Novels like Vivid as Life
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Vivid as Life, best match first.
- 1 I Am a Female Physiognomist 我是女相师 I was born in the twelfth lunar month of 1991, and came into the world with six fingers. The saying that people born in the Year of the Sheep have bad luck somehow became attached to me. Before I could even speak, my family sent me to live with my grandaunt, who ran a shop selling paper offerings and burial clothes. My grandaunt said I had a star spirit in my fate, and the Vermilion Bird would come to my aid. What did it matter if my destiny was cursed? As the saying goes: The Azure Dragon and W 13.2kReads9.4Score1.4kShelves
- 2 A World of Fireflies 萤萤众生 When I was thirteen, I had an accident and nearly died. Everything I saw and felt was horrifying, and I could only keep company with bad luck. But I swore a solemn oath: I would not fail Heaven and Earth or my parents, nor harm my friends and family. I would hurt only myself, devote myself to goodness, and hold fast to sincerity! From then on, I walked between the realms of yin and yang, sought a master and learned the Dao, awakened my spiritual senses, and slew demons and evil spirits... I fear 8.1kReads9.2Score779Shelves
- 3 The Destined Immortal-Boned Female Face Reader 天命仙骨女相师 I was born with the bones of a phoenix. Chen the Half-Immortal, who had spent half his life telling fortunes in the village, said I was the reincarnation of the living Bodhisattva worshipped in the village shrine. That was why I had a natural gift for discerning yin from yang and driving out ghosts and spirits. But before I turned six, I was an idiot, because someone had stolen my spiritual root with a forbidden art that defied heaven. Only after a master who came to ask my adoptive mother for h 254Reads9.3Score205Shelves
- 4 I Am a Lady Tutor 我是女先生 I'm hard to kill. These were the words I heard from the moment I was born. A blind fortune-teller said I was a White Tiger Sha, a girl born with a boy's fate, innately tough and destined to bring misfortune to my husband, my children, and myself. Everyone in the village said I wouldn't survive. My yang energy was too strong. Even if they managed to keep me alive, I'd grow up to be an idiot. But my grandma, a spirit medium who presided over the altar, refused to give up. Every year, she burned a 3.3kReads9.4Score449Shelves
- 5 I Am Intersex 我是阴阳人 My mother said that when I was born, her first reaction was to strangle me, because it was impossible to tell whether I was male or female. My grandmother called me a freak and a jinx, saying I would only bring shame on the family. It was then that my maternal grandmother, who had traveled all the way from the countryside to visit my mother, adopted me. So, by chance, I got to enjoy a pure childhood, free from scornful looks. Following my half-immortal grandmother, I unexpectedly discovered how 8.5kReads9.3Score1.3kShelves
- 6 When the Funeral Dance Begins, the Living Must Flee 丧舞起，活人避 The Red Luan chapter of The Book of a Thousand Autumns, also known as Red Luan Ferry [Folk Professions + Southern Yunnan Mysticism + Paranormal Folklore + Strange Tales] I was supposed to die when I was six, but I joined a sect to prolong my life. A folk sect in southern Yunnan: warding off evil spirits and guiding the dead. There are countless rules and taboos in our line of work. “When the funeral dance begins, the living must stay away.” When the funeral dance is performed, the living must tu 207Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 My Master Says I'm Born to Deal with the Dead 师傅说我天生吃阴饭 Born with yin-yang eyes, I always walk down the middle of the road! A quick hand gesture and a single divination, and even the big shots follow me around! What? Money? Hold it right there. I’m not telling your fortune. 810Reads8.9Score102Shelves
- 8 My Brother Is Calling for Help, but Grandpa Says Never to Look Back 弟弟在求救，祖父却说千万别回头 My younger brother was calling for help, but Grandfather said, "Whatever you do, don't look back." 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 The Empty Grave 空坟 Don't mess with the mirror in the house! After my favorite mirror disappeared, I began to fear the light. The doctor said I was allergic to sunlight, and I thought I was just sick. Until one day... I saw... my own grave! 1.1kReads9.0Score107Shelves
