First Prize: Yi Yan
Award-Winning Review: Period Cup—A Review of Witch's Song
Witch's Song, the eternal pain in my heart.
Preface
In Ancient Times, within the Primordial Era, Fierce Beasts roamed unchecked. Monsters and Spirits, Demonic Spirits, and even gods, monsters, Ghosts and Specters ruled the land. "That shadow said faintly, 'The people of ancient times—your ancestors—were born upon the soil of the Nine Provinces. They begged Heaven amid floods, struggled to survive amid mountain fires, lay dead for thousands of miles amid plagues, and bled into rivers beneath the claws and fangs of Fierce Beasts.'"
"Your forebears nearly faced extermination. Amid their weeping and wailing, their resentment and fury soared straight to the Ninth Heaven, shaking Heaven and Earth."
"Heart of Heaven was most merciful. At that time, Witches emerged among humankind. They comprehended the Heavenly Dao, understood Heaven's principles, and possessed boundless strength. Witches were the leaders of clans and tribes, saving the common people from extinction and rescuing the ancestors of the Human Race from annihilation.
At that time, Fierce Beasts bowed their heads, Monsters and Spirits and Demonic Spirits retreated ten thousand miles, and gods, Saints, Ghosts and Specters, even all Innate Great Divine Powers, were compelled by the Witches to allow the Human Race to claim land and settle there. Only then did they finally gain peace and happiness."
"Wherever people existed between Heaven and Earth, equal and united, supporting one another—there were Witches." The shadow spoke in a low voice. "They cured illness, dispelled confusion, relieved calamities, and ended all suffering. They governed rites and laws, upheld traditions, and allowed the Human Race to endure and spread throughout the Nine Provinces. That was what it meant to be a Witch."
When Witch's Song came out, I was in my first year of college. When I first saw it, I had no idea it was Pighead's book. I only discovered it by accident later on. Really... sigh. The grandeur of Witch's Song was probably rare in online literature, and it was also the first book daring enough to write about Atlantis. Witch—Heaven above, people in the middle, all people equal and united, supporting one another. That was Witch. This was probably the first book to take on the subject of Witches.
The incomparably massive Moon War Fortress was utterly shocking. Lao Jun Yuan Shi Tong Tian, who called themselves overseas Qi Cultivators, left people frustrated and bewildered. The clash between powerful technology and cultivation offered a truly unusual feeling. Yet what lingered most deeply in my heart was surely Liu Xin's death. It made countless people angry, helpless, heartbroken, shattered, even despairing. At that time, I had nowhere to vent my helplessness and nearly went mad from holding it in.
Great Xia exhausted all its strength to build Tongtian Tower, never imagining that it was digging its own grave. Though Xia Jie had been born a Witch, he had always lacked the Heart of a Great Witch. When I saw Lu Kui's final words—"I, at least, am still a Witch!"—my opinion of him changed in an instant.
When Liu Xin carried out the Star Sacrifice at the end, I was so miserable I wanted to cry. I had never imagined Liu Xin would die. Such a lovely girl—who could bear to let her die? Probably only Pighead.
Witch's Song—song meant praise. Yet what I saw was a tragic ballad. From the moment Xia Hou traveled through time carrying one of the Nine Cauldrons and returned to Great Xia, at the end of mythology and the beginning of history; from the moment he learned from Xing Tian Da Feng that above ninth-rank warriors were Cauldron Rank Witches; from the moment he left his tribe and set out for Capital An Yi; from the moment a cultivator was reborn into the Witch Tribe, everything had been destined. A Witch with the heart of a cultivator, living in Great Xia yet always wishing to return to the modern age—his path was not easy in an era where Witches reigned supreme, an era where strength was everything.
In nearly every novel, the Witch Tribe became sacrifices in the Witch-Demon War. Under the guidance of Hongjun and the Saints, the Human Race was destined to flourish, while Witches and demons were fated to leave the stage of history. Although Witch's Song was the same in this regard, it carved out a different path. They died fighting the Outer Demon Race to protect their people. Tai Yi, Lu Kui, and Liu Xin all said to Xia Jie... or rather, Chi Hu Bao Long, "You truly do not understand what a Witch is. Witches will not watch others slaughter their people. Even if those people have betrayed the Witches, only we ourselves may kill them all." Those were true Witches. And Liu Xin's words—"Xia Jie, you have never truly understood what Witches are."—made my heart ache terribly in an instant. Was Xia Jie wrong? He was not. He only wanted to preserve the bloodline of the Witch Tribe. Were Tai Yi, Lu Kui, and Liu Xin wrong? They were not either. They were the real Witches. They merely did what they should have done. No one was wrong. Only the Heavenly Dao was wrong. The Heavenly Dao was unfair; the Heavenly Dao was impartial. Who could truly explain it?
Looking over all of Witch's Song, there was the Witches' powerful, tyrannical mentality that all beneath Great Witches were ants; the detached, unworldly Qi Cultivators; Atlantis's mighty technology, capable of contending with True Cauldron Rank Nine Cauldrons Great Witch Immortals; the grand, immense, magnificent, colossal Moon War Fortress. It set a precedent. No one had ever dared to write like this. No one had possessed such courage, because failure would only bring endless abuse. But Pighead dared to write it, and wrote it so astonishingly well.
Witch's Song, Witch's Song. I remember someone once saying that the title alone revealed the ending would be so tragic and bleak. Though the word "song" represented praise, it only arrived after death, endings, and helplessness.
