The Master’s account went online on January 1, 2024. Today is February 1, 2025, for a total of 397 consecutive days of serialization. The total word count upon completion was 2.35 million characters. This averages out to 5,919 characters updated daily, which is roughly equivalent to receiving the full attendance bonus every month. I believe this can be considered diligent work.
When I first started writing this book, my expectation was to write for an entire year, completing the story within that timeframe. However, it ended up being longer than I imagined. The initially planned word count was around 2 million characters, but it unexpectedly exceeded that by 350,000.
(However, to be fair, most of that 350,000 was “spicy” content.)
Jiang Huai’s story holds a somewhat different significance for me. In my past works, the protagonists were always somewhat melancholic. Even Xu Luo, occasionally, was a gloomy and introverted young man. But Jiang Huai isn’t truly melancholic; even with his cultivation crippled or facing romantic setbacks, he never genuinely succumbed to despair. Furthermore, he was more thick-skinned and proactive.
Initially, I didn’t understand why myself, just as I didn’t understand why the protagonists in my previous stories were always melancholic. Then, as I continued writing, a moment of realization struck me.
It was because I had grown up. I was no longer like my eighteen-year-old self, trapped in one place, seeking security in a painful environment.
Although the initial tone of the entire book revolved around the crippled cultivation, it wasn’t actually that heavy. It was very relaxed and casual, with large portions dedicated to daily life and interactions with the female characters, spiced up with a little bit of showing off and face-slapping. It was a very light and restorative, casual read. I wrote it in a relaxed manner, and I hope your reading experience was similar.
Jiang Huai’s personality evolved.
It wasn’t growth, but a change.
Initially, he was indecisive and occasionally lost, but later his skin gradually thickened, and he became more proactive. This was the change in Jiang Huai’s storyline. As for the female protagonists’ storylines, their personalities didn’t undergo significant transformations. Chu Xianning remained consistent throughout. The only one with a more substantial shift was Luo Yueguan.
When I was designing Luo Yueguan’s plot, I always felt a sense of unease, worried that such a heavily weighted storyline might not be well-received. Fortunately, the feedback was positive, which relieved me.
The author’s perspective and the reader’s perspective are different.
For instance, sometimes, in the eyes of readers, a protagonist who is awkward, not proactive, and constantly indecisive in the early stages might not be as appealing. But from the author’s perspective, his actions align with his fundamental personality, and it is precisely because of these actions that the plot unfolds as it does. Looking back at the entire book, I find Jiang Huai’s personality very interesting. He’s like a lazy puppy, who enjoys collecting a pile of bones, and his happiest moments are spent lying in the courtyard, basking in the warm sun and gnawing on those bones.
Over the years, I’ve written and created nearly a hundred female characters, possibly more. I’ve lost count. Because of this, it’s difficult to avoid the homogenization of character personalities.
But thankfully, I’m mostly satisfied with the character development of the female leads in this book. Chu Xianning has the most detailed descriptions, a cold and scheming iceberg fairy. Luo Yueguan also has significant screen time, the affection-starved character who constantly teases you with pranks. Following that are Wen Wanwan, Wen Fufu, Bai Jin, and Bai Li, all of whom are characters I like very much. Jiang Zhi also has a considerable presence, but she was affixed with too many labels as a guide, a cheat, an older sister, a master, and a puppy, which somewhat blurred her character.
However, after finishing this book, aside from Chu Xianning, I’ve realized that my favorite is actually Bai Jin, even though her part isn’t that extensive.
Conversely, Jiang Ning, who should have been the protagonist, has surprisingly little to do. Jiang Ning’s story arc simply couldn’t be expanded further. By the time Jiang Ning appeared, the plot was no longer controlled by the author, but by the characters themselves.
Given Jiang Huai’s personality, even if he discovered the truth, he wouldn’t be able to get truly angry at Jiang Ning. Therefore, what remains are simply some warm and simple daily routines, with the rest left to the imagination.
This book is, in the end, a formulaic work, but I like it.
