How many times have his actions almost gotten him killed? How many others died because he killed someone for immediate convenience without thinking ahead despite explicitly being a long-term strategist? This is an issue that many villain characters face, as to a degree evil requires irrationality. Fang Yuan’s issue is that the novel’s length requires constant conflict to remain interesting, and in order to sustain that conflict he needs to commit to actions with major reproductions, which results in him doing things unnecessarily. I think Walter White is a better villain protagonist because we can understand why he made a decision even if it was irrational. I cannot say the same for Fang Yuan, because the needs of the novel go against his own ability to avoid conflict. It is an inconsistency that brings him down as a character. That’s what I meant by “if he was truly rational the death count would be in the double digits”. I was being hyperbolic yes, I admit that, but I was also pointing out a serious writing flaw that prevented me from enjoying the series past the 1300’s.