Feud

I Was Ready to Hate This Drama, Until I Didn’t

In a mesmerizing, fairytale-like realm, Li Qing Yue, a powerful immortal favored by the Four Spirits, crosses paths with Bai Jiu Si, the highly respected master of Dacheng. A tragic misunderstanding drives them into a painful conflict that ultimately leads to their deaths. Yet fate is unwilling to let their story end there. Given a second chance at life, they confront their past, repair their fractured bond, and reunite as allies. Together, they stand as protectors of the innocent, facing a growing threat that endangers the world.

As someone who hates misunderstanding and memory loss plots, I was shocked to find myself watching this nonstop in one sitting. Feud is a drama driven by a major misunderstanding, with revenge, justice, memory loss, and compassion as supporting themes. Honestly, I thought I was going to hate this drama, but I was proven wrong. I was completely engrossed and hooked, eager to see how the story would unfold, and that is thanks to the strong storyline.

I believe the charm of this drama lies in the way viewers experience everything alongside the characters. This is a drama that takes you on a journey and places you in a state of understanding similar to that of the characters themselves. You will misunderstand, then feel guilty for misunderstanding. You will trust, then feel betrayed. Essentially, you go through exactly what the characters go through. The drama follows a recurring formula of one point of view, the consequences that follow, revenge, the truth being revealed, and then another set of consequences. It is surprising that this repeated structure never became tiring. Instead, it kept me seated and fully invested. Although the story becomes a bit chaotic toward the end, overall it was well written and well paced. The misunderstanding and memory loss plots that I usually dread were handled so smoothly that they never made me feel exhausted.

I had a genuinely fun experience watching this drama. At first, I questioned whether Hua Ru Yue’s motives toward Bai Jiu Si were strong enough to justify her hatred and determination for revenge. Then, after seeing what truly happened, I began to sympathize with her. Soon after, I was shown Bai Jiu Si’s point of view and found myself sympathizing with him as well. Experiencing the emotional shifts alongside the characters was incredibly engaging. Despite my positive experience, the drama is not without its flaws.

One major pet peeve of mine is the use of comedy. Given how heavy the storyline is, the comedic choices often felt unsuitable. The use of exaggerated sound effects to highlight certain moments, such as Zhang Suan’s heartbreak, felt forced and out of place. Additionally, the music arrangement was awkward at times. There were moments when the background music would abruptly stop just to emphasize a comedic beat, which disrupted the immersion. Overall, the comedy felt unnatural and did not blend well with the emotional depth of the story. Fortunately, the comedic elements within the script itself were generally acceptable.

Bai Lu’s dual performance as Li Qing Yue and Hua Ru Yue was outstanding. As expected of her, she brought both characters to life beautifully. Her expressions were top tier. I cried when she cried and smiled when she smiled. For Li Qing Yue, I did feel that her early costumes as a gate guard did not quite match Bai Lu’s naturally elegant and mature visuals. However, this did not affect my overall experience and was simply a minor observation. Aside from that, Bai Lu’s visuals, aura, and expressions were perfectly suited for both characters, and the contrast between them was very clear. She also excelled at portraying Hua Ru Yue’s complex emotions through subtle expressions and body language, especially in the later episodes when her feelings toward Bai Jiu Si became increasingly conflicted.

Joseph Zeng’s portrayal of Bai Jiu Si was very appealing. His visuals were striking. He brought the aloof and reserved Bai Jiu Si to life convincingly, although I personally found the white hair somewhat unfitting for his youthful face. Joseph Zeng’s eyes and lips naturally carry a sense of sadness and longing, which suited his character well. While I do not vividly remember every expression, I believe his overall performance was strong. His portrayal during Bai Jiu Si’s memory loss arc left a particularly deep impression on me, as it showed a complete shift in personality. This contrast convinced me that Joseph Zeng truly understood and nailed the role, as he successfully depicted Bai Jiu Si across all stages of his character development.

The chemistry between Bai Lu and Joseph Zeng was excellent. It is clear that they are comfortable with each other, likely due to their real-life friendship. Visually, they complement each other very well. Bai Jiu Si’s chemistry with both Li Qing Yue and Hua Ru Yue felt natural and convincing. Their characters were well written, and the depth of their love and hatred felt justified and emotionally grounded.

