Sending the Divine

Very good, enjoyable story with a lot of mystery. I would have to say that the author has become one of my favorites. The plots of their novels are always layered and unpredictable. I liked this novel more than 80% of the novels I've read on NU. The only detracting point would be the pacing towards the ending seemed to have sped up, leading to slight discomfort.

100% recommended for readers who enjoy mystery with not a lot of fluff and a happy ending. Of course, there is romance, but it is a restrained one.

The spoilers are true spoilers and will ruin the mystery. The spoiler is here in case I want to reread this novel in the future.

**Spoiler:**

Yin Ci is three hundred years old. He wants to die but he can't, even if he is decapitated. He is extremely powerful but lacks inner force.

Shi Jingzhi has a weak body but possesses extraordinary inner force. For unknown reasons, he chronically coughs up blood and has about a year left to live.

Both believe the shirou (NU calls it vision flesh) will help them achieve their goals. They use each other to travel the country in search of the shirou. They find themselves in dangerous situations repeatedly. Throughout this time, they enjoy teasing each other and develop genuine feelings.

It turns out that Yin Ci saved Shi Jingzhi when he was a child. Shi Jingzhi was left in the woods to see if he would survive. Yin Ci was at a mentally unstable point at that time, but Shi Jingzhi's presence helped stabilize him. Yin Ci wanted to raise Shi Jingzhi, but he was taken back home, and a substitute mauled body was used to trick Yin Ci. Yin Ci thought Shi Jingzhi was dead, and Shi Jingzhi's memory was wiped of the incident.

Yin Ci's true identity is that he was one of the founders of the nation. Three hundred years ago, he was a general who helped the first emperor establish the empire. However, after the empire faced droughts and other hardships, the other founder, He Cheng'an, convinced the emperor to sacrifice Yin Ci. Without his knowledge, Yin Ci was sacrificed and buried under a formation to stabilize the north. After many years, he managed to dig himself out but had lost his memory.

Shi Jingzhi is a prince but is considered a monster by his family. He is a genius with intense desires. It is later revealed that he is a child of desire. These children were "created" by the Imperial Preceptor to produce the ideal emperor. There were failures before, but Shi Jingzhi is thought to be the most promising one.

There is a Hanging Tree that can control the environment for good weather for the country. In return, it drains the vitality of the people, treating them like cattle. If a person eats its fruit (the shirou), they can communicate with the Hanging Tree and become a "true immortal," living for hundreds of years. The founders had intended to trick Yin Ci into becoming the immortal, but he ended up becoming a part of the tree instead. This is why he has no inner force and cannot die.

The Imperial Preceptor made a mini version of the Hanging Tree and created the children of desire. Once the perfect child of desire was created, they planned for him to eat the shirou to become a true immortal and serve as emperor.

Of course, Yin Ci and Shi Jingzhi ended up foiling these plans and instead lived a carefree life, supported by Shi Jingzhi's brother, the emperor. The emperor was unaware of the true purpose of the Imperial Preceptor's plan and was somewhat grateful for the rescue.

The main leads are truly sweet and work wonderfully together. Their romance develops beautifully, and seeing their vulnerabilities and how they open up and rely on each other is absolutely delightful.

The side characters are also well-developed and multi-dimensional; I shed a few tears over some of the more tragic backstories.

My only issue with this novel is that I found it challenging to follow about 10-20% of the time. The story and world-building are very complex, and I couldn't fully grasp some of the key points, which somewhat impacted my enjoyment of the story.

**Spoiler**
I still don’t understand why the Male Lead (ML) has the physical constitution to become a root. Where did he come from? Why did his body react the way it did to the immortal wine? Additionally, for the Main Character (MC), I’m still unclear on how the Children of Desire are created. Are they naturally born with 'monster material' imbued with desire from birth?
**[collapse]**

Despite my confusion, I thoroughly enjoyed the story’s highs and lows, as well as the romantic moments. The unveiling of secrets at the beginning was particularly engaging.

It’s almost a favorite, and I might re-read it (hopefully, I’ll gain a better understanding if I do).

