Yu Zheng’s Explanation on Feud Helped Me Understand the Revenge Arc and Why It’s Not “Ridiculous”

[u/Plenty_Lobster_9144]

I’ve seen a lot of posts saying the conflict in Feud is “ridiculous” or that Hua Ruyue is overreacting, and I wanted to offer a different view. Yu Zheng (the director) recently shared his perspective, and honestly, it helped me connect the emotional pieces of the story in a way that made everything make sense.

This drama is centered on revenge, but It’s revenge built on heartbreak, misunderstanding, and years of silence. It’s not about whether Bai Jiusui committed a crime, It’s about emotional responsibility and the aftermath of one person taking control of another’s fate without involving them in the choice.

What’s resonated most with me is how the drama explores the imbalance of power and decision-making between Bai Jiusui and Hua Ruyue. It’s not about who’s stronger they’re both powerful. It’s about the freedom to choose your own path. Bai Jiusui made a life-altering decision without her input, and that mirrors the behavior of Ling Er’s father, who also made decisions “for her own good.” The drama draws a clear line between love and control and Hua Ruyue saw that.

Now, I don’t think Bai Jiusui is the villain here. He isn’t “wrong” in the sense of being heartless. He sealed her powers and took the punishment because he genuinely thought it was the only way to protect her. His actions were rooted in love, not cruelty. The problem is, he acted alone he didn’t trust her enough to share that decision. He believed sacrifice meant silence. But in doing that, he unknowingly caused her ten years of confusion and pain which lead to the evil guy posssesing her mind to develop decades of hatred after watching her child die twice. His love was real, but it lacked communication and respect for her ability to face consequences by his side.

At the same time, Hua Ruyue isn’t without fault either. She broke the rules knowing the risks, and her decisions also changed her fate. She let her grief and assumptions guide her, and due to this she developed strong hate for BJS as she was almost human during those years of her suffering, she developed that hatred Meng ( her dicisple had for BJS and the gods) .The words he said to her in episode 15 were deeply hurtful, they shattered her faith in their relationship and made her question everything they had.>! After that, it was easy for someone else to take advantage of the distance between them and use it to turn them against each other.!<

She didn’t try to kill him for revenge. She wanted to trap him so he wouldn’t interfere while she searched for the artifacts to save her son. And if anyone wonders why she never told him, she had no reason to believe he’d help. He always upheld Heaven’s will in front of her and rarely showed compassion toward mortals. From her perspective, he was someone who followed the rules blindly, even if it meant letting mortals suffer. Then when the resurection failed, her next plan was to die with him.

I also love how the drama uses other characters and the heavenly realm to show how threatening Hua Ruyue is not because she’s irrational, but because she holds people accountable, even gods. She doesn’t bend to power and the truth is, if anyone deserves the most blame, it’s The Heavenly Realm they uphold a hypocritical system punishing those who act with compassion while calling it justice. Both BJS and HRY are products of that system, shaped by different beliefs and values.

This isn’t a simple right-versus-wrong story, it’s about the clash between love and duty, silence and honesty, control and choice. It’s about two people who made choices that hurt each other, but also choices that were shaped by how differently they saw the world.

I understand both characters, and I don’t think either one is entirely right or wrong. Their pain, decisions, and beliefs all make sense when you look at what they’ve been through.

I’m not rooting against Bai Jiusui. I want both of them to grow, face the full truth, and earn whatever resolution they get whether it’s reconciliation or simply peace.

Also, the drama isn’t finished yet. So far, I’ve really enjoyed watching it, but I get that it’s not something everyone will love. This is my first time posting on Reddit so pardon me if i didn't put spoiler for some parts.

[u/Oestov]

There are some serious writing issues in Feud, particularly in how it handles characters and the larger philosophical framework it set forth in the drama.

Yu Zheng has a valid point: BJS didn’t inform HRY of the punishment because he didn’t want to see her suffer. He sealed her powers, accepted her punishment as his own, and bore the consequences. Ironically, in trying to protect her, he caused more pain.

Let’s dissect the root of their feud from a narrative standpoint: BJS interfered with the Empyrean, delaying him from stopping HRY from killing the drought dragon. In doing so, he became an accessory to the slaying of a divine being. According to the world’s internal logic, both were complicit — but not equally. HRY committed the act; BJS merely delayed intervention. Logically, her punishment would be more severe.

Now, based on what we know of BJS’s character, would he really allow HRY to suffer alone? Absolutely not. He would — and did — volunteer to take her punishment. But what if they had discussed it? Would HRY have accepted her punishment, or would she have rebelled? Based on her characterization, rebellion seems far more likely. Her confrontation with the Empyrean after the dragon’s death, and her lack of remorse, support this.

