#mount xuandu

[freisende]

Shen Qiao's Future Successor

Thousand Autumns / Qianqiu ⚠️spoiler warning ‼

The next sect leader of Xuandu Mountain if Shen Qiao were ever to retire, I think the most possible candidate out of the three disciples would be Yuwen Song.

Shen Qiao has mentioned how A-Song even though younger than Shiwu, he was mentally stronger than him, that when Shiwu lost his master, he wept all day. While Yuwen Song although he cried, he got over it and think long ahead. Yuwen Song is also part of the imperial family of the Zhou dynasty and Shen Qiao also mentioned other family members of Yuwen was also the same.

With Shen Qiao also being the mantle disciple and how he decides is the will of Qi Fengge, I think he would also choose his next successor based on their attitudes and alptitude of the disciple's martial arts (not from the order of his disciples being taken in).

Yuwen Song is also a fast learner and he would make a very good leader as formerly being part of the royal family. While Duan Ying also has good attitude, I think he's more suitable to being his shixiong's supporter in the sect and much like Yuan Ying's role in the sect. +

Shiwu is the pillar of the disciple's foundation, and I think he would also be more like vice-sect leader(?) for Yuwen Song. He would also be the one to support A-Song if he was not confident of himself. +

Regardless of who will be the next sect leader when Shen Qiao decides it, I love all of A-Qiao's disciples and how A-Qiao picked them.

[tonyglowheart]

I love that in most other ppl's cases, having to move yourself makes you/your faction less powerful or cool bc it means that you don't have ppl to send who can deal with the thing/no one else under you was powerful enough so you had to move yourself

but in Yan Wushi's case, it's, like, extra a sign of how cool/awesome/untouchable he is lol. Bc it just shows that bro can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants. Like. bro literally strolled into Mount Xuandu and then strolled right out, with the ex-Chief Disciple to boot. You don't, for example, see Sang Jingxing doing that and getting away with it, lol. Yan Wushi is just that much of That Bitch

[liberty-or-death]

Thousand Autumns Chapter 1 Explanation of Names, Historical Context and Possible Influences

THE WORLD BUILDING!! I could scream. I was so so so impressed with Thousand Autumns.

Aside from literary poetry devices, MXS also uses a lot of historical characters and places in her novels, which was probably why they changed a lot of names in the donghua lol. Personally, I find it really interesting and this was what drew me to this book.

Here’s a round up of Chapter 1! I apologise that it's lengthy and it's a a short history class. But you'll need to know or else you're going to get really confused later on lol. Anyway, it gets a lot better! I came across a few videos that were very helpful for my understanding so I've linked them below.

There are 3 demonic sects, and at least 5 righteous ones in the whole show. And that’s excluding the royalty members 😂 and the Tujue folks. I was so confused when I first started reading and I had to do a lot of historical research myself before I fully understood what was going on.

Locations

玄都 Xuandu - This is where immortals were rumoured to reside in. It was also the name of a Taoist temple (Xuandu Guan 玄都观). This temple is located on Mount Heng and was built in the Southern Qi Dynasty. I’m not sure if this temple was the inspiration behind Xuandu mountain, but it is pretty interesting! Also, incidentally, there is a pavilion named Half Mountain Pavilion that's situated on the same premises. Doesn't it sound a lot like Half Step Peak?

Political Climate/Characters - Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Chen Dynasty

Thousand Autumns takes place in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a period where China was split politically during the 420-589AD. During this period, there was the spread of Buddhism and Taoism. This period came to and end with unification by the Sui Dynasty. So lol, if you know your history, you’d know that Thousand Autumns would logically end with the establishment of the Sui Dynasty if the novels continues to the end of the Northern Southern Dynasties period. 😂

The video below explains the role of Yuwen Hu 宇文护 and Yuwen Yong 宇文邕 (Emperor Wu) and their impact on the Zhou Dynasty. MXS puts her own spin on it but it's good to read about it or else it'll get really confusing later on. (I personally feel that her world building is underrated and MXS should get more credit for this!) You can skip to 8:39 of the video if you just want to learn about Yuwen Hu and Yuwen Yong. I'd suggest to bookmark this video whenever you're confused with the timeline of events! The Zhou Empire storyline follows this!

