#also Sha Hai is very fun and very PRETTY so far???

[fixaidea]

So at this point I think I'm deep enough into DMBJ to allow myself to have some Opinions, so here they are:

Books:

I'm only in the early chapters of Vol. 4 (basically the beginning of Ultimate Note) so a lot may change, but so far it's an enjoyable adventure series. It's refreshing that they're allowed to say 'zombie' and 'grave robber'. Also it makes much more internal sense than most of the dramas, not to mention the individual arcs get their proper mini-climaxes instead of leaving you with never ending narrative blueballs.

The consolidation of the Iron Triangle is a lot slower than in the dramas, but I know they'll get there, I've seen all the cute excerpts from the later books!

Also, I'm usually very wary of First Person narration, because the entire enjoyability of the book hinges on how entertaining the Main Character is, there's no escaping their head. Luckily Wu Xie is an interesting and fun head to be in. I cannot logically explain why he's giving me Rincewind vibes, but he kinda does. It's probably the constant internal screaming - though for him, when the 'flight or fight' instinct kicks in, he starts to bite.

Dramas:

The Lost Tomb:

The good: Say what you will, but I like the visuals. Also they were still allowed to say 'zombie' here.

The bad: I have nothing against Yang Yang, but the hair stylist obviously did.

The Lost Tomb 2:

The good: Cheng Yi and his ears.

The bad: ...So did we ever find out wtf was all that about Zhang Buxun? 'Cause if anything even remotely similar happens in the books, it comes up way further back, if at all. (If this thread DOES get resolved in 2,5 then I apologise, but pretty much everyone who mentions that drama warns against bothering with it, so I never did.)

Theirs is probably the least book-like Wu Xie.

Ultimate Note:

The good: Love this Iron Triangle, and generally I had more fun with this than the pervious two dramas.

The bad: I understand that if you don't have much of a budget quality soundtrack is probably the first to go, but I don't have to LIKE it.

Sha Hai:

The good: Man I love this one. Pretty self-contained, also one of the best production-quality-vise. Also all the thumbs-up to Qin Hao for pulling off this ruthless, bitter Wu Xie with just enough hints of the old Tianzhen that you can see this is still the same character.

The bad: Li Cu, my guy, I'm so sorry but I couldn't give a shit about awkward teenage love-stories when I was an awkward teenager and I'm not gonna start now.

Reboot (I'm only at ep. 14, so jury is still out):

The good: Definitely the best production, and I love the soundtrack.

The bad: Did the author fall out of love with Pangzi or...? In all other versions he's fun AND competent, here he's been relegated to a clown. :(

#dmbj #the lost tomb #sha hai #ultimate note #the lost tomb reboot

[difeisheng]

Hi!! Hope this isn't too much work for you rn, and no pressure answering this! But your constant endorsement plus knowing so many of these DMBJ men from various other dramas has convinced me to give it a go. If I wanna watch all the seasons + movies, which order do you suggest I go in? (came across a whole bunch of different opinions on this, so decided to come to the resident DMBJ expert on my dash <3)

omg welcome to dmbj territory!! hope you end up staying hehe, these stories are a good time :P

alrighty, watching order: first things first, dmbj is not broken up into different seasons, but rather a timeline of individual dramas + side movies adapting different parts of the book series. the casts shift between dramas (some actors do reprise roles), and they were not adapted in chronological book order nor necessarily in continuity with one another. the tone varies wildly between shows/films as a result, and a lot of things in different dramas will not line up between them. timeline whomst. don't think about it too hard just go with it shhhh

for starting points, i've seen people who've started at wildly differing places along the dmbj timeline and made the most of it. others are correct, and there's no 'right' starting point. however, you asked for my opinion, and so with the proviso that i've only actually finished 4/7 of the dramas released so far and can only speak from those experiences, imo the best starting point would be Ultimate Note (2020), or The Lost Tomb Reboot/Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (2020).

Ultimate Note covers most of the latter half of the original book series, and feels made to offer an entry point for people who didn't break into watching the adaptations releasing since 2015. it's the first dmbj show i watched, coming off of heroes because it had a younger cast including zeng shunxi and liu yuning, and i'd say it was a really good experience. the production is snappy, the pacing is decent, and the plot keeps you well engaged for its 37 episodes. for what it's worth, it also feels like the show that tried its hardest to be a bl hehe. one thing to warn is that the ending of the show does not wrap up well, as it's supposed to tie into the next installment in the dmbj chronology (that has not been adapted yet and may not ever), but aside from that it's a satisfying story.

