Like, it's just insane to me how Zhu Yue got away with so much. Like bro could have been stopped so early but no, for the plot, I guess.

It seems f*cked up at first glance (and it is) but it's also a a concession of sorts. Because before there was the Qizi and Qizhu blood pact -- there was death. Lovers would be forced (via animalistic instinct--it's in their nature) to kill each other in their coming of age -- and only one would survive. They would lose all emotions and function as inhumane warriors.

This "coming of age" is written into their genetic code and could not be avoided. Hence, the Qizi and Qizhu blood pact was a compromise -- the Qizhu can control the Qizi because, in the coming of age ceremony, by taking away the loser's heart's blood--they've essentially shown "mercy". However, to keep the "loser" alive (where the coming of age ceremony once meant certain death) they instinctually give away a part of their soul -- so what they are controlling in the Qizi is their own soul. So it was a trade off between having to kill your lover vs. being bound for life.

Which to me, seems fair. Because the Tianxiu people were originally a race created for killing.

From the very beginning, as the title; in the introduction to the novel; and as a central idea, the novel is set up for the reader to question, "What exactly does Qizi mean?" In order to find the answer to this question, we must first understand the setting.

Thankfully, the novel does a superb job of pulling you into its world. As I was reading, every time I questioned the setting, the author would find a way to answer. Whether it was by giving a lecture, going on a field trip, or whispered rumors, the author finds interesting ways to give us information.

The pacing of the novel is superb, yet feels a little too structured. Whenever something bad happens, you know that there will be something sweet and fluffy to soften the blow, yet when it becomes so sweet that you can feel your teeth rot, you know that a bitter segment is coming up.

Within this somewhat rigid formula, the author is able to tie up any and all loose ends. In fact, the last segment starts over from 4000 years before the main characters meet. That doesn't mean this novel is perfect. I did have some questions regarding the choices some characters made, their logic, and a few tiny OOC moments.

I was also disappointed when I got to the end because it felt rather flat. I felt like there was quite a bit of build up for it to end in a way that didn't get to display how the main characters grew to love and accept each other.

After all, growth of the major characters was also a huge part of the novel and it does a good job of transitioning the main couple from rivals to friends to lovers. I really liked how the side characters influenced them. They took other people's experiences as life lessons and used it to grow as people, adding a touch of reality to this somewhat fantasy sci-fi setting. Again, I did feel that some parts were kind of anti climatic since they were written off as "this is coded into our genes and we can't fight it."

Personally, I feel like some of the central themes in this novel include the questions "What is love?" and "What does it mean to be human?" Once you find the answers to these questions, the main question, "What is a Qizi?" can finally be answered.

Armed with this knowledge, Ling Xiao and Ying Feng were able to overcome the unfair relationship between Qizhu and Qizi and develop a love that could surpassed the system and overcame all obstacles. It set an example for an entire planet, if not the universe, and they overcame space and time to come together in the end. Their love lasted 4000 years, and may continue another 4000.

However, the side characters can't be forgotten either. Each couple had a different form of love that progressed very logically. One way or another, every single character was motivated by the word "love". Every action, no matter how atrocious or benevolent, was done in the name of "love". I like how the author explored the different kinds of relationships that can be formed between two people.

the whole myth of Tianxu and how the system of Qizi/Qizhu come to be

The treatment of shou is disgusting. He gets tortured by gong for nothing more than simple curiosity, is starved for 3 days due to gongs lack of thinking and is essentially r*ped. Also the shous body will change to fit gongs every desire. I understand why this happens and it makes sense considering the context but I could never imagine loving someone after that. But I guess thats the point the shou has to love him because he is essentially a s*ave to him.

reincarnated lovers

ML doesn't care if MC will starve to death because he even doesn't feel blame at all. He control him as he wants. MC really losses all his dignity because ML just entertains.

the MC and ML have reincarnated multiple times and they've always fallen in love with each other. In his previous life the ML was born as a deviant called the "lone Star" and they generally have low to non-existent EQ and apparently the effects of one lifetime as a lonestar appears in the next 3 lifetimes. The current ML has low EQ but the dude evolves. Once when the MC temporarily had amnesia he misunderstood something and the ML noticed it almost immediately and took action to prevent the misunderstanding. If it was him in the beginning of the story then he would've ignored the MC so yes growth occurs in both of them