The Seven Relics of ill Omen Recap, Plot, Synopsis

The Seven Relics of ill Omen Synopsis

In ancient times, a meteorite carrying extraterrestrial creatures crashed into Fengzi Ridge, bringing with it seven strange and dangerous beings. These beings could possess human bodies, disturb their minds, and cause them to commit evil deeds.

To prevent this, the great sage and his disciples used divine wood to create seven wooden tablets to imprison the creatures, naming them the "The Seven Relics of Omen." The tablets were then sealed with a special Phoenix-Luan buckle made from fallen meteors. Over generations, heroes passed down the methods for sealing the "Xin Jian", keeping them alive in folklore. A hundred years ago, one of these tablets was accidentally unearthed, and the souls returned to the world.

As strange deaths and incidents unfold, five unlikely heroes are drawn together to form the "Phoenix Team" and set out on a mission to capture the "Xin Jian" and prevent further chaos.

The Seven Relics of ill Omen Recap

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In ancient times, a meteor fell from the sky, bringing with it a terrifying and mysterious power that wreaked havoc on the human world. Although it was eventually sealed away, it was said to have always been seeking a chance to escape. On a winter night twenty-two years ago, Zhang Guanghua climbed up a residential building. The woman inside the room had no idea someone was outside the window.

In the next scene, Li Yaqing was hiding in a closet, so terrified that she covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound. Zhang Guanghua hung each corpse in the air using fishing lines, sitting alone in the center, admiring the masterpiece above his head. Twenty-two years later in Lixi, Huo Zihong smiled when she received news about the Luomahu case she was investigating.

She opened the cabinet housing a statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva and began playing with the knife inside. Mu Dai, entrusted by her adoptive mother Huo Zihong, went alone to find the informant Wan Fenghuo. In the private room of Lao Jiu Hotpot, Mu Dai met Wan Fenghuo, along with Li Tan and Ma Tuwen. According to the rules, no recording or video was allowed inside, but in a car outside, Luo Ren was remotely monitoring everything.

Ma Tuwen urgently notified Luo Ren that the signal needed to be blocked. Luo Ren told him to comply with Wan Fenghuo’s request and then used technical means to activate a hidden pinhole camera in the room, continuing to monitor every move inside. Wan Fenghuo brought out the informant Cen Chunjiao. Cen Chunjiao said the killer of the fishing line murders, Liu Shuhai, had died five years ago.

She explained that when she worked night shifts at a low-end motel, Liu Shuhai, a guest, once asked for hot water at night. As instructed, she brought the water upstairs. After entering the room and helping Liu Shuhai up from the sofa, he collapsed to the ground after only a few steps and died.

Just as she was banging on the door for help, Liu Shuhai suddenly became possessed, looked upward, and, as if making a report, stated information about two victims of the fishing line murder cases. Cen Chunjiao told them that Liu Shuhai was indeed dead, and his body had been found, but a large piece of skin on his back had been cut away. Everyone was skeptical of her information, and Li Tan bluntly accused her of lying.

He told Wan Fenghuo that as the buyer, he was only interested in real information about the Luomahu case. Luo Ren told Ma Tuwen to pay. Although Huo Zihong also doubted the information, she still instructed Mu Dai to pay, reasoning that even if Wan Fenghuo didn’t contribute much, he had at least made an effort. After paying, Li Tan stormed out. Mu Dai quickly followed. Suddenly, the restaurant lost power. Moments later, the surveillance feed resumed.

Luo Ren instructed Ma Tuwen not to return to the car but to enter the mall and run as per his guidance. Luo Ren himself went to deal with the group of people tailing them. While Li Tan was buying liquor, his wallet was stolen. Mu Dai apprehended the thief, Cao Yanhua, and returned the wallet to Li Tan. Li Tan said the money wasn’t important—what mattered was the photo inside.

Mu Dai said the reason she was investigating was because Huo Zihong had been Professor Li’s student. Li Tan showed the photo in the wallet to Mu Dai, explaining that he did it all because of Professor Li’s daughter, Li Yaqing—his fiancée. Mu Dai noticed that the woman in the photo looked a lot like Huo Zihong and reminded Li Tan that perhaps she wasn’t dead. Li Tan became emotional.

He said that back then, he was still a police officer and had been among the first to arrive at the scene. It was horrific—Li Yaqing’s body had been entangled in fishing lines. Before leaving, Li Tan told Mu Dai that the fishing line murders had resurfaced two years ago, and he had seen the perpetrator face-to-face. So Liu Shuhai, who had died five years ago, couldn’t possibly be the killer.

