Sakan

Best character: Song Chen.
The central and most interesting character: young Lu Zhi (the adult Lu Zhi almost has nothing to do with the young one, just to keep the suspense). It's funny how young Lu Zhi is only listed as the 7th character in this drama, considering how important he is to the plot.

This drama has a 7.6 rating on this site, but 9.3 on Douban while low-rated dramas on Douban often get high ratings here, as long as they have good romantic chemistry. This drama is a masterpiece from director Zhang Yong Xin, who is also an A+ Chinese director.

The overall plot revolves around China's cultural movements leading to the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party. It's not a theme I would typically enjoy (I don't even like my own country's dramas on this subject), but this one is genuinely entertaining. The cinematography, music direction, and storytelling are all top-notch. The cast consists of seasoned veterans and talented young actors, so the acting is nothing to worry about.

This period is dark and frustrating, yet the way the drama portrays it always offers a sense of hope. I think that's because it focuses more on cultural movements than on politics, which makes it feel lighter.

One thing to note: the characters are all real historical figures, so some rose-tinted idealism may have been applied to certain portrayals. For a more accurate evaluation of those figures, I recommend doing your own research.

Check my spoiler for Myth_CZY1029 in a comment thread from 10 days ago about the fighting scenes in the Warring States era. I won't give any more spoilers about this drama because they've definitely cut down the romance compared to the leaked scripts. I'm quite disappointed now and no longer feel excited for this drama anymore. I'll just go back to rereading the leaked script and novel for my AoChi–ShaLuo CP. Still going to watch when it airs, though

△ Suddenly, Shā Luó's attention was caught by something behind Zǐ Miǎo in the sky.
△ In the sky, a huge kite rose slowly, trailing colorful ribbons, dancing gracefully across the blue canvas of the heavens.
△ Shā Luó squinted to get a better look—right in the center of the kite were three distinct circles.
Shā Luó: (stunned, astonished) That paper I wrote on?
△ She stared in pleasant surprise as the kite flew higher and higher, the melancholy in her eyes gradually fading. She instinctively rose to her feet and, almost involuntarily, started chasing after it.
△ Zǐ Miǎo watched Shā Luó's attention being drawn away, his expression turning displeased.
△ On the other side of the garden, Ao Chi held the spool in one hand and the string in the other, intently adjusting the kite's altitude. The wind lifted his robes and sleeves, adding to his air of effortless grace.
△ Shā Luó caught up and stopped, her gaze darting between the kite and Ao Chi's figure, barely concealing her delight.
Shā Luó: (approaching him, looking up at the three circles) Those three circles—they're mine...
Ao Chi: (turning his head, with a carefree air) Your worries—I helped set them free. (holding out the spool toward her) Want to give it a try? There's a saying—if you write your worries on a kite and let it fly away, you can truly let them go.
△ Shā Luó reached out and took the spool, fumbling with it awkwardly. The kite began to dip lower, and she grew flustered, tugging hard on the string—but the kite lurched sharply downward.
△ Ao Chi reacted swiftly, placing his palm over her hand to steady the spool.
Ao Chi: Don't grip it too tight—let it go with the wind. Kites are like people; the tighter you hold on, the less they can soar. Loosen up a little, and they'll find their own direction.
△ Their hands overlapped on the string and spool, yet they were both so focused on the sky above that neither noticed.
△ The warm breeze lifted the kite higher and higher, like a bird breaking free from its cage, the three circles growing ever more distinct.
△ A smile appeared at the corners of Shā Luó's mouth as she focused on adjusting the tension in her hands, the usual sparkle returning to her eyes.
Shā Luó: (cheerfully) It's flying!
Ao Chi: It can go even higher.
△ Ao Chi turned his head to look at Shā Luó's smiling face, momentarily lost in thought. Just then, he realized that his hand was resting atop hers. He paused briefly, a flush creeping across his face—yet his hand lingered, unwilling to pull away.
Shā Luó: (looking away from the kite) Really! It's like it's about to float up into the clouds...
△ Her words came to an abrupt halt as she suddenly noticed their overlapping hands. She quickly averted her gaze, a blush spreading across her cheek.
△ Shā Luó's fingers instinctively tightened, gripping Ao Chi's hand. But only for an instant—then, as if scalded, she came to her senses and slowly loosened her hold, withdrawing her hand from his. She pulled her hand away from Ao Chi's, yet she didn't let go of the kite string or the spool. Their hands remained close—so close they could almost feel each other's warmth.
△ Shā Luó's heart fluttered, pounding like a war drum, growing faster by the second. She didn't dare look at Ao Chi, fixing her gaze back on the kite instead, the tips of her ears turning red.
△ Ao Chi noticed her fluster, his own heart stirred. He slowly looked away, also turning his gaze to the kite, feigning composure.
Ao Chi: From now on, think of the people you care about as kites. Don't always try to save them in your own way. Loosen your grip when needed—let the kite fly with the wind. Only then can they soar high and steady, just like Dù Héng.
△ Shā Luó was silent for a moment, then spoke hesitantly, her voice very low.
Shā Luó: But I'm still holding the spool... I can't seem to let go in my heart.
△ Ao Chi took a small pair of scissors from his sleeve and handed them to her.
Ao Chi: The final step to setting your heart at ease is to cut the tether.
△ Shā Luó gazed thoughtfully at the kite soaring high above, the string pulled taut, the three circles of the spool now too tiny to make out clearly.
△ She took a deep breath, gripped the scissors, and closed them—snip. The string broke.
△ The kite shot upward, flying farther and farther away, until it became a faint speck and vanished into the clouds.
△ Shā Luó held the empty spool in her hands, gazing up at the direction where the kite had disappeared, a relieved smile spreading across her face.
△ Ao Chi stood beside her. Seeing her smile, the corners of his own lips lifted unconsciously as well.

