Chapter Summaries

Jiang Nuo tortured A Man into revealing that Ma Ye was the mastermind behind the sacrifices, then went with Si Yan into the blood-flower forest. While Qian Sen and the others fought through walking corpses, Jiang Nuo and Si Yan swung through the trees toward them.

• Jiang Nuo forced A Man to confirm that Ma Ye had recruited him and the tour guide to capture people for sacrifices, then killed him.
• Si Yan sensed ghosts guarding the bamboo house, and he and Jiang Nuo followed the others into the dense forest.
• Qian Sen, Zhou Ling, Chu Xiu, and Lin Yu battled walking corpses among the blood-colored flowers, and Lin Yu pointed out an unusual black tree as a possible source.
• Jiang Nuo sealed his and Si Yan’s sense of smell, then climbed into the trees with Si Yan and began swinging through the forest.

Jiang Nuo used his ghost helpers and strange magical tools to destroy the walking corpses and expose the blood-sucking flowers, then confronted Ma Ye. As Ma Ye unleashed skeletal hands from the black trees, Zhou Ling secretly used her astrolabe to confirm Qian Sen was being tempted by Lin Yu.

• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan reached the others in the forest, where Jiang Nuo's ghost helpers kept the hostile spirits from attacking them.
• Jiang Nuo lured the walking corpses toward his tree with off-key singing, then trapped them in a talisman-covered fishing net that set them ablaze.
• Jiang Nuo used a magical hair dryer to blow away the blood-colored flowers, and Si Yan blocked a blast of magic from Ma Ye.
• Ma Ye revealed himself, declared himself the tribe's god, and ordered skeletal ghost hands to attack Jiang Nuo.
• Zhou Ling used her astrolabe and cards to determine that Qian Sen was beginning to feel tempted by Lin Yu, but she kept the discovery from Si Yan.

Jiang Nuo exposed Ma Ye’s scheme, gathered the Bone Witch Tribe’s stolen living souls, and had the wronged souls kill Ma Ye. With the mystery nearly solved, Jiang Nuo set out to return the souls to the tribespeople.

• Jiang Nuo discovered his fire could not burn the black trees and used the Eight Treasures Gourd to separate the living souls from them.
• Qian Sen explained that the souls had been torn from the Bone Witch Tribe’s people, and Chu Xiu realized the supposed divine punishment was Ma Ye’s doing.
• Si Yan struck Ma Ye down while Jiang Nuo collected the souls, then Jiang Nuo learned there were no more souls hidden with him.
• Jiang Nuo explained that Ma Ye had used false worship, stolen souls, and walking-corpse puppets to control the Bone Witch Tribe and target tourists.
• Jiang Nuo had his wronged-soul helpers tear Ma Ye apart, then led them back to return the collected souls as the side quest reached 90%.

Jiang Nuo pressed the Bone Witch Tribe’s leaders to explain their worship of the deer head while preparing to return the captured souls to the unconscious tribespeople. The old witch doctor revealed that the tribe had invented its god to keep young people from leaving and had preserved its chiefs as an undying corpse.

• Jiang Nuo asked the high priest to gather the families of unconscious tribespeople so he could return their souls from the Eight Treasures Gourd.
• Lin Yu and Chu Xiu explained the god scam to the gathered tribe, but the angry tribespeople refused to believe them and the crowd grew difficult to control.
• Jiang Nuo demanded that the high priest explain the tribe’s ancient god, and Si Yan raised the gourd as if he would smash it unless the truth came out.
• The old witch doctor said the Bone Witch Tribe had no god and that its supposed powers came from inherited witchcraft.
• The old witch doctor explained that the chief had invented the god to keep young people from leaving, and the high priest admitted that the chiefs for over a hundred years had been an undying corpse made with witchcraft.

Jiang Nuo exposed the Bone Witch Tribe's secrets, returned its people's living souls, and completed the expedition mission. After the livestream, online attention centered on Jiang Nuo and Si Yan, while Lin Yu's fans attacked Jiang Nuo and Cui Ming warned him that Lin Yu was using a calculated publicity tactic.