The Witch Tribe elders in the Heavenly Court wanted to use Tai Yi and the others as cannon fodder, to kill the Heavenly Gods and seize the Heavenly Court for themselves. Yet they had not expected that the addition of Xia Jie would lead to their complete destruction. Great Xia exhausted everything for Tongtian Tower, planting the seeds for everyone to rebel. Then, at the end, Atlantis summoned its masters—the Outer Demon Race—and their arrival brought total destruction.
There was no need to mention anything else in the entirety of Witch's Song, but there was one person who absolutely had to be mentioned: Liu Xin. I believe everyone who had read Witch's Song found it impossible to forget this young, adorable Li Witch. She loved blowing little bubbles. After first meeting Xia Jie, she captured him as labor because of his attributes. While everyone treated Liu Xin with fear, affection, or helplessness, only Xia Jie treated her with an ordinary heart. He was not afraid, not intimidated, not fearful. He simply acted as he normally would, making Liu Xin see him differently. Slowly, slowly, a certain feeling was born without either of them realizing it. Everything was so wonderful, so marvelous.
That final battle destroyed those hastily trained Qi Cultivators, while the Three Pure Ones were busy with other matters amid chaos. Hongjun and that black shadow merely watched in silence, and so the tragedy happened. The Qi Cultivators retreated again and again, until almost none remained. Left with no choice, Yi Yin went to beg Lu Kui, beg Tai Yi, and beg the Witches he had driven away through all kinds of methods.
Xia Jie had always remembered that the Witch Tribe could survive in this world only if they did not leave the snowy plains. If they left, then... But Xia Jie was never truly a Witch. He only had the heart of a cultivator, and could never understand Lu Kui and Tai Yi's thoughts. As Tai Yi said, "Bullshit righteousness!" "You seized Great Xia's realm and still dare talk to me about righteousness? I led my people to beat those bastards only because I am Great Xia's Hidden Witch Venerable." It was merely because he was Great Xia's Witch, Great Xia's Hidden Witch Venerable. That was something Xia Jie could never understand.
"Witches will not watch others slaughter their people. Even if those people have betrayed the Witches, only we ourselves may kill them all." Liu Xin's words revealed everything. Witches would not allow others to casually slaughter their people or seize what belonged to them. Even if those people had betrayed the Witches, only we ourselves could kill them, only we ourselves could destroy them.
It seemed unreasonable, overbearing, vicious—but who could say it did not contain love for their own? The utmost love, the most extreme and tyrannical protectiveness. So long as something was mine, no one could touch it or harm it. Even if it no longer belonged to me, the imprint of our lives remained within them. They would forever be the people of the Witches. Other than Witches, no one could harm them in the slightest. That was what Witches were—overbearing, unreasonable, violent, yet the most fiercely protective Witches.
If nothing unexpected had happened, the Witch Tribe would have won the battle. But no one expected Bai Liao to regain consciousness at the end—and with his first strike, he killed Tai Yi, truly scattering his soul. At that moment, my heart clenched. Then Xing Tian E, Xiang Liu Ao, Shen Gong Li, Xing Tian Pan, Xing Tian Pi, Xing Tian Ao Long, Xing Tian Huang Hu, Xiang Liu Rou, Shen Gong Kun—all died. One after another, they died. Seeing this, tears welled in my eyes. The Shang royal city was breached by hundreds of powerful demon generals working together. Shang Tang, Yi Yin, and the other important Shang officials retreated rapidly under the heavy protection of the Qi Cultivators. Only Lü Gui remained. Lü Gui, dressed in Great Xia's royal robes. Lü Gui, whose every bit of strength had been sealed, wore a smile of relief. He spread his arms and walked toward the demon army rushing at him like a tide. He muttered vaguely, "I, at least, am still a Witch!" This was Lu Kui. This was the true Great Witch King. Even without the slightest strength, he would not retreat. He would still fight to the end, until death, to protect the people who had betrayed him.
Once defeat had become inevitable, Xia Jie could not turn things around. He wanted to retreat and preserve the remaining eight thousand Great Witches, but Liu Xin was still there. "You can no longer do anything, but I... among the Ten Great Witch Venerables of the Witch Cult, only I can still do something."
When I read Liu Xin's words, my heart hurt terribly. A Great Witch was a fire in the night, burning herself to light the way for others. As a Witch Venerable, Liu Xin did what she should do, what she could do.
"Ancestors of the Witch Tribe, please protect our people!"
In the void, Liu Xin stretched out her hands and floated quietly as she began to sing a mysterious song.
The melody was so slow and ethereal that every living being on the great road heard it.
The song was filled with the power of life. It was like tender shoots growing from the earth, little beasts newly born from the womb, young birds flying through the sky. It was a song of life, a song the generations of ancestors of Li Wu Hall had comprehended while walking across the boundless lands of the Nine Provinces, watching flowers bloom and fade, grass grow and hawks soar, witnessing the changes of "wind, flowers, snow, and moon," and grasping a song that accorded with the source of life itself.
Amid the singing, Liu Xin said softly, "Star Sacrifice!"
Liu Xin's body exploded, and a mass of green light appeared in the air.
In the void, the star representing the Li Witches' life-star burst apart, and countless fragments of rock of every size shot into the endless void.
That green light became a green sun. Liu Xin's soul merged into that light. There was no longer any Liu Xin in the world. What remained was that green radiance, containing the power of life's origin.
At that soft cry of "Star Sacrifice," how many people wept? At least, I cried then.
After the Star Sacrifice, Liu Xin would no longer exist in the world. All the remaining Witches went mad and gave everything they had. Without weapons, they used their fists. When their hands were gone, they kicked with their feet. When their feet were gone, they bit with their teeth. When their teeth were gone, they rammed with their bodies. The entire Nine Provinces went mad. Xia Jie, who saw Liu Xin perform the Star Sacrifice, was stunned... dazed...
