Uncle Yu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Uncle Yu (余叔)
Alias(es)	Yu Long; Daoist Jushou
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Lu Family (by marriage); his senior brother's Daoist lineage
Occupation/Role	Yin Chef; Daoist practitioner; mentor to the protagonist; grilled-squid vendor and hospital cafeteria cook
Status	Alive; reunited with his wife and son, whose remaining time before descending to the underworld is limited 2425 2579
First Appearance	Chapter 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Heroic Soul Realm	1859	Remained at this realm for decades due to difficulty controlling and concentrating his true qi.
Essence Soul Realm	1859	Consumed a Fleshblood Fruit and, with the protagonist protecting his heart meridian, broke open his Essence Soul chakra and a new meridian.

Background

Yu Long is a Yin Chef whose ordinary fate and limited cultivation aptitude left him far less suited to direct combat than his senior brother. He specializes instead in preparing Yin Dishes, soups, and rituals that guide ghosts, dispel baleful forces, and protect others from supernatural harm. After losing his wife and son, he lived alone, sold grilled squid outside the protagonist's school, and accumulated merit by sending off ghosts. 70 335

He first assists the protagonist after charging the customary twenty-thousand-yuan fee for his work, allowing the debt to remain unpaid without an IOU when he learns of the protagonist's financial situation. He considers their encounter a matter of fate and accepts a small deposit instead. 12

Uncle Yu's wife, Xiao Rou, came from the Lu Family of South of the Ridges, a prominent Daoist family responsible for guarding the border region against southern sorcerers and dark arts practitioners. Her murder and the disappearance of their son became Uncle Yu's enduring obsession for nearly three decades. 1284 1293 2020

Personality

Uncle Yu is blunt, proud, and deeply practical. He refuses to lower the formal price of his profession, yet his willingness to work on credit and his repeated aid to the protagonist show that he values karmic ties over money. 12

He is sensitive about his weak cultivation and often believes he has held his companions back, particularly after his breakdown in the gray mist zone. The protagonist nevertheless recognizes him as an indispensable support specialist rather than a frontline exorcist. 632 795

As a master, he is strict and punitive toward disciples who commit fraud, but he can be persuaded to show mercy. 2260

Although he regularly complains, bickers with his senior brother, and hides concern behind profanity, Uncle Yu is fiercely protective of those close to him. He is willing to burn his lifespan and vital essence to save his wife and son. 601 602 2376

Abilities & Skills

Yin Chef Arts

Uncle Yu's foremost specialty is the preparation of Yin Dishes and Yin Soups for ghosts, evil entities, and practitioners.

• Uses Yin Dishes to summon, feed, guide, and send off ghosts, thereby accumulating merit. 62 70
• His dishes can disperse evil and baleful energy, weaken sinister entities, and reduce pressure on allied exorcists. 335 632
• Prepared Phoenix Tail Dragon Claw Soup to target a well ghost, claiming it would strip away all of the ghost's evil hair. 335
• Uses Foul Stench Soup to stabilize chaotic true qi and calm his own emotions after spiritual trauma. 603
• Prepared seven Yin Dishes to invite ghosts and obtain intelligence concerning Carefree Tower. 1171
• Prepared a fish-gill Yin Dish to lure the evil entities inhabiting Flying Tiger Bay. 1486
• Prepared Dreamwake Soup to counter the power of Nightmare within Carefree Tower. 1980
• Can invoke green ritual fire while preparing Yin Soup, a capability displayed after reaching the Essence Soul Realm. 1980

Ghost-Sensing and Ritual Knowledge

Uncle Yu possesses extensive practical knowledge of ghosts, seals, fate, Yin rituals, and corpse-related matters.

