Mysterious Lotus Casebook

A drama worth your while.

Despite knowing how actor Cheng Yi's dramas typically end, I still hoped he would not die here. The ending was open, but it implied something. This drama gave me a different feeling. He was always misunderstood. He was betrayed but, he kept going. He served justice. He forgave. He let go. Li Lianhua's character was sincerely amazing. A very well written character, I must say. He didn't seem to have flaws. He was matured, understanding and forgiving. His former self, Li Xiangyi, was proud but firm. Li Lianhua's main strength was mental, Li Xiangyi's was physical. Fang Doubing/Xiaobao was also a charming character. His sense of justice was astounding. Di Feisheng was pretty interesting. No wonder Jiao Liaqiao was so obsessed.🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, the three faces of this story, Li Lianhua/Xiangyi, Fang Xiaobao/Doubing and Di Feisheng/Fei are all great characters. The author seemed to have carefully thought how the characters would grasp the heart of the audience. Another thing worth mentioning is the twist towards the end (ep 39). That had me taken aback! Just wow! I also love to watch how people repent and work together for a peaceful future. Although many characters have little screentime, the plot of the story was still flawless. Great work! Congratulations!

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Best of The Best Costume Serial

The storyline/ plot, actions, dialogs, background musics, character introductions, and scenes are just PERFECTLY planned and executed. From multiple points of views this is BEST of the best costume drama serial so far I ever watched. Every scene of this drama is meaningful.
I hope this drama wins the best costume drama this year.

Note: I have watched many classic and modern costume dramas such as Nirvana in Fire (#2), Reset (10), Joy of Life (11), The Untamed (didn't finish), Legend of Miyue, Princess Agents, Amazing Detective Di Renjie (2006), The Condor Heroes (1983), and many more.

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I dont care what the ending is, this show is 10/10!!!

Best historical drama of 2023, and possibly of many , many that I've watched. The acting of Cheng Yi and Joseph Zeng is next level. They basically became Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing. There are little cases to solve, which lead them to a bigger case/conspiracy. There are NO dull moments, no long drawn misunderstandings, no annoying love triangles. There is plenty of action, bromance, funny/endearing moments, and overall the plot makes sense. The villains are not just bad for evil's sake, they each have their own agenda/motive for their actions. The dog Hulijing is a huge bonus as i love dogs, and she is super adorable and i had so many "nawwwww" moments watching her.

The cases being solved are interesting, and the antics of Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing will make you laugh. Di Feisheng joins them at some stage and the 3 of them form a begrudging bromance. Nothing is as it seems in this show.

The production is super high quality, no overuse of fake CGI. Cheng Yi does all his own stunts, Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shunyao have amazing screen presence too. The scenes blend nicely to the next without choppy editing. Its well paced, well written and no dull moments or fillers. The costumes are simple yet elegant, and depict each character well.

The 3 main ML use their own voice which enhances the show 100% for me. Finally Cheng Yi gets to use his own voice as Li Lianhua, though Li Xiangyi is dubbed by a voice actor. Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shunyao have such booming and commanding voices it really suits their characters.

Overall this is a very high quality production and im so glad to have watched it. Will definitely rewatch it when it ends! Just hope the ending is kind to Li Lianhua 🙏 he deserves it ❤️

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Wuxian Sleuthing And The Search For Peace

Rated= 8 ~ 42/50 ~ 8.4
Scene // Mermaid Floating through Sky City. Excalibur glowing blue like Li Xiangi's LOL

I need to be hooked from the first few episodes or the a.d.d drops the show. I was about half way through episode 2 when I had an itching to stop watching but I didn't and holy cow, am I glad I didn't. (I now need to go and give the other shows I dropped a chance lol)

Plot -
I love watching a mystery unfold. Battle of wits can be just as, if not more entertaining that combat. There's a lot of information to digest though. There were a few times i had to rewatch just to understand what had happened. It's one of those mysteries that deliberately with hold information to surprise you. I dont mind that but I can imagine some people might find that annoying and perhaps even lazy for detective writing as it can be fun to try and work it out with the characters. I loved watching the characters unfold their pasts and it was done without too much melodrama and was very human. As is the case with c-dramas there's so much happening and such a big cast that there were things kind of being cut or left out, never revisited again simply because it just wouldn't fit into the timeframe. Minor complaint though as I found the pacing pretty consistent over all. I'm usually pretty good with foreshadowing so there were a few things I predicted but there were also some things that got me. The villains were a little unpredictable at times and weren't too cliche for this genre.

Fang is a slow evolution. It was only when I was in the 20s episodes that I began to notice it. At the start, he really was very spoiled and arrogant and had to be guided through the mystery solving and watching him mature slowly is like watching a child grow up. He really does come into his own character eventually, both by Xiangi's teachings and also, most importantly, through his own merit, so that by the end, you really do believe that he is the next big thing in the martial arts world, and that is enjoyable for me as a viewer.

Xangi definitely needed new friends though. Once the Ex arc was dealt with they kind of just disappeared until the end and I kept wondering to myself if I was going to see them again. They very much took a back seat when I thought they would play a larger role but again, c-drama's love a 100 character cast and then can't fit them all in. All but one, I honestly felt like these glorified friends were pretty useless. Thankfully, they didn't play too much into needless drama which I am thankful for because I really hate that. The traitor friend was the only friend I liked because he was the only one that showed some kind of depth. The rest of them just kind of stood around or just whined.

Music -
The music was awesome in this show lol I loved the tribal humming happening during the fight scenes. It was a beautiful mix of the traditional chinese instruments combined with the more tribal slightly middle eastern sounds to add to that ancient dark magic feel that follows the main plot.

Acting -
Shout out to the ML, Cheng Li because there were a few times I kind of wanted to cry with him. He was both hilarious to watch and also got me in my feels a few times. I only call out actors when they really get me and his work here will definitely have me looking into more of his shows.

Designs -
There were so many sets in this one I could not keep up but it's ok, they all were a backdrop to the variety of mysteries being solved so well done set creators, they had their work cut out for them in this one. But mostly importantly, the creativity of that ancient chinese mobile home. That is straight out of a ghibli anime, it's so cute LOL The outfit designs weren't too stand outish to me but I think that's good for this kind of show. There's so much happening and so many places that a simple wardrobe looks better. There are plenty of visuals already in the background that if the characters were in anything more ornate, it would be just too much.

Ending Thoughts -
It is an open ended ending so forewarning for that, seen in the special 41 episode. However, this is the first time I've watched a show and my brain saw two endings at once lol It really is a choose left or right kind of ending so I can absolutely accept either one but when I put the rest of the plot into perspective, the themes it dealt with and the consistent messages it kept coming back to, as well as the Lead character's journey, I'm inclined to lean more into the bittersweet ending.
We begin the series at sea and end looking out at sea. Xiangi was meant to die in that opening scene and somehow survives. In his quest to find his marital brother's remains, he finds another reason to live. Martial arts was thrust on him from he was a small child and then propelled forward by his genius and youthful arrogance, so when he was alone and making decisions for himself, he found that a simple life was what he actually wanted. It gave him the peace and wisdom he needed throughout the series. Even though it feels like he's a character that doesn't seem to change, it's because he doesn't really have to. He's dying, We're told that right from the start and that he's tired. All he wants to do his find his friend's body so he can die in peace. The only change he makes in the whole series is opening himself up to being cared about again. This might annoy some viewers as it can feel like he's just martyring himself and running away from his friends again but I can understand his reasoning here. He's already learnt what he needs to know throughout the whole show, and he brings that sense of peace to help heal old wounds and tie up loose ends, from his youth. He admits his fault and regrets and does what he can to right those wrongs, and teach what he's learnt, so that when I got to the ending scene, it honestly just felt more natural to end with his death and that his body had gone back out to sea like a karmic completion. He was given a second chance so that he could be at peace. And honestly, I don't feel like that's a sad ending. The character feels finished.

