Currently Watching: Feud (2025) 临江仙
Summary: Li Qing Yue (ft Bai Lu 白鹿) is just a lowly pupil in the power Jing Yun Sect. After getting injured, she searches for herbs to her herself and stumbles on a mysterious white-haired man. He turns out to be the powerful god Bai Jiu Si (ft Zeng Shun Xi 曾舜晞). He discovers that Li Qing Yue looks suspiciously similar to his ex-wife, the goddess Si Ling Xian Jun, Hua Ru Yue, and brings Li Qing Yue to the heavens in order to investigate her. The story unfolds on the feud that Bai Jiu Si had with the goddess Hua Ru Yue.
Platform: iQiyi
Episodes: 32
Airing Date: June 7, 2025
Initial Rating 6.8/10 – (After 19 episodes) A fantasy drama full of extremes. There are moments of genuine intrigue, but they’re buried beneath a messy and uneven start. It takes more than ten episodes for the story to find its footing, but once it does, the plot becomes engaging. Despite having two attractive leads, the central romance falls flat due to a lack of chemistry between them.
Li Qing Yue 李青月 Bai Lu 白鹿
Young pupil of the Jing Yun Sect who by chance catches the eye of the deity Bai Jiu Si
Bai Jiu Si 白九思 Zeng Shun Xi 曾舜晞
The powerful Grand Black Mystic who is searching for Hua Ru Yue
Fan Ling Er 樊凌儿 He Rui Xian 何瑞贤
Daughter of one of Bai Jiu Si's disciples, she has her own motives
Zhang Suan 张酸 Chen Xing Hai 陈鑫海
Pupil of the Jing Yun Sect who harbors a crush on Li Qing Yue
Mo Li 离陌 Liang Yong Qi 梁永棋
Disciple of Bai Jiu Si who believes in saving as many as he can
Meng Chang Qin 孟长琴 Zhao Yi Qin 赵弈钦
Disciple of Hua Ru Yue who vows to right the injustices of the world
Qu Xing Man 曲星蛮 Zhou Jie Qiong 周洁琼
Pupil of the Yin Lian Sect who everyone calls the demon woman
Lu Su Guan 呂素冠 Zhao Zhao Yi 赵昭仪
Pupil of the Jing Yun Sect who thinks rather highly of herself
Initial Thoughts
I’m quite conflicted about this drama because frankly, it’s all over the place. The pacing is fast, yet oddly, very little actually happens in the first ten episodes. The CGI and costumes start off embarrassingly bad but surprisingly improve as the series progresses. The real plot doesn’t begin to unfold until halfway through, so getting to the good part requires patience and commitment. I’m glad I stuck with it, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for dropping it early. It’s cringeworthy at the start.
Once the story finally picks up, it becomes engaging, particularly because it both embraces and subverts typical fantasy romance tropes. That element kept me watching. However, my biggest frustration lies in the characters’ lack of communication. Everyone seems to be acting independently, driven by personal motives, and conflicts go unresolved simply because no one talks to each other.
This marks Bai Lu’s third drama this year and her second fantasy drama following Moonlight Mystique (白月梵星). She delivers a decent performance, portraying her character’s emotional range compellingly. Zeng Shun Xi, however, lacks the presence needed to convincingly portray an all-powerful god, which contributes to the noticeable lack of chemistry between the leads.
Produced by Yu Zheng, this drama has cameos of many young actors and actresses he is actively promoting. This drama saw a slow rise in popularity, eventually crossing iQIYI’s 10,000 threshold on its popularity index but only after more than 20 episodes, once it actually became worth watching.
What I Like - WARNING SPOILERS
- Refreshing subversion of many fantasy romance tropes: After sitting through several formulaic fantasy dramas this year (see my other reviews), this one stands out for actively confronting and twisting those clichés. It cleverly challenges conventions like petty goddess rivalries and the rigid moral binaries between “righteous” and “evil” sects. I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes early on, thinking I knew exactly where the story was headed, but was pleasantly surprised when it veered in unexpected directions. The drama is clearly self-aware and even gives a knowing wink to the audience when flipping these tropes. I found myself chuckling at several of these moments.
- He Xian Rui as Fan Ling Er: Though her screen time is limited, He Xian Rui makes a strong impression. Fan Ling Er is fiercely loyal, intelligent, and more than capable of holding her own. Her short but compelling backstory adds depth, and I found myself wishing we got more of both the character and the actress. I’d happily watch a spin-off of Fan Ling Er’s solo adventures. Hopefully, she avoids the predictable romance arc I sense brewing but time will tell.
