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南禅 [Nan Chan]
这人世八苦我尽尝遍，不求佛，但求你。
狷狂难驯妖怪攻x清冷寡欲幼稚神仙受
I have experienced all the eight sufferings of this world.
I do not ask for nirvana, but for you.
Wild and hard-to-tame demon x cold, ascetic and childish immortal
狷狂难驯妖怪攻x清冷寡欲幼稚神仙受
I have experienced all the eight sufferings of this world.
I do not ask for nirvana, but for you.
Wild and hard-to-tame demon x cold, ascetic and childish immortal
1478 pages, ebook
First published February 1, 2018
194 people are currently reading
2258 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
May 4, 2022
With that ending, I can assure everyone here that I have found another one of those Danmei that would suck you in and leave you reeling after the end. Also in case anyone didn't get the memo, that means I completely fell in love with this novel. From the start, I knew I wouldn't have any chance NOT to fall in love with this.
This book perfectly encompassed seriousness with comedy and fluff. The balance between the fluff and the more serious issues was impeccable. Yes, one needs to get through the heartache and angst to get to that but believe me when I say it because it is worth each tear you shed in the novel. The hearbreak will clearly break you apart. I rarely become tear eyed but the hurt and pure anguish Jing Lin had to go through almost broke me. The only other character that had made me feel this way was Xie Lian and I still can't get over TGCF. When I think about this, this novel is very much close to that and I can see why I fell in love with it. The past will break you but at the same time, their present will heal you.
These words will stay with me forever as I am yet to find such to make me feel as much as these did.
There's a man I love
Jing Lin strained to say to himself.
In the clouds. In the Sea. In my heart.
This book perfectly encompassed seriousness with comedy and fluff. The balance between the fluff and the more serious issues was impeccable. Yes, one needs to get through the heartache and angst to get to that but believe me when I say it because it is worth each tear you shed in the novel. The hearbreak will clearly break you apart. I rarely become tear eyed but the hurt and pure anguish Jing Lin had to go through almost broke me. The only other character that had made me feel this way was Xie Lian and I still can't get over TGCF. When I think about this, this novel is very much close to that and I can see why I fell in love with it. The past will break you but at the same time, their present will heal you.
These words will stay with me forever as I am yet to find such to make me feel as much as these did.
There's a man I love
Jing Lin strained to say to himself.
In the clouds. In the Sea. In my heart.
October 3, 2022
3.5 Stars
There’s a man I love.
In the clouds. In the sea. In my heart
❤️❤️
There’s a man I love.
In the clouds. In the sea. In my heart
❤️❤️
Currently reading
December 24, 2025now THIS i’m excited about😎
December 1, 2022
Let me summarize this book badly:
A fat fish wants to eat a sword.
But most importantly, there is a DRAGON.
To keep up with the tradition of sharing the quotes that did me in:
A fat fish wants to eat a sword.
But most importantly, there is a DRAGON.
To keep up with the tradition of sharing the quotes that did me in:
May 25, 2021
Don't really know what to make of this, but damn, that was a pretty strange book. This is a xuanhuan type of novel, similar to the Netflix dramas, Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and Ashes of Love. This is good if you like xuanhuan. I pretty much skimmed this from start to the end coz I'm not a fan.
The pacing was uneven. It was quite draggy in the first two-thirds, and then there were suddenly lots of revelations and plot-twists in the last third. I really liked the idea of the copper bell leading the two main leads through the eight Buddhist sufferings though.
I also had some issues with the main couple. The pattern of dubcon and possessive behavior was pushing against my comfort zone.
The author is great at building mystery though (although it takes really long to get to the pay-off). I mainly skimmed-read the book just to see if my guesses about the plot were correct.
The pacing was uneven. It was quite draggy in the first two-thirds, and then there were suddenly lots of revelations and plot-twists in the last third. I really liked the idea of the copper bell leading the two main leads through the eight Buddhist sufferings though.
I also had some issues with the main couple. The pattern of dubcon and possessive behavior was pushing against my comfort zone.
The author is great at building mystery though (although it takes really long to get to the pay-off). I mainly skimmed-read the book just to see if my guesses about the plot were correct.
October 12, 2022
I took several days reading this as compared to my usual reading speed, but it was totally worth it. There are a lot of “word plays” in Nan Chan that was why it took me quite some time to finish this novel. I had to properly read the lines, or I’lll miss out on some details. Would honestly prefer to read this in one sitting, but I don’t have the time to do so.
At first, I found it bland, then it suddenly did a 180 degree turn. The main story composes of 4 books. Book 1 was quite dark. It was so dark, so evil, that I actually found it hard to go on. The first novel I’ve read that actually made me shudder. But it gets better the more you read. Book 3 was so painful to read. It was like buying a fluffy cotton candy with the measly money you got, only to have it popped flat by someone before you even had a bite. 🥺
Expect slow-burn romance! Their feelings slowly sinking deep into the sea unconsciously kind of romance. Half way through the novel, it gave me TGCF feels too!
At first, I found it bland, then it suddenly did a 180 degree turn. The main story composes of 4 books. Book 1 was quite dark. It was so dark, so evil, that I actually found it hard to go on. The first novel I’ve read that actually made me shudder. But it gets better the more you read. Book 3 was so painful to read. It was like buying a fluffy cotton candy with the measly money you got, only to have it popped flat by someone before you even had a bite. 🥺
Expect slow-burn romance! Their feelings slowly sinking deep into the sea unconsciously kind of romance. Half way through the novel, it gave me TGCF feels too!
September 17, 2025
this book is just beautiful 🪷🗡️🐲🩷
★: 4.25
“There’s a man I love. In the clouds. In the sea. In my heart.”
“There’s a man I love...I expected him to be my tribulation, but then I fell under his spell. I yearn to see him in the day, and I yearn to see him at night.”
“Who was the hardest person in the world to battle? The answer was, of course, his own lover.”
★: 4.25
“There’s a man I love. In the clouds. In the sea. In my heart.”
“There’s a man I love...I expected him to be my tribulation, but then I fell under his spell. I yearn to see him in the day, and I yearn to see him at night.”
“Who was the hardest person in the world to battle? The answer was, of course, his own lover.”
August 7, 2021
This is a sweet, beautiful story.
From the very beginning, the literary style, the buddhism references, the facets of humanity and their 8 sufferings, the descriptions of characters and their development, the message it tries to convey - everything is so wonderfully written!
We start with seeing Jing Lin commit a most heinous crime - reason currently unknown - and then presumably die following the backlash of it. Nearly 500 years later, he is still recupperating after that battle and living in relative peace and seclusion on a mountain top, raising a small brocade carp. This brocade carp is a very unusual demon, highly ambitious and voracious in devouring spiritual energy so that it can evolve - and it goes from a tiny fish, to a small child to a young teen in a few short weeks!