• Jiang Nuo offered to return the tribespeople's living souls if the high priest told them the truth, and the Nuo priestesses agreed to the deal.
• The high priest revealed the truth, and Jiang Nuo released the living souls so the tribespeople's loved ones could awaken.
• The guests completed the expedition and left with the surviving tourists, ending the livestream and prompting official outreach to the Bone Witch Tribe.
• Viewers made Jiang Nuo and Si Yan's relationship a trending topic, while Lin Yu's fans mocked Jiang Nuo and the two fanbases entered a war.
• Lin Yu posted a friendly message thanking Jiang Nuo, and a brand approached Jiang Nuo about becoming an ambassador.
• Cui Ming stopped Jiang Nuo from replying to Lin Yu and explained that Lin Yu was trying to make him look arrogant.

Jiang Nuo warned Cui Ming that his neighbor might be a ghost and sent him to dinner with a protective talisman, then amused himself with shipper posts and new scenes in the script. When Si Yan saw the screenshots Jiang Nuo had sent, he mistook them for an invitation and confronted him in a seductive mood, leaving Jiang Nuo pulled into his embrace.

• Cui Ming told Jiang Nuo that Lin Yu and a brand were conspiring to bury positive publicity, and Jiang Nuo advised him to meet his neighbor with a talisman because she might be a powerful ghost.
• Jiang Nuo browsed shipper posts and sent screenshots to Si Yan, then received an expanded script with many new scenes pairing him with Si Yan.
• Si Yan read the screenshots and imagined Jiang Nuo wanted to try the intimate scenarios they described.
• Si Yan went to Jiang Nuo's apartment in his robe and guided Jiang Nuo's hand over his chest and body.
• Jiang Nuo admitted he had not understood the screenshots, but Si Yan insisted he take responsibility and pulled him close.

Jiang Nuo and Si Yan shared an intimate afternoon that increased the progress of changing the villain’s tragic ending to 12%. Meanwhile, Jiang Nuo’s supernatural celebrity fame surged, and Cui Ming was surprised when President Zhou offered him an S-rank contract.

• Jiang Nuo discovered that intimate contact with Si Yan soothed his missing love soul, and the two spent the afternoon together; 0732 later announced 12% progress and 200 reward points.
• Jiang Nuo’s fame grew after his return from the Bone Witch Tribe, while his fans celebrated his supernatural reputation and defended his old acting performances.
• Feathers fans noticed that posting hostile edits of Jiang Nuo brought them bad luck, so they deleted the posts and hashtags.
• Cui Ming asked President Zhou to upgrade Jiang Nuo’s C+ contract, and President Zhou unexpectedly handed him an S-rank contract prioritizing Jiang Nuo’s resources.

Jiang Nuo joined filming Brocade Rivers and Mountains, where he sensed a mysterious force at the set while cleansing it with talismans. The production began with a scene between Si Yan and Jiang Nuo, and Jiang Nuo warned Si Yan not to use spiritual power for a while.

• Cui Ming accepted a clean, favorable contract from President Zhou, who worried about keeping the company’s young artists satisfied after Seven Shadows Entertainment was acquired by the Si Group.
• Jiang Nuo arrived on the set of Brocade Rivers and Mountains and discovered that many cast members had become his fans after watching his variety show.
• While Jiang Nuo burned talismans during the incense offering, he sensed an extraordinary force that quickly vanished, then cautioned Si Yan against using spiritual power.
• Si Yan and Jiang Nuo filmed a scene in which Xuanyuan Li confided his doubts about his father and Juechen cheered him with a sword dance.
• During the break, Jiang Nuo warmed Si Yan while crew members delighted in their affectionate behavior, and the director called Jiang Nuo back for the next scene.

While filming a confrontation scene, Jiang Nuo's intense performance overwhelmed Zhang Quan, who later collapsed with a life-threatening condition. The crew suspected Jiang Nuo had harmed him, and Jiang Nuo's blunt explanation only frightened them more.

