子夜歸
To Return Home in the Middle of the Night
Network: Tencent Video
Recap Grade: C/D
First Impression: 2.9/5
Cast
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| Xu Kai: Mei Zhu Yu |
Tian Xi Wei: Wu Zhen |
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| Yi Da Qian: Mei Si |
Wu Jia Yi: Liu Tai Zhen |
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| Wu Jun Ting: Wu Zi Shu |
Zhu Zheng Ting: Pei Ji Ya |
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| Shan Jing Yao: Shuang Jiang |
Fan Shi Ran: Hu Zhu |
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| Lai Wei Ming: Ling Xiao |
Mini Recaps
Setting. Daemons – Note: I use daemon for neutrality. And if I use "demon", I mean demonic/evil being – are barred from entering the human world with the exception of the Cat Lord (Wu Zhen (Tian Xi Wei)), the Snake Lord, and the four deputies. This arrangement also keeps them away from the Celestial Masters of Changxi Gong who had formed Xuanjian Division within the palace to further eradicate them. But as humans and daemons established boundaries and stopped interfering with one another, the division (and the celestial masters) faded into irrelevance. In short: Mei Zhu Yu, our ML, is working in the most useless department of the palace.
1st meeting. Love at first sight? Mei Zhu Yu sees Wu Zhen, the infamous sister of the Empress, elegantly kick her pursuer straight out of a two-story building. He's already mesmerized. Wait till he realizes how badass she is at night as the Cat Lord. Her only drawback seems to be weak during the day because she's a half-daemon. Girl needs naps.
2nd meeting. Cupid's arrow from Wu Zhen herself? She fires an arrow way too close for comfort, but she was protecting Mei Zhu Yu from a bully, who was sneering at his irrelevant post. "Spoiler", he's pretty badass at night too because he's a Celestial Master, casually vanquishing corrupted daemons with one flick of talisman and chant. One's a Lord and one's a Master, and they're both each other's long-standing enemies. Sweet.
Cameos:
❉ Liu Dong Qin as Gu Chang Huai (Marquis of Yu An). The "present" and the two-story reject.❉ Xie Xing Yang as Xie Lou Bai. FL calls him radish (luobo); Mei Si says his mouth is a poop-mouth.
❉ Kong Xue Er as Xie Yao. Girl peeking at ML.
❉ Dong Si Cheng as the Bat Daemon.
The past. Wu Zhen’s daemon origins came during the Big Fire 18 years ago. A dark force struck her. Then a cat called to her. If she wanted to live, there was only one choice, but with a heavy price: merge her body with the original cat lord. Mei Zi Yu also has a tragic past from – oho – the same Big Fire that turned him into an orphan. He’s convinced that fire wasn’t natural but – oho – daemon-made.
Daemons of the episode. Fu Xi (Huang Ri Ying) and Fu Chao (Dong Si Cheng) are a pair of bat daemons who used to be a pair of gold earrings. Fu Xi was hunting down her missing half, Fu Chao, who wanted to fly solo. Girl's never been solo her entire life (missing out!), so she goes a little batshit. But she testifies that her negative emotions were manipulated by a red stone, Unmelting Bone, an artifact born of resentment.
3rd meeting. Wu Zhen took a catnap at Mei Zhu Yu's workplace. She wakes to find a stack of books shading her from the sun. Who could be that sweet?
4th meeting. Mei Zhu Yu meets a cute cat, not knowing she's Wu Zhen. According to Mei Wen Hua (which sounds like Uneducated), Mei Zhu Yu doesn't like cats. Tracks? ML is "Little Bamboo Fish" (also pronounced as Zhu Yu). And we know how much fishes love cats. 🐈→🐠→🍣. But he doesn't seem to have an issue with this particular kitty.
5th meeting. All these many meetings => all these many rumours. Word spreads to the Empress that Wu Zhen is hopelessly smitten with Mei Zhu Yu. To protect him, Wu Zhen storms Xuanjian Division and loudly announces she’s over him. Girl protecteth too much ~
6th meeting. Wu Zhen wants to stay clear, but then Xie Radish tries another pathetic ego trip, and our Cat Lord can’t help herself but defend her Bamboo Fish langjun.
FL Showdown! One person dares to block Wu Zhen's path: Liu Tai Zhen. It's Zhen vs Tai Zhen, and in English, it's Zhen vs. Very Zhen. Even their names have to fight each other.
Cameos:
Dong Si Cheng as Fu Chao, the rebellious bat earring
Huang Ri Ying as Fu Xi, the clingy bat earring
Zhang Zhi Xi as Mei Zhu Yu's mother.
Wu Zhen and Mei Zhu Yu both instantly sense a demonic aura in Xie Radish’s lamp. It's a Lamp-Shadow Daemon. In order to catch it they blow out all the candles. Which is just an excuse to stare at their faces that are staring at each other's faces. It's gorgeous.
But after so much staring between ML and FL, it turns out we only need one girl glaring. She's our Snake Lord! She captures the Lamp-Shadow Daemon who pounced on the lovesick fool, Mei Si. Then she lugs him like a sack and dunks him to Wu Zhen.
Where no one's staring, Mei Zhu Yu pockets the Unmelting Bone without Wu Zhen noticing.
Daemons of the episode. Liu Tai Zhen and Wu Zhen win justice for Yun Yi, a Lamp-Shadow Daemon who was a courtesan. (Which does make you wonder why would someone with daemon powers need to earn human money and work as a courtesan?) She was betrayed by Xie Radish, who stole her poems and passed them off as his own. Instead of killing him, they decide the crueler, more fitting punishment is to let him live to see his reputation collapse.
The Emperor champions Wu Zhen’s single-hood. Because, look at his marriage. He’s bound to two wives and neither bother to glance at him. Did this team watch Love Like the Galaxy, except they flipped the script because they thought those women deserved better? xD.
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| It's the most emotion our Snake Lord has had so far. |
Mei Si asks Wu Zhen what she loves about his cousin, Mei Zhu Yu. And here comes the heart where our Bamboo Fish feels seen. He never bows to power. He never swings his power against others. He’s untouched by greed or romance. To her, he’s a lonely little beast who doesn’t quite belong in this world, yet quietly and stubbornly pursues his own values. He’s pure to the point of absurdity, but his world is cold. So she adorns him with her attention, not because he needs it, but because maybe she wants to give him a little warmth.
It's Mei Si who's moved to tears, declaring Wu Zhen is just like him, a hopeless romantic. Naw bro. She’s nothing like you. She’s not about to throw on white peacock streamers and make a spectacle to protect the one she loves (and declaring to protect her against herself LOL).
Wu Zi Shu reacts strangely to the Unmelting Bone, which seems to target only him. Turns out, it’s the lingering remnant of the Demon Infant from eighteen years ago. What do you know also happened 18 years ago? Big Fire. Show's subtle /s.
Let me introduce you all to Huai An and Lin Yuan, guards that the Empress sent to protect Wu Zhen. They gone in 5 minutes. Why even?