- 10 My Father Pretended to Be Mute, and My Boyfriend Lied to Me 装哑的父亲和骗我的男友 A father who pretends to be mute and a boyfriend who deceives me 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 I Escaped That Cannibalistic Old Street with Nothing but a Skewer of Candied Hawthorn? 我逃出那条吃人的老街，只靠手里的一串冰糖葫芦？ I escaped that man-eating old street with nothing but a skewer of candied hawthorn berries in my hand? 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 There Are Ghosts in Showbiz 娱乐圈有鬼 {Romance + nonhuman male lead + lighthearted + supernatural + short episodic tales} Little white rabbit and big bad wolf: the rabbit isn't really a rabbit, but the wolf really is a wolf! This is a story about ghosts, and a legend about raising a wolf to be your husband! Long Xiaoxiao had a dream since childhood: to become a renowned international makeup artist and stylist... At last, she achieved her dream... She became the entertainment industry's dazzling number-one fraud of a fortune-teller! 3.8kReads9.4Score666Shelves
- 13 The Soul Ferry Lantern 渡魂灯 [Supernatural + mildly scary + episodic stories, a fast-paced ghost-hunting romp with all kinds of tricks!] Fire runs in my veins, and I'm cursed to bring bad luck. When I was fifteen, my father kicked me out. To survive, I climbed into a stone tomb. The strange knocking at the door of the funeral home at midnight, The body that mysteriously vanished after a fatal car crash, A headless old man, a talking human skin, and haunted schools and skyscrapers... I guide five-element spirits onward and f 18.1kReads9.2Score1.7kShelves
- 14 The First Half of a Female Spirit Medium’s Life! 出马女弟子的前半生！ I’m an ordinary country girl from Northeast China. When I was 18, I learned that I was born with a connection to the immortals. I was often unwell in all sorts of ways, and I sought out many spirit mediums, hoping they could help me escape my predicament. I was cheated, but I also met kind people. This is the story of how I eventually found my way out. I decided to write this book to keep more people from being scammed. I can’t guarantee that everything I say is right, but I can guarantee that I 8.8kReads9.4Score692Shelves
- 15 The Ghost Marshal’s Yin-Yang Inn 鬼差之阴阳馆 By day, she transforms into a human; by night, she helps ghosts cross over. Come visit this unassuming little shop, run by a newly hired underworld makeup artist, and make an inquiry. 795Reads9.1Score115Shelves
- 16 Borrowing Yin Lifespan 借阴寿 Have you ever slept wearing burial clothes? Don’t try it. I did once, and that night... My name is Li Yiliang. I was born with a shortened lifespan, and my birth caused my mother to die in childbirth. But one night when I was eighteen, my mother came back and said she wanted to take me with her... My grandfather told me to sleep in burial clothes, then gave his own life to help me escape that fate. From then on, my life was never free of strange and uncanny things... 4.7kReads8.9Score411Shelves
- 17 The Dead Man's Makeup 死人妆 The old folks often say, “Men shouldn’t be born on the first day of the lunar month, and women shouldn’t be born on the fifteenth.” I was born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with the fate of an iron broom and a destructive bone marrow. The living despise me, and I bring death to my whole family, yet demons and ghosts have their eyes on me! Because of him, I also broke a taboo and became a woman of yin fate... To save me, my mother-in-law taught me the art of applying makeup to th 2.5kReads9.1Score333Shelves
- 18 The Spirit Medium's Strange Cases 通灵诡事 Parental love? I have none. From the moment I was born, they wanted to strangle me. Sibling affection? I have none. My own brother calls me a country bumpkin. Friendship with my peers? I have none. Everyone in the village says I'm a demon in human form who eats children. Love? What even is that? The first time I saw Qi Yue, I just thought he looked clean-cut and handsome. The next time I saw him, I found out his mother was the woman who had gone looking for Fourth Auntie years ago. Only now, she 2kReads9.2Score390Shelves
