kmellark

I'm really enjoying the drama, but I can't help feeling frustrated that it took 27 episodes for Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu to reconcile after she found out about his identity. In the novel, that's the halfway point and we only have 13 episodes left. I wouldn't be as concerned if this drama had more than 40 episodes.

I hope this doesn't mean that they're going to condense/cut some of Fan Changyu's heroic and military achievements as she moves up the ranks. They also have another separation on the horizon because of her family's ties to the death of Xie Zheng's father and the former Crown Prince Chengde.

The drama has already made a lot of changes from the novel, but after she finds out that he had been lying to her, Fan Changyu tries to distance herself from him and break ties. That's why there's that line in one of the trailers where she says "I can't treat you, the Marquis of Wu'an, as Yan Zheng." This is very similar to what she tells him in the novel. They're not supposed to get together after this because she doesn't feel worthy of him.

There's also going to be another third act breakup initiated by Xie Zheng himself too lol.

Third act breakup is probably the most painful because Xie Zheng initiated it. However, he immediately regrets it and comes crawling back to her after one month LOL.

And she gets even better when she gains more experience on the battlefield without Xie Zheng coddling her. I'm happy to report that he does do some pretty fantastic and angsty groveling (not about finding out about his identity but another thing). What he did was very extreme, but it's also one of my favorite moments in the novel.

This is the biggest change that I don't like. Stop making Qi Min and Yu Qianqian a thing. I don't want to know what she had to go through to appease him. He is not a good man and she literally does not care for him. I would have preferred that they spent more time progressing the story between Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu because that's what the audiences want. They have sooo many intense and angsty moments in the novel. I hope the drama adapts it well.

I really hope they adapt this because Fan Changyu bites him back LOL.

I hesitate to agree with this because Qi Min hated how Bao’er was conceived and wanted to kill the ones placed him in that position in the first place. That’s why he told QianQian that they can have another child. 💀 Truly a madman.

It was honestly overkill and I couldn't help but laugh. They were basically choking on that blood. 😂

Overall, I had mixed feelings about the ending. I wanted more lovey dovey moments between Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao but all we got was angst, two fleeting kisses, and a strange ending where everything was shoved to the back and they were all happy and singing. I wish they adapted the actual ending in the novel because things were not exactly fine after Qi Yunke died. Mu Qingyan was not on the brink of death and he didn't give up his position as the Li Sect leader either.

This drama had some really strong episodes, but also not so great ones where the plot/screenwriting got jumbled and messy. In the end, I did enjoy the journey and thought Zhou Yiran was incredible as Mu Qingyan. He carried the drama with his acting alone. I'm now a fan of him and will look forward to his future works!

Disappointed but I did enjoy the journey! It was really fun waiting for the next episodes and discussing what will happen to the characters next. Zhou Yiran was a fantastic Mu Qingyan and I was super impressed with his interpretation of the character.

It's so true that whoever the director and screenwriter is matters because they can either make or break the story.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. They made it seem like Mu Qingyan was going to die but that didn't even happen in the novel. He also didn't marry into Luoying Valley. Cai Zhao actually went to live with Mu Qingyan in the Hanhai Mountains and he was still the Li Sect leader. On the day of their marriage, Mu Qingyan was caught burning letters from the other sects who were trying to pursuade Cai Zhao to run away LOL.

Umm, I have a lot of thoughts about episodes 34-36. 😂 They made some crazy and frustrating changes from the novel. Mu Qingyan wasn't that weak in the final battle but they made him spurt blood like crazy. Also, a lot more people were there fighting Qi Yunke. They didn't even include the conversation that Mu Qingyan had with Cai Zhao when she was being reckless: "If you don’t die, I won’t die. If I live, you must live too. We never abandon each other. We die together or live together.”

At this point, just give me the wedding and lovey dovey moments lol.

I really loved episode 33! Their little date in Luoying Valley was supposed to happen after the final battle in the novel, but I also really liked how they let Mu Qingyan visit her home first as well. It was super cute, flirty, and made me really happy. I wish we got more of these scenes!

I really hope he will take on more historical dramas in the future! I heard that Qiao Chu is tentatively scheduled to broadcast in May.

I'm happy but also sad that we're finally at the end. I loved Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao, even when they were frustrating at times. This made me a huge fan of Zhou Yiran.

I agree! I really loved episodes 26 and 27 because it gave Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao so much development, but then they made some interesting changes to the characters and story. Overall, it was a pretty good drama, but the standout to me was Zhou Yiran who quite literally carried this with his acting lol.

Yang Heying's daughter, the one who is Cai Zhao's sibling sect and looks up to Cai Pingshu. She was constantly bullied by her father and step-mother, who also tried forcing her to marry into the Song family. She found out that her father deliberately killed her mother, grandfather, and uncles in episode 32.

Right? Mu Qingyan is only "soft" when it comes to Cai Zhao. He forces her to look at the world around her and keeps pushing her to see the hypocrisy behind the Six Sect's rules. When it comes to anyone else, he is ruthless, cunning, and unapologetic about it. This is why I really like Zhou Yiran's interpretation of his character. He's still incredibly jealous of Song Yuzhi, which I find super funny.

Don't worry guys, it's a happy ending. I'm not sure why they keep showing Mu Qingyan throwing up blood. 😂 It's definitely a red herring to make it seem like he won't survive.

Here's a quote to ease your anxiety:

Mu Qingyan’s eyes shone like the moon as he smiled confidently. “Me, die with Qi Yunke so you can be with that Song fellow? Dream on. Even if heaven allows it, I won’t!”

I really hope they kept this lol.

I completely understand your disappointment. Some of the things they changed from the novel were... certainly interesting. Not exactly a fan, but as long as Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao are happily married and in love by the end, I'll be super happy.

We'll be able to binge the rest of the episodes tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to see how they end it.