The ensemble cast was also memorable. All the actors performed well in their respective roles. The side characters surrounding Bai Jiu Si, Li Qing Yue, and Hua Ru Yue left a strong impression. I grew fond of Li Mo, Cang Tu, Ning Yan, Yin Tong Zi, and Fan Ling Er and found myself rooting for them. However, Long Yuan consistently annoyed me, as he seemed to embody impulsive rage and unchecked anger. Unlike some ensemble characters whose arcs evolve over time, my frustration with him remained until the very end.

One aspect that could have been handled better, though it did not significantly affect my overall experience, was the ending. I found the use of the time artifact, as well as Bai Jiu Si and Hua Ru Yue’s reunion, confusing. I did not fully understand how Hua Ru Yue’s first attempt at using the time artifact differed from her next attempt. I have a general idea, but I am not confident in my interpretation. Additionally, I am unclear about why Bai Jiu Si was inside the frozen water. While the ending left me with many questions, it ultimately did not diminish my enjoyment of the drama.

Overall, Feud surprised me in the best way possible. Despite relying heavily on tropes I usually dislike, it managed to deliver an emotionally immersive experience through strong writing, compelling character perspectives, and excellent performances. While it has its flaws, particularly in its use of comedy and a somewhat confusing ending, the drama’s ability to make viewers feel, question, and empathize alongside its characters is what truly sets it apart. Feud is not a perfect drama, but it is a memorable and engaging one that proves even the most overused tropes can shine when executed with care and depth.

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A Story That Tested My Patience but Touched My Sou

I’ll be honest—Feud tested my patience. I put it on hold several times because I just couldn’t figure out where the story was going. A few of my followers on MDL encouraged me not to give up and to give it a fair chance, so I did.

From episodes 1 through 18, it was a real drag. The pacing was painfully slow, the plot made little sense, and at times it was downright frustrating. But once I reached episode 20—bam!—everything clicked. The story finally took off, and I was hooked.

Episodes 22 to 24 completely broke my heart. That’s when I finally understood her hatred for him—it ran deep, through her entire being. And when he realized the weight of what he’d done, that no amount of effort could undo it, it was gut-wrenching to watch. Seeing him try anyway was both sad and beautiful.

Both the ML and FL gave powerful performances, and the supporting cast did a great job bringing out their emotional depth. The side stories of the additional characters added a real sense of enlightenment to the drama—especially the healer and the fox. Their story was so sad, yet deeply touching, and it tied beautifully into the main storyline’s themes of love, loss, and redemption.

That said, this drama could’ve been phenomenal if the writer and director hadn’t wasted so much time on the first half. It’s fine to build up a storyline—but not at the expense of the audience’s patience. Once it got going, it was absolutely worth it… but getting there felt like a marathon.

Now, I do have a few questions—maybe someone reading this can enlighten me:

When the FL was walking out of the temple with her son, she turned back and looked inside with hatred—but there were tears of blood. Why?

In the final episode, when she told her past self to tell the ML that she was with child, why didn’t that change the outcome in the end?

If she told herself about the child, then shouldn’t the child have lived? Why was there nothing about him afterward?

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Ice Queen God Chills Drama

I had high hopes for this drama. For most of the drama, Hua Ru Yue (Bai Lu) was so cold and unforgiving towards her husband Emperor of Heaven Bai Jiu Si (Joseph Zeng). She blamed him for everything that went wrong in her life, even though she was the main cause of everything wrong in her life. She kept the rules of her sect, but broke the rules of Heaven. For instance, she gave power to a human to kill a drought dragon. The Heavenly Emissary (Yu Meng Long) came to the mortal realm and forced Bai Jiu Si to seal Hua Ru Yue's power as punishment. Bai Jiu Si took all of the punishments for his wife and even took a 10-year Heavenly Tribulation (lightning strikes) for her. She removed and destroyed his golden core and she stabbed him a few times. Bai Jiu Si loved his wife and tried to show her some affection, but it was always met with coldness. She was pregnant and had their child, but she never told him; her human student knew of her pregnancy and was there for her. When Bai Jui Si fell into a childlike state, she showed him compassion and fondness. When he died, she showed love, monging, deep sorrow and regret. Finally, Emperor Bai Jui Si and Hua Ru Yue were together again, at the end of the drama. They had a renewing of their love.