I am not an adventurer; I dislike things outside my comfort zone. That’s why I don’t enjoy playing new games, and often I don’t want to engage with new movies, TV shows, or anime. When I’m bored, I’ll rewatch old favorites, reliving the emotions they evoked back then and letting them mingle with my current feelings, quietly fermenting in my heart.
Those who constantly tell you to step out of your comfort zone are mostly fools. If you can live contentedly in a small pond, why would you seek the vast ocean?
You should only venture towards the ocean when you desire to see it, not by blindly following others’ advice.
Being able to complete such a long historical romance with a harem is something I’m very proud of. It breaks my usual habit of finishing each book within 1.5 million characters, making it exceptionally meaningful.
Authors invariably feel a sense of reluctance when their works come to an end.
At the moment of completion, I suddenly felt a sense of aimlessness, unsure of what to do next. This book accompanied you for a long time, and it accompanied me too. Every day, I was thinking of new ideas to write, how to develop new characters, and how to design the plot. Until it ended, and I didn’t have to think anymore… I felt lost.
But the story had to end here.
Appropriate blank spaces are also part of the story. I have a vague feeling that forcing the writing to continue would inevitably blur the character development rather than making it clearer. Those blank spaces are precisely where imagination resides, allowing this fantasy world to persist.
In conclusion! The story has ended, but the lives of the characters within the story continue.
I love this fantasy world, and if it brought you any joy, it is my honor.
Thank you all for your companionship over the past year and more! I bow to you three times.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
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P.S.: The following is a preview for the new book.
First, regarding the release date, the new book will be released on March 7th.
The reason isn’t laziness; rather, I want to dedicate this entire month to preparing for the new book, designing some of its plot and characters. Since the new book will be in the urban supernatural genre, I want to write the emotional aspects more delicately. Therefore, I need to have more drafts on hand. Otherwise, anything written in too much haste feels incomplete.
I don’t particularly like the current world.
The world now is disconnected from the one I experienced as a child. With the advent of the short video era, everything’s pace suddenly became incredibly fast. Because of the rapid development of the internet, everyone’s horizons have broadened significantly. This, in turn, has unleashed a great deal of anxiety. And because of this anxiety, people repeatedly fill it with fragmented entertainment, entering an ever-worsening cycle.
I don’t intend to judge the merits of this. Such a fast-paced era has its advantages and disadvantages, but I simply don’t like it. Sometimes, on impulse, I might get passionate and drink with friends all night at a bar, but most of the time, I prefer to order a drink and sit quietly, lost in thought for a long, long time.
The new book is set in a world of supernatural beings and demons, but its overall core won’t change much. Every author has their preferences, and mine are simply interesting romantic entanglements with beautiful girls, and some strange ideas that are called “chuunibyou.”
I have more passion for school life or urban settings, but writing them is difficult. I have to be cautious to balance everyone’s thoughts, considering how their experiences shape their perspectives. Yet, historical settings are particularly easy and enjoyable to write, even if I don’t have as much passion for them.
However, I believe maintaining passion is quite important. Since I started my career, I’ve written about 14 million characters. The dream of supporting myself by writing has been勉强 (barely) achieved, but after realizing that dream, a long period of emptiness and confusion followed.
So, I must write something I’m more interested in.
For me, there are two things worth boasting about in writing: First, having good results, being liked by many, and being recognized by many is incredibly fulfilling.
Second, I believe I write well, and I don’t need external validation. It will filter readers; those who like it will love it, and those who don’t will find it nonsensical. Even if its performance is far from the former, I will be prouder of it.
The new book is being created with this mindset. As for the plot, what’s written…
Please look forward to it?
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Alright! Enough pretty talk!
March 7th! New book release!
I’m begging you, if you don’t read it, I’ll really collapse in my rental room and die in front of my computer from long-term instant noodle consumption and mental fatigue. I already gave up going home for the Lunar New Year to avoid distractions with my new book ideas. On New Year’s Eve, I drank heavily alone in my rental room and felt like I was going to go mad.
If the new book flops, I will cry, I really will cry.