The Lost Tomb Reboot is set ten years after the end of the main series, and adapts one of the sequel novels. like Ultimate Note, it feels like a natural start point, and i'm pretty sure a lot of people went through Reboot as their first dmbj show. it's an older-led cast including zhu yilong, chen minghao, and chen chuhe, with characters who have long settled into their relationships with one another. for me that's where this show shines, as the character dynamics are great and there's a full ensemble cast that gets their own arcs. the production values on it are also decent and the plot twists are good. i will say that for me this show struggled with very uneven pacing, and Reboot is a longer commitment than other shows with two seasons at ~30 episodes each. but overall it was still worth it!

after one of those shows, you have a general grasp of the worldbuilding, and so honestly you can pretty much go anywhere depending on what vibe or maybe actors you're looking for. my personal trajectory was Ultimate Note → Sha Hai/Tomb of the Sea (2018) → The Lost Tomb Reboot, which are all in chronological order, and then i doubled back and watched The Lost Tomb 2 (2019) which is set before Ultimate Note. that's all been a lot of fun for me, but there's a lot of choices.

something that was really helpful for me in deciding what to watch was foxofninetales' guide you can find here, which gives a more in-depth overview of each drama adaptation as starting points and the pros and cons of each. (while we're at it, this character guide may also be useful for tracking who's who across adaptations.) the side movies are not essential to understanding the main dmbj narrative, but are nice for filling in parts of different characters' backstories and events in between/after various shows :)

okay, uh, i'll stop talking now. i hope this was at least somewhat helpful or gave you a place to start looking, and i'm looking forward to seeing your journey through dmbj 👀

#not quite connected to the main post but sha hai is my baby. it's the part of the dmbj universe i find the crunchiest and i love it #also don't listen to anyone who says tlt2 isn't worth watching #there's so much good character stuff and it's got cheng yi!!! i don't recommend it for starting personally but it's Good #dmbj #ashton answers #nutcasewithaknife

[jockvillagersonly]

I want what Wu Xie has (the confidence to intimidate 2 kidnapped people while sitting on a couch covered in stuffed animals)

#a teddy bear AND a penguin?? #Wu xie has good stuff animal taste #also Sha Hai is very fun and very PRETTY so far??? #I did Not recognize Wang Meng at ALL because I have never before thought of his character as hot lol #Sha Hai #Wu Xie #dmbj #jock liveblogs dmbj #starting to see why people call Wu Xie ‘mob widow’ during this period because damn #he is really turning up the murder dial #image has alt text

[kholran]

For the 35 Questions for Fanfic Writers: 4, 5 10, 12, 16, 19, 27, 34

Oh wow so many! Thank you very much!

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Plenty! I'm constantly inspired by other writers in this (DMBJ) fandom. @xantissa and @merinnan and @alxina have such steamy scenes and excellent action plots, and gifted the fandom with not only PingXieSang but Fox!Sang. @foxofninetales has a way with words that I am constantly envious of. @wild-feather writes SO MUCH and is an excellent cheerleader. @hils79 can do slice of life one-shots like no one else. I could honestly heap praises on so so many people (do you write for this fandom? THEN I MEAN YOU), and I draw little bits of inspiration from everything I read.

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

I have a couple, for very different reasons. Pyre, for being the start of my very own pool noodle, and for being the first multi-chapter fic I ever actually finished. And Ordinary World, for being the longest fic I've ever written (to date) and for the world-building. I also wrote the entire thing in just over a month, which is a level of productivity that will probably never happen again.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

It's a toss-up between Canon Divergence and Fusion (characters from one thing put into the world/plot of another thing).

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

I started a RiSang Pretty Woman AU that I'm having a lot of fun writing so far. I'm going to try and sit on it until it's mostly done, so I don't feel guilty for not updating faster. But it's in the works!

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

Answered here!

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

...Yes? LOL Ok not very specific. But I've gotten inspiration for all three of those things. Like Pyre is technically "canon-compliant" with Sha Hai apart from the obvious. The major events happening in the background don't change much from canon, save for some tweaking of the (very very wonky) timeline. While Ordinary World and a few of my WIPs are totally AU. I do tend to try and weave at least some of canon (or at least similar events) into my AUs though, so I guess most of them count as "something in-between".

