Sep 30, 2025
Physical preorders for the final volume of To Rule in a Turbulent World are live from Via Lactea! It's been a wild journey, and it's time for some Extras. 🐰🥮
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Physical preorders for the final volume of To Rule in a Turbulent World are live from Via Lactea! It's been a wild journey, and it's time for some Extras. 🐰🥮
Have You Read This Web Novel?
If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”
If you’ve never heard of it, please read the description below the cut!
Have you read To Rule in a Turbulent World? Do you recommend it?
Yes, and I recommend it
Yes, neutral / it’s complicated
Yes, and I don’t recommend it
No, but I want to
No, neutral / it’s complicated
No, and I don’t want to
Never heard of it, but I want to read it now
Never heard of it and unsure about it now
Never heard of it, and I don’t want to read it now
See similar polls and results here!
The pain of reading through the most perfect cottage core/court intrigue themed novel disguised as a danmei only to find that you can't access any of the translated chapters after a certain point. Please someone point me in the direction of a complete translation of To Rule in a Turbulent World. The only translation that I can find is the MTL one and it is impossible to read through. If it is a licensed book, maybe a pointer on how to get hold of it?
Mousie’s absolutely subjective, very biased Top 10 web novels list
Please note that this is hardly aiming to be objective, if one can even be properly objective about a work of fiction. It is 110% based on my preferences, which means this list is heavy on the angst and has nothing set in the modern day. It is also heavily danmei-centric, even though I read way more het romance than danmei, because for whatever reason, most of the danmei I’ve read has been insanely good.
10. Return of the Swallow - one of the two non-danmeis on this list. Smart and nuanced and with a large cast of characters. Our heroine is a long-lost daughter of the family that is brought back in and has to cope with familial struggles, crazy royals, court intrigue, invasion et al. It’s SO GOOD! There is romance with the sexy smart enemy general but honestly, it’s the heroine that is the main selling point for me.
9. Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - the only other non-danmei novel on this list, this was my very first web novel and what drew me into this insanity. This is just a ton of fun, probably the lightest novel on this list, not an ounce of angst to be found. But it’s hilarious and features competent heroine and tsundere hero and I will always love it for opening a new world to me. Anyway, our heroine transmigrates into the novel as the female lead. Unlike the original lead though she doesn’t want to seek adventures and angst - she just wants to comfortably live with the wealthy, nice husband heroine has. Alas, said husband is no longer nice since he has previously lived this story where he was betrayed by FL and then transmigrated/reincarnated into the past. Oh well, the heroine opens up businesses and makes friends. And eventually, her husband realizes his wife is way different this time around. This actually doesn’t have much romance, not until close to the end, but this is so fun I don’t care.
8. Lord Seventh - I am only partway through this so far, but it’s already on the list because it’s smart and somehow intense AND laid-back (not sure how this works, but it does) and is honestly just a really really solid and smart period novel, with the OTP a cherry on top of a narrative sundae. Plus, I love the concept of MC deciding he is not going for his supposedly fated love - he’s tried for six lifetimes, always with disaster, and he’s just plain done and tired. When he opens his life in his seventh reincarnation and sees the person he would have given up the world for, he genuinely feels nothing at all. (Spoiler - his OTP is actually a barbarian shaman this time around, thank you Lord!)
7. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) - oh come on, how are you even on this tumblr if you don’t know MDZS/The Untamed? This was my very first danmei and it’s so much fun! I love everything about it - the unreliable narrator, the looping structure, the main OTP, Wei Wuxian’s laidback, traumatized insouciance, everything. Anyway, the plot in the event you somehow transported here from 2005 is that the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian, was defeated by the righteous sects over a decade ago and fell of a cliff to his death. Only now that same Wei Wuxian opens his eyes in another body and everything that was supposed to stay in the past starts again.
6. Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF) - people either love its meandering narrative, picaresque structure and cast of thousands, or find it a detriment compared to much more compact MDZS. I love it even more than MDZS for those very qualities. It does have a rock-solid, darling OTP, but what really elevates it to me are the MXTX trademark combo of snarky/light tone hiding a ton of trauma underneath, the insanely intricate world-building, and what it has to say about the nature of grace and goodness. Xie Lian is one of my top 5 web novel characters and probably in top 10 from anywhere. Oh, and while MXTX’s stuff is not as angsty for me as Meatbun’s or even Priest’s, there are always exceptions, and there is one chapter in this novel that pretty much broke me and sometimes I still flashback to it and feel unwell.