When a poisonous mist drifts in, Wu Zhen masks up everyone, even her donkey! Cute. When romance drifts in, forget masks. Priorities! We have to see Xu Kai's smile. And yes, we're totally on our way to fight a daemon.
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| Donkey gets a Blossom ear-pin, Bamboo fish gets a Butterly hair-pin |
Daemon of the ep. Shan Po Suo. Together her name pusuo means "sway, swirl", but split apart it's Grandma Swaying, lol. Which is why she shows up as a grandma in the beginning. She has the ability to take on the form of your heart's desire. And so Against Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zi Shu, she becomes Wu Zhen.
Wu Zhen drops off Mei Zhu Yu and calls him "Little Bamboo Fish" (Xiao Zhu Yu) for the first time. But after he's out of sight, she's upset on his behalf. His division sent him into a deadly case alone, and when he didn’t come back all night, no one cared. "Tell Emperor and Empress to learn from Xuanjian Division that their men disappeared one night and one day and no one worried about him. Really 寬大心大. Broad minded and big hearted." The guards know exactly what she means and dutifully pass along her not-so-subtle shade.
And after Wu Zhen's out of sight, Mei Zhu Yu hunts down the Swaying Grandma! He knew the fake could never be Wu Zhen. If she wants a flower, she will pluck it herself. If there's danger, she will never cower behind another person's back. This is the Wu Zhen he loves. Swaying Grandma offers to sway him with Wu Zhen's greatest secret – her true identity as the Cat Lord – for her life. Mei Zhu Yu tells her to keep both. "If it's a secret, then it should be kept." Admirable <3 If it's her life, keep it to herself. Not wanting either, he ends her life.
Mei Zhu Yu keeps seeing visions of Wu Zhen kissing him. This is too scandalous for his conscience. He feels ashamed, like he has betrayed his master’s teachings. And so he dodges her. Oh dear. Change Gong is a temple??
All hail Cat Lord! Wu Zhen whips the rat (Elder Hui) for daring to hurt her Bamboo Fish. Plus a long list of other offences.
Fear the Snake Lord. Mei Si manages to... shed her outer layer. Or maybe just fear the dumb that is Mei Si. And then we're introduced to someone dumber, Mei Zhu Yu's shidi, Shuang Jiang, and I wish we weren't. Mei Si is already a lot for this slot.
Daemon of the ep. Pu Tuan (Praying Mat / Futon). It's little Wang An Yu! Once upon a time, he loved nothing more than being squashed flat by humans. Wu Zhen kindly takes him to the daemon market, where he won’t be lonely anymore and he doesn't have to miss being squashed.
Mei Zhu Yu overtakes Chief Officer Xu’s position as head of the Xuanjian Division. The man who did nothing suddenly turns righteous, dumping all responsibility for the cases as if he was working hard the whole time. That came out of nowhere.
Daemon of the ep. Bai Cha Jing (Quan Yi Lun cameo. Best known as Onion Man from Blossom) is a White Tea Tree in blossom – or at least he was. Princess Yuan Zhen (Wu Zhen's niece) had doted on the tree until it flourished, but now parasitic moths are chewing it to death. The way they bloom is brutal. They’re called “decapitated flowers” because instead of petals drifting down one by one, the entire flower head pops off.
Wu Zhen cures the tree by pouring wine to scatter the moths. My Onion Man was terminally depressed but turns out alcohol was the solution. The White Tea Tree revives. Mei Zhu Yu shows up later and notices all the moths drowning in the water. They're drunk, lol. Wu Zhen casually shrugs, saying maybe it’s 飛蛾撲水 (moths throwing themselves into water). But the correct saying should be 飛蛾撲火 – moths fling themselves into fire = fatally attracted. And of course it's Wu Zhen who cues this line. She's always low-key flirting while pretending she’s not.
Mei Zhu Yu is getting jaundice from failing to metabolize the romance in his monk-system. If only praying would work...Amen.
Thanks to a certain mischievous cat, Mei Si discovers "The Tale of the Serpent". The author is Liu Tai Zhen herself! He's reading it to find ways to eradicate herself from herself, lol.
[Ep10] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
[Ep11] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
Wu Zhen nurses Mei Zhu Yu at her place, even tending to his bath (by bringing him clothes, not scrubbing his back – calm down). She tells him the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl: a man stole a goddess’s clothes, then proposed. The goddess agreed because she fell in love at first sight with the thief who's leaving her naked. Wu Zhen asks what Mei Zhu Yu thinks. Mei Zhu Yu as a low review. If the man truly loves her, he should improve himself first, then propose when he’s ready – not while he's weak/unprepared. It feels like Wu Zhen’s sneakily proposing (since she has his clothes hostage), while Mei Zhu Yu rewrites the script to show how he’d do it right.
The Meis are nothing if not devoted. Even their beloved pets end up tied to their girl. Mei Zhu Yu reaches for a cat – Wu Zhen herself – who tries to tiptoe off, well aware he doesn’t like cats. (And if she knew that all along, then filling her house with kitties was to keep him from bolting.) Meanwhile, Mei Si bonds with a mudfish – (y)our grandpa Xuan Hui – a fellow snake who answers to Liu Tai Zhen.
[Ep12] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
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| Hello, Kong Xue Er fans. Don't bother. |
Double standards galore. 1) The Empress asks Wu Zhen her wish: World peace. The Empress scoffs. Then the Empress asks Mei Zhu Yu the same: World peace. She’s deeply impressed. 2) Xie Yao (Kong Xue Er) adores and admires Mei Zhu Yu, but the moment she realizes he doesn’t love her back – he’s trash. 3) Wu Zhen mocks lantern wishes, but when Mei Zhu Yu asks, she lights one up, excited. Mei Zhu Yu turns everyone into hypocrites.
Mei Si releases six giant lanterns: “Mei–Liu. For love to find a way.” Liu Tai Zhen, mortified, retorts with one blazing lantern: 梅四滾 (Mei Si Get Lost). LOL.
When Wu Zhen and Mei Zhu Yu speak their wishes, it’s blessings for each other, brimming with love and tenderness. Did Mei Zhu Yu even need to bring a lantern? He’s already got two giant glowing lightbulbs ones in Mei Si and Huang Yi.
Everyone knows Wu Zhen can handle danger on her own, but Mei Zhu Yu still charges in. He saves her like a hero with the princess in his arms – and crashes down on his knee with a deafening crack. He's bedridden. Hahaha. Wu Zhen is also drained of energy, yet she gives everything she has just to heal him. No hesitation. <3
Daemon of the ep. It's The Great Demon Xuan Hui! Except it's a worm-sized snake daemon, lol, calling himself 本爺爺 Your Majesty Grandpa. He's actually our Liu Tai Zhen, Snake Lord's snake discipline.
All hail Cat Lord! Wu Zhen slays the wretched rat, Elder Hui, in their life-or-death duel. She tells him winning isn't just about power, but also Plot Armour heart. As punishment, Elder Hui is stripped of his power, banished to the mortal realm. Since he loves power so much, then live there like the powerless rat he is.
