#li Lianhua will be back to up his xiaobao along with di Feisheng who will indulge his husband in everything

[acequinz]

Listen....

Li Xiangyi and Di Feisheng being an epic romantic couple that ends in the tragedy of the boat fight.

And Fang Duobing still being a Li Xiangyi stan and shipping him with Di Feisheng who totally believe that they could have fixed things if they communicated.

Years later meeting Li Lianhua and falling in love with him.

Finding out Li Lianhua is Li Xiangyi and he is once again working and communicating with Di Feisheng and slowly and steadily fixing what was broken.

Him going to save them both after they spend the honeymoon together.

That night he slips back to his mother and curls up with his head in her lap as he giggles and tells the story to her, "see, I told you they could fix it if they tried."

She simply pats his head and pretends she doesn't see the tears that continue to fall.

[hils79]

Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 40 (and bonus episode)

God, okay, here we go. I'm so anxious. I remember how Heroes ended and how much it broke me

I've come this far though so I guess let's do this even if it's going to hurt. I have a packet of tissues on standby just in case it all goes horribly wrong as I fear it will

Well, we're off to a good start. Li Lianhua is practicing his martial arts and imagining Di Feisheng is there with him. I'm definitely not crying less than 5 minutes in

It's okay though because Fang Duobing is there to take care of him and make sure he keeps warm 😭

Okay, I suspected he rigged the mechanisms to be easily seen and destroyed because Fang Duobing mentioned it but I didn't realise the whole thing was him trying to take down Jiao Liqiao from the inside. I feel bad(ish) for him now

Oh shit! Well, it wouldn't be Mysterious Lotus Casebook without one final (I hope) dramatic poisoning

I love that he just calls him Xiaobao in front of everyone now. Everyone clearly knows they're together.

God, he's about to do something stupid isn't he? I'm having Word of Honor flashbacks. GDI even I didn't clock that he was deliberately sending Fang Duobing away so he could do this

Oh fuck

I am sobbing

I do not understand these two at all. First of all I thought she left him when she ended their engagement (that I thought was a marriage - that whole wedding that wasn't a wedding was confusing), then I assumed she must have left him when she took the sect leader job from him. Apparently after all that they're still together??? But maybe they're breaking up for real this time?

I suppose Xiao Zijin is going to blame Li Lianhua for this too

I knew he was going to get free and leave before Fang Duobing got back 😭

FFS I was already crying and now Huli Jing is crying so I'm crying even more. I knew this was going to be sad but FUCK

He just rescued a trapped bird like a fucking Disney prince

I knew the 'recipe book' was going to be all his martial arts notes

FFS Xiao Zijin let it go! I swear to god if he kills Li Lianhua because Li Lianhua is half blind and ready to die I am throwing my laptop out the window

OH FUCK IS HE GOING TO DO IT HIMSELF?

Oh, I think he was talking to his sword

Well fuck.

Oh, he landed in the boat. Maybe he's okay? Let me have my denial!

It feels like forever ago but I think this dude was telling the story of Li Xiangyi and Di Feisheng in the first episode. If he was that's a nice touch that we've circled back around and he's now telling stories about Li Lianhua

I have to laugh because the alternative is crying even more. But I love all these randos know that Di Feisheng is in love with Li Lianhua and they're acting like him not showing up at the beach is like jilting him at the altar (even though they're already married)

His stoic but clearly sad face 😭

Well he's still alive. At the moment at least.

I know he's talking about fighting, but he probably also talking about their relationship

I want to hug him

I'm fine 😭

Onto the bonus episode. This is either going to be hopeful or painful and I honestly have no idea which way it's going to go

Painful so far!

Well, that was very ambiguous so I'm choosing to believe they found him at the beach and are living happily ever after 😋

I did really enjoy that despite the pain. Thanks to everyone who has been yelling along with me in the comments and notes while I've been watching. This is why I enjoy liveblogging dramas

[rose-tinted-vision]

Fic: 当你醒来 我已不再

relationships: Li Lianhua & Fang Duobing

(link to ao3 fic)

Li Lianhua looks at the wangchun flower, and ponders.

It is not for him.

It is not Li Lianhua that Di Feisheng and everyone else wanted to save, it is Li Xiangyi that they want returned from the grave. They want the selfless hero, the beacon of peace and hope for the jianghu.