And that's when the story starts. Sudddenly pulled into a series of cases, connected by a common thread, Jing Lin and Cang Ji travel across the Zhongdu searching for answers. At the same time, both their pasts begin to catch up with them, and they find themselves linked at multiple levels.
The dynamic here is very interesting to see. Jing Lin begins the story as an unfeeling and cold immortal, only to slowly begin thawing due to Cang Ji's utter disregard for human-like propriety and his possessiveness towards Jing Lin. He is a demon, after all, and the author doesn't shy away from portraying him with those qualities - cunning and devious and all.
Their banter is engaging, their teamwork suspiciously flawless, but their relationship is a little ambiguous. They aren't quite friends, but they are mutually dependant on each other. Of course, once the past starts coming into the picture, Cang Ji's ignorance about the world of humans gets an immediate update, finally piecing clues together about the affinity between him and Jing Lin.
Tang Jiuqing is talented, truly! By the end of the story, every single loose thread was tied off skillfully, all questions satisfactorily answered. This story touches on some very high levels of philosophy towards the end, which may be a little confusing, but it is a very smooth finish nonetheless.
Huge thanks to the translator as well, who has done a wonderful job!!
4½🌟
From the very beginning, the literary style, the buddhism references, the facets of humanity and their 8 sufferings, the descriptions of characters and their development, the message it tries to convey - everything is so wonderfully written!
We start with seeing Jing Lin commit a most heinous crime - reason currently unknown - and then presumably die following the backlash of it. Nearly 500 years later, he is still recupperating after that battle and living in relative peace and seclusion on a mountain top, raising a small brocade carp. This brocade carp is a very unusual demon, highly ambitious and voracious in devouring spiritual energy so that it can evolve - and it goes from a tiny fish, to a small child to a young teen in a few short weeks!
And that's when the story starts. Sudddenly pulled into a series of cases, connected by a common thread, Jing Lin and Cang Ji travel across the Zhongdu searching for answers. At the same time, both their pasts begin to catch up with them, and they find themselves linked at multiple levels.
The dynamic here is very interesting to see. Jing Lin begins the story as an unfeeling and cold immortal, only to slowly begin thawing due to Cang Ji's utter disregard for human-like propriety and his possessiveness towards Jing Lin. He is a demon, after all, and the author doesn't shy away from portraying him with those qualities - cunning and devious and all.
Their banter is engaging, their teamwork suspiciously flawless, but their relationship is a little ambiguous. They aren't quite friends, but they are mutually dependant on each other. Of course, once the past starts coming into the picture, Cang Ji's ignorance about the world of humans gets an immediate update, finally piecing clues together about the affinity between him and Jing Lin.
Tang Jiuqing is talented, truly! By the end of the story, every single loose thread was tied off skillfully, all questions satisfactorily answered. This story touches on some very high levels of philosophy towards the end, which may be a little confusing, but it is a very smooth finish nonetheless.
Huge thanks to the translator as well, who has done a wonderful job!!
4½🌟
October 14, 2022
Solo puedo decir que es una novela demasiada ✨H E R M O S A✨
Llevaba tiempo sin encontrar un Gong en el que merezca que le besen hasta la sombra! Añadido a mi lista de los Best Gongs(Lan Zhang - Hua Cheng, tenéis ahora un hermano en la lista)... Cang Lin te amo pecesito del cielo ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Y el shou, Jing Lin? Tiene tantas vibras de Chu Wanning, que desde el primer capítulo te hace amarlo.
Solo os digo que ya en los primeros capítulos la tensión que tienen Cang Lin y Jing Lin es tanta que te engancha a seguir leyendo. Juntos se embarcan a pasar los 8 sufrimientos que estan conectados con ambos, mientras van en este viaje váis a gritar de lo hermoso que trata Cang Lin a Jing Lin, mordereis la almohada cuando tenga los momentos horney y llorareis, porque llorareis en las partes tristes. Amigxs con la frase "8 sufrimientos" ya os dice que os preparéis para lo que se viene cuando lo esteis leyendo.
Sin más, no dudéis. POR FAVOR LEEDLA!!! 🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
Llevaba tiempo sin encontrar un Gong en el que merezca que le besen hasta la sombra! Añadido a mi lista de los Best Gongs(Lan Zhang - Hua Cheng, tenéis ahora un hermano en la lista)... Cang Lin te amo pecesito del cielo ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Y el shou, Jing Lin? Tiene tantas vibras de Chu Wanning, que desde el primer capítulo te hace amarlo.
Solo os digo que ya en los primeros capítulos la tensión que tienen Cang Lin y Jing Lin es tanta que te engancha a seguir leyendo. Juntos se embarcan a pasar los 8 sufrimientos que estan conectados con ambos, mientras van en este viaje váis a gritar de lo hermoso que trata Cang Lin a Jing Lin, mordereis la almohada cuando tenga los momentos horney y llorareis, porque llorareis en las partes tristes. Amigxs con la frase "8 sufrimientos" ya os dice que os preparéis para lo que se viene cuando lo esteis leyendo.
Sin más, no dudéis. POR FAVOR LEEDLA!!! 🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
February 14, 2024
Such a beautiful and sweet story. If you like xianxia- I highy recommend this novel. Immortals, deities, magical beings, the Three Realms, cultivation, reincarnation, the Eight Sufferings and so much more. I feel like this story has the perfect balance of plot, character development, world building, and exploration of the relationship between Jing Lin and Cang Ji. There is angst, heartbreak, fluff and comedy with an ending that makes it so worth the journey! It started out a little slow but picks up and doesn't stop. This is by the same author of one of my all time favorite books, (Qiang Jin Jiu by Tang Jiuqing) and I now feel the need to read everything she has written. I will definitely be re-reading this. The official English translated novel is supposed to be released this July (2024).
September 17, 2021
Reverse scales. Spiritual seas merging. Lotuses and brocade carps across two palms. Sunshine after rainstorms.
4.9/5. I very, very thoroughly enjoyed the plot, mythology, character/relationship development, and main cast of characters. Only docked .1 point off because the ending was a little bit gums-itching, overripe-fruit mushy for me— but that’s me being annoying, because I would’ve complained if it was anything less or otherwise. I want these two sappy and happy, I just somehow squirm when things turn out as idyllic as my heart secretly desires.
