How Many Feuds Can One Man Bear in a Lifetime?

Carefree, scheming senior brother x stone-faced, killer junior brother

Zheng Peixuan once thought Ren Bai returned his feelings, until he realized that his usually expressionless junior brother couldn't control himself whenever he heard a certain name.

On the tournament stage, Zheng Peixuan's sword flashed brilliantly, while his childhood friend and junior brother silently repeated the name of his opponent.

His heart was in turmoil, but his master's instructions left him no choice but to travel alone into the martial world, meet its heroes, and solve a series of strange cases.

At the sacred grounds of witchcraft, a swarm of insects struck. He stood firm, drew his sword, and struck sparks: "Trust me. We'll live."

In the dense forest, an assassination attempt. A curved blade flashed like the moon as a young man leapt down. Jinghua left its sheath, and blood spattered: "Who goes there!?"

In Haizhou, a suspect was surrounded by the three talents. Zheng Peixuan alone dared to act against the rules, slamming his hand on the table with brazen confidence: "People have always belonged to the Qingmen Sect."

In the maze of the Book of Changes, red words appeared on an empty coffin. As they uncovered the tombstone of the dead, a web of connections and murderous secrets emerged: "How can someone who is already dead come back to life?"

After a perilous journey through blades and swords, and countless obstacles, they finally escaped certain death. But when Zheng Peixuan opened his eyes in his sickbed, his junior brother was whispering to someone else again.

Zheng Peixuan: ...So I'm really just a supporting-role senior brother, aren't I?

He tried to convince himself to let go, but as he dug deeper into the clues buried in the strange cases, the faintest traces of Ren Bai began to emerge.

In the storm, the young man knelt before Zheng Peixuan and offered him a sharp sword with both hands. Blood ran freely, but every word rang clear: "Since I have broken the rules, I can no longer follow this path. I will not return alive. Please, Senior Brother, punish me."

-

"If he commits a grave crime, will you stand by him even if he does something truly wicked?"

"Then I'll execute him with my own hands, and take my own life to atone. If I don't have even that much resolve, how can I be the Qingmen Sect's senior brother?"

Zheng Peixuan had resolved never again to get involved in the entanglements of the mortal world, but Ren Bai was the one trapped in a desperate predicament. So, on a stormy night, he mounted his horse and threw himself into a deadly game.

A fine rain turned to mist. That day, Zheng Peixuan clasped Ren Bai's trembling hand and pointed his sword at their enemy. Their blades joined as one, their swords swept the air, and his heart held no regrets.

-

"Master, why are you so determined to send me into the mortal world?"

"Senior Brother, once I've decided to kill someone, I won't turn back."

One-on-one, main protagonist is the pursuer, happy ending. The pursuer's role is only a matter of perspective. Anyone who can't handle switching top and bottom, or is extremely possessive about either role, should steer clear. This couple is endgame.

*Older childhood friends who spoil each other. They're each other's only ones, both emotionally and physically. No harem protagonist elements. Everything is a misunderstanding.

The following is a blurb for a future novel.

Scheming, heaven-favored Alpha x proud, untouchable Beta

Fake playboy and genuine germaphobe

Wen Yu is a staunch Beta supremacist. That means he supports, affirms, and believes Betas are naturally superior to Omegas and Alphas, who are ruled by their desires.

Yet this same Beta supremacist swiftly married his Alpha childhood friend shortly after graduating from university, when the latter returned from abroad.

As a top Alpha, Zhou Cuishi was described in the news as notorious for his many affairs and promiscuity. He was exactly the kind of inferior creature Wen Yu despised most.

On the first day of their marriage, Wen Yu stood with his arms crossed in front of his former childhood friend, now his sworn enemy, and held up a finger.

"Three rules: no touching, sharing a room, or contacting each other unless necessary."

"You don't get to decide that."

The Alpha looked at him for a moment, then turned and left.

What followed was three years of playing along under their parents' watchful eyes. After soothing each other's needs, they went back to their own beds.

Just as Wen Yu thought he could muddle through this ill-fated relationship, he glanced at a hospital test result and a photo in the entertainment news.

The disgust made his whole body tremble.

As expected, Zhou Cuishi married his childhood friend, a Beta. He had known this since childhood: Wen Yu would marry him one day.

As for Wen Yu's resistance, the Alpha thought distractedly, Love or not, there's plenty of time.

Just as he'd expected, after they got married, they weren't exactly affectionate, but they at least treated each other with respect and got along well. Seeing the Beta in his arms, looking so contented, like a cat showing its belly, cute and proud, Zhou Cuishi realized it had been a long time since he'd seen Wen Yu so relaxed, not since he had differentiated as an Alpha in high school.

Just as he thought their relationship was about to bear fruit...

A button torn from Wen Yu's shirt lay on the warm bedsheets.

In the bathroom, the Beta was violently sick, his disgust plain to see. "Stay away from me."

Zhou Cuishi stared at the hand Wen Yu had pulled free, frowning slightly. "...You hate me that much?"

"Either we live apart, or we get divorced."

*Alpha-Beta romance, childhood friends, one-on-one physically and emotionally, happy ending. A melodramatic story.

*Neither character is perfect. Two proud people wrestling with their feelings.

*The pursuer has never had genuine feelings for anyone else. Everything is a misunderstanding.

*Some original worldbuilding: most importantly, Betas have a high status in this world, too.

Theme: Follow your heart and have no regrets.