Love in Pavilion

A Tragically-Woven Love Story + A Straightforward Plot = A Typical Recycled Xianxia

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Love in Pavilion, as we all know very well, is the second installment of the Fox Spirit Matchmaker franchise, though it has distanced itself by removing the Fox Spirit Matchmaker name to avoid the dreadful reputation Red-Moon Pact had created last year. Another noted fact is that this series is re-shot shortly after Red-Moon Pact's flop. However, if we are to compare the two shows, I can say this one has got an upper hand, in terms of scriptwriting and directing of course.

While Red-Moon Pact leans more to unrealistic lovey dovey plotline, Love in Pavilion traverses to a more angsty patch where most of the main and side characters will not survive till the end of the story.

This time, there will be a big whoop surprise. I would say this is the most unique drama I've ever found. Why do I say so? Because you got 8 couples in one show and it's a pretty rare occurrence.

I'm going to explain all couples one by one, as I'd done in Red-Moon Pact before. Let's rock, guys...

1) Wangquan Hongye/Dongfang Huaizhu (Leon Zhang/Liu Shishi)
Wangquan Hongye is the master of Wangquan family as well as the leader of Yiqi Alliance whereas Dongfang Huaizhu is the young lady of Divine Fire Villa. For the sake of her mother, her father decides to quit Yiqi Alliance and lives a life of tranquility, out of the chaotic conflicts and grudges. At first glance, they may not be a compatible pair since both of them are of opposing sides. The two of them get off the wrong foot at their first encounter in Nangong Mansion. However, Huaizhu has set her sight on a masked swordsman, who is none other than Hongye himself. After she finds out, she feels betrayed and severs ties with him. After facing tumultuous events in the Sky City, Huaizhu realizes how much Hongye loves her (even he willingly jumps into perilous traps to save her) and forgives him for the past events. Since then, the two get along and become a devoted couple for a lifetime. They also share similar goal, which is to purge the world from Black Fox's grasp and eliminate the long-standing conflict between humans and demons in order to reduce the hatred and resentment fed to the Black Fox.

2) Yang Yitan/Wangquan Zui (Zhai Xiaowen/Wu Xuanyi)
Yang Yitan is the young master of the Clairvoyance Yang family where all the family members cultivate the Clairvoyant Eye (an eye which is used to sense the surroundings or even predict the future) and Wangquan Zui is Hongye's younger sister who is hopelessly in love with Yitan since their childhood years. The two of them had been betrothed since their childhood years. While Yitan is stoic and cool-headed, Zui is more of a brash and straightforward tomboyish girl. After seeing their demise 20 years later, Yitan begins to distance himself from Zui so that she would give up chasing him. Soon, Zui notices changes in his behavior and thinks that he has turned into a jerk. With the help of the Li brothers, Zui manages to convince Yitan that she won't leave his side of regardless of any situation. Later, they propose to marry each other, which is immediately agreed by Yitan's grandpa and Hongye. However, their relationship has to face ups and downs as Yitan's grandpa has been provoked by the Black Fox's sweet talk. Never wanting to become Wangquan family's lackey anymore, he hopes that Yitan will kill Zui and even tortures Zui so that Yitan can generate hatred energy. Finally, he attempts to let the Black Fox's power enter Yitan's Clairvoyant Eye. In an unconscious state, he kill his grandpa without any hesitation, which leaves him feeling regretful. In spite of being possessed by a tiny spark of the Black Fox's power, he never tells Zui, afraid that she might pull back against their relationship. In the final battle against the Black Fox, Yitan completely loses his consciousness and incidentally stabs Zui to death.

3) Baimu Yaojun/Du Niangzi (Neo Hou/Yukee Chen)
The shortest arc of all the existing couples in this series. Baimu Yaojun's name literally means the Lord of Hundred Eyes and he has the ability to activate the Hundred Eye Formation to trap his enemies. He has a lover named Du Niangzi, whose clan is wiped overnight by the Nangong Family. To placate her, Baimu Yaojun decides to build her former home, Zhaixing Pavilion, by sacrificing numerous humans and demons alike as a mark of vengeance. However, Hongye and Huaizhu manage to stop Baimu Yaojun and have him sacrifice his demon core. Nonetheless, Huaizhu tells Du Niangzi that he can still turn into his human form by cultivate for 1000 more years, which Du Niangzi readily agrees.

4) Mu Xiaowu/Yang Yan (Chen Ruoxuan/Zhang Ruonan)
Yang Yan also comes from the Yang family and is Yitan's aunt. She is in love with one of the Yang family's mine guards, Mu Xiaowu. However, Xiaowu comes from an ordinary family and the Yang family, of course, opposes the idea. After pleading for a long time, does Yang Grandpa grant her wish reluctantly. however, the good time doesn't last long. One of the demons Xiaowu set off in the mine, Chu Jing, is claimed to have killed a human in broad daylight. Because of that case, Xiaowu is arrested and tortured unjustly. Hongye and Huaizhu help to find Chu Jing and discover that he is controlled by a demon-controlling talisman, not out of his own will. Despite having got Chu Jing, they still can't save Xiaowu as he's already at his end. Yang Yan, overwhelmed by grief and fury, immediately severs ties with the Yang family and swears to never be a family member of theirs anymore. Chu Jing also sacrifices himself as he unleashes his final power to create snow (Xiaowu's biggest wish is to see snow) until Yang Yan's carriage disappears at the end of the road.

