Xiao Lake Villa

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

“Kenapa kamu mengkhianatiku? Kenapa aku harus mati?” Xiao Chen yang mati karena dibunuh oleh mantan kekasih dan selingkuhan kekasihnya, ia bereinkarnasi menjadi anak dari keluarga Xiao yang terkenal di benua. Dia lahir dalam keluarga kuat dan penuh kasih sayang semenjak itu Xiao Chen memutuskan untuk hidup tanpa melakukan banyak usaha. Tetap rendah hati, dan menikmati kasih sayang keluarga tapi memiliki sifat yang cukup nakal di kalangan tetua keluarganya. Sampai suatu hari Xiao Chen berubah menjadi orang yang berbeda sehingga keluarga yang dulu menyayanginya berbalik membencinya. “Kenapa kamu melakukan ini semua? Kenapa? Jawab aku XIAO CHEN!” Suara marah dari setiap tetua dan anggota keluarga Xiao hanya membuat Xiao Chen tertawa. Hidupnya tidak perlu dikendalikan oleh orang lain dan hidupnya tidak perlu orang lain mempertanyakan, ia hanya hidup menurut hatinya sendiri. “Hahahaha, kenapa? Tentu karena aku tidak suka dengannya, terlalu jenius membuat hatiku sangat iri padanya dan itu membangkitkan iblis dalam hatiku. Aku Xiao Chen akan membuat kalian merasakan apa itu rasa sakit yang sesungguhnya!”

After I turn five years of age and have my very own phone, I start receiving strange messages every single day. For some reason, the sender keeps referring to me as their mom. At 3:00 am, they send me another message. "Mom, I saw you in my dreams again. The rain is seeping into the attic. My stepmom told me to use a rag to soak up all the water, but the rag is too small. Even though I tried to wipe it up all night, it still wouldn't dry. Mom, I'm so cold and hungry. I miss you so much…" I tilt my head, looking at the rain pouring outside the window. I then earnestly reply, "Don't be scared, sweetheart. Where are you right now? I will bring you something yummy!"

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen. Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world. Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth. It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter. I was over the moon. Finally, I thought I'd found my real family, people who might actually care about me. But when I told my aunt, she just smirked. "You think I didn't know? I don't want you. You'll never be my daughter." Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I couldn't understand. Why didn't anyone want me? But that day, I made a vow—I'd never beg for anyone's love again. Years later, when I got into Mayward University—the best educational institution in the country—I threw two DNA test reports on the table in front of them. For the first time, they both looked terrified.

Di kekaisaran Thang yang megah, Xiao Feng, seorang pemuda penuh ambisi, menjalani pelatihan seni bela diri di bawah bimbingan para guru. Namun, hidupnya hancur ketika Shifu Yan, salah satu gurunya, dibunuh oleh Yin Mo Sect, sekte jahat yang ingin menguasai kekaisaran. Terpukul oleh kehilangan ini, Xiao Feng bersumpah untuk membalas dendam dan melatih dirinya lebih keras, meski menghadapi kekalahan pahit dalam pertempuran melawan salah satu pendekar sesat. Di tengah keputusasaan, Xiao Feng menemukan Kitab Dewa Naga, kitab kuno yang diwariskan oleh gurunya. Dalam proses mempelajari kitab tersebut, ia bertemu dengan Xiao Chen, Pendekar Pedang Suci yang mengajarkan teknik peningkatan kekuatan dan memberi misi tambahan untuk menguji kemampuannya. Bersama Xiao Chen, Xiao Feng belajar menguatkan tulangnya dan mencari zirah besi, senjata pusaka yang memberikannya ketahanan fisik. Selama pelatihan, Xiao Feng juga menemukan cinta sejatinya, seorang perempuan yang menggetarkan hatinya. Momen-momen indah mereka membawa harapan baru dalam hidupnya dan memperkuat tekadnya untuk berjuang. Ketika kekuatan Xiao Feng berkembang, ancaman dari Yin Mo Sect semakin mendekat. Dengan keberanian dan kekuatan baru yang diperoleh dari Kitab Dewa Naga dan bimbingan Xiao Chen, Xiao Feng menghadapi konfrontasi terakhir melawan pemimpin sekte, Mo Tian. Dalam pertarungan epik ini, ia belajar bahwa balas dendam bukanlah tujuan utama, melainkan penemuan diri dan arti sejati dari kekuatan, cinta, dan pengorbanan di bawah langit naga yang mengawasi takdirnya.

