Lizzy

As someone who detests love triangles I am LOVING this drama and it isn’t bothering me at all (so far)! Ya she’s crushing on Xuanqing, but she’s literally 15 years old. I am pretty sure it’s the norm for a high class woman who has just come of age to have a big deal made about her marriage - and up until the most recent episodes, she’s been afraid of the ML (for good reason). He’s much older than she is and he’s playing the dangerous game. Plus, her scenes with Xuanqing are cute, but omg when she is with the ML there’s a whoooole different dynamic going on and they have strong chemistry and a power couple dynamic. It’s really good! I’m surprised that the love square / triangle idk isn’t bothering me at all right now. I think it’s because so far there hasn’t been any insane jealousy or possessiveness, the ML isn’t really playing the game, and the FL seems to be naturally growing closer to him on her own.

Ok gotcha! I figured it had something to do with being in league with her grandmother, but I didn’t know if it was explicitly stated.

Do we know or find out why Lord Chen was sneaking around with the lantern in episode 1 when she set th fire? Was he investigating something?

🏕️

Oh me neither. I detest most of them depending on how they’re handled. If a bunch of guys like the FL, then cool. But if they become possessive and entitled or villainous, or if the FL leads all of them on or doesn’t set boundaries or likes all of them at the same time then I have problems 😂People say that the drama is very different from the novel, so a part of me is hoping it won’t be so bad.

I’m a little worried about this, too. I don’t mind it at all yet, but I want to know what episode the wedding will be so I know when it will all end 😂

This drama is SO GOOD so far!!! First off, I am obsessed with age gap dramas when they’re done right (gender doesn’t matter to me). I love how well Ren Min is portraying the FL’s wit and intelligence and also her immaturity and inexperience at the same time. And the ML? My gosh his vibes are MMMMM delicious. His aura? Immaculate. I am obsessed with everything so far - the music, the costumes, the colors, the GORGEOUS cinematography… I am hoping that this stays as good as it is. The leads feel equally matched outside of the difference in maturity, but I love how he used her ceremony for his agenda and then she turns right around and uses him to safely stand up to her father 🤌🏻I hope that they don’t turn the ML into a simp and sideline his character, and I hope that they become a powerhouse of a couple in love when they team up. 👏🏻

*pterodactl screeches*

Interesting that this drama isn’t categorized as a romance on MDL.

How was the novel?

Oh wow the trailer looks amazing!

💯

Would you mind saying what happens?

Yeahhhhhh. At least early on in the mortal world DX had some power. He took down that enemy camp single-handedly, beat that initial battle, beat that one on one battle with the other member of the All-Knowing, etc. Gosh, even after they exchanged the first senses HS gave him her spirit lantern and then he got to temporarily be a badass spirit user when she was vulnerable. So even if HS was objectively more powerful, the drama still maintained balance by depicting that DX was also powerful in his own way as a mortal. He had his own plot with the war stuff, which got compleeetely glossed over in the first 30sec of episode 13 (I think). Then he went to the Void and since then his characters only real purpose has been to chase after the FL no matter how much she pushes him away or even blatantly rejects him. Even upon his return to the mortal realm he lost his position as a general, and his screen time became mostly about pining for the FL. Some of his individual plot did come back, but it got overshadowed very quickly when the FL went back to the mortal world and they got reunited. Then it became all about the ML chasing her, even after she rejects him some more 😂 I only watched until like 30, but he uses his whole fake wedding to chase the FL even after she pushes him away again. Yeah they get together, but she’s initially reluctant until she very formally agrees. Then there is some reciprocity of feelings, but not for long. Apprently there is a 5 year time jump in episode 34, the ML needs to get rescued by her in the mortal realm, he’s literally killing himself and making himself physically weaker each time he gives her his senses (he knows it, but doesn’t tell her and keeps doing it anyway), and he also gets kidnapped / used by the bad guy to control He Simu. It all just continues to feel really imbalanced. OH, and then she breaks up with him again 😂

I don’t think that the issue is with power, per say, at least not for me. What the issue IS is that the ML stopped having much of a purpose outside of being a golden retriever to the FL after he went to the Void. They never developed the history with his sword, even though it clearly has connections to the spirit realm. Even back in the mortal realm the vast majority of the plot was about him chasing the FL. Whereas in the first few episodes he had his battles, his fights, his scheming and she had her own stuff. Yes there has been some of that back in the mortal realm, but it hasn’t been developed much. The biggest issue I had was the complete imbalance of the romance. The drama has been all about him chasing. All about him pining. About him clinging onto here with very little or no reciprocation from her. She stole his memories of the illusion. She called all the shots. She pushed him away / rejected him again and again. And he continued to chase. Continued to pine. Wasn’t allowed to move on, etc.

I loved the first half so much. Wasn’t too impressed with the last third. Wish the secondary characters consumed less screen time, wish the main leads had more, wish that Xie Zheng wasn’t written into the background and that his revenge plot had more screen development and I wish he had more of the spotlight. The secondary characters / relationships had more development than the ML in the latter half. Not everyone agrees, not everyone cares, and that’s okay 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeah I had the same issues and ultimately dropped it. I’m still following the discussions cause I am curious about how it ends, but I have like four other dramas that I’m into right now. I think I came into LBtG with some residual saltiness about similar complaints about PoJ, which lessened my tolerance for unuequally developed / capable leads lol

I like how you automatically take criticisms like this and believe that the OP is misogynistic and making the criticisms because of gender. I have the exact same struggles with this drama and it has NOTHING to do with the gender roles. If the roles were reversed and it was a powerful ML with an underdeveloped FL most people would still have the same complaints. I would. I believe most people that are struggling a little with this drama would like to have their leads on equal footing. Stop making insinuations about a critical posts like this.

Yeah that’s why I dropped 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not super impressed tbh :/ He did all of the chasing. Literally. He even chased her with his wedding.