Chapter Summaries

Wei Cai’s attempt to report Investigating the Strange to Mu Xiaoxiang failed, and he wrongly concluded she was protecting her son and Qi Gu. Convinced she was retaliating against him, he began laying the groundwork for an online attack on Mu Xingchen.

• Wei Cai brought his report to Mu Xiaoxiang, but she refused to accept it and hinted that policies were changing.
• Wei Cai saw Mu Xiaoxiang with her masked son, Mu Xingchen, and secretly photographed them, assuming her connections explained his career and her decision.
• Wei Cai interpreted a drama review delay as Mu Xiaoxiang targeting him, although the producer said the character’s premise had caused the problem.
• Wei Cai posted messages suggesting he was in danger and might take sleeping pills, prompting fans to rush to his defense.

Wei Cai reignited online attacks against Qi Gu, but Qi Gu stayed calm and reassured Lin Hanzhi that he would handle the matter. Their playful conversation about Lin Hanzhi’s heart rate left Lin Hanzhi realizing that Qi Gu was the reason it kept rising.

• Wei Cai’s Weibo post sparked speculation and public criticism aimed at Qi Gu.
• Mu Xingchen called Qi Gu to offer legal help, but Qi Gu said he would ignore the online commotion and keep playing games.
• Lin Hanzhi told Qi Gu he disliked people insulting him and offered to show him his heart rate strap.
• Qi Gu asked why Lin Hanzhi wore the strap at home, then joked that his own heart rate peaked while eating or sleeping.
• Qi Gu promised to handle the online dispute for Lin Hanzhi’s sake, and Lin Hanzhi realized Qi Gu caused his racing heart.

Wei Cai stirred up accusations that Mu Xingchen relied on family connections, prompting Qi Gu, Mu Xingchen’s manager, and Mu Xiaoxiang to respond. As Mu Xiaoxiang prepared to reveal a policy change that could end the controversy, Qi Gu invited Lin Hanzhi to play a game, and Lin Hanzhi awkwardly blurted out that Qi Gu spoiled him.

• Wei Cai posted a video and accused Investigating the Strange of airing because of its connections, leading netizens to identify Mu Xingchen, Mu Xiaoxiang, and the bureau director.
• Netizens debated the accusation, while a gossip blogger noted that Wei Cai had offered no evidence and that Mu Xingchen’s opportunities had been poor.
• Mu Xingchen called Xi Shuang, who reassured him and said he was preparing a legal notice.
• Qi Gu challenged Wei Cai to swallow an Iron Pellet, and Mu Xiaoxiang asked her superiors to release a policy change early.
• Wei Cai struggled to respond as Qi Gu invited Lin Hanzhi to play a game with unlimited revives; Lin Hanzhi blurted out that Qi Gu spoiled him and then avoided his gaze.

Qi Gu cleared his name by posting hotel surveillance footage, prompting Lin Hanzhi to remember how he discovered Qi Gu’s file in a box left by his mentor, Yue Yuan. The chapter ended with Lin Hanzhi recalling the letter that had made him weep after Yue Yuan’s death.

• Lin Hanzhi and Qi Gu played a game together, while Lin Hanzhi felt unsettled by Qi Gu calling them friends.
• Lin Hanzhi urged Qi Gu to check Wei Cai’s latest posts, and they saw Wei Cai using a hotel video to attack Qi Gu’s character.
• Qi Gu borrowed Lin Hanzhi’s computer, hacked into the hotel’s surveillance archive, and posted footage showing he left his room soon after the group entered it.
• Qi Gu told Lin Hanzhi he had not bothered clearing his name earlier because his contract termination was already settled and he expected more slander.
• Lin Hanzhi remembered finding Qi Gu’s file and Yue Yuan’s letter in a magically sealed box, then recalling how the letter had brought him to tears.

Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi rested together, while Wei Cai’s public downfall unfolded after Qi Gu’s post and official media announcements. Qi Gu then prepared to help a former teacher whose family was being haunted by a ghost posing as her dead husband and targeting them as food.

• Lin Hanzhi recalled Yue Yuan’s letter and how his first impression of Qi Gu changed after getting to know him.
• Qi Gu woke to Mu Xingchen’s updates and saw Wei Cai’s reputation collapse after Qi Gu’s post and official announcements undermined him.
• Shengshi Media terminated Wei Cai’s contract, former artists exposed his abuse, and he was left struggling with debts and fleeing recognition.
• Qi Gu told Lin Hanzhi that he planned to visit a teacher who had helped him when he was a child.
• Qi Gu’s teacher and her family fell ill after the protective talismans he had given her turned to ash.
• The teacher realized that the ghost appearing as her deceased husband wanted to eat her and her family.

