Chapter Summaries

Luo Bin overcame his terror while watching the Hunter, and a woman on the mountain noticed that someone in Cabinet Mountain felt no fear. You Jiang trusted the tunic-clad man who had appeared at the tree hollow, but the man attacked him and trapped him inside.

• Luo Bin studied the Hunter's measured steps, wondered whether people could escape Cabinet Mountain, then forced his fear to subside by focusing on what he could control.
• A woman in a mountaintop flower garden saw a face begin to form in a dewdrop, but the leaf withered before she could identify the person, so she hurried elsewhere.
• You Jiang waited in the tree hollow, hoping the tunic-clad man would return and help him escape Cabinet Mountain Village.
• The tunic-clad man told You Jiang to find someone hanging to leave the area, then urged him to come out and kill someone to escape the village.
• You Jiang opened the door, but the tunic-clad man seized him, tore flesh from his forearm, and shoved him back into the hollow before sealing it shut.
• You Jiang reached for the Oil Lamp to fight back, unaware that the tunic-clad man only offered clues during brief moments of lucidity and was otherwise an evil spirit.

Peng Zhan and the Cycling Team were trapped in the Mountain God Temple, where a supposed rescue party outside could not break down the door. Zhang Yunling revealed herself as another captive in the village and began freeing Peng Zhan, warning him not to open the door.

• Peng Zhan listened as people outside claimed they had come to rescue the Cycling Team, but they could not force open the temple door.
• The people outside slid a rusty blade beneath the door and urged the captives to cut their ropes, but Peng Zhan could not reach it with his hands tied.
• The Cycling Team panicked as the people outside said they would wait until dawn and could not help them escape.
• A shadow appeared behind the mountain god statue, startling the captives, before Zhang Yunling stepped out and signaled for silence.
• Zhang Yunling picked up the blade, began untying Peng Zhan, and told him she was trapped in the village too and that he must not open the door.

Zhang Yunling convinced Peng Zhan that the people outside the Mountain God Temple were evil spirits, while Gu Ya and Luo Feng worried over their son and the captives. At dawn, Luo Bin discovered that the mist avoided people, giving the family a way out of Cabinet Mountain Village once Zhang Li arrived.

• Zhang Yunling freed Peng Zhan, showed him photographs of evil spirits attacking outsiders, and urged him to tell the other captives to wait until daylight.
• Gu Ya worried that the captives were innocent and asked Luo Feng whether their family could escape Cabinet Mountain Village and whether Xiao Shan would be safe.
• Luo Bin watched the evil spirits enter the mist before five in the morning and noticed that they passed him without attacking.
• Luo Bin concluded that the mist retreated three meters from people and that his observation revealed a way for the family to leave, with only Zhang Li still needed.

Luo Bin discovered that the evil spirits could not see him near the fog, giving the family hope of escaping the Village. When Luo Feng and the others found the Mountain God Temple empty, Zhong Zhicheng blamed Luo Feng for letting twenty-nine Outsiders disappear and ordered an investigation.

• Luo Bin told Luo Feng and Gu Ya that the evil spirits had passed him without harm near the fog and that they might be able to follow them out.
• Luo Feng and Luo Bin went to the Mountain God Temple and found that all twenty-nine Outsiders had vanished, leaving footprints and reddish light coming through a concealed window.
• Luo Bin fetched Zhong Zhicheng, who returned to the temple with Chen Zhi and members of the Able-Bodied Team to inspect the escape route.
• Chen Zhi accused Luo Feng of carelessness, and Luo Bin angrily defended his father before Zhong Zhicheng ordered them to quiet down.
• Zhong Zhicheng sent Chen Zhi to check whether anyone from the Able-Bodied Team had stayed behind, especially Huang Jialin, and told Luo Feng that something was wrong with him.

Luo Bin resented Zhong Zhicheng for threatening Luo Feng over the missing Outsiders and confronted Chen Zhi after Chen struck him. He reassured Gu Ya that their family would leave Guishan Village once they found Li Zhang, but as he headed to He Gui’s home, an ominous feeling settled over him.

• Zhong Zhicheng ordered Luo Feng to find the Outsiders before the day ended or lose his position, and Luo Bin considered the demand unfair.
• Chen Zhi bumped into Luo Bin and cursed him, so Luo Bin knocked him down, threatened him with a knife, and forced him to apologize.
• Luo Bin assured Gu Ya that he would oppose any order sending Luo Feng on a Village Tour and that their family would leave Zhong Zhicheng behind once they found Li Zhang.
• Gu Ya went home while Luo Bin hid the family’s bundles and backpacks in the secret chamber beneath the Mountain God statue.
• Luo Bin headed to He Gui’s home, but his heart began to sink with an unexplained sense of dread.

