Horror Novels So Scary You Wouldn't Dare Read Them Twice 让你不敢看第二遍的恐怖小说

1. 351 行 Strange Tales from the Road 行路诡闻 Mars and Earth火星和地球Mystery631k WordsCompleted [Folk customs and suspense | Episodic stories | Immersive accounts] There's an old saying: Walk the night road three times, and ghosts and gods will follow you. Writer Lin Sui travels around gathering material, recording the rural ghost stories he hears along the way in the old notebook he carries with him. He has no spirit-seeing eyes and can't draw talismans or chant incantations. Faced with those indescribable horrors, his only weapons are the pen in his hand and his instinct for survival. 2Reads—Score—Shelves

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   Title: Tales of the Strange and Unusual [One-line Recommendation] No cheat codes, no spells or incantations, the protagonist has only an old notebook and one ironclad rule: record, don't interfere. This is the purest and most despairing Chinese folk horror! [Key Highlights] 1. Unconventional Protagonist, Extremely Calm Tired of Taoist priests exorcising ghosts and having systems at your fingertips? The protagonist of this book, Lin Sui, is a pure "observer." Faced with the cruel customs of the Longevity Village and the ever-burning lamps in empty houses, he neither indulges in a saintly act to break the deadlock nor forcibly perform exorcisms. This "powerlessness" actually boosts the story's realism and horror. 2. Immersive Folk Episodic Drama The book contains 55 independent stories, ranging from old houses in the deep mountains to abandoned towns, covering a large number of folk legends such as ghost marriages, calling back souls, and taboos on ancient bridges. Each story is like a mockumentary, making you feel as if you are walking on a winding mountain road at night, with a chill running down your back. 3. The chilling metaphors of reality are not simply frightening; behind each eerie event lies a twisted humanity or a tragedy of the times. For example, the foolish sacrifice of younger generations for the sake of the elderly in the "Longevity Village," and the loneliness and despair of the solitary resident in the "Extra Floor in the Stairwell." The impact is profound; you won't forget it long after finishing it. [Warning/Reminder] - ❌ Not a light novel; the protagonist cannot change the ending. - ✅ A masterpiece of atmosphere; proceed with caution if you are easily frightened. [Recommendation] If you're looking for a book that will send chills down your spine and keep you reading in one go late at night, *The Strange Tales of the Road* is definitely the top choice. Open it, and remember: Don't turn around in the dark, and if someone calls your name… don't answer!

2. 352 子 The Eerie Midnight Mirror 子夜诡镜 Source of Flowing Water流水之源Mystery559k WordsOngoing The scholar Chou Wuya happened upon a copy of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The stall owner casually included an ancient bronze mirror, named Seeing the Heart. At midnight, Chou Wuya discovered that the mirror could tear apart dreams and reality, drawing him into one eerie, terrifying mirror realm after another. Every mirror realm was a supernatural ordeal with no way out. A woman named Ruoxi was sealed inside the mirror. She told Chou Wuya that every time he entered a dream, he would gai 1Reads—Score—Shelves

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   Jia Santong leaped from the top of the tomb, eight pieces of stinky tofu spilling from his Taoist robe, which landed precisely on the faces of the transparent figures inside the eight coffins. The figures struck suddenly began to melt, turning into a silvery liquid that flowed towards the center. The little girl screamed and lunged at Qiu Wuyai, the wind whipping up from her red coat carrying the smells of earth and copper. Qiu Wuyai's left hand became completely mirrored, the silvery liquid spreading down his arm. Just before it touched his heart, he suddenly plunged his mirrored left hand into his own chest—no blood splattered, but he pulled out the melted key. The key inserted itself into the floating fragment of bronze mirror, fitting perfectly. "I choose this one." Qiu Wuyai twisted the key sharply, and the fragment snapped in two. Half the reflection showed the ordinary steamed bun shop, the other half the perilous tomb. Silver liquid seeped from the cracks, forming the old craftsman's last message in the air: "Mirror not a mirror, person not a person, the one who breaks the deadlock..." The tomb shook violently, and the nine coffins closed simultaneously. The little girl's red jacket suddenly faded, turning into ordinary coarse cloth. She tilted her head and smiled at Qiu Wuyai, her body gradually becoming transparent, finally turning into a wisp of green smoke and disappearing into A'Ruo's umbrella. Of the nine sun patterns on the umbrella, the last one suddenly lit up with a warm light. Jia Santong plopped down on the ground, pulling a real oil paper package from his pocket. This time, it truly contained steaming hot steamed buns: "I'm starving!"

