Chapter Summaries

Qin Manjiang found Yu Qinghuan after the wedding sedan ghost disappeared, then noticed her fingernails had turned red and persuaded her to leave with him. Meanwhile, Nie Yunzhen reached Fan Cheng’s apartment and saw someone waving from his window, but she doubted it was really him.

• The wedding sedan ghost vanished into the darkness, while Qin Manjiang felt something secretly pinch him and sensed the danger had increased.
• Qin Manjiang noticed Yu Qinghuan’s fingernails were entirely red, and Yu Qinghuan realized they looked like the Wedding Dress Vengeful Ghost’s hands.
• Yu Qinghuan feared she was cursed and tried to leave alone, but Qin Manjiang stopped her and explained he had found her by hearing her call out to him.
• Qin Manjiang persuaded Yu Qinghuan to go with him, and she asked where they were going before he said his place.
• Nie Yunzhen reached Fan Cheng’s apartment and saw a figure waving from the sixth-floor window, but she wondered whether it was really Fan Cheng.

Trapped in the Soul Return Realm, Qiao Ziruo searched for answers about a death in her family while Mei Sijun questioned the Old Taoist about the Ghost Story. The Old Taoist explained how Qiao Ziruo could resolve the realm—and warned that recognizing her memories as false could prevent her soul from returning to her body.

• Qiao Ziruo discovered that her call history had no record of the message that brought her to the village and decided to ask the villagers who had died.
• Qiao Ziruo reached the old man outside Li Gui's house, and his pointing gesture led her to realize she could search the Qiao family burial ground for answers.
• Grandma appeared and scolded Qiao Ziruo for wandering away just as she was about to go to the burial ground.
• Mei Sijun challenged the Old Taoist about being trapped in the Ghost Story despite claiming not to possess a Spirit Pupil, and the Old Taoist revealed an eyeball embedded in his ritual ring.
• The Old Taoist explained that Qiao Ziruo's deceased relative had become an evil soul and was trying to return to life by making her complete the first seven days of mourning in its place.
• The Old Taoist said Qiao Ziruo had to arrange a new funeral and bury her relative again, but warned that realizing her memories were illusory could sever her soul from her body.

Mei Sijun and the Old Taoist entered the Soul Return Realm to find Qiao Ziruo, who was being led home by her dead grandmother. Qiao Ziruo began eating the strange feast her grandmother had prepared, while the old woman’s face peeled away behind her.

• Mei Sijun sang the Yellow Springs Opera with the Old Taoist beside Qiao Ziruo, sending them into the Soul Return Realm.
• Mei Sijun and the Old Taoist arrived at the village and agreed to pretend they were dead.
• Qiao Ziruo received Mei Sijun’s message but could not remember who he was, and she hid it from her grandmother.
• Qiao Ziruo followed her grandmother home, where she saw a coffin and a table covered with countless small bowls of food.
• Qiao Ziruo’s grandmother ordered her to eat as patches of skin fell from her face, and Qiao Ziruo began wolfing down the food.

Qin Manjiang brought Yu Qinghuan home after the [Wedding Dress] Female Ghost’s features began spreading across her hands, then learned that Zhong Xueran had suffered a similar change. Yu Qinghuan warned that the ghost might mimic phone calls and questioned how the players could survive if it could locate them and appear anywhere.

• Qin Manjiang set Yu Qinghuan up in Qin Manyi’s room and arranged for them to contact Xu Yi and Nie Yunzhen.
• Xu Yi told Qin Manjiang that Zhong Xueran’s lips had turned blood-red after they encountered the Vengeful Ghost Carrying the Sedan Chair.
• Qin Manjiang revealed that Yu Qinghuan’s hands were changing and suspected that women had been cursed; Yu Qinghuan could not reach Nie Yunzhen.
• Yu Qinghuan suggested that the Female Ghost might imitate players answering phones and said its ability to locate players and appear without warning seemed impossible to escape.

