What happens when a work-worn college student inherits his family’s ancestral tomb and discovers that the tomb keeper has to moonlight as a corpse driver?
Jiang Yan just wants to lie flat, but he gets conned into returning to the remote mountains of Southwest China to inherit a mysterious ancient tomb, becoming its last tomb keeper. From the start, he gets a “luxury starter pack”: Bai Zhi, a stunning corpse that has stayed perfectly preserved for a thousand years and calls him “husband” the moment she opens her mouth, and a crumbling copy of the Manual of Tomb Warding. He plans to bluff the villagers with scientific knowledge, but instead runs into bizarre incidents: evil cultivators of the Netherworld Path killing people to make corpses, and witchcraft that leaves livestock shriveled to husks.
To stay alive, Jiang Yan is forced to unlock the “scientific corpse-driving” skill: cinnabar mixed with black dog blood becomes disinfectant, a power bank keeps Bai Zhi “charged,” and homemade “curse-repelling land mines” blow evil spirits to smithereens! Bai Zhi, a thousand-year-old corpse sovereign forced into the job, goes from a naive “sleeping beauty” to a frostily beautiful witch sovereign who can freeze everything. Her hilarious day-to-day life sharing a home with Jiang Yan gradually gives way to a bond forged through life and death.
The Netherworld Path’s hidden hand closes in at every turn, sacrificing blood at the ancient tomb of the King of Dian, searching for Nanzhao’s secret treasure, and scheming to open the “Jiulong Secret Realm,” which connects to the spirit world. With his tomb-keeper bloodline, outrageous schemes, and Bai Zhi’s overwhelming strength, Jiang Yan holds his own with help from the government’s Bureau 749 and Sang Ya, an heir to witchcraft traditions, fighting from the tomb-keeper’s courtyard all the way into the depths of the Tianxing Valley secret realm.
When the nine stars align and nine dragons encircle the heavens, the secret realm’s gates swing open, and the Netherworld Path’s master descends, carrying a thousand years of hatred. His brother A Ji burns up his demonic body to atone, while Bai Zhi turns herself into a seal and freezes the sky. Once the dust settles, Jiang Yan remains alone in Ailao, using his bloodline to nurture the faint glimmer in the soul jade.
The mountain gate stands forever, and the tomb will always be guarded. Even if I’m frozen for a thousand years, I’ll be here, waiting for your return.
