HP: The Arcane Thief - Chapter 8: Mission

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?”

** A Light Novel featuring a weak protagonist tasked with the impossible mission of saving a Virtual Reality world that has moved on without him. This post-apocalyptic sci-fi is brimming with drama, conspiracies, and action. **As the Santa María spaceship travels the galaxy in search of a new home for humanity, all passengers must remain in cryosleep and log into The Novus, a Virtual Reality MMORPG designed to train the younger generation in building a civilized society.Not only is this place a utopia, but it’s also a fresh start for seventeen-year-olds Alan and Astrid, who have just started dating.“Life in The Novus will be awesome with you by my side!”But an emergency pulls Alan out of the system—a catastrophe that endangers the lives of the Santa María's population and their mission.What will he find when he returns?Three years have passed. Astrid has become one of the strongest warriors, and Alan... is now the weakest User in the virtual world.

Darius had nothing going for him. Ever since he could remember, he had been treated as absolute trash by his boss, who was one of the greatest scouts for actors, singers, idols, and anything you could think of.However, everything changed one day when a truck rammed into him and sent him back in time to start his career as a nobody. But, this time, he hadn’t returned empty-handed. He received a great talent that would make him the best Manager the world had ever seen.【Talent Booster: You can increase the talent of those close to you. The closer and more intimate they are, the better the skill's effects will be.】You can’t sing? Sleep with me, and you’ll win a Grammy.You can’t act? Sleep with me, and you’ll win an OscarYou’re talentless? Sleep with me, and I’ll make you whatever you desire.

Su Changqing reincarnated into a fantasy world, directly starting with a heavenly advantage, being born into a Great Emperor family.His father is Su's contemporary family head at the quasi-emperor peak, his mother is the sword pavilion's legitimate daughter with Great Saint cultivation, and even a steward of the Su family is a Saint King.Born into such a powerful family, Su Changqing could easily reach the peak just by doing nothing.But his father, Su Nan, was afraid that his son would become a pompous and arrogant wastrel in such an environment, so he established a Truman World for Su Changqing!In a poor family, with no way to cultivate, Su Changqing struggled through hardships and finally joined a small sect.What he didn't know was that his enlightenment teacher was actually the contemporary Confucian Immortal.The taciturn elder teaching him Sword Techniques was actually the Sword Fool famous across the continent.The irritable elder who always blew up the alchemy furnace was known as the Pill Saint.To prevent Su Changqing from being arrogant due to his talents, many famous teachers were extremely harsh, and the Divine Techniques taught were very difficult to master.But soon, these teachers were all panicking.“Sword Fool master, the Nine Yang Sword is too simple, is there any other Divine Technique?”“Pill Saint master, don't leave, I've already mastered the Yin Yang Reversal Alchemy Technique, teach me something more powerful.”“Hey hey hey, Confucian master, don't run, I've finished reading the books you asked me to...”Looking at the retreating masters, Su Changqing sighed helplessly,“A small sect is really a small sect, unreliable...”