Tan Wenbin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tan Wenbin (谭文彬)
Alias(es)	Binbin; Zhuang Zhuang (a name given by Li Sanjiang) 49
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Tan family; temporary resident in Li Sanjiang's household during a school break 39
Occupation/Role	High-school student; Li Zhuiyuan's prospective classmate and corpse-retrieval assistant-in-training 37 49
Status	Alive 50
First Appearance	Chapter 37

Appearance

Tan Wenbin is a tall high-school student who first appears in his school uniform, ostensibly doing homework at his desk. He conceals a paused Tetris game in his pencil case when his father enters. 37

• Carries marbles despite being a senior high-school student. 41
• Frequently attempts to smoke, though his first attempt leaves him coughing and dry-heaving. 40
• Is physically battered and exhausted after the Zhou Yong incident, including having his yang energy drained. 47 48

Personality

Tan Wenbin is intensely curious about the supernatural, especially dead floats and Death Collapses. He initially stays with Li Sanjiang's household partly to pursue the excitement of witnessing them, often pressing Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng for details even after being frightened by what he sees. 39 40 43

His bravado is inconsistent but genuine. He panics at the corpses in Zhou Yong's house and the grotesque meal offered there, yet continues accompanying Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng into danger. He also intervenes without hesitation when his classmate is being extorted and beaten. 44 45 46

Tan Wenbin is initially resistant to studying and hopes Li Zhuiyuan will simply complete his homework. Once he understands that mathematics, physics, chemistry, and literacy are foundational to corpse retrieval, he begins working seriously through the problems Li Zhuiyuan prepares for him. 43 49 50

Abilities & Skills

Ritual Assistance

Tan Wenbin has no established supernatural ability, but he can follow Li Zhuiyuan's instructions effectively during preparations and rituals.

• Lights yellow paper and arranged candles during an attempt to communicate with a Death Collapse. 46
• Serves as Li Zhuiyuan's designated safeguard, forcefully waking him from shallow Yin Walking after a set count. 46
• Helps hold the rope while Li Zhuiyuan descends into a well to investigate its carvings and water snake. 48
• Remains useful as an additional target during Zhou Yong's dream trap, buying Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng time despite having his yang energy drained. 47

Paper Crafting

While staying with Li Sanjiang's household, Tan Wenbin learns to make paper offerings and becomes proficient enough for Aunt Liu to praise his work. 49

• Assists Run Sheng with paper crafts while watching television. 43
• Continues producing paper offerings during the household's work periods. 50

Tool Training

Li Zhuiyuan promises Tan Wenbin access to his lighter corpse-retrieval tool set after Run Sheng teaches him its basics. Tan Wenbin has not yet demonstrated independent mastery. 49

• Is eager to learn methods for confronting Death Collapses. 43 49
• Understands that academic study is necessary for the mathematical, physical, and chemical principles behind corpse retrieval. 49

Equipment / Items

• Li Zhuiyuan's corpse-retrieval tools — Temporarily offered to Tan Wenbin for training after he learns their basic use from Run Sheng. 49
• Family photograph — A photo showing male relatives in police uniforms; he uses it to intimidate Zhou Fabao while searching for Zhou Yong. 46
• Marbles — Kept in his pocket and used to play with Li Zhuiyuan near Big Beard's fish pond. 41

Relationships

• Tan Yunlong — His strict police-chief father. Tan Yunlong arranges for him to become Li Zhuiyuan's classmate, expects him to care for the younger boy, and repeatedly reprimands him for smoking. 37 43
• Li Zhuiyuan — Prospective classmate, friend, and mentor figure. Tan Wenbin calls him “Little Yuan Ge,” admires his intelligence, accompanies him on supernatural investigations, and receives academic and tool-training guidance from him. 37 43 49
• Run Sheng — Fellow resident and field companion. Run Sheng protects him during dangerous encounters, teaches him practical tools, and repeatedly endures Tan Wenbin's overeager questions about the supernatural. 39 47 49
• Li Sanjiang — Elder host during Tan Wenbin's school break. Li Sanjiang gives him the name “Zhuang Zhuang” and allows him to accompany the group on a Death Collapse retrieval. 39 45 49
• A Li — Li Zhuiyuan's close companion. Tan Wenbin is warned not to approach her and becomes increasingly wary of her after witnessing supernatural events. 39 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Introduction and school arrangement

Tan Wenbin meets Li Zhuiyuan when Tan Yunlong brings the latter to their home to test his academic ability. Shocked that Li Zhuiyuan can answer advanced questions immediately upon hearing them, Tan Yunlong decides the two will attend the same high school and instructs Tan Wenbin to look after him. 37

When summer classes are suspended for an inspection, Tan Yunlong leaves Tan Wenbin at Li Sanjiang's home for a week. Officially, this is an opportunity to study with Li Zhuiyuan; Tan Wenbin is more interested in seeing dead floats. 39

Water Monkey incident

Tan Wenbin attends the Water Monkeys' housewarming banquet with Li Zhuiyuan. He is curious about the danger but cannot contribute much when Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng investigate, and is at one point left tied up and gagged for safety. 39 40

He later accompanies Li Zhuiyuan to Big Beard's house, helps maintain a normal appearance around Secretary Jin, and plays marbles near the restored fish pond while Li Zhuiyuan searches for evidence. 41

Zhou Yong and the Death Collapse

Tan Wenbin eagerly joins the retrieval job in Xiting Town, only to be horrified by the corpses concealed in Zhou Yong's house. Though repeatedly terrified, he follows Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng back to confront Zhou Yong and finally witnesses a Death Collapse surface from the river. 45 46

During Zhou Yong's dream trap, he is used as a target and has white mist—his yang energy—drawn from him. Run Sheng drinks the prepared wine in his place, and Li Zhuiyuan later wakes Run Sheng so they can subdue Zhou Yong. 47

Afterward, Tan Wenbin remains weak but refuses to leave, insisting he can still help. He later learns that he must study the fundamentals before receiving formal corpse-retrieval instruction. 48 49

Training and study

Following Li Zhuiyuan's temporary blindness, Tan Wenbin helps him move around the house and stays to assist with paper crafting and deliveries. Li Zhuiyuan prepares him a notebook of high-school mathematics problems, explaining that ordinary academic knowledge underpins corpse-retrieval work. 49

By the following days, Tan Wenbin begins studying diligently enough to work late into the night and fall asleep at his desk. Tan Yunlong notices the completed work and encourages him to continue. 50

Trivia

• Tan Wenbin originally wants to avoid becoming a police officer despite both his father and grandfathers having police backgrounds; Li Zhuiyuan insists he will eventually become one. 40
• He wants to apply to Haihe University alongside Li Zhuiyuan, despite Li Sanjiang joking that he would need to repeat grades for years to keep up. 43
• He is nicknamed “Zhuang Zhuang” by Li Sanjiang, despite Liu Yumei initially being surprised when Aunt Zhang calls for him by that name. 49