It was over. Everything was over. Of all the Witches, only those eight thousand remained. The Human Race was able to flourish, and everything ended just like that. Then Xia Jie's final words: "Master, your disciple is a Witch." Seeing those words, I truly felt so miserable that I wanted to cry. At the end of Evil Wind Song, Shui Yuanzi said, "Hahaha, Water Mother, I finally understand! I finally understand what a human is! Feelings! Only those with feelings are human!" It told us what humans were! Now Witch's Song told us what Witches were as well. "Witch" came first, "human" came after! Witches were humanity's protectors! Witches might kill people, but when "humans" were in danger, Witches would never retreat even one step! They would not even consider it!
Pighead wrote every character in every book with such spirit. That was truly wonderful, as though living people stood right beside us. Yet when we watched such living people die at our side, the pain in our hearts became even more unbearable.
In the end, I still have to say this: the scene of Liu Xin's Star Sacrifice has been forever frozen in my heart. I will never forget it for the rest of my life. It truly hurt so much, felt so unbearable.
I will end with a poem someone else wrote for Liu Xin.
Li Qing Yu Ge
Gather the stars of Heaven and Earth, to become your bright eyes,
Gather the creation of all beneath the heavens, to shape your graceful spirit,
Feel the turning of the seasons, understand the yin and yang of dawn and dusk,
Your name is like jade, forever enduring in the world.
Long is the road, as we follow your footsteps,
Hard is the path, as we are inspired by your name,
With our own humility, we reveal your glory.
Your jade-like face may eclipse the bright moon,
Your blooming smile may rival the shining stars,
To live for you is to live; to die after you is enough!
We have no regrets!
Your name is forever engraved in our hearts,
Your righteousness illuminates later generations,
Your feelings can move Heaven and Earth,
Your heart's sincerity cannot be expressed.
To live for you without grievance, to die for you without regret.
May your beauty remain forever,
We,
Will not disgrace the name of Liu Xin.
—Xiao Zhe, True Cauldron Rank Nine Cauldrons Great Witch Immortal of Li Wu Hall, to Hall Master Liu Xin
Dedicated to the eternal Liu Xin in my heart.
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A Review of Witch's Song!
Let me explain. This entire post is divided into: 1. "Witch"; 2. Character sections, which are further divided into Xiao Hua, Tong Tian, Liu Xin, Xia Jie, Lü Gui, Bai, and Tai Yi; 3. "Why the Witches Perished"; 4. "The Love Between Xia Jie and Liu Xin"; 5. "The World"; 6. "Conclusion."
PS: Before I finish posting everything, please do not reserve spots in the thread. Thank you!
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"Witch"
What was a "Witch"?
The official explanation was this: during the ancient Primordial Era, Heavenly Gods, Monsters and Spirits, Demonic Spirits, Ghosts and Specters ruled the land.
The ancient people bitterly begged amid floods, struggled amid mountain fires, fought to survive amid disease and plague, and bled beneath the claws of Fierce Beasts and Monsters and Spirits.
The ancient people nearly faced extermination!
Then, "Witches" appeared between Heaven and Earth.
"Witches," the leaders of clans and tribes, saved the people from extinction. They possessed boundless strength and great divine powers.
At that time, Fierce Beasts, Monsters and Spirits, and Demonic Spirits retreated. Heavenly Gods and Saints divided the land with the Human Race, allowing humanity to survive!
They protected humanity's ancestors. There was no distinction between Witch commoners, noble commoners, ordinary commoners, or slaves. Witches used their own strength to protect everyone in their tribes equally.
They cured illness, dispelled confusion, relieved calamities, and ended all suffering. They governed rites and laws, upheld traditions, and allowed the Human Race to endure and spread throughout the Nine Provinces. That was what "Witch" meant.
"Witches" symbolized wisdom. They were the leaders of tribes.
"Witches" were great sages and beings of great compassion.
Between Heaven and Earth, "humans" united as one and used their own immense strength to forcibly struggle against Heaven and Earth. That was what Witches were!
Wherever people existed between Heaven and Earth, equal and united, supporting one another—that was also Witch.
But in my view, "Witches" were all intelligent humans.
For this land of the Nine Provinces, they gave their youth and their entire lives!
They were "Witches"!
In my eyes, Huo Qubing was a Witch, Qi Jiguang was a Witch, Lin Zexu was a Witch...
Some names could not be spoken aloud, but everyone knew them.
Street sweepers were Witches. Workers laboring at construction sites were Witches. Those who served the people and the nation were Witches. Even overseas Chinese who worked hard to donate money when they saw their homeland in danger—they were Witches. Foreigners who contributed to this land were also Witches.
So long as they contributed to this land we loved most dearly, they were Witches.
"Witches" possessed great wisdom!
What was great wisdom? Those who contributed to this land of the Nine Provinces, those who contributed to our people, possessed great wisdom! They were "Witches."
May the countless people of the Nine Provinces all become "Witches."
"Witches" were those who contributed.
Those who contributed to their homeland, to society, to their families, to their parents, to their children, to their friends, to the things they loved—they were "Witches"!
Witches!
What sacred words!
May everyone in the world become a "Witch"!
May this world have no conflict, no war, and may love scatter across the earth!
May hymns to "Witches" ring throughout the world.
Yi Yan, enlightened on the night of August 18, 0:14.
"Xiao Hua"—Gentle, fresh, like a jasmine flower.
Why did I write about Xiao Hua in the first section?
