Jan 16, 2026

Superb!

This has been one of the best episodes yet, I’m surprised it’s rated lower. The various storylines all had emotion and were resolved/tackled in ways that felt pretty realistic. Hae Yeong’s conflicted emotions with her mother felt very real. I can see why she would feel so resentful, even though it’s clear she still loves her deeply. It was so sad to see her break down at the end when she heard the news. In another emotional ride, we finally got to see her and Ja Yeon talk, and that they had no ill will towards each other. It was a very touching moment. Speaking of Ja Yeon, her moments with Gyu Hyun in this episode were so sweet! I’m excited to watch their spin-off show. I only hope we’ll get to see Gyu Hyun finally stand up to his parents in the final episode; he’s definitely come a long way in terms of character development, and that would cap things off perfectly. Finally, I was proud of Hui Seong for ending things with her boyfriend. It was a hard decision, but she did what was right for her. Excited for the finale! I hope Hae Yeong and Ji Uk can work out their true feelings for each other and try to be happy. It’s clear Hae Yeong is just scared of getting close to people (for good reason) but she has a good heart. Hopefully she’ll realize she can be happy, too.

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Jan 16, 2026

How far will you go ? Resilience in the midst of hardship.

How far will one go to achieve one's goal or to do what one believe is right and so on. The brilliant scholar turned trash collector for years or Huai'an who bided his time hiding in the trough and in the village for many years.
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Jan 16, 2026

In enemy territory

Suspense in every episode. I'm on the edge of my seat. It's rare that a drama keeps me on the edge of my seat where in practically every episode I can't quite figure out what is going to happen. Of course, the main character can't be killed off (yet) but still, there have been so many scenes where I ask myself", "How is he going to get out this sticky situation this time?"
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Jan 16, 2026

Don't miss the small details, they become meaningful later on

Having finished this drama on 5.1.2026, I rewatched parts especially the dialogues because some of the things the characters say earlier on become significant in later on. Even a short lull action is a set up to something bigger later on.
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Jan 16, 2026

Great chemistry no matter what characters they play as

Zhang Bin Bin and Sun Zhen Ni have wonderful chemistry no matter which character they are playing as. Demon Lord Zhao Ming is already bonding great with Mu Xuan Ling like a couple. Whether it's the bickering, awkwardness, or even flirting, they match together perfectly.
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Jan 16, 2026

legal

Taí uma coisa que me pegou de surpresa, esse show é bem engraçadinho. Já vi que talvez as cenas de ação não vão ser um ponto forte que vai me fazer terminar de ver isso.
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Jan 16, 2026

Calm before the storm

Except for the ending part of this episode, I think this the only time where I've seen that Huai'an was able to a bit of normalcy in his life such as having a meal with those closest to him. We also see the tender side of his assassin sidekick.
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Jan 16, 2026

Intense episode and awesome acting

So much emotions by ML - tenderness & gentleness, anger, hatred, sorrow, despair, grief. Awesome acting. The final showdown between ML and his uncle was so intense.
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Jan 16, 2026

Things keep moving so quickly

Watching this drama demands my full attention. Something new happens when I turn away from the screen. I find myself rewatching certain parts. When I first started watching this drama, I found a comment or two saying that the drama was slow or they are bored which I totally can't understand. Loving the pacing! Not a dull moment.
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Jan 16, 2026

An enemy becomes an ally / Some sweetness amidst the harshness

I enjoyed watching the 'medium' cum funeral director's 'crush' on the tavern lady. Despite what the funeral director has done in his life or gone through in life, and despite what he is capable of (killing, etc), he turns sweet and silly before the tavern lady. What did ML say to the tavern lady that made her smile? Did ML tell her that it is his (funeral director) last day there and that he will die / won't bother her again?
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Jan 16, 2026

The deposed emperor and his new role & confronting the past

Although an essential part to the story, I'm not a fan of the mask thing. I keep in mind that this is a fictitious story and don't overthink it. I've watched many wuxia / fantasy dramas all my life so this is not something that's too unusual. I think of it as something like people surviving after falling down a cliff, giving oxygen to another person underwater, going to sleep in full makeup waking up looking perfect and so on. The drama explains more about the 'science' part of this mask thing in a later episode. Love the part where the male lelead sees the evil uncle after so many years - excellent acting!

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Jan 16, 2026

Things start to accelerate

So many things happened in this episode and kept the suspense going. Enjoyed the male lead's interaction with the formidable emperor. Due to this drama having only 28 episodes, I can understand why the sister's story with her master (dressed in white robes) and teacher (painter) could not be fleshed out more.
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Jan 16, 2026

Five Stars

I can’t sing enough praises for this drama. This episode was perfectly executed. The emotions, the writing, the acting, cinematography…it just makes for a perfect story to settle into.
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Jan 16, 2026

Hooked from the first episode

Totally did not expect the element of surprise involving the gentle, fatherly magistrate and the male lead's intelligence and quick reflexes. Love the natural, rural setting.
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Jan 16, 2026

I know they are all freezing their balls off…

I know they are all freezing their balls off filming this. The guys have really good natural chemistry. That was a weird way to end it but okay. I think they tried way to hard for the plot and it just got very hard to follow bc there is so many couples, yeah I think i will talk about in my reviews what they could have done better. Okay bye!
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