Lin Yan, an elite criminal investigator in the city, requests a transfer for personal reasons and is assigned to Qingxi Town, a secluded, remote water-town far from the bustling city center. She hopes to leave the distractions behind and focus on her work, but on the very day she reports for duty, she encounters a bizarre murder. A fisherman's body is found floating in the Qingxi River, and the villagers insist the River God has claimed a life. Strange rumors sweep through the town.
Though she doesn't believe in ghosts or gods, a scene investigation quickly convinces her that the drowning was carefully staged. An old, yellowed photograph left on the victim bears the words, "The old bridge is next," dragging a long-buried secret from decades ago back into the light.
The dark cloud over the old bridge, the River God legend, a series of murderous acts, and the secrets the town has kept silent for generations... One murder after another unfolds beneath a supernatural guise. Everyone looks away, but she is determined to investigate.
As superstition and fear engulf the town, she wields logic as her blade and evidence as her light, vowing to tear through the sinister darkness lurking in the depths of Qingxi and find the real culprit behind the River God's mask.
The author is very good at using the environment and details to create a sense of oppression: old houses, antiques, strange noises in the middle of the night, ghosts flashing, layers of curses... He does not rely on bloody curiosity, but relies on psychological thrillers to penetrate little by little. It is easy to read and immerse, and you will often feel chills on your back.