But Li Lianhua is not Li Xiangyi anymore.

He cannot bring back the young hero everyone coveted. He has long since regarded Li Xiangyi as a separate entity, a skin he has shedded long ago.

If he takes the wangchun flower, it means taking on the mantle of Li Xiangyi once more, putting on the cape again, trying to fill in the too-large shoes that that spectre of the past left behind.

Li Xiangyi is better off left undisturbed, ten feet under the ground, he tells himself. He is not as good as the people paint him to be. Li Xiangyi was arrogant, too trusting, too idealistic. The world cannot be saved by one man alone, nor can he save everyone with his words alone.

He once trusted all the wrong people, naively thought that by reaching the peak of the martial world, he could save everyone. Now that he has traversed the jianghu, he knows. He knows that his shifu had been right all along.

"I don't want you to be some big shot, I just want you and your shixiong to eat well, drink well and live well."

"Li Lianhua, what are you thinking about?"

A gentle shake brings him out of his spiralling thoughts, a never ending cesspool that only grew worse with each passing minute. He relaxes his death grip on the wooden box minutely.

"You haven't taken the wangchun flower yet?" Fang Duobing asks, fighting to keep his voice level.

Fang Duobing. His Xiaobao. The only person who genuinely wanted to save Li Lianhua.

He considers shaking it off with another lighthearted lie, but finds that he cannot bring himself to. He can't lie in the face of such pure, undiluted concern again.

"This flower isn't for Li Lianhua," he says, knowing that Fang Xiaobao will understand what he means.

Even in death, he cannot go peacefully. He has been told to live. It is demanded of him to live.

The man who was once known as Li Xiangyi finds that he does not know whether he wants to live. And perhaps that is the most telling point that he is no longer Li Xiangyi. Could no longer be Li Xiangyi. He has given so much of himself, even at the expense of his own life, that there was nothing left to give.

Fang Xiaobao, observant as always, picks up on his hesitance. He moves to sit next to Li Lianhua, clasping a steady hand over his trembling ones.

"If you choose to leave, it's fine," Fang Xiaobao says, letting out a shaky exhale, "you're not letting anybody down. It's this world that let you down. They don't deserve Li Lianhua or Li Xiangyi."

Li Lianhua makes a tired grunt in protest, which is quickly shushed by Fang Xiaobao, "But it's not just me that wants Li Lianhua to live. Su-mei also knows you. Zhan-xiong would rather you live happily. The one Xiao-gu fancied was also Li Lianhua, not Li Xiangyi."

Quietly, after a beat or two, he adds, "A-Fei also just wants you to be alive."

Perhaps. He can't quite bring himself to believe that statement, not when all Di Feisheng talked about was curing Li Lianhua to fight Li Xiangyi again. He already knew Di Feisheng's opinion on the matter; he did not need a reminder.

Fang Xiaobao, however, was another thing entirely. He has hurt him too many times to count, telling one boldfaced lie after another in the face of Fang Xiaobao's sincerity, and yet the other still chased after him anyway. Showed him forgiveness and patience, accepting Li Lianhua for all his deceit and lies, even after being pushed away repeatedly.

Though he knows the answer to this- it's damningly clear through Fang Xiaobao's every action- a part of him needs to hear it straight from his mouth.

"What about you?" Is it Li Xiangyi or Li Lianhua that you want to save?

Fang Xiaobao reels back as if he were slapped, hurt so openly displayed on his face that Li Lianhua wished to retract his words and swallow them whole.

"Li Lianhua, you should know by now" Fang Xiaobao says, his eyes alight with cold fury, "I will only recognize one zhiji in this life, and that is Li Lianhua."

Perhaps it is the conviction in his tone, or the grief that spilled over into his anger, or simply the mink coat that Fang Duobing had wrapped him in a few hours prior- but Li Lianhua finds himself pulled back slightly from the precipice he had been tethering on.

The realisation that he does not want to die is gut wrenching, suddenly overcome with guilt that Fang Xiaobao chose a dying man to recognize as his zhiji. Li Lianhua mourns the future that he is unable to live out. He will not be able to grow old with Fang Xiaobao in his rickety old home as the hair on their heads turn white, will not be able to travel all over the jianghu to solve crimes with his zhiji.

After all, the wangchun flower was not a guaranteed cure. Just one that held higher chances than any other cure.

