It took me awhile before I could get invested in this one. Yes, I started it when it aired but stopped briefly because of the frustration regarding some plot details. Then I forced myself to go back because I can’t just keep dropping Joseph Zeng’s dramas, lol. How was it? In some ways, it was worth it. In others, it was frustrating. Especially, the ending. It did make sense regarding the grand scheme of things. Yet some parts were so choking.
Main Cast:
- Li Qin (李沁) as Xue Zi Ya (薛紫夜). A famous medic and the leader of the Apothecary Valley. She was taken in by the former leader after her village was destroyed and her childhood sweetheart sacrificed himself to save her. She also suffered from the cold illness because she was submerged in the ice water too long, hence not being able to travel far from the valley. It became one of the rules that she set with not traveling outside to treat others. At least, she didn’t travel far, only down the mountain to the closest town to help the locals. This was my first time watching Li Qin although I heard of her. It was just that most of her works were quite tragic with her character facing equually tragic ending. And I dropped Princess Agents early on so didn’t get a chance to watch more of her character development in there, so I couldn’t count it as watching fully in her favor. Anyway, I thought she brought out the character well, the grace and the elegant along with the stubbornness of the character at times.
- Joseph Zeng (曾舜晞) as Huo Zhan Bai (霍展白). The seventh disciple of the Swords Sect. A very righteous person who could sometimes be so stubborn about his principle yet at other times could be so mischievous too. I thought this character was a mixture of Zhang Wu Ji (from HSDS) and Tang San Shi Liu (Fighter of the Destiny) for him, lol. Because he was at times too honest for his own good and keeping to his words and was taken advantage of by others. Yet, at other times, he could be so cunning and hilarious. His righteousness was probably the defining point of his character. Because that became his drive for a lot of his actions, wanting to seek justice for others and bringing down the evil forces that were ravaging the martial world. Joseph did really well in the role and he sure did give off the hero image in here.
- Wang Hong Yi (王弘毅) as Miao Feng (妙风) aka Ya Mi (雅弥). At first, I didn’t know what to make of him . I had an extreme bias toward him and didn’t know how I would come around regarding his character later. Because of how he had a hand in destroying that one village. Yet I thought Wang Hong Yi’s portrayal made it possible. The development of his character created a mystery around it and made me wanted to watch more, to see what happened. I didn’t know how the story was going to justify his actions because it would be that way regarding of approach. But I liked the twist that he didn’t justify his actions from the start. He did what he was taught to. He was a killing machine for the other guy and his loyalty to that guy was because that guy saved him once upon a time. He did regret his actions later but didn’t justify his past. He repeatedly told Xue Zi Ya he wasn’t worth saving and that she would regret saving him one day. Somehow, his redemption arc worked because we were able to see the actions he’d taken to redeem himself, not empty talks like some others.
- Edward Chen (陳昊森) as Tong (瞳) aka Ming Jie (明介). I didn’t know what to make of him at first either. There was also this mystery surrounding his character and how his special eyes had caused him a lot of trouble. I would have thought he became a typical killing machine for the other guy, which wasn’t his fault since he was controlled for the majority of the series. However, his past was so tragic that I couldn’t forgive that one village for hurting him. I didn’t say they deserved to be massacred. It was just that, they were horrible to a little kid who didn’t know anything. Only Xue Zi Ya and Xue Huai treated him like human. He also had a well written redemption arc and it wasn’t like it was completely his fault (since he was also manipulated). But it made sense the things that he did. His returning point was Xue Zi Ya never giving up on him and somehow, it was all worth it. Not to mention how he wasn’t completely easily manipulated like others would think. He actually tried to lead a rebellion against Chang Wu Jie (even if he failed) because he understood too well they were just pawns, nothing more, nothing less.
Supporting:
- Jin Ze Hao (金泽灏) as Chang Wu Jie (长无绝). He was cruel and power lust and all those awful things. All in all, he was a typical wuxia villain you look forward to hate. He didn’t care about anyone but himself so he used all the resources he had to get what he wanted. He manipulated everyone around him, so there was no loyalty among his bunch, except for Miao Feng, who initially thought this guy saved him, but it turned out he was responsible for wiping out Miao Feng’s clan. Also, I’m piling it on but he was indeed a disgusting piece of excuse for a human being. The last time I watched him was in Here To Heart (and I did drop that, lol) so things weren’t going well for him either way (with me). The only thing I could say about that was his performance was convincing with the creepy vibe and the cruelty throughout.
