As the amount of sleeping pills decreased, the amount of information that Tae-hyuk gathered increased. The total amount of drug farms inside the prison numbered seven. Most of the Chinese inmates confined in Blue Dragon Prison worked there.

The warden, along with a great number of guards, was involved. This place was literally a gigantic drug factory.

'Come to think about it, there are definitely some strange things.'

Blue Dragon was very active in accepting foreign prisoners. It was very difficult to deal with foreigners who had different cultures and languages, but that didn't mean that there weren't separate benefits.

'There is probably a certain amount of profit from exploiting the labour force.'

He also knew why they mobilized the Chinese inmates. The country of China had an enormous penalty for drug-related crimes. China was a country where people were sentenced to death for smuggling drugs without any chance of retrial, regardless of nationality.

Once, a young woman travelling to China was asked to show her bag at the airport. Surprisingly, the contents contained drugs. She was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling by Chinese police officers who had suddenly appeared.

In the end, there were many ghost stories about the death penalty.

'Although they're growing drugs, the Chinese prisoners obviously won't tell anyone unless they're interested in committing suicide. The security is based on fear of their lives. The Chinese criminals are eligible.'

Now Tae-hyuk knew why the warden was acting so strangely in regards to the Park Sung-yul case.

'He didn't want the detectives to find out this information.'

Drugs were being harvested from seven farms. Obviously, they would use the connections with numerous criminals to trade it. The warden was trying to prevent it from being exposed, at the expense of Park Sung-yul.

'His expression at the time meant this.'

The missing pieces of the puzzle were slowly being found, but not all of the problems were completely solved.

'The warden is using the Chinese inmates to grow drugs. What's going on with the Japanese prisoners then?'

Perhaps there were other crimes besides drug trafficking in the Blue Dragon Prison. After a few days of searching, Tae-hyuk found the place where the Japanese army buried their gold. As if it was a joke of fate, the drugs were growing on top of it.

Tae-hyuk muttered quietly.

"If I call the police using the name Phantom and uncover the drug farm, the warden can be sent to jail. But what's the fun in that? Besides, I still have two weeks left,so it's best if I can handle both the Park Sung-yul and the drug cases at once."

He came up with a perfect plan to solve both cases simultaneously.

"Anyway, I'll have to talk to Shin Chang-ho."

@

It had been almost two weeks since Phantom left for Blue Dragon Prison.

 


Kang-suk was organizing the files of the victims killed by Park Sung-yul at the Central Investigation Headquarters. There were dark circles under the eyes of Joo Hyun-ho, who was sitting opposite of him.

He was in charge of several additional cases and was unable to leave for a few days.

"There is still no contact from Phantom?"

"Yes. I would like it if he gives one or two pieces of useful information."

"Doesn't he have to get in touch with you first?"

"Yes. Then there will be something big later."

"Hahaha! Big? Sunbae, that word is always associated with Phantom now. Won't there be some big corruption?"

"Hey! Don't say that!"

Dururu-

At that time, Kang-suk's phone on the table started to ring. Hyun-ho wanted to know who was calling.

"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just a little brother I know."

Then Hyun-ho dropped his head and muttered,

"Ahh, Phantom… Why isn't Phantom…"

Kang-suk ignored the grouchy Hyun-ho and answered the call. It was a call from Seo Tae-hyuk.

"Uh, Tae-hyuk.

–Kang-suk hyung, it's been a while.

"Yeah, have you been studying well?"

–Ah, I'm studying hard at my one month short-term studying course. Anyways, Noona asked me to tell you that she was thankful for the food last week.

"Ha-ran… She should tell me something like that directly. Um."

Seo Tae-hyuk's sister, Seo Ha-ran, was staying in a dormitory academy on weekdays and only returned home on the weekends. Unfortunately, both of Ha-ran's younger brothers were away from home. Kang-suk was uneasy about Ha-ran being left at home alone, so he went and met her every week, bringing along her favorite foods.

–I can feel comfortable about her safety thanks to Hyung. Thank you.

"What is this? I didn't do anything. And thanks to this, I get to have a date with Ha-ran every weekend… Huhu."

–Then please look after her for the last two remaining weeks as well.

"Yes. Study hard and don't worry."

Kang-suk smiled and hung up. Then Hyun-ho, who was listening to the call, said,

"I guess that is Sister-in-law's younger brother?"

"Hey! How many times have I said that she isn't your sister-in-law? Hup hup. He is very good at studying, so a foundation sent him to a program abroad. Thanks to him, I have a date with Ha-ran every weekend."

"So that's why you disappear every weekend. Don't you feel sorry for me, who has to work the night shift every weekend?"

"Okay, I understand. Do you want to go for dinner this evening? At any rate, don't I have to work hard so that my little brother isn't ashamed? We'll have a break at the end. Let's get back to work."

"Yes."

Kang-suk scratched his head and turned his attention back to the papers piled on the desk.

"There are so many reports that I have to write. Ah, yes. I have to go to the aquarium this weekend with Ha-ran. Doesn't she like dolphins?"

The piled up fatigue disappeared as he imagined her happiness.

@

"The next puzzle should be this one."

Park Sung-yul was very happy about his game with Cho Kang-suk. Even he struggled to solve some of the puzzles created in his head.

There were still 10 puzzles remaining. How long could he enjoy this in the future? Just imagining it caused a smile to form on his face. It would be interesting to watch the detective be perplexed by his gifts.

However, the more expensive and delicious the food, the more slowly he needed to eat.

"Ohuhuhu… Detective, you should be my best rival, like how the Joker is the foil to the Batman."

These thoughts gave Park Sung-yul the greatest pleasure, and before he knew it, Park Sung-yul realized that he had a strong erection. It felt like he was the protagonist of a movie. The thought of being more special than everyone else stimulated him.

Park Sung-yul realized that he was transformed when killing someone. But now, the confrontation with Cho Kang-suk was the only way to relive his desires.

"Huhuhu… Then I'll give you the best puzzle."

He smiled and took out the sketchbook kept under his bed. There was a strange poem that couldn't be easily interpreted. If he sent this along with the letter, what would be Cho Kang-suk's expression?

The first puzzle was a tutorial. The difficulty was easy and it was simple to deduce the elementary school where he went. But now it was different. He had spent a month preparing the best puzzle, and it absolutely wouldn't be easy to solve.

