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Novel Title (Subject to Change)

The Pact of the Underworld: Two Thousand Years Later, We're Still Family

I. Core Premise

Time: A modern-day main storyline + a secondary storyline set in 20 BCE, at the end of the Western Han dynasty

Setting: Modern Chongqing, with its mountainous terrain and frequent fog, perfect for ghost stories, + ancient Ba Commandery

Themes: Blood ties and obsession, family curses, identity, and reunion in life and death

Style: Horror + emotion + family saga, with a touch of dark humor

Structure: Three interwoven storylines: ancient times, the present day, and the "rift" in the underworld. They converge in the end.

II. Main Characters

Name | Identity | Era | Keywords | Notes

Ba Wuling | Witch, Mother of Ghosts | 20 BCE | Sacrifice, curse, mother | Protagonist of the ancient storyline; after death, she becomes the "core of obsession"

Ba Qing | Wuling's son | 20 BCE | Sacrificed, vengeful ghost | Reincarnated two thousand years later as a "modern ghost"

Xu Yi | Overworked programmer | 2025 | Insomnia, yin-yang eyes, afraid of ghosts | Protagonist of the modern storyline; actually the reincarnation of Ba Qing

Xu Tang | Xu Yi's younger sister | 2025 | Stand-up comedian, sharp-tongued, skeptic | The reincarnation of Ba Wuling, but her memories are sealed

The "Face-Stitcher" | Underworld middleman | No specific era | Stitches up corpses, collects souls | Provides both comedy and horror, and drives the plot

Sima Xian | Ancient Daoist alchemist | 20 BCE | Villain, seeks immortality | The one who started the curse; after death, he becomes a "ba"

III. Chapter Outline for a 150,000-Word Novel

Act One: Modern Haunted House (Chapters 1-8, 25,000 words)