- Shen Bao Ping (沈保平) as the aged Chang Wu Jie (老年长无绝).
- Jenny Zeng (曾可妮) as Miao Shui (妙水) aka Shan Mi (善蜜). Miao Feng’s sister. She was considered cruel and ruthless just like the other minions under Chang Wu Jie. But it was revealed way later that she came to seek revenge. She was just trying her hardest to be patient and gain his trust, so she could find his weakness and kill him in order to avenge her clan. Her ending was somewhat shocking but not too unreasonable. She finally got her revenge (sort of) and learned that her brother was still alive. She had no regrets as it was.
- Wei Zhen (魏震) as Miao Hua (妙火). He was hilarious for me. Yeah, I know he was a terrible person whom killed and hurt a lot of people. But he was still funny on some levels. Perhaps, it was all the scenes watching Huo Zhan Bai conning him during various encounters and their interactions. He also talked smack a lot for a person who wasn’t as skillful as the others.
- Ye Zu Xin (叶祖新) as Xu Zhong Hua (徐重华). Sixth disciple of the Sword Sect. The story started off with him as the traitor of the sect and was chased by the others. He jumped off the cliff and entrusted his wife and kids to Huo Zhan Bai. So, he was presumed dead throughout and set off a chain of events. However, it was later revealed that he faked his death and became an undercover agent for the Swords Sect. And somehow, he just became the actual traitor, so I guessed he didn’t want to disappoint them with being wrongly accused?
- Shao Yu Qi (邵羽柒) as Qiu Shui Yin (秋水音). Huo Zhan Bai’s junior, Xu Zhong Hua’s wife. If she wasn’t considered a villain in here, she might as well be. Because half of the issues in here happened because of her. Dubbing herself to be a goody-two-shoes and an innocent victim of the situation, she sure caused a lot of trouble for everyone. Then things didn’t turn out her way, she cried and acted all pitiful. I felt her character was equally useless as her husband, because both characters were used as plot devices to create conflicts and push forward some elements of the plot but they were necessary. Their characters could be substituted with some other elements or characters and it would still make sense.
Others:
- Liu Jin Yan (刘津言) as Shuang Hong (霜红). One of Xue Zi Ya’s maids and also a medic at the valley. She was very loyal to Xue Zi Ya, hence being very defensive regarding all matters related to Xue Zi Ya.
- Ma Xi Er (马希尔) as Feng Lu (风绿).
- Fu Jia (付嘉) as Xia Qian Yu (夏浅羽). Fourth disciple of the Swords Sect. He misunderstood Huo Zhan Bai and was quite upset previously. But later learned what Huo Zhan Bai had been doing all these years that they eventually reconciled.
- Ma Xiao Fan (马骁凡) as Zhou Xing Zhi (周行之). Eight disciple of the Swords Sect.
- Zhang Rui Jia (张瑞珈) as Granny Ning (宁婆婆). An elder of the Apothecary Valley. She witnessed Xue Zi Ya grew up and understood her very well, always caring for her.
- Wang Zhu Yue (王朱悦) as Lan Lan (蓝蓝).
- Liu Ling Ling (刘灵灵) as Xiao Cheng (小橙). One of Xue Zi Ya’s maids and a medic at the valley. She loved food and was easygoing. But she was equally loyal to Xue Zi Ya, regardless of how others viewed her.
- Peng Xi Yu (彭西予) as Xiao Jing (小晶).
- Hai Ling (海铃) as Ah Jing (阿菁). The leader of the Poison Sect. She was lured to the Apothecary Valley because Xue Zi Ya wanted to investigate regarding the poison used in the massacre of her village back then. Later, she became sworn sisters with Xue Zi Ya and tried to help with the investigation. She had a brief appearance yet contributed greatly to the plot, unlike some people. (Yes, I’m petty.) I actually liked Hai Ling when I watched Fateful Love yet her character in the other one led to disappointment because of other factors. I was glad she got to portray an ally to the main leads in here.