Because in my heart, Xiao Hua held a place no less important than Liu Xin's.
Xiao Hua was a typical little girl from the Jiangnan water towns.
Petite and adorable, carrying the fragrance of jasmine flowers.
Gentle and obedient, like the little sister next door.
The text described her this way: A petite girl suddenly ran out of the main room behind them in tiny, hurried steps. She wore black cloth trousers and a moon-white long shirt. Her brows were like blue mountains, her eyes like autumn water, her lips like that touch of fiery-red maple leaves in autumn. What a charming little girl.
What a charming little girl!
I felt the word Blood Boss used was especially good—that was, "little girl."
In an instant, it gave readers the gentle, moving feeling of the Jiangnan water towns.
In my heart, I had always firmly believed that Xiao Hua, this girl with so little page time, was an indispensable character in this story.
She was gentle and considerate!
When she learned Xia Hou was going out, she only said to him, "Then... be careful driving on the road. It's raining, and the roads are slippery."
Look, wasn't that the image of a wife in a man's heart?
"Jasmine blooms white as pearls, its quiet fragrance assails the senses. If I were to compile a history of flowers someday, I would rank it as the foremost fragrance in the human world."
Those were lines by the Song Dynasty poet Jiang Kui describing jasmine flowers.
They could also be used to describe Xiao Hua, this beautiful and gentle woman.
Her fragrance was subtle and elegant. More importantly, she was unconventional and unbound by worldly constraints, always so beautiful and pure. But in cities filled with dust, how many such jasmine flowers remained?
Fragrant, pure, kind, adorable, elegant—this was a woman like a jasmine flower.
Emerald leaves gleam brightly; icy blossoms need no adornment.
Mm, Xiao Hua...
Yi Yan, August 14, 0:46.
"Tong Tian"—Wicked, protective, unrestrained, or perhaps... a father?
The first time I encountered Tong Tian Jiao Zhu was in a television drama, The Legend of the Eight Immortals.
The Tong Tian Jiao Zhu in that show was a dark-faced, bearded man and a great villain. So when I was young, I really disliked that dark-faced, bearded Tong Tian Jiao Zhu.
But after reading The Investiture of the Gods, I slowly began to like Tong Tian Jiao Zhu.
There were two reasons.
First, compared to Yuan Shi's Dragon-Tiger Ruyi and Laozi's flat staff, I preferred Tong Tian Jiao Zhu's sword! Not to mention that they were the incredibly awesome Four Immortal-Slaying Swords!
Second, Tong Tian Jiao Zhu's protectiveness, his fearlessness when facing the four Saints, his unconstrained spirit as he alone defied Heaven, and so on all left a deep impression on me.
And that fondness reached its peak when I read Witch's Song!
Dressed in a blazing red robe, with jet-black hair, handsome features, a touch of wickedness, a touch of pride, even a touch of youthful innocence!
This was Tong Tian Jiao Zhu!
Protective, caring for the disciples under him. This was also Tong Tian Jiao Zhu!
I still remembered that line: "Whoever dares harm my disciple, I will exterminate their entire clan!"
My blood boiled! Yes, when I saw those words, I felt every drop of blood in my body boil and every hair stand on end!
At that time, I imagined: If I had a master like that, how wonderful would it be?
Xia Jie was fortunate! That was what I thought in my heart.
For Xia Jie, his disciple, Tong Tian Jiao Zhu gave a great deal.
I even believed that Tong Tian Jiao Zhu's feelings for Xia Jie went beyond those of a master toward his disciple.
He already regarded Xia Jie as his own son.
Yes, his son!
Between him and Xia Jie was the bond between father and son!
He was Xia Jie's father!
Tong Tian Jiao Zhu!
Yi Yan, August 16.
"Liu Xin"—Ethereal, fresh, bare little feet.
Liu Xin was the eternal pain in my heart.
I loved this beautiful little Witch, outwardly willful, who loved going barefoot and blowing little saliva bubbles.
I loved her dark-green eyes, like jade.
I loved her pale-green lips.
I liked her bare little feet.
I liked her long black hair.
I liked her innocent smile, the carefree way she blew spit bubbles.
I liked how stingy she was with her medicinal herbs, and the cautious concern she showed whenever Xia Jie was hurt.
I liked the domestic violence she inflicted on Xia Jie, her "toughness," the way she turned Xia Jie into a panda-eyed mess.
I liked everything about her.
I liked her...
Liu Xin's beauty was indescribable, like green mountains and clear waters, yet also like the incomparably ethereal beauty of nature itself.
She was like an elf of the mountains and forests.
Wherever Liu Xin was, the whole world seemed full of life, as if the very earth had come alive.
Natural, ethereal, brimming with vitality—seeing her was like seeing a lush natural forest amid towering, jagged peaks.
Even someone like Xia Jie, who had lived through two lifetimes and possessed a mind as strong as diamond, could not help but marvel, be astonished, even be dazzled!
Let alone an ordinary person like me.
One could imagine that Liu Xin's beauty no longer belonged to the mortal world.
She was a divine maiden above the nine heavens.
She was an elf upon a sacred mountain.
She was an immortal maiden fallen into the mortal realm.
She was incomparable!
In truth, Liu Xin's temperament was the most important thing.
She carried the breath of nature, so fresh and natural, yet she made people feel that she stood high above them, beyond reach.
She was a little willful.
But she could not be blamed. She was only a little girl who had lost both parents at a young age and been raised by a group of proud Great Witches.
She liked to inflict domestic violence on her husband.
That could not be blamed on her either, because she merely wanted to tell Xia Jie that she loved him, loved him more than anything.
