Novels like The Last Paper Effigy Maker
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Last Paper Effigy Maker, best match first.
- 1 Forbidden Tales of the Desolate Village: A Midnight Whistle, and a Shrouded Corpse Spirit at the Door 荒村禁忌:夜半吹哨,白布尸魂找上门 Taboos of the Abandoned Village: A Whistle in the Dead of Night, and a White-Cloth Corpse Spirit Comes Calling —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 Grandpa Started the Trouble, Three Generations Must Pay 爷爷闯下的祸,三代来还 The trouble Grandpa caused will take three generations to repay. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 A Stranger's Path Through the Ghost World 鬼途陌路 Modern setting + horror + suspense + supernatural + strong female lead Hu Ying is a funeral makeup artist who just wants to earn a little money and lie flat. Who would have thought that after an accident, she’d be forced onto a one-way road where she’d have to live among ghosts? From then on, she uncovers conspiracies and fights evil cults, and somehow ends up at the very peak of life... 93Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 The Heavenly Master of Zhuyou 祝由天师 After my grandfather dies, I inherit the art of Zhuyou and become a ghost doctor who wanders the mortal world. I've treated the living, tormented by evil ghosts, and helped the wronged spirits bullied by wicked people. As I encounter more and more evil entities, I learn more of Zhuyou's secrets. I get drawn deeper into it all, with less and less control over my own fate. A corpse alive in a mass grave, an evil spirit kept in an old mansion, a fingerless woman who steals people's lifespans. Every 140Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 5 I Have a Ghostly Wife 我有鬼娇妻 [Mystery] [Comedy] Have you ever experienced something like this? I mean, asking for a wife at the bottom of a dry well! I live in a small village in the mountains, cut off from the outside world. No outsiders have visited in hundreds of years. Maybe it's because of a curse, but no baby girls have ever been born in our village. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 I Was a Ghost Officer, but Now I Only Want a Promotion 身为鬼差的我,后来只想升官 I wield the Register of the Underworld as a ghost officer, commanding the power to seize souls. Everyone says the King of Hell is the supreme ruler of the netherworld, but to me, he is merely a stepping stone. The underworld is vast, and the Nine Hells are deep. Is that really the limit of my ambition? I want to break the Nine Hells’ shackles, shatter the chains between yin and yang, ascend to the realm of the Great Emperor, and rule the netherworlds of all realms. Only then will my lifelong wis 31Reads6.0Score—Shelves
- 7 After My Face Was Stolen, I Drew the Six Realms of Living Beings 我的脸被夺走后我画出六道众生相 My face was stolen. It wasn’t disfigured. It wasn’t disguised. My face was literally gone. To stay alive, I had no choice but to paint one new face after another onto my own. Human, ghost, demon, beast, god, immortal. Every face I painted gave me a new ability. As I tried to reclaim my original face, I gradually discovered that this world was far more complicated than it seemed. 96Reads—Score126Shelves
- 8 The Temple That Eats People 吃人的庙 The Man-Eating Temple 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 Notes on Strange Folk Tales 民间诡事札记 The countryside hides the strangest legends and lays bare the truest depths of the human heart. A single red embroidered shoe beneath an old pagoda tree holds a grievance and a hatred left unspoken. A strange peddler knocking at the door in the dead of night carries no ordinary goods in his pack, only old stories frosted over with time. A bronze mirror rising from an ancient well can reflect ghosts, but not the depths of the human heart... These curious tales scattered across bustling streets an 66Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 The Haunted House at No. 13 13号凶宅 Number 13 Qianliang Hutong in Beijing has long been a haunted house. During the Cultural Revolution, several people died mysteriously one after another inside the residence. Long Fei, an investigator with the Public Security Bureau, assumed the alias Li Qiang and moved into the compound as a housing office inspector. After a series of thrilling struggles, Li Qiang finally discovered that Number 13 was an operational base for an enemy spy organization... 995Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 11 Yin-Yang Ghost Arts Master 阴阳鬼术师 Some bargains are too tempting to take; accepting them might cost you your life. After Old Wang downstairs died, people around me kept inexplicably trying to give me money, and these offers of money were often followed by death. To stay alive, I had no choice but to learn the secret arts Old Wang left behind, stepping into a mysterious underworld... 502Reads7.9Score102Shelves
