Ancient Setting, Bad Ending, Utterly Heartbreaking 古代 be 超虐超虐

1. 151 天 A Disastrous Start: The Strongest Bandit Chief Has Taken the Women of My Family. Should I Pretend I Don’t Know Them? 天崩开局，最强寨主掠夺我家的女人们？我该装不认识吗 Tangerine Sand桔沙8k WordsCompleted A disastrous start: the strongest bandit chief is after the women in my family? Should I pretend I don't know them? 45Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   The ancient tragic ending is incredibly heart-wrenching. The male protagonist becomes the chieftain's subordinate, but this is the beginning of his calamity. Even his mother is violated by the chieftain. What is the male protagonist doing throughout this? What does he do in the end?

2. 152 我 After I Faked My Death and Left, All My Targets Went Mad 我死遁离开后，攻略对象全疯了 Little Red Nanmu小赤楠木Ancient Romance144k WordsCompleted When I gave up on winning them over and wanted only to die, the men who hated me to the core all went mad after I “died.” Born into this world, Wen Nian spent twenty-one years working tirelessly to win over its four most exceptional men so she could cure her terminal illness. Just as she was about to succeed, Bai Qianxin, the transmigrated heroine, appeared and framed her in an elaborate scheme. Abandoned by everyone, Wen Nian became a disgraced consort and endured endless torment in the Cold Pa 261Reads5.3Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   This is perfect.

3. 153 她 Beneath Her Soul 她魂之下 Chive Leaf I韭叶IMystery13k WordsCompleted Beneath Her Soul 67Reads—Score—Shelves
4. 154 五 Five Years of Waiting Came to Nothing: My Husband Brings His New Love to Demand a Divorce 五年痴等成空，夫君带女逼我和离 Cang Yuesheng仓月生Ancient Romance604k WordsCompleted [Both Chaste] [Romance with His Older Brother's Wife] [Male-Male Story] [The Male Lead is repeatedly seen completely naked but stays faithful. Later, what looks like infidelity is actually a guard in disguise; the male lead remains devoted to the female lead throughout.] [Dear readers, we're very sorry! When you reach Chapter 139, please skip straight to Chapter 146. Chapters 140 to 145 are inconsistent and can be ignored.] On their wedding night, unrest broke out at the border, and her husband 5.9kReads9.3Score443Shelves

   Reader note

   Abusing your wife might feel good for a moment, but chasing her back will be a nightmare! Belated affection is worthless! 🥰💕😘🥰

5. 155 我 I Was Reborn, and This Time I'm Going on a Rampage 我重生了，这一世我嘎嘎乱杀 Cang Yuesheng仓月生Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted In my past life, I was schemed against and killed by Bai Lianhua and Liu Ruyan! This time, I'll send every one of the people who hurt me straight to hell! Seeing them hate me to the bone yet be powerless to do anything about it is so satisfying! This time, let me weave the path that sends you all to hell! I'm the head of the Wen family business. Watch me put men aside and focus on my career. I'm the leading lady of my own story! I just love building my business! When I try to put men aside, they 1.8kReads9.4Score185Shelves
6. 156 落 You Can't Bring Back a Runaway Bride 落跑娘子追不回 Author Tao Yaoyao作者逃妖夭Ancient Romance523k WordsCompleted I make my own fate, not heaven. She is no innocent little flower, no frail girl everyone can bully and trample on. If someone takes a swing at her or sets her up, she'll pay them back twice over. Su Wan, a merchant's daughter full of schemes, defies fate, plots her escape, and seeks refuge with one of the capital's most powerful families. Using their influence, she secures a good marriage prospect and gives her whole heart to her fiancé's family. But things don't go as planned. A spiteful woman 1.5kReads8.6Score101Shelves