She loved Xia Jie desperately and wanted to bear him a child.
But Xia Jie vanished for ten years after their marriage.
Still, she did not blame Xia Jie, because she knew that he was her husband, the person she loved most.
That was enough, wasn't it?
Her heart was lonely and desolate.
The Great Witches of the Great Witch Hall did not understand her, Yi Hao did not understand her, and even her grandfather did not understand her.
She was the Li Witch, standing high above the mountains.
She stood at the pinnacle of Da Xia's power. With a casual word, she could leave a million corpses sprawled across the land.
She had her beloved, Xia Jie.
She was that girl with pale green lips and long black hair, who loved blowing bubbles and going barefoot, who looked spoiled and willful on the outside but was gentle and graceful within.
Her name was—Liu Xin.
Xin'er, are you doing well?
Yi Yan, 8.15
"Xia Jie" — Xuanwu, barbarian, Qi Cultivators, Witch?
When I first saw the big man Xia Hou, I thought Blood Boss was going to write a protagonist like Lei from "God. Demon."
But as I continued reading, I realized that I was wrong.
Xia Hou was an agent, and his profession meant that he could not be like Lei.
He had transmigrated, arriving at the end of the Da Xia dynasty.
An era when myths came to an end.
An era that belonged to the "Witches."
Xia Hou had been an orphan in his previous life. In this age of savage wilderness and forests, he found the family affection that belonged to him.
Having family in this world gave the modern man Xia Hou some sense of belonging, but he still could not truly immerse himself in it. He felt out of place, incompatible with this world.
At this point, I had no choice but to admire Blood Boss. Huang appeared, and Little Yellow Dragon appeared too!
Only then did I learn that the renowned True Person Huanglong was merely a lowly dragon servant in the Da Xia imperial palace.
Once Little Yellow Dragon appeared, the sense of immersion came as well. Everything felt incredibly harmonious, without the slightest discomfort.
At first, his ambitions were not great. He only wanted to cultivate enough strength to shatter the void, return to that lovely Jiangnan courtyard, have a child with Xiao Hua, then live quietly on his salary and mission allowance.
But Little Yellow Dragon appeared, so Xia Jie decided to do something for Da Xia, simply because he was one of the Descendants of the Dragon.
Even if barbarian blood flowed through his veins, in his heart, even in the depths of his soul, he had always believed that he was one of the Descendants of the Dragon!
He had always remembered something Instructor once said: "No matter where you are or what happens, as long as you still have one breath left, find a way to come back! Remember, your homeland is your home. No matter what danger or hardship you encounter, stay alive and come back!"
Since he could not return, then he would do something for this land of dragons!
In Da Xia, he found brothers who could accompany him for life—Xing Tian Da Feng, Xing Tian Ao Long, and the others.
In Da Xia, he met the great gods of myth: Tong Tian Jiao Zhu, Yuanshi, Laozi, Duo Bao, Guang Chengzi... even Daoist Hong Jun, the source of all myths!
In Da Xia, he gradually forgot the lover from his previous life and found the love of this life, Liu Xin.
In Da Xia, he finally understood what a "Witch" was.
Xia Hou, a modern agent.
Chi Hu Bao Long, an unusual southern barbarian.
Xia Jie, a revenger wholly devoted to avenging his kin, a Da Xia official, a Qi Cultivator, a less-than-qualified husband, and someone who finally understood what a "Witch" was.
Someone from the future who nevertheless took root in the land of Da Xia.
I firmly believed that Xia Jie had, in the end, understood what a "Witch" was.
Like any ordinary transmigrator, he could not change anything. He could only helplessly watch history unfold as he witnessed myth.
Perhaps he wanted to change something, but Hong Jun's appearance left him with no choice but to helplessly watch this world develop.
He was Xia Jie, or perhaps Xia Hou, though I would rather call him—Chi Hu Bao Long, that barbarian.
Bearing the Witches' only hope, Xia Hou wandered lonely through the river of history...
A thousand years of longing...
A thousand years of loneliness...
A thousand years of solitude...
Yi Yan, 8.15, .5 points
"Lü Gui" — Ninth Prince Lü Gui, Da Xia's final king, the tyrant "Jie."
His name was Lü Gui, and he was the ninth son of the King of Da Xia.
He was Hun Tian Hou. His witch power attribute was thunder, known as the command of heaven!
Thunder, the law of all things between heaven and earth! He was destined to be a "King" who commanded everything!
Lü Gui was an outstanding king. This was something I had always firmly believed.
First, he stripped the Four Great Witch Houses, the Nine Heavenly Hous, and the various Great Witch Houses of their military authority, centralizing imperial power! Although Long Feng and other factors were involved, it could not be denied that he accomplished what none of Da Xia's previous kings had managed!
Second, from King Yu the Great to Lü Gui's father's generation, not a single King of Da Xia had expanded Da Xia's territory to six provinces!
He made the Southern Border Barbarians submit, forced the Dong Yi People of the great grasslands to bow their heads in defeat, and even destroyed the powerful Atlantis Empire! Of course, Xia Jie, Tong Tian Jiao Zhu, and others also contributed to these achievements.
But we could not deny that Lü Gui was the King of Da Xia!
Third, even the complete destruction of the Heavenly Gods and Witch Gods owed much to him!
He was an extraordinarily outstanding king! At least, before building Tongtian Tower and before the war against the Heavenly Gods, he was!
