A Journey to Love (review & episodes watchlog)

This is in a digital garden format. Think of this as a constantly updating Wiki page. So, the page will be updated as I watch A Journey to Love.

Watched from 5-21 December 2023.
Last updated: 22 December 2023

When trailers for the drama started popping out on Youtube, I knew this would be the watch for me. As you all know, I love brotherhood stories, and with assassins, embroidered guards, and spectacular fights thrown in the mix, I absolutely,100% got into this drama as soon as I could.

Note: If you just want to have a general idea of how good the show is, you can read what I liked and didn’t like. If you have not watched the show yet, be sure to avoid the spoilerific Watch Log. And definitely avoid my thoughts about the ending.

Also, if you’re following me from the Fediverse, please visit the blog post instead as ActivityPub doesn’t update the feed when I update the blog post.

1. The story
2. The characters
3. Watch log
   1. Episode 1
   2. Episode 3
   3. Episode 6
   4. Episode 8
   5. Episode 9
   6. Episode 10
   7. Episode 11
   8. Episode 12
   9. Episode 13
   10. Episode 14
   11. Episode 17
   12. Episode 18
   13. Episode 19
   14. Episode 20
   15. Episode 21
   16. Episode 22
   17. Episodes 23 and 24
   18. Episode 26
   19. Episodes 27 and 28
   20. Episodes 28 and 29
   21. Episode 30
   22. Episodes 31 and 32
   23. Episode 33
   24. Episode 34
   25. Episodes 35 and 36
   26. Episode 37
   27. Episode 38
   28. Episode 39
   29. Episode 40
4. What I liked
5. What I didn’t like
6. Thoughts about the ending
7. Final rating: 9

The story

Ning Yuan Zhou, the former leader of the State of Wu’s Six Realms Hall, is forced out of retirement and gets pressed into a mission to escort the naive and inexperienced Princess Yang Ying on a dangerous diplomatic mission to the State of An Zhu Yiwai. He recruits four loyal men to form his merry band of imperial guards.

Through a twist of fate, Ren Ruyi, an assassin and spy from the Crimson Guard, ends up being a member of this welcoming delegation. She also happens to be a prominent figure in the royal court of An.

Together, they evade would-be assassins and nefarious political schemes to reach An and rescue the Wu emperor who is held hostage.

The Six Realms Hall is made up of different “realms”, with each realm specialising in a skill:

• Hungry Ghost – they make devices & traps
• Heaven – provides security to royals
• Human – keeps an eye on officials
• Asura – uses seduction to accomplish their objectives
• Hell – spies on and assassinates enemies for the state

The characters

Pic, from right:

Qian Zhao (Heavenly realm): Qian is an imperial guard who carries a big-ass sword. He is also a healer and a great chef. He the kid who scores all the As, is made head prefect and ends up inventing something that saves mankind. He’s the genius kid in your class that you want to beat up, but he’ll probably break your back with his pinkie instead.

Yuan Luo (Hungry ghost realm): The “little bro” of the team, he’s a loyal and spirited member of the team.

Yu Shi San (Asura realm): A flirt, a manslut hussy and perhaps a bit of an airhead, Shi San disarms you long enough to slide a knife into your heart. He’s as deadly as he is fluffy.

Ren Ruyi: Former assassin long presumed dead, she is investigating a mystery and using the diplomatic entourage as cover.

Ning Yuan Zhou (Hell realm): Leader of the Six Halls, he’s a skilled tactician and the brains of the team.

Princess Yang Ying: A naive 16-year-old who was duped into becoming a representative for the kingdom, she is in over her head with this dangerous mission. Fortunately, she has a deadly team of heroes protecting her.

Li Tong Guang: A prince of An and Ruyi’s disciple. Let’s just say he needs a little therapy because he’s a little obsessive about his former master.

Sun Lang (Mortal realm): (Not in the picture.) Hard on evil-doers but soft on fluffy animals, Sun Lang is the cuddly bear of the group, but watch out for his deadly shields!

Watch log

Read this part only after you’ve watched or while watching the Show. You’ve been warned!

Episode 1

Colour me impressed, I wasn’t supposed to watch the first episode, but was testing out the Viu app on my Android box and ended up watching the whole episode because I was really drawn in.

This is definitely for fans of dramas like The Ingenious One.