5) Mu Mie/Cuiyu Mingluan (Qin Xiaoxuan/ Zhou Jieqiong)
This arc happens in future, 20 years since 'Love in Pavilion' story to be precise. It tells about Mu Mie, son of Mu Xiaowu and Yang Yan. His mother had died 6 months ago and he is left to wander the world alone. In spite of traveling across the world, he's no smarter and is easily fooled by others. He first encounters Mingluan the leech demon at a lake, where he asks for direction to go to the Sky City. Despite not wanting to admit it, they keep meeting each other and Mu Mie repeatedly shields Mingluan from any dangerous threats. He later learns that Cuiyu Mingluan is divided into Red Eye (the brash, straightforward, and badass soul) and Blue Eye (the kind gentle soul who masters medical treatment) through the enchantment in Golden Dawn Inn. The Red Eye mistakenly thinks Mu Mie is in love with the Blue Eye and is heartbroken. So, she seals the Blue Eye into a deep slumber and never to wake up. However, Mu Mie actually prefers Red Eye, but everything is too late to be reversed. Red Eye sacrificed her soul so that Blue Eye can return and heal Mu Mie, who is already severely injured after a battle with Jiu Huo (his arc will be explained later). Unfortunately, Jiu Huo succeeds in breaking the barrier beyond the boundary and lets the Black Fox engulf the world in darkness. In the Sky City, Mu Mie and Mingluan take shelter at Jiu Huo's former resident and save a lot of refugees, humans and demons alike. Blue Eye has known all along that the one Mu Mie loves is the Red Eye. At last, they separate and go to each other's way, which is the best decision in the Blue Eye's opinion.

6) Li Quzhuo/Dongfang Qinlan (Zhao Yibo/Shen Yue)
In fact, their relationship is supposed to be an ordinary platonic friendship instead of being romantic. However, since many people are shipping them, I'll make them into my list of couples too. Li Quzhuo is the mischievous and reckless second young master of the Li family after his elder brother, Li Zizai. Meanwhile, Qinlan is Huaizhu's sharp-tongued yet justice-driven younger sister. The two develop a strong bond in the Beast Kingdom and also help Hongye and Huaizhu deepen their relationship. Together with their funny bickering and camaraderie, life will never be dull and boring.

7) Zhang Zheng/Qingmu Yuan (Ryan Ding/Meng Ziyi)
The two were once classmates in their teenage years. However, Zhang Zheng's personality changes drastically after he leaves the academy and also never sees Yuan anymore. After forcing him to speak the truth by using Quzhuo's talisman, Yuan learns that the Zhang Zheng she loves is a body double of the original Zhang Zheng. He is actually Anaran, the son of the Beast Kingdom's National Preceptor. He is sold to the Zhang family because he resembles the real Zhang Zheng. Later, Zhang Zheng suffers from a chronic disease and doesn't have much time to live anymore. He dies after being buried alive by Anaran and says that he doesn't have any regret to die in an unceremonious way. Anaran takes Zhang Zheng's identity and ascends to the Zhang family's master position. In the Beast Kingdom, he meets Yuan and rekindles their love once again. In the final battle against the Black Fox, Zhang Zheng dies after being stabbed by Yuan in an illusion. Feeling guilty and heartbroken, Yuan uses her life force to stop the Black Fox, but ultimately loses her life too.

8) Jiu Huo/Jia Lan (Lin Borui/Peng Xiaoran)
Jiu Huo is the celestial-ranked demon of the Netherworld Clan while Jia Lan is an outcast of Tushan, after being the only fox who bears darkness. The two repeatedly save each other and share similar thought of the world. At one time, Jiu Huo is kidnapped and sealed by the Beast Kingdom. In a desperate attempt to free him, Jia Lan falls into a trap and loses her physical form and subsequently dies, leaving only her spiritual soul which is full of endless hatred and resentment. This arc is the prologue of the Black Fox's origin and how she is born. The Black Fox manipulates Jiu Huo 500 years later and sets him up numerous times to achieve her personal goals. Jiu Huo later commit suicide after knowing everything and tells Hongye to kill the Black Fox so that Jia Lan can be free again.

9) Li Zizai (Chen Youwei)
Though he doesn't have any pairing, he also plays a vital role in the masked group and is the elder brother of Li Quzhuo. Despite not being an expressive person, he truly cares for his loved ones, especially his brother. In the final battle against the Black Fox, he sacrifices himself after Quzhuo activates a life-exchanging talisman, thinking that it's a life-saving talisman (and that's how Quzhuo survives the battle).

10) Deng Qiyue (Sun Zikang)
The only character which has the least screentime compared to other masked group's members. He is shown as a loyal member of the group and a doting father to his daughter. He also dies after being smacked down by the Black Fox.