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

Oh gosh EVERY comment I get is enough to make my entire day! I've only (so far?) gotten one comment that wasn't nice. But maybe...if I absolutely had to choose...I'd say @crowbraiin's comments on Ordinary World as it was going up during the Rarepair Exchange. Seeing how happy they were about it made ME super happy too.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

I've mentioned Ordinary World a few times already, so here's a little bit of RiSang's first meeting in that fic:

Under a cut because I didn't realize how long it was in Tumblr format

“Is there no other way for you to prove your identity?” Zhang Rishan asks.

His head snaps back up, because yes! He can do that! “I know Wu Xie is still alive. He knows me. If you take me to him, he can prove it to you.”

Liu Sang doesn't get the reaction he's hoping for. Zhang Rishan goes completely, eerily still, in the way that only large predators can. “Take you to Wu Xie?” he repeats, and there's ice in his voice. “How do I know you're not a Wang assassin? Perhaps the other fox shifter is the real Liu Sang, and you're merely an impostor that followed him here. Or maybe the two of you are here together to better your chances. How can I be sure you're telling me the truth, and not just what I want to hear so that I'll let you get close enough to Wu Xie to finish him off?”

“What!? No! I'm not a Wang!” Liu Sang protests, cursing the fact that no, he doesn't have a single thing on him to prove that he's telling the truth. “I don't want to kill Wu Xie!” Well, he doesn't want to assassinate him. He's wanted to murder the man plenty, particularly for dropping him into what was supposed to be a well-paying, simple job that would look good on his resume, but what turned out to be some kind of convoluted horror story that involved him being haunted. By paint, of all goddamn things.

“Then prove it,” Zhang Rishan says again, and while his features are still hard and unforgiving, his tone says there is actually some way for Liu Sang to do that to his satisfaction.

“How? How can I do that?” he asks, and he internally cringes at how desperate he sounds. But he has the distinct impression that being unable to prove himself right here and now means he's not going to walk out of this room again. And if he dies here, he won't have any chance at all to tell Wu Xie that his plan as it stands now is going to get him, and everyone else involved, killed. “Tell me what I have to do.”

Something in Zhang Rishan's expression shifts. Just slightly, almost imperceptibly, but for just a moment, it feels more like he's being regarded with appraisal than accusation. As if the fact that Liu Sang doesn't already know what he needs to do means something. “Turn around and take off the robe,” Zhang Rishan says after a moment.

Liu Sang chokes on nothing, and gapes at him. He can't be serious. How is that going to prove anything? “Wh—what?” he stammers, tugging the robe a little more securely around himself. He wants to gain Zhang Rishan's trust but that's...

Zhang Rishan gives him A Look, and sighs. “The mark of the Wang clan is a tattoo. A phoenix on the right shoulder,” he explains. “Show me you have no tattoo, and I will take you to Wu Xie.”

Oh.

“Oh,” he echoes aloud, but any relief he might have felt is short-lived. Not because he has any kind of tattoo. He definitely doesn't. But his back isn't without its marks, and showing them to anyone, much less a complete stranger, is asking a lot. He glances over his shoulder, and realizes belatedly it's a highly suspicious thing to do when he looks back and finds the accusatory expression has returned to Zhang Rishan's face.

Reluctantly, Liu Sang turns. It's the only way. He recognizes and accepts that, but it's a part of himself he doesn't like to think about, and certainly doesn't like to make visible. Pulling his hair away from the nape of his neck, Liu Sang lets the collar of the robe gape open, and shrugs it off his shoulders, though he does not let it fall all the way. Zhang Rishan hasn't earned that show from him yet. His shoulders hunch as he feels the cool underground air brush the sensitive burn scars that cover his upper back, and hears the sharply drawn breath Zhang Rishan takes at the sight of them. It makes him bristle despite his fear. He doesn't want anyone's pity.

What he's not expecting is the sure touch of a broad hand coming to rest flat against his shoulder. He'd been so preoccupied with his own anxiety that, for the second time in less than an hour, he's caught off-guard. He hadn't even heard Zhang Rishan move. Liu Sang jumps, startled, but Zhang Rishan's other hand comes to rest on his opposite shoulder, holding him steady, and not letting him dart away.

