KJ2025

Love and obsession

Zui and YiTan were so sweet making their wedding plans. I am beyond angry that grandfather Yang was always given a pass. He has finally been dealt with but that has resulted in the seed of hatred planted and growing in YiTan. I did not think anyone could surpass the contempt I felt for elder Nangong…but elder Yang succeeded. Nangong for all his evil ways wanted his family to reign and be powerful. Yang said he wanted enemies trampled but he only wanted his own ego fed. His family will be destroyed in the process so what good is it to be the top one on heap of the dead.😝🙄 Others may think it was JiaLan’s doing that he did such evil. I call BS. She only gave him the power to do his own will, there was no reshaping or twisting his mindset. He simply let the dark carry it out. JiuHuo still carries love for JiaLan. But she has been twisted and reshaped by greed and power obsession so the love she once had for him no longer exists. She now wants all love eradicated and he is her willing pawn to pour himself out for her to achieve her goal. What strength HongYe had to accept the grey and do what would truly make peace between demons and humans has now been suppressed by his father. And it is seen as his right of passage to lead. In its own way it is just as misdirected as the evil of Yang. It will not waver from the black/white line. These know it all nobles have condemned them all. It is no wonder things can’t go well for them. All their elders blessings and curses wreaked the same result. What I don’t understand is how YiTan had no inkling at all of this miserable future with his gift of clairvoyance? Young Mu Mei had better insight with minimal training. How could YiTan act surprised at the depth his grandfather would go? And willingly? His legacy now is that cowardly sap of eldest son. That old man’s hate exceeds Jin RenFeng and that takes some doing. Their hate alone could unite the trees. 😝 JiuHuo is using all his will to be the weakest charactered pawn in the lot. Does black fox even have the capacity to treat him better than a servant if she leaves boundary? Will she be able to remove any bit of the grief and hate in her heart to allow love? I guess JiuHuo will be the only one to live long enough to find out.

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Sworn brothers

Qu Zhou was the hero of the day with his thousands of talismans. He has fixed the magic lotus and gets the four of them back to the future. He is left to deal with the fate given him by JiuHuo and black fox but he is proud to be a masked warrior again. His younger self is very surprised at the greeting from Zui. They know something bad happened and they are determined to find a better solution. HuaiZhu and HongYe are much sweeter since their return. She is making it clear she favors him now. Jin RenFeng is going to be a problem. He is jealous, knows about the magic lotus device and dared to enslave demons to gather herbs. He now knows HuaiZhu has mastered the yang flame but that will make him covet her even more. Elder DongFang has become sworn brothers with HongYe. 🤣 They had quite the father to suitor chat. Father DongFang recognizes the colder more ambitious side of HongYe and tests how that will fit in with HuaiZhu. Both daughters come in to find them a drunken mess. HongYe gets properly embarrassed for his hangover the next morning😂 Love is definitely in the air, but so is jealousy and power seeking. There is also the desire and need to get the true Wangquan sword and find HongYe’s father. HongYe also has a foreshadowing from the black fox.

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The underground city

These two demon hunters BanXia hired look like reasonable choices, but it sure seems like they focus on taking out the helpful, no threat demons. For them character doesn’t matter. Demon=kill on sight. BanXia already regrets hiring them after seeing their treatment of the demon guide. It seems they also like to punish demon sympathizers as well. XuanYe and Rabbit are having a more colorful entry into the city. While their guide seemed kind he introduced him to a greasy master wanting to be called uncle. The two constables are fun. Their bickering is amusing and the way he wants to protect her in the city is sweet. Our constable is a what you see is what you get kind of guy and she seems to like that. 😂 she is more direct dealing for info. She knows it’s giving money away but it’s saving them leg work and might give them insight on where to head for clues. The pouting scene of BanXia was a bit over the top. But to be fair she was trying to be sure he didn’t break his promise to his father. I’m betting the ‘uncle’ is part of the reason. I have no clue if their venture will help her find either parent, but she is definitely safer with these two than her hired pair. Even with the uncle factor tossed in. XuanYe has committed himself to her cause so if there is an answer to be found, he’s the most likely one to find it.

