Chapter Summaries

Qi Gu introduced Lin Hanzhi to his deceased shifu and prayed for help creating a talisman to confess his feelings. His shifu gave him a Twin Hearts Pendant, and Qi Gu invited Lin Hanzhi to search for childhood memories at Floating Mist Temple in exchange for a gift.

• Qi Gu told his shifu he had fallen in love with someone frail and timid, while Lin Hanzhi nervously promised he would never let Qi Gu down.
• Qi Gu's shifu realized Qi Gu's partner was a man and, before the incense cut off their connection, sent Qi Gu a pair of jade Twin Hearts Pendants.
• Qi Gu examined the pendants and recognized that their magic could help him develop the talisman he needed to confess his feelings.
• Qi Gu challenged Lin Hanzhi to find more than three preserved childhood memories at Floating Mist Temple for a gift, and Lin Hanzhi eagerly agreed.

Lin Hanzhi searched Floating Mist Temple for traces of Qi Gu’s childhood, finding height marks, carvings, and hidden keepsakes. He discovered memorial tablets and old papers that began the story of Qi Gu’s childhood connection with Wang Xiangxiu, whose daughter had an intellectual disability.

• Qi Gu left Lin Hanzhi to search the courtyard while he took the Twin Hearts Pendant to his room.
• Lin Hanzhi found marks recording Qi Gu’s height and imagined how they might have grown up together.
• Lin Hanzhi found Qi Gu’s carvings on a rock, including chicken drawings and a crying face that made him wonder what had saddened Qi Gu.
• Lin Hanzhi discovered memorial tablets and folded papers hidden in the main hall, then read about eight-year-old Qi Gu meeting Wang Xiangxiu while gathering wild fruit.
• Lin Hanzhi learned from the papers that Wang Xiangxiu had a daughter with an intellectual disability and that Qi Gu later received a school drowning-prevention notice.

Eight-year-old Qi Gu tried to help Wang Xiangxiu and her drowned daughter Juanjuan by letting the mother see the ghost, but he failed to recognize the abuse that fueled Juanjuan’s growing baleful energy. When he returned with a way to dispel it, Juanjuan had killed her abusive father and was devouring Wang Xiangxiu’s soul.

• Qi Gu learned that Juanjuan had drowned in a village wastewater ditch and encountered her ghost, who gave him candy and asked him to drive away the bad Juanjuan her mother seemed to see.
• Qi Gu used Ox Tears so Wang Xiangxiu could see Juanjuan, taught her ghost speech, and helped them communicate while Wang Xiangxiu cared for her daughter’s ghost.
• Qi Gu noticed Juanjuan’s baleful energy growing and urged Wang Xiangxiu to clean the ditches, while he searched ancient texts for a solution.
• Qi Gu arrived at Wang Xiangxiu’s home and found Juanjuan covered in blood, devouring Wang Xiangxiu’s soul beside her dismembered father.
• Qi Gu realized Juanjuan had killed her father to protect Wang Xiangxiu, and that years of abuse had caused Juanjuan’s baleful energy while Wang Xiangxiu had hidden the violence from him.

Qi Gu arrived too late to stop Juanjuan from killing her abusive father and devouring Wang Xiangxiu's soul. Haunted by his role in the tragedy, he withdrew from Metaphysics until Shifu urged him to keep learning from his mistake.

• Qi Gu used talismans to stop Juanjuan from devouring Wang Xiangxiu's soul, but Wang Xiangxiu's soul was already incomplete and the man Juanjuan had killed was her father.
• Juanjuan's memories revealed that her father had repeatedly beaten Wang Xiangxiu, and that Juanjuan had killed him to protect her mother before killing Wang Xiangxiu and trying to keep her with her forever.
• Qi Gu could not restore Wang Xiangxiu's soul, and an Underworld Constable took Juanjuan to serve a hundred years of atonement in the Ghost Prison.
• Qi Gu established spirit tablets for Juanjuan and Wang Xiangxiu at Floating Mist Temple and stopped studying Metaphysics, blaming himself for what had happened.
• Shifu told Qi Gu to carry his guilt and do more without repeating his mistake, then jokingly said Qi Gu would get no chicken drumsticks for the rest of the year.

After reading Qi Gu’s childhood letter, Lin Hanzhi decided to confess what he had been hiding and arranged for Qi Gu to meet the Anomalous Affairs Bureau director at Floating Mist Temple. Qi Gu went to the gate, where he found Lin Hanzhi but no one who looked like the director.