Honestly, I think this story feels like a lighter version of "Stray." While the overall concepts of the two stories are quite different, the vibe this one gives off is so similar to "Stray" that it makes me feel like, "Haven't I read this before?"

Additionally, as the story progresses towards its end, there are several parts that are written in a somewhat verbose manner, which can dampen the reader's interest.

, though, this story is still very good and definitely worth reading.

Another fantastic tale by Nian Zhong!

This time, the author delves into the cultivation genre, though it stands apart from the typical cultivation stories you might encounter. (As you'd expect from this author)

The story begins in a lighthearted manner, with the main character (MC) and the love interest (ML) founding the smallest and poorest cultivation sect, boasting only two members and a few coins. Each believes they've outsmarted the other in their pursuit of an immortal artifact. Of course, this is just the beginning. The backgrounds of both characters are more intricate than they realize, and their ties to the overarching conspiracy run deeper than they could have imagined.

I found the primary antagonist particularly intriguing (no spoilers here!), especially in how they interact with the other villains.

As is characteristic of Nian Zhong’s work, the characters often exist in a gray moral area (especially the leads) rather than being purely good or evil. There are some incredibly creative horror scenes, intense battles, utterly absurd situations, and plenty of snarky dialogue.

For fans of Nian Zhong, I can't recommend this story strongly enough. It's absolutely fabulous!

I'll always remember the arc of the village and the murder "goddess," especially the scene where the main couple fights in the "gods' cradle." That part was absolutely amazing to read; the main character is so badass.

I had to skim through the parts about the Children of Desire and the Hanging Tree because they weren't explained as clearly as I would have liked, and I didn't want to get a headache trying to decipher the mess.

Apart from that, the book is really great, and I highly recommend it.

Saturday, 2:29 pm

This is such a great novel!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it; it’s very interesting and fun. This novel definitely deserves a lot more reviews!

I started this story because of the xuanhuan tag and my interest in cultivation. The synopsis drew me in, and honestly, I didn’t expect such an engaging mystery in this story! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began reading, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how captivating and interesting this story turned out to be. The plot is very well-designed, and the mystery kept getting better.

I am very satisfied with this novel and feel extremely glad that I read it! The main characters are amazing and just so lovely. I felt sad and heartbroken after learning about the tragic background of the male lead. I even cried for him. Some might say the novel isn’t that sad overall, but the tragic parts were truly moving for me. There’s not much ongoing pain, just some when you learn about their backgrounds.

Additionally, I adore Yan Qing and Su Si. It’s a shame they aren’t a couple in the story, but in my heart, they are a true pair, they are canon for me!

P.S. This story doesn’t have any side couples. Only the main couple is there.

I loved everything about this story and definitely recommend it to everyone! Give it a try; it’s very good! It deserves more hype, for real.

- Until my next review ~

I really want to enjoy this novel. It has themes I appreciate, especially regarding the main character (MC) and love interest (ML) and their backstory.

I genuinely want to like this novel, but for some reason, it feels so slow and boring to me. I’m finding it really hard to focus on the overall story. I often have to take a break after every few chapters because, after an exciting part about the MC or ML, the point of view switches, and it becomes unexciting again. Sigh, it doesn’t help that the supporting characters fail to catch my attention, making it even more tedious. This affects my mindset, making it a struggle just to finish the novel.

I’ll definitely give this novel another try in the future to see if my opinion changes because I really want to like it.

The novel is absolutely fantastic! I ended up staying up for a few nights because I just couldn't put it down. It’s a perfect blend of mystery, comedy, and an emotional roller coaster that keeps you guessing until the end. I highly recommend giving it a read.

It’s even worth a re-read. The plot is seamlessly integrated with the romance, making it the best example I’ve seen of how to balance both elements without one overshadowing the other. Everything ties together so neatly, and I really appreciate the author’s attention to detail and logical consistency.

There was one minor point of confusion regarding the whole tree concept in the MTL version, but I plan to revisit the translation to clear that up.

Don’t skip this novel! The main characters (MC and ML) have such vibrant personalities and are a breath of fresh air. As you continue reading, you can see their development into fully realized individuals. Now I just need to catch up on some much-needed sleep...