Novels like When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife, best match first.
- 51 1980: A New Order in the Underworld 一九八零：江湖新秩序 What is the martial world? Wherever there are people, there will be conflict! The strong survive, and the weak perish. That is the martial world! Relive the 1980s and pay tribute to a youth long gone! This is the story of Han Yue, and how he rose from the bottom to the top of the provincial capital, only to fall again! The road through the martial world is treacherous. Everyone survives by their own wits! Hold on, and you can make something of yourself. Give up, and you're out... (This book is p 4.5kReads8.7Score286Shelves
- 52 Reborn: It All Began When I Went to Visit My Brothers’ Graves 重生：从给兄弟们上坟开始 [Reborn + no System + fiery action + brotherhood + invincible] The first thing Yi Hui did after getting out of prison was visit the graves of his dead brothers. In that gang fight, all his brothers died except him. He survived, but was sentenced to life in prison. Later, his life sentence was commuted to a fixed term, and he was finally released. Guangzi, A Long, Debao, Feifei, I’m sorry. If only we could do it all over again… Yi Hui was reborn in 1998. In this life, he would make good money wit 475Reads7.4Score—Shelves
- 53 The King of the Underworld, Forged in the Dark District 从暗黑区走出的黑道之王 (Tough gangsters + big shots from every walk of life + rich young heirs in the capital + starts at school + ruthless + a thrill ride from start to finish) The first book, The King of the Underworld: From the Dark Zone, is complete. Read with confidence, there isn't a dull moment. The sequel, King of the Underworld: I Rule with Unrivaled Power, is currently updating. The author can post ten thousand words a day, so remember to threaten him in the comments. One day, twelve young men came from the 407Reads6.9Score—Shelves
- 54 The Era After the Martial World 后江湖時代 [Underworld + Passionate + Satisfying + Ensemble Cast + Jianghu + Big Shots + School + Comedy] “After midnight, we call the shots on this land, whether you’re on the right side of the law or the wrong one!” Jiang Nan stood proudly at the summit like a solitary eagle, looking down at the young generation shining like stars across the jianghu below. “The Su District...” “The tragedy from ten years ago will never happen again in our generation!” “I’ll make sure everyone knows that this era belongs 24.8kReads8.9Score1.6kShelves
- 55 After Prison, I Just Want to Live a Quiet Life 出狱后，我只想平平安安过日子 [The world is too deep for me. I just want to make something of myself.] My name is Ma Tengfei. I had just finished the college entrance exams when I got into a fight and was sent to prison for three years, missing my chance to go to college. A death-row inmate named Uncle Ming told me there were three kinds of people in this world: those above everyone else, courted by the masses and living lives others envy; those in the middle, scurrying around like ants and fighting one another just to survi 6.4kReads7.5Score443Shelves
- 56 Lone Wolf of the Underworld: I Came from Hell 黑道孤枭：我从地狱来 Orphaned at eight, I spent eight years keeping my head down. I came from hell, and I came for revenge. When the lone wolf strikes, the underworld runs red with blood. Those who owe me will repay me tenfold. Those who wrong me will be ground to dust! 189Reads—Score—Shelves
- 57 Underworld: From Delinquent to Godfather of the Streets! 黑道：从不良开始成为江湖教父！ [Pure underworld + no System + first-person + not brainless + I already have an acclaimed older book with two million words. Quality and updates are guaranteed, so jump right in! Early chapters focus on school delinquents; later chapters are all about the underworld, with knives, guns, and cannons! Everyone who reports me can take the hit for me!] A gambling-addicted dad, a mom who ran off. A broken family, and I was broken too! With a terrible hand in life, I stirred up the underworld! A boy th 5.5kReads—Score443Shelves
- 58 A Reckless Youth 不良年少轻狂 A fan-written sequel to The Youthful and Reckless 2. It tells the story of Wang Hao and Yu Chengfei after they reach the top of Beiyuan. In the second year of Wang Hao's seclusion in Arabia, Yu Chengfei, who should have been on the brink of conquering the underworld, mysteriously disappears... 41.1kReads7.3Score2.7kShelves
