This is a Xianxia novel, but the author's delicate depiction makes me pay more attention to the emotional relationships between the characters. Let's talk about the love story of the three people.
Gu Li's love is deep, hidden, and sacrificial, making people feel hopeless. Tian Yuan's love is passionate and pure.
Qingchen's love for Gu Li made Qingchen understand what love is, the sweetness and bitterness in love. But Qingchen's love for Tianyuan was like how we will eventually get married, have an inseparable other half in life, be together through thick and thin, grow old together, he was like your bones, your blood, but he would never be the person you loved most passionately in your youth.
As for Tianyuan, I always feel that there's nothing much to say about him, because his love is pure and he got what he wanted, but as for me, I don't have too much affection for him. I always feel like something is missing, all I can say is that his luck is indeed better than Gu Li's.
For Gu Li, I have too much to say. Every time I see him, it's like seeing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven from Journey to the West wearing a tight golden hoop, or Xuanzang reciting the True Scripture of the Tathagata in Demon-Conquering in Western Heavens. When it comes to love, they always wake up too late, and that lateness can only bring pain. Even though there are two people in love, in the end, only one person is left with no hope.
In the whole book, I like Gu Li the most, and I also think that the author has created the most successful, vivid and flesh-and-blood character is Gu Li. Although I know he's just a fictional character in the book, my heart seems to ache with his pain. All I can say is that I'm enchanted, or maybe the author is just too amazing.
For Qing Chen's love, I'd rather not talk about her herself, but the people and animals around her are really annoying. Zi Yu's obstruction and misguidance, Wu Yue's push and pull towards Tian Yuan, and hiding of true feelings for Gu Li, Xiao Jiao's concealment under Wu Yue's request, and Duan Qing Ge's obstruction... Around us, there are always many people who love to say a phrase: "I'm doing it for your own good", then they make decisions for others without considering whether the other party is willing or not, without considering the other party's true intentions, and without considering whether the other party needs their so-called kindness. In short, I'm doing it for your own good, so just bear with it.
Let's not talk about whether the master-disciple romance is true or not, but their behavior always lacks a bit of respect for Qingchen's feelings!
I've always thought that feelings are ultimately between two people and should be decided by the two individuals themselves, and they should choose their next step.
In the eyes of outsiders, love that will inevitably bear bitter fruit, how can they know that the two people involved are not enjoying it like a sweet treat? However, Qingchen lost her chance to make decisions for herself in a state of ignorance. Her good fortune was her ignorance, but everything will eventually come to light one day.
I believe that even if Qingchen knew everything later, she would not regret being with Tianguan and would not mind how Gu Li was doing. However, the past events would be like a sharp thorn buried deep in her heart, which she would not want to touch. Although the wound has healed, it will still hurt her deeply when she least expects it. All she can do is hope that time will slowly grind down the thorn and eventually make it disappear... I know that even if the author wrote about Qingchen and Gu Li overcoming all obstacles to be together, it might not be as good as writing about her being with Tianguan now, but... it's just hard to let go!