What I like so far:

• The camerawork – finally a director who actually tries to make it look beautiful and well-lit for once.
• The fight scenes – I raved about Mysterious Lotus Casebook‘s fighting scenes, but this one is a bar above that. Very real and gritty.
• The characters – evil embroidered guards, assassins and wandering heroes. What’s not to like?
• Political intrigue – ok, I’m not a super fan of this but the storyline feels coherent so far.
• The acting – hard to tell right now, but I do like Liu Yu Ning and Liu Shi Shi’s characters, which bodes well as they are the leads.

Episode 3

I loved the scene where all of them put on their uniforms and posed for the camera. It was cheesy but so fun to watch. I think they all look fantastic in uniform, don’t you think? And I seriously have no idea what Chinese netizens are on about. Liu Yu Ning is gorgeous.

Episode 6

Yuan Zhou, a supposed tough guy, becomes absolutely terrified when Ruyi declares that she wants to have a baby with him and refuses to take no for an answer.

Nothing scares a grown man more than a woman saying she wants to have a baby with him. 🤣

This “tables turned” dynamic is so refreshing. It’s usually the man who is the romantic aggressor and pursuer.

Episode 8

The big battles in this episode are so delightful. Good ol’ wuxia is back! And Official Du surprised the heck out of me with his bow and arrow skills.

And I swear, how can you not love the flamboyance of Yu Shi San? He may be a peacock, but he’s a beautiful peacock that can fight – and do it without a hair out of place and looking absolutely fabulous while doing so.

Episode 9

Yuan Zhou’s burning jealousy as he watches San Shi flirt with Ruyi while they dance. And Qian being supremely unimpressed by it all 😐😆

Episode 10

LOL when Qian is angry his expression doesn’t even change but you can clearly see he is furious by the way he grips his sword. I like that little detail the actor gave his stoic character 😅

Episode 11

Well, that was a dramatic way for the men to “end” things with Ruyi. Then again that’s the start of more sincere feelings between Ruyi and Yuan Zhou. You win some, you lose some!

Episode 12

Tough lessons on leadership for our princess in this episode. Ouch, poor Yuan Zhou 😐 And I bet Official Du felt like shit for insisting on a heavy punishment.

But heeeey we ended up getting a cuddle session between Yuan Zhou and Ruyi so it’s all good! Meanwhile, Yuan Lu trying so hard to protect the honour of Ruyi and Yuan Zhou and failing miserably 🤭

Btw trying not to sound like a perv here but Yuan Zhou and Ruyi look so good embracing in bed I swear lol

Lol Sun Long and his honey bunny.

I like how Ruyi unabashedly owns her attraction to Yuan Zhou and acts it out proactively 🤭

And the Princess’ girlish joy over their relationship is so cute!

Episode 13

Shi San being the relationship guru to Yuan Zhou. Not sure if that’s a good idea or not 😆

Shi san: Just close your eyes and give her a child already!
Yuan Zhao: I already have.
Shi San: AAAH??!

His reaction got me ROTFL 🤣🤣🤣

Yuan Zhou nooo don’t follow his “tips”. Ruyi is totally gonna murder you 🤣

Episode 14

This episode can be called “Qian is totally over Shi San’s shit.” 😆

Also, Yuan Zhao, in which universe is it a good idea to ask San Shi to pretend to be you?? 😂

And I cannot believe that they were spying on them even during their first kiss 😆

Episode 17

Ruyi and Yuan Zhou’s first fight. And there is Shi San as usual in the thick of it making sure he’s there to witness it all 🤭

Episode 18

Big props to Yuan Zhou and Ruyi for being utterly professional to each other during their “break”.
Meanwhile, the Princess, Yuan Lung, Shi San and Qian are on the sidelines with 🍿
Yuan Zhou’s jealousy btw is awesome to behold 🤭

Episode 19

Shi San poking the bear and doing that little dance 😆

Ruyi full-blown insulting LTG at the banquet is chefs kiss.

Episode 20

Not only did Ruyi crush LTG’s spirit, she pulverised, microwaved and melted it to goo.

This is the episode where Ruyi realises that all their disagreements seem small in the face of Yuan Zhou’s possible death. It’s so sweet that our boys, Ruyi, the Princess and even Official Du is at his bedside, waiting for him to wake up.

Episode 21

Ruyi and Yuan Zhou make up and realise that they can’t do with each other, and we, the viewers, get rewarded by another bed scene with the two cuddling chastely. Ah, only this couple can make it the most romantic, sexy thing ever.