One of the overarching themes is all about upending preconceived notions of "untouchable" goodness vs "irredeemable" evil through delving into the internal corruption of what appears on the surface to be heavenly (including watching it crumble through the eyes of the main character himself). It centers around uncovering how the Ninth Heaven Realm family/society's foundation is built on deceit and self-serving manipulation, thus shattering everything he was brought up to uphold, but running right alongside that and proving to be his salvation is the contrasting compassion? Basic humanity? of demons and creatures of the underworld (from Cang Ji to Dong Jun to Shuran), the lowest rungs believed to be reprehensible and immoral and deserving of punishment and death. There's also the supplementary motif of questioning moral policing and religious authority to judge and meddle in mortal/personal matters in general, not restricted to the case of this particular realm's corruption.
“Power corrupts” is such a simple, age-old theme in storytelling but I really liked Tang Jiuqing's variation of it + how Dong Jun, suspected and ostracized throughout by those who considered their origins purer than his, ended up being the only one competent and capable enough to take over the vacant throne. A redeemed devil originally spawned from filth, blood, and evil turns out to be more trustworthy and empathetic and selfless than everyone else, and ultimately the most trustworthy and unsullied/incorruptible of all.
The amnesia elements and flashback were woven into the story so well imo; just when I craved them most, just when my interest was mounting and peaking, I was given the arc that explained everything. From a technical storywriting perspective and as a reader consuming it, it was built up so well and I have nothing but praise regarding its progression.
The main pair's relationship = romance. Enough tragedy or struggle to make the reader actually yearn to see them together, just enough spice to set them apart and give their dynamic a dangerous edge, but all sitting on the surface of the deepest sea of affection and love spanning a thousand years and different lifetimes and reincarnations and memories and versions of themselves. Fated to continuously flow into one another, Jing Lin’s cold currents and trenches with Cang Ji’s bubbling volcanic heat. The dams built to keep them apart will always break from the force of their individual strength and their pull towards each other.
There's Jing Lin overcoming the lifelong gilded cage and blinders he was isolated and kept within, the shame and restraint he was raised into thinking he had to exercise regarding his own body and desires, the mistreatment and dehumanization he didn't even know to recognize... thawing and becoming human through, ironically and beautifully, falling in love with a demon and being guided and taught by him. The delicious flavour of hidden, forbidden relationships. The stone figure!!!
Another very fascinating thing to me was the back-and-forth switching of power imbalance through swapping out which one is vulnerable and at the mercy of the other’s care and guidance depending on the point in the book. Sort of results in equilibrium, sort of gives the reader a sense of how both of them choose to treat the other even when they have an upper hand? Cang Ji is a carp wet behind the ears in the first half, whereas in the flashback Jing Lin is a sword who was honed to be a sharp weapon controlled by the hand wielding it, but was deliberately kept in the dark when it came to everything else about life and living. Through the two separate cycles in which they meet and fall in love, each of them has a chance to nurture and guide and influence the other as he develops into a full-fledged being.
Jing Lin was once sheltered, innocent, full of conviction and faith, immature. All the same, he was critical, razor-sharp, stubborn and arrogant to a fault by insisting on his own perceptions and moral standing above all, even to the point of contradicting the principles he simultaneously adhered to. He started out with blinders on, but it isn’t actually Cang Ji who took them off his eyes and exposed him to the world— he came to all these world-shattering conclusions and realizations by himself. He was nudged in that direction by Cang Ji. It’s his own strength and decisions that carry him, he wasn't really an accessory to or extension of Cang Ji's beliefs. It's too easy to have a character be another's sole gateway and therefore be the shape their beliefs take, and I love how he found strength and salvation and life within himself as much as he did within Cang Ji, even at his lowest points. His eyes were already half-open, and Cang Ji just helped confirm what he'd been waking to see autonomously.
Cang Ji was wild, cunning, rough, possessive, but then he was also tender and compassionate and restrained himself in the moments when he knew it mattered most. He was a demon who ended up being more human (and understanding humanity more) than any of the mortals or deities in the novel. He questioned and rejected any external control over his actions, refused to adhere to any system of principles/laws, denounced gods and their entitlement and ideas of morality/fate. He was so endearing from the beginning, and I mean both his typically likable traits and his obnoxious, overbearing, greedy demon self, biting and hurting and taking what's his; I loved it all. I love that he's dangerous, and at times "questionable", at times too rough or too much. I like that a demon was written to actually behave like a demon, in dubious unclear ways without it necessarily branding him a bad person or lover; goes with the whole theme of good and bad being coexistent and difficult to ascertain, and unfair for anyone to judge.
In his confusion about his own developing desires and feelings + the nature of emotions and suffering, he experienced what he once helped Jing Lin work through, with Jing Lin now playing his past role and helping him through it this time. His personality and intelligence grew throughout the novel until they eventually burgeoned into a true dragon’s majesty and loftiness and benevolence. This occurred in tandem with his physical cultivation/evolution, leaving me craning my neck in awe to take the sight of him in.
The plot came together in an overall satisfying and at times unexpected way, tying things from the beginning (the copper bell, the eight sufferings, the blood sea, and even more minor details like the stone figure/Lord Jiutian parallel, Zui Shan Seng, the nine-tailed foxes, etc) and bringing back multiple earlier-introduced characters to play greater and more integral roles than you may have thought (Shengyue!!, Dong Jun!!, A-Yi, etc).
I often have trouble getting into side characters if their stories/personalities aren’t likable or compelling enough and/or they cut away from the main characters whose storylines I’ve actually grown invested in, but I found Dong Jun (!!!), Fei Luo, Li Rong, Qianyu and Zuo Qingzhou, A-Yi, and Fu Li to be compelling and integral to the point that I would read more about them in spin-off or short story form.
Lastly, I loved the atmospheric descriptions and all the metaphors and turns of phrase. The prose and the pacing were excellent; action-packed and choppy-urgent when necessary, then slowing down to heartbreaking and/or breathtaking at just the right times. Huge thanks to the translator(s) for capturing the essence of this book and carrying it across vastly different languages so the words danced on the page and painted vivid pictures before my eyes and dialogue in my ears. I couldn't have been introduced to such a beautiful story without them making it available to English readers in this way, and I’m absolutely positive they did it justice despite being unable to compare it to the original words. The effort put into footnotes and explanations is also immensely appreciated and savoured, I learned so many concepts and cultural + historical details I treasure being introduced to through this.
I'm so glad I picked it up, and I will most definitely be rereading it at some point in the future. :D
4.9/5. I very, very thoroughly enjoyed the plot, mythology, character/relationship development, and main cast of characters. Only docked .1 point off because the ending was a little bit gums-itching, overripe-fruit mushy for me— but that’s me being annoying, because I would’ve complained if it was anything less or otherwise. I want these two sappy and happy, I just somehow squirm when things turn out as idyllic as my heart secretly desires.
