Hello everyone! Skyfarrow here.
A few hours ago, I was lucky enough to catch a mega Q&A session from the author Gu Zhen Ren in the biggest QQ chat for the Reverend Insanity novel (it’s like a Chinese Discord Server phone app thing) and the author answered many questions - there were so many fans and so many questions! The chat was exploding like crazy at the very moment the author said his first sentence!
I will try to translate most of it, of course including all the most important ones. The questions asked were about his new novel, RI questions and inquiries about his life matters. It’s going to be a mess all over because of the way the QA session was done, and I may mis-translate some things as I am really tired. Sorry in advance.
Also may have small spoilers for those who have not caught up to the raws, but I think it’s really minor, nothing to worry about.
Before that, I’d like to clear one thing.
The most common Western Reader question: WHY IS REVEREND INSANITY BANNED IN CHINA?
> The most probable reason was because Zhen Ren wrote about something to do with the China president Xi. That is a big no-no in China.
> Also, RI has an immense base of haters that mass report the novel constantly (and are still doing so to sabotage the new novel)
Now back to business! Q&A session with the author!
Please try to read all of it (I keep seeing people ask the same thing repeatedly)
Author: Hello everyone! It’s been a long time! Earlier I was discussing with the server admins about what we should do with the matter of remaking the new novel’s server group.
*(The new novel’s QQ chat group was barely up for a day when it got mass reported and banned)
Author: Haha, everyone is so welcoming. If there’s any questions, do ask.
[Questions about RI’s ban status]
Author: The book RI, from what I understand from the Qidian side, there is still hope of an unban. It’s just that, right now, the environment is still quite strict. For questions related to this matter, I have talked about all of it in the Prelude for <<Wu Xian Xue He>>.
Author: I also hope that RI will be unbanned. But what I must remind everyone here is: during the period of <<Wu Xian Xue He>>, I am unable to update chapters for two books at the same time.
Author: If RI is unbanned during the period of <<Wu Xian Xue He>>, I will have no choice but to wait for the new novel to end, then I will return to updating RI. <<Wu Xian Xue He>> will take around 2 years and a half to end. I’m quite sure of this. At most, 3 years. My Mathematics skills are still quite strong!!
Author: The structure and the characters of the new novel have mostly been set in stone. So I am very confident that the novel’s framework is a lot better than RI.
Q: Zhen Ren, if there is really no hope for the unban of RI, will you still end the story?
Author: If there is really no choice, then yes, of course I will!
Author: But right now, there is still hope.
Q: Zhen Ren, will <<Wu Xian Xue He>> have anything like the Ren Zu tales inside it?
Author: Am I mad? Do I want to seek death?
Author: At the very most, there might be small short stories about myths.
Q: People are asking if you stockpiled any chapters for RI?
Author: I only stockpiled a very very small amount.
Q: Will the main character in <<Wu Xian Xue He>> become evil? Is the new novel going to be a hotblooded genre type? What does the name Zhen Jin (Needle Gold) have any special meaning?
Author: I can’t reveal that right now. The new novel will be slightly cold blooded. The structure of the new novel is way beyond RI’s, I spent 2 months creating it.
*Basically, it won’t be as cold blooded as FY
Q: Will you have any plans in future to continue the spin off stories for venerables and some of the characters in RI? Or maybe a spin off about the past of RI?
Author: Actually, writing these is much easier. But what I want more is to end the novel! My current plans are to finish RI, then I can go and finish doing spin offs.
Q: Since there is already a manhua for RI, will there be any chance for an animation?
Author: I’m not too sure about this matter.
Q: Someone asked if you will do a book in the future about, like those big worlds, where all the characters meet in the same space.
Author: Big chance for this to happen for <<Wu Xian Xue He>>!
Q: What does the novel name mean for <<Wu Xian Xue He>>?
Author: It has nothing to do with the Infinite genre. I can’t reveal too much about the meaning of the new novel now. But I am very sure that once the new novel ends, or maybe when I have written over half, readers will have an idea of the answer.
Author: The new novel has a major theme! Contrary to most webnovels, all of the plot points in <<Wu Xian Xue He>> will revolve around this certain theme.
Author: Once I have written further into the story, the major theme will become clearer. Until the very ending, you will reach the biggest enlightenment. It is a story with a lot of vitality.
Author: This is because it isn’t just about simple minded level ups, killing monsters and changing maps. It’s also not the simple feel-good story. It has deep meaning, it will touch the soul. What I want to create, is a book that will always shine with the flow of time.
Q: Have you already finished thinking about the ending for RI, or are you still clueless about what you want to write for the ending?