- 19 A Few Things from the Underworld 地府里的二三事 As a disciple of the Ma family with more than twenty years of experience in spirit-medium work, I've written this book based on what I know. Some of it is true, some of it false, and some lies in between. Whether you can understand it is up to your own fate! 339Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 20 The Ghost Way, Midway Through Life 半路鬼道 Smart male lead + one heroine On the night of the Ghost Festival, the living send off the dead, burn incense, make offerings, and burn joss paper. But that night, I heard a ghost calling for a soul… The gong sounds, the night grows dark, and the road to the Yellow Springs is hard to travel… With talismans to guide the way and the departed to show the path, summon the gods and command the ghosts: only then can one master the Ghost Path between Yin and Yang! 6.6kReads8.9Score486Shelves
- 21 My Three Lives and Three Worlds 我的三生三世啊 A fantastical tale, all beginning with two bowls of expired Meng Po soup. By the time my hair reaches my waist, the soup's effects will have slowly worn off, and love will have quietly found its way to me! But can love really overcome every obstacle? 298Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 22 Coffin Shop No. 44 44号棺材铺 Everyone knows what a coffin shop is, but would you dare enter one where someone has died? Ever since I took over a coffin shop, strange things have been happening all around me. Only then did I realize that the people who come to buy coffins aren't necessarily alive… 2.2kReads8.0Score253Shelves
- 23 The Deadly Treasure Hunter 绝命大藏家 [Entirely handcrafted, with no AI involved + adapted from industry secrets + authentic antique appraisals with photos and text + a mogul’s redemption] After more than forty years in the antique trade, twenty-eight years robbing tombs, and fifteen years faking antiques, sixty-year-old Ma Wangye had finally washed his hands of the business and planned to enjoy his retirement. Who could have guessed that on New Year’s Eve, someone would kill him with a pickaxe in front of Old Wangye’s grave? His li 51.3kReads8.8Score5.7kShelves
- 24 Thirty Years on Maoshan 茅山三十年 ♥ Don’t let the rating fool you, my book is top-notch! A feel-good story about a Taoist priest who descends the mountain to catch ghosts and drive out evil. No romance, no saintly do-gooder. Traveling far and wide to vanquish demons and uphold the Dao. No padding, no rambling, no romance. 9.4kReads8.8Score750Shelves
- 25 The Last Female Mystic 最后一个女玄术师 When Ye Simei was five, a fortune-teller told her she was born with a bewitching beauty and destined to become a canary in some powerful man's cage. Ye Simei: Have the powerful gotten too cocky, or do you think I, Ye Simei, can't wield a blade anymore? 1.9kReads9.0Score263Shelves
- 26 The Little Prodigy of the Northern Ma Clan 北马小神童 A strange story set in a small town ninety years later. The heroine begins her shamanic calling at thirteen. On the day she was born, all the fox, yellow weasel, white weasel, willow, and rat spirits within a ten-kilometer radius knelt to welcome her. Then came a series of miraculous experiences. 10.6kReads9.5Score947Shelves
- 27 The Master of Ma Yi Divination 麻衣相师 My great-uncle had all kinds of abilities. One day, he told me he’d buried a treasure for me in a feng shui paradise… 28.1kReads9.0Score3.3kShelves
- 28 Grab It! If You Don’t Snatch the Golden Finger, Who Will? 抢啊！金手指都不抢，要留给谁？ She is Daipa, the strongest shaman of the Black Miao tribe. She can divine the future and is skilled in poisons and gu magic. Her moods are unpredictable, and a pure black kitten is always at her side. She is Gu Qingcheng, a timid educated youth sent to the countryside after being set up. Someone schemed to make her take another woman’s place as a bride, and she lost her life as a result. She is Ma Xiaotiao, an older single woman whom her relatives think will never get married. She has been stuc 343Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Borrowed Corpse, Stolen Life 借尸命 When a plague swept through my mother’s village, she was the only one who escaped alive and made it to Chen Village. My mother was graceful and beautiful, but after arriving in the village, she went mad. There’s something wrong with this village. Every night, we hear strange noises. My father’s name is Chen Jiu, and mine is Chen Lintian. I suspect he isn’t my real father... 1.8kReads9.0Score130Shelves
- 30 Zeng Guofan: A Distinguished Statesman Who Revived the Late Qing 曾国藩：晚清中兴名臣 Written in an accessible style, this book recounts the remarkable life of Zeng Guofan, the foremost statesman of the late Qing revival. It begins with a baby's cries in a farming household in Xiangxiang in 1811, then follows his grueling path through the imperial examinations. He fails four times but keeps studying until, at twenty-seven, he finally enters the Hanlin Academy. As a capital official, he adheres to the principles of self-cultivation and holds fast to his convictions amid court intr 8.5kReads7.9Score371Shelves