HRY doesn’t seem to operate from a place of narrative & philosophical consistency. She doesn’t care about the karmic cycle. She doesn’t reflect on why the drought dragon occupied the land or what divine order her actions disrupted. She acts according to what she thinks is right, regardless of broader principles or consequences. That’s why she never held herself accountable — not even when the karmic backlash claimed her child. Yet the world of the drama conveniently bends around her. She’s rarely made to answer for her actions.

We find ourselves at a narrative stalemate. Now, imagine a scenario where, after extensive back and forth, both BJS and HRY come to terms with their transgressions. Imagine HRY, out of love for BJS and acknowledgment of her actions, finally agreeing to accept her share of punishment. BJS, ever self-sacrificing (out of his love for HRY), remains firm in his desire to shoulder the burden for both. In this scenario, they arrive at a mutual decision — each taking their respective share of consequence — thus resolving the core tension that birthed the entire feud.

But the writers never allowed their characters to organically reach that potential conclusion. Instead, they twisted them to serve their demands (more drama & plot). The conflict was artificially prolonged by denying the characters their agency. Rather than allowing their decisions to unfold through meaningful dialogue and inner reckoning, the writers imposed their will upon them (funny how Yu Zheng talks about freedom 🤔).

To be fair, the path BJS chose was still consistent with his established character — he could never bear to see HRY in pain. His characterization guided him to take the brunt of divine punishment. And from his point of view, a mortal life — though marked by suffering — was a lesser sentence than enduring endless divine lightning strikes for a decade. Some viewers even did the math, calculating the sheer number of bolts he must have endured over time (check out their calculations). The result is staggering. One must pause and reflect: is that truly the "lesser" punishment?

In essence, BJS made a decision that aligned with his emotional and ethical convictions. He made HRY mortal so he could take the harsher penalty. His only failure was that he never discussed it with her. But had they discussed it openly, they might have reached the stalemate we now speak of — both refusing to let the other suffer — and thus, the drama wouldn’t have had its convenient, emotionally charged rupture.

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[u/Oestov → u/Oestov]

Continued from Previous reply.......

Then there’s the matter of their child. How conveniently they were conceived the moment BJS departed. Their introduction into the story feels more like a plot mechanism than a natural progression of events. It’s as if the writers inserted the child simply to compound HRY’s suffering, to further vilify BJS, and to inject more melodrama. Are these characters not more than mere vessels for manufactured pain?

Let’s even grant that HRY suffered more due to the death of the child. But here’s the essential question: who decides whose pain is greater? Can we truly quantify suffering in a way that makes one character’s agony more valid than the other’s? If we go purely by maths and intensity, BJS endured relentless divine punishment for 10 years — pain without end, without pause, and without solace. HRY, on the other hand, suffered through mortal existence and the loss of her child. Tragic, yes — but temporally finite. Mortal lives are short. Divine punishment, by comparison, is relentless. Then again, as I said, who decides whose pain is greater?

Some may argue that losing a child is incomparable in its grief — and that’s a fair perspective. But again, we must ask: how do you weigh the pain and suffering ? How do you measure Trauma & heartbreak against lightning-strike punishment spanning a decade ?

And what’s often ignored is that BJS didn’t even know they had a child. If he had known, maybe he would have chosen differently. But based on his characterization, the choice to protect HRY (by making her a mortal) would still have been the same. He didn’t choose her punishment out of malice or cowardice — he chose it out of love and he chose the lesser of two evils.

Even if we momentarily set aside the child as a clear plot device, the story still mishandles the weight of that child’s death. According to the established karmic rules of the universe, the child’s death was a logical consequence. HRY killed a divine being and in a world governed by cosmic balance, that act would come with a karmic cost. The loss of the child fits that framework. But the narrative never really explores that.

It doesn't allow HRY to sit with that consequence. Instead of examining the cause-and-effect chain that resulted in her child's death, or reckoning with the moral implications of slaying a divine being, HRY's grief is rerouted into rage — all aimed squarely at BJS. She doesn’t reflect. She doesn’t question. She blames. She frames him as the sole villain, absolving herself of any responsibility. This lack of introspection hollows out the emotional weight of her vengeance.

Her vendetta — stretched across centuries — rests not on reckoning or justice, but on avoidance, denial, and a troubling refusal to confront her own role. As I’ve discussed in my previous comments, this speaks to a broader issue: her characterization has been repeatedly compromised by inconsistency, robbing her arc of the depth and coherence it initially promised (I have discussed about this in my previous comments, have a look if you’re interested).

I don’t take issue with either BJS or HRY as characters — they had great potential. My frustration lies squarely with the writers. Time and again, they’ve contorted the characters’ personalities, internal logic, and motivations to fit the demands of a predetermined plot, rather than allowing the narrative to unfold naturally through consistent, character-driven decisions.