In my honest opinion, Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Love in Pavilion falls into the moderate tier, which means that it is neither a masterpiece nor a jeopardy (not too good and not too bad). As far as I can discern, Fox Spirit Matchmaker: lOve in Pavilion attracts a lot of viewers because of the star-studded casts and the stellar CGI. Undeniably, the CGI is on par with the first installment of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, with a great deal of mesmerizing scenery and engaging superpower displayed on the screen whenever one scene moves to another. Moreover, this time they've abandoned the panoramic screen concept and use green screen instead, which makes the editing smoother than the former's. Another thing is the use of every single trope of a xianxia drama (common practice in today's era), which isn't quite excessive as other xianxia dramas, making it more bearable to watch, if you ask me.

In addition, star-studded casts means good acting from the entire assemble of casts from main leads to supporting characters and cameos. Unlike other people, I'm not really bothered by Liu Shishi's lack of expression - she really fits the ideal stoic badass girl just like she did in 'A Journey to Love' and uses micro-expression through her eyes in a pretty good way. As for Leon Zhang, this is my first show of him and I'm definitely not a fan of his. Surprisingly, he also does well as Wangquan Hongye, but still lacks in finesse in terms of expressions (a bit of wooden, to put it bluntly). In spite of this minor problems, their chemistry is still palpable and I can feel the tension between them just enough. If I may choose, I'll pick Zhai Xiaowen/Wu Xuanyi or Neo Hou/Yukee Chen or maybe Ryan Ding/Meng Ziyi for the nomination of couple with the most chemistry. Their loveline is much more believable and touching than the main couple's of course. Special mention to Shen Yue for bringing such a cute adorable little Qinlan to the LA version(oh, I just want to squeeze her cheek lmfao). As for the other casts, kudos to all of you for embodying the essence of each character pretty well (can't mention every one of them lol).

Despite the pros listed above, there are still several cons that I need to mention too in order to make other watchers understand this show much better. Firstly, the plot seems to be kind of childish and straightforward (suspense and thriller lovers might find this boring) given the original source is a manhua made for children. Also, everything is quite predictable from the get go and the villain is immediately known from the beginning (Black Fox is a must antagonist in Fox Spirit Matchmaker series). Without the couples' chemistry, I would've dropped this show as well. Secondly, the reason why I dock off one point from my rating is because the DEATH of most of the masked group's members. I can't understand why they would need to kill them off at the final battle beyond the boundary. The original source may do that, but this is an adaptation of the manhua - you can change the ending with whatever you think is fit for a proper ending. I absolutely feel quite sorry for all of them and wish they hadn't gone to the boundary instead - just like what Hongye said, their mission is futile as there are still many conflicts ongoing between humans and demons, which emphasizes that the Black Fox can return anytime when the resentment aura has accumulated to a certain point.

Costumes, setting, background, and OSTs are superb as well and I've downloaded most of the OSTs - they give off such a melancholic and sorrowful vibe that seems to be resonating with me.

Final question: Is this show watchable? Quite watchable, if I must say. However, do not expect much of this kind of straightforward plot and sometimes you need to shut your brain off in case some unrealistic stuffs happen. It's time to end my rambling review. Good luck and happy watching!!!

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Venturing into the Eternal Darkness to claim their mortifying death | The Wedding Ceremony ㅠㅠ

"The end of this world is definitely not darkness" - Yang Yitan

First, I just wanna say that the climax and ending ruined the story for me. Like, how could they romanticize and try to rationalize the ending as if its the best? I am so sorry if I'm a sucker for happy endings but this dramas ending just wouldn't do it for me.

I don't know how else I can start this review aside from expressing my disappointments utowards this drama's climax and ending...

The story started great—promising, specially since they have Liu Shi Shi but dang! I did not expect them to pull off such ludicrous climax and such a tragic ending! It feels like the information and reminders they accumulated from travelling in the future didn't taught nor benefited them at all. A wasted opportunity—specially towards the Mask Group's team members.

I want to dissect its ridiculousness so let's start with the Climax a.k.a the ultimate battle (whic they've been preparing for eversince).

They came 20 years in the future, was warned of the demise they'll suffer but still ended up defeated in the most humiliating way. /Sighs/ Huh! Sorry not sorry but I wouldn't be this agitated if they've "at the very least" put up a decent and honorable fight, however, not even a bif of their confrontation with the Demon Fox was decent. They literally went there, got the most weak-willed members controlled to kill each other. What infuriates me the most are their "self-sacrificing" acts! Oh, please! I didn't watch this show to see such foolishly altruistic display from y'all.

- Zhang Zheng's death is unacceptable. I love Qing Muyuan but her being controlled was just so frustrating and disappointing. Her sacrificial death felt like a well deserved aftermath.

- Li Quzhou getting manipulated after being told that he was the only survivor of the Mask Group from 20 years in the future irks my patience very much! Did he even think it through to prepare?

