King of the Night

[This novel has been revised many times and differs greatly from pirated versions in circulation. The Jinjiang edition is the only authorized version. The author accepts no responsibility for pirated copies.]

Blurb:

Among the Tangut people, an old legend was once told: when the old god dies and the new god has yet to be born, heaven and earth will sink into endless chaos. Then a deity will come from the end of the long night, holding up a world on the brink of collapse until the light returns.

The Tanguts called this deity the King of the Night Veil.

Once, no one believed in the legend, not even Liang Songxuan herself.

Seven years ago, her father was falsely accused of embezzlement and colluding with the enemy, then sentenced to death in Jincheng. Overnight, the Liang family fell. She was thrown into Zuihua House, the most debauched brothel in Yongzhou, and became its lowest-ranking courtesan.

Everyone mocked her: a criminal's slave, born to rot in the mud, with no hope of ever rising above her station.

Liang Songxuan lifted her chin and sneered. “Accept my fate? Never!”

She moved among the banquets of the powerful, lay in wait beneath the iron hooves of the Turks, and tore open a path step by step through the fortress of power built by men. Every step was taken on the edge of a blade. With every step, someone fell, and someone betrayed her... But Liang Songxuan didn't care. All she cared about was climbing higher and making her enemies pay in blood!

But one day, because of a one-eyed priest, Liang Songxuan stopped her pursuit of vengeance. An old woman knelt before her and raised the black robe, symbol of divine will, above her head. “King of the Night Veil, put on this night. End the age of chaos and bring peace to all living beings.”

Liang Songxuan hesitated. She only wanted to avenge her parents. She had never thought of becoming anyone's “god.” But when she saw the suffering of the people, she still took the black robe.

She helped the kneeling priest to her feet and said, “The true King of the Night Veil would never make her people kneel before anyone.”

If chaos was a night she had to pass through, then she would be the one to carry the lantern.

The following is a blurb for a future release:

With graduation approaching, Xiao Yunyao was still far behind on her required credits. To graduate on time, she hastily gathered a group of people and went down the mountain to exorcise evil, hoping to earn all her practical credits in one go, and maybe even the title of “Outstanding Graduate.” Unfortunately, before she could finish her first sword move, a monster swept her away with its tail.

Her last thought before she passed out was: It's over. I'm going to have to stay an extra year.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle, but she was in the wrong place. She stopped a young cultivator passing by and asked with a beaming smile, “Excuse me, how do I get to Jichuan?”

The young cultivator looked at her strangely. “Jichuan? That's a thousand li away. This is Langya Changliu Mountain.”

Xiao Yunyao: ?

Was that monster really so powerful that its tail had sent her this far? She casually asked, “What year is it?”

“Year 991 of the Taichu era.”

Xiao Yunyao: ???

She'd just taken a nap, and thirty-three years had passed?! She was about to ask after her two best friends when the other person gave her a complicated look first.

“Senior, you really don't know? More than twenty years ago, the ‘Demon Pill’ Xiao Yunyao fell to the demonic path and personally killed her former close friend, Lord Wang Yewen, the Evil-Slayer. She also severed ties with the True Person Cang Zhijin of Jingxu. Later, the True Person of Jingxu joined forces with Lord Qin Zhen of Jianxuan, the ‘Spirit Pearl,’ to kill the ‘Demon Pill’ at Changliu Mountain.”

Xiao Yunyao: “...Who? Who did you say the Demon Pill was?”

“Xiao Miao. What, do you know her?”

Xiao Yunyao: “...”

Xiao Miao was her full name. After three seconds of silence, she asked sincerely, “Is it possible that we just happen to have the same name?”

She, Xiao Yunyao, came from the Xiao clan of Yanyun. Sure, she often drank, got into fights, and sneaked off the mountain... but heaven knows she didn't even know which way the gates of the demon realm faced. And as for killing her closest friend, only to be killed in turn by another friend... Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Before she could process it all, a cool voice spoke from behind her. “Xiao Miao.”

She turned around.

The newcomer wore white robes as bright as snow, with features like a painting, but his expression was as cold as if he'd just been pulled from an ice cellar.

Xiao Yunyao's eyes went wide all over again.

Chu Heng?! The very last person she wanted to see! What was he doing here? And how had he... somehow become even more charming than before?!

She instinctively stepped back three paces and gave an awkward laugh. “Fellow Daoist, you've mistaken me for someone else.”

Chu Heng said expressionlessly, “Stop pretending.”

Knowing she couldn't escape this, Xiao Yunyao showed all eight of her pearly white teeth. “Uncle-Master, what a coincidence. It's been so long, and you still look as dashing as ever.”

[Reading guide]:

1. Women take center stage. The male lead is the male lead because the heroine chose him.

2. The social customs and official system in the story are modeled on the Tang dynasty, with artistic liberties. Readers who insist on historical accuracy, please proceed with caution.

3. None of the characters are absolutely “good” or “bad.” Please don't judge them by a black-and-white standard, or direct your feelings about their actions at the author.

4. The extras contain a small amount of yuri content. Please proceed with caution if that bothers you.

Theme: Love of family and country