Chapter Summaries

Officer Huang questioned Fourth Master Gu about Hua Zi’s family and the village’s possible motives, while Wang Zikai proposed a theory about the murders. The gathering ended with Fourth Master Gu quietly transforming into a lizard-like beast as the others watched.

• Fourth Master Gu invited Officer Huang, Gaoyang, Qingling, Wang Zikai, and Pang Jun to his home and recounted how he had helped raise Hua Zi and his brothers.
• Fourth Master Gu argued that the killer was probably from the village because dogs and his geese would have alerted people to an outsider.
• Fourth Master Gu suggested that Hua Zi’s bride might have been the target, and described her as exceptionally beautiful.
• Wang Zikai theorized that a villager had tried to rape the bride and killed the family after being caught, while Pang Jun and Gaoyang questioned his explanation.
• Gaoyang noticed that Fourth Master Gu was developing scales, claws, and lizard eyes, while Officer Huang and Qingling watched him with killing intent.

Gaoyang and the others confronted Fourth Master Gu but realized he showed no hostility and might be a Lost One whose forms were blending because he was sick. Unable to find the killer, they agreed to attack the village the following night after Gaoyang asked for one more day to investigate.

• Gaoyang stopped Wang Zikai from exposing the group when Fourth Master Gu transformed from a half-beast back into human form.
• Officer Huang ended the meeting, and Gaoyang, Qingling, Wang Zikai, Pang Jun, and Officer Huang returned to Hua Zi's house.
• Gaoyang theorized that Fourth Master Gu was a sick beast whose human and beast forms were blending together.
• Wang Zikai suggested slaughtering the village, and the group voted to take the initiative against its inhabitants.
• Gaoyang persuaded the others to wait until the following night so he could investigate a few more things.

After spending the night together in Hua Zi's house, Gaoyang and Qingling found comfort in each other as they waited for morning. The five then followed Hua Zi's family funeral procession, where Fourth Master Gu explained why all five victims were being buried in one coffin.

• Gaoyang and the others arranged bedding together in the hall and tried to sleep, while Qingling stayed alert beside him.
• Qingling's second personality took Gaoyang's hand and eventually curled against him, asking him to stay still while she rested for her sister.
• In the morning, Qingling's older sister woke beside Gaoyang, thanked him for the night, and Wang Zikai teased them before Gaoyang changed the subject.
• The five left Hua Zi's house and saw a funeral procession carrying one coffin for the five members of Hua Zi's family.
• Fourth Master Gu told Officer Huang that villagers had pooled money for the coffin and that the family would be buried together because the victims' remains were badly mixed up.
• Officer Huang suggested following the procession, and Gaoyang agreed.

Gaoyang and the others secretly opened Hua Zi’s coffin and found the bodies reduced to skeletons, an impossible discovery that led Gaoyang to conclude they were in the real Gu Family Village from thirty years earlier. The group took shelter in Hua Zi’s house as he revealed his conclusion.

• Officer Huang and Gaoyang arranged to dig up Hua Zi’s grave after dark while the group rested and planned to ambush the village Beasts if necessary.
• Wang Zikai dug up the grave, and Qingling used her power to pry open the coffin while Officer Huang and Gaoyang prepared for danger.
• The group found four skeletons in the coffin and noted that the bride’s head was still missing.
• Gaoyang judged that the bodies had been dead far longer than the few days since their return from the police and hurried the group away from Grave Hill.
• At Hua Zi’s house, Gaoyang told the group they had not traveled back in time or entered an Inner World or dream, but were in the real Gu Family Village from thirty years earlier.

Gaoyang concluded that Gu Family Village and its residents were trapped repeating the events surrounding Hua Zi’s family massacre. When the repetition began, the villagers surrounded the house, leaving the five survivors to prepare for an attack.

• Gaoyang explained that the village they had visited was a replica and the real Gu Family Village had been trapped in a repeating domain for thirty years.
• An air-raid siren sounded, and the villagers stopped what they were doing before gathering outside Hua Zi’s house.
• Gaoyang realized the villagers had come to repeat the slaughter of Hua Zi’s family, and Officer Huang ordered everyone to defend the house.
• Gaoyang spent Fortune points to increase his agility after failing to unlock a Talent.
• Officer Huang warned the others that the villagers were coming.