Chapter Summaries

After night fell, Ren Ye and Old Liu discovered that the abandoned village had reverted to its former appearance and was crowded with hostile ghosts. They opened the basement of No. 1 Old House, where a female ghost offered to reveal the place’s secrets if one of them spent a night with her, and Old Liu volunteered.

• Ren Ye woke to find the West Room restored and watched Little Black Fatty kill the Old Woman ghost beside the stove.
• Ren Ye, Old Liu, and Little Black Fatty crossed the ghost-filled village, fighting their way past ten attacking villagers while avoiding further disturbances.
• Little Black Fatty stayed outside No. 1 Old House to guard the courtyard as Ren Ye and Old Liu searched inside for the basement combination.
• Ren Ye used the finger marks on the lock and a time recorded in his notebook to enter 20, 39, 53, opening the basement hatch.
• Ren Ye and Old Liu climbed into the dark, chilly basement and heard a female ghost promise to reveal its secrets if one of them spent a night with her.
• Old Liu declared that he would sacrifice himself, and Ren Ye froze in surprise.

Ren Ye and Old Liu uncovered a clue about a masked, left-handed man while Xu Qingzhao fought Yu Weifeng’s squad. After Old Liu knocked Yu Weifeng unconscious, the trio escaped and left him trapped with a seductive ghost as the remaining players struggled against summoned spirits.

• A burly man in black robes followed his Fate-Seeking Furnace into No. 1 Old House, while Ren Ye and Old Liu entered its basement and questioned a seductive ghost.
• The ghost revealed that a masked, left-handed man had imprisoned and abused her, earning the Qingliang Prefecture Park squad an important clue and opening the Desire Restraint Center for the night.
• Yu Weifeng’s squad attacked Xu Qingzhao and Little Black Fatty outside, and Xu Qingzhao killed one of the attackers with her Yin-Yang Mother-Child Sword.
• Ren Ye sent Old Liu upstairs, where Old Liu ambushed Yu Weifeng and knocked him unconscious; Ren Ye and Old Liu then escaped and joined Xu Qingzhao in fleeing the courtyard.
• Xu Qingzhao used three Copper Coins to summon Wronged Souls into the courtyard, while Yu Weifeng awoke in the basement and was tempted by the ghost as his squad tried to open the locked hatch.

Ren Ye, Old Liu, and the Princess Consort reached the Desire Restraint Center to get medication for Old Liu’s dangerously high mental health score. They joined a queue and entered the center, where a masked man in a white coat told Old Liu he was very sick.

• Ren Ye and his companions hurried south, while the Princess Consort cleansed a tracking substance from herself with her Dao Body.
• Hundred Thousand Warriors pursued a Remnant Soul, and Yu Weifeng emerged from the basement after the ghost released him, then vowed revenge on Ren Ye’s group.
• Ren Ye, Old Liu, and the Princess Consort boarded the Ferryman’s boat and traveled through darkness to the Desire Restraint Center.
• The trio reached the center, saw dozens of Players queuing, and waited their turn to enter.
• A masked man in a white coat examined Old Liu and said he was pretty sick.

Ren Ye learned that the Desire Restraint Center treated Players with dangerously high mental health readings, while Old Liu was forcibly admitted as his desire reading climbed. A mysterious young man entered Old Liu’s room, and the burly man in black robes and Yu Weifeng both headed toward the center.

• A doctor insisted that Old Liu be hospitalized because his mental health reading exceeded 92, and fellow patients carried him away despite Ren Ye’s attempts to intervene.
• Ren Ye exchanged the clue card about the imprisoned woman and the masked left-hander for four antianxiety pills and learned that Old Liu could leave treatment once his reading fell below sixty.
• Ren Ye and Little Black Fatty concluded that the center’s clue-for-medication system was linked to investigating Seven Desires Village’s past, while Old Liu’s reading rose from 97 to 98 in the main building.
• A thin young man in a white coat entered Old Liu’s room and reacted with shock when he saw him.
• The burly man in black robes arrived at the Desire Restraint Center, and Yu Weifeng followed, telling his teammates to gather the men and attack.

