Tangling with the Western Commander - Chapter 462 - 459

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.

“With each stroke, a river and a sea are painted, and with a brush, mountains and rivers are determined.Some people admire a painting depicting a fierce ox toppling a mountain and comprehend the profound martial art technique called 'Crushing Mountain Force.' With boundless strength, one can move mountains barehanded!Others gaze upon a sword shining with a cold moonlight in the painting, thus realizing the 'Cold Moon Divine Sword Art.' With this sword, they can slay otherworldly beings and gain fame that resounds in all directions.Li Changqing, a top woodcarver, transmigrates into the world of Cangyuan. He discovers that his woodcarvings are more enlightening than his paintings. From being a destitute and worthless painter, he rises to the pinnacle of the Cangyuan world.In his previous life, he indulged in sculpture and ended up raising a wayward child. However, in this world of Cangyuan, he has a well-behaved and filial son who lacks talent but dreams of becoming an immortal through cultivation.If my son wants to become an immortal, then as his father, I will help him achieve it!However, Li Hengsheng, the son, begins to suspect that his useless daydreaming and money-begging father may have been possessed by someone else!”

Chi Shuyan lived miserably in her past life. She obviously has great fortune, but it is ‘borrowed’, and so her great fortune turns into bad luck—a good hand turns rotten. Her family falls apart and dies. Her relatives take possession of her properties. She is reported for cheating during the college entrance exams. Her future is in total ruins.And she still foolishly feels grateful to her best friend who had orchestrated it all.Until one day, a Celestial Master spots the deception and takes her as her apprentice.Chi Shuyan rises from the ashes, becoming a blood-soaked demoness, whose name makes people tremble in fear as she slays all evil people. This ends up ending her own life.Reborn once more, she returns to when she is 17-year-old with the memories of her previous life before the college entrance exam.In this life, she is endowed with supernatural powers and can foresee anyone's fate and future with great accuracy.She vows to trample on all those who caused her family's ruin in her past life.But before she can exact her revenge…One day, she touches a business magnate, and sees herself wearing some kind of cat ears sexy outfit coming out of the bathroom before kneeling at the man's suit pants, calling him Daddy!Chi Shuyan is shocked: How bad is my life going to be in the future? How can it be so indecent!Qi Zhenbai, the ruler of the powerful and deep-rooted Qi family in the capital, fully deserves being God’s favored one - handsome in appearance, indifferent in character, iron-blooded and strong in means and the second most sought after bachelor in the city. He is a hotshot, except for being so weak and sickly that doctors have determined that he won't live past 30.His past life ended at 29.However, this life is fated to be a little different after meeting her.Making money in summer vacation."There are too many crooks these days." “Exactly, they perfectly able, but they don't look for a good job.”A group of people points at Chi Shuyan, who has set up a fortune telling stall. On the one hand, she is discouraged from pretending to be a swindler, but also encouraged to resemble one slightly. Chi Shuyan stays firm, drawing talismans while sucking on a lollipop. One month later…"Master Chi, fortunately you told my fortune. You allowed me to escape the misfortune.""Master Chi, how much is this Ghost Ward Talisman? I want 10 of them!""Master Chi, can you help me calculate my family's luck in passing? Money is not a problem."People’s eyes glow as they look at Chi Shuyan collecting excessive amounts of money. To look so sage-like even when doing a tacky task of collecting money, she's indeed an erudite expert.

Five hundred years after his death, Orion awakens in the aristocratic Reyes family—one of the five ruling houses of the Petrosyan Confederacy. With both his experience and trauma from another life, he must carve his own path in a world shaped by power, technology, and ruthless ambition.On a mission to Cerros-7, in the heart of a bustling market, a woman draped in tattered veils appears before him, her ember-like eyes burning with eerie intensity. With a grip as cold as death, she seizes his hand and whispers a prophecy that sends a chill down his spine:“The sky must fall for your star to rise,A veil of despair shrouds crimson skies.Through ash and ember, your brilliance softly flies,A light reborn where endless darkness lies.”As he navigates treacherous politics, genetic evolution, and a destiny far greater than himself, Orion must uncover the truth, before the prophecy becomes his undoing.Tags:[Reincarnation | Fantasy | Superpowers | Survival | System | Transmigration | Evolution]