Records of the Jing Exorcists

The dynasty has stood for more than two hundred years. The fortune of the dragon guards its rivers and mountains, while steam-powered cars and ships ply the land. The city’s workshops never rest, day or night, and incense burns without pause in the countryside. Yet in some places, after dark, the living must make way for other things. A famous opera performer who refuses to remove his makeup, an extra ancestor in the ancestral hall, and a weasel spirit who, after mastering supernatural powers, goes door to door demanding incense. Every one comes with taboos, and every one can cost you your life. A man reborn into this life with memories of two lifetimes, he carries a ritual sword at his waist, talismans in his sleeve, and a pistol in his arms. He has become a new recruit in the Office of Exorcism. He is always pleasant to others. When someone tells a tall tale, he listens more attentively than anyone else and even helps patch up a few holes in the story. Only once they feel at ease and continue speaking does he summon the real culprit with a genial smile. “Go on, keep talking. He loves a good story, too.” Over time, his colleagues gradually learn one rule: whenever he suddenly offers to do you a favor, you’d better think about how you might have offended him. Cultivation has nine stages in this world. Each step can grant supernatural powers, but each can also cost you your humanity. Some receive incense offerings in temples; others seek immortality outside them. He climbs the long stone steps, occasionally glancing up at the figures enthroned above. The divine seat is still empty. Why have you all knelt already?