- 12 Weeping Evil 哭邪 People watch over a temple for ten years; the temple watches over them for a lifetime. 114Reads6.9Score—Shelves
- 13 Strike It Rich by Opening the Coffin 开棺发财 [Handcrafted from scratch + Traditional supernatural horror + No System + No cultivation + Extremely scary + Based on true experiences] Paper figures carry the coffin, a black dog tosses the grave, and an old man falls in love with a ghost. An opened coffin is carried home, and a beautiful fairy follows through the door. My name is Qin Yang. I was down on my luck and only hoped to make money by opening coffins. I never expected that it would turn out to be such a high-risk profession. (Friends i 1.6kReads—Score134Shelves
- 14 One Thousand and One Modern Tales of the Supernatural 一千零一个,现代灵异故事 [Based on True Stories] [Folktales] [Horror and the Supernatural] The stories in this novel feel full of everyday life. The people and events in every story are portrayed in a realistic way, bringing to life the supernatural experiences of all the main and supporting characters. If you’re a horror story fan, don’t miss this novel. (If you get scared, call your best hapless friend over… so you can be scared together.) 5.2kReads7.0Score221Shelves
- 15 Slaying Demons and Ghosts Since High School 斩妖灭鬼,从高中开始 [Traditional Supernatural Horror] + [School Life] + [Ensemble Cast] + [Coming of Age] + [Not Overpowered] + [Passionate] It all begins with a student jumping from a school building. Liu Tianyu had expected to spend his student years in peace, but from that day on, his life was never quiet again. Peril at a haunted temple, a school turned into a sacrificial altar, a ghost city beneath the water: one challenge after another awaits. Watch as a group of students turn the tables amid the schemes of g —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 Medium's Notes: My Left Eye Can See Ghosts 灵媒笔记:我的左眼能见鬼 The Cangye lineage of the Southern Frontier unleashes chaos. The Cherry Blossom Curse, Yin Soil summoning, Ruin Spirits, and malevolent earth veins emerge one after another, leaving the seals protecting the land on the brink of collapse. In a desperate battle, pure Yang Heavenly Energy collides with the turbid qi of Yin Soil inside him, forming a yin-yang vortex whose blessings and dangers are impossible to predict. His old enemies flee into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, seeking a chance to p 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Is It Too Much for a Fortune Teller Like Me to Know a Little Yin-Yang Magic? 我一个算命的会点阴阳术不过分吧 [Maoshan Arts + Ghost Hunting + Face Reading + Powerful Connections + Walking Between the Yin and Yang Worlds + Team] Zhao Yang's grandfather made him study three books from a young age: the Zhouyi, the Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy, and a third book with no cover, whose contents were handwritten. After his grandfather passed away, Zhao Yang inherited his mantle. But now that cremation was the norm, all he could do was read people's feng shui, barely earning enough to get by. Just as he was thinking 323Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 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—Shelves
- 19 The Spirit Guide 送灵先生 A madwoman from the neighboring village died, but even in death her eyes wouldn’t close. No matter how many people tried, they couldn’t lift her coffin. The living face trials in life, and the dead face trials in death. An infant who cannot pass the trial between life and death cannot enter the new world. A dead person who cannot pass the trial of death cannot move on, and remains by their loved ones’ side. A sprig of green bamboo summons the spirits; a three-foot spirit banner sends the souls o 15Reads8.9Score—Shelves
- 20 One Hundred Thousand and One Folk Horror Stories 十万零一个民间恐怖故事 A collection of short horror stories in an episodic format, with a new story every chapter. No dragging things out! Haunted houses in the countryside, mountain spirits, urban legends, old customs and taboos... Every kind of Chinese-style horror is covered, with nonstop thrills and no filler. Anti-superstition disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional. Believe in science and read rationally. Please don’t apply it to real life~ 304Reads—Score101Shelves
