Novels like The Underworld: A Life in the Jianghu
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Underworld: A Life in the Jianghu, best match first.
- 1 I Joined the Underworld to Pay Off My Debts, and Became a Big Shot 我，混黑道，从还债开始当大佬 After his father dies suddenly, leaving behind 300,000 yuan in debt, Lin Mo is forced to enter the rough-and-tumble underworld to pay it off. He becomes the least important underling in the Loyalty Hall. When he first arrives, he's mocked for his soft, delicate appearance and bullied by old hands. The Red Hair Gang, a rival outfit, also marks him as a thorn in its side. But no one knows that this seemingly meek young man hides a fierce streak and a calculating mind. When others make trouble fo —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 I Enter the Underworld After Catching Them in the Act 从撞破奸情开始踏入黑道江湖 There is no golden finger, no System, and no miraculous stroke of luck from the heavens. This is not another cookie-cutter power fantasy about cheating your way to godhood. Drawing on his own experiences, the author tells a realistic story of ordinary people struggling to survive and make their way in the underworld. Through real events from his own life, the author shows readers what the real underworld is like beyond the world of movies and television. If you’re tired of fictional plots that h 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 Xie Wenyuan: Rise of the Underworld 谢文渊：黑道崛起 [Violent Underworld] [Suit-Wearing Thug] [Cultured Scum] “Adjusting my glasses is a habit. Slitting throats is my profession.” Xie Wenyuan has always believed himself to be a reasonable, respectable man. Even when issuing an order to wipe out an entire family, he would still gently push up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, a harmless smile playing at the corners of his mouth. It began in a dark, damp alley in H City, reeking of rot; It began with a ballpoint pen piercing a local gangster’s pa 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 The Black-and-White Game: Dragon City Tycoon 黑白游戏之龙城大亨 The journey of a post-90s generation, rising step by step from ordinary beginnings to extraordinary heights! This book tells the story of Lu Xu, who grew up in the 1990s and clawed his way up from the countryside, eventually becoming a powerful tycoon in Longcheng with influence over both the legal and criminal worlds. Full of passion, humor, youthful spirit, and helplessness, it portrays the rise of a little man born into humble circumstances. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 The Years I Wandered the Jianghu 我走过的江湖岁月 The day I went to the city with the 3,000 yuan the whole village had scraped together to seek help from my cousin, I caught him kneeling and kowtowing in his rented room, calling a burly man with a fierce face “Boss.” My first lesson in society: I thought my cousin was a respectable man who'd made it in the city. Turns out he was a thug who acted like a dog for others, and he wanted me to serve them tea and water too? I thought the city meant factory assembly lines and shared dormitories, a stab —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 The Underworld’s Mad Dragon: I Took Down the Jianghu Bosses All by Myself 黑道狂龙：我一个人砍翻江湖大佬 [Underworld + officialdom + domination + ruthless action + multiple heroines] Gong Ming is a discharged soldier who once skinned a man alive and a lone hero who earned countless military honors. A twist of fate drew him into this turbulent jianghu. With his ruthless creed of "If you do it, finish the job," and his sharp mind, he quickly made a name for himself in the jianghu. In this dark world, he met a group of like-minded brothers. They stood by justice and feared no powerful enemies, fightin —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 Xiao Sanfeng's Life in the Jianghu 萧三峰的江湖人生 Tough guy Xiao Sanfeng has feared nothing since childhood, machete in hand as he makes his way through the world! After unexpectedly discovering the mystery of his origins, he sets off on a one-way road into the martial world. Watch him cut his way through every obstacle with a single blade and rise to the pinnacle of life! 484Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 The Fearsome Ghost King 叱咤鬼王 A realistic anti-gang and anti-corruption novel in the style of The Knockout, only more thrilling and wilder! He was the Ghost King, feared by everyone in Taijing City's upper society. Once, however, he had been no more than an insignificant snack-shop owner at the bottom of society. By chance, he stumbled upon a severed-hand incident. A moment of greed led him to pocket the watch on the hand, unexpectedly entangling his humble fate with the three major criminal powers of Taijing City. And so th —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 The 11th Book by Qu Shen 去甚第11本书 That year, the train bound for Guancheng became the turning point that changed his life. No one could have guessed that from then on, he would set out on a road of no return, one all his own. Years later, there was only one thing he wanted to say to that city... 34Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 Reborn: I Went on a Killing Spree in the Underworld 重生后我在黑道大开杀戒 [Everyday urban life + wild imagination + powerful lead + scheming + reborn + billionaire + thrilling and suspenseful + laugh-out-loud comedy + invincible face-slapping + underworld + big boss] Li Wei’s family is hounded by loan sharks until their lives are destroyed. Fleeing for his life, Li Wei loses his footing and falls to his death from the 21st floor. To his surprise, Li Wei is reborn as Mo Lingfeng, the son of the billionaire Mo Xiaotian. He gets his revenge using underworld methods. Afte 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 An Underworld Odyssey: Is This Really the Right Path? 