3. 353 活 The Living Dead Bring Fortune 活尸送财 Jun Lan君阑Mystery9k WordsCompleted One a day. For the past three months, the overpowering stench of blood and rot in Qi Lao San's incense hall had never let up. The fouler the stench, the more people came. Zhao Er, who had lost his manhood, buried his father in the hills behind the village so he could enter the incense hall. It was all started by the village chief, who chopped his own daughter-in-law into pieces. Today, it was Li Si's turn. Qi Lao San pointed his pipe toward the incense hall. “Go on in.” —Reads—Score—Shelves
4. 354 失 The Lost Soul 失魂之人 Sun Mingyuan孙铭苑Mystery11k WordsCompleted After a car accident left Han Jin in a coma, he woke to find himself out of his body, wandering between the realms of yin and yang. His memories from before the accident had vanished, too! To return to his body, he went back to the accident scene, only to discover that someone had tried to murder him! His missing memories, the mystery of his disembodied soul, the secret of extending his life... Whose plot lies behind it all? 1Reads—Score—Shelves
5. 355 劣 Inferior Humanity 劣等人性 Sun Mingyuan孙铭苑Mystery9k WordsCompleted Liu Kai and several of his friends came down with a mysterious illness. Their skin rotted, but no camera could capture evidence of it, and hospital tests showed nothing wrong! Everything was deeply unsettling. By chance, he found a mysterious shop run by a shamanic practitioner and acquired a pig-headed, human-bodied figurine. His illness eased, but when his friends betrayed him, he suffered an even more terrible backlash! This disaster, which seemed like a strange illness, actually stemmed from 1Reads—Score—Shelves
6. 356 组 My Team Leader Tried to Psych Me Out, So I Sent Him Back to the Village as a Sacrifice 组长想要PUA我，我把他送回村里当祭品 Little Hands, Ice Cold小手冰冰凉Mystery9k WordsCompleted When I left the village, the High Priest hung a fish-shaped jade pendant around my neck. The High Priest said that if I wore it, I would never get lost. I’m descended from the guardians of the spring at the Loulan ruins. The Moon Spring is my beacon home. Why would I need a jade pendant? Back then, I didn’t understand, and the High Priest didn’t explain. Not until later, when I met him. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
7. 357 惊 A Shocking Murder Plot 惊天杀局 Writer's Block卡文Mystery14k WordsCompleted There’s a corner in the police station’s archives where files on unsolved and bizarre cases are kept. [The Headless Corpse Case] [The Water Ghost Murder Case] [The Grinning Case] None of the above happened to me. They’re my stories. 251Reads—Score—Shelves
8. 358 夺 The Killer Elevator 夺命电梯 I Love Eating Big Oranges我爱吃大橙子Mystery9k WordsCompleted 10:30 p.m. A “friendly reminder” that popped up in the residents’ group chat jolted me wide awake. [Midnight Elevator Safety Notice...] Auntie Wang next door scoffed. “Quit with the spooky nonsense!” Then, late that night, she went out to take the trash, and a scream ripped through the silence... 29Reads—Score—Shelves
9. 359 丈 After Licking the Neighborhood, My Husband Turned into a Monster 丈夫舔过小区之后，变成了怪物 San Ming Zai三茗仔Mystery8k WordsCompleted I posted a missing-husband notice at the entrance to the residential compound. “Missing husband: Zhang Jianguo, two meters tall, recently developed a taste for licking...” The post made everyone laugh. Who still turns a missing-person notice into a joke these days? But after surveillance footage surfaced of our neighbor in Unit 905 being disemboweled, they finally started to feel afraid. —Reads—Score—Shelves
10. 360 婆 My Mother-in-Law's Secret Baby-Making Soup 婆婆的秘密生子汤 Chocolate McFlurry巧克力麦旋风Mystery8k WordsCompleted Before the Qingming Festival, my mother-in-law went looking for a folk remedy. They said drinking it for a month would help me get pregnant. But during the days she forced me to drink it, there was always a woman standing not far away. As time went on and the day drew closer, a friend from work finally told me I was being haunted because I’d taken something that belonged to someone else. —Reads—Score—Shelves
