Novels like Folk Taboos: I Cultivate Merit in the Mortal World
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Folk Taboos: I Cultivate Merit in the Mortal World, best match first.
- 101 The Last Grave Chaser 最后一个撵坟人 [Tomb raiding + the supernatural + suspense + Taoist arts + feng shui + spirit-walking + witchcraft + no System + original, not fanfiction + slow burn] In southwest China, there is a little-known profession whose practitioners are called grave chasers. They read the flow of qi and water, scour the mountains and track down tombs, and are experts in feng shui, burial sites, Taoist arts, and witchcraft. What are grave chasers really looking for? How did I get dragged into all this? It all began whe 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 A Working Stiff's Ghost-Hunting Diary 牛马捉鬼日记 Mystery + Supernatural + Comedy. Slow burn; impatient readers, enter at your own risk!!! My name is Qin Fang. I was an ordinary, downtrodden wage slave, until one day, on a whim, I spent a whopping five hundred yuan at a street stall on a nine-story pagoda ornament. My peaceful life was turned upside down. Now, on top of slaving away at work all day and suffering for a measly few thousand yuan, I have to serve the pagoda spirit, Lord Bai, every night. I’m forced to hunt ghosts and subdue demons 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 Secrets of the Mortuary 殓尸秘录 Chen Mo is the young heir to the Wangsheng Studio funeral home. He thought he would spend his life in quiet company with cold, lifeless bodies. Then he took charge of a strange corpse known as the “Bride in Red,” and everything began to spiral out of control. The body never decays, and its smile is as lovely as a flower. The bronze bell tied around its ankle rings silently in the dead of night. From then on, Chen Mo is swept into one whirlpool after another, woven from local ghost stories and ho 3Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 104 The Maoshan Coffin-Raiser 茅山升棺人 From the moment I was born, someone secretly plotted against me, making my mother give birth prematurely and changing my birth date. My birth chart clashed with my parents' fates, and they both died on the very day I was born. I vowed to find the culprit, and in time became a Maoshan coffin-raiser! Coffin-raising is the practice of relocating graves. After death, people should be buried in a place with good feng shui to protect their descendants. But some ancestors are buried in malevolent place 1.3kReads9.0Score10214d adds
- 105 The Incense of the Underworld 走阴香 [Spirit Medium + Supernatural] The year I turned ten, my grandmother passed away. Not long after, I came down with a strange illness. Days of injections and medicine did no good, and every night I became unusually alert, often babbling incoherently. After five days of continuous fever, my parents had no choice but to take me to the countryside to see a woman they called Auntie, who they said could treat me. Here, “Auntie” didn’t mean a relative on my father’s side. It was the respectful title we 989Reads9.1Score16914d adds
- 106 The Sixth Man's Strange Tales 老六诡事 A collection of true stories about all kinds of inexplicable, supernatural events personally experienced by people around me. Just think of it as my attempt to pass off some tales as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio! Not for the faint of heart! Not for the faint of heart! Not for the faint of heart! I’m repeating it three times because it’s important! I don’t make up stories. I’m simply passing them along! 62Reads—Score—14d adds
- 107 The Yin Tattooist 纹阴师 Tattoos are said to be mysterious totems carried on one’s back. I’m a traditional tattoo artist. Over the years, strange things have happened while I tattooed my clients. The terrifying secrets weighing on my heart have kept me tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Now I’ll tell you, bit by bit, what I experienced firsthand. Some tattoo designs inked on the body might actually be living things that can move. 531Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 108 The Yin Fourth Gate 阴四门 [One heroine + traditional supernatural folklore + spirit medium] (Adapted into an audio IP) Prequel to "A One-Stop Funeral Service, with Cyber Immortals by My Side" (It’s perfectly normal for a funeral officiant like me to summon immortals, right?). The Yin Four Trades: an occupation that lives entirely off the dead. What would happen if the strongest spirit medium within thousands of miles joined one of the Yin Four Trades… 849Reads8.6Score15214d adds
- 109 The Greatest Pawnshop Under Heaven 天字第一當 By day, this pawnshop looks utterly ordinary, but it has one strange rule: anyone who pawns an item or buys an unredeemed one gets a free fortune reading. Stranger still, once midnight comes, the shop welcomes all kinds of bizarre visitors… 3.5kReads8.9Score38414d adds