One of the overarching themes is all about upending preconceived notions of "untouchable" goodness vs "irredeemable" evil through delving into the internal corruption of what appears on the surface to be heavenly (including watching it crumble through the eyes of the main character himself). It centers around uncovering how the Ninth Heaven Realm family/society's foundation is built on deceit and self-serving manipulation, thus shattering everything he was brought up to uphold, but running right alongside that and proving to be his salvation is the contrasting compassion? Basic humanity? of demons and creatures of the underworld (from Cang Ji to Dong Jun to Shuran), the lowest rungs believed to be reprehensible and immoral and deserving of punishment and death. There's also the supplementary motif of questioning moral policing and religious authority to judge and meddle in mortal/personal matters in general, not restricted to the case of this particular realm's corruption.
“Power corrupts” is such a simple, age-old theme in storytelling but I really liked Tang Jiuqing's variation of it + how Dong Jun, suspected and ostracized throughout by those who considered their origins purer than his, ended up being the only one competent and capable enough to take over the vacant throne. A redeemed devil originally spawned from filth, blood, and evil turns out to be more trustworthy and empathetic and selfless than everyone else, and ultimately the most trustworthy and unsullied/incorruptible of all.
The amnesia elements and flashback were woven into the story so well imo; just when I craved them most, just when my interest was mounting and peaking, I was given the arc that explained everything. From a technical storywriting perspective and as a reader consuming it, it was built up so well and I have nothing but praise regarding its progression.
The main pair's relationship = romance. Enough tragedy or struggle to make the reader actually yearn to see them together, just enough spice to set them apart and give their dynamic a dangerous edge, but all sitting on the surface of the deepest sea of affection and love spanning a thousand years and different lifetimes and reincarnations and memories and versions of themselves. Fated to continuously flow into one another, Jing Lin’s cold currents and trenches with Cang Ji’s bubbling volcanic heat. The dams built to keep them apart will always break from the force of their individual strength and their pull towards each other.
There's Jing Lin overcoming the lifelong gilded cage and blinders he was isolated and kept within, the shame and restraint he was raised into thinking he had to exercise regarding his own body and desires, the mistreatment and dehumanization he didn't even know to recognize... thawing and becoming human through, ironically and beautifully, falling in love with a demon and being guided and taught by him. The delicious flavour of hidden, forbidden relationships. The stone figure!!!
Another very fascinating thing to me was the back-and-forth switching of power imbalance through swapping out which one is vulnerable and at the mercy of the other’s care and guidance depending on the point in the book. Sort of results in equilibrium, sort of gives the reader a sense of how both of them choose to treat the other even when they have an upper hand? Cang Ji is a carp wet behind the ears in the first half, whereas in the flashback Jing Lin is a sword who was honed to be a sharp weapon controlled by the hand wielding it, but was deliberately kept in the dark when it came to everything else about life and living. Through the two separate cycles in which they meet and fall in love, each of them has a chance to nurture and guide and influence the other as he develops into a full-fledged being.
Jing Lin was once sheltered, innocent, full of conviction and faith, immature. All the same, he was critical, razor-sharp, stubborn and arrogant to a fault by insisting on his own perceptions and moral standing above all, even to the point of contradicting the principles he simultaneously adhered to. He started out with blinders on, but it isn’t actually Cang Ji who took them off his eyes and exposed him to the world— he came to all these world-shattering conclusions and realizations by himself. He was nudged in that direction by Cang Ji. It’s his own strength and decisions that carry him, he wasn't really an accessory to or extension of Cang Ji's beliefs. It's too easy to have a character be another's sole gateway and therefore be the shape their beliefs take, and I love how he found strength and salvation and life within himself as much as he did within Cang Ji, even at his lowest points. His eyes were already half-open, and Cang Ji just helped confirm what he'd been waking to see autonomously.
Cang Ji was wild, cunning, rough, possessive, but then he was also tender and compassionate and restrained himself in the moments when he knew it mattered most. He was a demon who ended up being more human (and understanding humanity more) than any of the mortals or deities in the novel. He questioned and rejected any external control over his actions, refused to adhere to any system of principles/laws, denounced gods and their entitlement and ideas of morality/fate. He was so endearing from the beginning, and I mean both his typically likable traits and his obnoxious, overbearing, greedy demon self, biting and hurting and taking what's his; I loved it all. I love that he's dangerous, and at times "questionable", at times too rough or too much. I like that a demon was written to actually behave like a demon, in dubious unclear ways without it necessarily branding him a bad person or lover; goes with the whole theme of good and bad being coexistent and difficult to ascertain, and unfair for anyone to judge.
In his confusion about his own developing desires and feelings + the nature of emotions and suffering, he experienced what he once helped Jing Lin work through, with Jing Lin now playing his past role and helping him through it this time. His personality and intelligence grew throughout the novel until they eventually burgeoned into a true dragon’s majesty and loftiness and benevolence. This occurred in tandem with his physical cultivation/evolution, leaving me craning my neck in awe to take the sight of him in.
The plot came together in an overall satisfying and at times unexpected way, tying things from the beginning (the copper bell, the eight sufferings, the blood sea, and even more minor details like the stone figure/Lord Jiutian parallel, Zui Shan Seng, the nine-tailed foxes, etc) and bringing back multiple earlier-introduced characters to play greater and more integral roles than you may have thought (Shengyue!!, Dong Jun!!, A-Yi, etc).
I often have trouble getting into side characters if their stories/personalities aren’t likable or compelling enough and/or they cut away from the main characters whose storylines I’ve actually grown invested in, but I found Dong Jun (!!!), Fei Luo, Li Rong, Qianyu and Zuo Qingzhou, A-Yi, and Fu Li to be compelling and integral to the point that I would read more about them in spin-off or short story form.
Lastly, I loved the atmospheric descriptions and all the metaphors and turns of phrase. The prose and the pacing were excellent; action-packed and choppy-urgent when necessary, then slowing down to heartbreaking and/or breathtaking at just the right times. Huge thanks to the translator(s) for capturing the essence of this book and carrying it across vastly different languages so the words danced on the page and painted vivid pictures before my eyes and dialogue in my ears. I couldn't have been introduced to such a beautiful story without them making it available to English readers in this way, and I’m absolutely positive they did it justice despite being unable to compare it to the original words. The effort put into footnotes and explanations is also immensely appreciated and savoured, I learned so many concepts and cultural + historical details I treasure being introduced to through this.
