Xiang83

Have you finished watching WoF?

You're welcome. Mizuhira-san made a summary more than two days ago about the Tuo dragons. I hope she shares it on this page.

I can only infer that Xue Xianzi is not from the Celestial Realm but possibly possesses some ability to see parallel threads of time as he is close to sagehood, having lived for more than 300 years. The white fox at the ending is the end of this timeline, and I am thinking multiverse.

In the 40 episodes, certain points of the plot don't really get explained eg how Yique Yinyang was able to manipulate Tang Lici and other people into doing what was necessary to get to a certain point. How did A-Shui get the third pill and bottle off Tang Lici without him discovering, and when was that before Gui Mudan showed up in episode 33 to take Tang Lici back to Plum Blossoms Garden?

Frankly, I would have preferred A'-Shui to have a significant scene that didn't keep giving the audience the impression of primarily being Tang Lici's blood bank, to replace one of those scenes. That would have made the letter she left behind even more powerfully piercing and poignant. Subtle scenes in the first ten episodes are not lost on me for her contributions, but I really would have wanted her to say, write something something meaningful and short to teach Xiao Shi in one scene with Tang Lici just happening to walk by and notice. And then it could tie in to Xiao Shi asking about A-Shui and repeating what she taught Xiao Shi then. Would have added even more weight to the scene of more than a drawing.

The storyline is ambitious, the execution leaves people wanting. That's why I just posted a comment summary for episodes 34 to 35 because by now, I'm sure a significant number of people are lost in the details of what is "Opening the Heavenly Wheel", etc.

I was thinking multi-verse but sadly, no sequel.

She actually cared for Gui Mudan as a foster father, but only too late did she realise how different they were and how she couldn't save him and what he had intended all long for her... Gui Mudan finally understood the meaning of emotions as a human and claiming himself as a person and not a puppet, to give the cat that name.

Too bad there's no BTS for the cat XD

I'm still trying to figure out the ending relative to Xue Xianzi. All else was for the best and happy but man, I wish someone else remembered Tang Lici to at least write a poem about him!

"Chant of the Water Dragon" is the story of Tang Lici who must uncover the full extent of the entities aiming to have him killed and his reputation irreversibly destroyed throughout the pugilistic world, which leads to him discovering something much bigger and heinous threatening more than the pugilistic world. Saved by Fang Zhou, my observations for more than 20 episodes are that Tang Lici doesn’t sufficiently understand love and everything else he experienced at Zhoudi Tower, and it is the lessons of loss and failure and new bonds during this timeframe that will truly enable him to understand the seven emotions.

Episode 34…

Gui Mudan and Tang Lici have an unfinished game. Tang Lici shows his understanding and mastery of the seven emotions in a mesmerising conversation with Gui Mudan. He has come a very long way from when Fang Zhou took him in, and that was when he did not understand emotions. Jeremy Tsui and Luo Yunxi together bring out a complete indescribable impact piercing to the core of a puppet that should have no heart. Luo Yunxi needs to act with actors and actresses who can match his ability to emote, because the end results will fully resonate with viewers of least 20 years of C-Ent experience able to understand lines without subtitles. Jeremy Tsui’s performance has been outstanding, and this scene is no different.

(If anybody wants a breakdown of that conversation, let me know)

Tang Lici finally understands what the perfect Celestial Body entails, which leader Bai Nanzhu of the Celestial Realm never grasped and Ye Mo only realised after destroying Gumo State and killing the Seven Masters in the battle at Tiandu Peak: It also necessitates truly understanding the seven emotions and not being fundamentally tainted with evil before attaining that pinnacle. As a result, Ye Mo decided to indirectly enable Fang Pingzhai to create the Inverted Dream with Qiaoyi Qiankun, which is why Tang Lici can go back in time to stop Yique Yinyang from winning the battle. Hence Fang Zhou survives, and Tang Lici gets seven years of love and patience essential to helping Tang Lici grasp the foundations of family and emotions he must further comprehend after losing Fang Zhou.

Qiu Xin Zhi as Shao Yanping has been overlooked for his performance and needs more love. As Zhong Chunji’s teacher, he manages to convey an entire array of emotions and cues as needed, from being silly to conflicted to being indirectly cowed… and disappointed. Zhong Chunji is still trying to find her footing in becoming Princess Langya, and trying to reach an internal compromise between what she has done to Tang Lici, what she herself dares not confess, and trying to decide how to digest what her teacher has just said to her. I’m not sure if Bao Shang En realised how technically difficult this role is before taking on it, because episode 23 onwards requires significant micro-emoting. As a newbie actress, she’s bravely giving it her best efforts.