- Li Zizai's death was completely wasted in all honesty. He went there to face their enemy but he ended up fighting his brother and even sacrificing himself to save him. I really hate sacrifices specially for those people who doesn't learn and undeserving. Life exchanging talisman my ASS!

- Yang Yitan... oh man! I don't even wanna speak about this person. I have immense disappointment towards him. I expected so much from him given that he was warned directly by Mu Mie and even went personally in the future. He doesn't only killed Wangquan Zui but also killed Deng Qi Yue. I just cannot with this character.

- Dongfang Qin Lan - Lastly, oh man finally! I got so much to say about this pampered kid. I adored her character halfway through but I still don't get how useless of a character she is. During the Yang Family's conflicts, she was told to stay on guard for any possible dangers. However, she only contacted Huai Zhu after almost everything had happened and it's too late for Mu Xiao Wu to even be rescued. Like, Girl? Where are you? What are you doing? Grr! Not to even mention how she performed after Huai Zhu let her escape. She can't just make anything done. An unreliable person.

×× Moving forward because I will be ranting non-stop if I don't. Lol! ××

Chemistry & Synergy of the casts is the greatest selling value of this drama for me. All the pairings have their own interesting stories and are all visually attractive. If only they're not a sucker for tragedy. Hayyss...

CGI, Colour Scheme and Costumes were all great too. I love how their costumes complemented each one of characters and I also appreciate how the CGI looks great all throughout. Special mention to the Masks worn by the Mask Group. Love them ♡ Except from Wangquan Hong Ye's... Well I gotta say that it has become his trademark which makes the show more fun to watch, so I will just give where the credit is due. Haha~ But hey! At least he got a beautiful and intricate one towards the end thanks to Huai Zhu.

Lastly, I wanna dedicate this part to Liu Shi Shi to appreciate how insanely attractive and incredible she is. ♡ This show is truly a flaunt of how effortlessly beautiful and amazing LSS. From her fluid exhibitions to her precise and flawless fighting choreographies. Hoping for her to star in more Wuxia and Xiaxia dramas.

P.S. I also want to commend Zhang Yunlong for his outstanding performance after the Mask Group was almost entirely obliterated. His acting and emotions greatly resonates as I can feel the excruciating pain and trauma he was going through after it all happened.

Story - 8.5, The build up was good and although I think they lack the cliché interactions, I feel like the leads "July 7th rendezvous" made up for it all. I would say that the direction leans towards maturity and being dependable storywise. The only unfortunate thing about this drama is how the climax was done and oh god, the ending!

Acting/Cast - 10, From the main leads, to the supporting roles and even down to the guest roles were all satisfying! A star-studded show (I mean they have Neo Hou and Peng Xiaoran in it). Let's not even talk about the acting here, they delivered and nailed it.

Music - 10, I really love the songs as it triggrts the emotions necessary for the scenes they're played on. Songs used are all beautiful and melancholic. Just thinking of it is making me visualize LSS's carefree and dying scene— Which is brutal as I am imagining them both at the same time. Huhu

Rewatch Value - 8.0, I don't think I can watch this again as a whole. But watching LSS's part is of course, a non-argumentative for me. She made me reconsider on giving this considerably high rating.

Overall - 9.0, Although I detest the climax, I would still say that I enjoyed the story and the journey they went through. I even grown to understand the ending and why it was necessary for them to go all through that extreme anguish. A drama in all honesty if you do not consider how foolish the climax was written.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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A Captivating and Visually Stunning Journey with Heartfelt Characters

A captivating cdrama that offers an intriguing story with multiple arcs and a range of interesting characters. Besides the main couple, there are several other subplots involving different couples that add depth to the narrative. The costumes, music, and cinematography are all top-notch, creating a visually stunning experience. The CGI, in particular, is spectacular and adds an extra layer of magic to the fantasy elements of the show.

The pacing is generally fast, with most conflicts resolving quickly, which means there’s not a lot of drawn-out angst. This is especially nice considering the mature nature of the lead characters. Their relationship is refreshing in that it avoids too much melodrama, and while there are tragic moments, it’s a beautiful and moving journey.

The ending is satisfying—positive and hopeful—but doesn’t fall into the trap of a cheesy, overly-sweet conclusion. It's more grounded, leaving you with a sense of closure without undermining the story’s emotional depth.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama for anyone looking for a well-crafted, visually gorgeous show with strong characters and a refreshing pace. It’s definitely worth the watch!

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Beautiful and tragic story

Many spoilers ahead.

Can’t believe at first I didn’t want to watch this drama, but now it’s probably in my top 5 watch of 2025 so far. I watched more than 20 2025 dramas so far and not many succeeded to keep me really interested, waiting for more eps. I was waiting and watching mostly everyday for this one. I was glued to my TV for the last 6 eps. Made me feel hapiness and sadness. A cried a lot, that says how much I was attached to this drama and it succeeded for me

The Good for me :
- Such a good group and friendship, I enjoyed and like every characters. Their bond and friendship was great to watch. I got attached and felt for the characters
- This drama has many good love story :
1) Baimu Yao x Du Niang Jun : not much to say for those 2, there were there for a such short time, no time to get attached or feel anything for me. But he sacrificed himself for her clan and for her in the end, we can see they loved each other.