I love how, after Yuan Zhou nearly dies in episode 20, both of them realise that their disagreement over how they should lead their lives as a couple was so minor (like Shi San said, hah) compared to not having one another. So Ruyi and Yuan Zhou decided to figure things out along the way instead.

But OMG the team is utterly shameless spying on our main couple while they do this! 😂

Later, Yuan Zhou is better and out doing Six Realms stuff with the team, but he was definitely purposely being handsy with Ruyi to make Li Tong Guang jealous. And Qian Zhou, now heavily infected by the Yu Shi San virus, proceeds to make Li Tong Guang even more jealous by making him watch Yuan Zhou in the carriage with Ruyi being all tender and caring with him.

But maybe I’m missing something here, but why in the world is Ruyi tucking a handerkerchief in that area? I don’t remember him being injured there. And maybe I’m reading too much into it because Yuan Zhou seems to look puzzled by what she’s doing too. I can’t help but think that Ruyi was trying to rib Li Tian Gong as much as Qian Zhou was lol.

PS: Later, I was reminded by viewers in a forum that he was hit in that spot in Episode 20.

Episode 22

I love watching Ruyi and Yuan Zhou. So lovely to see a healthy, mature relationship onscreen. I love how, after Yuan Zhou nearly dies, both of them realise that their disagreement over how they should lead their lives as a couple was so minor (like Shi San said, hah) compared to not having one another. So they decided to figure things out along the way instead.

Also, they looked absolutely wonderful cuddling in bed together hehehe. I like that it’s not about smexy times but just simple love. And it’s so romantic without the usual kissing and rolling around the bed. They trust each other so much that they can rest and sleep in each other’s arms.

Both of them are killers for their governments, I bet they never slept easily because they’re always watching their backs. But with each other, they could completely relax.

Episodes 23 and 24

After what happened in episode 20, it’s nice to see that Yuan Zhou and Ruyi are more confident about their relationship and relaxed with one another. It’s really a delight to watch a really mature, healthy romance onscreen, and our couple is the embodiment of one.

If there’s one thing I noticed about their “big break-up” from episodes 18-20, is that while they are “on a break” they remain astutely professional with their work and are polite with one another, even if they are no longer as warm and affectionate with each other.

But of course, when Yuan Zhou nearly dies, this was a big wake up call for both of them, especially Ruyi who realises that sure, they may not agree on how to live their futures with each other, but as long as they have each other they’ll figure it out.

And we finally get to meet the hostage emperor. It was not a happy reunion as he demonstrates what a jerk he is, sacrificing the lives of men without regard, and to rub salt in the wound, demanding that he be rescued first before clearing the names and acknowledging the sacrifice of the men who died to save him.

Episode 26

I honestly just want the LTG Arc to be cut short because he annoys me so much. I hope he’s not considered the big bad because he’s not exactly a good one.

Episodes 27 and 28

I have been so busy with year-end activities at work that I have not caught up when I thought for sure, I would. But I do like this slow and steady route and am a person who prefers not to binge my dramas so this is fine, but I am worried about being spoiled.

We’re more than halfway point with this drama at this point, and I wonder if this is the episode where things will turn the corner to dark and serious. They’ve been making us fall in love with our musketeers, and I think things are going to be grim soon. 

On another note, judging from murmurings about episode 26 Li Tuan Gong has not improved and I’m starting to wonder if he’s going down the same route as Ouyang Xu in Dream of Splendor (by the same writer). I actually had a lot of sympathy for the character when he started out, but he grew increasingly unhinged towards the end. I’m starting to think that our boy LTG is not going to improve even in these episodes.

Yuan Zhou was so nice to dunk Li Tong Guang in water. It could’ve been something way worse. 😂

Episodes 28 and 29

Wheee episode 29 seems to be a Yu Shi San-focused episode. And I love the sparks between him and Chu Yue. (BTW, I couldn’t believe she actually had some affection for Li Tong Guang. Girl, please raise your standards!

I love their first meeting. It was sparky and fun. Chu Yue is completely befuddled that a man like him exists, and I think Yu Shi San is equally confused by her lack of feminine wiles.

I burst out laughing when, at the end of episode 30, when Chu Yue visited him and he was breaking things off with her, he turned around and saw that everyone, including Yuan Zhou and Ruyi, was watching them all the while 😂 Got a taste of your own medicine, Shi San??

Also, Ruyi is teaching Yang Ying martial arts, which is super cool.