Gao Wei 高纬 of Qi Dynasty - Yet another historical character. The same video talks about the decline of the Qi Dynasty around 32:10

Tujue - Here's a video explaining how the Tujue were a part of all of these.

Hulugu 狐鹿估 is a fictional character but his name is very similar to another Hulugu 狐鹿姑 (note that the pronunciation is exactly the same but the last character is different) who was the Chanyu (Supreme Ruler) of the Xiongnu Empire in 96BC.

Kunye 昆邪 is also a fictional character, but there was a King Kunye 昆邪王 (? - 116BC) in history. According to the historical records 史记, he was defeated by Hua Qubing's army and subsequently became a vassal under the Han Dynasty. After his surrender, he was granted the title of the Marquis of Luoyin (located in modern day Shandong Province). Interestingly, his descendant was called Hun Su 浑苏. (If you've read on, you'll probably know the significance of this haha.)

Other Notable Characters

凤阁 (Qi) Feng Ge - this either means a beautiful tower, or a government official position in the Tang Dynasty. It’s also the name of a star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, a form of Chinese astrology. People who were born under this star were cultured and talented.

青城山纯阳观易辟尘 Yi Bichen of Chunyang temple on Mount Qingchen - Mount Qingchen’s a sacred Taoist Mountain in Sichuan China. It’s greatly regarded as one of the birth places in Taoism. Chunyang Temple’s a real temple in Guangzhou that was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. (MXS is clearly mix and matching temples with locations 😂) Yi Bichen’s name can be broken down to 易 = Easy, 辟尘 = avoid the mortal world.

雪庭禅师 Zen Master Xue Ting - Xue Ting’s name likely comes from the renowned monk, Xue Ting Fu Yu in the Yuan Dynasty. Xue Ting was his monastic title. He was an abott in the Shaolin Monastery and was famous for inviting martial artists to gather in Shaolin Temple.

临川学宫的宫主汝鄢克惠 Ruyan Kehui, Gongzhu of the Linchuan Academy - Linchuan, located in Jiangxi, has always been known as the “Home of Talents 才子之乡” as many talented people came from Linchuan since the ancient times. The Xuegong/Academy 学宫 is a place of learning. This term has appeared since the Western Zhou Dynasty and was commonly associated with Confucianism. The 宫主 Gongzhu was the title that’s given to the one who was in charge of a Taoist temple. (Okay MXS might not be historically accurate here 😂😂)

Previously discussed topics

Half Step Peak

Regret Peak

Yu Shengyan

[lilynaomivelasa]

Hello everyone👋

Today is Thursday and I have an extremely interesting novel that I would recommend to everyone.😘

🍂 THOUSAND AUTUMNS 🍂 - Meng Xi Shi.

Here are a few pictures of this novel😊

It has 202 chapters (completed)

And here is the summary of this novel (I copied it on mtlnovel web)

Novel Summary👇

Yan Wushi had walked a path full of blood and corpses.

He did not believe in the good nature of humanity. Even more so, he did not believe that there could be someone with great kindness and sense of justice, who would be so considerate of others without asking anything in return.

One day, Shen Qiao, who was the sect leader of Mount Xuandu, the number one Daoist sect under the heavens, was challenged to a duel but somehow fell off the cliff.

Yan Wushi happened to pass by down there.

Seeing Shen Qiao who was seriously injured to the point of dying, he suddenly came up with a perfect idea…

After thousands of autumns, who could stay eternal?

❤️ 1v1 and HE ❤️

⭐️ Main Couple: Yan Wushi (gong) x Shen Qiao (shou)

This is one of the most interesting novels I've read but I'm Vietnamese and I'm not good at English so I can't describe much to you😭. If one day I'm good at English, I will talk more about this novel🥰. Hope you enjoy " Thousand Autumns " novel!! 😘😘🫶

[sunniss]

wushen escaping Mount Xuandu ✨ (or the five times yan wushi carried shen qiao and the one time shen qiao asked to be carried) ✨

[silviakundera]

When Shen Qiao gives me those Wei Wuxian feels ...

Dou Yanshan shook his head, “Shen Qiao, you’re a member of the Han ethnicity, yet you deliberately put your loyalty in a Xianbei person. No wonder Mount Xuandu thinks you are inadequate to be their sect leader.”