Yu Weifeng gathered his Players to hunt Ren Ye’s group near Offshore Wharf, while Ren Ye and Little Black Fatty planned their next investigation and disguised themselves as mother and son. At the Desire Restraint Center, the psychologist used his Mystical Ability to save Old Liu from losing himself, then recognized him and wondered whether Li Yan and Little Bad King had come too.

• Yu Weifeng ordered his people to surround Offshore Wharf and wait for the three Players he blamed for disrupting his plans.
• Ren Ye and Little Black Fatty decided to pursue clues about the imprisoned woman and the masked left-hander, then used Disguise Talismans to pose as a mother and her son.
• The psychologist recognized Old Liu and realized that the Heavenly Dao’s rules prevented him from speaking openly.
• The psychologist snapped his fingers to reduce Old Liu’s intense lust, freeing him from the edge of a lost state.
• Old Liu asked whether the psychologist worked at the center, while the psychologist left and wondered if Li Yan and Little Bad King had arrived.

A tattooed black-robed Player exchanged a clue for Antianxiety Medication at the Desire Restraint Center, then was mistaken for Ren Ye and attacked by Yu Weifeng’s group. He revealed the Thousand-Mechanism Fluid, killed one attacker and wounded four, then advertised his killing services for a hundred thousand Star Source.

• The black-robed man exchanged a clue for four tablets of Antianxiety Medication and said he would trade follow-up clues for Source or points.
• Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao sensed danger near the Offshore Wharf and prepared to confront Yu Weifeng if he recognized them.
• Yu Weifeng’s group mistook the black-robed man for Ren Ye’s accomplice and surrounded him, while more Players joined the attack.
• The black-robed man used the Thousand-Mechanism Fluid to decapitate the woman who had challenged him and wound four others.
• After the crowd saw his power, the black-robed man offered to kill anyone named for a hundred thousand Star Source.

Apu fought nearly thirty players led by Yu Weifeng, using his Nightshadow Dark Garment and Thousand-Mechanism Fluid to evade their attacks. After enduring Yu Weifeng’s lightning and escaping through the players’ shadows, Apu unleashed his artisan abilities on the group blocking his path, while Ren Ye prepared to intervene.

• Apu used the Thousand-Mechanism Fluid to kill one player and wound four, prompting Yu Weifeng to organize the others into a cautious ranged formation.
• Yu Weifeng called down lightning with the Ancient Sword, while Apu concealed himself with the Nightshadow Dark Garment and dodged the players’ barrage.
• Yu Weifeng spotted Apu’s blood, led six players toward his hiding place, and bombarded the shadow beneath a tree with lightning.
• Apu endured a lightning strike, then leaped through the players’ shadows to escape the encirclement.
• Apu revealed his Craftsman's Fire and Craftsman's Hammer, setting seven or eight players ablaze as Ren Ye told the Princess Consort to prepare to act.

Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao helped the wounded Apu escape Yu Weifeng’s group by inviting him into their squad and fleeing by Ferryman’s boat to Lust Village. After Ren Ye talked Apu into joining without payment and sold him diluted Water of Life on credit, Little Songstress weighed his next move at the Desire Restraint Center.

• Apu broke through the attackers’ defenses, but Old Qu arrived and drove him into the woods while saving the badly burned Players.
• Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao agreed to escape by boat, and Ren Ye invited Apu into their squad as he opened a gap in the encirclement with the Human Emperor Sword.
• The three escaped with the Ferryman to Lust Village, while Yu Weifeng vowed to regroup and seek Old Master Jiang’s help against them.
• In the mountains, Ren Ye convinced Apu that their mutual debts canceled out, then sold him diluted Water of Life on credit and asked to stay at his Safe House.
• At the Desire Restraint Center, Little Songstress reviewed the clues he had collected and wondered where to begin investigating.

Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao sheltered with Apu in his hidden Safe House and learned that he was a gifted Artisan who had built it himself. Ren Ye agreed to work with Apu as a team, while Tang Feng’s attempt to treat a Player ended with the man locked in a room full of holes and confused about what he was supposed to choose.

