The plot may not be perfect, but is quite addictive and engaging, that's why your points are not noticeable..…
Lets see what LQQ exactly said to Su Taiyi in his boiling anger (ep. 13 opening scene): "9 out of 10 villages stand empty, (due to) taxes weighing down like mountains, the granaries are bare (...)... Staying alive only adds to the tax burdens (...) Outside is a land of starving corpses and piles of bones! Your dream of immortality is built upon their flesh and blood! (...) In this world, how many die each day from starvation and poverty because of the Immortality Tax!" He mentioned the immortality tax at least three times, so you can't say he went mad because of the people dying bc of the pills. That tax is imposed to finance the production of the pills, throwing people in extreme misery. When LQQ asks Su: "Can you truly account for this blood debt?" - it wasn't a question, it was an indictment, he holds Su responsible for people's misery. What is "minor" or "major" flaw is debatable (and often related to a person's perception). I've watched tons of dramas and movies, that's why I think I can tolerate "minor flaws"... but the things I've pointed out above - while may not be huge - still offended my intelligence.
FL has been busted down in her power levels multiple times before this story started because of her inability…
her failures to advance in power levels are unrelated to her intolerance towards injustice. Actually, she advanced from Qi level thanks to the fact she fought the injustice Lu suffered. We still do not know the real reason for her previous failures, but I expect this aspect will be addressed later in the drama
1. Nowhere in the series is it stated that the male lead didn’t know about this tax. We are shown him at the…
Come on.She stole the token from her master to make him live forever, that act doesn't make her unrigtheous. A smart argument he started to feel... among other things - the feeling of anger (for immortal tax) - due to his transformation to a human, lol.
Yes, I remember those lines. But he wasn't on the brink of death when we've seen the scene of her stumbling in pain in the hearth: it was just his scull still uncovered that provoked the pain in him and then in her
The plot may not be perfect, but is quite addictive and engaging, that's why your points are not noticeable..…
I've said it myself that the first arc was highly enjoyable. Ofc. no drama is perfect, but the 2nd arc offended my intelligence, so it wasn't "a minor flaw". Some people go with a first impression (which was good for both of us) but other people remain focused on the story as it progress
1. Nowhere in the series is it stated that the male lead didn’t know about this tax. We are shown him at the…
Ad 1. Ok, I can go along with your interpretation: he is not a saint. He definitely had his own agenda when he was convicted for disobeying the court policy (ie. his goal was to be punished by 1000 flesh cuts) and didn't pay much attention to the immortality tax as it was not so harsh in that county, but in that case... why did he react so madly as he did when he discovered it? Ad 2. Yes, you're right - that was actually the first time, but it doesn't change my point and I'm glad you acknowledge the issue wasn't explained well. Ad 3. The word "investigate" was my bad. But remaining there just to lecture her fellow practioners without questioning who did the crime of murder and find out the murderer is somehow off of such a righteous character, don't you think?
Yeah, the FL is inherently kind, I agree with you on that, but these shifts in her behaviour aren't so logical if we don't know what triggers her fight for justice, or at least, lacks some depth. I've just mentioned it en passant awaiting the drama to give us some details about it. There are plenty of similar side-issues, I could have mentioned their marriage bond/curse as well, it isn't clear when she feels his pain and when she doesn't, bc sometimes we see it on the screen and sometimes we don't.
While the first arc was highly enjoyable with several surprises which caught us off guard (the wedding, his "death" and her subsequent "vendetta" for what she preceived as injustice unaware he was undergoing his first "human tribulation", the (wo)manhunt and thrilling fights...), I can't say the same thing for the 2nd arc. Not only the medicine valley plot was underwhelming (that was even expected to a certain degree, as her memory of him was erased), it contained several inconsistencies, disconnections from the first arc and/or chopping leftovers. 1. In the 2nd arc, the ML appears as a master of the head of the valley, but he is still the same person (Lu Huai) who was a public officer, a governor of a region, for many years and convicted for disobeying a bad state policy to alieviate the consequences of a draught. How is it possible that such a high officer, tasked to implement court decisions (including tax collection), knew nothing about the "immortality tax", which was collected for so many years, burdening the commoners in such a harsh way? This inconsistency could have been easily avoided, by just adding to his indictment that he disobeyed to collect this tax and it would avoid this feeling of disjoint between the two arcs. 2. This tax - as a core issue in the medicine valley plotline - wasn't properly introduced in general, we've heard of it for the first time from a dying Li Si and what followed were just words, dialogues, monologues, philosophical and math explanations, We've never seen or sensed the consequences of this tax on the screen, no display of people's sufference or any significant impact on this drama's world-building. The issue was simply dismissed with an abstract "what is good and what is right?", and the accountable people (greedy sect masters and the emperor's envoy) went home with tails between their legs after the FL's lecturing. 🤦♀️ 3. Who killed the scammer-boatman? As far as we know, the FL, who was on her way back home, remained in the valley just to investigate his death! If he and his death were not so important, why this man was in the plot at all? To distract our attention from the fact this entire arc was just... badly written?
There are also other unconvincing or unexplained things (eg. FL's switches from a meek, good and proper girl to a badass fighter for justice) which - I hope - will be explained later. The arcs are evidently structured around a precise "human tribulation" path of the ML (1st being the flesh change, 2nd the bone change) and now we are in the 3rd arc (blood change) which seems will gather other characters listed as "leads" (it was a high time, we've almost seen a half of the drama). And I've already sensed few problems in the storytelling...
