No. 44 on the Outskirts of Town

These lines are passed around in the neighborhood:

There are forty-four houses beyond the city walls, where life and death are wrested from the King of Hell.

They snatch souls and steal hearts. Though it's called Number Four, in the end it is an altar.

In a mysterious old house on the outskirts of the city, legend has it that the owner of Number Forty-Four can grant any wish.

A cool, arrogant top who always gets teased x a scheming, flirtatious bottom who is always making advances

To head off any fandom drama, I want to make this clear: this novel is adapted from one of my own stories, titled "Villain, Give Me Back My Soul," published in 2015. Apart from changing the characters' given names, I didn't even change their surnames. I only moved the story from the imperial court to a xianxia setting. The original was a little too dark, since the leads' relationship began with them using each other, and even by the ending, their feelings hadn't developed much. It focused more on human nature than romance, and the supporting characters had more scenes than the leads, so it didn't do well back then. But I liked it too much, and I've been into cultivation stories lately, so I reworked it and posted it again. Feel free to check out the original if you don't mind the trouble. If you'd rather not spend the time, that's fine too. I just wanted to make this clear.

My new novel, "High-Risk Profession for a Senior Brother," is updating now, with a new chapter every night at 8. Please follow, bookmark, and leave a comment. Thank you! O(∩_∩)O~

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