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A Mess

TLDR: this show is exactly what would have happened if someone woke up one day and decided to make Till the End of the Moon look nicer while having a sh*ttier story and characters.

The Good: As previously mentioned, this is a damn good looking drama. Aside from the wirework and some really bad editing (things appearing and disappearing from hands) Things look VERY nice. It's been a while since I've watched a proper XuanHuan fantasy with the works. The sets were pretty premium looking and visually appealing. Lots of varied settings that add very much needed distraction from all the stuff on screen that either bores/irritates you. The music was also okay, no tracks stood out to me but I definitely feel that the soundtrack is more balanced than TTEOTM's.

Got to also give the cast their flowers, everyone was clocking IN for their check. Not a singling person was phoning it in, Bai Lu was especially exciting to watch as always but I am her biggest fan so I could be biased. Zeng Shun Xi was not a bad actor either, I started the drama thinking his portrayal was a little too stiff (I was having Blossoms in Adversity flashbacks) but as time went on he did kinda win me over…

Okay now THE BAD:

This sh*t is in the wrong order.

I'm not joking, this story is told to its audience in the wrong ORDER.

I'm officially getting into spoiler territory here, so be aware.

In TTEOTM there is a flashback portion that adds to the story. The Untamed also starts in the “future” after most of the inciting events have happened, then it has an extended flashback to tell its background to the audience so they can be more invested in the coming conflicts and have a better understanding of how the past effects the characters they are invested in.

Feud doesn't take either approach, instead it withholds crucial information in favor of subverting expectations later.

I truly believe this show would have been twice as good if it had just told its story in chronological order with Bai Lu's Siling as the focus. If we had experienced her pain and suffering in real time, then it would have had 2 main benefits.

1. Siling's actions wouldn't have seemed so unnecessarily cruel and meaningless. Since I spent so much of the show following Bai Jiusi, we have more of a connection with him and his suffering. When Siling's motivation was revealed I was so tired of the subversion that I couldn't help but think that basic communication could have solved everything… (This is comedic foreshadowing)

2. Creating anticipation, instead of always feeling confused and wondering I'm going to get enough info to alleviate the distinct feeling of stupidity I was constantly burdened with. I could have been given Siling's side of the story and been patiently awaiting Bai Jiusi's finding out more about her core motivation. Then satisfaction from his finding out would have been wayyy better than how it was implemented.

Imagine this same story told in chronological order.

Siling and Bai Jiusi meet and form a connection ➡️ they fall in love➡️ they diverge in their philosophy and spilt➡️ Tragedy strikes➡️ Reincarnation.

Boom, then you can basically pick up where ep 1 starts. It just seems like such a waste of potential.


The other bad: The Side characters.

Almost every side character is either one dimensional or kinda appalling. Our 2nd ML is a creature that is only ever driven by his desire for the FML ( a woman he barely knows or talks to). A lotus demon who commits murder for like 5 episodes and is conveniently excused and redeemed. Another love triangle that persisted until the 3rd to last episode… (dumb)

And a whole host of side characters who don't matter.

In fact, they matter so little that it is only when their lives are endangered and are ready to sacrifice themselves. Each insignificant background character bravely calls out their name before getting obliterated. (Can not make this up, I do not remember those walking corpses and I never will.)

The other other bad.

Bai Jiusi's the most impressive punching bag I've seen since Yu Sifeng from Love and Redemption. Dude is betrayed, beaten and bamboozled in almost every episode. He's supposed to be the most powerful person but he's so whack. It's crazy. Such a stoic character makes terrible and borderline dumb decisions almost every episode.

The romance was so flat. It was definitely that fact that we only see the most basic of interactions between the leads…. then we're thrown into the most nonsensical long ass plot.

SPOILER
--‐---------------------------->


The time travel nonsense really grabbed me by the hair, slapped me and spat in my face and called me stupid for watching till the end.

Siling getting to go back in time and fix everyone's dumb little problems with just communication and ..... Yea.... thats it. She just talks to everyone and that shows that everything was a huge waste of time that would have been solved if ANYONE in the story stopped for a second and TALKED about what they wanted.... OMFG💀 the ending is dumb and unsatisfying too.


