
# Mysterious Lotus Casebook 莲花楼

[*Mysterious Lotus Casebook*](https://mydramalist.com/713331-the-lotus-casebook) was released in 2023. The drama's main character is portrayed by [Cheng Yi](https://mydramalist.com/people/12790-cheng-yi). The creators of the drama took an interesting approach when it came to the dubbing of Chen Yi's character. The character in the drama's current timeline (Li Lanhua) is voiced by Cheng Yi himself, but the version of his character from ten years earlier is voiced by someone else. Li Lanhua's younger self is known as Li Xianyi, and while this character is also portrayed by Cheng Yi, the character's voice actually comes from a voice actor named [Chen Zhang Tai Kang 陈张太康](https://mydramalist.com/people/140153-chen-zhang-tai-kang).

Chen Zhang Tai Kang has quite a substantial backlist of dramas to boast about. This year alone, he has been the voice of characters fro*m* [*Fight for Love*](https://mydramalist.com/77567-fight-for-love)*,* [*Whispers of Fate*](https://mydramalist.com/755725-shui-long-yin)*,* [*Blood River*](https://mydramalist.com/757799-an-he-chuan)*,* [*Love in the Clouds*](https://mydramalist.com/757769-love-in-the-clouds)*, and* [*Gemini*](https://mydramalist.com/778814-jin-zhao-yu-zui)*.*

# Rewatch Party Discussions:

The discussions are being hosted by u/aquaphobicturtle (me),  u/BasilOrdinary3617, and [u/Careless\_Reflections](https://www.reddit.com/user/Careless_Reflections/).

We will cover one episode a day, and the discussions will alternate between the three hosts. The number of episodes covered by each host during each round will fluctuate due to certain episodes covering the same case.

*Considering that the drama tends to revolve around mini-mysteries within the bigger mystery that is "Mysterious Lotus Casebook", each episode discussion will have a "TLDR" (Too long didn't read) section that will explain what each episode has revealed.*

# Discussion Schedule:

*Discussions will be posted at 20:00 GMT +2*

* December 1^(st) \- Episode #1 (u/aquaphobicturtle)
* December 2^(nd) \- Episode #2 (u/aquaphobicturtle)

**Some Guidelines**

1. Use [Spoiler Tags](https://www.reddit.com/user/AquaphobicTurtle/comments/1p0alud/spoiler_tags_a_small_visual/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) if -
   * You are discussing anything that happens after the episodes we have already covered.
   * You are commenting on the importance of something from the current episode because of what happens later in the drama.
   * You are discussing a character in a form that will reveal their future friendships and allegiances.
2. If you do happen to accidentally include a detail that has not yet been revealed, don't worry, hosts will be monitoring the comments and will gently remind you if spoiler tags are needed. Don't feel bad if this happens to you. All of us have made this mistake at some point during discussions.
3. Keep the environment positive.
4. There is one thing we will be very strict with:

**Any comments alluding to the ending will be reported and removed immediately!**

# Episode #1 - The Legend, The Doctor, and The Disciple

**The Legend**

>*Ten years ago, the fastest sword in the wide world was Li Xiangyi's sword.*

>*He defeated the Demon of the Blood Realm at 15 and became the best martial artist in the world. He established the Sigu Sect at 17. At the age of twenty, he became the head of the martial arts world, ended the chaotic fights, and became a legend.*

>*Some take him as the hope for the martial arts world in the Central Plains. But more people think about defeating him, including Di Feishang, the head of the Jinyuan Alliance of the Cult of the Devil.*

>*He even killed Shan Gudao, Li Xianyi's senior and caused Li to fight him.*

>*That day, the fight dimmed the day. It's said that Li Xiangyi fell into the trap set by the Jinyuan Alliance.*

>*He was poisoned.*

>*But soon after the Jinyuan Alliance was eliminated by the Sigu Sect, but the Sigu Sect was split apart as well. Only Baichuan Academy, the Hall of Punishments, remained.*

 Well, there we go, that was about the easiest setup I have ever had to do for a drama!

