Human

Li Sui’s method of appearing human. She is a Black Tai Sui entity that has learned to wear flayed human skin as a disguise. The bath scene shows Bai Lingmiao helping her care for it as if it were ordinary clothing.

Definition

Story context

After a brutal stretch of body horror and ontological warfare, this chapter pulls back the curtain on something almost stranger: domestic life. Li Sui is happily attending school, charming the villagers with her eerie beauty, and learning how to be a “girl” under Bai Lingmiao’s gentle guidance. But the chapter’s real weight sinks in as Bai Lingmiao confesses her fears about motherhood and her quiet envy of Li Sui’s innocence—all while the supernatural world (White Lotus, Sitian Jian) presses in just beyond the window. It’s a slice-of-life breather that tastes like ash and sugar mixed together.

Why it matters

This is one of the most emotionally delicate chapters in the entire novel so far. It rewards careful reading by contrasting monstrous biology with deeply human tenderness. Pay particular attention to Bai Lingmiao’s confession: her fear of passing on her “defect” to a child echoes real-world anxieties about hereditary illness and disability, and her acceptance of Li Sui—initially hesitant, now warmly maternal—shows a quiet maturation that the novel rarely pauses to dramatize. If you’ve been craving Li Sui development and Bai Lingmiao inner life, this chapter is a small feast.