Novels like A Fading Lamp Shines on the Lonely Dead
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Fading Lamp Shines on the Lonely Dead, best match first.
- 51 Seven Days of the Dead 七日亡魂 My grandfather used to say that whoever a hanged person sees last is the one they’ll come back to claim. When I was twelve, the village hired a troupe to perform ghost opera. I went to play backstage, never realizing that the troupe’s leading performer was hanging from the beam behind me. 1.1kReads8.2Score10114d adds
- 52 I'm Broke, Why Should I Be Afraid of Ghosts? 我穷鬼，岂会怕鬼？ [Goofy] [Funny] [Irreverent] [Mystery] [Supernatural] [Hop in] [No System] [A fish that slipped through nine years of compulsory education] Wang Ling landed a job paying 18,000 yuan a month as a security guard at a private hospital. On his first day, he was left completely stunned! Each floor of the hospital's inpatient wing had a special passage enshrining one of the underworld's yin deities. The morgue even had butcher's knives inexplicably lying around. Wang Ling put up with all of that. Then 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 The Taoist Priest Took Me Ghost Hunting 道士带我抓鬼啦 [Folk mysteries + Taoist ghost hunting + urban paranormal + supernatural tales] The headless little ghost at the amusement park The eerie singing in the morgue An elevator leading to a paranormal dimension... Are these bizarre events mere coincidence, or were they destined to happen? 31Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 Heavenly Master of a Haunted World 诡世天师 Lin Jiu, an ordinary young man from the modern era, unexpectedly transmigrates to the twelfth year of the Republic of China, his soul inhabiting the body of a young Taoist priest who shares his name and has just been claimed by a vengeful ghost. As the last heir of the Maoshan Sect, he inherits his master’s legacy and final words: “The Taoist tradition must not die out, and the human world must not fall.” There is no System, no shortcut, only a timeworn copy of the Sacred Register of Shangqing a 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 55 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—14d adds
- 56 I Tamed the Paranormal 我把诡异收服了 Born with ghostly eyes, I share a desk with the City Lord of the Underworld. A vengeful female ghost wants me to kiss her, I take in a powerful underworld enforcer, and a princess from a thousand years ago swears an oath with me. Onstage, they sing of sorrow and grief. Beneath the stage, I capture every kind of evil. My name is Zhang Qiang. Watch me run rampant through the Underworld! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 The Little Taoist of Nanshan 南山小道士 A torrential storm washed away his stall, and his protective charm burst into flames. Lin Yan was haunted by the evil spirit that had plagued him as a child! A staunch materialist, Lin Yan is forced into the world of the occult. He becomes a disciple of an old Taoist priest from Nanshan, learning talisman magic, exploring haunted houses, and dispelling waterborne curses, only to be unexpectedly caught up in rivalries among Taoist sects. As the evil spirits of the Taiping Sect stir up trouble, he —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 Run! My Family Aren't Human 快跑，我的家人不是人 [No System] [Not a saint] [Infinite Flow] [mild horror] Just like any other evening after study hall, I opened the front door! The lights were off. My parents were lurking in the dark, waiting to devour my flesh. A guillotine blade hung over my head, held by my younger sister. My older brother had prepared a pot of fresh soup to go with his wine! Run! Run for your life! My family aren’t human! Your goal is to survive in this twisted world of humanity. 250Reads5.5Score11414d adds
- 59 Northeastern China’s Coffin Bearer 东北抬棺匠 In the old days, evil spirits ran rampant across the Northeast, and immortal beings roamed everywhere. It was common for the dead to lie in their coffins, impossible to carry out. I was the most renowned coffin master for miles around, the last Coffin-Carrying Heavenly King. With half a copy of the Coffin Spirit Register in hand, I had seen every evil coffin under heaven. The coffin of a doomed life, the coffin of a violent death, the coffin of resentment, the coffin of hatred, the coffin of mis 570Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 Before the Strange Things Begin 在一切诡异之前 [Supernatural resurgence + horror + no System + semi-infinite survival + no saintly protagonist + not dark + no female lead] When ghosts invaded reality, a group of survivors gained the protection of the “Rules.” They became employees of the “Rules,” and to keep enjoying