Luo Bin joined He Gui and the other Spirit Mediums as they searched for the missing Zhao Shu. They found her mutilated corpse at Yu Mingxin's courtyard, suggesting she may have uncovered a clue before an evil entity killed her.

• Luo Bin told He Gui that the Outsiders had vanished and explained the Village Chief's conflict with Luo Feng.
• Luo Bin offered to help He Gui, then learned Zhao Shu had failed to return after the Spirit Mediums split the village into five search areas.
• He Gui led Luo Bin, Feng Ji, Yan Li, and Mo Qian to investigate Zhao Shu's assigned area near Yu Mingxin's home.
• He Gui kicked open Yu Mingxin's gate, and the group found Zhao Shu's mutilated corpse inside.
• Luo Bin considered whether Zhao Shu had uncovered a clue before Chen Xianxian killed her and dumped her body.

Luo Bin and the others searched Yu Mingxin's area for evidence of Zhao Shu's murder but found nothing. Remembering the scent of evil spirits, Luo Bin realized someone among the five investigators might be sheltering the Chen sisters.

• Feng Ji, He Gui, Mo Qian, Yan Li, and Luo Bin searched Yu Mingxin's house and the surrounding homes but found no traces of blood or evil spirits.
• A frightened villager asked He Gui whether the village could still be defended, and He Gui reassured him that people, not evil spirits, were the danger.
• Luo Bin suggested identifying villagers who had entered Chen Xianxian's bedroom, but He Gui assigned him to search the area again while the others checked their own areas.
• After the others left, Luo Bin retraced the searches and remembered an unusual fragrance in Chen Xianxian's house that might have concealed the evil spirits' scent.
• Luo Bin realized the suspected scent belonged to someone among the five of them, though he struggled to believe it.

Chen Xianxian tortured Zhang Li for information about Gu Yiren and leaving Cabinet Mountain Village, but he refused to help and called her filthy, provoking her to attack him. Meanwhile, Luo Bin investigated Feng Ji’s home and entered its Underground Room, where he heard someone opening the hatch above.

• Chen Xianxian stabbed Zhang Li and demanded to know where Gu Yiren was, but he remained silent.
• Zhang Li told Chen Xianxian that escaping the village required another crucial secret she did not know, then spat blood at her.
• Chen Xianxian defended her sister’s choices and became hysterical when Zhang Li called her filthy.
• Luo Bin suspected Feng Ji because of his eagerness to discuss the Female Bodhisattva and the strong incense smell at his home.
• Luo Bin climbed into Feng Ji’s courtyard, descended into the Underground Room, and heard someone open the hatch above.

Luo Bin hid in Feng Ji’s house and discovered a second underground room, but Feng Ji ambushed him before he could enter it. Meanwhile, Mo Qian left Zhang Li’s courtyard to target Luo Shan, unaware of the bloody mark appearing on his back.

• Luo Bin hid inside a cabinet as Feng Ji entered the underground room and climbed through another cabinet into a concealed space.
• Gu Yiren watched from the bamboo grove as Mo Qian examined the bloody character on Zhang Li’s door and concluded that the Luo family had hidden her.
• Mo Qian left for Yu Mingxin’s home, planning to lure Luo Shan away and use him to force Luo Feng to submit.
• Feng Ji emerged from the cabinet, left the underground room, and remained away long enough for Luo Bin to come out and find the concealed entrance.
• Feng Ji crept back and struck Luo Bin on the head with a club, but Luo Bin smiled despite the blow.

Luo Bin killed Feng Ji after surviving his attack, then discovered a room filled with human candles instead of Chen Xianxian, her sister, or Zhang Kai. After cleaning away the blood, he headed toward He Gui’s house, where memories of the morning gong and the blow to his head suddenly terrified him.

• Feng Ji tried to kill Luo Bin, but Luo Bin seized his wrist, tore off his hand, and threw the Bronze Rod through his head as he fled into the passage.
• Luo Bin dragged Feng Ji’s corpse aside and crawled through a hidden tunnel with the Woodcutter’s Knife.
• Luo Bin emerged into a brightly lit room containing more than a dozen corpses made into human candles, but found no Chen Xianxian, her sister, or Zhang Kai.
• Luo Bin returned through the tunnel, washed Feng Ji’s blood from himself, and left the courtyard without leaving many traces.
• Luo Bin set out for He Gui’s house, then recalled Zhong Zhicheng striking the gong and Feng Ji’s Bronze Rod hitting his head, causing him to break into a cold sweat.