黑道征途，这条路真的对吗！ My name is Jiang Cheng. The Cheng in my name means “to become a god,” and I became the god of the underworld. The road here was grueling. My brothers and I all got the lives we wanted, but when I finally reached the top and watched my old brothers get arrested or cut down one by one, I fell into deep thought. Was this road really the right one? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Reborn: A Hundred Million in Breakup Money? I'll Make My Comeback 重生：一亿分手费？我要逆袭了 [Reborn] + [Lighthearted Comedy] + [Patience] + [Play the pig to eat the tiger] + [Face-slapping] + [No System] + [Decisive and ruthless] Chen Feng, a small-business owner who went bankrupt in his previous life, is reborn in the early twentieth century with an extraordinary identity. His ex-wife is immensely wealthy. From the start, she tosses him a bank card with 100 million yuan on it, smacking Chen Feng's handsome face, but sets a daily spending limit of just 5,000 yuan. Chen Feng secretly sw 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Objections Overruled 反对无效 [Power fantasy + crime + passion + Hong Kong action movies + no saintly protagonists + no melodrama] Woohoo! Tell me, does this feel good or what? In a dark world, they’ll defy the world and pay an unimaginable price, shouldering the burden of keeping the world’s order intact. (This novel is entirely the author’s own original creation. Do not learn from or imitate it.) He Jifeng: “I’ve got plenty of people. It’s fine.” Yao Zixuan: “I’ve got plenty of connections. I’m not afraid.” Chen Yi: “I’ve 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 I'm Out of Prison, and I'm Taking My Big Sister-in-Law to Paint the Underworld Red 出狱了，我带大嫂血染黑道 Six years ago, Zhao Shanti took the blame and went to prison for his older brother, who had killed their stepfather. Six years later, after his release, Zhao Shanti takes care of his stunning sister-in-law on his brother's behalf, then leads her into a blood-soaked underworld... 55Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 The Underworld: No Way Back 黑道不归路 The underworld: a term that seems to have nothing to do with ordinary people. It represents another world. I was an orphan. I begged, was adopted, stole, and did all kinds of things. Then I failed to find a job and ended up at a nightclub. I never expected to meet someone there, someone who changed the course of my life and sent me down a road of no return... 91Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 My First Steps into the Real World! 初闯社会！ A mischievous little punk back in his school days, he somehow ends up getting into police academy through a twist of fate. During his time there, he transforms from a rebellious teenager into a mature, steady, hardworking cadet. Then, by chance, he is sent undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization, gradually building up his own influence... 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 Underworld Tales: The Ruthless Boss of Yuncheng 黑道往事之云城枭雄 After the 2002 college entrance exams, Ye Haonan scored high enough to get into a top university. Overjoyed, he was preparing to share the good news with his family when disaster struck at home. In that moment, he raised the axe in his hands and swung it at the criminals. It was clearly self-defense, yet he was sent to prison for exceeding its limits. From then on, his life changed beyond recognition. The well-behaved boy became a demon everyone feared... 310Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 18 The Underworld: Ruling the World 黑道：雄霸天下 An honest man avenges his wife and mother, wiping out the killer’s entire family in a single night! Wang Chao: “You violated my wife and broke my mother’s leg. If I had another chance, I’d do it all over again!” Wang Chao: “If nobody will step in, if nobody dares to, then I’ll take matters into my own hands!” 953Reads6.8Score10414d adds
- 19 Tales of the Underworld in Longcheng 龙城黑道往事 It was an age when shallow waters teemed with turtles, and big shots were everywhere. When a street thug harassed my girlfriend, I drew my knife in a fit of rage for love and accidentally killed someone. I was thrown into a high-security prison, and I thought my life was over. But then I met a benefactor. After mastering a whole range of skills in prison, I emerged a changed man. Five years later, I walked out of the prison gates, and a ruthless big shot named Yang Feng burst onto the underworld 125Reads—Score—14d adds
