MTL - Part-Time Taoist Priest - Chapter 3 a little aura

As a naive teenager, he was unaware of his own superiority.Shang Xiaojie realized the violent man who had tricked him into a hotel was actually his brother-in-law.He struggled and tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, “Let me go, you idiotic beast!”“I may be foolish, but a beast? Can’t you at least admit to that?” he asked.After drugging Shang Xiaojie, he callously taunted, “You’re just a male prostitute who comes running whenever I snap my fingers. You’re nothing, Shang Xiaojie.”Devastated, Shang Xiaojie swore, “Mussaf, I hate you and I’ll make you regret this.”Upon his return five years later, he was accompanied by a young boy.Shang Mingming asked, “Is that man my father?”Shang Xiaojie responded coldly, “No, I don’t know someone like him.”Furious, Mussaf demanded, “Where are you taking my son?”Shang Xiaojie grinned and replied nonchalantly, “I’m getting married to another man. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

I got drunk during the Annual Alpha Conference and accidentally slept with Anton, the Alpha of the rivaling clan!I managed to sneak out of the hotel so that I wouldn’t embarrass the pack. I told no one other than my younger sister, although I did not mention who he was.The present: Three weeks later, I reached adulthood and was about to take over as the pack’s Alpha. I would be transforming for the first time at eighteen, awakening my inner wolf as everyone watched. I was on my knees, using all my strength to transform… But nothing happened. Had I failed?Not resigned to my fate, I tried again. But that was when my heart hurt as if someone was grabbing it and my belly heated up as the rest of my body screamed in pain… I drop to the floor, unconscious.When I woke up, the first words I heard were from the doctor.“She’s pregnant…”In our world, any werewolf pregnant with children not belonging to their mates were treated as pariahs, oppressed by one and all. I did not dare to look up at my parents, who would obviously be disappointed.“Baby,” said my mother. “Just get an abortion, and we’ll continue the ceremony. You are still the Alpha of our pack.“Ellie,” said my father. “If you don’t get an abortion, you will never be my daughter ever again.As much as I loved my family, I was the only one my child could count on. That was why I decided to leave home.Thankfully, my younger sister managed to get Anton’s number, but the only thing he said over the phone was, “It’s been so long. I can’t remember what really happened.”So, from now on, I would be a single parent to my child! I swore to give him the good life and to help all pariah wolves find a place to settle!Years passed, and Anton was almost thirty. With his father’s insistence, Anton finally found himself a mate… But who could explain why she was so disgusted with him?

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Annabelle Asra:“Wait!” He commanded, hope surged within me. Maybe he will change his mind, but his expression turned icy, and my heart sank as I understood he had no intention of doing so.“I will never allow you to live a normal life, even if the Crimson Moon has shown you mercy, Annabelle. I will make your existence a living nightmare for what you did to my sister.”As I pondered his plans for me once I was no longer part of his tribe, he seized my throat, and his fangs pierced my neck. The pain was unbearable as he marked me. The agony I endured was nothing compared to the torment his mark would bring.Anger, resentment, and bitterness consumed me. A mark typically signifies acceptance and protection, but in my case, it signified the opposite.Betrayed by the Alpha's fiancée, Kari, I was sentenced to death but spared by the Crimson Moon, only to be exiled and marked by my ruthless Alpha, Zachary Ziglar.After surviving and joining a new pack, I discovered I was pregnant without remembering who I had been with. But why did my pup bear a striking resemblance to my tormentor?