It looks like the FL has some anger control issues. Her initial meek, respectful and rule-abiding behaviour was probably a sort of self-imposed way to keep her unresistible justice-seeking-at-all-costs drive in check. I like this trait of hers. And I suppose she'll be very angry at the ML, lol. I wonder why she wanted so badly to get rid of the "prophecy"... well, I suppose I'm hooked on this story. 😇
she couldn't bathe the babies and do their hair before she sent them off?lol not even gonna question them traveling…
I've thought the same thing when they were leaving the city gates: she could have bought them clean clothes and made them look tidy. But then I've thought she haven't done that because her purpose to leave the capital was to entrust them to someone who would take them to the safeplace as she could go back and take down the last man who framed Lu. She also purposefully left her traces in the capital as to make her hunters think she was seriously wounded and left the city for good. Lu Huai left the kids living in his mansion simply bc. they were little beggars and he evidently has his reasons for treating well all beggars, he never adopted them. They've made him a sort of foster father after he died.
think the same. The writing quality dropped with the dam explosion subplot, as the screenwriters forced her Lin'an…
Yes, I agree, it's still a very watchable/recommendable drama with great direction, overall aesthetics and actors' performances, pity the plot overextended certain parts, rushed or left loopholes in others, loosing its initial balance.
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"9 out of 10 villages stand empty, (due to) taxes weighing down like mountains, the granaries are bare (...)... Staying alive only adds to the tax burdens (...) Outside is a land of starving corpses and piles of bones! Your dream of immortality is built upon their flesh and blood! (...) In this world, how many die each day from starvation and poverty because of the Immortality Tax!"
He mentioned the immortality tax at least three times, so you can't say he went mad because of the people dying bc of the pills. That tax is imposed to finance the production of the pills, throwing people in extreme misery. When LQQ asks Su: "Can you truly account for this blood debt?" - it wasn't a question, it was an indictment, he holds Su responsible for people's misery.
What is "minor" or "major" flaw is debatable (and often related to a person's perception). I've watched tons of dramas and movies, that's why I think I can tolerate "minor flaws"... but the things I've pointed out above - while may not be huge - still offended my intelligence.
We still do not know the real reason for her previous failures, but I expect this aspect will be addressed later in the drama
We can always re-discuss all these issues later, once we've seen the 3rd arc
A smart argument he started to feel... among other things - the feeling of anger (for immortal tax) - due to his transformation to a human, lol.
Yes, I remember those lines. But he wasn't on the brink of death when we've seen the scene of her stumbling in pain in the hearth: it was just his scull still uncovered that provoked the pain in him and then in her
Ofc. no drama is perfect, but the 2nd arc offended my intelligence, so it wasn't "a minor flaw".
Some people go with a first impression (which was good for both of us) but other people remain focused on the story as it progress
He definitely had his own agenda when he was convicted for disobeying the court policy (ie. his goal was to be punished by 1000 flesh cuts) and didn't pay much attention to the immortality tax as it was not so harsh in that county, but in that case... why did he react so madly as he did when he discovered it?
Ad 2. Yes, you're right - that was actually the first time, but it doesn't change my point and I'm glad you acknowledge the issue wasn't explained well.
Ad 3. The word "investigate" was my bad. But remaining there just to lecture her fellow practioners without questioning who did the crime of murder and find out the murderer is somehow off of such a righteous character, don't you think?
Yeah, the FL is inherently kind, I agree with you on that, but these shifts in her behaviour aren't so logical if we don't know what triggers her fight for justice, or at least, lacks some depth. I've just mentioned it en passant awaiting the drama to give us some details about it. There are plenty of similar side-issues, I could have mentioned their marriage bond/curse as well, it isn't clear when she feels his pain and when she doesn't, bc sometimes we see it on the screen and sometimes we don't.
1. In the 2nd arc, the ML appears as a master of the head of the valley, but he is still the same person (Lu Huai) who was a public officer, a governor of a region, for many years and convicted for disobeying a bad state policy to alieviate the consequences of a draught. How is it possible that such a high officer, tasked to implement court decisions (including tax collection), knew nothing about the "immortality tax", which was collected for so many years, burdening the commoners in such a harsh way? This inconsistency could have been easily avoided, by just adding to his indictment that he disobeyed to collect this tax and it would avoid this feeling of disjoint between the two arcs.
2. This tax - as a core issue in the medicine valley plotline - wasn't properly introduced in general, we've heard of it for the first time from a dying Li Si and what followed were just words, dialogues, monologues, philosophical and math explanations, We've never seen or sensed the consequences of this tax on the screen, no display of people's sufference or any significant impact on this drama's world-building. The issue was simply dismissed with an abstract "what is good and what is right?", and the accountable people (greedy sect masters and the emperor's envoy) went home with tails between their legs after the FL's lecturing. 🤦♀️
3. Who killed the scammer-boatman? As far as we know, the FL, who was on her way back home, remained in the valley just to investigate his death! If he and his death were not so important, why this man was in the plot at all? To distract our attention from the fact this entire arc was just... badly written?
There are also other unconvincing or unexplained things (eg. FL's switches from a meek, good and proper girl to a badass fighter for justice) which - I hope - will be explained later. The arcs are evidently structured around a precise "human tribulation" path of the ML (1st being the flesh change, 2nd the bone change) and now we are in the 3rd arc (blood change) which seems will gather other characters listed as "leads" (it was a high time, we've almost seen a half of the drama). And I've already sensed few problems in the storytelling...
The mute girl doesn't convince me, the "local guy" who knows everything while milking money....
And I suppose she'll be very angry at the ML, lol. I wonder why she wanted so badly to get rid of the "prophecy"... well, I suppose I'm hooked on this story. 😇
Lu Huai left the kids living in his mansion simply bc. they were little beggars and he evidently has his reasons for treating well all beggars, he never adopted them. They've made him a sort of foster father after he died.