- 21 Taoist, Spare Us! Zombies, Ghosts, and Monsters Are Freaking Out! 道士请饶命,僵尸鬼妖慌麻了! [Supernatural] [Feng Shui and Folk Customs] [Ghost Hunting and Corpse Suppression] [Transmigration] [No System] Chen Yang, a Taoist who used to sweep temple floors, transmigrates to a world without Taoist priests and discovers that he has become the village idiot tasked with guarding the village. The village chief says, "My dead father is causing too much trouble. You have to get in the coffin and keep him company!" Chen Yang replies, "Trouble? That's right up my alley. I'll have your dad settle 107Reads—Score121Shelves
- 22 Coming for My Life on the Seventh Night? I Can Command the Most Ominous Creatures 头七索命?我能御大凶之物 Anyone who makes money from the dead knows there are three kinds of corpses you must never handle. First, don’t take the bodies of people who died violently or are missing limbs. Such corpses carry baleful energy, damage your fortune, and bind you to karmic debts. Second, don’t take a corpse that has been left unattended for seven days after death. After seven days, the flesh has begun to decay and the soul has nowhere to settle. Disturb it, and you may find yourself haunted by evil things. Thir 262Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 One Horror a Day 一天一个惊悚 One terrifying tale every day, and a different world each time. Just because you haven't seen it from in front of your phone doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Enough chatter. See you in the book, everyone. 9Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 24 You Were Told to Guard a Village, So Why Did You Make the City God Cry? 让你守个村儿,你把城隍打哭了? After the old madman died, I always thought I was the only person left in the village. Then one year, two men showed up carrying a camera and said they wanted to film a documentary about walking marriages... 469Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 25 Someone New Appeared in the Footage 录像里多出一个人 The test shoot’s discarded footage was four seconds longer. Everyone in the frame held the same poses they had at the end of filming. No one moved. I counted three times. There were six people every time. But only five people had been there that day. On the hard drive my mother left behind, there was an empty folder with a four-character name: Do Not Fast-Forward. In the recycle bin was a deleted video, four minutes and twenty-five seconds long, which couldn’t be recovered. Our production crew w 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 26 The Spirit-Sealing Corpse Shroud 镇灵尸衣 On the day I was born, ghosts surrounded our home. I only survived because a master gave his life to save me. Only later did I learn the truth: I was born on a yin year, yin month, and yin day, making me a Yin Child. My master said that anyone born under all three yin signs would have a life full of misfortune and spend their days wandering from place to place. 140Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 The Eerie Realm: It Starts with an Elevator 诡界:从电梯开始 [No System]+ [No Heroine]+ [Dungeon Progression]+ [No Saintly Protagonist]+ [Eerie]+ [Original Dungeons] Have you ever wondered? Beneath the neon lights and atmosphere of this city, things lurk that defy all reason. They were chosen by the Eerie [Elevator] and marked by a terrifying curse. Again and again, they must take part in death games, until death claims them. 57Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 Supernatural: Starting Work at the Funeral Home 灵异:从殡仪馆上班开始 A person who received nine years of compulsory education finds themself caught up in a series of utterly bizarre events because of a job posting and a job... The synopsis doesn't do it justice. Read the story and see for yourself. 640Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 A Fading Lamp Shines on the Lonely Dead 残灯照孤冥 (Mystery + supernatural + no female lead) (Ghost case files + Taoist arts) (Tomato Original) The male lead is born under the fate of a lone star of calamity, destined to walk alone. A dying lamp lights the lonely darkness, and that darkness lights me in turn. 321Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 The Earth Master 地先生 Every title in the occult arts has a special meaning: tomb raiders are called grave diggers, those without a school or sect are called Mr. Bai, and those who sew heads onto corpses are called Old Madam Butian... Our trade calls us Earth Masters. Ghostly incense, the flayed-skin curse, the pecking-eye gu, the Cave of Nine... Every job I take on is full of twists and hidden dangers. Fight your way through, and the spirits and ghosts will fear you, and you’ll reign supreme in the occult world. Fail 81Reads7.0Score—Shelves
