Reviews

XuanQing’s a royal ass, Ms Wang is a loan shark and Ms Fu has a winter coat disaster

XuanQing dares to tell that lovely fiancée of his that his heart was given prior to his proposal. JinZhao is lighting into him and stomping off with WanXue when she agrees. This sweet girl has loved him forever and she will not back away from the marriage even knowing this. She sees him as her savior from her stepmother and the true love of her life. That he has such a sweet prospect of happiness and chooses to covet his sister in law is 🤬😡🤬YanYun overhears and is waiting for her to confess to him because he thinks there are no secrets between them. This wasn’t even an issue she thought about because she tossed him out with her kite years ago. She had no idea he harbored any feelings for her because he never had the courage or wherewithal to tell her. His cowardice then and his underhanded means now are reprehensible. He dares to look at JinZhao while trying to write off his fiancée. The only look I appreciated on him was being startled at her acceptance of the situation giving him no room to back out. So..the marriage is still on tho he will find every way to continue to delay things. Here’s another would be suitor with a temper tantrum. The broken ink stone is a very good image of where he truly stands with JinZhao. He is despicable because even tho Ye Xian tried a plea prior to her marriage, even he understood that she pledged her love to another and it should be respected. JinZhao does immediate damage control. She has her guard and servants on alert that he is not allowed in her courtyard and she has already managed to get out of morning and evening greetings. YanYun knew something was up and snuck her out after curfew for a romantic evening. She is so carefree and open in her love for him that he chooses to let her keep whatever secret it is and that she has handled it. The final thrust in XuanQing’s face is that she asked to be his wedding planner. She is a master of scheduling and now has it so they will never meet when he’s at home. She will make sure WanXue has the wedding of her dreams in spite of him. Ms Wang and maid have managed to cause gossip and delay the opening of the new store. They are quite pleased with themselves because whenever the store does open the noble ladies won’t frequent the store because of rumors of lurking men. Mother Chen is lamenting scandal like always. I would take her more seriously if she was not tabloid gossip queen.😝🙄She is in the process of forcing JinZhao to relinquish all her businesses when Chen interrupts that she will do no such thing. He tells JinZhao to build them bigger and his mother that he will be less honorable letting them have their way than meeting their rumors head on. Wang cannot say he wasn’t aware because he encouraged them to keep plotting against Chen. Here is where I am annoyed with Chen for the first time tho this was a necessary action. He comments to Fu how his wife’s shop was unable to open because somebody upper tier was targeting her. He got his point across but for me this comes across as boys tattling to the principal to get another in trouble for being sneaky. This seemed so far beneath him as a way to deal with this, but most likely a necessary evil so the all powerful Fu will feel in charge.😝🙄What comes to light is that Ms Wang is the neighborhood loan shark. JinZhao had them meet and brought a stack of cash and IOU’s to be paid. Ms Wang cannot admit she’s the lender so JinZhao takes the funds and IOU’s with her. She mentions the punishment for illegal loans and tells Ms Wang and maid to have the lender come to her directly for the cash. She will then march them straight to the magistrate for prosecution,😂🤣In another turn of events Lan is going to receive an official proposal from Mu. When asked why change of heart, Lan said he appeared better upon further inspection. He may not have the looks but that man is the kindest and most thoughtful man she has ever met. I smile at this match just because. 🥰 She knows her family all to well so she asks JinZhao if betrothal gifts could be delivered to the Chen residence instead. Whether a plot or just poor quality control the winter coats for the soldiers were packed with bad cotton and now half of the inventory is unusable. If JinZhao steps in and corrects this, Ms Fu will be indebted to her. Chen’s servant is having a difficult time getting a word in today.😂🤣 And while he stressed about not getting his last message delivered he heard Yao give JinZhao the news. 😂He is asking if she is happy and the look on her face matches the yes. He is pleased with the news. Since he is the one in the know about her crush on XuanQing, I am hoping he does the big bro/cousin routine and straightens XuanQing out. He was there and knows that his good ‘friend’ made no confession to JinZhao. So now that she will have a witness maybe this can get cleared up so WanXue can have a real marriage.

