I'm skeptical about Dr. Pu's motives. She's obviously brilliant and dedicated to her work, but her excitement about Zhou Peiyu's antibodies felt predatory. She asked for a second blood sample without fully explaining the risks. In a horror story, the scientist who discovers the key to the cure is either the hero or the mad scientist who experiments on people. I'm not sure which one she is yet.
The pacing in the first few chapters is quick but not rushed. We get the past trauma, the rebirth, and start of the revenge plot all within a few pages. But I appreciate that there's still room for small moments—like Xu Yuan noticing the room decor or her mom's voice. Those details make the story feel grounded despite the dramatic premise.
The subplot with the child possessed by a ghost feels like a natural progression. It gives Gu Qingyin a job and allows us to see her skills in action. More importantly, it introduces a mystery: the ghost has been possessing the girl for five days without killing her, which is unusual. That piques my interest. The fact that she accepts the case to fill her coffers is very relatable—she’s broke after buying supplies. It’s a nice blend of supernatural adventure and real-life financial problems.
I keep coming back to how natural Song Yaoshi's voice feels. She doesn't use obviously anachronistic language, but her word choices ("immediately monetize," "PR," "client") slip through in subtle ways that feel organic to someone trying to hide her true origins. It's not overdone.
The pacing of this opening is really solid. We get introduced to the main conflict, the family dynamic, the cultivation world rules, all while maintaining this lighthearted tone through Tian Ning's personality. The storybook addiction is such a relatable character quirk too. I'd totally stay up late reading with her.
Zhou Wanyue is such a good wingwoman but also so messy. She kept stirring the pot during that hotpot dinner and then backed off when things got too real. I like her energy though, she's the kind of friend who makes things interesting.
The two guys at the light stream – Brother Long and Little Ma – were the only named expendable characters who got some development. Their death was sudden and gruesome, which sets the horror tone well. I hope the main character doesn't get the same treatment.
I love the moral ambiguity here. Is the brothel owner really evil? He's using sheep, so no real women are being hurt. He’s charging cheap prices for lonely, poor sailors. It’s basically a weird, magical form of public service that just happens to be illegal. It makes Lucius look like the bad guy for shutting it down, even though he’s technically right.
The way the other disciples are described as "ungrateful wretches" and then later she literally uses that phrase in her head is a great character consistency. She gave them everything, and they're just vultures circling her deathbed. The mob mentality is written well, showing how a group of people can twist a victim into a perpetrator. It's infuriatingly realistic in a fantasy setting.