The Obscure Lantern and the Merciful Blade

“The moment the blade rested against your throat, the wind lifted your ribbon, making it flutter just like the day we first met. Just as beautiful.”

Childhood sweethearts + rekindled love + a little(?) coercive romance + both are each other’s only ones + an unconventional little identity reveal

One was a lowly servant doing odd jobs in an apothecary, the other the third young master of Yanling Manor. Their stations were worlds apart, yet their lonely souls found warmth in each other, supporting one another as they walked side by side.

But it was only when chaos engulfed Yanling Manor and Qin Tianzong fought his way through a mountain of corpses, then pointed his blade at Ji Yuehuai, that Ji Yuehuai realized they might once have shared a path, but in the end their roads led in different directions.

With feelings he could neither put into words nor bring himself to confess, Ji Yuehuai guiltily drugged the Third Young Master, carefully tended his wounds, and left a letter explaining why.

Once everything was prepared, Ji Yuehuai sighed softly and prepared to retreat into the mountains. But someone tugged at his sleeve.

“How dare you...”

The young man’s voice was hoarse, yet carried a faint, unsettling obsession. It was impossible to tell whether he was unwilling to let go or simply refused to accept it.

Ji Yuehuai froze, but only for a moment. In an instant, he increased the dose and waved his sleeve, scattering another pinch of powder.

He had thought it would be a slow-burning love story, with the lovers eventually finding their happy ending. Who could have known how unpredictable life would be? Their happiness was fleeting, too painful to remember.

He could not bring himself to hate, but he could no longer love, either.

“Don’t blame me,” he murmured softly. “Actually, go ahead and blame me.”

But the story did not end there. It had only just begun.

Years later, the wandering healer Juehuai was caught by Qin, Chief of the Zhen’e Bureau. When the two reunited after years apart, click, they were handcuffed together.

“Let go.” “No.”

Qin Tianzong said coldly, “Come back with me.”

Ji Yuehuai replied sadly, “I cannot return to the place I once called home. I hope you’ll understand, Chief Qin.”

Qin Tianzong: “Then I’ll go back with you.”

Ji Yuehuai: “?”

A lamp of salvation that cannot be lit, a drawn blade with a compassionate heart.

A proud, aloof, and noble younger top who refuses to let his husband go x a beautiful, gentle yet resilient bottom with a heart full of cleverness

(Plain-and-simple version: After reuniting years later, the two protagonists join hands to slay demons, exorcise evil, and save the people. In the end, they foil the villain’s scheme and uncover the mystery of their origins. Along the way, they put their grudges behind them, reconcile, clear up their misunderstandings, and grow closer, eventually sharing a peaceful life in the martial world.)

Coming soon:

Can I Give Up on Climbing the Social Ladder Halfway?

Dominant Alpha x Recessive Omega

A scheming, possessive, dark tea-obsessed top x a seemingly innocent, calculating bottom with an agenda

Cheng Song is poor, but his dream is to live in a mansion.

He studies desperately and works himself to the bone, making that dream come true in his early twenties.

Not through his own efforts, though. It is all thanks to his aunt marrying a wealthy real estate developer.

But living with your hand out is no easy life.

Seeing his aunt in tears, he realizes that only what you hold firmly in your own hands is truly yours.

So Cheng Song begins his strenuous climb up the social ladder.

He stops at nothing, lies through his teeth, and acts like a pro. In the end, he successfully wins over the young heir to the family fortune: his uncle.

A super-rich bachelor who is taller, richer, and more handsome than any conventional tall, rich, and handsome guy.

It feels amazing, sure, but it is also terrifying.

Victory is right within reach, yet at the crucial moment Cheng Song chooses to run away in a panic.

Of course, he does not get away.

*

“Not studying at the library?”

In a nightclub restroom stall, Cheng Song stares at the message in horror.

The night wind slips inside his collar, sending a chill down his spine.

His phone suddenly rings, loud and shrill.

“Answer it.”

Cheng Song’s heart skips a beat. He bites down hard on his lip, but in the end, he does not dare pick up.

Knowing he is doomed, he decides to throw caution to the wind and switches on airplane mode.

But only seconds later, the restroom goes pitch-black.

The lights have gone out.

Cheng Song slowly pushes open the stall door and looks down through the window.

The window of the black car outside is halfway down. A pair of desolate gray-green eyes stare right at him.

So terrified he nearly cries, Cheng Song stumbles downstairs, hoping to salvage the situation.

Trembling, he straddles Huo Yichuan’s thigh, wraps his arms around his neck, and ingratiatingly kisses the man’s chin.

Huo Yichuan rests one hand on the steering wheel, lowers his eyes to look at him, and says nothing.

A moment later, the window slowly rolls up, and the glass turns completely opaque.

Both are each other’s only ones, happy ending. Mostly sweet and satisfying, with a little angst, but it’s brief.

Theme: Keep your feet on the ground and move forward hand in hand