Luo Yunxi’s first ever modern crime-suspense drama— The Truth Within is premiering on 29th December at 12pm. 21 episodes with 6 cases in total.
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
Luo Yunxi’s first ever modern crime-suspense drama— The Truth Within is premiering on 29th December at 12pm. 21 episodes with 6 cases in total.
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
Luo Yunxi’s first ever modern crime-suspense drama— The Truth Within is premiering on 29th December at 12pm. 21 episodes with 6 cases in total.
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
Luo Yunxi’s first ever modern crime-suspense drama— The Truth Within is premiering on 29th December at 12pm. 21 episodes with 6 cases in total.
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
Luo Yunxi’s first ever modern crime-suspense drama— The Truth Within is premiering on 29th December at 12pm. 21 episodes with 6 cases in total.
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The best thing about 'Whispers Of Fate' is that it presents a truly beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist! The so-called "beautiful, strong, and tragic" type mostly possesses a burning, child-like spirit; they themselves don't even realize it.
Tang Lici was tortured countless times in the Celestial Realm in different ways by Bai Nanzhu, with no one by his side, yet he never played the victim, never shifted the blame, never defended himself, never wallowed in self-pity; he only considered how to turn the tide.
As long as he wasn't killed, he had a way to be stronger, and his eyes would be even colder concealed with a tint of sadness.
Strength was his soul; tragedy was the audience's fascination.
Tang Lici, like a fully healed kitten, roaming freely with poor health, with his god-level combat powers and domineering persona, is actually incredibly difficult to portray.
Because if his strength and responsibility were even slightly unbalanced, he would be categorized as a "Heavenly Dragon," and the audience will immediately scoff, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"
Tang Lici did not only stand firm like a cypress tree, but also he stood at the top of the ladder based on four reasons:
1. Even in martial arts stories, things are still down-to-earth!
Who says heroes don't care about the money? Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny.
Convincing the Biluo Palace meant offering them a government position, and the relocation of the Biluo Palace required a huge sum of money, which the Central Plains Sword Association and the Fengliudian couldn’t afford. That's why Tang Lici, the master of Wanqiaozhai, the central source for the wealth, was chosen from the start.
Tang Lici thought he was the one who helped the Central Plains Sword Association to make connections, but in reality, Biluo Palace and Sword Master Shao deliberately put him in a position to take on the work of an HR person; finding a job for someone else, and pay for relocation expenses.
Then look at how Tang Lici persuaded the Central Plains Sword Association into accepting him. He relied on three things; imperial power, the generous use of gold, and drinking with them till drop. As soon as the gold was displayed, the accountant was the first to defect.
Furthermore, Tang Lici gave Shen Langhun what his wife had longed for and a chance for revenge, and Shen Langhun immediately revealed his innermost wishes to him upon arrival.
There was another big game in the show—finding the princess. The chaos of the previous dynasty, the Yique Yin Yang, who brought turmoil to the world, due to which the former crown prince abandoned his position and became a monk, who was the biggest beneficiary? It must be the reigning emperor! Therefore, upon hearing that Fengliudian was related to Yique Yin Yang, the court was bound to try to control the situation.
This is why the Central Plains Sword Association was entrusted to find the missing princess, and the princess's characteristics were told to Sword Master Shao. Most likely, it was because they hoped that the princess would be related to the Central Plains Sword Association in order to interfere in Jianghu affairs. If they fail to find one, they would create one, and the court would happily accept it.
I think one of the best things about this adaptation is that it hides the real princess Xiao Hong from the original story, and doesn't cling onto the real or fake princess; but instead presents a complex mix of the human nature. With just a few strokes, the system of the imperial court was vividly depicted.
Throughout the entire series, the protagonist never blackmailed anyone, nor did he use sentiment or loyalty to make others sacrifice everything for him. When he asked for favors, he always offered substantial and tangible benefits (Young Master Tang, feel free to contact me if you need anything, at a friendly price).
This world of Jianghu is so accurately shown that it brings tears to eyes.
2. The strongest sense of agency leads to the dirtiest work! Tang Lici has no weaknesses or excuses; his decisions are always the ultimate guide.
Take killing Chi Yun, for example. Many screenwriters, to maintain the protagonist’s noble and righteous image, would delegate this dirty work to someone else—finding a bad guy to do the killing (the protagonist then kills the bad guy to get revenge), or at the very least, have the protagonist faint.
