Ancient Love Poetry (2021)

Noble Idiocy done right! The heart-wrenching never-ending farewells left a gaping hole in my heart

After sacrificing my sleep last night, I finished a whole box of tissue for my tears, and oh well, my snots. I got a taste of sweetness that made my skin crawl from Qingmo and Houchi...and loads of heartaches from Houchi and Bai Jue...then Shanggu and Bai Jue. It was truly a roller coaster for the last 15 episodes.

The moments that undoubtedly made this show special were the endless goodbyes. It was the same concept, repetitive even, but the way they were delivered and how the words were phrased was equally heartbreaking.

And since these scenes were the ones I find remarkable, I would like to say a few more words.

1. See You After 100 Years - The day after Qingmo and Houchi's wedding, they bade goodbye to each other. To Houchi, although she was sad, she was also full of hope in reuniting with her husband after 100 years. If you consider that they're immortals, 100 years is nothing to them, so she might have thought that time will pass in a blink of an eye. For Qingmo however; he was full of uncertainty. Having just accepted the fact that he will disappear one day, separating with Houchi at this time was just too cruel. He probably thought there is a chance that this will be the last time he will see Houchi again, but still, he had a bit of hope of seeing her again after 100 years. After all, that's the timeframe Boxuan is supposed to regain sense.

2. I'm Unreconciled - Confronted face to face with another him who will devour his entire being, Qingmo was devastated...for his fears had come true --- not being able to meet Houchi again. I would like to applaud KaiKai here, he made Qingmo's last day on earth remarkably heartbreaking. He was unresigned, devastated, and full of regret...yet nothing could be done about it. His being was full of desperation you would be a total wood if your heart didn't hurt even a bit with this scene.

3. Qingmo, I'm back / Give Qingmo Back to me - I can't decide which line is better so I included them both as they are the main points of this scene. Having seen Bai Jue herself, Houchi has had her doubts. She believes Qingmo still lives within the man who calls himself Bai Jue. But when she was cruelly denied of this fact and was left with a mere cenotaph, she mourned...as she might have truly lost her husband.

4. I love You, My Dear Wife - Oh, the consciousness that Qingmo left for Houchi was full of love and longing. This was my favorite farewell scene. Like Qingmo said, his life maybe was short, but he was able to live it fully. He loved and received love. It was complete. Saying goodbye to his dear wife, he didn't look sad, but content knowing that their love was real.

5. The "Black Wedding" - After seeing Qingmo's farewell, Houchi was desperate to have him back and so he went to find Bai Jue who is in the middle of preparing his wedding. Houchi wanted nothing else but to know Qingmo is still alive. But bai Jue had to be so cruel in always shooting her down. When Houchi demanded a divorce and Bai Jue made the pact right there and then, I couldn't help but lament the circumstances of these two people who deeply love each other to separate just like that.

And in the middle of that, when Baijue said, "don't stop me or you will regret it" and Tianqi said he won't, Bai Jue repeated the same sentence, only then did Tianqi realize what Bai Jue is trying to do. I tell you, this episode was full of so much angst my heart almost gave up.

The heartbreaking separation of father and daughter. This is the highlight of this episode. Gu Jun sacrificed his life, not for anything else but to save his daughter's life. This scene truly etched in my heart, that a parent can do anything for their children just to keep them safe. And for this, Houchi truly fell into a sense of loss. He lost two of his closest kin, a husband and a father. Who would blame her if she will hate Bai Jue enough to kill him? All she ever wanted was to lead a safe and simple life. To be a filial daughter, a virtuous wife, and a good mother. And when she really did pierce his heart, she smirked, for she did not feel liberated. Killing Bai Jue will not bring back the family she lost. This was when she truly accepted that Qingmo is not coming back and this was truly the end of their ill-fated relationship.

6. Shanggu and Bai Jue - Waking up with no memories for the past 60 years, we see Shanggu with a young heart pining for Bai Jue. But she was told he got married not once, but twice and with a son, we see her confusion and disbelief. When she finally bared her heart to Bai Jue, saying how she wanted to tell him about her time in the Netherworld. That she had misgivings of his infidelity (well, we all know he's really not), but she doesn't know that. She did not receive any bit of consolation from him. And so she gave him up for a second time---as Shanggu.

