This idea came to me in June 2020, two years ago. It was put aside for a long time, and I started writing again last November. I polished the first three chapters, editing and revising them five or six times, and asked many friends to review and give me feedback. This led to the first chapter you all saw on January 4th. Looking back now, I can't help but feel a little melancholy.
This is my first time writing a Xianxia novel. Before I started, I thought a 10,000-word draft of the setting would be sufficient. However, once I actually started writing, I discovered the world of Xianxia is far more vast than I'd imagined. I only constructed the most basic worldview, but there are so many details I hadn't considered. I had to tinker with it as I went along, and I probably left a lot of bugs. My initial characterizations were rather stereotyped, but I only gradually developed more ideas. Li Shutong wasn't even in the outline; I added her on a whim, considering her development as it progressed. The Taoist names for Shi Mingli and Qi Xiao were random ideas I came up with, but later realized they might tie into their personalities, which led to their inclusion in the sequel.
Fortunately, the characterization of the main characters hasn't deviated significantly. Shen Qingmang is the type of person I admire most: determined, positive, gentle, tolerant, and self-reflective. She's a responsible teacher and a reliable friend, but not a competent lover. Independent by nature, she's unable to become dependent on others and rarely considers their feelings. Meanwhile, Gu Suihan is a delicate, sensitive lover prone to anxiety and anxiety. He and Hao Xin both spent their childhoods in loveless circumstances. Hao Xin was fortunate to receive good care in his youth, which helped heal the trauma and cultivate a positive outlook. However, Gu Suihan, having experienced a lifetime of loneliness and having become a psychologically mature adult, faces a more difficult challenge than Hao Xin in changing his established ways of thinking. He longs for Shen Qingmang's love, but hers is so vast and inclusive, it benefits everyone. He desires the kind of favoritism he's never experienced before, and he faces numerous obstacles to achieve this. Shen Qingmang, on the other hand, needs to learn how to provide her with a sense of security and treat her as an equal. Si Rong is my favorite little girl. She is kind, cute, and a little naughty. Every time I write about her, I want to snatch her from Yi Qing.
There are still many regrets with this story. Many things I wanted to write about were ultimately shelved, such as the conflict between the aristocratic families of immortals and the common people, the interplay between the various sects of the Taichu Sect, and the myriad details of educational reform. I once wanted to expand on these topics, but I felt they might not be appropriate for a romance novel. The high start and low end of the reading volume clearly indicate the huge challenges this novel faces. After three consecutive failures, perhaps I should really consider whether I'm cut out for writing. I'm deeply grateful to Riyuexingchen and Xuridongsheng, who consistently vote for me and recommend me daily, and to my friends and family, Shimiao, who leave reviews on almost every chapter. You're my biggest motivation to persevere. Without you, this novel might have quickly fallen into disuse, like the previous two. Now that it's finished normally and I've exhausted all the extra chapters I wanted to write, it feels like the journey was worthwhile. The dual pressures of finding employment and graduating soon in the third dimension leave me with no more energy to write. As for whether I'll ever pick up the pen again, I'll wait for the final answers to my questions as time settles.
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