The abnormal in the world are called yao (monsters).

　　Objects with spirit are called jing (sprites).

　　Souls that do not disperse are called gui (ghosts).

　　Unusual things are called guai (strange beings).

　　The Sili Colonel, formerly known as the Crouching Tiger, was established by Emperor Wu of Han to handle witchcraft cases and capture cunning criminals.

　　With the global resurgence of spiritual energy and the mysterious, humanity gropes its way onto the path of cultivation. Legendary monsters, spirits, and ghosts begin to emerge one by one, countless demons still lurking in the shadows. In an unnoticed museum, a tiger-inscribed waist token from the Han Wu Emperor’s era makes Evan Wade the last Sili Colonel of the present age, leading him into countless strange events from ancient times to today.

　　Strange tales from past and present—Confucius said not to speak of monsters, spirits, and chaos; let’s speak and listen with a grain of salt.

　　If need be, slay them.

　　With an eight-sided Han sword, cut down all demons and monsters.

　　Life and death are determined, and the will of Heaven endures.

　　When at last Evan Wade can finally lie back in a wooden chair, eyes half-closed, basking in the sun during peaceful years, the museum behind him has already sealed away countless demons and monsters.

Prologue

　　In ancient times, clan totems used Nuo rituals to drive away ghosts, twelve people forming a dance array.

　　Bai Ze: knowledgeable of astronomy and geography, and even the most trivial matters; able to see the past and know the future. It could speak human language and, at the Yellow Emperor’s request, created the “Bai Ze Bestiary,” which recorded 1,520 types of spirits and monsters.

　　In pre-Qin times, there was a book called “Jie,”

　　teaching the people to drive away monsters and chaos.

　　The sages said: respect ghosts and spirits, but keep your distance.

　　Confucius said not to speak of monsters, spirits, and chaos.

　　The first Celestial Master, Samuel Bolton, received the male and female Dragon-Tiger Swords from the heavens, cut down mountains and broke temples, slaying monsters and chaos.

　　In the Ming dynasty, Crown Prince Henry Carter inherited the throne, and his brother Edward Carter loyally defended the nation, guarding the borders as Grand General.

　　The brothers worked together, bringing peace to the land.

　　Throughout the Ming dynasty, the emperor guarded the nation’s gates, the king died for his country, and the dynasty endured for over five hundred years.

　　Modernization was rapidly completed, and the land came to be called Hua, standing tall in the East.

　　In the year 1900 AD, a star fell, covering eighty percent of Blue Star’s landmass.

　　Spiritual energy revived, and demons and monsters began to awaken.

Chapter 0001: Crouching Tiger Waist Token

　　“Hello, this is the Zhongzheng Street Police Station. How can I help you?”

　　“……”

　　“Hello? Is there something I can help you with?”

　　“Are you currently unable to speak freely?”

　　“…No, it’s not that, I—I have something, I need to report to the police, please save me, you have to save me, sob sob sob, I’m so scared! You have to save me!”

　　“Ma’am, what’s your exact address?”

　　“My home is here at Fuchun Community, Zhongzheng Street, Unit 3, Number 72. Please come quickly, hurry, if you don’t come soon it’ll be too late!!”

　　“Alright, we’ve already dispatched the nearest officers to your location. Please try to stay calm and keep yourself safe. Stay on the line with us. Can we ask, what happened to you? Is it a robber, or someone else threatening your safety?”

　　“No, it’s not a person, I… sob sob sob, officer, I—I’ve encountered something unclean. I really didn’t mean to provoke it, but it—it just won’t leave me alone.”

　　“Something unclean? Ma’am, please try to stay calm.”

　　“Don’t worry, our officers are already on their way. You have to trust in science—there are no such things as ghosts. Maybe you’ve just been feeling a bit down lately and are overthinking things.”

　　“…No, it really is—something unclean. It’s a pair of red embroidered shoes.”

　　“Red embroidered shoes?”

　　“Yes, that’s right, red—red embroidered shoes, the kind from ancient times, three-inch golden lotus shoes. I’m a folk fashion designer, I design niche clothing and accessories for some shops. I’d been out of inspiration for a while, couldn’t draw anything, so I went traveling in Jiangnan to clear my mind. In a little shop, I saw those shoes. They were so beautiful, yes, just—like a work of art. The gold embroidery on them was mesmerizing… really, so beautiful…”

　　“Ma’am?”

　　“Ah, sorry, I’m doing it again, huff, I—I was almost obsessed.”

　　“It’s alright. You just said, red embroidered shoes?”

　　“Yes, red embroidered shoes, that’s it. I bought them and brought them home. I felt inspiration surging, and that very day I designed two new pairs of shoes. They’re selling really well on Taobao now. According to my contract, if sales exceed a certain amount, I get a commission, so I was really happy. I had a bit to drink, then I had a dream. A dream—sob sob sob…”

　　“Ma’am, you don’t have to recall it. Please calm down, our officers are almost there.”

　　“No, it’s fine, I want to keep talking.”

　　“I dreamed of a woman—no, a female ghost—just staring straight at me. Her black hair hung down her back, dripping with water, dressed all in red, and on her feet were those red embroidered shoes. She—she just stared at me, not saying a word. I didn’t think much of it when I woke up, just thought it was a nightmare. But the next night, I dreamed of her again, and she was even closer…”

　　“How close?”