Flashback of an exchange between A-Shui and Fang Zhou is a long-fulfilled dream of finding family at last. Heart-warmingly beautiful. That hug… Their expressions… Awwwww! Johnny Huang and Lin Yun are perfect siblings here.

The Nine-Heart Ape Ghoul pills (or Blood Poison Pills) which Liu Yan has been enabling to spread via the House Of Pleasure enables users of the pills to produce black crystals known as “Black Tuli” which nourishes the Sky-Reaching Pillar that Gui Mudan is about to use, to resurrect Yique Yinyang. This is how the Tuo Dragons which once attacked a young Tang Lici in the Celestial Realm were able to derive energy to attack Tang Lici in Bodhi Valley, causing the Immortal Crystal Ice Coffin and Fang Zhou's body to be destroyed.

Oh wait, Gui Mudan strikes a deal with Tang Lici about killing Ye Mo before he is born. Tang Lici must go back in time to the Celestial Realm to do so, and Gui Mudan claims to be ready to send him there.

Could anything go wrong?

After giving orders pertaining to what he needs (from the library of the Celestial Realm) to the General of Guanxing Tower who is also leader of the Golden Feather Tribe, Tang Lici meets the Dragon Goddess who is supposed to give birth to the Holy Son. And he is ready to kill her, until she says something heart-rending and asks him to give the bone-washing silver bracelet to her unborn son. Then Gui Mudan comes to try to kill her-

Episode 35….

# An epic showdown occurs. Tang Lici protecting his mother resulted in too much unexpected sand in my eyes. The way she spoke to him, them sharing this bond, her hand on his cheek… Things rapidly became more watery than expected. So happy for him to learn he was born in love. Now this is a love story for the ages: A mother able to meet the child she was destined never to see… Touch his face… Give him love. And uniquely precious memories he can never forget.

# For everyone who is stuck with crappy subtitles, in episode 34 the scroll handed to Tang Lici is a concealed technique of the Celestial Realm. Opening the Heavenly Wheel utilising the power of the Rebirth Scroll is a technique channelling energy through certain veins, akin to cleansing and resetting one’s meridian system. Opening the Heavenly Wheel can also be a soul transfer technique. That is what IQiyi subtitles show as Heaven-Halo in Ye Mo's memories, first mentioned in episode 27 when Tang Lici enters the Time rift at the bottom of the canyon after dispelling the vortex.

The Heaven-Changing Scripture was used by Gui Mudan on A-Shui. It is also used by Gui Mudan on the Dragon Goddess, to disrupt the energy flow in meridians. This technique can be used to reverse the Heaven-Halo technique being utilised by someone, theoretically allowing the attacker to possess the body of that user.

In the Celestial Realm, Tang Lici recovers very quickly and completely by the time Gui Mudan became ready to try to totally take over Tang Lici's body, which Gui Mudan did not expect. In Shenzhou, why Ye Mo was in danger of losing his body was because using the Heaven-Halo technique made him vulnerable but because of his bracelet utilising the remainder of stored energy from the Celestial Realm, his energy channels were stabilised and he could deflect the attack and also kill the Gumo State ruler who wanted his body. Gui Mudan will not be able to take Tang Lici’s body in the Celestial Realm. Tang Lici utilises the Heaven-Halo technique on Gui Mudan.

# Now back in Shenzhou ie Earth being China, Tang Lici is resting, and reads the letter left behind by A-Shui.

[ Sidenote: At Precious Mirror Mountain, The Glowing Meteorite fragment retrieved by Xiao Shi enabled Shui Duopo to create three pills for Tang Lici to restore his power and health as much as possible, without resorting to drinking A-Shui’s blood. Gui Mudan crushed a pill into dust. Where did the pill come from, which A-Shui provided? ]

This section about the sequencing of the pills is from Azure:
{ Regarding the three pills, Tang Lici used the first one when Shui Duopo made them, that’s how his hair turned back to dual colour. He used the second one while fighting with Tuolong in Bodhi valley to protect the ice-coffin. As for the third one, after the Heart Crystal was taken out. A Shui hid the third pill away from Tang Lici (but also didn’t give it to Gui Mudan) Gui Mudan crushed the fake pill and that’s the reason why Tang Lici was imprisoned by Gui Mudan in Piaoling Meiyuan.}

A-Shui managed to help Tang Lici without Gui Mudan’s realisation by somehow concealing the third pill and bottle before Tang Lici was approached by Gui Mudan, and smuggled the pill to Tang Lici when she served Tang Lici the last meal without taking back her hamper and told him to clean up after himself. It is a lovely letter, direct and caring and truly resonates as to why she is Fang Zhou’s sister. Lin Yun’s VA is doing a very good job.