- 59 Rise to the Top of the Underworld! 引领黑道巅峰！ [Power fantasy] + [Undercover agent] + [Clash of black and white] + [Decisive and ruthless] + [No System] + [Patriotic] Three years, then another three years, and another three years! Jiang Wuqing, you’re a cop! No! I’m the gang’s top enforcer! If you weren’t a cop, why wouldn’t they arrest you when they took down the gang? I play both sides! Years later… Please, when you take them down, take me with them. I can’t take it anymore! There’s really no crime left anywhere in the world. I’ 853Reads6.9Score106Shelves
- 60 I've Been Through This Underworld! 这江湖，我来过！ Back then, Beijing's nightclubs were dazzling and intoxicating, full of romance and temptation. Its underworld was a jumble of all sorts, a place where all kinds of people mixed. And its beautiful women were dazzlingly diverse, each with her own allure! Watch me carve out a world of my own in this glittering city! I settled a few scores, made a few brothers, and had a few women! I lived it up! I went wild! I hurt! I cried! Heart-pounding and soul-stirring! Looking back... I have no regrets! 182Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 61 The Pinnacle of Dark Martial Arts 黑武之巅 Sorry, everyone, for posting the prologue so late. You can skip ahead to the beginning of Chapter 102 first, then come back and start reading from Chapter 1. Apologies. A novel featuring the underworld, supernatural abilities, the city, and campus life. He and his friends will rise together to the pinnacle of the Black Martial Path. This is the story of his growth... People are often at their most brash and carefree when they are young. That’s what it means to be young and reckless. This is an e 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 62 Child of the Prison 狱之子 Trapped in a cage, with no control over his own fate. Break free, and soar to the skies. As the saying goes, a golden-scaled carp is no ordinary pond-dweller. A boy born in prison leads three children who share his fate out of confinement and into the city. There, they make waves, clash repeatedly with small-time gangs, and navigate their ties to major organizations like Hongmen, Hongxing, Dongxing, and the Dragon Gang, until they are drawn into a war for supremacy in the underworld... 119Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 63 Those Confused Days of Youth 那些年迷茫的日子 One thought can lead to heaven, another to hell. Half a life wasted, with the past too painful to look back on. I once ruled my corner of the world, and I once ended up in prison. From being adored by everyone to the desolation of today, I dedicate this book to the friends I once had. 686Reads7.1Score—Shelves
- 64 Bad Boy: King of the Streets 坏小子：街道之上，我为王 Li Yizhen was an ordinary student at Jiangchuan No. 1 High School. But the school bully, He Min, singled him out, teasing and tormenting him as she pleased. Too timid to fight back, he endured group beatings and was even forced to eat ice pops mixed with dirt. She also led him astray, getting him to smoke and drink. Day after day, year after year… Then, when Li Yizhen finally confessed his feelings to the school belle, she mocked him in front of the whole class. He Min joined in, too. Overcome w 285Reads—Score—Shelves
- 65 Days Spent Getting By 平凡混过的日子 My name is Lu Pingfan! I'm a gangster... I founded the "Student Council" back in middle school! Years later, my brothers live ordinary lives by day, but after dark, they take their place in the underworld! I used to think that justice and honor were the guiding principles of the world! It wasn't until I heard all the things left unsaid that I realized those supposedly "high-minded" principles were nothing but the emperor's new clothes! So I decided to uphold the principles of my world in my own 29Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 66 The Underworld Is a Road of No Return 江湖是一条不归路 [Underworld + Passion + Jianghu + Comedy + Comeback + No Ensemble Cast + First Person] What is the jianghu? Some say it’s all about human relationships and social conventions. But I, Deng Chengpeng, know only this: the jianghu is a road of no return. Once you enter, there’s no turning back. I went from an ordinary boy to a bloodied fugitive, step by step entering this so-called jianghu. There was no good fortune falling out of the sky, and no strength gained without effort. Every bit of streng 37Reads—Score—Shelves
