Flowers Reflecting The Sky

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The Leader of Jiuhua Sect died mysteriously.

The mu*derer remained unknown.

The Leader position is empty.

Who will be able to last till the end, pushing aside the dark clouds to reveal the clear sky?*

* T/N: Finding the truth hidden behind conspiracy or solve a mysterious/complicated situation.

— Jianghu Frolic Series Part III

Associated Names
One entry per line
繁花映晴空
Related Series
N/A
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Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/14/18 Ainushi Translations c27
03/09/18 Ainushi Translations c26
02/25/18 Ainushi Translations c25
02/19/18 Ainushi Translations c24
02/17/18 Ainushi Translations c23
02/17/18 Ainushi Translations c22
02/17/18 Ainushi Translations c21
02/04/18 Ainushi Translations c20
01/12/18 Ainushi Translations c19
01/02/18 Ainushi Translations c18
12/09/17 Ainushi Translations c17
12/02/17 Ainushi Translations c16
11/21/17 Ainushi Translations c15
11/12/17 Ainushi Translations c14
11/05/17 Ainushi Translations c13
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22 Reviews sorted by


Raiyu
Raiyu
January 23, 2018
Status: c6
I'm writing this review while reading chapter 6 at the moment, but I'll come back to edit with my final review after catching up to the current translations. The reason I wanted to write this first instead of waiting is for future readers who would like to know more details about the work before beginning (AKA the summary sucks).

All I knew about this work was that it was a mu*der-mystery based in a wuxia setting, and indeed that's essentially what this work is - there's no plot meandering here. It's more or less pretty straightforward. Fan JiJing is the particularly oblivious MC coming home to find out that his much-respected master has been killed. Due to the nature of the assassination, three of his sect-brothers are suspects (there's five disciples,... more>> FJJ is the third). Since he's not a suspect, one of the other sect leaders asks him to find the mu*derer within two weeks. Like all mu*der mysteries, FJJ (prodded by the ML) eventually starts finding out more details that add more suspects rather than eliminating them.

EDIT: Okaaaaaayyy! I'm very surprised by the twist in the plot, even though I kind of suspected it in the beginning. Too bad I can't give the ratings in stars now. Anyway, I'm gonna rate this about 3 stars. It's not bad, but it's not really great - 25 chapters can only cover so much, so the plot and character developments are somewhat lacking to the story's detriment. The mu*der confession is a bit abrupt, but it does make much more sense of the first chapter now. Nothing is quite what it seems on the surface.
Spoiler

If it matters to you, ML is MC's cousin (can't tell if blood-related or not), and the last third of the chapters is focused on their relationship.

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emiliers
emiliers
December 25, 2019
Status: c27
Hoo boy, this is one of those series I really wanted to like, and that I did like, up until the very end, where it kind of shot itself in the foot.

But let's get the main thing out of the way first: yes, the central romance in this one is between cousins, and first cousins at that. (Specifically, HuaiXiu is JiJing's 表哥, aka his older male cousin from his mother's side of the family. The prologue makes it pretty clear that JiJing's mother is HuaiXiu's father's sister.) I'm pretty sure... more>> there's no real taboo regarding this in ancient China, so the novel itself doesn't really touch on it. But if this is a trigger or a squick, just be aware that it is definitely there, especially since JiJing almost exclusively refers to HuaiXiu as 表哥 throughout.

As for the good, the central mu*der mystery is fairly compelling and takes up, essentially, the first two acts (which are the set-up and then denouement, respectively). Plot moves at a brisk pace, and while the characters (mu*der suspects and detective) are initially introduced all at once, I didn't find it that difficult to keep track of all the players since they all had pretty distinct personalities. The final reveal is a relatively decent twist (though predictable for anyone with any experience with mystery novels) and handled fairly well. Only downside is that most of the characters are fairly one-rote and only there to function as stock characters, but as this is a mu*der mystery and not an adventure epic, that's not a big deal.

The third and final act is about the romance, and that's where this novel really falters. It's not that the romance is inherently bad (if you ignore the cousin thing), since up until the final act I was rooting for the main romance to succeed, but it's just grossly mishandled. And, yes, it's re: consent issues.

Spoiler

The clever trick that the author pulls in the first two acts is to muddy the waters about who's the actual detective in the mu*der mystery. Since we start out in JiJing's head, we initially wrongly assume that he's the detective (and hence innocent) when in fact the true detective is HuaiXiu and JiJing is the mu*derer. I liked this twist! I liked the reveal that JiJing had actually been putting on a facade of slowness and ignorance all these years and was actually clever and devious. I even liked HuaiXiu becoming heartbroken (having confessed to JiJing prior to this reveal) and leaving JiJing because he felt used. These are all good moments!