EDIT- I was reading some other comments from viewers and realised that some of them felt like Xiangi had unalived himself at the end and since I'm going with the death ending, I don't want to stress anyone out so if you've read my spoiler, hello, don't worry, let me explain.
I personally don't think he would do that. We seen in a previous scene with Fang that Xiangi is pretty much at death's door by the end. I understand that Wuxia is based in Buddhism and there's a shot of the Monk that Xiangi was in touch with meditating and then stopping suddenly to look up at the Buddha statue when the sunlight hits, reminiscent of the first mystery, signifying a spiritual ascension. Xiangi explains briefly in an earlier episode that he was told he didn't have any Buddha threads in him, as though he was just destined to repeat his karmic cycles as per Buddhist beliefs. When we see him dressed up in all white on the beach, I feel like that's a portrayal that he has died on the beach but has repaid his karma and that's his soul ascending into his next life, to be reborn free either in another life or in Nirvana. Xiangi wanted to go fishing and feel the sun, so going to the beach feels right, and just as the waves washed him up there, it took his body back out to the sea, and that's why we're looking at the waves in the final shot. From a Buddhist perspective, that's not a sad ending. His soul was set free. He was long done with the martial arts world and passed his torch to Fang, while also sparing him and his family from the Emperor's wrath and paranoia. For me personally, I feel like that's what truly makes him an Ascended Master. He proved himself to be noble and a true leader and his afterlife will reward him with that, in whatever form that takes.
****


Overall, I would sit and watch this again. Don't know if it's something I'd on in the background though. I think this is one I would have to want to sit and watch through all the mysteries again with a snack.

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A lotus in full bloom

This is a story about a hero who once stood at the top of the world, before his whole life changed overnight. Through his journey as a wandering physician solving mysteries and closing the lose ends of his past, he forges everlasting friendships with two if the most unexpected people. This drama was a meaningful one as it illustrated various life lessons stemming from human desires, resentment, loss and letting go.

Although the first chunk of the series is relatively slow paced (and a bit dry), the story unfolds to reveal events that are intertwined allowing the viewer to appreciate the first few cases that set the stage and tone for the main plot.

From the amusing bromance/friendship between the main leads to the beautifully choreographed martial arts scenes, this drama leaves a deep impression that was only strengthened by Cheng Yi’s elegance and good grasp of his characters. Not all heroes wear capes and wield swords. Some carry a heart of the lotus in full bloom.

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finally some good food!!

Nothing major that other reviews haven't said, so reviewing just for the vibes and putting my rambling (as usual) thoughts out there:

i would give it a 9/10 but it took me a while to get into the groove of the show (i had to skip straight to ep 4 to get the pace up) the premise and building was taking too long and i kept getting bored (li lianhua/cheng yi in the beginning didn’t excite me that much as a character bc we didnt see how op he is at crime busting, and fang duobing/zeng shunxi was too young and inexperienced at case cracking for me to feel satisfied when watching).
it was only until di feisheng (xiao shunyao) appeared when i was like FINALLY SOME GOOD FOOD (it was like ep 6 or 8 iirc) bc his visuals, the characterization,,,,, ugh
ah fei is like a sports-type male lead who is wholly focused on just being the best at martial arts but he slowly learns to trust the leads and we can tell that from the beginning he’s always had righteous and good intentions (if not good, def he has his own moral code that he sticks by, no exception).

i really enjoyed it when it was the 3 of them trusting each other (mostly) and solving cases (around when fang duobing didn’t know about di feisheng and when di feisheng forgot his memories) they make an incredible team and whenever ah fei wasnt there i got sad bc whenever ah fei is there its like lu lingfeng.. like i just know that no one can get hurt bc hes just that strong + that much 安全感

li lianhua vs nirvana in fire’s mei changsu/lin shu is really interesting and the discussion of mortality, what it means to live, and philosophical life outlooks is def something i didnt expect going into this show.

the martial arts fight scenes are super fun to watch. everyone could fight and they filmed the fight moves really well (the weiya and no stunt doubles was super impressive)

really enjoyed the costume, makeup, set design. esp the costume like not a single flop outfit the entire time for all the leads…. they always look so good (this drama made me understand cheng yi’s appeal and also to look up xiao shunyao….)

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Great acting, and action

This is my first review on the site, although I have been a member awhile now.