Shen Qiao replied with a smile, “It only tells me that Chairman Dou has never experienced what it is like to be on the opposite side of everyone else. As long as I believe this is worth doing, why should I care about how other people see me or what they may think of me? Your family, your friends, those who truly like you and have your best interests in mind, will definitely understand you one day.”

[angieloveshua]

Yan Wushi sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. “We have now had intimate relations. If we were a man and a woman, I would have already insisted that you marry me into your family in accordance with etiquette, with the three matches and six appointments. 

“Wait.” Shen Qiao felt like something was amiss. “Why are you the one marrying into my family?”

Yan Wushi raised an eyebrow. “Did you want to marry into my family?”

Shen Qiao replied, “Of course not…”

“This venerable one likes you. I am not concerned about dignity or reputation. If you are willing to marry me, I will be fine with it in order to prevent others from pointing fingers and spreading rumors about you, the dignified sect leader of Mount Xuandu. Since I do not have any reputation to speak of, whatever grievances I must endure for your sake would all be worth it.”

Though these words sounded arrogant, they were also tinged with a hint of grievance. 

He's willing to do anything for Ah-Qiao. 🥺

[ydotome]

Don’t you feel so tired? All your friends and brothers have betrayed you. You are badly injured, and have to leave Mount Xuandu and have lost everything. Don’t you have any hatred for them? Don’t you want to kill those betrayers? I can help you. Just do as you wish and kill whoever you want to kill. They betrayed you first. You don’t owe them anything. - Thousand Autumns - Episode 6

[unforth]

A Non-Definitive and Certainly Incomplete List of the Differences Between the Qianqiu/Thousand Autumns Danmei Novel and the Donghua

@blacktigersprings commented on one of my Thousand Autumn Liveblog posts, asking about the differences between the donghua thus far, compared to the book - they'd seen the 16 episodes, but hadn't read it yet. After I wrote down what I could remember I was like...ya know what, I should just make all this into a post.

This is non-exhaustive. I am a tired person with a bad memory and a lot going on, so I am sure I forgot things. I'm gonna ping @baoshan-sanren since they're the main person I know who is in Thousand Autumns fandom also, and I'm willing to guarantee they will think of things I didn't, and also probably be able to correct me if I mixed anything up. I'll try to edit this based on new info, if I have the time, and I might post it as meta on AO3? I did that with my list of differences between CQL and MDZS and people found it helpful so...yeah. I'll add a link if a do.

Note that all posts like this rely to some extent on interpretation; what I write reflects my interpretation and understanding of events (...to the extent I remember them...) and others may have read/watched the same sequences and reached different conclusions. I've made specific notes where I think I'm raising a point that's more subjective than others.

This contains spoilers for all 16 episodes of the donghua, and for the equivalent parts of the novel. I did my best not to put in novel spoilers for past when the donghua ends, but there are allusions to subsequent events.

Anyway - vaguely in chronological order of when they happen?

(read more)

Overall, the basic premises of the donghua and the novel are pretty different. In the donghua, there are several primary conflicts - the intrusion of the Beimi/Tujue, the competition over access to the Solarity, the competition between different sects' top masters, and the search for that ring that Yan Wushi has. In the novel, these are all things that exist, but they're not the primary plot, and they're all at least somewhat difference. While the novel has multiple plotlines that focus on different things, looking at it as a whole, the main plot is a political one about control of the Empire, and how different sects are pulled into that conflict as a result of how the Emperor relates to Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist sects. Which tradition each sect follows is much more important and relevant in the novel. The Beimi/Tujue plot is still relevant and involved, but it's just one thread in the political milieu. The Solarity, which has different and long name in the novel that I never remember - it's like, "the complete works of (some master who's name isn't in my brain" - is in six volumes, and it's definitely still important, but it's importance kinda fades as the novel progresses (though it's still a main piece at the point where the donghua leaves off). The ring is basically non-existent in the novel - instead of it being in Yan Wushi's possession, it's in the possession of the woman who's birthday party Shen Qiao goes to (...Madam Su? Might be her name? I'm sorry, I'm not great with names, and I usually rely on fandom wikis but this one is sparse) - in the novel, she was a disciple of Hulugu, and then she stole the ring and returned to the Empire. That other Beimi/Tujue disciple (...Dong something??) takes it back and returns with it to his clan, if I recall correctly, so it can be used to unify those clans to make war against the Empire.