7. You Really Let Us Down - I simply loved this scene for the powerful message that gave a blow to Muguang. When comparing people's lives, how would you weigh which one is more important? Wu Huan killed a truckload of demons and immortals alike, and when she was on the path to execution, what right would Muguang have to beg for the life of his wife? Houchi's words were bullets straight to the heart.

8. Last Dream - Shanggu never stopped loving Bai Jue. She was disappointed in him, yes, but she has always loved him. So when an opportunity presented itself to be with Bai Jue, even if it's only a dream, she embraced it with all her heart, without knowing this was really it, the final farewell.

After everything that's said and done, I understood what mindset and heart Bai Jue had when he made the decision to take the Tribulation of Chaos for Shanggu. There's nothing left to be said after witnessing their journey.

This is a show that I will love for a very long time.

P.S. Special credit to A-Lin's A Thousand Years of Searching for taking the angst on another level. Her longing-filled voice tinged with desperation in the background pushes the emotion at its peak.

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The most beautiful Xianxia drama

Yes I am not refraining from giving that title despite it's minimum flaws. Because when I watch other Xianxia dramas each has it's own flaws, but I am always turned off by acting especially by main leads, but Ancient Love Poetry for the first time a xianxia drama that don't have this flaws.

Acting
Haters said Zhou Dongyu is not pretty enough for Xianxia, well I don't care if she is pretty or not but she is one of the best actress out there, very natural and raw in her emotions. She carried her character to the fullest potential and I cannot see any other actress who can pull off what she did in Ancient Love Poetry. Her portrayal left a deep impression on me in every progress of the plot, that no weird costume design or make up could take me away from understanding her character's growth and the twist and turn of emotions. Sometimes in the plot the concept appeared simple but she acted it out so delicately and convincingly that the scene became impactful.

Another actor being targeted by haters by calling him fat and paralyzed face acting. An obvious sign that those who said this did not watch the drama at all. Xu Kai played the three character Bai Jue, Qing Mu and Bo Xuan so distinctively that you felt like this are different actors but at the same time as the plot progress there is a need for the combination of some traits from different character he made it possible. His gift is his eyes expression, he can emote so well with eyes to differentiate between the three character. He blew me away in the last scene, solidified that he is a young actor that I would be closely watching from now on.

Storyline
I always long for a storyline that did not create crisis for the sake of settling it as soon as it appeared. No background no reason why it happened. But Ancient Love Poetry storyline intertwined it's plot so well connecting the early episodes plot to the later plot and they string this together using character growth, significance weapon and supporting character's involvement. I appreciate that they included in some nostalgia in some scenes, it makes this drama more unique compared to other dramas.

I really recommend everyone to check this drama out. It brings out a different presentation of Xianxia drama on the table.

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The Most Unique Xianxia out there

okay i'm gonna to write my new Favourite Xianxia Drama of all time, Sorry Ten Mile of Peach Blossom. Anyway, as i said in the title, this drama is the most unique Xianxia drama out there. it's does not follow the typical Xianxia Drama of going through a love trials as a mere mortal to become more powerful etc. this drama stayed in the Fantastically realm of Immortals, Deities and Demons, it's a beautiful pieces of the drama and one that made me eagerly waiting for the upcoming episode however impatient, I decided to bought the fast track episode to watched another episode of this addictive drama. Ok! let's get into the review shall we?

STORY:
the Story is all about the love trial between Shang Gu, the Chief God of Chaos and Bai Jue, the God of Fire and the God of Wars. It's teach us about responsibility and self-sacrifice for your love one to leave in peace, however backfire due to the fact that the one that left behind hurt the most due to missing someone that been sacrificing themselves for the greater good of all realm.