And okay, why is Yuan Zhao coughing again. I thought we were over that. Uh, does that mean there’s something else to his coughing??

And ok, the men looked absolutely gorgeous in their black assassin outfits.

Episode 30

Shi San gets in trouble when Ruyi finds out what he’s been up to with Chu Yue. Shi San naturally tries to get Yuan Zhou to step in to defend him. Bros before hoes? Naw, mate, you’re on your own, Shi San 🤭 We all know who’s really wearing the pants in this relationship!

Episodes 31 and 32

A thrilling raid is afoot tonight, with the hostage emperor finally rescued, apparently.

Do you know what I think? I think Yuan Zhou and his men should just leave the emperor behind already. Loyalty to Wu bedamned. But nobody’s going to listen to me, so.

Anyway, episode 32 ended on a cliffhanger of sorts but of course Ruyi didn’t die. We are 8 episodes to the final episode and Ruyi is the main female character so, what do you think? Anyway, I’m more curious how she pulled it off. Did someone decide to die in her stead?

Episode 33

• I was absolutely surprised the emperor even had a redemption arc. I thought he’d be a selfish fool all the way. It was actually touching.
• The way Yang Ying revealed herself to the emperor and LTG was absolutely awesome. You slay, girlfriend! And LTG never saw it coming, bwahaha.
• In some weird way Yang Ying and LTG is a great match. Both can be ruthless, though Li Tian Guang’s darkness may be overpowering for Yang Ying, though I think our girl can take it. I just wish, however, that she could enjoy that girlish dream of marrying a good man like Yuan Lu. Sigh.
• “I’m fine,” says Yuan Zhou as he coughs up blood every other episode. Yeah, we believe you, you big liar!
• Yuan Zhou’s grief is so painful to watch.

Yang Ying is such a queen in this episode. Like, literally, I can believe she will be a queen.

I think that her strategy of worming herself into the An royal court is the right one. I don’t think she’d amount to much in the Wu court except to be a pawn to be married off by one of her brothers. She likes being in control of her destiny, and she’s truly Ruyi’s pupil.

Episode 34

It’s always the quiet ones.

Qian Zhou’s actions towards the end of episode 34 were not surprising at all. In episode 11, we saw a glimpse of that simmering rage in him, and how he can hold a grudge for a very long time. And despite the emperor writing the declaration, in his blood no less, that the men of the Six Realms Hall were honourable and that he’d let them and the nation down, that apology wasn’t enough for Qian. Not by a long shot.

The thing is, if Qian does carry on with his revenge plot, his good deeds, his honor, his reputation, his memory would be utterly demolished and he’d be branded a traitor. Worse, Six Realms Hall will be dragged down with him, and Yuan Zhou would probably be found guilty as well, being the leader of the group and having placed Qian Zhou in charge.

No matter how justified that is, I don’t want this for our stoic musketeer. At all! Will his bros be forced to kill him??

And never in a million years did I think I’d actually be sympathetic toward the Wu emperor.

The writer is sure mean to make us like him before Qian Zhou decided to do the whole cliff scene.

I am pretty sure that Qian Zhou knows that his actions will impact his brothers-in-arms very badly. I think he has literally lost it, and he’s so stoic, that none of his brothers got a clue that he was slowly simmering with so much rage he wants to betray everything he stands for to kill the emperor.

I think guilt and regret have driven him mad. His main regret is that he didn’t treat his stepbrother right when he was alive and that he kept putting off acknowledging their relationship until it was too late.

I guess he thought the only way to make up for it was to make the emperor pay for what he did 😩 Definitely a big lesson on how we should never take our loved ones for granted. Now, the scene where he dug for his brother’s remains with his bare hands really hits full force. Seeing his brother reduced to literal bones must have crushed him. And was probably the heavy hit that cracked his sanity.

• That reunion scene between Yuan Zhou and Ruyi is everything. And Yuan Zhou’s grief before that made it all the more satisfying.
• Don’t think Li Tian Guang is giving up the cray cray yet.
• So glad that Deng Hui is seeing the light and played a part in Ruyi’s rescue. His wake up call was that execution order. Must’ve hurt his soul to carry out that order. I like that they make the bad guys believable and nuanced. Excited for tonight’s eps!

Episodes 35 and 36

Oh well. These are the episodes where we lost three of our beloved boys.

It was a death I was sincerely hoping for Qian Zhou, honorably protecting the emperor instead of throwing him off the cliff like some fake spoilers on social media said. Phew.

