Back Before the Villain Turned Dark

[The new novel next door, Reuniting with My Ex-Husband After Being Betrayed, is now underway. Feel free to add it to your reading list.] Qiu Shi was in charge of the four seas. She was a noble and cherished little koi princess, a renowned young lady of the Four Wastes, and had an incredibly powerful fiancé to whom she’d been betrothed since childhood. She lived freely and happily until she was thirty thousand, when she rescued a wounded black dragon from the bottom of the sea. The moment she laid eyes on him, her heart began racing for no reason. So, despite her parents’ objections and the rumors spread by outsiders, she settled Cheng Yian in her courtyard. For his sake, she even planned to break off her engagement to the young lord of the demon clan, her arrogant and unruly childhood friend. That night, Qiu Shi had an incredibly vivid dream. She had become the villainess in a melodramatic xianxia romance. Her initial setup was powerful, but later the author forcibly made her stupid, and she suffered terribly as she was made to step aside for the heroine at every turn. The male lead was Cheng Yian, the man she had rescued. In the author’s story, Qiu Shi fell for him at first sight. Never mind his low status, she personally fed him medicine, cared for him attentively, and followed him without hesitation. In the end, however, Cheng Yian would be moved by the heroine’s kindness, ascend to godhood, and gain unrivaled power. The story ended with the leads’ wedding. As the villainess who caused endless trouble, Qiu Shi would have her cultivation crippled and be imprisoned in a desolate courtyard. Imprisoned villainess Qiu Shi couldn’t accept it: this was ridiculous. Little bonus scene: As the young lord of the demon clan, Qin Donglin had extraordinary talent and an eccentric, arrogant, and unruly nature. Despite his youth, his cultivation had reached the pinnacle, and everyone pinned their hopes on him. His elders had arranged for him to marry Qiu Shi, a troublesome girl from a family of equal standing. Before his thirtieth-thousand birthday, she kept going on about wanting a dragon pearl to make into a pearl hairpin. Before he could even return from the East Sea, word reached him that she was breaking off their engagement unilaterally. Qin Donglin: ??? Qin Donglin raced across the four seas and more than eighty thousand li through the night. As soon as he got back, he cleaved apart the secluded courtyard where she kept her lover. Watching the enormous black dragon struggle in the swordlight, his eyes dark with malice, he met Qiu Shi’s gaze as she hurried over. Qiu Shi pulled him away. Once they were somewhere private, Qiu Shi’s face fell. The first thing she said wasn’t that she wanted to break off their engagement. She asked, “Donglin, you haven’t fallen to demonic cultivation yet, have you?” Now for an ad: I’d like to recommend my upcoming fantasy novel, which I’m illustrating myself. If you’re interested, feel free to add it to your reading list. Kisses, love you all. Title: After Perishing Together with My Ex-Husband When Xue Yu was young, she was a noble little princess adored by everyone in Yedu. Later, among the many condemned prisoners at the Six Realms’ Judgment Platform, she picked out Song Heng at a glance. He was on the verge of death, with all his immortal bones removed. No one could have imagined that the boy the princess had pointed to on a whim, whose tendons had been severed and who could barely stand, would later grit his teeth, swallow his blood, and climb his way up with the sword in his hand. He became a noble, a Dao Lord, and a sect master, until at last he ascended to the throne of the Immortal Realm. Xue Yu always believed that even a heart of stone could be warmed. For thousands of years, she tried to warm Song Heng’s stony heart, day after day. But she never received the slightest affection from him. Instead, she heard he had led his troops to raze Yedu and bring back the beloved he had lost. On the day Song Heng returned victorious, the heavenly palace was festooned with lanterns and decorations, filled with joy. In the main hall, he removed his armor and held his bloodstained sword as he told Xue Yu, “This was not my wish. I had no choice.” That night, Xue Yu turned herself into a blazing inferno and perished with Song Heng in a horrific death that nearly shattered their souls. By some twist of fate, the two of them returned to a thousand years earlier at the same time. Back then, the young Song Heng was like a dying beast cub, covered in whip marks and lying on the judgment platform, barely breathing. This time, Xue Yu sat in the highest seat. Her gaze passed over Song Heng without lingering for even a moment. After a while, she extended a slender fingertip and pointed at the boy beside Song Heng, who had also just been punished and was as fierce as a wolf cub. Her red lips parted slightly. “I want him.” Little bonus scene: Su You was a demon of absolute evil. Abandoned by his own family at birth, he was treated with scorn and cursed by everyone. Yet he had the most tenacious roots and the most enviable talent. He made a name for himself as a boy, went astray, stained his hands with blood, and committed countless evils. In the end, his tendons were severed, his cultivation crippled, and he was brought to the Six Realms’ Judgment Platform. He thought his life was over. He never expected that, among the six Daoist seats on the platform, someone would casually point a fingertip at him. His rescuer was Xue Yu, the crown princess of Yedu. She ordered someone to mend his bones and gave him the finest medicines. She taught him the art of political intrigue and groomed him to become her trusted minister. Su You went from a despised demon to Young Master You, a man admired by all for his elegance and unfathomable depth. At last, during a grand gathering of the Six Realms, Su You crossed paths with Song Heng, who was just as renowned. On the dueling platform, Su You once again became a demon. With his tattered wings trailing behind him and murderous rage surging through him, he slowly crushed the bones in Song Heng’s fingers, the ones reaching toward Xue Yu. His eyes brimmed with chilling malice and possessiveness. Blurb written on July 29, 2021. A sweet little treat dressed up as a xianxia novel, with a mountain of original worldbuilding. Feel free to add my next fantasy novel to your reading list. Theme: Keep moving forward without forgetting where you began.