From Episode 1 to 16, although the story is a bit slow due to the fact that they focused the character growth of Shang Gu and her growing Chaos Power as well as her responsibility as a Chief God of Chaos to sacrificing herself for the Good of all realms, and her growing initial relationship between her and Bai Jue, the Male Protagonist of the story, from Master-Disciple Relationship to Romantic Relationship and their growing closeness with one another as well as showing the bond the four true gods had for one another and many esteem gods that close with the main character. after episode 16 onward, the story started to pick it up begun the Immortal Age, the aftermath of first Tribulation of Chaos where Chief God Shang Gu sacrifice herself to save all realms from ragnarok-like scenario. during the Immortal Age, we have Hou Chi, the mature and hard working individual in contrast to Shang Gu whose more carefree compare to Hou Chi and her journey to become stronger but eventually had to awaken something inside of her and you guess it, Shang Gu's dormant spirit. During her Tribulation, she met with Qing Mu (Bai Jue's other half) and fallen in love with one another but knowing they weren't meant for one another, they prevail and had a wedding ceremony at the end, however circumstance arise and the awaken of Bai Jue cause the two to be seperate and eventually due to that, she's become heartbroken, Gu Jun had to awaken Shang Gu in Hou Chi and thus Shang Gu appear and begun to stabbed Bai Jue in the chest and started to hate him later on. As for Bai Jue, he doing what he can to make her stayed away from him and to make her hated him, taken part of her memory so that she can be carefree without worry so that he can sacrifice his life in order to stopped his beloved's destiny. in the end, his sacrifice impact everyone the most especially Shang Gu and their son Yuanqi and everyone around him including Tianqi and Zhi Yang.

Overall, this story teach us about love, Friendship, hardship, circumstance, responsibility that we're uphold and self-sacrifice for the better good of all realms, but it has flaw despite sacricing yourselves for the better good of all realm, your death is impacted the most toward those who loved you and care for you and waiting for you to return and a heart breaking one.

CAST:
the cast are fantasy, they had chemistry with each other, each character portrayed each character well.
1. Xu Kai: he portrayed Bai Jue really Well, due to Bai Jue's cold demeanour, there is warmness in him as you can tell be his s subtile smile and small expression and Xu Kai nailed that part. i see no-one who is a better Bai Jue than Xu Kai himself and Xu Kai's portrayal of Qingmu was also great as well, while as being Qingmu, Xu Kai's expression are more free compare to his portrayal as Bai Jue and overall, i enjoyed his performance.
2. Zhou Dong Yu: many had criticised her look but she's portrayed Shang Gu and Hou Chi perfectly. Zhou Dong Yu had that charm, that can attracted you toward her, her smile is contagious as hell which is a good thing, when she's smile, i begun to developed feeling of Euphoria everything she's show her bright smiles. as expected from Zhou Dong Yu, who is known as a big screen actress can portrayed any roles she had because that's how good she is.
3. Liu Xie Yi: seriously this man can act. i hated him in Love and redemption but i absolutely love him as Tianqi in this drama. his portrayal as Tianqi is top notch as well, i couldn't see anyone can portrayed Tianqi better than him.
4. Zhang Jia Ni: she's a great actress that can portrayed a character that people hate really well, but not for me because i like her. she's portrayed as the sinister, selfish and power hungry Wu Huan really well as she can switch from being innocent and timid individual from the first 16 episode to the conniving, power hungry Wu Huan in the later half of the Drama, prop to her.
5. every cast are really good with their portrayed as their character, i applaud to them.

CGI:
Ancient Love Poetry had the best CGI in all the Xianxia drama coming out this years or last few years. the fighting scene, the magical spell, the landscape of each realm including the heavenly immortal realm, the magnificent God Realm and the lower immortal realm, they all look really great.

OST:
the Music is really great and many song can give you melancholic feel to it, my own personal most favourite OST is "Nian Sui" by Mao Bu Yi, and as expected by Mao Bu Yi, he can convey perfect message within the lyric and ever feeling of the song, i personally like Nian Sui the most compare to other many OST within this drama.

REWATCHING VALUE:
Definitely! you should rewatched this again, it's so addictive and engaging

OVERALL:
this drama is by far the best Xianxia Drama of the decade and i enjoyed every episode, every scene of this drama, sorry Love and Redemption, Sorry Ten Mile of Peach Blossom and Sorry Ashes of Love. This drama had finally won me over and now i named this drama "my Personal Best Xianxia drama of the Decades", however the only flaw of this drama is that the End seem a bit rashes and their reunion are so short like 3 minute only, what the hell? this drama should has 50 episode instead of 49 so that we can had one special episode about Bai Jue and Shang Gu being together again with their children practicing spells and playing and stuff, that could be great, but overall, i enjoyed the drama every bit of it. 10/10 would recommend

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Happy ending and beautiful fantasy series

To start off this review, the Main leads really have the face for such series. FL carries this series fairly well with many personalities since she had to switch characters. The ML also does well since his character is supposed to be icy thus the lack of emotions but the last few episodes did redeem his character as more fatherly emotions and personality is revealed.