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Reunion inn

They begin their adventure to reunion inn after receiving a box with the 9 lives demon money. BanXia finds the pouch she embroidered for her father so now there is conclusive evidence that he is still alive. The constable is also traveling and they find the drunkard actually decade from what they think is a lynx encounter. They are taking the body back to his parents. The woods the trio is traveling through is misty and mysterious. They are not sure if on the right path or traveling in circles. They eventually find their way to the inn but the innkeeper strongly encourages them to go elsewhere. His daughter changes everybody’s minds about staying, but there is a very weird atmosphere in spite of the helpful servants. After a scare in the hotspring everyone tries to settle down for the night. XuanYe hears BanXia reciting the poem and kindly offers to watch over her til she falls asleep. The innkeeper’s daughter is ill and I am surprised the good doctor did not examine and offer medicine. XuanYe found the cat and followed but was interrupted by the innkeeper and directed back to his room. I wonder why all the calming oil is being burned. What don’t they want the customers seeing? In spite of the weirdness there is a softer and sweeter tone between our couple. The actors do well making themselves eerie and the production has the scene nice and creepy.

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Raindrops keep falling on my head

Shen Yue got Liu Shi Shi to really smile🤣 This episode was a lot of fun. Hong Ye successfully got the grandfather to agree to the marriage. And the grandfather got him to agree to attend. Qin Lan was very funny but would not have been so snarky had she known who her “nephew” really was. 😂 All the ‘help’ his friends and family tried to provide for him to make a good impression did not quite go as planned. 🤣 He already acquitted himself well and had a memorable first date.🥰. While he didn’t think proper place or time for mask reveal…..everybody else disagrees. By the time he reached the mask group’s help he was soaked. He pulled off the look but the mob of admirers was overkill. He better reveal himself soon before they find more ways to assist.🤣 I am curious and dreading for him whatever is on second floor.

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Happy birthday

This episode had Pei and Ning clearing the air. I enjoyed her snarky comments in the beginning. I am still unsure what secret his best friend knew. Was it who he was or that he wasn’t a eunuch? If Zhuo had a heart he would have just sent the boy and family off somewhere and not force Pei’s hand literally to strike. Pei has served as his blade for too many years. He is finally getting tired of it enough to start making waves. I am glad he has rethought it and volunteering to be beside her. I loved that she wore the birthday outfit Li made for her and came as a beautiful young woman and not a prince in disguise. I am very sure Ning enjoyed her birthday. 🥳🥰

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Love and obsession

The mirror demon was very surprised at BanXia’s courage. She was ready to try to defeat him. Fortunately XuanYe got to her in time and battled the demon. He just about completed the battle when our favorite constable shows up thinking he is helping. The demon escapes via the sword reflection and the constable is left to ponder his opinions on some supernatural matters. His assist has just created an even larger problem and now the whole village has to be monitored rather than just BanXia. 🙄 The result of this sword caused XuanYe to fall in a deep sleep. But not before he ties her to him and gives her a sharp object to wake him. Three days later he panics that she is cut loose, but she is safe and hiding inside. She asks him to mark her hand again since they both know the seal works. This episode gives a lot of the history between dancer and demon. The demon has loved and killed for her 20 years that we know of. I almost feel sorry for him til his revenge on her lover. That was very cruel to both of them. He then starts to reveal more implying that they have been together much longer than the 20 years she knows about. The constable tries to make up for his mistake by getting all pears impounded. He is still trying to process what he saw and keeps looking at his sword for answers. BanXia sees a scar on XuanYe’s shoulder while he is sleeping. She is reminded of an incident as a child that resulted in her ability to see demons. It is cute that she tries to see his shadow and figure out what he really is. She knows he is more, but not sure what. It seems these two might be fated and just starting to realize it. I don’t think fate is going to be kind to the other pair. The only good thing is the constable saw with his own eyes something else responsible for the murders and why XuanYe is always around at same time.

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Mountain demons and demon hunter battle with human - faced owl

BanXia meets mountain demons—one offers her a toast she can’t refuse. It is funny to see her drinking from a bowl the size of a bathtub. Qiu drinks the bitter throat potion and is rescued from demon’s intentions to steal his voice. He is convinced the demon hunter has something to do with murders because he is always in same location. He never considers that demon hunter is his counterpart in tracking down murderer. Sis in law definitely gives BanXia the side eye for providing him the tonic and quizzed her for who provided it. Demon sisters show up and before they can hurt BanXia, demon hunter shows up. The cinematography is beautiful but the battle scene is simply ok. The demon hunter’s slide under her to clip feathers was a good move and the decent part of battle. He of course wins but it does make one wonder if she actually loved her husband and would she have been able to not hurt him. BanXia visits the hunter and learns he is also a physician. He won’t give her the meds she requested but does give her protection and gives his location should she need him in the future. The bunny is sweet and gives her fairy lights to calm her as she makes her way home on the dark path. She feels a bit reassured by the hunter/physician but still wishes she did not have the ability to see the things she does. Her brother tells her not to worry and that he would find his wife. She is glad her brother is safe but not sure how he will react when he learns the truth about wife.