- Yu Yang (于洋) as Qiu Shui He (秋水鹤). Qiu Shui Yin’s father, Huo Zhan Bai’s master. Like father, like daughter, both he and his daughter caused a lot of problems for Huo Zhan Bai. I didn’t pity him at all. He could justify his actions all he wanted but his soap story wasn’t winning me over with what happened.
- Tang Min (汤敏) as Liu Fei Fei (柳非非).
- Nikita Mao (毛林林) as Liao Qing Ran. The previous chief of the Apothecary Valley, Xue Zi Ya’s master. She was later revealed to be married and settled with a newborn already. I swear the way they went on and on about the previous chief, I thought she was dead already. So the twist was a bit funny and surprising. I was glad she got a happy ending though. At least, someone had to, considering the main leads weren’t.
- Liu Hao Yu (刘昊宇) as Wei Feng Xing (卫风行). Fifth disciple of the Swords Sect. He disappeared after some commotions of years ago. It was said that he and Xia Qian Yu used to be very close, but he didn’t tell the latter of his whereabouts, so there were some resentment between the two. What was more, it was revealed he was married to Liao Qing Ran.
- Wang Ce (王策) as Nan Gong Yan Qi (南宫言其). Chief of the Swords Sect.
- Yu Sheng Jun (于胜军) as Ye Tian Zheng (叶天征).
- Duan Wei (段玮) as Nan Gong Mo (南宫陌).
- Dong Tian Hao (董天昊) as Xu Ting (徐庭).
- Lu Cheng Jue (吕承珏) as Ming Li (明力).
Likes:
- The refreshing chemistry between Joseph and Li Qin. At first, I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t follow Li Qin as closely but know that she had some caliber so I was confident in her acting in this role (or what I learned of the character). Yet I wasn’t sure how the two would be together. They were convincing. There were both cute moments as well as serious moments. But because this was one of those traditional wuxia styles so there weren’t overly, unbelievable amount of intimate scenes like recent dramas. But the chemistry was definitely there through their interactions and their care for one another at various points.
- The music. The songs were so wonderfully written and addicting to listen to. The whole soundtrack fitted the theme of the series very well. My bias self, obviously, loved the song Joseph sang the most. It was so haunting yet so nice as well. Not to mention how it was the only song played for the main leads, not others.
Dislikes:
- Definitely the husband and wife team Xu Zhong Hua and Qiu Shui Yin. They made the ending more frustrating for me. Both were equally spoiled and entitled. They probably thought the world revolved around them and everyone must cave to their every demand. Because seriously, they were unbearable regardless of the truth behind Xu Zhong Hua’s fake death scheme and what changed to a real betrayal of the sect.
- The fact that Xue Zi Ya and Huo Zhan Bai wasted so much time dwelling on the past hence losing the future. Yes, I understand the predicament they were in and the guilt they suffered through all these years. Yet it was so frustrating. Putting themselves and each other last in all situations made it even worse. Because they didn’t even get to see one another before her death. Yes, they passed by one another during her last moments but that was so frustrating I wanted to scream. This was why I said I hated that they wasted too much time being stubborn about other things. Yes, I got it with their past and all. But I couldn’t relate and sympathize with how stubborn they were to cling onto something they couldn’t change anyway. Their equal stubborn characters probably made it hard to see eye to eye with one another’s view at first. So yeah, there was a lot of that too.
Discussions:
- Adaptation versus novel. The novel was really short. The extension in some ways helped with the details. Yet also dragged out some parts as well.
- The fact that it wasn’t more popular. I got it, it was going to be a sad ending, so people probably didn’t like that. But there were many shows with beyond tragic ending out there that were more popular too. So, what gave? The production was quite high quality also with the acting, the costumes, the makeup, the music, and I could go on forever. I really could. I’m not lying. I was really frustrated with the ending and still can’t get over it. But I had to admit to admit I enjoyed it because the attention they put into making it. Not to mention how they managed to make it feel like a real wuxia and not idol wuxia too. It was such a shame that it tanked.
Recommended? I don’t know what to say. I guess if you want. Because there were many wonderful things about it. But the ending just made you wanted to throw things, that was all. Or at least, I did. Even if I was told previously it would be a tragic ending. I didn’t realize how tragic and frustrating it was.