# Chi Yun and Shen Langhun wanted to find a missing Tang Lici who has been a guest of Gui Mudan all this while. Chi Yun has not sent back any information for two weeks, since he went to look for Bai Suche to get the location of Gui Mudan’s Plum Blossom Garden. Fang Pingzhai has just given Shen Langhun an ultimatum and deadline pertaining to Huiniang’s body and the final gem in the hair ornament. Tang Lici tells Shen Langhun to go. Xiao Shi is sweet. Willing to die to protect your teacher, willing to stay forever with your teacher after being told A-Shui is not coming back… I’ll remember this moment in this episode as fondly as Tang Lici sharing precious moments with a mother he was never supposed to meet.

# I want that tea set which Tang Lici is sharing with Shao Yanping. Are they going to have a replica for sale? It would be a nice addition to my collections for usage. Shao Yanping clearly does not trust Xifang Tao. Will Xifang Tao succeed in winning the election and taking over his position as leader of the Central Plains Sword Alliance?

The Bronze Tree (also known as the Sky-Reaching Pillar) appears to be modelled on the nine bronze trees retrieved from the Sanxingdui sacrificial pit, which can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Sanxingdui was the heart of the ancient Shu civilisation. The largest intact Bronze Sacred Tree measures 3.96 metres tall, and recalls Fusang in “Classic of Mountains and Seas”:

https://www.3devok.com/case/restoration-3d-digitization-of-sanxingdui/

Video about background of the sculpture here: https://youtu.be/4SUOwJFSEO0

Meanwhile, thoughts about episodes 34 to 35 in the next comment (plus stitching some points together in the-overall-plot) because packing details of any more episodes together would result in "Lost You Forever":

Seems like it: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ZoCkBxE5E/

Xue Xianzi did say something to Tang Lici in one episode that didn't make sense to me at that point, if this was the only time it happened. The question is how does the Hermit of Snow Xue Xianzi retain his memories while being alive for more than 300 years? Or does he possess an ability to see different threads of time, depending on how close he is to sagehood? What were his origins? The drama doesn't say. He is not from the Celestial Realm.

Enjoy watching! Are you on IQiyi?

Those of us who differentiate between "happy" and "good" as you have helpfully pointed out also can enjoy these dramas because of what we classify as a happy ending, given the themes we can identify.

Even if one does not attain nirvana, breaking saṃsāra (the cycle of rebirth) to protect everyone because their lives have meaning and giving them second chances, while changing your own initial origins and destiny- That can also be seen as freedom. Voluntary loss of attachment pertaining to control and worldly pursuits, and forsaking all desires of the individual's wants for the greater good is truly one of the highest forms of nobility. Changing the destiny of everyone else becomes your destiny, to leave the sea of suffering.

It matches the OP song.

The question is: Given the symbolism of the dragon in Buddhism and Taoism, did Tang Lici attain nirvana eventually even though initially as a fox, he only broke saṃsāra for himself when giving everyone a second chance, thus proving Fang Zhou's beliefs that every person is born good and nobody is truly evil?

I need to revisit J-dramas or find new ones, because it's been more than 15 years. That's one I need to do.

Zhang Yishan in a drama with a happy ending is what I want. And may Vendetta of An please give an ending that Cheng Yi deserves!

I am not attacking the op, neither am I attacking any specific group of fans. I mentioned two specific fans (none of them is you) and why. If you scroll down through the comments for the past seven days, I can understand why the op has reacted in such a fashion (if they are a fan of Bao Shang En who has to portray a character that isn't going to endear people to the character at said point because that is how the script goes and the actress has to adhere to that).

Lin Yun has pivotal scenes in episodes 33 and 34. Did she nail those scenes, as someone with more than ten years of acting in C-Ent? We can discuss that. Ai Mi had scenes with Luo Yunxi. Did she hold the tension and micro-emote well enough as Shui Duopo, whom Tang Lici must wear down and convince? Too many scenes from the Celestial Realm didn't make it into the final cut. Chi Yun and Shen Langhun's bonds with Tang Lici could have been better developed for viewers to emphatise with, but something has to go in the first ten episodes.

Speaking of fans, Azure is a fan of Tang Lici x Fang Zhou. Azure is also sharing various different aspects and trivia of WoF. I have no interest in romance, but I am happy discussing other aspects of the drama with other posters which doesn't overlap with Azure. A_cappucino_gal likes A-Shui, and A_cappucino_gal is also talking about other aspects of WoF and sharing promo material. This page is going to get boring fast, if all people focus on is romance.

