To My Readers:
Part One of this book is now complete.
For the past month, as I approached the end of the Chao Yu Scroll, I often felt my creative well run dry, finding it difficult to continue writing. Whenever I reread the drafts, they felt sloppy and crude, failing to convey the intended emotions and meaning. This led to numerous revisions and, consequently, delays. It wasn’t until the early morning two days ago that I came to terms with my own literary limitations, realizing that no amount of further deliberation would produce a masterpiece. And so, I finally edited and finalized the last Chapter of the scroll, "King of the Garden," in one go. When I uploaded and published it, I couldn’t help but feel melancholy, lamenting how my ambition outstrips my ability, leaving me unable to fully express my thoughts. I also considered how this one scroll, a little over two hundred Chapters, took me several years to complete, despite the various interruptions from real life. This must, to some degree, be due to my own incompetence and laziness, and I feel deeply ashamed for having tested the patience of my loyal readers... Still, I did manage to finish the scroll this month. By repeatedly reminding myself that "perfect is the enemy of good" and "it’s not being slow that’s scary, but standing still," I’ve allowed myself to feel a humble sense of relief. Although the middle and final parts are still needed to complete the book, my humble work has reached the end of its seventh scroll. This is a major turning point for the story as a whole, serving to clarify the background and flesh out the characters. Therefore, I am tentatively concluding what has been written so far as "Part One" to mark this division.
The novelist’s trade, descended from the chroniclers of old, is one that most people enter into on a whim, as a leisurely pursuit, or simply to make a living. It’s difficult for it to become a serious, long-term career. Those in this field who fail to win widespread acclaim yet continue to write tirelessly are, in my experience, generally driven by certain obsessions. They are people who can find no other release for their passions except through the written word. I suffer from this condition myself. I love to chat about everything under the sun and about other people, yet I’m shy about discussing myself. Consequently, I don’t talk much with others and find it hard to engage in self-reflection or self-critique. It has been several years since this book began. Given a promise I made last year, and with the completion of this scroll being delayed until now due to illness and other matters, I feel I must write this Chapter to explain myself, show my sincerity, and offer a few comments on my humble work’s setting, plot, and characters. Yet, as I take up my pen, I’ve hesitated and deliberated, feeling like someone with amusia before a microphone. I’ve had to hide my face and adopt a formal, literary tone. This is by no means an attempt to be deliberately profound; it is simply because I am not good at talking about myself and struggle to express my feelings. I hope my readers can forgive me.
My humble work has been serialized for several years and, to my shame, has not achieved great success. This is due to the limits of my own ability, resulting in a small readership. What brings me joy, however, is that there are still some kindred spirits with similar tastes who have not abandoned it. Anyone who has read this far probably knows that my humble work was originally planned to have a prequel. This prequel was originally titled *Dead Angle Game*, and its general plot is what was recounted in the Chapter "The Conspiracy" in the Chao Yu Scroll. Unfortunately, back then my literary talent was still immature, the plot was unrefined, and the groundwork was not laid out rigorously... all common failings for a new writer, for which I have no one to blame but myself. To make matters worse, I ran into unfavorable external circumstances, and this ultimately led to *Dead End* being axed before it was even half-written. This has always been a source of regret and bitterness for me.
Now, times have changed. Since the Chao Yu Scroll of *Daoist Monkey* has been published, all the key plot points of *Dead End* have been revealed. Even if I were to fill in the minor details now, it would add little to the overall world-building. Furthermore, having been immersed in *Daoist Monkey* for several years, my writing style, themes, and tone have all changed. For this "old throat" to try and re-sing that first song of my youth, I’m afraid it would come off as a forced and awkward attempt to act young again. It would be impossible to recapture that original, natural feeling. After much consideration, I’ve decided my top priority must be *Daoist Monkey*. I must first finish this story before I can think about reconstructing the prequel. Perhaps someday I will rewrite it as a new, shorter work composed of twelve vignettes to narrate the old tales of Rain City. For now, readers who wish to get a sense of *Dead End*’s tone can refer to the five Chapters in the Chao Yu Scroll from "The Curse of a Name" to "The Bond of Bad Karma." This is because these five Chapters were actually the planned continuation of *Dead End*, but since they are also closely tied to the Chao Yu Scroll, I had no choice but to incorporate them. They were written by me, now, attempting to imitate the style of the *Dead End* of the past. It should be quite apparent how they are like a square peg in a round hole when compared to the overall tone of *Daoist Monkey*. Forcing fire and water together in one pot like this is what made the Chao Yu Scroll so bloated and difficult to finish for several years. It was a situation beyond my control.
Looking back to when I first began *Daoist Monkey*, it was right after *Dead End* had been axed. All my blood, sweat, and tears had gone down the drain, and many planned settings and plot points were left unexplored. I thought my entire creation was ruined, and my heart was filled with resentment. I also knew my tastes were niche; *Dead End* had fewer than ten readers, and I expected *Daoist Monkey* would fare no better. This filled me with bitterness, and so I wrote with abandon, heedless of criticism. People called me arrogant; I told myself it was just a pastime. My only goal was to spew out all the fragmented remains of my old concept in memory of the lost *Dead End*. When I started the first scroll, I didn’t expect the book to support me financially, and I was terrified it would be axed as well if it went on too long. I was also concerned that since *Dead End*’s setup was never revealed, all its unresolved mysteries would become baggage for *Daoist Monkey*. The opening could not proceed as originally planned. So, I turned things upside down, presenting scenes meant for later scrolls right at the beginning. This is why the first six scrolls depict Luo Binhan’s journey in the outer worlds, a way to lay the foundation for past events and clarify the main themes— Unfortunately, back then my heart was still full of resentment, and my craft was unrefined. This is why the first few scrolls are filled with rushed, sloppy, and forced writing. It wasn’t until I’d doggedly written my way to the Eternal Light, Ultimate Wish, and Chao Yu scrolls that I felt my writing begin to mature, and the plotting and pacing finally started to feel right. But after several years of this grind, though I often procrastinated, I never abandoned this humble work. My interest in it only grew, as did my affection. I’ve come to see my characters as friends, and I can finally let go of the loss of *Dead End*. I still lament the rushed nature of *Daoist Monkey*’s early scrolls, but a blade’s edge is sharpened through grinding. Without the lingering bitterness from *Dead End*’s cancellation, I wouldn’t have been able to so deeply understand Luo Binhan’s grief over losing his friend, or the poison of his self-loathing. Such are the whims of gain and loss. What’s more, now that the Chao Yu Scroll is finished, I can finally break free from the shackles of the prequel’s plot! "The tide arrives on the Qiantang River, and today I know that I am I." "The cloud is in the blue sky, as the water is in the vase." Binhan is about to set off on a long journey! With the background of the story established and the protagonist truly having come into his own, he and his one million horsepower of self-destruction will surely begin to grow with ease from the next scroll onward, reaching a state of vibrant life and boundless potential! My heart is suddenly overcome with joy! Gwa!