“The tattoos are only visible when the skin is heated,” Zhang Rishan says softly, his breath wafting against the shell of Liu Sang's ear, and his voice is so close, and so suddenly gentle. There's almost an unspoken apology in it. Liu Sang shudders, and he's honestly not sure if it's a result of exposing his scars to Zhang Rishan, or because he's instinctively responding to the soothing tone in his voice. Like the purring of a cat, it somehow eases some of his tension.

Zhang Rishan's hand seems to burn against his skin. The heat of it seeps down into his bones, spreading warmth through his veins despite the residual chill of the underground air. Liu Sang shivers again when he feels Zhang Rishan lean in to breathe warm air onto his skin, presumably in an attempt to speed the process along. He's a little taken aback by the intimacy of the gesture, and his response to it. Because he's very abruptly reminded of the way Zhang Rishan's teeth had clamped onto the back of his neck and held firm, and he can't help the intrusive and completely inappropriate thought that maybe he wouldn't mind if it happened again.

But then the hand and the breath are gone, and the moment with them, and Liu Sang is left a little breathless himself at how bereft and cold he feels without them.

Which is absurd. His life is at risk if he can't make Zhang Rishan trust him. He shouldn't be having feelings about being put through a test that will determine whether he lives or dies.

#ask games

[thosch3i]

So here's my personal ranking of DMBJ adaptations, thanks @mejomonster for the idea :D

(but psst first if anyone seeing this post haven't seen it already, there's an interest check for a pingxie gift exchange! over here.)

1. Ultimate Note (2020)

So I wrote a long ass post about UN here, where I mainly talk about the Iron Triangle because they're the heart of DMBJ and their relationship is what makes or breaks an adaptation for me, all else equal. But thankfully UN also has good pacing, faithfulness to the original story (and honestly a smoother and less confusing way of portraying it, but thats not saying much), no exceptionally cringy added romance plot lines, female characters treated as well as they can be given they were fridged in the source material, and a cast and crew with a deep appreciation and love for the characters and story, making the most of what they could with a tiny budget and no promotion. (UN is now the most highly-rated DMBJ adaptation on douban!) The main cast is a bit green, no doubt, but the longer it goes on the better they get. (If you scroll through my #translation tag far enough you'll find stuff XYL and ZSX have said about their characters. XYL especially, really understands Zhang Qiling and I will always respect him for that, which is why he's my favorite Xiaoge.) I'm just eternally sad about the ending and that there probably won't be a S2 for the main story finale because NPSS won't sell the rights again.

2. The Lost Tomb 2 (2019)

Before UN came out, this was my favorite Iron Triangle. The Pangzi and Xiaoge friendship was also super cute here! A sorely underrated friendship, for sure. And I absolutely adore TLT2 Xiao Hua. He and UN Xiuxiu would make a great team. The entirety of the first half (undersea tomb) was remarkably true to the source material (despite being unnecessarily draggy at points), and I do like that they made the Bronze Tree arc more of an Iron Triangle thing than a Wu Xie solo mission like in the novel. But uh, the second half of this drama was just...really confusing lol with so many long shots of them trudging through snow endlessly. But it's a cute Pingxie and Iron Triangle. (Saw someone once say TLT2 is the fluffy Pingxie but UN is the angsty Pingxie, which......accurate tbh.) But...man...will TLT2.5 (Heavenly Palace) ever be released from jail ;;;;;; its supposedly already filmed (different cast) but can't air for...legal reasons? idk? ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

3. Time Raiders (2016)

A wacky movie that makes no logical sense whatsoever but God it was such a fun, wild watch lmao. Pingxie were so unnecessarily gay in this, and also TLT2 Pangzi is great as always. I liked A-Ning being a total badass as well. Movie gets a bit sad when you realize there's a deleted scene canonizing the movie as book!Wu Xie's wishful thinking and fanciful story he told because he misses his friends. In reality, Pan Zi and A-Ning are dead, his San-shu is missing, and he doesn't know if he'll see Xiaoge again (which is why TR!WX is always taking photos of him, I'd say).