*Mysterious Lotus Casebook* sets up its main storyline within the first 10 minutes of the drama. The use of a voice-over accompanied by lovely illustrated designs is not necessarily a "new" idea; many other dramas also employ this storytelling technique as a way to get past the oh-so-important "info dump" we get at the start of ~~drama~~ stories. One example comes from the last "rewatch party" I hosted, namely, [*Love Between Fairy and Devil*](https://mydramalist.com/53117-cang-lan-jue).

**The Doctor**

It's quite fitting, the way that Li Lanhua's character is introduced.

He's clearly very smart and looks down on "morally sucky" behaviour (cheating), but you can also tell that he doesn't make it his problem to fix the world and correct morally corrupt behaviour. He's just here to coast through the day.

I say "morally corrupt" with a pinch of salt because blackmailing someone you know is cheating on his wife for money definitely isn't "righteous".

*^(Is it righteous to always limit your extortion to five taels of silver?)*

Li Lanhua never pretends to be righteous in the first place

# The Disciple

*Fang Duo Bing*. Man, I love Fang Duobing.

I also love the "light" atmosphere at Baichuan Academy - with the upbeat music and Fang Duobing's awkward little "Hi" once his mask is removed.

That atmosphere does dampen pretty quickly when Fang Duobing mentions his Shiy - the legendary and aloof Li Xianyi. I love the way they use music to indicate a tonal shift when Fang Duobing brings out Li Xiangyi's carved sword.

# TLDR

*Li Lanhua is asked to bring a dead guy back to life, but he is adamant that, well, that is not possible, and enlists the help of young Fang Duobing. Turns out, Li Lanhua was working with said "dead" guy to steal something that belonged to his Shifu.*

# Ruminations

Li Lanhua's face when the guy threatens to cripple his "useless claws" is simultaneously hilarious and adorable.

I love Feng Duobing's unconscious arrogance so much. First, he ~~orders~~ gets his servant to order and states "keep it simple" (orders everything on the menu), then, near the end of the episode, Li Lanhua mentions this **very rare and expensive** "Rare Jade Cold Smoke".

**Li Lanhua:**

>Last year, only one piece came out... Fuyu building charged an extremely rare high price.

**Fang Duobing:**

>"*smug sigh* I didn't want to be ostentatious"

MY MAN!

*On a sidenote, the fact that LLH actually has this information means that he has been keeping active tabs on that side of the world. And by "that" side of the world, I mean the martial arts side of the universe we find ourselves in.*

My first reaction to Li Lanhua's final words to Fang Duobing in this episode - scolding and saying that "Baichuan Academy is getting worse every year" was (and this is a direct quote "dayyyymmnn".

But my second reaction is actually to think about the fact that this is the first moment Li Lanhua takes the time to "teach" Fang Duobing. He is already falling into the role of Fang Duobing's Shifu without either of them realising it.

Overall, episode one does a good job of setting up the story, and while my "this has me hooked" moment only came in at around episode 8, I still think episode one does a good job of getting the audience (us) excited about the next episodes.

# Housekeeping

Starting tomorrow, character names and key concepts will be linked to small explanations on the host's pages. This way, anyone who is struggling to keep up with the terminology of the drama can just read those, for now:

Here are some key definitions from the introduction:

1.  **Li Xiangyi:** Our main character. He was at the top of his game ten years ago, when he lost a fight against a rival after being poisoned.
2. **The Sigu Sect:** The martial arts sect founded by Li Xianyi.
3. **Baichuan Academy, Hall of Punishments:** A separate branch from the Sigu Sect. Baichuan Academy takes responsibility for keeping the martial arts world in check. (They are basically the police, but separate from the Court).
4. **Di Feishang:** The rival that defeated Li Xiang Yi ten years ago. He vanished ten years ago along with Li Xiang Yi.
5. **The Jinyuan Alliance of the Cult of the Devil:** The martial arts sect founded by Di Feishang.

# Question:

Did episode one draw you in? Or was **the majesty** of *Mysterious Lotus Casebook* something that creeped up on you slowly?



Mysterious Lotus Casebook (莲花楼): Rewatch Party Discussions - Episode #1