- 20 My Story: From Scavenging Garbage to Becoming a Mob Boss 我从捡垃圾混到黑社会大哥的故事 This is the story of a seven-year-old boy. His father did no honest work and lived by gambling. In the end, he ran up huge debts he couldn’t repay. After the creditors came to collect again and again without success, they hired gangsters to beat his parents to death in their home. Left all alone, he became an orphan and lived beneath a bridge on a road in the suburbs. He survived by collecting drink bottles and aluminum cans, selling them to a recycling plant, and using the money to buy enough f 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Dongjiang County: The Invisible Hand 东江县：无形之手 Li Jing, deputy head of the provincial investigative team, has barely arrived in Dongjiang County when she encounters a bizarre case: Zhang Meng, a construction contractor, beat a man to death in the street, yet at trial the victim’s family all changed their testimony. In a rundown teahouse in town, she runs into the boy she secretly loved back in school. Now he stoops, his fingernails caked with tea stains. When Li Jing takes out the graduation photo she has treasured for years, a flicker of em 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 This Was Supposed to Be a School Romance, So Why Is It a Delinquent School? 说好的校园爱情番怎么是热血高校 (A golden finger that barely counts as one + high school fighting + youth + a fictional world much like our own) Cao Min, a shut-in, transmigrates into the body of a high school student in a parallel world. He thinks he’s about to begin a youthful campus romance, but what awaits him is a school of fierce delinquents! Fortunately, there’s always a way forward. By chance, he inherits the legacy of a Martial God! If this isn’t a romance series, then I’ll fight my way through this action series to t 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 An Amateur Villain in a World of Old Hands 老江湖里的业余坏蛋 [Second-Generation Mobster + Organized Crime Crackdown + Anti-Corruption + Gangs] My father-in-law turns out to be a big shot, which makes me a second-generation mobster! But my wife is a police officer... With the police in front of me and the underworld behind me, how will I survive in the cracks? They’re cruel, ruthless, rotten, and utterly reckless. Watch as the protagonist, Zhang Ran, outdoes them all in cruelty, ruthlessness, depravity, and recklessness... The further you read, the more sa 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 Urban Rebirth: The Path of a Hero and Villain 都市重生之豪侠恶人路 [Reborn undercover agent, building a power base, decisive and ruthless, making his mark in the city, repaying every grudge, developing his own corner of the world.] (May be a slow burn) A notorious undercover agent from the criminal underworld was reborn in his student days. He was young, and everything was just beginning. The future kingpins of the underworld, renowned across the nation, were now just ordinary people struggling to make a living. In this life, there would be no bloodless hands, 1Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 25 Twenty Years on the Edge of a Blade in Southwest Shandong 刀口之鲁西南二十载春秋 (First person, period setting, not a wish-fulfillment story, underworld) When I was young, I couldn't accept things as they were, so I resolutely set out on the path of the underworld. I thought the road ahead would be smooth, never realizing it would be even more treacherous. I witnessed countless big brothers rise to glory, then fade into decline. All that brotherhood and bravado in the underworld was nothing but an illusion! My name is Zhang Hui, and I'm a man who refuses to accept his l 437Reads—Score10014d adds
- 26 The Thug Gets Out of Prison 暴徒出狱 Before I went to prison, I was a big shot everyone feared. After getting out, I wanted to live a different kind of life. I just wanted to be an ordinary person, live a quiet life, and work hard to make money. I was ready to let bygones be bygones. But I wanted to let them go, and they kept pushing me. So I had no choice but to fight back with everything I had. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 Underworld Tales: From Prisoner to Underworld Legend! 黑道往事：从劳改犯到黑道传奇！ Bai Zimo was once a mighty special forces champion, but after being framed by a villain, he was wrongfully imprisoned for ten years. Three years into his sentence, a mysterious woman appeared and exposed a shocking conspiracy. She also made him a harsh offer: bring down and kill a crime boss within three months, and he could get out and take his revenge. No one expected Bai Zimo’s first targets after his release to be his own brother and sister-in-law! A thrilling battle in the shadows begins! 20Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 28 The Jianghu in Its True Colors 江湖本色 [New book: River Dragon on the Loose] Many years ago, a group of cocky young boys smoked cigarettes that cost just a few yuan a pack and talked big about their dreams. Longing for the day they would grow up, they shouted, “Our future is bright!” Looking back in an instant, the old street is still there, and the stars shine as they always did. But are the brothers from those days still the same? A man remains a boy until the day he dies! Just like youthful passion, it may cool, but it never dies! 982Reads7.2Score10214d adds