• Identified the danger beneath the psychiatric hospital's sealed well and correctly refrained from disturbing it before learning its cause. 331
• Uses pomelo leaves coated with Ox Tears to cleanse the protagonist's vision and help him perceive supernatural entities. 63
• Explained that the protagonist absorbs primordial qi—not tangible “merit”—when sending off ghosts, allowing his cultivation to grow. 70
• Removed corpse poison from the protagonist's palm after the encounter with the black-haired zombie. 539
• Implanted the Tong Ghost Hand into the Evil-Slaying Flowing Cloud Sword using the protagonist's blood. 816
• Warned that the Tong Ghost Hand must be fed with blood, demon and ghost spirits, and corpse energy; excessive use may cause dangerous changes. 819
• Taught the protagonist the Evil-Locking Art, including its thirteen hand seals and incantation. 1840
• Warned that Talisman Unraveling severely injures a soul without destroying it, and recommended Yin Spring to help restore Brother Wang's damaged soul. 2579

Formation Knowledge

Uncle Yu is familiar with defensive and maze formations, particularly those associated with his lineage and the Lu Family.

• Identified the Lu Family ancestor's Cedarwood Mist Maze Formation and guided the group through it. 1342
• Worked with Tian Yong to establish a Four Fiends Bell Formation using red threads laced with dog hair during the Nine Corpse Daoist's assault. 1575

Yin Artifact Incantations

Uncle Yu knows activation methods for Yin artifacts, though his low cultivation makes prolonged use costly.

• Activated the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Wheel with hand seals, blood, a yin moon, and Tong Ghost qi. 1835
• His ritual caused the Wheel's runes to illuminate and draw in surrounding yin qi, but the expenditure forced him to spit blood and nearly collapse. 1835
• Recognized that the protagonist's stronger qi allowed him to operate the Wheel far more effectively. 1841

Knife Invocation Art

Using the Dragon-Head Cleaver and Grandmaster's legacy, Uncle Yu can invoke powerful golden blade techniques beyond his normal realm.

• Drew a Blade Talisman and invoked Grandmaster's blades through the Knife Invocation Art. 1323
• Unleashed visible blade aura despite being only at the Heroic Soul Realm, killing or injuring enemies whose cultivation exceeded his own. 1323
• Used Golden Saber Nine Consecutive Slashes, injuring six of eight evil practitioners in eight strikes. 1324
• Can summon three Golden Sabers through the life-burning Nine-Slash Golden Blade Art. 2376
• Strengthens the invocation by offering his own blood to the Dragon-Head Cleaver and beseeching Grandmaster as Daoist Jushou. 2376
• Limit: Every slash drains his lifespan and vital essence; repeated use leaves him weakened, thinner, and at risk of death. 1324 2376

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dragon-Head Cleaver — His primary weapon and the focus for his golden blade invocations. 14 1323
• Soul-Seizing Banner — A Grandmaster artifact carried in his tool bag; Master used it to clear Misty Ghosts while Uncle Yu was incapacitated. 601
• Ancient Corpse-Domain Mirror — A rune-covered mirror recovered after the Spirit Illusion Corpse Domain collapsed; Uncle Yu sealed it in yellow cloth and talismans for later study. 539
• Yin Dish and Yin Soup ingredients — Specialized ritual foods, including roasted rice, chicken, snakeskin, talismans, and bamboo-tube soups. 22 335 603
• Sunflower-marked Peace Talisman — An old, cracked talisman he gives the protagonist to establish his connection to Xiao Rou when visiting her friend Liu Hongmei. 2584