   Reader note

   Losing his beloved from both past and present lives, he turned white-haired overnight. "In this life, I clearly met her first, we clearly fell in love first, how could I have lost her?" Bai Jingxuan hated himself, pounding his head in frustration. Thinking of the loving moments they shared in both lives, the longing and pain of those two lifetimes intertwined, converging into a river. He was heartbroken, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe. Unable to suppress the overwhelming grief, he wept uncontrollably, his sobs echoing through the courtyard. The once dignified and refined young master Bai, unable to bear the blow of losing his beloved, turned white-haired overnight. He trudged through the snow-covered courtyard towards the gate, his robes fluttering, his silver hair flying, the snow swirling around him, he seemed to merge with the icy landscape, indistinguishable from it all. After leaving the mansion, he headed directly towards the Prince of An'nan's residence, An'nan silently following not far away.

7. 157 涅 Reborn From the Ashes, I’ve Returned to Settle Every Score 涅槃重生归来有仇报仇有怨报怨 Author Tao Yaoyao作者逃妖夭Ancient Romance627k WordsCompleted “Reborn after returning from Nirvana, she settles every score and repays every grievance. A bond from a past life becomes a fate in this one.” Eight hundred years ago, she and he vowed to be husband and wife in their next life, promising to love each other for all eternity. Centuries passed, the world changed, and the past faded like smoke. Eight hundred years later, she was reborn, but fate had other plans. It was as if she'd been born into the wrong family. Her father showed her no affection, 3.3kReads8.6Score204Shelves
8. 158 鸾 Luan Yu 1 鸾羽1 Hua Xiao Jin花小尽Ancient Romance482k WordsOngoing The full text is being revised... (Volume One is complete. Volume Two is ongoing...) [Traditional Fantasy + Strong Female Lead + Ensemble Cast + Rekindled Romance + Political Intrigue + Mystery + Mythology] [Love unreturned, loyalty and love impossible to have both] [Resilient, self-reliant princess of the Featherfolk x gentle, restrained emperor of the merfolk] Volume One: The Nine Provinces Continent is rife with warfare. Yu Xiluan, princess of the Featherfolk, travels far and wide to secure h 10Reads8.3Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   A blend of traditional fantasy and martial arts, featuring a strong female protagonist, a compelling ensemble cast, and interwoven elements of unrequited love and reconciliation.

9. 159 童 My Childhood Betrothed, Your Persona Has Crumbled 童养夫，你的人设崩了 Yu Ran Jin郁燃尽14k WordsCompleted My Childhood Betrothed’s Character Has Fallen Apart 88Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   Child husbands have no worries, so why would they rebel?

10. 160 山 The Mountains and Rivers Are a Painting, and You Are a Song 山河如画卿如歌 Long Jiu龙玖Ancient Romance788k WordsCompleted [Complete] [The Aesthetics of a Tragic Ending + Epic, Heartbreaking Romance] Framed, misunderstood, whipped, and miscarried: what kind of searing pain is it to watch everyone dearest to you die before your eyes? Sixteen years ago, a conspiracy upended countless lives! She was the lowest kitchen maid in the prince's manor, yet possessed extraordinary talent. What was her true identity? She asked, “What will it take for you to let me go?” He replied, “I’ll cling to you for the rest of our lives, u 568Reads9.1Score100Shelves
11. 161 长 The Road Ahead Is Long, and Before I Can Speak, Tears Fall 长路漫漫唯我欲语泪先流 Dipi Mouse Ah地皮鼠吖Fantastical Romance167k WordsCompleted [Coming-of-age + pure love + tragic wuxia romance + fictional setting + short story + original] Xiao Yuyu is the reincarnation of Immortal Lord Ningshuang. The Demon Lord’s seal is about to break, and all living beings hang by a thread. She bears the fate of finding the Ten Void Swords and saving the world. The road ahead will force her to lose her dearest friends and loved ones with her own hands, and endure partings in life and death. Fate turns upside down, and those who love each other canno 1Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    I felt this historical romance novel got quite angsty towards the end.

12. 162 我 I Took a Concubine for My Husband 我为夫君纳妾 Grapes That Won't Blow Away吹不散的葡萄19k WordsCompleted I Took a Concubine for My Husband 1.2kReads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A heart-wrenching story, highly recommended!!!

13. 163 我 I Am the Puppet Emperor 我是傀儡皇帝 Ming Han明菡Historical10k WordsCompleted I Am the Puppet Emperor 4Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    I find this so heartbreaking! The male homeowner is wonderful!

14. 164 大 The Ming Dynasty's First Deposed Empress 大明第一废后 The Bright Moonlight of the Great Ming大明的白月光Female-Channel Fanfiction399k WordsOngoing This is a historical romance and a tale of legend. Why was Hu Shanxiang, the renowned virtuous empress of the Ming Dynasty, deposed? Did Zhu Zhanji truly not love her? And how did Sun, later condemned as “an evil empress of her age,” still manage to seize power and become empress? When time returns to the night Zhu Di captured Nanjing, how many people and stories left unrecorded in history are still waiting for later generations to imagine and uncover...? But a novel is only a novel, entirely fi 118Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This book, featuring real historical figures, leaves one with a deep sense of injustice.

15. 165 蝶 Butterfly Shadows Return to Dust: Sold into Prostitution by My Mother-in-Law, My Ex-Husband Searched for Me for Ten Years 蝶影归尘：被婆母卖入风尘，前夫寻了我整整十年 Ni Ah Ni Ge Ni氼啊氼个氼55k WordsCompleted The Butterfly’s Shadow Returns to Dust: Sold into a Life of Vice by My Mother-in-Law, My Ex-Husband Searched for Me for Ten Years 319Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    She died without ever knowing who she loved most. What about you? The heroine of this book is widely regarded as "the most tragic woman of the Republic of China era." Three men both ruined and shaped her life— The first man: Zhang Zhiming. At first glance, she disliked his ugliness, his dark complexion, and his appearance as a farmer. A kiss from him made her want to jump into the river and drown again. But later, when he shielded her from his elder brother's slap, knelt down, and gently stroked her swollen cheek with trembling fingertips, asking with red eyes, "Does it hurt?"—She fell in love. She bore him two children and missed him her whole life. Even in death, she wore the silver butterfly hairpin that symbolized their love. The second man: Xiao Qihao. Her husband's half-son, driven mad at the first sight of her. He conspired with her mother-in-law to lock her in a separate courtyard, forcing her to bear him a child. He didn't know that the son she gave birth to wasn't his. She gritted her teeth and lived on, just to make him raise her enemy's child for the rest of his life. He died unaware that Yi'an, whom he cherished dearly, bore a striking resemblance to his most hated elder brother. The third man: Yang Yanchen. The head of the secret service of a warlord family, he personally pulled her out of the mire of a brothel, taught her Japanese, taught her to use a gun, and taught her to walk on a knife's edge. He valued her life more than his own, dedicating the rest of his life to protecting her. In the end, she took a fatal bullet for him—falling into his arms, her last breath promising him: "In the next life, let's be an ordinary couple." One was the man she loved, loved to the point of life and death for him, yet unable to speak of it. One was the man who hated her, hated her to the point of using the dirtiest means to possess her, only to be retaliated against in the most cruel way. One was the man who saved her, protecting her her entire life, only to receive the words "in the next life." Three people, three obsessions, three tragic fates. 😂 She died unable to discern who she loved most. And you—love, hate, gratitude, which weighed heavier?

16. 166 浮 A Life Adrift in the Clouds! 浮生萦云！ A Brief Taste, Then Gone浅尝辄逝Ancient Romance131k WordsOngoing Ancient-style xianxia x past lives and present life x scheming, obsessive love interest x tragic romance Floating Life Entwined with Clouds (also known as Floating Life Entwined with Clouds!) <Happiness waits quietly, while turmoil lies in wait. When a fragile mortal must enter a world of gods and demons, the dangers she faces are far more daunting than saving a lovesick devil. He and she sway between illusion and obsession, traversing cycle after cycle of memories. It is all like a mellow, into 221Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Late in life, fleeting like clouds, a recommendation of extremely heart-wrenching ancient novels.

