When Lin Ye, a modern history graduate, falls into the tomb-raiding world because of a fragment of a Warring States bronze artifact, he brings with him the “curse” of a Tomie-like constitution: his wounds heal at incredible speed, but it amplifies the desires and hostility of those around him, making him the most dangerous “wild card” in the tomb passages.
He stumbles into Wushan Residence, encountering Wu Xie's innocence and Pangzi's fiery spirit, and catching the first hint of curiosity in Zhang Qiling's silent eyes. Beneath the human-faced, bird-clawed monsters of the Lu King’s tomb lies Zhang Qiling’s protection as he severs their wings; amid the fog of the mermaids in the underwater Xisha tomb, Wu Xie anxiously presses a hand over Lin Ye’s bleeding palm; in the shadows of the copies beneath the Qinling Sacred Tree, the Iron Triangle has his back, trusting him more than they trust themselves.
His Tomie-like constitution is both his weakness and his armor. He uses his blood to lure corpse beetles and relies on his rapid healing to withstand traps, but at the Bronze Gate he discovers that his constitution has long been bound by fate to the “Ultimate.” He was an outsider, yet became someone the Iron Triangle couldn’t live without, and the “exception” Zhang Qiling would protect even across the gulf of forgotten memories.
The blood and warmth deep in the tomb passages, the promises and kisses before the Bronze Gate, all tell the same story: this expedition is about more than the secrets of ancient tombs. They are searching for the place where each other’s souls belong.