He nearly says as much, clamping his mouth shut when his brain catches up. Fang Xiaobao might actually kill him for saying that, and then jump into hell to bring him back again.

Belately, he realises that he has not responded to Fang Xiaobao's declaration, and gives a stiff nod on response.

"Just…" Fang Xiaobao whispers, shifting to get up, "don't suddenly disappear without a word, okay?"

—

Li Lianhua stares at the wangchun flower. His legs are numb from having sat too long, and the mink coat is but a flimsy protection from the cold around him.

Behind him, dawn is breaking, varying shades of bright orange bleeding into the dusky blue, its rays of light illuminating the wangchun flower. In this light, it almost looks as glorious as the myths surrounding it make it out to be.

He hears Hulijing's barks growing closer, following the familiar cadence of Fang Xiaobao's footsteps, signalling that breakfast is ready.

Meeting Fang Xiaobao had disrupted his carefully laid plans to live out the rest of his limited lifespan, had brought forth several disturbing revelations, forcing him to bring back a dead man to resolve the many issues that sprang forth.

But Li Lianhua finds that he does not mind.

(In fact, when it comes to his closest friend, his zhiji, he finds that he can let quite a few things slide).

Maybe Li Lianhua would try to live, for the sake of one Fang Duobing, his Fang Xiaobao.

[dramaddict-and-proud-of-it]

Mysterious Lotus Case Book

Year : 2023 | Country : CN | Nb of episodes: 40

My rate: 7/10

Synopsis :

Ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the master of the Sigu Sect, dominated with his superior swordsmanship and was a symbol of light in the martial arts world. However, he suddenly disappeared along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, after they arranged to battle in the East Sea.

Ten years later, Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels dragging around a lotus tower. He accidentally becomes "famous" and gets pulled into the pugilistic world that he no longer wants to have any connections with. Fang Duo Bing, a passionate youth who dreams of becoming a hero, realizes that Li Lian Hua is not a simple man and vows to find proof that Li Lian Hua has been impersonating a famous doctor. Meanwhile, Di Fei Sheng, who has always regarded Li Xiang Yi as a fierce enemy, has also reemerged in the pugilistic world and recognizes that the unremarkable doctor Li Lian Hua is none other than Li Xiang Yi.

After a series of cases, Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng and Fang Duo Bing gradually come to forge a deep friendship and join hands in solving mysterious cases to uphold justice.

Main cast :

Cheng Yi as Li Lianhua (voiced by Cheng Yi) / Li Xiangyi

Xu Wei Luo as Li Xiangyi (teen)

Xie Zi Mo (谢子墨) as Li Xiangyi (child)

Zeng Shun Xi as Fang Duobing (Fang Xiaobao)

Lu Jin Hao as Fang Xiaobao (young)

Xiao Shun Yao as Di Feisheng

Xu Jia Xi as Di Feisheng (young)

My thoughts on this drama :

From the reviews I had read online, this was supposed to be as good at The Blood of Youth. For me, it was not. Don't get me wrong! It is a very good drama. The overall absence of romance is a big plus (it's there in the background but has no direct impact on the story itself more than in a few flashbacks that I enjoyed skipping).

What bothered me most is that the second hero was such a dimwit. All muscle no brain. Yes he's pretty young and all, but that wannabe detective was just dumb. He relied completely on Lianhua's deduction before finding the solution to all cases (but still taking all credit for solving it heh...). It took a bit too long for the big reveal of the main lead's identity, and I found truly ridiculous that his old pals did not recognize him as soon as they saw him. He was pretty much walking out there looking the same as ten year prior, sometimes wearing a mask that hid nothing.... but that's a common trope in Cdramaland so.... Big thumb up to the redemption arc of the initial "villain". The friendship born of it was amazing to see, and I was very much rooting for more interactions between the three main characters. The side characters also did their job, adding drama and comic relief to the story. The backstory that unraveled slowly up to the finale was splendidly executed, and I felt terrible for Lianhua when he realized the whole truth. I have a small regret though: for a Wuxia drama, there weren't that many awesome fights, and the rare ones were so short they lacked impact.

Anyway, it  is still a good drama, Cheng Yi prove once again that he's a true talent of this generation, and I hope to see him take one more dramas and movies (no dumb romcom) to showcase his impressive capacity to show emotions with his eyes and micro expressions. He convinced me back in Immortal Samsara, now I'm just another fan...