• Lin Hanzhi read Qi Gu’s letter, felt guilty about his own secrets, and offered incense before the spirit tablets.
• Lin Hanzhi called Miao Yue for advice about confessing to Qi Gu, and she urged him to be sincere.
• Lin Hanzhi spoke with Sang Ma and arranged for Qi Gu to select members of the Sea Lord Temple production team at headquarters.
• Sang Ma told Qi Gu that the director wanted to meet him at Floating Mist Temple’s gate immediately.
• Qi Gu reached the gate, saw Lin Hanzhi standing there, and searched for the director without finding anyone who fit his idea of one.

Qi Gu learned that Lin Hanzhi was the director of the Anomalous Affairs Bureau and heard the truth about his family’s deaths and dangerous Bone Control technique. After stopping Lin Hanzhi from confessing his feelings, Qi Gu offered to take him back to his room, leaving their relationship unresolved.

• Lin Hanzhi revealed that he was the director of the Anomalous Affairs Bureau and apologized for hiding his identity from Qi Gu.
• Lin Hanzhi explained that a ghost disaster had killed his family, leaving him as the sole survivor with no memory of what happened.
• Lin Hanzhi told Qi Gu that he had damaged his soul practicing Bone Control and showed him the forty-six Bone Blades made from his relatives’ remains.
• Lin Hanzhi admitted he had lent out six Bone Blades by splitting off parts of his soul, flesh, and blood, and Qi Gu called him a lunatic for risking his life.
• Lin Hanzhi hugged Qi Gu and began to confess his feelings, but Qi Gu covered his mouth and asked him to come back to his room.

Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi reconciled and discussed the Sea Lord Temple investigation, plans to handle supernatural incidents, and Lin Hanzhi’s recovered memories. Lin Hanzhi fell asleep beside Qi Gu while Qi Gu prepared a surprise gift for him.

• Qi Gu said he had plans for their future, admitted he was still a little angry, and warned Lin Hanzhi not to hide his injuries again.
• Qi Gu explained the Film Crew Ghost’s scheme and described the Sea Lord as an evil god worshipped in Min Di, predicting that more glazed bones might be found at its temple.
• Lin Hanzhi told Qi Gu that public disclosure of supernatural incidents might be accelerated and showed him the bureau’s detailed prevention handbook, which Lin Hanzhi had written.
• Lin Hanzhi revealed that he had found all three of Qi Gu’s missing memories, and Qi Gu said the gift redemption window would open in the next few days.
• Qi Gu covered the exhausted Lin Hanzhi with a blanket, and Lin Hanzhi fell asleep beside him while he prepared a surprise.

Qi Gu learned about Lin Hanzhi’s lonely childhood from Miao Yue while Lin Hanzhi slept, then finished making two bracelets to carry the talismans. Lin Hanzhi woke to find the matching bracelets beside Qi Gu, and the chapter left them sharing a quiet, intimate moment.

• Miao Yue called Lin Hanzhi, but Qi Gu accidentally answered and told her that Lin Hanzhi was asleep.
• Miao Yue apologized to Qi Gu and described Lin Hanzhi’s childhood, saying he had seemed more alive since meeting Qi Gu.
• Qi Gu imagined Lin Hanzhi’s lonely travels and felt pain at the thought of how long he had been without a home.
• Qi Gu decided to turn the talismans into wearable bracelets and finished a matching pair while Lin Hanzhi slept.
• Lin Hanzhi woke, saw the bracelets, and asked why Qi Gu had stayed up to make them.

Qi Gu gave Lin Hanzhi a matching bracelet and confessed his love, revealing that its spell bound their lifespans together. Though Lin Hanzhi feared shortening Qi Gu’s life, Qi Gu insisted they live well together, and they kissed as Lin Hanzhi looked forward to tomorrow.

• Lin Hanzhi asked Qi Gu to give him the bracelet immediately, and Qi Gu put it on his wrist.
• Qi Gu asked Lin Hanzhi to become the other master of Floating Mist Temple and told him he loved him; Lin Hanzhi returned the confession and put the matching bracelet on Qi Gu.
• Qi Gu explained that the bracelets were called Together Forever and that their core spell made them share their lifespans and fate.
• Lin Hanzhi tried to remove his bracelet because he did not want Qi Gu to die with him, but Qi Gu stopped him and said they had to keep living well together.
• Qi Gu kissed Lin Hanzhi, who kissed him back passionately and looked forward to the next day.

On their first morning as an official couple, Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi awkwardly adjusted to waking up together before sharing breakfast and exploring Qi Gu’s familiar routine. They returned to Floating Mist Temple still too shy to kiss, though both wanted to.