11. 361 被 The Hunted “Dead Man” 被追杀的 “已死之人” lookMystery8k WordsCompleted At 2:47 a.m., I was curled up in a forest in the middle of nowhere. My companions’ screams rang in my ears, and Lin Peng’s blood still clung to my palm. Just seven hours earlier, we’d been laughing and chatting as we drove along in a Corolla, until a face covered in blood flashed in front of the car. It was unmistakably Wang Xuechun, who had been sitting in the back seat. There were no bodies and no signal. Only four shadowy figures stood before the gravestones in the cemetery, staring straight —Reads—Score—Shelves
12. 362 杀 The 1001 Nights of Killing My Lover 杀死爱人的1001夜 Hengtang横塘Mystery9k WordsCompleted In the middle of the night, someone knocked at the door. I opened it. A strange man stood outside. He asked me a question. “Darling, do you know what day it is today?” I froze in place. In an instant, a dagger plunged into my heart. “You really forgot. Damn you.” I was lying in bed when my eyes suddenly flew open. I touched my chest. It had only been a dream. Relieved, I scrolled on my phone for a while. When sleep finally came over me, I rolled over, ready to drift off again. That was when some 1Reads—Score—Shelves
13. 363 不 Don't Live in a House Where Someone Has Died 不要住在死过人的房子里 lookMystery9k WordsCompleted The man on the phone said his girlfriend was dead, but the rental agent said he’d been executed by firing squad two years ago. The night I moved into the haunted house, the black landline rang right on schedule at midnight. Zhang Jian cried over the phone, saying he wanted to see Han Chunyan. Yet through the peephole, I clearly saw a long-haired woman in a denim jacket standing outside. Blood was still seeping from the knife wound on the back of her neck. The rental agent, Zhao Shuang, texted me 1Reads—Score—Shelves
14. 364 不 Don't Build a Land Temple on a Whim 不要随便修建土地庙 Underling小喽啰Mystery11k WordsCompleted I watched with my own eyes as Bian Guoshun smashed the Earth God statue with his head, while blood seeped in rivulets from its base. On the night the village built the temple in 1986, everyone heard knocking at their doors. Not with a hand, but with a head. Li Duyan said the temple had been built over a vein of evil energy, but no one believed him. Not until the Bai family’s boy started banging his forehead against the wall in the middle of the night, and Bian Guoshun was tied to a century-old w —Reads—Score—Shelves
15. 365 致 A Deadly Sense of Ceremony 致命的仪式感 Ye Fu也芙Mystery17k WordsCompleted I’m the full-time housewife everyone envies. I never lift a finger around the house. I wake up to spend money and close my eyes to beauty treatments. And I have a handsome, wealthy husband who takes care of my every need. Even my best friend says I must have the luckiest ancestors in the world to be this fortunate. But the truth is, the person sharing my bed isn’t my husband at all. —Reads—Score—Shelves
16. 366 美 Beauty Balm 美人膏 Jinshuang锦霜Mystery11k WordsCompleted I'm a matchmaker who specializes in training men for rich women. Men talk about “self-respect,” but once they become kept men, they'll still do whatever it takes to cling to their rich benefactors. Lately, my husband has started paying more attention to his looks, but he doesn't know that he has very thick eyelids. Very thick. That's exactly what those rich women like to feast on. 39Reads—Score—Shelves
17. 367 午 Midnight Terror: The Strange Radio Broadcast 午夜惊魂之电波诡事 Half a Feather半面羽毛Mystery354k WordsOngoing In the winter of 1998, Liu Siyang, a broadcasting college graduate, was assigned to Shengjing Radio. He took over a long-dormant late-night program, named it Midnight Frights, and set out to tell the insomniacs of this old industrial city some unusual stories over the midnight airwaves. He unearthed three bizarre cases from the radio station’s archives and old police files: the sweeping sounds that never ceased after the death of “Big Black Tooth,” the library’s caretaker; the green powder stuff 35Reads—Score—Shelves

