im so turned off by this ml. If you redid everything he's done to the MC until now but with a male and female, can you see absolutely fcked, abusive, controlling, and bullylike he has been? This is the most chinese fantasy version of toxic Alpha Male ooOoO love interest I have ever seen.

• ppl calling the ML possesive and I like that
  me: do you think attempting mu*der, actual assualt (im talking about stabbing his eye), emprisonment, controlling who is around the MC etc is attractive?
• honestly maybe theyre perfect for each other bc the MC is strange, dense, ignorant to a fault, and honestly the way the author wrote him imo doesnt add up.
• is it decently written yes but it has holes that dont make sense to me but if u dont care, you will probably love this story.
• i just want to say that if the MC was a female, would you see this as a cliche romance? I know my answer.
  
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Xuan Qing He, the soldier silk hero from 9000 years ago, now reincarnated as Jing King (or Jing Wang, a title for a son or brother of the Emperor; in this case, son) is about to marry his bride, an high official's daughter, when he gets drunk on his wedding night and meets the Ghost Prince. This isn't the actual Ghost Prince, but an illusion, and kills Jing Wang because XJH broke their marriage promise: a vow in which two willing individuals (you must be willing to do this with your whole heart) promise to marry each other for each reincarnation cycle. If one marries someone else, their soul will forever be possessed by the other person and unable to enter the reincarnation cycle ever again. So they basically and literately have a red string of fate attached to each other.

The news of Jing Wang's shocking passing travels into the ears of Gong Wei, Xu Shuang Ce, and Yuchi Rui. Why is it shocking? Cause Jing Wang was supposed to live a blissful monogamous married life with 10 kids and up to 99 years old. Side note: 10 kids because Gong Wei thinks that a pretty guy like XJH needs to repopulate the world with more pretty people.

They entered the palace (under invisibility) to check out the funeral and notices the soul of XJH rise from his Jing Wang body and opens up a hole in time. The group follows XJH as he enters the hole into a timeline that happened before the whole catastrophe at 9000 years ago, before XJH destroyed the Giant Mechanical Robot (so the time is after Xu and Ying ascended, but before XJH ascended and then became the Ghost Prince's teacher)

Their first meeting was in the mortal realm when XJH "saved" the Ghost Prince, disguised as a regular wealthy, "beautiful, " orphan young master, from a pe*vert. XJH at this time is the grandmaster of his family sect (the one that Changsun Chengfeng is grandmaster of in the current timeline). Ghost Prince falls in love and pretends to be weak (even says 'why is this so effective when Gong Wei uses it on Xu Shuang Ce but not when I use it').

The Ghost Prince became interested in XJH because right after he saved him, XJH didn't even look at him and left. He introduces himself as Qu Xie. Later on, XJH even lectured him and this dude, omg, says I have never been loved, let alone scolded by anyone, can you be my master? (and then in a lower tone, if you were my wife, maybe I'll be more disciplined) (reminder this, it becomes important later on). XJH didn't even answer him and the disciple next to him says the Grandmaster never accepts any direct disciples and something along the lines of you're weird and harboring weird feelings for the Grandmaster. XJH at this point is also suspicious, but decides to check his spiritual roots (looks clean, weak, and normal). So he just brushed off his suspicions.

Next day, XJH is going with the disciple to a town to solve the mystery surrounding the missing cultivators (some from his family sect) in that town. QX stalks him and heads to the town too. XJH tries to persuade him to leave this place because he is weak, but "conveniently" it gets dark very quickly so they have to find a temporary place to rest. In the middle of the night, they investigate why the area is so quiet and what caused the bruises and marks on the corpse they just saw. Of course, since QX is weak, he stays in the resting area. When XJH goes to the river to take a bath, QX ambushes him from behind, landing a kiss and then gets injured by XJH's sword. XJH didn't see his face so doesn't know that it's him.

