The atmosphere in the room was unbearably tense. Watching Third Brother Felix Luo, now fully recovered, Luo Yichen was filled with indignation. The Corpse Banner had been entrusted to him privately by Master Zachary Wu; his master had kept this secret from the other three brothers. But since Felix Luo was the closest to him, Luo Yichen had reluctantly revealed the secret and used the Corpse Banner to control a corpse and save Felix’s life.
Luo Yichen kept talking about his three brothers and their deeds over the years, some of which he knew well. He insisted that even if he died, he would never hand over the Corpse Banner.
As the standoff dragged on, Elder Brother Mason Luo, known for his fiery temper, couldn’t sit still any longer and was on the verge of erupting. Second Brother Victor Luo, usually the peacemaker among the four, quickly intervened, reminding everyone that they were brothers raised together from childhood, and shouldn’t let this ruin their bond.
Luo Yichen understood exactly why they wanted the Corpse Banner. Controlling corpses with secret arts was far more dangerous to the body than using a magical artifact. The incident with Felix Luo had served as a warning to Mason and Victor Luo: if Luo Yichen kept using such arts to prolong lives, one day he would suffer backlash himself.
Victor Luo proposed a solution. Since Master Wu had secretly favored Luo Yichen, it was unfair. The only way was for each brother to use the Corpse Banner in turn for one year. It seemed a fair compromise, but Luo Yichen shook his head.
Luo Yichen refused to hand over the Corpse Banner. He knew its power went far beyond controlling corpses—it could even command zombies. Before dying, Master Wu had warned him never to use zombies for evil, and never to give the Corpse Banner to his three brothers.
Luo Yichen understood why Master Wu had chosen him. He wasn’t clever, and his cultivation was far weaker than his brothers’. If even he understood the Corpse Banner’s power, surely his brothers did too. If they used zombies for evil to make money, he would be powerless to stop them.
As the tension mounted, Victor Luo kept urging for peace. Felix Luo finally spoke up, asking Luo Yichen to promise that if Mason or Victor ever suffered backlash, he would come and save them with the Corpse Banner. Reluctantly, Luo Yichen agreed, saying he would help his brothers if they were in trouble.
But what Luo Yichen hadn’t expected was that after being imprisoned for a month, instead of being released, the jailer told him he would be executed in two months for the crime of stealing corpses—a charge he had signed and sealed himself.
This was completely unexpected for Luo Yichen. When his brothers left that night, they had made him sign a confession. Victor Luo said it was just for the authorities, and that everything had already been taken care of.
When Luo Yichen learned he was to be executed, he was wracked with pain. He wanted to escape but was powerless. After another month in prison, Victor Luo arrived, smiling, and told Luo Yichen that the authorities had raised the price for his release—they couldn’t gather enough money yet, but promised they would save him soon.
Luo Yichen no longer trusted his three brothers. He knew their true aim was the Corpse Banner. A week later, Victor Luo returned again, still saying they couldn’t raise enough money. Luo Yichen laughed coldly; even locked up, he had a plan.
If money could get him imprisoned, money could get him out. Desperate to survive, Luo Yichen made a deal with the jailer, revealing where he’d hidden his cash and asking him to bring in some clothes. He couldn’t bear the cold any longer. The jailer, seeing Luo Yichen’s misery, agreed without suspicion.
A few days later, the jailer returned with a pile of clothes, all hidden by Luo Yichen in a Mortuary House. Having received payment, the jailer also improved Luo Yichen’s meals, making his last days a little easier since his execution was imminent.
Luo Yichen knew he just needed to wait for a chance. The cell was next to the corpse storage room. Though he couldn’t use secret arts, he could sense Corpse Essence. The Corpse Banner was tucked among the clothes, disguised as a ragged robe Master Wu wore for years. His brothers had already searched his place, but only saw a pile of old clothes and didn’t recognize it.
Wearing the Corpse Banner, Luo Yichen waited, day after day. Whenever Corpse Essence appeared, he knew someone had died, and the Banner would react. He could use it to connect with the corpse’s energy and control the body. His method was simple: induce Corpse Mutation, turning the corpse into a zombie. There was still time.
