This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing Plot and Strong Lead Actor, but a Rush to the Finish Leaves Unanswered Questions
Out of all the dramas I’ve watched, this one has been the hardest to rate. On one hand, it checked all the right boxes with beautiful costumes, a star-studded male lead (Dylan Wang), a talented cast, and stunning special effects. The story was captivating, drawing me in with its intriguing premise. But despite all of this, something about it just didn’t quite hit the mark.
The plot kicks off with Yang Ling (played by Dylan Wang) and his colleagues stumbling into a gaming arcade after a night of drinking. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the body of Xu Qi-An, an orphan raised by his uncle and aunt. He later becomes a Guardian of Dafeng, part of an elite imperial investigation bureau filled with skilled fighters. As the drama progresses, Xu Qi-An grows, mastering skills, defeating enemies, and solving complex crimes. But things take a darker turn when he becomes the vessel for Shen Shu, a powerful spirit with extraordinary abilities. With Shen Shu's power at his disposal, Xu Qi-An's journey to uncover the truth becomes more complicated than he ever imagined.
Dylan Wang’s portrayal of Xu Qi-An was a departure from his previous roles in Love Between Fairy and Devil and Unchained Love, where he played dignified, proud characters. Xu Qi-An, in contrast, was goofy, money-minded, and far from the usual heroic type. It was only as the story unfolded that the righteous side of him began to surface, eventually transforming him into a more typical hero.
As for the female lead, Princess Lin-An, I found her a bit underwhelming. She was cute, but her character came across as somewhat dim-witted, which didn’t quite fit my idea of a strong heroine. I could have accepted her as a quirky second lead, but as the main protagonist’s love interest, it detracted from the drama. I personally would have preferred if Huai-Qing had been given more screen time, as she felt like a more fitting match for Xu Qi-An.
However, one actor who really tugged at my heartstrings was Feng Hui, who played the governor Zheng Xing Huai. His performance was nothing short of heartbreaking when he described how much he loved the city he had devoted his life to, only for it to be destroyed by the villain. Worse still, he was framed by the Emperor he served and ultimately tortured to death. His story was a powerful portrayal of a man whose entire life’s work was erased, a tragic miscarriage of justice that stayed with me long after the episode ended.
Now, I hadn’t read the original novel, so I rated the drama based on its own merits. The overall experience was a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of room for nitpicking. For one, the humor often felt forced, relying mostly on making characters look stupid. This style might appeal to some, but for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. There were moments, like when Xu Qi-An mistook Princess Lin-An for her rival and swore allegiance to Huai-Qing, that made me chuckle, but these moments were too few and far between. This subplot stretched on too long, and often Xu Qi-An’s convoluted schemes backfired in ways that felt more contrived than funny.
The pacing also posed a problem. After episode 10, I was about to drop the drama altogether, but a friend suggested I try watching at a faster speed, so I bumped it up to 1.25x on WeTV. Suddenly, the pacing felt much more manageable, and I enjoyed episodes 11 through 39 much more. If I were to rate those episodes at the faster speed, I’d give them a solid 9.5.
Episodes 1 to 10, on the other hand, felt like just another average detective story, something I’d probably rate around a 7. It wasn’t until episode 11 that things started to pick up, and the cases began to tie into a larger conspiracy. But even then, the drama left me with more questions than answers.
The final episode opened up a Pandora’s box of new mysteries, leaving me wondering about Xu Qi-An’s father and his true intentions, whether Wei-Yuan would be resurrected, and who Shen Shu really was. The Emperor’s role in the story remained largely unaddressed, with only a public self-confession to his wrongdoings—nothing substantial. And the whole arc involving Xu Qi-An’s forgotten existence felt a bit underwhelming. The drama started with a mysterious gaming arcade, yet that thread was never fully explored, leaving a sense of unresolved mystery.
The Emperor remained largely unpunished, his defiance at his brother’s statue and his actions in the temple felt disconnected from the main plot. The drama seemed to hint at a deeper political or philosophical commentary, but never fully delivered on that front. It felt like the story was building up to something grand, but then rushed to an unsatisfying conclusion.
While I would have loved a sequel to explore these unanswered questions, there’s no word on one, and given China's track record with sequels, it’s unlikely. So, with the drama leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled potential, I have to rate it a 7 for the first 10 episodes and a 9.5 for episodes 11 to 39. Taking into account the lackluster ending, I’ve averaged it out to an 8.5, which feels more generous than my kisskh rating.
