The Soul Keeper - Chapter 24: Trails of Smoke

Gu Nianzhi had no idea how to get the aloof and handsome Major General to fall in love with her.

His eyes were dark and serious. “…Seduce me. If you can do it, I’m yours.”

Gu Nianzhi: “!!!”

- Description from Novelupdates

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

******

“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.

The world is like a chessboard.

“I do not want to be treated as a chess piece by the players!”

Defeat in this chess is tantamount to the destruction of my body and I’ll thoroughly disappear! Victory in this chess and I’ll have a very long life!

With the help of an ancient Weiqi piece, Gu Hai arrived at the Divine Province Mainland!

Heavenly Dao is eternal, however life is limited, making heaven and earth pieces of a chessboard, then in the end transformed into a loess, vanishing like faded smoke and scattered clouds. Nevertheless people still jump out of the chessboard, and these people are already prepared for their death while playing chess against the heavens, and perhaps win eternal life for themselves?

“I’ve come, and I want to live through 10,000 lives without any boundaries!”

Zhao Su's life was anything but glamorous—average family, dull job, and no luck in love. But everything changed when the mysterious “Connection System” appeared, promising fortune and fame in exchange for Fan Value. Equipped with a live streaming account and a panoramic virtual camera, Zhao Su could turn his boldest actions into viral sensations. His first mission? Rescue a girl from a thug with a dragon tattoo—and earn a jaw-dropping reward of one hundred million! Can he unlock his full potential and rise to the top? The Latest Updates Infinite Rewards Gaining System – C2 C2 - The Powerful Man“What's he up to?” A voice suddenly erupted in the comment section, causing everyone to focus on Zhao Su.Zhao Su was warming up, rolling up his sleeves.“Is he gearing up to save her?”“He's so brave!”The live stream quickly attracted a swarm of spectators. The number of fans skyrocketed, jumping from zero to twenty thousand, with the momentum to keep climbing! Zhao Su's life was anything but glamorous—average family, dull job, and no luck in love. But everything changed when the mysterious ”“Connection System” appeared, promising fortune and fame in exchange for Fan Value. Equipped with a live streaming account and a panoramic virtual camera, Zhao Su could turn his boldest actions into viral sensations. His first mission? Rescue a girl from a thug with a dragon tattoo—and earn a jaw-dropping reward of one hundred million! Can he unlock his full potential and rise to the top?