Uma_shakti

Ahah, yes, so true))) The beloved cdrama tricks. Spitting blood will never go out of fashion it seems XD

Ep. 19-20
Our girl is such a survivor, I loved the whole sequence of her traveling alone across the desert and the wintery snows. It's beautiful and so in tune with her loneliness, sadness, and heartbreak. Yes, some of the things are a bit far-fetched, but it's a cdrama, so I'm letting it slide and just enjoying the ride:) It was cool that Duan Wu could meet with Yue Yunxiu, so she's not completely alone on her journey.

The drama is drama-ing hard in the ep.20 with the rain scene. Both Liu Yuning and Zhao Lusi are such amazing actors, they deliver everything so believably!

I totally agree with you. ZL and LYN are such powerful actors - I just believe whatever they portray, be it lovey-dovey scenes, sweet romance, or that devastating heartbreak of the last few episodes. I'm happy that got paired together (and hopefully we'll get some less tear-inducing scenes in the show:)

Hopefully we'll find out soon enough :)

Ah, yes, now I get it :) Fully agree with you.
And the emotional damage has already arrived with ep 18, ah. But I'm very curious to see where the screenwriters will take YZJ and Duan Wu next. Both their characters are quite multi-faceted and I like how falling in love didn't make them suddenly stop being who they are. It's quite realistic in this aspect

Yes it's his character's story arc so I don't imagine he will just drop everything he's been working so hard to achieve and go live with his wifey somewhere nice (although, I would have gladly watched it XD)

I've never felt that revenge was on Duan Wu's plate on the same level as YZJ, but I may be mistaken. I felt she was more into living and making a name for herself, that trading stuff she wanted to do. Anyway, I'm looking forward to what happens next.

Woah, I didn't even think that far, thanks for your guess, I also think it's very possible. I sensed that something was fishy when the General got stopped so conveniently from going and helping YZJ with his plan - like someone in the upper circles of power got a warning note and they acted fast. Luckily, Zhang Jinran still decided to go, but the whole story with the bandits seems a bit more complicated than I initially thought.

I could feel the sweetness in my mouth XD Haven't had so much fun with a (supposedly) non-romantic drama in a long time, but here we are))) Cuteness overload.

I was also thinking about Yan Zijing's motivation and it doesn't (imho) come from the place of chasing power. I think he genuinely wants to help people who have suffered the same fate as him and to prevent the same from happening (that's what I got after watching ep.17, like, why he's doing what he's doing even though he has something more important than revenge in his life).

I've discovered that it's not even so much about revenge for him (although that is still present) but rather to fight the evil forces of the world that take advantage of innocent people. He doesn't seem like a savior type of guy, but it seems to be the underlying current of his actions.

He was also reckless because he didn't value his life much, so he could risk it to achieve some goals. After this poisoning, things changed for him and Duan Wu, though, I won't spoil it. But the motivation to risk his life for a greater cause is still there, which makes me worry about the upcoming events (now for both of them).

The sweetness of ep.16 was truly something else... We've entered the magical world of fluffy romance and I'm all up for it! I don't care if the two of them got close too fast (they did go through a lot lately together), would love to see some more happiness unfold (I can hope, right? XD). Kissing scene - top-notch, perfect, and beyond romantic.

ep. 17 - love the desert aesthetics! Gorgeous looks and the cinematography is killing it. But I just want to shake them and ask why do they have to do all this dangerous stuff? Why not just go and do some less stabby trading, build a house, have kids? But then we wouldn't have this series XD Waiting patiently for the 'storm' because something is definitely brewing.

It's one of my favorites - they played it to perfection! And everyone catching up on what's going on between the two of them, it's just too sweet :3

Oh, thanks for this :3

I can already feel the storm coming, OMG XD

Oh, yes, it was a classic cdrama trope, but works so WELL every damn time XD I loved it. Also, their height/size difference makes everything cuter and spicier at the same time. Just love their height difference so much)))

I loved this moment so much! So wise. She's perfect the way you are. But people who fall in love are often blind to the other person's actual feelings and can have a hard time letting go or giving up. I'm hoping the 'scholar' will understand that she's not meant for him (or at least, I hope so:)

Yes! I love how she's smart and very sensitive. I'd imagine that's what you get from living in a survival mode for most of your life, surrounded by people who could hurt you at any time. But that's also what makes her so caring and open to other people's pain - she's super empathetic! The way she hugged YZJ when he lost it after hearing about his sister's death - she just couldn't stay away from a person in such pain (well, and the fact that she probably likes him:)

I also like her straightforwardness with Zhang Jinran, it's refreshing for a FL to just be a normal person and say 'I don't like you the way you like me' and in a very classy way.

I love how Kang Ju is low-key shipping Duanwu and Yan Zijing, noticing them getting closer all the time and all YZJ's small reactions and signs that he cares about her. You just have to have a character like that in a show. The scene at the fire with the chicken leg was hilarious XD Everyone pretending they didn't get what was going on.

I love all the homey hubby-wifey scenes between ML and FL and the slow-burn is starting to show up little by little. The beginning of the show was relentlessly dark and I would love for it to have more lovey-dovey moments, but knowing it's a c-drama, can't get my hopes up too high because we've been there already so many times XD. Still, will wish for a HE :)

I kinda feel for the SML in terms of following the person he loves (and doing some investigating while he's at it), but his mentality is totally different from hers. I loved the message of their interaction when he told her the story about the mermaid and the man who fell in love with her and wanted to 'cure' her so they could be together. Duanwu was so on point saying that maybe it should be the other way round! The girl has smarts and she knows what she wants in life. Even if it's hard, she wants to achieve something herself (or with the help of the people she loves, who respect her just the way she is).

I think that's one of the things that makes ML so good - he actually respects her and lets her make her own decisions (and mistakes she could learn from), not trying to protect her from the hardships of the world. Instead, he would stick around to help her or guide her, and teach her his ways. Which, yes, they could be harsh, but still his attitude feels much more genuine compared to 'saving the damsel in distress' trope that the SML has been pushing from the very beginning. Duanwu needed saving once, maybe, but she's too strong, brave, and curious to become some official's wife living a caged life. I think she would hate that, so that's one of the reasons she's not choosing him as her partner.

Well, so far so good, I'm loving the show, the blooming romance, and the plot is too good! Let's see where it takes us.

I loved it, too! Such a mature move, no avoidance or weird behavior, everything is quite clear and she knows where she belongs and what she wants to do in life. It's admirable. So far FL is really smart and cool, I hope they keep her like that:)

Yes, I loved that there were a lot of powerful standalone female characters who weren't the ML's love interest. it made the story feel more natural, just like in real life - you meet and interact with all kinds of people, both male and female.

Ahah, yes, the Emperor is quite likeable because he is, in my experience, the smartest and most cunning ruler in the whole CDramaland. Have to respect the guy:)) But I really don't envy Fan Xian having such a vicious 'dad'.