Qin Manjiang and Yu Qinghuan realized the ghost story had already begun when a haunting force trapped them in Qin Manyi’s bedroom. They escaped after Yu Qinghuan broke through the door, and Qin Manjiang concluded that the opening lines pointed to a hidden story involving a female ghost and a mysterious “you.”

• Qin Manjiang agreed with Yu Qinghuan that the Vengeful Ghost’s ability to locate players had to be restricted, and noted that Nie Yunzhen had gone silent after seeking Fan Cheng.
• Yu Qinghuan recalled Nie Yunzhen’s [Shared-Fate Lock], prompting Qin Manjiang to suspect that the game had started because [I] had acted in the real world.
• Yu Qinghuan recited the opening lines, and a black cat appeared at the window as the quilt on the bed began to bulge.
• The bedroom door slammed shut while blood and a pale hand emerged from beneath the quilt, drawing Yu Qinghuan toward it.
• Qin Manjiang stopped Yu Qinghuan from putting the hand in her mouth, and she smashed a hole through the door with one swing.
• Qin Manjiang led Yu Qinghuan out and concluded that the opening lines hinted at a female ghost and a “you” who had moved time forward.

Xu Yi realized that the women who witnessed the wedding sedan were transforming and suspected the Ghost Story was reenacting the fate of the pair described in the Opening Lines. He used his Fated Die and smiled at the result, while Zhong Xueran’s transformation left her drawn toward Xu Yi’s refrigerator.

• Xu Yi received Qin Manjiang’s messages and sent him the photograph showing the names Liu Junyan and Shen Hong.
• Zhong Xueran emerged from the washroom with ashen skin and a changed face, and Xu Yi decided not to tell her about his plans.
• Zhong Xueran stared at her reflection and then began walking toward Xu Yi’s refrigerator.
• Xu Yi deduced that the players’ ordeal was reenacting the past of the man and woman in the Opening Lines, and feared the women would eventually die and decay.
• Xu Yi removed his Fated Die, activated it, and smiled after seeing the number it rolled.

Qin Manjiang, Li Xijiu, and Yu Qinghuan investigated the names carved into the Old Locust Tree and searched for the first post about its love wishes. Yu Qinghuan found that the post belonged to an account called Wedding Dress and discovered its profile picture was a red bridal gown.

• Li Xijiu picked up Qin Manjiang and Yu Qinghuan, and Yu Qinghuan said the Old Locust Tree’s love-wish posts first appeared online on November ninth.
• At the General Bureau, Li Xijiu used Zhou Fan’s computer to search for Liu Junyan and Shen Hong, but the results contained thousands of people.
• Qin Manjiang told Li Xijiu to narrow the results by looking for people with the two names who lived in the same area, while Yu Qinghuan searched for the original post.
• Yu Qinghuan found a post titled [South City Locust Tree-Pledge of Love] from an account named Wedding Dress.
• Yu Qinghuan opened the account’s profile and saw that its picture showed a bright red traditional bridal wedding dress.

Yu Qinghuan was possessed after seeing the Red Wedding Dress, but Qin Manjiang stopped her by telling her he forgave her. Qin Manjiang concluded that the Wedding Dress Ghost Story was changing in real time because its creator was still alive, and Yu Qinghuan recognized the hands in Shen Hong’s photograph as the hands her own had become.

• Yu Qinghuan saw the blood-red wedding dress on her phone and began sobbing, apologizing, and repeatedly striking her head against the desk.
• Qin Manjiang restrained Yu Qinghuan and calmed her by saying he forgave her, while Li Xijiu took the phone and Qin Manjiang smashed it after the image kept reopening.
• Yu Qinghuan regained control and told Qin Manjiang that the wedding dress was the source of the haunting.
• Qin Manjiang reasoned that the Wedding Dress Ghost Story was unfolding in real time and that the person who created it had not died.
• Li Xijiu found Liu Junyan and Shen Hong, a couple whose information had not been updated in over a month, and Yu Qinghuan recognized Shen Hong’s hands as the hands her own had become.

