Qiang Jin Jiu - Chapter 187: Approaching

A broken prince, a shadowy scheme, all that amidst a bloody fight for a throne wrongly succeeded. Join a group of youngsters as they take their first steps into the martial world, towards the grandest adventure of their lives. It all begins in a certain inn, set against verdant mountains and facing a scenic lake.

“Bring us your finest wine and best meat!” Yelled a hulking man who seemed to be the leader of the dozen strong group.

“How much?” The waiter anxiously nodded his head.

“As much as you have!” The hulking man yelled back.

“That’s…”

“HUH?” The hulking man shot the waiter a furious glare.

“Dear guests, our inn operates on the principle of ‘pay first, dishes later’. As such, it will be better if you tell us exactly how much meat and wine you need.” Xiao Se returned their furious stares with a thin smile.

“Who are you supposed to be?” The hulking man eyed him with bulging eyes.

“This humble one is known as Xiao Se, the owner of this inn, the Fallen Snow Villa.” Xiao Se replied with the same smile and with a level of courtesy worth a solid 12/10.

“Well, we have no money.” The hulking man stabbed his blade into one of the nearby tables.

“Oh?”

“But I’m sure you have some!” The man pointed his finger at Xiao Se.

At that, Xiao Se furiously shook his head. “I’m sorry to break it to you but our little inn hasn’t made a single sale in almost a month. I’m about to owe them salaries myself…”

“Like hell if I care!” The hulking man smashed his palm down on the table. “Even if you have no money, that fur coat of yours should at least be worth a hundred odd silvers.”

“NONSENSE!” Yelled Xiao Se, eyes wide open and gaze as sharp as daggers.

The hulking man was stunned, his body even shivering involuntarily for that split second.

“I, Xiao Se, ride only the finest horse and wear only the richest threads! This fur coat of mine was specially sewn by some of the finest seamstresses in the imperial capital in the August Threads. Just sewing it took three whole months, shipping it, another one. Hmph, a hundred silvers? That’s not even enough to buy the sleeves of my coat!”

It has been six years since the country stopped admitting college students, and no one knows when the college entrance examination will resume. Su Xiaoxiao, who was an outstanding student, was now humiliated after not being able to attend university.

She was too high for the people in the village and too poor for the people in the city. Due to this, she became a “leftover girl.”

An educated youth said he was willing to try. When Father Su then asked the educated youth when he planned to marry his daughter, the educated youth said it was Su Xiaoxiao who took the initiative to pester him before agreeing to give it a try, and he wanted to go back to the city in the future and did not plan to marry a country girl.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t take this humiliation anymore and decided to jump into the river to commit suicide. This made her reputation become even worse. The matchmakers had to go around when they passed by the Su family’s house. Mother Su and Father Su were so angry that they almost rode a crane to death. They decided to marry their daughter in the city regardless of the dowry.

Han Cheng, who had lost his wife for a year, went back to the city to visit his sons on his vacation. His two sons, who were once white and chubby cubs, became skinny and gloomy after living with his teacher’s wife. He was so angry and immediately asked the matchmaker to go to the countryside and find him a match. The only requirement he asked for was, that she must be literate.

The matchmaker went to the Su family’s house, and there, Su Xiaoxiao, who came from the 21st century, didn’t raise any objections and accepted it.

However, the unreliable matchmaker actually invited another girl besides Su Xiaoxiao and arranged their dates at the same time.

Han Cheng asked Su Xiaoxiao, who looked like a good match for him: “Are you literate? Do you mind taking care of my two sons?”

- Description from Novelupdates

Asking help from the enemy was the last thing Samantha ever planned on doing, but who knew she would find her fate irrevocably sealed in the hands of a notorious Vampire Lord?In a world where Humans and Vampires have chosen to co-exist, the sacred orb of GreenHollow in the Northern Empire goes missing on a rainy night, right after the death of their ruler who was murdered in cold blood.It brought upon them an endless drought that can only be reversed when the sacred orb is found, and returned to its rightful place in the Empire.Ivan Chevalier, the heir and most feared son of the murdered Vampire King, has only two motives in life - to find his Father's perpetrator and behead him, his second motive is hunting down the sacred orb and restoring GreenHollow to what it used to be during his Father's reign.But when both motives lead him to the hands of his enemy's daughter, he has to choose between getting rid of her, or using her to his advantage by turning her into his blood slave.Samantha Dufort, a simple girl from EmptyHollow, is on the run with her younger brother after witnessing her Father being brutally murdered by a Vampire Lord.On the way, she gets abducted by slave traders.Forcefully separated from her younger brother, Samantha finds herself in a brothel, where she is trained to become a courtesan till she comes of age to be sold out.Her encounter with a mysterious man in white whom she referred to as her 'angel of death' saves her from a misery that only led Samantha into the cage of a Vampire Lords den.Tricked into becoming his puppet, Samantha tries to find different opportunities to escape the Vampire's den, and the Vampire Lord in person. But will she succeed when no one has ever left the Palace walls?Well, she was going to be the first to escape from these walls and find her missing brother.Twisted and trapped in the webs of Vampire politics interrelating with humans, Samantha discovers the main reason for her existence, a reason that could lead to changing the course of Empty Hollow. What happens when the Vampire Lord isn't the only darkness she has to run away from?

[ Warning: Mature Content R-18 ]What to expect: Revenge, a bit of comedy, some pretty dark humor, an overpowered MC (He worked and suffered for it of course), billionaire Playboy, very cold and ruthless FL, Manipulation, Blackmail, MILFs... lots of them, lots of 'We shouldn't be doing this sex' and more steamy sex scenes.You can skip the sex scenes if you're not willing but if you're a Man (or Woman) of Culture like me, Enjoy.--------------------------------------------------------This book is quite unique, because it breaks the 4th wall quite a lot of times so be prepared for that. I think that's rare to find on webnovel these days and that's part of what sets this book apart from others.___________________________________At 18, Danladi moves to the city to live with his wealthy but neglectful uncle, hoping for a fresh start. A computer genius and gaming prodigy, he’s roped into his uncle’s shipping business, but life in his uncle's household is anything but easy. Constantly belittled and mistreated by his uncle’s wife and her sisters, Danladi endures in silence—until one fateful night changes everything. A betrayal at a Christmas Eve party sets off a chain of events that catapults him into a world of power, deception, and revenge.With the help of his cunning best friend, Eric, Danladi seizes an unexpected opportunity, stepping into wealth and influence overnight. But rather than reveal his newfound fortune, he plays a long game, exacting quiet vengeance before vanishing from their lives. Years later, he re-emerges—this time as the head of a groundbreaking gaming empire, a billionaire at just 23.But success comes at a cost. Lured into a dangerous business deal, Danladi finds himself entangled with the ruthless Italian Mafia, losing nearly everything and barely escaping with his life. Just when he thinks all is lost, he crosses paths with Jenn Carter—a brilliant but relentless MI6 agent hunting the very people who deceived him. She offers him a deal: his skills in exchange for her resources. Together, they embark on a high-stakes mission for justice, deception, and survival.As Danladi is thrust into a world of espionage, undercover operations, and a deadly game of cat and mouse, he and Jenn must navigate their growing feelings for each other while staying one step ahead of those who want them dead. But when a $50 million bounty is placed on their heads, the hunt intensifies, forcing them to fight not just for vengeance—but for their lives.Betrayal made him ruthless. Revenge made him powerful. But will love make him vulnerable?