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In the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Zhong Kui in Zhongnan Mountain. He was born upright and not afraid of evil spirits. Although he is ugly and fearful of others, he is very talented. Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne and was appointed as the Grand Prix. Zhong Kui said goodbye to his relatives and friends and went to take the exam. The examiner at that time was Han Yu. He was very happy when he saw Zhong Kui's article. He ranked it first and reported it to the emperor. The emperor summoned him and saw that Zhong Kui was extremely ugly. He was very displeased and thought that he could not be the first scholar because of his ugly appearance. When Zhong Kui heard this, he was so angry that he committed suicide in Jinluan Hall. Dezong was so shocked that he made Zhongkui the master of exorcism, traveling around the world to kill evil spirits and bury him with the title of No. 1 Scholar. After Zhong Kui's death, his soul came to Fengdu and asked to see Lord Yan, asking him to tell him that there were monsters there so that he could catch them.

The author borrowed the long-circulated folk story of Zhong Kui's ghost hunting as the reason, developed it, and wrote an allegorical satirical literary work, which was unique among the novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and opened up a new field of satirical novels. "The Legend of Killing Ghosts (Part 2)" continues to tell the story of Zhong Kui who overcame many difficulties to kill ghosts and was later rewarded by the Jade Emperor. This book collects and organizes the folklore about Zhong Kui in the past dynasties, and has a profound influence on China's subsequent satirical novels.