Jiang Du called Nie Yunzhen and triggered the return of her quieter, newly awakened personality, who agreed to meet Qin Manjiang. Qin Manjiang realized Nie Yunzhen’s change and set out with Yu Qinghuan, while Fan Cheng watched her leave without noticing him.

• Nie Yunzhen answered a call from Qin Manjiang and recognized Jiang Du’s voice, then angrily confronted him.
• Jiang Du said Qin Manjiang was close to dying after uncovering the Game’s key and asked Nie Yunzhen to help him; her reaction revealed that a second personality had awakened.
• Jiang Du imitated Qin Manjiang’s voice and asked Nie Yunzhen to come to the General Bureau, and she agreed.
• Qin Manjiang realized he had lost time and found Nie Yunzhen’s number in his call history; when he called her, he recognized the newly awakened personality and guided her to the General Bureau.
• Qin Manjiang took the car keys from Li Xijiu and left with Yu Qinghuan to meet Nie Yunzhen and investigate Liu Junyan and Shen Hong’s homes.
• Fan Cheng watched from the window as Nie Yunzhen left the complex, unaware that he was there.

Fan Cheng used his Heart of Delusion to escape a Vengeful Ghost and headed to Wenshui District after receiving Qin Manjiang’s message. At the same time, Qin Manjiang and Yu Qinghuan encountered Nie Yunzhen and Bai Hongdan in a car, while Fan Cheng noticed his body seemed to be getting thinner.

• Fan Cheng received Qin Manjiang’s message announcing that the game had begun in Wenshui District, West City.
• Fan Cheng activated the Heart of Delusion, sent his Delusion Doppelganger out of his apartment, and found the corridor empty.
• Fan Cheng left the residential complex, took a taxi to Wenshui District, and noticed that he seemed to have gotten thinner.
• Yu Qinghuan told Qin Manjiang that he looked thinner, though neither of them could explain why.
• Bai Hongdan arrived with Nie Yunzhen in a private car and invited Qin Manjiang to get in.

Xu Yi discovered that the woman he thought was Zhong Xueran had become a terrifying ghost, while his own legs withered and two apparitions trapped him in the dark. Elsewhere, Bai Hongdan revealed to Qin Manjiang that she knew about the Eye Realm, and Yu Qinghuan began trembling in the car.

• Xu Yi found Zhong Xueran missing and used his surveillance footage to see her walk toward the refrigerator.
• Xu Yi found a cold, unrecognizable woman curled inside the refrigerator; when she grabbed his arm, he tried to flee.
• Xu Yi's legs withered, leaving him unable to stand, as the woman crawled from the refrigerator and an inhuman shadow appeared beside her.
• Bai Hongdan told Qin Manjiang that she had discovered the Eye Realm and believed it had entered a final settlement phase.
• Qin Manjiang suspected Bai Hongdan had learned the truth from a former player and questioned Nie Yunzhen about her connection to that source.
• Yu Qinghuan suddenly drew up her legs and began trembling in the car.

Qin Manjiang realized that the ghost was carrying out a resurrection ritual using female players as vessels and male players as sacrifices, while his body continued to wither. As a shadow dragged Xu Yi away, Zhong Xueran woke and used a bell to make them both vanish.

• Qin Manjiang saw Shen Hong’s face and heard her plead not to die as his body shriveled.
• Qin Manjiang told Bai Hongdan that the players were caught in a resurrection ritual and urged her to leave after dropping them off in Wenshui District.
• Qin Manjiang suggested Bai Hongdan visit Qiao Family Village and asked her to do him a favor there.
• A twisted shadow dragged Xu Yi through the corridor while Zhong Xueran followed in an altered state.
• Zhong Xueran winked at Xu Yi, grabbed him, and rang a bell that made them both disappear.