I'm so glad I picked it up, and I will most definitely be rereading it at some point in the future. :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2024
the flashback arc hits hard.
gege... take me home
reading about the so-called supreme father and his two-faced personality reminded me a lot of tgcf and how the events took place in that world. I even smelled the vinegar scent of Cang Ji so many times that it made me go into fits of laughing. One thing about danmei novel that I prob love is how the long character cast always has some relation to each other be it past and future or between two characters. I am going to think a lot about this novel ngl cuz of the "heavens" and "earth". I got into a reading slump while reading this cause I read spoilers and I wanted to finish reading the story and yet wanted to skip to their happy ending.
gege... take me home
reading about the so-called supreme father and his two-faced personality reminded me a lot of tgcf and how the events took place in that world. I even smelled the vinegar scent of Cang Ji so many times that it made me go into fits of laughing. One thing about danmei novel that I prob love is how the long character cast always has some relation to each other be it past and future or between two characters. I am going to think a lot about this novel ngl cuz of the "heavens" and "earth". I got into a reading slump while reading this cause I read spoilers and I wanted to finish reading the story and yet wanted to skip to their happy ending.
July 16, 2021
WHEN WILL I STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THIS BOOK????!!!
ok the closest i can describe this reading experience is like reading harrow the ninth smushed with tgcf book 2/4 level of reveals... You start off Nan Chan being like ok i dun rly get it... There's a lot of foreshadowing... a bunch of cases and mysteries but...Where... is this all going...?????? Then BAM book 3 reveals all the past then BAM book 4 SO MUCH IS HAPPENING???? and I'm just screaming into the night
And the dog food that was the extras!!!! I'll take 1400 of that!!!!!
I need to reread this novel completely to wrap my mind around what just happened.... My brain... Explosion....
I also want someone smarter than me to do analysis on all the Buddhist/taoist/Confucian references in this novel, like just a huge paper doing a chapter by chapter break down lmao
ok the closest i can describe this reading experience is like reading harrow the ninth smushed with tgcf book 2/4 level of reveals... You start off Nan Chan being like ok i dun rly get it... There's a lot of foreshadowing... a bunch of cases and mysteries but...Where... is this all going...?????? Then BAM book 3 reveals all the past then BAM book 4 SO MUCH IS HAPPENING???? and I'm just screaming into the night
And the dog food that was the extras!!!! I'll take 1400 of that!!!!!
I need to reread this novel completely to wrap my mind around what just happened.... My brain... Explosion....
I also want someone smarter than me to do analysis on all the Buddhist/taoist/Confucian references in this novel, like just a huge paper doing a chapter by chapter break down lmao
May 31, 2024
4,5 ★
October 18, 2025
Terminé de leer y estoy sin palabras. No sé por dónde empezar. Me gustaría escribir una reseña larga, pero la verdad es que estoy llorando por haber terminado la novela ToT vine corriendo a escribir esto porque necesito expresar cuánto amé Nan Chan. Sin duda, se convirtió en una de mis novelas favoritas.
No esperaba una historia tan compleja y con tanto sufrimiento, amé a Cang Ji y a Jing Lin; su relación me encantó desde el capítulo uno ʕ•̫͡•ʔ☂ también me gustó que todos los personajes tuvieran una historia detrás.
Sé que tal vez no es para todos, ya que el inicio es bastante lento y cuesta entender lo que sucede debido a los constantes recuerdos del pasado, pero vale totalmente la pena leerla!!
Y, obvio, no podía dejar fuera la frase que me destruyó:
"Hay un hombre al que amo, en las nubes, en el mar, en mi corazón". ╥_╥
No esperaba una historia tan compleja y con tanto sufrimiento, amé a Cang Ji y a Jing Lin; su relación me encantó desde el capítulo uno ʕ•̫͡•ʔ☂ también me gustó que todos los personajes tuvieran una historia detrás.
Sé que tal vez no es para todos, ya que el inicio es bastante lento y cuesta entender lo que sucede debido a los constantes recuerdos del pasado, pero vale totalmente la pena leerla!!
Y, obvio, no podía dejar fuera la frase que me destruyó:
"Hay un hombre al que amo, en las nubes, en el mar, en mi corazón". ╥_╥
September 27, 2021
Me planto, llevo tres días leyendo y no estoy entendiendo un carajo no sé si es la traducción, escritura o mi compresión lectora que no encaja.
Llevo más de 20 capítulos y no entiendo la mayoría, normalmente leo más pero he estado leyendo las reseñas y lo poco que entendí no me gustará mucho así que no voy a seguir.
Llevo más de 20 capítulos y no entiendo la mayoría, normalmente leo más pero he estado leyendo las reseñas y lo poco que entendí no me gustará mucho así que no voy a seguir.
January 8, 2024
this novel broke my heart then put it back together
March 30, 2024
ahora que hago con mi vida después de leer tremenda historia :,)
La autora se lucio con esta novela la verdad, aunque tarde mucho tiempo leyéndola me atrapó completamente, me hizo pasar por todas las emociones y me hizo sentir mucho la desesperación jajaks que hace mucho no me pasaba leyendo algo, incluso tuve que hacer una nota en donde iba a apuntando todas mis teorías. Me hizo desconfiar hasta de mi pero nunca de Dong Jun yo siempre le tuve fe 🙏
Una sola cosa y es que me hubiera gustado que se explicara un poco lo que sucedió después de que JL mato por primera vez a Jiu tian y un poco de los días de JL en la montaña después de ese suceso como el que pensó cuando llegó la carpa con él o algo parecido pero todo lo demás super bien👌
Dejo una de mi frases favoritas:
"Pertenecía a un dragón. Y un dragón también le pertenecia"
La autora se lucio con esta novela la verdad, aunque tarde mucho tiempo leyéndola me atrapó completamente, me hizo pasar por todas las emociones y me hizo sentir mucho la desesperación jajaks que hace mucho no me pasaba leyendo algo, incluso tuve que hacer una nota en donde iba a apuntando todas mis teorías. Me hizo desconfiar hasta de mi pero nunca de Dong Jun yo siempre le tuve fe 🙏
Una sola cosa y es que me hubiera gustado que se explicara un poco lo que sucedió después de que JL mato por primera vez a Jiu tian y un poco de los días de JL en la montaña después de ese suceso como el que pensó cuando llegó la carpa con él o algo parecido pero todo lo demás super bien👌
Dejo una de mi frases favoritas:
"Pertenecía a un dragón. Y un dragón también le pertenecia"
dnf
December 15, 2023I really tried to like this one, I read so many good reviews on danmei cnovels web pages, but sadly it just never clicked for me and forcing to read it feltl like a chore
May 5, 2021
I was confused for a lot of the book, and because of that, kept getting sleepy and falling asleep when reading. The beginning was especially confusing; all I got was that there was a carp and a half dead immortal, and then there was something about a bell... after a while, I eventually felt like I sort of got the hang of the story, but by the end I was confused again and had a lot of questions as the story concluded.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
The beginning and the end were both confusing, the beginning because I had no idea what was going on and the end because there's so much info dump in the last couple chapters, but I really enjoyed parts of the middle, specifically the flashback to Cang Ji and Jin Long's encounters and time spent together in the past (with the exception of what happened when Jin Long was drugged up). Otherwise my rating for this book probably would be just 2 stars.