Wu Zhen is absolutely battered, but she promised she will return to Mei Zhu Yu. She's so exhausted that in the midst of their conversation, she collapses straight into his arms.
[Ep13] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
Other than the fact that there’s a literal hole in the market sky, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS in this episode. What we do get is a parade of problematic men.
First up: Li Ming De's "Handsome Young Man" vs Xu Kai's handsome young man duel.
Uhhh.
This handsome young man:
...and "Handsome Young Man" is actually Tian Xi Wei wearing Li Ming De’s skin. Which is such a lovely way to re-unite the Lovely Us CP
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Back to the duel, though. It’s surreal. These two men – Li Ming De and Xu Kai – have flopped in 2025, and now they’re clashing on screen. 👏👏👏
There was an almost kiss between Fish and Cat. Basically, no kiss.
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| Pei Ji Ya's name is rather fowl. Ji sounds like "chicken" 🐓 and Ya sounds like "duck" 🦆. And that pigeon from earlier goes to him too. |
Pei Ji Ya is Wu Zhen’s non-biological cousin. Chinese peeps really like their forbidden “cousin” romances and affectionately calling these men 表哥 biao ge / cousin. To make Pei Ji Ya more obsessive, his maids are named Xiao Wu and Xiao Zhen. ... Wu... Zhen. Not sexy at all. Still, Pei Ji Ya serves his purpose: stirring up cheap jealousy so Mei Zhu Yu will scamper back to Wu Zhen. And then there’s Wu Zi Shu, circling like a mosquito, adding nothing but extra buzzing. Wu Jun Ting is SO PLAIN in this role. Chen He Yi was actually better <(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>.
Daemon of the ep. An Bi Luo takes the stage with a great ceremony to unveil his fragrance. Except he may have just let out one long, slow fart because the room reeks like dung. He's actually possessed by a Demonic Goose. Mei Zhu Yu helps the Goose reincarnate. And with that, An Bi Luo is blacklisted and the Fragrance Contest sets a new rule: no animal (daemon) cruelty.
Wu Zhen adopts the (reincarnated) gosling. She names it E zi. (E = goose). But everyone else hears Er zi (= son), including her father, Duke Wu. He points to her E(r) zi, and asks which man "knocked up" his daughter. In other words, which of these men will be the father of his future grandchild? Is it Mei-Bamboo-Fish or Pei Chicken-Duck? In the end, Duke Wu hands his grandchild the E(r) zi to Mei Zhu Yu.
Onion Man 花Hua’er dies. (Man barely had a body.) He was protecting Princess Yuan Zhen from an ink 鹿deer. Their death portrait is an abstract 梅花鹿 = the spotted sika deer, named in Chinese for its plum-blossom-shaped (梅花) white spots.
Wu Zhen offers Hua'er – yo, I like Onion Man, but he's still not dead-dead? – a chance to stay with Princess Yuan Zhen forever: become a hairpin. Hua'er gratefully accepts, and then truly dies (for the last time?). Decapitated flowers indeed.
Mei Zhu Yu spies on the Pei Chicken-Duck, who's capturing baby fowls, turning them into soup to treat his foul eye.
Mei Si discovers the shocking truth: Liu Tai Zhen is a snake (and she's shedding, lol. Mortifying). But instead of running away, he's back with all sorts of herbs to help her feel better. She asks if he still wants to marry this daemon. Not really. He never meant to marry a daemon. "Who I want to marry is you. Who knew you'd be a daemon and come with seasonal molt." Awwwwww.
As for our main CP, I love the idea of you two, but Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen, you two are so boring. At least Wu Zhen is "neglecting" Mei Zhu Yu so that Pei Ji Ya has his guard down as she's suspecting him.
Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen are trapped under Pei Ji Ya’s deadly formation of crushingly fake CGI boulders. They have enough time for idle chat (I think it's supposed to be romantic), but apparently not enough time to just...run out (and be romantic safely). It's like they were waiting until the fake spikes trapped them. And somehow Mei Zhu Yu defies physical matter to shove Wu Zhen out, despite there being spikes in every direction. But he doesn't defy physical matter enough to shove himself out with her. Then the "eye" of the formation – ah! – the weakness of the trap. Right under Mei Zhu Yu's feet. Right there. This is why you don't get a half blind guy designing traps. However, whoever kills the eye gets Medusa'd into stone. Except Me Zhu Yu happens to be carrying Plot Armour in his pouch. He slays the eye, shrugs off petrification, and hugs the woman he loves. And then, Amy, bless Amy, kindly pauses so we can suffer through the CGI one frame at a time:
I only noticed how bad these two (↑↓) scenes were (nothing before this) ^^""
Then Pei Ji Ya, instead of vanishing like a defeated villain, he gets even more screentime to lie, to spin, and a cinematic single-shot monologue about how Wu Zhen is different from other women because she’s strong. Then immediately undermines it with: "but [women] being stronger than men is bad. Why is he blind but not mute? And why, above all else, are you still here?
About Xuan Hui. Wu Zhen arrives with a conveniently omniscient Mirror of Truth. Why not just use this for the whole drama? It reveals Xuan Hui only turned criminal because he was bullied to the edge. It was (justifiable?) self defence... to kill them all.... Liu Tai Zhen gets his life sentence revoked. Xuan Hui breaks down in tears because finally, the Snake Lord he respects, recognizes the unfairness of his life. He's a free man snake now.
Meanwhile, Mei Si’s worldview collapses in rapid succession. Mudfish is not a mudfish. Liu Tai Zhen is not just Liu Tai Zhen because she's a Snake Lord. Wu Zhen is not the Wu Zhen he thought because there's also a Cat Lord. Haha. His whole family tree melts down too. If he calls Xuan Hui grandpa爺爺 (yeye), then what does that make Liu Tai Zhen who's his jie? Grand-Auntie 姑奶奶 (gu nai nai)?! LOL. Poor Mei Si xD. And aside from the literal meaning, gu nai nai also happens to be slang for addressing a woman when they're being difficult. Between girls, if I find you (girl) exasperating, I can call you gunainai too. And gunainai is exactly Liu Tai Zhen, lol
Mei Zhu Yu moves out of Wu Zhen's after leaving a hickey an injury on her neck, which he tends to. From now on, he won't let anyone hurt her, including himself. But what if she hurts him?
Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen are official, but more importantly, poor Mei Su's brain explodes trying to process the family tree: does he call Mei Zhu Yu jiefu or biaodi? Older-brother-in-law or younger-cousin?
Wu Zi Shu confess that he only lives for Wu Zhen. (This man takes a rejection real bad.)
Mei Zhu Yu is triggered straight back to his trauma 18 year ago, and then loses sight of Wu Zhen. When he finally finds her, he crushes her in a hug. But don't crush the egg! She just bought it for him because of his memories of his mother. Deadly. Man's heart is sold for an egg.
