Okay so I need to talk about Song Zhimian because this girl is absolutely terrifying in the best way possible. Let me just say it straight up—she is not the weak, downtrodden eldest daughter everyone thinks she is. The moment Madame Ding took away her maid, Song Zhimian didn't throw a tantrum or cry about it. She just bolted the door, slept soundly, and plotted. That's not a victim. That's a chess player. The relationship between her and her father Song Kaishan is so deliciously twisted. He clearly despises her—look at how the text describes him doing his best to conceal the disgust in his eyes. And she knows it. But instead of begging for his love or playing the sympathetic daughter, she uses his own hypocrisy against him. She weaponizes his public reputation as a marquis who values loyalty to Dayu. Every word she speaks in that scene with Wen Shaoqing is calculated to trap him further. And Madame Ding—oh my god. The woman nearly lost her footing when she heard about the dowry donation. You can practically see the rage boiling under her skin. She's been trying to control every aspect of Song Zhimian's life, and this girl just walked out the door and gave away a hundred thousand taels of silver without even telling her. The power dynamic has completely flipped. What really gets me is Song Zhimian's line: "Did I do something wrong?" She asks this with such innocent trepidation, but we—the readers—know exactly what she did. She's playing the naive daughter while systematically dismantling everyone who wronged her. And the best part? She's not done yet. "Don't rush—there are more surprises like this to come!" What does that even mean? I need to know what's next.
Okay so I need to talk about this rabbit scene because it is literally the turning point of the entire arc. Su He goes into the mountains, already established she has plant-sensing powers, and she finds Codonopsis and Bupleurum and all this great stuff. But then the rabbit appears and she CHASES IT. Like, she's not even trying to catch it for survival or anything—she's just imagining braised rabbit, cold-tossed rabbit, roasted rabbit. And in that moment of panic when the rabbit is about to escape into a rock crevice, her power ACTIVATES DIFFERENTLY. She doesn't just sense plants anymore, she CONTROLS them. The vines shoot up and trip the rabbit. This is huge. This is the moment her ability evolves from passive sensing to active manipulation, and the author doesn't even make a big deal out of it—Su He just thinks 'It worked!' and moves on to tying up the rabbit like she just caught a regular animal. Meanwhile, back in the village, Su Lan is busy performing for the crowd, laying out her resume of skills like she's at a job interview. 'I was in charge of external affairs.' 'I accompanied the young mistress to banquets.' It's all very calculated. And then Wang Guixiang comes in and absolutely dismantles the whole hierarchy Su Lan is trying to build. 'Whether a woman's fate was good or bad didn't depend on the first half of her life, but on the second half after she married.' That line is a plot bomb disguised as casual conversation. The two storylines—Su He in the mountains gaining power, Su Lan in the village gaining status—are running in parallel and they're going to collide. I just know it.
Okay can we just talk about how GOOD the dialogue is in this book? Every character has a distinct voice and I never confuse who's speaking. Let me give you my favorite exchange—Zhou Shuchen's absolutely shameless moment where he says to An Ruoyan: "An Zhiying, please serve me a bowl of braised pork and a bowl of poached fish. No need for the scrambled eggs." And An Ruoyan's response? "Where's your face?" I literally laughed out loud. That's it. That's the whole joke. Four words and she dismantles his entire personality. Then Zhou Shuchen tries to justify himself: "I don't need it, but Jiao Jiao is your elder sister. You can't eat the delicious food yourself and make her watch." And An Ruoyan just destroys him again: "Not even the same parents—what kind of sister is she? I acknowledge her? Move, don't block the view or ruin my appetite." The supporting characters are equally sharp. Deng Xiuli: "Have some shame, will you? Can't you see we're eating? Go away!" Xu He, the quiet one, drops this gem: "You're a grown man. If your own woman wants something to eat, go get it yourself. Always eyeing others like this—aren't you ashamed?" Each line feels natural, like real people talking, but also perfectly crafted for the scene. The sisters-in-law Yao Hua and Yao Duo also have great voices. Yao Duo is loud and dramatic—"Team Leader, come quickly! A sent-down youth is slacking off!"—while Yao Hua is more measured and kind. Even Liu Dingxiang has a distinct voice, all fierce maternal energy: "You little rascal, you actually lied to me! Just wait till I hit you!" What I love most is how the dialogue reveals character without any narration needed. Zhou Shuchen's lines show his entitlement and cowardice. An Ruoyan's lines show her sharpness and refusal to be pushed around. Shi Meijiao's whining reveals her manipulative nature. The author doesn't need to tell us who these people are—their words do it all.
?????????????One of the best books i have read
This story has an excellent and high-quality start, it was effective at establishing its tone, showing off that it’s not scared to unalive characters, and introducing key concepts that will be explored in greater depth later. The Seven Kingdoms, in specific have captured my interest, and I’m excited to see how my goat Light develops this idea and the scale at which it unfolds. I also saw inspiration from different series in the blessed marks, yet it still feels fresh as a power system.
Ohmigosh! This story is SOO cute! Not only are Pepper and Riza totes adorable, but Lydia is such a lil menace and I love her! All the characters are built with so much care it's like a real life love story between two friends. 10/10 will keep reading.
The first chapter is in the auxiliary .Please check
Another banger from the author herself? been reading since her first week even though im a quiet reader. her style has changed (in a good way). her chapters are humorous as ever! please please dont give up
This is a very interesting story... i'd love to see what happens next.
I wanted to read more before leaving a review but... Fuck it. This novel is truly incredible, the writing style, the background and the fast paced action all adds to the quality. Give it a try, you'll love it.
Well something with potential dear keep it up I hope you can quench my thirst for real villains I expect a lot from you?????????????????????????
Rayne is a cinnamon roll.The multiplier and its storage system is nothing short of godmode. The overall flow of the story has been interesting so far, and there have been plenty of exciting moments or twists~