Serenade - Chapter 26: Xiangbobo

Easily cowed and bullied, she was the useless, ugly woman with no talent in medical skills. Supported by millions, he was Tianning’s most respected duke with the power to move all under Heaven. On their wedding day the bridal sedan was carried to the front doors, but the Duke of Qin’s gates were shut tight.

They told her, ‘Come back tomorrow.’

All alone, she walked step-by-step full of pride through the duke’s doors. Little could they imagine, this unattractive good-for-nothing was a beautiful, genius doctor of poisons!

—

After transmigrating to the past, poisons expert Han Yunxi finds herself on the verge of being married off to the country’s second most powerful man, the Duke of Qin. Her future life seems set–except her husband is an unfeeling ice block, her in-laws think she’s a eyesore, the empress dowager wants to use her for her own goals, and poison-related plots abound.

Alone, the intelligent (and sensible) Yunxi must carve her own space from the intricate web of court intrigue and the jianghu, relying on her words, wits, and wisdom to survive. Adapt when necessary, use force when required; to survive and thrive is the name of the game to a prosperous life.

No matter what, she’ll prove her right to live!

- Description from novelupdates

(Isekai, Fantasy, Non-transmigration, Unconventional, Ensemble cast, Meticulously crafted setting, Multiple identities, Light novel, Succubus)I have many masks, and each has its own story.I am the unremarkable little artist of the Church of Dawn; the strongest apprentice in the gladiator arena; the killing machine in the eyes of goblins... The holy nun beneath the sunlight is me, and so is the old gentleman on the train... I have hurried through underground tunnels in escape, and I have left behind beautiful legends on the frontier...Beneath the mask, there is an even more beautiful mask; within the lie, there often lies a hidden truth...My name is Ogre. A child raised by ogre since birth. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Ten thousand years later, ice has melted. The Soul Federation Scientific Exploration team found an egg with a golden and silver pattern on it in the far north of the land, and after examining it with an apparatus, they found out that there were vital signs inside. They hurriedly brought it back to the institute for hatching.

The egg hatched, but it was a baby, a baby exactly the same as a human – a baby born out of an egg.

Bound together by an imperial arranged marriage, Li Yuyan is scorned for her association with the ill and blind crown prince. Publicly, she stands up for the seemingly gentle and perfect prince, and he in turn protects her from criticism. Privately, she contemplates inheriting a fortune if he dies, while he considers eliminating her if she steps out of line. Unknown to all, the beauty and brilliance they keep hidden will unveil. During their wedding night, as she cures his blindness and cold ailment, but not his secret illness, she discovers the deceit. Realizing she's been tricked, she tries to flee, only to find herself trapped by him as he expresses his fascination with her.