Best Free Danmei Fan Translations to Read Online

The best free Danmei fan translations available in English include Lie Huo Jiao Chou (174 chapters, modern fantasy by Priest, LotusScribe), SAYE (141 chapters, school life, LotusScribe), Nine Heavens (101 chapters, xianxia, LotusScribe), and Death Progress Bar (157 chapters, modern thriller, LotusScribe). This list covers the best completed and ongoing novels with free English translations across multiple sites, organized by genre.

All novels below are unlicensed as of March 2026, meaning they can be read for free online. If a novel on this list later receives an official English license, we will update this page to reflect the change and link to the official edition.

Modern Fantasy & Xuanhuan

Lie Huo Jiao ChouPriest

In a modern world where people with special abilities are managed by a government office, a thousand-year-old emperor is reawakened after jumping into a fiery lake. A newly transferred bureaucrat must clean up the chaos of this revived monarch — while uncovering their shared past and a conspiracy that could destroy the world's balance. By Priest, one of the most acclaimed Danmei authors.

Read at: LotusScribe

School Life & Modern

SAYE (Run Freely)Wu Zhe, 巫哲

A city boy is sent back to a gritty industrial town where he meets a quiet, talented photographer carrying more weight than any teenager should. Raw, realistic, and deeply hopeful. Widely considered one of the best modern Danmei novels ever written.

Read at: LotusScribe

What Lies WithinBei Nan, 北南

After changing jobs, Shen Duoyi encounters his new boss — someone he had a brief entanglement with during their youth. As old misunderstandings clear up, they start over and grow closer. A mature, sophisticated romance between two academic elites navigating old wounds and new feelings.

Read at: LotusScribe

I've Liked Your Boyfriend For a Long TimeJiang Zi Bei, 酱子贝

Pei Ran discovers two things: his boyfriend of three years seems to be cheating on him, and his boyfriend's roommate looks at him in a way that isn't quite right. A sweet campus romance with a satisfying twist.

Read at: LotusScribe

Fake SlackersMu Gua Huang, 木瓜黄

Two secretly brilliant students pretend to be academic failures to avoid attention — until they end up competing for last place at the same desk. One of the most beloved school life Danmei in the fandom.

Read at: LotusScribe | Chrysanthemum Garden

Historical & Political

Rebirth of the TyrantMan Man He Qi Duo, 漫漫何其多

A prince reborn after betrayal navigates court politics with foreknowledge of what's to come. While slaughtering his enemies one by one, he carefully raises the loyal guard who died for him in his previous life. Intense court scheming with a devoted romance.

Read at: LotusScribe

Royal DescendantsMan Man He Qi Duo, 漫漫何其多

A cunning crown prince, born into nobility but not of the emperor's blood, faces constant schemes. When a hostage prince from a rival territory arrives, their shared struggles forge an unlikely bond. Political rivalry becomes personal, then intimate — a story of a twisted prince's relentless ascent to the throne.

Read at: LotusScribe

Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke)Priest

The novel behind the drama Word of Honor. A dying former assassin meets a flirtatious master of Ghost Valley. Their journey through the martial world is gritty, romantic, and deeply satisfying.

Read at: Chichilations

Cultivation & Xianxia

Nine HeavensMeng Xi Shi, 梦溪石

From a grandmaster of demonic cultivation to a third-rate disciple — Zhou Yin is reborn into a new body with weak spiritual roots and low status. But since he accepted this body, the path of immortals will be his to walk. A sweeping xianxia epic with deeply intertwined character arcs.

Read at: LotusScribe

All the Dao Sects Owe Me a FavourQi Jing Nan Qu, 骑鲸南去

The legendary Lord Yunzhong, a Daoist savior who retired young, is dragged back into the world of cultivation when his old debts and relationships catch up to him — including a beautiful Buddhist master who genuinely dislikes him. A rich, dramatic xianxia with spectacular worldbuilding.

Read at: LotusScribe

Mistakenly Saving the Villain

A medical student transmigrates and accidentally rescues the wrong person — the traumatized 'villain' becomes dangerously devoted to him. Beautiful handling of mental health themes.

Read at: Chrysanthemum Garden

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

A powerful villain finds the 'romance novel' that describes his own world and decides to defy the plot. Hilarious, smart, and subversive.

Read at: Mourning Crow Translations

Quick Transmigration & System Novels

Don't Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin

Widely considered the gold standard of QT Danmei. A genius actor travels through worlds to avenge mistreated hosts, while falling for his own System.

Read at: Chrysanthemum Garden

Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil

The classic that popularized many QT tropes. A top-tier hacker trapped in a system breaks the rules of every world he enters.

Read at: Foxaholic

Thriller, Horror & Supernatural

Death Progress BarCan’t Play Chess, 不会下棋

Shi Jin transmigrates into a novel as the sixth son of a harem-novel father. After his father's death, his five older half-brothers are destined to torment him to death. Armed with a mysterious 'death progress bar' system, he must navigate dangerous family politics and reduce his death flags — while unexpectedly finding love with a mafia boss who becomes his protector.

Read at: LotusScribe

Deep Sea Drifter DiaryMu Su Li, 木苏里

After an accident in the Bermuda Triangle, Xia Chuan is swept to a bizarre world where Cretaceous creatures still roam. He must find an exit while navigating the company of a deep-sea overlord whose brain is seemingly missing a few gears. Atmospheric, immersive, and unlike most Danmei you've read.

Read at: LotusScribe

Thriller Trainee

A magician enters a survival horror game loop where the number one player is actively trying to kill him. Electric chemistry and brilliant mind games.

Read at: Chrysanthemum Garden

How to Find More Free Danmei

The best way to discover new fan translations is through NovelUpdates, which indexes chapter releases from all translation groups. You can filter by genre, completion status, and tags to find exactly what you're looking for. For a complete overview of all reading platforms, see our Where to Read Danmei in English guide.

FAQ

How do I know if a novel is fully translated?
On NovelUpdates, the series page shows the total chapter count and translation progress. On LotusScribe, completed novels are marked with a "Completed" tag on the novel index page.
Will these stay free?
Fan translations of unlicensed novels are free to read. If a novel gets officially licensed (by Seven Seas, Rosmei, etc.), the fan translation is typically taken down. We update this list when licensing changes happen.
What's the difference between MTL and human-edited translations?
MTL (machine translation) runs raw text through a translation algorithm, often producing awkward or inaccurate English. Human-edited translations involve a translator manually converting the text with attention to nuance, idiom, and cultural context. Sites like LotusScribe, Chrysanthemum Garden, and Chicken Gege focus on human-edited work.

Last updated: March 2026. This page is updated regularly as new translations and platforms become available.