Overall, I think this drama is beautiful, but it is most certainly a waste of time. I will never watch it again.

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A Supreme Love, a Flawed Finale

When I breezed through the first 31 episodes of this drama, I could not understand why the rating on kisskh.com was only 8.2. To me, it felt worthy of a solid 8.7 or even 8.9—and I was convinced I would personally give it a perfect 10. (My ratings usually run more generous than the site’s average.)

The cast is an absolute visual feast. The radiant He Rui Xian commands the screen as a spirited, almost petulant Goddess—her large, expressive eyes and pouty lips paired with a magnetic performance has captivated me since the first drama I saw her in. Joseph Zeng brings gravitas as the Supreme God, his handsome features framed in an air of stern dignity and quiet sorrow. Bai Lu, ever versatile, shifts seamlessly between the sweetness of an innocent girl and the fiery resolve of a vengeful Goddess. And then there is Hong Yao, the dashing villain you cannot look away from. These are names I hope to see leading many more dramas in the future.

The story opens with the Supreme God Bai Jiu Si rescuing a humble young woman, Li Qing Yue, and unexpectedly accepting her rather absurd betrothal gift. It is a romantic and visually stunning beginning—power meets humility against a backdrop of lush scenery and exquisite music. Yet, as the narrative deepens, it becomes clear this is no simple “powerful man loves lowly girl” trope. Bai Jiu Si is convinced A’Yue is the great love from his past life, yet her identity—and the truth behind their tangled history—remain shrouded in mystery. Glimpses of the past reveal both deep affection and bitter enmity, culminating in acts of devastating betrayal.

You are left questioning what could have sparked such intense hatred in the face of such unwavering love. As in any well-woven tale, there are hidden motives and a concealed puppet master whose identity may surprise you. And of course, a lack of communication between the couple and consultation with each other are much to be blamed for opening up opportunities for the villian to take advantage of. Assumptions are made of each other and a fundamental distrust between them sow the seeds of discord.

Up to episode 31, the drama flows beautifully—balancing romance, intrigue, and emotional stakes. Then, unfortunately, the narrative stumbles. Perhaps wary of delivering a tragic finale in an age where happy endings are in vogue, the writer appears to rush a turnaround, introducing a time-altering device that abruptly reshapes events. Yet the mechanics and consequences of this twist are never fully explained. Questions linger: How exactly did the changes affect the past and present? What truly became of the hero and heroine? The lack of clarity undermines the emotional weight built so carefully earlier on.

In the end, my initial 10 was scaled back to a 9, and I came to see why kisskh’s 8.2 rating might be fair. This could have been a near-masterpiece had it embraced its darker, more poignant ending, leaving room for a sequel to set things right. Instead, the rushed resolution dulled the final impact of what was otherwise an engrossing and beautifully performed drama.

However, if you are not as particular as I am about airtight endings and flawless logic, this remains a thoroughly enjoyable drama—rich in romance, intrigue, and gorgeous performances, and well worth your time.

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Emotional, exciting and enjoyable

The story is very interesting and keeps me watching every episode.
Bailu and Joseph zeng did a great job and their acting feels very real.
I liked how the rivalry between the characters is shown.
Sometimes it is very intense and sometimes there are funny or light moments which makes it feel balanced.
I also like the setting and the background story. It makes the whole drama more interesting and shows more about the characters’ world and life.
But I have to say, there are some things that I don’t like.
Some parts of the story are too slow, some of the side characters are not very important and I wish they could have more story.
There are also some moments that are a little confusing because the plot doesn’t explain everything.
Even so, I still think it’s a very good drama, I definitely recommend watching it.

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the female rage that couldn't

this had a nice concept- a powerful woman, aggrieved, willing to move mountains to address her grievance. and it did start off well, we get to enjoy her crash outs through the flashbacks, but then fwd back to the present and that plot predictably lost its steam, lacked follow through, and a satisfying resolution, and was eventually replaced by an admittedly enigmatic villain. turns out hell doth have more fury than a woman wronged.