But Tang Lici did the opposite. He clearly considered the situation and the consequences of not killing Chi Yun, then cleanly and decisively sent his beloved little dog (Chi Yun) to death.
There is a fundamental difference between "Follow me" and "Charge!" In a team, nobody wants to do the dirtiest and hardest work, so in the end, it has to be done by the superior. Consider why Li Shimin personally killed Li Jiancheng instead of shifting the blame to his subordinates.
Also, regarding the scene where Fang Zhou’s Heart Crystal was dissected, the protagonist was reluctant to part with it, while supporting characters tearfully begged the protagonist to do it, or even to forced the protagonist to do it.
But Tang Lici is different. He first confirmed whether Fang Zhou could still be resurrected or not and clarified the battle situation, and then began dissecting it.
The director was ruthless, deliberately arranged for Fang zhou’s sister to awaken at this moment and even disarmed him with her bare hands.
However, Tang Lici, having made up his mind, would not change for anyone.
That resolute look in his eyes and that single-lone tear were truly breathtaking!
Did you notice? As long as the protagonist didn’t mess things up, there wouldn’t be any melodramatic scenes!
In a way, Tang Lici’s actions corresponded to Abbott’s words in the first episode: "The wind blows the roof tiles, and a tile falls and breaks my head. I do not blame the tile. The tile is not free. Is it the fault of the wind, the fault of the tile, or the fault of me standing under the roof?"
The wind and the tiles are beyond our control, yet Tang Lici had done everything he could to the best of his ability!
3. Willing to bear the mistakes of thousands, and the responsibilities of the world!
When people encounter problems, they pray to gods or Buddhas; when the weak are in trouble, they seek help from the strong.
Tang Lici believed from the beginning that he was the strongest and had to shoulder everything on his own.
He is arguably the biggest scapegoat in the show, with everyone constantly shifting blame onto him, like the two big instances where he was falsely accused;
—One time, he saved the entire Sword King City but was falsely accused of being Yique Yin Yang and was wanted by the whole world. —Another time, he was falsely accused of being the mastermind behind the Fengliudian, killing Sword Master Shao, kidnapping Liu Yan, and was also wanted by the whole world.
But aside from when a cooperation agreement was about to be reached, Tang Lici was unwilling to even explain himself at other times.
However, Tang Lici's burden of blame does not come off as tragic, because everyone could see that these people could neither kill him nor do anything about him.
This is also the key point of the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" trope—you feel sorry for him, but you would never pity or look down on him. Luo Yunxi’s acting was so spot-on.
The only thing he cared about was the opinions of those around him. When Chi Yun said, "Even if you are Yique Yin Yang, you won't be the Yique Yin Yang who wreaks havoc on the world. Besides, I think your golden eye forehead mark is quite cool."
At that moment, Tang Lici truly let his guard down. When the situation became tense, he took the full responsibility.
After Liu Yan stabbed him multiple times, many actors would portray the character as betrayed and hurt, making him seem rather weak and pitiful. However, Tang Lici quickly admitted his mistake, saying, "Tang Lici rarely makes mistakes, but he made a big mistake this time".
Admitting your mistakes doesn't lower your status, as long as you change and resolve your mistakes.
Tang Lici was always there to help the Central Plains Sword Association, everytime it faced crises.
When A Shui made a wish for her friends’ safety, he calmly said, "Just make that wish to me; why bother the heavens?"
In the end, he did it—with his life!
4. Think about the essence of the problem from a broader perspective.
This first reflected in his final discussion with Ye Mo: to give civilization to time, not time to civilization.
[The author quoted a deleted passage from the drama’s screenplay to make things clearer]
Ye Mo: They were merely lower beings from the Shenzhou who attempted to ascend, but ultimately faced destruction. Master, I have avenged us.
Tang Lici: Don't make it sound so high-sounding. Revenge is just an excuse. You want to use the power of destruction to ascend—to destroy both the Shenzhou and the Celestial Realm, just to make yourself a god. Ye Mo, that’s your real purpose.
Ye Mo: Since nothing is perfect, let's destroy it. Bai Nanzhu also wanted to become a god, but after failing, he created you and me, attempting to sacrifice the impossible and shift the blame. Now, he has been destroyed in return, which is also a cycle of cause and effect. After I become a god, I will let all living beings share my lifespan, share my joys and sorrows, and live and die together. I am all things, and all things are me. We will be one— sharing the same body and mind, so we will no longer have to worry about betrayal, killing, or destruction. Master, You can coexist with me forever.