In the donghua, Yan Wushi is just...generally portrayed as pretty nice, and the YanShen vibes start pretty early - there's an early sign of playful flirting from Yan Wushi that actually seems sincere? At least it did to me. As a result, the YanShen vibes feel a lot stronger than they do in the novel at a similar point in the narrative. In the novel...I'd personally say Yan Wushi has zero interest, romantically or sexually, until well after where the donghua left off, and their relationship isn't canon until nearly the very end, and is always left more implied than...outright. I would personally say that in the novel, Shen Qiao has some feels for Yan Wushi pre-Sang Jingxing, but Yan Wushi doesn't reciprocate (except maybe at a deep level he refuses to acknowledge). It's not until he's healing post-almost-dying (as in, during the time immediately after when the donghua leaves off - I'm trying to be vague to avoid giving spoilers to people who haven't read it) that there start to be some real clear signs that Yan Wushi may have caught some feels, and even then it's complicated. They're complicated. They're also complicated. It's part of what I love about them, lol.

In the donghua, the fight between Shen Qiao and Kunye is shown "on screen" instead of only being described afterwards, and it's revealed almost right away that Shen Qiao was poisoned. Also, a lot of people help Kunye and they all fight Shen Qiao together. In the novel, this fight is off-screen. It's strictly a one-on-one battle between Shen Qiao and Kunye, and the reader doesn't learn that Shen Qiao lost due to poisoning until Shen Qiao goes to Mount Xuandu to confront Yu Ai.

In both the donghua and the novel, when Yan Wushi is trying to turn Shen Qiao evil, he sets up a mission for Shen Qiao and Yu Shengyan, The object of this mission is to kill a family that serves the Hehuan Sect. Shen Qiao refuses to participate, and helps them escape. In the donghua, they don't actually escape, and the "they serve Hehuan" thing turns out to be a ruse; they actually serve Yan Wushi. In the novel, they're actually Hehuan spies, and Shen Qiao still helps them, and they actually escape.

(RAPE MENTION TRIGGER WARNING) In the donghua, Chen Gong betrays Shen Qiao when that jerk noble whose name I can't remember right now (and it's not in the wiki, god the wiki is so slim, I wish I had time to help with that) hunts him for sport, and he doesn't want to die. In the novel, Chen Gong betrays Shen Qiao when that same jerk noble, who as a reputation for using pretty boys as sex slaves, tries to kidnap Chen Gong as a sex slave, and Chen Gong is like, "no no you don't want to fuck me, I know someone WAY prettier for you to rape." (The fall out remains the same in both - Shen Qiao beats up the guy, nothing bad happens to him, and he and Chen Gong part ways).

In the donghua, Shen Qiao goes to confront Yu Ai at Mount Xuandu by like. Literally walking up to the front gate. And then all the disciples for some reason get mad that Yan Wushi comes, even though he...also walked up to their front gate. Why do they even have a gate??? In the novel, Shen Qiao uses a super sneaky back way, only known to disciples, and so it actually makes some kind of sense when Yu Ai et al are like SHEN QIAO WHY ARE YOU SHOWING THE EVIL GUY OUR BACK DOOR?

(NOTE this one relies more on subtext and thus is very open to interpretation. What's written here reflects my personal interpretation, and others may disagree). In the donghua, when Yan Wushi hands Shen Qiao over to Sang Jingxing, they have a chat that heavily implies that Yan Wushi is kinda-sorta-not-so-secretly thinking that Shen Qiao could win a fight (and is probably expecting Shen Qiao to do so by using the demonic core that has been implanted in him). Sang Jingxing also says things that indicate that he thinks that Yan Wushi is setting a trap for him. In the novel, while it's never all that clear what Yan Wushi's motivations are, it becomes pretty clear by the point of the Sang Jingxing fight that Yan Wushi was serious when he said he didn't care about Shen Qiao, didn't consider him worthy, and doesn't care what happens to him. He definitely handed over Shen Qiao with every intention of Shen Qiao getting tortured and raped, and had no interest in saving him. Shen Qiao only becomes interesting to Yan Wushi afterwards. Yan Wushi is never only playing one game, so he may have thought that being pushed into a corner would force Shen Qiao to use the demonic core, but it also seemed to me like he genuinely didn't care - he'd gotten bored, and was done playing with the "new toy" that was Shen Qiao.