Cao Yanhua told Mu Dai that Luo Ren was monitoring her. Mu Dai boldly walked up to Luo Ren and asked why he was following her. Luo Ren wrote down his number and handed it to her. After looking into Liu Shuhai’s records, they found he had never even been to Luomahu, and they all returned disappointed. Wan Fenghuo handed Mu Dai the information Huo Zihong had asked him to investigate on Zhang Guanghua. Only then did Huo Zihong realize Zhang Guanghua wasn’t dead.

Mu Dai accidentally saw Ma Tuwen getting into Luo Ren’s car and realized that Luo Ren was the man behind Ma Tuwen. She and Cao Yanhua tracked down Luo Ren’s residence. Just as they arrived, Mu Dai saw Cen Chunjiao heading upstairs. To gather intel, Mu Dai used her superb martial arts to scale the wall and climb to Luo Ren’s window. This sight left Cao Yanhua in utter awe.

Luo Ren repeatedly confirmed with Cen Chunjiao about Xiaoshang River, but Cen Chunjiao was certain Liu Shuhai never mentioned it. Cao Yanhua accidentally bumped into an electric scooter at the door, alerting Luo Ren. When Luo Ren looked out the window, he noticed Mu Dai’s shadow clinging to the wall through the glass. He lit a cigarette and quietly left. Only when the cigarette burned out did Mu Dai realize she had been tricked—the room was already empty.

On her way back to Bashu Bieyuan, Mu Dai ran into Li Tan, who was also heading home. She invited him for a drink and asked about the case from two years ago. On the 20th anniversary of the Luoma Lake case, Li Tan unexpectedly saw a strange man enter Li Yaqing’s house.

Since he couldn’t get too close, he only vaguely saw the man feeling around the chiseled holes on the wall, as if reliving past memories—with a somewhat indulgent expression. No longer a policeman and without solid evidence, Li Tan could only keep watch. Eventually, he found the man at a shop near Xiaoshang River. To his shock, the whole family there had been killed, and the man was tying up the corpses with fishing line.

Li Tan struck the man’s head hard, but the man seemed unhurt and was incredibly strong. Just as Li Tan was about to subdue him, someone attacked him from behind, knocking him unconscious. To this day, Li Tan doesn’t know who took him to the hospital. Later, he learned that the shop had burned down, leaving almost no trace of the corpses. Mu Dai suggested Li Tan try hypnosis and asked how many daughters Professor Li had.

Li Tan said Li Yaqing had a twin sister who was abducted in childhood and has been missing ever since. Mu Dai shared this information with Huo Zihong and also told her the killer wasn’t dead. Huo Zihong froze in the middle of the road upon hearing it. Thirteen-Thousand was flirting with girls at the bar when Mu Dai interrupted. She kept calling him “husband” while roughing him up.

Luckily, Huo Zihong came down and told Mu Dai to let go. The name Thirteen-Thousand was given by Mu Dai because Huo Zihong helped him pay off a debt of thirteen thousand yuan. Huo Zihong asked Mu Dai to tell her everything she had learned from Li Tan. Mu Dai received a package with no information on it—inside was a box of strawberries. She remembered the strawberries at Luo Ren’s home. Li Tan underwent hypnosis and produced a sketch.

Upon seeing it, Mu Dai immediately recognized the person as Luo Ren and informed Huo Zihong. Huo Zihong calculated the timeline and said Luo Ren couldn’t be the killer. Mu Dai pointed out that Huo Zihong was the daughter who had been abducted from Professor Li. Huo Zihong tacitly acknowledged it. That night, Mu Dai checked the bar, worried Luo Ren might tamper with it.

But Luo Ren called directly and told her he wouldn't be coming that night—see you tomorrow. Cao Yanhua came to the bar looking for Mu Dai. Huo Zihong arranged for him to stay in the bunk above Thirteen-Thousand. Sure enough, Luo Ren showed up at the bar that night. He greeted Huo Zihong, speaking in a way full of probing hints.

Huo Zihong led him aside, and Luo Ren realized she wasn’t the real Huo Zihong and that she knew who the Luoma Lake killer was. Upon hearing Huo Zihong scream, Mu Dai immediately engaged Luo Ren and chased after him. In the end, Luo Ren held a knife to her throat and told her that what she believed might not be the truth—Huo Zihong was not the real Huo Zihong.

