The Ancient Zither's Mournful Strings (Volume 2)

郎红浣Feb 2025

4.0

Word count: 110K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

In the jianghu, Long Biren meets Shi Nanzhi, and the two become sworn brothers. Shi Nanzhi and Hua Shengwan fall in love, but their relationship is beset by many misfortunes. Zhao Xiuyun, jealous of Shi Nanzhi, schemes against him, leading to Shi Nanzhi's tragic death. Hua Shengwan sets out to avenge her husband, enduring many hardships alongside Madame Wang. Long Biren marches to suppress bandits at Lake Tai, hoping to be reunited with Shi Nanzhi, only to learn that his friend is already dead. Thereafter, the story unfolds around the fates of Hua Shengwan, Long Biren, and others as they face various challenges and trials in the jianghu, their emotional entanglements growing ever more complex. Can Shengwan succeed in her revenge? And how will Long Biren face the fate that lies ahead?

Editor's review

This volume continues from the previous one, advancing the jianghu grudges and romantic entanglements side by side. Long Biren's campaign to suppress bandits at Lake Tai and Hua Shengwan's quest to avenge her husband form two interwoven threads, giving the narrative both the tension of armed confrontation and the dense emotional turmoil of grief and longing. The characters are not simple opposites of good and evil; the chain of consequences set off by Zhao Xiuyun's jealousy makes Shi Nanzhi's death a pivotal node that drives the whole story, while Long Biren's psychological fall after learning of his friend's death lends the jianghu narrative a bleak, desolate undertone. The author is not content merely to pile up martial arts moves; he cares more about his characters' choices amid upheaval and the weight of loyalty and affection. This volume is best read after finishing the previous one, allowing readers to appreciate the layered progression of plot and the turning points in the characters' fates; those who favor traditional wuxia narratives of clear grudges and intertwined loyalty and love will find the reading experience here relatively complete.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love traditional wuxia and value depictions of jianghu grudges and loyalty
Readers who have finished the previous volume and wish to follow the characters' fates
Literary readers interested in the narrative style of old-school Republican-era wuxia
Readers who enjoy multiple plotlines, emotional entanglements, and revenge themes

Not a good fit for

Readers who have not read the previous volume and wish to read this one independently
Readers who prefer fast-paced, gratifying fiction and lack patience for elaborate plotting
Readers who are uncomfortable with tragic fates and revenge themes

Reading tips

Read the previous volume first, then enter this one, to clarify the origins of the grudges among Shi Nanzhi, Hua Shengwan, and Zhao Xiuyun.
As you read, note how Long Biren's Lake Tai campaign alternates with Hua Shengwan's quest for revenge.
Jot down character relationships and the causes and effects of grudges to better grasp the complex emotional entanglements.
After finishing this volume, revisit key passages in the previous one to appreciate how the turning points in the characters' fates echo back and forth.

版权信息
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第十九章
第二十章

FAQ

Can I read this middle volume directly without having read the previous one?

Not really recommended. This volume continues the character relationships and origins of grudges from the previous one; events such as Shi Nanzhi's death and Hua Shengwan's revenge are built on the groundwork laid there. Starting from the middle volume may make the characters' motives and emotional entanglements feel abrupt, so it is best to read the previous volume first.

Which characters does this volume mainly focus on?

It mainly follows Hua Shengwan's journey to avenge her husband and Long Biren's campaign to suppress bandits at Lake Tai, while also involving Madame Wang's assistance to Hua Shengwan and Zhao Xiuyun's scheming. Though Shi Nanzhi is already dead, he remains the key figure whose fate drives everyone else's.

What kind of wuxia style does this book lean toward?

It leans toward the traditional old-school wuxia approach, emphasizing character loyalty, cause and effect of grudges, and turning points of fate; the martial arts descriptions serve character relationships and plot progression rather than mere display of moves. Readers who enjoy jianghu narratives woven with loyalty and love and tinged with tragedy will find it to their taste.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

郎红浣 Author

Lang Honghuan is a martial arts fiction author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded. Twenty-four of his works are currently held in the library, with representative titles including the two series Guse Aixian and Jiandan Shihun. The former appears in upper, middle, and lower volumes as well as a complete three-volume edition, and the latter follows a similar upper, middle, lower, and complete three-volume arrangement. These works are mostly classified as martial arts fiction, with additional tags for otherworld fantasy and premium fiction, suggesting that his writing centers on the wuxia genre and may incorporate elements of fantasy or imaginary worlds. Judging from the titles, Lang Honghuan's style tends toward a blend of classical atmosphere and poetic chivalric sentiment, with elegant naming that evokes traditional heroic narrative. Owing to limited public information, his writing career and the influence of his works are difficult to describe in detail, but the number of titles and their serialized publication form indicate that his martial arts fiction has a certain readership in the Chinese book market.