• Jiang Nuo asked Zhang Quan if he was okay, but Zhang Quan insisted he could film despite looking exhausted.
• Jiang Nuo's killing intent as Juechen made Zhang Quan forget his lines, and the director repeatedly called cut.
• Si Yan refused the director's request to tell Jiang Nuo to rein in his performance and instead blamed the director for choosing the wrong actor.
• During a scene, Zhang Quan collapsed after Jiang Nuo pushed his palm forward, and the crew found his face dark and bruised.
• The crew rushed Zhang Quan to the hospital while his assistant warned Jiang Nuo to stay back, causing nearby workers to suspect him.
• Si Yan comforted Jiang Nuo, who said he would have used a different method if he had wanted to kill Zhang Quan, frightening a passing crew member.

After a video of Zhang Quan collapsing spread online, Jiang Nuo was blamed for hurting him, but he went to the hospital to investigate what had happened. Zhang Quan’s intern assistant revealed that the company president had ordered him to accuse Jiang Nuo if Zhang Quan suffered an accident, and hinted at a troubling private meeting between Zhang Quan and the president.

• A gossip account posted footage of Zhang Quan collapsing during a scene with Jiang Nuo, and the video spread alongside accusations that Jiang Nuo had attacked him.
• Seven Hidden Entertainment’s PR team found that many of Zhang Quan’s apparent fans were coordinated accounts, suggesting someone had prepared to exploit his injury.
• The Glutinous Rice Fans urged people to wait for facts, while the Brocade Rivers and Mountains account confirmed that Zhang Quan was hospitalized and asked the public not to speculate.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan arrived at the hospital, where doctors said Zhang Quan had briefly lost consciousness from overexertion despite finding no clear medical cause.
• Si Yan questioned Zhang Quan’s assistant, and Jiang Nuo pressed him to explain what Zhang Quan had encountered before collapsing.
• The assistant confessed that the company president had told him to blame Jiang Nuo if Zhang Quan had an accident, and said Zhang Quan had once been alone with the president in his office.

Jiang Nuo identified Zhang Quan’s condition as a supernatural transformation and arranged for the young assistant to care for him while he investigated the cause. At Taiying Entertainment, Zhou Yize claimed that he and Jiang Nuo had been high school classmates and that Jiang Nuo had pursued him.

• Jiang Nuo found Zhang Quan’s body stiffening and explained that he had become a human-shaped jiangshi, then gave the young assistant talismans and instructions for keeping him safe at home.
• The director agreed to drive the young assistant home, and the production team announced that supernatural forces had caused Zhang Quan’s unconsciousness without showing his face.
• Jiang Nuo ignored the online arguments and used Zhou Bapi’s connections to visit Taiying Entertainment, where he sensed a familiar, unsettling presence.
• Zhou Yize welcomed Jiang Nuo to his office and said they had been high school classmates and Jiang Nuo had pursued him.
• Jiang Nuo denied remembering Zhou Yize, and Zhou showed him a photo as proof.

Jiang Nuo confronted Zhou Yize about Zhang Quan and discovered a sinister jade ruyi connected to the zombie transformation. After Zhang Quan began livestreaming about an invisible child, Jiang Nuo went to help him and learned that Zhang Quan claimed to have seven children.

• Jiang Nuo questioned Zhou Yize about Zhang Quan and recognized corpse qi around a jade ruyi in Zhou Yize's office.
• Jiang Nuo threatened Zhou Yize, but lowered his sleeve blade when Zhou Yize recalled that Jiang Nuo had once been called Jiang Qi and had changed his name.
• Jiang Nuo took the jade ruyi and gave Zhou Yize a talisman, then refused Zhou Yize's request to exchange contact details.
• Zhang Quan's assistant called Jiang Nuo to report that Zhang Quan had awakened and started a livestream claiming he had a baby.
• Jiang Nuo arrived at Zhang Quan's home and asked about the child, and Zhang Quan said he had seven children.

