Joyful Reunion (Novel) Vol. 3

Joyful Reunion (Novel) #3

by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, Porridge (Illustrator)

TRUTHS LAID BAREAfter a narrow escape from the assassin Helan Jie, Duan Ling and Wu Du race back to Tong Pass to carry out their eliminate the treacherous general Bian Lingbai and take control of the fortress on behalf of Southern Chen's imperial court. Yet their task takes a perilous turn when enemy forces outside the pass, sensing weakness, seize the chance to launch an all-out attack. Duan Ling must use all his wits and everything he learned from his father to hold Tong Pass against the foreign invaders until help arrives.
At the same time, the closer Duan Ling grows to Wu Du, the harder he finds it to keep his true identity as the crown prince a secret. Duan Ling doesn't want to lie anymore--but revealing too much now might not only jeopardize their mission, but drag them both into terrible danger.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Novels

413 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Associated Names:
* 非天夜翔
* Arise Zhang
* Fei Tian Ye Xiang
* เฟยเทียนเย่เสียง (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyful Reunion: Volume 3 Reflections

5/5 AGAIN!

This novel has impacted me so much! Can I have Volume 4 now, please?! All these characters have made me feel all sorts of emotions. There are two I want to strangle, two that make me laugh and I’d want to hang out with in real life, and two others I just want to see their romance bloom right in front of my eyes! Out of all of Fei Tian Ye Xiang’s works, this is my favorite story he’s written so far.

Wu Du is fierce, strong, temperamental, and compassionate like a tiger—but shy and pure-hearted like a cub. He has so much growth in this volume! I desperately need more of him, and I can't wait to see how he reacts as things unfold.

And Duan Ling, what can I say? You’re so smart and kind-hearted; you care so deeply about your people, and I just want to hug you! You deserve so much. You’re also so strong in many ways, and I hope you see it!

Changliu-Jun and Zheng Yan, you two are absolutely hilarious for assassins! I see you both enjoy life to the fullest. I hope you two realize who Duan Ling really is soon!

Lang Junxia... I still hate you. And Cai Yan, I hope you get the fate you deserve—and not in a nice way!
Happy Reading🥰

SPOILERS FOR FUTURE VOLUMES IN COMMENTS = AUTOMATIC BLOCK!

🥷SPOILER WARNINGS!🥷

"The world is ever-changing, and it's hard to know a person's heart. Sometimes, what changes is not one's situation, but one's own desires —and what one fears isn't someone else, but oneself. That's why I want to stay here in this manor with Shan-er. You can call me unambitious or uninspired if you like.
Either way, I'm happy spending my days like this." - Wu Du

I feel like there are a few people who already know Duan Ling is the true Crown Prince. One being Xie You; the moment he saw Duan Ling, he knew. At the very end of the volume, I also think Li Yanqiu has a strong sense that Duan Ling is his nephew. These are all just my theories, of course!

OMG, can we talk about the confession?! I love them so much! Duan Ling and Wu Du are so heart-stricken with each other. We all knew Wu Du fell for him first!
Cai Yan, why are you like this?! WTF changed?! Why do you want Duan Ling’s life? Why do you want to kill him so badly? These thoughts won’t leave my brain! How could you betray him like that? And why did Lang Junxia agree to your schemes? Or was it the other way around?

At the end of the volume, Lang Junxia saying there is a way to kill Duan Ling... I don't like this at all, especially saying it in front of Cai Yan. I can’t get over the betrayal these two did to Duan Ling. Never.

[Queens Love Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world is ever-changing, and it's hard to know a person's heart. Sometimes, what changes is not one's situation, but one's one desire—and what one fears isn't someone else, but oneself. That's why I want to stay here in this manor with Shan-er. You can call me unambitious or uninspired if you like. Either way, I'm happy spending my days like this."

By the time I finished this volume, I just sat there for a minute, feeling both satisfied and restless. I have so many questions, and I honestly cannot wait to see what happens next. What really pulled me in was how often the story made me stop and rethink what I believed was happening. I would feel confident in my understanding, and then a revelation would quietly shift the ground under my feet. Nothing is spelled out in a heavy handed way, which made the experience feel more immersive. The book keeps asking you to trust it and trust yourself as a reader, and I enjoyed how it made me question everything I thought I thought I knew without losing my interest or emotional connection.

