Novels like A Ballad of Jianghu
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Ballad of Jianghu, best match first.
- 101 The Knockout: From the Start, I Blackmailed Gao Qilan 人在狂飙，开局讹上高启兰 [Multiple heroines, no main pairing]+ [Dark to the very end]+ [Decisive and ruthless]+ [No saintly do-gooder] Transmigrate into a world of films and TV dramas, become Xu Lei, Xu Jiang's son, and bind to the Unlimited Arrogance System. From the start, obtain an epic exclusive team of loyal dead soldiers: Tian Yangsheng, A Ji, A Bu, Leng Feng, and Luo Tianhong. Friendly interactions with characters from the story earn generous rewards. Gao Qilan: “As long as you can keep the Gao family safe, I'll —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 Reborn: Forcing My Underworld Boss Dad to Go Straight! 重生：逼着黑道老爸金盆洗手！ [Reborn] [Underworld] [Turning over a new leaf] [Leaving the life behind] In his previous life, Qin Ye and Qin Su were the top leaders of the Fierce Dragon Gang. They had done so much evil that they were executed by firing squad. When Qin Ye opens his eyes again, he has returned to twenty years earlier. In this life, the Fierce Dragon Gang, led by Qin Su, has only just started down the path of organized crime. Everything can still be put right! Qin Su: “Son, we’re already this rich. It’d be a wa 441Reads7.5Score10914d adds
- 103 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—14d adds
- 104 The Pinnacle of Nowhere 1 无人之巅1 I went into the underworld because I didn’t want to be bullied... I stepped into the darkness so I’d never have to turn my back on it again. I cast aside my conscience and sharpened my claws, trampling underfoot each person who had once humiliated me. 240Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 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... 116Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 The Golden Age of the Gangland: A Blood-Red Underworld 黑帮盛世：血色江湖 (Not a mindless power fantasy. Underworld, urban setting, no invincible hero, first person, tight logic, humorous writing. Read with caution if that’s not your thing!) A cursed, tragic fate. A life in the underworld that cannot be escaped. A band of brothers who stand together through life and death, and a dark life longing for redemption. You’ve never endured years of hardship, so of course you can’t understand the underworld in my heart. My story begins after I get out of prison in Ice Cit 112.1kReads9.3Score8.3k14d adds
- 107 The Youth of Two Generations 两代人的青春 My name is Li Sunan, and I'm a complete... bastard. Please take a moment, settle in, and let me tell you the whole story. From my godfather, Li Zhen, to my second uncle, Cui Lijun, and then to my own dark life. From 1990 to 2020. Thirty tumultuous years in a small city in Northeast China. One act ends, and another begins. Two generations rise and fall, knowing both glory and disgrace. There are no all-powerful crime bosses here. Just a bunch of little people struggling at the bottom... The road 2.3kReads6.9Score10814d adds
- 108 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 4.1kReads9.0Score29214d adds
- 109 Tiger Husband 虎夫 [Born to be somebody, just going through a rough patch for now!!!] 4.4kReads8.8Score37814d adds
- 110 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 4.4kReads8.7Score28314d adds
- 111 This Godfather Isn’t Proper 这个教父不正经 [Underworld epic] [Dark, forbidden mother-daughter angels] [Love for a widow] [A failed life: the rise of a dragon and an elephant] This is a lament for everything lost. His birth mother abandons him, and he is crowned the voice of the underworld. He takes the blame for the woman he loves and goes to prison, only for her to become a British princess he can admire on the news. He alone falls from a street vendor selling candied hawthorn skewers to a prisoner locked away from the light of day. Th 1.5kReads9.1Score15614d adds
- 112 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. 10.9kReads8.1Score60814d adds
- 113 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 167.7kReads8.7Score9.2k14d adds