Tang Lici: (Shaking his head, in disbelief) It seems that even though Ye Mo experienced life as Xiao Shi, but he never truly understood life.
Tang Lici didn't want to be a killing machine; he wanted to see the light of the world and live vibrant life as an ordinary being. Thus, he left the Celestial realm and came to Shenzhou.
Driven by their fear of humanity and the fragility of life, Celestial realm (particularly Bai Nanzhu) and Ye Mo, both attempted to eliminate this through absolute control, obliterating the uniqueness and independence of life, and compressing the collective consciousness into a singular, homogenized will of a "God."
Think about it, isn't this just dictatorship?
If it really succeeds, it will be one emperor plus countless puppets.
A more terrifying authoritarian regime than the one depicted in 1984.
It is estimated that the ultimate dream of all dictators is to make the world their own echo chamber. Because what dictators fear the most is the voice of independent thought in the world.
<>
Author’s perspective: When they've eliminated all "dissidents," and their world is left with only their own empty selves, aren't they truly lonely? Imagine if I were the only one talking in the world, constantly talking to myself every day—I'd probably go crazy (looks like I really am destined for a life of hardship).
Thinking about it carefully, absolute "perfection" (no differences, no conflict, no death) is actually absolute barrenness.
On the surface, conflict, betrayal, and killing are eliminated, but in reality, it's a perpetual stagnation.
The essence of life lies not in the continuation of the physical body, but in the right to choose freely.
Even if human nature is fragile, and love and hate are fickle, and this freedom brings pain, betrayal, and destruction, it remains the inalienable dignity of humanity.
If immortality comes at the cost of freedom, what difference is there between it and eternal death?
I'm reminded of a lame joke from a netizen: Why doesn't Tang Lici turn Fang Zhou into a human puppet and accompany him for eternity? Because what Tang Lici wanted was Fang Zhou, a vivid and compassionate man who dared to believed in him despite knowing his origin, and practiced The Rebirth Sutra to coax him, faced death with equanimity, and loved all living beings.
Similarly, Tang Lici would rather have Liu Yan, to repeatedly stab him, hate him, and wrong him, than have a docile puppet named A Yan.
You see, You see, both (Tang Lici and Ye Mo) were hurt, betrayed and suffered heavy losses; Ye Mo's salvation, rooted in fear, and ultimately yielded even greater fear.
But Tang Lici believed, "Given just one chance, no one would willingly choose to remain in darkness forever."
This is not naiveté, nor is it a belief in perfection; rather, it is a firm conviction that there are still things worth fighting for even in imperfection. Human nature is indeed full of flaws. Although I sometimes think about dying for a few minutes every day, as long as there is a glimmer of light, I have the instinct to keep moving forward. This possibility itself is more precious than a false, eternal perfection.
Ye Mo asked, "Don't you hate that place?"
Tang Lici’s answer was multifaceted:
First, don't negate everything because of hatred. I hate the system, but I don't hate the people struggling to survive on that land, much less destroy all life and possibilities within it. Second, it broadens the foundation of Ye Mo's logic: true perfection and eternity do not come from the deprivation and assimilation of individuals, but from the acceptance of freedom, diversity, and limitations. Like the Tao Te Ching's saying, "Great perfection seems imperfect," true completeness embraces imperfection, and true eternity lies in continuous circulation rather than stagnation. Third, constructiveness is more important than criticism: "Such a place shouldn't exist." Taking the wrong path once or twice is no big deal; but— neither the Celestial Realm nor the Shenzhou shall be destroyed. As long as life exists, one can try again.
(This thought was shared by Tang Lici, Fang Zhou, and their disciple during their conversation.)
Tang Lici lived for his own vitality and freedom; his death was for the sake of bringing vitality and freedom to more people.
(Sorry, I got a bit metaphysical when discussing philosophy; I'll try to bring it back to the plot in the next paragraph, haha.)
The last one is stepping outside the system and rewriting the code that caused the problem.
The strong, in their anger, draw their swords against the stronger; the weak, in their anger, draw their swords against the weaker.