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Tea gossip, Dr visit and XuanQing up to no good🤬

Ms Wang is an older version of Lian. That whiny it’s not me it’s her excuse is down pat. She just could not refrain from throwing shade at JinZhao. She expected a completely different reaction than a return dig about using tribute and serving to guests. This shows the ignorance of nobles to merchants. She did not expect JinZhao to be knowledgeable nor did she grasp the situation she put her husband in. Wang is well aware how things look and he is furious at being impeached. His embezzlement of tribute goods being sold in his shop is now under investigation. He knows it is Chen pushing for things but he thinks his swap with the grain not a big deal and annoyed Chen not following suit in accepting and covering bribes. XuanQing has passed on the earrings he bought and has thrown a weak argument at YanYun about the students that stopped his carriage. I am still not understanding his game. JinZhao had her guard throw them away, but I am wishing she would have just come clean with Chen about her past crush and that he rejected her. Chen inadvertently created the situation by making his nephew lie about saving her. He is acting more and more like YanWen and it’s creepy. Chen cautions her about the political intel the wives are passing around and not to even say female magistrate for others to hear. He is seeing how he was out of the loop of intel dissemination via spouses and this will now give him another venue for information. Ye Xian is working tirelessly to get back at the nobles that framed his father. He is again drinking through his misery but he forgot to keep his meds close and collapsed. Fortunately QingLan and a doctor were coming in with his guard and found him, He pretends to be unconscious and learns he has three years left to live. He has a mission in mind that he wants to complete in the time that he has. QingLan is blackmailing her way into accompanying him. I hope she gets her way because it is a damn good idea. Lan and JinZhao are chatting and she confirms that Ye Xian is coming across as a madman in his zeal. Lan actually agrees to meet the one she thought ugly and ran away from three years ago. She has also requested to have her own residence to get away from the Gu clan. JinZhao has agreed to help her. Ms Chen now knows about YanWen’s past deed and that he was responsible for JinZhao’s kidnapping. She also knows it most likely he will never return to their ancestral home. She is mourning to her maid wondering where she went wrong. YanYun thinks she will be right as rain after processing the information. I’d like to think he is right but they have a new YanWen in XuanQing. I’m inclined to think she will be as unaware with him as she was with YanWen. I really enjoy that they let this couple be an affectionate newlywed couple. They are comfortable being playful and their mutual love is obvious to see. She greets Lan at her new home and learns that XuanQing invited himself over with Mu. WanXue is also there and it seems in all the time since engagement he has visited her two times. However that is still two more times than he dared to talk to JinZhao. 😝 He knows he is neglecting the girl he should be paying attention to and making JinZhao upset. 🤬Mu is actually rather sweet. There is no love between them, but he wants to brighten her days with a fish pond. He has even brought a construction team with him to build it. Lan seems to be the Gu girl not wanting to marry. She knows she cannot marry the station she wants so she wants to earn enough to take care of her mother. Like Mu I find myself feeling sorry for her. JinZhao was also deserted by her parents but had a loving gma to raise her. Lan has been forced to deal with things herself because of her own machinations and the weakness of the father who’s best known for being the absentee parent. I am actually surprised they are not together since he doted on her originally. But maybe this was always her mother and he just accepted credit. That seems more his style. The fact that XuanQing makes JinZhao nervous and shaken makes me hope YanYun shows up soon.

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The only negative about this show so far is…

The only negative about this show so far is that pretty much every single guy acts with the maturity of a 5th grader. Sometimes that can be funny, but too much and it's boring and exemplary of lazy writing. It's also a massive disservice to gamer culture. Yes some gamers are overgrown children stuck in pre-pubescent states of existence. But most are perfectly normal humans who are far more sensible and respectful than the idiots in this episode. Aside from leaning too heavily into this stereotype, the show is quite excellent so far. Pacing is good. The way it layers in the game action as meaningful to the larger story is very well done so far. There are unfortunate hints of lazy drama tropes to come but hopefully the writers will not lean too heavily on such as the show progresses.

