When traditional Taoist robes meet electromagnetic detectors, and cinnabar talismans are paired with multimeters, 28-year-old Chen Qingxuan becomes an “oddball” among Taoist priests.
Born into a family of Taoist priests but armed with an engineering degree, he carries a modified spectrum analyzer in his backpack instead of a peachwood sword. While others burn talismans to drive out evil, he tracks “ghosts” by measuring electromagnetic radiation. A haunted fridge in an apartment complex? Abnormal radiation caused by a faulty compressor. Strange crying in an office building? A trick caused by a leaking phone and sound-wave resonance. Flickering lights at an old-town inn? Just a combination of geomagnetic interference and an optical illusion created by carved glass.
But as Chen Qingxuan investigates one “scientifically solved haunting” after another, he realizes something is wrong. Intensifying “residual thought energy,” quantum chips engraved with ancient symbols, and a mysterious group secretly manufacturing “evil ghosts” all point to a dangerous conspiracy: someone is trying to use an “ancient energy device” to control the residual thoughts across the entire city.
So, with his tech assistant Lin Xiao, he tracks the plot from an abandoned factory to an ancient temple deep in the mountains. He uses low-frequency currents to break down residual thoughts and activates talismanic seals to imprison evil spirits. As he fights the conspiracy, he comes to understand that so-called “ghosts” are simply obsessions unable to move on, and true salvation does not mean making them disappear, but remembering them.
A ghost-hunting journal written with a multimeter captures the clash between science and the occult, and holds within it the gentlest kindness of all.
