Let me address a few things everyone has been wondering about.
First, is the protagonist getting stronger too quickly?
This actually has to do with Xun'er, one of the "female leads"-without her "feeding" the protagonist resources, our protagonist could never have reached her current strength.
Then why didn't Xun'er "feed" Xiao Yan like this in the original? I've actually already explained that earlier.
There were definitely powerful experts watching over Xun'er from behind the scenes. Let's set aside slightly buggy things like nourishing someone's meridians for now.
Xun'er also knew how enormous the gap in status between her and Xiao Yan was. Although she had already secretly given him her heart back then, the experts behind her would generally turn a blind eye.
But the moment she "crossed the line," by giving Xiao Yan resources, for instance, it would definitely bring trouble down on the Xiao Clan.
Besides, the original Xiao Yan kept the Flame Mantra tightly under wraps. Early on, not even Xun'er knew about it, so she couldn't have given him resources even if she'd wanted to.
Beast flame was initially presented as something rare and unusual. When Xiao Yan used purple flame during his Alchemist examination, he even shocked the examiners... which was pretty funny.
With Xiao Yan here, though, first of all, she and Xun'er are both girls, so "as long as the young miss is happy," the people behind Xun'er wouldn't say anything even if they saw it.
Second, Xun'er knew Xiao Yan needed beast flame, and getting it was "no more trouble than lifting a hand." It was that simple.
You should all understand Xun'er's characterization by now. All I can say is, if you know, you know.
As for the protagonist getting stronger too quickly and potentially derailing the later plot, there's no need to worry about that either.
After all, Xiao Yan didn't take long to advance from Dou Zhe to Dou Shi in the original, so this Xiao Yan doing it even faster is perfectly normal.
And later, without Xun'er "feeding" her resources, Xiao Yan's rate of growth will slow down too.
Although a fanfic will definitely reach higher levels faster than the original, I'll keep the pacing under control. Things won't fall apart.
Second question: will there be a "rebellious disciple who makes a move on her master"?
I'm not considering that for the main story. After all... it's not exactly safe.
As the saying goes, a teacher for a day... Apothecary held a crucial role and position in Xiao Yan's life.
As mentioned earlier, Apothecary was raising Xiao Yan as a daughter, so there are certain things we absolutely cannot touch.
Besides, judging purely by her personality, once Xiao Yan grew up, her feelings toward Apothecary would definitely lean far more toward respect. She wouldn't entertain any outrageously improper thoughts, and Apothecary couldn't possibly take the initiative to lead Xiao Yan astray either.
In fact, if something like that really happened, with two disciples-one who devoured their master and one who defied their master-Apothecary would probably gouge out their own eyes.
Although some readers really enjoy the master-disciple dynamic, that rests on both parties having those thoughts. For Xiao Yan and Apothecary, that road is closed.
Third... there is no third. If you have questions, ask them here.
Next comes a [clarification].
Although Xiao Yan has become a girl, that won't change plenty of things in this book, such as Gu Xun'er and Medusa.
I'm sure everyone who's read this far knows what that means.
At the grand finale, orioles and swallows, greens and reds-a bevy of beauties, all in sweet harmony.
The other characters with substantial roles in this book have already been listed in the character cards. This was decided in the outline.
Gu Xun'er, Medusa, Xiao Yi Xian, and Zi Yan.
Qing Lin's personality is too soft. I feel she's better suited to being a little sister, so she's not under consideration for now.
As for whether any other characters might stand out from among the "bystanders" or "supporting cast," we'll see how the feedback goes as I write. (Most likely not.)
Gu Xun'er, the rich childhood sweetheart; Xiao Yi Xian, the white moonlight; Zi Yan, the Dragon Phoenix-those three need no further explanation. Next, I'll focus on Medusa.
After all, compared with Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan, Medusa offers far too little "value for money." She's "completely unnecessary."
But she's pretty, and Snake-People have strong abilities in a certain area. She's also skilled with her mouth, and her tongue can fork... ahem.
Forget it, I'll say it straight: I'm after her skills in bed.
Without Medusa by the "Flame Emperor's" side, things would ultimately feel a little incomplete.
For one thing, without Medusa, and with the protagonist not being a transmigrator either, there'd be nobody to manage the Flame Alliance.
Besides, if we're judging everything by "value for money," why not just follow Xun'er back to the Gu Clan and "live off her" instead?
So Medusa is also one of the leads. After all, she's the "ceiling of the starter village," with plenty of uses.
Of course, I'll handle this part carefully too, trying my best to make it happen as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
Actually, in my previous book, "Playing with Water to Become an Emperor," my portrayal of Medusa was always one of my... how should I put it? It could be called "pure poison," a huge misstep.
Because I had a momentary brain spasm back then and introduced Xiao Xiao. And Medusa wasn't even the one carrying that egg-the protagonist of that book was...
As a result, because the timeline wasn't arranged quite properly, and the scenes where things "heated up" kept getting "locked," I was forced to revise the outline, and in a rush at that.
The result was that Medusa's characterization became a complete mess.
Looking back now, if I hadn't introduced Xiao Xiao, had stretched out the timeline a little, and had allowed for more "transition," the result might have been much better.
I've learned that lesson now, so I won't be pulling any fancy stunts like that.
Every character will have a "transition" process, so it feels comfortable for you all to read.
"Xiao Yan" is the protagonist, after all. Having a little appeal to certain special groups isn't too much to ask, right?
Coo, coo, coo~~
Before you continue