I really liked bai lu's performance, especially in the mortal world scenes. that lady really needs her own standalone female centric drama, not like those fake female centric dramas. no a real one like those male centric ones e.g. guardians of dafeng, jol, etc.
I have nothing to say about the ml, he did not really make an impression on me, and was not really written to be a lead main character. he was very pretty though, and he posed beautifully.
I liked the dacheng land, and bai jiu si's outfits, so pretty! gorgeous color palette!
I found the ml's 1st disciple hilarious. every inch of his costume was ridiculous lol
32 eps and I cannot point to a single romantic scene between the leads but I did not mind, they don't really have that sort of chemistry and the story did not call for it. I do not believe Bai Jiu Si had romantic love for Qing Yue, it was more like he loved her bc they were the same/came from the same place. It was more like agape love...which makes sense ig

I did not care for the 2ls, I don't even have a criticism I just did not care, ditto the first 10ish episodes or that entire father daughter plot, or the love triangle between the disciples, or anything else that was happening after a while. I did not finish the last ep.
also none of the emotional scenes really hit, people cried, people died and yeah, meh.
the villain never really came across as threatening imo.
in the beginning the leads were these powerful beings with lives 'as long as the sun and moon,' but the bad guy sure tackled them easily by the end.
watch it, but don't expect a masterpiece, or even to be wowed.
fantasy dramas nowadays have such a childish bend to them, like even more than they used to in the past...heh idk but not a fan

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The Principle of Polarity Put into Perspective: "A weakness can also be an armor"

I actually rate this drama a 6.75/10, but since I can't give that rating on MDL, I opted for a 6.5/10.
I also want to emphasize the fact that this is, for me, the first xianxia I've found interesting in over three years. And this is essentially due to the fact that this cdrama focuses on stong philosophical reflections, that I found very inspiring. However, this drama has many flaws, and I understand why many fail to connect to it.

Nevertheless, for me at least, there's still something in the design of this drama that I value greatly: the expression of sincerity in artistic & creative exploration. This drama really tried to create something visually different from the usual xianxia genre (mainly the first 11 episodes, cause after that it went slowly downhill).
This drama is far from perfect, but despite everything, it managed to touch the part in me in search for a creative journey.

1.The Directing :
The 1st ep looked very much like a pilot one, a bit chaotic & clumsy, weird voice over for the fl, your classic xianxia trope, in term of directing it's wasn't that great but still charming.
Episodes 2-11 were beautifully directed imo, not perfect but the creative input was def strong & authentic, it impressed me. The shots were differents & gorgeous, you could sense the inspiration from old famous movies from hong kong & china, and there was a serious will to give us a different looking xianxia. There was something very seductive in the way the scenes were portayed through the lens of the director.
The color palette, decor, makeup & costumes truly surprised me in the best way. I was so tired of watching xianxias having the same aesthetic.
Shots got repetitive after the first 11 episodes tho. Most of the creativity of the beginning faded away to display the most generic directing, probably less costing LOL. During the last part of the drama, few shots were pretty but kinda meaningless, so it was a disappointement.
Most cgi during the 2nd part & most importantly the action scenes were bad.
The editing was often weird. It participate on the downfall of the quality of the drama. The scenes followed one another in either an abrupt or robotic manner. Of course, it is obvious that to respect the 32-episodes format, there must have been a need to reduce a lot of scenes.
The work on the lighting was generic and lacked efforts. It actually made a lot of scenes (that were already poorly shooted) look very awkward.

Have you noticed how all the hugging scenes were poorly filmed? A shame. The directing after ep 11 definitely lacked sensibility, spirit but also bravery. I never got actually emotional while watching the drama, I could feel so much distance with what was displayed, it didn't feel real despite many realitic themes. The execution of it was most definitely NOT credible, lacked so much attention for details and precision.

The sountrack was absolutely underwhelming. I only like two songs and one of them was the one sung by Zeng Shun Xi.

