I’ve read over 150 chapters, and this is my honest review:

This novel is very good at what it sets out to do. Set in the past, it features an absolute genius who clearly suffers from psychological issues (this aspect is very well executed, with clear and lasting consequences up to the point I’ve read). He finally finds something that breaks the extreme boredom of his life — the supernatural. The author clearly knows what he’s doing, both with the writing style and the mythology surrounding the theme.

BUT this is where... more>> the problem begins. You see, in China, it is literally forbidden to believe in “feudal superstitions, ” and since this novel takes place during the Mao Zedong era, I believe that in order for it to be allowed to be published, the author had to praise the Chinese Communist Party every two pages or less. It’s extremely frustrating because none of that praise fits the narrative at all — at times, it even feels like it was added in after the chapter had already been written. I’ve never read a novel with this much propaganda. I’m giving it a low score purely out of the frustration that this propaganda — whether the author was forced to include it or is simply a little pink himself — ruined a novel I would otherwise easily recommend to anyone. <<less