Take Zhong Chunji stabbing him, Yu Furen stabbing him, Xi Fangtao stabbing him until his life force was completely drained, and Liu Yan stabbing him so many times—in other dramas, these would be lifelong enemies, infuriating the audience. But in his case, it was like being bitten by insects.
He never stops at patching up the "phenomenon-result" but grasps the underlying logic.
It's hilarious that he even helps the enemy optimize their strategies, such as teaching Xi Fangtao how to stab people and giving Yu Furen advice.
In particular, Zhong Chunji’s strike, which directly shattered his Rebirth Sutra, but he would not dwell on that one strike. Instead, he will think about what Zhong Chunji’s true heart is.
Upon discerning Zhong Chunji's selfishness and foolish kindness, he immediately went to comfort her, helping her to overcome her guilt.
This is the allure of top-tier experts.
When you're trapped in the dimension of a problem, the answer often lies in a higher logical space.
Just as an ant in a two-dimensional world can never escape a maze drawn on paper.
Tang Lici not only broaden his perspective and turn a predicament into an opportunity, but also provide psychological counseling to the others.
The most obvious example is at the end, when Xi Fangtao and Gui Mudan caused him to lose everything and be abandoned by everyone. Everyone thought that he now would kill Xi Fangtao and Gui Mudan.
However, Tang Lici grasped the essence of the matter directly: killing one or two people would not change the situation.
If the Celestial Realm hadn't existed in the first place, many of the horrible things that happened in this era wouldn’t have happened, and the people he loved would still have been alive and well.
While other people's tragic heroes are figuring out how to make vomiting blood look good, Tang Lici is pondering philosophical questions;
While others are lamenting the injustice of fate, he's already flipped the table and started a new game.
This kind of thinking—stepping outside the chessboard to become a chess player—is amazing to me, although I can't do it yet.
A deleted passage from the last episode of the drama:
Ye Mo: They were merely lower beings from the Shenzhou who attempted to ascend, but ultimately faced destruction. Master, I have avenged us.
Tang Lici: Don't make it sound so high-sounding. Revenge is just an excuse. You want to use the power of destruction to ascend—to destroy both the Shenzhou and the Celestial Realm, just to make yourself a god. Ye Mo, that’s your real purpose.
Ye Mo: Since nothing is perfect, let's destroy it. Bai Nanzhu also wanted to become a god, but after failing, he created you and me, attempting to sacrifice the impossible and shift the blame. Now, he has been destroyed in return, which is also a cycle of cause and effect. After I become a god, I will let all living beings share my lifespan, share my joys and sorrows, and live and die together. I am all things, and all things are me. We will be one— sharing the same body and mind, so we will no longer have to worry about betrayal, killing, or destruction. Master, you can co-exist with me forever.
Tang Lici: (Shaking his head, in disbelief) It seems that even though Ye Mo experienced life as Xiao Shi, but he never truly understood life.
Happy 15th anniversary, Luo Yunxi! A person and an actor who always lives upto the calibre or probably beyond, time passes but my admiration for him remains unchanged.
Liu Ya-se is going to be solid in this.I hope she was able to do her own ADR, given I like her voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PM_jj0ega8I'm…
Remember Tang Lici’s final words to Ye Mo? They will meet again and Ye Mo will be a mortal, so it can be translated as our fox dragon taking up on an identity of Li Si to visit the mortal realm, and meets the mortal Ye Mo (Zhou Zhu) and he is so happy seeing him living a good life following his heart, thus the 'tightly embracing' him comes into picture, afterall Ye Mo was his brother, then his beloved disciple and once again his brother, everything returns back to its origin (Li Si and Zhou Zhu are brothers in Shadow Punisher).
Liu Ya-se is going to be solid in this.I hope she was able to do her own ADR, given I like her voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PM_jj0ega8I'm…
I can feel you, I too got emotional when Gui Mudan held the cat and gave it a name, it was very beautiful and heart touching🥺 Fortunately we are saved as LYX and Jeremy are also in Shadow Punisher.