2) Yang Yang x ? (man I forgot his name and can’t find him in the cast list, anyway you know who I mean) : ep 8, such a sad episode. The second tragic love story, they just wanted to be together. Zhang Ruo Nan acted very well, I felt her pain. I hated her family, they bullied him even on their wedding day and caused his dead. That was satisfying when she cuted ties with her family and left. That father was the worst. We never say her again, be we knows she’ll alive and should live a few years.

3) Dongfang Huai Zhu x Wangquan Hong Ye : I loved the leads characters and their love story very much. I felt their love, they loved each other so bad, broke my heart at the end. I think their story flow nicely, at first as mask man and then slowly working together and falling in love. They confessed, got together around eps 16-18 ? I don’t remember, but I think it was at a good time, almost middle of the story, I appreciated that. They were cute and I think they had chemistry. The little moments, holding hands, hugs, spending time together. Like at the end of ep 28 ? the marriage proposal or when they did the firework for his sister. She was like ‘’you want to watch the fireworks with me’’. He responds ‘’no I don’t’’, she says ‘’Yes you do’’ their smiles and playful talk, ah I want what they have. They made me smile and cry. They had a pretty healthy and mature relationship, good communication in general, helping, supporting each other, working together throw hard ship. Strong, powerful and great couple. No breakup, a bit distant close to the end which is totally understandable after both and mostly him losing so much. I will talk about the ending below for everyone

4) Wangquan Zhui x Yang Yi Tan : loved these 2. They were cute and also loved each other very much. From childhood companion to friend to engaged. I also appreciated the little moments and when they finally got together. For them too, also middle of the story ? They loved and wanted to protect each other. They never got to get married

5) zhang Zheng x Quing Mu Yuan : another interesting couple. I liked his background, thought that was interesting. They didn’t have much time together ☹ She never gave up on him. the couple that had maybe the less horrible kiss.

6) Jiu Huo x Ji Lan : I liked how they gave almost an episode on their backstory. It made us understand more the villains and how they became like that, how the Black Fox came to life. He did everything to get her back, sacrificed, but in the end he lost her a long time ago. Also the betrayal, she has been dead long ago. He had no will to live anymore and I felt it when he said he wishes for her to be free. We could somehow appreciate these 2 in my opinion even if they lead to our beloved characters downfall, I’ll get back to it when I’ll talk about the villains.

Love in Pavillon has a great main couple and romance, I think that this is one of the things Red Moon Pact failed at.

And 0 love triangle or much of third wheel at all, only that senior who was obsessed with FL, but that was very minimal and very limited screetime in general

- I liked the costumes, setting, scenery
- CGI was good in general
- Some were maybe less interesting at time, but I enjoyed the different arcs and the story, character we saw amount the way,
- Other relationship :
1) Dongfang Huai x Dongfang Qin Lan : I liked the bond between the sisters. Heartbreaking when they lost their father, FL did everything to get her out and save her. Sadly they never met again before FL died. She was a bit annoying to me when she was between the leads, but at least the writer did not get far with that and she wasn’t too much.
2) Wangquan x Hong Ye : another great sibling dynamic. Since they were kids, he has been protecting her, he failed in the end. I cried again when he was in the cave with the masks and when he got to her mask, he broke down crying…
3) It was interesting to see the story of FL’s parents with the flashbacks
- The actors : I think everyone did good. I think I will praise a bit Zhang Yun Long. I think he did a great performance and expressed well the emotions
- The villains of the story :
1) Jiu Huo x Ji Lan : strong, powerful and intelligent villains. Black Fox was such an evil villain. Like damn, that was crazy to see, how she made them kill each other. I actually could appreciate a strong and very evil antagonist. I think in the end, these 2 characters were pretty interesting to watch. Some dramas, the villains can be annoying or boring or whatever, that when they appear on the screen, you want to skip them, but I didn't felt this here.
2) FL’s senior : that was a bit of a led down, just an annoying and not really interesting villain unfortunately. Bro was delulu ahah

Ending: (eps 32-36)

First off, I like how it’s a clear ending, still a bit tiny open because the story is not over, Sword and Beloved coming next, but no BS everyone who is dead is dead, no weird open ending (like cough cough Red Moon Pact). I actually liked the ending. ML and their son, hope for the future, every clan and everyone preparing themselves for what is to come next, getting back on their feet. the Black Fox will come back again some day too.

Also I already knew even before the drama started that almost everyone will die and what is the ending, so I was prepared for what was to come and can’t complain about that.

ML tried to go alone, but they still all followed. They were not prepared enough or ready or strong enough in my opinion. All went to sh*it fast, it was doom anyway with the third eyes already possessed. ML succeeded alone in the end ☹ I like the little talk between ML and his father.

Let’s go down one by one :

1) First off, we lost zhang Zheng x Quing Mu Yuan : His death was a bit of a lead down, I was so happy when he resisted the black fox's control, but died pretty fast and easily at her hand. Even her, she tried, but way to weak to defeat the black fox. Anyway, how to live after this, she liked her lover, at least they died together. I wasn’t that affected by their deaths honestly.

