The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law - Chapter 32 - Biting Back

Easily cowed and bullied, she was the useless, ugly woman with no talent in medical skills. Supported by millions, he was Tianning’s most respected duke with the power to move all under Heaven. On their wedding day the bridal sedan was carried to the front doors, but the Duke of Qin’s gates were shut tight.

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

In his past life, Ethan Steele was an ordinary man living in a modern world—working a dead-end job, struggling through the monotony of daily life, and haunted by regrets of missed opportunities.At the age of 23, his life came to a sudden, unexpected end in a car accident. As his consciousness faded into darkness, he was sure it was over.But fate had other plans. In the divine realm, the God of Fate watched over the balance of life and death.Ethan's untimely death was a mistake, an anomaly that diverged from the preordained path of his destiny. It wasn't yet his time to die, and so, the god decided to give him another chance.“You were meant for greater things, Ethan Steele,” the god's voice boomed. “To correct this error, I will reincarnate you in another world—one filled with magic, swords, kingdoms, and adventure. You shall be reborn, but you will not remember your past until the appointed time. There is, however, a... complication.”By divine error, the god accidentally bestowed Ethan with the Harem God System without having any idea about it.This system is a powerful, reality-bending system that would allow him to charm and seduce influential women to build his harem, growing in strength and power with each conquest.“Your memories of Earth will return on your seventh birthday. I hope you enjoy your life here in this world”And with that, Ethan's soul was transported to a new world.

Chang’an, Jan. 14th of lunar month, Tianbao Year 3 (744AD), Tang Dynasty.

For residents of Imperial City, what awaits them when the city enjoys its dazzling brilliance and joy of the Lantern Festival is an unexpected catastrophe that’ll destroy all. Tujue (a nationality in the north of ancient China), Wolfpack, kidnapping, assassination, rampant flames that scorch all…start the gear for the doom of and the Longest Day in Chang’an.

And the only hope lies in a one-eyed convict sentenced to death and the fleeting Twelve Hours…Will Chang’an, the city of prosperity, survive the longest day ever or will it burn…