- 110 The Ultimate Maoshan Exorcist 极品出马仙 My name is Li Shan. I have carried the burden of fate since the day I was born. On my eighteenth birthday, I established a spirit altar, where five hundred immortal beings, each with extraordinary powers, took their places. Some protect me, some watch over the altar, some sweep it clean, and others ride out on spirit horses. These beings chose me for my all-yin birth chart, and for my status as a virgin boy in my previous life. A ghost wearing human skin, a cursed infant, endless resentment: in 533Reads7.3Score10014d adds
- 111 Celestial Master 天师 My name is Chen Rong. Rong as in ‘the world won’t tolerate me’! Have you ever seen someone get struck by lightning? Have you ever seen someone get struck by lightning once every nine years? That’s me!!! 1.3kReads8.0Score—14d adds
- 112 The Corpse Driver: I Can Copy the Skills of the Dead 赶尸匠:我能复制逝者技能 After graduating from university, Lin Ye gets the God-Tier Corpse-Driving System. He grows stronger by driving corpses and can copy the skills of the deceased. Through corpse-driving, he travels among humans, gods, ghosts, and demons. His mighty army of the undead is invincible, conquering all before it. As a corpse driver, Lin Ye laughs proudly between heaven and earth and becomes the sovereign of all worlds. 4Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 113 The Soul-Suppressing Stele 镇魂碑 Telling the eeriest stories and exposing the most unfathomable human hearts! The final installment in the Evil-Quelling Trilogy! (The first two, Evil-Quelling Notes and Thousand Corpse Town, are both complete.) After the first thirty thousand words, there will be three updates every day! No delays, guaranteed! Thank you all for continuing to support Lao Zhang! 669Reads7.8Score10114d adds
- 114 Paranormal Streamer: The Sledgehammer Notes 灵异主播:铁锤笔记 A paranormal livestreamer and a female yin-yang practitioner team up to deal with supernatural incidents. After being ambushed by an evil sorcerer, they fall victim to a curse involving poisonous magic. To break the curse, they descend into the Yuanchen Palace, face off against ghosts in a battle of song, storm a reclusive sect’s warded realm, help underworld officials subdue demons, escort an earth immortal to take up a post, and venture into the underworld to steal a prophecy from a forbidden 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 115 The Young Feng Shui Master 少年风水师 When I was ten, my grandfather built a coffin for himself with his own hands... From that moment on, the heavens shattered and all realms fell into chaos. [The 2021 feng shui and fantasy masterpiece!] 624Reads8.1Score13414d adds
- 116 True Stories of Spirit Mediums in Northern Liaoning 辽北出马仙实录 A true story about a man who cultivated his mind and spirit deep in the mountains, then emerged from an ancient cave to make a name for himself across the land. It follows his transformation from an ordinary college student into a bona fide shamanic disciple, and offers some guidance to fellow cultivators still grappling with this destined path. I hope this lamp of mine will light the way ahead for everyone fate has brought here! A true story about shamans from Northeast China. Any resemblance t 578Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 117 The Daoheart’s Journey 道心征途 (This novel focuses primarily on horror, the supernatural, and suspense. It isn't mindless, it isn't about cultivating immortality, and the story is tightly connected. The early chapters lay the groundwork, and there are many genuinely frightening scenes. If you don't like it, feel free to say so in the comments!) My master said there are only two principles to being a Taoist priest. First: Never put off revenge until tomorrow. Let it fester in your heart, and it will throw your Daoist mind into 7Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 118 God Suppressor 镇神 A deadly evil curse, a Taoist priest ascending to immortality, and a great calamity on the horizon. The Daoist sect's young patriarch has no choice but to descend the mountain and save the world, only to find a greater conspiracy unfolding one after another. 2.5kReads6.9Score16114d adds
- 119 Fallen Phoenix 落凤 [Pure feel-good fun! The heroine is a total psycho who'll fight anyone! She never takes a loss!] My sworn sister sent me a message: "We'll never be separated." Then she disappeared. My big brother and I packed our suitcases and went to her hometown, Ancient Phoenix City, to look for her. But I kept feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching me from somewhere unseen. Those eyes, however, didn't belong to the "Golden Dragon" I'd known since childhood... 561Reads8.8Score10514d adds
