Night settles heavily, ancient lanterns flicker, and strange incidents keep erupting in the streets and alleys.
Several bizarre murders occur in succession on the outskirts of the capital. The victims' deaths are grotesque, rumors abound, and everyone claims evil spirits are responsible. Fear grips the people.
The male lead, Shen Yan, has resigned from office and withdrawn into the bustle of ordinary life. Well versed in criminal law and skilled at distinguishing truth from falsehood, he sees through the treachery of human nature. He has no wish to be drawn into courtly conflicts again, but a strange case on a rainy night forces him back into the heart of the mystery.
The female lead, Zhang Lingwei, knows folk customs and strange tales. Careful and resolute, she dares to enter abandoned shrines and ancient post stations, and to investigate whether rumors are true. She believes in neither gods nor ghosts, only in human nature.
The two meet through a case. Guided by a single night lantern, they join forces to explore narrow alleys, deserted houses, old post stations, and forgotten shrines.
What seems to be the work of demons and ghosts is, once the layers of mist are peeled away, nothing but greed, hatred, and old secrets driven by human nature.
One unsolved case follows another, old and new mysteries intertwine, and strange happenings among the people are quietly linked to power struggles at court.
As their lantern light flickers, they must unravel baffling murders and face the forces laying a web of traps in the shadows.
Gods and ghosts never commit murder. Those who do evil have always been the people hiding in the dark. In the depths of the night, they hold fast to a solitary lantern, discerning strange tales and clearing old injustices.
Strange cases plague the capital, and rumors of ghosts and monsters unsettle the people. Shen Yan, a retired investigator, happens upon Zhang Lingwei, who knows the strange tales of the world. With a single night lantern, they venture through abandoned shrines and ancient post stations, strip away the illusions of demons and ghosts, and solve one bizarre case after another. Beneath every strange rumor lies the sinister nature of humanity. Through the endless night, they seek the truth and clear old wrongs.
Theme: Historical mystery-solving.