In the donghua, there is a shot of someone - the clothing is pretty unmistakably Yan Wushi's purple robe of ultimate purpleness - pulling Shen Qiao out of a river after he plunges to his almost-demise in the fight with Sang Jingxing. In the novel, Yan Wushi doesn't pull Shen Qiao out of the water, after Shen Qiao destroys his meridians in the fight against Sang Jingxing. Instead, Shen Qiao collapses in the mountains, where he is found by Shiwu and brought back to the monastery for treatment.

In the donghua, Yan Wushi is fighting the four masters who have it in for him, and before the end of the fight, Shen Qiao arrives and tries to help him; he fights the four masters solo to try to keep Yan Wushi from using his powers and harming himself, and when he's about to lose, Yan Wushi...uses his powers and harms himself. In the novel, Shen Qiao doesn't arrive until after Yan Wushi has been defeated; he finds Yan Wushi almost dead and brings him to a small village nearby, where he stays with a nice girl and her...grandfather, iirc...and tries to keep them safe while nursing Yan Wushi back to health.

In the donghua, it's kinda implied that Shen Qiao goes to rescue Yan Wushi because, like...he likes him? There's not really a reason given, just that he wants to, or maybe to keep the ring from going to the Beimi/Tujue? In the novel it's pretty explicit that Shen Qiao goes to save Yan Wushi because he believes Yan Wushi's position in the Empire is critical to the stability of the world - and he wants the world stable, so that there won't be more refugees, starvation, etc. That he also may like Yan Wushi is the case but is almost incidental; Shen Qiao is focused on doing the most good for the most people, and that means saving Yan Wushi, because Yan Wushi is critical to the Empire, and the Empire is critical to the common people. (this is a major part of the political themes that are more prominent in the book than in the donghua).

I can't actually remember when Bian Yanmei was introduced in the novel? But I was pretty sure it was around when Yan Wushi sends Shen Qiao to that birthday banquet? Anyway, Bian Yanmei isn't in the donghua at all thus far; in the donghua, Yan Wushi's only apparent disciple is Yu Shengyan.

[freisende]

Shen Qiao's Heart

Thousand Autumns⚠️Spoiler

Betrayal always comes unexpectedly.

Shen Qiao had just recovered from his battle with Kunye; with lost qi and blurry sight.

Yet what greeted him when he managed to walk home to Mount Xuandu—

Was another heavy rock falling upon him.

He knew he did not deserve to be the sect leader anymore the moment he had lost to Kunye, ignoring the fact he was cheated on— poisoned with Joyful Reunion.

What was not his expectation was his own shidi betraying over him.

He could not comprehend it at all.

Mount Xuandu is His own home, the place he grew up, learning martial arts and playing with his martial brothers and sister.

He had given enormous love, yet that tenderness was paid unfairly. 

The cost was his own core and eyes.

It was so arbitrary! 

He was bound to hate each & every person Who had treated him cruelly. 

Yet his tears fell for a sick, powerless child— that was not even his relative.

Something that caught Yan Wushi's eyes and became a mysterious puzzle.

How could that be?

Countless of hate should be bound in Shen Qiao's heart.

Yet Shen Qiao did not even pay it any attention; although he wavered a bit over the betrayal fact, but he immediately stood still like the tower of Chang'an.

Ridiculous.

How could a person remains untainted?

But he wants to taint him—

Yan Wushi desperately wanted to taint something so pure, so white, into a dark, black hole.

Yet, never did he know that he was the one to be brought into the world of light.

A blazing, glimmering shine of light that can even nearly bring blindness. Even after Yan Wushi ran, ran, and ran over again to every dark cave—

The light will always be there.

Shen Qiao knew, deep somewhere there should be kindness in Yan Wushi.

Xie Ling and A-Yan were the evidence.