"Detective Cho Kang-suk… I think about you all day – is this love? If so, I definitely love you. Ohuhu…"

Park Sung-yul's twisted affection exploded towards the detective who had caught him.

@

Even if only three people gathered together, there had to be a leader among them. It was the same with the inmates in the prison. If someone asked for the name for the leader of the Korean inmates, everybody would recall the same face.

Shin Chang-ho, part of one of the three major crime organizations in South Korea, 'Gallery.' He was a human beast with a stocky, large body, giving him the nickname 'Brown Bear'. The reason why he was imprisoned despite his power was simple: the boss was in danger of being caught by an enemy's trap. In return, Shin Chang-ho was promised the number three position in the organization after his release.

It was already three years ago. After four years, he would return to the ranks of Gallery. In Blue Dragon Prison, there were several inmates belonging to Gallery. He told them that he would be a high ranking official in Gallery after his release. No one was able to ignore Shin Chang-ho.

"Well, I just need to think of it as a long vacation."

Shin Chang-ho made full use of the one hour of exercise time. It wasn't because he wanted to show off a strong look to the other inmates, it was just that exercising was part of his life. Around Shin Chang-ho, some criminals from Gallery guarded him with menacing glares. They were like bodyguards.

At that time, someone approached Shin Chang-ho. A bodyguard threatening him with a scary voice,

"Who is approaching?"

Shin Chang-ho received a towel from another bodyguard and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He confidently looked at the person approaching. A half shaved head and a rotten face. It was the newcomer who became well-known in the prison in only two weeks.

"Tobacco Seller Newbie, what do you want from me? I'm sorry, but I don't smoke."

"Shin Chang-ho. I have something to suggest to you."

The bodyguards growled at the newcomer,

"This bastard…! Do you know who you are talking to?"

"You guys should know better than me. Shin Chang-ho, 37 years old. The boss of Gallery is known to have raised him, but he is actually from a small orphanage in Seoul."

Then Shin Chang-ho's lips twitched. Although Tae-hyuk didn't say a lot, only a few people in Gallery knew this information.

"…How did you know?"

"The method doesn't matter. Let's just focus on what we each need."

"Hoh. It sounds like the newbie has something I want."

"Of course. You have a sister that is two years younger than you named is Shin Seo-yeon. Of course, you aren't actually siblings. You were just in the same orphanage. However, once you left the orphanage together, it was like you were brother and sister."

"...!"

Shin Chang-ho's eyes widened. How did the newbie know about Seo-yeon?

"She hid herself after you went to jail. Don't you want to know where she is now?"

Shin Chang-ho glared at the other person for a moment.

"…Newbie. Who the hell are you?"

"Don't you want to know? Why she had to disappear."

"…I want to know."

"Then I will tell you if you give me what I want."

Tae-hyuk laughed as he looked at the puzzle piece that could solve both the Park Sung-yul and drug cases at the same time.

Seo Tae Hyuk, jailed after being falsely accused. He will be executed without being able to prove his innocence. When he opens his eyes, it’s 15 years in the past?

All credits go to the original creator Han Yeoul
and the team who collaborated to make this book


P.S. This book was made so that you can read it offline, so don't start beef with me over trivial things.

The first puzzle: The girl comes to the gallery every day.
The second puzzle: Every time they meet... Well, only two times, the girl seems eager to talk about V as if she wanted to meet him in person.
The third puzzle: Whatever it sounds like, the girl has never seen his works. This girl only heard it from people and said that she wanted to meet V without knowing his work. It was really weird.
The fourth puzzle: A few weeks ago, Frank told him Star Risen wanted his services for Star Risen's newest hotel to advertise.
The last puzzle: This girl was the new secretary to the CEO of the Star Risen hotel who wants his services
After putting all the puzzles together, it only made sense that this girl used an excuse as a fan to meet V.
"I guess you're not a fan of V. You're just using that excuse to get V to accept an offer to advertise the Star Risen hotel. Isn't that right?"
Seeing the pale face and the shock of the girl's expression, Vincent snorted. It turned out that his guess was right.
"I didn't know Paxton's new secretary could be this good at acting. Let me tell you one thing. V Collection never takes on clients who are full of pretense or sheer acting. What's more, we hate people who always insist on their will and lie to achieve their goals."
"I'm amazed by your enthusiasm, but you'd better give up. V will never take this job."
Vincent said it sharply and firmly as if no one would be able to change his decision.
He could no longer stand in one place with the girl and felt he was holding her long enough to go back to his cousin... Vincent walked back into the hall.
"It is right," said Cathy plainly, making Vincent's steps stop. "My main goal is to convince V to take this project. I'm sure I can convince him to accept our request. That's why I'm trying hard to find a way to meet him. I only need five minutes. No. Two minutes. Just two minutes, I'll reassure him. But I never lie or pretend."
Vincent raised an eyebrow seeing the high confidence of the girl.
"Frank himself assumed that I was a big fan of V. I did not confirm it, nor I confirmed that conclusion."
"When I say that his work can make a person's heart feel warm and happy, I'm not lying. I saw it with my own eyes and heard it directly from the visitors there. In their gazes, I could see the light of admiration and happy smiles on everyone who came to the gallery."
"How about you? It seems you don't like our work yourself. Why can you be sure V's abilities will satisfy your CEO?"
Vincent could see the girl was biting her lip hard.
"I have my reasons," answered Cathy quietly. However, Vincent could still hear it and caught a sad tone in her voice.
"I can't enjoy the beauty of this world. Not only V's work, but I can't even enjoy the beauty of this garden, either," she answered while shifting her body facing sideways, stretching out her left hand and pointed her finger towards the garden.
"No matter how breathtaking the scenery in front of my eyes, I won't be able to see it."
What unreasonable logic! Thought Vincent, mockingly rolling his eyes.
It only meant one thing. This girl's heart was dead, and Vincent was eager to stay away from this kind of girl.
Despite his eagerness to avoid this girl, Vincent couldn't help but curious about what the girl would do to convince him... more precisely to the legendary V.
After all, not many girls have great pride and confidence like this angel-like girl.
"All right. Then try convincing me as if you're convincing V. I wonder how you did it."
"You're not even V. What am I doing it for?" Cathy walked over to Vincent with steps without fear or hesitation.
Cathy took off the coat she had borrowed before returning it to the owner.
Vincent took back his coat, and before he could retort, Cathy had spoken first.
"About pretense, aren't you more skilled than me? The reason why you brought me here, don't you just want to help that woman so that I'm not on Mr. Ben's side?"
An eyebrow lifted Vincent... how did that girl know?
Perhaps because their gap was closer than ever, Vincent could see the golden flecks on the girl's eyes. They were so mesmerizing to the point he couldn't take his eyes off them.
"Though you liked her, but instead helped her get close to other men. What a coward." Cathy said her last sentence in a cold tone before finally walking back past the man who was still standing in his place.
Meanwhile, Vincent stared blankly at the coat he was holding. Slowly, yet steadily a thin smile was adorned on his handsome face. Not the sarcastic nor cold sneer that he had shown before, but it was a soft and gentle smile.
How could a girl emit such dazzling eyes? There was no fear or doubt but full of pride and confidence. Even the sparkle in her eyes showed an overwhelming sense of belief, and he simply couldn't take his eyes off the girl who had just scolded him.
He found it oddly funny when the girl thought he had special feelings towards Felicia, and Vincent barely holds his laughter when the girl claimed he was too coward to approach Felicia. 
Vincent holds his left chest with his right hand to feel his heart beating rapidly.
This is the first time someone caused his heart jumped rapidly like this, isn't it?
Does it mean...?
[author: Finally, our dear ML go thump-thump]

