Cdrama: Moonlight Mystique

Moonlight Mystique, 40 eps, Year 2025: This was a Xianxia drama with some new twists that made it interesting to watch. Bai Lu is a pro by now and Ao Rui Peng is in his first ML role where he plays two different characters and does a very good job of it. I want to see him in more serious roles like this one instead of the usual sidekick or comedy ones he gets.

The plot starts out light with the FL Bai Shuo wanting to become an immortal cultivator at any cost. She meets Fan Yue, a powerful demon king and somehow they end up getting tangled together by a mysterious artifact and past events from 60,000 years ago. I can't explain more or I'll spoil it but the characters go on a quest to collect the 5 emotions and they meet different races and get involved in their problems, only to find it's all connected to events/characters from the past. The main theme is love vs duty and the price of karma as the past comes back to collect its dues and it can be harsh and bloody to have justice served.

The CG is gorgeous here, costume design and makeup is excellent as I'm told this is the same team from Till The End of The Moon. OST is great too. My only complaint is I wanted to see more of the "gods pairing" and the SML was too annoying and got too much screentime; I suspect investor backing here.

Recommended if you're looking for a good Xianxia drama to watch.