their protection, they had to complete tasks. But the power of the “Rules” was limited... I didn't really care about any of that. I didn't want to bother figuring out what was the cause and what was the effect. So what if this w 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 61 I Make My Living Off the Dead 我靠死人吃饭 [Funeral Customs] + [Supernatural] + [Feng Shui and Taoist Arts] Warning: Do not try to learn the incantations or chants in this book. You do so at your own risk. Based on real events, with some details about people and places adjusted. The dead refuse to close their eyes, a black cat wails at a grave, sobbing comes from down a well, a widow holds a funeral vigil in tears at midnight, an old man kneels before his son... Behind these eerie happenings lie even more poisonous human hearts. 120.9kReads8.7Score9.6k14d adds
- 62 The Taoist Master of the Funeral Home 殡仪馆的天师 A Celestial Master’s legacy? No thanks. Slaying demons and exorcising evil? Not interested. Lin Yue lands a government job at a funeral home, using the Three-Flavored True Fire to cremate bodies and Five Thunder Talismans to keep the place under control. His boss praises his efficiency, while evil spirits curse him for fighting dirty. The whole city is haunted? Don’t worry. Master Lin from the funeral home will come right to your door. Overtime costs extra. 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 The Divine Oracle 神卦 The reviews are the best introduction. Reader [Bai Ri Bu Dao Chu Qing Chun Zi Lai]: Meeting was fate. I was completely absorbed in these words, and in a few chapters, I felt as if I were right there in the story. As I read, I found myself wondering what kind of person the author was. Over the years, I’ve met a number of people who study the esoteric arts. Of all those so-called “masters,” very few have truly earned my respect. Yet through these words, I’ve come to admire the author’s character a 465Reads8.4Score10014d adds
- 64 The Strange Case Files 诡局录 [No System + No Cultivation + No Foolish Protagonist + Traditional Supernatural Horror + Mystery and Suspense] My name is Shang Tian, and I’m a man cursed by an evil spirit. It was a lottery ticket that should never have existed. Its dark, yellow-black background looked soaked in old blood and night; the glaring red lettering wasn’t a set of lucky numbers, but an invitation to hell. When I scratched it off, overjoyed and thinking I’d found a lifeline to a hundred-thousand-yuan jackpot, my finge 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Rule Horror: Abyss Metro 规则怪谈：深渊地铁 [Rules-Based Horror + Infinite Flow + Suspenseful Mysteries + Deduction and Puzzles + Character Growth] The ticket gate spat out a blood-red ticket. It read: Welcome aboard the Abyss Metro. This train is bound for Level 18. That was the first time Cheng Chi learned that the subway he crammed onto every day could take him to hell. Every station brought new rules. The rules could change, deceive, and contradict one another. Some died in the glass reflections on the Mirror Platform. Some walked 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 66 The Ghost Fan's Grave: Crossing the Yin-Yang Divide 鬼扇坟之阴阳渡 I saw a ghost for the first time when I was five. Using a ghost fan and a pair of eyes that could see through evil, my grandfather led me into the crack between the worlds of yin and yang. From then on, I became someone who mended fissures, patching up secrets that the living should never see and the dead could never tell. This is a story about eyes that see through evil and a ghost fan, two souls sharing one body and the Six Fiends, sacrifice and protection. From the first ghostly wail in Yinsh 5Reads—Score214d adds
- 67 The Drifting Classroom 漂流教室 There’s a classroom at my school that doesn’t exist, and I walked into it. The walls are dilapidated, the light bulbs yellowed, and the students and teacher are steeped in a chilling aura. I can’t leave. I can’t escape. All I can do is stay in this nonexistent classroom. 85Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 68 The Paper Effigy Yama 纸扎阎罗 Before Grandpa died, he left me with a warning: a paper effigy maker must never make three kinds of figures. On my very first day taking over the shop, I broke every rule. I made a wedding dress for a girl who died violently, a filial son for a childless widow, and finally... a stand-in for a living person. Now all the paper figures I made come alive at night and gather around me, calling me “Master.” Outside the window, the girl who should have been dead for three years is knocking on the door. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 Tales of the Strange: King of Destruction 怪谈：破坏之王 The bane of everyone’s existence in the urban legend game is back. Whether you’re a monster or a demon beast, you’d better stay far away. Otherwise, everything’s going to go to pieces. I’m Hao Yun. The monsters all hate me, and I’m so sad... [Mystery + Imaginative Premises + Original Scenarios + Comedy + No Female Lead + Cunning Twists] 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 The Yin-Yang Twin 阴阳双生人 [Mild Horror + The Supernatural] Ming Ye grew up living in a cemetery. Her parents went missing seven years ago and were eventually found dead under bizarre circumstances in the mountains. Seven years later, she became an emergency room doctor. One midnight, she met the Taoist priest Xu Baoyang on a bus as he was out catching ghosts. Later, while tracking clues about his missing master, Xu Baoyang came to the hospital where Ming Ye worked and discovered that a strange hospital orderly had set up —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 71 New Tales from the Strange Studio 新聊斋奇谈 The author has collected strange tales of ghosts and monsters from elderly people around them and various folk sources. The stories are fresh, with surprising twists, and have the feel of a modern-day Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Not for the faint of heart! 11Reads—Score514d adds
- 72 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—14d adds
- 73 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... 263Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 74 Old Alley Sound Repair: At Midnight Tonight, Qin Opera Calls the Souls 旧巷声修：今夜子时，秦腔引魂 [One Heroine + Sound Cultivation + Qin Opera + Livestreaming + Supernatural Mystery + Urban + Adventure] In modern society, information explodes across the world, and human negativity is amplified through social media, forming an immense “Tide of Resentment.” If no one guides and dispels it, within three years it will gather into a “Lament of Doomsday,” and the boundary between the worlds of yin and yang will collapse completely. Humanity’s power comes from “the Power of Wishes”: energy formed w —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 The Maoshan Sect Master 茅山宗师 The greatest blessed land under heaven, the eighth grotto-heaven, is known as the Orthodox Maoshan Tradition! The Manifest Sect has carried its mandate for a thousand years, while the Esoteric Sect has subdued dragons across ten thousand miles. The thousand-year struggle between the two branches of the Maoshan Sect has become a legendary tale without precedent. Gathering the finest wisdom of the immortal way from the ages and preserving the ancient essence of rare secret arts, the path is simple 1.3kReads8.4Score10514d adds
- 76 One Stick of Incense to Worship the Gods, an Outlaw Exorcist: Zhang Wulang! 一香祀神法外狂徒，端公张五郎！ This book is a work of fiction. The rituals, incantations, and water-based magic performed by Duangongs are invented for the story. Do not imitate them. What you read here is a story, not a craft. Cherish life and trust in science. Read the final chapter, and you will see with your own eyes what lies at the end of tearing down altars and temples. I transmigrated to the late Qing dynasty and became an outlaw. In other words, a man beyond the reach of the law. My skills came from ancient times, b —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 Strange Tales from the Northeast Paranormal Investigation Bureau 东北民调局异闻录 This is an organization dedicated to investigating and handling all kinds of bizarre supernatural events. To avoid causing public panic, it was established under the name Bureau of Folklore Investigations. The novel reimagines and develops various supernatural legends from Northeast China. Its strange events and compelling stories are presented with a distinctive Northeastern sense of humor. All manner of mysterious incidents, mountain spirits, and ghosts are told here! 366Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 The Eerie Game: From the Start, I Picked Up a Top-Tier Star 诡异游戏：开局捡个顶流女星 [Horror game + dark tone + unscrupulous tactics + Infinite Flow + one female lead] Could the strange creature Gu Changqing brought out of a haunted villa really be a top-tier star and a high-level player in the horror game? And does she really need to form a "deep connection" with Gu Changqing and devour his "life essence" to maintain her human form...? 9Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 79 Peering into Immortality: The Eye That Sees Through Illusions 窥仙：破妄之眼 Gu Xian, a college student, never imagined that his closest roommate would vanish completely from everyone's memories overnight. His classmates don't remember him, he's missing from the photos, and even their social media history has been erased. Gu Xian is the only person in the world who remembers that he ever existed. At that moment, a pale blue-white light blazed in Gu Xian's eyes. He saw another face of the world: the hidden realm of cultivation, concealed beneath ordinary cities and foreve —Reads—Score18214d adds