How does it feel to see a colorless world every day? 

That's how Catherine felt through her eyes. She is a strong-willed 25-year-old girl who never shows her weakness to other people. 

She lost her ability to see color ever since being slapped by her father. Her soul was shaken. Her heart hated the beauty her father showed before her mother was gone. 

Catherine thought that her life would continue to be trapped in the black and white world until one day, someone came into her life to give her some colors.

He is Vincent, a thirty-two-year man, the son of a wealthy family. His presence gradually colored Catherine's world. 

Time continues to flow; the lovebirds finally tied the rope of love but suddenly... Vincent avoids Catherine? 

What happened to him? Why did he go away from Catherine? Could it have something to do with Catherine's mother's death? 

Catherine, who is finding out the truth behind Vincent's attitude.... surprisingly, meets her twin brother, someone she never knew before! Moreover, her twin brother is the sole heir of one of the influential figures in this country.

Was everything she knew a lie? Even her identity? Who is she really? Is it true that Vincent caused the death of her mother?

Would the two lovebirds reunite after learning the truth? Or will the past grudges separate them?

Expert:

"I think white suits you best."
 
The topic of color discussion was quite sensitive for Cathy, who cannot distinguish colors. But why did she feel calm when Vincent said it?

"Why?"
 
"Because only white could affect other colors while no color could affect it. For me, you are like that too."
 
"I am?"
 
"Hm. You never let other people influence you while you can easily influence others. You could make others happy, sad, or excited with you."
 
"I'm not like that."
 
"It's like that for me. Besides," he lowered his head to close the gap between them. "When you wear a white dress like this, you look mesmerizing like an angel descend to me."

Cathy: *blush*

***

A year later,

Before the kidnapper could see her, Cathy's arm had been pulled into a room concealed by a safe. Her mouth was sealed by a big hand, and her body was held tightly by a muscular arm. Cathy tried to struggle to break free.
 
She felt unfortunate, as scary things always happened to her. Even though she was only a weak, fragile average girl, she was ready to fight to survive.
 
"Shh, don't move." whispered the person who caught her, making Cathy froze.
 
This voice... the fresh fragrant she smelled from the hand that was covered her mouth…

Vincent!?

***

Come to talk to me in
https://discord.gg/a7ypnYw7TF

***

Second Identity series:

My Only Love: The Targeted Heiress (complete)
The Flame Queen and Her Sly Lover (complete)
Ice Prince: Rewrite the star (new)
Watch Out, Dad! Mom's Here To Kill You! (coming soon)
The Heir's Beloved Is Not A Human (coming soon)
The Prodigy Boy Is Actually A 25 Old Girl!? (ongoing)

Each book can stand alone, but it will be more fun if you read it all.

If you want to read unique fantasy realm, feel free to check my other work called Elementalist: Time Controllers

Or some thrilled a cross-dressing and funny scene where FL disguised as a teenage boy, check out 'The Prodigy Boy Is Actually A 25 Old Girl!?'

*the cover isn't mine so the credit belongs to the owner*

Join me in IG @vorstinstory or my discord server https://discord.gg/a7ypnYw7TF

Support: paypal.me/vorstinstory

A warlord, someone who brought only nightmarish visions for his enemy in an era where life and death were just at a flicker distance. 

The warlord was one who stood above the rest, but even with this grace, he slowly descended, falling abruptly in life, losing his power, reputation, and prestige. 

In his decadence, he, who was abandoned by life, woke himself in a mysterious realm, some people would call Limbo, a realm, between the realm of death, Tartarus, and the realm of the living. A place where all damned souls, unredeemable who lost faith in God, were gathered.

‘Vlad, oh great leader, after so many years of fighting the enemy, you have fallen so low that even God doesn’t want embrace to you and let you to his realm.’

Yet, salvation came in a more sinister way, having only one choice to escape this prison of souls, accept his gift or remain forevermore trapped into this realm, where souls can’t escape.

With only one choice, he shook the hands of the devil and journeyed out into the unknown, freed of his soul constraints, in a new world out of the world governors' jurisdictions.

In such a new realm, world,  his starts would be unlike what he experienced in his first life, but not far away from what he lived through. 
Nevertheless, every struggle he would experience would make him stronger, slowly climbing the ladder of the world's power structure until he would acclaim the title no one since that past world era had.
.

                     ---(End of the Synopsis)----

*****************************************************

Disclaimers 
-       All copyrighted content is the property of its respective owner(s). 
-	The path of the story is unlike the original story where the author would focus only on one POV (pirate perspective of life), instead here, I will try to integrate all of them, from pirates, marines, revolutionaries, and lastly, the Royal Faction who the story will focus on. At first, you might find the story similar to an original story, but keep in mind, this story will slowly morph, adding in all the elements of Oda’s series.  Don’t be an idiot to judge the story from all the first chapters because this story is told slowly.