Luo Pingtin went mad because of the case and was kept locked up by Zheng Bobo under Luo Ren’s orders. At night, Luo Pingtin suddenly looked at the camera in her room and smiled eerily. Zhang Guanghua appeared outside the building, all surveillance went dead. Luo Pingtin walked to the window and exchanged a smile with Zhang Guanghua as they looked at each other.

Luo Ren asked Mu Dai out for a talk, and Mu Dai chose a café that had surveillance all around and a large flow of people. Luo Ren admired Mu Dai—she was skilled in martial arts and had a strong sense of judgment. Mu Dai was curious about Luo Ren’s identity, and Luo Ren no longer hid it. He directly showed her the pendant on his necklace, which contained a photo—his uncle Luo Wenmiao’s family portrait.

Due to work reasons, Luo Wenmiao moved with his daughter Luo Paiting to Xiaoshanghe after his wife passed away. Two years ago, Luo Wenmiao suddenly lost contact and took a trip to Luomahu. After returning, one night, Luo Wenmiao, with red eyes, begged Luo Ren to lock him up—he didn’t want to kill anyone. But when Luo Ren pressed further, Luo Wenmiao acted as if he had never said those words.

Later, one day, Luo Ren saw Luo Wenmiao fiddling with fishing line in the study. A few days after that, Luo Wenmiao disappeared over the wall. Luo Ren ran after him and discovered a house in the alley was on fire, with people fighting inside. Hearing this, Mu Dai recalled what Li Tan had said: that person had silver hair but incredible strength.

Luo Ren rushed in and saw Li Tan, mistook him for the murderer, knocked him out, and then chased after Luo Wenmiao. Luo Wenmiao’s speed and strength made Luo Ren doubt that he was still his uncle. Back home, Luo Ren saw the blood on Luo Wenmiao’s hands. After tying him up, he returned to find Li Tan, but Li Tan was too seriously injured to answer any questions.

After sending Li Tan to the hospital, Luo Ren rushed home, only to find that Luo Wenmiao was dead and Luo Paiting had gone mad. Later, Luo Ren began investigating the entire matter, learning about the Luomahu case, and discovering Huo Zihong’s involvement. Now, the key to the whole incident was Huo Zihong. From Huo Zihong’s reaction, Luo Ren judged that she must know who the real killer was.

Mu Dai told Luo Ren that the second case Huo Zihong filed with Wan Fenghuo involved Zhang Guanghua. Including the Darrentel case, there were three cases in total. Luo Ren firmly believed there must be a hidden thread connecting them all and invited Mu Dai to his home to sort through the details. Zhang Guanghua lived next door to Li Yaqing’s home at Luomahu. His belongings were found in Datong.

Liu Shuhai fell into the water in Datong and died in Jiquan, while Luo Wenmiao had once been on a business trip to Jiquan and stayed at Cen Chunjiao’s small inn. When Liu Shuhai died, a piece of skin was missing from his back—the same with Luo Wenmiao. Luo Ren realized the entire incident seemed like a relay race: after Liu Shuhai died, Luo Wenmiao took the baton, and when Luo Wenmiao died, Luo Paiting happened to be nearby.

Cao Yanhua wanted to take Mu Dai as his master, but she told him to drop the idea early. Thirteen-Thousand said his dream was to be kept by a gentle and lovely rich woman. Mu Dai decided to start her investigation with Huo Zihong, so she deliberately mentioned Li Tan in front of her and said Luo Ren was also a victim. She advised Huo Zihong not to hide the truth if she knew who the killer was.

Upon hearing this, Huo Zihong immediately exploded in anger and stormed off. Luo Ren arranged to meet Li Tan but ended up getting tied up. Li Tan told Mu Dai that he had found the killer. Mu Dai and Huo Zihong rushed to Luo Ren’s home. Huo Zihong admitted that she was Li Yaqing. It turned out this was a setup planned by Luo Ren and Li Tan because Luo Paiting’s condition had worsened.

Mu Dai guessed that they were being controlled by supernatural forces, which made Luo Ren burst into laughter. Huo Zihong apologized to Li Tan for what had happened between her and Zhang Guanghua in the past. Li Tan left with a bitter smile and tossed away the thermos cup he had been holding.

Huo Zihong explained her identity to Luo Ren and Mu Dai—she was actually Li Yaqing, and Huo Zihong was her twin sister who had been abducted. Behind the statue of the Bodhisattva, in a hidden compartment, were the memorial tablets of their parents and Huo Zihong. When she was young, Li Yaqing had fallen in love with Zhang Guanghua, a married man, and even became pregnant. In their small town, gossip ran rampant.

