Fire_Immortal

She says “I will never marry” and the verb for “marry” that she uses (嫁 jia4) is only used by a woman. If she were a man she’d use a different verb there (娶 qu3). So it was an immediate tell that she thinks of herself as a woman. She then corrects with “no one will marry me” but using that same verb it means “no woman will marry me”. So Viki translation (as usual) is more correct.

Exactly! That is why he stopped Feinu from attacking her. Also, he’s upset she said she’d leave if he didn’t want to see her again. He’s hurt she could just up and leave. That’s partly why he gets so emotional.

Finally! Someone who has eyes and can immediately tell He Yan is a woman. Thank you, courtesan Hua Youxian!

The girl love is strongly implied! After all, Danxin and Ping’an live together and sleep together and share intimate details about themselves with each other. So… I’m preparing myself for some heartbreak here.

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YPA has chemistry with everyone, men and women alike!

I was surprised because I thought Shangjue would recognize Yuanzhi’s special arrows/weaponry when he saw it shatter his bowl and at least look before aiming! But he reacts too quickly.

Mother Raven now knows that YWS is emotionally compromised, and he’s pained by that knowledge. He’s pained because this means Wufeng may need to eliminate YWS if her allegiance truly shifts. He may also be pained because he’s never seen YWS get this emotionally attached except to her sister Yun Que, and he knows YWS hasn’t gotten over that tragedy and now may have to face yet another tragedy.

I love the nicknames you all come up with. For instance, Han Ya Si = Mother Raven. This actor Omid is so good, he doesn’t have to say anything and his eyes speak volumes.

Same! They really made him a sympathetic character. I’m guessing Shangjue will get injured in later episodes (or possibly die) protecting Yuanzhi and it’s going to hurt so bad.

A drop of blood in a woman’s room could be explained away easily, no? Shangguan already noted she was sick …

I’m not sure if this has been answered yet but did deceased Sword Wielder have another wife before Lady Lan (Ziyu’s mother)? Or was elder brother Gong Huanyu not a half-brother but adopted into the family?

It’s Yuanzhi who says “good tea” and it’s certainly a pointed statement about SGQ in the context of that conversation! As we know, both brothers are wary of her and know she’s sus.

Love this analysis, and you’re spot on with FL having the capabilities to be more than a Chi, but she chooses not to level up because that involves killing people and going against her ethics. Yu Shuxin in her character analysis notes wrote something to that effect. Also remember when Shangguan hints that to level up from Chi to Mei she had to endure and perform unspeakably horrific things.

Yeah I’m bracing myself… no way they could do a happy ending given the story we have so far and given this drama is taking itself seriously.

Also I agree the Gong sister is too over the top with her antics and quirks, it’s almost like she’s part of a different drama that is a comedy and didn’t get the memo that this drama is dark and gritty and people are supposed to act accordingly and naturally like real people on earth. Plus it just defies the narrative that someone raised in the Gong family who is part of the weaponry line could be so silly and unserious and boycrazy, unless she’s just putting on an act and secretly some evil mastermind.

Shangguan and Shangjue are the most interesting characters to me so far given how complex and morally grey they seem and how unpredictable they are, plus I’m very much looking forward to their chemistry. Ryan Cheng and Lu Yu Xiao almost outshine the main leads in every interaction with their dramatic presence and exquisite acting.

That actor (Edward Zhang) really elevated a flatly written villain with no compelling motives. He managed to impart some depth and conflict even though the script gave him nothing to work with. Really wish there was more to the brotherly conflict which could have been epic.

Just learned that the actress for the Goddess of Fate, Yang Li, is a viral feminist stand-up comedian who’s actually hilarious in her videos! So glad she was cast and is getting this exposure through the show.

This show is so meta, it’s as if the script writers anticipated the criticisms of the plot and addressed them in a self-mocking *wink wink* way. Truly a parody at times.