Record of Exorcisms: Mao Xiaofang's Notes on Driving Out Evil

This story centers on the legendary Maoshan Taoist priest Mao Xiaofang. Set in Republican-era China, it is a hard-hitting collection of mystery cases steeped in the occult.

Mao Xiaofang is no charlatan, but a scholarly Taoist well versed in the classics. He does not deal in sensational tales, but in a series of bizarre cases: strange noises in an old mansion, a dry well that claims lives, a desolate mountain that lures people astray, a painted-skin demon lying in wait, a corpse corrupted by dark energy... These cases serve as keys to exploring ancient occult knowledge.

At its heart is “solving cases by explaining the mysteries”:

Case-driven: One case per chapter, with the eerie events serving only as an introduction.

Knowledge first: The focus is on Mao Xiaofang’s careful investigations and deductions as he explains the principles of feng shui behind each case, such as a harmful energy corridor or a trapped-water formation, the traits of supernatural creatures, such as water ghosts and painted-skin demons, and the taboos surrounding ritual artifacts. The battles of magic are given less emphasis.

Grounded in the classics: None of the analysis is fabricated. The theories all draw on Chinese classics such as Ten Books on Yang Dwellings, The Book of Burial, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, What the Master Would Not Discuss, The Classic of Mountains and Seas, and Baopuzi, recreating the rich cultural background of Chinese occult traditions.

Rational explanations: Mao Xiaofang investigates the “why” with rigor, exploring, for example, the feng shui conditions that create a corpse shaded by yin energy and the two possible explanations for “ghosts leading people in circles.” His aim is to understand not only what happens, but why, dispelling superstition and examining the links between traditional wisdom, the environment, and human nature.

Follow the one-browed Taoist priest Mao Xiaofang, and readers will delve into the heart of occult culture through his cases, gaining a thoughtful, rational perspective on traditional customs.