One rainy night in the autopsy room, forensic pathologist Shen Yan encounters an unidentified female corpse in an abnormal state. To his shock, he discovers that she is Su Wan, his childhood friend who disappeared seven years ago. Her body bears eerie traces of folk rituals, including “soul-soaking willow” and “spirit-binding rope.” There is no rigor mortis or decay, and she can even send “distress signals” through tiny movements. As Shen Yan's autopsy proceeds, he learns that Su Wan's death is connected to occult rituals in the willow grove on the outskirts of the city, and that several other similar “living corpse cases” are tied to the same forces. Forced to combine professional forensic examination with folk mysticism, he must resist the vengeful energy attacking him from within the corpse while tracking down the mysterious group behind the rituals. The “glowing willow leaves” Su Wan mentioned when she disappeared seven years ago turn out to be the key to unraveling the entire conspiracy. When a cold scalpel meets a soul bound by dark magic, the truth leads to a plan for “nurturing souls” more terrifying than death itself.