- 120 A Spirit Medium’s Disciple Who Became a Taoist 当道士的出马弟子 First, I offer incense as a disciple of the spirit-medium tradition. I am a junior student of Qingwei! This book has three aims! First, to explain some rather mysterious topics and present superstitious ideas from a scientific perspective! Second, to share a few tips on avoiding scams, so no one gets tricked! Third, there is no fantasy cultivation or wish-fulfillment in this book! Fourth, everything mentioned in the book is based on my own personal experience! Zhengyuantang, Wang Clan Immortal R 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 121 The City's Exorcist 都市驱魔先生 When shadows emerge beyond the reach of the city’s neon lights, young exorcist Jin Lei sets out on the path fate has laid for him. He inherits more than his family’s powers: he also inherits a tragic mystery spanning a hundred years. Why did his ancestor and fellow disciple turn evil? What earth-shattering scheme is the Xuanjing organization plotting from the shadows of history? From strange happenings on campus to bloody feuds in the countryside, from urban crime investigations to a battle ove 266Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 The Mystic Arts Curse Master 玄门咒神 On the day Yang Xuan was supposed to get engaged, a blood-red coffin inexplicably appeared in his home. Inside lay a beautiful woman with skin like jade. On the first day, his father died. On the second day, a yin-yang master told Yang Xuan: If he wanted to survive this calamity, he had to consummate his marriage with her... 115Reads—Score—14d adds
- 123 The Orthodox Unity Celestial Master Dao 正一天师道 Zhang Tianfeng, a Celestial Master from Maoshan, descends the mountain after mastering his art. He faces a nest of Yin spirits, the Five Ghosts Devouring the Dragon, the Netherworld Bureau, the Xiangxi Corpse King, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the evil god Xingtian, the Battle of the Azure Underworld, and the Ghost Emperor of the Great Clarity of the Apocalypse. Zhang Tianfeng was born with the destiny of a Ziwei Celestial Master. Is he also a reincarnated ghost child? From a divine being amon 1.9kReads—Score24814d adds
- 124 The Knife Seller 赊刀人 Have you ever met a man who carries a shoulder pole through the streets, selling kitchen knives? People come to buy, but he refuses to sell to anyone except you. When you offer him money, he won't take it. He just smiles and says, “Come back to settle the bill when two steamed buns can buy you a wife.” If you meet him, don't think you've gotten a bargain. What you'll end up paying will be far more than the price of a kitchen knife... 6.4kReads9.1Score33814d adds
- 125 Shamanic Tales: Strange Folk Stories and Supernatural Tales from Northeast China 出马仙之民间诡事,东北灵异故事 [Traditional supernatural horror] Some strange happenings my second uncle experienced when he was sent to the countryside as a young man Which is truly more terrifying, ghosts and gods or the human heart? A night spent seeking shelter at a temple brings vengeful spirits to the door. A son gathers herbs to cure his father, only to cause his death. Children from the same clan die one after another under bizarre circumstances. The Snake Immortal storms into the hall with a blade in hand, seeking on 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 Folktales of the Northeast: The Household Guardian Immortal 民间故事之东北保家仙 In folk tradition in Northeast China, people believe in household guardian spirits. Those who worship them receive blessings, and my job is to help people invite these spirits into their homes… 339Reads8.2Score10014d adds
- 127 Records of a Spirit Medium's Disciple 出马弟子记实录 I’ll share little bits of knowledge and general-interest facts from time to time, along with some experience for anyone who’s unsure or feeling lost. Updates are irregular. Use your own judgment, and trust in science! 5.4kReads8.6Score37914d adds
- 128 Master of Folk Occult Arts: My Livestream Terrifies the Entire Internet 民间秘法大师,直播吓疯全网 [Horror + no romance + comedy + innate spirit body + spirit communication + maximum fear factor] My younger sister drew the death lot, and the whole village demanded she be sacrificed. I turned on a livestream and made a century-old vengeful ghost into sashimi. From then on, haunted houses became my cafeteria, and ghost kings became takeout. The authorities begged me to work with them, the Taoist sects revered me as a master, and the underworld begged me to livestream. When fear returned and a h 70Reads—Score714d adds
- 129 Lighting the Sky Lantern 点天灯 Just how terrifying is corpse-driving in western Hunan? After failing the college entrance exam, I stumbled into the corpse-driving trade. Who could have guessed that on my very first job, I would run into... 712Reads8.3Score10314d adds