Anyway, what is it about? There is a commotion in the heavenly realm - Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of a long-destroyed kingdom, has ascended to Godhood. That in itself is not so exciting. However for Xie Lian this is the third time (!!!!) as he’s ascended and lost his godhood twice prior. And now, the biggest joke of the divine realm is back, throwing the heavenly realm into chaos. And elsewhere, Hua Cheng, one of the four most powerful demons of that Universe, sits up and takes notice.
5. Golden Stage - my perfect comfort novel. Probably the least angsty of any danmei novel on this list (which still means plenty angsty :P) It also has a dedicated, smart OTP that is an OTP for the bulk of the book - I think you will notice that in most of the novels in this list, I go for “OTP against the world” trope - I can’t stand love triangles and the same. Anyway, Fu Shen, is a famous general whose fame is making the emperor antsy. When he gets injured and can’t walk any more, the emperor gladly recalls him and marries him off to his most faithful court lackey, the head of sort of secret police, Yan Xiaohan. The emperor intends it both as a check on the general and a general spite move since the two men always clash in court whenever they meet. But not all is at is seems. They used to be friends a long time ago, had a falling out, and one of the loveliest parts of the novel is them finding their way to each other, but there is also finding the middle path between their two very different philosophies and ways of being, not to mention solving a conspiracy or dozen, and putting a new dynasty on the throne, among other things. It always makes me think, a little, of “if Mei Changsu x Jingyan were canon.”
4. Sha Po Lang - if you like a lot of fantasy politics and world-building and steampunk with your novels, this one is for you. This one is VERY plot-heavy with smart, dedicated characters and a deconstruction of many traditional virtues - our protagonist Chang Geng, a long-lost son of the Emperor, is someone who wants to modernize the country but also take down the current emperor his brother for progress’ sake and the person he’s in love with is the general who saved him when he was a kid who is nominally his foster father. Anyway, the romance is mainly a garnish in this one, not even a big side dish, but the relationship between two smart, dedicated, deadly individuals with very different concepts of duty is fascinating long before it turns romantic. And if you like angst, while overall it’s not as angsty as e.g., Meatbun stuff, Chang Geng’s childhood is the stuff of nightmares and probably freaks me out more than anything else in any novel on this list, 2ha included.
3. To Rule In a Turbulent World (LSWW) - gay Minglan. No seriously. This is how I think of it. it’s a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se and I always prefer stories where the romance is not the only thing that is going on. It’s meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating. Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he sees his friend’s servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. The person he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. It’s touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go. However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him (and yet, there is no instalove on either of their parts, their bodies have fun a lot quicker than their souls.) Anyway, the two take up farming, get involved in the imperial exams and it’s the life of prosperity and peace, until an invasion happens and things go rapidly to hell. This is so nuanced, so smart (smart people in this actually ARE!) and has secondary characters who are just as complex as the mains (for example, I ended up adoring YM’s friend, the one who starts the plot by almost beating LZF to death for no reason) because the novel never forgets that few people are all villain. There is a lovely character arc or two - watching YM grow up and LZF thaw - there is the fact that You Miao is a unicorn in web novels being laid back and calm. This whole thing is a masterpiece.
2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - want the emotional hit of 2ha but want to read something half its length? Well, the author of 2ha is here to eviscerate you in a shorter amount of time. This has the beautiful world-building, plot twists that all make sense and, at the center of it all, an intense and all-consuming and gloriously painful relationship between two generals - one aristocratic loner Mo Xi, and the other gregarious former slave general Gu Mang. Once they were best friends and lovers, but when the novel starts, Gu Mang has long turned traitor and went to serve the enemy kingdom and has now been returned and Mo Xi, who now commands the remnants of his slave army, has to cope with the fact that he has never been able to get over the man who stabbed him through the heart. Literally. This novel has a gorgeously looping structure, with flashbacks interwoven into present storyline. There is so much love and longing and sacrifice in this that I am tearing up a bit just thinking of it. If you don’t love Mo Xi and Gu Mang, separately and together, by the end of it, you have no soul.
