The Outcast: My Paper Figures Are All Debts from the Jiashen Era

Shen Zhaoxuan inherits his grandfather’s paper effigy shop. He plans to close it and sell up, but on the night of his grandfather’s seventh-day memorial, a stranger covered in blood walks in and asks to buy a paper effigy to save his life.

Shen Zhaoxuan casually charges him three hundred yuan.

The next second, a blade of qi pierces the stranger’s chest, but he survives.

The paper effigy in the shop, the one whose eyes had just been painted, is the one that dies.

Before Shen Zhaoxuan can react, his pursuer barges into the shop and punches through his heart.

As he dies, the thirty-five paper effigies left behind the counter all turn their heads at once.

One of them grins.

“Shopkeeper, put this life on my tab.”

When Shen Zhaoxuan opens his eyes again, he’s alive.

The paper effigies have burned.

The ledger is open.

The first page reads:

[The old debt of 2004: thirty-six accounts.]

[First account: Zhang Huaiyi, owes one life.]

From then on, there’s a paper effigy shop in the Outsider world that no one dares mess with.

Na Du Tong wants to audit the books, Quanxing wants to seize them, the Ten Elders want to suppress them, and Mount Longhu wants answers.

Shen Zhaoxuan clutches the ledger and trembles.

“Everyone, I really am just a paper effigy maker.”

The green-robed ledger spirit, Liu Qingci, sits behind the counter, turning the pages at her leisure.

“Don’t be scared, Shopkeeper.”

“Paper effigies can die in your place.”

“But you’re the one who has to pay the debts.”

Later, at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, paper effigies roam the mountain at night.

Zhang Chulan stares silently at the ashen paper pattern on his wrist.

Wang Ye looks at the IOU and turns to leave the mountain.

The Old Celestial Master stands at the mountain gate and lets out a soft sigh.

“That old debt from 2004 has finally come to light.”

Standing behind the paper effigies, Shen Zhaoxuan smiles more innocently than anyone.

“Don’t look at me.”

“I’m just collecting debts.”

“As for whose life you owe, you’ll have to ask Wu Gensheng.