And then – engaged! Mei Zhu Yu's like, "Whenever Mei niangzi wants to marry him, then I will marry her." Finally! Then he leaves for 10 days. Duuude.
Does the chicken come first or does the egg come first? I don't know. But I know Mei Zhu Yu's answer: egg comes first. For a chicken, Mei Zhu Yu pledged lifelong loyalty to his shifu’s sect: monkhood demon-hunterhood. But for an egg? Mei Zhu Yu dives headfirst into romance and abandons that monkhood.
Ok. Seriously now: Wu Zhen had changed everything for Mei Zhu Yu. At first sight – her galloping on horseback – his heart went galloping too. (And this was before Ep1.) For once, he had greed: he wanted something, someone. He couldn’t lose her. He can't let what happened 18 years ago repeat. And so that's why he left Wu Zhen for 10 (well, 12 now) days – to quit his sect. But that means he must endure a brutal trial where white birds pierce his body. And just when you thought the trial was over – round two! Something is off, and Chang Ming (sect leader) stood there, smiling. Then suddenly, the Changxi Mace awakens, scattering the birds and saving Mei Zhu Yu. (So it's the same tassel/jade/whatever-plot-device-thing that saved him from the boulders.) Chang Ming is not smiling.
Mei Zhu Yu is free from the sect. But the Changxi Mace must stay. Although the weapon was a personal gift from the shifu who took him when he had nowhere to go, Mei Zhu Yu was no longer a disciple of Changxi Gong.
Mei Zhu Yu was never a full disciple of Changxi Gong even when shifu adored him.... Adored him enough to hand over the Changxi Mace instead of giving it to Chang Ming, saying Chang Ming was so good, he wouldn’t mind.
Well. Chang Ming minded. A lot. In fact, he's now Pei Ji Ya’s benefactor, the the one who taught him black magic. And now that Pei Ji Ya’s half-blind, Chang Ming wants him fully mute by killing him.
Pei Ji Ya manages to wriggle away from Chang Ming, but not from Wu Zi Shu. He kills Pei Ji Ya for his cheap incense-trick to seduce Wu Zhen (and not for almost killing her?). But credit where it's due: at least Wu Zi Shu has some brains. He actually followed Pei Ji Ya to sniff out the real mastermind. Our CP is busying CP-ing...
Although our main CP is engaged, Mei Zhu Yu still proposes – in front of his mother’s memorial tablet. Wu Zhen smiles. Didn't the Empress and Emperor already approve? But to Mei Zhu Yu, more important than the edict is Wu Zhen's answer. Tears fall from her eyes. Yes. He adds, "You were the one who messed with me first. If one day you lose interest, get bored, even start hating me – you still cannot abandon me. Otherwise...life is short, and I won’t let go." They don't have endless time to waste on uncertainty. He's warning her that he's clinging onto every moment with her. Kisses sealed. White blossoms pour down outside. It’s 白頭偕老 (to grow old together) in motion.
But while Mei Zhu Yu quit monkhood for love, Wu Zi Shu... subscribes to infant-hood for love. He teams up with the Infant Demon, promising to help him recover, and even digs up Elder Hui the rat.
Wu Zhen is running late thanks to her Cat Lord duties. She barely caught a wink of sleep, but up she’s dragged because it’s her wedding day! Possibly the most sleep-deprived bride in history. Still, she’s not actually late, arriving just in time before Mei Si gets to beat up the groom in the name of some "wedding tradition". Door games. Except door games are usually bridesmaid vs groom + groomsmen. Not a pack of men ganging up on the groom. Not that our dead-fish-groom cares.
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| Is this pretty? |
Liu Tai Zhen is the bridesmaid ~ I completely forgot that, to everyone else, Tai Zhen and Zhen are seen as sworn enemies, locked in an eternal one-upmanship battle.
During the wedding, we’re treated to a flashback extravaganza. As if I needed reminder of how limited this romance was, thanks.
Daemon of the ep: A Dream Daemon who makes everyone high. It tricks Wu Zhen into roof-climbing, convinced she's flying, and Mei Si into hallucinating that he's marrying Liu Tai Zhen.
Mei Si had said something so romantic to Liu Tai Zhen while discussing mortal-immortal marriages:
Mei Si: For each day that passes, I love you for that day. If I love you for a day, then I will wish you well for a day. A hundred years from now, when I die and my soul scatters, there will naturally be someone else to wish you well. My lady, there’s no need for you to be troubled.” Mei Si!!! <33
Shuang Jiang discovers Hu Zhu is a fox daemon and goes full monk-mode, trying to “guide her to enlightenment” and purge her. Sir Monk, she’s literally just running a business and paying taxes.
If anyone forgot (hi), it’s still Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen’s wedding day. Mei Zhu Yu is already home late, catching daemons, only to discover Wu Zhen isn’t even there, also catching daemons. Wu Zhen never thought through this marriage. How does she plan to sneak out every night to be her Cat Lord with a husband in her bed? Then – splash! Wu Zhen waited for the perfect moment to jump straight into the bath. Mei Zhu Yu is suspicious because he didn’t see anyone moments ago, so how did she materialize? His suspicions rise... but those are suppressed by other rising desires:
Not enough spinning? Here, have it from the top too:
Chang Ming and crew arrive in Chang'an, ready to purge the Daemon Market. Their conversation is secretly overheard by Wu Zi Shu (who's everywhere) and now he knows Mei Zhu Yu is also a daemon-master.
Wu Zi Shu 好綠茶, the ultimate green tea, suggesting that Mei Zhu Yu keep a close watch on Wu Zhen because she’s sneaking out at night to meet him. That very night, Wu Zhen begins to feel unwell and slips out quietly, unaware that Mei Zhu Yu is lying there, wide awake, only pretending to be asleep.
Wu Zi Shu 好綠茶, the ultimate green tea, suggesting that Mei Zhu Yu keep a close watch on Wu Zhen because she’s sneaking out at night to meet him. That very night, Wu Zhen begins to feel unwell and slips out quietly, unaware that Mei Zhu Yu is lying there, wide awake, only pretending to be asleep.
When Wu Zhen returns, Mei Zhu Yu is waiting. She admits where she’s been, no lies, no excuses. Mei Zhu Yu then spots Wu Zi Shu lurking outside like a creep. And so Mei Zhu Yu grabs Wu Zhen and kisses her – not for love, but to stab Wu Zi Shu in the heart. I hated it. Intimacy should be between two people, not a performance for a third party >_>
While Mei Si bears the heavy weight of love, breaking his own heart to set Liu Tai Zhen free, Wu Zi Shu wields his obsession like a weapon. He unleashes every daemon in the vicinity, planning to sacrifice their cores/skin to turn Wu Zhen into a full daemon so that she can never leave him. Sir. Therapy. Please.
And after 25.9 episodes, Mei Zhu Yu finally starts suspecting that Wu Zhen is a daemon. Welcome to the plot, ML.