- 29 The New Jia Dai: A Storm Returns 新版加代之风云再现 The Dragon-Teng overlord of the jianghu kicks his way through 49 cities and punches his way through the Six Fan Gate. With a powerful physique, he stands alone against Japan’s Yamaguchi-gumi. A righteous big brother in the jianghu and the boss of his gang. Next, Xiaoji will bring you a grand spectacle, so stay tuned. 3kReads6.5Score10014d adds
- 30 Bloodsoaked Underworld: Gangland Storm 浴血江湖之黑道风云 By a stroke of fate, Wang Tian embarked on an extraordinary path: the road of the underworld! An older brother who was like a father and mentor, and five brothers who would share life and death with him. He has been gravely wounded and left on the brink of death, and he has also enjoyed immense wealth and a life of extravagance! This is the story of an ordinary man’s hard-won rise, a cry of defiance from those at the bottom! Wang Tian is determined to create a legendary life! P.S. Wang Tian and 18Reads—Score10614d adds
- 31 A Disciple of the Generation 一代门徒 In the 2000s, we entered a new century. Tower after tower rose from the ground, and people moved from a simple, kindhearted world to one filled with complicated struggles of human nature. The times changed and taught us so much, so very much. We also lost so much, so very much... 109Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 Zhou Bufan’s Road to a Triumphant Rise in the Underworld 周不凡的黑道逆袭路 [No dogs are harmed in this book.] [This book is based on real events. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.] A hopeless case? A pushover anyone can pick on? When Zhou Bufan, once trampled underfoot, enters the chaotic North City covered in scars, all he wants is to keep his head down. But in this wretched world, even staying alive is too much to hope for! When fists rain down on him again, when his dignity is crushed once more, he can’t take it anymore. He won’t take it anymore! “Either live —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 33 I Dabbled in the Underworld and Accidentally Reached the Top 黑道玩票，不小心混到了巅峰 (Underworld + passion + brotherhood) You want to force me to the top of the underworld? Then I’ll give you exactly what you want! I’ve weathered bloody storms! Walked through a hail of bullets! Been betrayed by brothers! Faced life and death with indifference! Endured every vicious scheme! I, Wang Dongsheng, will tear through the darkness and shatter every plot! I’ll lead my brothers to rise on this blood-soaked road! I only ever wanted to be a nobody, but you forced me to become a hyena bristli 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 34 The Black Son of Heaven 黑天子 [Realistic Underworld + Everyone Is Smart + First-Person] An unconventional workplace in a bygone era, where people deal in social connections as well as bloodshed. This “workplace” is hidden behind two veils. One is called the world beyond the law, and the other is called the underworld. My name is Chen Chunsheng, a survivor who experienced both worlds firsthand. 30Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 35 The Actor and the Pawn 戏子与棋子 Passion, the martial world, ambition, the line between black and white: these were all words that once seemed far removed from my life. A chance confrontation pushed an ordinary student like me to a crossroads. Life is like a vast chessboard, with everyone playing a different role. This is my story, and it could be yours, or theirs... 4Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 36 Bloodstained Memories 血染的往事 (This story is entirely fictional. The places, people, events, and everything else in it are not real.) In the early 1990s, on a silent winter night, two muffled gunshots rang out beneath the darkness over an old neighborhood. A five-shot hunting rifle with a sawed-off barrel brought more than a scene of underworld vendetta. It also laid bare a hidden storm of bloodshed. Some say he was a loyal and righteous brother. Some say he was an ambitious kingpin. Others say he was a vicious monster, crue 36Reads7.5Score—14d adds
- 37 Wolf Hunt 狼狩 Lin Qiwen watches his honest, hardworking parents get beaten right before his eyes. As a boy, he’s falsely accused and sent to juvenile detention. Five years later, he walks out and stirs up the underworld. Revenge is only the beginning. He wants far more than that. Watch Lin Qiwen climb step by step to the very peak of power! 610Reads6.6Score10214d adds
- 38 The Dragon City Kingpin 龙城枭雄 At the end of the last century, Longcheng was a haven for countless criminal gangs, and most of its people were driven onto a path of no return... In that era of flashing blades and bloody battles, a man named Yao Chutian unleashed a storm of bloodshed and chaos. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 The Road of No Return 明知不归路 [A passionate story + decisive and ruthless action + unexpected twists + brotherhood] A group of children driven to the brink by evil forces are brought together by the King of Assassins. They endure hellish training every day, all so they can rise to the top and wipe out their enemies! They've lost their youth and their families. All they have left is a heart full of rage! The heavens cannot contain the myriad paths of the Dao, My fate is mine to control, not Heaven's! 485Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 40 Big Brother Jiadai 大哥加代 A big brother hailed as the King of Shenzhen, he was also a top underworld boss who could make waves in the capital. Loyal and righteous, he was always willing to help brothers in need and made friends far and wide. He also won the hearts of the big brothers who followed him. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 After Prison, I Became the King of the Underworld 出狱后，我成了地下王者 One accidental assault completely turned the wheel of my fate! By the time I returned from prison, a path to kingship lay before me! It seemed to have been waiting for me all along, awaiting my awakening! I set out on the journey to the very top... 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 Reckless Youth: No Way Back from the Jianghu 放肆青春之江湖不归路 My name is Wang Hao. Because I was a coward, I transferred to Chenghua, where I met five brothers who shared my hardships and stood by me through thick and thin! We went from being bullied to ruling the school, going through so much and making so many sacrifices together. With one foot still at school and the other already stepping into the underworld, what happens in the end? Let me tell you the story! P.S. The story is set around 2006, and all the major characters are adults. (The ages, educat 509Reads—Score—14d adds
- 43 The Jianghu of Those Years 那些年的江湖 Quiet! Class is about to begin!!! At Uncle Two's shout, the hall and the streets packed with people fell completely silent. Just then, the young crowd parted, making way without being told. Wen Hua walked through, hearing his brothers call out to him as he passed. “Brother Hua!” “Greetings, Brother Hua.” 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 Black Owl, White World 黑枭白界 Are they loyal and righteous, or consumed by greed? Using a raw, down-to-earth style, this novel portrays the many faces of life among another group of people in the real world. Are they driven to desperation, or risking everything? How will the men who walk the edge tell their stories? Betrayal and being betrayed, killing and being killed: step into the criminal underworld of the late twentieth century, into the hell behind the sunshine. Perhaps they are far removed from you and me. Perhaps the 35Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 45 My Years as a Delinquent 我当不良的那些年 The year I began to remember things, my parents left for reasons unknown. The moment I stepped into Seventh High, the story began, and a legend unfolded. There is no tree that reaches the heavens. Everything has something that can bring it down… 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 The King of Soldiers’ Underworld Life 兵王的黑道生涯 China's strongest soldier is unexpectedly ordered hunted down by his own grandfather. Returning to the city with a top-secret plan, he infiltrates the underworld and changes its dark rules outright. He and the heroine weather the rise and fall of their families together, and he ultimately becomes a devoted wife-adorer. One heroine only! The first half is a cerebral, high-stakes thrill, while the second is wonderfully sweet as he spoils his wife. 1.6kReads7.8Score16614d adds
- 47 Hellwolf 地狱战狼 Ye Fei has one top-secret mission: unite the underworld! How will Ye Fei go from a discharged soldier to leading a group of trusted followers and climbing to the top of the underworld, step by step? There is a world of crime, and there is a world of law. If Ye Fei unites the underworld, will he upset the balance of the world as it is now? Will he threaten the interests of certain people? The world isn't simply black or white. There is white in the black, and black in the white! Watch Ye Fei face 340Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 48 Hong Kong Films: The Police Academy Rejected Me, So I Became a Crime Lord 港片：警校不要，我成了黑道巨擘 [Invincible] [Feel-good power fantasy] [Hong Kong Crossover] [Villain] Transmigrated into Chen Yongren. Kicked out of the police academy from the start. Faced with Huang Zhicheng's brainwashing. Chen Yongren declared, “To hell with your three years, then another three years!” Just then, the transmigration delivery arrived. [Ding! Please choose your side.] [The straight-and-narrow path] or [The underworld] 741Reads6.3Score10314d adds
- 49 Heir to the Underworld: Xia Yu of Tianmen 黑道继承者之天门夏宇 Xia Yu, originally named Li Tian, is 18 and a member of Tianmen, a gang company in Haizhou. After offending someone he should never have crossed, he is forced to flee to a special school in Nanwu under his new identity, Xia Yu, accompanied by two loyal underlings. But this school is an educational institution in name only: in reality, it is a training ground where Nanwu’s four major gangs groom their successors, and the gangs’ junior leaders vie for power behind the scenes. Reborn with the hard- 1.1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 50 Black and White Rule: Overseas Storms 2 黑白为王2海外风云 (No brainless antics + Urban + Underworld + Passionate + Brotherhood + No Harem + Faux-Realism + Feel-Good Power Fantasy + Overseas Gang Life) The official sequel to the hard-hitting, realistic underworld epic Three Fingers! Black and White Rule 2: Overseas Storm is now underway! Leaving the underworld of their homeland behind, they set foot on unfamiliar foreign soil. Beneath the surface, the Mekong River region seethes with undercurrents, while cross-border forces from Hong Kong and Macau are 19Reads—Score10714d adds