Relationships

• The protagonist — Mentor and protective elder who introduces him to the supernatural profession, teaches him about primordial qi, and repeatedly assists his cultivation and missions. The protagonist later protects Uncle Yu during his Essence Soul breakthrough. 39 70 1859
• The protagonist's master / Uncle Yu's senior brother — Longtime martial brothers and rivals who frequently bicker, yet cooperate in crises. The master personally restores Uncle Yu with the Soul-Settling Technique. 39 602 1290
• Xiao Rou (Auntie) — Wife. She was transformed into a red-haired zombie and separated from him for nearly thirty years before their reunion. Their time together remains limited because the deceased must eventually descend to the underworld. 2371 2425 2579
• Yu Hongtu — Son. He was turned into a Fierce Child ghost, but Xiao Yu later removes his baleful energy and restores him to his innocent state. He, too, is expected to descend to the underworld after the family's remaining time together. 2371 2425 2579
• Lu Changyuan — Father-in-law and former head of the Lu Family. Their relationship was often tense, but Uncle Yu remained devoted to helping the Lu Family and finding his missing family. Following Lu Changyuan's death, Uncle Yu plans for Xiao Rou and their son to descend to the underworld with him. 1298 1312 2579
• Tian Yong — Direct disciple and designated successor. Uncle Yu tests him carefully before accepting him and later relies on him during battle. 1095 1162 2376 2422
• Huang Yougui — Outer-sect registered disciple. Uncle Yu disciplines him harshly for fraudulent conduct. 1162 2260
• Li Feihu — Huang Yougui's disciple and Uncle Yu's granddisciple. Uncle Yu punishes him for participating in fraud but permits him to remain under observation after pleas for leniency. 2260
• Fu Xuefeng and Diwu Wanxi — Senior members of Uncle Yu's Daoist lineage whom he contacts and guides during the Nine Corpse Tower operation. 1841 2422
• Aunt Tang — Longstanding friend and ally who assists Uncle Yu and his senior brother with medicinal items and preparations for dangerous missions. 1171
• The psychiatric hospital director — His longtime gaming rival. Their twenty-year feud began when Uncle Yu stole a Dragon-Slaying Saber and killed the director's in-game wife. 331
• Iron Pillar and Liu Hongmei — Old friends of Uncle Yu and Xiao Rou. After thirty years apart, Uncle Yu reconnects with Iron Pillar by video call and relays Xiao Rou's wish to hear how the couple have been. 2592 2593 2596

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Mentorship and the Cursed House

Uncle Yu becomes the protagonist's first guide into ghost-related work. He teaches practical survival methods, including avoiding calls at night, scattering roasted rice to conceal a marked person's scent, and using fire to endure until dawn against a Drowned Ghost. 14 22 25

After being injured while protecting the protagonist from the Drowned Ghost, Uncle Yu directs him to seek out Song Decai at Fish Mouth Pier, setting the protagonist on the path to becoming a corpse collector and Daoist practitioner. 28 31

He later accompanies the protagonist back to the Cursed House, where they confront the Old Crone's mirror-based hiding place. 62 65

Psychiatric Hospital Well

While working at the psychiatric hospital cafeteria after losing a gaming bet, Uncle Yu discovers a faint ghostly aura beneath Dragon-Phoenix stone slabs in the backyard. He works with the protagonist to investigate the sealed well and prepares Yin Dishes specifically intended to weaken the ghost beneath it. 330 331 335

Despite his limited direct combat strength, Uncle Yu uses his talisman-enhanced Dragon-Head Cleaver to sever the well ghosts' limbs and help the protagonist destroy the Yellow-Robed wraith. 338 342

Five-Element Fiend Corpse Expedition

When his senior brother encounters a suspected Five-Element Fiend Corpse, Uncle Yu immediately abandons his game to deliver the required ritual implements and Corpse-Suppressing Herb. 520

During the search, he and Mao Jing become trapped in the Spirit Illusion Corpse Domain created by an ancient mirror. He later recovers the mirror after its corpse domain collapses, seals it for study, removes the protagonist's corpse poison, and leads the group to reinforce his missing senior brother. 539

Nine Corpse Tower Expedition

During the expedition through the gray mist zone, Misty Ghosts exploit Uncle Yu's grief over his lost family and destabilize his three souls and seven spirits. He nearly kills himself in despair before the protagonist intervenes and his senior brother restores him with the Soul-Settling Technique. 601 602