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Invitations offered - one accepted one rejected

WangYe is his usual self. 😆He sees pretty much everything but stays apart to study it subtly. He is not happy Zhuge Qing is wanting to stay and has almost talked him into leaving when leader Ma shows up and challenges them with some sidekicks. Here is where we get a direct comparison of Zhuge Qing and WangYe’s moral compasses. Qing is all about what’s in it for him and WangYe is all about keeping everything balanced and all parties safe. What is interesting is the depth of their friendship when they are polar opposites in many respects. Leader Ma has offered them access to the Divine Forge and while Zhuge Qing is intrigued and sorely tempted, WangYe is curious about results but sees the big picture and understands the chaos and disruption this will cause. He strongly suggests Leader Ma ends the project but his warning is falling on deaf ears. He is ready to leave as wholeheartedly as his friend is inclined to stay. WangYe lets the group know that if they are going to take down Biyou to count him in. Here we also find out that Meng is not as meek and mild as he pretends to be. He has the most history with Chen Duo and manages a visit thanks to her dog. He is wanting to know what really happened that caused the death of her mentor. We also learn that Leader Ma has a sis that’s really pulling all the strings and what they hope to achieve with the Divine Forge. I am enjoying the pace and storytelling this season. It is telling a more cohesive story tho not particularly a continuation of season 1. Since I am not familiar with the storyline in actual comic, I don’t find this a bad thing. While significantly less screen time has been given to my favorites from last season, I don’t find the story lacking and am enjoying when they do show up as they tend to have great impact in a short amount of time. I will console myself with quality over quantity screen time this season. To be honest, I don’t miss the silliness factor. That had a lot to do with my indifference to ChuLan’s character. While he is a key element, the overdone comedy often took me out of the story rather than appreciating his character’s input to storyline. I am liking him much better this season.

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Looking for Chen Duo in Biyou Village

The temporary NDT personnel group is taking notes and ErZhuang helps them along because she thinks they are incredibly slow at info gathering. Chulan gets teased for doing a good job by a new guy that comes to the group. For now he seems more interested in the food than the people. Some of the silliness has come back to this episode but it is still entertaining. They invite themselves to Biyou Village to discover that Zhuge Qing and Wang Ye are there and were actually invited. Zhuge Qing is still studying the automatons and Wang Ye is still being Wang Ye. Our group finds them after a weird run in with the automatons. There was a tongue in cheek round of comments how Zhuge Qing didn’t seem to be the same person as before.🤣 while he does have a slightly different vibe from prior actor he seems to be pretty spot on with the rest of the cast. So for me, I don’t see him as a negative distraction. They know Chen Duo is there but have yet to find her. The place has a weird vibe and they are all having different feelings about that. They are curious about all the magical weapons and undecided as to how to proceed in getting Chen Dup and leaving. For now, a truce is in effect as long as they don’t cause trouble or take Chen Duo out of village.

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All Roads lead to Biyou

Zhuge Qing has a very interesting battle with some automatons. He is very interested in their construction because they were made from Divine Forge which is a skill from his family. However, he notes that they are superior in many respects and continues to study them as he tears them apart in battle. He is offered an invitation from Biyou village’s leader and at first rejects it, but he gets intrigued by it all and changes his mind. Chen Duo is as interesting as Feng BaoBao. A very small bit of her history is revealed. That she needs cured, that she declared herself to her mentor, and that she is accompanied by many average skilled thugs all possessing very strong magical weapons from an unknown source. It is thought Chen Duo may be involved with the Medical Immortal Association and that they are the ones supplying her with the odd poison and protective weapons. Chulan and BaoBao go after her while the others take care of the thugs. The battle was well done and ChuLan is looking much more like a fighter than a comedian. They both hold their own against Chen Duo’s attacks but she manages to get away. She is with Mai JinFeng who is a Sinister Pleasure elder. Everybody wants to know how they are acquainted. All the temporary colleagues are wondering where they stand with management and how that is going to sort out. One of their group persuades everybody to bring her in alive and another becomes an inadvertent successor of a Sinister Pleasure elder. There seemed to be a memory Chen Duo got from JinFeng which she hands to the mystery guy. Chen Duo and Mai JinFeng are now at Biyou and the others are making arrangements to head there. This season is different from the last. I am enjoying the storytelling more. There is a lot less of the silliness and a gritty let’s get to it this time. There was an actor change for Zhuge Qing’s character but I haven’t seen him interact with old cast yet to know if that has any real change to cast chemistry. So far I am actually enjoying the beginning of this more than last season.