[Ep27] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
Your Xuan Hui yeye, with his sneaky snake brain, concocts a scheme, tricking Liu Tai Zhen into thinking Mei Si is on his deathbed, almost. She rushes over, frantic, only to find Mei Si perfectly fine and even swearing up and down that he’s so healthy. Xuan Hui isn't sneaky enough to update his grandson of the plan first xD Liu Tai Zhen storms off in anger..but the servants are scattering realgar powder = snake repellant. Mei Si runs to stop her, slips, and manages to both hurt himself and get bitten by a poisonous snake. Ah so, Xuan Hui didn't lie. He was just prophetic.
Mei Si loves Liu Tai Zhen with everything he’s got, but when his father insists they marry, Mei Si does the unthinkable: he breaks off the engagement right there. Liu Tai Zhen understands instantly. This is Mei Si’s way of setting her free. But Mei Si’s father doesn't and slaps Mei Si across the face. Our poor Mei Si truly believes he isn’t worthy of her. And as a great daemon lord, she shouldn’t be chained by the rules of the mortal world. Ow. My heart. Mei Si!
Mei Zhu Yu tests Wu Zhen's identity at security check. Any daemon who steps into the circle will set off the alarm. Wu Zhen steps in...nothing happens. Oh? Because she's half? Then a random stone drops. Is this security system trustworthy??
It's hunting season: the hunters are out hunting daemons, except the daemons are also hunting the hunters.
Our Cat Lord and Snake Lord almost prevailed and had the hunters cornered, but they're saved by our Bamboo Fish.
Wu Zhen casually rubs her sore waist, and Mei Si, ever the concerned gentleman, immediately offers to fetch a doctor. Wu Zhen is mortified. And if only Liu Tai Zhen could burn a hole through him with her glare.
Wu Zhen's full-daemon surgery comes with one tiny catch that Wu Zi Shu never told her: a hundred-year hibernation. By the time she wakes, Mei Zhu Yu would be long gone. Wu Zhen is livid.
Then Wu Zhen sees Mei Zhu Yu tender with children, and her heart shatters. She realizes she doesn’t want to be some immortal full daemon. She just wants to stay with Mei Zhu Yu, and maybe, one day, have a child together. When Wu Zi Shu hears this, he's loses it AGAIN. How many times does he need to "lose it" before he actually stays lost forever? This is annoying.
It's seriously hard to exterminate rats. Elder Hui, with his rat network, locates Shuang Jiang and the rest of the Celestial Masters. Through Wu Zi Shu's intel, Hu Zhu is furious at Shuang Jiang for fooling her. Like... girl, day one he's like Hi, I’m a 天師, here to eliminate daemons. Did you think there was a second Celestial Master club out there? Anyway, Chang Ming tries to kill Hu Zhu on the spot, but Shuang Jiang jumps in to protect her. And they both take a trip to Clifford.
Shuang Jiang revives Hu Zhu's consciousness by slapping her face. Hard. This dude. Still, he’s chivalrous enough to carry her until he suddenly drops her, realizing something horrifying: Wu Zhen might also be a daemon. Hu Zhu swears on her nine-tailed cultivation that Wu Zhen is absolutely not a fox daemon. Because she’s a cat daemon. Then Shuang Jiang swears right back that Mei Zhu Yu is absolutely not one of their sect’s ten members. Because he quit. LOL.
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| Pancake-seller packs up for the day after swindling them |
Wu Zi Shu is downright vile. Mei Zhu Yu is on patrol, searching for a loose fox (aka Hu Zhu), who is currently being healed in Wu Zhen’s room. Just as Mei Zhu Yu turns to leave, Wu Zi Shu deliberately amps up his healing magic, causing Hu Zhu to let out a painful whimper. Now it looks like Wu Zhen is cheating. But...the whimpering sound couldn’t have come from Wu Zi Shu, right? Will Mei Zhu Yu listen with his sharp-ears or broken-heart?
Even Chang Ming, "evil mastermind extraordinaire", knows Cliffords aren't lethal. He planted a tracking spell on Hu Zhu. Then he keeps her hostage to lure her allies.
And so Wu Zhen arrives.
Chang Ming thinks he’s hooked the Big Fish. But Wu Zhen plays him, claiming she's here to catch her hubby Bamboo Fish cheating in the act. Neither our Cat Lord nor Bamboo Fish cheated, yet both are left gutted as if they had. Mei Zhu Yu has to know there's been too many coincidences. And Wu Zhen has to catch on that Mei Zhu Yu had called Shuang Jiang 11th bro in a sect that supposedly only has 10.
Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen do know each other’s true identities. He’s willing to protect her and cover for her in front of his sect. But, as the saying goes, paper cannot smother fire – the truth will eventually burn through. No matter how much they care for each other, he’s still a hunter, and she’s still his prey. At the entrance to the Daemon Market, Wu Zhen warns him that if turns back now, they can still save their relationship. But he doesn’t. The line is crossed. There’s no undoing what’s been set in motion.
Chang Ming, “evil mastermind extraordinaire,” walks right into Wu Zhen’s trap. Hu Zhu got the message loud and clear from Wu Zhen to "welcome" them in the Daemon Market. Now trapped, Wu Zhen shows the hunters their "targets", the daemons they were supposed to purge. Peaceful, harmless. Love Tian Xi Wei’s line delivery as she schools the hunters.
Chang Ming is caught openly practicing Black Magic, the forbidden power of the Demon Infant – something banned by both hunters and daemons. Unfortunately for him, their shifu left behind a deadly safeguard in the Changxi mace: if Chang Ming ever used Black Magic again, he would literally explode and die. And so he explodes and dies after using it many, many times before this, but okay – there might be an explanation here in this comment.
Wu Zhen thinks Wu Zi Shu has changed. OH. NO. REALLY.
Second senior brother is now sect leader, handpicked by ex-member Mei Zhu Yu. Because back when Mei Zhu Yu was being pecked alive, second bro was the only one who helped and safely escorted him out. Super fair and objective election process (but it could only be him, yeah).
3rd CP, Hu Zhu and Shuang Jiang, can't even lift off? He leaves Chang'an as promised. Before he goes, he hands Hu Zhu his favorite snack, knowing she probably skipped breakfast so she could come see him off. That's kinda really sweet. Except his biggest dream is still to become a great...hero. Sir, you’re better off just playing house and smooching off of Hu Zhu xD.
2nd CP have swapped bodies!! Because Mei Si made a wish on two wooden figurines, a present from the Duke. He missed Liu Tai Zhen so badly he wanted to see her again. Well, he got his wish! xD
1st CP are divorcing. But why, when Changxi Palace and the daemons are no longer enemies? The moment Mei Zhu Yu opened the daemon market’s barrier, their relationship was doomed. Wu Zhen refuses to listen to his side of things – how he loves her no matter what she is. And there’s an even crueler truth: the Demon Infant’s core lives inside her. If Mei Zhu Yu doesn’t kill her, then the thing that slaughtered his parents will keep on living inside the woman he loves. And everyday he would be facing the enemy within her. So why not end their misery sooner than later. As I see it, the Demon Infant core is cancer that killed his parents. Now that Wu Zhen has cancer too, she’s basically saying, "You can’t just stare at cancer every day and be happy.” Girl. He’s not staring at cancer. He’s staring at you. What you need right now isn’t a breakup. It’s surgery. In a last desperate attempt, Mei Zhu Yu kisses Wu Zhen intensely. But instead of rekindling anything, Wu Zhen’s resolve only hardens. And so, they part – broken and wrecked.