Shen Qiao must have thought— this man far older than him, what obstacles and incidents he had passed through to give birth to such split personalities? 

It's as if he wanted to change his ideals and thought severely— from a Xie Ling, to something brand new, called Yan Wushi.

Even though there were many bitter things they have gone through, at the end of the road lied the beautiful, bright path for both of them.

Shen Qiao smiled at every moment he feels now.

He finally believed that he could trust Yan Wushi— with how every morning feels warm with that man beside him.

Something that he did not even feel the same with the family in Xuandu Mountain.

Something akin to eternal love.

Although Shen Qiao could remain eternal, who can be the same as him?

Turned out, his savior & enemy, could give him the kindness & warmth he had been seeking for years, akin to a thousand autumns🍁

[yue-muffin]

is this me waxing poetic about qianqiu yet again, minus the poetry? yes.

was rereading from the beginning again and read this part where yu shengyan is reporting the extent of shen qiao’s injuries to yan wushi:

Yan Wushi smiled faintly, although the smile had no warmth to it, and said, “Qi Fengge’s disciple. The sect leader of Mount Xuandu. The commander of all the orthodox sects. He was once bathed in the highest glory, yet with only one defeat, he ended up being worse than useless. Even if he could return to Mount Xuandu, he can never be the sect leader again. Once he wakes up and knows the situation he’s in, I wonder what his feelings will be?”

Yu Shengyan sighed, “That’s true. Even an ordinary person would not be able to accept a fall like this, not to mention someone like Shen Qiao, who has always been favored by the heavens. The higher one stands, the harder they fall!”

both of them believe that a person as gravely injured as shen qiao, who may be forever weakened and unable to restore his former strength, would fall into despair, wouldn’t know how to live with himself anymore, and even worse, if he wakes an “idiot” as they coin, then he’s so useless he’s better off dead. not a very surprising view, coming from two demonic sect people. shen qiao later proves them very wrong, again and again. is it easy, living after so many horrible things have happened to you and to the people around you? no, of course not. but it’s not impossible either.

both qianqiu and tgcf chronicle a person’s fall from grace. but instead of taking a fatalistic stance, they argue that kindness and compassion DO have worth, and just because someone has fallen into unfortunate circumstances or becomes disadvantaged doesn’t mean they should just lay down and die, better off dead. 

on the other hand, i’ve read series with characters who spout such ableist remarks and yet the narrative basically goes ‘yeah that checks out’, and it leaves such an icky feeling that i’ve not forgotten it, years after reading it.

which is probably why i like these two danmei novels the most out of them all. idk, i used to like the dark edgy stuff when i was younger but as i grow older, i realize...nah, at the end of the pain and suffering i appreciate a little reassurance that it’s not ALL doom and gloom and there’s indeed good out there in the world, even if you gotta wade through the mud to get to it.

i do still applaud the author of qianqiu for SOMEHOW making the yanshen relationship actually make sense by the end, because it really seems like a pair that should not work or mesh well at all. it’s even more extreme than a case of ‘opposites attract’, because even their moral viewpoints (or lack thereof...) are in complete opposition to each other. but it does make sense, in the end. somehow.

[thesparkthatlightsthemoe]

Still trying to fathom the reason for Yan Wushi’s added in flirting after watching episode 6.

Is it to rip our hearts out more later when the big betrayal moment happens?

Or is it that the creators of the donghua are going to change the story so much that Yan Wushi won’t do anything truly terrible to Shen Qiao?

I’m also lowkey sad that Shen Qiao didn’t have to show Yan Wushi the secret path along the cliff through the arrays to reach the top of Mount Xuandu. And a little disappointed that sometimes Shen Qiao’s scenes are changed so that Yan Wushi has to help him where he originally took care of himself. Seriously, let the blind man strut his stuff. I’m just not a big fan of making a character more helpless. He certainly needs some help at times, but taking away what he CAN do just to add extra fanservice moments is really depressing.

[chasing-ephemera]

Thousand Autumns / 千秋 (BL) By 夢溪石

Blurb  (taken from NU)

Yan Wushi had walked a path full of blood and corpses.

He did not believe in the good nature of humanity. Even more so, he did not believe that there could be someone with great kindness and sense of justice, who would be so considerate of others without asking anything in return.