Ao Chi: (pushing the rice paper toward her) You're the type to bottle things up when you run into trouble. But you could try writing your worries down—maybe it'll make you feel a bit lighter.
△ Ao Chi ground the ink, dipped the brush, and handed it to her fingertips, gesturing for her to write.
Ao Chi: Really. When I was little, I used to write things down when I was upset. Those troubles would get pulled out and hidden away in the paper, and I'd feel lighter too. (encouragingly) Want to give it a try?
△ Sha Luo looked resigned. She held her wrist in the air for a long moment, hesitating, then finally put brush to paper and drew three circles. She set down the brush, as if she'd just completed a most reluctant task.
Ao Chi: (studying it closely, as if understanding something) Three circles... so that's three burdens on your mind.
△ Sha Luo, struck by how accurately he'd read her, looked uneasy.
△ Ao Chi picked up the paper, gave it a gentle shake to let the ink dry, and carefully rolled it up.
Ao Chi: Your worries — I'm confiscating them.
△ He gave Shā Luó a gentle smile, waved the rolled paper in his hand, and turned to walk away without looking back.
△ Sha Luo stared at his retreating figure in surprise, utterly baffled.
Sha Luo: What on earth is he up to?

Will give some detailed script spoilers below in this thread about Sha Luo falling deep in love with Ao Chi in the Tang Dynasty. After this I won't give any more spoilers. I'm so scared I will be disappointed with actual drama since I'm worried about how they are filming Ao Chi and Sha Luo scenes as the filming is wrapping up and a lot has not been filmed. (the spoiler below has not been filmed and it's one of top favourite momemts)

The flow of their love line should be:

- From their first meeting to the beginning of the Song Dynasty era:
+Ao Chi: physical attraction and a weird emotional connection (plot setting). He kind of rejects her approach because Sha Luo is a tree spirit, and he just wants to live peacefully as a human.
+ Sha Luo: physical attraction and a weird emotional connection (plot setting). She's interested in making him join the Fusheng tea shop because she finds his abilities too good for an ordinary human.

- Song Dynasty arc: mostly highlights their partner-in-crime and buddies' energy.
+Ao Chi: He falls in love with Sha Luo and realizes his feelings here. (Yeah, our male lead is quite mature emotionally, so he realizes and accepts his feelings fast)
+Sha Luo: She begins to be taught by Ao Chi how to fight for her freedom and pursue her own life. There are a few fleeting moments of emotion, but Sha Luo quickly brushes them aside.

- Republican arc (after Song Dynasty):
+Ao Chi: He confesses his feelings, gets rejected, and distances himself from Sha Luo as she wished. When they get involved in the White Bone/Fox Demon case, he fights with his jealousy and saves Sha Luo and Zimiao → Sha Luo asked to learn how to be friend with Ao Chi, and Ao Chi agrees.
+Sha Luo: after learning that Ao Chi is Cangzhu, she tries to avoid him (to prevent harming his human life) → rejects his confession → after being saved by Ao Chi and receiving his kindness, she asks him to be friends when he is at a low point → Ao Chi becomes an important person to Sha Luo, rivaling Zimiao's position.

- Tang Dynasty: The bonding in this era is deep. This should be the first time both accept their feelings for each other.
+Ao Chi: He continues to express his charm through words and actions, deepening his love for Sha Luo, and he's quite aware of her feelings for him even before her confession.
+Sha Luo: she falls hard and can no longer deny her feelings for Ao Chi because of his wit and intelligence. His words and actions deeply touch her soul.

One night, they both confess their feelings to each other and are happy together for a brief moment. When the past truth comes out, they separate because Ao Chi wants to kill Zimiao, but Sha Luo tries to protect him.