- 67 Rising Through the Underworld with My Mommy 黑道从带妈咪开始 Underworld action with supernatural powers, no saintly protagonist, no System, no invincibility, multiple heroines, and an urban setting! The characters grow and develop over time; they aren't perfect. He starts out as a street punk, and a series of events leads him to fully enter the underworld. He rises to the top step by step! If you like it, please recommend it to your friends! I'd be incredibly grateful! 1Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 68 Wang Hao, the Inverse Scale King 逆鳞王皓 A comeback, a defiance of fate. Bullied for years because of his weight, he finally reaches his breaking point and vows never to be weak again. He fights back, step by step descending into hell, and soon dominates the campus... 121Reads—Score—Shelves
- 69 The Bad Guys 坏家伙们 When the jianghu is no longer traditional, it’s bound to become driven by self-interest! After the turn of the millennium, a new generation of “bad guys,” born in the eighties and nineties, began to take the stage in their own jianghu! These newcomers no longer revered the spirit of chivalry. They let money clear the way and put profit above all else! To carve out a place for themselves in this treacherous jianghu, they had to stop at nothing and plan every move! The great waves sift the sand! M 5.3kReads8.9Score308Shelves
- 70 Black Shark 黑鲨 I can’t stand you, so I’ll beat you up! You made me unhappy, so I’ll make you pay! White can be black, and black can become white, because even under the brightest lights, shadows are always there. Blunt and revealing, but not judgmental. This may not be the pinnacle of crime fiction, but it is absolutely a trailblazer in the genre! Just wait and see! 557Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 71 Godfather of the Underworld: From Prison Dragon to the Pinnacle of Power! 黑道教父：从狱中龙到权势巅峰！ [Urban + Underworld + One Female Lead + Powerful Boss + All-Controlling + Influence] “If kindness is useless, then from now on, I'll cast it aside!” After three years in prison for a crime he was framed for, Zhou Ye is released and sees the light of day once more. Betrayed by his brother and his girlfriend, and devastated by his parents' mysterious deaths, he resolutely sets out on the path of revenge. To avenge his parents and achieve his goals, he vows, “If a god stands in my way, I'll slay 2.9kReads7.7Score236Shelves
- 72 Tales of Black and White: Leaping Through the Dragon Gate 黑白往事之跃龙门 (Hardcore underworld, a rise from humble beginnings, ensemble cast, smart characters, a realistic coming-of-age style, not a mindless power fantasy, not first-person! Readers under 18 should exercise caution!) How much impact can one misunderstanding have? Enough to change someone's entire life! Can someone with a damaged brain still be a gang boss? Not only can he, he can be a great one! In the early 1990s, the tide of the market economy swept across all of China, stirring up everyone just like 2.4kReads7.0Score146Shelves
- 73 Bandit City 匪城 [Not a wish-fulfillment power fantasy, and the protagonist isn't invincible: a comeback story + underworld conflict + a rock-bottom start + personality reversal + ruthless decisiveness + brains and brawn + ruthless bandits and war criminals abound] I'm Shen Liu. Ever since my father was imprisoned for seriously injuring someone when I was seven, I've endured humiliation at every turn. Then a girl appeared, and my life began to change... Once again, they knocked me down. As they unzipped their —Reads—Score2.2kShelves
- 74 My Days of Being Bullied at School 校园被欺负的日子 The main characters are Wu Ming, Zhang Qiang, and Zhou Yao. This isn’t a brainless power fantasy, but a bumpy story of growing up. When my brothers fight, I run; I’d never touch a friend’s wife, but if my friend’s away, anything goes. A life of gaming on credit and gambling for tokens in the arcade. 11kReads8.2Score671Shelves