Niu An told Qi Gu that her dead husband had returned and seemed to threaten her grandson, Xiao Bao, so Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi went to investigate. After learning that the family had retrieved an offering paper that blew away, Qi Gu disguised their auras and prepared to enter Niu An’s home without alerting the ghost.

• Niu An contacted Qi Gu after her protective talismans burned and her grandson said his grandfather looked as though he wanted to eat him.
• Niu An left home under the pretense of buying groceries and met Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi at a sweet soup shop.
• Niu An explained that her family had retrieved yellow offering paper that blew away, after which Xiao Bao developed a high fever and her husband returned as a ghost.
• Qi Gu said the ghost’s behavior suggested more than ordinary retaliation and proposed posing as Niu An’s son and daughter-in-law to inspect the home.
• Qi Gu used chicken blood to write the birth characters of Niu An’s son and daughter-in-law on his and Lin Hanzhi’s arms, changing their auras.

Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi posed as Niu An’s son and daughter-in-law to observe the ghost husband in her home. The ghost copied her dead husband’s habits, but its hunger for raw flesh revealed its monstrous nature.

• Qi Gu altered the illusion so the ghost would see him and Lin Hanzhi as Niu An’s son and daughter-in-law, and the three went to her home.
• Qi Gu took Xiaobao from the ghost, and he and Lin Hanzhi acted like a loving couple caring for the child.
• The ghost followed Niu An around the home and copied her late husband’s familiar routines with chilling accuracy.
• At Qi Gu’s instruction, Niu An prepared beef blood and ground meat, and the ghost secretly ate a handful while she was away.
• The ghost resumed washing celery and commenting on the scallions, then bared its teeth at Niu An’s neck with raw meat caught between them.

Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi tricked the ghost husband into consuming incense-ash water and an Iron Pellet, exposing it as a hungry ghost and forcing it to reveal that the Cunning Ghost had freed evil ghosts from the Underworld prison. Qi Gu connected the Cunning Ghost to the ghost official from Huai Shui Village and worried about what had happened to the official.

• Niu An served beef pies laced with incense-ash water, while Lin Hanzhi pretended to be pregnant to distract the ghost husband and make it do chores.
• Lin Hanzhi explained that hungry ghosts could impersonate the dead to gain their relatives' trust, and the ghost husband grew increasingly fixated on his supposed baby.
• The incense-ash water weakened the ghost husband and forced it to reveal its hungry ghost form, after which Qi Gu fed it an Iron Pellet that compelled it to tell the truth.
• Under the Iron Pellet's influence, the hungry ghost said the Cunning Ghost had entered the Underworld and released several evil ghosts from the prison.
• Qi Gu connected the Cunning Ghost's earlier attack on the ghost prison to the ghost official who had pursued it, and worried that the official might have been harmed or punished.

Qi Gu handed the escaped hungry ghost over to the Underworld and learned that the Azure Bone was glazed bone, linked to a Glazed Ghost and a prophecy of the world's destruction. After visiting Niu An, Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi exchanged heartfelt wishes for each other's happiness and well-being.

• The hungry ghost told Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi that Cunning Ghost had erased its tracking pact and that it had escaped from the Underworld prison.
• Qi Gu summoned the ghost official, who revealed that nearly all the escaped evil ghosts had been recaptured and identified Qi Gu's Azure Bone as glazed bone from a Glazed Ghost.
• Qi Gu warned the ghost official that glazed bone might be hidden in the ghost prison, and the official gave him Underworld tools and a fresh peach before taking the hungry ghost away.
• Niu An thanked Qi Gu for rescuing her family, and Qi Gu accepted only one yuan and gave her a ticket to visit the Shrine at Floating Mist Temple.
• As Niu An said goodbye, she wished Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi happiness, and Lin Hanzhi later wished Qi Gu happiness, peace, good health, and success.
• Qi Gu returned Lin Hanzhi's blessing, wishing him the same from then on.

Qi Gu went to keep Lin Hanzhi company when he could not sleep, only to discover that Lin Hanzhi was drunk and harshly criticizing himself. Qi Gu cared for him and defended him, and Lin Hanzhi ended the night smiling after Qi Gu called him a friend.

• Qi Gu went to Lin Hanzhi's room because he could not sleep and wanted to spend time talking with him.
• Lin Hanzhi suggested they talk about someone they hated, then said he hated himself for being weak, irresponsible, wasteful, and arrogant.
• Qi Gu realized Lin Hanzhi had been drinking fruit wine and tried to get him cleaned up and into bed.
• Lin Hanzhi clung to Qi Gu, complained when he spoke to the butler, and said drinking had not eased his worries.
• Qi Gu told Lin Hanzhi to stop insulting his friend, and Lin Hanzhi smiled and drank the sobering soup.

Qi Gu cared for Lin Hanzhi while he was still drunk, and Lin Hanzhi clung to him with unexpected strength. Qi Gu let Lin Hanzhi hold him in bed, where he fell asleep without feeling entirely annoyed by the closeness.