Her parents took her to another place for an abortion and later arranged for her to date Li Tan. After learning about her true background, Huo Zihong found Li Yaqing. The two got along instantly and became very close. Li Yaqing wanted to surprise their parents on her birthday, so she asked Huo Zihong to impersonate her while she hid in the wardrobe. Unexpectedly, Zhang Guanghua suddenly showed up, killed their parents, and then stabbed Huo Zihong to death.

Li Yaqing witnessed everything from the wardrobe. When she finally regained her senses and crawled out, she saw the bodies of her parents and sister hanging in the middle of the room, strung up with fishing line. After composing herself, she picked up a knife from the floor and ran after Zhang Guanghua. Li Yaqing didn’t choose to call the police because she wanted an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

After the murders, Zhang Guanghua took a bus to Datong, and Li Yaqing followed him. She stole his wallet and lured him to the reservoir, which was about to release floodwater in three minutes, with warnings blaring everywhere. She ambushed him, knocked him unconscious, and tied his hands. Zhang Guanghua claimed he didn’t want to kill anyone, but Li Yaqing, in a frenzy, pulled out a dagger and stabbed him.

During the struggle, Zhang Guanghua suddenly mutated—his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty red glow, and he viciously grabbed Li Yaqing by the neck. Just as she was about to suffocate, the water was released from the reservoir. As the droplets splashed onto Zhang Guanghua, he abruptly returned to his senses and loosened his grip. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yaqing dragged Zhang Guanghua into the water while clinging tightly to the bridge.

Later, she climbed up along the railing and sat there all night. Although Li Yaqing hadn’t directly killed anyone, Zhang Guanghua died because of her. If she reported it, their entire story would come to light. Since revenge had already been taken, she chose to start over under the identity of Huo Zihong—and so she became Huo Zihong. The reason she sought out Wan Fenghuo for information on Zhang Guanghua was because she needed proof—whether alive or dead.

As for her relationship with Li Tan, she said it was all for show. Over all these years, she never truly thought about Li Tan. With the truth revealed, Luo Ren decided to return to Xiaoshanghe, while Li Yaqing went back to Luomahu alone. One night, Luo Ren discovered Luo Pingting trying to pry open the window bars, so the next day he quickly reinforced all the doors and windows.

Meanwhile, Mu Dai learned from Wan Fenghuo about a supernatural phenomena expert named Shen Mukun and called him to describe the strange occurrences surrounding Luo Pingting and the others. She also provided the information about the human skin. Upon hearing the dimensions of the skin, Shen Mukun immediately associated it with the size of a bamboo slip.

Based on the characteristic of changing people's hearts and forcing them to commit evil against their will, Shen Mukun checked his notes and concluded it was a relic of ill omen. Mu Dai relayed the information to Luo Ren. Just as he was about to ask more, Uncle Zheng shouted from upstairs that something had happened to Luo Pingting. Luo Pingting had injured herself in an attempt to escape, and Luo Ren was wounded in the abdomen while subduing her. After learning that Luo Ren was hurt, Mu Dai took the initiative to care for Luo Pingting, and Luo Ren was deeply grateful.

While giving Luo Pingting a bath, Mu Dai discovered a patch of skin on her back that seemed to be moving, with strange patterns on it. Mu Dai informed the Mystic about it, and he speculated that it might be a parasitic organism. He sent Mu Dai a video, and Luo Ren recognized the melody in the background as the tune Luo Pingting often hummed.

The Mystic only knew that the tune was used in the rituals of the Qi deity in the Lengquan region, and promised to look into more detailed information. Cao Yanhua was constantly sighing at the bar because Mu Dai was not around. Thirteen-Thousand didn’t want to continue being exploited at the bar either, so he tricked Uncle Zhang, claiming he was going to Xiaoshanghe to protect Mu Dai, and brought Cao Yanhua along with him.

Mu Dai was feeding Luo Pingting in the room, and when Luo Ren came in to take over, he noticed her lips were dry. So he gave her his lip balm and even shaved off a bit of the tip before handing it to her. Uncle Zheng was very grateful for Mu Dai’s help, and from him, Mu Dai learned that Luo Ren and Luo Pingting were not blood-related siblings. In fact, people had once tried to set them up.

So Mu Dai reminded herself to stay focused on helping and not develop inappropriate thoughts. Thirteen-Thousand and Cao Yanhua arrived at Luo Ren’s house and were peeking through the main gate when Luo Ren spotted them on the surveillance camera and let them in. Mu Dai asked them to leave, but they refused. Just then, Uncle Zheng returned with groceries and suggested they all have a barbecue together.

