This will only be of interest to those who read Chinese fantasy and might be curious about the cultivation hierarchy in Fan Li’s home world. I originally worked this out for the Chinese cultivation novel I attempted to write, from which I also drew the character Fan Li herself. There is terminology here that people familiar with the genre will …

§ So, Volume 10 is in the books. Your author, Eric Fretheim, online as Fushigi on this site and on Discord, and as /u/ericthefred on reddit, has completed yet another volume. As I mentioned, this one has been a weird journey, because nothing really flowed the way I expected. I wonder if I will rewrite it eventually.  If you are …

§ “What is the meaning of this?” Rod demanded as soon as he saw me. Rather than answer him immediately, I moved to the child resembling me, whom I feared was about to act out. Mireia still held her in a hug from behind, but her eyes held a look that wasn’t panic, since Tiana would never panic, but something …

§ I rushed to speak, sharpening my tone before my husband grew stubborn. “Your Highness! If this concerns my people on the expedition, then please don’t get hung up on a minor issue!” That expedition included the Hero’s Party, people personally important to me, but more importantly, it included a large number of ordinary mortal soldiers of my duchy. Just …

§ “My Lady, the… specialists have arrived,” the maid called from the door, while kneeling and bowing. She did not enter the room as would normally be proper before doing this courtesy, because I had expressly ordered all mortals to stay out. Mireia convinced my husband to make them obey, fortunately. She had to tell him why, of course, which …

§ Although this world of magic is quite alien to me, mathematics are what they are. The essential concepts of algorithm and logic remain the same. Before Senhion’s body transformed into mine, I already had a good grasp of how to deal with this strangely unscientific world. Or rather, I say so, but I had what Robert Stewart would call …

§ Although I no longer sat in Fan Li’s tea shop, I could still watch the world through Rhea’s technique. At the moment, it was an immersive experience. Whenever I directed my attention away from it, I would find myself lying face-up on a generic lawn of freshly-mown grass under a perfect summer blue sky. I’m not sure when the …

§ Scary!! At first, I couldn’t think of anything else. Is that wrong? A completely new world, the only person I knew in it had just vanished, leaving me alone with a stranger. At least, I wasn’t physically uncomfortable. It was a little breezy, but a bright sun warmed the air around us. I think, if the surroundings weren’t so …

§ The fairy warrior circled around, and her companions fanned out to surround the space. Meanwhile, I was wonderin’ why I even bothered in dodgin’. Worst case would have been the very same result as dissolvin’ the image like I had just done. Although, thanks to the simulation of nerves and the like necessary for the [Blood Effigy] to operate …

§ The princess kept throwin’ me suspicious glances throughout the day. At a guess, I’d say I caused it whenever I left her wonderin’ exactly how I would know this or that about her. But I couldn’t come out and explain the reason, because for now, at least until we could get that woman from ancient times into play, I …