-	Keeping in mind all the readers with different tastes, this story, when it reaches the mid-game of the content (maybe chapter 200-300 it will turn into something similar to a harem theme). Still, I will mention this, if you are skeptical that this will be some garbage story where MC focuses on R18 all day long, you are mistaken, Vlad is a person who already lived a life. He wouldn’t be horny like the MC’s from other stories that visible didn’t touch a woman in their life.  The love interest circle will be composed of three ladies with vibrant personalities, their own minds, and life choices and will not be like leeches on the MC.

****************************************************

[DISCORD LINK] -> https://discord.gg/CMsHqJVDVD

In a street alley, a filthy man fled in a hurry because two men in business suits were tailing after him.

He had a look of urgency, but his fleeing speed was slow because he had to hold his bleeding right leg, which had been wrapped in a piece of white cloth. At this moment, a distinctive pattern could be seen on this cloth, just as if it was red ink being diluted. 

Since he couldn't walk quickly, he got rid of the tail with the aid of the complex city streets until he lost his own way.

"I am sorry," he said. 

He seemed to have ran into someone, hastily glancing at the man before rushing into another alley immediately. But he wasn't aware that something fell out of his coat—It turned out it was a tube of paint.

…

When Luo Qiu's eyes curiously fell on this tube of paint, the servant girl had picked it up and sent it to him.

Luo Qiu didn't have time to scrutinize it. Two men in business suits had just walked out from that alley. They looked like elites in the decent business suits.

Seeing there were only two people here, one of the suit men noticed the tube of paint in Boss Luo's hand, so he directly asked, "Excuse me, did you see a man passed by? His leg was hurt, it should be very to be recognized."

An oriental face... so the man in the suit changed into the easiest language to communicate with him immediately.

Boss Luo, who did not seem to have any pressure, and pointed to a way---the opposite direction which the man had left.

The suit man looked at the way, nodding, and running into the alley.

While the other suit man took out of a wallet from his suit pocket, giving some money to Boss Luo, and quickly saying 'thanks', before hurriedly following his partner.

"...Did I earn money?" Luo Qiu looked at Ms. Maid incrediously.

You Ye nodded with smile, "Yes, master. You did."

Luo Qiu shook his head, starting to observe this tube of paint in his hand with more interest---one half had been used, and the tail had been rolled to the middle.

The color was lemon yellow.

…
…

Vera was chewing gum. The art gallery, which Vera had walked around, was closed today and cordoned because of the theft.

"Security guards are guarding the entrances... Vicar, what's going on inside?" Vera pressed her earphone and connected to Vicar, who was working in a car. 

In a motor home opposite the art gallery, Vicar was watching two screens with a piece of toast in his mouth while his hands were typing speedily. He answered despite being busy working, "Dear Queen Vera, do you think I am just hacking into the senior high school students' computers, which are full of porn pages?"

"I should go in and have a look first." Vera whistled.

Vicar's toast dropped down due to the shock and disagreed instantly, "We don't know the situation inside now. The police might still be staying there, if you go in... oh well, you're the most willful queen I've ever seen!"

Communication had been turned off, Vicar sighed and had to continue his hard work .

It was very easy for Vera to insert herself into the art gallery; but apparently she chose the most accessible way---As a magician, it was not hard to get the ID card from a staff that sneaked out for a smoke.

Of course before that, the cool magician lady had dressed herself in a set of clothes, wearing clumsy black-rimmed glasses and changing a different hairstyle.

Vera swiped the ID card and went into the art gallery under the surveillance of the policemen. 

In the crime scene of the theft, Vera also saw a policeman standing guard, but the person in charge was not there. Perhaps he was interrogating for a testimony somewhere. 

Vera walked by calmly with her hawk eyes. At that moment, she recorded all the scenes and the layout there in her clever mind.

When she was depicting the structure of this art gallery, a young man came toward her and shouted, "Please wait."

The outline of a gun was revealed from the young man's trenchcoat while he was walking. Vera gaped, and couldn't help taking a step back. They looked at each other. "What's the matter?"

While the man asked, "Where's the bathroom…Oh, my stomach is uncomfortable." 

"It's right over there," Vera pointed the way.

"Thank you!" The young man nodded and said, "I'm Yelgo... and by the way, you'll look better without wearing glasses."

Vera squinted her eyes, looking at the direction Yelgo rushed to, but she didn't know whether there was a washroom. As she was going to leave, she heard footsteps.

She quickly hid behind a pillar. A middle-aged man with a big belly hastily and cautiously walked by... It looked he was afraid of being found.

Vera looked around, quietly following the man.

"... Yes, I've just finished the police inquiry... Well, everything is OK ... I'll do it as soon as possible," the man said.

Vera could only hear the response from one side. But she was so attentive that she quietly photographed the man with her cellphone.

Slipping out this art gallery, Vera took off the jacket and glasses and threw them in a trash, then she went to Vicar's motor home.

Vicar was relieved, but with a blaming tone, he said, "I didn't hope to see you come back easily; I would prefer you to suffer more."

Vera took out a bottle of beer from the fridge, opening it, and walking to Vicar. Propping herself on the table with her hand, she said quickly, "The painting disappeared itself."

"You mean some magician had it disappear?" Vicar rolled his eyes.

Vera turned on her phone, "Help me check who this guy is...Besides, next time can you buy me some nicer glasses?"

Vicar ... Vicar blinked his eyes, astounded. 

...
...

He popped his head out nervously to check around the way he walked through---there were only a few pedestrians.

The two men in business suits did not seemed to catch up.

He heaved a sigh of relief. Then, his body slid down the wall and he sat down. His lip turned pale and dry because of the violent escape and his facial muscles twisted together because of the wound on his leg. 

"Do you want some water?"

A bottle of mineral water appeared in his sight.

The man in terrible condition looked up unconsciously and saw a man and a woman... This man seemed to be the young guy he had just run into.

"Who are you?" the man said with a slight hint of terror and hesitation. Meanwhile his hands held the wall, trying his best to hold up himself.

"This is what you left behind." Luo Qiu spread out his hand and the lemon yellow pigment appeared in his hand.

The man was surprised. He quickly grabbed back the pigment from Luo Qiu's hand and stuffed it into his pocket. Looking relieved, he gazed at the mineral water, swallowing subconsciously.

After hurriedly twisting off the water and gulping it down, he wiped his mouth at random and said with a puzzle look, "The pursuers ... Didn't they ask you the way?"

