Wenxia

I agree it's pretentious, some of these dialogues really heighten it. I saw it described as gritty but for me it’s the opposite of that. I’m not bored though, kind of dig the mood, but the pace is slower than I'd prefer.

It's different than I expected - kind of slow-burn intrigue but nicely atmospheric. Photography and sound are the instant highlights. I like this setup of old men scheming about Luyao and biting more than they can chew (or so it seems).
Last time I watched a drama with Yin Fang his character was mildly irritating and it's the same here, so I guess it's the actor I don't vibe with.
Mid-ep3 I'm kind of watching the scenery and waiting for the pace to pick up...

The calendar's just been added to the photos - 3/4 eps today🏜️

I think it's just a placeholder because the drama airs at 6pm CST not 12pm and usually 3 or 4 eps air on the first day. Also, on douban it says 13 episodes in total, so it got me wondering. I guess we'll know later today:)

I'm really excited for this one! Does anyone know the airing calendar? Is it one ep/day at 6pm CST?

How I love those moments when something I play randomly with zero expectations completely sucks me in, steals my night and my thoughts the next day.
I want to applaud the team for turning what seemed like a typical trope-filled story into a genuinely heartfelt one. That goes double for the two leads for fully committing to their characters and keeping the story grounded through all the rivalry and miscommunication. The young actors who replaced them in school flashbacks were equally great, managing to capture the emerging feelings that sparked this crazy bond. It’s the first drama this year that I couldn’t get enough of. I’m charmed<3

Plot-driven show with good acting and great visuals. The story engaged my brain but to a much lesser degree my emotions. The characters were not likeable, the mood sad/heavy and the romances kind of forced. The ending was rushed and it all left me with a big whatever. So overall disappointing.

Just reembered something. In the last stabby scene Hailou says 'thank you' that came kind of out of nowhere. Was there a cut too??

Oh, I remember that scene - Haiqi threw something at them and they separated, right? That moment felt kind of hollow after that.
I'm a little confused because I thought they were only cutting skinship from dangai dramas. What, will pats on the shoulder be the only gestures allowed between male characters now?

Good to know. It looked to me like just bad editing choices, but I guess I’m not surprised it got censored.

Exactly! plus that cure for Haixia that never got used. The way they were building the mystery up, I thought they were going to come up with something more intricate for the finale - but nope a bomb it is. Their solution to every problem:D.

That was one disappointing ending. I felt nothing but confusion. Honestly, the last thing I wanted was more cryptic bs at the end. Are we really supposed to believe Hailou couldn’t come up with a way to save Haixia? What were the snake memories for then. It's the worst possible ending they could’ve chosen considering what Haixia went through. I wonder if the censorship struck again or the writers actually thought it was a good conclusion to the story…

I didn’t even try with the Nan- places because too many possibilities:) But, you’re right, if they go from Guangzhou and pass Changsha on the way, then Nanjing is the best fit. So Chuhan is Wuhan then, I guess. I found it funny that in this fantasy world modifying a train is enough to make it high-speed, as if:D Oh and Nanqiang could be Nanning, if it’s in Guangxi.

I have no idea about Beilian either. I sort of mentally pictured it somewhere in Hunan, because of the Xiao river. Probably totally wrong about that though;)

Thank you! Guangxi makes perfect sense. They were dropping so many details on the train that I started wondering if they're pointing to some specific place I've never heard of.

Director Hailou! The world should tremble:D

So Xiacheng is Xiamen, Changxiang is Changsha, what is Bailejing? I can't come up with anything

No, I agree with you. My comment was a direct reaction to seeing her beat him. I wasn't trying to absolve his responsibility (the guy’s a menace), just point out that the smarter people had a chance to prevent/mitigate the damage and didn’t.

I think I'm missing something, because I just don't get how spilling one name could've been enough to dismantle a centuries-old organisation.
I remember a scene where a soldier says to the Mo leader that they couldn't find anything about the archives, but he found some people who were connected to it. How did he do it though? If it was already disbanded and everyone was in hiding mode? Also, if the people they caught didn’t talk, how would they be able to locate all Zhangs? That young guy they showed eagerly spilling beans about Zhang Haiqi didn’t even look tortured…

Ngl I’m really doubting the loving mother part right now. I blame the chaotic plot. I was hoping for a longer flashback that’d expand her character, but I swear someone on the writing team thinks the fewer details the better the mystery. So not true:(

I've only watched up to ep12 but I'm with you about the mentor. Her methods are cruel and incomprehensible. It looks like she could've easily prevented all this tragedy, so why didn't she? From a leader's perspective, since they were immune, they should've been her strongest assets. Sacrificing them just seemed stupid. I'm so so baffled at what she's doing.

Just got to ep12 beach scene. Shifu WTF are you doing?! I don't agree with her behaviour towards Hailou. …like on a visceral level. Putting it all on him and his unintentional mistake, while there were clearly others who betrayed her intentionally. Otherwise how could such organisation be wiped out this fast. He wasn't even the first to blab because that Mo guy already knew about Zhangs, so someone else must have let details slip before Hailou.
Plus, doesn’t she bear some responsibility too? She knew Hailou is a loose cannon and Haixia likes to indulge him, so why didn't she put him under strong supervision, instead of letting them run wild? If she acted on the boat the situation would've never turned this tragic! What was she trying to prove? Haixia too, he realised that Hailou’s blabbing could bring trouble, so why didn’t he make sure they silenced everyone who heard it? They were ready to die from the grass, so he should've made tying loose ends a priority. Btw why does no one they kill ever stay dead?! That’s the real big mystery of this drama lol.

I didn't expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did! Dark mood, exciting fights, intense music and an interesting karmic bond at the heart of the story shared by an endearing Muyu and magnetic Changhe. My favourite fight was with the three officials in episode 13 featuring the immortal brush. It looked really cool. Also, the one with the archer in front of the Wanjuan tower had great choreography. Our reformed assassins tried so hard to break out of the dark only to end up in the cesspool of court politics:/ I wish the last ten episodes went in another direction. Li Hanyi should’ve killed the first prince in Wushuang City, he was such a vibe killer.