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Story context

Li Huowang is back on his feet after three days of unconsciousness, and he marks his return with a grisly but crafty bit of self-tailoring—using his own skin to forge a life-saving talisman from the *Thousand Greats Record*. The scene is pure *Dao Guai Yi Xian*: clinical, methodical, and quietly monstrous. Across town, the Bai family compound is ringing with festive cheer as the group celebrates the New Year. But when the celebrants hear a familiar voice at the door, it's not anyone they expected—it's Bai Lingmiao, back from the dead and wearing a very different demeanor. This chapter is a moment of strange calm before the storm, a brief island of warmth (and pork trotters) in a sea of horrors.

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterclass in tonal whiplash. The opening is pure body horror—Li Huowang's calculated self-mutilation is described with the same clinical precision he'd use for any other chore. But then you get Mantou wagging his tail, and then a full-blown New Year's feast with chicken legs and pig trotters. The real hook, though, is Bai Lingmiao's return. Her entrance is not timid or relieved—it's *loud*, *commanding*, and deeply unsettling. Read the scene again and notice how she ignores Chun Xiaoman's embrace, bypasses the small tables, and sits down in the seat of honor without a word. This is not the same woman who left. Something has changed in her, and it's not just confidence. Keep an eye on her dialogue—she's bold, she's cheerful, and she's toasting like a warlord. That's your first hint that the Purple-Tasseled Sword's corruption has taken root.

Quick facts

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Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian