Novels like A Performance at the Hour of Taboo
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Performance at the Hour of Taboo, best match first.
- 101 Born with Eyes That See Sin, I Can Discern Murderers. The Bones in the Unfinished Building Mark the Start of a Ten-Year Showdown 天生罪眸能辨凶，烂尾楼白骨案，是十年对局的开场 Born with eyes that can spot a criminal, he investigates the bones in an abandoned building. This case marks the opening move in a ten-year game 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 The Corpse-Reading Detective 诡案读尸人 The Corpse-Reading Detective 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 My Iron Wok Is Actually an Ancient Alchemy Cauldron 我的铁锅竟是上古丹炉 My Iron Pot Turned Out to Be an Ancient Alchemy Furnace 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 104 Never Go to the Old House 千万不要去古宅 Na Ling and Bao Datong were looking for a thrill, so they drove around robbing old houses. One day, they came across a photo of Fengmen Village online and went there to steal a Grand Tutor's chair. They sold it to Li Wei, a chamber of commerce boss, but because the chair was haunted, he resold it to the speculator Meng Guozhao. During the handoff, Na Ling secretly kept the jade marrow hidden inside the chair. After leaving Fengmen Village, Na Ling traveled to Anhui, where he stumbled upon the an 8.1kReads8.6Score23514d adds
- 105 Mountain Village Tales: The Book of Taboos 山村怪谈：禁忌录 For ten days, Mo Yuan endured the sinister opera at Suolong Town and survived, gritting his teeth. Three years later, a crack appeared in the mirror of his rented apartment. A clown in a red-and-white opera costume clutched a copper bell and crawled out. “Follow the taboos, and you’ll live.” He believed it. But old souls lurk in the eye sockets you must never look into; human fingernails are wrapped in candy wrappers; and even the words “haunted house” can turn a person into bloody mush in the c 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 The Rosewood Clock Stopped for Ten Years. Only Then Did I Discover the Secret Grandma Hid Inside 那架红木古钟停摆十年，我才知道外婆藏在钟里的秘密 That redwood grandfather clock had been stopped for ten years. Only then did I learn the secret my grandmother had hidden inside it. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 107 The Night I Rented a Tenement Room, a Disconnected Phone Rang All Night 租筒子楼那晚，断线电话响了整夜 The night I rented a room in a tenement block, the disconnected phone rang all night. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 108 I Faked Being a Gentle Boyfriend for Ten Years, Until a Woman from the Republic Era Exposed Everything in the Video 我伪造十年温柔男友，录像里民国女人揭穿一切 I faked being a gentle boyfriend for ten years. A woman from the Republican era exposed everything in the footage. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 Someone Keeps Knocking on My Door in the Hallway Late at Night. After Discovering Who It Is, I Can’t Sleep a Wink 深夜楼道总有人拍我家门，查清来历我整夜难眠 Someone Keeps Knocking on My Door in the Hallway Late at Night. After I Learned Who It Was, I Couldn't Sleep a Wink 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 110 A Strange Anomaly Appeared on the Overnight Security Feed. The Republic-Era Theater Ticket Had My Seat Number Engraved on It 凌晨值守监控突发异象，民国戏票刻着我的座位号 A Strange Phenomenon Appeared on the Surveillance Monitors During My Night Shift. A Republican-Era Opera Ticket Had My Seat Number Engraved on It 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 111 The Nightmare Staircase 噩梦阶梯 It all began with a staircase leading down into darkness. Lu Yu climbed the steps and entered the world of his nightmares. And so the bizarre tale began. Twisted human figures crawled beneath the moon, while rows of dark shadows drifted through the black fog... There are no ghosts in this world... but there are in dreams! [Supernatural Horror Infinite Flow × Suspense and Mystery] 1.9kReads8.3Score16314d adds
- 112 The Scarlet Fountain Pen 血色钢笔 The Blood-Red Fountain Pen —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 113 Murder on a Rainy Night: The Playing Card Left at the Scene 雨夜命案：现场遗留的纸牌 Murder on a Rainy Night: The Playing Card Left at the Scene 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 114 Thriller Game: Beginning with the Death of Bai Ze 惊悚游戏：从白泽之死开始 Newbie player Chen Mo accidentally enters a horror game and begins a thrilling fight for survival. “Welcome to the horror game. Please remember the following rules.” “1. The paranormal cannot be killed. 2. The paranormal must obey the rules. 3. Players cannot kill one another. …” As Chen Mo gradually learns how the horror game works, he uncovers an even more terrifying secret behind it. When you enter this game, remember: fear is your grave, and calm is your weapon. Can you survive the next lev 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 115 Infinite Nightmares: An Eighty-Year-Old Man Rejuvenated from the Start 无限噩梦：开局八旬老汉返老还童 Infinite flow + rules-based horror + mild horror + no romance Qin Yi accidentally enters a nightmarish world. Here, there are rules that must never be broken, along with bizarre phenomena beyond ordinary people's understanding. By chance, Qin Yi discovers the rewards for surviving a nightmare. Wealth, health, youth, achievement… Terrified of the nightmares but coveting the rewards for surviving them, Qin Yi approaches one nightmare after another with mixed feelings… 8.4kReads8.1Score94914d adds
- 116 Death Novel: Judgment 死亡小说:审判 Death Novel: Judgment 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 117 Please Don't Give the Dead a Name 请不要替死者取名 Zhou Jin is on night duty in the morgue when a body arrives in freezer nine, registered one minute before it was brought in. The dead man has no facial features, no fingerprints to identify him, and yet the name written on his form is… Zhou Jin. After daybreak, one strange thing after another begins to happen. The security system no longer recognizes him. His coworkers gradually forget what to call him, and even his mother can no longer remember her son’s name. Yet every day at mealtimes, she 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 118 Blood Curtain: The Final Chapter? 血幕，终章？ Five years ago, one tiny mistake of mine got three coworkers killed. From then on, I lived in endless regret. Five years later, a blood-red screen appeared in the depths of the ocean, enclosing a mysterious continent! Monsters began invading from this other continent. While every country in the world struggled to resist, I was pulled into another dimension, where lies followed rules that could get you killed, bizarre monsters were impossible to wipe out, and I had several unreliable “teammates.” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 119 I Rely on My Nose to Attain the Great Dao 我靠鼻子证大道 I Rely on My Nose to Attain the Great Dao 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 King of the Strange Realm 诡界之王 [Top recommendation: The King of Mystery-Filled Realm Detective Fiction, Tomato’s Number One “Master of Deception”] Zhao Luo thought this was just a murder-mystery game arranged by the God of Fun. He never expected to be trapped in an endless spiral of wits and survival. A one-eyed monster cat fed with sacrifices, over a thousand bizarre artifacts that defy description, eerie monsters that drain your Sanity, player companions dying one after another, and sudden flashes of forgotten memories... O 48Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 121 Spiritwalking Through Time and Space 灵行时空 The Red Moon's invasion tore through space and time, and supernatural horrors descended across the globe! From the start, the protagonist takes control of a useless C-rank ghost, only to discover that it's a universal puzzle piece. But before he can grow strong, A-rank and S-rank paranormal incidents come one after another: Murderous illusion, evil ghost doppelganger (Split Ghost Persona, A) A gluttonous feast on a bridge in the rain (Hanging Ghost Incident, S) A terrifying haunting, the living 7kReads8.0Score1.1k14d adds
- 122 What Do You Mean the Corpses I Sew Together Are All Cursed? 什么叫我缝的尸体都是大凶之物？ [Chinese folk customs] [Corpse seamster] [Traditional supernatural horror] [A clever protagonist who isn’t an idiot] My name is Chen Yang. I’m a mortician, or rather... a corpse seamster. I can sew up corpses no one else can. I can take jobs no one else dares to accept. I’ve handled all sorts of bizarre cases: people who jumped from buildings in red clothes, corpses missing arms and legs, and even one person who was holding their own head... Everyone says the corpses I sew up are all terribly un 219.6kReads9.1Score29.1k14d adds
- 123 Consumed by Nightmares 噩梦焚身 A Nightmare Burns Through Me —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 124 Midnight Oracle 午夜神谕 Shh… It’s late. Turn out the lights. Once you step through this door, the world of lies behind you. Whatever you see there, don’t tell anyone. Don’t scream… Stay alive, and you’ll understand everything. As an “ordinary” residential community security guard, Chen You has endured one midnight after another: the church bells ring out twelve long echoes in succession; in an empty post office, the PA system switches on by itself and mutters ancient prophecies; an estate that sho 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 Rule Horror: Every Rule Is Waiting for Me to Break It 规则怪谈：所有规则都在等我违规 Rule Horror: Every Rule Is Waiting for Me to Break It 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 The Unbalanced Abyss 失衡归墟 [Original | Not a power fantasy | Not mindless | Golden finger | Suspense and horror game | Self-redemption] “Let’s play hide-and-seek. You be It, and I’ll hide. Can you find me?” A text from an unknown number dragged Liu Xu into a deadly game set in the world of a novel. When he woke, he was inside an ancient theater governed by bizarre rules. Its master delighted in watching people die, and anyone who lost the game would vanish into a wisp of green smoke beneath the stage. As the other players —Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 127 I Volunteered to Join the Hell Cinema 我是自愿加入地狱影院的 Mystery Infinite Flow + a passionate, hilarious ensemble cast + a story about intangible cultural heritage in every script + a protagonist who dreams their way through the trials. Watch as five ordinary young men who don’t know one another write countless adventurous tales, full of laughter and tears, as they face one perilous folk-culture script after another~ 26Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 Conspiracy: The Amnesia Cage 诡计：失忆囚笼 The Scheme: A Cage of Lost Memories 3Reads—Score114d adds
- 129 Legends of the Strange in Beiling 北岭怪谈 Legend has it that deep in the Greater Khingan Range lies a tomb for the living. Every year, people venture into the remote, treacherous mountains under the pretext of digging for ginseng: knife fighters from Hebei, bandits from the Northeast, treasure seekers from Shanxi... But I know they all have just one goal: the Immortal Tai Sui. 1.5kReads8.0Score19314d adds
- 130 Rule Horror: Hope Children’s Welfare Home 规则怪谈：希望儿童福利院 [No national fortune] + [No livestreaming] + [No female lead] + [No romance] + [Purely original survival instances] + [Just a tiny bit of horror] There is no more miserable way to die than while taking a dump. Worse still, after dying, you discover that you're sitting in a strange station. A creepy ticket seller on the train The unspeakable secret of the Hope Children's Welfare Institute A mysterious fourth person in a happy family Strange happenings hidden at summer camp A quiet mountain villag 783Reads8.6Score10114d adds
- 131 Learning to Slay Gods in an Infinite Game 我在无限游戏里学弑神 [Infinite Flow]➕ [No Female Lead]➕ [No Sanctimonious Protagonist]➕ [Plot Twists]. “A ten-day experiment in human nature. Remember, do not break the rules.” In an unattended shopping mall, six people who had volunteered to work sit in a circle. Chen Qige, the only one who was tricked into coming, sticks out like a sore thumb. A bizarre couple asks them one final question: “You all volunteered for this job, correct?” The six people, whose backgrounds are shrouded in mystery, all nod. Chen Qige: “I —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 132 Infinite Terror: I Become a God in the Eighteenth Layer of Hell 无限惊悚：我在十八层地狱封神 [Thriller] + [Infinite Flow] + [Survival Against the Odds] [Ensemble Cast] + [Episodic] + [Mystery and Deduction] [The Eternal Cruise Ship] The empty cruise ship is filled with endless lies. The twisted-faced, deeply wrinkled vengeful ghost loves collecting tongues. The only clue: Do not speak carelessly. Shen Xu: "Brother Luo, the clue says you're a pimp." Luo Yu: "I'm a pet shop owner. I arrange pet breeding for people." [Xinglin Village] All 18 gate challengers are terminally ill. Only by d 223Reads—Score10114d adds
- 133 No Hints in the Instance 副本无提示 [The rating just came in, and it will rise later] [Mild horror + varied horror styles + original scenarios + fresh, unconventional scenarios + intelligent characters + no female lead or romantic subplots] Have any of you watching heard of the elevator ghost game? They say that if you follow the instructions, you can reach another world. Chen Feng is a video creator whose content is playing all kinds of horror games found online. He occasionally livestreams, too. During a livestream of the elevat 76.8kReads7.8Score12.5k14d adds
- 134 Rule Horror: Beware Your Family 规则怪谈：小心你的家人 A world of urban legends descends upon the globe, forcing everyone into game instances. The only way to survive is to follow the rules. Li Xunyan was still busy plastering the streets with missing-person notices for her mom when she stepped into the instance called [Mom's Favorite]. Li Xunyan: ...I'm starting to panic a little. Want to survive? Want to find your missing parents? Clear the instance, and you'll get the answers you seek. Beginner instance [Mom's Favorite] is now open. Be sure to fo 2.7kReads8.7Score30814d adds
- 135 Erosion of the Anomalies 异象侵蚀 [Infinite Flow × no romance × worldbuilding mysteries × horror and suspense × female protagonist who grows over time] (Two major arcs are complete, so feel free to dive in. The low rating is probably because it's niche?) Would you stake everything on a chance to be “cured”? A “nonhuman” security guard patrols the halls at night. The doctors specialize in sending patients to their deaths. The “nurses” watch coldly as patients fight in their wards, and teammates gradually turn into enemies. Termi 167Reads8.9Score10014d adds
- 136 The Backlash of Trust 信任的反噬 The Backlash of Trust 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 137 12:17 A.M., Please Confirm Your Name 零点十七分，请确认你的姓名 In Qiheng City, people don’t simply disappear. First, the city erases their names, then convinces everyone they never existed. At 12:17 a.m., a fire alarm suddenly went off in a residential building in Qiheng City that had only sixteen floors: “Someone is trapped on the seventeenth floor.” Zhou Jiming, an engineer who inspected fire safety systems, checked the building plans, stairwell height, elevator programming, and exterior facade. Every piece of evidence proved that the seventeenth floor di 17Reads—Score17014d adds
- 138 Thanks for Asking, My Inherited Apartment Is Full of Ghost Stories 谢邀，我继承的公寓全是怪谈 [Single male lead, no romance, supernatural. The male lead isn’t strong or particularly satisfying to read about, and he’s indecisive. I’m warning you in advance, so if it’s not your thing, please move along.] The living should keep their distance from eerie tales whenever possible. When Yin Lan was little, his grandfather warned him of this. Yet that same grandfather left him a family home full of strange rumors after he died. Driven by curiosity and hoping to find out why his father and gran 1.1kReads9.1Score12114d adds
- 139 A High-IQ Madman Designs Hundreds of Announced Murders 高智商疯子，设计百起预告杀人案 [High-IQ crime] [Ruthless, cold, calculating, and mad male lead] [Not reborn] [No System] [No female lead] A mysterious murderer who is rarely seen suddenly appears in Jiangcheng, calling himself the Judge. The Judge's days are always full. Monday: He judges a popular young actor who preyed on female college students. What a lovely day. Tuesday: He judges a billionaire who has committed every kind of evil, leaving himself refreshed and invigorated. Wednesday: He calls the task force directly. 4.8kReads—Score37014d adds
- 140 The Girl Is Spoiled Rotten by Her Weird Boy Group in a Rules-Based Horror World 女孩在规则怪谈里被男团诡异狂宠 Completed [No CP + mystery and deduction + a wealthy young woman uses her incredible brain to solve puzzles] The Queen’s level is too high. The eerie beings are crying and trying to force-quit. When the eerie beings descended, a mysterious organization began buying up coins at exorbitant prices, making them almost impossible to find. A one-yuan coin could buy a three-million-yuan house, or be used to contract an eerie being to serve you for life. After a high-IQ girl transmigrates into a book ca 49Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 141 Part-Time Underworld Constable: A Taoist Priest Investigates Murders in the City 阴差兼职：贫道在都市查凶 A lazy, penny-pinching, down-and-out Taoist is forced to work off his debts as a part-time underworld officer! A reclusive old man dies mysteriously, ghostly passengers haunt the midnight subway, and vengeful spirits from cold cases return. The entire city turns out to be a giant formation for a fiend to refine evil spirits! Police captain: There are no ghosts or gods in this world! → I take it all back! Master Chen, save me! Black Impermanence: Slacking off costs you underworld merit; shirking 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 142 It Begins with a Figure in the Mirror 从镜中人影开始 [Eerie phenomena descend + no System + escape by following the rules + fighting evil with evil + semi-infinite flow + brotherly bonds] As the Heavenly Dao declines, eerie forces revive. Bai Ren and Bai Jian pray to the gods, but the only ones who answer are their future selves… The terrifying Hell Apartment issues deadly missions, the government’s Anomaly Control Bureau struggles to hold the line, and mysterious forces stir up a storm. The struggle between salvation and destruction has never 65Reads—Score10314d adds
- 143 I Am the Perfect Eldest Senior Sister 我是完美大师姐 I’m the Perfect Senior Disciple 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 144 Case Files 罪案集 [No romance, plot-focused + mind-bending suspense + bizarre murder cases + unusual perspective] We do not worship absolute peace. But when no crime is ever brought to justice, crime becomes the norm, and chaos takes the place of order. Ten years ago, Lian Huai watched with his own eyes as the entire building, his parents included, was reduced to rubble by an explosion. The trauma drove him insane. Unable to live a normal life and exhibiting an antisocial personality, he was locked in a psychiatr 954Reads8.1Score17714d adds
- 145 Night Tales from the Haunted House: 1,000 Folk Ghost Stories 诡舍夜话：1000个民间鬼故事 [Changting 9.0 Rating] [A Must-Read for Women Late at Night] [Urban Horror] Don't read this late at night! A thousand standalone tales of the eerie, guaranteed to make you afraid to walk alone after dark! This collection features sinister events passed down through generations in rural lanes and villages, as well as bizarre tales widely shared online. Each chapter is a story of its own, so there's no need to wait for updates. Just open it and start reading! The faint sobbing from a corner of an 4.6kReads—Score16314d adds
- 146 Rule Horror: Breaking the Rules Earns Her System Rewards 规则怪谈：她违规会获取系统奖励 [No Romance, Powerful Female Lead | National-Fortune Rule-Based Horror | Game Invasion | System-Powered Wish Fulfillment | Leveling Mystery] A bizarre game from around the world invades Blue Star. Each country randomly selects a Chosen One to enter a rule-based horror instance, with the entire process livestreamed globally. If they clear the instance, their country gains vast resources. If they fail, the Chosen One is killed on the spot, and their homeland is struck by a devastating natural disa 50Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 Ten Dreams Across the Calamity 十梦渡厄 (The Strange Knocking at the Door / Welcome Back to the Starting Point of the Nightmare, Book Two) Have you ever received a letter like that? Its material feels like human skin, its handwriting looks like blood. Once you open it... You find yourself standing before a door. Push it open, and you step into another world. A place with rules you must obey, nights when dawn never comes, and ghosts who have waited ten or a hundred years for release. Every door you make it through buys you one more day 4.1kReads7.1Score38714d adds
- 148 The Killer Inside My Mind 颅内杀人犯 A series of murders has taken place in Xian City. All the victims suffered from rare psychological or mental disorders, including a company executive with delusions of insects and a famous actress with Capgras syndrome. They had all sought treatment from a brilliant psychologist named Fang Zhou. After investigating, the police ruled each case a suicide. Then an elderly man with Alzheimer’s suddenly showed up at the police station and turned himself in. Everything changed. The man claimed to have 47Reads9.3Score1414d adds
- 149 Rule Horror: It Takes Two 规则怪谈：双人成行 [The rating just came out and is rather low, but it will rise] [Two Minds Sharing One Body] [Rules-Based Horror] [Original Scenarios] [Mind-Bending Twists] [Lighthearted Bickering] One moment, Wei Minghua was conquering an S-rank rules-based horror scenario. The next, he woke to find his body gone. His consciousness was trapped in the mind of a nineteen-year-old girl named Mingxi. Mingxi pressed a knife to her throat. "Get out of my body, or we'll both die." Before they could reach an agreement, 35.3kReads8.1Score8.5k14d adds
- 150 Arcane Magic Out of Control 秘法失控 [Mystery and Crime Investigation]+ [Logical Deduction]+ [Bizarre Unsolved Cases]+ [Modern Magical World] A baffling murder and a corpse whose bones, flesh, and skin had been inexplicably separated drew Iris Moreau, a police detective on the homicide squad, into a dazzling yet dangerous world. The boundary between the demon realm and the mortal world was growing increasingly blurred. Legendary magicians, forbidden ancient arts, and killers who continually crossed ethical lines all came one after 3Reads—Score—14d adds