- 31 Reborn in the Glory of a Golden Age 重生之盛世年华 (Rebirth + space + possessiveness + devoted couple + family life + slow-burn romance) She won the lottery for the first time, but one sentence from her own mother made her die of anger. When she opened her eyes again, she discovered she had been reborn at eighteen, in the college entrance exam hall, holding the exam papers her mother had forced her to fill out for four years. If you were reborn at eighteen, what would you do? Would you seize the opportunity and use your memories to become a self 1.1kReads—Score110Shelves
- 32 The Seven Emotions Bowl 七情碗 After her biological father and half-sister drove her out of the house, Tang Susu sneered, climbed into her understated Maserati, and reclaimed the keepsakes her mother had left behind. She became the new master of the Seven Emotions Bowl. With her golden finger in hand, she and the Tang family became strangers from then on. Revenge was only the beginning. Mr. CEO, try to keep a low profile! A sage once took water from the Yellow Springs, soil from the underworld, and fire from purgatory, then m 3.5kReads9.3Score462Shelves
- 33 Tales of the Shanhai Tomb 4 山海惊墓录4 A low, eerie chuckle drifted from deep within the desolate woods. The red cloth that had been offered in worship swayed from a branch. Ancient paper ash and dying incense lay scattered on the ground, and faded red cords hung deep in the forest. It looked up at me, its mouth splitting into a grin. 413Reads—Score229Shelves
- 34 Records of the Shocking Tombs of Shan Hai 3 山海惊墓录3 Some hear breathing but cannot find its source; some see a shadow but cannot tell whether it is their own or some being from the sea. It feels neither anger nor joy. The moment you step inside, it remembers you, and you will never be able to leave. 484Reads—Score249Shelves
- 35 Tomb of Mountains and Seas 2 山海惊墓录2 Where will we end up if we keep going down? At the Earth's core? The darkness seems to cling to our skin and seep into our bones. Aren't we underground? Then why is there an endless river of stars above us? 761Reads—Score260Shelves
- 36 Tales of the Shocking Shan Hai Tomb 山海惊墓录 I was born in Northeast China, at the western foot of Changbai Mountain. From there, my journey began, crossing rivers and enduring hardship. Everything started there. The strange and uncanny things I encountered in those years, I wanted to bury deep in my heart and let time wear them away. But nightmares came again and again, disturbing my sleep. Whenever I woke with a start, I often felt I could barely breathe, and the pain cut to the bone. Thinking it over, I finally decided to put pen to pap 7.8kReads7.0Score924Shelves
- 37 After I Was Reborn, I Gave Up My Guaranteed Admission, and He Panicked 重生后我放弃保送，他慌了 After I Was Reborn, I Gave Up My Guaranteed Admission, and He Panicked 406Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Taboo of the Living 2 活人禁忌2 Heaven Official's Blessing, no taboos under heaven. The second installment of Living People’s Taboos! 8.1kReads9.1Score1.3kShelves
- 39 I Am a Feng Shui Diviner 我是风水女相师 [Hilarious supernatural comedy + feel-good power fantasy + no romance + adored by all] My name is Zhao Xin. I was born in 2000, the Year of the Dragon. I've dealt with ghosts since I was little, and strange things are always around me. People think I'm a weirdo. They say I'm a crackpot, call me a fraud, and insist that sooner or later the ghosts will drag me away. But I refuse to believe in bad omens. To stay alive, I wandered from place to place with my family, visited sects and sought out m 5.8kReads8.9Score737Shelves
- 40 Metaphysics Livestream: I Accidentally Went Viral in the Human and Underworld 玄学直播：一不小心爆红人间地府 [Metaphysics + livestreaming + fortune-telling + ghost hunting + episodic stories + absurd comedy] After graduating from college, Xu Qingyin inherits her grandmother’s incense shop. By day, hardly any living customers come in. By night, ghosts arrive one after another. To make the shop better known, Xu Qingyin starts livestreaming fortune-telling sessions. She never expects every client to be a total mess. · An old ghost has nothing decent to wear because his grandson burned fake, shoddy offeri 816Reads8.5Score130Shelves
