Regarding female lead:
As for the female lead, I've currently written up to Chapter 130 in my drafts, and the candidate pool is basically narrowed down to the following:
Ning Rongrong
Ye Lingling
The Sacred Beast—Three-Eyed Golden Lion (in human form)
Qian Renxue – Although the age gap here is significant, this might be more of a revolutionary friendship based on shared ideals.
It probably won't be a harem—at most, two female leads.
That's because my writing skills aren't great, and I don't want the introduction of a female lead to drag down a novel that's already only average.
That said, having a female lead may still be a bit too early for a 12-year-old protagonist, so we'll see how it goes when the time comes.