• Qi Gu woke beside Lin Hanzhi, instinctively pulled his hand against his chest, then blushed when he realized what he had done.
• After separating to use the bathroom, Lin Hanzhi borrowed Qi Gu’s cardigan, and they noticed the cuts on each other’s lips from their kisses the night before.
• Qi Gu took Lin Hanzhi to a wonton shop on the shopping street, where they ate breakfast and Lin Hanzhi asked to try more of Qi Gu’s favorite foods together.
• When the shop owner asked whether Lin Hanzhi was seeing anyone, Lin Hanzhi openly said his partner was Qi Gu and that they had recently made their relationship official.
• Back at Floating Mist Temple, Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi sat blushing across from each other while both watched the other’s lips and considered kissing.

Lin Hanzhi and Qi Gu became openly affectionate after agreeing to be boyfriends, and Lin Hanzhi celebrated by showing off the bracelet Qi Gu gave him. At dusk, Lin Hanzhi gave Qi Gu his family’s treasured longevity lock, carrying the blessings of the elders who had once protected him.

• Qi Gu treated Lin Hanzhi’s split lip, and Lin Hanzhi kissed him while pretending to spread ointment on Qi Gu’s injured lip.
• Qi Gu agreed that Lin Hanzhi could kiss him, then fled the courtyard in embarrassment when the Golden Toad caught them embracing.
• Lin Hanzhi photographed the bracelet Qi Gu gave him and asked Miao Yue to select nine pictures for a post.
• Miao Yue bet Pubu Gesang that Lin Hanzhi would post on Moments, then watched him share the bracelet and enthusiastically answer questions about it.
• Lin Hanzhi gave Qi Gu the golden longevity lock made from his family elders’ blessings, and Qi Gu let him fasten it around his neck.

Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi prepared for their next filming trip to the isolated Sea Lord Temple in Min Di, while Lin Hanzhi revealed that he had sacrificed a piece of his own flesh to make weapons for Qi Gu’s protection. The episode began with the pair and their companions boarding a speedboat for the island.

• The Anomalous Affairs Bureau arranged drone filming for the fifth episode at the original Sea Lord Temple, and the production team announced the destination.
• Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi agreed that they were willing to make their relationship public, after discovering viewers had inferred it from their online posts.
• Lin Hanzhi showed Qi Gu six Bone Blades and a piece of his flesh preserved in a cold jade box, explaining that they could protect Qi Gu; Qi Gu accepted them.
• Lin Hanzhi fitted custom sheaths for the Bone Blades into Qi Gu’s sleeves, and Qi Gu embraced him before they left for Min Di.
• Qi Gu, Lin Hanzhi, and the others met a fisherman at the dock, and Qi Gu agreed to travel with him to the island.

The group traveled by speedboat into open water for their mission, wearing life jackets as they left the shore behind. Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi’s quiet romance drew attention from the viewers, and the chapter ended with them pretending a buoy was a seagull to hide their embarrassment.

• The fisherman instructed the group to put on life jackets before driving the speedboat out to sea.
• Qi Gu chose a cleaner, well-fitting life jacket for Lin Hanzhi, who reluctantly put it on.
• As the boat reached open water, Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi sat beside each other and exchanged glances while the viewers commented on their relationship.
• Lin Hanzhi offered to buy two yachts if Qi Gu wanted to ride one, while both men secretly touched their matching bracelets.
• After reading the viewers’ comments about their romance, Qi Gu blushed and pointed out a buoy as a seagull, and Lin Hanzhi played along.

Miao Yue tried to make Mu Xingchen realize that Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi were involved, but Mu Xingchen and Pubu Gesang misunderstood Lin Hanzhi’s bracelet post. When the boat stopped at sea, Qi Gu discovered the hull covered in strange blood-red sea snails whose transparent opercula revealed eerie human faces inside.

• Miao Yue silenced Mu Xingchen when he tried to correct Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi about the distant object, then warned him not to interrupt them.
• Miao Yue asked Mu Xingchen who gave Lin Hanzhi his bracelet and why someone would give a bracelet as a gift, but Mu Xingchen assumed Qi Gu had asked for his gift back.
• Pubu Gesang concluded that Lin Hanzhi had returned the bracelet to avoid appearing to accept a bribe, leaving Miao Yue exasperated.
• The fisherman stopped the boat, saying its engine had slowed, but Qi Gu pointed out that blood-red sea snails covered the hull.
• Qi Gu scooped a sea snail onto the deck and realized its transparent operculum revealed a tiny, distorted human face inside.

Qi Gu and the others escaped the Man-Faced Conches by concealing their human aura, but something stirred in a cluttered corner of the cabin just as they relaxed.