- 41 Secrets of the Northern Steed 北马秘闻 After spending seven years in a daze as a fool, I was told by the Yellow Immortal that I had a spirit altar within me, and that my origins were far from ordinary. From then on, I set out on the Northern Ma path. 11.3kReads8.5Score2kShelves
- 42 The Commandery Princess Is Reborn and Back for Revenge 郡主重生杀回来了 Zhang Jiayue, the Princess of Yufang, was talked into visiting the Sure-Win Gambling House by her half-brother and the Third Prince. She brought along her childhood friend Jiang Yunzhao. After winning at first, she began to lose and got hopelessly hooked, borrowing a million taels of silver. The gambling house came after her to collect, bringing down both the Prince’s and Marquis’s households. She was killed, too. Unable to let go, she was reborn on the road as the gambling house’s collectors cl 391Reads8.1Score100Shelves
- 43 My Twenty Years as a Spirit Medium 我出马的二十年 He cultivated his character deep in the mountains, then left his secluded cave to make a name for himself across the land. Over twenty years, he broke through countless barriers and witnessed countless things. This is the true story of those twenty years, meant both to introduce this industry to those unfamiliar with it and to share experience with fellow professionals. 9kReads9.4Score519Shelves
- 44 Livestream Fortune-Telling: The Real Heiress with Mystical Powers Shakes Up the Internet 直播算命：玄学真千金炸翻全网 [Female lead with no romance + episodic stories + face-reading and ghost-catching + folk legends and supernatural mysteries] To accumulate good karma, Jiang Yu comes down from the mountains and starts livestreaming fortune-telling. She runs into a red-clad vengeful ghost from the start? Jiang Yu: “See that peach tree in your yard that was just struck by lightning? It’s fresh lightning-struck wood. Go chop off a branch and stab that bastard to death!” Viewer One: “Streamer, I think a ghost beat m 77.9kReads9.3Score11.9kShelves
- 45 The Secret Histories of the Four Great Beauties 四大美人秘史 [The Four Beauties, classical historical romances, complete uncensored public-domain editions, stories of celebrated women in history, ancient tales] This complete collection contains the original, unabridged texts of The Romance of Xishi, The Romance of Wang Zhaojun, The Romance of Yang Guifei, and The Romance of Diaochan. It recounts the turbulent lives of the Four Beauties, whose beauty was said to make fish forget to swim, geese forget to fly, the moon hide, and flowers blush. Together, thes 476Reads9.2Score100Shelves
- 46 I Rule the Archives of Life and Death on the Other Shore 我在彼岸执掌生死档案 "Chen Mo, would you be willing to work for the Underworld?" "That lousy place? Not even a dog would go!" "A monthly salary of fifty thousand." "If even dogs won't go, then I'll go!" "Triple overtime pay, and if anything goes wrong on a mission, we'll make sure you get a good next life." "Big Brothers Hei and Bai Wuchang, you can count me as clocked in today." "Lord Yama, you're paying me so much, it's got me worried." 56Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 The True Heiress Returns with Her Metaphysical Powers, and Her Wealthy Family Begs Her to Stop Setting Up a Stall 玄学真千金归来，豪门全家跪求别摆摊 The Metaphysical True Heiress Returns, and Her Entire Wealthy Family Begs Her to Stop Setting Up a Fortune-Telling Stall 644Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 The Cat-Paw Martial Heroine: Fleeing Her Way to the Top 三脚猫女侠，逃命成为天下第一 The Three-Legged Cat Swordswoman: Fleeing for Her Life to Become the Greatest Under Heaven 256Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 Plenty of Stories at the Funeral Home 殡仪馆里故事多 Ever since Lin Yu took a job driving a hearse at a funeral home, his life became anything but ordinary. He and his friends went through all kinds of bizarre, inexplicable events together. Vengeful spirits possessing people, a dead infant in a pot, opera singing in a graveyard... No one knew what would happen next. 13kReads8.7Score978Shelves
- 50 The Peerless Mage 法师无双 A top sorcerer who once led the Heavenly Masters’ Court returns, only to be cast out by his powerful family. As he prepares to leave, he discovers that his younger female cousin has fallen victim to dark magic… 3.9kReads9.1Score483Shelves