The characters are where this volume really shines for me. Duan Ling’s quiet confidence is one of my favorite things about the story. He is patient, thoughtful, and emotionally controlled, and the way he listens and chooses his words gives him real presence. Wu Du is sharper and more guarded, but his loyalty runs deep and shows up through action and attention rather than big emotional moments. Together, they feel balanced and natural. Their relationship grows through trust, shared silence, and mutual understanding, which made it feel steady and genuine instead of rushed. The secondary characters also added a lot to my enjoyment. Lang Junxia moves with precision and restraint, Cai Yan brings constant tension through his fragile authority, and Zheng Yan’s sharp perception adds moments of uneasy humor. Mu Kuangda’s long planning, Changliu jun’s volatility, and Mu Qing’s warmth all helped the story feel layered and alive.

What I appreciated most is the careful pacing and emotional restraint. This story rewards patience and attention, letting character choices and long running threads matter in ways that feel intentional. I can see how this approach might not work for everyone, especially for readers who want quick answers or constant dramatic moments. For me, it worked beautifully and left a strong, lingering impression that made me eager to keep reading.

Date Read: 2026.02.02

[mara - hyrulevalkyrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wu Du is my beautiful, dashing, handsome, strong, shy little princess whom I love dearly

[V~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🌟

*Edit: last year I read the fans tln. This official 7Seas version ended a chapter or two after the most gorgeous promise (chapter 118.) Not only to Duan Ling, but a promise for Wu Du to keep to the late emperor, for he dreamed of Duan Ling's father leaving Wu Du in charge of Duan Ling. I cried! You just have to read it to experience it, thus I change my rating higher because where this version began and ended was pure perfection! *


Holy shit… the incredible battle scenes. The sacrifices Duan Ling had to take, I felt them probably sadder than Duan Ling did. Perhaps it was because he had to face it differently because of his position.
The villians get more evil.
The desperation gets more intense.
The heart wrenching characters get more… just more, okay! LJX I’m watching you!
Chengliu Jun, Zheng Yan… all of you became my sons, mmk.

immaculate!

And can I add the romance!



Peak!

It was so perfect! Absolutely a 10/10 read!!

Read: September 1, 2025

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5starrs

OKay I'm still obsessed with this series don't get me wrong, but this volume fell a TINY BIT flat for me. I just feel like not a ton happened? It feels like a middle book (which it is lol) in that it finished up what was going on in volume 2 and then set up what's going to be coming next. I appreciate that we progressed in their relationship <3333 but other than that I feel like not a TON happened. BUT I absolutely loved reading this and had such a good time spending the past few days with my boys <3

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to drop a star about halfway through, and then it surged back into absolutely engrossing storytelling. Honestly, I'm way less invested in the romance than I am in the political plot and the huge question of how Duan Ling is going to regain his inheritance and his empire.

The pacing of the romance is just a little bit off. Some of it's great: Wu Du promising to take Duan Ling anywhere in the world he wants, even after he becomes emperor, is fantastic, as is the bone-deep comfort Duan Ling takes from having someone he can truly trust with his entire heart. Other parts are a bit too awkward, with both of them constantly blushing and seeming wildly oblivious about how to actually become a couple.

I would've liked less staring and blushing and more internal angst over what it means for an emperor and an assassin to form a lifelong romantic bond. Wu Du is already promising to stay by Duan Ling's side no matter what, with no expectations as to titles or roles, but even with Duan Ling insisting he will never marry, there will be an immense amount of pressure on him to produce an heir. I don't know if the series will dig into those elements or if the entire arc is just about getting him on his father's throne, without addressing what comes after.

I did like Wu Du's eventual proposal, as awkward as it was - the secondhand embarrassment is a bit too strong - and I absolutely love Duan Ling's increasing inner turmoil over whether he even wants to fight to take his name back from the imposter. He could so easily slip away into the wide, beautiful world, with Wu Du accompanying him as they travel the land and the sea and experience all its wonders. He would never be trapped within a huge, empty palace, lonely and worn thin by all the endless administrative duties that come from being a ruler.

But at the end of the day, it's in his blood: the drive to rule, not out of greed or ambition but because he truly wants to build a better world for the people who trust in him. One of my absolute favorite things is how naturally all his leadership tendencies are shown: he has a brilliant mind, immense practicality mixed with the necessary amount of ruthlessness, but also genuine kindness. People naturally gravitate toward his strength and calm stability; at this point, all four Great Assassins take orders from him without question.

That part was unexpected but wonderful. Changliu-jun features on the cover this time, which is a fitting volume for that, because he's so funny and interesting and likable once he starts spending more time with Duan Ling. In all my nonexistent extra time, I would love to go back and reread this from the start once I'm done, because it does such an incredible job of making you view characters so much differently over time. I'd disliked and distrusted Changliu-jun for a while - which, to be honest, was true of Wu Du at first as well - and had certainly not loathed Cai Yan with my entire being.