2) After that, the Li brothers : damn these 2 got me crying☹ so that is how he came to be in a wheel chair. I liked the flashbacks, how much the older one loved and protected his younger brother. Sacrificed his hand and life work to save him back then. Now younger brother wanted to be the one to protect and save. He decided to become the vessel and sacrifice himself, but plot twist, the brother exchanged his life with him to save him. The talisman his brother gave him was not a life-saving talisman, but a life-exchanging talisman. I liked how they wrote this. His fate didn’t change, he still lived. And like seriously, how he was so close to see Qui Lan again, not nah, they will never meet again.

3) Next, Wangquan Zhui x Yang Yi Tan and the other group member (I am so bad with names) : how tragic, they made Yang Yi Tan kill his love. The little flashback of the life she dreamt for them, sadly that will never come true. He killed their friend. His daughter will never see him come back as a hero, when that dialogue came up… so sad. Then he decides to destroy his third eyes and kill himself, tragic but the way to stop the black fox from controlling him. Now they can rest in peace together.

All those sacrifices, was it worth it?

4) ML losing them, that man is left broken after killing Black Fox. No will to live or continue. Poor FL also suffering and wondering if he is alive. She just wants to go to the pavillon again with him. Then ML shows up, save her and wedding. Concubine was a bit nah, but it was the plan, FL understood and in the end, she's just like an official wife. Distant a bit at first, which I think is understandable, he lost his sword spirit, depressed? broken, name it… She was so glad he came back. They reconcile and FL made that plan with their child. Their child will be so strong. So sad, they love each other so bad, she knew she was dying and wanted to spend the most time possible with him and their child, but that was short lived. ML was so happy to be a father and motivations. When she talked to the child and said he has to stay with his dad and keep him company, because she knows she will be gone and won’t be able to do it (and he lost everyone else), I lost it and cried again. Honestly cried a lot in the last 4 eps. They never got to go together to the pavillon either. Then her last wish, last hug and it’s over. Their story touched me.

Other points:
1) kissing scenes for every couple were bad
2) Wish they have shown again Qui Lan even if we know she’s alive.
3) The couple in the future: that could have been better and it was stupid how they made her kill herself to get blue eyes back
4) Music was a bit meh at time, but I particularly liked a lot one of the ost
5) I liked how FL found out early that ML is the mask man
6) Had maybe some more boring moments or eps in the first half, but seriously pretty much every drama to me has those. Don't know if I ever watched a drama that had zero boring or less interesting moments
7) they really should not have released Red Moon Pact first

Anyway, to conclude, for me a great watch, likeable characters, friendship and great love story. glad I watch this drama. You need to prepare for the sadness, but I definitely recommend this drama anyway

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Fighting for the right cause with a huge price

I was attracted to Love in Pavilion without knowing anything of the Fox Spirit Matchmaker universe, solely due to Liu Shishi after her superb performance in A Journey to Love. Although she hasnt climbed into my favourite actress list yet to stand alongside Zhao Liying, she definitely left a mark in my mind.

The story is really engaging from start to finish without much boring scene. The opening scene of the masked group joining hands with the Dongfang sisters to fight off demons already ignited enough spark to keep me watching. Then the clash at the Nan Gong household only fuels the fire even more.

They didnt leave us the audience to lament in sorrow much after our main leads started to fall out due to FL Dongfang Huaizhu’s distaste of political strategic manoevres by ML Wangquan Hongye, as they pitched in the ‘back to the future’ arc as ML went to rescue FL 20years in the future. Then came the Beast Kingdom part where they started to get lovey dovey and then the showdown in Tushan & Beyond the Boundary. Real fast paced despite being a show about love stories.

Although I fast forwarded much of romance scene of the other side couple (but not enough to miss the whole of their own love story), basically I get the gist that this is a show that lays out multiple love stories around the main leads. Some unrequited and many managed to get reciprocated although all met with a tragic ending.

Basically this is one of the superhero story of how huge power comes with huge responsibility and may cost you your whole life.

Liu Shishi is gorgeous as ever, of course, i think she ages like wine. She looked better in ancient costume now compared to the one I saw when she was younger. Her talent is unquestionable, she carries her character well as the gentle and aloof but strict Dongfang Huaizhu, then a 180deg turn as the evil and scheming Left Guardian Huaizhu of Sky City 20 years in the future. Her romance scenes are all on point except for the kissing part cuz she looked rather stiff. But romance and sad scene are definitely her forte!