• After Lin Hanzhi finished his medicine, Qi Gu admired his eyes and pinched his cheek.
• Lin Hanzhi pressed his face into Qi Gu’s hand and clung tightly to him.
• Qi Gu told Lin Hanzhi they should sleep in bed, so Lin Hanzhi carried him there.
• Lin Hanzhi embraced Qi Gu from behind and repeatedly placed his hands over Qi Gu’s abdomen.
• Qi Gu accepted being held for the night and fell asleep soon after the lights went out.

After Qi Gu looked after Lin Hanzhi through a drunken night, the two shared breakfast, where Jing Ping’s assumptions about their relationship angered Lin Hanzhi. Jing Ping confronted Lin Hanzhi about his feelings for Qi Gu, leaving Lin Hanzhi wondering whether Qi Gu might feel the same.

• Qi Gu woke beside Lin Hanzhi, who still had his hands around his abdomen, and later found Jing Ping at the door.
• Jing Ping mistook the previous night for Qi Gu and Lin Hanzhi’s first intimate encounter, while Lin Hanzhi recalled being held by Qi Gu when he was drunk.
• Qi Gu called Lin Hanzhi cute and asked whether his headache had eased, making Lin Hanzhi happy.
• At breakfast, Jing Ping served cushions and longan and lotus seed soup as part of a supposed Lin family tradition, prompting Lin Hanzhi to take him aside.
• Lin Hanzhi told Jing Ping that he and Qi Gu were not in that kind of relationship, but admitted he had feelings for Qi Gu.
• Jing Ping argued that Qi Gu treated Lin Hanzhi differently from others and might return his feelings, leaving Lin Hanzhi stunned and doubtful.

Lin Hanzhi realized Qi Gu likely loved him and decided he would accept Qi Gu if he confessed, while promising to give him everything he had. As they shared breakfast, Lin Hanzhi’s affection became more obvious, though Qi Gu mistook his questions about Jing Ping for gossip.

• Jing Ping told Lin Hanzhi that Qi Gu treated him differently, and Lin Hanzhi accepted that Qi Gu likely had a place for him in his heart.
• Lin Hanzhi told Jing Ping he would stay with Qi Gu until the end of his life if Qi Gu took the first step, and promised to give him everything he possessed.
• Lin Hanzhi planned to return that night, but Qi Gu urged him to rest and said he was going back to the temple, so Lin Hanzhi agreed to return the next morning.
• At breakfast, Lin Hanzhi openly said he liked looking at Qi Gu, and Qi Gu returned the compliment by saying Lin Hanzhi was good-looking.
• Qi Gu called Jing Ping good-looking too, prompting Lin Hanzhi to ask whether he found Jing Ping handsome; Qi Gu then learned Jing Ping squinted because he was severely nearsighted and refused to wear glasses.

Qi Gu worried about Lin Hanzhi as he returned to Floating Mist Temple, while Lin Hanzhi flew to Shanyin City for a mission and admitted to Miao Yue that he had his own plans regarding Qi Gu. Lin Hanzhi left on the flight still missing Qi Gu, and Miao Yue returned to her seat after teasing him.

• Qi Gu returned to Floating Mist Temple with snacks and ignored Golden Toad's flattery while worrying that Lin Hanzhi might not have packed warm clothes.
• Qi Gu messaged Lin Hanzhi about the cold, and Lin Hanzhi replied that he had warm clothes and thanked Qi Gu for caring.
• Lin Hanzhi boarded a first-class flight with Miao Yue, reread his messages from Qi Gu, and unconsciously drew Qi Gu's portrait on the mission briefing.
• Miao Yue teased Lin Hanzhi about his feelings for Qi Gu, and Lin Hanzhi told her not to say anything to Qi Gu because he had his own plans.
• Lin Hanzhi threatened to send Miao Yue back to economy, so she apologized and returned to her seat to order food.

Qi Gu accompanied Niu An to pray at Floating Mist Temple, and she dreamed that night of reuniting with her late husband. Later, Qi Gu noticed sinister energy around Lin Hanzhi’s location in Shanyin City and warned him to stay away, though Lin Hanzhi was already standing there.

• Qi Gu found Niu An in the temple crowd, guided her to the deities and Shigong, and prayed for her before taking her to lunch.
• Niu An dreamed of her husband, who apologized for staying away and promised to work for spirit money to visit her dreams.
• After waking in the evening, Qi Gu saw Lin Hanzhi’s messages and recognized dangerous black energy in his aerial photo of Shanyin City.
• Lin Hanzhi, already at the dangerous site with Xiao Wang, sent Qi Gu a message claiming he would avoid haunted places and followed it with a puppy sticker.