Story can be confusing and have its flaws since its supposed to be a love story that spans over many many many years. However it is easy to track and the hook is also there since much is not explained outright. The fight sequences are decent too and somewhat believable. The female main villain looks good and convincing too. There are emotional ups and downs in this series but no frustrating flip flops like he/she likes me or not and 3rd party misunderstandings, the relationship is straight forward and focus.

Having watched falling into your smile and this series at the same time, ML matches and have better chemistry with the FL in falling into your smile but its still not the same level as his previous chemistry with Bai lu. But with that said the FL in this series still really looks very good with the cinematography, sets and decent costume sets. FL acting is also very on point in this series and she does carry this series more than the ML. If there is a complain about the FL its really just the "flatness" but i guess that cant be helped right lol.

This series is worth a watch but rewatching value should be low since the happy and loving times between ML and FL is low, likewise the chemistry is only average between leads. However the god world settings and storyline makes it a worthy watch if you are a fan of the genre. There are also 3 other sub couples but for me, its average chemistry amongst the sub couples too.

What I really like from this series is the soundtrack, it is very on point with this series, it fits the storyline, scenes and settings. Very much on par with Ashes of love soundtrack.

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Amazing story nd cast

Guys if u want to watch some super nice costume drama then u go for this it's contained mixer of feeling happy,sad ,comedy broromance love separate heart break every thing u find every emotiona in this show
Cast acting is super they portrayed their role beautifully not only main cast .supportive character also win ur heart they know how to make us cry nd happy with their acting .
Plot - I don't reveal too much about the story because I told you then it's not as excited too see ur self I just tell its a story of true God love life nd fate when comman person get into problems they pray to God but when God face problems who hlp them it's the concept of the story our FL is chief God who rule over the world nd our ML is one of 4 true God that hlp her in rule but their become cruel when they know chief God has to sacrifice her self to protect the world nd she dies ml protect some of her soul nd tries to find out the solution so the world nd her both will be safe nd their journey start in the process he hurts her nd hurts himself but never back out
But it's a happy ending for main lead so don't worry nd try to watch

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~The best c-drama of 2021~ (in my opinion)

I just finished this drama minutes ago. My feelings are running high and I can not even put into words how this drama affected me. Before going into this, I will say this is MY ideal drama, so if you don’t like xianxia or emotional god dramas, then this might not be for you. But if you do, then I can almost guarantee that you will adore this drama.

STORY: I will not go over the storyline, but rather highlight what makes it amazing. We start with a silly girl with virtually no power, but with a strong title. This is so unique and something that I have never seen before. The development for every character is outstanding and leaves you thinking. The plot is sometimes complicated if you are new to these types of dramas, but never too complicated to the point that I had to look it up. This means that it is the perfect balance and a perfect storyline.

ACTING: The acting left nothing to be desired. Every actor played their role perfectly, especially Xu Kai. Even the evil empress had impeccable acting, which almost makes you think you are in the real show.

MUSIC/OST: I appreciate OST a lot, especially in these types of dramas. This OST was absolutely mind blowing. Every time it plays it makes me tear up. At the last episode, I could not stand to know it was the last time it would play in the show.

OVERALL: This drama really makes you feel something, and if you want a drama that is absolutely groundbreaking, this is for you.

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This drama is worth it.

Before I start my review, let me say first that the female lead Zhou Dongyu and the male lead Xu Kai absolutely nailed it. Their active is top-notch. I cannot think of anyone else who is fit for the female lead role. Kudos to all the cast and crew.

This drama is one of the best dramas I have ever seen since I started watching C-dramas, especifically historical ones. I even made an account just to make a review for this. ?

The CGI is not a joke. The fight scenes are amazing. The actors and actress definitely did their best to satisfy the audience.

To all people who still did not watch this, watch it. It's worth it. Every single tear and sadness is worth it. This drama is definitely the best in 2021.