- 31 Fifth Watch 五更 The stories my grandpa used to tell me were probably meant to scare me into staying put, or maybe to lull me to sleep. He always told them with such conviction and vivid detail that I often found myself dreaming of the very scenes he had lived through. I met the old flower-growing woman on Yinshan Mountain, and one villager after another from Sangen Village. Their faces were gloomy and strange, and their deeds served as a warning, reminding us that “the gods are watching from three feet above yo 728Reads7.2Score100Shelves
- 32 The Last Paper-Cutting Artist 最后一位剪纸人 My name is Song Xiaohan. I’m a living corpse with no heartbeat, and a paper-cutting artist of the underworld. On the surface, I cut paper decorations for a funeral shop, but behind closed doors, I trade with humans and ghosts. My master passed away two months ago and left me the family craft, along with this modest little shop and my tools of the trade: a pair of scissors and a carving knife. “You want to make a deal with me? But all I want is your shadow!” Song Xiaohan grinned. 210Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 33 The Judge’s Brush: I Use Daoist Arts to Subdue Yin and Yang 判官执笔:我以道法镇阴阳 One case, one solution. Episodic stories, fast pacing, easy to get into. Wang Zhen was born with a fate tied to the Underworld, and holds the Judge’s Brush in his hand. He can see through the boundary between yin and yang, judge wicked spirits, and draw talismans with a fingertip. His strokes make them come alive. Curses that steal lives, girls in red at school, ghostly shadows in hospitals... One eerie, bizarre case after another, one vengeful spirit after another claiming lives. While others g 426Reads8.9Score—Shelves
- 34 The Boy in the Hemp Robe 麻衣少年 [Ma Yi Divine Physiognomist, Young Feng Shui Master, Defying Fate] The year I was born, torrential rain fell from the heavens, and hordes of weasels swarmed into my home. To save me, my father leapt into the flood. When I was seven, my grandfather took in five female disciples, and they all became my senior fellow disciples. My bizarre story begins with these five senior sisters. 2.5kReads8.6Score235Shelves
- 35 My Pale Life 我苍白的一生 My name is Zhang Yuan, though my childhood nickname was Ergou. I'm male, born in 1990. Everyone encounters all kinds of strange, inexplicable things in life. By the way, do you believe in ghosts? 473Reads8.4Score101Shelves
- 36 The Eerie Coffin Bearers 诡抬棺 Nine peaks, a sea of blood, mountains of bones... Murderous danger lurks everywhere. Every step is fraught with peril, and I never know how much longer I'll survive. It wasn't until I deciphered the nursery rhyme I'd heard when I became someone's disciple that I uncovered a shocking secret... 57Reads9.0Score—Shelves
- 37 Corpse Driving in Western Hunan: The Soul-Calling Guide on the Night Road 湘西赶尸:夜行引魂人 A sudden disaster at a mass grave! Wu Liangzi is struck on the back of the head and wakes among rotting coffins and bones, clutching a bloodstained piece of yellow paper. It bears the name of the man he has spent three years tracking down for murdering his father! Seven corpses in black robes dance around him all night, their lifeless eyes seeming to “acknowledge their master.” A mysterious corpse driver tosses him a life-and-death contract. “Four of your seven souls have scattered. If you can’t 240Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Strange Tales from the Countryside 乡村诡故事 Before you start this book, a warning: if you scare easily, don't read it. If you live alone, be careful. Every short ghost story here is based on an ordinary person's real-life experience. Not a single word is made up. From the damp old alleyways of the south to the frozen, deserted villages of the north; from late-night overtime in office buildings to lights-out in university dorms; the taboos our elders forbade us to talk about, and the moments you dare not dwell on in the middle of the night 120Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 A Century of the Supernatural 百年灵异 This is a truly unusual book, recording the supernatural events that took place in a village over the course of a century. These events are unlike traditional tales of ghosts, fox spirits, demons, and immortals. There is none of the vulgar promotion of superstition or idealism found in popular culture. Instead, the book is filled with the world's strangeness and unknowns, leaving readers baffled. After the shock and terror, you can't help but question and imagine what lies beyond, and find yours 8Reads9.1Score—Shelves
- 40 Ghost-Hunting Yin-Yang Master 捉鬼阴阳师 On the day I was born, the clear sky suddenly filled with lightning and thunder. A bolt struck a tree in our yard, and everyone in the village decided my birth was an ill omen. They all kept their distance. One villager accidentally offended me, and that night he mysteriously hanged himself. The body could only be taken down if someone knelt before me. On the day of his funeral, his brother died a violent death and the coffin fell to the ground. That was how the whole story began… 214Reads8.8Score100Shelves
