Chapter 1

It has been almost half a month since the end of *Xian Ni*, and I have been saying that I would write an epilogue, but I just couldn't get the right feeling. With the New Year approaching, I organized my thoughts today and decided to write a casual discussion first.

*Xian Ni* took 31 months, almost 1000 days. Looking back, I have many reflections.

I still remember the first month of *Xian Ni*. There were only a little over 10,000 collections, and the subscriptions were abysmal. But Er Gen didn't give up. Instead, he drank beer, with red eyes, and told himself that even if he was a nobody, he would still finish the story.

I'm going all in, I'll write it!

At that time, Er Gen was a newcomer, uncertain about the future and life, always staring at the sky in a daze. I had many ideas and dreams, but as my beard grew longer, all that remained was helplessness.

I didn't want to give up; I wanted to persist. That was two and a half years ago, in June, when I told myself this.

The theme of *Xian Ni* is "rebellion," and for me, it was also a struggle. Step by step, I pursued it. There were many hardships and uncertainties.

I still remember the insults, the scoldings, the vicious words, and many other things... But at the same time, I remember your comfort, your warm words...

Many times, I looked at the familiar names in the book review section, the 300+ patrons, and the surging monthly votes, and I shed happy tears. Really, it's true.

Thank you, everyone, thank you to every reader of *Xian Ni*, and thank you to the successive deputy moderators of *Xian Ni* over the past two and a half years!

I can say that as I wrote *Xian Ni*, I also grew, in terms of my thinking. Wang Lin's path is like my own path.

Life, cause and effect, reincarnation, true self.

These concepts are not in the outline; they are what I pursued along with Wang Lin as the story progressed. A person's life is less than a hundred years, but only thoughts can wander endlessly. Thoughts are the hallmark of a person, and I have always understood it this way.

Two and a half years have passed, and I am very reluctant. In the days after the end, my body also felt uncomfortable, as if a taut string suddenly loosened, and my whole body relaxed.

I am still coughing, and my chest feels stuffy.

A person's life will have many periods of two and a half years, but I know that these two and a half years of mine have been very fulfilling and happy, because of your company.

I grew a lot from writing *Xian Ni*, from the initial awkwardness to the final fluency. Almost every month, I had epiphanies, but I know there are still flaws, such as my insensitivity to numbers, which often lead to mistakes...

Many fellow readers know this...

Often, I write "three layers" at the beginning, and then "four layers" later, which frustrates me. My memory has deceived me...

There are also many other flaws, but I have noted them all and will try to avoid them in the new book.

Even the sentence structure in *Xian Ni* often made reading feel awkward, but this is probably something I can't change...

Also, I remember the lack of vocabulary, such as "cold laugh," "eyes flashing," "cold snort," "taking a step forward," and so on, which I used frequently, and I feel a bit ashamed.

A book of over 6 million words makes it difficult for Er Gen to achieve perfection, so please don't mind.

However, I do have many strengths... a lot of strengths, hehe.

At the very least, the character development, I think, is quite good. Not every supporting character, but most of them, were successful, like Situ, Qing Shui, Hong Die, Zhou Yi, Shi San, Da Tou, and so on.

This is something I am very pleased about.

There are too many strengths, so I won't list them all to praise myself. You understand~

Overall, strengths and weaknesses coexist. *Xian Ni* is far from perfect, but it is my current limit. In the new book, I will try other methods to further my growth. (I seem to have used the word "climb" quite a bit.)

In *Xian Ni*, there are many unresolved issues, and even at the end, some were left unfilled. I even created some new ones at the end. I considered this, but ultimately chose to leave them as they are.

I always believe that a novel needs some regrets, whether in the characters or the plot. In fact, some of the unresolved issues can be found in the text or through reflection.

For example, the missing bead in the Tian Ni pearl, the answer was given at the end, and the missing one was Tian Yunzi.

For example, the so-called white pearl, there must be a black pearl. These two pearls were given an answer in the last chapter, on the chessboard.

For example, the poisonous incense, I gave an explanation in the Diao Wang clan, though not directly stated.

There are many more, like Dong Lin Sect, which has answers in the text.

However, there are indeed some unresolved issues that I have no conclusion for. I want to leave these stories to Wang Lin, who accompanies Li Qianmei in the Xian Gang Continent, to solve.

Or perhaps some hidden mysteries in the Cave Realm, I plan to leave them to Wang Lin, who accompanies Mu Bingmei, to uncover.

Similarly, I have left two questions for all fellow readers, the first being Wang Lin.

Wang Lin exists with Li Muwan, Li Qianmei, and Mu Bingmei. But which one is the real him? I think most fellow readers would say Li Muwan.

But if you think about it carefully, perhaps this is not the correct answer.

Or, it could be Li Muwan, or it could not be...

Of course, if it is not, then Wang Lin's lifelong dedication seems somewhat absurd, but we are not Wang Lin, and we don't know the truth.

At the very least, I can't tell. Rationally, I think the one who left with Li Muwan is Wang Lin, but when I think about Li Qianmei's story and Mu Bingmei's story, I suddenly become confused. Which one is he?

I want to bring this confusion to all fellow readers.

If you were Wang Lin, which of these three women would you choose to stay with?

The answer is different for everyone.

What I want is for those who like Li Qianmei to believe that the one who stays with her is the real Wang Lin. Similarly, those who like Mu Bingmei, I hope you firmly believe that the real Wang Lin stayed in the Cave Realm where he was born and raised.

I also hope that those who like Li Muwan can unhesitatingly believe that the one who left is Wang Lin.

There is no answer, I don't have one...

Perhaps only Wang Lin himself knows the answer to this question without an answer.

This is the first truly completed work by Er Gen, and also the first xianxia novel. I always feel that xianxia novels have no end. I don't like writing about Wang Lin becoming the first person in the universe, which would be a joke.

What I want to write is a flesh-and-blood person, a man who rebels against the heavens for his ideals.

Cultivation has no end, so I wrote about the fourth step, the fifth step, the sixth step, and perhaps more. It is a long journey.

This represents a person's pursuit and dedication, a climb towards an ideal and a distant gaze. Like the steps forward, it will never stop, and it will continue.

*Xian Ni* is just a part of Wang Lin's life, the earliest part. After this, he will have more life experiences, but these experiences will not be in the book but in our imagination.

I like to think, and I hope that in your spare moments, when you are bored, or after a moment of inspiration, you will vaguely imagine, which is very enjoyable.

The universe is vast. Looking up at the night sky, I know that Wang Lin is just a story, but the rebellion in him is what I lack. So, I will write such a character to remind myself and inspire myself.

I am in the network, and everyone is here.

Like the chess game at the end... that question and answer.

"Understood?"

"Understood."

But Wang Lin understood, the guardian understood, but I still don't understand.

Life is like a dream.

This is the first casual discussion, and there will be a second, perhaps even more character epilogues. I can't guarantee, but as long as I have the feeling, I will write.

For example, Situ, Qing Shui, Hong Die, Zhou Yi, Shi San, Zhou Ru, and so on...

Even though my online time has decreased, I am still with all fellow readers.

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