In the center of the village, many torch-wielding bandits seemed to be negotiating with a man in black. Only now did Luo Yu realize that there were quite a few others imprisoned here, just like himself.
Finally, the bandits seemed to reach an agreement with the man in black. He tossed a sack of money from his back, and the bandits cheered. Then, the bandits led a trembling old man out from the cell next to Luo Yu, his face sallow and thin. The old man climbed onto the man in black's horse, and the man in black led him away.
Although Luo Yu didn’t know where he had been taken—his eyes had been covered during the journey—his years as a corpse-driver made him acutely aware of how far he’d traveled. The area was surrounded by dense forest, clearly a hidden place. Luo Yu had heard stories about bandits kidnapping people, but this seemed like a large gang; just the ones guarding the prisoners numbered seventy or eighty, and each had a horse.
The village was brightly lit all night. Suddenly, Luo Yu seemed to remember something. He swallowed nervously and called out in fear. A drunken bandit came over, and Luo Yu told him about the ghoul, asking if they had burned the corpse. But the bandits just laughed it off as a joke and didn’t take it seriously.
Luo Yu was deeply worried. He had transported that walking corpse for a long time, and had even led it through the chaotic intersection of Yin and Yang. If it really transformed, he’d be the first it came looking for. Luo Yu was terrified, because after he used a secret technique to control the corpse, it remembered his scent and would follow it. If the corpse turned, he would be its first target.
Lost and dazed, Luo Yu spent the night in the cell. Early the next morning, the bandits gave him some food and drink. Luo Yu kept asking about the corpse, but the bandits ignored him. Finally, the man sent to his home for ransom returned—a burly man with a braid and dressed in animal skins. He roughly dragged Luo Yu out.
Luo Yu didn’t understand why—his father should pay the ransom, and these bandits seemed somewhat trustworthy. That morning, Luo Yu saw another man in black arrive and take away a woman. The bandits were delighted after receiving the money.
Luo Yu kept telling the burly man that his father would pay, begging them not to hurt him. But the man just took Luo Yu to a guest room, gave him plenty of meat and wine, and ordered him to eat and drink. Then he locked the door.
Though still uneasy, Luo Yu thought maybe his ransom was higher, so the bandits were treating him well. After eating and drinking, Luo Yu fell asleep.
The burly man then had someone bring a roast chicken and some fine wine. After Luo Yu had eaten his fill, the man revealed the truth: someone had offered a higher price for his head, so tonight, Luo Yu was to die.
Luo Yu’s hazy mind instantly cleared. He pleaded desperately, insisting his father would pay, but the burly man tossed out a sack of gold. Luo Yu stared wide-eyed at the money—since when was his life worth so much? The man said nothing more, only told Luo Yu to choose how he wanted to die.
Luo Yu cried and begged for a long time, until he was exhausted. Staring blankly at the trees, he chose hanging. The burly man immediately ordered a sturdy rope to be tied to a thick tree. Luo Yu was still sobbing, but the man hoisted him onto a wooden block and slipped the noose around his neck, saying they could wait a bit—once Luo Yu decided, they would hang him.
Grief overwhelmed Luo Yu. He kept asking who wanted him dead, but as he cried, he seemed to understand: if he died, his family line would end. His father was old and couldn’t have more children. Their corpse-driver family had always been like this—because they spent years driving ghouls and dealing with dark things, it affected everything. Many corpse-drivers had no heirs, and Luo Yu was only born when his father was forty, with a concubine from a nearby village.
Luo Yu kept crying. He knew all it would take was a push from the burly man, and he’d be hanged. Despair seeped into every part of him—he didn’t want to die, he was only fifteen.
But just then, chaos erupted outside the village. The burly man’s men rushed back, saying dozens of corpses had appeared outside, controlled by someone who threatened to wipe out the bandits if they didn’t release the prisoners.
