(*title is mtl'd)
Synopsis: Zhao Qingshuang was ready to enjoy her retirement world after completing her last task. Everything was ready: a cozy mountain with abundant spritual power, a lovely dog to make company, but suddenly there was a system bug and Zhao Qingshuang landed in a bloody novel. Before the bug was fixed she had to stay in this world, but staying with annoying parents and a vicious sister was out of option, so ZQS readily agreed to the marriage with a disabled master from the Ling family. Who knew that such arrangement became the beginning of a life-long companionship.
Since this is the same author of the previously reviewed novel "Falling in love with offended boss", I decided to pick something else from their list of completed novels, I did not expect it to conquer the "offended boss", so the result wasn't that bad, but I still have few regrets with this novel. By the way this novel has a cameo of Du Youwei, it's one of author's characters. It also mentions some places that I think are featured in several novels, so you can imagine it as a small author's playground.
I must say that the consequent events that promised stakes were put together nicely, but in the end they weren't put into action, so the built-up expectation fell through. This is basically my only dissatisfaction with this novel as a whole, but I think it's quite big. But it did not hinder others from leaving pretty high ratings on JJ. And I also do not consider it to be a bad novel, it's just not accomplished to what I was expecting, that's all.
CHARACTERS:
Zhao Qingshuang. I suppose I realized what type of female character author prefers. Although they can be like a salted fish, but in other times they're pretty lively, life-loving and sunny. Because ZQS comes from a cultivation world and has no big opponent to her others are like jumping clowns, but she's also lazy to take care of them. The cutest part of her (maybe, it's all personal opinion) is that she likes to have a drink, she has horrible drinking capacity, but she simply likes to have a drink and acts funnily when she's drunk.
Ling Ji. This time male character is a bit posessive and sickly at the beginning, but later acts better. But I think it conforms to his situation. ZQS and LJ are supposed to be main characters of the novel, but her character is submissive and abused and she has a bad ending. ZQS meets LJ after he had a car accident for some time, as a previous son of destiny he has quite gloomy disposition, but ZQS who is not afraid of him slowly integrates into his world and becomes a very important part of it, so at first LJ was quite paranoid in his need to know where his wife went and what does she do etc. It may sound bad, but except for jealousy that keeps reappearing, he slowly calmed down with time. But his worry and love for his wife are genuine, you know he could do anything for her.
Secondary characters. There's a lot, but they're mainly small roles and many are discarded after the use (lol). Some stay with the mains all the time, like Fugui'er, it's ZQS system that has a look of a cat or LJ assistants, especually Qi Hao, who is more like a comedic relief. Others that appeared to "shape" the story are:
- Zhao family. Zhao FeiFei. They appear in the first part of the story as a remnants of the bloody novel itself. When ZQS arrives she is now the famous disfigured daughter of the Zhao family, but she's like a marginalized figure, since her parents prefer ZFF more, since this daughter was sickly since birth and they also managed to listed too seriously to some majic stick saying that eldest daughter is defeating youngest. So ZFF grew up with crooked mind, almost bullying original ZQS. ZFF was also responsible for the wound on ZQS's face, since ZFF wanted to get ZQS boyfriend at that time - Ling Zhen, Ling Ji's half-brother. LZ did not disappoint her, knowing that ZQS had her face ruined made him jump into ZFF's bad immediatly. ZFF acted like a monster all the time, before ZQS taught her a lesson she would never forget. Because ZQS healed her face ZFF wanted to ruin it again and made an appointment, but what she saw was not ZQS but a clone and when she cut clone's face, the reflective charm worked so she cut her own face. Because she did many bad things and she also exposed previous ZQS photos with scars, Ling Ji, who was already in love with his wife did not let ZFF go, he exposed her on the net, especially the previous attack on her own sister. This ZFF exited the stage along with Zhao family they were not mentioned.
- Ling family. Ling Zhen, previously mentioned, had the most screen time, since he was brought up to compete with Ling ji by his mother. LJ's father remarried to a woman from a common background, but this woman was ambitious, she also was responsible for LJ's car accident. Although she acted like a monster at first and thought that she had things under control, but when LJ realized his legs could heal, he did not intend to continue this forced confinement and started to take action, as a result his stepmom entered the game, his dad was sent there too, Ling Zhen escaped since there were no direct evidence, but he had another use for the story (will be explained in storyline, containing spoilers), his sister was the only one left, but her fate is unknown from time they moved to another city. Grandpa and grandma of LJ were not without bottom line, so they did not get involved into LJ dealing with his family. They were recuperating abroad and were very supportive of the marriage.