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    A late-night radio station broadcasts eerie tales. The strange stories told by the host, Feather, slowly overlap with unsolved real-life cases. After a fire, controversy, scheming, and power struggles erupt. A series of short, chilling stories connect to the main case, running in parallel! No mindless scare tactics; instead, layers of human drama and long-forgotten secrets unfold. Question: What's the most memorable radio horror story for you? Book Title: *Midnight Horror: Eerie Tales of the Radio Waves* 🙃

18. 368 寿 The Immortal’s Path of a Funeral Garment Shop Owner 寿衣店老板的修仙路 Half a Feather半面羽毛Mystery687k WordsOngoing An Accidental Ghost Cultivator Begins His Path to Immortality Luo Ze is an art teacher at an art training school. After 30 years of teaching, he has become a renowned teacher with students all over the place. After a car accident, he unexpectedly transmigrates 20 years into the past, only to find himself possessing the body of a 19-year-old who runs a funeral clothing shop. While providing someone with a complete funeral service, he unexpectedly acquires an ancient bronze mirror of unknown origi 23Reads—Score—Shelves
19. 369 爱 I Love Your Numbness, I Love Your Spice, I Love You Till My Stomach Gives Out 爱你的麻，爱你的辣，爱得老胃直拉胯 Half a Feather半面羽毛Marriage & Romance24k WordsCompleted I love your numbing spice, I love your heat, I love you so much my stomach’s a mess 6Reads—Score—Shelves
20. 370 会 The Stone That Remembers the Light 会记住光的石头 Half a Feather半面羽毛28k WordsCompleted The Stone That Remembers the Light 1Reads—Score—Shelves
21. 371 玛 Mama Haha Won't Fly Anymore 玛玛哈哈不飞了 Half a Feather半面羽毛38k WordsCompleted Mama Haha Won't Fly Anymore 1Reads—Score—Shelves
22. 372 怪 Tales of the Supernatural: Ghost-Hunting Venerable 怪谈之捉鬼天尊 Blue Forest Night Wind蓝林夜风Mystery176k WordsOngoing Eight severed-head mountains form a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, imprisoning Song An’s first eight incarnations. To ensure that Song An can grow up safely in his ninth life, a mysterious eminent monk comes to the mortal world. Unfortunately, this time Song An is born on the night of the Ghost Festival, and is also a child of extreme yin, with all eight characters of his birth chart belonging to yin. Even stranger, nine days and nine nights of blood rain fall before Song An’s birth. For —Reads—Score—Shelves

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    I highly recommend this book. It's not the kind of book that gets you hooked right away, but it gets better and better as you read on, and you won't be able to put it down once you start. It's a classic supernatural story, both scary and funny, and watching the protagonist grow by catching ghosts is a truly rare gem!

23. 373 大 Records of the Tang Dynasty Zombies 大唐丧尸录 Eighth Master of Dou City斗城八爷Mystery58k WordsCompleted The Tang Dynasty Zombie Chronicles 6Reads—Score—Shelves