The fathers of our FLs completely misread the situation. They’re convinced Mei Zhu Yu dumped Wu Zhen for the other Zhen, not knowing that Liu Tai Zhen is actually Mei Si. And whose fault is this? Yours, Duke.
2CP. When Liu Tai Zhen (in Mei Si's body) visits the painting academy, she finds "himself" the target of mockery. Everyone has made a habit of humiliating Mei Si because of her rejections. For the first time, Liu Tai Zhen truly sees the silent ridicule he’s endured because of her, and then realizes the only time he ever fought back was to defend her. The guilt is crushing. Liu Tai Zhen gives him a sincere, heartfelt apology, stunning Mei Si speechless.
But this moment isn’t just about guilt. The wooden dolls suddenly rattle, and they switch back into their rightful bodies. Liu Tai Zhen remembers Wu Zhen’s warning: the dolls only allow a swap with the person you love, and switching back means her heart was moved too. (Doesn't that suck when the other person doesn't love you back then. You're stuck forever.) The realization leaves Liu Tai Zhen flustered, and she flees from him.
1CP. Oh ok, cancer is very terminal. Wu Zhen's body is failing. She really does need a new vessel or she won’t survive. This is why she’s so resolute about divorcing Mei Zhu Yu. Not knowing the truth, Mei Zhu Yu pleads with her. Hiis entire life has been driven by a singular purpose: uncovering the truth behind his parents’ deaths. But it was her who brought him into a world of desires. She can't abandon him like this.
Poor Ling Xiao, though! What does this lovers' quarrel have anything to do with him? Mei Zhu Yu kidnapped him and is hanging him hostage, otherwise, Wu Zhen wouldn’t agree to sit down and eat with him. You're mean, Bamboo Fish.
Cornered by Mei Zhu Yu's desperation, Wu Zhen confesses: she plans to become a full daemon, which means going into secluded rehab for a hundred years. But that's not the whole truth. This isn’t her choice. They both walk away shattered. Mei Zhu Yu believes she’s choosing immortality/demon-hood over him, while Wu Zhen walks away in both physical agony and emotional heartbreak. Her body is failing.
In the midst of the melodrama, everyone forgot something. Ling Xiao. Hello?
Mei Zhu Yu pieces it together just in time. Any daemon power used on Wu Zhen, whether to attack or heal, feeds the Demon Infant inside her while draining her own core, hence her failing body. He drags Ling Xiao (who found his own way down? Lol) to lead him to the Daemon Market to stop Wu Zi Shu but not quite fast enough. Wu Zhen collapses and regresses to her cat form.
Liu Tai Zhen informs Mei Zhu Yu that if he strikes Wu Zhen now, he can kill his enemy once and for all. Mei Zhu Yu knows, and excuses himself. He has to search for his furen (wife) – not his enemy.
Alrighty. Time to search for a lost wife kitty.
And he finds her...!
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| Except it's the wrong one. |
And he finds her! As he carries her away, Ling Xiao appears and flinches at the sight of him. Poor guy has serious PTSD from being kidnapped by Mei Zhu Yu twice. Ling Xiao squints at the cat, asking if she's Cat Lord (貓公). Actually, no. Because this 貓 happens to be 公 (i.e. this cat happens to be a male). I always loved calling our female Lords "公," generally reserved for males. Didn't know they would make a dad joke like this xD.
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| This is Cat "Man"? |
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| No this cat is a man. |
And he finds her! Well she found him. Wu Zhen was waiting for him at his home. Aw. And now he recognizes she's the one cat he never pushed away. (Xu Kai calling a cat his wife though lol)
Wu Zhen insists on only being called 夫人 (furen, wife) by everyone lol, refusing any other title like Princess... and, y’know, Cat Lord. It's because when Mei Zhu Yu first found her, he called her furen. She's forgotten everything, but her (animal) instincts tell her she can trust this handsome face. (Meanwhile Mei Si, can you please shut up that they divorced? Thanks.)
Somehow, Liu Tai Zhen becomes Mei Si’s muse. She – Liu! Tai! Zhen! – actually poses for him. But duty calls. Liu Tai Zhen leaves to contain a very berserk Book. He asks her when she'll be back. Her answer: When I'm back is when I'm back. Still Liu Tai Zhen, phew. Still worried, Mei Si begs Xuan Hui to check on her. No. And so Mei Si's like, "Xuan Hui yeye ~" Mm–No. Not even if Mei Si calls him "zeng yeye" = great grandpa. No go!
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| Xuan Hui lounging rightfully as the third-wheel |
Daemon of the ep. Broom Daemon. He's shaking because his butt, um, head caught on fire. I like that they kept the broom hair. And it's punny that he calls himself a 掃把精 (sao ba jing = broom daemon) because it's cueing 掃把星 (sao ba xing = bearer of ill-luck). He did ruin the mood, lol. A true broom star indeed. 
[Ep34] [Jump to: Top | Cast | Comments]
Mei Zhu Yu and Wu Zhen are on a honeymoon trip in search of a Zhu Yu Immortal Herb (祝余仙草). Is it purely coincidental that this herb sounds just like Mei Zhu Yu. Different Chinese characters though. A suspicious grandma in the woods – never trust suspicious grandmas in the wood; see Ep5 – directs them to the healer with the herb.
2nd Daemon of the ep. The healer is the herb. He (He Luo Luo) is a Herb Daemon. He’ll grant your deepest (medical) wish, but always at a cruel, devastating cost. A man begging for a son? He gets one... along with a crushing debt. A man desperate for longevity? He will live long... while staying miserably sick that living is worse than dying. A woman craving beauty? She’s stunning... and completely blind. Geeez. He's twisted because humans know no gratitude. Can't disagree! The most damaging was that for years, he thought he was abandoned. Only now does he learn the truth: his master wasn’t cruel. His master was the previous Cat Lord – Wu Zhen’s predecessor – and had simply passed away. It's 18 years late, but he grieves for him. Without a purpose, he "dies" as well. He's actually the Zhu Yu Herb they've been searching for. But he/it cannot save Wu Zhen. Her condition isn’t an illness – it’s a tribulation. Speak human. Translation: medicine’s useless, fate is being petty, and there’s no easy cure. Anyway. Herb Daemon offers up his original body, hoping that maybe, someday, it might help her.
Romeo Mei Si makes a river glow with fireflies for Liu Tai Zhen. Except they aren’t fireflies and he didn't make them glow. Still, Liu Tai Zhen is touched by the gesture, and you can practically see the heart-eyes forming. As for, Xuan Hui, the one behind the firefly-like spectacle, Liu Tai Zhen lectures him, saying he should focus on training instead of fooling around with Mei Si. She's absolutely not getting rid of this third-wheel. Absolutely not, I repeat, absolutely not.