• Apu drank diluted Water of Life and quickly healed his abdominal wound, while Ren Ye noticed that their team’s glory points had risen to 1,055.
• Ren Ye invited Apu to share a Safe House, but Apu tried to charge him and Xu Qingzhao for lodging before revealing a concealed stone house and granting them entry.
• Apu explained that he had crafted the Safe House using Inkstone Stone, Thousand-Mechanism Fluid, formations, and Talismans, and said he possessed an Artisan Class legacy.
• Ren Ye realized Apu’s crafting skills could benefit Qingliang Prefecture and spoke with him about helping one another and avoiding betrayal while they remained teammates.
• At the Desire Restraint Center, Tang Feng led a Player with a high mental health score into a room full of holes and told him to choose one, leaving the Player bewildered.

Tang Feng devised a plan to use Players and Calming Medicine to investigate the person telling the truth, while Ren Ye searched No. 1 Old House and then investigated a massacre. The sole survivor revealed that the Night Walker had attacked his squad, leaving Ren Ye and the other Players facing a new threat.

• Tang Feng planned to recruit Player squads to follow related clues and find a subtle way to let Old Liu recognize him before Old Liu was discharged.
• Ren Ye shared food with Apu, learned about a clue concerning a stolen divine-grade plant and the village Night Watchman, then went alone to revisit No. 1 Old House.
• Ren Ye found size 45 cloth shoes and romance novels in No. 1 Old House, then heard that a squad had been attacked and hurried to the scene.
• Yu Weifeng tried to blame Ren Ye's group for the deaths, while Jiang Qin used valuable pills and Star Ginseng to save the squad's lone survivor.
• The survivor said one person—the Night Walker—had attacked his squad, and Ren Ye listened from the crowd.

After a Player described the Night Walker’s devastating attack on his team, Ren Ye realized the Star Gate’s powerful guardian targeted Players who found clues and took their tokens. Ren Ye went to the village’s information market, where Mad Dog tricked a seller into showing him a clue for free, and Ren Ye recognized the tactic.

• A wounded survivor told Elder Jiang that the Night Walker had killed four teammates, including their captain, and stolen their clue token.
• Yu Weifeng suggested that Players camp together at night, but Elder Jiang said organizing them would be harder than defeating the Night Walker.
• Ren Ye reasoned that killing the Night Walker might let Players reclaim the clue tokens it had taken.
• Ren Ye learned about an information market in the village and visited it to gather information.
• Mad Dog persuaded a fat Player to reveal a clue token, then returned it without paying and walked away.
• Ren Ye watched Mad Dog’s trick and said the technique looked familiar.

Ren Ye bought a clue to an information-type Remnant Soul and planned to investigate it with Apu and their companion after nightfall. Meanwhile, Tang Feng devised an unconventional counseling exercise to contact Old Liu, and the chapter ended as Ren Ye’s group set out in a sudden downpour.

• Mad Dog extorted twenty thousand Star Source from the fat man by threatening to expose his clue card.
• Ren Ye bought a clue to a Wronged Soul buried beside Courtyard 18 on Middle Street in Lust Village for thirty thousand Star Source.
• Ren Ye warned Apu and their companion about the Night Walker and planned to search for the Wronged Soul and clues about the imprisoned woman that night.
• Tang Feng struggled to contact Old Liu and arranged a counseling exercise that let them communicate indirectly without alerting the Gate Eye.
• Ren Ye, Apu, and their companion left the Safe House for the clue’s location as thunder sounded and heavy rain began.

Ren Ye and his companions questioned a dead night watchman in a well and identified the captive woman as Yin Wan'er, the Shen Family's first madam, while confirming the Nine-Curve Azure Cloud Bamboo as their divine-grade treasure lead. As they left Lust Village, a silver-robed figure appeared and condemned them as slaves to desire.