I won't lie A'Shei was not as "useless" people seem to perceive her. She was every smart, seemed to understood…
Let me tell you from the very beginning, this character A Shui was initially meant to be an important character in this drama, after LYT turned down the offer, the script went through changes and altered this character into just another character, then offered to Lin Yun. And the primary focus for the female character went to Zhong Chunji. The A Shui offered to Lin Yun was a dark character, an undercover agent of Gui Mudan. During the post-production her scenes were intentionally removed to reduce her screentime and further highlight Zhong Chunji who is heavily backed up by tencent and has upcoming dramas on mango (she is the only female character with the complete story, not even Xifang Tao managed to get that despite being from the same agency as LYX, LYX’s agency holds the IP) So who exactly is to blame for the loopholes after loopholes for this character? Is it LYT turning down the offer or the C-ent? But yeah let’s just blame ML fans for everything that happened to this character😮💨 Regarding the bromance aspect, this drama had always meant to fall into this category since the very very beginning, because that was in the novel too. You, I and others, who have read the novel in Mandarin clearly know Novel TLC had deep love for his brothers while flirting with both men and women in the novel. The creators of this drama had also read the novel in Mandarin, not with eng translation or machine translation.
You see LYX had also played a walking blood bank character (Rong Qi), it’s not a bad thing to do, many other actors have also played it. LYX who was 2nd billed in Broker, was reduced to some side character while everyone else were up there with much screentime than him, but we don’t care, we don’t cling onto Broker or his character there, we have much more things to focus on. Why can’t these users move on from a character ranked 7th in a drama? C’mon, go and focus on the dramas where your fave is the lead or seek some professional help.
3 
2 
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The Truth Within MDL page; https://kisskh.at/772833-suo-zheng
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The Truth Within MDL page; https://kisskh.at/772833-suo-zheng
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The Truth Within MDL page; https://kisskh.at/772833-suo-zheng
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The Truth Within MDL page; https://kisskh.at/772833-suo-zheng
Luo Yunxi transformes into a forensic examiner, Qi Sizhe. By day, he is a rigorous figure with a heart to speak for dead and fight for the rights of living. And by night, he pulls up his hood and becomes a mysterious figure.
The Truth Within MDL page; https://kisskh.at/772833-suo-zheng
https://m.douban.com/group/topic/343944391/?_spm_id=MTY3NTk0Njcx&start=0&_i=5223643gN7VLvR
The best thing about 'Whispers Of Fate' is that it presents a truly beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist! The so-called "beautiful, strong, and tragic" type mostly possesses a burning, child-like spirit; they themselves don't even realize it.
Tang Lici was tortured countless times in the Celestial Realm in different ways by Bai Nanzhu, with no one by his side, yet he never played the victim, never shifted the blame, never defended himself, never wallowed in self-pity; he only considered how to turn the tide.
As long as he wasn't killed, he had a way to be stronger, and his eyes would be even colder concealed with a tint of sadness.
Strength was his soul; tragedy was the audience's fascination.
Tang Lici, like a fully healed kitten, roaming freely with poor health, with his god-level combat powers and domineering persona, is actually incredibly difficult to portray.
Because if his strength and responsibility were even slightly unbalanced, he would be categorized as a "Heavenly Dragon," and the audience will immediately scoff, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"
Tang Lici did not only stand firm like a cypress tree, but also he stood at the top of the ladder based on four reasons:
1. Even in martial arts stories, things are still down-to-earth!
Who says heroes don't care about the money? Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny.
Convincing the Biluo Palace meant offering them a government position, and the relocation of the Biluo Palace required a huge sum of money, which the Central Plains Sword Association and the Fengliudian couldn’t afford. That's why Tang Lici, the master of Wanqiaozhai, the central source for the wealth, was chosen from the start.
Tang Lici thought he was the one who helped the Central Plains Sword Association to make connections, but in reality, Biluo Palace and Sword Master Shao deliberately put him in a position to take on the work of an HR person; finding a job for someone else, and pay for relocation expenses.
Then look at how Tang Lici persuaded the Central Plains Sword Association into accepting him. He relied on three things; imperial power, the generous use of gold, and drinking with them till drop. As soon as the gold was displayed, the accountant was the first to defect.
Furthermore, Tang Lici gave Shen Langhun what his wife had longed for and a chance for revenge, and Shen Langhun immediately revealed his innermost wishes to him upon arrival.
There was another big game in the show—finding the princess.
The chaos of the previous dynasty, the Yique Yin Yang, who brought turmoil to the world, due to which the former crown prince abandoned his position and became a monk, who was the biggest beneficiary? It must be the reigning emperor! Therefore, upon hearing that Fengliudian was related to Yique Yin Yang, the court was bound to try to control the situation.