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Show writers dragging the plot now

The plot is really dragging at this point. By blowing away Fang Leng's memories of Xiaoqi they have basically recycled the whole plot from the beginning, only with some variations such as the scheming wanna-be-girlfriend and the annoyingly stupid Fang Lei thrown into the mix. Both are there purely to act as distraction relationships to pull the leads apart for no other reason than to kill screen time. Otherwise, much of this just feels like the first 10 episodes recycled. No real progress in anyone's character except slightly maybe in Xiaoqi, who slowly is showing signs of better understanding what her emotions mean. Everyone else seems either as dangerously stupid (Fang Lei) or mentally disturbed (Fang Leng, Jiang Xue, Aunti Zhou, etc., etc.) as they were at the start. The story at this point just recycles some of the plot gimmick from the early part of the series and otherwise throws in one cliche' drama trope after another. Some work as gags. Many don't.

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Character Development and Relationship between them .✦ ݁˖

So the drama opens with that signature dark, moody cinematography Guo Jing Ming always does. Episode one is basically a world-building episode — introducing the demon realm, the human realm, and the hunters in between. Things have been a mess ever since the Bai Ze Seal (Bai Ze Ling) went missing. Now demons are just running loose in the human world. Also, we learn real quick that Ji Yao Si and Chong Wu Ying? Yeah, they don't get along. —— ㅤThe episode starts with Wen Xiao coming to investigate demon sightings. Her mission: find a rabbit demon and send it back to Da Huang. Simple, right? Not really. She gets ambushed by Chong Wu Ying's people on the way. She tries to protect herself and the rabbit demon, but it's clear she's lost most of her Bai Ze powers. Guess what? yepp the rabbit demon dies. That hit way harder than I expected for episode one. This episode will shows you how cruel Chong Wu Ying's system really is. —— ㅤThen we get the entrance of Da Huang's big demon, Zhao Yuan Zhou (Zhu Yan). he and his iconic umbrella-wielding entrance scene. Mysterious,? Stylish arrival? Absolutely chef's kiss. He seems super chill and lazy at first, but you can tell there's massive power underneath, plus a sarcastic mouth and a dark past. —— ㅤNow, the dynamic between Zhu Yan and Zhuo Yi Chen (the stiff, impulsive head of Ji Yao Si) is intense from the jump. Their first meeting is literally a sword fight. Their dialogue is full of sarcastic jabs and old grudges—it gives off this hilarious but suspicious Tom and Jerry energy. Meanwhile, Ji Yao Si itself has been abandoned for eight years because of pressure from Chong Wu Ying. —— ㅤOn Wen Xiao's side, she feels some familiar aura coming from Zhu Yan, like they've met before. Their first actual encounter happens when Zhu Yan tries to escape Ji Yao Si's underground prison, only to run right into Wen Xiao. That scene is surprisingly comedic and playful, with Zhu Yan messing with her. And Zhuo Yi Chen is just standing there confused, wondering why this powerful demon listens to everything Wen Xiao says. —— ㅤWe also get a peek at the main villain this episode, but he's still wearing a mask, so no face reveal yet. ——ㅤHonestly, the pacing might feel a little slow if you're used to fast-moving plots. This drama clearly cares more about atmosphere and aesthetics than rushing through story. But the setup is pretty clear by the end: Zhao Yuan Zhou isn't here to destroy Ji Yao Si. He turns himself in willingly and suggests bringing Ji Yao Si back to life, all for the sake of peace between both worlds. ——ㅤᝰ.ᐟ Solid premiere if you're into visuals, tension, and slow-burn world-building ── .✦

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