Bai Residence

The **Bai Residence** (白家, *Bái Jiā*) was the home of the merchant Bai family, located six miles west of Lanling. Previously, it was an inn, and the infamous Hook Hand serial killer hid within.

## Description

The Bai Residence is richly ornamented, with old, creaky wooden floors.

The exception to the house's decor is the White Room. In this room, ghastly white paint had been spread across the walls to prepare for decorations, but strange incidents occurred that led to the room being sealed off with three locks and three door bolts.

The door is adorned with thin paper windows through which one can observe the room. A single bed is the only furniture in the White Room, and, no matter the heat of summer, the White Room is icy cold.

## History

### Hook Hand

Several generations before the Novel's present-day, the grounds that became the Bai Residence was an inn. In that inn, the infamous "Hook Hand" serial killer murdered many women on the grounds where the White Room would eventually be built.

His last target was an unknown man who had disguised himself as a woman. The victim waited until the Hook Hand had removed his eyes and tongue before killing the murderer. Unfortunately, he too died from his injuries, and became the ghost that haunted the White Room.

### One Generation Ago

According to the current owner, one day while his father was a child playing with a ball, the ball rolled until it landed outside the White Room. The child glanced through the door slit, only to freeze as if struck dumb and collapse with a high fever that destroyed his memories.

### Present Day

No one in the Bai Residence is allowed to leave their room and walk around after midnight, especially near the White Room, yet the family can still hear the floor creak with footsteps. Although the family attempts to ignore the peculiarities of their White Room, eventually, a servant of the Bai family discovers that a common thief had broken into the White Room and apparently died of fright. As a result, the head of the Bai family approaches the Lanling Jin Clan to finally request a cultivator's aid.

### Investigation by Wei Wuxian and the Junior Disciples

Upon hearing of the incident, Jin Ling invites Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and several other juniors to investigate the White Room with him. To his surprise, Wei Wuxian also comes.

After examining the body of the thief and the White Room, Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling hear the story of the Hook Hand from a maid in a tea shop. Re-examining the body, they discover a face reflected in the eyes of the thief that is not his own, indicating that he had died after witnessing a Ghost's memories.

The juniors then investigate the grounds around the Bai Residence, and Lan Sizhui discovers a rusted, bleeding iron hook. When the juniors' Talismans fail to suppress its resentful energy, Lan Jingyi attempts to remove the energy with salt. When even that fails, Lan Sizhui melts the hook in the hearth.

Wei Wuxian insists that someone should stay outside the White Room to ensure that the ghost is truly gone. Jin Ling stays, using a mirror to safely observe any spirit through the paper windows. To his dismay, he too witnesses the Hook Hand's final murder.

Wei Wuxian forces Lan Jingyi to be the front observer the next night, although he and the juniors remain close by. The light inside the room turns scarlet red, reflecting that the ghost had blood in his eyes when he had died. They watch the Hook Hand torture what appeared to be a woman. However, when the Hook Hand attempts to remove her tongue, the victim reveals himself as a man and stabs the Hook Hand, who dies of blood loss as he smothers the victim.

The juniors search for five days before finding the tongue of the victim in a grave, which had turned black with resentful energy. They perform an exorcism and burnt it, expecting peace will be restored to the Bai Residence.

However, after two nights of peace, the Bai Residence is awoken on the third night by the sound of someone screaming. The ghost screams for several days, to Jin Ling's alarm and frustration.

Wei Wuxian explains that the ghost had long suppressed his screams to defeat the Hook Hand, and only with his tongue could he finally release all the pain and terror he had kept inside. After a couple of months, the ghost departs the world and leaves the Bai Residence in peace.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8  Novel, Chapter 123
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6  Novel, Chapter 124