• The fisherman removed a Man-Faced Conch’s humanlike flesh, killing it as more conches crawled up the boat’s hull.
• Miao Yue and Pubu Gesang offered ways to stop the conches, while Mu Xingchen recalled that they formed from snails that had eaten human flesh.
• Qi Gu explained that the conches had bred with other snails and asked the fisherman to record the location, where many corpses might lie beneath the sea.
• Qi Gu gave everyone Living-Person Aura Concealment Talismans, and the conches lost their grip on the hull and fell back into the water.
• As the group relaxed, something remained hidden in a cluttered corner of the cabin.

Lin Hanzhi killed a hidden Man-Faced Conch before it could attack Qi Gu, revealing more of his combat ability and deepening the pair’s intimate tension. Soon afterward, the sky darkened over the speedboat, suggesting a powerful threat was approaching.

• Lin Hanzhi split a Man-Faced Conch hiding beneath the cabin seat just before it reached Qi Gu.
• Qi Gu cleaned the conch’s blood from Lin Hanzhi’s shoe, and Lin Hanzhi said he could not bear to leave as Qi Gu blushed and turned away.
• Mu Xingchen collected the conch’s remains and secured them in a bag by the railing.
• Dark clouds rapidly gathered over the speedboat, and the group suspected a powerful entity was controlling the weather.

A thick fog halted the speedboat near the Sea Lord Temple, and the group heard something large approaching through the water. A fishing boat appeared and offered to take them aboard, but Qi Gu suspected it was a ghost ship as the chapter ended.

• The fisherman stopped the speedboat in dense fog near a reef, warning the group they could not safely continue toward the Sea Lord Temple.
• As an unseen vessel approached, Qi Gu stepped forward to protect the others, while Lin Hanzhi tried to take the lead and Qi Gu pushed him back, insisting he was too weak.
• A large fishing boat emerged from the fog, and a figure aboard urged them to climb its rope ladder before the storm hit.
• Mu Xingchen wondered if the fishing boat was a ghost ship, and Qi Gu agreed that it likely was.

Qi Gu explained the dangers of boarding a Ghost Ship, while Lin Hanzhi persuaded the Helpful Ghosts to share what they knew about the Sea Lord Temple. The ghosts invited the group to follow their boat and share its offerings, leaving Lin Hanzhi privately determined to confront the Sea Lord.

• Qi Gu warned Mu Xingchen that boarding a Ghost Ship for too long could assimilate them into undead and explained that Sea Undead could reach Guixu for reincarnation.
• Lin Hanzhi convinced the Helpful Ghosts to wait out the storm with the group and talk about the Sea Lord Temple's taboos.
• The Helpful Ghosts described how they bought their fishing boat and survived a previous storm, which Qi Gu suspected had wrecked their vessel and killed them.
• Lin Hanzhi gave the ghosts compressed biscuits and asked about the Sea Lord Temple, and they warned that the Sea Lord was petty toward visitors who brought no offerings.
• The Helpful Ghosts invited the group to follow their boat and share the offerings, then ate the biscuits and promised to buy more for their families.

Qi Gu protected the speedboat from a violent storm with talismans while Lin Hanzhi admired his skill. After the storm passed, the fishing boat and its crew reappeared, unaware they were ghosts and still believing they could go home.

• A towering wave struck the boats, but Qi Gu's talismans shielded the speedboat with golden light.
• Lin Hanzhi praised Qi Gu, who blushed at his lover's words.
• The storm tore the fishing boat apart and sent it sinking beneath the sea.
• The ghostly crew and fishing boat reassembled after the weather cleared, and the brothers spoke of going home with their offerings.
• The Helpful Ghost invited Qi Gu and the others to join them on their way to the Sea Lord Temple.

Qi Gu discovered that the Sea Lord targeted people whose birth dates met his requirements, and Lin Hanzhi recognized a protective mark on a young fisherman as a technique from his family. The fishermen’s account suggested that Lin Hanzhi’s father had once visited Min Di, giving Lin a new lead in investigating the Lin family massacre.

• Qi Gu learned that the fishermen visited the Sea Lord Temple at the beginning and end of each year and identified the youngest brother as someone who had never gone before.
• The Helpful Ghost explained that his youngest brother had only joined them after coming of age, and Qi Gu concluded that the Sea Lord selected victims by their birth dates and used wishes to screen them.
• Lin Hanzhi recognized the red mark between the boy’s brows as his family’s Soul Stabilization technique and asked who had placed it there.
• The Helpful Ghost recalled that a boy had marked his brother’s brow seven or eight years earlier after helping call his soul back, and his second brother noted that the boy resembled Lin Hanzhi.
• Lin Hanzhi suspected the boy had been his father, asked why he had come to Min Di, and requested the Spirit Medium’s old address.
• Lin Hanzhi saw the encounter as a possible new clue to the massacre of the Lin family.