Novels like Northern Horse Notes: The Incense Bearer
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Northern Horse Notes: The Incense Bearer, best match first.
- 1 The Immortal Hall's Secret Records 仙堂秘录 The tales of the northeastern spirit mediums are widely known, but have you ever heard of someone serving as a medium for a “Dragon Immortal”? From childhood, I was a walking calamity, born under the sign of Yinghuo and beset by a fiery catastrophe. By a twist of fate, the immortals chose me as their medium. This immortal is not one of the “Five Great Immortal Clans.” She looks sweet and adorable, but she is actually a young dragon from the Heavenly Lake of Changbai Mountain! On the day we estab 115Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 The Old Spirit Medium of the Northeast, with Boundless Power 出马老仙，法力无边 From the moment I was born, vengeful spirits surrounded our home. The old immortal said I had a spirit altar within me and would face three life-or-death calamities. If I survived, I could establish my own altar and become a spirit medium. If I failed, I’d be doomed forever. My fate had already been decided... 77Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Reopening the Dojo for Her | I Offer Immortal Blood to Save the World 为她重开堂口|我以仙血祭苍生 I’ll Reopen the Lodge for Her | I Offer Immortal Blood to the Common Folk —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 I Became a Spirit Medium in the Village 我在村里出马仙 At midnight, the incense ash at the village entrance always forms the two characters for “weekend.” Inside the yellowed notebook Grandpa left behind is half a bloodstained birth chart. He thought the village’s “immortals” were showing their power, until the kitchen cleaver sharpened itself and clawed shadows covered the window paper. Those so-called “blessings” were actually sacrifices meant to claim his life. 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 My Cat Is a Cultivator 我家有只修仙猫 The older generation always says cats don’t live past six and dogs don’t live past eight. They say that once cats and dogs reach that age, they start exhibiting strange, supernatural behaviors. And the cat in my house... "Do you have any fava beans? I need eighty-one of them." "You can talk?" "I need eighty-one fava beans." Later, a wandering old Taoist priest said that my old cat had an affinity for immortality, and needed fava beans to cultivate... —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 War God Di Xuan Helps the Dragon Clan Return to Its Peak 战神帝玄助龙族重回巅峰 The War God Di Xuan helps the Dragon Clan return to its former glory. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Northeastern Spirit Medium's Journal 东北出马笔记 From the day I was born, vengeful spirits surrounded our gate. The old immortal said I had a spiritual altar within me and would have to survive three life-and-death trials. If I made it through, I could establish my altar and serve as a spirit medium. If I didn’t, I would be doomed beyond redemption. My fate had been sealed long ago… 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 I Met a Northeastern Immortal in Hebei 在河北遇到东北仙 Because of his unusual fate, Zhang Yang kept running into all kinds of strange things before he turned eighteen. As a child, he helped his mother work in the fields. Whenever she set him down by the ridge, a white shadow would circle around him. On his way home from evening study at primary school, he once ran into an acquaintance who had died earlier that afternoon. When he was twelve, he made a bunch of wild guesses while telling someone's fortune, and every single one came true. Thinking he m 80Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 9 Strange Tales of Northeast China's Spirit Mediums 东北出马诡闻录 Ever since I inherited Grandma’s old incense lineage, I’ve encountered far too many supernatural incidents. I don’t just help the living with their problems, I also help the dead and the ghosts... People say ghosts are terrifying, but they’re the ones with true feeling. They repay kindness with kindness and settle grudges in kind. They’re far better than people. Then, as my cultivation grew stronger, I saw the true face of another world, and what I witnessed left me deeply shaken. Do you want to 158Reads6.9Score—Shelves
