Rising in Ancient Times, Starting from Stealing the Mountain God's Wife - Reviews

The story has a big problem with showing vs. telling. The author tells us Jiang Ming is a "top Special Forces soldier" but the only unique skill he uses is making a slingshot and smearing poop on a baby bear. Where is the tactical planning? Where are the improvised weapons? He just climbs a tree and waits. The author tells us Murong Xue loves him, but they just have sex in a tree. The author tells us Chen Ermei is shallow by having her marry someone else. There’s no subtlety. Everything is overtly stated. It makes the story feel shallow, even though the world has potential for depth. Less telling and more showing would improve this immensely.

Overall, this is a solid, addictive "power fantasy" starter. The MC’s goal is clear, the world is harsh, and the rewards are concrete (rice, a house, a wife). The writing is a bit rough and the romance is corny, but the plot moves like a freight train. I don’t see myself rereading it for the prose, but I will definitely keep reading to see if Jiang Ming gets revenge on the Chen family and the witch. It scratches the itch for a smart, resourceful MC who uses his brain to solve problems, even if those problems often involve women. It’s a fun, mindless ride.

The operation in the mountains was a missed opportunity for tension. He just hung out in a tree. The author described the tiger’s hunting patterns earlier, talking about its cunning and ambushes. I was hoping for Jiang Ming to use his special forces training to set a trap, read the terrain, or use fire. The "Lure the bear with the cub" plan was okay, but the execution was passive. I wanted a cat-and-mouse game. I wanted Jiang Ming to feel fear. He was just too confident. For a top soldier, he should have felt a moment of doubt or terror when facing a thousand-pound tiger.

I’ve noticed a pattern: every woman Jiang Ming meets is incredibly beautiful. Chen Ermei, Chen Damei, Murong Xue. Even the maids are "skillful." It’s a bit of a fantasy wish-fulfillment trope. It would be refreshing if, for once, he met a girl who was just normal looking. But in this genre, everyone is a stunning beauty. It makes the male fantasy a bit too obvious and reduces the uniqueness of each character. They are all "most beautiful girl in the village" types. It’s a small complaint, but it contributes to the feeling that the women are prizes, not people.

The author’s use of cliffhangers is effective, I’ll give it that. The ending of each section is always a reveal: "A living woman in the tiger’s cave!" or "The Mountain God is here!" It makes you want to scroll down. However, the payoff is often weak. The "Mountain God" is just killed off screen in a scuffle. The "living woman" just becomes a submissive wife. The setup is great, but the execution is underwhelming. It feels like the author is better at creating hype than resolving it. I hope the later chapters are better at following through on the promises they make.

The dialogue can be very stiff in places, especially when characters are explaining their feelings. "I am grateful that you didn't abandon me," "I will definitely work hard to give you descendants" – it sounds like dialogue written for a video game, not real people. It lacks natural pauses, interruptions, and subtext. The only character who sounds like a real person is Chen Dabao with his awkward excuses. Everyone else is either a scheming archetype or a perfect, submissive spouse. The author relies on telling us the emotions rather than showing them through natural conversation.

I really appreciate the small details about ancient peasant life. The mention of "bran," "wild vegetables," "coarse rice," and the specific types of taxes. It feels like the author did a bit of homework on the harsh realities of a traditional agrarian society. It’s not all kung fu and magic. People are worried about food for the winter. That gives the high-adventure parts (fighting a bear) real stakes. If Jiang Ming fails, his family starves. This is a survival story disguised as a harem xianxia or wuxia, and that’s a cool combination.

The "return of the ex" plot is so petty but so juicy. Chen Ermei’s husband dying in battle right after she betrays Jiang Ming is a very convenient bit of karma. And now she skulks back with her big dowry, wanting to be taken in. That’s a great moral dilemma for the MC. Does he take her back to save face and resources? Or does he reject her to show his pride? The author clearly sets up a conflict, and the way Jiang Ming handles it will say a lot about his character. I’m betting he takes her back as a maid or a lowly concubine just to humiliate her.

The "Ting Head" reward is a great political move. Jiang Ming isn’t just a random strong guy; he’s now an official with authority over the village. That gives him leverage against the Chen family. It’s a classic power play. The fact that the gold reward wasn't fully paid is also a great twist. It shows that the government is broke and unreliable. It forces Jiang Ming to be creative with his resources (the hidden bear parts) and to rely on his new local power. This is smart world-building. The reward is a double-edged sword, and I like seeing the MC navigate that.

The scene where they are on the tree while the bear is dying is so odd. The author is trying to create intimacy and bonding, but the context is a massacre. The bear’s wailing is described as mournful, then they start making love. It feels disrespectful to the animal, even though it’s a monster. It also establishes a strange dynamic between Jiang Ming and Murong Xue. She’s totally compliant and finds the violence "heroic." There’s no trauma response, no shock. She just says "my man is so strong." It’s an unrealistic reaction that serves the male fantasy, not a good character arc.

The contrast between Jiang Ming’s inner thoughts and his outer actions is hilarious sometimes. On the outside, he’s the confident, heroic savior. On the inside, he’s a horny, scheming guy who wants to "invest" in a baby. This dissonance is actually fun if you don’t take it seriously. It’s like reading the diary of a villain who everyone thinks is a saint. When he’s comforting Chen Damei, you know he’s also checking out her shoulders. It makes him a morally grey protagonist, not a good guy, but an entertaining one. I just wish the author would lean into that greyness more instead of pretending he’s a great hero.

The witch is a huge missed opportunity. She’s just mentioned in the background as the source of the corruption. She isn’t at the sacrifice, she isn’t in the story. Is she a real witch with powers? Or a fraud? Does she know Jiang Ming killed the tiger? I would love to see a confrontation between the special forces soldier and the local mystic. It could have been a really cool subplot, but she’s just a plot device to explain why the sacrifice exists. Hopefully she shows up later as a real antagonist, because the story needs a smarter foe than Chen Dabao.