The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire) - Chapter 258

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Today, I am a substitute for your fiancee. Tomorrow, I’ll become your sister-in-law!

Mu Mingtang is the substitute of the male lead’s first love. After she lost her family, she was adopted by the Jiang family and eventually became engaged to the male lead, the Prince of Jin.

Understanding very well that she was only a substitute, she removed her claws and fangs and turned herself into an imitation of the Prince of Jin’s first love. She couldn’t speak or laugh as she wished, she was prepared to live in the shadow of another woman for her entire life… until one day, the real Miss Jiang returned.

The real Miss Jiang was reborn. When she learned that she was the male love’s first love, she immediately returned to fight for her engagement and identity.

In order to please his first love, the Prince of Jin gave the substitute to the Prince of Qiyang, who had become a dying madman. She was just a low-quality fake, anyway. If she dared to anger his first love, he would turn her into a childless and powerless widow for the rest of her life.

Mu Mingtang, the target of their mockery, finally snapped: Okay, since you gave me to another man, I’ll make you bow and call me sister-in-law!

However, none of them expected the Prince of Qiyang, the God of War, to actually wake up!

—

Xie Xuanchen is the son of the late emperor. The whole world once trembled beneath his feet, but one day, for a reason unknown to even Xie Xuanchen himself, his nature suddenly changed. He became cruel and bloodthirsty, leaving his father with no choice but to pass the throne to his uncle.

Eventually, Xie Xuanchen was unable to resist the illness and fell into a coma.

When he woke up again, there was a beauty standing before his bed, looking at him in surprise. Then, for the sake of his domineering little princess, he revived his name as the God of War, reclaimed the throne, and united the world.

I once captured the world to satisfy my own ambition. Now, you are the reason for my ambition.

After reviving unexpectedly, the concubine’s daughter was no longer a coward like before, but a hard nut.

Flamed her up and bullied her?

Come on!

She came from the 21st century! How could she willingly embrace such destiny?

“Since you ask for it, see how I will torture you!”

She punished the scums and struggled against bad minions!

See how the concubine’s daughter Dong Ling would stand up and master her own fate!

- Description from Novelupdates

Religious and cultural schisms wreak havoc on its internal politics, while revolutions are brewing in neighboring kingdoms. The aristocratic houses play endless power games amongst themselves, and the Emperor desperately abuses what little influence he has left to keep his rivals down.Amidst all of this, Arnold von Hohenfels, first son of the Margrave of Hohenfels, finds himself in the unfortunate position of having to attend the Imperial Academy, a notorious battleground of wits and brawn for ambitious young nobles.Armed with a magical gift that is as much a blessing as it is a curse, he must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of aristocratic entanglements. In the name of his family’s ambition, he must represent House Hohenfels' interests in this microcosm of Imperial politics, deal with his formidable enemies, form alliances of his own, and somehow keep his brash cousin Friedrich out of trouble.Frankly, he would much rather be anywhere else.