- 10 Secrets of Spirit Mediums: Incense-Bearing Rituals and Journeys Between Worlds 出马秘闻：顶香出马，走阴串阳 Cultivating immortality requires a destined connection to the Immortal Path, and every immortal has a master to recommend them. Masters roam far and wide, and miraculous powers appear when one falls from grace and passes the imperial examinations. Born in the 1990s, I once thought I had a bright future ahead of me. But one strange thing after another began happening, and all my ambitions came to nothing. Then someone pointed out that I was meant to become a spirit medium and serve the spirits. F 12Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 I Was Forced to Take the Spirit-Channeling Seat Too 我也被迫出堂了 The protagonist, Zhang Muchen, lives in a small county in northern China. His childhood is plagued by one disaster after another. His story isn’t exactly bizarre, but it is full of twists and hardships. After passing through trials of love, wealth, and life itself, he is eventually forced to open a spirit altar and read fortunes. He thought things would go smoothly from then on, but instead he faced one ordeal after another... This book is based on the author’s personal experiences. All names ha 474Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 12 The Spirit Medium: My Altar Has Only Five Words 出马仙：我的堂单只有五个字 [Urban] + [Mystery] + [Supernatural] + [Comedy] + [Supernatural Mystery] + [Transmigration] + [Single Female Lead] + [Lighthearted] My master transmigrated, and I have to bring him back! After the college entrance exams, a farewell dinner landed me a shop for free. It also gave me a new goal: save my master! Did you know? Spiritual qi has revived. Becoming a spirit medium is a shortcut to cultivation. In an age of spiritual qi revival, it’s already too late to rely on your own cultivation. So, w 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Notes from a Century-Old Spirit Medium’s Hall 百年堂口出马笔记 When I was seven, I accidentally discovered a secret that had been locked away in my grandfather's drawer for decades. From that moment on, my life was never ordinary again. The spirit hall passed down in my family for centuries chose me as its incense-bearing disciple. During those decades of silence, the world outside changed beyond recognition. But the story of me and all the immortals in the hall was only just beginning. How will these once-mighty immortals, with my guidance, accumulate meri 106Reads8.9Score—Shelves
- 14 The Path of the Spirit Medium 出马这条路 The path of spirit-mediumship is hard, difficult every step of the way. I'm very grateful to all the readers who follow Million-Dollar General Store. A debut is bound to have a few flaws. I'll do my best to improve and correct them. 323Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 15 The Spirit Medium 通灵出马仙 Everyone knows that in the three northeastern provinces beyond the passes, people worship the “Five Great Immortals,” but few know that the “Outer Five Immortal Halls” also exist among the dark mountains and pale waters. The “Outer Five Immortal Halls” are the Bear, Tiger, Wolf, Eagle, and Centipede. They were once fierce and untamed wild spirits. Only after the Bear Immortal, “Black Mama,” attained the Dao at Jiuding Tiesha Mountain and was appointed “Grand Protector of the Northeastern Taoist 6Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 16 Spirit Medium: From the Start, I Took Down the Entire Weasel Family 出马：开局掀了黄皮子全家 A yellow weasel began harming people in a remote mountain village, and I was dragged into the incident when I was seven. It became a nightmare that lasted five years. When I was twelve, my mother sent me away from Heigouzi, and I managed to survive. Twelve years later, thinking the nightmare was over, I returned to my hometown. Little did I know, the real horror was only just beginning… 83Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Daily Yin-Yang Eyes: Memoirs of a Spirit Medium! 天天阴阳眼，出马回忆录！ A childhood blood-brotherhood oath opened the door to a whole new world! I unexpectedly discovered that I had the Yin-Yang Eyes! A jade pendant took a calamity meant for me, then mysteriously shattered! My aunt brought a whole hall of immortals to recruit me as their spirit medium! A nine-tailed fox stayed by my side. Let’s see how I stay true to my original purpose! A collection of eerie tales from my years as a spirit medium! 519Reads7.3Score—Shelves
- 18 This Chuma Immortal Is Too Vicious 这个出马仙太凶狠了 My father had never once imagined, even as an adult, that he would have a child. Then one day, I came into the world and shattered that age-old belief for good. The thing is, I was born frail and sickly. It was only thanks to Chang Er Ye taking possession of me that I survived in this world. This is my extraordinary tale of spirit-medium tricks and supernatural dealings... 80Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 An Unorthodox Spirit Medium 野路子出马仙 My father found a treasure while searching the mountains, but the villagers killed him for it. To avenge him, I went to the Five Immortals Temple and summoned five wild spirits. That was how I embarked on an extraordinary path as a spirit medium... 136Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The Outer Five Immortals Reveal Their Divine Might 外五仙显神威 [Spirit Mediums] [Supernatural Comedy] [Female Lead] [Slow-Burn Beginning] My name is Cui Ling. Ling as in “all things have a spirit.” I was born with an extraordinary destiny, and at eighteen, I became a spirit medium. With all four pillars and eight supports in place, my journey as a spirit medium began. 281Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 My Immortal House’s Male Pet 我的仙家男宠 A celestial bond spanning three hundred years, and a redemption that reverses the balance of yin and yang. Yuyao, a high school senior, has been tormented since childhood by strange dreams: a ruined celestial shrine, five imprisoned immortals, and a silver-armored general who always protects her in moments of danger. She thought they were just stress-induced hallucinations. But after her grandmother dies, she inherits a notebook and a key, and learns that she is a fated “spirit medium,” destine 5Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 22 The Little Fairy of Showbiz 娱乐圈的小神仙 A Little Spirit Medium Takes on the Entertainment Industry Written work by Director Chen Peng Notable directing credits include Similar Love, A Round Trip to Love, I Won’t Be Bullied by Girls, and Twelve Palaces of Heavenly Secrets. In real-life projects, I’ve worked with artists such as Cai Xukun, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhong Chuxi, Xu Song, Zhou Keyu, and Yan Zidong, among others... Born with an unusual fate, I began an unbelievable first half of my life: going to school, reading people’s fortunes, 82Reads9.2Score—Shelves
- 23 My Strange Spirit-Medium Life 我的诡异出马人生 I'm Xiao Ming. I live in an ordinary family in Northeast China, where my parents run a business. I'm introverted, and because I'm overweight, my classmates mock and ostracize me at school. “Look at that fatso. What a freak!” “He's a loser.” Their words made me feel inferior and depressed. At home, Mom was gentle but controlling. After Dad got involved with Buddhist teachings, he was always lecturing us, and his temper was unpredictable. Their love left me feeling suffocated. I have a special sen 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 A Northeast Chinese Spirit Medium 东北一出马仙 Pangu split heaven and earth, dividing yin from yang. Nuwa’s great deeds shook the eight directions. Kuafu chased the sun and transformed the world of men. Gonggong, enraged, rammed into Mount Buzhou. Fuxi devised the Eight Trigrams. Shennong tasted every herb and flower. The Yan Emperor struck stone to make fire. The war god Xingtian brandished his weapons. The Yellow Emperor battled Chiyou, who fell in death. The gods knew of Jingwei, who filled the sea. Houyi drew his divine bow and shot down 3.8kReads8.8Score164Shelves
- 25 My Years as a Spirit Medium, Part 2 我当出马仙的这些年2 A year after the calamity that struck once every thousand years had finally stabilized, who could have guessed that upheaval was quietly brewing in the shadows? As the order of the Heavenly Dao was reshaped, species that should never have existed began appearing in the human world. When a woman nearing the end of her lifespan came to seek help, a ten-year struggle officially began... An evil aura that devours lifespans, descendants of the blood-sucking zombie Jiang Chen, and eight books of curse 134Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 26 The Last Horse-Riding Shaman 最后一个出马仙 A drought demon descends, throwing the mystic arts into chaos. Rumor has it that whoever obtains the Golden Pearl of Nüba can break through to the Celestial Rank and command the world. Before long, turmoil erupts. The five great schools of mystic arts descend on Yulin Village in search of Nüba. Five renowned, revered “hypocrites” from that era end up driving my grandmother to her death. To avenge her, I become the last shaman in the world! 123Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 27 The Day I Was Born, a Qilin Devoured the Sun and the Five Immortals Bowed 我出生当天，麒麟吞日，五仙磕头 When I was born, a qilin swallowed the sun and the Five Immortals bowed their heads. To save me, my grandfather replaced my heart with one belonging to a demon. All these years, I have subdued evil with the qilin and had the Five Immortals at my side, slaying ghosts and gods in the mortal world! 751Reads6.8Score101Shelves
