TDevil

ML rebels against the emperor in episode 37 I believe. Sure took him a while

The guy was Jin Chong

Jin Yong is one of the very few wuxia writers who gives happy endings. Everyone else just wants their readers to suffer.

1. Bo Wang was poisoned and will die in 6 months because of it. Yao Ji cut him to reveal his black blood, which is a sign of being fatally poisoned.

2. Yao Ji used a poison on Zhai Xing that'll make her extremely powerful, but also kill her after that. That was the only way for they could save Bo Wang's brother without involving him. Zhai Xing looked at her wrist because she was bleeding black blood.

3. Zhai Xing didn't believe Bo Wang could successfully save his brother and survive given the current state of his body. She wanted him to survive (at least for the 6 months he had left) and chose to sacrifice herself instead. In hindsight, it was a pretty dumb decision considering how easily Bo Wang blew past all the soldiers, but I guess Zhai Xing wouldn't have cared if she survived regardless since life without her Lang Zhai is pointless to her anyways.

Lol, Bao Na is hilarious.

Or you know, if Bo Wang actually kept Zhai Xing by his side the entire drama instead of lying and manipulating her, maybe they both would've survived unharmed. I don't see how Ji Chong is at fault for something 35 episodes ago when he didn't even know who Zhai Xing was.

Ugh, what in the world was the music choice in the last episode. Zhai Xing dying was supposed to be the most emotional scene in the whole drama, until they decided to start blasting rap music and then following it up with that screechy triumphant song. Completely ruined the mood of that scene.

It absolutely does make a difference. Bo Wang was completely ignorant of the assassination of her family. This is why when Zhai Xing learns the truth, she instantly forgives him because she understands that he's innocent. This was extremely obvious, and it shows how Bo Wang deciding to take responsibility was a stupid plot point written for plot convenience. It made no sense whatsoever.

Again, wanting her to hate him and kill him is extremely stupid. He had nothing to do with the assassination. He had no reason to make himself the scapegoat other than to protect the king who was the real culprit, which he obviously wasn't trying to do.

His mission was not to stop the king from manipulating Zhai Xing. He was trying to "steel her resolve" so that she could kill him. Again, which made absolutely no sense, because she had no reason to kill him. He was innocent. Zhai Xing would've never wanted to kill him if he didn't straight up lie to her.

Jin Cong sacrificed his marriage with the love of his life because he understood that Bo Wang was the one in Zhai Xing's heart. He fought off Bo Wang's insistence to continue lying to Zhai Xing because he wanted Zhai Xing to be happy. That's the biggest difference between them. Bo Wang cares for what he THINKS will make Zhai Xing happy. Jin Cong cares for Zhai Xing's ACTUAL happiness. That's why he is the noble hero of this story.

I'm perfectly fluent in Chinese. That's why I understand there are some serious plot holes whereas others might try to delude themselves into believing Bo Wang is some perfect role model.

Yeah, it gets pretty bad after the Bao Na arc. Some of the stuff Bo Wang does to Zhai Xing when they visit Kui Zhou was just horrifying. I'm nearing the end of the drama where they do eventually make up and have some sweet moments together, but I just can't make myself feel happy for them because of how appalling Bo Wang's actions were in the past. It's a pity because the chemistry between the two leads is just sizzling.

It's a good drama, but it's not for the faint of heart. There's not going to be a lot of happy scenes. This is one of the darkest dramas I've ever watched. I wished they could've just fully embraced the darkness and written the ML to be the immensely flawed anti-hero that his actions suggest he is (which is likely what the source material made him out to be), but they tried to make him look like a noble role model, which is just annoying because he clearly isn't one. Blame Chinese censorship I guess.

You're absolutely right. It's "show and don't tell" executed to absolute perfection where you can just instantly tell that there is no romantic spark between Jin Chong and Zhai Xing whatsoever in contrast to Bo Wang and Zhai Xing's fiery relationship. Amazingly subtle acting.

I think it's justified for the ML to be such a jerk to the FL around episode 6 because he still thinks she betrayed him in their childhood and holds a grudge against her. Unfortunately, the emotional abuse does get pretty bad and unreasonable around the middle of the drama however.