Sun Lang – This is absolutely hilarious but I forgot to include him in the post initially. Sun Lang may not have been the most favourite, but everyone loved him. He wasn’t flashy or handsome like the others, but he won us over with his adorableness and love for animals. His death was heartbreaking, but he died honoroubly in battle, enabling Shi San to kill a Pan general.

Yuan Lu – why did you have to push yourself so hard? But his death did make sense. He died like the hero he wanted to be in the end, but I wonder how Shi San must’ve felt, realising that his decision to make Yuan Lu leave to protect him from the coming battle still ended in his death.

You know for a moment, I really thought they were going to poison Official Du (he had a tummy ache while in the palace at one point). But I guess he’s still at Yang Ying’s side, loyally serving. I like how developed he is as a character, from the surprising archery skills (that scene made my jaw drop!), and bravery to stay behind with the princess, he may be a “bit” character, but he’s a well-developed bit character.

Anyway, losing three of our beloved Muskateers in two episodes was absolutely devastating for me, eventhough I expected some of their deaths. But I imagine them in the afterlife, waiting for the others to join them so that they can be ride off to be reborn into new lives.

Episode 37

I felt that the whole LTG kidnaps and drugs Ruyi thing is despicable and really unnecessary. It’s a disappointing arc and was resolved so quickly that it was rendered meaningless. It also rendered LTG’s previous growth moot and useless.

My guess that he was not going to give up on his cray-cray obsession with Ruyi was right on the money. I am not even sure what this whole arc was for except to show that LTG is a pathetic character, which does his character a great injustice as well.

But hey, Ruyi and Yuan Zhou finally got married! Take that, LTG. But sadly, Yang Ying had to marry him to “clean up his mess”. I wanted more for Yang Ying, for her girlish dreams of love and a good marriage to come true, but it was not to be. She’s a responsible lass, and alas, royalty don’t get to choose who they love.

Eventually, I think both would have a respectful relationship with one another. Love though? Not sure. Depends on LTG and whether he can let go of his obsession with Ruyi.

The three butterflies landing around Yuan Zhou’s shoulder is significant – in Chinese mythology butterflies or moths represent the spirit of the dead. I believe with all my heart that Qian Zhou, Yuan Lu and Sun Lang paid our newlywed couple a visit on their wedding day.

Episode 38

Geez, is any royal family in this show good enough to rule? Hah. Well, the plot to usurp the Wu throne was interesting, but it was rushed.

Yuan Zhou was given the responsibility to decide the next emperor. Was the edict he gave the prime minister real? Because the Emperor gave him the permission to do so, Yuan Zhou decided to stop further turmoil in the court by appointing the second prince as emperor.

Episode 39

Why did we spend a lion’s share of this episode on political plots and on people we don’t care about?

And, alas Shi San, I hardly knew you. You died as you wished, drinking the best wine, romancing the most beautiful women, and living great adventures.

Episode 40

That scene where Yuan Zhou was imagining Yuan Lu, Qian Zhou, Shi San and Sun Lang playing in the snow was absolutely gut-wrenching.

I’ll be sharing my lion’s share of thoughts in the section where I talk about my thoughts about the ending.

What I liked

• Super impressed that Allen Fang and Liu Yuning used their own voices here and they are pretty good at line delivery. After the mess that was Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He’s dubbing in The Story of Kunning Palace I appreciate voice acting so much more now.
• Liu Yuning – Yeah, I didn’t know anything at all about him and really thought he was an established and trained actor. If he’s truly new at this he’s certainly better at this then, er, some hot new actors now. The fact thay he sang a lot of my favourite OSTs is chefs kiss.
• Shi San. He’s my absolute favourite character! Fang Yilun has great comedic timing, and yet he can switch to serious effortlessly. When he is in serious mode you know he is deadly. And when he cries, boy does your heart get pierced. I think he’s a good actor and I hope he gets the main lead roles from now on because he deserves it so much.
• He Lan Dou. I first noticed her in Tiger & Crane and I really wanted to see her in better roles. And I did! She played Princess Yang Ying to perfection. She had the best character growth among all the characters and her transition was absolutely believable. Here’s to even better roles in the future.
• So lovely to see a healthy, mature romantic relationship onscreen.
• Also, they looked absolutely wonderful cuddling in bed together. I like that it’s not about smexy times but just simple love. And it’s so romantic without the usual kissing and rolling around the bed. They trust each other so much that they can rest and sleep in each other’s arms. Both of them are killers for their governments, I bet they never slept easily because they’re always watching their backs. But with each other, they could completely relax.
• The characters are well-designed and develop organically. The female characters are especially well-written. I am impressed that even side characters like Official Du and Emperor Wu turned out to be well-fleshed characters that we end up caring. I loved how every character, no matter how small, got a character arc. 

