Chapter Summaries

Jiang Nuo and the others investigated the eerie events at the Jiang family home and found that a courtyard’s altered layout had created a place rich in yin energy. After Jiang Nuo scalded Daoist Priest Hu for insulting him, he ordered a full-length mirror placed before the bamboo grove.

• Jiang Zhong told Jiang Nuo that strange footprints, paper toys, and deathly images in mirrors had appeared in the house, while the nanny had opposed calling in an exorcist.
• Si Yan sensed strong yin energy near the rear courtyard, and Jiang Nuo agreed to investigate with him, Jiang Zhong, Old Madam Jiang, and the others.
• Wang Ping judged the courtyard’s bamboo and stream layout to have bad feng shui, and Jiang Nuo explained that it attracted ghosts.
• Daoist Priest Hu praised the courtyard’s feng shui and insulted Jiang Nuo, who threw hot tea at him and warned that he got angry easily.
• Jiang Nuo told Jiang Zhong to place a full-length mirror in front of the bamboo grove.

Jiang Nuo and Si Yan searched Jiang Tong’s room and found signs that he had been hiding someone, while the family and viewers wondered whether that person was human or a ghost. A terrifying girl’s face appeared in the mirror, but the figure behind the curtains proved to be a life-sized leather puppet, which fled into the closet as Daoist Priest Hu pursued it and screamed.

• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan entered Jiang Tong’s unusually decorated room and discovered a double-layered mirror and paired belongings that suggested someone else had been staying there.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan speculated that Jiang Tong might be hiding a nonhuman person, while Jiang Zhong considered whether his brother had a secret lover.
• Uncle Jiang spotted a fast-moving shadow, and a decayed girl’s face appeared in the mirror as the nanny nervously denied knowing her.
• Daoist Priest Hu pulled down the curtains and revealed a life-sized leather puppet that Jiang Nuo recognized as the doll from the money tree.
• The leather puppet fled into the walk-in closet, Daoist Priest Hu chased it, and his agonized scream rang out from inside.

Jiang Nuo subdued the Leather Puppet Ghost and revealed that more ghosts remained at the Jiang residence. As Daoist Priest Hu’s altar ritual summoned another spirit, a female ghost appeared beside Xu Tian in the mirror.

• Jiang Nuo trapped the Leather Puppet Ghost inside a blood-red coat, sealed it with red thread and a talisman, and told Wang Ping he had studied under a deceased Daoist of the Void Sect.
• Jiang Nuo warned the group that other ghosts were still present, while Uncle Jiang fled the residence despite Wang Ping’s warning.
• Daoist Priest Hu set up an altar in the courtyard and performed a ritual to summon the ghosts.
• Xu Tian sensed a presence behind her and screamed when she spotted a female ghost beside her in the mirror.
• Daoist Priest Hu splashed realgar wine and rooster blood at the female ghost.

Jiang Nuo drove off the Mother-Child Fiend after it targeted Si Yan, then entered the bamboo grove to pursue it. There, he animated the paper dolls hanging from the bamboo and sent them after the female ghost.

• The female ghost attacked Daoist Priest Hu, and Jiang Nuo identified her as a Mother-Child Fiend.
• When the fiend tried to seize Si Yan, Jiang Nuo bound her with red thread and wounded the ghost fetus, forcing her to flee into the bamboo grove.
• Daoist Priest Hu warned Jiang Nuo not to enter the grove, but Jiang Nuo went in while Si Yan stayed behind.
• Xu Tian urged the nanny to quit, but the nanny became agitated and refused, leaving Old Madam Jiang and Jiang Zhong suspicious.
• Jiang Nuo found paper dolls hanging in the grove, brought them to life, and sent them after the female ghost.

Jiang Nuo defeated the Mother-Child Fiend and brought the female ghost and her ghost fetus back to the Jiang family. He explained that Jiang Tong had become entangled with the ghost after visiting her grave, leaving the family stunned by his affair with her.

• Jiang Nuo trapped the female ghost in flames and suppressed the ghost fetus with a talisman while the yin dolls distracted it.
• Jiang Nuo captured the two ghosts and returned to the association, where the livestream viewers and staff praised his strength.
• Si Yan cleaned Jiang Nuo’s fingers, and Jiang Nuo rubbed Si Yan’s icy fingertips as the ghosts watched resentfully.
• The female ghost begged Grandma to spare her and claimed the ghost fetus belonged to Tongtong, shocking the Jiang family.
• Jiang Nuo silenced the female ghost and explained that Jiang Tong had been bewitched after placing incense at her grave and had promised to help her bear the fetus.

