Meari21

And that’s why I said they’re going after those who posted and even shared the leaks online in China, even if they weren’t the actual culprits who stole from them. They’re also going after the international sites that uploaded the leaked episodes. Which drama had their unaired episodes leaked before this? Were they also as viral as this drama? Because as far as I know, this is a huge controversy over there now.

This is different. These are unreleased episodes. That’s not just piracy but a serious crime there. Word is they’re also going after people who posted and shared the leaks on Chinese social media and they’ll be going after these international illegal sites.

There isn't any. The subs there are machine generated. Besides, those sites might be taken down soon because the production team are determined to sue and go after sites that uploaded the leaked episodes. If you're in China and you try to watch these episodes on illegal streaming sites, that's a 10-year jail time. That's how serious they are. KissKh and other sites better watch out, Tencent and iQIYI are pissed their biggest hit series of 2026 is being pirated.

The audience usually rate dramas based on how much they enjoyed them. While I do agree that this isn't on the same level as Nirvana in Fire or Joy of Life in terms of quality, heck, I don't even think it's as good as The Prisoner of Beauty, but that's just me. This drama isn't just as good as those dramas I mentioned in my humble opinion. But that's just it, it's just an opinion. Some people think it's the greatest thing there is and they're entitled to that opinion as much as we are entitled to ours. I wondered why this got so much hype that even my K-drama fanatic friends started obsessing about it. But to be honest, I'm kinda glad they made the transition from K-drama to C-drama. The more the merrier. I'm no gatekeeper, so if more people start enjoying C-dramas in general and they discover more and better dramas because of this, then I'm good. I'd be happy to recommend more dramas for them to watch. lol

That I get. That's why I said, after he has fully recovered and gone back to the army, he should've looked more imposing and domineering physically. But they still haven't given us the fearsome military general they promised us. What we're getting is a lovesick fool who thinks he's protecting his wife by not being fully honest with her even though he knows she's more than capable of defending herself. The fact that he decided not to tell her the truth or bring her along was him underestimating her capabilities and taking away her right to make that decision for herself. A truly good man would've told her the truth before he left and allowed her to choose whether to go with him or stay.

Yes. If Xie Zheng was just some spoiled rich playboy Marquis who fell in love with a butcher, I would've bought it. Other dramas have done that before, including Nirvana in Fire where the ML has no martial arts prowess so he has to be protected by those around him. But after Xie Zheng recovers from his initial injuries, he should've been a full-blown badass. I expected this pairing to be similar to Ning Yuan Zhou and Ren Ruyi from A Journey to Love, both are capable fighters who go to war together. But they're trying to elevate Changyu at the expense of Xie Zheng and that is not good writing.

Exactly! He's more beta than alpha and it frustrates me. lol Changyu is becoming more and more like a Hollywood Mary Sue girl boss and I'm not liking it. I was drawn to this drama initially because she was just a simple hardworking and compassionate girl who doesn't back down from a fight. But they're making her too OP and Xie Zheng, who is supposed to be the better fighter and strategist, is turning out to be the damsel in distress. I want them to be on equal footing.

I agree. I like Changyu being badass and all, but not at the expense of Xie Zheng who is supposed to be the greatest military mind and warrior their kingdom has ever produced. They already nerfed him in the beginning by giving him a handicap, and even after he has fully recovered from his injuries, he is still nowhere near the warrior he is built up to be. I was expecting a power couple, not a powerful woman with a kept man. I hope they give Xie Zheng an impressive fight scene later on.

I’ve never liked her as an actress tbh. But she carries this show imho. I know there are plenty of eye candies to keep us ladies busy but Changyu is the central character, and Tian Xiwei does a good job at playing her.

Oh I don't want to impose. lol

Yeah, I found that. But I wanted a file format I can read on my Kindle. My eyes started to water after reading a few chapters on my computer. lol

Anybody know where I can read the English translation of the novel? Hopefully, in mobi/epub format I can read on my Kindle? The ones I found can only be read online.

It seems like they won't follow the path of the manga. They will end the series earlier and will probably merge and skip certain story arcs. So they might be setting things up for earlier reveals. I heard they're skipping the story arcs that focus on the shichibukai and go straight to the pirate emperors.

Yes, that's correct, mellon! lol Not yet, I'm on episode 3. I just literally started. I'm not fond of this actress either. I haven't liked any of her dramas so far. But she's doing alright in this one and the story is intriguing so far. I hope they can keep this up until the end.

And we meet again here, fellow LOTR fan! 😄 I just started this drama and I’m now invested. Not sure yet if the initial rating of 9.1 is deserved but this definitely has a different sort of FL. I don’t normally see this type of FL in idol dramas. I’m not a fan of the actress but she’s growing on me with this character of hers.

I thought he was kidding when he said he didn't have much screen time in this. He also said the role is not as interesting as the second ML. He likes to downplay his own importance in his dramas and tease his fans so I thought he was just being his usual sarcastic self. He wasn't lying unfortunately.

Happy ending. Though it’s a little ambiguous and could’ve been handled better. Watch the credits to get some hints on how things ended for the main couple.

Did someone say it’s Yuning’s fault? That his performance is lacking somehow?

In my culture, they do. Most of them want women who are reliable, uncomplicated, down to earth, and able to make a good home for their families. They love dating exciting and complicated women but when it comes to settling down, they almost always choose the good girl.

If you read my response to another comment, I said I'd personally go for him too. I dislike Gong. He is loud, rambunctious, and dreadfully egotistic. He annoys me to no end. lol I was merely speaking in a general sense. Bei does have an uninteresting personality. He doesn't have a specific hobby or any interesting quirks. He is as normal as they come. And that is a flaw for many women who want excitement in their lives. If that wasn't the case, then we wouldn't have idol dramas/teen novels/shojo manga where the girl always goes for the bad boy type ML and the second ML syndrome wouldn't have been born. I've never gone for the bad boy even when I was young. The nice guys were always my type because I'm kind of a bad girl myself. lol Opposites attract, after all.