What I don't like is how, after everything is settled, JiJing seeks out HuaiXiu and essentially manipulates him into forgiving all past transgressions (through a "fake" injury) and then further manipulating him into a relationship and then into bed. (JiJing mutes/disables him!!) This is coercion! And it definitely skirts into the "assault is love" category. Especially because the author seems to find nothing wrong with this.

Someone else mentioned that JiJing is essentially a sociopath, and they are right. He has no morals whatsoever, even regarding the person he likes.

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It doesn't help that the final act suddenly spawns multiple characters we have never seen or heard of before (most likely because they're from the author's previous works), further muddling the coherency of this novel.

TLDR; the first two acts are good and probably would've gotten an easy 4/5 from me. The last act is so awful it's unrateable. <<less
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Emmy-Reader
Emmy-Reader rated it
September 20, 2020
Status: Completed
About the "rape" that some people mentioned, it's not very clear cut. I dont want new readers to be pushed away bc of the r*pe tag. Please read my humble review on this. You see, when Hua Huaixiu (ML) was going to have s*x with Fan Jijing (MC), he wanted to use Fan Jijing's promise (to always listen to his words) to make Fan Jijing the bottom. But Fan Jijing wasn't willing to be the bottom so he paralyzed HHX's acupoints and muted him. From start to finish, HHX never... more>> showed any fear or resistance as if he was being r*ped (there's just the unwillingness to be the bottom since he wanted to top which Fan Jijing also shared hence why he paralyzed and muted HHX). Here's what came to my mind when I was reading this: "All's fair in lover and war". I mean, think about all of the things that might not be acceptable IF you weren't in a relationship, but are acceptable when you two are in a relationship together. For example, one lover might kiss his lover without asking if they can kiss them, and that's ok opposed to a stranger kissing the lover. Why? What's different? Because of the foundation that built of human feelings and emotions in the relationship shown in the first scene. I know what I'm saying might be half-baked here, and my explanation wasn't the best, but I'm trying to say that, when love comes into play, things are a lot more complex than first appearances and words (especially bc actions can prove more than words, or in this case, the lack of the spoken "yes"to bottoming under your lover which HHX would've never said aloud). There was a lot of subtext compared to actual words spoken in the scene in chapter 25. I feel like it can't be labeled r*pe bc the HHX didn't do anything explicit that showed refusal to have s*x with FJJ, and HHX was clear minded and not coerced. Besides, I think FJJ wouldn't have r*ped HHX anyways. Not a lot of people would want to r*pe their loved ones, okay? FJJ's motive isnt there either. Why go that low when you know you still exist in the other party's heart and he even showed that he's interested? That would be FJJ's thoughts. So, I'm emphasizing the fact that our perspectives as individual readers that all have different mindsets would perceive this "rape" differently. If you're not convinced, here's the scene fron the translations:

Spoiler

“I want... ” Hua HuaiXiu glanced at his underbelly. “Has your wound recovered yet?”

Fan JiJing answered obediently. “Yes.”

“Good.” Hua HuaiXiu’s face turned serious as he said, “You once said that you would only listen to me in the future.”

“Right.” Fan JiJing nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“Then I want you... ” Hua HuaiXiu opened his mouth but found himself unable to make any sound.

Fan JiJing slowly took back his finger from the mute acupoint, looking at Hua HuaiXiu in a humble manner. “Cousin, what did you say?”

Hua HuaiXiu glowered at him. The anger in his eyes could almost set his hair on fire.

“Cousin, are you not feeling well?” Fan JiJing asked as he picked him up and put him on the bed.

Hua HuaiXiu was biting his lips out of regret.

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And, the last paragraph in the chapter said that
Spoiler

from the beginning, there were just some things that never changed in HHX and FJJ's relationship

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which I think wrapped up the story and what just happened very well. <<less
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Shadowdrop
Shadowdrop
September 20, 2019
Status: Completed
Although the gong is MC, it honestly doesn't feel that way. We almost always see him from the outside point of view, (which can be justified at first because of the plot) and even when we do see 'inside his head', it's just one thought passing by. Compared to that, ML's emotions are often shown to us, making him more MC-like. I was a bit disappointed since it's a rare 'gong MC' novel and I wanted to see more of his point of view.
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namio
namio rated it
October 15, 2018
Status: Completed
Overall, this was a really enjoyable story I want to reread again after just a day.

The characters are interesting and they all have motives and background, even if the length of the story doesn't let them fully show their individual personalities. This resulted in a pretty dynamic flow-- things get sloshed around basically every other chapter, keeping you on your toes. Also, the dialogue and interactions early on are darn hilarious. I really liked the MC and ML too-- their dynamics changed drastically thanks to plot but they retained that... more>> "friends since childhood" vibe despite everything, giving the pairing a fond tone to it. Despite its premise and it being a comedy, of all things, I think strikes a pretty... interesting...? balance? (Might be arguable for some people, but I like it a lot.) It does sober up a bit though-- like I said, it's very rollercoaster-y a story.