• Ren Ye and Apu found a skeleton and a yin soul in the dry well beside Courtyard No. 18, then questioned the dead night watchman.
• The night watchman identified a beautiful, book-loving missing woman as Yin Wan'er, the Shen Family's first madam, earning Ren Ye's team 500 points.
• The night watchman named the Shen Family's treasure as the Nine-Curve Azure Cloud Bamboo, and Apu confirmed it matched his lead, earning the team another 500 points.
• The night watchman recalled seeing a tall, fat man lead three people into the Shen Family's rear garden that night, but could not identify them.
• Ren Ye noted the night watchman's home address and left with Apu and Xu Qingzhao; a silver-robed figure appeared and declared that they all deserved to die.

Ren Ye fought the nearly invincible Night Walker, then trapped him in the Secret Chamber beneath the No. 1 Old House. Meanwhile, Yu Weifeng and Old Qu discussed uniting Players from the Seven Villages against the Night Walker, but Mad Dog opposed contacting Ren Ye’s team.

• Ren Ye, Ai Fei, and Apu attacked the Night Walker, whose overwhelming strength and silver body let him survive their coordinated assault and recover from severe injuries.
• Ren Ye fled from the Night Walker and led him through Lust Village while other Players watched; Yu Weifeng and Mad Dog mistakenly celebrated, believing their rival team was in danger.
• Ren Ye used an Invisibility Talisman and lured the Night Walker into the Secret Chamber beneath the No. 1 Old House, then sealed him inside using the Heavenly Dao-protected entrance.
• Old Qu and Yu Weifeng learned that the Night Walker had attacked Players in multiple villages and discussed forming a team from the Seven Villages to fight him.
• Mad Dog objected when Old Qu suggested contacting Ren Ye’s team, since they had fought his group the day before.

Ren Ye and his companions investigated the Shen Family in Lust Village, then brought clues about Yin Wan'er and the Nine-Curve Azure Cloud Bamboo to the Desire Restraint Center. Tang Feng recognized Ren Ye as the clue source and connected the Shen Family clue to a lead pointing toward Rage Village, but wondered how to warn him.

• Old Qu persuaded Yu Weifeng to ask Elder Jiang to lead an alliance of Players against the dangers in the Star Gate.
• Ren Ye reunited with Xu Qingzhao and Apu, and they searched Lust Village for information about the Shen Family but found none.
• Ren Ye decided to return to the Desire Restraint Center for follow-up clues and traveled there separately from Xu Qingzhao and Apu.
• Ren Ye gave the psychiatrist clues about the Nine-Curve Azure Cloud Bamboo and Yin Wan'er, and Tang Feng confirmed they came from the same trio as the previous night.
• Tang Feng bought the Yin Wan'er clue, compared it with a report of a masked man near Rage Village, and wondered how to warn Prince Huai about his likely next stop.

Yu Weifeng and Old Qu persuaded Old Master Jiang to organize Players against the Night Walker, while Ren Ye learned that Tang Feng was the Psychologist and had sent them a clue to head to Rage Village. As Ren Ye’s squad prepared to leave, Old Qu and Yu Weifeng began gathering Players, and Old Master Jiang’s people tried to contact the three Players who had fought Yu Weifeng.

• Old Qu and Yu Weifeng convinced Old Master Jiang to lead an effort to organize the Players into Night Watch and Kill squads.
• The Psychologist discharged Old Liu after lowering his mental health value, then gave him instructions to take less medicine and restrain his lust and rage.
• Old Liu reunited with Ren Ye and Apu and revealed that Tang Feng was the Psychologist, the only one at the Desire Restraint Center.
• Ren Ye inferred from Tang Feng’s instructions that the squad should go next to Rage Village, while Old Liu revealed Tang Feng had given him a piece of beef as a discharge gift.
• As Ren Ye’s squad prepared to leave for Rage Village, Old Qu and Yu Weifeng gathered Players at the Desire Restraint Center, while Old Master Jiang’s people called for the three Players who had fought Yu Weifeng.
• Apu asked Ren Ye whether Old Master Jiang’s people were calling for them.

Ren Ye and his squad avoided Old Master Jiang, discovered an offering to Old Man Xunzhu in an abandoned temple, and entered Rage Village to accept an SS-Rank quest for the Gao Family. As they waited for other heroes to join their mission, Liu Tang brought in a team whose arrival left Ren Ye cursing his luck.