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A love story where sacrifice is rewarded in the end.... after years of torment of course

I am fresh off of finishing this drama and finding it hard to sum up as I feel like my emotions are a bit scattered. It is a happy ending but the type of happy ending that has you crying. You let out that shaky breath and say "FINALLY". This drama is a master at inducing conflicting feelings. You will hate a character and their actions one minute and then find out their reasoning and all of a sudden understand them. Also, when some characters return it's this combined "HES BACK!!" accompanied by "wait that means...nooo".

This drama really keeps you on the edge of your seat and debating right vs wrong and does the end justify the means? I can understand why characters did what they did but whether I could fully forgive them is another story. I still am all over the place, but I will say I think ALL characters got the justice they deserved. BJ got what he deserved from HC and SG despite knowing he did what he did for the right reasons. Obviously, the evil lady and her daughter got their justice too. I really enjoyed how the show tied everything up in the end.

Anyway, my technical review:


Acting

I thought both leads did a great job along with the side characters. I found myself rooting for so many of them and even the bad characters played their roles so well. A lot of the side characters will still your heart in this show and luckily there are many good ones that you will like. This isn't a show with mainly bad people, I would say for the most part the good outweighs the bad. Xu Kai really surprised me in this drama, it's the third I've watched of his and I feel like you can really start to see his growth as an actor. He was masterful over subtle expressions and holding a lot of emotions in his face without saying or doing much. I think his acting improved throughout the drama too. The beginning is kind of the typical stone cold male lead but as the show goes on, I felt like his acting and expression were great as the character opened up and also his character... became a "new" one.

Story/Plot

Overall, this is one of my favorite storylines. This story takes you through two main time periods where you experience the leads in two different settings based on events that happened in the past that slowly unfold as the show goes on in the second half. When they first fast forward in time it is confusing a bit for an episode or two, but you start to put everything together pretty fast.

However, it took me a few months to get into this show. I would watch an episode or two and drop for a bit. Not because it was awful, but it didn't suck me in right from the beginning. I think the first few episodes move kind of slow and it is the typical cold and unemotional male lead who teaches the naive and silly girl at the start which is a bit cliche. BUT the female lead gains strength and wisdom relatively quickly so this isn't quite as bad as AOL in terms of that plot device. This show didn't drag too much though, there is always something happening that I found interesting and isn't too much filler which is nice to see. There also wasn't really in plot holes that I could remember either.

OST

One of my favorites. By the end one song is so associated with sadness though you just want to start crying when you hear it play. Hauntingly beautiful songs though I wish there was a bit more diversity.

Main Complaint(s)

I wish we had gotten to see the leads happier together longer in the beginning and at the end, even in the middle. This is a definitely a story of two people struggling to be together in every life/time period. Their happiness lasts only minutes which is a bit frustrating even though it's what also makes the story so heartbreakingly good. But I also felt like in the beginning and middle I wasn't as invested in their story as I could have been because I didn't have enough time (this is me personally) to fall in love with their love. It honestly wasn't until the end, and everything came to light that I really was moved by their relationship and all they went through. But about the ending...

The ending is happy but also... kind of abrupt after all the emotional trauma we went through. I wish we had seen them as a happy family, even just for a few minutes (not necessarily a whole episode or anything). I kind of feel like we were robbed of what could have been an even better reunion. I also don't like how the child is... kind of just cast off at the end by his mother and left on his own and also not seen in the reunion. I wish too we could have seen them say they forgive one another and actually hear Bai Jue explain himself and how much he wishes he didn't have to do that. Obviously we know the reasons but again the ending ..kind of surprised me? I thought we would get a bit more of a reunion. I wanted to see him and Hong Ri reunited too. It's a small complaint and the ending still had me crying and feeling a lot of things but I do think it could have been done a bit better.

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TOTALLY MUST WATCH SERIES!!!!!

I am a very picky person when it comes to xian xia, but when I saw a short video clip from this series on Youtube, it drew my attention and I searched and watched the series immediately and finished it in three days. It's really worth it. Beautiful storyline and costumes. One of the best CGI and Cinematography. Also their OSTs are on fire. Great chemistry between the male lead and female lead. EPIC SCENES. NO DOUBT a must watch series.