2. The Writing :
A/The Themes of The Story :
The choice of the themes deplayed in the drama were outstanding and what truly makes this drama worth the watch and give it a high rewatch potential.
Here a short list of the themes :
-The Principle of Polarity (Yin & Yang, Cause and Effects)
-The cycle of life that never ends
-Theory of causality: cause and effect
-The theme of motherhood and fatherhood
- Maternal instinct ( HRY being overprotective) vs detachment ( BJS chosing to take action for both of them without her consent, being also overprotective)
- The challenges of perception
- Reality vs Imagination
- Hysteria or the condescending term and judgment of women's emotional expressions (Yin)
- The silent burdens in the expression of masculinity (Yang)
- The puirsuit of Truth & the construction of discernment

I have written a very long essai that I added on discussion topic of the page of FEUD, so if your curious I'll invite you to read it, it is called "An attempt to highlight the beauty of the deep philosophical themes of the story of FEUD". 

B/The Storytelling :
The storytelling was a complete fail.
The writing & choices of the themes were great but the construction of the narrative was very amateurish and full of obvious and tacky clumsiness.
The audience is really left alone trying to guess the depth of the writing. And if you don't pay attention enough, you would definetely miss the beauty of the subjects displayed, because precisely the storytelling wasn't efficient enough. You do not get to truly witness the beauty of the theory of polarities reaching its high potential when it comes to a drama adaptation. FEUD is to me more of an attempt, a lovely & clumsy attempt that still reached me, but if I wasn't myself educated enough on taoism and other philosophical ideas, this drama wouldn't have reach me like it did. And that's why I can see how many people didn't connect to the drama.
The writing of the first twist was actually good (HRY faking having forgotten everything), the 1st stabbing scene did get the reaction from the audience that was needed, but the twits after felt VERY repetitive, forced & cringy, simply added to avoid truly writing something creative & more serious as obstacles or ways to deepen the psychology of the characters.
Honestly, they were too many repetition in the writing, it was annoying.
I guessed most major twists, and after the 1st one, the thrill of guessing became flavorless.
The constant focus on those stabbing scenes & the display of physical pain was of poor taste (most xianxias have those and it needs to stop LOL, can you write angst in another way? Like it's 2025?). One or two scenes were enough for us to grab the importance of how deep their sorrow was, but nah, they kept going just to use those heavy scenes of suffering as a way to fill up the storytelling, which I find not only problematic but also triggering. It destroyed the impact of the first scenes, making the use of those same looking scenes (where you see the fl stabbing the ml, one of them needing to die etc) as a pretext or disguise for the lack of cleverness needed to write new scenes with such a strong impact.
HRY & BJS “acting” to then cooperate felt flat as hell, it was simplistic and yet again REPETITIVE ! So, in the beginning, HRY was acting up, BJS was playing along, then HRY played AGAIN in an illusion to trap BJS. And then, both of them play fools to win against the bad villain bla bla bla uuugh so boring and cringy ?! Like, the writer didn't find any better way to make the story evolve? haa? That's the real major issue, the writing didn't get to evolve at all ! A waste of so much potential, and that's a shame.The drama could've been epic.

The last part of the drama (eps 22-32) was highly disappointing. I did enjoy the scenes were BJS get to discover the truth when it comes to what HRY had to go through in the mortal realm without him but after that, nothing interesting was going on. The quality of the writing definitely showed its heavy limitation there. Watching BJS acts like a child was cute but felt completely random since the drama was almost ending.

The drama was far too abstract & focused on aesthetics when it came to the story of the two heroes' love, we were forced to display a form of detachment since the writer failed when it comes to the storytelling.
We don't really know how BJS & HRY fell in love in details. I mean we know the circustances but we never got to see the characters wonder and have introspection about how they feel and think. The drama was too focus on displaying a robotic way of narration. We needed to dive more into their soul imo. We didn't have enough scenes where there was a real effort in the writing, particularly with the help of sincere and deep dialogues.


