Chapter 720: About Tips, and Xiao Yu

About tips, and Xiao Yu's stance regarding the Qin state

First, about tips: thank you again to the reader "Tian Tian Xue Shuxue."

Readers who follow my daily updates know I write as much as I can, aiming for three thousand characters per chapter, writing more whenever possible, with no plans to stockpile drafts.

Therefore, I cannot add extra chapters based on tips—I have no saved drafts.

Today I can still add only one extra chapter, and only one.

After this, please don't tip me as an "Ally." I deeply appreciate your kindness, but I cannot promise extra chapters in return—thank you, and I'm sorry!

Next, Xiao Yu's stance.

Xiao Yu once told Qingsong Daoist, "I am a spiritual Qin person."

To understand this statement, we must first define what "Qin person" means.

"Qin" has two meanings: first, it is a dynasty in Chinese history, representing the Ying family's regime; second, during the Qin dynasty, "Qin" was synonymous with Zhonghua, and "Qin person" meant a citizen of the superior Zhonghua realm.

Myself and my readers are all modern people of the twenty-first century.

When we speak of the Qin dynasty, we usually mean only the first meaning—the historical Qin dynasty, the empire of Ying Zheng.

But Xiao Yu, the protagonist, is living inside the Qin dynasty!

During the Qin era, whether in Shenzhou or foreign lands, "Qin people" were equated with Zhonghua.

For example, suppose three time-travelers meet: one from the Qin dynasty, one from the Ming dynasty, one from the Republic era.

If you ask them who they are, they say: "I am a Ming person," "I am a Republic person," "I am a Qin person."

Then you ask: "Are you all citizens of the superior Zhonghua realm?"

They will give you a confused look and reply: "Isn't a Qin person (Ming person, Republic person) a citizen of the superior Zhonghua realm?"

When Xiao Yu says "I am a spiritual Qin person," she clearly does not mean "I am a subject of the historical Ying regime."

She means "I am Han," "I am a person of Zhonghua Shenzhou."

Now that we've clarified the meaning of "I am a Qin person," let's discuss Xiao Yu's stance.

Is she like a yellow-skinned person who moves to America and claims to be a citizen of the Mountain Top City?

Consider these other examples: the former Qingsong Daoist acolyte, now Wang Sanlang; the Huolong True Person (disciple of Donghua Dijun), whose reincarnation location is unknown; and one of the reincarnated souls of the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor, like Wangmu and Donghua Dijun, is a primordial spirit, not human.

He was reborn in Shenzhou, deep in the Central Plains.

Huolong True Person was originally a man from the Warring States period; now he has incurred the killing calamity and been reborn.

Donghua Dijun originally arranged for him to be reborn in Tianmen Town.

Suppose Huolong True Person is reborn as Wang Sanlang—would he truly see himself as a barbarian?

And what of Wang Sanlang? If one day he awakens his past-life memories and declares himself a Qin person, would anyone think he's a "shameless run person"?

Isn't Xiao Yu in the same situation?

She was indeed reborn in Shaqiu carrying her past-life memories.

From birth, her values were already established.

She has done her best to support Shaqiu, never treating the Shaqiu tribe as a stepping stone just because her values are mature and her memories remain.

She did her best but failed to elevate Shaqiu to an empire—not because she was ungrateful or treacherous.

She owes nothing to Shaqiu; after being forced to leave for Tianmen Town, she can begin her new life with a clear conscience.

But she will not carry hatred for the destruction of Shaqiu's dragon vein by Xishu and Qin, nor will she seek to destroy Qin.

As before, her values are already mature; she cannot forge a new set of values like "I am a Sha barbarian, and I must devote everything to Sha barbarian prosperity."

Her new values are simply: "I seek immortality, my mind unobstructed, never violating moral conscience."

When she served as Chancellor of Xishu, it was because she encountered demons eating people—she destroyed them, and even took the river demon to Mojiao Palace.

Once the demons were destroyed, she immediately resigned her post, with not a single thought of "I am Xishu's Chancellor, I must help Xishu prosper."

Now she arrives at Yanmen Pass and first encounters a group of laborers.

The chapter "Soul Collector" indirectly depicts the dire state of the northern Shenzhou frontier.

The Soul Collector directly tells Song Bo: "Ninety percent of you have already been marked for death by the King of Hell; your mother will weep herself to death."

Song Bo's hometown is over a thousand li from Yanmen Commandery—far from the battlefield—and yet it is still this dire, showing how terrible the northern frontier truly is.

In fact, readers already saw how terrible the northern frontier is when the Jade Emperor chose good parents in earlier chapters.

Because the north was so dire, "Han people" were nearly extinct, so the Jade Emperor specifically instructed Taibai Jinxing not to choose good parents from the north—he did not wish for himself or the Heavenly Court to be tainted by the stench of barbarians.

Xiao Yu's actions helping Meng Yi are no different from when she served as Chancellor of Xishu.

When she destroyed demons as Chancellor of Xishu, was she serving the King of Shu?

Clearly not—she can't even remember the King of Shu's name.

When she helps Meng Yi against the barbarians at the Great Wall, is she serving the Ying regime in Xianyang (Empress Dowager Zhao)?

Clearly not.

Not only her, but also Lu Lingzi, Changqing Sanren, and other Immortals are not.

When Xiao Yu returns with the heads of the Xiu people, Lu Lingzi specifically meets her early to avoid Meng Yi and speak privately.

He does so to discuss heretical topics like "Qin will fall."

In summary, Xiao Yu's stance is not loyalty to any dynasty or faction—she simply seeks to be a proper Immortal: always holding benevolence, with a heart to save the world.

As Lu Lingzi said, there are no Immortals who are unkind, unjust, disloyal, or unfilial.

A proper Immortal is at least a "good person."

As for Xiao Yu's attitude toward the Ying dynasty, see the plot to come.

This volume's title is "Seeking Immortality, Roaming Freely," not "Chu-Han Contention" or "Defending Qin"—encountering Meng Yi and fighting barbarians is merely part of her trials in the mortal world as an Immortal.

The next volume will likely be "Chu-Han Contention."

But when I write Chu-Han Contention, I am not writing a historical story—I am using this event to explore certain themes and ideas.

If the journey of "Seeking Immortality" proves Xiao Yu is a proper Immortal,

then "Chu-Han Contention" will transform her from a proper Immortal into one with the bearing of a Sage (the "Sage" in Saint).

This novel's original tone has always been "an ordinary person's path to Immortality in the world of Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods," not a Journey to the West fanfic, not written to depict Chu-Han Contention.

When this "Chu-Han Contention" volume ends, the story will be nearing its end, approaching Sun Wukong's appearance; with one or two more volumes, it will be over.