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This review may contain spoilers
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. 😭
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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