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| I just noticed how many beauty marks she has. The whole galaxy. |
Our mudfish, Xuan Hui, is ready to ascend! Dude, really is a dragon! But there’s one thing anchoring him to this mortal realm: Mei Si. AW xD. Xuan Hui just wants Mei Si to have a complete, happy life before he leaves, and that life hinges entirely on Liu Tai Zhen. She likes Mei Si too, so why isn’t she accepting him openly? For his grandson bro's sake, Xuan Hui takes her to Mei Si’s place to show her something... revolting. There's a plate of raw chicken hearts. Mei Si is convinced that by consuming it for 7x7=49days, he could turn into a daemon and that way he can stay by her side forever. There's a bowl of chicken blood because if he smells it long enough, maybe he won’t throw up while eating the hearts. Gross. Why remind me of Pei Ji Ya.
We need rodent control because Elder Hui is still out here scurrying around. He reveals that Chang’an itself was founded by the Demon Infant. Elder Hui wants to rescue the Demon Infant and restore the daemon market’s former glory – when they ruled above ground. Meanwhile Wu Zi Shu is having nightmares about a mysterious artifact connected to the Demon Infant. He also can't read what the Demon Infant wrote on him. Maybe it's Go Die.
Mei Zhu Yu brings Wu Zhen there to Changxi Gong – if rare herbs can’t heal her, maybe the answers lie with his sect. Wu Zhen stumbles into a daemon-trap. Before Mei Zhu Yu reacts (he kinda reacted, but he just stood there), Wu Zhen is already disarming it. The most surprising part is that his Changxi Mace obeys her. Why? Who did this mace belong to?
Liu Tai Zhen isn't reciprocating Mei Si's feelings because she suspects that the person Mei Si truly loves isn’t her but the real Liu Tai Zhen – the girl who died ten years ago. And Mei Si’s reaction confirms her worst fear. He's actually quite cruel to her... It's like immediately, he stops loving her and demands her to bring back his Liu Tai Zhen.
Mei Zhu Yu, with an indulgent smile, watches Wu Zhen making grand declarations that she, a (half-)daemon, is going to master all of his Celestial Master’s techniques. He's loving her "muahahahaha!" energy.
Xuan Hui, oh, Xuan Hui. While Mei Si was baring his heart to woo Liu Tai Zhen, Xuan Hui was...also getting swept up by Mei Si. Hahaha. He was supposed to ascend into a glorious dragon, but nope, he missed his big moment because he's too emotionally entangled with Mei Si.
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| Charismat– you serious with that move? |
Ling Xiao, drags himself into a lover's quarrel this time, lol. Ling Xiao points out that Mei Si’s feelings for Liu Tai Zhen run way deeper than childhood nostalgia. And boom – Mei Si is struck like lightning. That’s all it took? Just a conversation? Mei Si......
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| Not hearts. He's actually asking for money. |
Mei Zhu Yu time-travels! It's very dangerous, they say. But he’s doing it for Wu Zhen. In hopes of saving her, he has to go back to the exact moment when the Demon Infant Core first entered her eighteen years ago.
Mei Zhu Yu time-travels back eighteen years and sees young Wu Zhen struck by a dark force. A black cat appears, guarding her. At first, Mei Zhu Yu doesn’t recognize the man – until his younger self comes running and calls him “Father.” Oh, Bamboo Fish... you don't recognize your own dad anymore? Turns out Mei Zhu Yu's father is the previous Cat Lord (Xu Hai Qiao).
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| Little Wu Zhen saw Mei Zhu Yu |
Wu Zhen wakes after three days of deep sleep, memories restored, wounds healed, powers back to full strength. Everything’s back...everything except Mei Zhu Yu. The disciples claim he left because she didn’t want to see him. But the truth is he’s unconscious. Soul still lost in time? Injured from the time-traveling? And how did he change the past?
Shuang Jiang gifts Hu Zhu a gold trinket, which is a teeny gold daemon. It hops straight towards Wu Zhen, and she swiftly subdues it. But in the fight, something about her own powers feels... different. Changed.
Mei Si swoops in like the world’s most handsome prince, lifting Liu Tau Zhen from her predicament – her snake tail is showing because of the realgar powder. I'm sure leaving by carriage is still faster. Now he’s tenderly caring for her, eyes locked, tension thick, Xuah Hui – Xuan Hui?? Well, he's also staring, searching for... something. Look all you want, and you won't know what to search for, Xuan Hui. LOL.
Liu Tai Zhen agrees and gives Elder Hui the snake scale (which he needs to enter restricted areas to common daemons like him).
It's too late for Xuan Hui. Xuan Hui yeye T_T.
Wu Zhen also corners Wu Zi Shu into revealing his collusion with Elder Hui. Wu Zi Shu desperately insists he did everything for her. Oh really? Resurrecting Elder Hui is for her? Plotting against Snake Lord is for her? Slaughtering innocents is also for her? Wu Zhen doesn’t need any of it. And she certainly doesn’t need his twisted version of "protection." To not be needed – as Wu Zi Shu (Wordless Book) or Jiang Yi (Harm and Destroy) – gives him an existential crisis. In one last act of twisted devotion, he lashes out his own weapons at Wu Zhen, fully aware she’s too powerful now. The weapons rebound, striking him instead. His life ends at his own self-destruction. Literally. Wu Zhen mourns for him. Why?
However, Elder Hui has already seized control of the Daemon Market. Everyone has been captured and thrown into his prison. Inside her cell, Wu Zhen drifts into a dream of the former Cat Lord sacrificing himself to save her. When she wakes, Mei Zhu Yu is there, walking toward her like a miracle. Using his own blood, he breaks the barrier and frees Wu Zhen. (Mei Zhu Yu ~~!)
It’s the blood of the Cat Lord flowing through Mei Zhu Yu’s veins that allows him to break the prison’s spell. (Wu Zhen’s cat powers have been suppressed by the rat...), There's more. When Mei Zhu Yu travelled to the past, he took the Demon Infant’s core into himself. That’s why Wu Zhen is a full daemon.
Elder Hui’s grand scheme is already in motion, and the Demon Infant’s rebirth is only moments away. He taunts Wu Zhen, assuring her that she’ll be spared – after all, the core resides within her. But the handsome young man standing next to her? Sorry, Bamboo Fish, no such luck. Elder Hui intends to end him right there. Pft. Elder Hui. You really don't want to mess with Mei Zhu Yu right now. But it's not like he even can. Wu Zhen unleashes her full power as the Daemon Cat Lord. She rips his core straight from his chest, and his body scatters into nothingness. Goodbye, rat.
