Early Qing: Beginning My Cultivation as a Paper Effigy Maker

In the sixteenth year of the Shunzhi era, during the Kangxi reign, the Jurchens have ruled inside the passes for many years, but the land is still not at peace. Han people in every region continue to resist them. Luo Yi unexpectedly arrives in this era and becomes a low-ranking constable. He thinks he can rely on his modern knowledge to live a wealthy life, perhaps even overthrow Jurchen rule. Who could have known that something is wrong with this world? The uncanny is everywhere... Fox, yellow weasel, rat, snake, and hedgehog spirits: spirit mediums summon Daoist soldiers! A sheet of yellow talisman paper, and the Five Thunder Method banishes evil! A belly full of the sages’ teachings and a heart of righteousness can hold heaven and earth in check! Feng shui and divination, seeking dragon veins and locating tombs; dragons lurk beneath the land, and chaos engulfs the realm! Corpse herders and leatherworkers send the dead home for burial, so fallen leaves may return to their roots and souls may find peace! Gu magic and curses use insects as vessels; the uncanny and the wicked abound, but human hearts are the most poisonous of all! This is an age when rites and music have crumbled. Luo Yi unexpectedly comes across a paper effigy maker’s notebook...