Cen Ke is the best funeral director in Nan City. She runs an incense and candle shop that rivals a beauty salon, offering five-star, all-inclusive services to send you off to the next world.
Cen Ke has one rule: she doesn't take cases of natural death, only violent and wrongful deaths. Car crashes and falls come with a discount, sudden deaths and deaths in childhood are free. No matter how badly mangled you are, she can piece you back together perfectly, preserving the deceased's dignity for their final journey.
A film crew making a movie about funeral services invites Cen Ke to be their consultant. She takes one look at the director, Lu Ying, whose face is shadowed with misfortune, and agrees.
On the first day of filming, Lu Ying dies suddenly in an accident. Cen Ke is delighted, grabs her tools, and starts preparing his body right there on the spot.
The crew: Can't we still try to save him?
Cen Ke: It's fine. I won't charge for this one.
As soon as she finishes speaking, the whole crew is pulled into a horror game, supposedly produced by the official authorities of the underworld. Clear a level and earn game points, which can be exchanged for any reward. What they don't mention is that if you play badly, you really can die.
The frightening part is that Lu Ying, who died just moments ago, is dragged into the game too.
The good news is, Cen Ke is there.
The entire crew clings to Cen Ke and makes it through each level by the skin of their teeth. Their memories are automatically erased, except for Lu Ying's.
Not only does Lu Ying retain his memories, he comes back to life. From then on, one eerie event after another takes place, he keeps running into Cen Ke more and more often, and getting dragged into the game becomes routine.
Later, Lu Ying accidentally discovers Cen Ke's secret: she was born with an ominous aura and can easily stir up the resentment of those who died unjustly. Once that resentment exceeds the limit, a passage to the underworld opens and randomly pulls in souls from the mortal world to play games. The games are livestreamed to entertain the restless ghosts of the underworld and keep the three realms at peace.
Lu Ying understands now. No wonder Cen Ke works in funerals. She sees dead people every day, and gets rewards every day.
Lu Ying uses game points to buy box office success and quickly makes a name for himself, but his films take a turn for the bizarre:
How the Corpse of a Thousand Years Came to Wail in the Imperial Palace
The Ancient Ferocious Beast's Battle Against a Cybernetic Monstrosity
How Many Steps Does It Take to Roast an Evil God's Tentacles?
The audience: Art can be niche, but please don't make it weird.
Cen Ke: The entertainment industry is lucky to have you.
Lu Ying discovers that Cen Ke only exchanges her points for one thing: bones.
One bone, two bones, three or four, as if she's piecing something together. It looks a bit like a human skeleton.
Lu Ying: Who are they?
Cen Ke: The person I love most.
Lu Ying thinks, well, damn. Is this the legendary long-dead white moonlight? If she manages to bring him back to life, where does that leave me?
Much later, Lu Ying discovers that the person Cen Ke loves most is himself :)
Theme: Believe in yourself