So I binged watch this within a week and just finished it around an hour ago. It had me glued to my seat and other than work and eat, I wanted to just watch and finish the drama. Kinda zombie mode.

From the start till the end it had my full attention. The humour was great whenever you see the trio. The fighting scenes was fabulous. The actors that portrait each of their role was really good, strong cast. I love the detective/mystery of the drama the most. But I hated the ending and just before, I know I seen the special, it seems like an open ending, wish it was more concrete.
To be honest 2/3 into the series , I cried in frustrated tears for LXY, he could have been on top of the wuxia world but was tricked to crashed down to the bottom and dying! Most of the ending was pretty stupid, I didn't like it and wish it was different. For this reason I only have it 9.5 out of 10, else this drama is perfect

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The Legend Who Wanted Nothing More

⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, BECAUSE I HAVE THOUGHTS… 😮‍💨😂

I really enjoyed this drama overall. I liked how the story moved from one case to another without ever feeling too difficult to follow, and it was fun seeing all those smaller mysteries slowly come together into something much bigger.

It’s just that this kind of drama isn’t really my personal taste. I much prefer dramas with a happy or at least neutral ending, so the ending was definitely not what I usually look for. Maybe I should blame my curiosity for seeing this one through… 😏

Li Lian Hua is such a bittersweet character. Ten years ago, he was Li Xiang Yi—the brilliant swordsman who stood at the very top of the martial world, confident enough to believe he could handle everything himself. Ten years later, it’s hard to reconcile him with the legendary Li Xiang Yi everyone remembers. He’s much quieter now and seems to have little interest in returning to the life he once knew. Instead of trying to reclaim his old glory, all he seems to want is a quiet, ordinary life, away from the world he once belonged to and everything that happened in the past.

I loved how casually he could lie his way out of almost anything. He always seemed to have another excuse ready, especially whenever someone got too close to the truth. At first, some of his behaviour is just funny, but as the story progresses, you start to understand that there are real reasons behind the way he behaves.

He doesn't seem interested in getting his old reputation back. If anything, he looks much more comfortable being underestimated. There's something strangely endearing about watching this incredibly capable person deliberately make himself look completely harmless.

But despite wanting to leave that world behind, Li Lian Hua couldn't completely walk away from it. He still had to step back into the martial world to uncover the truth behind his senior's death and find out where his body was. It was unfinished business he couldn't simply leave behind.

At the same time, he isn't nearly as detached as he pretends to be. He keeps insisting that he doesn't need anyone, but somehow he ends up surrounded by people who become important to him. He'll complain, lie, disappear, and try to avoid responsibility—and then turn around and help someone anyway.

Di Fei Sheng was another character I really enjoyed. I especially liked that their relationship doesn't feel like a straightforward good-guy/bad-guy rivalry. There is so much history between them, and Di Fei Sheng has a very different understanding of Li Lian Hua because of that history. He knows exactly how ridiculous Li Xiang Yi could be, but he also recognises his abilities and understands him in a way that many of the other characters don't.

Fang Duo Bing was probably the character I struggled with the most. I appreciate his enthusiasm and how genuinely he believes in what he's doing. He's also one of the few people who refuses to give up on Li Lian Hua, no matter how many times Li Lian Hua tries to get rid of him. But I sometimes found him exhausting. His constant questions, suspicions, and determination could be funny, but there were also moments when I just wanted Li Lian Hua to have five minutes of peace. 😂

By episode 30, after finally learning all the secrets he'd been so curious about, he seemed to become much more settled. But, sigh... that also meant his character only really had the last 10 episodes to show that growth. I couldn't help wishing we'd gotten to see more of this version of him earlier.

I also found him quite immature when it came to separating facts from emotions—especially as the truth slowly started coming to light. His emotions and assumptions would sometimes get in the way of looking at things objectively, and I often wished he would simply take a step back before reacting. I understand that this is part of his character and that he's still learning, but it could definitely be frustrating to watch.