The burly man went out and came back stunned. Luo Yu didn’t know what had happened, but in the end, the man released him. Luo Yu was sent outside, where he saw his uncle, Luo Jue, surrounded by more than thirty corpses at the edge of town. Seeing his uncle, Luo Yu broke down in tears.
He was finally safe. Back with his uncle, Luo Yu realized these were just ordinary walking corpses, but his uncle boasted that if he performed a ritual, the corpses would attack.
After leaving the bandits’ territory, Luo Jue burned some of the corpses. Luo Yu didn’t understand how his uncle knew about his kidnapping—he thought Luo Jue was out working. Luo Jue only told Luo Yu he’d heard long ago that Second and Third Uncles wanted to get rid of him, but to avoid damaging family ties, he kept quiet.
Uncle Luo Jue told Luo Yu that someone had nearly been killed by a walking corpse the night before, so he rushed to the scene. After investigating, he kept watch at the mortuary house where Luo Yu’s two corpse guests were kept, eventually discovering the bandits’ trail. But he wasn’t a match for the bandits, so Luo Yu spent the whole day gathering corpses. After dark, he brought them here and managed to scare off the bandits. Still, Luo Jue wanted to leave quickly, so he burned all the corpses except one, then let Luo Yu take his corpse guest and continue on their way.
Luo Yu didn’t understand, but his uncle said his own reputation could suffer, but if Luo Yu’s was ruined, their family would be finished.
Luo Yu finished his work and said nothing when he returned home, acting as if nothing had happened. Second and Third Uncles rushed over, anxious for news, but Luo Yu said nothing happened on the road. Uncle Luo Jue had told him: if you want peace in Luo Family Town, don’t say a word—just stay vigilant from now on.
Luo Yu decided to listen to his uncle. But then something major happened—people from the mortuary came demanding their corpses back, claiming Luo Jue had taken them. But Luo Jue had vanished. Luo Yu’s father kept trying to explain, but in the end, he could only say Luo Jue was just scraping by here and wasn’t really family.
There were mortuaries of all sizes everywhere, so corpse-drivers had places to store bodies, and the owners could earn a small fee. Now, everyone was searching for Luo Jue, and Luo Yu felt heavy-hearted—he couldn’t say anything, since his uncle had warned him never to mention that night.
After a period of calm, the local authorities caught the kidnappers. Under interrogation, the bandits confessed, and soon many officers arrived in Luo Family Town. Second and Third Uncles were taken away, protesting their innocence.
Then Luo Jue cleared his name and returned. The bandit chief, hoping for a lighter sentence, implicated many people—including Luo Yu’s Second and Third Uncles. Their businesses were taken over by the family. Luo Jue brought a young girl and several corpse-drivers to take over Second and Third Uncles’ operations.
One night, Luo Yu sensed something was wrong. He waited until his father and uncle were drinking, then secretly eavesdropped from a hidden corner.
Luo Yu was shocked by what he heard—the whole thing had been planned by his father and uncle, with help from some mortuary owners, all to seize Second and Third Uncles’ businesses. Luo Yu burst in, startling Luo Jue, who turned away. His father solemnly told Luo Yu not to think about it.
His father listed all the ways Second and Third Uncles had sabotaged their family over the years. He claimed he’d only acted to keep the Luo family from splitting apart, by removing those who caused trouble.
Luo Yu was deeply resentful. He had never imagined that his respected uncle and gentle father could do such things.
Realizing he’d been used, Luo Yu felt uncomfortable for a long time. He knew it was wrong—even if his own family benefited, Second and Third Uncles’ families were ruined, their properties seized by the authorities.
One day, a local official visited their home and drank with his father. Luo Yu realized they had planned everything from the very beginning.
Angry, Luo Yu decided to leave home. But just then, the girl his uncle had brought suddenly attacked him.
Luo Yu was imprisoned at home. His father said that unless he abandoned such thoughts, he was forbidden to take a single step outside!