Corpse Retriever

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin immediately turned to look at Li Zhuiyuan, eyes burning with anticipation—sometimes silence says more than words.

Since leaving home, they’d encountered plenty of strange happenings and seen their fair share of death. But just like binging on greasy food makes one crave something light and plain, they now longed for a normal corpse retrieval—something to soothe the spirit.

To them, a routine job like this was almost meditative.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

The two men exchanged smiles. Runsheng lit a “cigar,” while Tan Wenbin rubbed his hands together, visibly excited.

Yin Meng stepped into the inner room. She first pushed open the coffin lid, then went outside to fetch a warmed pottery kettle. She poured it into a bowl and spooned the thick syrupy liquid into the old man’s mouth.

It wasn’t medicine. It resembled a thick sugar solution—meant to keep the old man alive just a bit longer.

When she was done, Yin Meng opened a basin of hot water, changed the old man’s diaper, carefully wiped down his body, and dressed him in clean clothes.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

The old man opened his eyes.Yin Meng blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile.

“Grandpa, you actually opened your eyes. Your color looks so much better. Looks like you’re getting better.”

Li Zhuiyuan had been watching from the side. He knew the old man could open his eyes. He’d had a stroke and was paralyzed, not a vegetable. Even many vegetative patients could still open their eyes.

The old man had purposely stayed unresponsive before, trying to harden his granddaughter’s heart. He knew his own condition well and didn’t want her to cling to false hope.

Today, choosing to open his eyes—he probably just wanted one last look at his granddaughter.

As for the healthy glow on his face, it was textbook terminal lucidity.

After chatting happily with the old man for a bit, Yin Meng picked up the basin of soiled laundry and stepped out to wash.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to the coffin and looked down at the old man. In those eyes, he saw peace.

Last night, the old man hadn’t asked him to tell Yin Meng the truth. Clearly, he didn’t want her to reopen the childhood wounds of being “abandoned” by her parents.

But judging from Yin Meng’s attitude toward her two half-brothers—ha, old man, you better not have saddled your granddaughter with two freeloaders.

Then again, Li Zhuiyuan figured the old man wouldn’t make that kind of mistake.

Let’s be honest—no one who lived by the river was truly a good soul.

Killing someone on the river was easy. Tie a rock, sink it—done.

These people had the skills and the means. Most days, they were held in check by heaven’s laws, by their own conscience, by societal norms. But what if one day they just stopped caring?

That’s why you should never back an “honest man” into a corner.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the inner doorway, just in time to see Yin Meng drying laundry with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Of course. A properly trained Corpse Retriever like her would know what terminal lucidity looked like.

They were all just performing a little drama—trying to give this life a dignified curtain call.

Yin Meng thanked Tan Wenbin for offering help and agreed. After tidying up, they hit the road.

Along the way, the two boys seemed eager to talk to Li Zhuiyuan, the only one close to their age. But Li Zhuiyuan, carried on Runsheng’s back, ignored them. His whole vibe was: no contact, no understanding, no responsibility.

The destination wasn’t far—just a village near the county. A crowd had gathered by the riverbank.

Two corpses, one male and one female, still floated on the surface. The man face down, the woman face up—but they clung to each other tightly, as if death couldn’t part them.

If not for the couple’s notorious public fights, people might have thought they’d died for love.

Li Zhuiyuan climbed down from Runsheng’s back. One glance at the bodies and he knew—they weren’t bound by affection, but fused together.

Their skin wasn’t the usual pale white of floaters. These corpses were black, like spoiled slabs of pigskin jelly.

Two middle-aged men were arguing with a one-eyed old woman. Judging by the gear on their backs, they were the local corpse retrievers.

But this was no ordinary job. Two blackened floaters meant danger. The price would go up.

Clearly, they couldn’t agree on a fee. The one-eyed woman would rather let her son and daughter-in-law rot in the river than “take the loss.”

When Yin Meng arrived, the old woman beamed with pride and pointed gleefully.

“No need for you two heartless bastards. My granddaughter’s here!”

She approached with exaggerated emotion: smiling at first, then choking up halfway, then fully sobbing by the time she reached them. She wiped her tears and clutched Yin Meng’s hand like she’d finally found her rock.

“Granddaughter, you’re finally here. Please, please fish your parents out of the water. They’re so pitiful!”

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. Unbelievable—the nerve on this woman.

When Yin Meng was little, she used to go looking for her mom, only to be scolded by this same old woman with the cruelest words.

One winter, she even dumped a basin of water on the child, sending her home soaked and crying.

The girl had been naïve. She told her grandpa she’d fallen in a ditch while playing.

The old man had been naïve too—and actually believed her.

Li Zhuiyuan knew the old man loved his granddaughter, but he was careless too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have believed that damn “letter” his son had left behind.

Yin Meng didn’t play along with the old woman’s theatrics. She just said calmly, “I’ll retrieve the bodies.”

“Yes, yes, good, good.”

She looked toward the two local retrievers. They seemed unhappy, but said nothing—just lit cigarettes and quietly packed up their gear.

This was family business, after all—not poaching work.

Still, it left a bitter taste. But since it was already hot and heavy, they might as well follow through.

Tan Wenbin set up an altar and lit candles. Runsheng brought over a small boat and placed it by the riverbank.

Yin Meng stood before the altar and began the ritual.

Li Zhuiyuan watched with interest.

Compared to his great-grandfather’s casual style, Yin Meng was far more professional and precise. While not perfect, her rites bore the hallmarks of ancient traditions.

The obscure syllables she chanted, trembled out from throat and lips, especially intrigued him.

Last night, the old man had used the same kind of vocalization when negotiating with a ghostly figure.

“Ghost talk,” sometimes, was a compliment—referring to rare, arcane talents.

The ritual done, Yin Meng prepared to retrieve the corpses. But before she could step down, Runsheng and Tan Wenbin had already set off in the boat—using her own gear.

Hands on her hips, Yin Meng looked at Li Zhuiyuan, helpless. “They really couldn’t wait, huh.”

“It’s fine. Their hands were itchy.”

Yin Meng chuckled. “Mine too.”

Her services were expensive, so she rarely got jobs like this. She’d been itching to work.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin coordinated perfectly. The two corpses couldn’t be separated, so they each took one—shoulder to shoulder.

“One, two, three!”

They jumped ashore from the boat in sync.

Yin Meng watched it all, surprised. “The corpse retrieval customs in Nantong are really similar to ours.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t comment. If his great-grandfather had done it, she’d probably think otherwise.

Runsheng’s method had been refined by Li Zhuiyuan himself using records from Wei Zhengdao, including techniques from the Chronicle of the Orthodox Demon-Suppressing Arts. He’d taught them to Runsheng, who in turn taught Tan Wenbin.

What they’d just performed was textbook perfection—the most professional technique there was.

Too lazy to unpack the bodies again, the two men carried them directly into the old woman’s house. On a row of benches lay a big bamboo mat, where they placed the corpses.

The old woman fetched a white sheet and covered the bodies. Her nose twitched, and just as she was about to start wailing, two other women whispered something to her.

She immediately composed herself. First, she shooed away the curious villagers, letting only family inside. Then she took Yin Meng by the hand and led her in, propping the main room’s door shut.

Outside, murmurs spread among the villagers.

Tan Wenbin squatted down next to Li Zhuiyuan, who was sitting on a little stool.

“Xiao Yuan-ge, they’re not preparing for the funeral. What are they doing in there?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “They’re dumping a kid.”

Tan Wenbin: “Goddamn. Can people really be that shameless?”

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