Fan Cheng's [delusion doppelganger] explored Wenshui District and discovered that the bride's ghost seemed to be standing directly behind him, invisible except for her shadow. Qin Manjiang, Nie Yunzhen, and Yu Qinghuan arrived as Fan Cheng began to fear the ghost might also be following his real body.

• Fan Cheng reached Wenshui District ahead of Qin Manjiang and sensed a powerful sinister presence as he walked its deserted avenue.
• A lock of hair touched Fan Cheng's finger, and he saw flashes of a red figure whenever he tried to turn around.
• Fan Cheng noticed the bride's shadow pressed against his own and realized the ghost might have been beside the players all along.
• Fan Cheng wondered whether the ghost was also following his real body, and fear replaced his confidence.
• Qin Manjiang, Nie Yunzhen, and Yu Qinghuan arrived in Wenshui District, where Fan Cheng connected the area to Shen Hong, Liu Junyan, and the Old Locust Tree.

Zhong Xueran told Xu Yi the Red Wedding Sedan’s curse originated with Shen Hong, whose father and husband became obsessed with making wedding dresses and eventually flayed her alive for material. She revealed that Shen Hong’s corpse was buried beneath the Old Locust Tree at Huai'an Residential Complex.

• Zhong Xueran explained that she had seen the vengeful ghost’s memories after becoming her and brought Xu Yi to Huai'an Residential Complex.
• She recounted how Shen Yi taught his wedding-dress craft to his apprentice Liu Junyan, who was set to marry Shen Hong.
• As the wedding approached, Shen Yi and Liu Junyan grew increasingly unstable while obsessively making separate wedding dresses for Shen Hong.
• Shen Hong burned their unfinished dresses, but both men continued behaving strangely and later refused to take her to a hospital when she fell ill.
• Shen Yi and Liu Junyan repeatedly removed Shen Hong’s skin and used it to make a wedding dress, until she died.
• Zhong Xueran said Shen Hong’s flayed corpse had been buried beneath the Old Locust Tree.

Yu Qinghuan's visions revealed that the ominous fabric used for Shen Hong's wedding dress had driven Shen Yi and Liu Junyan mad. Shen Hong died trying to escape and return the fabric to Wenshui District, and the two men came to their senses too late.

• Fan Cheng saw a woman in red behind Nie Yunzhen, while Nie Yunzhen saw a ghost behind Fan Cheng; Qin Manjiang realized the players were experiencing different haunting effects.
• Yu Qinghuan clutched her head and said she was seeing images of Shen Hong, Shen Yi, and Liu Junyan.
• Shen Hong remembered that her father and husband had changed after working with fabric for her wedding dress, which had come from Wenshui District.
• Shen Hong crawled toward the courtyard to seek help, but Liu Junyan dragged her back and Shen Yi cut away more of her skin.
• Shen Hong died after murmuring “Wenshui District,” and Shen Yi and Liu Junyan regained their senses and cried out that they could still put the wedding dress on her.

Fan Cheng decided to investigate the places linked to Shen Hong and Liu Junyan in search of the wedding dress that might be the source of the ghost story. He left for their last residence carrying Qin Manjiang’s permanent doll, while Qin Manjiang stayed behind with the unconscious Yu Qinghuan.

• Yu Qinghuan fainted after describing visions in which Shen Hong died at Huai'an Residential Complex, leaving Qin Manjiang and Fan Cheng with conflicting details about the couple’s history in Wenshui District.
• Fan Cheng reasoned that Liu Junyan may have prolonged Shen Hong’s life by putting her in the wedding dress made from eerie fabric, and that the dress could be at their last residence or her burial site.
• Fan Cheng chose to investigate alone that night, believing he needed to change the course that had led the previous round’s players to die shortly after the game began.
• Qin Manjiang received Xu Yi’s message confirming that No. 39, Wenshui District, was Shen Hong and Liu Junyan’s last residence, while Zhong Xueran’s visions had led to Shen Hong’s burial place.
• Qin Manjiang gave Fan Cheng his permanent doll, which could warn him and interfere with a vengeful ghost’s abilities, and Fan Cheng set out for No. 39.