Lü Gui had once told Xia Jie, "I, Lü Gui, have never cared for anything else in my life. When it comes down to it, I like war. I like killing those who show disrespect to my Da Xia. Kill all their men, seize their women, plunder all their wealth and livestock, let Da Xia's military banners fly across every land the Heavenly Gods can see, and let Da Xia's Witch Tribe regain the ancient glory of possessing everything under heaven."
He was merely a King of Da Xia filled with ambition, one who dared to put that ambition into practice.
After the war against the Heavenly Gods, he slowly became a qualified tyrant.
But I wondered whether, deep in his heart, he had not wanted to become like this either.
But Hong Jun, who represented the Heavenly Dao, said, "The Witches must perish, and the Dao must rise."
So Xia Jie, who could have changed Lü Gui, was taken away by that old Daoist Hong Jun to listen to his teachings for ten years. Mei Xi, Lü Gui's most favored consort, cultivated the Heavenly Demon Charm Maiden Technique. This cultivation art specifically destroyed the foundations of one's mind and sanity. It only added fuel to the fire that made Lü Gui into a qualified tyrant!
Thus, the Witches had to perish!
In the final battle against the demons, Lü Gui still came to his senses.
He knew that he was, at the very least, still a "Witch," and that he had to do something for this land.
Lü Gui died.
Lü Gui, Ninth Prince of Da Xia. Da Xia's final king. The king who possessed the widest territory in Da Xia's history.
A tyrant later generations called "Jie."
Yi Yan, 8.16, 15 points
"Bai" — Loyal, gluttonous, pitiful pet, rapist?
As a domesticated Pixiu, its stress was truly immense.
From childhood, its master Xia Jie had forbidden it from stealing the livestock raised by their village, so it could only hunt in the forests outside.
After growing up, it had to follow its master over mountains and across ridges, traveling a hundred thousand li to struggle in a great city.
When its master was threatened, it had to "step forward," crazily gulping down medicine to draw that little witch maiden's attention and let its master escape disaster.
When it could not find a suitable female Pixiu to mate with, it had no choice but to risk its life and rape the Pixiu raised by the granddaughter of the Dong Yi great chieftain, as well as the Pixiu raised by a Divine Realm Witch God.
When its master was courting a girlfriend, it even had to serve as the girlfriend's toy, kneaded round and flattened at will.
When its master's life was in danger, it had to protect him without regard for its own life!
Mm, when this Pixiu Bai first appeared, I went to Baidu to look it up.
Pixiu feed on wealth, devouring riches from all directions. They can guard homes, ward off evil, attract wealth, increase prosperity, and bring joy and good fortune.
Many people liked wearing jade Pixiu because they could bring wealth and good luck.
Even jade ones were this amazing, let alone a living Pixiu. I imagined that was Blood Boss's intention as well.
Bai had two most glorious moments in his life!
The first was when he raped the Pixiu raised by the granddaughter of the Dong Yi great chieftain.
The second was in the Divine Realm, when, with Xuanwu's help, he raped a silver Pixiu raised by a Witch God.
Seeing Bai's simple-minded honesty when he bid farewell to his virginity, and his embarrassment as he hid behind a large tree.
Seeing Bai's excitement as the second spring of his life erupted.
I chuckled happily, malicious thoughts rising in my heart: You wicked rapist! Heh heh.
This Pixiu was truly interesting.
It was a Pixiu, it was Bai, and it was Xia Jie's good brother who never left his side throughout his life.
Yi Yan, 8.17
Tai Yi — Mad old man, Hidden Witch Venerable, father, Great Witch.
The sect master of the Da Xia Witch Cult Star Sect, the Hidden Witch Venerable of the Hidden Witch Hall.
A man who stood at the pinnacle of Da Xia's power.
In his youth, due to his exceptional talent, he was chosen to enter the Hidden Witch Hall and trained to become its Hall Master.
The Great Witches of the Hidden Witch Hall were a group of numb and emotionless people. They were Da Xia's final barrier, and their identities destined them to be bloody, violent, and numb butchers.
But Tai Yi was a man rich in emotion!
Thus, he became a madman.
Thus, he disguised himself as a commoner.
For a hundred years, he wandered Da Xia like a ghost, mad and deranged.
Who knew the pressure in his heart?
Then Xia Jie appeared.
A hero saving an old man! After wandering as a commoner for a hundred years, someone had finally appeared.
Someone he regarded as "kind."
He sighed over Xia Jie's soft heart, kindness, and abundant emotions; yet he was delighted as well, because it was precisely Xia Jie's kindness that made him choose Xia Jie as his successor!
For once upon a time, Tai Yi himself had also been a man rich in emotion!
Tai Yi was tragic and fragile.
Because of Xia Jie's ordinary words—"You... you have suffered... Your child... your child has been unfilial... How... how did you become like this?"—he could break down and weep bitterly.
He could die for this land that belonged to the Witches.
He knew that his adopted son did not understand the Witches.
He knew that he might die the moment he left the Northern Snow Plains, but he still went without hesitation.
Simply because he was Da Xia's Hidden Witch Venerable.
Yi Yan, 8.18, 9 points
"The Love of Xia Jie and Liu Xin"
The love between Xia Jie and Liu Xin was not love at first sight. It was more like something to be savored slowly—getting to know each other, then falling in love.
Their love was not accidental. In my view, it was more like an inevitability.
First, Liu Xin was an orphan who lost both parents young. She had been withdrawn since childhood, neither knowing how nor wishing to communicate with others.
Second, Xia Jie was an earth-attributed Witch, while Liu Xin was wood-attributed. Their attributes drew them to each other.
Third, Xia Jie was the only pure earth-attributed Witch in the world. The medicinal herbs Liu Xin treasured as dearly as her life happened to need a pure earth-attributed Witch to tend them.