Author: I have long finished creating the ending of RI. It will be an ending with very deep meaning.
Q: Will Bai Ning Bing ever return to being a man in the end?
Author: I can’t spoiler this, please don’t make it harder for me haha!
Q: How many Ten Extreme Physiques are there left? Will anymore appear towards the end?
Author: They will all appear.
Q: Will you ever do streaming?
Author: Main point is that right now my appearance isn’t the best. I’m bald.
Author: After RI was banned, I felt terrible for the next few months. I even had moments where I really wanted to die. I felt angry, vengeful, and confused; nothing else could interest me. It was only later that I slowly climbed out (of my depression).
Author: To write and publish my new novel, I shaved my hair and confined myself in my home. When my hair grew out, I would shave it all again. I have been staying in my house for months now. And since there is the coronavirus plague at the moment, I have never left the house.
Author: Because of that, I have prepared and worked on <<Wu Xian Xue He>> way, way more than I did for RI’s starting. When I started writing RI, I had a ‘yolo’ attitude, and just wrote it. So yes I prepared a lot on this new novel. I plan to do a chapter a day and release at 12pm every day.
Author: For the new novel, it’s slow heat, so if you read it, you need a lot of patience. There’s a lot of plot hidden in the front.
Author: <<Wu Xian Xue He>>’s story will be quite different from all the stories I wrote previously.
Author: I researched a lot of books to write <<Wu Xian Xue He>>.
Q: Good day Zhen Ren, I would like to ask what happened to Fang Yuan’s clone in Di Jun City, why is there no more mention of him, even Shen Shang came out already. Some people suspect that you have forgotten about this clone already.
Author: This question… is a spoiler, omg how am I supposed to reply. And no, I am very strict with the main plot, please wait - I will take a video to show you and ease everyone’s worries.
*Author takes a video showing that he has every plotline, character and location, name etc written nicely in his computer. The document spans 1059 pages, and has over 914000 words alone. It’s an impressive document for sure….
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/612059860875345941/686932627445383171/video1.mp4
Author: The new novel will have western fantasy power systems, like strength, magic and spells(?) but will also have some small new creations, like Doupo Cangqiong (Battle through the Heavens)’s system/setting of magic fire. It won’t be like RI’s massive invention of new skills. This is because the main point of the new novel is on the major theme and the drama/plot. I purposely eased up on the setting and level up system, so that important people and the main plots will be clearer.
Q: Will the new novel have a female lead?
Author: This… well, it depends on what you all think what a “female lead” is.
Author: RI is for sure to not have a female lead, but for the new novel.. I think it’s in between “female lead” and “no female lead”.
Q: A lot of people will compare between RI and Wu Xian Xue He.
Author: That’s totally understandable. But I think comparing both novels right now is just too early. For the new book, you need to finish reading at least the first book to understand what is so interesting about it. It won’t be like a normal webnovel, those typical level up, smack face feel good novels. Of course, there will be such things in Wu Xian Xue He, but those are definitely not the main focus.
Q: Zhen Ren, what is the direction that the main character of Wu Xian Xue He will take?
Author: Hmm.. let me think of how to describe it. To put it blankly, to call the new MC a good person, or a bad person… Actually that is very hard to decide. To call him righteous, or demonic.... Is also hard to use that to describe the main character.
Q: So, not good nor bad, he lives for himself? Will he have a limit to morals?
Author: I don’t know how to describe…
Q: *helpless expression*
Author: This main character is not the same as others. This new book’s trait isn’t the same as others.
Author: Actually, once you all have finished reading the first volume for the new novel, most of your questions will no longer be questions. Until then, I’m sure many people will give it a second read through.
Author: I beg you all, until that moment arrives, please do not leak spoilers to the people who haven’t caught up yet.
Q: Oh right, will you change the main plotline if someone guesses it correctly?
Author: Oh, no, I won’t.
Author: I did that for RI, because I did not completely think of a full idea of the main plot.
Author: Since I’ve thought up the main plot for the new novel throughout 2-3 months, the setting is a lot too. It is currently the limit of my quality/ability and skills.
The Q & A session pretty much ended soon after this because the author was tired and went to sleep.
And that’s the end, I hope some of you will be satisfied with this! Personally I am looking forward to his new novel, but due to the haters and mass report still ongoing and targeting his new novel as well, I am quite sure the starting chapters will look like a harmless generic CN novel.
However, do keep up your faith! I will continue to update more when Zhen Ren speaks again. Also, I will be doing 2 more chapters for Wu Xian Xue He this week or next week, please wait patiently! I will announce them on the Gu Discord once I am done.
Thank you - Skyfarrow