- Bai Lu as Li Qing Yue / Hua Ru Yue: Bai Lu delivers a decent performance, capturing the distinct personalities of her dual roles. Her portrayal of the naive and innocent Li Qing Yue was convincing enough to fool me. She also now carries the presence and strength needed for the more commanding Hua Ru Yue. Though she still has a tendency to overact in highly emotional or confrontational scenes, it’s a noticeable improvement from her previous fantasy romance roles. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m firmly on Team Hua Ru Yue in the central conflict. Honestly, I’d love to see her break free from Bai Jiu Si altogether and live her own independent life, she’s still far too kind to him.
- Portrayal of the humanity of well, humans: For a drama centered on deities, its most powerful moments come from its portrayal of humanity. It thoughtfully explores human struggle, vulnerability, and the desire to change one’s fate. The series makes a clear statement: humans are not mere pawns or bugs to be brushed aside. Their lives matter, however insignificant they might seem to the gods, and that’s the lesson the gods themselves must learn.
What could be better
- Zeng Shun Xi as Bai Jiu Si: While I’ve enjoyed Zeng Shun Xi in roles like Fang Duo Bing in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, this simply isn’t the right fit for him. Everything about Bai Jiu Si feels off, from the character’s writing to his costuming, and finally to Zeng Shun Xi’s portrayal. Bai Jiu Si comes across as arrogant and controlling, dismissing humans as insignificant and constantly acting on what he believes is best for Hua Ru Yue, without actually listening to her. His actions, all supposedly done in the name of “love,” often feel selfish and misguided, making him hard to root for. The visual presentation doesn’t help either. His heavenly costume is unflattering. It’s oversized and awkward, almost like he’s wrapped in curtains. The mismatched makeup, especially his uneven eyebrows, adds to the distraction. He looks much more comfortable and natural in the human realm, both in appearance and performance. Zeng Shun Xi struggles to bring the necessary gravitas to the role of an all-powerful deity. His youthful appearance and stiff demeanor make him seem like he’s playing dress-up rather than embodying a divine figure. His performance often lacks emotional depth, with many scenes coming off as blank or disengaged, particularly in interactions with Bai Lu. While he improves during the human arc and appears more animated, the transition is slow and difficult to watch. His stilted acting also contributes to the lack of chemistry between the leads. At this stage in the drama, Bai Jiu Si is more frustrating than compelling. Even though he’s set up for a redemption arc, I’m finding it hard to invest in his journey.
- Lack of Communication: While I’ve praised this drama for subverting many tired fantasy tropes, one it frustratingly holds onto is the classic lack of communication. Bai Jiu Si and Hua Ru Yue have been locked in a centuries-long feud, and yet they never actually talk about the root of their conflict. The tension drags on simply because they avoid any meaningful conversation. This issue is compounded by the screenwriter’s choice to make Bai Jiu Si an arrogant, unapproachable character. Meanwhile, Hua Ru Yue withholds the truth and doesn’t even attempt to show him what really happened between them. Sure, the drama is clearly building up to a full reveal later on, but watching this prolonged misunderstanding unfold is exhausting. The audience seems to just be waiting around for Bai Jiu Si to finally realize the truth and “learn his lesson.” It’s one of those situations where you know the payoff is coming, but the journey there tests your patience. It brings to mind Eternal Love, where audiences were basically rooting for Su Su to die so she could return as the stronger, more in-control Bai Qian. The frustration here feels very similar.
- Jumbled and forgotten plotlines: I’ll gladly take it back if the drama manages to tie everything together in the end, but as it stands, the story feels scattered. A lot of time is spent in the early episodes introducing characters and plot points, only for many of them to be sidelined or forgotten altogether. While the show occasionally checks in on these side characters, the overall effect is that a lot happens, yet somehow, nothing really moves forward. There’s minimal development for the supporting cast simply because the story doesn’t spend enough time with them.
Speaking of, I am particularly puzzled at the character of Zhang Suan. His story seems completely separate from the plot of this drama and it’s not interesting to see his journey. He’s supposed to be a powerless mortal, yet he somehow survives a perilous climb to the heavens without a scratch. His unwavering devotion to Li Qing Yue feels one-sided, to the point where even other characters question whether she ever asked to be “saved.”
- Extremely uneven CGI and costume design: The first two episodes were especially rough. The CGI was distractingly bad, and Bai Lu’s costumes were unflattering to the point of being jarring. It’s no surprise that early viewers and trolls used those initial impressions to dismiss the drama entirely. Thankfully, both the CGI and costume quality improve significantly after the rocky start, but the damage done by those opening episodes was hard to ignore.