- 80 Maoshan Occultist: Tales of the Underworld and Evil 茅山诡术师：幽冥话邪 Maoshan's arcane arts have returned to the world, as demons and evil spirits run rampant. What bloody storm will rise this time? In this cruel world, with its tumultuous lives, who will pay for each and every blood debt? Behind the layers of eerie schemes, who is righteous, and who is evil? I, Fang Gui, have a strange past. By chance, I was drawn into a spiritual calamity. How can I break free of this trap? How can I defy fate and change my destiny? Gather spirits, exterminate evil, and dispel c 360Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 81 Strange Tales from the Teaching Mission 支教诡事 I'm an ordinary teacher at a key secondary school, but after I talked back to the principal, I was “volunteered” for a long-term teaching assignment at a middle school in the countryside. I was furious, but to keep my job, I had no choice but to accept being “volunteered.” What I never expected was that this school would be anything but ordinary. (Note: This book is set in a parallel world. Any resemblance between its place names, characters, or events and those in real life is purely coincident 3.9kReads8.2Score40414d adds
- 82 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—14d adds
- 83 Escape from the Bear’s Jaws 熊口逃生 917Reads—Score2714d adds
- 84 One True Ghost Story Every Night 每晚一个真实怪谈 This book features all kinds of short horror stories, from urban legends and rural hauntings to deadly folk customs. There are no drawn-out plotlines, just nonstop high-octane scares, with one bizarre incident after another. Open the book and step into the abyss. The faint of heart should stay away! 10.3kReads—Score46014d adds
- 85 Nightmare of Terror: Entering the Haunted World on the Red-Eyed Bus 惊悚噩梦：从红眼巴士进入诡世界 [Infinite flow + ghost survival + mild suspense + horror instances + no romance] “Ghosts cannot be killed. Only ghosts can deal with ghosts. Learn their patterns.” Lin Xi unexpectedly boarded a bus with no driver. The passengers here disappeared at regular intervals, and as more and more vanished, the survivors gradually uncovered the secret to escaping... Possessing a Nightmare Invitation means setting foot on a one-way road. At regular intervals, you are forced into the nightmare world to comp 52Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Strange Tales of the Corpse Retrievers 捞尸诡闻 My grandfather was a corpse retriever. When he died, the waters of the river churned all night. In a single night, every chicken in the village died... 20Reads5.3Score—14d adds
- 87 Debts of the Dead 死人债 Born of vengeful spirits, bound by the debts of the dead! When a hundred ghosts roam, they chain the souls of the departed! Bearing the debts of the dead, I enter the cycle of reincarnation, blessed from birth with the ability to foresee death... 306Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 88 Heir of Coffin Mountain 棺山传人 That day, Bai Liu, the grayish-yellow fox spirit, and the Five Immortals carried my grandfather into the mountains. Keeping the promise I had made at the Fox Immortal Temple, I embarked on an unseen journey between the worlds of yin and yang... 63Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 The Heavenly Dao's Last Successor 天道最后传人 In my previous life, I was a judge of the dead. In this one, I have entered the Heavenly Dao. When demons take root in the heart, five thunders descend and vital energy awakens. I will slay demons and exorcise evil, and the righteous path will endure. Ever since I was born, the whole village has treated me like a “freak.” The midwife who delivered me was struck dead by lightning that very night. My father, a respected local exorcist, could only see her off on her final journey. By chance, I bega 27Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 The Yin-Yang Master of the Wilderness 山野阴阳先生 [Yinshan + Maoshan + Folk legends + Supernatural + No saintly protagonist + No womanizing] My grandfather from Yinshan protects my life, and my brothers from Maoshan protect my body. As a Yin-Yang Master who walks among the dead, all I carry is an umbrella and a copper bell. Deep in the mountains, I encountered an old shapeshifter gnawing on a living person's hand. In southern Xinjiang, a demonic carpet sucked people's lifeblood in the middle of the night. In western Yunnan, a one-legged ghost 44.2kReads6.7Score1.8k14d adds
