Chapter 26 postscript

When writing "Killing Zen", I kept reflecting: what is "history"? The view of history in novels always inevitably tends to be more romantic fatalism and individualism.However, this does not mean that these arguments deviate from the real history.History always repeats itself forever: an outstanding leader will inevitably become corrupt and make mistakes after gaining supreme power; the second in command will always face the temptation to replace the first in command; the originally ambitious mass revolution is always usurped by ambitious people... These may be politics in the first place , The "natural ecology" of history?But the authors of novels and dramas can't help smelling fate from them.me too.

I think many people mistakenly think that "Killing Zen" is a martial arts novel because of its ancient background, gang plot, and martial arts scenes.In fact, I completely treat it as an alternate historical novel, and write it from a more modern point of view, so the words "capital", "second", and "army" appear. When I first conceived "Killing Zen", I really meant to subvert the traditional martial arts world-at that time, I was still an avid fan of martial arts, and I was determined to become a writer of martial arts novels.But the story of "Killing Zen" itself is like a monster that will expand and grow on its own, and the idea of ​​"anti-martial arts" only becomes an unimportant sub-topic in the end.And this process of thinking changes has completely changed my writing orientation.

Of course, this does not mean that I despise martial arts now.All the novels I have written so far are based on martial arts.It's just that "pure martial arts" can no longer satisfy my creative ideals.Moreover, the world of martial arts has been established too maturely by the predecessors, and I have no way of finding new soil that has not been opened up in it, and writing any more is just repeating the footsteps of the predecessors.I think it is a waste of life to write what other people have already written, unless you treat writing as a mere job, a business. The third volume of "Killing Zen" can be regarded as the end of a paragraph.I sincerely hope that readers can also take out the first and second volumes, and re-read the third volume in one go. I believe that they will have a deeper understanding of this story.Of course I know this is a very extravagant request.However, an inexplicable self-confidence came from nowhere and told me: My novel should be at least worth re-reading...

"Killing Zen" is scheduled to be completed in seven volumes.Thinking that I haven't even finished writing half of it now, I am so scared that even my shoulders tremble.But writing a novel is like stepping into the underworld, once you start, you can't turn back.Since it is the path I chose, I can only grit my teeth and continue walking. Speaking of gnashing of teeth, I always feel sore jaws and jaws every time I finish a manuscript. It turned out that I would gnash my teeth unconsciously when I was nervous. I am a person who is prone to nervousness. I remember that when I participated in the Hong Kong-wide karate competition, I was so nervous that my ten fingers were slightly numb—the blood was concentrated in the brain and internal organs, and I hadn’t eaten all day since the morning.Because that's the opportunity I've been looking forward to for five or six years.

And I waited longer for the opportunity to publish "Killing Zen".So more nervous. Qiao Jingfu June 11, 1997