Because the man clearly remembered the distance between pursuers and himself. After he ran into the man, the pursuers would have surely meet with the pair.

"Well, I might have played a prank."

The man was astonished, asking curiously, "Why did you help me?"

Boss Luo said quietly, "Have you forgotten, sir? We've met before."

"Really?" The man showed a stunned expression. 

Boss Luo indicatively said, "A few days ago, didn't you tell me something about the painting "The Nameless Maiden' in the art gallery?"

This was the crazy guy they met at the art gallery.


Luo Qiu became the boss of a ‘club’ by chance. 

It was a weird club that sold strange items, assisted by a servant girl with 300 years of work experience. Countless people with dreams, hopes and ambitions came to the club, exchanging everything precious they owned just to fulfill their desires. They would offer their lifespan, items, and even their soul. Each successful trade would increase Luo Qiu’s lifespan by a little. 

“Tribute successful, your lifespan has increased by 99 years.” 

Thus, Luo Qiu began his endless life as the club’s boss. 



Peaceful Restaurant, inside a private room.
 
Wang Gu stood there with a vigilant look, besides him, there were seven other wise old men here.
 
Outside the door, several bodyguards in black suits guarded strictly, with observant eyes. Without their permission, no one could come near.
 
Inside the room, on the round table, the calligraphy and painting brought by Wang Gu were neatly spread out on it.
 
But the expressions on the faces of the seven elders were different.
 
Some people looked solemn; some were surprised; some were shocked.
 
These seven people, led by Ralph, came from seven different countries and were once well-known archaeologists.
 
As time went by, the atmosphere in this private room became weirder and weirder.
 
"How about it, dear experts? I just said it is the original work of Wang Xizhi. Our Wang Family are the descendants of Wang Xizhi's, this is an authentic work handed down from generation to generation. Through special techniques, it has always been well preserved. If it weren't for you to come here, I'm too lazy to take it out. Have you finished appraising it? If the analysis is over, I'll take it away now."
 
Seeing that the atmosphere became more and more silent, Wang Gu felt a little unusual and spoke actively.
 
However, after Wang Gu dropped his voice, the seven elders did not respond at all.
 
They held the magnifying glass, all lying on the round table one by one, still studying carefully. 
 
Their eyes were fierce and focused, trying to figure out every word and every detail.
 
Wang Gu was a little impatient and wanted to take the painting away, but without an accurate identification result, he was unwilling to stand aside and waited.
 
Time went by.
 
In that private room, sweat was constantly leaking from the foreheads of the seven elders.
 
Even Ralph was no exception. 
 
One hour passed in a flash.
 
Finally, the archaeologist of China took the lead to speak, his voice was not calm, and his tone was with unprecedented affirmation, "This is indeed the real work of Wang Xizhi." When he said this, his eyes were bloodshot and deadly staring at Wang Gu, as if wanting to see Wang Gu thoroughly.
 
"The handwriting is indeed authentic. But don't forget, the real "Orchid Pavilion Preface" is a national treasure in the Forbidden City Museum of China... If this is also an authentic work, then what is the other one?" Ralph's voice followed after, his eyes burning, and when he said this, his eyes were extremely deep.
 
After saying this, the private room became silent again.
 
Yes, the reason why everyone studied for an hour was because there were many questions that had not been solved.
 
"There is indeed no problem with the handwriting. I once had the honor to study Wang Xizhi's font in the Palace Museum... It is exactly the same, and the details are the same. This kind of thing cannot be imitated." Someone said.
 
"The only problem now is that Wang Xizhi's words appear on modern paper cloth?" Someone frowned and said casually.
 
Huh?
 
When this sentence was finished, the atmosphere in the private room solidified again.
 
People like them came to the Ancient Town to solve the mystery. 
 
If this question was superimposed on that puzzle... Isn't everything solved?
 
Therefore, these seven elders, this time all of their eyes were directly placed on Wang Gu's body. The fire-like eyes were all revealed craziness.
 
...
 
No. 32 Ancient Street Gallery.
 
Ye Bei picked up the black paper. The words on it were actually very simple. There were only two words: auction room.
 
Ye Bei looked seriously, but his expression was quite unfeeling.
 
However, when he glanced at it, his thoughts could not help but drift away again, as if in this cycle, in the midst of darkness, there was always a thread that was involved in all this.
 
Longevity is a kind of unspeakable loneliness.
 
All familiar things, familiar people, would quietly change.
 
And in this loneliness, the thread that appeared, unconsciously, became Ye Bei's greatest interest in pursuing the mystery of longevity.
 
Ninety thousand years ago, the young man opened the paper cloth, his eyes were indefinite and there were only a few simple words on it: Southern Heavenly Gate.
 
Seventy thousand years ago, the young man pushed aside the bamboo slips, his eyes were light, and there were only a few simple words on it: West of the Yellow River.
 
Two thousand years ago, the teenager pulled the silk away, his eyes were soft, and there were only a few simple words on it: Xianyang Street.
 
At those locations, he would meet his deceased in no more than three days after Ye Bei passed by. This seemed to have been quietly forming a routine.
 
"This time, is it still the same?" After a long moment, Ye Bei returned to his senses and whispered softly. 
 
And the black paper he was holding, with a light flick, instantly turned into powder and disappeared without leaving any trace.
 
Creak!
 
When Ye Bei was seriously thinking about whether to go, the small door connecting the lobby to the backyard was pushed open with a creak.
 
The person pushing the door was Wang Xiu.
 
He was too old; he just woke up, hence, his eyes were a little hazy...
 
But that pale hair was still meticulously combed.
 
He was an extremely serious person.
 
Wang Xiu poked his head out, the gloss on his forehead was a little dark. After seeing Ye Bei sitting inside, he pondered for a second, then walked in, "Old ancestor, did you see Little Gu?"
 
"He is out." Ye Bei said calmly.
 
Wang Xiu frowned slightly, "Could it be that Little Gu really took the calligraphy and painting to those at the antique auction house?"
 
"Yeah." Ye Bei nodded.
 
After listening, Wang Xiu knew that his guess was true, his expression was a bit angry, and he shook his head abruptly and scolded, "This little bastard can do this kind of thing too. He's already this old but still could not see the essence of thing? Is he trying to exchange it for money?"
 
