Definition
A ritual from the Thousand Greats Record where the practitioner tears off their own skin, which then expands into a living binding agent.
Benevolent Mother’s Heart-Fasting
A ritual from the Thousand Greats Record where the practitioner tears off their own skin, which then expands into a living binding agent.
Story context
Forget subtle clues and creeping dread—Li Huowang has a fix on his target and he’s going after it like a man possessed (which, fair warning, he very much might be). This chapter is a straight shot of focused, tactical horror: our limping protagonist uses his demon dog as a bloodhound, tracks down the elusive Black Tai Sui, and executes a messy, high-stakes capture in the dark. But the Dao-Twisted World never gives gifts without a price. A new predator—the “flesh hook”—announces itself, and Li Huowang’s solution to the capture problem requires him to peel his own chest open and use the skin as a living net. It’s brutal, it’s visceral, and it ends with a laugh that might be triumph, or might be the sound of something inside him finally breaking.
Why it matters
Alright, *fellow travelers*, take a breath. This chapter is lean, mean, and gives us exactly what we’ve been waiting for: the hunt and capture of the Black Tai Sui. Notice how Li Huowang’s mindset has shifted—he’s not panicking, he’s *calculating*. Even in the middle of a chaotic battle with a regenerating blob monster, he’s scanning for new threats, adjusting plans on the fly, and making the kind of brutal, self-sacrificing call that has become his signature. The laugh at the end isn’t madness (well, not *just* madness); it’s the laugh of a man who has paid the price and finally gotten his hands on the cure. But with that new unknown sound—*wham-shing*—retreating into the dark, we’re left with the uncomfortable feeling that this world’s debt collectors don’t stay quiet for long.
Quick facts
Source novel
Dao Gui Yi Xian
First appearance
The Capture of the Black Tai Sui
Chapter references
1
Type hints
black tai sui, li huowang, flesh hook
Guide tags
body horror, folk horror, xianxia
Appears in chapters
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