CompletedNing Helan doesn’t believe in ghosts or gods, but under his grandfather’s coercion, he ends up taking on ghost-hunting and demon-slaying commissions during his free time from college.
A client claims that ever since visiting an abandoned temple in the northern city, they’ve been feeling unwell—everything hurts: their face, chest, and waist. They insist they’re haunted. Ning Helan casually pulls a malicious ghost off the client’s back and beats it senseless with Dialectics of Nature by Marx.
Client: “Taoist priest, do ghosts really exist?”
Ning Helan: “There are no ghosts in this world.”
The client, trembling as they look at the ghost he’s holding: “If the Taoist priest says there are no ghosts… then there aren’t any.”
Another client tearfully insists that they are a “lone star of misfortune,” cursed to clash horoscopes with their husbands, having already "killed" three. Ning Helan casually notes her and her ex-husbands’ birthdates and, when the client isn’t looking, kicks the lingering ghost on her back straight to the underworld.
Client: “Taoist priest, do you believe in lone star curses? Am I cursed by the gods?”
Ning Helan: “I’m an atheist.”
He hands her a book on materialism and advises her to stop overthinking, while reminding her to keep an eye on her household’s butler.
Days later, the butler is arrested—it turns out he had been secretly in love with the client for years and poisoned her previous husbands out of jealousy.
The client, holding the book, falls into deep thought: “So this book had such hidden meaning…”
A family complains of bad feng shui, claiming that everyone in the household experiences hallucinations at the same time every week, from the oldest to the youngest. Ning Helan investigates, checks their leftovers, and waves away mischievous mushroom spirits lurking in the house.
Ning Helan: “The feng shui is fine. Study architecture more, and always cook your mushrooms thoroughly. Stop thinking about all this superstitious nonsense.”
The family watches the mushroom spirits scurry away and silently sheds tears.
Reading Notes:
No romantic pairing, dual male protagonists, episodic plot, focused on character growth. PS: Ning the Taoist Priest is the strongest character in the story.
All supernatural elements serve the plot; no harmful beliefs are promoted. The story advocates for science and resists superstition.
Heavy creative liberties are taken. Some mild horror/thriller elements may be present.
Updates were typically released at midnight, with random red envelopes in paid chapter comments.
Upcoming Work:
Bringing the Classic of Mountains and Seas to the Apocalypse: A no-romance male protagonist story set in the apocalypse, featuring a gentle, cunning lead and fluffy ancient mythical beasts.
Tags: Modern AU, Urban Fantasy, Growth, Taoism, Lighthearted, Redemption