Still, I enjoyed the three of them together. Fang Duo Bing is constantly trying to figure out what Li Lian Hua is hiding, Li Lian Hua is constantly trying to talk his way out of being questioned, and Di Fei Sheng is basically watching both of them like this is the most entertaining thing he's seen all day. 😂

And then there's Xiao Zi Jin. His character was probably one of the most frustrating parts of the story for me. What really bothered me was how his actions seemed to come from this gradual chain of insecurity → jealousy of Li Xiang Yi → need for control → resentment, which eventually led him to make some seriously questionable moral choices.

In a way, Xiao Zi Jin feels like a very different answer to the same world that produced Li Xiang Yi. Li Xiang Yi eventually reaches a point where he wants to let go of fame, status, and expectations, while Xiao Zi Jin becomes increasingly trapped by his need for recognition and control.

Jiao Li Qiao was another character I really disliked. She is honestly one of the most delulu characters I have ever watched, especially when it came to her obsession with Di Fei Sheng. 😂 There was just something about her mannerisms—the way she spoke, her little hand movements, and those subtle facial expressions—that made me uncomfortable whenever she appeared. Her perception of Di Fei Sheng and their relationship felt completely detached from reality, which only made her more unsettling to watch.

But ultimately, what stayed with me most about the drama was how much of it revolves around identity and the question of what remains after someone loses the life they once had.

Li Lian Hua has been through so much, and you can feel how tired he is of carrying the past. Yet despite all his efforts to stay uninvolved, he keeps finding himself pulled into other people's problems—and, more importantly, he keeps finding people he cares about.

And seriously... I was waiting for everyone to finally realise what Li Lian Hua meant to them, only for them to find out he was gone through his farewell letter in the VERY LAST EPISODE. I wanted to see their remorse, their regret, and everything they never got to say to him. Instead, they only realised it all after he was already gone. Like... seriously, what did I just watch?! 😭

But then again, Li Lian Hua never really gave them the chance either. He had already made peace with everything and chosen to move on. 🥹 Maybe that was exactly what he wanted—to leave without making anyone responsible for bringing him back.

I already knew the ending would be bittersweet because I knew what was coming, but the open ending in the special episode still gave me a little hope that he’s actually still alive somewhere, just hiding away for good.

Maybe after everything, Li Lian Hua finally managed to disappear from the martial world on his own terms and live the quiet life he had wanted all along. No more Li Xiang Yi, no more expectations, no more burdens—just Li Lian Hua, somewhere out there, finally at peace.

One last thought, though... 🥹

The cruelty of it is that the circumstances that forced him to use that strength rarely gave him the chance to choose otherwise. He was constantly put in situations where he had no time to consider what it would cost him, and everyone around him naturally looked to Li Xiang Yi—the person they knew could handle everything. So even when they were genuinely worried about him and never meant to hurt him, they were still asking Li Lian Hua to give more when he barely had anything left to give.

And maybe that's what hurts the most. He had so little left, yet he still kept giving.

Personally, I can't help but feel that there was something painfully selfish about that. 😭

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My Favorite Drama of The Year

Story:
Mystery is always an intriguing trope in wuxia drama. In this drama, the mysterious cases continuously hooked me. The script is written very compelling, though they were some plot-holes. Yes you can call this drama a cliche wuxia, the goal of everyone who live in jiang hu is to be no.1. But the process every person go through is not the same, the choice they chose, the action they took based on their personal value make eye-opening thoughts about someone personality. Although I found the court politics an unnecessary trope, overall the story and the emotion's knot they tried to show audience is very much moved my heart.

Acting: Li Lianhua is one of the most hilarious character I've ever met. He is carefree, annoying yet kind, compassionate and smart. It's a pity we don't get many scenes with Li Xiangyi with his arrogant, selfish and stubborn character to show us. Or I will give Cheng Yi two thumbs up for his top notch acting. Joseph Cheng has a big improvement in acting as Fang Duobing. His emotions showed in every scenes with Li Lianhua. Their friendship/bromance is warm-heartedly deep. Yet the relation between Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng is the most fascinating one. I crave for their goofy interactions as enemy to bromance. Can't help but shipped them.

Overall: I recommend this drama if you are action, mystery and wuxia lover. Because this drama is S+ drama, so the production is so much better than other recent wuxia drama. Yet the impressive story and the excellent acting are the most substantial points for this drama.

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