I am not familiar with the actor playing ML, but I just thought he looked weird and too pale here. Do they purposely do his make up to look like a vampire? He looked so pale and gaunt. But putting aside his looks, his acting is equally superb with Liu Shishi’s, especially the sad scenes. Simply powerful. But to be honest I kinda prefered if the one who played Zhang Zheng to cast as ML instead. He had the looks of handsome, decisive and scheming person. 😬

The songs are so pleasing and brilliant, especially the opening OST Divine Fire by Yang Bing Yin, oh gosh so beautifully done. I have a playlist costume drama OST that I listen to when I run, and realized that most of the songs here mostly sung by Yang Bing Yin, Zhou Shen, Sa Ding Ding, Liu Yuning and Zhang Bichen. I guess my ears also have a preference. So yeah I’m adding Divine Fire to this playlist next. The slow songs for romantic scenes are equally great, although I wouldn’t add them as I am not into slow type of songs.

This is the third show I’ve seen with Liu Shishi as the FL, somehow it makes me wonder if she has the tendency to pick stories with tragic ending? 😆 but honestly, i must thank the super traumatic character massacre of A Journey to Love for hardening me to face tragic endings in other shows. They don’t affect me much anymore after I cried buckets for A Journey to Love.

All in all, if you hate sad endings and can’t handle them, then avoid the Fox Spirit Matchmaker series (3 in total - Love in Pavilion, Sword and Beloved and Red Moon Pact) at all cost. But if you love the actions and can handle tragic endings fine, then hell yeah you can definitely binge this! This is definitely one of the best productions of 2025.

SPOILER BEYOND THIS LINE!!!
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I cant get over the last arc at the Beyond the Boundary. It’s totally the others’ fault that they still follow ML even as he already left them to go alone into the Boundary despite knowing their future. i mean, at least ML tried to change something by leaving them behind. And the fact that they didn’t help much other than making things worse for ML is even more frustrating. Their fights didnt weaken the Black Fox, in fact only feeds its power as their hatred after seeing their beloved getting killed is absorbed by Black Fox. More importantly had Yang Yitan remained behind, Black Fox wouldnt have known all ML’s moves in advance and ML’s shield wouldnt have been broken.

The Black Fox only started to engage and absorb the Grief Tree in Tushan’s power (at which point FL can start to purify the tree, thus weakening Black Fox) after ML started to go crazy when his sister was killed and seeing all the others dead. This wouldnt have happened if they had stayed behind as per ML’s original plan. I believe if ML hadnt been distracted and his mental strength weakened after seeing their deaths, he wouldnt have been controlled so easily by the Black Fox to kill himself. After all, all she did to convince ML to kill himself was by blaming the others’ death on him. So yeah, i think the real reason why ML’s life was ripped to shreds was due to the other Masked Group members who recklessly and stupidly follow him across the Boundary.

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Way better than Red Moon Pact

Now, I usually watch a drama until the end before writing a review and putting a rating but as I watched Red Moon Pact I have an idea about the ending of Love in Pavilion. But let's evaluate Love in Pavilion by itself first.

The story. It's a prequel to Fox Spirit Match Maker: Red Moon Pact (RMP) but honestly, don't even bother watching RMP prior to this. Love in Pavilion immersed me immediately and I'm still very invested into the story. It's your classic humans versus demons hating each other but there are exceptions who do not make differences between the two. Because both humans and demons have good and bad qualities and can be good or bad. I think I was heard on my review for RMP when I wrote that the black foxes story came out of nowhere. Here we have the black foxes right away causing chaos in the story. The characters from RMP and Love in Pavilion overlap a little. And I want to reiterate that this storyline is so, so much better than RMP. More lively, more grabbing my attention and keeping me tuned in.

The casting. I am about to fangirl hard. I knew Zhang Yunlong before but I have not watched many of his dramas (it was in fact just one drama and I dropped that one anyways and Call Me By Fire). Give this man all the main roles. What the hell. He stole my heart. He's perfect. I'm having legitimate goosebumps from his acting. He may look like his face is mostly just straight but he has such talent for creating big emotions with just small movements of his face. I'm in love. Okay, now to the rest of the cast. I think everyone is just so perfect. There are even the same actors from RMP in their characters. The villains are so hot too. Truly a pleasure to watch everyone.

The soundtrack. It's good. I'm not a soundtrack person. It has to like really stand out to me to be noticed. I'll leave this to others to judge.

Rewatch value. I mean, I can see myself rewatching this for Zhang Yunlong especially.

I already made some comparison to RMP. In case you're not familiar with this series. Fox Spirit Match Maker has a first season or story called Red Moon Pact. I watched it, I was quite disappointed. It was flat, it was quite boring even though it had a pretty good casting. Love in Pavilion is the second installment, it is a prequel story to RMP. I could tell after the first few episodes that I was going to love Love in Pavilion over RMP by heaps. It's so much more lively and engaging. I am very happy about it and I can't wait for the third story from this series. I hope the writers are going to keep it up.

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Can'tttt stop crying

I just finished watching Love In Pavilion yesterday, and I'm still heartbroken. I liked this drama from the moment I saw the trailer, it got me so excited! Episode 1 was so satisfying that I instantly got hooked and started following the episodes every day.

The story is great, the pacing is well done, and the actors are all so beautiful and attractive. But whyyy did they have to kill off so many characters in the last few episodes? I just can't believe it, it broke my heart.