What I didn’t like

• Li Tong Guang – I am not sure if he was purposely designed to be creepy stalkerish yet with borderline good qualities, but I felt his character arc was clumsy and very annoying. We spent way too long on LTG’s unhealthy obsession with Ruyi and while many, even Emperor Wu had a redemption, LTG’s arc didn’t feel fulfilling.
• The rushed ending. Were the writers merciless with us towards the end. After nearly 3/4 of the drama being light-hearted with a dash of angst and pain, we suddenly get full-blown pain and utter destruction. They could’ve paced it out.
• The ambiguous ending (more details below). The one thing I hate about vague endings is the wars that break out online between factions that believe this ending was the true one and that ending was false. The way endings like these are written, unless the director comes out and says it, we will never be 100% certain about what’s the right version forever, and this is annoying.

Thoughts about the ending

It’s absolutely spoilerific below so proceed with caution!

I’m a chronic hater of sad endings, which is why I avoid watching a drama while it is currently airing. But I don’t regret watching A Journey to Love. What a beautiful tale!

It may have been a sad ending for some of our characters, but it wasn’t a bad ending. And also, I don’t believe that A Journey To Love had an open ending. It was a very clear one to me. So much so that after watching it, I was so relieved and happy!

Still, it was extremely weird to be a part of the minority who 100% believes A Journey To Love ended happily for Ruyi and Yuan Zhou.

Now, I didn’t read spoilers when I watched the dropped episodes. When it dropped, I watched Show almost immediately because I knew that if I was spoiled, I’d probably lose the motivation or heart to watch it.

So, I watched it raw with my “okay” Mandarin and understood 80% of what was said. (Thank you, fate for letting me be the only one in my family who learned Mandarin when I was a kid!)

Anyway, when I saw the ending I was so relieved. Oh phew, our leads survived and are now happy with their quiet, secluded lives.

Then I came online. Oooh boy.

What a weird mind f*** it is to see people 100% believing the opposite.

I read all their reasons for believing that it was all a dream or that Chu Yue imagined it all, and it didn’t make sense to me at all. (PS: This doesn’t mean I think you’re dumb for believing that, by the way! Just that our brains are wired to see things differently.) So, I rewatched episode 40 thinking maybe I misinterpreted it.

I came back even more sure of my theory that they faked their deaths and moved on.

I think people are really hung up about how they died. But these things are very easily explained.

Yuan Zhou had a rather public death; he was stabbed by multiple spears. But to me, his survival can easily be explained by:

• The “life preservation pill”.
• The snake skin armor that the Pan assassins had worn in episode 20. They were so effective that Yuan Zhou had to instruct everyone to aim for the neck and head. Pretty sure our men would’ve taken some of this armour! Yuan Zhou, determined to fulfill the promise to Ruyi to “stay alive” would’ve worn this armour. It would’ve helped him survive the spears to a degree, but he’ll probably be badly wounded.

The one hiccup I could see was Ruyi’s internal dialogue when she bombed the Pan leaders. She said that life is empty without Yuan Zhou, when she bombed the bad guys. This could be explained by two scenarios:

• She wasn’t sure that Yuan Zhou survived, and decided to kill herself, but changed her mind later. She promised Yuan Zhou that she’ll stay alive, and she also told Yang Ying that she was not the type to kill herself. How did she survive? Uh, this is the same woman who could speed up to the leader of the Beipan troupe, rip out his throat, and return to cradling Yuan Zhou, in seconds. Her survival is easier to explain than Yuan Zhou’s.
• It was her way of saying that she’d be joining him in seclusion. Even if there were vibrant cities to visit, life is lonely without Yuan Zhou. Remember, she didn’t want to live in seclusion at first, and that was the reason for their break up.

When it comes to wounds, we shouldn’t judge whether a character can survive their wounds by our real-world standards. I know that our other Musketeers had fewer grave wounds and died, but they probably weren’t as determined to stay alive as Yuan Zhou and did not plan for all kinds of contingencies – life-preserving pill, snake skin armour etc. I once watched a wuxia drama where a heroine survived stabbed many times (even with her organs taking a hit) because she took a pill that slowed her blood flow. Of course it doesn’t make any medical sense, but hey, this is wuxia we’re talking about.