- 41 The Soul-Returning Soup 还魂汤 I was born in a remote village. The day my mother gave birth to me, she died a horrible death! I was born disabled, missing an arm, and with a red birthmark shaped like a coiled snake on my foot. My master said I had been cursed by an evil spirit, and that the curse could only be lifted if I found the one who cast it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t live to see twenty... 83Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 The Terrifying School 极度恐怖校园 As the best university in the city, this school admits only outstanding students. But it also has many rules that are hard to understand: no studying after eight o’clock, and no leaving your dorm room after midnight. No matter who calls to you from the corridor, do not answer... The protagonists in this story are all independent, but their countless connections eventually bring them together. What secrets does this school hold? 247Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 Frightening Folk Tales of Ghosts and Monsters 民间吓人的鬼怪故事 This book collects folk tales about ghosts and monsters from China and around the world, both ancient and modern. They include deeply moving love stories, myths where good and evil are repaid in kind, and eerie tales that will leave you trembling with fear. We hope you enjoy them. This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual events or people is purely coincidental. 22Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 The Corpse Keeper 守尸人 The morgue is where life and death meet. At this boundary, there are many taboos to heed. I grew up beside a hospital morgue, and I'll tell you about the hospital's taboos from a different perspective. Taboo 1: If you see a patient being resuscitated, don't gather around to watch. Taboo 2: If a patient's family throws away something the deceased used while alive, don't toss your own trash on top of it. Taboo 3: If you hear a cat meowing at night, don't go outside to look, whether you're a patien 917Reads6.3Score100Shelves
- 45 Girls’ Dorm Rule Horror: Survive! 女寝规则怪谈:请活下去! The Dormitory Girls’ Rules of the Strange: Survive! 116Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 The Yellow River Corpse Retriever 黄河捞尸人 There is always more to the Yellow River than you know! You’d be better off never asking about the forbidden legends of the Yellow River! The Yellow River’s ghost soldiers, the Fish-Bone Divine Temple, the Iron-Headed Dragon King, deadly venomous insects, ghost wedding processions... The strangest objects of the Yellow River, and the oldest, most mysterious profession: Yellow River corpse divers! Their families have guarded the ancient river route for generations. But what are they really protec 28Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 47 I Heard of Strange Things That Year: Never Read This Late at Night 那年听闻怪事,千万别深夜翻看 These stories are adapted and fictionalized from various experiences shared by friends. They are written in an accessible style and make for a good way to unwind. A reminder: reject superstition. This is all imaginative fiction. Any similarities to real events are purely coincidental, so don't take it seriously! 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 The Soul Ferryer Between Yin and Yang 阴阳渡魂人 Soul-snatching ghost weddings, bathroom hauntings, the legend of the red-clad senior, Thai black magic, ghost soldiers borrowing the road, man-eating mountain demons, nightmare fiends that enter your dreams, the mystery of the headless woman, a bizarre bride in an escape room, vengeful child spirits, games that summon ghosts, human organ trafficking, a shocking exhibition of human deformities, and long-lost Maoshan secrets... Do these things send a chill down your spine? - The truth is, this wor 186Reads9.2Score102Shelves
- 49 The Yin-Yang Artisan 阴阳诡匠 [Author's note: This book has no System and isn't mindless. Most of the events… really happened. Do not try any of the customs or taboos described here! Any consequences are your own responsibility!] It's better to offend the King of Hell than a poor carpenter. When you've worked as a carpenter long enough, you'll inevitably encounter all sorts of terrifying, bizarre accidents and stories. Sometimes, we're part of them ourselves. I used to think my grandfather was just an eccentric old carpenter 1.1kReads6.3Score102Shelves
- 50 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. 4.2kReads8.8Score397Shelves

















