Long story short, the mystery is that there's zombies. Who caused the zombies? As Gong Wei says, whenever there's mysterious phenomena in the mortal realm, always assume its the Ghost Prince's doing. Guess what? it is. Why? (there's a story, but tldr, he felt like it) And he made the zombies kill that disciple that was with XJH, but XJH doesn't know that.

XJH got badly injured by the the Zhang (forgot if this was their name) Family cultivators because they didn't want word to spread that there's zombies in their town. Reason: The Zhang Family head got zombified so now the next head (lets call him Z) is trying to capture the missing head zombie to take out his golden core and use it (via ghost cultivation method). Why? Because not everyone can be a great cultivator, and they need to be strong for the family to be influential in the cultivation world. If word gets out, all the zombies including their headmaster, will be detained and destroyed.

The Zhang Family badly injures XJH, so QX stops time and brings the unconscious XJH to the underworld. He healed XJH, but before he heals him, he hurts him (giving him the same pain from when XJH attacked him by the river). And then he made his palace all festive and red looking, cause boy was like I'm getting married today (to an unconscious man). QX has a magical mercury mirror that shows the fate of someone 3000 years from now if they drop blood on the mirror. QX puts XJH's blood on the mirror and he sees XJH is in the Underworld. But his glee is short-lived as he finds out XJH has become an immortal and he himself, QX, is locked up in the abyss and is constantly lectured by XJH. Homeboy is like, oh I can avoid this fate as long as XJH does not become an immortal. This got him so mad, he went back to the mortal realm with the unconscious XJH and then wakes him up and fabricated a story that the Immortal Alliance and other sects won't be able to save them and now there's a potential zombie apocalypse (it makes more sense in the story - I'm just condensing everything).

Skipping some details, XJH and QX are now in a secret room with lots of gun powder. XJH urges QX to leave and find a safe place while he blows up the place to prevent the zombie "apocalypse". XJH hugs QX and tells him please leave, you're innocent (oh the irony). QX is unhappy because if XJH stays and sacrifices himself, he will then become an immortal due to his good deed, so he tries to stay. The implication is that if XJH lets a innocent mortal stay with him to "save the world, " then this is not an entirely pure deed and XJH will not ascend. QX couldn't convince XJH so he removed an emotion thread from XJH's head (a thread that holds the feeling of wanting to save QX, which QX uses in the future to fool his teacher and escape the abyss in the main story). This trick works and XJH forgets his urgency to save QX.

This didn't last, as Z (who is also inside the room, cause it's his family's) is now unhappy that his plan failed and decides to open the secret door, leading all the zombies including headmaster zombie into the space. XJH fights them and tells the weak QX to leave. But seeing XJH almost dying, being crushed underneath the headmaster zombie's (now really dead) body, QX decides to fight too. But first blind XJH's eyes by putting the headmaster zombie's armor piece over him and then fighting the zombies. XJH sees in his line of vision on the ground that QX is 'bleeding really badly'. I do not trust this dude one bit. Next, they blocked off the zombies with some stones and stuff.

Both really badly injured and with broken bones decide to light the place up together. But first, QX asks if in his next life, XJH can teach him in his next life. XJH says yes. And then the red string of fate appears. Why? The Ghost Prince is born from the Heavenly Dao; along with Gong Wei, they represent two sides of the Dao. Naturally, any oaths created by the Ghost Prince can come to life/be treated as oracles. Remember what the Ghost Prince said the first night he met XJH? After asking to become his master, the Ghost Princes added: If you were my wife, I would be more disciplined. So XJH thinks he agreed to be his master for the next life, but no XJH was tricked (and didn't even know) that he tied the red knot with QX. Ahhh, so evil.

QX laughs and realizes that he changed the "fate" in the mercury mirror. But surprise, XJH isn't ready to die together. XJH tears out his golden core and crushes it onto QX's chest and using that dense spiritual outburst, heals all the injuries on QX's body. He then says "I really love... to see you be alive and well" But QX didn't hear him amidst the shock he just received.