If I were to stage my death, I’d do it this way – in the most dramatic and public way so that there will be no doubt left of my demise.

And I think they did it SO WELL that even the viewers were deceived lol.

Earlier in the last episode, Yuan Zhou and Ruyi made a promise to each other: “Stay alive.” The way the scene was emphasised was significant to me – like the writer wanted to give us a strong hint about what’s to come.

My theory is that Yuan Zhou and Ruyi kept their promise to each to stay alive, and found each other, perhaps with the help of the Six Realms warrior, Ding (their son mentioned Uncle Ding – not Deng Hui, the leader of the Crimson Guards like some people assumed) and they left the world behind with his help.

For me, as a chronic notetaker while watching a drama, I guess I was paying attention to all the clues.

Some people say that I believe in this happier ending because it’s a form of copium. Not really. I would’ve been fine if they did a “they died and reunited in heaven” thing.

But based on the clues, and the way the scenes in the last few minutes were laid out, it was just far more logical for me to believe that they faked their deaths than it was a dream/afterlife. That just didn’t make sense to me.

It is a far bigger stretch for me to believe that Chu Yue was guided by a random spirit kid to heaven. (For one, that’s a rather Western view of the afterlife, and Chinese heaven is a little different. As far as I know, unless you are an immortal, the dead can’t have kids in the afterlife.) Also, the insinuation that she kinda lost her marbles towards the end was insulting to me. And why would she dream up a random kid instead of Shi San?

The CGI bits of the ending – I guess I’m not as observant, because the grasslands looked real to me. Or is it the scene where the Six Realms men, with Ruyi and Yuan Zhou at the lead, riding in the grasslands? Well, to me, it was Chu Yue’s idealistic imagination of how the group was like in the past. So, it made sense that it was all dream-like.

I would’ve been more convinced of the afterlife theory if they showed Chu Yue suddenly appearing in the CGI fields, looking dazed. I would be especially convinced if it was Yang Ying.

But, Chu Yue arrived there with her men, and we saw a scene with the academy before that. Later, we learned that Ning Shi San lived in this academy with his parents. Why show us that unless it is to indicate that this is rooted in reality?

I believe everything took place in the real world, and Chu Yue is about to meet our beloved couple.

Using Chu Yue instead of Yang Ying in that scene was good, because Chu Yue wouldn’t have known all these small details about their plan on how to live their lives in seclusion. It was Ruyi and Yuan Zhou’s dream to lead a normal life. While Ruyi didn’t want to leave a secluded life, she eventually came around and decided that the “world will be too lonely without him” and joined him in seclusion. Remember how Yuan Zhou said that in their new lives, he would keep Ruyi healthy by hunting and farming? And he did just that, growing grapes and making wine for her. They also named their children after two people whom they loved: Shi San and Yuan Lu.

Would I have preferred an ending where some of our men survived and we were shown Ruyi and Yuan Zhou alive having dinner with their kids? Of course. But well, the director decided to go down this route, perhaps for it all to be “stylish”.

But the more I think about it, the happier I am with the ending. Of course. I would’ve done anything to get our men back, but war is shit and awful, and people die. In the end, I thought the ending was realistic and very fitting.

Still, I don’t think I can rewatch the drama. As good as it is, the rewatchability factor is low for me because all the happy scenes are now tainted with sadness, especially those with Yu Shi San and Yuan Lu. Maybe I need some time away from the show, and after writing fanfic to get some closure (lol).

Speaking of Yu Shi San, I’d like to believe our beloved Lothario survived somehow, but I think realistically I don’t think so. But who knows? In the fanciful wuxia universe, all things are possible.

Ruyi and Yuan Zhou began their “Journey to Love” coming out of hiding after faking their deaths. Now the story ends with them faking their deaths again. Ending a drama about spies and assassins this way is actually rather poetic.

Final verdict: This story gets its high marks due to its mostly tight storytelling, an outstanding cast, great character development, and strong portrayal of women. However, it tried to squeeze too much at the end, and the vague-ish ending didn’t help matters either. It is tragic, however, that due to the many negative comments on the ending on social media many people would give this a pass. As you can see from my interpretation of the ending, it is not as bad as people say, and the journey is worth it.

Final rating: 9