The Venerable Swordsman - Chapter 17 - A Great Sword Cultivator!

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Zephyr Ashbourne has been a mage for two months. Following one eventful night where he accidentally made a pact with a werewolf deity, he's left with the ability to use magic - much to the dismay of his vampire ex-girlfriend who'd been seeking magic for herself. Now Zephyr is attending a small and selective university for mages half way across the world, the Midnight Court. Though quickly, he learns this new power comes with new problems. His ex-girlfriend, for one, wasn't thrilled when he skipped town without a word. And too, his new dueling partner, Aries de la Fel, seems to find new ways to push his buttons on the daily.A novelization of a playthrough of Covens of Midnight - a slice-of-life, magic school, enemies-to-lovers RPG.

“Any who don the title of 'king' or anything of the sort in my presence is nothing more than an ignorant fool. This is my land and I shall be reclaiming it soon. I am Cacophony, the Vampire Empress!”As those words left her lips, every cell in my body reacted. It was unreal—no, it was otherworldly. Her beauty, her power, and her overwhelming arrogance. It might've been then that I realized that my normal life had ended.How did it come to this?Ah, it was curiosity. Yes, a deathly curiosity brought me to that graveyard that day.It was there that I stumbled upon her coffin. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing then, and even now I have no idea what possessed me to touch it—that single moment changed the course of history for the entire world. I found myself delving into a completely unknown world.Should I regret it? Maybe. But the truth is, I don't.Exploring the world’s hidden secrets, forging unexpected bonds, and living alongside the revived empress—it’s exciting.“Even if it's wrong, I think I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.”

Qiao Xuan, daughter of a county magistrate, supposedly had a fiance that everyone envied. But then her father’s legal wife schemed against her, and married her into a farmer’s family. On the night of her wedding, after seeing how shabby her room was, Qiao Xuan hung herself. When she opened her eyes again, a different Qiao Xuan had transmigrated onto this body.

The new Qiao Xuan stared at her husband and frowned after seeing how shabby the house looked. “Don’t worry. I know that you didn’t want to marry me, so I won’t touch you. I’ll apply for a divorce tomorrow and give you back your freedom.” But wait, Qiao Xuan hadn’t figured out what was going on yet! She couldn’t get a divorce, or else her father’s legal wife wouldn’t forgive her. Also, she was a woman of a different world and possessed special powers. Couldn’t she just build a business from here?

So it was decided. Qiao Xuan began assisting her husband and slapped the faces of all who wronged them. They kept leveling up, and went from being a poor farmer’s family to becoming the richest family in the area. Those who bullied her regretted their actions, and her husband had regrets too. “I never said I wanted to divorce you.” Qiao Xuan was perplexed when he was pressing her down on the bed. Why did he suddenly decide against getting a divorce?