Now this is where I lost it. QX yells for XJH but there's no response. He's dead. So QX decides to reverse time. Reversing Time is against the Heavenly Dao and will be punished by heavenly tribulations. QX reverses time such that 1. he stops the zombie invasion before XJH arrives in the town by returning the 'plague' back to himself (this is his thing, so he's not going to be injured. and this is why Gong Wei never heard of it - along with the fact that Immortal Xu was supposed to investigate this matter but it resolved on its own), and 2. he makes XJH forget about a person named QX, so XJH never knew they met before. He sends XJH away via boat. QX becomes weak and pukes out a bunch of golden blood.

Ok get this: I thought this would be a redemption arc for the Ghost Prince. I thought too highly of him. Because XJH sacrificed his golden core to save QX, this would be deemed an accomplishment that would alert Gong Wei to send XJH to the heavenly realm. QX didn't want that, so he decides that reversing time would prevent XJH from ascending and also to wipe his traces (because once Gong Wei takes XJH to the heavenly realm, Gong Wei will know about the zombies)

Because QX is badly injured, he needs more "evil" to restore his immortal spirit. This is why QX provoked Ying Kai to jumpstart the Giant Mechanical Soldier plan.

Now back to the current timeline. Finding out the truth, Gong Wei and gang follow XJH's soul to the Underworld. XJH's soul is wondering unconsciously towards the direction of his reds string, towards QX who is standing on the mirror coffin. QX says that they will be together forever. Then Gong Wei takes Xu's No Way Out and cuts the red string. Yuchi Rui grabs XJH's soul and throws him in the next reincarnation cycle as Gong Wei fights the Ghost Prince. At this point, Gong Wei is stronger than the Ghost Prince and tells him that he will never see XJH again. Gong Wei will make sure XJH ascends. Yess, Gong Wei!!!

Years later in the mortal realm, the new Alliance Head is an undercover Immortal (God of Wealth; now a mortal cultivator with his memories intact) who teaches young XJH and young Ying Kai to gamble (yes Ying Kai finally gets to cultivate and maybe ascend, and yes, his methods of dying are comical: eating a poison mushroom, cutting himself, etc.). His only disciple is XJH, who he calls endearingly "Jing Jing." He prays everyday that Jing Jing can grow up healthily and without worries and ascend to the heavenly realm. Gong Wei and the others are worried that the God of Wealth will turn XJH into a gambler when XJH, a heavenly warrior, should be learning how to cultivate. They aren't worried about Ying Kai though, since that dude seriously needs a hobby. Now, if the story ended like this, it would be fantastic (5/5 stars).

I think I made the Ghost Prince too likeable in my spoilers, but please just know that he has little redeeming qualities, which makes sense given his characterization. So, he is a great character, and I can see his love, but does that excuse his toxicity and red flags? XJH in this life, as Jing Jing, is well adored by everyone and also warms up to everyone. In his previous life as the grandmaster, he couldn't get close to anyone due to his 8 characters, which says he'll jinx his family, disciples, spouse, etc. anyone who approaches him. When Jing Jing goes back into his room after playing cards with his master (former: God of Wealth, current: Alliance Master), he sees a mercury mirror. Next, a person comes out of the mirror and imbues XJH's forgotten memories (the ones before the time reversal) and while Jing Jing can't remember anything, he holds onto the emotions from those memories and feels fear, sadness, and nostalgia. But he is also ghostly pale and so afraid of the person in front of him. The person coming out of the mirror is the Ghost Prince (surprise) and tells Jing Jing that he must fulfill his promise to come to the Underworld and marry him. He tells Jing Jing that he will never escape from his grasps. Then leaves. WTF. Now the last two lines:

"Behind Xuan Jing He is the dangerous abyss of 9000 years - is the heart of the Ghost Prince"

Ok think of my spoilers, and then intensify the emotions by x10. That is the ending. I know it's an open end and I understand that Gong Wei and gang has his back, but I really don't understand why XJH can't have a better ending. He saved the world so many times, and in his previous life in the Underworld, he expressed that he never wanted to see the Ghost Prince again. I swear, if Huai Shang does not include a sequel to this book.

Jing Jing enters his room