I just prefer ML's who are honest and willing to communicate with their partners. The noble idiot ML cliche is a very tired trope.

It's not hard to realize that the ML is a prime example of a toxic partner in a relationship. You'll understand one day if you ever get in a relationship.

Zhai Xing could've never ran away from the Yang Kingdom. She was bounded by her marriage and obligation to the Ma Army, and she's clearly told the ML this. She literally can't run away. Yet Bo Wang kept on trying to force her into doing something that she can't, and made her life living hell while she lived in his manor. Again, this is him being inconsiderate. He fails to consider the fact that Zhai Xing cannot do as he wishes and all his actions do is make her life horrible.

That was a problem with the first half of the drama. The second half was even more egregious because he tried to turn her into a cold-hearted monster by putting her through emotional anguish. His justification was that this would help her survive. In reality? He had absolutely no right to force any of those changes on Zhai Xing. He repeatedly sought her out and tortured her emotionally. A realistic character would've probably committed suicide from what he put her through. His obsession was so destructive that he nearly costed his brother his life.

I agree that the ML is an incredibly flawed character. He doesn't understand what is truly the best for his loved one and how to support her with a healthy relationship. He's also a coward, because he's completely incapable of confronting the problems he's caused. His solution to everything is literally just killing himself. Death for him is an escape. His is a story is one of a tragic anti-hero, but this drama tries to execute this in a way that paints him as a role model even though he has some serious issues. I hope no one sees his character and truly thinks "oh wow, this is what a loving boyfriend/husband should be like".

That's exactly how it is. I just don't sympathize with a manipulative and controlling male lead the way you do.

You'll see what I mean when you watch past around Episode 15. Bo Wang's manipulation has nothing to do with what Zhai Xing's brother did. It was all about what he wants for Zhai Xing.

I actually loved the conflict from her brother's deception in this drama. It was pretty much the only plot line where Bo Wang was justified in being a jerk to Zhai Xing.

@Kim MC He protects as he knows how and that's pushing away *by manipulating her extreme emotional anguish and suffering*. Never once even tried to communicate with her about his intentions even though she would've fully believed and cooperated with him. Their relationship is toxic as hell and all about control.

The only person causing trouble for them is Bo Wang himself. He's been the source of 90% of the conflict in this show.

I fully understand his character. I believe he's been messed up in the head because of his turbulent childhood. Due to this and his relationship with the emperor, he doesn't really know how to love Zhai Xing. He thinks loving her means trying to protect her by turning her into a perfect solider. His entire mission is to transform Zhai Xing into a cold-hearted killer like him by cutting off her feelings through extreme emotional anguish. He is completely inconsiderate of what Zhai Xing actually wants. There is no communication, no trust, only control in their relationship. It's a toxic relationship and they're not meant for each other.

Contrast this with Xiao Zhan's character. Ji Chong sees Zhai Xing as an equal. He listens to her and respects her wishes because he loves her. His definition of loving Zhai Xing is allowing her to do what she wants, but also being there to physically protect her, instead of emotionally manipulating her. Their relationship is one of mutual trust and no control. Ji Chong understands what it means to truly love someone because he grew up in a stable family that was able to show him what love means. He is the true Lang Zhai that Xing'er has been looking for.

That is not at all how it happened. There is no reason for him to try sacrifice himself to avenge her family for a scheme that he was completely uninvolved in. Zhai Xing even asked him if he truly killed her family, fully willing to believe him if he said he didn't. Bo Wang lied to her so that he could manipulate her into killing him. This is the dumbest plot point of the entire drama.

Manipulating Zhai Xing into killing the one person she loved who had nothing to do with her family's deaths will do nothing to help her find peace and will only bring her extreme anguish if she ever finds out the truth. It made absolutely no sense for Bo Wang to think that this would help anything.

Manipulating your loved one so that they can become deadly is not magnanimous, it's toxic. His entire mission is to turn Zhai Xing into a cold-hearted killer like him by cutting off her feelings through extreme emotional anguish. He is completely inconsiderate of what Zhai Xing actually wants and completely obsessed with his delusion of turning her into a perfect soldier. There is no communication, no trust, only control in their relationship. It's a toxic relationship and they're better off without each other.