A lot of what I struggled with in this book is not understanding what was going on until later when it's explained really clearly. It wasn't an issue with the translation, which was done very well, but with the actual story content. Something would be mentioned once in passing, and I'd get confused reading it since it wasn't explained or elaborated on, and it isn't until later where it's clearly explained. The first thing that comes to mind as an example of this is the youngest sister being the human form of the Blood Sea.
Even now, I'm still confused about Dong Jun's ultimate goal, or how Li Rong, one of Jin Long's brothers, felt about him. There were a lot of nice sounding words strung together, but in the end, they didn't have a lot of meaning, at least not to me.
The romance itself was also kinda meh. I liked their dynamic at the beginning, where Cang Ji is super possessive of Jin Long because he wants to keep Jin Long to himself and be the only person to drink his blood, but the transition from that to a real relationship was quite abrupt. Again, it was one of those things that happened without me being aware of it, and I only realized afterwards when they referenced it.
I do like the idea of following the bell to experience the 8 sufferings and seeing a example of each (though the one that use Jin Long's past was kinda cheating if you ask me).
Usually by the end of the book, a lot of my questions are answered. This is the first book I've read in a while where there were still a lot of open questions left at the end.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
The beginning and the end were both confusing, the beginning because I had no idea what was going on and the end because there's so much info dump in the last couple chapters, but I really enjoyed parts of the middle, specifically the flashback to Cang Ji and Jin Long's encounters and time spent together in the past (with the exception of what happened when Jin Long was drugged up). Otherwise my rating for this book probably would be just 2 stars.
A lot of what I struggled with in this book is not understanding what was going on until later when it's explained really clearly. It wasn't an issue with the translation, which was done very well, but with the actual story content. Something would be mentioned once in passing, and I'd get confused reading it since it wasn't explained or elaborated on, and it isn't until later where it's clearly explained. The first thing that comes to mind as an example of this is the youngest sister being the human form of the Blood Sea.
Even now, I'm still confused about Dong Jun's ultimate goal, or how Li Rong, one of Jin Long's brothers, felt about him. There were a lot of nice sounding words strung together, but in the end, they didn't have a lot of meaning, at least not to me.
The romance itself was also kinda meh. I liked their dynamic at the beginning, where Cang Ji is super possessive of Jin Long because he wants to keep Jin Long to himself and be the only person to drink his blood, but the transition from that to a real relationship was quite abrupt. Again, it was one of those things that happened without me being aware of it, and I only realized afterwards when they referenced it.
I do like the idea of following the bell to experience the 8 sufferings and seeing a example of each (though the one that use Jin Long's past was kinda cheating if you ask me).
Usually by the end of the book, a lot of my questions are answered. This is the first book I've read in a while where there were still a lot of open questions left at the end.
February 21, 2023
I cried.
For a whole night, i cried. And i woke up next morning with a headache and heartbroken. I feel so numb and there's a voice in my head whispering non-stop, “Over the mountains across the seas, i have a beloved.. i'm his reverse scale. Gege, take me home.“
And it still hurts like hell.
So, yes, i cried.
Whenever i cry, i know it's a top fav for me.
For a whole night, i cried. And i woke up next morning with a headache and heartbroken. I feel so numb and there's a voice in my head whispering non-stop, “Over the mountains across the seas, i have a beloved.. i'm his reverse scale. Gege, take me home.“
And it still hurts like hell.
So, yes, i cried.
Whenever i cry, i know it's a top fav for me.
May 30, 2022
“There’s a man I love. In the clouds. In the sea. In my heart.”
This was such a wonderful story.
Nan Chan has dark themes and can be triggering especially since it touches upon stories of child abuse and human trafficking. Initially the side-stories will feel like meaningless meandering but as the book progresses, the stories are tied together and gradually everything begins to make sense. Cang Ji’s appetite, Jin Ling’s lack of emotions, the stone figure’s origins. Everything gets eventually explained. You have to be patient with Nan Chan and enjoy the beautiful writing as the story unfolds.
I loved Cangji. I read a lot of reviews where people expressed that they don’t like him. I however liked him off the bat. He’s not a human being. He’s a brocade carp. He naturally has baser instincts and hunger drives him for a major part of the book.
The playful banter between Cangji and Jing Lin is what drives this story. The dialogue writing is sharp and witty and the NSFW parts are also well written. Kudos to the translator for such a splendid job.
This book had five star potential but falls short by half a star towards the end. In my list of all time favourite danmeis, this was slowly climbing to the top dethroning others in its wake. But Nan Chan, falls short and therefore doesn’t outdo TGCF and Thousand Autumns for me. But gosh, it came so close.
This was such a wonderful story.
Nan Chan has dark themes and can be triggering especially since it touches upon stories of child abuse and human trafficking. Initially the side-stories will feel like meaningless meandering but as the book progresses, the stories are tied together and gradually everything begins to make sense. Cang Ji’s appetite, Jin Ling’s lack of emotions, the stone figure’s origins. Everything gets eventually explained. You have to be patient with Nan Chan and enjoy the beautiful writing as the story unfolds.
I loved Cangji. I read a lot of reviews where people expressed that they don’t like him. I however liked him off the bat. He’s not a human being. He’s a brocade carp. He naturally has baser instincts and hunger drives him for a major part of the book.
The playful banter between Cangji and Jing Lin is what drives this story. The dialogue writing is sharp and witty and the NSFW parts are also well written. Kudos to the translator for such a splendid job.
This book had five star potential but falls short by half a star towards the end. In my list of all time favourite danmeis, this was slowly climbing to the top dethroning others in its wake. But Nan Chan, falls short and therefore doesn’t outdo TGCF and Thousand Autumns for me. But gosh, it came so close.
July 23, 2023
I can't believe I read a love story about a fish/dragon and a sword. I can't believe I gave it 5 stars.