• Ren Ye and his companions evaded Old Master Jiang’s calls, hid overnight in a remote temple, and found fresh offerings beside a spirit tablet naming Old Man Xunzhu.
• The squad traveled to Rage Village, where steward Liu Tang invited them to seek a live-in son-in-law position by completing trials for the Gao Family.
• Master Gao ordered the squad to offer birthday wishes to Wang Shoucai in Greed Village and secretly retrieve something vital; the Star Gate identified their task as the SS-Rank quest The Truth of the Past.
• Ren Ye and his teammates accepted the quest, and the Star Gate announced it to Players across the Seven Villages, requiring teams to have over 1,500 points to participate.
• A figure secretly opened the basement hatch in Lust Village, while Ren Ye wondered which team had surpassed his squad’s points.
• Liu Tang brought several people into the Gao residence, and Ren Ye recognized the newcomers and cursed his bad luck.

Ren Ye and his companions reunited with Yu Weifeng’s squad and other Players at the Gao Residence before setting out on a dangerous mission to retrieve an item from Wang Shoucai’s family. As they prepared to depart, Jiang Qin promised Ren Ye that no one would target him during the journey, leaving their future grudges unresolved.

• Ren Ye’s group met Yu Weifeng’s squad in the side room, where both sides concealed their suspicions and Mad Dog failed to draw information from Old Liu.
• Liu Tang led the gathered Players to the Rear Courtyard, where Ren Ye’s group found Jiang Qin, Old Qu, Xiaomai, and the unnamed attendant waiting.
• Liu Tang explained that the group would secretly retrieve something from the heavily guarded Wang Family compound, and introduced Xu Bangzi and his household guards as their combat support.
• Liu Tang brought everyone to dinner and announced that they would depart by boat at nine after the birthday gifts were loaded.
• Ren Ye warned Old Liu that the mission’s large assembled force showed how dangerous the Wang Family would be, and Jiang Qin then promised Ren Ye protection during the journey.

Ren Ye and his companions joined Liu Tang’s birthday delegation and traveled from Rage Village to the heavily guarded Wang Residence in Greed Village. Liu Tang treated Ren Ye with unusual favor, and the chapter ended with him revealing that Wang Shoucai would be away for three days while they searched for a mysterious item.

• Old Master Jiang recognized Ren Ye’s group and agreed that their personal feud with Yu Weifeng should not interfere with the shared mission.
• Liu Tang led the Players and birthday gifts by boat from Rage Village to Greed Village, where they reached the vast Wang Residence.
• Liu Tang gave Ren Ye and his companions lodging in the steward’s house, while Mad Dog argued over the sleeping arrangements.
• The next morning, Liu Tang invited Ren Ye to the senior managers’ table and had Mad Dog bring him steamed buns, puzzling the other Players.
• Liu Tang told Ren Ye that Wang Shoucai would be away for three days and that they needed to use the time to find a certain thing.

Ren Ye and the others waited for Liu Tang to scout the Wang Residence, then learned they could search for the hidden item during the birthday opera performances. As the group prepared to coordinate that night's search, Old Liu noticed food and baijiu in Jiang Qin's room.

• Ren Ye speculated that his Wealth Perception and recent advancement might explain Liu Tang's unusual fondness for him, but Liu Tang refused to reveal what Master Gao wanted retrieved.
• Ren Ye, Old Liu, Apu, and Xu Qingzhao assessed the heavily guarded Wang Residence and wondered why they had seen no other players in Greed Village.
• Liu Tang returned and reported that Wang Shoucai was away until his birthday banquet, while the Wang Family would hold three nights of opera performances that could draw guests away from the residence.
• Liu Tang explained that a treasure could detect the hidden item only at close range, so no more than eight people would search the residence after dark while the rest attended the opera.
• Ren Ye and Old Liu went to summon Jiang Qin's group, and Old Liu noticed their snacks and the smell of baijiu before asking Xiaomai who had brought the dried tofu.