Despite its flaws, I’d still recommend this drama, especially for die-hard Dylan Wang fans. With Tencent’s promotional effort and his massive fanbase, the drama certainly garnered attention, and for fans of his previous work, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t expect a perfectly polished story.
The plot kicks off with Yang Ling (played by Dylan Wang) and his colleagues stumbling into a gaming arcade after a night of drinking. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the body of Xu Qi-An, an orphan raised by his uncle and aunt. He later becomes a Guardian of Dafeng, part of an elite imperial investigation bureau filled with skilled fighters. As the drama progresses, Xu Qi-An grows, mastering skills, defeating enemies, and solving complex crimes. But things take a darker turn when he becomes the vessel for Shen Shu, a powerful spirit with extraordinary abilities. With Shen Shu's power at his disposal, Xu Qi-An's journey to uncover the truth becomes more complicated than he ever imagined.
Dylan Wang’s portrayal of Xu Qi-An was a departure from his previous roles in Love Between Fairy and Devil and Unchained Love, where he played dignified, proud characters. Xu Qi-An, in contrast, was goofy, money-minded, and far from the usual heroic type. It was only as the story unfolded that the righteous side of him began to surface, eventually transforming him into a more typical hero.
As for the female lead, Princess Lin-An, I found her a bit underwhelming. She was cute, but her character came across as somewhat dim-witted, which didn’t quite fit my idea of a strong heroine. I could have accepted her as a quirky second lead, but as the main protagonist’s love interest, it detracted from the drama. I personally would have preferred if Huai-Qing had been given more screen time, as she felt like a more fitting match for Xu Qi-An.
However, one actor who really tugged at my heartstrings was Feng Hui, who played the governor Zheng Xing Huai. His performance was nothing short of heartbreaking when he described how much he loved the city he had devoted his life to, only for it to be destroyed by the villain. Worse still, he was framed by the Emperor he served and ultimately tortured to death. His story was a powerful portrayal of a man whose entire life’s work was erased, a tragic miscarriage of justice that stayed with me long after the episode ended.
Now, I hadn’t read the original novel, so I rated the drama based on its own merits. The overall experience was a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of room for nitpicking. For one, the humor often felt forced, relying mostly on making characters look stupid. This style might appeal to some, but for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. There were moments, like when Xu Qi-An mistook Princess Lin-An for her rival and swore allegiance to Huai-Qing, that made me chuckle, but these moments were too few and far between. This subplot stretched on too long, and often Xu Qi-An’s convoluted schemes backfired in ways that felt more contrived than funny.
The pacing also posed a problem. After episode 10, I was about to drop the drama altogether, but a friend suggested I try watching at a faster speed, so I bumped it up to 1.25x on WeTV. Suddenly, the pacing felt much more manageable, and I enjoyed episodes 11 through 39 much more. If I were to rate those episodes at the faster speed, I’d give them a solid 9.5.
Episodes 1 to 10, on the other hand, felt like just another average detective story, something I’d probably rate around a 7. It wasn’t until episode 11 that things started to pick up, and the cases began to tie into a larger conspiracy. But even then, the drama left me with more questions than answers.
The final episode opened up a Pandora’s box of new mysteries, leaving me wondering about Xu Qi-An’s father and his true intentions, whether Wei-Yuan would be resurrected, and who Shen Shu really was. The Emperor’s role in the story remained largely unaddressed, with only a public self-confession to his wrongdoings—nothing substantial. And the whole arc involving Xu Qi-An’s forgotten existence felt a bit underwhelming. The drama started with a mysterious gaming arcade, yet that thread was never fully explored, leaving a sense of unresolved mystery.
The Emperor remained largely unpunished, his defiance at his brother’s statue and his actions in the temple felt disconnected from the main plot. The drama seemed to hint at a deeper political or philosophical commentary, but never fully delivered on that front. It felt like the story was building up to something grand, but then rushed to an unsatisfying conclusion.
While I would have loved a sequel to explore these unanswered questions, there’s no word on one, and given China's track record with sequels, it’s unlikely. So, with the drama leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled potential, I have to rate it a 7 for the first 10 episodes and a 9.5 for episodes 11 to 39. Taking into account the lackluster ending, I’ve averaged it out to an 8.5, which feels more generous than my kisskh rating.
Despite its flaws, I’d still recommend this drama, especially for die-hard Dylan Wang fans. With Tencent’s promotional effort and his massive fanbase, the drama certainly garnered attention, and for fans of his previous work, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t expect a perfectly polished story.
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