The Spirit Hunter

Tian Nana boards a bus with a toy sword on her back. She spots a man sniffing and touching a girl, who doesn’t seem to notice him. When the man sees Nana staring at him, he snarls and lunges at her. Nana draws her sword, which has transformed into a real one, and slashes at the man, who shatters into pieces and disappears.

Nana wakes up in the middle of the night. A mysterious force draws her downstairs, where she mistakes Brother Gouli’s battle with a fearsome shapeshifting, polearm-wielding demon summoned by Hua Chengfeng and that is invisible to Nana’s human eyes as a fit of madness. When Nana catches Brother Gouli’s sword after the demon knocks it out of his hand, the sword transforms back into a toy sword.

While crossing the road, Nana gets distracted by someone calling her name and nearly gets run down. Brother Gouli pulls her out of the way in the nick of time. He claims that he’s defied Fate by saving Nana and must die in her stead. In turn, she has to take on his demon slaying duties. He hands her his toy sword and leaves.

Sun Xiaoling buys pancakes for Nana in exchange for a favour. He is going to exorcise the spirits haunting an alley and wants her there for emotional support. Sensing Xiaoling’s resolve to become a Taoist priest, she agrees. After chanting his scriptures and packing up, Xiaoling hears faint voices behind him and is terrified that he might have angered the spirits instead of putting them to rest.

A worried Tian Dagang catches Nana talking to herself on film. Sun Yilong concludes she’s been possessed. When Nana gets home, Yilong starts chanting while brandishing a wooden sword and three-pronged bell. He snatches her toy sword away and tells Xiaoling to burn it. Xiaoling feels dizzy before stepping out. Yilong grabs the toy sword. Before he can step out the door, he slips and falls.

Nana sees a pale-faced man Black Dragon trying to find Big Mouth Chun after a fight over a bet that ended with him being pushed into a canal. Unaware that he’s been a ghost for the last 40 years, Black Dragon gets upset when Nana tells him he’s dead. Nana knows her bloodthirsty sword will exorcise Black Dragon once drawn and so keeps it sheathed. She agrees to help him find Big Mouth Chun.