Definition
The foundational artifact of a suffering-cult, described as a red bamboo slip that becomes a living creature of writhing maggots. It acts as a focus for sensory fusion with Bashe.
Thousand Greats Record
The foundational artifact of a suffering-cult, described as a red bamboo slip that becomes a living creature of writhing maggots. It acts as a focus for sensory fusion with Bashe.
Story context
Ah, fellow Daoists, we've officially entered the "fetch quest from a dubious holy woman" arc! And let me tell you, nothing screams "good deal" like bargaining with a blind, morbidly obese abbess who keeps her mummified son tucked in her body folds. This chapter is a masterclass in *transactional horror*—Li Huowang secures the final condition for Danyangzi's exorcism, only to find himself dispatched on a hunt for a shapeshifting monster with zero intel. Meanwhile, down in the inn, Bai Lingmiao is having a crisis of the heart, and Chun Xiaoman drops some heavy life philosophy. It's the calm before the storm, but the calm smells like pus and dried persimmons.
Why it matters
- **Pay attention to the silent Second Spirit.** The woman in the red veil has been standing behind Bai Lingmiao's door the entire time she was bathing and thinking. This isn't just a jump scare setup; it reinforces that Li Huowang's group now carries a permanent, uncanny observer. What does she hear? What does she see? - **Jingxin's son is a dark mirror.** He's an older, more ruined Heart-Element, kept alive only by his mother's grotesque care. Li Huowang might be looking at his own future—a withered thing fed through the cracks of someone else's mercy. Jingxin's pity is not comforting. - **Bai Lingmiao's secret is growing.** She's clearly holding something back—likely her own awakening as a vessel for Wusheng Laomu or a related power. Her decision to *not* tell Li Huowang is a character beat that will ripple. She's no longer just a passive follower; she's making strategic emotional choices. - **The "fetch quest" is a horror hook.** Sending the hero to fight a monster whose weakness is unknown is a classic setup. Here, the horror is that Li Huowang's safety net (Danyangzi's parasitic protection) is also the thing he's trying to destroy. He's walking a knife's edge.
Quick facts
Source novel
Dao Gui Yi Xian
First appearance
Down the Mountain
Chapter references
31
Type hints
Dao guiyi xian, Li Huowang, Danyangzi exorcism
Guide tags
body horror, folk horror, deal with the devil
Appears in chapters
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Chapter 85
Down the Mountain
Li Huowang agrees to hunt a shapeshifting evil spirit called Layue Shiba to secure Jingxin's help. Meanwhile, Bai Lingmiao debates her secrets and Xiaoman vows to never marry.
Chapter 100
Night Talks
Li Huowang recovers from his injuries after defeating Layue Shiba. He secures the entity's eyes and has a critical conversation with Bai Lingmiao about the dangerous price of supernatural healing.
Chapter 107
The Flies Begin to Buzz
Abbess Jingxin grafts blood-red eyeballs into her sockets. Six obese nuns roll out on carts. A giant Buddha made of flies buzzes in the pit. The exorcism of Danyangzi finally begins in the most grotesque way possible.
Chapter 109
Danyangzi
Danyangzi is alive inside Li Huowang’s stomach. When the nuns fail to bind him, Li Huowang takes a knife to his own gut to prove he’ll never be a puppet. This is the final, bloody standoff of the Danyangzi arc.
Chapter 116
Dog
Li Huowang walks alone toward the Ao-Jing Sect’s mountain lair, but his worst enemy isn’t a monster—it’s a stray dog, a full moon, and the terrifying gaps in his own memory.
Chapter 119
The Price of a Cure
Li Huowang learns the Ao-Jing Sect doesn't worship Bashe—they plan to steal its power. Their "cure" for Danyangzi involves an atrocity that redefines horror.
Related terms
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