The Taoist of Yin Mountain!

My name is Li Chang'an. I was born on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, and I came into the world with an incomplete soul, able to see ghosts.

To save my life, my grandfather spent the rest of his own lifespan sending me to a Taoist temple, where I became the apprentice of a strange old man.

My master said I was destined to live a life unlike anyone else's.

When I was eighteen, my master gave me a yellowed booklet and sent me down the mountain to handle my first “job.”

What I thought exorcism involved: setting up an altar, performing rituals, talismans flying everywhere, and dazzling golden light.

But when I opened the Hundred Taboos Forbidden Record, I discovered that things were far more complicated.

It didn't contain the spells of immortals, but a series of strange and bizarre real case files, along with solutions annotated by my master in red ink.

[A drowned ghost seeks a replacement and possesses immense strength. Solution: Do not fight it head-on. Find the object it was obsessed with in life and destroy it on the spot.]

[A hundred-year-old zombie has emerged from its coffin. Douse the coffin with black dog blood, then burn it with lychee wood. Note: This must be done before dawn.]

[A weasel spirit asks you to confer a title on it. Your first reply will determine your fortune for the rest of your life. Remember: your answer must be neither human nor divine. Say, “It is fate.”]

I thought I was simply a specialist who dealt with supernatural incidents. Then the very first case I handled turned out to be connected to a series of murders spanning ten years. I discovered that what was more terrifying than ghosts was the human heart manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

My master's disappearance, my own origins, and the story behind the Hundred Taboos Forbidden Record all seemed to point toward the same secret, sealed away for a thousand years…