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    My grandfather didn't want me to become a merchant like him; he wanted me to find a stable life in the Tang Dynasty. So, from a young age, he arranged for me to learn how to become a proper Tang woman. Tara was a slave my grandfather bought from a Arab. She had thick lips and skin as black as coal, but her eyes were bright, large, and round. She had a very good personality, was very cheerful, and loved to dance. Everyone liked her; the sailors called her Black Pearl. She was the one who lent me the book "Tales of the Tang Dynasty." "You idiot, you're asking for it!" My father whipped her severely in front of everyone. "You've got some nerve, daring to incite the young lady to read that kind of book... I'll beat you to death today!" Seeing Tara's body mangled and bloody from my grandfather's whip, I felt a pang of pity, but more than anything, I didn't understand why my grandfather didn't want me to read that kind of book. "Grandpa, hit me!" I knelt before him. "This has nothing to do with Tara. I asked her to borrow the books for me!" "She deliberately seduced you!" "Seduced... Seduced?" "Enticement! She blatantly seduced you!" "I just don't understand... It's just a book!" "A book?" Grandpa sighed. "Today you can read 'The Great Tang Chronicles' without restraint, tomorrow you can openly read 'The Great Tang Adventures,' and the day after tomorrow, you can read 'The Great Tang Erotic Records' as you please..." "'The Great Tang Erotic Records'?" "I just won't allow you to read those books that confuse the mind!" "How can you say those books confuse the mind?" I was somewhat amused and exasperated. "They've added a lot of fun to my life!" "You call that fun? I think it's just indulging in trivial pursuits!" "But..." I was about to say something when he interrupted me. "Do you know that to give you the best and most authentic Tang Dynasty education, Grandpa is willing to go bankrupt!" "I know!" "Do you know that your grandfather has personally contributed, with real money and hard-earned savings?" "I know!" "Do you know that your grandfather's lifelong wish is for you to find a good match and have a happy ending?" "I know, I know everything." "Since you know all this, why do you still..." "Because I am not a woman of the Tang Dynasty!" "And then?" "Undeniably, the mysterious Tang Dynasty captivated me, and Tang culture was so profound..." "Continue!" "But I am not a true woman of the Tang Dynasty, and I don't want to be defined as such by others!" "What?" "I want to be my true self!"

24. 374 闺 Tales of My Best Friend's Haunting 闺蜜诡事录 Eighth Master of Dou City斗城八爷Mystery32k WordsCompleted Tales of Strange Events Among Best Friends 8Reads—Score—Shelves
25. 375 后 The Harem Emperor 后宫大帝 Binghuo Zi Wende丙火字文德Eastern Fantasy607k WordsCompleted A harem novel with multiple female leads and a System. If you like beautiful women, come take a look. A naturally lecherous nouveau riche gets sent to the cultivation world after sexually harassing a waitress and being hit by a computer, bringing along a hundredfold experience System. He levels up at breakneck speed, is lecherous by nature, gathers a harem, and gets revenge on his enemies. He's a coward who fears death and never goes anywhere dangerous. I've never liked challenging people above 861Reads6.4Score—Shelves

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    Good books of all types

26. 376 破 Breaking Hell: The Celestial Master Returns 破狱：天师归来 Songhu鬆湖Sci-Fi & Apocalypse388k WordsCompleted After ten years in prison, the day he gets out, he discovers he’s completely out of step with the world. There are no bustling streets or lights in every window. The streets lie abandoned, the cities are dead, and the air reeks of rot and blood. Monsters that are neither human nor ghost roam everywhere: stiff bodies, fangs and claws, and a thirst for blood. The military can’t defeat them, the police can’t hold them back, and human civilization is on the brink of collapse. Even more absurdly, peo 6Reads—Score—Shelves

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    Feng shui secrets, necromancers, corpses covered in minced meat, zombies, ghosts, Taoist priests, suspense, betrayal in love, ten years in prison, and upon release, being approached by security personnel.

