I found this recently. I am really enjoying the whole dynamic between Xiao Yang, unlike most of these protagonists, trying to do the right thing and not get involved with someone much younger and more naive than her; yet the person in question is actually much older and much more socially skilled than her (since Xiao Yang spent most of her time in cultivation).
Some people have commented in past threads about the background world seeming less interesting and fleshed out, as well as whether that impacts enjoyment of a more character driven story. Initially I did think this story would be boring and had to convince myself to give it a try a second time, but now I am kind of wondering whether this is intentional. It seems like neither of the MCs actually care that much about the world setting either and just view it as a proxy for their goals, with both of them having a sense of unreality for different reasons.
This leaves space for a lot of the kind of craziness and comedy we've been seeing thus far. If we were too invested in the side characters then Calamity (I am going to call Stardew that) blackmailing the side characters and the like could be more disturbing than entertaining or comedic.
Possibly it's too early to tell and the setting could become a detriment later instead of becoming plot fuel, but so far I'm pretty hopeful about this one.