While going up the stairs, Uncle Zheng twisted his waist, so Thirteen-Thousand helped deliver food to Luo Pingting. Luo Pingting looked at Thirteen-Thousand and softly pleaded for help. That night, Mu Dai was sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought, when Luo Ren came over and sat beside her to thank her. Thirteen-Thousand sneaked to the door of Luo Pingting’s room and opened the password lock.

From behind the security gate, he confirmed her identity and told her he would help call the police. Luo Pingting deliberately spoke in a low voice, and when Thirteen-Thousand leaned in closer, she suddenly grabbed his hand. Hearing the commotion, Luo Ren rushed upstairs and saw Luo Pingting choking Cao Yanhua. Luo Ren immediately gave chase as Luo Pingting tried to jump out of the building to escape. Luo Ren held onto her tightly, but Luo Pingting scratched his hand.

Just as she was falling, Mu Dai arrived and knocked her out. Mu Dai sent the photo of the pattern on the human skin to the Mystic, who said it was an ancient character—the ancient form of the word for “blade.” Every time the pattern appeared, Luo Pingting would have an episode and go crazy, trying to escape and kill someone.

The Mystic discovered a pattern with the relic of ill omen: each time someone dies, the relic transfers to another person. If Luo Pingting remained locked up, the relic of ill omen might deem her useless and could even drive her to suicide. Luo Ren arranged for Mu Dai and the others to stay at a hotel and called a doctor himself, specifically instructing them to bring a full set of emergency medical equipment.

That night, Luo Ren took Mu Dai to the desert to help her relax, using visual illusions to give her a brush with death. The desert night sky was filled with stars. Luo Ren shared his family story with Mu Dai: his father had an affair, the mistress took over, and after Luo Ren’s car accident and poisoning, he was sent to live with his uncle Luo Wenmiao, who became more of a father figure to him. Now, Luo Pingting was the person dearest to him. Luo Ren gave Mu Dai a small knife—the same one he had once held to her the first time they met.

Luo Ren faked Luo Pingting’s death so that the relic of ill omen would need to find a new host, causing it to leave Luo Pingting’s back. Just as Luo Ren carried Luo Pingting out, the relic flew onto Luo Ren’s shoulder. Luo Ren told Mu Dai, Thirteen-Thousand, and the others to shut the door. Worried about Luo Ren, Mu Dai rushed in and tried to grab the relic, but she couldn’t control it.

Luo Ren took the opportunity to slap it against the wall. As the relic tried to escape, Thirteen-Thousand kicked it aside, and Luo Ren swiftly pinned it to the wall with his dagger. Luo Pingting was taken away by ambulance, with Uncle Zheng accompanying her. The relic of ill omen escaped from the dagger and flew toward Cao Yanhua. Luckily, Thirteen-Thousand entered with an oil basin and managed to trap it under the basin.

He then lit the oil on the basin, but the relic didn’t burn to death and kept attacking them. By accident, they discovered that the bamboo Slip feared water, so they forced the relic into a basin of water until it stopped moving. Mu Dai was angry that Luo Ren kept his plan from her. Luo Ren tried to explain, and Mu Dai tearfully scolded him for risking himself without telling her.

She asked Cao Yanhua and Thirteen-Thousand what it meant when a guy touches a girl’s hair. Thirteen-Thousand immediately guessed the guy was Luo Ren. Embarrassed, Mu Dai had Cao Yanhua give Thirteen-Thousand a beating. Luo Ren wanted to record the relic of ill omen with a camera. Thirteen-Thousand noticed a flash of light, and after they turned off the lights, Mu Dai and the others saw it too.

Thirteen-Thousand spent the whole night sketching the pattern but secretly kept one copy for himself. Luo Ren trapped the relic in a bulletproof water tank and set up a camera beside it. Hearing that Mu Dai was leaving, Luo Ren invited her to the desert for some fun. With the matter of the relic resolved, Luo Ren felt much more at ease.

Since Pingting needed treatment at a major hospital, Luo Ren couldn’t see Mu Dai off, which made her a little disappointed. Luo Ren said that Pingting would later go to the south for recuperation, and since he had rented a place in Lixi, if Mu Dai wanted to meet again, she could come along with Pingting. Hearing this, Mu Dai immediately brightened up.

That night, after finishing a painting of mussels on the seashore, Thirteen-Thousand took out the sketch he had hidden earlier. The illusion shown by the relic was of a corner of a shrine roof in his hometown. Mu Dai took Cao Yanhua as her apprentice. While training, Cao Yanhua saw the same roof corner illusion on the ground but thought he was hallucinating.