Ye Bei didn't answer.
 
"Old ancestor... please don't blame him. He is still young, and he has not thought thoroughly enough about many things. I will go there and get him back." Seeing Ye Bei not speaking, Wang Xiu continued, his body croaked, and stepped out of the store.
 
"No need." Ye Bei said with a cold voice.
 
Wang Xiu paused, turned his head, and looked at Ye Bei suspiciously: "Old ancestor?"
 
"He should be retained at the moment. There are some karmas that will appear in every cycle of sixty years... It's useless even if you go now, just wait here."
 
"Ying Chun doesn't understand." Wang Xiu was puzzled.
 
Boom!
 
Just after Wang Xiu's words fell, there was a muffled bang at the gate of the gallery.
 
The door of the gallery was kicked open unexpectedly.
 
Wang Xiu immediately turned around and looked out of the door. 
 
But Ye Bei's eyes were uncaring as if everything had already been expected by him.
 
Outside the door, three young people stood.
 
One person was wearing a white vest with little muscle on his body and looked thin.
 
Another person had red hair, like a ball of flame, looked deliberately fierce, but still gave off a funny and silly feeling.
 
And the person standing in the front, kicking the door, was wearing ripped jeans, had a short haircuts. There was also a silver-white stud on his left ear, reflecting the unruly look in the light of the dusk.
 
It's just that the young man didn't expect to kick the door open with a single kick. When standing at the door, his expression was a bit stunned, but he quickly reacted, looking at Wang Xiu, with a bad tone, "Hello? Is this old man Wang's gallery? Old man, are you his family?"
 
Wang Xiu frowned.
 
"You don't need to look at me like this, there is something to inform you..." The young man was full of disdain, "Old man Wang took the fake national treasure-level cultural relics and went to the auction house to make trouble. Now he has been arrested by the security guard there, but he does not admit that he faked the calligraphy and painting, so I want to invite you out... Otherwise, he is a lot of age, so I won't what kind of suffering he will suffer." This tone was full of threats.
 
After the sound descended, the gallery became extremely noiseless.

He once separated heaven and earth with Pangu, created humans with Nüwa, and explained Buddhism with Tathagata. 

Once filled the sea with Jingwei, saved Chenxiang’s mother with Chenxiang, and tasted poison with Shen Nong. 

The Taoist Trinity was his disciple, the Jade Emperor worshipped him as the godfather, and Jesus and Odin respected him as the ancestor. 

He was drunk with the Dragon King for three days and three nights, and he also witnessed the graceful beauty of Chang'e flying to the moon. 

He once saw the stone popped out the Monkey King, and also once burned the Book of Life and Death. 

He was a man, a god, wind, rain, and a demon. He knew the past life and knew the future... 

In this way, Ye Bei lived for 90,000 years! Looking for the mystery of longevity in the endless years...

——————————
Alert: This is a slow-paced story, so don’t complain after you read it...

Remember, this is a work of fiction that will contain some history of the world, some exaggerations and more things, I'm not trying to praise anyone or hate anything, this story develops by itself, just ultimately, don't take any offense!!!

Other work: Supreme Demon God

Support the author:

https://ko-fi.com/venlinfeng

Special Tag: # Reiki Recovery #MC Strong from the Start #Overpowered MC #Cold MC #Mysterious MC #Past Plays quite a Big Role #Cultivation+Martial Arts+Magic&Sword

One hour later...
Churu bit her bottom lip as she stared down at his sleeping face. Earlier, she only did what she had done out of desperation. However, why does she feel a little flustered while looking at him?
"It's nothing... this is nothing..." She murmured as she touched her thin lips. She could feel her cheeks heat up once again just thinking about the texture of his lips. 
"Ahh...!" Churu shook her head profusely. She needed to get whatever silly thoughts that was corrupting her head out of her mind. Alas, she only got a hold of her thoughts when she slapped herself thrice. "It's almost morning, I should head back to Lexi's house." Churu said, exhaling a heavy sigh. 
With that said note, Churu headed to the door and unlocked it. Shortly after, she went back to the side of the bed and checked his life energy again. 
After confirming that he was already stable, Churu nodded her head. "I should refrain from showing up in front of him..." Churu muttered as her gaze sized up his peaceful front. 
She stared at him for a moment before Churu turned, heading to the slightly opened window. When she prompted to jump out from the window, she cast him one last glance back before she left. 
Churu doesn't understand what was going on with her at the moment. Granting that she transformed in her human form, that didn't mean she became a human. Hence, it was weird she was having weird emotions she was never familiar with. 
On another thought, Churu has more human emotions in her even way back thousands of years ago. She wouldn't descend from the heavens if she didn't bear emotions after all. 
Still, Churu's emotions back with Tora wasn't the same as what she was currently experiencing. Her heart was thumping like crazy and her face was turning hot just the thought of it. 
Therefore, Churu decided not to bother him for the time being. With that, at the very least, Morris Liu could naturally recover by this age's technology. 
Also, she had been forcing her existence to him with his current condition. She should take it slowly and ask for Ethan Lu's help. 
Regardless, that didn't entirely mean she wouldn't visit him. She only needed to be cautious and make sure that he would be unaware whenever they heal each other. 
*****
"Master," Lyrick Jiang arrived at Ethan and Lexi's home earlier than usual. Since the breakfast was still being prepared and Lexi was still asleep, Ethan Lu led him to his study room. 
"Speak." As soon as they reached his study room, Ethan Lu headed to the long sofa. Plopping down, he gestured Lyrick Jiang take any seat available. 
"I found out that Miss Tang had a few interactions with Sir Dylan." Lyrick Jiang slowly sat opposite his boss before he slid a folder in front of him. "These are some photos of Sir Dylan visiting Miss Tang's gallery." He added sternly. 
"Mhmm..." Nodding his head, Ethan Lu opened the folder to see what his assistant was talking about. "Right... Vic and Kevin were having a collaboration." Seeing some paintings in the background, Ethan Lu instantly noticed Kevin Woo's signature. 
Well, since both were an artist, Kevin Woo and Victoria Tang had become friends. Also, thanks to Victoria Tang, she somehow helped his friend recover from Mia Chen. 
Ethan Lu kept on flipping through the photos of Victoria Tang and Dylan Lu. As he scanned everything, Ethan Lu found nothing unusual. 
In his perspective, Victoria Tang and Dylan Lu were just like friends. Although they share a few laughs, it was clear in the photos that there was a line drawn between them. 
Not to mention, Victoria Tang was their childhood friend. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that Dylan Lu was still friends with her. So what's Louis Lu's problem? 
"Was he jealous? Was Lou competing with me with the most petty hubby award or something?" As Ethan Lu go through the next photos, he murmured. 
The more he sees more photos, the more his brow arched. No matter how many photos he had seen, Ethan Lu could not really see any problem with them. 
There was nothing fishy about it. 
"Master, there's really nothing wrong with those photos. However, if you went through the logs, there was a time that Sir Dylan visited the gallery but no photos or footage was caught that night." Shortly after, Lyrick Jiang explained his findings last night. 
"What I mean is, that night, the cctv cameras in the gallery malfunctioned. Not just that, but the same day, Mr. Woo attended a seminar out of the country, and Sir Louis was also in a business trip." 
"What?" Knitting his brows, Ethan Lu frowned as he somehow didn't like where this deduction was going. However, Lyrick Jiang didn't master the craft of being a busybody for nothing. 
"Master, the lack of solid proof will only make my words as a speculation. But, inside the folder, I also found out that a large sum of money was put on Sir Dylan's head two days later." Lyrick Jiang sighed as the lack of proof frustrated him. He didn't enjoy reporting to his master without hard evidences, but he forced himself to do so despite that. 
Ethan Lu needed results as soon as possible. Hence, Lyrick Jiang didn't want to waste time. If his speculation were inaccurate, then at the very least, they had an idea about that suspicious day. 
"I see... how's Nico and Red's side?" Nodding his head in understanding, Ethan Lu seemed to read Lyrick Jiang's mind clearly. 
Whatever happened that night... it was certainly connected to Louis Lu's wrath towards Dylan Lu. Therefore, Ethan Lu needed to have a better understanding on the matter. 
"I have heard nothing from them." Lyrick Jiang sighed. He knew the two were doing their best, but since their mission was rather complicated, Lyrick Jiang was growing impatient to hear the puzzle piece they would take home with them. 
"I see... for now, send your trusted men to accompany Lexi for the time being while Nico is not around." Getting the grasp of the situation, Ethan Lu commanded and Lyrick Jiang nodded as he received the order.