January 30, 2023
I cannot for the life of me wonder why this book has garnered so much popularity with the western audience in terms of danmei. Like a lot of people, I read this book in early 2021 when it was going around on tiktok (which is partly why I was not horribly surprised at how lukewarm it was). This book was so incredibly disappointing mostly because it had incredible potential. Jing lin was an incredibly compelling protagonist through most of the parts that did not involve romance, and those parts of the plot including the main villain and the psychological changes that you watch happen throughout the novel were very interesting and well done. All I say here is only true about the non romantic parts because besides the few poetic quotes thrown around, the romance was so… flat. Cang Ji was not only incredibly manipulative but even went so far as to sexually assault Jing Lin (which never ended up being addressed). I think using SA as a plot device is not an immediate negative but that is only if it is done well. In novels like 2ha it is used to add to the psychological aspect of the novel while also being portrayed as a major character flaw that should not be admired. Cang Ji was only ever treated as a smug and snarky love interest for this behavior which made the novel borderline uncomfortable to read. Another aspect that made the romance so bad was just the overall dynamic. I’m not sure if it was the specific translation that I read but Jing Lin just did not seem to care besides the few lines where he directly mentioned it. If a character only shows they are romantically involved through a few lines of dialogue that is very weak writing because Jing Lin was not a boring character outside of this whatsoever, and that is not to say that a character has to be overly PDA all the time to be well written, but sometimes show and not tell makes it a little less.. clunky. It also can be said that his non caring only added to the predatory atmosphere of their entire relationship. I don’t even know anymore this novel irritates me and I should stop taking recommendations from tiktok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
Con uno de los inicios más épicos de la literatura, Nan Chan hace parte de ese pequeño y selecto grupo de novelas que destruyeron la vida. A través de una narración emotiva y profunda, trama inigualable, personajes inolvidables y una pareja explosiva, Tang Jiu Qing logra impregnar esta novela con sentimiento y emoción que deja el corazón satisfecho y dolorido.
No es una novela facil de digerir, no solo por la cantidad de información que te va soltando, sino que por lo brutales que pueden ser algunas escenas y asuntos demasiado delicados. Está novela abarca muchos temas tabús para la sociedad y que golpea fuerte en el corazón. Muerte, prostitución, tráfico de niños, abuso sexual, canibalismo, tortura psicológica y mucho más. Como dije, está es una de las pocas historias que me hicieron llorar en cada uno de sus arcos, es una novela que evoca demasiadas emociones.
Pero lo que se lleva la cereza del pastel en esta historia es, sin dudas, la pareja principal. Cang Ji y Jing Lin están en mi top 5 de las parejas más hermosas que he leído. Su romance es tan lindo como desgarrador, cuando descubres toda su historia te quieres arrancar el corazón y tirarlo lejos. Son compañeros, complices y poseen una química avasalladora. Tang Jiu Qing da una clase magistral de como crear un romance lindo y profundo, en dónde los personajes se aman sobre cualquier cosa o persona.
En general, es una novela completa y sin errores, donde todo se conecta a la perfección. Si bien, puedo reconocer que para algunos puede ser un poco monótona al inicio, ya que es una historia que se toma su tiempo en contar las cosas. Considero que es una lectura obligatoria dentro del danmei, ya que te permite disfrutar de toda la grandiosidad de este género y, a menos que seas una piedra, no te va a dejar indiferente.
No es una novela facil de digerir, no solo por la cantidad de información que te va soltando, sino que por lo brutales que pueden ser algunas escenas y asuntos demasiado delicados. Está novela abarca muchos temas tabús para la sociedad y que golpea fuerte en el corazón. Muerte, prostitución, tráfico de niños, abuso sexual, canibalismo, tortura psicológica y mucho más. Como dije, está es una de las pocas historias que me hicieron llorar en cada uno de sus arcos, es una novela que evoca demasiadas emociones.
Pero lo que se lleva la cereza del pastel en esta historia es, sin dudas, la pareja principal. Cang Ji y Jing Lin están en mi top 5 de las parejas más hermosas que he leído. Su romance es tan lindo como desgarrador, cuando descubres toda su historia te quieres arrancar el corazón y tirarlo lejos. Son compañeros, complices y poseen una química avasalladora. Tang Jiu Qing da una clase magistral de como crear un romance lindo y profundo, en dónde los personajes se aman sobre cualquier cosa o persona.
En general, es una novela completa y sin errores, donde todo se conecta a la perfección. Si bien, puedo reconocer que para algunos puede ser un poco monótona al inicio, ya que es una historia que se toma su tiempo en contar las cosas. Considero que es una lectura obligatoria dentro del danmei, ya que te permite disfrutar de toda la grandiosidad de este género y, a menos que seas una piedra, no te va a dejar indiferente.
December 30, 2022
I had my doubts in the beginning, but the later part of this book is so good—so full of knives to make the main couple’s relationship weighty, sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
“Gege… take me home.”
I’ll be thinking of that line for a long time. 🥲
“Gege… take me home.”
I’ll be thinking of that line for a long time. 🥲
June 18, 2023
I've heard this is an extraordinary book but it's just FOR SOME REASON I CAN'T GET INTO IT, I TRIED THRICE I JUST CAN'T?? its DNF or some for now.. I'll definitely read it one day
February 13, 2022
First of all, this novel was a total pleasure read.
I loved the two protagonists from the start, was hooked on the story from the first chapter - it really had me at the moment I realised the story was being told through the POV of a brocade carp! - and curious to see how the tale would develop. Although it's not the longest danmei I've read (far from it) I still flew right through it, despite the fact I tend to read a few books at the same time.
So, the best thing about this novel, for me is really Cang Ji, Jing Lin and their relationship - the way it grows and develops, the way they relate to each other and what it conveys about their past, the little hints and their exchanges, I loved all that - minus the fact that Jing Lin tends to say 'I don't want to' to Cang Ji quite a lot and that goes ignored. But that's the one issue I tend to have with danmei, there's always a subtle lack of consent and a strong inference as to how pleasure equals pain equals pleasure for the uke, and he can't have one without experiencing the other. I sort of have an issue with people crying constantly through sex, except when they're caught in the throes of overwhelming emotion, not discomfort, but that's just my personal preference, and it's not even the biggest issue for me, here. Although the smut scenes in this novel aren't tasteless, there is a hint of noncon being used in what to me felt like a teasing manner by Jing Lin, which sat awkwardly with me. That said, I really loved this particular character's evolution - especially when we go back to the past and follow his development, getting to see an innocence, a deliverance that 'present moment' Jing Lin lacks. As for Cang Ji, I kind of knew from the start exactly who and what he was, so I did expect a dominant trait to be always present in his personality - what I didn't quite expect, and was surprised in a very good way was the manner in which his 'obsession' with Jing Lin is slowly unravelled to Cang Ji himself. The way he starts (wanting to devour Jing Lin as nourishment) to the moment he realises that maybe the kind of devouring he wants to do isn't really eating him as food and the unexpected realisations this forces on him, regarding his own emotions and the feelings he harbours for Jing Lin and the reasons behind them.