By the second week, Victor Luo returned, still saying they couldn’t raise the money. This time, Luo Yichen laughed and declared that even in death, he’d never reveal the Banner’s whereabouts.
This time Victor Luo dropped all pretenses, threatening Luo Yichen and demanding the Banner’s location, warning he’d die otherwise. But Luo Yichen was unmoved, cursing Victor as less than human.
Ten days before his execution, Luo Yichen finally sensed Corpse Essence wafting from the corpse room next door. He began his rituals, using the Corpse Banner to connect with the dead. At night, he made the corpse absorb moonlight and seek out places with strong earth energy, even instructing it to catch and kill living creatures to devour.
Luo Yichen’s goal was to trigger Corpse Mutation as quickly as possible, turning the corpse into a zombie so he could use it to escape. But he feared his brothers might come back—if they caught him, he’d be finished.
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But for some reason, the corpse’s essence didn’t increase rapidly, and it would take more time to trigger Corpse Mutation. One week before the execution, all three brothers came to persuade Luo Yichen to hand over the Corpse Banner. Elder Brother Mason Luo, seeing Luo Yichen still wearing Master Wu’s tattered robe, laughed, saying their master was poor because he refused to do better business, and that they had all suffered following him.
As expected, Mason Luo, the most perceptive, spotted something wrong. The other two soon realized it too: the corpse room next door was thick with Corpse Essence and Yin Energy. Upon inspection, they found a corpse showing signs of movement and on the verge of Corpse Mutation.
The three brothers grew suspicious. To control a corpse with secret arts, one must touch the body, prepare the necessary items, and draw ritual patterns. The traces of movement on this corpse were obvious.
When questioned, the night guards said the place was haunted—the corpse had moved, and many had noticed something strange. But the body had to be preserved because it belonged to someone involved in a major case. It could only be disposed of after the authorities inspected it.
The brothers soon understood. Felix Luo had said before that Luo Yichen didn’t need to touch the corpse to control it. They guessed Luo Yichen must have the Corpse Banner on him. They asked the jailer, who admitted Luo Yichen had asked him to bring in some clothes.
The brothers had the jailer open Luo Yichen’s cell and brought him out. They searched everywhere for the Corpse Banner but found nothing except a pile of ragged clothes. Luo Yichen was frantic inside, but felt a little relief knowing the corpse couldn’t be destroyed yet.
Luo Yichen still refused to admit he had the Corpse Banner, insisting that if it were so useful, Master Wu would have used it long ago. He claimed he’d only used it once, to save Felix Luo, because it required contact with the body.
The brothers were skeptical but checked the corpse and the surroundings, warning the jailer that if the corpse’s skin turned blue or its nails black, it must be burned, or else Corpse Mutation would occur.
The jailer agreed but didn’t really believe it. The brothers kept coming daily, trying to persuade Luo Yichen to reveal the Corpse Banner’s location, promising he wouldn’t have to die. But Luo Yichen wouldn’t give in. They planned to act on the night of the execution.
Two days before the execution, on a certain moonlit night, Luo Yichen commanded the zombie to smash open the door. The night guards screamed in terror as the zombie leapt into the jail, sending the jailer and guards fleeing.
Under Luo Yichen’s control, the zombie broke open the cell. Luo Yichen escaped, unlocking the cells of others who’d been wrongly accused. He then burned the zombie and fled into the mountains under cover of night.
The situation escalated, and all blame was pinned on Luo Yichen. The authorities put a bounty on his head. With no other choice, Luo Yichen hid in the mountains, while his brothers searched for him like madmen, desperate to get the Corpse Banner.
After a month in hiding, Luo Yichen was half human, half ghost. Starving, he finally stumbled out of the forest and collapsed near The Wayfarer’s Inn.
When Luo Yichen woke up, he found himself in a woodshed with a bowl of food beside him. A woman hurried in, telling him to eat up and leave before the innkeeper found out.
Grateful, Luo Yichen burst into tears. The woman gave him some coins and a few pieces of dried food. After eating, Luo Yichen set out once more.