Luo Yu was locked inside the house, watched by people his father assigned. He was forbidden to leave, and his father came every day, but Luo Yu refused to give in.
Since childhood, his father taught him to stand tall and be upright, but now his father and uncle had done such things. Everything Luo Yu believed in collapsed inside him. He was furious, recalling how he nearly died, and felt deep anger toward his father and uncle.
Luo Yu was locked in a high-walled backyard. He tried to climb out, but there was nothing to step on, no rope, and even the tables and chairs were too low—he had no way to escape.
The only comfort in Luo Yu’s miserable days was the young girl who brought him food. He used to resent Lucy Lu for reporting his escape, but over time, they grew close. Lucy Lu, five years younger than Luo Yu, was cheerful and lively.
When Luo Yu asked Lucy Lu why she reported him to Uncle Jude Luo that night, Lucy just smiled. That smile made Luo Yu angry—he grabbed her and demanded to know why she betrayed him.
Seeing Luo Yu so agitated, Lucy Lu told him that outside, though things seemed peaceful, leaving home meant a life of wandering and hardship. As she spoke of her past, Lucy Lu began to cry.
Lucy Lu had left her hometown at a very young age because of a disaster. She wandered with her parents, often going hungry. On the road, her parents died, and when she was nearly starved, she met a corpse driver one night—her uncle, Jude Luo.
Jude Luo pitied Lucy Lu and took her in for over three years. She often traveled with corpse drivers, which was better than her old life. So when she saw Luo Yu trying to escape, she remembered her own days begging at temple gates and reported him.
Luo Yu didn’t ask further. Life returned to a dull routine. Three months passed, and Luo Yu still refused to give in to his father. Finally, his uncle, Jude Luo, came to talk, but Luo Yu refused.
Finally, Uncle Jude Luo, out of options, revealed a Luo family secret: next year marks the centennial death anniversary of an ancestor. That’s why Luo Yu’s father acted as he did—he had no choice. Now, the Luo Family Main Branch has united completely, which is crucial.
The ancestor’s name was Luo Yichen. Years ago, the Luo family experienced a major event. The corpse-handling technique was originally created by a master, who took in four disciples to help with the work. Luo Yichen was the youngest and most virtuous of the four.
Before the master who founded corpse-handling died, he divided his tools equally among his disciples, telling them to make their own way after his death, but never to use the technique to harm others.
The corpse-handling technique wasn’t just about controlling corpses; Luo Yu knew that with a slight change in yin and yang, it could control the living, siphoning their life force. Jude Luo had warned Luo Yu early on—only use the technique to borrow life if you’re dying and unfinished business remains, never for anything else.
Of the four disciples, Luo Yichen was the youngest and the master’s favorite for his pure heart. The other three were different; Luo Yichen knew they were morally corrupt and had seen them use corpses to prolong the lives of those who paid. He tried to persuade them, but they ignored him and warned him not to tell the master.
After the master died, the three senior disciples became even worse, taking on their own students and visiting wealthy homes to help people extend their lives. Luo Yichen continued his humble work as a corpse driver.
One day, the third senior brother sent someone to find Luo Yichen for help because of poor health. Luo Yichen realized his brothers had ignored the master’s warning and used forbidden techniques to harm others, leading to disaster.
Out of brotherly concern, Luo Yichen reluctantly visited the third senior brother and was shocked—his brother was covered in sores and near death. The third brother explained he’d spent years helping the wealthy extend their lives, and as he earned more, he spent more, losing control. A few months ago, sores appeared on his chest, and his health declined rapidly.
He sought Luo Yichen because among the master’s parting gifts was a treasure called the Corpse Banner. Unable to control corpses himself, he needed to rely on them to survive. Luo Yichen saw that his brother’s body was saturated with corpse and yin energy—hopeless. Hesitant, Luo Yichen took out the Corpse Banner and decided to help one last time, trying to purge the corpse energy with yang energy. The third brother gathered strong men, paid them, and had them sleep in a large work shed, waiting for the job.
Unlike other harmful arts, transferring life force required finding someone with a compatible birthdate. With a corpse as a medium, the victim’s life force could be drawn into the corpse, then transferred to the practitioner. The third brother recruited strong men for this purpose.
Luo Yichen saw how many people were involved. Though they’d be exhausted for a while, their lives weren’t in danger, so he agreed.
Later, the third brother brought over a hundred corpses, storing them beside the work shed. Every night, they burned incense to make the workers sleep, while Luo Yichen controlled the corpses to absorb their life force. Purging the yin energy from the third brother’s body required a surge of yang energy, so the process took many days.
Although the workers weren’t working, they were paid and fed, so no one minded. After a few days, though, most noticed something was wrong—there was a rotten smell every morning, and they felt weak. Some thought it was the weather, but a few decided to leave. The third brother convinced them to stay by promising extra pay and that work would start soon.
To avoid suspicion, the third brother actually bought wood and piled it outside, claiming they’d build a big temple. He let the workers start, and every day made tonic soup for them—no one complained.
As days passed, after half a month, the corpses stored next door began to show color in their skin from all the absorbed yang energy. There was already plenty, but the third brother wanted more, just to be safe.
Luo Yichen endured it, manipulating the corpses daily to help his brother absorb the workers’ life force. But one night, a worker with stomach pain woke up and saw a corpse beside him. His scream woke everyone, and they all panicked and ran.
With no choice, that night the third brother used the yang energy stored in the corpses to purge his own body of yin and corpse energy. Afterward, he and Luo Yichen hid the corpses and fled.
The incident blew up—those corpses had been stolen from fresh graves, and the workers claimed someone used evil arts to harm them. They swore they saw corpses move.
The story spread quickly, but luckily, no one saw Luo Yichen in the act. He kept working as a corpse driver, until one day officials arrested him for grave robbing and took him to the authorities.
To Luo Yichen’s surprise, his eldest and second senior brothers were already there. Instead of being locked up, he was taken to a banquet room—his third brother was there too.
Luo Yichen was furious, sensing why he’d been arrested. The third brother explained the authorities needed to close the case, but promised Luo Yichen would be released soon and the charges would disappear.
The eldest brother spoke up, saying it depended on Luo Yichen’s attitude. Luo Yichen quickly realized they were after the master’s Corpse Banner.
Luo Yichen cursed them on the spot, accusing his three senior brothers of ignoring the master’s warning and abusing the secret technique to harm others.