- 114 My Years in the Gang 我混社团那些年 The internet’s most authentic account of Hong Kong’s criminal gangs in the 1960s: Kowloon Walled City, the Four Great Detectives, the four major gang families, the Eighteen Tigers of Kowloon, the Twelve Beauties of Mong Kok, and the rise of influential bosses such as Crippled Ho and Fatty Kun, all revealed one by one! This story is adapted from the oral account of a senior member of a Hong Kong and Macau gang. As he is now over eighty, I recorded and adapted his story myself! For special reasons 20.3kReads9.1Score2k14d adds
- 115 Bloodshed Behind Bars 越狱喋血 A desperate revenge sparked by a dream. To save his younger siblings, protagonist Chen Jianan resolutely breaks out of prison and becomes a shadow of vengeance, mercilessly pursuing those who harmed his family. Meanwhile, police captain Bai Kai leads his team in hot pursuit, balancing law against justice. Family bonds, the law, and justice collide, igniting a thrilling journey of love, hatred, redemption, and sacrifice. This is not merely a life-or-death chase, but also a fierce struggle between 2.1kReads7.3Score16014d adds
- 116 The Bloody Underworld: Thirty Years of Organized Crime in North China 血色江湖：华北黑道三十年 [Underworld + First Person + Period Setting] What is the underworld? It’s a place where even if you win in the end, you still feel like you’ve lost. No matter how much you gain, it can never make up for what you’ve lost. My name is Jiang Qiyao. I witnessed thirty years of the underworld’s rise and fall across North China, watching one boss after another rise to power, then fall. After thirty years in that world, I can’t call myself a good person, but at least I haven’t become completely rotten. 3kReads6.7Score13314d adds
- 117 Day One of College: I Start Running with the Underworld! 大学第一天，从混黑道开始！ A powerful underworld boss is reborn as a college student. With the System’s help, he rises once more to the pinnacle of the underworld. [Feel-Good Revenge + Urban + Underworld + Boss + School] Starting out as a college student, the male lead Lin Ao works his way to the top of the underworld, dominating both the criminal and legitimate worlds. He has powerful backing and influence that reaches everywhere. Dear readers, please be patient as you read. The story starts off ordinary, but the excitin 902Reads6.9Score10214d adds
- 118 The Fire of Our Youthful Years 那些年我们青春的锋芒 To everyone else, he was an honest man and a spineless loser. His middle school years were a living hell, until one day, a friend his age from the neighboring family transferred back from a school out of town and came to his defense with a commanding presence. The boy, Wu Feng, took the baton handed to him and strode ahead, rising from a meek, honest kid into a powerful figure who radiated authority and revealed his sharp edge. 28Reads—Score214d adds
- 119 I’m No Punk: Three of Us Together 我不是小混混之三人行 Determined not to become a thug, he knows that those who walk different paths cannot work together. Brotherhood, and the revival of the Eight Gates of the underworld. Is a sinister force behind it all, or is something far worse on the horizon...? 323Reads—Score1914d adds
- 120 I'm No Little Punk: The Shorties' Hero Squad 我不是小混混之矮子英雄队 I'm determined not to become a hoodlum. Even a short person can stand tall. Not every hero is tall, but every passionate heart deserves to be seen. I won't go along with the ways of the world. I'll walk my own path through the jianghu. The road is long, so may we meet again at the summit... 77Reads—Score—14d adds
- 121 After My Sister-in-Law Tricked Me into Going to Northern Myanmar, I Found a Way to Survive 被嫂子骗进缅北后，我绝处逢生 806Reads8.7Score10314d adds
- 122 The Butcher Who Walked Out of Prison 从监狱中走出的人屠 Being part of the underworld isn’t about fighting and killing. It’s about dealing with people. Su Bai had no connections, no powerful backers, and had just spent ten years in prison. After his release, he was penniless, so his older brother found him a job as a computer lab attendant. Watch him turn his life around and make his way in both the underworld and the legitimate world. In the underworld, he’s a big shot with people ready to answer his call. In the legitimate world, he has powerful fri 28.4kReads8.5Score2.3k14d adds
- 123 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 51.3kReads9.4Score5.6k14d adds