- Republican era (after Tang Dynasty):
+ Ao Chi: sad boy era. Some hurtful words and actions are thrown around (not too serious), and he reverts to acting like annoying frenemies, just like at the beginning. After the cinema arc, he accepts the situation, won't make Sha Luo have to be torn between him and Zimiao anymore, proposes marriage, and finally gets engaged to Sha Luo.
+ Sha Luo: separates from Ao Chi because of Zimiao, but she starts to doubt her master and distances herself from him too. After the cinema arc, she makes a big decision to gain her freedom and stay with Ao Chi.

Warring States era: basically, they forget each other but still feel attached → fall in love with each other again without regaining memories → then regain the memories.

Final arc in the Republican era: big spoiler, so in general, their love becomes much bigger, so deep, so beautiful, and heartbreaking.

A friend asked me about how Sha Luo realized her true feelings for Ao Chi and in which episode they officially became a couple. So here, I will talk more about this. (Disclaimer: this is based only on the draft script; any differences with the actual drama are beyond my responsibility, so please don't blame me if your expectations aren't met)

I would say Sha Luo and Ao Chi had physical attraction from the very beginning, and there is a reason for it. But of course, they truly fell in love because they are soulmates. Instead of asking how she realized her feelings for Ao Chi, the real question is how she finally accepted those feelings. She has a deep trauma around separation and a fear of attachment. She officially accepts her feelings and confesses to Ao Chi in the Tang Dynasty era, so you can count that as the moment they officially became a couple. However, they soon discover the deep-seated enmity and blood debt between Ao Chi/Cangzhu and Zimiao from the past, so they separate right after. Later, you can consider Ao Chi's marriage proposal as the point when they are truly and officially together.

I will give more detail about Ao Chi and Sha Luo's love line in comment with a spoiler tag

You can log out and check the comment. That W account blocked me too, all because I called out her trolling behavior in my reply to you

Tbh, I'm genuinely curious if that W account is just a troll. She brought up your rating list, so I went to check hers and it's all either 1 or 10. Literally rates based on feelings, and she gave both ZLH and WCR's latest dramas a 1. She also make a personal attack to you then accuse other as haters just because we make objective comments about the drama

Yeah, the characters feel very Wattpad-esque. Their actions lack logic and consistency, serving only to generate conflicts or make things happen while completely ignore character establishment and development

You're the first person I've seen who can pinpoint that the biggest weakness of this drama is the script and I completely agree with you. The directing is weak too, but I can tolerate bad directing or some shaky acting. What I can't tolerate is bad writing and a bad storyline

Nope, time travel but not reincarnation lovers

Saying "the ML is the problem" doesn't mean placing all the blame on the character, as if the character itself decided to make the story bad. Rather, it's a way of pointing out that within the plot context or the fictional world, this character is an issue that needs to be addressed in order to improve the writing quality. In other words, the character has writing flaws. Who can fix that problem? The creators, of course.

I'm simply talking about how viewers generally can criticize characters and say things like "A/B/C characters are the problem," which isn't uncommon either. But of course, in this drama's case, the ML isn't the only issue; other characters are poorly written too.

You don’t blame a painting for having a bad composition, but within an art collection, if that painting happens to be one of the bad ones/out-of-place among the collection, we can say, "This painting is the problem for this collection's failure."

Criticizing a character for their poor development in a story is very common among drama viewers. It's also a way to point out bad writing. It's funny to say that just because a character is imaginary, you can't call them a bad developed character. No character can decide their own fate, of course. And this isn't exclusive to this drama, viewers have been dragging badly written characters since the dawn of cinema. We criticize both the character and the writer

Isn't a character inherently part of the script and writing? I only agree that we shouldn't blame the actors, but if a character is poorly developed, viewers have every right to criticize that character for the fact that he/she is a poor developed character

Doesn't that sound contradictory? Saying 'the ML isn’t the problem, the writing is' doesn't really make sense. Both his positive traits, like loyalty and emotional devotion, and his character flaws, like having no personal goals and existence as merely a 'simp' stem directly from the writing. If weak writing deprives him of a distinct personality, then he simply is a poorly developed character.
This is what happens when you turn a total red-flag ML—who actually had a clear identity in the original novel—into a victim, while still trying to force typical Republican-era angst. People only blame the directing and editing, but I think the writing is just as bad

Then later, he parallels Sha Luo and Zi Miao's relationship to him and his parents, subtly making Sha Luo mentally file Zi Miao into the "parental" zone. Such a clever boy, haha.

"16-7. 〈Tang Dynasty〉 Cheng Garden – Main Hall, Night, Interior

△ Wind howled outside the window, the night as dark as ink. Inside, however, it was warm and cozy. Flames danced in the charcoal brazier, atop which sat a small copper grate with several slices of meat grilling, sizzling audibly.

△ Shā Luó sat cross-legged on the couch, holding a wine cup, gazing at the slices of meat.

△ Ao Chi sat across from her, using chopsticks to flip the meat. The firelight softened the lines of his brows and eyes.

Ao Chi: It's done.

△ He picked up a slice and held it out to Shā Luó.

Shā Luó: (taking it, taking a bite, raising an eyebrow) Your cooking skills are actually not bad.

△ Shā Luó ate a few slices of meat, then her gaze fell on a small side table nearby—several brand-new storybooks, a box of ivory chess pieces, and a deck of leaf cards, all neatly arranged.

Shā Luó: (softly) I didn't expect Zǐ Miǎo to prepare not just food and drink, but all these as well.

Ao Chi: (glancing over) Mm. Food and supplies, chess, cards, storybooks—everything you could want. (with a hint of jealousy) He sure is thoughtful.

Shā Luó: He's always been like this. Whenever I'm upset, he finds things to keep me busy. He says when people have too much idle time, their minds start to wander—keep busy, and you'll feel better.

△ She casually flipped open one of the storybooks—it was Youxianku (The Cave of the Immortals).

Shā Luó: (with a smile) The first time I ever read this book, he was the one who gave it to me. He said, "Look—the gods and demons in this story are so interesting." He even suggested I write one about the teahouse.

Ao Chi: (curiously) Did you?

Shā Luó: How would I have had the time? But I kept this book all along. When it fell apart from being read so much, he found me a new copy.

△ She flipped through the pages, a trace of nostalgia in her eyes.

Shā Luó: He's always like that. He never says much, but he has everything prepared.

△ Ao Chi was silent for a moment.

Ao Chi: (suddenly speaking) My parents were the same way.

Shā Luó: Hm?

Ao Chi: Ever since I was little, my parents would quietly prepare everything for me. Even after they were gone, I'd still find that they'd left me many paths to fall back on.

Shā Luó: (looking at him) Did you fight with them often? Zǐ Miǎo and I fight all the time.

Ao Chi: No. My parents never forced me to do things I didn't want to. Sometimes my father would try to tell me what to do, and I'd get annoyed—but with just one look from my mother, he'd stop. He was afraid of her.

△ Shā Luó's lips curved slightly, a hint of envy in her eyes.

Shā Luó: I don't have parents. Only my master. And no one can really keep him in check. (pausing) Still, at least Zǐ Miǎo is only stubborn about the big things—on small matters, he mostly listens to me.

Ao Chi: Maybe you could try living a life without him by your side. (raising his wine cup, changing the subject) Come on, let's drink.

△ The two clinked their wine cups and downed them in one go"

First, he brought up a similar master-disciple relationship that had developed into romance, using it as a parallel to probe Sha Luo about her relationship with Zi Miao—and got the answer he was hoping for:

"Sha Luo: Mr. Song admires Du Heng. They spend day and night together-it's only natural that feelings would develop between them.
△ Ao Chi's steps faltered slightly. He turned his head to look at Sha Luo, his gaze carrying a hint of probing curiosity.
Ao Chi: (in a low voice) And what about you? I see Zi Miao is quite attentive to you in every way too?
Sha Luo: (frowning, without pausing her steps) Don't overthink it. Zi Miao and I have a purely master-disciple bond. He's deeply devoted. He already has someone in his heart. What happened back at the Bone White Taoist Temple was all a misunderstanding.
Ao Chi: (corners of his mouth lifting slightly) Good to hear. He opposed us getting close before, so I thought he might have had other feelings for you.
△ Sha Luo instinctively shook her head, furrowed her brows, and stopped walking.
Sha Luo: You shouldn't make such assumptions. (looking at Ao Chi, expression serious) Ao Chi, remember this. We are just... friends. The urgent matter now is to find the Kunlun Jade. There's no need to dwell on anything else.
△ Ao Chi looked at her, his gaze landing on her hesitant eyes, and let out a soft chuckle.
Ao Chi: (feigning ease) That's what I think too. Otherwise, what else would we be (emphasizing) friends?
△ Sha Luo felt a bit uneasy under his stare, turned her face away, and strode forward with big steps.
△ Ao Chi followed unhurriedly, but deliberately stepped on Sha Luo's shadow stretched out under the moonlight.
△ As Sha Luo walked on, she noticed no one beside her. Turning back, she saw Ao Chi stepping on her shadow, his movements childish yet utterly focused."

I'm back with my daily Fusheng post. Ao Chi is always gentle and clever when he talks to Sha Luo about Zimiao. The only time things get tense between Ao Chi and Sha Luo about Zimiao is when he uncovers the truth about his past with Zimiao, and even then, it's never about being love rivals. Here are spoilers about how Ao Chi addresses the relationship between Zimiao and Sha Luo