- 91 Master of Exorcism 镇邪先生 These days, there aren't many people with real skills left. I've been in this line of work for more than ten years, dealing with the dead every day. Carrying corpses, painting faces, stitching skin, keeping watch, probing the water, digging graves, performing rites, guiding spirits, and sealing coffins. My grandfather told me I could retire at thirty. But I cast a fortune for myself, and learned that I only have thirty years to live. With what little time I have left, I'll tell you all about my 20Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 92 Urban Hauntings: My Paper Knife Can Pierce Illusions 都市诡异：我的纸刀能破妄 The rating has just been released, so it may still go up. Zhang Ping, an unemployed advertising copywriter, is attacked by a paper figure with a slit mouth in his shared apartment on a stormy night, at the lowest point in his life. On the verge of death, he desperately throws out an old piece of yellow paper he has carried for years, unexpectedly activating a fragment of the ancestral “Blade of Illusion-Breaking” and a mysterious “Night Watchman System.” The System turns terrifying supernatural 4Reads8.3Score114d adds
- 93 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 70Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 Paper Figures Knock at the Door: No Living People Allowed 纸人敲门，活人勿进 The father who came back with a corpse died yesterday. The old man who came to report a death was made of paper. My childhood sweetheart, Fang Ting, kept watch with me. At dawn, she was gone too. Suona horns blared outside. Her father held up her memorial portrait and said she had died at eight o'clock last night. So what was the thing in my bed last night? And now, evil beings from a hundred li in every direction are heading for my home. 8.4kReads7.0Score87014d adds
- 95 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. 166Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 96 The Heavenly Master Descends the Mountain: Others Read Faces, I Read Fate 天师下山：别人看相，我窥天命 The Netherworld infant Xiang Ling is born, delivered by underworld officials, with Black and White Impermanence guarding the gates and the Ten Great Nether Marshals patrolling the streets! The feng shui Xiang family suffers a devastating calamity and nearly faces extinction! Xiang Ling survives against all odds, finds shelter on Longhu Mountain, and becomes an heir to the Celestial Masters. Twenty years later, having mastered the mystic arts, Xiang Ling descends from Longhu Mountain to break evi 149Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 97 I Broke Folk Taboos, Yet Became the Strongest Taoist Priest 触碰民间禁忌，我却成为最强道士 It all started when I got drunk and took a leak by a roadside grave. After breaking a rural taboo, one strange thing after another began to haunt me. My grandfather was a well-known spirit medium in the countryside of Yu Province, and our family worshipped fox spirits at a shrine. There are no peerless thunder techniques, no golden finger upgrades. Rural graves, ill omens when red and white festivities collide, spirit mediums making their rounds, the troops serving beneath the Mount Tai Goddess: 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 98 The Supernatural Events I Encountered in My Rental Apartment 我在出租屋遇到的灵异事件 One day, Du Shangfeng returned home and discovered that his once-gentle cousin had begun acting terrifyingly strangely. He was so frightened that he fled the house in the middle of the night. On the road, he ran into his college classmates Li Xiuchen and Pan Xiaowei, a girl from the Miao family. Together, they began investigating the matter. As they dug deeper, stranger and stranger things came to light: Why had their classmate Afu, who had moved away and whose house had been demolished, suddenl 7.7kReads8.3Score52414d adds
- 99 My Best Friend Urged Me to Get a Tattoo, But I Ended Up Tattooing Ghost Skin 闺蜜劝我纹身，可我竟然纹了鬼皮 93Reads—Score214d adds
- 100 I Reached Immortality by Fortune-Telling on Livestream 我靠直播算命登仙途 [No CP + Livestreaming + Fortune-Telling + Feng Shui + Ghost-Hunting + System] Bai Qiaoling died during the lightning tribulation of her ascension. Instead, she was mistaken for a witch and sacrificed into the body of a miserable modern girl who shared her name, Bai Qiaoling, at Qingfeng Temple. The original Bai Qiaoling was the biological daughter of a wealthy family, reclaimed a year ago. No one knew what had happened to her, only that she had used a forbidden ritual that prevented reincarnati 4Reads—Score—14d adds