Jiang Nuo and Si Yan exposed the nanny’s role in Jiang Tong’s death and tied her up, but they had not yet dealt with the Skin Ghost. In a flashback, Uncle Jiang encountered the Leather Puppet Ghost on the bridge and fled to the front courtyard, where someone knocked at the darkened door.

• The nanny attacked Jiang Nuo, and Si Yan kicked her back as Jiang Nuo accused her of helping Jiang Tong summon the female ghost and steal the Jiang Family’s fortune.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan revealed that the nanny had hidden Jiang Tong’s body and used the ghost to cover up the murder.
• Jiang Zhong kicked the nanny, while Old Madam Jiang fainted from shock and was taken to her room.
• Jiang Nuo tied up the nanny with Si Yan’s help, but Si Yan reminded him that the Skin Ghost remained, and Daoist Priest Hu realized someone had died.
• An hour earlier, Uncle Jiang encountered the Leather Puppet Ghost on the seemingly endless bridge, escaped to the front courtyard, and heard a knock after the lights failed.

Jiang Nuo exposed and destroyed the Skin Ghost at the villa after Uncle Jiang died from terror, then helped the police arrest the housekeeper. As Jiang Nuo left with Si Yan, Wang Ping told him the president wanted him to return and repair his soul.

• Uncle Jiang was trapped in the Leather Puppet Ghost’s illusion and died of fright on the bridge before Jiang Nuo and the others could save him.
• Si Yan told Jiang Nuo that the ghost had not killed Uncle Jiang directly, and Jiang Nuo prepared to end the haunting.
• Jiang Nuo used a spell to force the Skin Ghost to appear, then destroyed it in less than a minute.
• Jiang Zhong arrived with the police, who arrested the housekeeper, while the criminal investigation captain thanked Jiang Nuo.
• Jiang Nuo accepted a card from Jiang Zhong, Daoist Priest Hu received a reward, and Wang Ping told Jiang Nuo that the president wanted him to return and repair his soul.

Si Yan absorbed Spiritual Power from Jiang Nuo before visiting his grandfather, Si Mingde, at the association. Si Mingde revealed the crisis facing Hua Country and planned to use the variety show to assess Jiang Nuo and other extraordinary people, while Si Yan underwent painful soul treatment and missed Jiang Nuo.

• Si Yan asked Jiang Nuo to absorb Spiritual Power, and Jiang Nuo bit his neck before soothing his meridians with some of his own source Spiritual Power.
• Si Yan went to the association, where the attendant told him that Si Mingde had been waiting for him.
• Si Mingde noticed Si Yan's healthy meridians and learned that Jiang Nuo's Spiritual Power helped Si Yan's soul recover.
• Si Mingde explained that damaged dragon veins had left Hua Country vulnerable and that the association planned to recruit capable people through the variety show.
• Si Yan asked Si Mingde not to force Jiang Nuo to join the association if he refused.
• Si Yan endured painful silver-needle treatment and longed for Jiang Nuo's embrace.

Jiang Nuo arrived at the Hengdian audition with breakfast for Si Yan, who openly showed off their closeness. The director began filming their audition scene, with Si Yan playing the emperor and Jiang Nuo playing the ruthless general.

• Cui Ming gave Jiang Nuo a lavish lunch box and told him to say he had brought it especially for Si Yan.
• Jiang Nuo handed Si Yan the breakfast, then took his hand and walked with him into the venue.
• Si Yan ate breakfast in the audition room while the director and producer waited.
• The director explained the roles and chose the confrontation between the general and emperor for the audition.
• Si Yan offered to perform the scene with Jiang Nuo, and the director started the camera.

Jiang Nuo impressed the director by auditioning opposite Si Yan, securing the second male lead while Lin Yu was turned away. Si Yan invited Jiang Nuo to stay and watch his next scene, but his thoughts about Jiang Nuo’s motives left him distracted during the audition.

• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan rehearsed a tense imperial scene, and the director praised Jiang Nuo’s acting despite their unexpectedly affectionate chemistry.
• The director refused Lin Yu’s request to audition for the second male lead and told him to submit an audition video for the fourth male lead instead.
• Lin Yu learned that Jiang Nuo had been cast and agreed to play the fourth male lead while his manager arranged for paid fans to claim Jiang Nuo had stolen Lin Yu’s role.
• Jiang Nuo told Cui Ming that he had passed the audition, while Si Yan persuaded him to stay and watch the rest of the auditions.
• Si Yan became distracted by thoughts about Jiang Nuo, and the director called cut during Si Yan’s audition for Consort Li.

During auditions, Xi Zi proposed reworking the story to focus on the complicated bond between Si Yan’s emperor and the general, while making Consort Li his political ally. The director approved the changes, but the team learned that the auditions were already trending online.

• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan’s second take as Consort Li and the emperor veered into revolutionary camaraderie, prompting the director to stop them.
• Xi Zi argued that Consort Li’s role was underdeveloped and that her scenes disrupted the political intrigue.
• Xi Zi suggested exploring the emperor’s emotional conflict with the general and recasting Consort Li as an ally who hoped to reunite with her childhood sweetheart.
• The screenwriter, Si Yan, and the producer supported Xi Zi’s proposals, and the director ordered Screenwriter Song to revise the script.
• A staff member announced that the film’s auditions were trending online.

Lin Yu's fans accused Jiang Nuo of stealing a role in "Brocade Rivers and Mountains," sparking a fierce online feud. Si Yan chose to publicly help Jiang Nuo, and the production team prepared to clarify what happened.

• Yu Today posted that Jiang Nuo had stolen Lin Yu's role and kept him out of the audition, sending the accusation trending on Weibo.
• Fans of Lin Yu, Jiang Nuo, and Si Yan argued online, while Lin Yu's fans expanded their attacks to the production and other cast members.
• Yang Hong and Cui Ming joined Jiang Nuo, Si Yan, and the director to discuss how to stop the controversy from harming the film.
• The director explained that Lin Yu had come to audition for the general's role without an invitation, while Jiang Nuo had been invited to audition.
• Cui Ming proposed that the production confirm its invitation to Jiang Nuo, but Si Yan objected and asked Jiang Nuo to let him help.
• Jiang Nuo agreed, and the director arranged for the production staff to coordinate with Si Yan on a statement.

Si Yan and the production team confirmed that Jiang Nuo was the only actor considered for the general, and footage of his audition shifted attention to his acting and chemistry with Si Yan. Lin Yu’s manager tried to contain the backlash before taking Lin Yu to a dinner, while the cold, incense-filled apartment and the unseen person in Lin Yu’s bedroom continued to unsettle him.

• Si Yan and the Brocade Rivers and Mountains official account denied that Lin Yu had been considered for the general and posted Jiang Nuo’s audition footage.
• Viewers praised Jiang Nuo’s performance and discussed his tension with Si Yan, while Feathers fans continued to attack them and the production team.
• After learning that the clarification had gained traction, Lin Yu’s manager told the paid fan to claim a marketing account had supplied the tip and posted retouched photos of Lin Yu.
• At Lin Yu’s apartment, the manager noticed the strong incense smell and unusually cold water, but Lin Yu refused to discuss the place and went to get ready.
• Lin Yu left with his manager for the dinner, while the manager again wondered why Lin Yu’s supposed older brother never came out of the bedroom.

Lin Yu arranged for a failing streetwear brand to offer its endorsement to Jiang Nuo, while Si Yan moved into the apartment across the hall from him. After settling in beside Jiang Nuo, Si Yan asked him to go shopping at the mall.

• Lin Yu told Da Zhuang to give Jiang Nuo the streetwear endorsement as a gift, and Da Zhuang agreed.
• Cui Ming panicked when Jiang Nuo explained that Si Yan was moving into the apartment across the hall, not moving in with him.
• Si Yan arrived with his belongings and pastries, and Jiang Nuo noticed that Si Yan's body was abnormally cold before warming him under the blanket.
• Si Yan said he had moved nearby so he could see Jiang Nuo every day, and Jiang Nuo teased him while keeping him close.
• When the assistants pointed out items missing from Si Yan's new apartment, Si Yan coaxed Jiang Nuo into going shopping with him.

At the mall, Jiang Nuo protected Si Yan from a stalker fan who attacked them with scalding water and a fruit knife, but he realized Si Yan had deliberately allowed himself to be stabbed. In an emergency stairwell, Si Yan admitted he had feared Jiang Nuo did not care about him, and the two remained intimately close.

• Jiang Nuo spotted a masked man following them at the mall, and the man threw scalding water at him and Si Yan before revealing himself as a stalker fan.
• The stalker fan abused Jiang Nuo, approached Si Yan, and charged at them with a concealed fruit knife, stabbing Si Yan as Jiang Nuo dodged.
• Jiang Nuo disarmed and subdued the stalker fan, marked his neck with silver light, and took the injured Si Yan away from the crowd.
• In an emergency stairwell, Jiang Nuo recognized that Si Yan had deliberately let himself be stabbed and confronted him about getting hurt on purpose.
• Si Yan told Jiang Nuo he had feared Jiang Nuo did not care about him, then kissed his fingers and clung to him.

After Si Yan confessed that he wanted Jiang Nuo to care for him beyond his spiritual power, they kissed and became boyfriends. The police arrested the stalker, while videos of the incident spread online and Cui Ming urgently called the couple back from shopping.