Although he blames himself for his low cultivation afterward, his Foul Stench Soup and Yin Dishes prove essential to the group's survival. 603 632

Lu Family Crisis and Revenge

Uncle Yu brings the protagonist to the Lu Family after learning that the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect was involved in the murder of his family. He provides intelligence on the attackers, assists in defending the Lu Family from the Great Vietnam Court, and uses life-draining golden blade arts to clear a path through enemy practitioners. 1298 1312 1323 1324

He also helps expose Lu Changfeng's collusion with the Great Vietnam Court by deceiving him alongside the protagonist and Zhang Yuchen. 1342 1346

He later confronts Mitaka Kojiro, one of the men responsible for killing his wife and child twenty-eight years earlier. 1368 1416

Essence Soul Breakthrough

After consuming a Fleshblood Fruit, Uncle Yu finally breaks through from the Heroic Soul Realm to the Essence Soul Realm. The breakthrough nearly fails because he cannot control his rampant true qi, but the protagonist protects his heart meridian until he opens the required chakra. 1858 1859

Carefree Tower and Yellow Springs Operations

Uncle Yu supports the operation against Carefree Tower by preparing Yin Dishes to contact ghosts holding invitations and later making Dreamwake Soup to counter the seventh level's Nightmare power. 1171 1980

He also assists the protagonist's plan to locate Yellow Springs Valley, activating the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Wheel despite the ritual's heavy cost to his own body. 1835

Search for Flower-Gazing Valley

Following Carefree Tower's destruction, Uncle Yu focuses on locating Yellow Springs Valley and Flower-Gazing Valley, believing his wife and son are connected to them. He asks the protagonist to help analyze the few available clues, trusting his resourcefulness. 2020

In Flower-Gazing Valley, Uncle Yu discovers that his wife and son have been transformed into a red-haired zombie and Fierce Child ghost. He burns his lifespan to summon the Golden Sabers, defeats his son’s fiend form, and attempts to reach his wife. 2371 2376

When Auntie's corpse later reawakens at the Bronze Gate, Uncle Yu accompanies the group into the Nine Corpse Tower in pursuit of a means to save his family. 2422 2423

Xiao Yu ultimately removes Yu Hongtu's baleful energy, allowing Uncle Yu's family to reunite after nearly thirty years of separation. 2425

After the Reunion

Uncle Yu's long-standing grief eases after finding Xiao Rou and their son. He understands that they have only about three months together before the deceased must descend to the underworld. Once his senior brother awakens, he plans to take them to Xiao Rou's home region, where they can eventually descend alongside her recently deceased father, Lu Changyuan. 2579

He continues advising the protagonist, recommending Yin Spring for Brother Wang's soul after it is injured by Talisman Unraveling. Later, he gives the protagonist a sunflower-marked Peace Talisman to help deliver Xiao Rou's greetings to her old friend Liu Hongmei. This leads to video-call reunions with Liu Hongmei and her husband, Iron Pillar, whom Uncle Yu has not seen in thirty years. 2579 2584 2592 2593 2596

Notable Quotes

“Some people live for money, while others live for other things.” 12

“You and I are fated, kid. If you need Uncle's help in the future, just say the word.” 344

“Twenty-eight years ago, you killed my wife and child. Today, I'll avenge them too...” 1416

Trivia

• Uncle Yu's decades-long rivalry with the psychiatric hospital director began after he stole a Dragon-Slaying Saber and killed the director's in-game wife in an online game. 331
• He once summoned deceased “brothers from the underworld” with two Yin Dishes to recover his stolen electric scooter and obtain compensation from the thief. 62
• He considers himself untalented in cultivation, but the protagonist regards his Yin Chef skills as unmatched. 795 1859
• At fifty-seven, Uncle Yu had remained at the Heroic Soul Realm for decades before his eventual Essence Soul breakthrough. 632 1859