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So .. He died in the end anyway...
The story follows a sickly or poisoned former martial arts sect leader, LX, who gets unexpectedly tangled up with a rookie detective. Together, they investigate a series of strange murders and bizarre crimes. As they peel back the layers of each case, a much darker mystery connected to their own pasts slowly begins to emerge.
For the first thirty episodes, the drama was actually pretty decent. It wasn't some masterpiece that would leave you speechless, but it was engaging enough. The slow-burn investigations, the mystery, the character dynamics... it all worked well enough to keep me watching.
But those last ten episodes?😮💨😮💨😮💨
They felt less like a drama series and more like serving a full life sentence.
No, seriously. At one point I caught myself looking at my syllabus books and thinking, "You know what? These are actually more interesting." That's how badly the plot started dragging.
The biggest problem was that everyone seemed to lose their common sense. The characters suddenly became frustrating, the dialogues turned painfully repetitive, and scenes that should have lasted two minutes somehow stretched into eternity. Take that pagoda sequence, for example. They were supposedly racing against time to find the mother bug, the villain could have returned with his entire gang at any moment, and what do our heroes do? Casually stroll around the crime scene, discussing theories, visualising events, and having long philosophical conversations as if they're on a sightseeing tour. The urgency was nowhere to be found.
And the worst part? The drama is packed with moments like this. Every time something important was about to happen, the characters would stop for another unnecessarily long conversation. It felt as if the writers were being paid by the minute and were determined to squeeze every last second out of each scene.
By the end, I wasn't even curious about the mystery anymore. I was just curious whether the episode would finally end.
It's genuinely disappointing because the drama had a solid premise, a fairly interesting central mystery, and enough potential to be memorable. Instead, the final stretch drains all the momentum built up in the earlier episodes. What started as an intriguing investigative drama eventually turns into an endurance test for the audience.
Now, onto the good stuff.
Cheng Yi was excellent. He played the role so convincingly that he was looking genuinely sick, exhausted and fragile. But I do think LX deserved his own victory moment, After making him suffer through illness, betrayal, and endless injuries the writer still chose to kill him in the end.... Like...
Why ?????? What was the reason??? 😭
Surprisingly, I found myself liking Joseph's FX more. Watching him grow from a spoiled, impulsive brat into someone with genuine ambition and purpose was incredibly satisfying. And I absolutely loved that he chose to continue travelling the martial world instead of settling down. It felt true to who he had become.
The styling was exactly what you'd expect from a wuxia period drama. Elegant costumes, beautiful scenery, and all the flowing robes your heart could desire. Nothing revolutionary, but it did its job well.
And the OST?
Oh !! It was an absolute banger. And why not.... It's sung by Yunning. That man simply refuses to release mediocre tracks.
In the end, this drama could have been so much better if the writers had stayed committed till the very end. The ingredients were all there: an intriguing mystery, compelling characters, and a fascinating world. But the final stretch stumbled so badly that it left me wondering if the writers themselves had lost the mother bug.
Would I recommend it????
Actually, yes. 🙈
Despite all my complaints, I think it's worth giving a chance. Try the first five episodes. If the characters and the investigative vibe click with you, you'll probably enjoy most of the ride.
Just be prepared for the last ten episodes.
For the first thirty episodes, the drama was actually pretty decent. It wasn't some masterpiece that would leave you speechless, but it was engaging enough. The slow-burn investigations, the mystery, the character dynamics... it all worked well enough to keep me watching.
But those last ten episodes?😮💨😮💨😮💨
They felt less like a drama series and more like serving a full life sentence.
No, seriously. At one point I caught myself looking at my syllabus books and thinking, "You know what? These are actually more interesting." That's how badly the plot started dragging.
The biggest problem was that everyone seemed to lose their common sense. The characters suddenly became frustrating, the dialogues turned painfully repetitive, and scenes that should have lasted two minutes somehow stretched into eternity. Take that pagoda sequence, for example. They were supposedly racing against time to find the mother bug, the villain could have returned with his entire gang at any moment, and what do our heroes do? Casually stroll around the crime scene, discussing theories, visualising events, and having long philosophical conversations as if they're on a sightseeing tour. The urgency was nowhere to be found.
And the worst part? The drama is packed with moments like this. Every time something important was about to happen, the characters would stop for another unnecessarily long conversation. It felt as if the writers were being paid by the minute and were determined to squeeze every last second out of each scene.
By the end, I wasn't even curious about the mystery anymore. I was just curious whether the episode would finally end.
It's genuinely disappointing because the drama had a solid premise, a fairly interesting central mystery, and enough potential to be memorable. Instead, the final stretch drains all the momentum built up in the earlier episodes. What started as an intriguing investigative drama eventually turns into an endurance test for the audience.
Now, onto the good stuff.
Cheng Yi was excellent. He played the role so convincingly that he was looking genuinely sick, exhausted and fragile. But I do think LX deserved his own victory moment, After making him suffer through illness, betrayal, and endless injuries the writer still chose to kill him in the end.... Like...
Why ?????? What was the reason??? 😭
Surprisingly, I found myself liking Joseph's FX more. Watching him grow from a spoiled, impulsive brat into someone with genuine ambition and purpose was incredibly satisfying. And I absolutely loved that he chose to continue travelling the martial world instead of settling down. It felt true to who he had become.
The styling was exactly what you'd expect from a wuxia period drama. Elegant costumes, beautiful scenery, and all the flowing robes your heart could desire. Nothing revolutionary, but it did its job well.
And the OST?
Oh !! It was an absolute banger. And why not.... It's sung by Yunning. That man simply refuses to release mediocre tracks.
In the end, this drama could have been so much better if the writers had stayed committed till the very end. The ingredients were all there: an intriguing mystery, compelling characters, and a fascinating world. But the final stretch stumbled so badly that it left me wondering if the writers themselves had lost the mother bug.
Would I recommend it????
Actually, yes. 🙈
Despite all my complaints, I think it's worth giving a chance. Try the first five episodes. If the characters and the investigative vibe click with you, you'll probably enjoy most of the ride.
Just be prepared for the last ten episodes.
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