This is why the Central Plains Sword Association was entrusted to find the missing princess, and the princess's characteristics were told to Sword Master Shao. Most likely, it was because they hoped that the princess would be related to the Central Plains Sword Association in order to interfere in Jianghu affairs. If they fail to find one, they would create one, and the court would happily accept it.
I think one of the best things about this adaptation is that it hides the real princess Xiao Hong from the original story, and doesn't cling onto the real or fake princess; but instead presents a complex mix of the human nature. With just a few strokes, the system of the imperial court was vividly depicted.
Throughout the entire series, the protagonist never blackmailed anyone, nor did he use sentiment or loyalty to make others sacrifice everything for him. When he asked for favors, he always offered substantial and tangible benefits (Young Master Tang, feel free to contact me if you need anything, at a friendly price).
This world of Jianghu is so accurately shown that it brings tears to eyes.
2. The strongest sense of agency leads to the dirtiest work!
Tang Lici has no weaknesses or excuses; his decisions are always the ultimate guide.
Take killing Chi Yun, for example. Many screenwriters, to maintain the protagonist’s noble and righteous image, would delegate this dirty work to someone else—finding a bad guy to do the killing (the protagonist then kills the bad guy to get revenge), or at the very least, have the protagonist faint.
But Tang Lici did the opposite. He clearly considered the situation and the consequences of not killing Chi Yun, then cleanly and decisively sent his beloved little dog (Chi Yun) to death.
There is a fundamental difference between "Follow me" and "Charge!"
In a team, nobody wants to do the dirtiest and hardest work, so in the end, it has to be done by the superior. Consider why Li Shimin personally killed Li Jiancheng instead of shifting the blame to his subordinates.
Also, regarding the scene where Fang Zhou’s Heart Crystal was dissected, the protagonist was reluctant to part with it, while supporting characters tearfully begged the protagonist to do it, or even to forced the protagonist to do it.
But Tang Lici is different. He first confirmed whether Fang Zhou could still be resurrected or not and clarified the battle situation, and then began dissecting it.
The director was ruthless, deliberately arranged for Fang zhou’s sister to awaken at this moment and even disarmed him with her bare hands.
However, Tang Lici, having made up his mind, would not change for anyone.
That resolute look in his eyes and that single-lone tear were truly breathtaking!
Did you notice? As long as the protagonist didn’t mess things up, there wouldn’t be any melodramatic scenes!
In a way, Tang Lici’s actions corresponded to Abbott’s words in the first episode: "The wind blows the roof tiles, and a tile falls and breaks my head. I do not blame the tile. The tile is not free. Is it the fault of the wind, the fault of the tile, or the fault of me standing under the roof?"
The wind and the tiles are beyond our control, yet Tang Lici had done everything he could to the best of his ability!
3. Willing to bear the mistakes of thousands, and the responsibilities of the world!
When people encounter problems, they pray to gods or Buddhas; when the weak are in trouble, they seek help from the strong.
Tang Lici believed from the beginning that he was the strongest and had to shoulder everything on his own.
He is arguably the biggest scapegoat in the show, with everyone constantly shifting blame onto him, like the two big instances where he was falsely accused;
—One time, he saved the entire Sword King City but was falsely accused of being Yique Yin Yang and was wanted by the whole world.
—Another time, he was falsely accused of being the mastermind behind the Fengliudian, killing Sword Master Shao, kidnapping Liu Yan, and was also wanted by the whole world.
But aside from when a cooperation agreement was about to be reached, Tang Lici was unwilling to even explain himself at other times.
However, Tang Lici's burden of blame does not come off as tragic, because everyone could see that these people could neither kill him nor do anything about him.
This is also the key point of the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" trope—you feel sorry for him, but you would never pity or look down on him. Luo Yunxi’s acting was so spot-on.
The only thing he cared about was the opinions of those around him. When Chi Yun said, "Even if you are Yique Yin Yang, you won't be the Yique Yin Yang who wreaks havoc on the world. Besides, I think your golden eye forehead mark is quite cool."
At that moment, Tang Lici truly let his guard down. When the situation became tense, he took the full responsibility.
After Liu Yan stabbed him multiple times, many actors would portray the character as betrayed and hurt, making him seem rather weak and pitiful. However, Tang Lici quickly admitted his mistake, saying, "Tang Lici rarely makes mistakes, but he made a big mistake this time".
Admitting your mistakes doesn't lower your status, as long as you change and resolve your mistakes.