- 124 Godfather of the Underworld: Planting My Flag in Mong Kok 黑道教父：从旺角插旗开始 Hong Kong is in turmoil, and crime lords rise on every side! Chen Kun is a low-ranking 49er in the 14K triad, with no power or influence. But he's both clever and brave, fearless, and full of brotherly loyalty. With the New World and Wo Shing Wo watching him like tigers, and the ruthless, bloodthirsty Big Circle Gang closing in, he's caught in the maelstrom of a chaotic era. His only way to survive is to risk his life. He rises through bloody underworld battles and makes a name for himself on th 299Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 125 I'm a Gangster: I Smack an Angel with a Brick from the Start 老子黑社会，开局板砖拍天使 [High Martial] [Gangsters] [System] [Passionate] [Decisive] A century ago, the world changed dramatically. American gods descended, supernatural horrors returned in Sakura Country, and mutants ran rampant in Goryeo. Meanwhile, some people in Long Country gained the chance to awaken. Lin Xiu has a gangster System. He develops his power openly and grows more brazen by the day, smashing angels with bricks and hacking supernatural horrors with cleavers! Before anyone realizes it, a force rivaling an 5kReads7.9Score41814d adds
- 126 I Wandered into the Russian Mafia and Became Their Beloved 误入俄罗斯黑帮后我成了白月光 What happens when a Chinese student studying abroad accidentally wanders into a Russian mob’s lair? How do you turn down a big shot’s advances? How do you get top grades while living the challenging life of an international student? How do you stay true to yourself amid temptation? Here’s a sweet little romance for you. 3.1kReads8.4Score24214d adds
- 127 The Storms of Beicheng 北城风云 Synopsis: (This story is entirely fictional. Its original title was Northern City’s Turmoil.) What is the jianghu? Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu, and wherever there is a jianghu, there is conflict! The jianghu is about fighting, killing, and the law of the jungle, but it’s also about human relationships and social conventions. This book will take you back to the jianghu of the 1980s and 1990s, where you’ll witness the extraordinary path of Chen Yanan, a generation’s ruthless hero 13.1kReads9.4Score1.1k14d adds
- 128 I Am the Legend 我就是传奇 I don’t know when it happened, but a bunch of people like this came into my life, even though I’ve always been cold-hearted and a little shameless. When I got dumped, they’d say, “What’s the big deal? Lost your girl? Find another one tomorrow. If you’re really desperate, I’ll lend you myself for the night!” When I felt lost, they were always there with me in our cramped little rooms, shouting, “We give it everything we’ve got, all so we can make something of ourselves!” ... Back then, I couldn’t 19.6kReads9.3Score2k14d adds
- 129 Number One Under Heaven 天下第一 No money to give you, but you can take my life. I’m the best in the world! Looking at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, Chen Dong slammed a fist into it, his eyes bloodshot. “From today on, no one will ever walk all over you again!” 15.1kReads8.9Score1.2k14d adds
- 130 The Hidden Dragon of the Righteous Path 正道潜龙 One of Wei Jie’s four-part series A shooting case. An undercover agent lies dead in the street. An investigator once swore an oath beneath the solemn national emblem. At a crossroads of fate, a twin brother makes a dramatic entrance, leading to a lonely yet passionate story... Back to 1998! Our brotherhood is still here, our youth is still here. From this point, we set sail once more and forge the next great triumph! 39.3kReads9.5Score4.7k14d adds
- 131 The Charismatic Hero 枭雄 The goddess who looked down on me back then now wants to partner with a company under my name… A golden-scaled carp is no mere pond fish. When its destined moment comes, it transforms into a dragon. I’m going to become a ruthless tycoon and make everyone who looked down on me regret ever crossing me. 596Reads8.5Score10114d adds
- 132 Vulgar Stories II 粗俗故事II Just how forward can a girl be when she takes the initiative? My name is Liu Haojie. My childhood made me the kind of guy who’s no good, with no redeeming qualities to speak of. At least I get along all right with women. They all call me a player, but I just want to sample every flower under heaven and live an outrageous life. 60.7kReads9.4Score3.9k14d adds