Luo Ren took the Mystic to see Mu Dai, but the Mystic couldn’t see the water-like reflections flashing on the relic. That night, Mu Dai accidentally saw five totems flashing from her wooden bracelet. But as soon as she reached out to touch them, they vanished. Meanwhile, Luo Ren saw four totems reflected on the metallic globe at his bedside. They reported this to the Mystic, but Thirteen-Thousand lied and said he hadn’t seen anything.

Pingting called Thirteen-Thousand “Little Knife Brother,” leaving him totally confused. Mu Dai left Luo Ren’s house alone and was splashed with soup by a woman downstairs. Luo Ren wanted to stand up for her, but Mu Dai stopped him. After showering, Mu Dai hid in the wardrobe. Luo Ren talked to her about himself, and Mu Dai gradually opened up, sharing stories from her childhood. Thirteen-Thousand patiently took care of Pingting and kept buying her dolls as she asked.

Eventually, he saw her hanging the dolls in the air with red thread. The Mystic realized that the human skin wasn’t the relic of ill omen itself—it was only its detached form. The Mystic said their only clue now was the illusions they had seen. Mu Dai thought they looked like the roof cat tiles used to ward off evil and bring blessings. The Mystic suddenly understood—horned divine beasts, the "Immortal Pointing the Way."

Worried Pingting might harm others if she went out, Luo Ren sorrowfully restrained her on the bed and injected her with a sedative. After much hesitation, Thirteen-Thousand finally admitted he knew where the “Immortal Pointing the Way” was.

Thirteen-Thousand confessed that he had seen the illusion but didn’t say anything earlier because he was too shocked. He was certain it was in their village because he was the one who smashed Xing Shen’s hand, and the “Immortal Pointing the Way” Luo Ren was looking for was in their Wuzhu Village. So, Luo Ren set off with Thirteen-Thousand by car. Mu Dai’s senior brother arrived and took her to the Yan family in Huacheng.

As soon as they stepped in, Yan Hongsha tried to assert dominance, but Mu Dai swiftly put her in her place by dunking her into a water vat. Elder Yan offered Mu Dai a high-paying job to act as Yan Hongsha’s bodyguard on a trip to Wuzhu Village. The Yan family business involved treasure-seeking, mainly relying on visual judgment to detect treasure energy and pinpoint locations. This time, they were heading to Wuzhu Village to find Elder Yan’s son.

The GPS showed that the tunnel leading to Wuzhu Village was blocked, but Thirteen-Thousand insisted it was a mistake. When they reached the tunnel, it was indeed sealed with rocks. Thirteen-Thousand asked some nearby campers about Wuzhu Village, and everyone said the village had long been abandoned. One year on Mid-Autumn night, an old mussel surfaced under the moonlight, and the lakeshore was full of pearl mussels.

But a child burned them all, and ever since, no more pearls had appeared in the area, and it was now rumored to be haunted. Yan Hongsha was awakened by a call from her second uncle, but there was no sound on the other end. When she tried to call back, the line never connected again. Uneasy, Yan Hongsha woke Mu Dai, and Mu Dai comforted her, telling her not to overthink.

That night, Zhang Guanghua stood by the lake in Wuzhu Village and threw something into the water. Luo Ren and Thirteen-Thousand entered Wuzhu Village to find it completely deserted. Thirteen-Thousand returned to his home, now dilapidated. He said his father drowned during a conflict with a neighboring village, after which his mother lost her sanity. One rainy night, she went out alone on a boat to search for his father.

Because of the storm, the clan leader and others didn’t help, and the next day, when they went looking for her, she was never found. After losing both parents, Thirteen-Thousand was devastated and often sneaked into the ancestral shrine to question the water god. One day, he accidentally overheard the clan leader and several villagers talking and learned that during the conflict, they had seen his father fall into the water but chose not to save him.

Though the village later gained rich mussel grounds, Thirteen-Thousand believed they didn’t deserve a good harvest. So, he poured diesel over the mussels and burned them, then climbed onto the shrine roof, tore off the tiles, smashed Xing Shen’s hand, and left. Thirteen-Thousand took Luo Ren to the shrine. Inside, everything was spotless, and there were blood-written words on the wall. As they were examining the place, they heard something outside.

When they went out, someone had burned something nearby, and they caught a glimpse of a shadow. Luo Ren and Thirteen-Thousand immediately gave chase. Meanwhile, the tricycle Yan Hongsha found dropped them off in the desert, forcing them to walk the rest of the way to Wuzhu Village. Thirteen-Thousand chased the figure to the lake but found it completely dried up. Heartbroken, he cried by the empty lakebed.

