1. Nowhere in the series is it stated that the male lead didn’t know about this tax. We are shown him at the…
He was in the process of dying. You know, that process can sometimes last for hours, even days. So while he’s on the brink between life and death, she feels his pain.
I don’t consider her righteous. To me, a righteous person is someone who hasn’t committed even the slightest sin. She’s quite impulsive and doesn’t always think ahead. Just a kind person, that’s all. And everyone makes mistakes and does foolish things.
In this series, there aren’t really any righteous people at all, in my opinion.
1. Nowhere in the series is it stated that the male lead didn’t know about this tax. We are shown him at the…
Why? Because he has already passed the first trial to become human. Lu Qianqiao became much more emotionally expressive after the flesh replacement, didn’t he? He started to feel jealousy, irritation, anger. In the first episodes this was practically absent (though he did give that guard a thorough dunking in the water barrel). And after the bone replacement, his emotions grow even stronger and more pronounced.
Righteous? A disciple who stole a token from her master and ran away against his will—is that a righteous young lady? Not really. I see her as a kind person with a heightened sense of justice, not a Terminator and Sherlock Holmes at the same time. Besides, Xin Mei didn’t know what Doctor Su had planned. She thought they were about to distribute those pills and everyone would just return to their sects. Did she even have time to gather testimony and look for evidence? And afterward, where would she even find those cultivators?
As for the activation of the blood bond, it’s clearly stated in the first three minutes of episode one: “these five trials are perilous. War Demons must form blood pacts with their closest kin so that when near death, they might grasp a silver lining of survival.” In other words, the bond only activates when they are on the brink of death.
While the first arc was highly enjoyable with several surprises which caught us off guard (the wedding, his "death"…
1. Nowhere in the series is it stated that the male lead didn’t know about this tax. We are shown him at the end of his “official career,” and the direct reason for his execution is given—disobeying the emperor’s order. What he did before that—whether he was righteous or not—we don’t know. Although, if Lu Qianqiao took part in palace intrigues and wars for the throne, he clearly wasn’t a saint. Also, the series mentions that in Wei County, where Lu Qianqiao served as governor, life was better than in other regions, so that tax wasn’t as noticeable. It’s quite likely that Lu Qianqiao simply didn’t pay much attention to what was happening beyond his sphere of influence. After all, he’s not a hero trying to save everyone. He doesn’t take care of every beggar or worry about everyone’s troubles, but when he sees someone in need, he helps. Still, I’ll repeat—he is not a saint at all.
2. We are shown an example of the problem of the immortality tax when Ashen encounters a family who, under the pretense of treating their child (whom they are actually poisoning), beg everywhere to buy that “healing herb” and use it to pay the tax. I agree that perhaps the suffering of ordinary people could have been shown more broadly. But for me, the explanations and what was shown were enough.
3. The female lead didn’t stay in the valley to investigate the boatman’s death. She realized that anyone who came for the pills could have killed him. So she went to the hall, hoping to reach her fellow practitioners and explain that pills obtained through murder, robbery, and the suffering of common people cannot be considered good.
For me, the female lead’s behavior is completely logical—she is inherently kind, but when she sees injustice, she cannot stand aside. Sometimes she resolves things through conversation and persuasion, if the other side is willing to listen; other times, she takes up her sword and kills when she believes she is facing pure evil. She doesn’t have standard, NPC-like reactions to events. Each situation is different, and she acts accordingly.
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who…
Here’s what the actor himself, Ren Jialun, said about it in his interview:
The director and I also mapped out the stages of Lu Qianqiao’s development. He’s a character whose power progression goes “in reverse” — from strong to weak. I told the director that, in terms of combat, I needed to give the character a certain grounding; for example, even after the body transformation, my combat power starts to decline, and I wanted to show that directly through the fight choreography.
So at the beginning, when I first appear, everyone feels like I can handle any situation with ease. Gradually, it becomes clear that I’m already putting in much more effort — I start actively using my fists and legs, performing combat techniques. When my strength drops even further, the audience notices that I begin to rely on weapons.
The lower my power level gets, the more help I need and the more I depend on weapons. Up until the moment when I have almost no abilities left and return to the state of a “war demon” — and we defined this very clearly as well: it only takes a single move or a single line, and the enemies are already at my feet.
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who…
I have no idea what will happen next. In the interview released yesterday, Jialun said that Qianqiao will lose his powers, but then regain them — how, why, and for what purpose, I don’t know.