Tang Lici was always there to help the Central Plains Sword Association, everytime it faced crises.
When A Shui made a wish for her friends’ safety, he calmly said, "Just make that wish to me; why bother the heavens?"
In the end, he did it—with his life!
4. Think about the essence of the problem from a broader perspective.
This first reflected in his final discussion with Ye Mo: to give civilization to time, not time to civilization.
[The author quoted a deleted passage from the drama’s screenplay to make things clearer]
Ye Mo: They were merely lower beings from the Shenzhou who attempted to ascend, but ultimately faced destruction. Master, I have avenged us.
Tang Lici: Don't make it sound so high-sounding. Revenge is just an excuse. You want to use the power of destruction to ascend—to destroy both the Shenzhou and the Celestial Realm, just to make yourself a god. Ye Mo, that’s your real purpose.
Ye Mo: Since nothing is perfect, let's destroy it. Bai Nanzhu also wanted to become a god, but after failing, he created you and me, attempting to sacrifice the impossible and shift the blame. Now, he has been destroyed in return, which is also a cycle of cause and effect. After I become a god, I will let all living beings share my lifespan, share my joys and sorrows, and live and die together. I am all things, and all things are me. We will be one— sharing the same body and mind, so we will no longer have to worry about betrayal, killing, or destruction. Master, You can coexist with me forever.
Tang Lici: (Shaking his head, in disbelief) It seems that even though Ye Mo experienced life as Xiao Shi, but he never truly understood life.
Tang Lici didn't want to be a killing machine; he wanted to see the light of the world and live vibrant life as an ordinary being. Thus, he left the Celestial realm and came to Shenzhou.
Driven by their fear of humanity and the fragility of life, Celestial realm (particularly Bai Nanzhu) and Ye Mo, both attempted to eliminate this through absolute control, obliterating the uniqueness and independence of life, and compressing the collective consciousness into a singular, homogenized will of a "God."
Think about it, isn't this just dictatorship?
If it really succeeds, it will be one emperor plus countless puppets.
A more terrifying authoritarian regime than the one depicted in 1984.
It is estimated that the ultimate dream of all dictators is to make the world their own echo chamber. Because what dictators fear the most is the voice of independent thought in the world.
<>
Author’s perspective:
When they've eliminated all "dissidents," and their world is left with only their own empty selves, aren't they truly lonely? Imagine if I were the only one talking in the world, constantly talking to myself every day—I'd probably go crazy (looks like I really am destined for a life of hardship).
Thinking about it carefully, absolute "perfection" (no differences, no conflict, no death) is actually absolute barrenness.
On the surface, conflict, betrayal, and killing are eliminated, but in reality, it's a perpetual stagnation.
The essence of life lies not in the continuation of the physical body, but in the right to choose freely.
Even if human nature is fragile, and love and hate are fickle, and this freedom brings pain, betrayal, and destruction, it remains the inalienable dignity of humanity.
If immortality comes at the cost of freedom, what difference is there between it and eternal death?
I'm reminded of a lame joke from a netizen: Why doesn't Tang Lici turn Fang Zhou into a human puppet and accompany him for eternity? Because what Tang Lici wanted was Fang Zhou, a vivid and compassionate man who dared to believed in him despite knowing his origin, and practiced The Rebirth Sutra to coax him, faced death with equanimity, and loved all living beings.
Similarly, Tang Lici would rather have Liu Yan, to repeatedly stab him, hate him, and wrong him, than have a docile puppet named A Yan.
You see, You see, both (Tang Lici and Ye Mo) were hurt, betrayed and suffered heavy losses; Ye Mo's salvation, rooted in fear, and ultimately yielded even greater fear.
But Tang Lici believed, "Given just one chance, no one would willingly choose to remain in darkness forever."
This is not naiveté, nor is it a belief in perfection; rather, it is a firm conviction that there are still things worth fighting for even in imperfection. Human nature is indeed full of flaws. Although I sometimes think about dying for a few minutes every day, as long as there is a glimmer of light, I have the instinct to keep moving forward. This possibility itself is more precious than a false, eternal perfection.
Ye Mo asked, "Don't you hate that place?"