However, the Demon Infant's spiritual energy has struck Mei Zhu Yu, the host of the Demon Infant core. Wu Zhen cries that he took it from her to save her. But Mei Zhu Yu says this was always his tribulation to take, never hers:
Eighteen years ago, Mei Zhu Yu was supposed to be the one attacked by the Demon Infant. His father, the former Cat Lord, had given him a lantern infused with his power (to protect him). But on that fateful night, Mei Zhu Yu bumped into a young Wu Zhen whose lantern had gone out. He handed her his own. That single act changed their fates. The Demon Infant mistook Wu Zhen for the Cat Lord’s descendant and chose her as the host instead.
Now Mei Zhu Yu hands Wu Zhen the mace to kill him. When the Demon Infant’s energy fuses with his core, she must strike him down. Other than him, only she can wield the mace. Through tears, Wu Zhen summons her strength, merging her daemon cultivation with the mace and kills him with a single blow. Wu Zhen collapses, clutching Mei Zhu Yu’s lifeless body, sobbing as she says goodbye.
Wu Zhen: 我好慚愧 I’m so ashamed of myself. You gave me your entire mortal life, and it feels like I only gave you a fleeting moment in return. I’m so sorry... I'm really sorry.Mei Zhu Yu: You are the Cat Lord. As for me...it's just a pity. Really. 人生苦短 Life is too short. Mei Zhu Yu mourns how brief their time together was, his regret tangled with tenderness :(.
Tian Xi Wei begging his listless body to look at her broke me T_T.
3 months later.
Hu Zhu runs the bustling Ruyi Pavilion with expert ease, while Shuang Jiang and his brothers roam the land hunting demons for a living. Basically they're bums, lol.
Mei Si is a bestselling author, writing wildly popular books about daemons. One day, while rummaging through the box of wooden dolls, he finds a note left behind by Xuan Hui: 此娃娃動情破之蠢. Roughly translated: This doll’s magic falls apart the moment emotions get involved – how foolish. Later, at the daemon market, Mei Si spots a child who reminds him of Xuan Hui. When he mentions it, the kid's like You’re kind of old, so your friend can’t possibly be my yeye, right? (Yup, it is the yeye Xuan Hui).
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| Who in this day and age blow their own bangs to look cool. |
2CP Liu Tai Zhen and Mei Si have their happily-ever-after, smiling at each other at a COVID-approved distance.
Princess is still wearing her jade hairpin. Hi, Quan Yi Lun.
Mei Zhu Yu Lives! But how!
*Three months of coma later, Mei Zhu Yu opens his eyes after the "Zhu Yu Immortal Herb" activates. Ahhh, so that’s why it’s called Zhu Yu Immortal Herb. It literally is a herb that makes Zhu Yu immortal. His dad, the previous Cat Lord, planted it long ago, and since Mei Zhu Yu carries daemon DNA, all he needed was a little activation. Perfect. And so, with Wu Zhen as the reigning 貓公 (maogong, cat lord).. we now officially have a 公貓 (gongmao, male cat) too. A match made in destiny, and in puns.
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| Hi He Luo Luo |
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| Hello 公貓! |
*Young Wu Zhen also took three months of coma to become Cat Lord (Ep3).
Stay after the credits!
On the streets, Mei Zhu Yu has become a local legend: the doting husband who buys everything and anything for his pregnant wife. Wu Zhen’s appetite has been unstoppable ever since she became pregnant, and he indulges her every craving. When he comes home, Wu Zhen's messing with a pair of wooden dolls (oh right, she's never seen them before).
And they swap bodies! Father Duke's gift keeps on giving. LOL. I do love that switching back and forth is so easy for them. It's a given.
Wu Zhen, having endured seven long months of pregnancy, is finally free!! HAHAHAHA. My dream come true!! LOL She immediately bolts for Ruyi Pavilion to eat to her heart’s content. Meanwhile, poor Mei Zhu Yu is left stuck in Wu Zhen’s very pregnant body. I need to see the delivery! Except Mei Zhu Yu doesn't mind it at all. He gently rubs her (his?) swollen belly, tenderly cradling the little life growing inside. AWWWW.
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| This is Tian Xi Wei ~ |
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| This is "Xu Kai," haha. And awwww, the way s/he looks down |
I really like this extra <3.
The end.
Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1-10)]
Ep1 smashed my expectations – gorgeous world-building, stunning visuals 😍, and a super-strong CP. But with each episode, my hope dwindles: the mystery isn't mysterious, and the romance is just teases. This is getting a recap because my screenshots need context, and because I need to record how cool Tian Xi Wei is. At least the visuals are still delivering everywhere – I’ll take that.
[Cast&Crew]
Directed by Lv Hao Ji Ji – the breakout director who shot to fame last year with The Double. But before The Double, he already pulled off another surprise hit: the underdog Go Princess Go (later adapted in Korea as Mr. Queen).
This drama is based on Fu Hua’s 梅夫人寵夫日常 (The Daily Life of Madam Mei Doting on Her Husband), airing right alongside another one of her adapted works, When Destiny Brings the Demon.
Some familiar names in the cast: Xu Hai Qiao, Kong Xue Er, Li Jun Xian, He Luo Luo, Xie Xing Yang, Liu Dong Qin, Huang Ri Ying, Dong Si Cheng, and more. Unfortunately, Li Ming De is here too. Read about his saga here. His character name is 清秀少年, which isn't even a name. It's a description: "a handsome young man". (Update: He shows up in Ep13 with a slightly altered face)
August 21, 2025: Xu Li Sha (actress) exposes Xu Kai's infidelity on Weibo: Xu Li Sha; “The first big scoop of 2025 is here, family! I’m not Xu Kai’s current girlfriend. I’m the one who broke up with him at the end of 2022, after Zhao Qing was caught opening a hotel room with him. I’ll slowly tell everyone everything that happened.”
Online reactions are full of pity for Tian Xi Wei. This is the second time her highly anticipated, romance-heavy drama has been overshadowed by dating news/scandals. The first was New Life Begins (Bai Jing Ting and Song Yi’s dating news). The kicker is Xu Li Sha herself was in NLB too, as Li Chun, one of the 3rd prince’s many concubines.
Xu Li Sha is also getting a lot of support because she's thoroughly messing with Yu Zheng, which is usually his expertise against everyone else.
Wrapped on May 14, 2024.
[Glossary]
死在牡丹花下 Sǐ zài mǔdān huā xià – To die beneath the peony blossoms (lit.). Figuratively, Peony is called the king of flowers and associated with wealth, beauty, love, and sensuality, often tied to feminine allure. And so this actually suggests dying in the presence of beauty / dying from too much pleasure. [Ep6]
白蓮花 Bái lián huā – White Lotus 💮 → Appear pure but their hearts are dark. Similar to Green Tea Bitch but that personality is specific when a romantic interest is involved [Ep15 = Pei Ji Ya]
绿茶 Lǜ chá – Green tea (bitch) 🍵 → Derogatory term directed at those who pretend to be innocent and charming but is actually manipulative. [Ep25 = Wu Zi Shu]
[A Highlight] At the very end when Bamboo Fish takes one for the team.
[Review & Rating]
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