You can see that the plot is non-linear, all the characters are revealed gradually, and Lu Qianqiao is like an onion with many layers. So all we can do is trust the creators of the drama and go through this journey together until the end.
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who…
I rewatched the subtitles in both English and Chinese (the first 3 minutes where they introduce the background), and there’s not a single word about Lu Qianqiao wanting to save his race. Here’s what they say there about transformation:
"The Great Dao holds 50 paths, while heaven manifests 49, leaving one for humans. If War Demons wish to be reborn as humans, ascending to heaven to seek the gods is not necessarily their only choice. With their skin peeled off, their flesh carved off, their bones scraped clean, their blood renewed, and their hearts gouged out, they could be reborn as humans. Yet these five trials are perilous. War Demons must form blood pacts with their closest kin so that when near death, they might grasp a silver lining of survival."
Both the director and Ren Jialun have said that Lu Qianqiao doesn’t want to become human for some noble purpose, but fate will decide otherwise. What do you think — why does everyone keep talking about children born on September 9 and that one of them will become the savior of humanity, yet we were never told the main character’s birth date? Could it be because his destiny is to become human and then save the world?
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who…
The novel is completely different. The characters are different there as well. Qianqiao never cared about the plans of his race, because to them he was an outcast half-blood who was only allowed to live because his mother was the clan leader and one of the most powerful warriors. He didn’t care about humans there either.
As for the first episode, I’ll rewatch it with Chinese subtitles, because I don’t remember any mention of some noble goal at all.
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who…
It doesn’t make sense to you because you haven’t lived through it or felt it. In a moment of madness, it doesn’t matter to him whom he kills — enemies or his own children. According to the novel, the male lead’s mother, in such a state, killed her own husband and around 100 members of his family because no one could stop her. I don’t know how this will be handled in the drama.
As for the other commenter, I haven’t seen anything in the drama that suggests Qianqiao specifically wants to free his race. At the beginning, it was stated that there were two ways for demons to break the curse: the first was to grow a tree and rebuild the stairway to the gods, the second was to become human. They failed to grow the tree, so Lu Qianqiao chose the other path. But in all 16 episodes, he has never once said anything about saving the demon race.
Why would someone want to change bone, change blood and become human only to become weaker? How would he be able…
Do you really think that a being who hasn’t slept for 200 years, for whom food tastes like rotting flesh, who has no feelings, and who could lose control at any moment and kill everyone around him, doesn’t deserve a few years of a normal, fulfilling life? Should he live in that state forever just to protect everyone? Isn’t that too high a price?
People should first of all learn to protect themselves and cherish what is dear to them, rather than look for someone to save them. Zhou Shengchen once gave everything for the sake of the world — did that save him from being branded a traitor and executed?
Honestly, it amazes me how so many people are too lazy to scroll down the comments to find answers to their questions. What surprises me even more is that people watch the series and then come here asking about things that are clearly explained in the show itself. How are you even watching it? And with what?)
For those looking for the ending, once again I’m bringing the director’s post https://mydramalist.com/photos/zBLv7A_3. Whether you believe him or not is your choice. But none of the viewers have supernatural abilities to tell exactly how the series will end.
I’d also like to ask those who are worried about the low rating: what have *you* done to make that rating better? Did you rate each episode? Write a positive comment about your impressions? Invite your friends to watch it?
In today’s interview, Ren Jialun said that Lu Qianqiao will gradually lose his power.
With all due respect, but this is the character’s wish — to become human. Not to remain a being with almost limitless power who can neither sleep, nor eat, nor feel (in terms of touch), and who could also lose his mind and kill everyone around him. You can’t sit on two chairs with one butt — you always have to sacrifice something. Qianqiao is ready to give up his power, so who are we to deny him that?
In today’s interview, Ren Jialun said that Lu Qianqiao will gradually lose his power.
I don’t think they asked us about it, and they won’t. The story will be exactly as the director, screenwriter, and actors envisioned it. Was the ending in LODT really sad, even though the characters gave up immortality?
Ep.13-14 are FIRE. It’s getting more intense (and interesting) every episode: people are dropping (dying) left…
I have a suspicion that he’ll give his bones to his master so that he won’t use animal ones. Or maybe he’ll somehow try to take his master’s bones for himself? Ugh, such a long wait for the next episodes.
I don’t consider her righteous. To me, a righteous person is someone who hasn’t committed even the slightest sin. She’s quite impulsive and doesn’t always think ahead. Just a kind person, that’s all. And everyone makes mistakes and does foolish things.
