Phoenix's Requiem - Chapter 374: Entering the Dueling Arena

This novel is also known as Endless Bloodstone / Infinite Bloodcore

In the dark night there is no light, save for the sound of war drums and rally cries. The young man listens carefully, it is his heartbeat and the flow of his own blood.

What hides in the darkness ahead? Is it man, god or… a monster?

There is no such thing as the best road. However, the journey beneath one’s feet is unbounded!

- Description from Novelupdates

He was the cold-blooded prince of the Jin country. Decisive and smart, he had looked down on the world with apathy and disdain.

She was his Wang fei, a person who had saved him in the past, but even he wouldn’t look at her.

When the fire raged and death claimed her, it was only then that she realized her existence was nothing but a joke from the beginning.

She opened her eyes once more after spending two years as a roaming, vengeful ghost. In this lifetime, Ye Zhen promises that she will be a different person. With a slight smile, she will ruthlessly trample on those who had schemed against her and lied until her demise!

Most importantly, she would let him experience the pain of an unrequited love; the bitterness of seeking something you cannot obtain!

- Description from Novelupdates

Tang Qiu was a substitute bride–forced to take her half-sister’s place and marry the young master of the Jiang family, a deformed cripple with less than 6 months left to live.

“Who would have thought that even a sickly whelp like Jiang Shaocheng would find himself a bride?”

“I hear that he’s practically on his deathbed and he’s only marrying the Fengs’ daughter to improve his lifespan.”

Tang Qiu ignored the whispers around her and focused on her husband-to-be, who coughed violently in his wheelchair. At the altar, after they had said their vows, she lifted her veil and knelt in front of Jiang Shaocheng, pressing a hesitant kiss to his lips.

The marriage contract was signed. No matter his physical deformities, he was now her husband.

She wasn’t afraid of the scars that marked his face, nor was she repulsed by him being confined to a wheelchair. Every morning, she made him breakfast, attended to his needs, and thought of little else beyond her duties as a wife.

“Young Master Jiang is a cripple who can’t get it up,” her best friend argued. “When he dies, you’ll still be untouched. You should set your sights higher.”

“A sickly invalid like Jiang Shaocheng can’t give you happiness,” her ex-boyfriend insisted. “I’ll wait for you.”

But Young Master Jiang only scoffed. “I have plenty of time left to be with her.”

Later in their marriage, Jiang Shaocheng wanted to enjoy his little wife in all ways–the press of her lips against his, the brush of skin on skin; the way a husband and wife were supposed to. But Tang Qiu refused him, blushing. “No, we can’t. The doctor says you can’t exert yourself.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s desire was surging through him, a heat in his core that demanded to be satiated. He cursed, I should have gotten rid of that doctor and the wheelchair long ago.

But he yearned to make love to his little wife, and so he revealed his true identity. In the blink of an eye, the deformed cripple transformed into a powerful businessman–tall, dark, and handsome. He quieted Tang Qiu’s protests, his body positioned over hers, his arms caging her as she lay on the bed. His voice was low when he asked, “What about now?”

“I DO” → “I DIE.”Hours after marrying her longtime crush—icy CEO Nathan Jang—heiress Vanessa Belmont is stabbed, kidnapped, and left to bleed out in a wrecked car. The final insult? Watching Nathan rescue his precious childhood sweetheart (*cough* Vanessa’s killer *cough*) instead of his actual wife. So yeah. Worst. Wedding. Night. EVER.FATE REWINDSReborn six months before her murder, Vanessa upgrades her life with new rules:* Ditch the doormat era. (Badass mode: activated.)* Live for herself. (And okay, fine—revenge.)* Avoid Nathan like he’s the reason she died. (Oh, wait…)TOO BAD NATHAN 2.0 IS OBSESSEDNow he’s everywhere—lingering touches, midnight texts, and panty-melting kisses. Not to mention his hungry gaze—like she’s an all-you-can-eat buffet and he's starving.VANESSA'S SECOND CHANCE PLAN1. Don’t die. (Again.)2. Don’t fall for Nathan. (Too late.)3. Eat more carbs. (Donuts!)As for Nathan? She’ll forgive him when hell freezes over. Or when he takes off his shirt. Whichever comes first.***|***|***|***|***ASH CITY BILLIONAIRESLove is the ultimate power play.***|***|***|***|***