1. The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha/erha) - if you’ve been following my tumblr for more than a hot second, you know my obsession with this novel. Honestly, even if I were to make a list of my top 10 novels of any kind, not just webnovels, this would be on the list. It has everything I want - a complicated, intricate plot with an insane amount of plot twists, all of which are both unexpected and make total sense, a rich and large cast of characters, a truly epic OTP that makes me bawl, emotional intensity that sometimes maxes even me out and so much character nuance and growth. Also, Moran is my favorite web novel character ever, hands down.
Anyway, the plot (or at least the way it first appears) is that the evil emperor of the cultivation world, Taxian Jun, kills himself at 32 and wakes up in the body of his 16 year old self, birth name Moran. Excited to get a redo, Moran wants to save his supposed true love Shimei, whose death the last go-around pushed him towards evil. He also wants to avoid entanglement with Chu Wanning, his shizun and sworn enemy in past life. And that’s all you are best off knowing, trust me. The only hint I am going to give is oooh boy the mother of all unreliable narrators has arrived!
The novel starts light and funny on boil the frog principle - if someone told me I would be full bawling multiple times with this novel, I’d have thought they were insane, but i swear my eyes hurt by the end of it. I started out being amused and/or disliking the mains and by the end I would die for either of them.
Wedding night (2020)
From LSWW
Me binge-reading good/angsty danmei novel all night:
"It's ok, i'll sleep after one more chapter."
Me the next morning:
A series of live readings for a handful of boy’s love novels I have been meaning to read or continue for months...might as well motivate myself with some halfway decent graphics and (attempted) book blurbs!
If you’re interested in LGBT+ Asian-inspired fantasy, I highly recommend delving into the world of Chinese web novels. Many dedicated fans pick these up for translation on the bird app and they are literally everything I always look for in Asian-inspired fantasy but never find, probably due to the publishing industry’s idea of what counts as “marketable”.
They all are, of course, #OwnVoices and written by authors who are pretty well-versed or do their research on the history, philosophy, and literature their characters consume. As a result, characters never feel like they don’t at least belong in their world - it’s reflected in their speech, mannerisms, values, etc. The natural integration of a common canon of Chinese poetry, philosophy, and values is particularly valuable and difficult to write if you haven’t been raised learning all of that history in school and absorbing it from the culture you live in.
Genre Notes: • Wuxia = martial arts fantasy, no supernatural elements • Xianxia = “cultivation” novels, a mix of fantasy and martial arts wherein characters usually aim to cultivate spiritual energy to reach immortality • Xuanhan = fantasy, may have cultivation, but also encompasses more supernatural elements including the heavens/gods
All of these have m/m romance, some more heavily than others. Warnings are not complete, will be updated as I progress through the stories. None of these are too bad though, except for a certain scene in Invitation to Wine.
Faraway Wanderers / Tianyake / 天涯客
A tired ex-spy wants to live out his remaining days in leisure but ends up involved in a chaotic series of events along with the other lead character, a playboy martial artist, and some ducklings (children) tagging along. Ultimately, a story that questions the possibility for redemption with a heavy amount of gritty realism sprinkled with hope and second chances.
Author: priest Genre: Wuxia, Action/Adventure Warnings: Mild gore
Nan Chan / 南禅
The story of a fish that cultivated to gain a human form and an immortal with amnesia, who committed a serious crime and was cast from the heavens for it. Together, they go on a quest that will take them through the “eight sufferings” (birth, death, old age, sickness, partings with loved ones, encounters with enemies, unfulfilled wishes, and the inability to let go) and uncover a mystery in the heavens.
Author: Tang Jiuqing Genre: Supernatural, Xuanhuan
To Rule in a Turbulent World / Luan Shi Wei Wang / 乱世为王
The spoiled son of a wealthy tea merchant acquires a loyal slave who supports him when he is down on his luck and cast out by his father, having to renovate the old estate his mother left to him. Later, he goes to take the imperial examinations and war breaks out when the “barbarian” tribes from the north attack. Ultimately, a story of growing up in a turbulent era.
Author: Fei Tian Ye Xiang Genre: Historical, Wuxia, Action/Adventure, Slice of Life Warnings: War violence, explicit sex, underage sex
Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fu Yao Sect / 六爻
A boy is taken in by the eccentric master of a rundown cultivation sect comprised of kids. Later, tragedy strikes after leaving their mountain home and they must find their way back – uncovering the secrets of their sect and proving themselves against a world that mocks them.