In this series, there aren’t really any righteous people at all, in my opinion.
Righteous? A disciple who stole a token from her master and ran away against his will—is that a righteous young lady? Not really. I see her as a kind person with a heightened sense of justice, not a Terminator and Sherlock Holmes at the same time. Besides, Xin Mei didn’t know what Doctor Su had planned. She thought they were about to distribute those pills and everyone would just return to their sects. Did she even have time to gather testimony and look for evidence? And afterward, where would she even find those cultivators?
As for the activation of the blood bond, it’s clearly stated in the first three minutes of episode one: “these five trials are perilous. War Demons must form blood pacts with their closest kin so that when near death, they might grasp a silver lining of survival.” In other words, the bond only activates when they are on the brink of death.
2. We are shown an example of the problem of the immortality tax when Ashen encounters a family who, under the pretense of treating their child (whom they are actually poisoning), beg everywhere to buy that “healing herb” and use it to pay the tax. I agree that perhaps the suffering of ordinary people could have been shown more broadly. But for me, the explanations and what was shown were enough.
3. The female lead didn’t stay in the valley to investigate the boatman’s death. She realized that anyone who came for the pills could have killed him. So she went to the hall, hoping to reach her fellow practitioners and explain that pills obtained through murder, robbery, and the suffering of common people cannot be considered good.
For me, the female lead’s behavior is completely logical—she is inherently kind, but when she sees injustice, she cannot stand aside. Sometimes she resolves things through conversation and persuasion, if the other side is willing to listen; other times, she takes up her sword and kills when she believes she is facing pure evil. She doesn’t have standard, NPC-like reactions to events. Each situation is different, and she acts accordingly.
The director and I also mapped out the stages of Lu Qianqiao’s development. He’s a character whose power progression goes “in reverse” — from strong to weak. I told the director that, in terms of combat, I needed to give the character a certain grounding; for example, even after the body transformation, my combat power starts to decline, and I wanted to show that directly through the fight choreography.
So at the beginning, when I first appear, everyone feels like I can handle any situation with ease. Gradually, it becomes clear that I’m already putting in much more effort — I start actively using my fists and legs, performing combat techniques. When my strength drops even further, the audience notices that I begin to rely on weapons.
The lower my power level gets, the more help I need and the more I depend on weapons. Up until the moment when I have almost no abilities left and return to the state of a “war demon” — and we defined this very clearly as well: it only takes a single move or a single line, and the enemies are already at my feet.
You can see that the plot is non-linear, all the characters are revealed gradually, and Lu Qianqiao is like an onion with many layers. So all we can do is trust the creators of the drama and go through this journey together until the end.
"The Great Dao holds 50 paths, while heaven manifests 49, leaving one for humans. If War Demons wish to be reborn as humans, ascending to heaven to seek the gods is not necessarily their only choice.
With their skin peeled off, their flesh carved off, their bones scraped clean, their blood renewed, and their hearts gouged out, they could be reborn as humans. Yet these five trials are perilous. War Demons must form blood pacts with their closest kin so that when near death, they might grasp a silver lining of survival."
Both the director and Ren Jialun have said that Lu Qianqiao doesn’t want to become human for some noble purpose, but fate will decide otherwise. What do you think — why does everyone keep talking about children born on September 9 and that one of them will become the savior of humanity, yet we were never told the main character’s birth date? Could it be because his destiny is to become human and then save the world?
As for the first episode, I’ll rewatch it with Chinese subtitles, because I don’t remember any mention of some noble goal at all.
As for the other commenter, I haven’t seen anything in the drama that suggests Qianqiao specifically wants to free his race. At the beginning, it was stated that there were two ways for demons to break the curse: the first was to grow a tree and rebuild the stairway to the gods, the second was to become human. They failed to grow the tree, so Lu Qianqiao chose the other path. But in all 16 episodes, he has never once said anything about saving the demon race.
People should first of all learn to protect themselves and cherish what is dear to them, rather than look for someone to save them. Zhou Shengchen once gave everything for the sake of the world — did that save him from being branded a traitor and executed?
For those looking for the ending, once again I’m bringing the director’s post https://mydramalist.com/photos/zBLv7A_3. Whether you believe him or not is your choice. But none of the viewers have supernatural abilities to tell exactly how the series will end.
I’d also like to ask those who are worried about the low rating: what have *you* done to make that rating better? Did you rate each episode? Write a positive comment about your impressions? Invite your friends to watch it?
https://mydramalist.com/photos/zBLv7A_3