Fan Cheng entered Shen Hong and Liu Junyan's home to search for the troublesome [Wedding Dress], but discovered a desiccated corpse and was attacked by it. The corpse crushed his wrist, and Fan Cheng saw something horrifying in the full-length mirror.

• Fan Cheng broke into Shen Hong and Liu Junyan's house using his [Delusion Doppelganger] and found rows of red wedding dresses.
• Fan Cheng noticed a deathly pale face near the stairs and discovered it belonged to a shriveled corpse.
• The corpse grabbed Fan Cheng's wrist, and he snapped its arm before trying to flee.
• A disembodied hand kept gripping Fan Cheng and crushed his wrist, leaving him in intense pain.
• Fan Cheng looked into the full-length mirror and turned deathly pale at what he saw.

Qin Manjiang discussed the Ghost Story Game and his connection to Jiang Du, who revealed that Qin Manjiang was his Permanent Item. Jiang Du explained how his original Permanent Item, a doll called [I], became a living child who later entered another city’s Ghost Story Game and awakened the same item.

• Qin Manjiang realized that his and Yu Qinghuan’s transformations were linked and might reveal the game’s hidden rule.
• Qin Manjiang asked Jiang Du about ghost stories, and Jiang Du described them as a game controlled by higher beings.
• Jiang Du warned Qin Manjiang to follow the original logic of [Wedding Dress] and avoid damaging his body.
• Jiang Du explained that his Permanent Item, the doll called [I], absorbed his emotions and became a living baby.
• Jiang Du said he sent the child away, and that after growing up and joining a Ghost Story Game, the young man awakened another doll called [I].

Jiang Du revealed his fears about the doll [I] and urged Qin Manjiang to look for the force that kept the ghost from killing players outright. Qin Manjiang realized the wasting curse was meant to transform the female players into the Bride, and that the ghost might have to lift it for them to survive.

• Jiang Du told Qin Manjiang that he had also been adopted and had received the doll [I] as a Permanent Item, leaving him unsure whether he was a continuation of its previous holder or the doll itself.
• Jiang Du warned Qin Manjiang to focus on the immediate threat and find what limited the ghost’s power, then vanished after telling him not to let the body become unusable.
• Qin Manjiang reconsidered the players’ predicament and reasoned that Fan Cheng and Nie Yunzhen might need to act on each other’s Vengeful Ghosts.
• Qin Manjiang concluded that the curse affecting him, Yu Qinghuan, Xu Yi, and Zhong Xueran could only be dispelled by the ghost that cast it.
• Qin Manjiang realized the curse was not meant to kill the players but to sacrifice the male players’ life force to transform the female players into the Bride.

Xu Yi and Zhong Xueran were surrounded by mysterious figures at the Old Locust Tree, while Fan Cheng realized a Vengeful Ghost could kill through clothes and fled the Apartment in his underwear. The chapter left Xu Yi urging Zhong Xueran to climb the tree and Fan Cheng searching for somewhere without fabric to hide.

• Xu Yi told Zhong Xueran to leave him because his bad luck might endanger her, but she refused to go until she learned why she was becoming like the Female Ghost.
• Rain began falling heavily at the Old Locust Tree, and lightning revealed silent figures surrounding Xu Yi and Zhong Xueran.
• Xu Yi shoved Zhong Xueran and shouted for her to climb the tree.
• Fan Cheng woke after his [Delusion Doppelganger] died when its clothes tightened around it and crushed it.
• Fan Cheng concluded that clothes and quilts could serve as mediums for the Vengeful Ghost, stripped down to his underwear, and ran from the Apartment to find somewhere without clothes.