Jiang Nuo resisted Lin Yu’s attempt to control him through Zhang Quan and removed the thread controlling Zhang Quan’s body. Lin Yu failed to kill Jiang Nuo and, after speaking with Lord An Yin, resolved to keep feeding people and target Si Yan.

• Zhang Quan tried to attack Jiang Nuo while Lin Yu used the Manipulation Technique to control him, but Jiang Nuo broke free and injured Lin Yu through the livestream.
• Lin Yu poured blood into a coffin and asked his brother for help, causing Ghost Power to strengthen its control over Zhang Quan.
• Jiang Nuo subdued Zhang Quan, exposed the holes in his back, and pulled a writhing thread from his body before tying it to the bed frame.
• After the thread was removed, Zhang Quan began healing, and Jiang Nuo addressed the person behind the attack through the livestream.
• Lin Yu demanded that Lord An Yin help him kill Jiang Nuo, but Lord An Yin said the time had not come and warned that Jiang Nuo was powerful.
• Lin Yu accepted Lord An Yin’s answer and decided to keep finding people to feed on, while setting his sights on Si Yan’s spiritual energy.

Jiang Nuo explained that Zhang Quan had been used as a puppet by the Ghost King and could not be saved, then offered to refine him into a Half-Corpse Soul so he could avenge his grandmother. At the Dao Xuan Association, Zhou Ling told Si Yan that Lin Yu had lured Qian Sen toward losing his sanity.

• Jiang Nuo ended the livestream after explaining the Puppet Thread and realizing Zhang Quan's grandmother was likely dead and Zhang Quan was beyond saving.
• Jiang Nuo offered to refine Zhang Quan into a Half-Corpse Soul, and Zhang Quan agreed so he could personally kill the enemy who murdered his family.
• Jiang Nuo left Zhang Quan Yin Spirit Talismans and began considering how to find a resentful soul as a catalyst for the refinement.
• Si Yan met Zhou Ling at the Dao Xuan Association, where she revealed that Lin Yu had lured Qian Sen toward losing his sanity.

Zhou Ling told Si Yan about Su Hen’s murder, while Qian Sen was brought to the Association after killing a neighbor and falling under the control of an evil soul. Si Yan captured part of the evil soul but could not save Qian Sen, and its words raised questions about the souls within Si Yan.

• Zhou Ling warned Si Yan that Lin Yu might threaten ordinary people and asked why he had not told Jiang Nuo about his identity as the Association’s young master.
• Si Yan questioned Qian Sen, who alternated between begging for help and speaking as an evil soul that called Si Yan a bearer of multiple souls.
• Pu Sang tried to purify Qian Sen and discovered the evil soul had nearly devoured his soul; Wang Ping suspected Qian Sen had invited it in willingly.
• Si Yan forced the evil soul out of Qian Sen and restrained it, but it wounded Pu Sang and escaped through a window after sacrificing half its soul body.
• Si Yan captured the remaining half of the evil soul, while Wang Ping told him that Qian Sen could not be brought back to life.

Si Yan investigated a torn record about the instance game and learned the Dao Xuan Association’s elder might know more. After returning home, he heard about Jiang Nuo’s recent discoveries and panicked when Jiang Nuo revealed he had once written Zhou Yize a love letter.

• Si Yan asked Si Mingde for access to the association’s secret archives and found a torn record mentioning a system, an uncompleted mission, and a connection to reality.
• Si Mingde said the elder had kept the record and promised to ask him about it when he returned from Wa Country.
• Si Yan reminded Si Mingde not to miss his upcoming birthday, then returned home to find Jiang Nuo asleep on the couch.
• Jiang Nuo told Si Yan that Zhang Quan had become a humanoid zombie, described the burial offerings and the possible Ghost King, and showed him the jade ruyi Zhou Yize had given him.
• Si Yan became jealous when Jiang Nuo identified Zhou Yize as a high school classmate and admitted he had written him a love letter, then begged Jiang Nuo not to leave him.