- 133 Underworld Saga: My Big Sister in the Capital 黑道风云：我的京城姐姐 [Not for Young Readers] [Hot-Blooded Underworld] [Brutal Underworld Battles] [The Many Faces of Officialdom] [Face-Slapping Comeback] [Clever, Satisfying Read] He began cultivating at nine and went to prison at thirteen. In jail, Chu He mastered an arsenal of extraordinary skills. With nowhere to turn after his release, he headed for the capital and entered the underworld, winning the support of the capital's most captivating women. With ruthless methods, Chu He outmaneuvered every faction. Sta 3kReads7.9Score33014d adds
- 134 King of the Underworld 江湖枭雄 An ordinary-looking confrontation pushes a callow young man to a crossroads in life. Faced with fate’s mockery and the crushing weight of life, he chooses to stand tall and fight back. 31.2kReads9.1Score2.7k14d adds
- 135 The Man Who Reached the Top of the Underworld 黑道触顶之徒 The underworld is shallow waters teeming with big shots. Thousands shout my name: Brother Tian. Xia Tian, a young man from the bottom of society in Northeast China, gets caught up by chance in the feud between two underworld bosses. From then on, he sets out to climb to the top of the criminal world. Benefactors, moles, bandits, desperados… all sorts of characters take the stage, and the action is heart-pounding. Watch as he leads his brothers from small-time nobodies to become the biggest kin 3.7kReads8.8Score25114d adds
- 136 The Bad Guys: The Storm Rises Again 2 坏蛋之风云再起2 [People have names, and trees have shadows. Who is Xie Wendong? Everyone knows.] As the scorching sun slowly sinks away and the half moon hangs high, as neon lights begin to flicker and night descends, what can we use to prove that we exist? 12kReads9.0Score78814d adds
- 137 The Gangster Tycoon Who Rose from the Hutongs 胡同里杀出来的流氓大亨 Previously published under the titles Dragon City Years and Thirty Years in a Bloodstained Underworld. This is a lawless age where every corner is ruled by a big shot. This is the story of a naive young man who turns into a bloodthirsty beast just to survive. This is an underworld tale full of thrills and passion! Welcome to the 1980s… 40.5kReads9.2Score3.8k14d adds
- 138 I Told You to Make Money, Not Kidnap the Mafia Heiress! 让你搞钱，你绑架黑道大小姐？ [Top-Tier Freeloader] [Fantasy Romance] [Japanese] [Love Rival Showdown] [Yandere] What do you do when you’re short on money? Ye Han says there are countless ways to get to Rome. If the honest way won’t work, we’ll take the crooked one. Why not kidnap someone? What if you accidentally kidnap the eldest daughter of the most powerful financial family? Ye Han holds up a fruit-peeling knife and says, “Relax. Dragons have to coil up, and tigers have to lie low. You’re on my turf now, so my rules 12.9kReads7.8Score1.5k14d adds
- 139 The Legend Reborn 传奇重现 The four-part series by Wei Jie: We Were All Bad Kids, I Am Legend, Legend Reborn, and Hidden Dragon on the Right Path. A young man, still green, left his hometown in a fit of anger. Four years later, he returned, weathered and bearing the glory of success! In a city built from reinforced concrete, old friends were gone and legends had faded into retirement... Faced with his family’s reproach and his friends’ disdain, he had once wandered at a crossroads, pointing into the dark sky with his 32.6kReads9.4Score3.2k14d adds
- 140 Destined for a Life in the Underworld from Birth 从出生开始就注定混黑道 No System! No brainless antics! Packed with thrilling, iconic moments from beginning to end! My big brother told me to go to school and protect the campus belle, but I ended up reading her a love letter in front of the whole school? The son of the boss of a rival gang wants to be my underling? A gorgeous, wealthy woman wants me to marry her? It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to run with the gang anymore. I'm surrounded by gorgeous, wealthy women. I really don't want to work hard a 1.2kReads7.2Score—14d adds
