I Picked Up a Wanted Criminal on the Run

Late at night, after his birthday banquet, the famed young painter of Chang’an, Yun Xingqi, decided he’d had enough.

He would escape the world of glamour and fame and get some fresh air among the mountains and fields.

Unfortunately, plans never keep up with changes, and little mishaps always crop up.

At an inn in the desert, he found a dying man.

Covered in blood, the man still managed to rasp out a flirtatious invitation: “Beautiful one, come with me, won’t you?”

Yun Xingqi: ...Thanks, I guess. We’re in the desert, you’re dying. Where are we supposed to go, the afterlife?

Unexpectedly, as they dodged martial-arts skirmishes, put an end to a ghost marriage in a village, and searched for the Immortality Tai Sui, the troubles kept getting bigger, yet the other man stayed by his side and protected him.

Only after several unexpected turns did Yun Xingqi realize their first meeting hadn’t been a whim. It was the start of a carefully planned scheme.

-

A theft from the imperial palace took place in full view of everyone, and the remarkably agile Yan Nandu was among those wanted for it.

He hadn’t stolen the item, but he kept getting chased by government soldiers who seemed to appear out of nowhere. After escaping them several times, he unexpectedly met a beauty.

But the beauty’s identity was no simple matter. He seemed to be more than an ordinary former court painter. Pretending to ask casually, he said, “Have you ever met Hou Guanrong?”

The young painter who had made a stunning debut, displayed extraordinary talent, and become a student of the current emperor.

Yun Xingqi was nervous inside but natural on the outside. “Of course I know him. We were colleagues. He’s handsome and paints well. He once said my paintings had quite a bit of his style.”

He praised himself without batting an eye. Why wouldn’t he know him? Hou Guanrong was who he used to be in Chang’an.

-

Young, spirited painter gong x black-bellied martial-world wanderer shou

Reader’s guide:

1. Yun Xingqi is the gong, and he is younger. He’s nearing the end of his growth spurt, so he’ll get taller. The shou is taller than the gong, and the gong is physically weaker.

2. The shou pursues and spoils the gong early on. Later, the gong reciprocates, and they spoil each other. The romance is extremely slow burn.

3. A lighthearted road-trip story in an original ancient setting, with wuxia jianghu, strange tales, and court intrigue.

-

Upcoming novel: “After the Frail White Moonlight Falls from the Altar”

[Formerly frail, unremarkable Snow Mountain saint, now world-weary mercenary gong x ruthless, paternal, devoted big shot shou]

Mercenary Yue Ruchen is a man who has forgotten his past.

To recover his memories, he accepts a job and accidentally causes a bit of a “commotion” in the upper city.

He leaps from a skyscraper rooftop. His mechanical prosthetic leg breaks, sparks flying, but he seems not to notice.

His red hair glows like a ball of fire under the lights. Grinning, he limps over and yanks open the door of a Phantom supercar parked by the roadside.

Amid a hail of bullets, he whistles cheerfully, dodges a shot that grazes his cheek, and speeds away.

He failed to find his past, but managed to land himself in serious trouble.

-

Ying Qiusheng, the young power broker who controls half the city, expressionlessly hands the revolver he just used to execute a traitor to his respectfully waiting secretary.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window beside him, a green-eyed man beneath a shock of red hair appears on the central city holographic screen, and his image strikes Ying Qiusheng right in the heart.

In an instant, a wind from the peak of Jade Mountain roars in, scattering the years of gloom and ruthlessness settled in his eyes.

His childhood was bleak and dull, until deep within the Jade Mountain laboratory he met a beautiful, frail white-haired boy with green eyes, so weak he couldn’t leave his nutrient tank.

That boy was his beating heart in the darkness. He was... his moon.

Then flames consumed the mountain, and Ying Qiusheng never saw him again.

-

Yue Ruchen is forced to his knees. His red hair spills across the ground like a pool of fire.

Ying Qiusheng sends everyone away, lowers his eyes, and kneels reverently on one knee. His trembling hand gently strokes Yue Ruchen’s cheek, then grips his chin. Calm ripples through his eyes, followed by a wildfire-like fervor, burning to consume the red-haired man entirely.

“You...” His voice is hoarse. Almost calmly, he asks, “Do you still remember me?”

Yue Ruchen, who had been looking down and figuring out the best moment to escape, raises his eyes at the question.

Wait, who are you?

Theme: Make the most of your youth, and keep learning as you go