- 28 Northeastern Spirit Medium: The Yellow Weasel Mourns the Dead 东北出马仙：黄仙哭丧 My dad beat a weasel to death. That night, outside our house, ghosts wailed and countless yellow weasels mourned... A three-foot red sash draped over the body, four beams and eight pillars forming a ladder to heaven. Three great roads meet in the center; nine sticks of incense honor the immortals and gods. The sky grows dark, chaos reigns in every direction. Whenever an age falls into turmoil, demons and evil spirits emerge, wearing human faces and worming their way into the halls of power. Some 156Reads6.4Score—Shelves
- 29 After Discovering a Fox Immortal: It Was Like a Novel Come to Life 发现有狐仙后：好似小说照进现实 Author: Hu Mumu. The protagonist is a woman named Hu Mumu who has a fox spirit with her. Her husband, Qi Feng, is a disciple of Taoism, and his father is a powerful cultivator. The story is based on my personal experiences. I have never summoned spirits or established an altar. The fox spirit sister has been by my side, protecting me, for over twenty years. Ever since I learned about her, strange, fantastical things have begun happening around me. The strange events I’ve experienced since my hus 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 The Founding Ancestor of the Northeast Ma Clan 东北马家开山鼻祖 Legend has it that in the desolate days of Northeast China, bandits ran rampant, and people lived in constant fear. In that harsh, heartbreaking era, no one cared whether others lived or died, and no one spared a thought for the families caught in the chaos. At last, it all came to an end at the hands of a young man from the shamanic clan, who broke the grip of that savage, evil age. No one knew who he was. All they knew was that his actions brought shame upon his people and disgraced his family —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 I Picked Up an Underworld Courier as My Wife 捡个冥间快递员当媳妇 [Scheming long-haired reaper VS a tea-loving man who never says what he means] [Heavy with eerie energy, but not scary. Even the fainthearted can give it a try.] [If you get scared to death, don’t come after me. Go find Lord Feng Yang.] Just as Yuan Mingye was in the middle of taking care of business, the doorbell rang. He flung on a coat in a fury and opened the door, only to be stunned by the unfamiliar man standing outside. Let’s put it this way: the very first time Yuan Mingye saw him, he wa —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 The Years I Spent as a Spirit Medium 我当出马仙的那些年 Eighteen years ago, a weasel brought me two eggs. Eighteen years later, after my grandmother passed away, I officially became a spirit-medium disciple, venturing into the mortal world with an entire retinue of spirits. 427Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 33 Northeast Spirit Medium: My Years as the King of Tragedy 东北出马之我当悲王那些年 (Traditional supernatural fiction, not a wish-fulfillment story, no cultivation, parallel storylines for a man and a woman. Don't try the spells in this book; this story is entirely fictional!) After dying on the street while trying to help someone, Zhang Daoxuan became a lonely ghost. He thought his only hope was to find a substitute and then reincarnate in the underworld. But through a twist of fate, he became a shamanic spirit medium. With my left hand, I push open the yin-yang gate; with my 217Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 34 My Life as a Chuma Xian 我的出马仙儿生涯 In our vast land of China, the snowy black soil of the north is home to a strikingly unusual folk tradition: worshipping the “Immortals.” The Immortals do not appear in person. Instead, they possess their disciples, who are known as “spirit mediums,” serving as intermediaries between humans and spirits… A suspense masterpiece showcasing the very best of Northeast China's spirit-medium culture! 158Reads8.3Score—Shelves
- 35 I’m a Spirit Medium in the Northeast 我在东北当顶香师 “Heaven has thirty-three layers, Earth has three feet and three halls. I walk the yin road, descend to the Underworld, and am a spirit medium from Northeast China.” My name is Ye Ling. My life was ordinary until I turned twenty-one. Then my grandmother died of an illness, and I began having nightmares every night and seeing ghosts all the time. I even gained some kind of special ability. I went to see a fortune-teller, who told me I couldn’t leave this county for three years and had to sit in 239Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 36 A Young Northeastern Spirit Medium 东北出马小先生 Gao Yunfei, the protagonist, was born in Changchun, Jilin, in Northeast China. He graduated from Jilin Institute of Physical Education with a degree in traditional ethnic sports. After college, he taught martial arts and mixed martial arts at a boxing gym. Then, by a twist of fate, he took up his family's ancestral incense tradition and became a spirit medium. Able to communicate with spirits, he moves between the realms of yin and yang, becoming a medium from Northeast China who helps people av 163Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 The Yin-Yang Medium 阴阳女先生 Ever since I was born, the villagers have called me an ill-fated loner. Anyone who stays with me is doomed to bad luck and an early death. My grandmother, a yin-yang medium, defied Heaven to change my fate and keep me alive. Little did she know that this would set me on another road of no return. Cursed, solitary, cold-hearted, and loveless, I am a female yin-yang master. Let me guide you through the yin and yang of this world. 574Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Mountain Patrolman: I Suppress Evil with a Dragon's Sinew Only Three Inches Long 巡山人：我以三寸龙筋镇邪异 Warrior King Luo Laowai returns to his old home in the forests of Northeast China. By a stroke of luck, guided by the Gray Immortal, he obtains a three-inch dragon tendon. An old soldier with an old rifle takes on the forces of nature, ghosts, demons, and monsters. Fox, Yellow, White, Willow, and Gray Immortals gather as divine warriors at his gate. The Three Realms have always existed among humankind, and true immortals walk beside ordinary people... 12.6kReads7.9Score1.3kShelves
- 39 I Gave the Immortals a Fake Name 我给仙家报了个假名字 Just rated, so read with confidence [Spirit Mediums + Spirit Cultivation + Secrets of the Immortals + Supernatural Events + Divination Explained + Feng Shui and the Mystical Arts + Suspense + Folk Tales + Modern Paranormal Cases + True Stories] I’ve turned my experiences over the years into a novel. At the age of seven, I jolted awake beneath the gaze of the dead. After a lifetime of ups and downs, I entered the world of spirit mediums and stumbled my way toward becoming a disciple on the path t 14Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 40 A Long Road to Spirit Mediumship 出马路漫漫 A strip of red cloth, three feet and three inches long; troops from the five directions come, immortals from the five directions arrive. The old hall's people and soldiers will one day emerge from an ancient cave, and their fame will spread across the four seas, passed down through countless households!!! There was a young female disciple in Northeast China, full of youthful vigor. After years of stumbling along, where did her path lead? Was cultivation about following the Dao, or understanding 276Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 41 Drinking Fox Milk Made Me Speak in Tongues 喝狐乳，开口邪 The male lead's life is falling apart from the start, and he was born with the Immortal Bones of No-Fault. His father died young of illness, and his mother was murdered. + A Northeastern village tale of the Five Immortals and the supernatural + Puppet traitors during the turbulent Republican era + No female lead, just one great story after another, each chapter building on the last 97Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 A Practical Guide to Spirit Mediumship 出马仙实务手札 Dongshan, a former journalist, stumbles by chance into the fantastical world of Northeast China's chuma xian spirit mediums. Is it fate playing a trick, or destiny bringing things together? With an objective pen, he records strange and uncanny events as they really happen. Guaranteed to be true, this is a practical guide to understanding a parallel world. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 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 600Reads7.6Score—Shelves
- 44 The Spirit Medium's Revelation 出马仙启示录 I’m a shamanic practitioner from Northeast China, also known as a great immortal. These days, so many people get scammed and end up buried in debt, then go mad. It really worries me, though I also think they’re foolish. I’ll share my own experiences and stories from fellow practitioners to talk about Northeast China’s shamanic tradition, and warn people not to get scammed. (For special reasons, I can’t be too direct with ordinary readers, so I’ll express things obliquely.) 6Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 45 Even Evil Spirits Offer Me Cigarettes: I’m a Northeast Chinese Shaman 邪祟见我都递烟，我是东北出马仙 [Supernatural] + [Comedy] + [Ghost Hunting] + [No Female Lead] + [Folk Taboos] + [Not Invincible] + [No Cultivation] No specialist knowledge required; a collection of standalone stories. To support the temperamental Willow Immortal he worships at home, the spirit medium Zhao Dashun has scrubbed people’s backs at a bathhouse and set up a stall on an overpass. After capturing the Cat-Faced Granny, Zhao Dashun makes a name for himself in a single battle and sets out on the straight and narrow path 7.3kReads8.4Score768Shelves
- 46 With a Hide Drum and a Spirit Dance, I Summon the Hu and Huang Spirits 拿皮鼓，跳大神，我请胡黄 [The Earliest and Purest Supernatural Tales] [Rituals and Chants for Spirit-Medium Ceremonies] [Anatomizing Fate, Destiny, and Reincarnation] [Ensemble Cast, Reasons to Fight] I'm a spirit medium. More accurately, I'm a little con artist. After Old Crooked-Eye picked me up one night when I was a child, he gave me the name Xiao Ye. But Xiao couldn't be a surname, so I changed my family name to Xiao. From then on, Old Crooked-Eye and I made our living by swindling people. I thought we'd go on like 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 Apocalypse Descends: So I’m the Leader of the Mutants 末世降临：原来我是异种老大 In 2056, a solar storm swept across the globe, plunging the world into darkness for seven days and seven nights. Earth's ozone layer was destroyed, and solar radiation reached the ground. After that, the whole world changed. Then the crisis arrived, officially ushering in the Age of Death. A hundred years later, Fang Duonan, a boy from an ordinary border city, was supposed to go out and complete a task as required. But someone tried to kill him. When he woke up, he had a strange ghost hand attac 145Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 48 Work’s on Pause: The Yellow Immortal Takes Me Graveyard Clubbing 上班暂停，黄大仙带我坟场蹦迪 [Mild horror + comedy + two male leads] After working late one night, I was chased by a murderer into a cemetery, where I accidentally came across a weasel worshiping the moon. I remembered the Great Immortal Huang from my grandmother’s stories. Chen Shu placed his hopes in it. “Great Immortal Huang, you look like a six-foot-tall, eight-pack, rich and powerful, luxury-car-driving, mansion-owning, cheerful, helpful, impossibly handsome guy who does whatever I say.” The weasel’s chance to become a 26Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 When I Was Born, I Had a Phoenix Crown on My Head and a Green Dragon Around My Waist 我出生时，头顶凤冠，青龙缠腰 My mother was born with a yin fate and was known as the Ghost Mother. She also had another, deeply mysterious identity, one that struck fear into both the spirit and human worlds. Later, my mother gave birth to me. On the day I was born, I wore a phoenix crown, and a green dragon coiled around my waist. The Five Immortals willingly became my babysitters… Yet Master Chen the Third, a feng shui expert, declared that this girl was destined to bring disaster! 5Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 50 The Northern Horse Immortal Venerable 北马仙尊 [Supernatural]+ [Demons]+ [Immortals and Spirits] In Northeast China, there is a group of extraordinary people. Because of their own origins and family ties, they are chosen by spiritual beings cultivating deep in the mountains. From then on, their fates change, and they are destined to follow an extraordinary path. They often walk between the worlds of yin and yang, resolving people's troubles in exchange for nothing more than an honest fee. The world calls them spirit mediums. Those who serve 1.1kReads7.8Score103Shelves