My point is that if someone is only here for one actress and only their romance and nothing else about the drama, then makes grandstanding announcements only about their favourite and/or goes around badgering people and/or crapping on this drama and characters because the romance was NEVER a focus: Find something else to watch.

And don't be surprised when people finally say something, but aren't polite about it.

IMHO Tang Lici had a better ending and storyline than Wang Quan Fugui.

If Luo Yunxi and Cheng Yi do a drama together, does that mean the drama will have a doubly-tragic ending, or will the ending of WoF offset the pattern of drama endings for Cheng Yi?

Gave me the chuckles. Whether it is Luo Yunxi praising Alen Fang's singing, Yang Shize completely unlike Puzhu, Sabrina Chen being bubbly and quick to laugh and totally unlike Xifang Tao, when Sabrina Chen grabs Fang Shize so he doesn't fall due to the slippery pavement- Ao Ziyi is totally Chi Yun! And Ao Ziyi with Luo Yunxi at 35:30 onwards is truly the day they have been waiting for XD

I have no issues with fans of any of the actors or actresses, but there are two particular fans of A-Shui on this page that have been a pain. One badgered me for wanting better writing for two female characters including A-Shui, until I blocked that one for bashing almost every other character and using expletives. They even attacked a fellow A-Shui fan for nicely telling them to not be so nasty about Bao Shang En and Zhong Chunji's character. Don't expect anything deep or wide from that poster except uneven capslock diarrhea.

The other one has proclaimed two days ago they are dropping this drama. Good for them. Go find something you enjoy. Everyone can ship whoever they want with anyone else in this drama, but constantly crapping over this drama (which has a lot of positives and very enjoyable highs along with some details that could have been improved) for not giving the romantic ending you want is immature and boring. If one wants to talk about shipping, going by the novel or the drama, shipping Tang Lici with Fang Zhou or Tang Lici with Liu Yan makes the most sense.

A faction of us that isn't here for romance and happy to see whoever ship whatever can also see how the drama also makes it seem as if Tang Lici is all about brotherhood and all other themes without romance, and that's fine too. Producers walked a thin line to cater to all three factions, and I believe they did well. I'm not speaking for everyone else in the non-romance category, but just wanted to share this because there's so much more of WoF to discuss.

Wanting Tang Lici to make choices of an ending ultimately and primarily with A-Shui is as logical as going to a pharmacy and wanting your bicycle fixed. If the OP song, Tang Lici's character song, Tang Lici's emphasis on the importance of Fang Zhou's impact on him and how Tang Lici protects people (good and evil) throughout more than 35 episodes doesn't sink in and isn't to your taste... Watch a different drama.

Enjoy the final 5 episodes!

Xue Xianzi is the only one who remembers and is very somberly waiting for Tang Lici's return in a certain form. IMHO he has clearly helped Tang Lici many times before and this is not Tang Lici's first time to change history, hence Xue Xianzi never calls Tang Lici by name throughout the entire drama. At the end of each attempt, when that white fox appears, that is when Xue Xianzi notably calls him "Xiao huli".

It's the only ending that fits, given Tang Lici's character. But I believe the final fifteen seconds would have confused people, because:

Her exchanges with Gui Mudan were very illuminating for her, but a little too late for her.

Chen Yao as a villainess of grey shades was very enjoyable.

You're welcome. Wait till you get to episodes 32 and especially 33!

This drama has more influences of opera than the average viewer realises, which plays into the theatrical aspects of cinematography and camerawork.

High fantasy incorporating elements of xuanhuan while pushing the limits of xianxia, bringing in cultural references internationally to add to roots of Chinese heritage- It's a veritable feast for the senses. The costumes! The CGI! After so many years, I'm enjoying this historical costume drama that has finally reached what I enjoyed in much-older HK movies. Execution of the plot ie storytelling is a bit flawed at some points but overall, still a very enjoyable and engaging drama!

I'll check it out! Southern Anecdote is currently highest on my list of DmBJ dramas.

Chen Yao is performing a specific archetype for this drama, and I'm enjoying her nuanced villainess role with certain exaggerated flourishes which I believe is also based on opera and her upbringing by Gui Mudan.

When someone watches Tsui Hark's 1993 "Green Snake" movie and doesn't realise the deliberate direction and strength of the Peking Opera influences by Tsui Hark in how Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung modelled the snake demons Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing for acting and speech and mannerisms, over-acting is the understandable impression.

Haven't watched any other dramas of hers, but Megumi-H gave a suggestion that I will check out.