Lin Ergou is a temporary night-shift worker at a funeral home. By day, he works as a designated mood-maker at the civil affairs bureau; by night, he handles paranormal complaints on the side.
He finds a book called The Underworld Operations Manual, only to turn an exorcism into a ghost summoning. The crematorium furnace nearly burns off the section chief's toupee.
The book is an obsolete edition discarded by the underworld, riddled with errors. It teaches him to hold a land-and-water ritual, but he ends up running a swimming class instead.
Yin energy is growing heavier in the living world. Navigation apps send people to mass graves, and food delivery drivers drop off meals in cemeteries.
Old Bai, a former underworld clerk, lost his job and now lives in Lin Ergou's attic. He's sharp-tongued but dependable.
A ginseng spirit runs a noodle shop, Lady Meng takes a counseling certification exam, and a ghost runner changes careers to become a traffic cop.
The world is like a threadbare seam that's been left unrepaired for years, where gods and ghosts muddle through life with expired civil-service appointments.
He gets through crises with slips of the tongue and goofy antics. Being alive is pretty good, especially with hot noodles to eat. Even when ghosts show up, he can talk things out with them.