Luo Bin returned to He Gui’s courtyard without finding anything and calmed Mo Qian when he asked whether people thought he was ugly. He Gui went to speak with Zhong Zhicheng about Luo Feng, while Luo Bin headed home, still intent on uncovering the village’s secrets and finding the Chen Sisters and Zhang Li.

• Luo Bin recognized that Feng Ji’s bronze rod resembled Zhong Zhicheng’s gong mallet and worried they shared a lineage or allegiance.
• Luo Bin returned to the Mulberry Grove and told He Gui, Yan Li, and Mo Qian that he had found nothing.
• After Feng Ji failed to return, He Gui postponed the search until the next day and told the others to leave.
• Mo Qian confronted Luo Bin about his appearance, and Luo Bin reassured him that he was sick rather than ugly and understood his suffering.
• He Gui decided to visit Zhong Zhicheng to ask him not to make things difficult for Luo Feng, while Luo Bin claimed he was going home.

Luo Bin returned to Feng Ji’s underground rooms and found evidence that the human candles were made from corpse fat, though not from the Lamp Oil he consumed. As he wondered whether Zhong Zhicheng was involved in Feng Ji’s killings, he spotted a moving shadow and drew his blade.

• Luo Bin reassured Gu Ya that Zhong Zhicheng could not harm him, then left to return to Feng Ji’s courtyard.
• Luo Bin took Lamp Oil to calm his reaction to the lamp flame and descended into the underground rooms, where Feng Ji’s corpse remained undisturbed.
• Luo Bin examined the corpses and realized the human candles were fueled by grease taken from the dead, not by Lamp Oil.
• Luo Bin suspected that Zhong Zhicheng might have been involved with Feng Ji and considered telling He Gui, staying silent, or leaving the village with Zhang Li.
• Luo Bin noticed a shadow with a round, trembling head, jerked his head up, and drew his blade at what he saw.

Luo Bin found Gu Yiren hiding among the corpses in the Lower Underground Room and learned that Zhang Li was suffering in Mo Qian’s house. As Gu Yiren developed a high fever and warned that Mo Qian was nearby, Luo Bin stayed with her instead of leaving to find medicine.

• Luo Bin used Rewind and realized Gu Yiren had entered the Lower Underground Room after he had left.
• Gu Yiren told Luo Bin that Zhang Li was in Mo Qian’s house and begged him to save her cousin.
• Luo Bin concluded that Mo Qian was dangerous and had likely killed Zhao Shu while searching for Gu Yiren.
• Gu Yiren collapsed with a fever, and Luo Bin supported her and gave her water.
• Gu Yiren warned Luo Bin not to go outside because Mo Qian was nearby, then began shivering uncontrollably, so Luo Bin held her to keep her warm.

A figure in a Python Robe attacked Mo Qian and dragged him away, leaving Chen Xianxian terrified and without her way out of the village. She turned to Zhang Li and begged him to take her with him, then kissed him.

• The figure in the Python Robe searched Feng Ji's courtyard, found nothing, and went to Mo Qian's home.
• Mo Qian saw the figure outside the window and was impaled with the Jade Scepter, pinned down, and beaten unconscious.
• The figure in the Python Robe dragged Mo Qian away, while Chen Xianxian saw only Mo Qian's blood and his body being taken through the gate.
• Chen Xianxian realized Mo Qian could no longer help her escape and hurried to wake Zhang Li.
• Chen Xianxian begged Zhang Li to take her out of the village and pressed her lips against his.

Luo Bin kept Gu Yiren hidden until her fever broke, then returned home at dawn and told Luo Feng and Gu Ya that he had killed Feng Ji. The chapter left Luo Feng alarmed about Zhong Zhicheng’s likely response as he began to guess what secret Feng Ji had been hiding.

• Luo Bin held Gu Yiren through the night as he wondered about Zhang Yunling’s betrayal and the coldness of his own body.
• Gu Yiren woke with her fever broken, and Luo Bin told her to stay hidden while he went home for food and medicine.
• Luo Bin left Feng Ji’s courtyard at dawn and reached his home safely, believing the departing evil spirits would not attack people.
• Luo Bin told Luo Feng and Gu Ya that Feng Ji was dead and that he had killed him in self-defense.
• Luo Feng warned that Zhong Zhicheng would investigate Feng Ji’s death, then began asking whether Feng Ji had helped the Chen sisters capture Zhang Li.

Luo Bin told Luo Feng that Mo Qian had Zhang Li, but Zhang Li arrived at the Luo Family’s home and revealed that Chen Xianxian had killed Mo Qian. The family debated whether to take Chen Xianxian with them, while Zhang Li struggled with gratitude toward her and the harm she had done.

