The Old Paper Studio: Records of the Dead

Lin Yan, a restorer of ancient texts, has always obeyed his ironclad “three things I never restore” rule, until someone slaps a blood-soaked copy of Records of the Yin Spirits onto his desk. Forced to take the job, he watches names on the pages begin to bleed as the people they belong to die one after another. Lin Yan realizes that this evil book is taking souls and dealing death.

When he tries to stop the restoration, he discovers that the name of his long-missing master, Chen Yunzhang, appears right after the bloodied names, and is gradually turning an ominous shade of red. Meanwhile, the name of the client’s son, an unconscious boy being used as bait, is also turning a strange red.

A mysterious call comes at midnight, leading him to Tingyu Pavilion, a desolate garden infamous for its grisly history. There, he is besieged by vengeful spirits and finds scraps of his master’s notes, revealing horrifying clues about the “one who holds the brush,” the “official register,” and the “book’s deliverer.” On the last page is his master’s bloodcurdling warning: “Don’t trust… the one who brought the book!”

When Lin Yan returns, he finds that even a cinnabar seal can’t stop what is happening. The power of Records of the Yin Spirits is beginning to seep through; blood beads drip from its cover, foretelling the next death. His phone rings again, an unknown number flashing insistently, as if the cold eyes behind it have pierced the fog and locked onto him. The shadow of the kill list is quietly spreading.