Slay the Gods

Updates are slow, but it's only a few chapters long and already complete, so save it for later.

"Violent little ray of sunshine vs. calm, restrained son of the wind"

In the Warring States era, the people had suffered under divine rule for far too long. The Hundred Schools of Thought chose nine great sects to forge divine weapons, intent on slaying the gods.

Xia Qingran, the greatest sword cultivator in the land, charged straight to the front and was killed in no time. She comforted herself that it was only a matter of dying sooner or later. In her next life, she'd give up being a warrior and become a mage who could attack from a distance.

When she woke, a thousand years had passed. In the new age, everyone was equal and there were no gods.

The girl's eyes lit up. She'd actually succeeded in slaying a god.

Wait, how did the god die?

Who cares? Dead is dead.

*

Feng Xian was the last god in the Celestial Realm. Every day, he meticulously controlled the winds and rain and kept the seasons turning. He worked so diligently, yet mortals still wanted to kill him.

What a topsy-turvy world.

Eyes lowered and face expressionless, he raised his bow and sent them home one arrow at a time.

He thought it would be a piece of cake. But one person's blood splashed onto him and killed him. The young god's eyes were stained crimson. Through the haze, he saw that his opponent was a girl.

Heaven's prophecy had once foretold that his bride's blood would be poison to him, but he needn't worry. They would surely grow old together and have many descendants.

Grow old together? Feng Xian scoffed.

Then why was he dying so young?

*

Mortals thought killing the gods would end divine rule.

What they didn't know was that gods could never die.

He had plenty of ways to track her down.

*He said he didn't believe in fate, but in the end, he knelt. It only took her to go from disbelief to being completely smitten.

*One-on-one romance, sweet story.

*The female lead has maxed-out combat skills; the male lead has eight hundred schemes up his sleeve.

*Modern alternate-universe setting, with plenty of original worldbuilding.

My next story will be My Father, Jules. If you're interested, feel free to bookmark it!

[First, I'll bring back the dad who shucks oysters, then I'll put those snobbish relatives in their place.]

The day before, Li Anna had been celebrating with her family after getting into Wudaokou Technical School. When she opened her eyes, she was lying in a cramped, dim cabin, a damp blanket over her.

An elderly sailor in ragged clothes sat beside the bed, happily counting the coins in his hand.

"Look, little Anna. A kind gentleman gave me ten copper coins as a tip today. Once I sell some more oysters, you'll be able to afford your medicine again."

Li Anna had only just opened her eyes, but she immediately shut them again. She didn't want to see this wretched world.

With her impressive store of knowledge, she was sure this sailor had to be the famous Jules.

And she was Jules's daughter?

*

The thing the Philippe family loves doing most is showing people their "gospel," because their wealthiest relative, the pure and upright Anna de Vaurins, owns a shop coveted by everyone from princes and nobles to ordinary folk.

It is the largest and most famous landmark in France, and has been for centuries.

*The setting is based on nineteenth-century France. Anything that differs is my own invention.

*A slow-burn story about farming and running a business.

*Some characters from O. Henry's stories will also appear. I want to rewrite their fates, too.

Coming soon: Back to the Summer I Turned Twelve [80s]

At forty, Li Qingtai had accomplished nothing. Sitting in her rented room, she was watching an old TV show. Onscreen, someone sang, "Dad has one home, Mom has one home, and I'm left all alone, like I don't belong." She froze for a moment.

In the late 1970s, large numbers of educated youths who had been sent to work in the countryside returned to the cities. Her father chose to abandon her mother and her, when she was two years old.

Ten years later, she went to the big city to find her father. He had started a new family and had a son named Jindou. She was sent to live with relatives, sleeping on the sofa, getting up early to cook, and watching everyone else's moods.

Her stepmother took her in with a smile and said, "This is your home now." Then, little by little, she raised her into an uneducated, unskilled failure.

*

The next day, Li Qingtai woke up standing outside a little shop in an alley, clutching an orange-red landline phone. From the receiver came her mother's voice. Her mother had died long ago. "Taitai, are you doing all right over there?"

Twelve-year-old Li Qingtai froze, then suddenly burst into tears. "No, Mom. I'm not doing all right."

*

Summer, 1988. Cicadas buzzed loudly, the sunlight made the asphalt road burn hot, and crates of orange soda and sweet watermelons sat outside the little shop behind her. Her mother was still alive. There was still time to change everything.

[This is the best of times, her golden age.]

*There is a couple, childhood sweethearts, but the romance won't begin until they're adults.

*A slow-burn story about farming, running a business, and everyday family life.

Theme: Love is planting a field of flowers in the wilderness of your heart.