A Favorite ?

NO

[rose-tinted-vision]

Tales from Tianji Manor

Relationship: Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua/Di Feisheng

prev/read it on ao3/next

“What do you think of Di Feisheng?” her husband asks her that night.

“A-Fei is a good kid,” she replies firmly, giving her husband a look. He may be a little prejudiced, but she trusted that Fang Zeshi was a good judge of character, and only wanted the best for their son, “He treats Xiaobao and Xiaohua well, and he is just trying his best to live, like the rest of us.”

Fang Zeshi frowns, considering her reply. 

She takes his hand in hers, gently urging him to look at her. She had chosen him because he had been sincere in wooing her back then, had treated everyone around him with the due respect that they deserved, regardless of their social rank. She trusts that he would extend the same treatment to Xiaobao’s chosen people too.

“Just watch, and you will see what I mean,” she says.

—

Her husband stays for the week, the Emperor having given him the week to spend with his family.

And so they watch.

They watch how A-Fei silently carries a mountain of blankets from Xiaobao’s room across the courtyard to where the Lotus Tower is parked, gently tucking them around Xiaobao and Xiaohua who have fallen asleep in their home.

They watch as A-Fei chops up the chives that Xiaobao hands to him, expertly handling the knife with the air of someone who has been handed the same task multiple times, setting them back next to Xiaobao, who shoos Xiaohua away from the kitchen with a wooden ladle. 

They watch as A-Fei tags along with both of his boyfriends to the market, trailing behind them as they return with his arms full of bags of all sizes, occasionally stealing a bite from Xiaobao’s scallion pancake.

Fang Zeshi smiles at the sight of his son and his boyfriends, happy and content with each other and at peace, despite himself.

—

“He treats Xiaobao well,” her husband admits, as they retire to bed, “but does he trest you and Xiaofeng well too?”

She knows that he bears no ill will towards A-Fei, not after he had gained her husband's recognition, that he was simply looking out for her, looking out for the peace of the family that they had built, and so she nods patiently.

“He remembers my favourite dishes, what I am allergic to, and respects the house rules.”

It is the truth, as Fang Zeshi would witness the following day.

A-Fei shows up for breakfast with a sleepy Xiaohua and Xiaobao trailing behind, settling in his usual seat at Xiaohua’s left side. He snatches up the soy sauce before Xiaobao dumps too much into his bowl in his half-awake state, adding just the right amount for him instead, and offers to pour her tea.

He Xiaohui accepts the cup of tea with a smile, which he awkwardly bows his head at. 

His posture is more tense than usual, she notes- likely due to the presence of her husband, someone who A-Fei did not know how to act around, someone who he had only interacted with a couple of times.

Her husband, for his part, was watching A-Fei with a contemplative expression. Not open distrust, like the last time they ate together, but not quite acceptance yet. 

Xiaobao, still sleepy as he was, had noticed A-Fei's discomfort, and drew his father's attention away from him with the topic of the Emperor’s latest policies following Shan Gudao’s attempted coup.

—

“Our Xiaobao really loves them,” is Fang Zeshi’s conclusion that night, expression exasperated yet fond, as they watch Xiaobao spar with A-Fei. Their nightly spars draw quite the audience, a dance so graceful that it has the servants halting in their duties to watch.

“He does,” He Xiaohui replies. Her Xiaobao had never been one to hide his feelings well- if he liked someone, it was plain for all to see. If he hated someone, anyone within a five meter radius could tell.

Like mother like son, her husband had once remarked. 

“Li Xiangyi…really does not plan on returning to the jianghu?” 

He Xiaohui straightens at the question, a familiar protectiveness rearing its head as she sizes up her husband, “is that Minister Fang asking, or Fang Zeshi asking?”

Fang Zeshi, to his credit, does not flinch under her glare.

“I think you know the answer yourself,” He Xiaohui sighs, casting her gaze to the man sitting with Zhan Yunfei, both men equally riveted by the duel before them. 

“Li Lianhua,” she stresses, which Fang Zeshi looks properly chastised by, “really just wants a quiet life with his partners. You can tell the Emperor that.”

“Okay,” her husband sighs, “okay.”

Not quite acceptance, but not outright disapproval either.

Half the battle won, like she had once told Xiaobao