I know there are negative reviews on the actress that she is not pretty enough for the role. At first I also thought like that, but she killed all the hate with her excellent talent and performance. She may not be the most beautiful actress in the industry, but her smile and personality fits the goddess role very well. Her acting is on point. If u are considering to watch this, don't hesitate and just give it a try. If u are a huge fan of TEN MILES OF PEACH BLOSSOMS, ETERNAL LOVE OF DREAM and ASHES OF LOVE, I'm sure u're gonna fall in love with this as well.

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Hate it for the noble idiocy trope. Love it for the world building, the characters, & the actors.

For the first 15-20 episodes you will actually like the Bai Ju, he was somewhat a decent guy. He ensured that Shang Gu got a second chance at life, treated her like a loved one for first half of that second life. Then he disappears for 10,000 years. Yes, the time just randomly speeds up in this show. He splits into two bodies, the good part of him, Qing Mu wins over Hou Chi, the reincarnation of Shang Gu., treats Hou Chi like a goddess that she is. The part of him that was Bai Ju eventually takes over and then treats Hou Chi and their child like shit. "Worst Father Award"

I wanted to stop watching when Qing Mu was taken over by Bai Ju. The last thing the guy said to Bai Ju was "Be nice to Hou Chi" Guess what Bai Ju did? He was cruel, because he wanted to sacrifice himself.
The episodes from then on were just unbearable to watch and there is none of the Bai Ju loved in the first half left.
He begins by denying that he was ever Qing Mu to Hou Chi, who at the time was pregnant with their child.
He then decides to marry the woman he promised he would never looked at because Hou Chi/Shang Gu was the only one for him. He decides to trust that woman more than he ever trusted Hou Chi.
On the day of his marriage, when she confronts him (since they are still married), he divorces her in front of everyone. Not only that, allows her to get physically hurt, lets her father die in front of her, because it would have spoiled his grand plan of sacrificing himself.
He then neglects his child, while doing god knows what while the woman he claims to sacrifice his life for is in coma and now their child is being raised by the uncle (Tian Qi) who would actually have made a better partner for Shang Gu.
But does he cut off the connection completely? No, he tries to steal undeserved moments with them. Just let them go my dude! It was painful to watch.

The worst part of these sacrifices is the lack of trust, but i usually give it a pass because that's how these stories are structured, what I cannot get over is treating your partner cruelly.

Hou Chi died a sad death, betrayed by Bai Ju in all forms.

Edit: I forgot to mention a few things in the review before.

I was so upset for Hou Chi, that I forgot to talk about the environment they created for that child with the kind of choices they made.
Shang Gu once she woke up from her slumber was a good mother for a minute and then she had to go kneel in front of the deity for 500 years so they could have Bai Ju back. So, another 500 years of neglect for the child.
Sure, we can assume everything was hunky-dory once Bai Ju got back, but let's not lie and say they were both good parents for their child's first years of life.

The best part about this drama was the actors, they did such a good job in keeping my interest even though I wanted to give up. I did like the characters, they were pretty complex and not one-dimensional. I just feel sad for the child, makes me even wary of watching "The Last Immortal" but I need a few days to recover from this heartbreak and watch something light before even thinking of watching that.

I also held on till the ending because I wanted all that pain they suffered to lead somewhere and was glad to see that they did have the happy ending most people wanted.

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Recommended drama if you like xianxia

Solid drama with sweet romance. I found the beginning boring at first but now really enjoy those episodes. I really enjoyed the middle but found climax a little unsatisfying. The fight and the sfx/cg where the FL defeated those giant flying lizards was amazing and I wished they had done something similar for the final fight.

I really like ZDY’s acting and she does the restrained, sad scenes well but I also enjoyed her as the innocent but naughty and arrogant Shanggu. I also like LXY and this is my favourite role (Tianqi) he’s played to date. The rest of the cast were enjoyable and acting was on par with other xianxias but there was just a gap between ZDY and the cast.

Of course there are the usual tropes. The idiotic self sacrifice plot, the stupid idea that if you make the other person hate you then then they won’t be sad when the other person dies. I also don’t get obsessive females.

ALP doesn’t have that big emotional payoff like some other dramas but I’ve just rewatched this drama and will most likely go back to it when I need something sweet and lighthearted to watch.

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