Morwen

It's definitely bromance. It just doesn't have the tag on MDL (yet).

People need to actively vote for the tag on this drama for it to appear.

Hailou has, to quote Liam Neeson, a "very specific set of skills". He's very smart in some aspects and an absolute dumbass in others.
That's why Haixia followed him back then. He knew that Hailou would get himself killed sooner or later otherwise.

He is in the novel. But maybe they will change his fate here. I haven't watched today's episodes yet, but this adaptation is sticking pretty close to the novel so far. Doesn't mean it will stay that way, though.

I'm not entirely sure what year he becomes sect leader, but I think he already is at this point.

You can watch The Mystic Nine individually, because it's a prequel to all the others and tells the story of the parents and grandparents of the main characters in the later dramas.

Starting from The Lost Tomb/Time Raiders, you have the same three main characters until the very end of my list above. Those three might not always be complete and/or are side characters in the spin-off series Adventure Behind the Bronze Door as well as Tomb of the Sea. But the trio appears in everything else together.
From The Lost Tomb/Time Raiders until Tomb of the Sea, you also have a really long story arc. Those dramas are all connected in a way.

In theory, you could watch Reunion independently, though, because those are sequels to the main series, where the three main characters are already much older.

You're welcome. <3

He's already around during this time and will make an appearance. I'm just not sure if any of the other characters will meet him since I'm not sure how much they changed the drama compared to the novel.
The main cast didn't get to meet him in the novel though, not until much, much later.

Chronological order:

(0. The Mystic Nine)
1. The Lost Tomb OR Time Raiders (2025)*
2. The Lost Tomb 2
3. The Lost Tomb 2.5
4. Ultimate Note
5. (this part has not been adapted yet so there is a gap in the narrative here)
6. Adventure Behind the Bronze Door
7. Tomb of the Sea
8. Reunion: The Sound of the Providence season 1 & 2

* I recommend watching Time Raiders (2025) instead of The Lost Tomb. It's a much better adaptation of the same novel.

Archives: The Nanyang Mystery takes place during the events of The Mystic Nine, but it's more of an independent story.

And what a shame that is. *sighs*
(Both. Both of these things are.)

Yeah, that was my impression of him as well. I felt reminded of old-school Batman with his noble knight attitude and his refusal to kill, except Zhan Zhao is not a vigilante and abides by the law. Well. Mostly.

The varying subtitle quality is a good point, though I'm following this drama with a group of people over on Tumblr, all of whom are from different countries and watch on different platforms and they all understand what Zhan Zhao as a character is about.

I think the issues of those other people are probably: having the wrong expectations for this drama and a lack of experience with the genre and these specific character tropes/archetype.

I'm still a few episodes behind on watching this drama, but I was under the impression that he already had his character development prior to the beginning of the drama.

Same for me.
These comments make me wonder if I'm watching the same drama as these people. Like, what is not to understand here?
It is made very clear, very early on, who he works for and what his task is. Zhan Zhao has a strong sense of duty and a moral compass at least as strong, and his words and actions reflect that again and again and again.
So even as someone who wasn't familiar with this character before, the "why doesn't he kill?" question never occurred to me, because that's very obviously not who he is.

This drama has unexpectedly conquered my heart in the past few days.
Because the writing of the three main characters' dynamic has a quality to it that I rarely see in a drama.

There is a genuine wish to understand each other, to see the world through each other's eyes, to TRUST. And by understanding the other's experiences and needs, the trio can help each other, be there when comfort is needed or take a step back when it's not.
It's this respect for each other's boundaries and the way the three of them care for each other, both with words and with actions, that absolutely gets to me.

When there are misunderstandings or doubts, they talk things out like grown-ups, especially Zhan Zhao and Huo Linglong. Bai Yutang is more closed off at the beginning (and for good reasons), but in time we can see him open up and become more and more comfortable in his own skin and identity.

I love this drama so much for the way it portrays the trio's friendship — and friendship in general.

Awesome, thanks!
I'll wait then.

The song that plays during the end credits is a real banger, does anyone know what it's called and who the artist is?

Season 3 is now online!

The first 6 episodes are now online on WeTV.

I liked both dramas, but Love on the Turquoise Land had a budget that The Seven Relics of Ill Omen clearly lacked, especially when it comes to cinematography and special effects.
Love on the Turquoise Land also has more mature main characters and characters in general, while the main characters of The Seven Relics of Ill Omen are mostly Teenagers and young adults.
Both deal with really dark themes at times.

Personally, I liked Love on the Turquoise Land better (Dilireba and Chen Xingxu had incredible chemistry), but it's just a matter of personal taste, I guess.

Yes, absolutely agreeing with you here!

It's been a while since I've watched such a well-paced, smartly written drama with such excellent acting and chemistry and so, so much more depth to it than I initially thought.
I rarely give 10 stars but there's really nothing about this drama for me to criticize, it's just brilliant until the very last second, so.
Kudos to the whole team!
(And especially to Cheng Lei and Wang Churan, who are absolutely on fire in this one.)