Baebaexin

So, a summary of (more or less) what the ghost soldiers were in the book:
The ghost soldiers in The Lost Tomb were undead warriors created to guard the ancient tombs of past emperors and their secrets. They were deeply connected to Zhang Qiling (which is Zhang Hai for us) because they shared the same origin and purpose, protecting the hidden truths of the past. While the ghost soldiers have lost all sense of self, Zhang Qiling remained their human counterpart, bound by the same duty, but still retaining his will and identity. Their existence reflects the weight of his legacy and the cost of guarding forbidden knowledge. There's a theory among fans that they are preserved or enhanced via ancient techniques, possibly similar to Zhang Qiling’s own semi-immortality related to Kylin blood (a rare and mysterious type of blood possessed by Zhang Qiling, not just symbolic, it has unique, almost supernatural properties that set him apart from others) and forbidden rituals. (Btw, the Kylin blood grants Zhang Qiling enhanced physical abilities, extreme longevity, faster healing, and resistance to many of the supernatural forces that appear in the tombs. It’s part of what makes him nearly immortal and able to survive conditions that would kill a normal person. But all of this is in the books, not sure if we get to see even a glimpse of any of this though)

Zhang Hai is that "Zhang Qiling" from the books. But this drama is only oriented on the revenge story of Zhang Hai, not on anything else from the books, so we really don't know how much they will pour from that plot into this script, I've been already surprised to see the ghost soldiers in the first episode...

Yeah I thought that too... I was wondering why they didn't removed that scar when they modified his face. So curious to see how all this will turn out in the end. That kindness of Zhinu for the boy must have some ulterior impact in the scheme of things.

I'm so excited, I'm here keep reading the comments, I might go and rewatch the 4 episodes all over again, I'm sure I might have missed something. This is such a complex plot, many people might not get all the details, I remember NiF there were a lot of people complaining that was boring, but that was a similar drama with tight political plot which I highly enjoyed. I think I might like this one a bit more because the ML is so much more pro-active.

Why do I feel like the real identity of the masked man is the emperor's eunuch? Am I the only one?

We all hail that!

They were ghost soldiers, an elite, mysterious, and seemingly immortal army that appear several times across the books, they have quite a deep lore in the original Grave robbers chronicles, not sure how much we gonna get to see of this lore in this series, but they were quite an important side of Zhang Hai story from the novel. Not zombies though lol...

When his parents were killed he was 8, he came back to the capital 10 years later, so he's only 18, still an innocent boy after all at that age.

Same! This is the kind of drama I love, so so good!

Yes, all of them, even the buddies and the little princess in her way of being "evil" was really refreshing to see. No fake crying, no fake acting either, good job kids.

Some surprising points in the first episodes: the riddle cage that the child had to solve in order to free himself out was something I've never seen in any drama before, such a clever idea. Then the "plastic surgery" plot, that was quite interesting and new as well, they even stripped away his fingerprints in order to make sure nobody will recognize him later on.
I didn't get why his teacher choose to burn himself alive inside that building, seen that the other people were left free to leave, but I guess that was only to set up his "past" as family member who burned into an incident, as later we could see the Marquis got informed when investigating about his background. There are so many clever and new brilliant ideas that I never seen in any dramas before, being put in the script in this one, I'm truly impressed. Exceptional high quality writing so far.

Ok i just finished episodes 3 and 4, what a blast! To be honest this has all the possibilities to become one of my all times c-dramas ever if they keep up with the plot and pace like this. Just brilliant storytelling. Acting is on par with the expectations, amazing sets and great ost. Not a single ingredient missing, even the short exchange with the FL was cleverly done to have the main female lead introduced earlier, I really have to admire Zheng Xiaolong, he didn't lost his touch indeed. Can't wait for the next episodes.

That's not just good, that's fantabulous! To have a point of reference, Joy of Life 2 started with a 1,5 Kuyun peak rating, drama with so many veteran actors like Chen Daoming etc.

One word: exceptional!

So far so good. No bs, no circling around, great child actors and heart wrenching scenes that kept me hooked right from the start. The plot is intriguing and the production looks rich and costly with not too much useless flourishing. I really enjoy this kind of plot so this drama is right up to my alley, so happy to watch this. Looking forward to the next episodes, I'm so curious now, I watched the trailers and the FL is already in, they have some great chemistry which I wasn't expecting but pleasantly surprised to see. Great!

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out.

Hopefully a little, not too much, I want dense political plot

I just watched the new trailer and I'm totally hyped! Haven't been so hyped for a c-drama or any asian drama in a while to be honest, let's go Zhang Hai, we are in badly need of a good political rich complot drama. Cannot wait! Cast looks stellar too.

I just finished rewatching Love like the Galaxy a few days ago, and found it more enjoyable than the first time, so I re evaluated my initial rating from a 7 to a 9. Would have rated 10 if not for the dragging on the last episodes and the missed wedding.
I thought I should also rewatch this one as well, because the first time I dropped it and gave it a 5. But after struggling to go through the first 3 episodes, I'm really not sure I'm gonna change my initial evaluation as I did with LLtG, I find Yang Yang's acting a bit stiff and the plot dragging... Anyone with an input why I should push through? I'm again on a brink to drop this yet again...

Anyone knows where I can find the Taiwan version of this series? For those who might wonder why I ask, the Chinese version is heavily censored (such as ladies cleavage, lots of scenes, etc)