Fourth, Liu Xin had only been around elderly Great Witches since childhood. Xia Jie could be said to be the first young man Liu Xin truly came into contact with.
Fifth, because of Liu Xin's status as the Li Witch Venerable, Xia Jie was the only person in the world who dared yell at her, disobey her, or act disrespectfully toward her. No one else dared behave this way, and it gave Liu Xin a sense of freshness. After all, relationships between men and women often began with a little novelty. How many girls had fallen because of that little freshness? Sigh...
Sixth, Xia Jie's clan was exterminated, making Xia Jie an orphan without father or mother as well. This gave Liu Xin an added sense of closeness toward him.
Seventh, what young girl did not long for love? What young girl did not hope for a hero to save her?
Even though Liu Xin was the Li Witch Venerable, she was also only a young girl of zero years old! Precisely because of her status as the Li Witch Venerable, her strength was unmatched in the world, leaving no one able to play the hero and save the beauty!
But Xia Jie did it!
Eight, Xia Jie's boldness, Xia Jie's freshness, and Xia Jie's sense of closeness somehow made Liu Xin stay by Xia Jie's side. It gave them the chance to slowly spend time together.
So, you could say they fell in love over time!
None of the above conditions could be missing!
I think Witch's Song was probably Xue Hong's best work when it came to romance.
Savoring it slowly along the way, it was neither fiery nor rushed, neither hasty nor impatient, yet it possessed a unique flavor.
When I read about Xia Jie and Liu Xin kissing for the first time, I happily thought, At last, they've made it.
When I read Liu Xin complain about Xia Jie kissing her with that big mouth of his after he had just eaten meat and drunk wine, I could not help smiling knowingly.
When I saw Xia Jie get kicked into the sky by Liu Xin on their wedding night, I could not stop myself from chuckling.
When I saw Liu Xin give Xia Jie a treasured sword forged from Origin Crystals formed within Jianmu, and Xia Jie name it "Liu Xin," I thought that it should have been equivalent to their wedding rings!
When I saw Liu Xin use Star Sacrifice, it felt as though someone had clawed viciously at my heart several times. The pain was unbearable.
Tears welled in my eyes. When my friend looked at me questioningly, I grinned, though my heart felt as if it were being sliced apart.
Just as Xing Tian Da Feng said: "There will never again be a Li Wu Venerable in this world."
When Xia Jie truly fell in love with that little witch girl, that patch of jasmine flowers had merged with Liu Xin's image in his heart, and could never be distinguished again!
Yi Yan, August 18
"Why Must Witches Be Destroyed?" Section
In my view, the ancient barbaric era was the age when the Way of Witches reached its peak.
In that era, demons and devils retreated, while gods, saints, and humans lived in separate territories.
In that era, there was no distinction between witchfolk, nobles, commoners, and slaves. Witches used their own strength to protect everyone in the tribe equally.
In that era, the power of witches existed to protect the tribe.
In that era, offerings to heaven, earth, and ancestors meant burning wood as incense, weaving grass into sacrificial straw dogs, and presenting the five grains as tribute.
But what about now?
Witches could freely slaughter those they called nobles, commoners, lowborns, and slaves.
No one studied the witchcraft that had protected tribes in ancient times anymore. The witchcraft witches learned now was all about increasing their power, all killing arts rather than arts for saving people.
Now, in order to borrow power, great witches could freely massacre one hundred thousand, one million, or even more than ten million commoners.
Was that still the original purpose behind the emergence of "witches"?
In my view, Great Xia had merely reached a peak in national strength, not in the Way of Witches!
The Way of Witches had already declined completely.
Witches no longer understood the witchcraft that could aid commoners. Witches no longer understood which herbs would kill commoners if eaten!
What made someone a "witch"?
Was it being able to casually pull up a mountain? Being able to smash a great river with one punch? Being able to toy with the sun, moon, and stars in one's palm?
No! No! None of that!
Witches were born to protect the ancestors of their tribes!
Witches were wisdom, witches were benevolence, witches were kind fathers, witches were pioneers. Witches were humans!
Without humans, could they still be called witches? What use would witches be then?
The lofty witches of the Great Xia dynasty were no longer needed by heaven! They were no longer needed by earth! And humans needed them even less!
Therefore, witches had to be destroyed!
Witch's Song, Witch's Song! Why sing praises of witches?
Because of awakening!
The last witches had already awakened!
They went calmly to their deaths for the people of the Nine Provinces.
They had become true "witches."
Witch's Song!
Because there were "witches," there was "song"!
Yi Yan, realization on August 19, 11:06.
"Witch's Song World" Section (Reference Section)
Nine Provinces: The Nine Provinces lay at the center of the earth: Ji Province, Yan Province, Qing Province, Xu Province, Yang Province, Jing Province, Yu Province, You Province, and Yong Province.
Great Xia: The king stood at the pinnacle of power! The Great Xia royal family was also the foremost witch clan of the Nine Provinces. It was founded by King Yu the Great, who later passed the throne to his son Qi, changing the realm from one shared by all to one ruled by a single family.
Royal capital: An Yi
Great Xia's Witch Halls were divided into the Star Sect and the Sun Sect.
Star Sect: Hidden Witch Hall. Sun Sect: Heaven Witch Hall, Earth Witch Hall, Spirit Witch Hall, Nether Witch Hall, Strength Witch Hall, Transformation Witch Hall, Illusion Witch Hall, Command Witch Hall, Li Wu Hall. (Hall Master, Three Sacrificial Witches, Nine Imperial Witches, Twenty-Seven Fate Witches)
Great Xia's four great witch clans: the Xing Tian Clan, Xiang Liu Clan, Fang Feng Clan, and Shen Gong Clan. They assisted the four ducal ministers!
