Curtain

Story context

After a hard-won healing, Bai Lingmiao can finally “see” again—though her new perception is anything but ordinary. The chapter opens on a rare moment of domestic joy: a family celebration over roast goose, a brief respite from the endless horror. But the peace doesn’t last. Enter Lian Zhibei, the nosy, portly auntie who was supposed to be off fetching Li Huowang’s mother. Instead, she’s back with a sudden change of heart, offering to sever the immortal’s connection to Bai Lingmiao. What follows is a tense, claustrophobic interplay of trust and suspicion, where an intimate medical procedure becomes a stage for cryptic passphrases and watchful paranoia.

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterclass in tension disguised as a domestic scene. The joy of Bai Lingmiao’s recovery is genuine, but the moment Lian Zhibei knocks on that door, the atmosphere thickens. Pay close attention to the Er Shen’s quiet acceptance of her own erasure—it’s a poignant beat that adds moral complexity to what could have been a simple “cure.” And that whispered passphrase? It’s the kind of detail that rewards re-reading. Li Huowang’s suspicion is not paranoia; it’s survival instinct. The chapter ends on a note of ritualized intimacy (the painted body) that is both beautiful and deeply unsettling—a perfect distillation of what makes this novel’s horror so effective.

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Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian