Novels like The Local Official
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Local Official, best match first.
- 1 A Record of Strange Cases 人间奇案录 A murder case that rocked the entire province has finally been solved. The murderer was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad. More than ten years later, the “victim” returned to the world of the living. How did all this happen? What secrets are being hidden? Who was the real murderer? Can the police bring him to justice? 31Reads6.9Score—Shelves
- 2 The Coffin Man 棺人 There was an old coffin in our home. On the first and fifteenth day of every month, Grandpa had me paint it with red and black lacquer. This went on for years, but he never told me why. It was only after I turned eighteen and was buried alive inside that old coffin that I gradually uncovered one secret after another. From then on, I embarked on a very different path in life. Three calamities and six tribulations, nine coffins crossing together: ferrying people, demons, and restless souls! The Ye 256Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 3 Oh No, How Did I Become an Old Ancestor? 坏了，我怎么成老祖了 Yunyin Sect, the foremost of all the world's schools of magic, kept itself hidden from the world for decades. Then five of its direct disciples emerged. They slew Qiongqi and killed a Ghost King, making a name for themselves. Among them was an exceptional disciple born with ghost eyes, whose mastery of the Dao was peerless and whose presence awed countless fellow practitioners... But... can someone tell me why this thousand-year-old corpse insists on coming home with me? And why is this sword, h 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 In This Life, I See My Past Life 我于今生观前世 The protagonist encounters his past lives in a dream. Only after unraveling the mystery of his time in the womb does he discover that he is nothing but an empty shell. Once his three souls return to his body, three powerful spirits press against his own will. He has no choice but to deal with monsters and outside intruders to strengthen himself, all while withstanding the weight of karma and fighting to stay alive! Whether it's a black dragon stirring up trouble, a corpse-nurturing ground in the —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 The Divine Son-in-Law in a Ma Yi Robe 麻衣神婿 My father is a dog, an old dog with a mottled coat. I called him Father for ten years… 377Reads8.8Score—Shelves
- 6 Worries of the Mystic Sect 玄门忧道 Twenty years ago, someone stole my fortune. To save me, Grandpa sent me to Mount Longhu. Twenty years later, a young Daoist descended the mountain. My mother in the mortal world had died, and I stepped between yin and yang to find her… 1.5kReads6.7Score123Shelves
- 7 Mysterious Resurgence: I'm Not the Ghost King 神秘复苏，我不是诡王 [Mild horror, somewhat Lovecraftian, no System, survival and growth, one female lead, not for the fainthearted] "This story is entirely fictional and does not reflect reality. Now, the mysteries begin to return..." Grandpa died with his eyes open. The day we carried his coffin up the mountain, I didn't dare look back, because the people carrying it... weren't human! A daily dose of occult weirdness: One ring of the bell, and all ghosts flee; one talisman stuck on, and evil spirits call you Dad 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 King of the Weird 诡异之王 “Am I beautiful? Would you like to kiss me?” A strange, chilling voice rang out. The Slit-Mouthed Woman stood in the road, her eyes glowing a dim red as she stared at the young man in front of her, seeming unable to understand why he was so... excited. “You're beautiful. I would!” Zhang Heng eagerly leaned in and kissed the Slit-Mouthed Woman with all his heart. She was stunned. 61Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 9 The Strange Dao: From the Start, a Vengeful Spirit in the Marshal's Mansion 诡道，开局大帅府里的怨灵 [Supernatural + Suspense + Adventure] Yin soldiers crossing the border? I’ll draw talismans to trap them, borrow the incense offerings of the living, and force them to crawl back on their knees! Vengeful spirits haunting me? I’ll use copper coins to bind their souls and seal them in the earth’s ley lines. Feng shui curses? I’ll redirect the dragon veins and defy fate itself. In the chaotic Republic of China era, warlords carve up the land, yin soldiers march through, and living corpses roam by n —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 Horror Revival: The Mysterious 749 Bureau 恐怖复苏：神秘部门749局 [Uncovering the 99-Year Confidentiality Agreement] Unexplainable supernatural events keep happening in this world, leaving people anxious and throwing their lives into disarray. There is a group of practitioners of esoteric arts who walk between the worlds of yin and yang. By day, they work for the neighborhood office; by night, they are demon-vanquishing exorcists. They belong to a mysterious department: Bureau 749. 1Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 11 I, a Young Maoshan Taoist, Walk Between Yin and Yang 我，茅山小道，行走阴阳 (A note to all readers!!! You can skip Volume One, The Young Maoshan Daoist Comes of Age, and go straight to Volume Two, Conquering the Yin and Yang. Volume One is a little slow, so feel free to skip it if you don’t want to read it.) My name is Li Qingfeng. The year I was born, strange phenomena appeared in the sky, as dragons and tigers contended. Later, I studied Maoshan Daoist arts under a master. He said I was the most gifted person he had ever met, and that taking me as his disciple left hi —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 Pendulum: The Super Taoist Works at a Convenience Store 灵摆：超级道长在便利店打工 After the Sacrifice to the Lord of Mount Tai, the Netherworld King Chacha searches everywhere for Zhao Li, Xia Dongqing, and Wang Xiaoya... A young Taoist priest named Zhang Zhongyang is ordered by his master to go study Chinese at Jiangzhou University. But he is so exceptionally skilled that he gets a perfect score on his final exams and unexpectedly lands a job at Convenience Store No. 444. There, he opens his third eye and takes over from Zhao Li as the new spirit guide. From then on, ancient 247Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Heir to the Maoshan Legacy 茅山传承人 I was born of a ghost. My mother died as soon as I was born, and no one knew who my father was. An old Taoist priest came to my home on the day I was born. When I was six, he took me up into the mountains to learn Taoist magic. 243Reads6.1Score—Shelves
- 14 A Construction Site Couple's Story 工地夫妻的故事 As the economy booms, many small towns are demolished and replaced by high-rises. Before one tower after another rises from the ground, countless construction sites spring up for a short time. The men and women working there aren’t machines. They have hearts and feelings of their own. The many things they have no choice but to do become stories drawn from real life. 2.6kReads8.9Score223Shelves
- 15 Decoding the Spirits 解灵 Do you believe that souls really exist in this world? Have any of you ever encountered one? If you truly came face to face with a soul one day, would you be afraid? There are many strange and unusual things in this world. If you ever encounter a soul, please believe me: don’t be afraid. All things have a spirit; even grass and trees have feelings. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 My Undying-Bone Ancestor Is Neither Good nor Evil 我的不死骨老祖宗亦正亦邪 My Undying-Bone Ancestor Is Both Righteous and Evil Phoenix blood, the soul of a qilin, an undying bone, the Art of Immortality... A thousand-year-old conspiracy stirs once more, sending the world into turmoil. See how young Master Feng meets every move with a counter of his own! 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 Strange Goings-On Beneath the Lamp 灯下诡行 I spent my whole life making Kongming lanterns. Even after I died, my lingering obsession remained, trapping me inside a battered lantern. When people send me aloft, they make wishes and offer incense. In return, I light their way and drive away the horrors lurking in the fog. I thought it was a fair bargain, until one late night, a mute girl crookedly wrote a line on my lantern: “Don’t light the lantern. They’re watching you.” I looked down. There wasn’t a single human shadow beneath the lanter —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 A Chronicle of Folk Secrets 民间秘闻纪实 The stories I write aren't made up. They're born when the wind beneath the old Chinese hackberry tree carries the earthy scent of Guanzhong into my ears, then slowly simmers in my heart. The “I” in those stories isn't always the same person either. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 The Way of Heaven: Feng Shui Master, I Control the Universe 天道门，风水神师，乾坤由我执掌 The lotus scorched by hellfire is the birthmark on my back. The sins of my past life were too great, and in this life I'm fated to die young. To stay alive, I descend the mountain in search of a way, only to find eighty-one coffins and an underworld wedding waiting for me. A coin hung from a mountain, a cup of water holding the world in check. A demon fetus in a human belly, a woman in a bottle, the witchcraft of Luonan, eight or nine layers of coffins, the underworld's watery halls, a golden co 260Reads7.2Score—Shelves
- 20 The Underworld Retirement Home 冥府养老院 [Mystery + Supernatural Horror + Urban + Deduction + No Do-Gooder Protagonist + Decisive and Ruthless] On the first day of school, I ran into a female ghost! Facing the red-clad upperclassman before me, I raised a chair and brought it crashing down on her! "You think it's funny to dress up like a ghost and scare me, you bastard?" —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 The Secrets of the Strange Arts 奇门诡秘 During the Republican era, a once-peaceful village is thrown into turmoil by Xu Jinglou's dreams. The dead shed bloody tears, scaled corpses devour hearts, rats bring money, dogs dig up graves, venomous insects worship their queen, and ten thousand snakes pay homage to their sovereign. Strange and fantastical tales reveal the grudges and passions of the Thirty-Six Folk Traditions. When faced with life-or-death choices, what path will Xu Jinglou take? 76Reads8.8Score—Shelves
- 22 Judge of Yin and Yang 阴阳判官 My grandmother killed my parents for no apparent reason. It was years before I finally uncovered the truth. The mastermind hiding behind it all: even if you are the highest-ranking judge in the underworld, I will use my abilities to pass judgment on you! 27Reads6.1Score—Shelves
- 23 Paper Effigy Craftsman 纸扎匠 Paper effigies connect the worlds of yin and yang, reaching across all three realms! When I was a child, I found the book my master had hidden away: The True Scripture of Paper Effigies. By day, I made paper figures, opera stages, and houses at the funeral supply shop. But beyond what ordinary people could see, I crafted divine artifacts, summoned deities, and communicated between the worlds of yin and yang. All the sects bowed before me! Little did I know that someone else had already arranged 138Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 The Shangqing Celestial Master 上清天师 [Taoist priest + no saintly protagonist + supernatural + two male leads + two female leads] Ever since the great battle between Chinese Taoists and Japanese onmyoji, supernatural incidents have been erupting across the cities, as though ancient forbidden spells have been broken. White-hair vampires, black fiends, vengeful ghosts, grinning corpses... Feuds that began a thousand years ago will finally be settled in this life. With humanity twisted and morality in decline, what other dangers are wa 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 Reborn in 1999: Does Third Uncle Want a Wife or Not? 重生1999之三叔要不要老婆 [Period] [Reborn] [Scheming Male Lead] [One Female Lead] [Black Market] [Rural Revitalization] [Open Strategy] Reborn in the summer of 1999, Zhou Hao decides to save the life of the third uncle who once saved his, then find him a wife. You gossipy women in the village, since you have so much free time, why not help me clean out the cesspit? The new road through the village is supposed to pass in front of your house, but you don’t want it there? Fine, we’ll redraw the plans. From now on, whenever 16Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 26 Bureau Zero-One 零一局 The Zero-One Bureau handles paranormal incidents. After the protagonist, Liang Yuzhang, was born, an old Daoist recognized his exceptional nature and took him in as an apprentice to learn Daoist arts. Starting in kindergarten, he helped people deal with paranormal incidents, becoming a minor celebrity in the surrounding villages. He joined the Zero-One Bureau in middle school, and after joining, handled all sorts of supernatural cases involving ghosts, demons, and monsters. These events also dre 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 The Haunted House Salesman 凶宅推销员 My name is Wang Hao, and I work at a real estate agency that only opens late at night. The boss is beautiful, but she's rarely around. My coworker is a creepy Taoist who drags me out every night at 2:30 to spy on the apartment across the street. There's also a little girl with purple hair who keeps throwing pink slippers at me. My job is to inspect haunted houses, because I can see those "things." I only wanted to save up enough to put my younger sister through school. That was until a thousa —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 The Yin-Fated Green Coffin 阴命青棺 [Horror novel with a bound System + one heroine + satisfying action + wild imagination] Enter at your own risk When calamity struck, no one in the village was spared. At his grandfather's request, a feng shui master saved me. From then on, I apprenticed myself to him and learned his arts. To save the person I love, I traveled the world, possessed by ghosts, corpses, and evil spirits, killing ghost kings, storming the underworld, and standing firm against the will of Heaven... I changed my fate, —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 The Feng Shui Mastermind 风水大掌柜 The day I was born, nine dragons came bearing a coffin, and a hundred ghosts wailed in mourning. I was born under a fated star. My name is Bai Ke, a feng shui master delivered to the mortal world in a coffin borne by nine dragons. I guide souls between yin and yang, and was born with an innate gift for the mysteries of heaven and earth. When you run into anything supernatural, just come to me, Bai Ke. I am the chief feng shui master, and there is no mysterious matter in this world that I cannot 590Reads7.1Score101Shelves
- 30 The Secret Records of Yin and Yang 阴阳秘录 Mountain spirits summon immortals; water spirits summon dragons. Do immortals really exist in this world? I don't know, but I do know that dragons are real. From the day the roar of machinery rang out across Miaoling Valley, everything began to slide toward an unknowable abyss. And from that abyss, a pair of eyes watched those involved, their gaze carrying an emotion impossible to decipher... 188Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 31 Daoist Exorcist: One Body, Two Souls, a Daoist and a Curse Master 道降师：道士和降头师一体双魂 Banish evil spirits, avenge the wronged, solve century-old mysteries, and explore ancient ruins thousands of years old. One righteous, one wicked: Daoist secret arts and cursecraft coexist in a single body. Lu Xiaoxi studied for five years in the Lingbao School of Mount Gezao. After his master passed away, he was expelled from the sect and attacked by its leader. By a twist of fate, Yang Gongyu of the Curse Sect, whose attempt at body liberation had failed, tried to possess him. The possession f 165Reads—Score118Shelves
- 32 Walking Between Yin and Yang: Haunted 行走阴阳：撞邪 My mother was born under the rare fate of a nine-life yin woman, cursed with solitude. A fortune-teller said that women with this fate were destined to bring misfortune to their husbands, children, and parents. I survived only because my mother gave her life for mine. The night I was born, crows called out to summon souls, wild cats wailed like mourners, and a hundred ghosts fought over me... 274Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 33 The Yin-Yang Scissors 阴阳剪 A black dragon coils around me, skeletons block the door, fox spirits form ranks, and a white snake possesses me... All I have is a pair of scissors and a sheet of red paper. I cut down demons and sever the boundary between life and death... The Yin-Yang Scissors cut through the forces of yin and yang. I am the heir to the Yin-Yang Scissors. With them in my hands, one snip decides life or death. All the thrilling, eerie, and mysterious tales are found in The Yin-Yang Scissors... 126Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 34 The Paper Horse Shop: Messenger Between Yin and Yang 我有一间纸马铺之阴阳使者 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 The Underworld Longevity Bureau 黄泉长生局 [Mystery + Tomb Raiding + Adventure + Ghost Hunting] They say the Yellow Springs are crawling with ghosts and demons. Once I raise my yellow talisman and form a hand seal, I'll wipe them all out. From three-eyed ghost lice and the Fish Kingdom tomb to the Ten-Thousand-Pearl Snake Woman... Li Que, a little nobody of the Daoist sect, and Fatty get caught up in a vast scheme for immortality. As the saying goes: “In paper shoes, I tread into the Yellow Springs; through the gloom of life and death, I 215Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 36 The Last Wild Maoshan Master 最后一个野茅山 During the Republican era, my great-grandfather brought a bowl of executioner's rice to a death-row inmate who was about to be beheaded. On a rainy night in late autumn, the beheaded convict knocked on the courtyard gate... [Traditional supernatural horror + Maoshan magic + no System] 19.3kReads8.4Score1.8kShelves
- 37 Feng Shui Master by Fate: Commanding Yin and Yang with the Five Thunder Palm 天命风水师：五雷掌阴阳 [Supernatural Ghost-Hunting | Feng Shui and Taoist Arts | Five-Thunder Righteous Technique | Hardcore Talisman Drawing | The Protagonist Won't Take Things Lying Down] The Lin family was once the world's foremost feng shui clan, able to alter fate and determine fortune, with kings and nobles vying for its favor. As the years passed, the family dwindled. Lin Tiancheng, the last heir of the Lin family, learned the clan's secrets from his grandfather at the age of six. Evil spirits emerge and strang 2.2kReads—Score137Shelves
- 38 The Grand Mystic 大玄师 Sun Lei smiles faintly and raises a hand to split open the Yin-Yang Road. “Moved yet?” Demons, ghosts, monsters, and spirits: “Wouldn’t dare. Wouldn’t dare…” 131Reads7.0Score—Shelves
- 39 The Treasure Hunter with a Lucky Touch 桃运摸宝师 I left home when I was young and stumbled into the world of treasure hunting and spirit-reading. From Kunlun’s Hell to the South Sea Dragon Ruins, the Netherworld Ghostwood, and the Sea of Sand’s hidden nest... I traveled far and wide in search of secret treasures. Just as I thought I could take control of my own fate, Heaven played a cruel joke on me. I tried to escape, but only sank deeper and deeper... 32Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 Haunted Campus: My Card-Drawing System Is a Little Unorthodox 诡异校园：我的抽卡系统不太正经 Chen Mo, an ordinary high school student, accidentally binds the “Paranormal Gacha System” and is forced to become an on-campus exorcist. He draws an [SSR Succubus Maid] and has to help her find her lost underwear. He draws an [R-Rank Jumping Senior] and must fulfill her dying wish to experience her first love. And the strangest part is, after the evil spirits possess all the beautiful girls at school, they all fall in love with him? “System, are you sure this is a horror story and not a romance 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 Welcome to the Nightmare Livestream!!! 欢迎来到噩梦直播间！！！ My new work is out! Everyone is welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support is what motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 The Ink Master 掌墨师 A stern warning!!!! All the yang-meridian techniques in this novel come from a handwritten folk copy of the Lu Ban Book, an ancient text that truly exists. Do not try them lightly!!! It all began with my grandfather… He was an old carpenter, now well over eighty. By chance, I happened to open this long-forgotten copy of the Lu Ban Book. It was handwritten, and my first reaction after reading it was confusion, because I couldn’t understand it at all. So I studied it carefully. It recorded many t 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 The Mountain Ghost Laughs 山鬼笑兮 If there is someone on the mountain’s flank, wearing ivy and trailing creeping vines. Such beautiful words, so why is the truth so cruel? How much karma must be repaid in this lifetime? 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 The Evil-Suppressing Man of the Living World 阳间镇邪人 The world is formed from the union of Heaven and Earth. Where there is righteousness, there is evil; where there is yang, there must be yin. This world is full of the strange and the terrifying, and I am part of the strange. My name is Xiao Xie. My grandfather once said that on the day I was born, I tore a vicious asura ghost apart with my bare hands... 1.7kReads7.5Score111Shelves
- 45 Walking Between Yin and Yang: Evil-Breaker 行走阴阳：破邪 There is a group of extraordinary people who walk between yin and yang, slaying demons and breaking evil curses to maintain the balance between the two worlds! Devoted to the Dao, they battle evil men, seal away vengeful ghosts, and uphold the path of righteousness. They are all nobodies, with just one mysterious connection: the Dragon Group! 187Reads7.2Score—Shelves
- 46 The Supreme Celestial Master 极品天师 A hilarious Heavenly Master, a Heavenly Master devoted to protecting all that is good, a Heavenly Master free of vulgar interests: Wolong strives to show everyone a Heavenly Master unlike any other. 179Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 47 The Maoshan Celestial Master's Chronicles 茅山天师录 Maoshan is famous for its Taoist arts. I learned Maoshan Taoist magic and came down from the mountain to exorcise ghosts. My whole life has been filled with confusion. Is this really how my life is supposed to go? What is the meaning of what I protect? And who is behind the eerie doll and everything else? 89Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 True Accounts of Spirit Crossing at Midnight 子时渡灵实录 "A spine-chilling memoir of spirit deliverance by Xu Hanko!" I am an inheritor of Taoist arts. This book records the cases I have handled over the years, helping spirits pass on. Chanting incantations, forming hand seals, stepping the astral patterns, and setting up ritual arrays, I have unraveled the obsessions of countless wronged souls. Every detail of every case is etched in my memory, and behind each one lies the full range of life’s suffering: birth, aging, sickness, death, meeting those w 27Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 Heaven's Mandate: Yin and Yang 天命阴阳 The Pixiu feeds on wealth from every corner of the world. It swallows all things but never excretes, attracting riches and gathering treasures, taking in but never giving out. On my eighteenth birthday, I met a girl who completely bewitched me. But I never expected that she would actually… 1.4kReads8.4Score189Shelves
- 50 Folk Taboos: I Cultivate Merit in the Mortal World 民间禁忌：我在人间修功德 Everyone knows the barber, but few realize that the earliest barbers were actually executioners, and strange adepts who mastered esoteric arts. They walk between life and death, needing only a barber's razor to read the secrets of Heaven and travel between yin and yang. They shave the living, and they shave the dead. Even today, folk wisdom warns: never offend the barbers who roam the land with their poles and packs. 158Reads7.1Score—Shelves
