MTL - Longevity is Different, Caishikou Was Beheaded at the Beginning - Chapter 23 Tao Qian is a saint, the might of the dragon! (Thanks to the leader of the translation!)

I watch him, his green eyes brimming with concern as he gently massages my scarred leg. The sensation is both soothing and a stark reminder of my own inadequacy. The once-feared Crimson General, a symbol of power and invincibility, is now nothing but a frail shadow of his former self. I’ve been abandoned, left to decay in this forsaken place, my family and comrades long forgotten. Darkness had become my only solace, and I had resigned myself to it.Then he arrived, a beacon of light in my endless night. His presence, his care—it’s more than I ever deserved. Yet, I find myself clinging to him with an intensity that borders on madness. I hate that I need him so desperately, that his every action and word have become my lifeline. It consumes me, a torment I can't escape.“You don't have to do this. Please, don’t do this. I’m nothing. You deserve better. Leave. Please,” I beg, my voice trembling with raw anguish, the very words tearing me apart.He continues his work, seemingly unaffected by my pleas.“Why are you here? Look at me! I’m nothing.”Desperation and anger swell within me, mixing into a maelstrom of anxiety. I can’t comprehend the emotions coursing through me.“You're my alpha, where else would I be?” he responds softly, his gaze unwavering, as if my pleas were mere background noise.My heart races, torn between overwhelming relief and paralyzing dread. In that moment, I realize the truth: you would have to tear him from my cold, lifeless arms. I’m never letting go.General Thorne, betrayed and broken, finds new life and love with Omega Noelle, who nurses him back to health. Their deepening bond reveals Thorne’s softer side, offering a chance at happiness. Unfortunately, Thorne’s past soon catches up with them, threatening their newfound peace.

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.

They had been together since high school. Together, they faced the cold faces of their parents and the satirical or disdainful eyes of others, started a business and experienced all kinds of ups and downs. When their company was on the right track, Zhishu He was asked to give up his career to stay at home, while Wenxu Jiang gradually changed and began to indulge in merry-making. However, Zhishu chose to forgive him. Zhishu got an incurable disease, while Wenxu Jiang was still indifferent. Zhishu still chose to forgive him. Love had become a kind of habit, which was equal to an incurable disease.

In a peaceful sunny day, Zhishu quietly left Wenxu Jiang and the house in which they had lived for a long time without an advance notice.

Soon he was gone. A man with pure spirit and deep love for Wenxu Jiang disappeared from this world forever…

Sometimes love cannot stand the test of time. Someone will not know how to cherish the love until he loses it…

Vampire Queen Shang Yu awoke at the auction house after a ten billion bid for her corpse.A gunfight broke out during transport and she stood up from her coffin.The scent of blood in the air was truly delightful!Her eyes fell upon the injured man and she tilted his chin, lightly kissing his wound:“You taste sweet.”…It’s said Shang Yu’s meteoric rise relied on men, but deeper digging revealed her aliases were all shocking, plus nine elder brothers and sisters who doted on her.She was known as the business world’s foremost abstinent queen.Yet she was photographed eagerly pressing a certain tycoon in a car, kissing him as he let her have her way.