One day, Shen Qiao, who was the sect leader of Mount Xuandu, the number one Daoist sect under the heavens, was challenged to a duel but somehow fell off the cliff.

Yan Wushi happened to pass by down there.

Seeing Shen Qiao who was seriously injured to the point of dying, he suddenly came up with a perfect idea…

After thousands of autumns, who could stay eternal?

Thoughts

I came across this novel many years ago but kept putting it off because the blurb sounded uninteresting and not something I wanted to waste my time on. In fact, I think I must’ve left it in my ‘bookmark for later’ pile for god knows how long before I eventually got desperate and took the plunge. Let me tell you just how thankful I was for running out of good reads and going against my better judgement (which clearly wasn’t great lol) because not only was it an excellent read, it has also become one of my favourite danmei novels to date.

The setting itself is mainly wuxia with a touch of xianxia, though more on the wuxia side because it mixes politics, wulin, and mentions cultivation here and there. The story mainly focuses on the politcal situation and how it affects the main characters and their convictions more than anything else.

Shen Qiao, the MC, appears to be weak and naive. Well, weak is certainly true because the novel starts off with him injured! Naive because he was ignorant to worldly affairs due to choosing to remain in his sect and shutting himself off from the world. A big part of this novel is the MC learning about the ways of the world, people’s hearts and a cruel reality that he wasn’t aware of before. During his journey of recovery and self discovery, despite being let down and betrayed time and time again, he remains true to his dao. He keeps his heart clear and kind, while firm and resolute when the time calls for it.

The ML, Yan Wushi, is a really interesting character. He isn’t what I’d call typically evil or a demon, despite being on the ‘evil’ side. I’d say he was someone who is more realistic about people and how the world works, and he simply does what he wants and follows what he believes in, and that’s himself. To the ML, people are either worthless or rivals - there are no inbetweens.

So you see the dilemma; the MC and ML are pretty much chalk and cheese. For one, their sects are ‘good’ and ‘evil’ respectively. Their personalities, beliefs, and outlook are also completely opposite. The ML sees the MC as nothing more than an insgnificant being with an outlook of the world that he simply cannot fathom. He goes out of his way to try and destroy the MC’s way of thinking by sending him into dire situations one after another. While some of the ML’s actions made me question his sanity, I found it really hard to hate him.

The romance is definitely slow burn. The MC doesn’t discover his feelings for the ML until much much later, although you do get the feeling that the ML started liking the MC quite a while before the MC reaslised his own feelings. It’s important to note that there are no fireworks or overly romantic lines, and the author made a comment to mention it in her notes that there wouldn’t be. But I think it suits the story and the characters just fine. It would be unrealistic for these people to have such a confession scene (no matter how much I want it!!).

Anyway, theres so much going for this novel, I cannot recommend this enough! To my fellow danmei readers who like historical settings, and a twisted ML, this is for you!

P.s there’s a donghua version (山河劍心) so check it out if you haven’t already! While donghua Shen Qiao is nowhere near as humourous as novel Shen Qiao (honestly, his inner thoughts and opinions of Yan Wushi really crack me up), it’s still really good and follows the novel closely enough, give and take some merging and reshuffling of scenes, as they do. Not to mention both the MC and ML look absolutely gorgeous! Season 1 has ended and I’m not sure if there’s going to be a second season, but fingers crossed!!

[actualmichelle]

When he was still Mount Xuandu’s sect leader, the state of his mind was placid too, but that was a kind of tranquility which belonged to someone who had never experienced any setbacks. However, the tranquility he was experiencing now was a result of him going through the blasts, the storms, and all kinds of predicaments. When the raging waves ceased, the moon climbed up above the clouds, merging the water and the sky into the same color. There were no waves, no ripples, no grief, nor happiness.

https://www.ainushi.com/2018/06/thousand-autumns-chapter-22/

[angieloveshua]

The small child responded, “Who is your shizun?”

Shiwu, “The sect leader of Mount Xuandu.”

The small child widened his eyes even further. “My shizun is also the sect leader of Mount Xuandu.”

Shiwu, “My shizun is Shen Qiao.”

The small child replied innocently, “I am Shen Qiao.”

HE'S SO CUTE, HELP.