the village was already unstable and that revealing Zhang Yunling’s danger could make it even more chaotic.
• Chen Xianxian beat Zhang Li and demanded to know where Gu Yiren was, but he refused to tell her.
• Zhang Li mocked Chen Xianxian and her ugly accomplice, provoking her to strike him until he passed out.
• Chen Xianxian’s accomplice grabbed her hair and asked whether she thought he was ugly.

After the Hunter appeared in the courtyard again, Luo Bin tried to steady himself while Luo Feng and Gu Ya kept their fears hidden. The next morning, Luo Feng took Luo Bin to visit the spirit medium He Gui, where four unfamiliar people were waiting.

• Luo Feng and Gu Ya reassured Luo Bin and urged him to rest while they looked for a way to save Zhang Li.
• At half past twelve, Luo Bin saw a boy with a piece of the Fingernail outside his window, then spotted the Hunter peering into Luo Feng's room.
• The next morning, Luo Bin ate breakfast with Gu Ya while Luo Feng sharpened a knife.
• Luo Feng took Luo Bin to He Gui's home to see the spirit medium.
• He Gui answered the door, and Luo Bin noticed four people in the courtyard, including one with badly scarred, burned-looking skin.

Luo Feng and Luo Bin left He Gui after asking him to protect Zhang Li and help find the Chen Sisters, then discussed the unusual people watching them in Cabinet Mountain Village. At home, Luo Feng began training Luo Bin with a knife, testing whether he could keep his grip and composure under attack.

• Luo Feng asked He Gui to spare Zhang Li and learned that He Gui's group was organizing a search for the Chen Sisters.
• Luo Feng told Luo Bin that unusual people had gathered in Cabinet Mountain Village since the death of the person who discovered tents could repel evil spirits, and identified the disfigured Mo Qian as someone easily offended by stares.
• Luo Bin warned Luo Feng indirectly to stop worrying about Qiang Village until Zhang Li was safe, and Luo Feng became more vigilant as they passed You Jiang's courtyard.
• Luo Feng knocked the knife from Luo Bin's hand and scolded him for being distracted and failing to apply the principles of the Luo Family's knife technique.
• Luo Feng struck Luo Bin with a stick for about half an hour, forcing him to defend against attacks on different weaknesses while keeping hold of his knife.
• Luo Feng stopped the training and asked Luo Bin whether he remembered.

Luo Bin used Rewind to understand Luo Feng’s blade lesson and astonished his father with seven precise strikes, then spent the day reviewing the movements. As Huang Jialin warned Luo Feng that Old Kong’s wife had asked about Two-Legged Sheep, a frightened man came rushing toward the house.

• Luo Bin replayed Luo Feng’s lesson, recognized the stick strikes as blade techniques, and attacked with seven skillful moves that stunned Luo Feng.
• Luo Bin went inside to treat his hands, scraped down the thick nail on his left little finger, and returned to his room to study Luo Feng’s movements.
• Gu Ya stopped Luo Feng from disturbing their resting son and reminded him that they had originally wanted Xiao Shan to be safe and healthy.
• Huang Jialin told Luo Feng that Old Kong’s wife had asked him about Two-Legged Sheep and that he feared her husband had returned as an evil spirit.
• Huang Jialin admitted that Old Kong had knocked on his bedroom door the previous night, and another terrified man ran toward Luo Feng’s house.

Luo Feng and Cabinet Mountain Village’s Able-Bodied Team confronted a group of twenty-nine outsiders who had become trapped in a looping mountain road. The standoff ended with Zhong Zhicheng firing warning shots and ordering the cyclists to surrender.

• Xu Yi told Luo Feng that twenty-nine outsiders had arrived, and Luo Feng hurried to the village entrance to help control them.
• Luo Feng told Gu Ya that he had to get involved to keep the outsiders under control while Xiao Shan recovered.
• The Cycling Team explained how they had repeatedly looped back to Cabinet Mountain Village and suspected the villagers were bandits.
• Zhong Zhicheng arrived, drew a gun, and ordered the cyclists to drop their tools and put their hands on their heads.
• After a cyclist challenged Zhong Zhicheng, Zhong shot the wrench from his hand and repeated his order for the group to surrender.

Luo Bin learned that twenty-nine Outsiders had arrived and found them bound inside the Mountain God Temple under guard. As Luo Feng prepared to move his family and supplies to the hut, Gu Yiren sensed that a woman was in the temple and feared she would kill her cousin.

• Luo Bin woke to gunshots, learned from Gu Ya that Luo Feng had gone to deal with the Outsiders, and hurried toward the village entrance.
• A villager told Luo Bin that the Outsiders were at the Mountain God Temple, where he found them tied to pillars by the Able-Bodied Team.
• Zhong Zhicheng ordered the villagers to stay indoors and told Luo Feng to guard the temple with Xiao Shan; Luo Bin agreed to help his father.
• Luo Feng told Luo Bin that he would move Gu Ya and their supplies to the hut and that Luo Bin could scout the route for his plan.
• Gu Yiren sensed that a woman was in the temple and feared she would kill her cousin, but she was afraid to return.

Gu Yiren rushed down the mountain after fearing her cousin was in danger, while Luo Bin waited in a tent near the fog to observe the Evil Spirits. The Hunter confronted him, but Luo Bin pretended not to see it until it left, then watched it approach the village with a glowing jade tablet.

• Gu Yiren learned that Luo Shan was leaving the village, then rushed down the mountain because she feared her cousin would die.
• Luo Feng brought Gu Ya back to the Wooden Cabin and gave Luo Bin a backpack with a tent and an Oil Lamp.
• Luo Bin pitched the tent where he expected the fog to appear and watched Evil Spirits gather outside it.
• Yu Mingxin and the other Evil Spirits left the tent and headed toward the Mountain God Temple.
• The Hunter peered into the tent and offered to help Luo Bin leave the village, but Luo Bin kept using Rewind and pretended not to see it.
• After the Hunter walked away, Luo Bin saw it carrying a glowing jade tablet as Evil Spirits gathered at the Mountain God Temple.