Tang Lici’s answer was multifaceted:
First, don't negate everything because of hatred. I hate the system, but I don't hate the people struggling to survive on that land, much less destroy all life and possibilities within it. Second, it broadens the foundation of Ye Mo's logic: true perfection and eternity do not come from the deprivation and assimilation of individuals, but from the acceptance of freedom, diversity, and limitations. Like the Tao Te Ching's saying, "Great perfection seems imperfect," true completeness embraces imperfection, and true eternity lies in continuous circulation rather than stagnation. Third, constructiveness is more important than criticism: "Such a place shouldn't exist." Taking the wrong path once or twice is no big deal; but— neither the Celestial Realm nor the Shenzhou shall be destroyed. As long as life exists, one can try again.
(This thought was shared by Tang Lici, Fang Zhou, and their disciple during their conversation.)
Tang Lici lived for his own vitality and freedom; his death was for the sake of bringing vitality and freedom to more people.
(Sorry, I got a bit metaphysical when discussing philosophy; I'll try to bring it back to the plot in the next paragraph, haha.)
The last one is stepping outside the system and rewriting the code that caused the problem.
The strong, in their anger, draw their swords against the stronger; the weak, in their anger, draw their swords against the weaker.
Take Zhong Chunji stabbing him, Yu Furen stabbing him, Xi Fangtao stabbing him until his life force was completely drained, and Liu Yan stabbing him so many times—in other dramas, these would be lifelong enemies, infuriating the audience. But in his case, it was like being bitten by insects.
He never stops at patching up the "phenomenon-result" but grasps the underlying logic.
It's hilarious that he even helps the enemy optimize their strategies, such as teaching Xi Fangtao how to stab people and giving Yu Furen advice.
In particular, Zhong Chunji’s strike, which directly shattered his Rebirth Sutra, but he would not dwell on that one strike. Instead, he will think about what Zhong Chunji’s true heart is.
Upon discerning Zhong Chunji's selfishness and foolish kindness, he immediately went to comfort her, helping her to overcome her guilt.
This is the allure of top-tier experts.
When you're trapped in the dimension of a problem, the answer often lies in a higher logical space.
Just as an ant in a two-dimensional world can never escape a maze drawn on paper.
Tang Lici not only broaden his perspective and turn a predicament into an opportunity, but also provide psychological counseling to the others.
The most obvious example is at the end, when Xi Fangtao and Gui Mudan caused him to lose everything and be abandoned by everyone. Everyone thought that he now would kill Xi Fangtao and Gui Mudan.
However, Tang Lici grasped the essence of the matter directly: killing one or two people would not change the situation.
If the Celestial Realm hadn't existed in the first place, many of the horrible things that happened in this era wouldn’t have happened, and the people he loved would still have been alive and well.
While other people's tragic heroes are figuring out how to make vomiting blood look good, Tang Lici is pondering philosophical questions;
While others are lamenting the injustice of fate, he's already flipped the table and started a new game.
This kind of thinking—stepping outside the chessboard to become a chess player—is amazing to me, although I can't do it yet.
Ye Mo: They were merely lower beings from the Shenzhou who attempted to ascend, but ultimately faced destruction. Master, I have avenged us.
Tang Lici: Don't make it sound so high-sounding. Revenge is just an excuse. You want to use the power of destruction to ascend—to destroy both the Shenzhou and the Celestial Realm, just to make yourself a god. Ye Mo, that’s your real purpose.
Ye Mo: Since nothing is perfect, let's destroy it. Bai Nanzhu also wanted to become a god, but after failing, he created you and me, attempting to sacrifice the impossible and shift the blame. Now, he has been destroyed in return, which is also a cycle of cause and effect. After I become a god, I will let all living beings share my lifespan, share my joys and sorrows, and live and die together. I am all things, and all things are me. We will be one— sharing the same body and mind, so we will no longer have to worry about betrayal, killing, or destruction. Master, you can co-exist with me forever.
Tang Lici: (Shaking his head, in disbelief) It seems that even though Ye Mo experienced life as Xiao Shi, but he never truly understood life.
云端有罗，熙你如金！💜
You see LYX had also played a walking blood bank character (Rong Qi), it’s not a bad thing to do, many other actors have also played it. LYX who was 2nd billed in Broker, was reduced to some side character while everyone else were up there with much screentime than him, but we don’t care, we don’t cling onto Broker or his character there, we have much more things to focus on. Why can’t these users move on from a character ranked 7th in a drama? C’mon, go and focus on the dramas where your fave is the lead or seek some professional help.