The Daoist Says He’s an Atheist

Ning Helan didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but his grandfather forced him to take on some ghost-hunting and demon-exorcising jobs during the gaps in his university schedule.

1. A client said that ever since visiting a ruined temple north of the city, he'd felt awful all over. Everything hurt: his face, his chest, his waist. He kept insisting a ghost had latched onto him.

Ning Helan yanked the evil spirit off the client's back, pulled out his pocket copy of Marxist Dialectics, and whacked the ghost with it over and over.

Client: “Daoist, are there really ghosts?”

Ning Helan: “There are no such things as ghosts.”

The client stared at the evil spirit dangling from his hand and trembled. “If you say there aren't, Daoist... then there aren't...”

2. A client wept that she was cursed to bring misfortune to everyone around her. Her birth charts clashed with her husband's, and she'd already caused three husbands to die.

Ning Helan jotted down her and her ex-husband's birth details, then, while the client wasn't looking, kicked the wandering spirit riding on her back straight into the underworld.

Client, sobbing: “Daoist, do you believe there are people cursed to bring disaster? Have I been cursed by the gods?”

Ning Helan: “I'm an atheist.”

Then he casually handed her his copy of Introduction to Marxism, telling her to read it whenever she had time instead of letting her imagination run wild. He also told her to keep an eye on the male housekeeper.

A few days later, the client's male housekeeper was arrested. He'd been in love with his mistress for years and couldn't stand seeing another man in the house. He had poisoned all three of her husbands.

Holding the book, the client fell into deep thought. “So this book has a meaning like that, too...”

3. A client said the feng shui in her house was bad. Everyone in the family, from the oldest to the youngest, experienced hallucinations at the same fixed time every week.

Ning Helan asked when it happened, glanced at the leftovers they'd been eating, and waved away all the little mushroom spirits in the house.

Ning Helan: “The feng shui is fine. Read more about architecture, and make sure you cook mushrooms thoroughly. Stop thinking about superstitions all the time.”

The client watched the little mushroom spirits scamper all over the house and silently cried.

Reader's guide:

1. No romance, two male leads, episodic stories, and a character who grows over time. PS: Little Daoist Ning is the strongest character in the whole story.

2. Everything happens for the sake of the plot. No harmful messaging intended. Reject superstition and trust science.

3. There are lots of original settings. The story may possibly contain a small amount of horror and suspense.

4. Updates usually go up at midnight. Random red-envelope gifts will appear in the comments on VIP chapters.

[Please add my next novel to your favorites → Taking the Classic of Mountains and Seas to the Apocalypse: A no-romance apocalypse novel with a male lead. He's very delicate and a bit of a schemer, but he comes with fluffy ancient divine beasts~]

Theme: Don't be superstitious. Trust science.