He's a good character. I get his motivations; having his fear shown so strongly was a really important way to get into his head and explain his actions. At heart, he's a coward who will tear down anything and anyone to save himself. Which puts him in such stark contrast to Duan Ling, who takes his own money - as a commoner still! - to pole a boat around the flooded city and rescue and dole out food to those who are stranded by the swollen waters.

Even Lang Junxia chides Cai Yan for this in the final pages. Lang Junxia, whose motivations still aren't entirely understandable, but who continues to protect Duan Ling in his own way - keeping secrets from Cai Yan and refusing to take action to kill him with his own hands, although he could've done so many times by this point. (It turns out the poisoning, while brutal, was never intended to be fatal.)

One part that annoys me a bit is how much Duan Ling is stuck on his father's memory, the man he spent a fraction of time with compared to Lang Junxia. I get it; there's a whole theme about True Family and how you'll always recognize and connect with those of your own family line, etc. Which I don't particularly agree with but understand in the context of this story. Still: there should be a whole lot more turmoil in Duan Ling over the loss of the first person he loved, whom he'd thought had loved him and who would protect and care for him.

After all, it was Lang Junxia who played "Joyful Reunion" for him to begin with, and who did so much to shape him into the man he became. There are spikes of Duan Ling wanting to believe in him still, and Wu Du being jealous of it, but it's really not sufficient for the depth of their relationship.

Still, all the political plotting is so edge-of-your-seat compelling, and while I know it'll have to have a happy ending, I find myself holding my breath trying to figure out how it will all turn out.

My biggest worry at this point is possibly that something will happen to Duan Ling's uncle before he has a chance to build a relationship with him. The emperor's loneliness is a striking, important part of the story, and it would be devastating if he never got a chance to know his actual nephew, the young man who has all the good qualities of both himself and his brother.

Also very very curious about what will happen with the prime minister, who is firmly on Duan Ling's side at the moment, and who has done so much to support him...but only because he doesn't know his true identity. While he's working to unseat the fake prince, I don't know if he's honorable enough to support the true one, even if he turns out to be someone he's grown to deeply respect and see a brilliant future for. The issue is that he sees himself pulling the strings of that future, but Duan Ling cannot be controlled...

The final interesting bit in this volume is all the complications around an alliance with the Mongols. Duan Ling never expresses what he would decide about an alliance; his uncle, the prime minister, and the general all opposite it, which means that rationally, he should as well. But what are their reasons for doing so? They seem to think of the Mongols as barbarians, and they were certainly portrayed that way in their rampages across cities.

But they are also working, very hard, to expose Cai Yan's lies and find and restore Duan Ling, which makes it interesting for Duan Ling to be doing so much to destroy the alliance and drive the envoys out of the city.

Plots on plots on plots. I hope his arrow-message made it onto the boat.

[akira · Rating 4 out of 5]

in volume 3 of joyful reunion duan ling finally gets to lay all his truths and worries in the hands of someone he's certain won't betray him. after every harrowing hurdle he's crossed, he now has someone he can trust his truest self to.

this volume also brings a lot more characterization to our four great assassins; wu du, most of all, whom has the greatest change by the very virtue of duan ling's trust and affection. (they genuinely are so sweet with each other. wu du running and doing somersaults after duan ling confessed was adorable 🥺).

changliu-jun is also interesting; he was irritating to me in the previous volume but here we see a rather playful and earnest side of him. zheng yan is flirtatious as usual, with a very discerning eye. I do believe he knows something is not all right with the crown prince, which makes his loyalty to said prince noteworthy. and lang junxia is complexing, and inspires way too many feelings, both in duan ling and me.

duan ling is somewhat of an unreliable narrator when its comes to him (but is he really? all things considered?). and its both bittersweet and painful to read how much lang junxia scares him, how much he guards against this man he once loved with all his childish, innocent heart.

it is cai yan, however, that inspires the most complicated feelings in me. I can't help but understand the situation he was in that lead him to usurping duan ling's family and crown, and yet, every time I begin to feel some inkling of sympathy, he opens his damn mouth. I wish him exactly the kind of fate he planned for duan ling.

[pelium · Rating 5 out of 5]

i get nervous excited and happy whenever i read these volumes. this one is no exception, so much is revealed!!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wu Du is a better person than me because if I was within striking distance of Cai Yan after finding out what he did I would throttle that little shit until he croaked

[Kendra Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I like the story and characters overall, it just didn't hold my attention as well as some other danmei.

[Hacen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5-3.75