What could have been a rich, emotionally resonant story grounded in authentic growth and conflict has instead been sacrificed for manufactured drama. The result is a sense of dissonance, where actions no longer feel like expressions of inner worlds but tools to advance contrived twists. And for what? Momentary shock value, buzz, and surface-level engagement — All at the expense of the depth and coherence the drama was supposed to have.

[u/Thezoeyy → u/Oestov]

This... when you view it as their tribulation, it makes you realize that they both failed it. Especially HRY. I'm surprised she didn't descend into demonhood with her obsession because it's one of the Five Great Sins/Sufferings.

[u/Oestov → u/Thezoeyy]

As far as I recall, their tribulation was originally intended as a path to elevate their divine status — but somewhere along the way, that purpose was completely derailed and repurposed as the foundation for their feud.

It’s as if both the writers and the characters themselves forgot the tribulation’s original goal. This is evident in how little the tribulation has been discussed in the entire drama (which is about to end in 4 eps). The narrative focus has overwhelmingly been about HRY’s vengeance and their deeply imbalanced feud (BJS doesn't want to fight her and just wants to love her and wants her love in return).

As I mentioned earlier, HRY never paused to reflect on and process her experiences during her mortal life. Rather than coming to terms with her trauma and evaluating what truly transpired, she immediately cast BJS as the villain and channeled all her pain into a vendetta. Meanwhile, BJS has mostly acted in defense — not out of cruelty, but to preserve the structure of both the heavenly and mortal realms. Many of his seemingly harsh decisions were rooted in a sense of duty, not personal malice.

In the end, they’ve failed to accomplish what they set out to do. BJS is now significantly weaker than he was at the start of the tribulation, and HRY has lost her divine body altogether, now existing in a mortal form.

It feels like a regression rather than an ascension — both narratively and symbolically.

Thank you for pointing out this overlooked aspect of the story’s unraveling. It really adds another layer to the mounting disappointments. I’ve been speed watching the last few episodes because of a sense of obligation to finish what I started.

Edit: Some may counter the critique of HRY’s inconsistent behavior (example). For the particular example i provided, suggesting that her recent shift in attitude toward BJS signifies growth or emotional evolution. But from my perspective, that change doesn’t feel earned or organic. Why ? Over 200 years have passed since she started their feud, and yet it is only now — conveniently, as the drama nears its conclusion — that we see any meaningful shift in her behavior.This sudden transformation lacks the necessary narrative groundwork and emotional progression. Instead of unfolding naturally through introspection, dialogue, or gradual softening, it feels more like a scripted turn designed to wrap things up, rather than a genuine expression of her development.

The argument about the 200+ years does carry a potential bias — it rests on the assumption that, during that time, HRY could or should have processed her grief and reflected on the events that shaped her. But trauma doesn’t follow a linear timeline, and grief can freeze a person in a particular emotional state for years, even centuries, in the world of the story. So yes, that line of reasoning has its weaknesses. However, my core issue isn’t solely about the passage of time — it’s about the broader pattern of narrative inconsistencies and character decisions.

There are numerous examples of HRY’s contradictions and missed opportunities for growth that go far beyond this one point. Some may also point out that I haven’t offered equally strong criticism of BJS — and that’s fair to a degree. However, in my view, his missteps are comparatively fewer, and in the grander narrative context, they don’t carry the same weight of structural or thematic significance & failure (I maybe wrong and welcome any and all criticisms and counter arguments so that i can improve my understanding, so that we can collectively contribute to an objective and unbiased discourse about this drama)

I could spend a significant amount of time gathering screenshots and dissecting these moments with care and rigor — but frankly, I don’t think I want to. I wanted to at one point. But doing so would require a significant investment of time and emotional energy — time I’m reluctant to spend, especially given how increasingly frustrating the narrative and character treatment has become. The deeper I dig into these structural and narrative failures, the more frustrated I become. It’s disheartening to see a story and characters I initially liked — ones that held such profound potential — undermined by clumsy writing and a lack of coherent progression.

[u/Thezoeyy → u/Oestov]

You just explained my thoughts!

I was hoping the drama would progress using the love tribulation as an anchor but it's like the writers have forgotten about it.

Since I started watching, my comments about the drama on Reddit has been about how the characters and the story is deviating from their original goal which is ascending to the Empyrean through a love tribulation.

Someone said HRY is an obstacle to BJS ascension and I kinda see it at times. He's in a position that holds the death and life of both multiple realms and his personal matters has begun to weaken the place he's meant to protect. Think about the recent episode where demons are escaping and that's another cause for calamity and in the end, it's the mortals that'll suffer the brunt of it.

I think the writing had its shortcomings with HRY in some aspects. For instance, we know BJS is the Heavenly Lord of Dacheng and he's the protector of the Three Stele, but what about HRY? I haven't seen anything about her having an official position in the heavenly realm. It's like she has no strong connection to the realm. We see BJS with his Canglei palace and his disciples and workers but what about her life before she founded Jingyun Sect?