4. Qinling Sacred Tree Donghua (2021)

So uh this still doesn't have official English subs (you can find it on a streaming site somewhere but I can't vouch for translation quality). But it's a pretty faithful adaptation of the Bronze Tree arc, but with a slight twist to make Xiaoge more relevant. (I'm still squinting at Liang-shiye.) Still largely a Wu Xie and Lao Yang duo mission, though. But the scenery in the donghua is gorgeous and the food looks really good too...and, like, it's a good and solid adaptation. I just wish it had been an Iron Triangle adventure 😅

5. Sha Hai (2018)

Qin Hao is an amazing Sha Hai Wu Xie. I love him, and the fact that ZSX posted a photo with him ;;;;;;;; my favorite Wu Xies ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; (fun fact: to this day, QH's Weibo pfp is of himself as Wu Xie!) But anyway. Yeah I mostly just love Wu Xie here and everything he's gone through and turned himself into now that Xiaoge is gone. There are several UN parallels because they were done by the same company (which is also why a lot of the actors are the same). Unfortunately, the whole plot was....??????? and I wasn't a fan of any of the romances, or any of the side characters in general 😅 Skipped...so much of it lol. Why did they do *gestures vaguely at the entire show* Man at least they had Three Days of Silence. Small mercies.

6. The Lost Tomb 1 (2015)

They did Pangzi so dirty, I'm sorry sweetheart. That aside, the OCs were also a big ?????? and the fact that they had the iconic Iron Triangle hotel fight so early...WITHOUT THE FULL IRON TRIANGLE????????? But TLT1 Pingxie were literally a case of love at first sight soulmates so that was sweet. Also the blood feeding. Nice 👌 This Xiaoge is probably what most of the tomb-robbing world (or very casual dmbj fans ig lmao) see when they think of Zhang Qiling: aloof, mysterious, terrifyingly strong, (and kinda 2000s emo-boy-looking for some reason???)

7. The Lost Tomb Reboot (2020)

Confusingly wild deviations from the original story, really cringy romances + fridged women, and unnecessarily dragged out plot aside, I just wasn't feeling the Iron Triangle in this one 😅 Nor was I a fan of the treatment of Xiaoge. (He was stolen from his mother as a baby and abused by the Zhang family ever since, used as a convenient bloodbag to get around tombs and he didn't even understand he was a human being with a heart who could want things until he met his mother again in Three Days of Silence, where he finally regained the "heart" given to him by his mother that the Zhang family had taken from him...and then the first thing he experienced was the loss of his mother. I think this was the only canonical instance of him crying. After that, he lived a life full of mostly loss and more trauma, being kidnapped, kept naked in a basket, and used as zombie bait when he lost his memories...and knowing all this about his past, Pangzi tells him to use his blood in a tomb, enthusiastically, without hesitation. Like...you don't tell your best friend to cut himself because you think his blood might be useful. Especially not your best friend who you know in his past has been abused just like that since birth by his blood-related "family".) I do, however, think all the actors did amazing jobs with what they were given and are very talented. The effects were also good and the music is fantastic too. I don't think I need to praise Z1L's acting because everyone knows how good he is, and he pulled off that hallucination scene where he saw Xiaoge die for him just beautifully 👌 And Xiaoge smiles! Also very cute.

So yeah that's all the adaptations I've seen! It's past 1:30am so I'm a bit rambly but 🤪🤪🤪

#shouting into the void #dmbj #give me a chance to talk abt dmbj and it WILL end with me being sad about xiaoge #i write fic for the sole purpose of being sad abt xiaoge #which is why all my current whopping total of two (2) dmbj fics are me being sad about xiaoge #long post

[potahun]

Sha Hai / Tomb of the Sea watch

Time to vomit final feelings.

Final line-up of the top 10 characters i liked

1. Luo Que and Kan Jian (GOOD kids. GOOD souls. Love them. Flawless. I mean, Luo Que and his ridiculous commitment to aesthetics? Kan Jian and the brainless beef? Kan Jian took over Zhang Fu Guan’s LJM legacy as the simpleton with fighting spirit. He’s basically the definition of a himbo. Also, their respective weapons?? A fishing rod and a slingshot, seriously??? Im counting those two as a unit now. I hope Kan Jian gets to tell more jokes to Luo Que in Sichuan dialect. (Their Chinese cp name is sometimes ‘Brainless x Grumpy’ I believe, and I appreciate that))

2. Yang Hao/Hao Ge (a good bro. Good heart.He was not always treated right and i wish theyd elaborated more on him at the end, but whenever he was there he was a good kid - especially the beginning. Honestly his misgivings about everything were so right and he deserved better)