Jiang Nuo reassured a jealous Si Yan that he had no feelings for Zhou Yize, but Zhou Yize’s photos of Jiang Nuo in high school led Si Yan to suspect Jiang Nuo had lost his living soul. Si Yan blocked Zhou Yize and saved the photos before going to bed with Jiang Nuo.

• Jiang Nuo comforted Si Yan over the old love letter and promised that he and Zhou Yize would have nothing to do with each other.
• Si Yan found Zhou Yize’s friend request on Jiang Nuo’s phone, accepted it, and sent Zhou Yize a video identifying himself as Jiang Nuo’s boyfriend.
• Zhou Yize sent Si Yan photos of Jiang Nuo in high school, and Si Yan noticed Jiang Nuo’s vacant expression and connected it to the possibility that he was missing his living soul.
• Si Yan thanked Zhou Yize, blocked and deleted him, and secretly saved the photos to his own phone.
• Si Yan told Jiang Nuo that he had deleted Zhou Yize, then went to the bathroom to wash up.

After Si Yan’s strange dreams, Jiang Nuo and Si Yan joined Cui Ming at his apartment to investigate the ghost haunting him. Cui Ming passed out after seeing a terrifying corridor, and woke alone as his wardrobe door opened.

• Si Yan woke from fragmented dreams with lingering sorrow and stayed in bed with Jiang Nuo until Cui Ming arrived with lunch.
• Cui Ming told Jiang Nuo that he kept dreaming of a female ghost eating him, so Jiang Nuo proposed visiting Cui Ming’s apartment to investigate.
• On the way to Cui Ming’s apartment, the elevator opened onto a dark corridor filled with writhing hair, and Cui Ming fainted after seeing Jiang Nuo and Si Yan’s faces wrapped in it.
• Jiang Nuo and Si Yan dragged Cui Ming home, noticed the apartment’s dense resentment, and discussed using it to catalyze the Half-Corpse Soul and lure out the female ghost.
• Cui Ming woke in the dim bedroom, remembered the elevator nightmare, and heard his wardrobe door slowly open.

Cui Ming was trapped in a nightmare where Li Dan’s ghost pursued him and seemed to attach her head to his neck. Jiang Nuo woke him, but Cui Ming discovered that the talisman from his back was missing in reality too.

• Cui Ming saw Li Dan’s severed head in his wardrobe, then fled through a bathroom where blood poured from the faucet and bloody handprints appeared outside the seventh-floor window.
• Cui Ming ran to Jiang Nuo and Si Yan for help, but the ghost appeared on his neck and the two men turned into eerie, puppet-like figures.
• Jiang Nuo used spiritual power to wake Cui Ming after yin energy trapped him in a nightmare, and Si Yan splashed cold water on him.
• Jiang Nuo played Cui Ming’s first love’s ringtone to convince him that he was awake, then explained that the song was tied to his old trauma.
• Cui Ming checked the bathroom and realized the talisman had disappeared, though he believed it had fallen off only in the nightmare.

Jiang Nuo and Si Yan realized Cui Ming’s ghostly neighbor, Li Dan, was a Resentful Sha Woman and devised a plan to lure her out. Li Dan appeared in a rage after seeing Cui Ming pretend to be romantically involved with Lili.

• Jiang Nuo identified the haunting as the work of a Resentful Sha Woman and asked Cui Ming what he knew about his neighbor, Li Dan.
• Cui Ming recalled that Li Dan had hidden her face behind long hair, often bore injuries, and had begun spending time with him two months earlier.
• Jiang Nuo recruited Lili to pretend to be Cui Ming’s girlfriend, while he and Si Yan staged an affectionate scene to provoke Li Dan.
• A gust of yin wind slammed the door shut, and Li Dan accused Cui Ming of lying about liking her.
• Li Dan appeared in the living room and flew into a rage when she saw Cui Ming embracing Lili.