This novel is adapted from “Love on a Mountain Journey,” a song released in 2020, written, composed, and performed by Helen. The original melody is lilting, and the operatic passages are especially striking. Its lyrics are poetic and vivid: “Drunk, I raise my wine and wander Cold Mountain, frost flowers fill the sky. I breathe in the icy air, the cold wind whirls, and wine spills across the land.” From the very first lines, the song evokes a bold yet lonely journey through the mountains, establishing its free-spirited mood tinged with gentle sorrow.
The lines “I tell Cold Mountain, don’t cry, I’ll take you away. I raise a cup of wine and lead you out” seem to tell a heartwarming story of salvation. They give Cold Mountain human feelings and invite endless speculation about the story behind them. The whole song is steeped in an ancient aesthetic, like an unfolding landscape painting: towering Cold Mountain, howling winds, and a traveler carrying wine. These elements offer a rich wellspring of inspiration for the novel.
Taking the mood created by the song as its foundation, the novel builds a fantastical world of immortals and martial arts, giving concrete form to the song's emotions and story. It turns listeners' hazy imaginings into vivid characters and twisting plotlines, telling a deeply moving love story that crosses the boundary between humans and demons.