- 141 Tales of the Purple Robe 紫衫异闻录 “I taught you martial arts. I didn’t teach you how to be decent people.” [Unconventional strong female lead + urban fantasy + martial arts + supernatural + technology + suspense + romance + political intrigue + a richly detailed world] “The essence of traditional Chinese martial arts is being unable to hear a dog bark.” “Does acting cool not cost you anything?” “I’m grateful you thought so highly of my disciples that you injured them. If I didn’t give you a beating in return, I’d look like I had 444Reads—Score3714d adds
- 142 A Life of Dark Desires 黑欲人生 Keep your hands ruthless, your mind sharp, and your nerve strong. The martial world is a place where people devour one another. Talk about honor and reason? You'll end up without a bone left! [Blood-Soaked Martial World] [Love and Hate] [Powerful Background] [All the Right Ingredients] 16.3kReads8.9Score1.4k14d adds
- 143 Reborn in the Great Heist, the Black Gold Tycoon Strikes Back 重生大劫案，黑金大佬逆袭记 [Urban rebirth + System + underworld boss + ruthless + scheming] A down-and-out middle-aged man unexpectedly reborn 28 years into the past. Caught in a shocking bank heist, he activates the “Black Gold System.” “Go ahead and make more money. It'll all become my fortune sooner or later anyway. Hahaha!” … Notorious bandit Ye Zhihuan: “Who's tougher than me in the underworld? Lin Dong? Never mind, then.” King of Thieves Zhang Ziqiang: “I once stole 1.2 billion from Li, the richest man in the coun 11.1kReads7.9Score53414d adds
- 144 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, 5.8kReads8.8Score38414d adds
- 145 A Young Man's Years in the Jianghu 少年之江湖岁月 The jianghu is a road with no return, a maze, an abyss. Some manipulate events from the shadows, while others struggle for their lives in the mire. Watch who rises above them all, and who comes crashing down. 19.7kReads9.0Score1.4k14d adds
- 146 I'm a Locksmith, and You Want Me to Exorcise Demons and Ferry Souls? 我一个开锁匠，你让我摆妖渡魂？ Guo Cheng is a master locksmith who has never failed. Until one day, he opens a “lock” and unlocks the door to another world. From then on, his clients are no longer limited to people with security doors. They include the demon spirits that wander among the living. He picks locks to “lock” away danger, and ferries spirits so they can depart in peace. In the shadows of the city, demons and ghosts run rampant. Watch as a locksmith uses his skills to forge his own path as a ferryman between the wor 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 The Drifter's Road Home 混子的归途 With my brothers by my side and guns in our hands, let’s see who gets to call the shots in this underworld! I may stay out of the underworld, but once I step in, I’ll make every thug submit and every boss get out of my way. I’ll become the... king of this underworld! New book: Underworld Boss: Starting as a Veteran. Now serializing to great acclaim! 30.1kReads9.2Score2.2k14d adds
- 148 Evil Emperor: Sinful Inferno 邪皇：罪恶无间 [Black X Evil Emperor]+ [Passionate]+ [Reborn Big Shot] Nine death-row prisons across the country. Thirty-six top death-row fighters are selected to dominate the underworld. Reborn in the world of the Evil Emperor, he faces Blood Eagle and fights Lone Dragon. What has he to fear from the life-taking Azure Darkness? The strongest gladiator in the country, Chen Zui is the one and only! 8.5kReads9.1Score50814d adds
- 149 When an Honest Man Picks Up a Knife 当老实人拿起刀 This is a straight-up crime-world novel! It does start with the protagonist being reborn, but after that, the story has nothing to do with being reborn! In short, the plot is ruthless, satisfying, and wild... The underworld here is all about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social rules! 22.4kReads9.1Score1.8k14d adds
- 150 Cast Aside in Desperation: Returning in Glory 绝境弃子：归来荣耀 For ten years he kept his head down, enduring every sneer. The world saw him as a discarded nobody from the bottom rung, lowly as mud and fair game for anyone to bully. But Jiang Mu is the last heir of Jiang City’s most powerful hidden clan, and a dragon-patterned jade pendant conceals an immense force. A hidden dragon in the deep will one day reclaim its place. When he gives the word, armies will gather. Those who oppress me will see their graves overturned; those who have shown me kindness wil 48Reads—Score—14d adds
