Along the River During the Qingming Festival: Ink Stains That Kill

At the height of Bianjing’s prosperity, the scroll Along the River During the Qingming Festival suddenly begins to “devour people.”

The newly appointed top scholar drops dead in the street, and strange ink marks surface beneath his skin.

At almost the same moment, a fresh, dripping blot appears on the painting, locked away deep inside the palace. Its shape is identical to the dead man.

Shen Mo, a poor scholar, is dragged into the case, only to discover that his late father was the one who ground the ink for the painting.

When a second victim appears in the same manner, leaving a new set of coordinates on the scroll, he suddenly realizes the truth:

This is no curse, but a killing forecast, using the entire capital as paper and human lives as ink.

The ink spreads, and the deadly game has begun. Who will be next?