Lin Hanzhi and Miao Yue hunted a Skinning Ghost in the mountains, where Lin Hanzhi used himself as bait and killed it with ease. Afterward, he posed for photos to send to Qi Gu, while keeping his other reason for visiting Shanyin City to himself.

• Lin Hanzhi delayed revealing his true self to Qi Gu because he worried Qi Gu would be angry about the persona he had adopted when they first met.
• Lin Hanzhi and Miao Yue tracked a Skinning Ghost that had been wearing the guesthouse owner's skin and targeting a livestreaming influencer.
• Lin Hanzhi lured the Skinning Ghost into ambushing him, then killed it with a Bone Blade after it targeted his face.
• Lin Hanzhi sent Xiao Wang off duty and went with Miao Yue to take photos, promising to open a fashion shop for her if the pictures turned out well.
• Lin Hanzhi reviewed Miao Yue's photos and debated which to send Qi Gu first, while Miao Yue told him to send a long shot, then a medium shot, then a close-up.

Lin Hanzhi sent Qi Gu photos of himself, and Qi Gu saved one while insisting his racing heart might be an illness. Lin Hanzhi suspected he might be the reason and sent Qi Gu a heart rate monitor strap so he could track what caused the episodes.

• Miao Yue took photos of Lin Hanzhi and encouraged him to use one as his profile picture for Qi Gu to see.
• Qi Gu saved Lin Hanzhi's close-up photo, praised his looks, and complimented his new profile picture.
• Qi Gu told Lin Hanzhi that his heart sometimes beat unusually fast and asked where to get a heart rate monitor strap.
• Lin Hanzhi asked Miao Yue to find heart specialists, then wondered whether Qi Gu's racing heart might be connected to him.
• Lin Hanzhi offered to send Qi Gu a monitor strap and suggested he record what he was doing whenever his heart beat fast.

Qi Gu puzzled over his unexpected smile after tutoring Mu Xingchen, while Lin Hanzhi secretly left his hotel and drove to Yue Yuan’s grave. There, the chapter recalled how Yue Yuan had been ostracized as a child until Lin Hanzhi’s parents befriended him.

• Qi Gu saved Lin Hanzhi’s profile picture, then corrected Mu Xingchen’s pronunciation and assigned him twenty lines to copy.
• After ending the call, Qi Gu realized he had been smiling and ate a Snow Meiniang while wondering why.
• Miao Yue complained about Lin Hanzhi’s strange smile, and Lin Hanzhi threatened to give her shop to Pubu Gesang unless she met his decorating deadline.
• Lin Hanzhi checked into a separate hotel room from Miao Yue, then secretly climbed out of his suite and drove away in a rented Volkswagen.
• Lin Hanzhi drove to the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Shanyin City, where Yue Yuan was buried, and remembered Yue Yuan’s difficult childhood and friendship with Lin Hanzhi’s parents.

Yue Yuan recalled his difficult childhood, the kindness of his mother, and how Lin Yan and Ning Xiao became his true friends. At an Anomalous Affairs Bureau meeting, Lin Yan and Ning Xiao returned from studying abroad and reunited with him as his new teammates.

• Yue Yuan joined the Anomalous Affairs Bureau at eighteen, but teammates later distanced themselves after he revealed he had not received the Yue family's legacy.
• Yue Yuan remembered his mother's death, his harsh treatment in the Yue family, and how Lin Yan and Ning Xiao defended him from bullies at school.
• Yue Yuan recalled that he and Lin Yan and Ning Xiao had stayed in occasional contact while they studied abroad.
• Lin Yan and Ning Xiao returned after completing their studies and joined the Anomalous Affairs Bureau.
• Lin Yan and Ning Xiao chose Yue Yuan as their mentor, and Yue Yuan lifted both friends into his arms in delight.

Yue Yuan rose to become a leader in the Anomalous Affairs Bureau while remaining close to Lin Yan, Ning Xiao, and their son, Lin Hanzhi. When he learned that the Lin family had been massacred, he rushed to the villa and found Lin Hanzhi alive beside his dead parents, calling for his family.

• Lin Yan and Ning Xiao gave Yue Yuan access to parts of their families’ secret techniques, and he later received the Yue family’s techniques after proving himself.
• Yue Yuan, Lin Yan, and Ning Xiao advanced through the Anomalous Affairs Bureau, and Lin Yan and Ning Xiao had a son named Lin Hanzhi.
• Yue Yuan stayed devoted to Lin Hanzhi’s milestones as he rose into the General Bureau’s leadership and gained authority over the Yue family.
• Yue Yuan learned that forty-six members of the Lin family had been killed and hurried to the Lin family villa despite the lingering ghostly energy.
• Inside the villa, Yue Yuan found Lin Yan and Ning Xiao dead with Lin Hanzhi alive against them, faintly calling for his family.