The main reason why I settled on 4 stars is the pacing of the first third of the story. There's hardly any time to really immerse yourself into the setting and the descriptions are function-oriented, with heavy focus on banter. Granted, a lot of the banter were pretty funny. Still, I do wish that it took a bit more time on establishing things and setting a slower pace, especially since they threw us like a dozen names on the get go. Contrasting to the second third onwards, it felt almost like someone pressed fast forward through the first 15 minutes of a 23 minutes episode. It's mostly a cohesion thing, though, and may not bother everyone. <<less
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earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
February 7, 2019
Status: Completed
Very engrossing and unique storyline compared to the many wuxia/martial arts sect stories out there. The character development and over mystery is top notch; all the characters are rather intelligent and multi-faceted. The story jumps straight into the action, and I found this a nice break from the overabundance of 'meandering'/'wordy' and extremely long novels out there.

There were a lot of characters introduced in the beginning (and I was worried about mixing names up), but I only had to reference once or twice before getting swept up with the pace... more>> of the story. The writing is from a truly talented author who has created complex relationships and backgrounds between the characters that gets revealed slowly. Despite the low amount of chapters (25+sequel), they're quite full of content, and I feel very satisfied after reading it as though a longer book (100+).

I highly recommend NOT reading some of the reviews or spoilers for the best experience! <<less
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errantknight
errantknight rated it
July 27, 2019
Status: Completed
I liked this book very much up to a point and then not at all. Thing is, without spoiler tags, the only thing I can say is consent issues are a big part of it. Now for the spoilers. Don't read this until you've read the books. Seriously, don't.

... more>>
Spoiler

The MC is basically a sociopath except that he is capable of caring for one person. His way of showing that is really creepy, though. He's extremely unlikable. Not sure why the author chose to go this route. The plot didn't demand this level of sociopathy. All I could think at the end was 'that poor, likable ML. I sure hope he never seriously pisses this guy off.'

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toleroid
toleroid
July 16, 2023
Status: --
This is not a review but a reply to what Emmy-Reader said about what is and isn't r*pe / s*xual assault/ s*xual harassment.

If you are in a relationship and you don't want to be kissed YOU CAN SAY NO.

If you are in a relationship and you don't want to have s*x YOU CAN SAY NO.

... more>> If you are in a relationship and you don't want to have s*x in a certain way YOU CAN SAY NO.

If you are in a relationship with someone and they force you to have s*x without your consent this is DATE r*pe / NON-CON s*x. Being in a relationship doesn't make a difference here, you can still be r*ped!

Being unwilling to do something and not saying yes because you're unwilling means YOU HAVEN'T CONSENTED.

You don't automatically consent to s*x simoly by being in a relationship.

Just because you enjoyed non-con s*x or dub-con s*x doesn't make it NOT non-con / dub-con. It is still s*xual assault!

Always shocks me when reviewers on this site try to portray non-con s*x as "okay because tHeY lOvE eAcH oThEr". Just admit some stories have non-con s*x because some people have fantasies about non-con s*x. It is one of the most common kinks / fantasies and there is nothing embarrassing about it! Don't fcking act as if actually sexually assaulting someone is ok in the real world! <<less
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D.yuheng
D.yuheng rated it
October 8, 2020
Status: Completed
This is a really cute novel! Even though it's short, the plot is amazing! The characters are all lovable. The r*pe tag is confusing, and I personally don't agree with it. Other comments have discussed in detail.
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hiohbye
hiohbye rated it
March 13, 2019
Status: Completed
I have to give kudos to the translators. Amazing translation, beautiful writing, what else can I ask for lol

The plot is very engrossing. Did not expect the plot twist. Main character turns lovable into even more lovable (´▽`)
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consulting_the_illustration
consulting_the_illustration rated it
November 6, 2020
Status: Completed
Good translation of a good, short mystery story. I agree with a previous review that said the "rape" tag is not quite accurate, as you will see when you get to that chapter.
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ippeiyu
ippeiyu rated it
August 5, 2019
Status: Completed
In general, the story was enjoyable. I especially like the first part of the story. The second part was moving a bit fast and suddenly a lot of new characters popped up without proper introduction making it a bit confusing. But the main storyline can still be followed if I ignore the new characters and their sections. It feels like those characters are from the authour's other stories. I assume those new characters and those sections add some additional colour to the story and can be quite enjoyable for people... more>> that are already familiar with them. <<less
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whitespade
whitespade rated it
July 17, 2019
Status: c27
The first two act are very good. You will be quite invested towards the characters and their motivation. The last act is quite subpar since somehow things happen in fast forward and 'too easy'. There are a lot of new characters from other novels thrown in you will get dizzy.
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mei2778
mei2778 rated it
April 26, 2019
Status: Completed
The plot has a lot of twists for such a short novel, so it keeps you on your toes. ML is great, and the side characters have distinct personalities even though it's too short for them to really be fleshed out. The one criticism is that everything is resolved rather abruptly, so I'm giving it 4/5. Overall though, it's very enjoyable and refreshing!
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aiji
aiji rated it
January 20, 2019
Status: Completed
Short, but good. I'll give it a 5/5.