• Jiang Nuo stopped Si Yan's wound from bleeding and washed the blood off him.
• Si Yan asked Jiang Nuo to care about him more, and Jiang Nuo warned him about the danger of attracting his attention.
• Si Yan kissed Jiang Nuo, who returned the kiss and agreed to make their relationship official.
• Police officers brought Jiang Nuo and Si Yan out and arrested the stalker; Si Yan noted that online videos would show them together.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan went shopping for bedding while videos of Jiang Nuo protecting Si Yan won over Ink Wash fans.
• Cui Ming urgently called the two back while they were still shopping.

After Si Yan and Jiang Nuo returned from the mall, they revealed that they had made their relationship official. Yang Hong warned them about public scrutiny and security, while Jiang Nuo earned quest points for protecting Si Yan; the chapter ended with the couple sharing a kiss as Yang Hong looked on.

• Cui Ming reassured Yang Hong that Si Yan's stab wound had been treated, while Jiang Nuo and Si Yan kept Si Yan's Spiritual Power secret from her.
• Cui Ming misread the couple's closeness and thought Si Yan was physically uncomfortable, but Si Yan clarified that he and Jiang Nuo had made their relationship official.
• Yang Hong warned Si Yan to bring security when going out and cautioned that their CP publicity agreement could cause trouble if they revealed their relationship later.
• Si Yan asked to destroy the agreement, Jiang Nuo agreed, and Cui Ming went to prepare lunch while Yang Hong checked online public opinion.
• Jiang Nuo gained 200 quest points for increasing his progress in changing Si Yan's tragic ending, then kissed Si Yan as Yang Hong watched.

Si Yan tried to cook sweet-and-sour shrimp for Jiang Nuo but was repeatedly driven out of the kitchen, while Yang Hong warned Jiang Nuo about the danger surrounding Si Yan’s family. Jiang Nuo promised to protect Si Yan, and Si Yan took him home to change before dinner.

• Si Yan asked Jiang Nuo what food he liked, then confidently headed into the kitchen to make sweet-and-sour shrimp despite not knowing how to cook.
• Yang Hong told Jiang Nuo that members of the Si Family had tried to kill Si Yan and explained she had made him a child star to protect him; Jiang Nuo promised no one would hurt him.
• Si Yan nearly caused a kitchen accident with too much oil, then resisted mixing the shrimp and was eventually told by Cui Ming to leave.
• Si Yan complained to Jiang Nuo that Cui Ming had kicked him out, and Jiang Nuo reassured him that they both lacked cooking aptitude.
• Si Yan noticed he smelled of cooking fumes and asked Jiang Nuo to go home with him to change, while Yang Hong reminded them to return for dinner.

Jiang Nuo felt his soul stir while kissing Si Yan, then learned that Zhou Bapi had accepted a risky endorsement deal for him. The chapter ended with Jiang Nuo discovering that leaving his company would cost eighty million.

• Jiang Nuo sensed a brief soul stirring near Si Yan and tested his suspicion by kissing him, feeling his own soul become nourished.
• Si Yan stopped kissing Jiang Nuo to remind him that it was time to eat, and the two returned to Jiang Nuo's home.
• Cui Ming told Jiang Nuo that Zhou Bapi had secured him an endorsement for Winter at Dusk, a Chinese-style fashion brand facing scandals and closure.
• Yang Hong explained that Winter at Dusk's owners were divorcing, employees had reported strange incidents, and the boss planned to close the brand.
• Si Yan urged Jiang Nuo to leave his company and join his studio, but Cui Ming revealed that Jiang Nuo's contract imposed an eighty-million termination fee.

Jiang Nuo left for Jiangnan to film an advertisement after turning down Si Yan’s offer to help end his endorsement contract. He warmly met his fans at the airport, while Si Yan grew jealous from afar, and the chapter ended with Jiang Nuo arriving at a haunted filming location.

• Jiang Nuo rejected Si Yan’s offer to help terminate his contract, and Zhou decided he should continue the endorsement because solving the brand’s haunting might earn them more money.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan staged a tearful goodbye before Jiang Nuo flew to Jiangnan for a three-day shoot.
• Jiang Nuo greeted fans waiting at the airport, accepted their letters, posed for photos, and arranged warm milk tea for them.
• Si Yan saw the airport visit on Jiang Nuo’s fan Super Topic, tagged Jiang Nuo asking for milk tea, and later received his own drink and a promised love letter.
• Jiang Nuo arrived at the Republican-era filming site, sensed dense ghost qi, and went upstairs to change after noticing a painting of a beautiful woman.