COMPLETED
The downfall of the infamous white lotus, Lexi Yang led her to the only escape she knew -- SUICIDE.

Born with a golden spoon, having all the privileges being the young miss of the prestigious Yang family, Lexi Yang was the type of person that whatever she wants, she gets. However, fate must have challenged her the moment she fell in love with the domineering CEO of Liu Empire.

Alas, just like in every romance novel, Morris Liu fell for another woman who's kind, fragile, and gentle. 

Due to her intense desire to gain Morris Liu's love, she has done extreme vicious deeds. But in the end, everything backfired on her.

Now, on her death moment, just as her vision went to a pitch-black abyss, a cute minion voice was heard.

"Chuchururu~! CONGRATULATIONS! Your viciousness score surpassed the preliminary test! To receive full access to the 'otome love system', here's the initiation main task -- make your ex-fiance's best friend fall in love with you!"
-----
For spoilers, questions, novel discussion, join my discord server: https://discord.gg/tdSWbQK
Catch me on discord: BAJJ#2931
Buy this pleb a Kofi -- ko-fi.com/authorbajj

An Tian's home.
An Tian and Jake finished the dinner, but all the while, Jake's sight was fixed on the wall clock. Noah had gone out since noon but didn't return even if it's the night. He didn't even call to inform that he would be late. 
Jake was used to his habit of staying out till late as it often happened when they were in England. Jake didn't bother with it before because he used to be in his own home and Noah in his home, so what others did was never the concern, and it was easy for Jake to ignore him. But they were together and waiting for Noah to return home was killing him.
"He is not a kid for you to worry about him," A Tian commented while cleaning the dining table. 
"Who is worrying about whom?" Jake countered as he helped his brother.
 
"Your eyes were fixed on the wall clock instead of food," An Tian retorted. 
Greeting his teeth, Jake mumbled, "My ass."
"Keep it safe," An Tian teased as he went towards the kitchen while Jake frowned. 
"Do you want to go out too?" An Tian asked after finally finishing everything and sat on the sofa beside his brother. 
"No," Came the firm reply from the cold guy. 
"Now you don't, but soon you would want to," An Tian commented. 
"What do you mean?" Jake asked as he looked at his brother, questioningly. 
"You will understand soon; it's in our blood," An Tian replied. 
"Explain it or leave it," Jake glared at his brother, not liking the puzzling answers. 
"Soon, you will start to feel angry, agitated, and certain needs that your body craves for," An Tian replied. 
"That's nothing new. I am always angry and…."
"It will be more," An Tian interrupted him. 
"How come I never saw you like that. You are always so calm," Jake questioned. 
"Am I a psychologist for nothing? An Tian asked. 
"Do we have some hereditary psychological problems?" Jake asked. 
"Not at all. Our great maternal ancestors have blessed us with best genes," An Tian assured. 
"Then?"
"It's nothing much. I just wanted to warn you before you trouble someone else, try to know what you need, and go for it in a good way," An Tian again answered in a puzzle. 
Jake understood his brother wouldn't say an entire thing, so he let it slide and asked, "Why don't you have anyone in your life?"
"I don't need anyone," An Tian answered calmly as he leaned back on the sofa. 
"What about the needs you were talking about?"
"I am a fashion designer, and my surroundings are full of women," An Tian replied as a teasing smile painted on his lips. 
"So studying psychology and then going for fashion designing were not your weird likings?" Jake concluded.
"It was a need," An Tian corrected.
"Didn't you love someone ever?" Jake asked curiosity filled his brain.
"I did."
"Who?"
"When I was in England, I had one nice girl with me during my high school days. We were happy together for a long time. She was one nice girl."
"Then?"
"I came to China, so we decided to part our ways."
Jake didn't know what to say as he didn't get what exactly his brother said about what will happen to him soon, and he preferred to ignore. 
"If you need something as you are here, don't hesitate to tell me," said An Tian. 
"Why would I?"
"I don't want you to trouble Noah, so…."
Jake exclaimed as he turned angry, "What the…. Why would I trouble him?" 
"Think about it," An Tian replied calmly. 
Jake stood up and went upstairs to the gallery, where he felt relaxed in the fresh and cold air. 
An Tian gave his brother some time to be alone as he knew what was happening with him. There was no other solution to his situation than admitting his feelings. 
An Tian knew, admitting his feelings for his friend, who was a man, was not an easy thing for Jake. Moreover, he must be scared to lose his friend.
 