Author: priest Genre: Xianxia, Adventure, Drama
Invitation to Wine / Qiang Jin Jiu / 将进酒
The main character is a young man whose family was accused of treason and he barely escaped with his life, the second male lead is the man who once kicked him while he was down. A story about the “epic feud” between these two people who never get along whenever they meet.
Author: Tang Jiuqing Genre: Historical, Romance Warnings: Torture, animal abuse
Hi there! I'm obsessed, OBSESSED with Qiang Jin Jiu from your recommendation, would you mind recommending other novels that might filter out some of these obsession, because I don't think it's quite healthy at the current pace
Yay, glad you’re liking QJJ, isn’t it great? Cezhou really is couple goals!
I’m presuming you want Danmei? I can give you some great Baihe or BG novels too!
Well, if you want something that has a similar ratio of plot:horniness I would recommend To Rule in A Turbulent World (Luan Shi Wei Wang 乱世为王 ) by Fei Tian Ye Xiang. LSWW’s main characters are You Miao, young, insouciant, spoiled son of a rich merchant sent to the capital to make connections and Li Zhifeng, Quanrong (sex-)slave. YM buys LZF from a friend who was about to beat LZF to death on a somewhat rebellious impulse and also because he’s kinda curious about the sex stuff. He quickly frees LZF though, because YM is not really the sex-slave having kind of person, but they do have sex before parting initially - mostly bc YM is curious about it and well, he’s already paid money - but thankfully their separation does not last long and they realise how much they mean to each other pretty quickly.
LSWW starts out as a somewhat quiet novel about maintaining and fixing your own farm, but both YM and LZF aren’t really meant to just sit back and watch history pass them by.
As they become increasingly embroiled in the happenings of the world around them, they never lose sight of each other though and just like QJJ it’s pretty much accepted without comment that YM and LZF are a unit and no one comments on it. The translation by Suika is, as always, amazing and the main story is close to being done (61/75 chapters)! So now is a great place to start imo!
Next I would rec Thousand Autumns ( Qian Qiu 千秋) by Meng Xi Shi. It is not as horny as QJJ or LSWW although I guess that could be debated, because Yan WuShi is prime DILF material, and the couple doesn’t actually get together-together until the end of the novel/the extras. I’m still reccing it though, because the plot is pretty great and I really like the world that MXS draws up in her novel.
QQ is about Shen Qiao, disgraced former leader of a righteous Daoist sect, who is defeated by a challenger from the Turkic Steppes. He falls off a cliff pretty much directly into the hands of Yan Wushi, leader of an “unorthodox” sect who just came out of a 10 year seclusion. Shen Qiao initally does not remember who he is, so Yan Wushi takes the opportunity to fool him into thinking he is SQs Master, but although Shen Qiao doesn’t remember, he’s not dumb and that ruse is dissolved pretty quickly. The main thrust of the novel is SQ now trying to make his way in the world when everyone thinks he’s disgraced himself through his defeat and has now become YWS’s boytoy for safety.
Yan Wushi however didn’t take SQ in out of the kindness of his heart, or because he wants to fool him a little but because Shen Qiao is pretty much a kind person at heart and YWS just doesn’t believe someone can be as idealistic as SQ is so he observes and maneuvers situations to find out where SQs bottom line is. He... does something that is pretty much completely despicable and unforgivable to Shen Qiao (if you want to know exactly what it is, ask me and I’ll put it in a spoiler), but SQ is able to a) save himself and b) YWS pretty much gets hit by the karma stick shortly thereafter, so despite this the way their relationship develops in the novel is not unbelievable or impossible to me.
What I really like about QQ is that Shen Qiao is around 30 (I think?) and YWS is close to 50 (doesn’t look anything like it though obviously), so they’re both adults and their characters are firm enough that they don’t change throughout the novel, they just gain a new perspective that lets them process stuff in a new way while still remaining true to their core personalities.
I’ve linked carrds with corresponding translations, so I hope you like either or at least one of the two novels that I have linked! Please let me know if you do :D
Edit: I think all the carrds feature links to the JJWXC origins of the novel and I urge anyone who reads fantranslations to go and support the authors, the novels are so cheap and chapter prices are dependent on the length, but can be discounted through numerous ways, so you can buy even novels like 2ha for like 10$.