Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 1: The Cost of Peace

In her past life, Qin Ruan was deeply embroiled in a family feud, framed, and died with unfulfilled desires.Having been reincarnated, she returned armed with a pregnancy report and made her way to the gate of the prestigious Huo Family in Capital City, one hand on her lower back.It was rumored that Huo Sanye, the legitimate grandson of the Huo Family, was decisive and ruthless, endowed with an aloof sophistication, unpredictable mood swings, and was utterly unfeeling and heartless.Sanye was about to take a wife, an illegitimate daughter located and brought back by the Qin Family.This news exploded throughout Capital City!No one believed that an illegitimate daughter could securely hold the position of the Huo Family Head's wife; everyone was waiting for their divorce.Leveraging her reincarnated mystical abilities, Qin Ruan set up shop under Tianqiao, stirring up the major power dynamics within Capital City.The fourth-generation golden grandson of the Huo Family even crawled out from Qin Ruan's belly.As her true identity gradually revealed itself, no one dared to belittle her anymore.Year after year passed by, not only did Qin Ruan and Huo Sanye not divorce, they flaunted their love daily.Everyone was frustrated to the point of smashing their bowls, they had their fill of this sickening sweetness!——Mini-theater:Qin Ruan: “Young man, you have a peach blossom curse, and you are likely to encounter a blood disaster soon.”The famous movie star scorned her remark and turned to leave.That evening, the movie star, disheveled, begged Qin Ruan, “Miss Qin, save me!”Qin Ruan: “Sir, I see a dark aura surrounding you, you're likely in grave danger.”A tycoon in the business world nearly upturned her stall in anger.But two days later, the big shot knelt before Qin Ruan, pleading for his life!From then on, everyone from newly established nobility to members of the prestigious and powerful families all treated Qin Ruan as a respected guest.

Meet the Mafia King, whose fearsome reputation in the Underworld spread far and wide! But he hides behind the identity of a billionaire CEO. Money? Power? Handsome? All check! Except that he had a teensy tiny problem - his ZERO EQ that failed him to understand emotions.

Until the day Song Lihua walks in his life.

Song Lihua’s simple aim in life was to get a job and earn money. But a chance encounter with the Mafia King makes her fall in love with him at first sight.

She declares to win his heart one day. But to her shock, the Mafia King himself becomes her next door neighbor! Together with her, the emotions in deep slumber within him began to awaken.

Hiding a dark secret from her, the Mafia King slowly grows closer to her. But as he faces a threat that could bring the truth to light, he does something unimaginable to stop Lihua from leaving.

Amidst the hidden conspiracies of the Underworld, what will the Mafia King do to keep her by his side? How far will he go to hide his secret?

“You are my first love that brought this empty shell of my heart back to life. You have a place in my heart no one else could ever have.” - The Mafia King.

After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.

“Is Fate the excuse of the forsaken, is Free Will the delusion of the chosen?”Such was a question that Xavier, the Demon King, never had the chance to ask himself. As he lay defeated, awaiting his death, he wondered about the wretched life he lived.'The hero who killed me, the one who held the same ambitions as me. We both wanted good for the people, for the world. We are both two sides of the same coin, yet, fate decided that he will be the one the light will shine on.Perhaps it was me too, perhaps it was my karma for flowing the rivers of blood with my sword. But still... It was fate that squashed the humanity in me first!Damn fate, if I had one more chance, I would've lived for myself more, I wouldn't have taken this arbitrary role of being a necessary evil... This world, this game of destiny... It can burn to ashes for all I care.'As he sunk into the cold embrace of death, a certain [REDACTED] heard his dying wish with amusement and cast their die, reversing the wheel of time one last time and going all in on him on a risky gamble with the stakes of their world.