Luo Ren drove with Thirteen-Thousand to a mussel-collecting boat in the lake, where there were signs that someone had recently been living. Luo Ren then received a call from Mu Dai—Yan Hongsha had fallen into the lake. He rushed over immediately, but it was too late. Although Mu Dai managed to pull Yan Hongsha out of the swamp, the two of them were still dragged under by something from the lakebed.

Luo Ren and Thirteen-Thousand rescued Mu Dai and Yan Hongsha. Thirteen-Thousand tricked Mu Dai by saying Yan Hongsha had undergone an amputation, giving Mu Dai quite a scare. As for the thing that attacked them from underground, Thirteen-Thousand said it was something similar to a mussel. With the great lake dried up, the only places left that could still produce pearls were the lake center and the lake eye.

In an old boat nearby, there were a lot of supplies, which Luo Ren suspected had been stockpiled by Yan Hongsha's uncle, Yan Jiuxiao, when he was living there. Luo Ren gave Mu Dai a sailor whistle, saying it had a very strong penetrating sound and she should blow it if she ever found herself in danger again.

Mu Dai's arrival made Luo Ren start to reconsider what the illusions were truly guiding him toward; he began to suspect it might not be coincidence. Yan Hongsha was deeply grateful to Mu Dai for saving her life and said she'd ask her grandfather to give Mu Dai a raise when they returned, which made Mu Dai’s eyes light up.

When she learned that Luo Ren was not Mu Dai’s boyfriend, Yan Hongsha let out a sigh of relief, thinking that meant she could go after Luo Ren herself. Mu Dai was stunned, but Yan Hongsha quickly said she was joking and added that it was obvious Luo Ren and Mu Dai shared something unusual.

Cao Yanhua envied the close-knit group that Luo Ren was a part of and feared being left out, so he made up his mind to follow them. Luo Ren prepared some equipment, including drones and soil detectors. The intertidal zone was too vast and needed preliminary detection. Mu Dai studied the sailor whistle closely. Thirteen-Thousand gave her a direct warning: Luo Ren wasn’t someone ordinary—they were not from the same world.

He told her not to waste more time on Luo Ren, because their relationship would never go beyond mutual fondness. Yan Hongsha, hearing this, threw an apple straight at Thirteen-Thousand, calling him a scheming troublemaker trying to sow discord. Mu Dai told Yan Hongsha that Thirteen-Thousand wasn’t entirely wrong. Luo Ren did treat her better than just a friend, but sometimes he could be very distant. Every time she tried to get closer, Luo Ren would deliberately keep his distance.

Yan Hongsha encouraged her to be direct, and Mu Dai felt she had a point. Luo Ren and Thirteen-Thousand went to investigate the village. Luo Ren suspected that the mysterious person and the old mussel they had encountered in the village were connected to the relics of ill omen. At the old clan leader’s house, they found signs of recent habitation.

Yan Jiuxiao’s daily-use items were on the mussel-collecting boat, while his personal belongings were scattered around the old clan leader’s house. Luo Ren opened Yan Jiuxiao’s tablet, which contained several video clips recorded by him—one of a giant mussel, and one of the old clan leader. Yan Hongsha heard the sound of a treasure-finding bell. Mu Dai pulled her aside to be cautious. By accident, they spotted an old man on the mussel-collecting boat—he was the old clan leader.

Thirteen-Thousand identified him as Jiang Zhao. The old clan leader recognized Thirteen-Thousand and blamed him for the water god’s retribution, saying it all started when he set fire to the mussels. Luo Ren watched Yan Jiuxiao’s video—he had also encountered the old clan leader and had arrived by car. The last video, recorded a few days ago, showed Yan Jiuxiao saying he was going into the lake to catch mussels.

That night, Thirteen-Thousand picked up a wooden stick and walked toward the sleeping old clan leader, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to strike. Luo Ren asked if he regretted setting the fire. Thirteen-Thousand said he didn’t. There were only a few truly evil people, but his revenge had been against the whole village. He admitted he hadn’t wanted it to go that far.

Based on the data returned from the equipment, Luo Ren parked the car in a safe area and split up with Thirteen-Thousand and Mu Dai to search for Yan Jiuxiao, while Yan Hongsha monitored the data and guided them. Thirteen-Thousand discovered a rear-view mirror. Luo Ren found a car stuck in the swamp and checked it—there was no one inside. Cao Yanhua arrived in a small vehicle. Upon seeing him, Thirteen-Thousand and the others rushed toward him, but Cao Yanhua had already stepped out of the car, and a mussel began running toward him.