Now, let's talk about the ending.
The ending was underwhelming but the idea of it was very interesting and meaningful, too bad the making was badly done.
The whole idea of HRY going back in time to try to change things in the past, but failing into changing the future for her & BJS was an excellent idea but again, poorly executed. They rushed the whole process.
The idea was that Destiny or your Karma fate, is bound to happen no matter what, your mistakes, one flawed action, aren't the only responsibles of the trajectory of your life's journey. Erasing suffering won't change the separations, the misunderstanding (etc), nor the course of what should happen. Suffering is what made you transform, you have to live it. You have to accept how unperfect your past could be, & if you are able to make peace with it, you can find some sort of harmony, between suffering and happiness, cause one can't exist without the other, again it is the symbolism of polarities. Happiness might not be the actual precise word to express the opposite of suffering, I think it was more a matter of Prosperity (a spiritual abundance) that is about experiencing a sense of profound fulfillment, gratitude, and richness in every aspect of life.
HRY go back in time and resolve the main misunderstandings, leaving the people have more informations, to guide their future choices but without forcefully intervene (the way she did in the past). It's a way for her to help them gain a better level of consciousness, something she lacked herself for a very long time.
By being more conscious of what's happenning around you, because of yourself and others, you get to at least try to harmonize the income of your future by not failing into the trap of self victimization. The source of your suffering, doesn't have to kill you, it can transform you.
The ending is about Yin and Yang becoming complementary, forming One through their differences.

3. The Pacing
It was awful.
Unlike many, the beginning of the drama and the first part was the most interesting part to me.
Yes, the very first episode was very clumsy, but despite that, I immediately saw potential and the chemistry.
Nothing was clear, and that's what I liked about it. Everything was designed to encourage us to make suggestions rather than offering an academic introduction to history. And the pacing was very good, during those episodes, I never got bored.
It's only after episode 12 that the chain of events slows down and makes the narrative less engaging. There are many scenes without passion, without a well-crafted rhythm, particularly in the way events follow one after the other. The drama lacked so much passion, lacked so much life, and the terrible pacing made those inadequacies even more heavy.
Despite many lovely scenes, some great emotional moments and the chemistry between the lead, they couldn't correct the void left by the lack of quality in the storytelling & the pacing.
Those scenes in that 2nd part (eps 13-21) were largely premeditated with the aim of solving the main mystery rather than showing us a shared adventure with moment of deep connections. The drama lacks a lot of subtlety.
The other thing that made the pacing quite awful that were most definetely
repulsive are the filler scenes. They were soo boring, especially the scenes about the Jingyun sect and its members, all those scenes with the 2nd male lead etc, gosh so boring.

4. The Chemistry
The last time I actually liked Bai Lu's chemistry with her male lead was with Xu Kai. The chemistry between Zeng Shun Xi & Bai Lu was also one of the reason I decided to continue watching the drama. The chemistry was very obvious from the get go. Their scenes felt natural, you could sense how comfortable they were in acting together.
They did lack intensity but they instead displayed a very lovely, charming chemistry, that was very refreshing.
In the beginning of the drama, you could sense a sexual tension between HRY & BJS but after episode 12, it kinda got lost. Their mutual attraction got muted for the sake of highlighting a more platonic love, which was disappointing to me. I mean, I loved the platonicity, the innocence from it but it wasn't neccessary to suppress their desires lol, both could exist at the same time.

5. The Acting :
Since FEUD is a drama produced by Yu Zheng, we have to deal with the fact that he adds most of his team members into the cast of the drama, and as always it's annoying as hell, cause most of the time those actors & actresses bring nothing truly interesting to the table, at least for most of them.

Zeng Shun Xi's performance was the true suprise of this show for me but also what made me curious about this drama in the beginning.
I never was impressed by his acting if I'm being honest, he always does the job but never truly was impressive.
Here, he really was good. His care and dedication to display the right expressions but also subtle ones (especially during the 1st part of the drama) were one of the major reason that made me choose to continue watching this drama.
I really enjoyed his work on the characterization of Bai Jiu Si and the expression of his character's aura was undeniable. It felt sincere, even if, during the 2nd part of the drama, his acting lacked novelty, his portrayal got a bit redundant. The last part of the drama gave him enough substance to show us more of his range.
Zeng Shun Xi does look very young despite being 27 year old, and I think it did take away the credibility of him looking like the most powerful & respected deity (Heavenly Lord Dacheng) in the heaven realm lol.
But it wasn't really that disturbing to me, I could ignore that. But the real flaw in his acting imo, is that at some point (and it's also the case for Bai Lu too) you can very obviously see how his own lack of experiences in life made some of his scenes feel unsatisfied, incomplete and sometimes superficial.

Bai Lu's perfomance felt quite flat and average. There was few scenes were I fought she did a good job but overall, her peformance lacked range and depth to portay Hua Ru Yue.
She didn't display anything different of what she usually does. She lacked tremendously micro expressions and energy shifts in her perf.

