luyuxics

I genuinely cannot believe it took me this long to watch this drama. It was a complete masterpiece from start to finish. I have honestly never watched a 40 episode drama this quickly! This drama made me laugh and cry and feel all the emotions, and I honestly wish I could wipe my memory of this and watch it all over again <3

This drama was one that was on my watchlist for a while, and I have honestly heard nothing but good things about it. (I can confirm that no one was in fact lying when they said this was absolutely amazing!) I honestly have so much to say, but I will try to not ramble too much. (No promises, though). Ao Ruipeng and Bai Lu were phenomenal in this drama, and I absolutely adored their chemistry! Their characters, Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, went from being two people who were just using each other to being completely devoted to one another.

The romance was definitely more of a slow burn, but I honestly loved that! I think that it made sense for their characters, and also I do love when the romance between the male and female leads of a drama is a bit more drawn out and slow to start. That just makes the moment when they get together all the more satisfying! I hope that Ao Ruipeng and Bai Lu have more projects together in the future, and I would absolutely love to see them in another historical drama together, or even a modern one! This drama honestly made me fall in love with Ao Ruipeng. His acting was honestly fantastic, and I definitely need to watch more of his other dramas.

Bai Lu is an actress that never fails to disappoint me when it comes to her roles, and Bai Shuo was no exception! I absolutely loved her character growth throughout the drama, and how she goes from being a slightly naive girl to one who is courageous and doesn't give up, even when things seems utterly hopeless.

Fan Yue has easily become one of my favorite historical/wuxia drama male leads. At first, he seems like a typical "cold" ruler of the Bright Moon Palace, ruthless and cruel. He is also seen by the other sects as arrogant and selfish. However, as the show progresses, those labels and assumptions aren't necessarily true.

While he can be ruthless and cruel when he needs to be, Fan Yue secretly is harboring a lot of pain, especially after being the sole survivor of the Baize clan, in which everyone was slaughtered and his brother was kidnapped. He also shoulders a lot of burdens for his people and for other demons. He does everything in his power to ensure their safety and peace. His trusted confidants, Tian Huo and Cang Shan, have been beside him for years, and they also devote and dedicate their lives to him. Fan Yue is not the cruel demon king that everyone thinks he is. He is utterly selfless and protects those he cares about with unrelenting determination.

When he first meets Bai Shuo, he at first is just using her to absorb all the Five Contemplations so that he can use the Contemplation Stone to remove the Seven Star Soul Burning Seals on him. He is at first distrustful and suspicious of Bai Shuo, as he isn't entirely sure why she, a normal human being, is able to activate the Contemplation Stone.

Eventually, though, Fan Yue does eventually come to care for Bai Shuo, although he doesn't realize it at first. I honestly love that they fall for each other gradually. Slow burn can be excruciating, but I think that it's even more rewarding once the couple actually get together. Fan Yue's eventual devotion to Bai Shuo is so swoonworthy, and I also love that he's willing to risk his life for her. He will do anything and everything to protect her.

He is also definitely the "touch her and you die" type of male lead. If anyone (or anything, because this man literally went to go and destroy some carnivorous flowers after they attempted to hurt Bai Shuo when she was gathering herbs in the mountain) harms Bai Shuo, this man will exact revenge pretty much immediately. He also becomes utterly soft with Bai Shuo, and I honestly think that they have one of the healthiest relationships in a wuxia drama that I have ever seen.

I mean, yes, their relationship didn't exactly start out great, considering the fact that they were both using each other for their own personal gain, but eventually, it blossoms into something that is genuine and steadfast. Even when Lan Zhu tried to take over Bai Shuo's body and take Fan Yue away from her, their love for one another never faltered.

Fan Yue saw right through Lan Zhu, and took action, along with Chong Zhao, and they were able to help free Bai Shuo from the sea of consciousness that she was trapped in. He also continued to reaffirm that the only person that he would ever love and the only person in his heart was Bai Shuo.

Fan Yue cares deeply not just for Bai Shuo, but for his kingdom and its inhabitants. He will do anything to protect the Bright Moon Palace and everyone he cares about, including Tian Huo and Cang Shan. Can I also just say that I absolutely adored these two?

Tian Huo is honestly such a badass and I love how fierce she is, but we also eventually get to see the softer side of her, the side that will do anything for people that she cares about, even if she doesn't outwardly express it. Her story was incredibly sad, and I had hated her father at first, for supposedly sending her mother to her deathbed, but in reality, he was just trying to protect her by sending her away. Her younger brother is also so sweet:(( Even when he was turned into a monster, he still continued to protect her:((

I'm really glad he ended up surviving in the end! I absolutely bawled my eyes out when Tian Huo used all her spirit power to repair the broken Outlander's sword. That scene where she's dying in Fang Yue's arms is genuinely so heartbreaking. Fang Yue lost one of his closest friends:((

And also, Cang Shan's death was also super heartbreaking to me as well:(( I hated how he and his father never got a chance to repair their relationship after Cang Shan left the Stone Clan. His sacrifice was devastating, but I of course understand why he did so. I honestly felt so bad for him that Tian Huo never reciprocated his feelings for her:(( I honestly had a feeling that he liked Tian Huo, but I wasn't too sure until he got jealous and annoyed how relentlessly Ming Jiu was pursuing Tian Huo.

I hate that Fang Yue lost his closest friends and confidants:(( (also a small side note for Chong Zhao and Fu Ling: I honestly really loved them together! I remember I didn't like Fu Ling at first, but she slowly grew on me! And for Chong Zhao, I am glad that he didn't end up becoming evil or continue to chase after Bai Shuo. It seemed like that at first, but eventually, he was able to move on with someone else. I truly felt for him, and I was so incredibly sad when he died. I also HATED that Fu Ling died, especially when Bai Shuo realized that she was her sister, Bai Xi. THAT SCENE WHERE SHE DIES ABSOLUTELY BROKE ME)

Bai Shuo's character really grew on me. It wasn't that I necessarily disliked her at first, "i guess it was just that I was confused of her origins, considering the fact that she could absorb the Contemplation Stone and also activate. She at first seems quite naive, but she slowly becomes more mature.

Bai Shuo has been seeking immortality all her life in order to repay the person who saved her and her older sister's life when they were little. At first, this is her goal, but as she continues to experience more tragedies and hardships, it shifts. I loved seeing her maturity and growth develop throughout the drama, and I also loved how incredibly brave she became, even when things seemed so incredibly desperate. She also showed that she truly cared and loved Fan Yue, even when there was some doubt from others.

Ultimately, their love defied fate time and time again, and I absolutely sobbed during episode 34 when Bai Shuo proposes to Fan Yue and then later on, he dies in her arms. This episode was so incredibly heartbreaking and devastating, but it also proved that Bai Shuo and Fan Yue loved each other so deeply. I adore these two, and I do wish we got to see the wedding in the actual drama, but I am glad we got a bonus episode! It was a little bittersweet, though, as there was no one around to witness it:((((

There is honestly so much more that I could say, but this review is already WAY too long. If you haven't started this drama, I highly recommend! It's a must watch and one of my absolute favorite dramas that I have watched this year!