17. 167 蝶 Butterfly Shadows Return to Dust: My Husband's Enemy Seizes Me by Force 蝶影归尘：丈夫的的仇人对我强娶豪夺 Ni Ah Ni Ge Ni氼啊氼个氼15k WordsCompleted Butterfly Shadows Return to Dust: My Husband's Enemy Forces Me into Marriage 21Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Title: I'm the Villain in Everyone's Eyes, But I Love Her No Less Than Anyone Else—Reading "Butterfly Shadow Returns to Dust" from Xiao Qihao's Perspective --- The world all condemns me, Xiao Qihao, as sinister, obsessive, and ruthless. They're right. I'm the illegitimate son of the Zhang family, taking my mother's surname, without a legitimate status, and raised under someone else's roof since childhood. I'm jealous of Zhang Zhiming—jealous of his status as a legitimate son, jealous of his substantial family fortune, and even more jealous that he married the only woman I ever wanted in my life. Lin Die'er. --- From the first moment I saw her, I knew I was doomed. She was a daughter of a prestigious family, with exquisite features and an unyielding spirit. Zhang Zhiming was incredibly accommodating to her, yet her eyes were filled with impatience and disdain. I saw it clearly—she didn't love him. Since she didn't love him, why couldn't I be placed beside her? Once this thought took root, it could never be uprooted. I began to spy on her daily routine, hiding behind the artificial hill to watch her sit alone by the pond, lost in thought. When she wasn't around, I would sneak into her courtyard and stare intently at the rouge box on her dressing table. I even made a move on Ping'er, simply because she was the closest person to Die'er. Die'er rushed to me, demanding that I marry Ping'er properly. I smiled and said to her, "The position of my legal wife has always belonged to you." Her eyes were like knives, cursing me as shameless. But I didn't care. I only cared about her. --- I finally got her, but she never belonged to me. I bribed Zhang's mother, forged a letter of divorce, and imprisoned Die'er in a separate courtyard. That night, I said to her: "Your mother-in-law has long since betrothed you to me." She cried, struggled, her heart breaking. I kissed her, but she didn't respond, only tears streamed down her face. At dawn, I pushed open the door and left. She was curled up in a corner, her clothes disheveled, her eyes empty. I thought I had won. But later I learned that she was pregnant with Zhang Zhiming's child. To keep the child alive, she made me believe it was mine. She gritted her teeth, trying to please me, closing her eyes and letting me kiss her, but murmuring another man's name where I couldn't hear. At night, she slept in my arms, murmuring in her sleep—"Zhiming…" Those two words were like a knife, piercing my heart. I tightened my arms, whispering in her ear, "It's okay. It doesn't matter who you call in your dreams. In this life, you can only lie beside me." But I couldn't deceive myself. I had her body, but never her heart. --- I gave her all my kindness, yet she wouldn't even give me a genuine smile. I poured all my love into her. I made the villa exquisite and warm, gathered her favorite snacks and treasures, stayed by her side every day, carefully caring for her, putting aside all my malice, learning to be gentle and accommodating. But the look in her eyes was always devoid of warmth. I was unwilling. I was insanely jealous of Zhang Zhiming. Why? Why could she be so unforgettable to him when he did nothing? I gave everything, yet I couldn't earn a single genuine smile from her. I became addicted to opium, trying to numb myself with it. I wanted to forget her, but I couldn't. --- She disappeared, and the rest of my life was filled with searching and regret. My mother sold her to a brothel while I was in seclusion trying to quit opium. When I emerged from seclusion and learned the news, I searched frantically, scouring every street and alley, but I found no trace of her. The child I believed to be Ping'er's was the one I cherished and cared for. I named him "Yi'an"—meaning "unwavering" and "peaceful." I poured all my guilt, indebtedness, and obsession with Die'er into this child. I believed until my death that he was my own flesh and blood. I never discovered the silver necklace she left behind tucked into the swaddling clothes. --- When news of her death arrived, my world collapsed. Years of searching, and what I finally received was news of her death. The woman I longed for but could never have, the woman who ruined half my life and whom I also ruined, she was dead. She took a bullet for someone else, giving her life for another man. I didn't even get to see her one last time, not even a chance to apologize. I held the golden butterfly hairpin she left in the villa, shutting myself away for three days, refusing to eat or drink. I remembered that night she said to me, "I'm just your trophy." I said to the air, word by word— "Die'er, I love you. Because you are you, not some trophy." No one heard. She won't hear me either. --- I'm not a good person, but I truly loved. Everyone says Xiao Qihao is a villain, a scoundrel, the murderer who ruined Die'er's life. I won't defend myself. But I want you to know—my love for her was no less than anyone else's. I just used the wrong method, the wrong method from the very beginning. If I could have met her sooner, if I could have pursued her openly and honestly, if I wasn't Zhang's illegitimate son, if I could have controlled that jealousy and obsession—would the ending have been different? No one can answer me. She will never come back. --- Epilogue: I poured all my guilt and longing for Die'er into the front lines of the War of Resistance. I could turn my blade against my brother, but never against my country. For the rest of my life, I devoted myself to supporting the war effort, teaching that child to love and be good, and spending my life atoning for the sins I had committed. I made Ping'er my legal wife, and she bore me a son and a daughter. But the place in my heart remained empty. I know I am not worthy to say I love her. But if there is a next life—I hope I can stand before her with dignity and say: "Miss Lin, hello. My name is Xiao Qihao. I am not anyone's illegitimate child, nor anyone's substitute. I am just someone who wants to get to know you." If you have ever loved someone to the point of obsession, read "Butterfly Shadow Returns to Dust." There are no purely good people here, nor purely bad people. There is only a man named Xiao Qihao who loved someone he should never have loved in the most wrong way. The book ends, leaving me with a lingering sense of unease.