Li Mo (Liang Yong Qi) and Sun Zheng (Long Yuan) were the only interesting character's outside the leads to me. Their acting perfomances were good especially Li Mo.
The rest of the cast performed in a rather ordinary or caricatured manner. They were simply uninteresting to watch for me.

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A Story of Love, Power, and Regret

Of course I watched Feud the moment I saw Bai Lu was in it – I mean, she's my ultimate fave! 😍 Paired with Zeng Shunxi, this drama already had a solid foundation with such talented leads. The acting is top-notch, the costumes are breathtaking, and the OST is absolutely captivating – definitely a treat for the senses.

Let’s talk performances first: Bai Lu, as always, delivers a deeply emotional and compelling performance. Zeng Shunxi holds his own beside her, and their chemistry feels authentic and well-balanced. You can really feel the tension and emotion in every scene.

Visually, this drama is stunning. The costume and set designs are rich in detail, and they beautifully reflect the era and mood of each scene. The cinematography is elegant, with so many scenes that could be framed as artwork.

Now, about the storyline – I’ll be honest, I found it a bit lacking in some parts. The plot started off strong, but as the episodes went on, it lost some of its punch. A few of the later episodes even felt somewhat similar to those in Moonlight Mystique. It’s not bad, but I just expected a bit more in terms of depth and pacing.

And the ending? Ugh, I was left hanging 😭 – it felt rushed and unfinished. I really wanted a stronger conclusion after all the buildup.

As for the characters... OMG. Dao Ming Si?! 😂 If you know, you know. I won’t spoil who I’m referring to, but let’s just say he was the most frustrating character for me – I seriously wanted to scream at the screen. That’s how you know the actor did a good job though!

Thematic-wise, behind all the beautiful faces and elaborate costumes, the story delivers some powerful messages:
– Power and ambition can consume you, and no matter how beautiful the surface is, there’s always a price to be paid for betrayal and revenge.
– Appearances can deceive, and true strength often comes in quiet, painful choices.
– And most importantly: When you love someone, tell them. It’s easier said than done, but don’t let fear hold you back until regret is all that’s left. This drama shows how silence can hurt more than any sword ever could.

Final Thoughts:
Feud is a visually captivating drama with excellent acting, especially from Bai Lu (bias aside, she really shines here). The plot could’ve been more solid, and the ending more satisfying, but overall it’s still worth watching – just don’t expect everything to be wrapped up neatly.

⋆.ೃ࿔🌸*:･𝔃 𝓮 𝓷 𝓪 𝓻🍧 ₊ ⊹

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Should have been 24 episodes

I've been so excited for this one since they released its trailer so I had high expectations for it. As I've been watching wuxia back to back, it's easy to get tired if the plot gets draggy or boring. While it's a great drama, I'll list out the reasons for my ratings.
1. They pushed most of the actions towards the end. The leads didn't even have many conversations (about 30%) compared to the side characters, meaning unnecessary screentime for supporting characters. Hence, my point is that they would have achieved the same thing with 24 episodes. I mean, they were even talking about the love story of one grandpa and one woman like that...who cares?? They also gave too much screen time to another father-daughter relationship of one of the side characters
2. From the title, you would know it was a love-hate relationship so I could understand their relationship. For me, what she made him go through seemed too much because she kept punishing him over and over again, and this was someone she loved. She plotted for years and damn she did act well in her plotting because I thought Li Qinyue wasn't her at all. She had punished him after her tribulations, locked him up for years, and after 400 years, she's still out for blood. And to top it all, the boy knew all along and kept indulging her. He never tried to hurt her, but couldn't understand why she hated him so much. That should have even made him investigate what went on in her life in the human realm, but no, he decided to do so towards the end. But like they say, the bigger the love, the deeper the hatred.
3. The Empyrean was a useless character. Only showing up to punish, but will not fight when there's a bigger evil.
4. The acting of the leads were great with the right emotions being conveyed.
Overall, the drama was good; the leads had great chemistry, and the drama did live up to its title - Feud. Because it was mainly centered around that, there were a few boring moments here and there, but watching Joseph Zhang's face for hours was a dream come true because I missed him! The kiss scene in the end did pacify things a little though....lol

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