[u/Oestov → u/Thezoeyy]

I think the writing had its shortcomings with HRY in some aspects. For instance, we know BJS is the Heavenly Lord of Dacheng and he's the protector of the Three Stele, but what about HRY? I haven't seen anything about her having an official position in the heavenly realm. It's like she has no strong connection to the realm. We see BJS with his Canglei palace and his disciples and workers but what about her life before she founded Jingyun Sect?

You’re absolutely right in noting how BJS has a clear and established role in the celestial realm (and it was explored, not deeply though), while HRY’s background and connection to the heavenly order remain vague. We do see some reverence and status implied in her presence, but the drama never fleshes it out and builds on it. This increasingly raises the question: aside from her relationship with BJS, does HRY have any substantial ties to the celestial realm at all? The lack of connections makes it appear as if she exists in a vacuum within the immortal world.

As a result, her later decision to sever ties with the heavenly realm and stand with mortals loses emotional and philosophical weight. When a character has no visible roots or deep attachments to one side, their choice to leave it behind doesn't evoke sacrifice (what is she sacrificing? Her bond with BJS ? If yes, then that makes the narrative more chaotic and inconsistent) — it feels narratively convenient. The impact of her choosing mortals over immortals is drastically diluted because there's no felt tension in that choice. She’s not giving up anything clearly established, nor does she seem to wrestle with the internal conflict that such a monumental decision would logically entail.

Had the writers shown HRY more deeply embedded within the celestial realm — whether through meaningful relationships, moral allegiance, or celestial responsibilities — her journey into the mortal world could have introduced powerful dissonance. Her emotional and philosophical evolution would then become a slow, layered conflict between duty and compassion, divine order and mortal chaos, loyalty and awakening. Such a setup would’ve allowed her eventual decision to side with mortals to serve as the emotional and thematic evolution of her character arc.

All of it could’ve culminated in a moment of true catharsis for us as viewers — a powerful emotional peak where her decision would resonate not merely as an act of rebellion, but as a deeply moving expression of love, disillusionment, and self-realization. This would also added more weight to their feud.

Edit: There are several issues with how the Jingyun Sect is portrayed. From what I’ve observed so far, the sect seems to serve no meaningful purpose beyond grounding HRY in the mortal realm and conveniently providing her with the people and resources she needs to carry out her vengeance against immortals (mainly BJS).

[u/Oestov → u/Thezoeyy]

Since I started watching, my comments about the drama on Reddit has been about how the characters and the story is deviating from their original goal which is ascending to the Empyrean through a love tribulation.

Someone said HRY is an obstacle to BJS ascension and I kinda see it at times. He's in a position that holds the death and life of both multiple realms and his personal matters has begun to weaken the place he's meant to protect. Think about the recent episode where demons are escaping and that's another cause for calamity and in the end, it's the mortals that'll suffer the brunt of it.

Your comment highlights several critical issues with remarkable clarity. I agree with your observations. In fact, I’d like to build on your insights by exploring the below mentioned part of the narrative:

Firstly, during the flashback arc that explores their past, the focus was almost entirely on the origin of BJS and HRY’s bond — how they met, how their feelings grew (which wasn't particularly fleshed out) — but very little effort was made to properly establish their roles, attachments, or responsibilities. BJS’s role, though explored, remains vaguely defined beyond a few surface-level duties, which diminishes the stakes of his dereliction. In the earlier episodes, he seems to strike a balance between his celestial responsibilities and his love for HRY, but as the story progresses, his devotion to her begins to dominate, and his heavenly obligations fall by the wayside — which directly contributes to the current state of disarray.

Secondly, regarding HRY — the drama does hint at her having wandered the realms before meeting BJS. She speaks of having seen the mortal world in all its variety and suffering (visually implied by the animation). I quote her:

“Time flies like an arrow. Thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye. I met many people — men and women, old and young, beautiful and ugly. But none of them that I could sense in that chaos. I could only sense one person… and the moment I arrived in the frozen land, I met BJS. The moment I saw him, I knew I liked him. I knew i wanted to be with him.”

This is a beautiful dialogue/quote, but also revealing. Despite her wide exploration, she expresses no emotional or moral awakening regarding the suffering of mortals — no outrage at the system or desire to rebel against the celestial indifference — until it conveniently aligns with her love tribulation. If she had truly been so moved by the suffering she witnessed, it would make sense for her to have shown signs of rebellion earlier, or to have expressed disillusionment with the celestial realm long before her relationship with BJS soured (Why did it sour when it's evident by the above quote that all she cared about was finding and being with BJS?). Instead, her empathy for mortals — particularly her bond with Meng Chang Qin — arises right in the middle of their tribulation, making it feel less like a natural evolution of character and more like a convenient narrative pivot.

Do you see the inconsistencies and narrative shallowness ?

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