Nine Heavenly Marquises!
Southern Campaign Command, Northern Campaign Command, Western Campaign Command, Eastern Campaign Command, and various other commands.
The Nine Provinces were ruled primarily by witches! I will not go into every detail.
Atlantis Empire (Sea People): It was divided into the Council and the Sea God Sacrificial Temple (Twelve Priests).
It was a nation centered on technology.
Individuals had weak physical bodies, but later, genetic technology greatly strengthened the physical power of the Sea People's upper ranks!
They were actually lackeys cultivated in this world by the Asuras from Beyond.
Dong Yi People: Nomadic people who lived on the great grasslands, descendants of the great god Hou Yi.
They possessed many tribes. Their highest leader should have been the Great Chieftain, the "Hou Yi" of each generation.
They were most skilled with bows and arrows!
Southern Barbarians: Descendants of the demon god Chi You, whose royal capital was Chi You Mountain City.
They had lived in the southern forests and mountains for generations. They were warlike and barbaric.
Hu Jie People: They lived in the great northern desert!
Because the natural environment of the northern desert inhabited by the Hu Jie People was a hundred times harsher than Great Xia's, Hu Jie battle witches could freely fight and kill one another. Their combat power was fiercer and more lethal than that of Great Xia's great witches of the same rank!
They also possessed a secret art for refining natal demon beasts! They could strip the soul from a fierce beast and merge it with their own soul, transforming themselves into something between human and beast. If they could find the soul of a powerful fierce beast to refine, Hu Jie warriors could gain another formidable source of strength beyond their already powerful witch power!
Divine Realm: The Divine Realm possessed two greatest factions.
The faction of the Heavenly Gods possessed the overwhelming strength of the Five Heavenly Emperors and numerous powerful Heavenly Gods!
The faction of the Witch Gods consisted of ancient "witches" who had ascended, and they were extremely powerful as well.
Qi Cultivators: Qi Cultivators were actually the most powerful force between heaven and earth.
They had the Heavenly Dao Hong Jun! The three great sect leaders! Ran Deng, Duo Bao, Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, and many other great gods!
Asuras from Beyond: Their exact strength was unknown.
In Witch's Song, the Asuras' strength only revealed the tip of the iceberg. Even that tiny tip was so formidable that one could imagine just how terrifying the Asuras from Beyond truly were!
Destruction was their theme, their everything!
Yi Yan, August 19, 16:04
"Summary" Section
Overall, Witch's Song was a hymn to witches.
It had fiery blood, passion, rage, mystery, and stirring romance.
Those who liked war could find grand battle scenes in Witch's Song!
Those who liked cultivation could find ancient Qi Cultivators in Witch's Song. Even the powerful Tong Tian Jiao Zhu was the protagonist's master, while the Heavenly Dao Hong Jun was the protagonist's grandmaster.
Those who liked ancient myths could find the most mysterious ancient "witches" in Witch's Song. They could seize the sun and moon, overturn mountains and seas, and do anything!
Those who liked grand spectacles—was a single sacrifice killing one hundred thousand people enough? Was one million enough? Was ten million enough?
Those who liked high technology—Witch's Song could tell you that the moon was actually a war fortress raised by the Atlantis Empire!
Or, you could read Witch's Song as a romance novel.
"The protagonist and his wife separated for certain special reasons. The protagonist went somewhere else and began a new life. There, the protagonist met a girl. This girl, who could be called a barbaric girlfriend, often bullied the protagonist. Then they fell in love. Because of a small accident, they got married as well. Finally, the bad guys appeared, and that girl died protecting the protagonist. From then on, the protagonist spent the rest of his life alone with the girl's favorite pet."
Look, what a tragic love story!
That was Witch's Song. It often moved us when we least expected it!
It let me know that emotion, passion, fiery blood, and mystery were everywhere.
Do you remember when the Supreme Saint wanted to kill An Doer, and Thor rammed An Doer aside and died in his place?
Do you remember the heartache when Liu Xin calmly said, "Star Sacrifice"?
Do you remember the regret when Tai Yi was killed by Bai Liao?
Do you remember the excitement when Tong Tian Jiao Zhu shouted, "Whoever dares harm my disciple, I shall wipe out their entire clan!"?
Remembered, remembered!
That was what it meant to be moved!
This was Witch's Song!
Witch's Song, brought to us by Xue Hong!
The End
—This post was dedicated to my most beloved Witch's Song! My most beloved Xue Hong!
—Yi Yan, August 19, 15:00
Pighead's comment: Obviously, this guy had his eye on little sister Liu Xin.
Mm, Pighead also admitted that little sister Liu Xin was very cute. Pighead had also imagined that if his own wife were that fierce, life really would be a sea of suffering. So, no thank you!
Let such an inhuman girl live on in the book!
As for Witch's Song, there was not really much more to say about it.
The people within it, the events within it, were now only shadows.
Lingering in my mind. Let it be. Life and death, reunions and partings, joy and sorrow—they had their way of living, and we had ours. The glory of the great witches belonged to the past, while new books and new stories continued onward.
Let me take this chance to give a preview: after Reverse Dragon Path was finished, Pighead would take about a month to adjust and recharge before starting the next book.
No more playing around with this hybrid of technology and immortal fantasy. It would return to the pure, original style of immortal fantasy. I would strive to write characters even more persistent than the great witches, with even greater twists of fate. (To be continued)
Before you continue