Of Arms and Arcane - Chapter 213

The Peng Society for Gentlemen — a secret friend-making club for the homosexual men of the Great Xia Dynasty. Its services were designed to help its members along in their quest for their lifelong partners. Upon paying a monthly fee of fifty coins, members could get themselves listed in The Pengornisseur after providing a self-portrait, a mailing address, their age and hobbies, as well as a self-introduction. All members would receive a copy of the monthly publication, and they could communicate with one another in private using the information in The Pengornisseur.

Wu Xingzi, a bachelor about to turn forty, worked as the adviser to the magistrate in Qingcheng County.

Qingcheng County was a place with barely any resources. In other words, it was poor. In the list of counties of the Great Xia Dynasty, it had been ranked at the bottom for the past two hundred years.

Wu Xingzi felt that his life was hopeless: not only was he a homosexual, he was also a virgin. Even his retirement fund was lacking. Worse still, his looks were… forgettable.

He might as well die.

Hence, Wu Xingzi decided to commit suicide on his fortieth birthday. However, he was unwilling to remain a virgin to death! And so, gritting his teeth, he joined the Peng Society for Gentlemen and received The Pengornisseur. It was very painful; after all, fifty coins were the sum of his daily expenditure for ten days! He would only pay it once, and he was determined to succeed on his first try.

A wicked mother one day brought home a girl. The child was the hidden legitimate daughter of the duke, the heroine of [The Duke’s House Has Three Sons and One Daughter] Loretta. I was Melody, the villainous girl who tormented her and was condemned along with my mother. Not wanting to die like that, I decided to start treating her well now. I personally fed Loretta, put her to bed, and played with her. And then her reaction was…? “I want Melody to marry me!” Caught off guard by her endless affection, I too ended up entering the duke’s family, “I’ll stick right by Miss Melody’s side.” And there, it seems I’ve met a young lord who’s an even bigger ‘Melody fool’? All I did was be kind to survive, but why am I being loved…?!

Enemies To Lovers+ Unfiltered Smut + Billionaire Romance + Strong Female Lead.From this:“I’ve slept with every woman in this house. What will it take to get that divorce, Brianna? Do I have to go after your mother next?”To this:“I don’t want anyone if it’s not you, my dear wife.”Brianna thought her nightmare was finally over the night she made her abusive, cheating husband fall to his death.But when he woke up in the hospital, smiling at her with tender eyes and calling her “the most beautiful woman he’s ever met”… she knew something was terribly wrong.This wasn’t the man who humiliated her, mocked her, and destroyed her name.Now, her deadbeat husband has become a possessive, seductive, and obsessed doting stranger—one who claims he’ll cherish her forever.[Excerpt]“Wife, your hands are dirty now. Go wash them. I don't want his scent on you.”That seemed like a good enough excuse to regain her senses with the timeout. Brianna sighed, already turning to limp, but the grip from the bed suddenly became firmer.She tugged further, but to no avail. Sighing, “Lucian, let go. I need to go to the restroom. I need a moment to... to process this.”She tugged her slender wrist again, against his hold, but his fingers were a collar of iron. He didn't even look at the door. His dark, fixated eyes were locked onto the palm Marcus Thorne had just grabbed.Lucian's voice was heavy with the haze of the concussion and a terrifying, sudden possessiveness. “No. I don't want you out of my sight. Someone else might... hold your hands again.”“I am going five feet away. I'm not a child, and I'm certainly not a prisoner. Now, let go so I can get this… this man's sweat off my skin.”“I'll do it,” Lucian muttered.However, before Brianna could ask how, he pulled her hand toward his face. Her eyes widened as she realized his intent.“What are you doing, Lucian? Don't you dare—Don't you dare lick my hand!”Brianna flinched violently, dragging her body backward until she was nearly doubled over the edge of the bed, but he was immovable. His concussed brain had simplified the world: Stranger touched Wife. Stranger's scent must be replaced by mine.“Stay still, wife. It'll be quick.”“What kind of animal are you—! Lucian, stop! This is unhygienic! It's… it's psychotic!” Brianna turned desperately towards the corner where Marcus Thorne was still standing paralyzed by the sight!“Marcus! Well, don't just stand there! Do something! Help me!”Meanwhile, Marcus Thorne looked like he wanted to jump out of the window! He was watching the President of Better Health, the most powerful man in the city, bring his wife's hand to his mouth with the raw intent of a wolf.Marcus stammered, his hands shaking as he took a frantic step toward the door. “I-I think I'll just... I'll leave the couple to their... their private recovery. Yes. Intimate recovery.”“Marcus! Get back here!” Brianna cried out with wide eyes of disbelief.But Marcus refused to look back. He gestured vaguely with a trembling hand, looking as though he'd just witnessed a ritual he wasn't meant to survive, and ran into the hallway. The door clicked shut with a finality that sounded like a prison cell locking.Brianna stared at the wooden door, her mouth agape. “You coward! You—”“Wife, I told you. Stay still.”...From deadbeat to doting, her husband has changed overnight. But if he isn’t the man she married, then something is wrong with her husband!A/N: If you are looking for a story with a cold-blooded yet possessive CEO, a genius female lead who takes matters into her own hands, and a 'he falls first but she falls harder' dynamic with a twist,then this book is for you!This book is participating in the WSA 2026!If you enjoyed the first few chapters, please support me by adding this to your Library, leaving a Review, and voting with your Power Stones and Golden Tickets! Gifts are appreciated too! Your support helps this “Goddess” climb the ranks!

Chen Miao transmigrated to a supernatural world, where everyone had their own profession, such as “Student”, “Fighter”, “Thief”, and so on.After much contemplation, he activated the “Gunslinger” profession.From then on!While the foreign races brandished their claws to invade, and others tirelessly trained their physical fitness and learned skills.Chen Miao silently ventured into secret realms to collect all sorts of materials, crafting Occupation Exclusive weapons like the “Thompson Submachine Gun,” “Falling Blossom Sniper Rifle,” “Inferno Gatling,” “Matrix Sky-Eye Cannon,” and so on....One day, people suddenly noticed that a very unfamiliar Supernatural Occupation had appeared on the city's Combat Power rankings.And in the crowd.Chen Miao, bare-chested under a black suit jacket with sunglasses on and a cigar in his mouth, held two Inferno Gatlings in his hands, looking up slightly at a group of scoundrels in front of him with the corners of his mouth turned up.“Don't wait for me to stuff the gun barrel in your mouth before you admit you were wrong.”