As for the rest of the plot, the mystery bit was really enticing at the start, but once I started realising what was going on, I go a lot of TGCF and Ashes of Love vibes that I'd rather weren't there... to the point that the final reveal was a bit far-fetched for me, though not enough to ruin the novel. The one thing I do find fault with, other than the issues already mentioned but that are part of the danmei 'culture' is that certain events didn't hit me with the slam I'd anticipated. Don't know if it's the novel itself and the way a certain scene is written, or if something got lost in translation, but I missed the brimming of my eyes at that point. Not that I was expecting a full on ugly-cry fest as I had in Erha, or a crying fit like I was hit with at TGCF, YuWu, Cold Sands, but I did hope to get a little teary-eyed, I did want to be moved by Jing Lin's suffering. Only I wasn't.
All in all, I really liked the novel and def recommend it to fans of the genre who can handle the issues I mentioned without it deterring them from enjoying a good story, but I still wish there'd been a lot more emotional pain to it - because I'm an emotional masochist.
I loved the two protagonists from the start, was hooked on the story from the first chapter - it really had me at the moment I realised the story was being told through the POV of a brocade carp! - and curious to see how the tale would develop. Although it's not the longest danmei I've read (far from it) I still flew right through it, despite the fact I tend to read a few books at the same time.
So, the best thing about this novel, for me is really Cang Ji, Jing Lin and their relationship - the way it grows and develops, the way they relate to each other and what it conveys about their past, the little hints and their exchanges, I loved all that - minus the fact that Jing Lin tends to say 'I don't want to' to Cang Ji quite a lot and that goes ignored. But that's the one issue I tend to have with danmei, there's always a subtle lack of consent and a strong inference as to how pleasure equals pain equals pleasure for the uke, and he can't have one without experiencing the other. I sort of have an issue with people crying constantly through sex, except when they're caught in the throes of overwhelming emotion, not discomfort, but that's just my personal preference, and it's not even the biggest issue for me, here. Although the smut scenes in this novel aren't tasteless, there is a hint of noncon being used in what to me felt like a teasing manner by Jing Lin, which sat awkwardly with me. That said, I really loved this particular character's evolution - especially when we go back to the past and follow his development, getting to see an innocence, a deliverance that 'present moment' Jing Lin lacks. As for Cang Ji, I kind of knew from the start exactly who and what he was, so I did expect a dominant trait to be always present in his personality - what I didn't quite expect, and was surprised in a very good way was the manner in which his 'obsession' with Jing Lin is slowly unravelled to Cang Ji himself. The way he starts (wanting to devour Jing Lin as nourishment) to the moment he realises that maybe the kind of devouring he wants to do isn't really eating him as food and the unexpected realisations this forces on him, regarding his own emotions and the feelings he harbours for Jing Lin and the reasons behind them.
As for the rest of the plot, the mystery bit was really enticing at the start, but once I started realising what was going on, I go a lot of TGCF and Ashes of Love vibes that I'd rather weren't there... to the point that the final reveal was a bit far-fetched for me, though not enough to ruin the novel. The one thing I do find fault with, other than the issues already mentioned but that are part of the danmei 'culture' is that certain events didn't hit me with the slam I'd anticipated. Don't know if it's the novel itself and the way a certain scene is written, or if something got lost in translation, but I missed the brimming of my eyes at that point. Not that I was expecting a full on ugly-cry fest as I had in Erha, or a crying fit like I was hit with at TGCF, YuWu, Cold Sands, but I did hope to get a little teary-eyed, I did want to be moved by Jing Lin's suffering. Only I wasn't.
All in all, I really liked the novel and def recommend it to fans of the genre who can handle the issues I mentioned without it deterring them from enjoying a good story, but I still wish there'd been a lot more emotional pain to it - because I'm an emotional masochist.
August 14, 2023
During the first book I almost dropped Nan Chan several times. The second book got a little better, but it wasn't yet up to my expectations. The only thing I liked in the first half of the novel was the whole discovery journey about the brocade carp getting to understand that instead of wanting to eat Jing Lin in the literal way he rather wanted to eat him metaphorically. But the plot was not very appealing to me and sometimes the arbitrariness in the things Cang Ji knew about the world and the ones he did not made the story sound a bit artificial. But then I got book 3. Book 3 is a pearl, and because of it I was really happy I did not give up the novel. From this point the plot became way more interesting and I couldn't stop reading it. Book 4 kept the high standards of book 3 and both of them made it impossible to me not to evaluate the novel as a 5 stars. The romance in Nan Chan is at the same time fluffy and spicy. The tenderness in their relationship makes our heart feel warm, and at the same time, 唐酒卿 is, in my opinion, the top 1 smut writing danmei author! Her style is incomparable. So I would say that even if the novel takes its time to get really appealing, the insistence is very well rewarded!
May 5, 2025
"Ele pertencia ao dragão, e o dragão pertencia a ele."
que jornada fantástica e jamais lida!!! peguei essa pra ler porque amo história de dragões e ganhei um tragic yaoi que no fim tudo da certo por obra do destino. eu amei demais esse livro e como ele simplesmente ficava melhor a cada parte. eu nunca conseguia adivinhar o que vinha a seguir, era uma caixinha de surpresas. afinal, o que esperar de um livro que o primeiro capítulo é o protagonista matando geral? jing lin primeiro brat da china antiga!
foi uma viagem que estou triste de ter chegado ao fim, tenho muito carinho pelo cang ji e o jing lin e já estou com saudades deles.
agora, as ressalvas: teve algumas coisas tão mirabolantes que eu mal consegui acompanhar. apesar de ter gostado da história como um todo, tem coisas que até agora eu não entendi... mas não acho que seja porque foram mal explicadas, acho que a diva deixou os pensamentos intrusivos vencerem mas foi Fun!
4.5
que jornada fantástica e jamais lida!!! peguei essa pra ler porque amo história de dragões e ganhei um tragic yaoi que no fim tudo da certo por obra do destino. eu amei demais esse livro e como ele simplesmente ficava melhor a cada parte. eu nunca conseguia adivinhar o que vinha a seguir, era uma caixinha de surpresas. afinal, o que esperar de um livro que o primeiro capítulo é o protagonista matando geral? jing lin primeiro brat da china antiga!
foi uma viagem que estou triste de ter chegado ao fim, tenho muito carinho pelo cang ji e o jing lin e já estou com saudades deles.
agora, as ressalvas: teve algumas coisas tão mirabolantes que eu mal consegui acompanhar. apesar de ter gostado da história como um todo, tem coisas que até agora eu não entendi... mas não acho que seja porque foram mal explicadas, acho que a diva deixou os pensamentos intrusivos vencerem mas foi Fun!
4.5
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