On her twenty-first birthday, Jade Azura finds herself suddenly thrown into another world--thanks to a mysterious painting she finds in a museum exhibit. She meets a man named Jin who tells her that her only way home is by enlisting the help of a god named Bai Hu, but first, they must find the god's Seven Stars--people who held a fragment of the god within themselves. The journey to finding Bai Hu's Seven Stars commences, but it isn't an easy one. As feelings grow and passions arise, Jade slowly discovers the true meaning of life and that sometimes, things aren't always as they seem.

“Why did you betray me? Why did I have to die?” Xiao Chen who died because he was killed by his ex-lover and his lover’s affair, he reincarnated as a child of the famous Xiao family on the continent. He was born into a strong and loving family since then Xiao Chen decided to live without doing much effort. Stay humble, and enjoy the love of his family but have a rather naughty nature among his family elders. Until one day Xiao Chen changed into a different person so that the family who used to love him turned to hate him. “Why did you do all this? Why? Answer me XIAO CHEN!” The angry voices of every elder and member of the Xiao family only made Xiao Chen laugh. His life did not need to be controlled by others and his life did not need others to question, he only lived according to his own heart. “Hahahaha, why? Of course because I don’t like him, being too genius makes my heart very jealous of him and it awakens the devil in my heart. I Xiao Chen will make you feel what real pain is!”

Xiao Fang Lin, seorang pemuda yang menjadi yatim piatu dalam sekejap. Semua orang berpikir bahwa Xiao Fang Lin memiliki poin spiritual yang rendah dan sangat buruk dalam ilmu pedang. Suatu ketika, Xiao Fang dinyatakan sebagai putra Kaisar Suci yang ditakdirkan untuk memberantas ras iblis.

Terlahir dengan julukan aib keluarga, membuat Xiao Xian dikucilkan dan menjalani masa kecil seperti di neraka. Tak ada hal baik yang terjadi pada hidup Xiao Xian hingga ia menganggap kelahirannya di dunia sebagai kutukan dari langit. Pada suatu kesempatan, sebuah bencana membawanya bertemu dengan Roh Ashura dan membuat kesepakatan dengan iblis tersebut. Menggunakan kekuatan Ashura yang menyatu di tubuhnya, Xiao Xian bertekad untuk membalaskan dendam pada ketidakadilan orang-orang kepadanya. “Dengan menjadi yang terkuat, aku bisa meletekkan kepala mereka di bawah kakiku!” Namun, ketika Xiao Xian memiliki kekuatan untuk membalas dendam, takdir memaksanya menjadi penyelamat. Apa jadinya jika kekuatan Iblis Ashura, justru digunakan demi kebaikan? Apakah Xiao Xian akan baik-baik saja? Bagaimana dengan Iblis Ashura yang bersemayam di tubuhnya? Jalan mana yang akan ia pilih?

The day before New Year's, my younger brother announced he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner. Excited, I drove my new car to pick them up, taking my daughter along with me. However, as soon as his girlfriend got in the car, her face darkened. "Henry, you didn't tell me your sister was staying at your place—and with a kid!" she snapped. I frowned and was about to explain when my brother quickly interjected, "She's not staying. After dropping us off, she'll be heading to a hotel." Only then did his girlfriend's expression ease. I swallowed my discomfort and asked my brother what he was planning. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Sis, don't cause any trouble for me, okay? My girlfriend is the daughter of the Cromwell Group's CEO!" My eyes widened in shock. Was not the Cromwell Group the same company my ex-husband had just handed over to me as part of our divorce settlement?