- 130 A Record of Strange Encounters 怪异见闻录 [Folk horror, Taoist exorcists, spirit mediums banishing evil, no romance, intelligent protagonist] My grandmother is a spirit medium. Just tonight, Uncle Bei from our village came to ask her to perform an exorcism. He said Auntie Liu from the village was actually a ghost? But Auntie Liu only came to my shop yesterday to buy paper money! And so began a series of strange encounters… that turned me from an ordinary person into someone with only three souls and six spirits left! 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 131 You Were Supposed to Catch Demons, So Why Are You Dating a Fox Demon? 让你去捉妖,你和狐妖好上了? When I was born, the King of Hell sent a child, and the Yin Marshal guarded me. Strange things happened one after another. To keep me alive, my grandfather arranged five betrothals for me. On my eighteenth birthday, a bewitchingly beautiful fox spirit came to my door... 289Reads9.0Score—14d adds
- 132 A Yin Corpse Brought Me to the Mortal World: The Living, Keep Away 阴尸送我来人间,生人退避 My name is Luo Ansheng. I was delivered by a Yin Corpse. A Yin Corpse brought me into the world, and a hundred ghosts fought over their food. All manner of fearsome beings gathered, eager to devour my flesh and essence. After I gave them a good beating, they settled down and began competing to protect me. 4.2kReads8.8Score38614d adds
- 133 I Put on a Mask and Became a God 戴上面具,我成了神 I woke up with amnesia from the start. Did I kill someone? The security footage shows me brutally slaughtering two burly men all by myself? Yan Zhile: That wasn't me. I put on a mask and got possessed by a god. Do you believe me? Police: Why not say you're Ultraman while you're at it? From an ordinary college student to the Host of a forbidden mask. She takes down scumbag dads, slays heavenly fiends, and tames ancient divine beasts. When she has collected every mask, she stands atop the Ea 27Reads—Score—14d adds
- 134 The Coffin Bearer 抬棺匠 My family has dealt with the dead for generations. Following in my father’s footsteps, I became a coffin bearer. Before carrying a coffin, I always offer the deceased five incense sticks. When offering incense to the living, three long sticks and two short ones are taboo. When offering incense to the dead, three short sticks and two long ones are taboo. That day, I carried a coffin, and the dead pregnant woman inside gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl! [Shh, keep quiet! We’re settin 2.8kReads8.3Score18414d adds
- 135 I Study Music, So Why Am I Making Funeral Music? 我学音乐,让我搞阴乐 (System + supernatural + eerie + no romantic pairing) (Many settings in this story are fictional. Please don't connect them to real life. This is not a pure power fantasy.) Jiang Chen was a music student who couldn't find a job after graduating. Hoping to make money through livestreaming, he streamed for half a year without gaining any traction. One day, his mother suddenly dragged him to a funeral to play the suona for someone, and he unexpectedly activated the Yin-Yang System. At the funeral, 2.6kReads8.6Score19714d adds
- 136 After I Dumped My Jerk Ex, a Powerful Figure from the Underworld Set Their Sights on Me 和渣男分手后,冥界大佬盯上我 Two male leads + mystery and the supernatural + solving cases + powerful leads + satisfying revenge The sweet young love of college couldn't withstand reality. For the sake of a bright future, his boyfriend cheated on him and left without hesitation. Think he's just a college student working a part-time job? That's only because you haven't seen him at night, transformed into the director of the Special Events Investigation Bureau, judging yin and yang, deciding life and death, fighting evil spir —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 137 Born of the Mystic Dao 玄道而生 The world is divided into yin and yang, and people into the living and the dead. Yet some places and things are neither clearly yin nor yang, and the people there cannot tell whether they are alive or dead... There is a tavern at the point where yin and yang meet. They say that anyone who enters, living or dead, must abide by the owner's rules. Otherwise, they will never be reincarnated! 141Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 138 After the School Belle Humiliated Me, I Became a Corpse Driver and Now I'm Invincible! 被校花侮辱后成了赶尸人,我无敌了! At the dinner where he plans to confess to the campus belle, Zhang Bufan, a student who failed his exams, is pranked by his classmates and unexpectedly obtains a god-tier Corpse-Driving System! Classmate: Zhang Bufan, come clean the toilets at my dad's company. I'll give you the friends-and-family rate: 1,000 yuan a month! Zhang Bufan: For 100 yuan, I'll help your dad find his way back to his ancestors. “When the dead are on the move, the living must keep away...” At midnight, the bells ring and 404Reads5.4Score10214d adds
- 139 Dragon-Slaying Celestial Master: I Wield the Art of Qimen Dunjia 斩龙天师:我身怀奇门遁甲术 On the day I was born, a dragon skeleton was unearthed beneath our ancestral home. My grandfather said I was the dragon reincarnated, and that I would live no longer than twenty years. To stay alive, I became the last Dragon-Slaying Celestial Master in the world. 3.1kReads8.8Score23414d adds
- 140 I Won’t Survive the Night 活不过今夜 At some point, a strange old beggar showed up in our neighborhood. The strange thing was, he never spent the money people gave him. He’d burn it or destroy it instead. Then one day, the woman downstairs was burned to death, and the butcher was brutally murdered. That was when I finally realized the truth. He wasn’t begging for money. He was begging for lives! 1.1kReads8.2Score10214d adds
- 141 I Only Take on the Most Ominous Cases 我只收大凶之物 [Supernatural] + [Traditional Folk Customs] + [First-Person Narration] + [Chinese-Style Horror] + [Decisive and Ruthless] + [Not a Do-Gooder] + [One Female Lead] I was born in a rural village in the mountains of Southwest China. I'm a third-year university student, and I'm also a yin-yang master. Calling myself a yin-yang master is really just to make myself sound impressive. Back in my hometown, people in the countryside call someone like me a Daoist ritual master. Most people probably know a l 61Reads8.2Score314d adds
- 142 The Calamity Wardens' Apocalypse 压祟默示录 [Mystery and the supernatural + ensemble cast + first-person narration + Eastern mythology + Daoism] The copper coin a strange Daoist casually gave me turned out to be the legendary evil-repelling coin? Are the haunted mansion and the attacks by the walking corpses really because an evil fiend has emerged from seclusion? Or is there some other hidden truth? Is there more to the familiar New Year's Eve story than we know? Can some of the inexplicable things in modern life actually be explained? D 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 The Maoshan Occultist 茅山诡术师 My name is Fang Gang. I was stolen the moment I was born. From then on, my life unfolded into an epic tale, as turbulent as it was mysterious. 379Reads8.6Score5814d adds
- 144 Northern Horse Notes 北马笔记 The Five Immortals of the Northeast are chiefly the Hu, Huang, Chang, Mang, and Hui. After cultivating their powers and attaining the Dao, they descend the mountains to take disciples, borrowing their bodies to do good deeds among humans and earn their way to ascension. This story is told in the first person. 414Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 145 The Local Official 土官 In some parts of northern China, a local ritual master is the person who presides over funeral rites. The role is semi-official, and local ritual masters are also responsible for the village shrines to the Earth God. As the times change, this profession is destined to disappear. But the protagonist, whose mother died when he was ten, finds a different path: he lives with an open heart and no fear, and with kindness in his heart and no regrets. 4.6kReads8.9Score47314d adds
- 146 I Transmigrated to Ancient Times with the Fuying Hall's Legacy 我带着伏英馆法脉穿越古代 Ghost hunting, exorcism, wuxia, ensemble cast, no System. The protagonist is a disciple of the Liuren Fuying Hall who has only recently started learning the arts and rarely applies himself. When his teacher takes on a mission, he transmigrates to another world in ancient times, setting off a series of events involving the supernatural, the martial world, and the rise and fall of dynasties. As the saying goes, when a nation is on the brink of collapse, demons and evil spirits are sure to emerge! 172Reads—Score13214d adds
- 147 Entering the Dao with Immortal Guidance 带着仙家入道 I started out as a disciple of a top incense master, then met a wise teacher and became a young Taoist disciple. This book consists entirely of popular science and real-life experiences, and it also contains plenty of tips on how to avoid scams! Nothing is made up, and this is not a power fantasy about cultivating immortality. Your support is greatly appreciated! 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Divine Art of Reading the Heavens 窥天神测 Words spring from the heart, and writing gives the heart form. The characters a person writes are intricately connected to their fortunes, misfortunes, and fate. Thus, the art of fortune-telling through written characters came into being. My journey down this path began when I accidentally fell into my grandmother's coffin, only to discover a young woman inside, her clothes in disarray… 985Reads8.8Score10614d adds
- 149 The 90s-Era Celestial Master 九零后天师 Everyone knows the Book of Lu Ban, but few have heard of the Gongshu Manual. The art of creation has been passed down through the generations. A Celestial Master descends into the mortal world, stirring up storms across the land! 4.4kReads8.8Score61914d adds
- 150 The Haunted Shroud 诡寿衣 My family sells burial clothes. Every seven days, a woman comes to order a set. Only at the end did I discover she had been ordering burial clothes for all four members of my family. 1kReads8.8Score10114d adds

















































