“’Jiuzhou: The Dragon Slayer‘ is a pioneering work of Eastern epic fantasy, steeped in the narrative texture of classical Chinese storytelling.”
— renardyy, Douban reader (5-star review)

“Qi Tongren’s works have always been slow and somber. ‘The Dragon Slayer‘ is even more restrained — it holds back countless emotions, conceals great ambition in a single flower, and ties death to the changing seasons. … The ending is far more than ‘effortless mastery’ — it breaks through the constraints of the setting, creating a texture where fantasy and reality meet.”
— Xia Sang, Douban reader (5-star review)

“A family saga written in the style of Tang dynasty chuanqi tales. The narrative voice is wonderfully distinctive, and the ending carries the same resonance as those classical legends.”
— Douban reader

“‘The Dragon Slayer‘ seems to carry an ambition to absorb ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ — or to merge family history with magical realism.”
— renardyy, Douban reader

★ A return to the Jiuzhou world. The merfolk, led by the one true dragon, conquer the land and establish the Xi Dynasty. Zhili Tu, master of Zhili Fortress, spends half his life seeking a way to kill the dragon — and in the end, a single crabapple blossom pierces the dragon’s heart. “Only the hardest and softest thing can slay the dragon.”
★ Winner of the Novella Star Award at the 3rd Zhilai Literature Awards. Shortlisted alongside “Lord of the Mysteries” in the same year.
★ Author Qi Tongren has been called “China‘s most literary fantasy writer.” His short story collection “The Spring of Dongke Monastery” was included in “The Big Book of Modern Fantasy” — a selection of the 100 best fantasy stories from 22 countries — alongside works by García Márquez, George R. R. Martin, and Haruki Murakami. Twice named Best Author by Douban Read; his story collection “Dreamcatcher King” holds a 9.2 rating on Douban.
★ A family saga written in the style of Tang dynasty chuanqi tales, reimagining Eastern fantasy through the lens of classical Chinese biji literature. As one reader put it: “A pioneering work of Eastern epic fantasy, steeped in the narrative texture of classical Chinese storytelling.”
★ Jiuzhou is China‘s original shared-world fantasy universe, now two decades old. Multiple Jiuzhou works have been adapted into television dramas, proving the franchise’s value.

After the Dark Moon Era, the Jiuzhou continent entered the Great Tide era. Sea levels rose, land shrank, and civilization was reshaped. The merfolk rose from the deep, and under the leadership of the one true dragon, conquered Jiuzhou — establishing a new dynasty: the Xi Dynasty. The dragon was proclaimed the eternal king, its authority beyond challenge — yet it was cruel by nature.
The story centers on Zhili Fortress, located in the Jinbei Corridor of the Central Province — the strongest, grandest, and most beautiful of thousands of fortresses. Zhili Tu, master of Zhili Fortress, devoted his life to protecting his family. He searched through ancient texts, explored hidden lands, and embarked on a perilous quest to find a way to slay the dragon.
The book is divided into three parts. The Zhili Fortress section tells the history of the Zhili family and its intricate relationships. The Zhili Tu section follows the protagonist as he travels through New Tianqi City, Dark Moon City, Venus City, and Green Water Lake — encountering dangers and slowly uncovering the truth about the dragon‘s origins and weaknesses. The Tianqi section brings the story to its climax: a challenge, a duel, an autumn execution, and finally, the slaying of the dragon with a single crabapple blossom.
When the slaying finally happens, it is peaceful and quiet — “a tranquil, dreamlike stillness.” The family name “Zhili” itself is a clue — a reference to the “Zhili Shu” parable in Zhuangzi’s “Human World,” in which a physically deformed man escapes misfortune and lives freely. The entire story echoes the philosophy of “usefulness in uselessness”: the hardest and softest thing in the world is nothing more than a crabapple blossom.

Qi Tongren (born 1972, Guangxi) graduated from Guangxi Normal University with a degree in Chinese literature. He currently lives in Chengdu.
His pen name comes from Franz Kafka‘s short story “The Bucket Rider.” He began writing fantasy fiction in 2000. He was a columnist for Qingyun and one of the earliest “Top Scholars” on Rongshu Xia. He served as executive editor of “Jiuzhou Fantasy” and founded the fantasy fiction e-magazine “Nine Songs.”
He has twice been named Best Author by Douban Read. His short story collection “Dreamcatcher King” holds a 9.2 rating on Douban (252 ratings). “The Spring of Dongke Monastery” was included in “The Big Book of Modern Fantasy” — a selection of the 100 best fantasy stories from 22 countries — alongside works by García Márquez, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, and Haruki Murakami.
His major works include “Jiuzhou: The Dragon Slayer,” “Return to the Void,” “Yaksha,” “The Hall of Happiness,” “Spring‘s Tooth,” and “The River of Maple Streams.” He has been called “China‘s most literary fantasy writer.”

Zhili Family Tree

Prologue

Zhili Fortress
Chapter 1: The Wedding
Chapter 2: Zhili Jin
Chapter 3: Zhili Hai
Chapter 4: Zhili Lan and Zhili Mulan
Chapter 5: Zhu Bei

Zhili Tu
Chapter 1: New Tianqi City
Chapter 2: The Masters
Chapter 3: On the Weihai Sea
Chapter 4: Dark Moon City
Chapter 5: Ling Liang and Ling Wuyan
Chapter 6: Qingshi Aoluo
Chapter 7: The Silk Worm Ancient Path
Chapter 8: Venus City
Chapter 9: Green Water Lake
Chapter 10: Black Xutu

Tianqi
Chapter 1: The Challenge
Chapter 2: The Duel
Chapter 3: The Autumn Execution
Chapter 4: The Sentence
Chapter 5: The Dragon Slaying

Chronicle of Events