STORY:

Since this is mystery one, I can't give away any more information about the plot so you just have to rely what's already written in the description. All I can say is this is a well-written short mystery novel. I don't know if it was because of the translator's way of translating, but I really think this is very well-written—pace-wise, character casting, and story execution, right from the start up to reaching its conclusion.

To be honest, reading a mystery-themed novel with a mere... more>> 27 chapters is like a gamble for me, since this could leave the reader feeling lost due to plot holes that might pop up here and there, and rushed and forced inserts just to say the mystery has been solved and the story has ended. Fotunately, it turned out to be a 'successful' read, and I felt very satisfied. No heavy drama, has hilarious scenes and characters, and with a little touch of romance, I think this is very light.

CHARACTERS:

Oh, the characters... I got trolled.

Dang, I was fooled by the MC! I was literally cursing him for the first few chapters because he was acting not so MC-like at all! I mean, he's like a perfect example of a dumb MC I always hate in any entertainment media that I instantly drop with disgust. But lo! Surprise, surprise... He turned out to be a very likeable one. Very clever... and quirky. He's very unpredictable and ruthless as well, so I guess sometimes he really deserves a good kick from the ML (and from me).

And the ML... my congratulations. He's my favorite character here. So witty and adorable. So brave and aggressive... but surprisingly ended up at the bottom under the clouds and rains. That was really a surprise.

As for the side characters, I wasn't expecting that this novel has this many funny and interesting side 'couples'. Good thing this is not in a modern setting and they're all 'manly' so I didn't feel a slight cringe while reading.

What a really weird world. I'm worried about their future number of population.

OVERALL:

For someone who just picked this out randomly to test and see what a Wuxia genre truly like, it turned out to be a very enjoyable read (yep, my original purpose was to confirm if the characters in a wuxia world are 'that' brutal since the first wuxia themed novel I read and currently put on-hold is too brutal, so I need to know if that is normal before continuing). I'm so glad I picked this one.

So if you want to read a short mystery and action-themed novel with a little touch of comedy under a not so complicated plot, I highly recommend this underrated piece of gem. You won't regret it. <<less
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Li Sha
Li Sha rated it
July 4, 2023
Status: c15
First of all,

... more>>
Spoiler

I kind of pitied ML because he wasted his braincells for nothing. His great calculations and feasible hypothesis were all in vain, I thought ML is already close to revealing the mystery because he was so detailed with his explanations but.... Welp 👁️👄👁️ If I were ML I would be so furious to death! Didn't expect the plot twist! 😂😭

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If the other reviews hadn't mentioned about ML having the most POV time I wouldn't have found it strange. It barely bothers me, I bet it wouldn't bother some of you as well. ML is the most expressive character in this novel making him look like the literal MC in this story whilst MC was just in a daze all the time and ACTING dumb. Yep! You hear that right. Acting! It was tagged 'Naive MC' but not for long hehe. MC's shift of character was the most unexpected to happen in this story. <<less
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SophieLovenOr
SophieLovenOr rated it
April 18, 2021
Status: Completed
The story is nice, the plot was well done. The characters are realistix I would say. It is a good story.
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clxndestinely
clxndestinely rated it
August 20, 2020
Status: Completed
Not good, but not bad either. Kinda dull. Short story with a messy plot, dub-con, and cliché romances. MC was a shy righteous male turned the usual blackbellied gong, whilst MC was an elegant guy turned a dull-witted thunder. Way too many side characters/couples to keep track of and desperate promotions of other characters of the series. An unrealistic amount of gay and also first-cousin-cest (doesn't really register despite MC constantly calling ML "cousin", as in biǎo gē [表哥], since the author makes it seem normal in society despite gayness... more>> not being so).

Decent way to waste your own time. <<less
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chiakiss
chiakiss rated it
July 20, 2020
Status: Completed
hmm watcha say

The mu*der mystery part? At first I was kind of confused, but quicky got into it. Could not figure it out until the resolve, and found it very enjoyable to read

Now, about the romance.... Here's the thing, I really wanted it to work, because even though this novel is short I LOVED the character HuaiXiu and wanted him to be happy. But honestly the MC sucks. He doesnt deserve him. Sigh
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Cocole
Cocole rated it
June 11, 2020
Status: Completed
Brilliant story. Brilliant Translation.
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