- 75 The Underworld: My Dongguan Girlfriend 黑道：我的东莞女友 At the turn of the millennium, I headed south to Dongguan with just 800 yuan in my pocket. Someone stole my wallet on the train, and I staggered into town after going hungry for three meals. I planned to keep my head down and work on an assembly line, but on my very first day, the team leader told me to take off my pants. I beat him up. Then I beat up the fourteen guys who came after me with machetes. Then I took on the whole street. The female owner of a nightclub handed me a gun and a stack of 611Reads6.3Score109Shelves
- 76 Bloodshed in the Black Abyss 黑渊血戮 (Realistic + Period Setting + Underworld + Political Battles) What is the underworld? It is an endless abyss. Once you take a single step into it, you’ll be trapped forever, with no way out. To make a name for yourself in the underworld, you have to be ready to end up dead in the street or locked away for life at any moment. Now, let me take you back to the late 1980s and show you how the son of a worker gets dragged into this dark abyss and rises step by step to become a crime boss of his era. 886Reads—Score—Shelves
- 77 The Peerless Young Master 公子无双 Lin Qi seems like an ordinary delivery driver, but in this city, whether they are business tycoons, renowned doctors, or underworld bosses, everyone treats him with the utmost respect and calls him, "Young Master!" 334Reads9.1Score—Shelves
- 78 The Thirteen Guardians of Tang City 唐市十三太保 The Tang City Underworld Duology, Part One: The Thirteen Guardians The bigwigs of Tang City’s martial world fell one by one during the 1983 crackdown. But wherever there are people, there will always be a martial world, and new forces are already stirring! Who will become Tang City’s next underworld boss? The story of the Thirteen Guardians of Tang City begins after Qin San, Wang Wu, and Ma Liu witness their father’s execution by firing squad! 989Reads—Score—Shelves
- 79 Jianghu of Snow City, 1986 雪城江湖之1986 What? Young men shouldn’t get too cocky? If you’re not cocky, what kind of young man are you? A story set in the gritty underworld of Northeast China. The moment you pick up a gun or a blade and step into the gangland, you’re destined to become ruthless. If you’re going to live this life, you have to be vicious, cruel, and wild! A veteran returns home from the Vietnam War. To survive and protect his friends, he becomes a blood-soaked, ruthless weapon, wielding blades, guns, and cannons. It’s a w 8.7kReads9.0Score681Shelves
- 80 [The Underworld: The Storm Rises Again] 【黑道，风云再起】 “Once you’ve drawn the bow, there’s no turning back.” “When I chose the path of the underworld,” “I’d already passed the point of no return.” “Then I’ll stand at the very top of the underworld,” “so the world can only look up to me, and everyone will know my name: Lin Mo...” 162Reads—Score—Shelves
- 81 I'm a Goodfella, but a Gangster in the Underworld 白道哥，黑道我 My new work is out! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support is what keeps me writing, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 35Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 82 Neither Black nor White? A Quack Doctor Twice Over 亦黑亦白？双料庸医 I'm a clinic owner. One act of justice made me enemies with the underworld, and from then on I began walking a path where I could operate in both the criminal and legitimate worlds. The world isn't simply black or white. It's both black and white. This isn't exactly a power fantasy. There are gangs, passion, and humor, as well as brotherhood between men who support one another and rise to the top together. 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 83 Underworld Storms: Zhang Yue 黑道风云之张岳 He is the staunchest believer in the code of the underworld, fiercely loyal to his brothers to the point of obsession; he believes most in repaying every blow, dealing with his enemies with ruthless finality; he holds fast to his fighting spirit, staying true to himself to the very end. He is Zhang Yue, the underworld boss known as the Pale-Faced Scholar. 11kReads8.1Score605Shelves
- 84 The Days We Spent Running with the Wrong Crowd 那些年混过的日子 Young and reckless, we chased nothing but our ideals. The storms we weathered in those years, the roads we walked together, and the days we spent making our way through life. The old generation's feuds and entanglements, the younger generation's rivalries: an unknown nobody gradually grows stronger, overcoming hardship after hardship without ever giving up. 3.8kReads7.2Score174Shelves
- 85 Bastard 混蛋 The person I despised most in this life was my father. Whenever he came home, he only ever did two things. First, he drank. Second, he beat me for no reason at all. That is, until the day I found a paternity test hidden in his wardrobe... 102Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 86 Who Rules the Changing Tides of the Martial World? 江湖之谁主浮沉 “Northeastern Gangland,” “No Mindless Shenanigans,” “Based on Real Cases” A group of young people, driven by a moment of recklessness, set out on a path unlike any they had taken before... From Xiao Yao's days of loafing around to gradually growing up and setting off down the point of no return, making a living in the underworld... Family, friendship, and love all become entangled... Some die... some go to prison... and others... A new story, a new beginning. Come witness the rise of a true crim 218Reads—Score—Shelves
- 87 The Boss of the Underworld 江湖话事人 [Not many readers, so the rating just won’t go up] One wrong turn brought me into the jianghu. Watch as I summon storms with one hand and calm them with the other. Starting from nothing, I’ll carve out a path through the jianghu. They say you become what you eat, so if you want to climb higher, there’s only one thing to eat... 2.7kReads7.8Score203Shelves
- 88 Who Cares About Being Young and Reckless? Only the Victor Reigns Supreme 什么年少轻狂？我只知道胜者为王 [Campus Drama]+ [Street Toughs]+ [School Beauty]+ [Underworld]+ [No System]+ [One Heroine]+ [Not a wish-fulfillment story] Original title: Those Wild Years of Youth at School My name is Chen Qing. I never thought I’d end up going down this road after all… Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional and is not intended to encourage anything improper. Please do not relate it to real life! Reproduction without permission is prohibited and will be prosecuted. New book: "After Getting Out of Prison, 5.7kReads8.4Score375Shelves
- 89 Underworld: Blue Skies 黑道：青天 At a class reunion, I kept a low profile and was mocked and sneered at by my former classmates and teachers. Just as I was about to leave, the class beauty from back then suddenly stood up to defend me. 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 90 This Time Around, I'll Rise to the Top and Become the Boss 这一世，我要翻身当大哥 In this world, there are only two kinds of people: those who wield the knife and those who lie beneath it. Su Yun spent his whole life quietly accepting whatever came his way, letting others walk all over him. Given another chance at life, he swears he'll be the one in control of his own fate. I don't care who you are. If you come after me, be ready for us both to go down together! The meek fear the tough, the tough fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those with nothing to lose! Now I'm the 720Reads8.6Score106Shelves
- 91 The Pawn Who Crosses the River: Beyond Forgiveness 过河卒：罪无可恕 People who make money through shady dealings need to learn to burn incense and pray to Buddha. Those who move in the underworld have to believe that good things come to those who wait. After the turn of the millennium, Jiang Xinze was kicked off the police force for saving someone. He led his brothers into a world of guns and blades, with blood on their military daggers, riding the winds of a turbulent era to forge a dazzling legacy. If you’ve got a score to settle, settle it. If you won’t back 10.6kReads8.5Score904Shelves
- 92 The Jianghu: I Am the Kingpin 江湖：我即为枭 [Underworld] [Brothers United] [Mind-Bending] [Passionate and Thrilling] Three years in prison couldn't dull my edge. My name is Wang Xiao. I spent three years behind bars for offending a powerful figure. After my release, I returned to my old stomping grounds with my brothers and the skills my master taught me. Some want to trample me underfoot. Some want to stab me in the back. And my enemies, lurking in the shadows, are watching me like hawks. But my life is no longer something just anyone ca 98Reads—Score—Shelves
- 93 Searching the Underworld for My Missing Son, I Clean Up Crime and Clear My Father's Name 失子入江湖扫黑恶，父冤得伸 (Passionate urban action, a comeback! Multiple female leads!) Also known as "Lost Son Enters the Underworld to Fight Crime, Father’s Wrongful Conviction Finally Overturned" I am the son of a soldier. After getting lost during a sorrowful journey, I was raised to adulthood by a kind rural couple surnamed Ye. I thought it was pure chance that my master taught me peerless martial arts. From then on, I became the greatest martial artist in Nan Yue! Later, to improve my family’s financial situation, 5.9kReads8.8Score379Shelves
- 94 Tales of the Northeast: The Turbulent Nineties 东北往事之九零风云 (Hot-blooded) (Brotherhood) (Youth) (Fast-paced, no dragging things out) The law-abiding worry all day, while the mighty sing all night. Those who harm others for their own gain ride in comfort, while the honest and fair go hungry. Those who build bridges and mend roads go blind, while those who kill and set fires have plenty of sons. I went to the Western Heaven to ask Buddha. Buddha said, “There's nothing I can do either.” This novel tells the blood-and-tears story of Shen Congwen, a great und 6.7kReads8.9Score428Shelves
- 95 You Were Told to Join the Underworld, Not Hit on a Mob Boss’s Daughter! 让你混黑道，但没让你找上黑道千金啊！ After getting out of prison, Lu Feng becomes a manager at an upscale club in Linhai City, enjoying a carefree, happy life. Then one day he meets a mob princess, and his life changes completely. He rises to become a formidable underworld boss! I'm not good at writing blurbs, but the story is absolutely thrilling. 152Reads—Score—Shelves
- 96 Reborn as a Jianghu Boss, Starting with Obeying the Law 重生江湖大佬，从遵纪守法开始 [Tycoon Godfather] [Humorous and easygoing] [Satisfying and funny] In my previous life, I was a ruthless underworld big shot who killed countless people! But in the end, I was betrayed! I could have accepted my own death, but my parents were angered to death, too. In my final moments, I thought, if I could do it all over again, I'd become a good person. Heaven heard me, and I really was reborn. Looking at my young bros, I had an idea! I'd teach them the law and get them to start being go 31Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 97 Underworld Storms: Qiao Si's Strategists, Xiao Ke and Wang Wei Fan 黑道风云之乔四军师小克王伟范 He was Qiao Siye’s strategist, known as the Brains. Only five-foot-three, he had an exceptionally quick mind, earning him the nicknames Little Zhuge and Ghost Six among the underworld. He wasn’t known for violence, but for his sense of honor and loyalty. Born into poverty, he started out as a bathhouse scrubber and worked his way up to become one of the Three Musketeers of Bingcheng, even driving the city’s first Mercedes-Benz 560. Follow the turbulent life of Wei Wan, the Little Master of Bingc 166.5kReads8.7Score9kShelves
- 98 Big Brother 大哥 At the end of the last century, before the rules were fully established, all sorts of people emerged in great numbers. They exploited loopholes, ran gray-market businesses, and moved between the worlds of crime and respectability. A young man returned from military service, only to be dragged into the underworld. More than a decade of life on the fringes followed: wine and laughter with friends in spring, late-night talks beneath the lamplight; hardship at first, then glory at last. He had walke 4.1kReads9.0Score302Shelves
- 99 The Underworld’s Final Ballad 黑道绝响 (Original title: Black Road, Final Echo) What is the underworld? Is it really not about fighting and killing, but about the ways of human relationships? Wrong. Only those who can still stand after all the fighting and killing have the right to talk about human relationships. My name is Luo Ping. I witnessed the so-called underworld in a corner of the southwest go from its golden age to its decline, until at last its echoes faded away. This is my story, and a glimpse into one corner of the underw 51.1kReads9.4Score5.6kShelves
- 100 The Jianghu: What Is It, Really? 江湖，到底是什么？ [Pure Underworld] [The Jianghu of the 1980s] Where there are people, there are grudges; where there are grudges, there is a jianghu; people are the jianghu! It used to be called the jianghu, but now it's called society! When the storms had passed, Lang Aowen knelt once more before the sacred image of Guan Yu, holding three sticks of incense high above his head. Only one question remained in his heart: The jianghu, what exactly is it? [Serious Warning: The characters and plot in this book are 1.8kReads—Score109Shelves
![[The Underworld: The Storm Rises Again]](https://p3-novel.byteimg.com/novel-pic/0cae1de5c88ccd2e877db8cc30ae3440~tplv-resize:120:0.jpeg)