- The rest of novel world people are small characters who appear here and there, but don't have such a great impact on the story.
- Cultivation world characters. Yes, this is spoilerish. So beware. When LJ and ZQS came to cultivation world for cure and other business they suddenly meet someone from ZQS past, to be precise someone from her original world. This part is underwhelming tbh, because stakes are low and it didn't give a wow effect that "finally, that small part of her heart that cared can now calm down", it did not have any significant impact, althogh it had a good connection to other parts, since the story is also connected to "inner demons" and the past was ZQS's inner demon to an extent. And this is why I feel pity, because i has a great connection and just a bit of dwelling into emotion could make the feeling more profound. But who am I to judge :)
STORYLINE:
Here is the spoilers part. And here is the chain that I think was not realized completely and in retrospective becomes underwhelming. The chain of events sounds like this.
⇨ We start from the knowledge that the world has very thin aura, but there are still some places that have richer aura
⇨ ZQS at first believed that she was the only real cultivator from that world, but then she heard someone mentioned a master who had same name and did the same things that someone she knew from cultivation world (it concern the part where one of LJ's admirers went for pills to confuse LJ's memory and replace his wife). As it happened this person was the one she knew, so she realized that someone else except her could end up on this earth
⇨ After meeting another cultivator who was originally from this novels world she now had a guess that previous case and this girl who suddenly had inner demon may have been instigated, after hearing the entire story and knwoing someone helped the girl. ZQS checked but couldn't find anyone
⇨ Then hearing about a new variety show with never before seen content ZQS became suspicious, since it involved metaphysics. She signed up (after all some other cultivators might come for the same reason as her). Here she met few others who definitely knew her and were from her world of cultivation. But what made her confirm that someone who knows her too well may manipulate things, since the day she found human bones in the wall of a haunted house while they were filming the show. This involved her past. But because she had LJ she was fine. But her suspicion of a program member was confirmed but before she could find the person they resigned
⇨ Here is the use of Ling Zhen, since he was beaten as a dog, someone approached him and offered help. Luring LJ out alone ZQS was not at ease so she followed, here was the confrontation scene and after ZQS gets poisoned by poisonous gas that invades cultivation we know that this behind-the-scenes person is none other than inner demon of the mentioned Immortal Master. Due to bug he landed to this earth and decided to corrode other cultivators for his own gain, since ZQS was the strongest he aimed at her, he wanted to take action but was interrupted
⇨ The inner demon wasn't resolved by ZQS and LJ though, but another immortal who travels through worlds, he took him back and seemingly the scene was fine, before mysterious disappearance occured. As it happens poisous gases erroded the plants around and those gained wisdom. LJ, who returned from the cultivation world after inheriting the blood and power of his ancestor Ling Xuan seemingly easily resolved the poisoning, but
⇨ After a while a sudden epidemic hit the City A, starting from one of the poisoned victims in the disappearance case, as it happened he ate some fruit, but also had fruit in his baggage, which poisoned the surrounding people
⇨ Searching for the antidote ZQS and LJ travel back to cultivation world and for the prescritpion LJ had to find a grass that grows in snowy area. Because ZQS was found to be pregnant at this point LJ went alone, but because of illusion set by the herb he saw the scene that originally should have happened in the novel - ZQS is shot at the wedding scene. This scene shocked LJ and before their wedding arrived it felt like he suffered from nightmares from time to time.
And this is where I say that the chain was broken, because so far it was built in a chain: poisonous gas ⇨ epidemis ⇨ cure ⇨ illusion ⇨ inner demon. Because the whole novel had the inner demon character and others suffered from inner demon, I think as a grand finale it could take some time to portray the defeat of inner demon by LJ. By this time he was newly appointed Immortal Master and he could get some sort of test after all. Others might justify it as his love for his wife is so great that he wouldn't be confused, but because there is no narration of emotions etc. this scene passes with lesser impact it could have been. But at least build up is present.
So passing of the wedding scene without a hitch makes it a happy ending. If one wants you could read the extras, they take place when their son is 5 years old and they take him for the first family outing into cultivation world.
RATE: 3,75/5. Partially I could even give it 4/5, but deep inside I was really not satisfied by the underwhelming climax. and I KNOW this supposed to be a calm story, but it felt just too calm :D
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