Working Hard to Earn Merit at the Manor Today Too

Celestial Master Xiao Xiao unexpectedly inherits Qiyun Manor, the “Haunted House of Nightmares,” abandoned for a hundred years. The place is shrouded in yin energy, and its residents are an eccentric bunch: A Xiu, a Republican-era ghost who sings off-key; Lao Tao, a starving ghost chef determined to conquer Michelin with ghost fire; and Mo Yan, a book spirit who knows everything but is too socially awkward to talk to people. A gatekeeping dog demon, a flower spirit, and a koi carp spirit join them in time, too.

Xiao Xiao does things her own way. Using the manor as her base, she racks up good karma as if clocking in for work. She opens the gates of the underworld with her bare hands as casually as if she were opening her own back door, and draws talismans in midair as easily as breathing. Her strength is unfathomable, and she’s on brotherly terms with the underworld’s top brass: Old Black, Little White, and Judge Cui. When she’s still unknown, she’s busy cleaning up the manor’s messes. Once she becomes famous, all sorts of big shots, from leaders of the Taoist world and elders of the demon clans to Western archbishops, come knocking and beg her to help. It annoys her so much that she rolls her eyes.

The absurd and the heartwarming go hand in hand. One rainy night, she finds a cute, mystical-eyed child named Nuannuan whose origins are a mystery, and begins her career as a nanny Celestial Master. She takes the child on a daring trip to the demon market and settles an old grudge involving a fox demon along the way. A ghost-hunting job at a haunted house gets livestreamed, and her tearing a ghost apart with her bare hands sets the whole internet ablaze. She’s even invited by the King of Hell to attend the underworld’s annual party as a “special guest,” where she walks the red carpet carrying snacks. When petty crooks covet the manor, or evil spirits dare to harm her “family,” Xiao Xiao has only one thing to say: “You want to touch my people? Did you ask me first?!”

When the great powers of all three realms gather at Qiyun Manor, Xiao Xiao waves her hand. “Let’s eat!” The culinary master Lao Tao takes charge of the cooking, Uncle Huai hosts, A Xiu sings, and Nuannuan receives so many gifts her hands are full. The deserted manor becomes a sanctuary. Amid the lively, chaotic days, Xiao Xiao and her companions protect the warm and wonderful legacy that belongs to Qiyun Manor alone.

Strong female lead, no romance at first; there may be romance later. Xiao Xiao is at the very top of the power scale and focuses on her career and raising the child.