Cao Yanhua was stuck in the mud. Luo Ren, with a rope tied around his waist and attached to the back of the Hummer, coordinated with Thirteen-Thousand and leapt forward to rescue Cao Yanhua. The old mussel pursued them relentlessly from behind. Thirteen-Thousand floored the gas pedal and sped ahead. Luo Ren secured the rope to shield Cao Yanhua. Just as the old mussel was chasing them closely, it suddenly went quiet.

Thirteen-Thousand stopped the car, but as Luo Ren got in, a tentacle from the old mussel wrapped around him. His arm was injured and bleeding. Only then did the old mussel release him, allowing them to escape. Luo Ren reported the situation to the mystic, who speculated that the old mussel was related to the heart relic. Mu Dai treated Luo Ren’s wound. During dinner, Thirteen-Thousand told Luo Ren he wouldn’t be involved in capturing the mussel—it was too dangerous.

Luo Ren said he hadn’t decided yet; safety came first. The top priority was still finding Yan Jiuxiao. Luo Ren talked about barbecuing back in Heisha and his friends there. When Mu Dai asked how they were doing now, Luo Ren said they hadn’t stayed in touch much after he returned to the country. Luo Ren and Mu Dai played a question game. Mu Dai directly asked Luo Ren if he liked her.

Luo Ren hesitated and said he had many serious and deadly problems. Mu Dai said she wouldn’t wait. She believed the best time for two people to be together was when they liked each other. Luo Ren wanted to say more, but Mu Dai interrupted him, smiling as she said to just pretend she hadn’t asked tonight. Thirteen-Thousand suspected the old clan leader hadn’t really gone mad—after all, a madman couldn’t grow vegetables.

The old clan leader cried and said he deeply regretted not saving Thirteen-Thousand’s father back then and believed everything now was his punishment. Yan Hongsha and Mu Dai both couldn’t sleep. Mu Dai said she had asked already, and now she had thousands of saplings again. Yan Hongsha comforted her, saying it was fine—she knew all kinds and would introduce more to Mu Dai. Luo Ren operated the lake-eye equipment to conduct a remote underwater scan.

There were no fish or shrimp in the water, but many livestock bones at the bottom—and a person. Yan Hongsha recognized the person as her second uncle, Yan Jiuxiao. Thirteen-Thousand operated a mechanical arm to retrieve Yan Jiuxiao from the lake, while Luo Ren observed the area underwater. The old mussel appeared and rammed the mechanical arm. Thirteen-Thousand accidentally saw his father’s remains. To recover the body, they had to deal with the mussel first. Everyone agreed to join in.

Luo Ren made a plan and assigned everyone tasks. Mu Dai said she could be the bait to lure the mussel out. The plan began. Mu Dai sat on a small boat and waited for a long time. Finally, the old mussel was lured out. Mu Dai had good agility and jumped out in time, but the mussel had many tentacles and still caught her. Luo Ren used a net to trap the mussel and told Thirteen-Thousand to drive.

He then stabbed the mussel with a steel pipe, but it was too strong. At the critical moment, Mu Dai blackened—her alternate personality emerged. She pushed Luo Ren aside with a palm strike and stabbed the steel pipe in herself. The mussel burrowed into the mud. Thirteen-Thousand reversed the vehicle, dragging the mussel back. When the mussel almost overturned the car with its strength, it got pinned underneath. Everyone got out and pried it open.

Luo Ren realized there was a water relic inside. The mussel extended its tentacles and wrapped around all of them. Luo Ren’s arm was crushed and bled. As the tentacles retracted, Luo Ren realized that blood was effective. Thirteen-Thousand used blood to save Cao Yanhua. Luo Ren took the opportunity to extract the water relic and placed it into a box to soak in water.

Luo Ren told Thirteen-Thousand that the disappearance of the lake was due to geological structure issues. After the old clan leader left the village, he lost his mind. Thirteen-Thousand returned home holding the ashes. Yan Hongsha was burning paper for her second uncle. Luo Ren asked Mu Dai what happened when she was caught by the mussel. Mu Dai said she didn’t know either and was surprised that the sailor whistle ended up with Luo Ren.

The mystic was conducting tests and told them all to return. The old clan leader knelt to Thirteen-Thousand and begged for forgiveness. Thirteen-Thousand told him that the lack of pearls in the past was because the ecosystem had been destroyed. Now everything was recovering, and as long as the water came back, the mussels and fish and shrimp would return too.