3. Liang Wan (shes good. Shes smart. Shes shamelessly horny I WISH the scriptwriter had treated her better like fuck it stop making her weak at your convenience. at the end she did stupid things but mostly because the scriptwriters/director used her as a plot device to make the male characters into heroes and I HATED THAT with a passion SHE DESERVED BETTER) Also kind of hated how they made all her motivations be about Zhang Fu Guan because COME ON we get it’s a romance can you please let her be her own character pls pls pls. I have a lot of complaints about how they treated Liang Wan but I liked her a lot as a character

4. Huo Dao Fu (this dude and his contradictions came in after halfway in the show but still left such an IMPRESSION PFFFFT. Mr I only care about myself but then genuinely cares for Yang Hao’s safety and state of mind. Also Mr cant talk without slurring words. Hes a Huo but mingles with the Chen. What a bastard)

6. Black glasses. (initially found the way he talked rly annoying, but eventually grew on me. Lots of amusing character quirks and when hes there the group is immediately funnier and better. The master disciple thing with Su Wan was fun while it lasted)

7. Su Wan. Good kid. Mostly a good kid. “Do you know why i packed a saxophone to the desert? To save you guys!” I can’t believe. Also cant believe thats the same actor as Xue Yang in mdzs i initially got whiplash but got over it

8. Su Nan (i didnt watch the beginning of the show but thought she was badass and i rly felt like she deserved better at the end. Really hated the way they used her too. the way this show treated female characters is shit)

9. Wang Pang Zi (what a likeable dude overall)

10. Fo Ye. I mean, hey honestly they talked about him so fucking often he might as well have been there

--

Lowest bit in the whole series: The whole period with Li Cu, Shen Qiong and the Wang family at the end. God I could not for the life of me find Li Cu likeable so I could not care for his struggles at ALL despite him being the main character, I just literally could not give a fuck (and it’s such a shame because in his first trip down to the Gu Tong Jing, I did find him likeable). Also, did I mention the female characters deserved better? Plus, the whole thing with the Wang Family is just...so anti-climatic. So.....yeah....I had a terrible time at the ‘climax’.

Favourite bit of the whole series: The trip down the tomb-like hole in the Chen’s territory, which was left by Chen Pi, and which involved Chen Pi’s descendant, Zhang Fu Guan, and Luo Que. I mean, first off, my memory is a bit blurry already, I think it was not a tomb, but it was the most tomb-like structure, so the descent there was very much like classic tomb-raiding and very reminiscent of the descents in Lao Jiu Men, where you feel like anything could happen -- as opposed to the Gu Tong Jing which was mysterious at first, but got boring fast, because: i) it’s mostly modern compounds, ii) you’ve quickly done a full tour of the things that can attack there, which are basically snakes and trees. That’s it. Not very riveting. The descent in the Chen territory was really eerie and the little throwbacks to the times of the old nine gates were good fun. Plus, Luo Que was absolutely a baby star throughout. His “You actually don’t need to put in so much effort for me, you’re an employee of Xin Yue Fan Dian” and “Right now, I’m here. So I’m yours” exchange with Zhang Fu Guan absolutely touched my heart. He’s a fashionista with a crush on Zhang Fu Guan the size of a mountain. Bless him.

Overall, I did not find what I was hoping to find in this series, and I got pretty angry at the characters and the writing many times in the series. The plot is also a bit cheesy and far-fetched. The treatment of female characters is absolutely maddening, and that treatment is not as bearable as in period dramas, because this is modern days and you cannot use the era as an excuse. Overall, I would not recommend the watch. But the concept of the Nine Gates is still wonderful, and probably one of the main reasons I stuck until the end. For those who watched Lao Jiu Men, the show does give a lot of Easter eggs and throwbacks, but honestly, if you should choose, I would recommend watching Lao Jiu Men instead. 

#zhang fu guan is not in the top 10 #because zhang fu guan of ljm was an absolute gem whereas honestly zhang rishan is .... so meh #in the beginning its great and then god.... towards the end.... #also I CANNOT believe that they tried to pull an Edward Cullen on Zhang fu guan I mean #wtf #I shall ignore that #completely #it's forgotten #sha hai #tomb of the sea #long post #vent post