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Perilla vs olive oils

For the perilla oil battle chef Kang Rok made beef tartare and a frittata against upper class man Ho Young.’s barley noodle bimbap. These were compared and enjoyed by everybody. Joong Ki dishes were liked by He Joon as well. The second battle brought in the new chefs Sam Kim and Matfia Napoli. Sam made three dishes and Matfia Napoli made two. It turned into a battle of risottos. The fried raspberry dessert was also greatly enjoyed by both guests. Joong Ki was a tougher judge between the two. He included other things to make his decisions. It definitely kept the chefs on their toes about who would win. This was another enjoyable episode.

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Getting reacquainted

This was so fun! Several contestants from Culinary Wars get to cook in a more casual environment. They must use ingredients found in the visiting guest’s refrigerator in a 15 min win/lose battle with only two chefs participating. All the rest become the audience where their skills are compared and mistakes are pointed out. Right when they are finishing up a host goes up to ask questions and be in the way for further entertainment. I was not expecting such animated cheering and teasing from the watching chefs. They get quite loud and then quiet as they watch with anticipation to see guest’s expression at taste and make winner choice. Whoever wins the battle gets rewarded with a pin. The first battle had Li Mi Young (School chef) and Lee Yeon Bok (Master of Chinese cooking).They had to sing for this one because of the guest. The second was a battle of the eggs with Edward Lee and Choi Hyun Seok. This one even included a face mask 🤣 For a cooking show, this was very entertaining. I greatly enjoyed seeing the chefs chat and talk about their experiences as well as show off their skills.

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Happy birthday Xia He

The beginning of the episode reveals that BaoBao can be restored eating her weight in food. She begins training with Chu Lan for the martial arts contest. Wang He has another vision where he sees Chu Lan and is told not to let him find out the truth, to stop the man he was. Various others are training and honing their skills for the grand prize. It is a dangerous thing to attend a birthday party of Xia He. Two brothers found out the hard way as they met the other guests and were introduced to the four crazies. These four sum up the majority of sins that plague mankind. They displayed their talents as they mocked the two brothers and literally played with them like dolls doing their bidding. The unexpected brother is now the one to take part in the competition.

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How are you going to thank me?

GY knows LY is struggling and has a job for her to perk up her spirits. She is asked to design the plants used in their cosmetics so that they will be realistic and present a Chinese art style. She embraces the job and gets to work. They have a conversation about the baby. Many think GY manipulated her to have things go his way. That is indeed a valid argument, but in this case I am not convinced that is the truth of the matter. Him telling her of his life growing up with a single mom let her see that even when the dad is not around things can be positive. That she could be a wonderful mother on her own two feet. That he would always support her and that she would have loving friends and family to be there for her. I think he wanted her to have the full menu of choices and not those she had limited herself to. As much as she truly loves SCC and her family, I think there is a part of her that yearned for her own family too. She just had too much fear to think that anybody but her 2D character family could be real. Many are still discussing them, so again the writer even at the end creates a lot of animated discussions about this drama. It has been a very unique experience in that respect. The company had a good opening and it was fun watching SCC play with the virtual makeup. TQ giving his contribution of cleansing balm was a nice thought. Saying he found her more beautiful without makeup just as she is was 🥰 SCC reenacting their first encounter on the park bench was beautiful and hilarious🤣🥰 The meeting in the baby store was a sweet thing and SCC and GY plotting in the background was fun. Especially with her version of the walnut chat.🤣 There is the wedding celebration that has everybody there and the presence of FJ and senior ladies as well as work colleagues brought everything full circle in a most pleasant way. I have to admit that this drama was quite the viewing experience. I have never hated an author more in one scene to turn around and love every single aspect of another. This drama will stick with me for a long time in a good way. I hope that it does the same for you.

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