18. 168 我 I Am His Vermilion Mole for All Eternity 我是他永生永世的朱砂痣 Ni Ah Ni Ge Ni氼啊氼个氼Modern Romance186k WordsOngoing [Age gap | Devastating BE | Fate across two lifetimes | Realistic angsty romance | Ye-Tai relationship | Male Ye, female Tai | Love grows over time | School life | Former girlfriends] Falling in love with someone you can't spend your life with is perfectly ordinary in this world. If you've fallen for someone like that too, leave the ending to fate. What belongs to you won't escape you, and reaching for what isn't yours is needless. I, Wu Xile, am eighteen and grew up in a broken single-parent f 16Reads—Score—Shelves
19. 169 我 I'm Luo Yujin! Come Fight Me If You Dare 我叫洛玉锦！不服来战 Bright as the Stars亮如星辰Ancient Romance204k WordsCompleted [Innate super strength + dependable best friend + special abilities + guiding threads + backing from a mysterious world] I am the First Female Official of the mighty Zhaoguo! The top-ranked martial arts champion! And yet the empress drove me out of the capital to carry out some ridiculous, important mission of hers. I don't want to! I can't bear to leave the capital's pork knuckles behind!!! Isn't a life of good food and drink wonderful? After more than a decade spent wandering far from home, wh 29Reads7.8Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This is a super good historical romance novel. The female lead has such a great personality, I really like her. It's just that her experiences are a bit tragic. 🙂

20. 170 白 Ode to White Hair 白头赋 Little Paper Boat纸船儿Ancient Romance41k WordsCompleted In a daze, she seemed to see that young man again, standing in the spring sunshine as he asked her: “Do you have feelings for me?” 125Reads5.4Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Don't let its low rating fool you; it's incredibly moving and will make you cry easily.

Other lists with A Disastrous Start: The Strongest Bandit Chief Has Taken the Women of My Family. Should I Pretend I Don’t Know Them?