27. 377 阴 The Cursed Coffin 阴棺抬煞 Songhu鬆湖Mystery891k WordsCompleted Deep in Bai Street stands a yin-yang coffin shop that never makes coffins and never receives customers. Chen Ye grew up accompanying his grandfather on spirit-walking rites and coffin-bearing, learning all manner of evil spirits. He thought he would spend his life in the peaceful funeral trade, taking payment to guide souls onward and living in safety. Then, in a single night, three coffins arrived at the Ding family’s home, and one bizarre incident after another erupted throughout the househol 1Reads—Score—Shelves
28. 378 霜 Crown of Frost and Ash 霜与烬之冠 Songhu鬆湖Female-Channel Fanfiction341k WordsCompleted At her engagement ceremony, the man she loved pushed her into an abyss. Three years later, she returned wearing a silver-frost mask. This time, she would crown his empire with her own hands, then stain that crown red with his blood. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
29. 379 雪 Tales of Strange Happenings in Snow City 雪城志异 Guo Xiaotang郭筱棠Mystery864k WordsOngoing A collection of short tales of the strange and supernatural, including ghost stories and even stories about aliens! Each story is only a few hundred words, so you can finish one in no time. Strange happenings and supernatural tales, demons and ghosts, tree spirits and fox fairies! Let your imagination run wild! Everyone is welcome to read! 26Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A collection of short supernatural tales and ghost stories! Includes alien tales! Lots of supernatural beings and monsters! Zombie and drought demon stories! Mind-blowing! Highly recommended!

30. 380 我 Studying Neutrinos at the Funeral Home 我在殡仪馆研究中微子 A MuyaoA沐瑶Mystery1.3M WordsOngoing ❎ Not for the faint of heart! Five-star horror rating. I’m a college student. To ease the burden on my family, I decided to find a part-time job near campus. By chance, I spotted a faded advertisement on a utility pole nearby. The job was keeping night watch at a funeral home, and the pay was great, so I took it. On my first day, the manager told me three bizarre rules for the funeral home’s night shift: I’d be the only one working overnight; never open the door for strangers; and never get invo 16.7kReads7.2Score2.4kShelves

    Reader note

    The aftertaste is incredible! This Chinese supernatural novel has made me too scared to walk alone at night—who understands?! After finishing this supernatural novel, I found no clichéd plots, no forced sentimentality; it purely relies on its uniquely Chinese horror atmosphere to keep me glued to the screen, becoming increasingly addictive with each reading! Its horror isn't straightforward gore, but rather a subtle, chilling unease hidden in everyday life. That eerie feeling that disrupts the routine is even more unsettling than facing a ghost directly! The pacing is absolutely phenomenal! It's both terrifying and exhilarating, with a truly immersive Chinese ritualistic approach to exorcism! What's most captivating is the unique "awe" found in Chinese horror. It's not just about scaring people for the sake of scaring; when the truth is revealed at the end, it doesn't feel abrupt at all, but rather sends a chill down your spine, making you want to repeatedly ponder the details and foreshadowing from the beginning. If you're a fan of Chinese thrillers like *The Curse* and *The Haunted Village*, enjoy a subtly terrifying atmosphere, and want to experience the thrill of reading "too scared to stop reading," this novel is definitely for you! Start reading now, and remember to prepare your pillow! Don't blame me for not warning you, don't scream for help if you hear someone combing their hair in the middle of the night!

31. 381 夜 A Strange Tale Every Night 夜夜都有诡故事 Brilliant as a River of Stars灿若星河呀Mystery507k WordsOngoing [Extreme Supernatural Horror] [Ghosts, Fox Spirits, and Other Strange Creatures] [Not for Women] [Not for the Fainthearted] Based on personal experience and real events. The occult is science we have yet to touch; science is the occult we have already mastered. 22Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    These short stories are heartwarming and comforting, perfect for helping you fall asleep.

32. 382 奇 Strange Tales, Volume 1 奇闻诡事录1 Shark Sauce鲨鱼酱子Mystery288k WordsCompleted This is a collection of folk tales about the uncanny, strange accounts from across the land. Each chapter is a complete story, each tale a separate supernatural mystery, revealing the mysteries of yin and yang, folk taboos, and the obsessions of the dead. You never know when a casual remark might draw the attention of spirits lurking in the wilderness; when an old object you pick up might hold the memory of a tragic death; or when an everyday habit might already have crossed a forbidden boundary 21Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Chinese horror is so realistic 😱😱😱😱

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