One of the most emotional moments for me was in Episode 35, when Wangquan Hong went to Dongfang Huaizhu's house. The deep sorrow on his face made me cry so hard. Why did they all have to go through such deep trauma? And when all the Mask members died... I had no words, just tears.

This cdrama is now added to the list of shows that made me cry so hard. I really hope Sword and Beloved can heal this pain with a happy ending.

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Such and emotional ride with wonderful characters.

I'm going to say that even though I found the first 4-5 episodes really boring and slow, I'm glad that I picked it up again. I fell in love with the story because once it got going it never let go. I was happy to finally find a Xianxia that hooked me after Moonlight Mystique and that took time. Love in Pavillion was it! I loved the characters every single one had their nitch and made me root for them. I couldn't help and feel sad for most of their endings.
And that was the thing with Love in Pavillion, it made you care so much about their characters and this world that once it reached it's tragic ending you can't help and be heartbroken. I haven't watched Red Moon Pact yet but I decided to give LiP a chance and I'm glad that I did because it took me on an emotional journey.
The love story's here are beautiful too. Although Zheng & Mu Yuan were my favorites I adored Hong Ye and Huai Zhu too even if all their ends are painful. Now, I wait for HZ and HY's son story and hoping it hurts a lot less. But knowing the tragedy of Fox Spirit Match Maker series, I won't hold my breath.
Highly recommended if you are in the mood for a good xianxia with great characters all around, excellent acting and beautiful music. But beware this will yank your heart out in the end.
9.5/10

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If only we had more time....

The story has an incredible premise, and both the main character (MC) and the female main character (FMC) are truly captivating. They have so much potential to shine throughout the narrative, but it seems like they often end up overshadowed by the other couples in the story. Instead of feeling like the focus is primarily on them, I find myself more intrigued by the side characters and their relationships.

While I appreciate how rich and diverse the cast is, it can be overwhelming at times. There are so many subplots and side stories happening simultaneously that it detracts from the central storyline. I can't help but feel that the pacing is inconsistent; at certain moments, the story seems to drag on, while at other times, it rushes through important developments.

I genuinely love the core couple, but I wish the narrative would give them more space to breathe and develop fully. It would be great to see them take center stage without constantly having to compete for attention with the other characters. Balancing the interactions and stories of the side characters with the main plot could elevate the overall experience and keep readers consistently engaged with the primary love story.

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Better than RMP

Compared to Red-Moon Pact, Love in Pavilion is definitely a step up. From the casting to the story execution and even the fight scenes—this installment feels more put-together. But even with the improvements, it still didn’t completely pull me in.

With the plot this time around, the story was clear from the start: unite the demons and humans, and take down the Black Fox. Unlike the first installment, where it constantly felt like we were guessing the direction or waiting for the story to kick in, this one actually had structure. The stakes were understandable, and you could follow the bigger picture. The fight sequences were also miles better—well-choreographed, intense, and actually exciting to watch. Action-wise, this drama delivered.

Casting-wise, Liu Shi Shi as the female lead was a better than Yang Mi in the first installment. She brought a quiet elegance to the role, which suited the character—but to be honest, it got repetitive. Her character was too composed, too calm, and frankly, too bland. She rarely spoke, always looked like she was exhausted or over everything, and her overly arched posture to appear graceful just felt unnatural after a while.

Leon Zhang, playing opposite her, was more engaging. His character had emotional weight—reckless, passionate, and deeply conflicted. As the leader of both the Yiqi Alliance and the Masked Group, his decisions weren’t always the smartest, but they were human. He definitely carried the emotional side of their dynamic. Their romance was a slow burn, but very slow—I honestly didn’t feel anything between them until the very end. By then, it was too little too late.

The supporting cast, however, had some real standouts. Wangquan Zui and Yang Yitan, as well as Qingmu Yuan and Zhang Zheng, had natural chemistry that was way more compelling than the leads’. Their connections felt real, their scenes had tension, and their deaths—cruel and honestly meaningless—hit hard. I found myself caring more about their arcs than the main one.

One thing I wish the drama had done better was showing more of the Masked Group together. They’re supposed to be this tight-knit, elite unit, but it often felt like only one or two members had any real connection while the rest were just kind of... there. More group scenes and bonding moments would’ve made their teamwork and sacrifices land more emotionally.

Overall, Love in Pavilion is a more cohesive and polished drama than its predecessor. The plot is clearer, the fight scenes are more exciting, and the casting choices are stronger. But with a flat lead character and romance that barely sizzles, it still didn’t manage to fully pull me in.

Rating: 7.5/10 — better in many ways, but still lacking that spark.

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Finally I have time to review this drama, for me this drama is quite emotionally draining and makes me cry often not only because of sadness but also moved. All the actors are very professional in acting and chemistry with their respective partners. I like the plot of this drama, also really like the OST songs presented in this drama.
Everyone has given their best to the audience even though this drama did not end well but I really understand why the directors chose the storyline like this, it is because the Directors still follow the original plot and did not change what happened in this universe. I think everyone should be given appreciation to the team of this drama, the actors/actresses, writers, directors and crew team.
You all have done your best!

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