Strongly recommend Yan Nan's 'Dust Fate'! (If you've already seen it, please ignore~)

(Forwarded) PS: Novice enthusiasts, please ignore. (Synopsis) A piece of green stone, because it heard an immortal patrolling the realm recite the nine volumes of the Heavenly Book, managed to shed its stone form and cultivate into an immortal embryo, but inadvertently released a heavenly demon, was punished and sent to the mortal world, and that patrol immortal was consequently expelled from the ranks of immortals. Before falling into reincarnation, the two made a pact for three lifetimes! This banished immortal naturally triggered a scramble for him between the forces of righteousness and evil. What is utterly unexpected is that the banished immortal was actually killed long ago, and the person everyone is fighting over is merely a small inn servant helping with chores. Yet the green stone hanging around him is a genuine immortal artifact — could it be that even immortal objects have mistaken their master this time? (Expert Commentary) A piece of green stone, having heard an immortal patrolling the realm recite the Heavenly Book, managed to shed its stone form and cultivate into an immortal embryo. It is reminiscent of the stone monkey in "Journey to the West" who sprang out of a stone, causing chaos in the heavenly court, and eventually earned the title of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' achieving true enlightenment on the way to the West to obtain the scriptures. At first glance, "Dust Fate" shares subtle similarities with "Journey to the West," but reading further, one finds that "Dust Fate" clearly avoids the overwhelming shadow that "Journey to the West" casts on the public. It takes a different path, creating an original immortal world in the misty Jiangnan region, completely distinct from the rules of the heavenly realm in "Journey to the West," making "Dust Fate" just as captivating. In short, "Dust Fate" is a contest between the secular meaning of childhood sweethearts and the non-secular experience of love growing over time. Within this, I can vaguely see the author drawing a cultural implication from juxtaposing Buddhist culture with real-world life. (Characters in "Dust Fate") The character relationships in "Dust Fate" do not seem overly complicated. Whether it is Luo Feng, once an immortal patrolling all directions, demoted to the lower realm, who made a three-life pact with the green stone before descending, and later seeks immortals and Dao following the goals set in this cycle; or Gu Qing, the descendant of the Cloud Sect from the three major sects of righteousness, previously the green stone of the boundless river in the heavenly realm, a banished immortal; and two other key immortals in the cycle — Ji Ruocheng. The author's portrayal of each character and the description of details demonstrate a certain narrative skill. This is challenging, yet the author handles it quite well. It is not an easy feat.From the perspective of the story's structure, *Mist and Rain over Jiangnan* expresses the complex, tangled relationships among Ji Ruocheng, Luo Feng, and Gu Qing through shifts in time and space, leaving the vast majority of similar-themed novels appearing pale in comparison. ＿＿The 'legendary lives' depicted in *Mist and Rain over Jiangnan* are ordinary and detailed, filled with intense everyday experiences. This makes *Fleeting Fate* imbued with the atmosphere of mortal life. Fortunate yet unfortunate, sorrowful yet not sorrowful, the author maintains the conflicts of earthly emotions while providing moderate rational restraint. The appropriate rational restraint allows Gu Qing and Luo Feng to become entwined with Ji Ruocheng's fate in the third cycle of reincarnation, adding a sense of grandiose, earthly tragedy to the story, which heightens the readers' anticipation for the novel. Of course, this kind of writing can also give rise to another problem, namely, the improper use of exposition and digression. Classical Chinese novels emphasize exposition and digression to regulate the rhythm of the work and to expand the breadth and depth of the plot—a saying goes, 'experts look at the method, laypeople watch the spectacle.' If the author of *Fleeting Fate* could study this aspect and make the exposition and digressions take root everywhere, intricately intertwined without leaving traces, it would be a delightful surprise. ＿＿Talking about Xiao Er (Ji Ruocheng) (PS: the book's protagonist): Honestly speaking, in the traditional sense of a xianxia novel, the character Xiao Er is not very successfully constructed. His personality is not distinctive, his thoughts not profound; although he is handsome, his sole goal in cultivation is to survive. However, as the protagonist of a book, this goal seems somewhat shallow. From the Immortal Emperor and celestial demons in the heavenly realm, the Minghuang and ordinary soldiers in the human world, to the little ghosts and spirits in the underworld, who does not want to survive? Survival is a universal instinct of all beings, and making this basic goal the main objective of Fleeting Fate's male lead is clearly inappropriate. Yet Yan Da did not want to change this, because he is BBWC's Yan Da. Therefore, in most of the story, Xiao Er drifts along like a pawn, with his coming and going not in his own control. As the plot develops, Xiao Er discovers that reality is drifting further from his true self. He wants to change, but feels powerless. The Immortal Emperor, the Infinite Sea, the innkeeper couple, and Ziwei—each of these puppeteers is an existence he reveres as almost insurmountable.So Xiao Er's heart became increasingly confused amid contradictions. He couldn't find a direction to move forward. He once had a clear goal—Gu Qing—but unfortunately, there was the Severing Fate Sword. One may care for a flower and it won't thrive, while a willow planted without thought can provide shade—fortunately, there was Qingyi. In fact, the Severing Fate Sword wasn't necessary; when Gu Qing chose to walk with Yin Feng, Xiao Er's fate with Gu Qing had already ended. The story of Cinderella and the prince only exists in fairy tales; this is mortal karma, not a fairy tale. It was just that Xiao Er's heart was too confused. When he returned to the mortal world, he still pursued the direction of Gu Qing. He didn't even know what he should do or say when he met Gu Qing. It wasn't until Qingyi risked her life to save him that he realized the source of the faint green light in the wilderness and understood who his true mortal destiny was. As a human with flesh and blood, Xiao Er succeeded. Although in the end, he still could not escape the scheming of the Immortal Emperor, he finally lived the life he truly longed for: a few acres of thin farmland, a beloved wife, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Xiao Er finally had the bravery and prowess that Gu Qing had hoped for, but unfortunately, not for her—it was for Qingyi.