The Sword and The Shadow - Chapter 0 – The Brewing of a Storm

In ancient times, there were seven types of evil thoughts, each of which possessed the power to confuse, and muddle, people’s hearts. Every single person that came into contact with one of the seven, would inevitably undergo a sudden change in personality and temperament, and commit the unforgivable crime of murder.

Determined to rid the world of these seven evil thoughts, Lao Zi forced the seven evil thoughts into seven separate bamboo strips and secured the opening of such bamboo strips with the Phoenix Lock, and, in so doing, finally succeeded in sealing the evil bamboo strips.

But who would have thought, that the evil bamboo strips would, in due course, reappear on the surface of the Earth……

- Description from Novelupdates

Some crowns are forged in blood. Others are drowned beneath it.In a city strangled by smoke and silence, where children are shackled to machines and shadows rule behind gilded masks, Keiran is just another forgotten soul—until the mark appears.Buried beneath the factory’s foundations lies a world long erased from history. Ancient oaths whisper through stone and water, and something older than memory begins to stir. As Keiran is drawn deeper into the abyss, he uncovers a legacy not meant for mortal hands—a crown shattered in defiance, a flood sealed by sacrifice, and a power that demands a price.Hunted by tyrants, haunted by echoes, and bound to secrets he never asked for, Keiran must choose: drown in the tide of what came before, or rise against the current and reclaim what the world was forced to forget.But the deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels…And beneath it all, something still breathes.

Mike’s life used to revolve around two things: his girlfriend and his work.It was a peaceful existence—no drama, just an ordinary but sweet life.But just when he thought it would last forever, everything changed in the blink of an eye. His world was thrown into chaos when he was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, with doctors giving him only three months to live.His girlfriend of three years left him for another man after he refused to give her his savings from the past two years.Mike would rather spend that money on alcohol, temporarily numbing the pain of his impending death, than fund his ex-girlfriend’s new life with her lover.Then, one day, while accidentally eavesdropping on a conversation in a restroom, a spark of hope ignited in his dead heart.Without hesitation, he signed up as a beta tester for a groundbreaking game—one that allowed players to enter other worlds. In each world, his mission was simple: save the heroine, and she could return with him to the real world.The most incredible part? These heroines would continue their lives and even keep their pre-existing occupations!His first world? A realm where the heroine, clad in a white coat, awaited him like a knight in shining armor. She was the first doctor to ever develop a cure for cancer!From world to world, universe to universe, Mike was followed by a growing number of beauties—each one willing to leave everything behind to follow him into his world.

The female protagonist transmigrated into a wretched, lazy, and gluttonous villainess in a farming family!Her notorious reputation, fostered by her overly pampering mother, alienated the entire family. See how Jinhua cleanses her name, becoming diligent, brave, and the applauded golden girl everyone praises.With a wretched mother, a sick father, a stepsister, four brothers, and a bunch of nephews, all dead broke and needing support, poor and infighting, what to do?No worries, with the System in hand, I have the world!Harmonize the family, build wealth and prosper.The belle of the villages for miles around, Jinhua the beauty!……Mountain man, what was it you said before? You'd rather die than marry her, and even one more glance would shorten your life?A certain mountain man: No, no, no, wife, you must have heard wrong! I said I'd rather die than not take another glance, and I'd shorten my lifespan just to marry you.Hmph, that's more like it!!