• Luo Bin told Luo Feng that Gu Yiren had warned him Mo Qian held Zhang Li, and Luo Feng decided they should ambush Mo Qian at his house.
• Zhang Li burst into the Luo Family’s courtyard, badly injured, and told them that Mo Qian was dead.
• Luo Bin, Luo Feng, and Gu Ya helped Zhang Li inside, where he explained that Chen Xianxian had killed Mo Qian because she wanted to leave the Village.
• Luo Feng reasoned that Chen Xianxian had acted to save herself, and Gu Ya asked whether they should take her with them.
• Zhang Li wrestled with whether Chen Xianxian deserved help, weighing her kindness to him against the people she had harmed, including Zhu Qianqian.

Luo Feng and Luo Bin went to Mo Qian’s home to deal with Chen Xianxian, but found only her elder sister chained there and the younger sister missing. Meanwhile, Zhong Zhicheng was troubled by recent events until Luo Feng arrived at his gate.

• Luo Feng and Luo Bin agreed that Chen Xianxian had to be killed and told Zhang Li that Gu Yiren would leave the village with them.
• Luo Feng explained that Zhong Zhicheng had removed him as team leader and would focus on the missing outsiders with He Gui.
• Luo Feng and Luo Bin found the elder Chen Xianxian chained in Mo Qian’s home, but could not find the younger Chen Xianxian.
• Luo Feng and Luo Bin decided not to release or follow the elder Chen Xianxian, and left the matter for Zhong Zhicheng to handle.
• Zhong Zhicheng worried that Luo Feng had changed, then hurried to the gate when Luo Feng announced his arrival.

Huang Jialin, crushed by the village’s suspicion and Chen Zhi’s abuse, abandoned his duty as the Two-Legged Sheep attacked Zhong Zhicheng. Luo Feng’s family prepared to flee Cabinet Mountain Village, changing their plan to leave from Feng Ji’s house and rushing to help the feverish Gu Yiren.

• Huang Jialin found a mutilated corpse, chose not to warn Zhong Zhicheng that Old Kong might have returned, and left his Able-Bodied Team Insignia on the Corpse Cart.
• A Two-Legged Sheep disguised as Luo Feng attacked Zhong Zhicheng at his gate, knocking him away and injuring his ribs and arm.
• Luo Feng and Luo Bin heard the gunshot but continued home, where Luo Feng announced that the family would leave the village that night.
• Luo Bin told Luo Feng that they needed to escape through Feng Ji’s house, where Gu Yiren was staying in the basement.
• Zhang Li warned that Gu Yiren’s fever could become dangerous, and the family prepared to go to her quickly.

Luo Bin reunited Zhang Li and Gu Yiren at Feng Ji's Courtyard, then struggled with his lingering feelings for Zhang Yunling before confronting the human candles below. Zhang Li hid the details of his torture from Gu Yiren, while Luo Feng discovered the bronze gong mallet lodged in Feng Ji's skull.

• Luo Bin helped Zhang Li reach Feng Ji's Courtyard, where Gu Yiren embraced Zhang Li and he explained that they planned to marry.
• Luo Bin felt hurt over Zhang Yunling, then went below and reminded himself that she had intended to kill his family.
• Gu Yiren asked Zhang Li how Chen Xianxian and the others had tortured him, but he avoided telling her the details.
• Luo Feng and Gu Ya arrived with medicine, and Luo Feng told everyone to stay inside if they heard anything.
• Luo Feng entered Feng Ji's Room, found Feng Ji's corpse and the open passage below, and discovered the bronze gong mallet embedded in Feng Ji's skull.

Luo Feng and Luo Bin searched Feng Ji’s underground rooms, then prepared Gu Ya and Zhang Li to follow the evil spirits through the mist and escape Cabinet Mountain Village. As night fell, the group considered their lives beyond the village, with Luo Bin agreeing to stay with Luo Feng and his mother after they got out.

• Luo Feng found Luo Bin examining the corpses used as human candles and chose not to investigate Feng Ji’s secrets further.
• Luo Feng suggested Zhang Yunling had known something about Zhong Zhicheng and warned Luo Bin to avoid her or kill her if they met.
• Luo Bin and Luo Feng returned to the courtyard, where Luo Bin explained to Gu Ya and Zhang Li how to follow the evil spirits through the mist.
• Luo Feng asked Luo Bin to live with him and his mother after they escaped, and Luo Bin agreed.
• Zhang Li decided he would not return to Cabinet Mountain Village, even if he had to find a new job.