Giving his brother enough time to be alone, An Tian decided to go to him. 
Jake was standing in the gallery as he stared blankly towards the sky. Tian stood up beside him quietly. 
In a while, Jake spoke, "I feel lost." 
His voice was calm, and he looked unusually silent opposite to how cold or angry he acted all the time. 
"Will you listen to what I'll say right now to you?" An Tian asked. 
Jake agreed, "Hmm."
"You were fine till now because you were together all these years, and there was no moment that you would miss him. But when he came to China, the distance made you miss him, and now you must be sure about what's happening with you."
"I am….." Jake couldn't find a word.
"Scared?" An Tian filled in the word.
"I guess."
"Keeping the things inside and acting angry with him all the time will ruin your friendship one day for sure, so why not give it a shot?" An Tian proposed. 
Before Jake could answer his brother, a car stopped in front of An Tian's bungalow. A cabriolet had its roof retracted, allowing one to see who was in the car. 
From the gallery, Jake and An Tian could see Noah came with An Tian's brand model Nicole with whom he left at noon. 
"I hope you enjoyed it," said the woman. 
"How can I not when the lady is so pretty," Noah commented as both talked while sitting in the car. 
Noah opened the car door and stepped out. "See you soon."
"In England, do you say bye to a lady just like that?" she asked, teasing smile never left her lips.
 
Jake smiled and stepped to go on the other side of the car towards the driver seat. Not thinking much, he leaned forward and kissed Nicole. 
The kiss lasted for quite a while and every passing moment just added in boiling Jake's blood. 
Jake's expressions turned darker, and his grip on the railing tightened, showing the popped out muscles of his hands. 
"Drive safe," Noah instructed the girl.
"After this, I doubt I can," she winked and turned on the car engine.
Nicole left, and Noah stood there until the car disappeared from his sight as he smiled mildly, being unaware of what was happening to certain someone who witnessed his show of affection with the lady.


"Lu Lijun! what're you doing?" 

"Shhh! Let me see where that bastard touched you," he tucked the loose hair strand behind her earlobe, "Nobody is allowed to touch my wife." 

"I..AM...NOT...YOUR...WIFE.." 

"Dare to say it again and in no time you will see yourself on that bed under me...and I'll make sure, you won't be able to rest for even a single moment, till the morning.”
__ __

At the age of twenty, Jiang Yuyan married her love Lu Qiang, an heir to one of the most powerful business families in the capital.  Tragically, a few months later, an unfortunate incident cost her husband's life. 

A series of unfathomable incidents compelled Jiang Yuyan to marry her brother-in-law Lu Lijun, who's younger than her. Her new marriage meant nothing to her more than just an act to protect the people she cared about. 

She planned to leave the Lu family after Lu Lijun became independent and spend the rest of her life with the memories of Lu Qiang which she treasured for all those years, but that turned out to be her wishful thinking. 

Her brother-in-law, Lu Lijun, realizes that he is in love with her and wants her to be his wife.

What will unfold when he confessed his feelings to her, knowing that she will never accept him?

Will he be able to make her fall in love with him? Will her heart come alive again? 

__ __ 
This is an original work and not the translation.

The novel belongs to only W E B N O V E L . C O M.

Discord- https://discord.gg/c6GVHt7nS6

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/mynovel.20/

Here, you will read two different love stories of the same Female lead as the story has two male leads. 

Note - 
1) People who love excellent grammar please ignore the mistakes. It's about the story..

The novel is under the editing process. it will take time to finish the editing. Till now 1-100 chapters are edited..

7 Chapters/week with the bonus chapter only on weekends.

        We humans are such complicated and mysterious beings. We are the embodiment of hell and heaven, perfection and disorder, the bright sun and the charming moon. We are art creations, well made, with many retouches, shadows, lights. We are exposed in a gallery of life and experience, feelings, achievements and time that radically transforms us.
         Emotions come from our eyes, from our bodies that radiate lights of joy, sadness, pride, etc. They are visible on the face of any person around us, hidden behind our eyes, in the words that our mouth utters, through the movement of the body or through the shy smiles.
        Sometimes we are neutral, as if nothing around us matters. It's as if the world is something trivial, of no importance, that changes our atmosphere. These people are locked in dark cages and protected by their minds and hearts, wanting to stop giving importance to life.
        Some of us are happy and full of life as if nothing bad will come upon us. We see things from a better, brighter perspective, forgetting the dark parts of them. Indeed, this feeling introduces us to other soul galaxies, where we are puzzle pieces put in the right place and time.
        The mortal life that is given to us is like a complicated labyrinth full of ups and downs. Sometimes it leads us in the wrong direction and totally different from what we want. It's like a misunderstanding came up in your story, something wrong that ruined all your plans.
        But this is not always the case. Life also comes with positive things that charge our memory. I can say that these are important memories or moments that should be carefully put in a secret album or diary. In one way or another, they are the essence of our lives, more precisely the seeds of a ripe fruit.
          Life is a heavenly gift, but also the opportunity to experience and discover so many amazing things.
        In conclusion, people are mannequins with souls, who breathe, live life to the fullest, experiment, change their characters and appearance, soul, etc. Memories are kept in special drawers in our minds for the rest of our lives.
         We are born, grow and mature at the same time, become adults and eventually grow old and die. It is a life cycle of all beings and also of fauna.
          The only exceptions would be mystical creatures in books like the immortals. But these things are part of the legends of thousands of years ago.

In this book, you will be able to read about descriptions of feelings from my perspective. They will always have a strong impact on our characters, regardless of the individual.

puzzle gallery novel

Euler

The Shitpost Gallery

God of Crime

My Only Love: The Targeted Heiress

One Piece: Blood Unleashed

Trafford's Trading Club

90,000 Years of Longevity

The Rise of the White Lotus

Young Brother-in-law Is Now My Husband

The human. A misunderstood being.

People search puzzle gallery also like: