- Drama Title: Blood River
- Also Known As: 暗河传, An He Zhuan Zhen Ren Ban, Legend of Dark River, Tales of Dark River
- Director: Yin Tao
- Genres: Mystery, Action, Wuxia
- Cast: Gong Jun, Peng Xiao Ran, Chang Hua Sen, Yang Yu Tong, Snow Kong, Zhang Shi An
- Number of Episodes: 38
- Date of Release: Oct 20, 2025
- Original Network: Youku
- Where to Watch: Youku
- Adapted from the novel: “Tales of Dark River” by Zhou Mu Nan
Dear readers, how are you today? this morning I was living my best life. As usual I scroll happily for food videos and thinking about what snack should I eat later. Then reality tapped my shoulder and whispered, “You still have a drama review to finish”. So, I dragged myself out of the comfort of air conditioner and squeeze my brain into this Blood River drama review post. It wasn’t easy, but the brain cells finally clocked in and decided to cooperate. Well, at least for today. Happy reading! 😜
Blood River Synopsis
Su Mu Yu and Su Cang He were part of the Blood River, a mysterious assassination guild. It was run by three clans, Su, Mu, and Xie. All of them followed a ruthless leader known as the Patriarch.
Blood River was powerful. They could take the life of an ordinary man, a martial arts expert, a court officials, and even members of the royal family. If needed, they could wipe out an entire household, sect, or even a whole city.
But things start to fall apart when the Patriarch of Blood River is poisoned. When they learned that his condition was bad, the three clans suddenly began fighting for the patriarch position.
Su Mu Yu, the leader of the Spider Shadow, took responsibility for protecting the dying Patriarch while searching for the cure. In the process, he clashes with his best friend, Su Cang He, and meets a new friend, the miracle physician Bai He Huai.
The power struggle led to the reformation of the Blood River. In the end, Su Cang He became the new patriarch while Su Mu Yu took the position of the head of the Su clan. Together, they joined hands and set a new path for Blood River called the Other Shore.
Their goals were simple. They wanted Blood River to choose its own fate and stop being a weapon controlled by others. They no longer wished to be another pawn in someone else’s plan.
Blood River Drama Review
I have never been prouder of myself. Somehow, I realized that lately I’ve been challenging myself by watching dramas that would never be my first choice. I pushed myself out of my usual comfort zone, and it turned out to be more fun than I expected. Yeay!
Blood River has never been my first choice. Why? Of course, because it was a wuxia drama. If you decided to watch a wuxia drama, there were some things you must consider before you push the play button.
When a Romance Junkies Wander into Wuxia Land
First of all, wuxia drama consisted of fighting scenes. Weapons, blood, and dead bodies were strewn all over. Although some of these dramas have a nicely choreographed fighting scene, it was still intense. Blood River has so many fighting scenes that I lost count. And I’m pretty sure there is at least one in every episode. 😃
Second, Wuxia drama’s story has a slower pace compared to romance drama. This happened because the wuxia world often comes with a lot of backgrounds. It has sects, clans, martial arts schools, cities, groups, and each of them usually has its own rules and grudges.
It’s complicated and full of tangled relationships. Before you know it, one small conflict could turn into a giant mess involving tens of people, three clans, and a decade-old misunderstanding. Forgive and forget? Not in wuxia. 😜
The third thing to keep in mind is the number of characters. A wuxia drama can introduce new faces almost in every episode. I often ended up spending more time figuring out who is who than following the plot. Lastly, don’t expect too many sweet moments. Romance is rarely the main dish here. At best, it’s a side snack. If you start with the right mindset, you might enjoy the journey.
And as a romance junkie, I often came looking for sparks. Wuxia dramas gave me a good amount of it… from clashing blades. 😤
Blood River was one of the hardest Cdramas that I watched this year. There were many characters and arcs in the story. Every time I thought that I finally understood the whole picture, the drama threw another arc at me. Call me a slow processor, but I think Blood River’s story was unpredictable, intense, and honestly, a little overwhelming.
Many of the characters in this drama have complicated personalities. They were morally ambiguous. Those characters lived in that in-between space, and everything depended on your belief. It was hard for me to guess the story plot and who the real villain was.
When I thought the arc was over, it didn’t. And when I decided that a character is the villain, he/she died midway. I even almost believed that Su Chang He would be Su Mu Yu’s foe.
The premise of Blood River is the struggle of Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He to carve their own path and choose their own fate. Since they were young, Su Mu Yu, Su Chang He, and other assassins were trained to become someone else’s blade.
An old veteran assassin in the guild once said that a member of Blood River needs no friends. Because friend will only make them hesitate while wielding their sword. They were basically killing machines with no personal lives.
It’s the extreme version of all work, no play. No wonder they started questioning their life. Apparently, even assassins can have burnout moments. LOL. 😂
But seriously, I never thought that I would enjoy this kind of complicated story. It took time for me to finish this drama. This one is not the type you casually pick when you just want something light to unwind.
You have to watch it slowly, give it some time to let everything sink in. And the moment you finish this one, I am sure you’ll crave the second season.
Many said that Gong Jun didn’t perform well in this drama. However, I thought he did a great job. At the beginning of the drama, I also frowned at him. This version of Su Mu Yu looked boring and dull. His eyes looked empty, and he felt stiff. Not charming at all.
This, I believe, was part of the story. The young Su Mu Yu is a vibrant kid. But after disaster struck his family, things changed and trauma followed. Having escaped from a massacre just to meet a deadly training that requires kill or be killed surely would change people’s personalities.
He saw too many deaths and learn to shut parts of himself down. To survive, he was numbing his fear, grief, and warmth. Eventually, the smile becomes rare, and the joy becomes a memory.
This is the part when Su Mu Yu becomes a rigid, cold, and unfeeling person. He was more like a machine than a human. And Gong Jun really portrayed this particular part well. So well that even my husband thinks that he did a bad job of acting here.
But I like to focus on the good side of things. I believe that Gong Jun has done a good job portraying Su Mu Yu and his character development.
As the story progressed, Su Mu Yu slowly opened up. And you could see the change in his personality through Gong Jun’s acting. His eyes began to show emotions, and he started smiling.
Suddenly, Su Mu Yu became an attractive man in my eyes. The costume and cinematography helped a lot with this transformation. After Su Mu Yu took on a new role as the head of the Su family, he began to wear colorful robes.
The visual also shifted with a brighter tone and softer lighting. Before that, as Lord Kui, Su Mu Yu was always in black. Seeing him in vibrant colors almost felt like seeing a different person.
Meanwhile, Chang Hua Sen’s acting stayed consistent from start to finish. There were not many dramatic changes in Su Chang He’s personality. He still loves to exaggerate things, and his chaotic personality really brought life to the screen.
Sometimes you could tell that Su Chang He didn’t really show his true feelings, even though he acted like an open book. There were moments when his eyes dimmed, like when he remembers a certain part of his life.
Cheng Hua Sen’s theatrical acting was part of Su Chang He’s personality. He was fun, for certain people, cunning when needed, and cruel for those who deserved it.
Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He are like Zoro and Luffy. But with more trauma and sharper weapons.
The Story – A Tale of Brotherhood and The Chosen Path
“Mu Yu, the road will be long and perilous.”
“Walk, and I shall reach the destination.”
(Su Zhi and Su Mu Yu of the Su clan)
Blood River shared the same universe with two wuxia dramas, Dashing Youth and The Blood of Youth. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch any of them. But my dear friend, The Dewi, wrote a fantastic review about The Blood of Youth. The three dramas were written by Zhou Mu Nan.
If you want to watch it all in correct order, it should be Dashing Youth, followed by Blood River, and then The Blood of Youth. But I don’t know why Youku decided to create The Blood of Youth first, then Dashing Youth, and lastly the Blood River.
Blood River itself was a standalone story about Su Mu Yu from the Blood River organization. He and his best friend, Su Cang He, share the same dream. They wanted to change the fate of Blood River. They were tired of living as shadows. They wanted to stand under the sunlight and call it theirs. They wanted to choose their fate and no longer question themselves.
And to understand Su Mu Yu, we need to understand his job. It’s the same energy as meeting someone at a party and asking, “So… what do you do?” Yes, it feels exactly like that because it seemed to be the safest place to start. 😜
Su Mu Yu worked as an assassin. Blood River got an order from the Soul Reaper’s Hall, and the chosen assassin must complete the mission. But before anyone could officially join the organization, they had to survive a training. According to the rules, only one person was supposed to make it out alive. But for Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He, the Patriarch bends the rules.
Su Mu Yu and Su Cang He grew up together as trained assassins of Blood River. They were inseparable and ready to sacrifice their lives without hesitation for each other. And that’s why they ended up being the most valuable assassins of the organization. One was skilled and powerful, the other was smart and cunning.
Blood River itself didn’t stand alone. It was run by the Su, Mu, and Xie clans. And above them is the Soul Reaper Hall. This is where Blood River accepts its assigned missions from. The Soul Reaper Hall consisted of three officials: Water, Heaven, and Earth. They were easy to recognize because all of them had white hair despite being young.
Above the Blood River and the three families is the Patriarch. He seemed powerful, but he was actually below the authority of the Soul Reaper’s Hall. And this is the second arc started. Right after the Patriarch died, Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He realized that Blood River is just a pawn in someone else’s chess game. There were stronger hands controlling the Soul Reaper’s Hall.
Su Mu Yu, also known as Lord Kui, is the leader of the Spider Shadow. It’s the most elite assassin unit and the closest guardians of the Patriarch. Unlike any other assassins, Su Mu Yu has his own rules.
The Three Refusals. He refused to accept the mission without knowing the reason behind it. He refused orders to annihilate an entire family. And lastly, he refused to take the mission against his will.
And there was Su Cang He. The only person who truly understands Su Mu Yu. He also has a rule, and it is much simpler than Su Mu Yu’s. He accepts any mission that Su Mu Yu refused. The reason was simple: to keep the Soul Reaper’s Hall from taking Su Mu Yu’s life because he refused a mission. That is a true friend’s energy.
The three families have their own agenda to snatch the patriarch position, even though they know that every Kui was trained to be the next patriarch. This is the first arc of the story. Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He faced each other as opposing parties. Su Mu Yu vowed to his loyalty and duty. While Su Chang He seeks an opportunity to gain control of Blood River.
In this arc, Su Mu Yu gets to know Bai He Huai, a very skilled physician who cured the Patriarch. She turned out to be Su Zhe’s long-lost daughter. Bai He Huai and Su Mu Yu were already attracted to each other after their first meeting.
Su Mu Yu was very subtle in showing his feelings for her. Their romance became interesting due to Bai He Huai’s straightforward personality. She wasn’t shy to show her affection in a cute way.
Bai He Hua was not the kind of woman who was full of charm and seductive like Mu Yu Mo. She was a more practical type. Every time the fight ends, she will immediately check on Su Mu Yu before checking on anyone else. The affection between them was hard to ignore.
Every glance, every smile, and every silent moment between them told us that they had already fallen for each other. People around them could see it clearly, and so could we, the audience.
But if you are waiting for a more intimate interaction between them, just forget it. 😜
The second arc is the foundation of the rest of the story. Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He learned that there was a greater power that controlled the Blood River. The small ripple they created didn’t just stir the organization itself. It reached the palace and the power struggle within its royal walls.
Between the busy life of transforming Blood River, Su Mu Yu managed to avenge the death of his father and the destruction of No-Sword City. This time, he uses his real identity, Zhou Yue An, the heir of No-Sword City. In this arc, Su Mu Yu’s moral compass was challenged when he learned a painful truth behind the death of his father.
Su Chang He also has his own pursuit and revenge. It was only revealed in the last part of the drama. Before that, he simply chased his dream of The Other Shore while standing beside Su Mu Yu. His journey was also interesting due to his unreadable personality.
You never knew whether he was smiling out of genuine kindness or because he already planned five steps ahead. And the more we watched him, the more we realized that behind his lively expression, Su Chang He carried secrets heavier than anyone could imagine.
The open ending of Blood River felt like a new path for its characters. The road was still long and the journey still far from over. Some people were gone and some were forced to part ways. Whatever the case, Blood River left a mark on my heart. There was enough warmth, sorrow, and hope to keep long after the final scene ended.
The Visuals – Wuxia, But Make It Anime
The fighting sequence of this drama looked like a live-action anime. The director really went all out with the CGI. For some people, it might look exaggerated at times, but I kind of enjoy this maximalist style.
My hardcore wuxia lover husband, on the contrary, doesn’t agree with me at all. He was more like, “Less sparkle, more swordplay, please.” So I guess it depends on the viewer. 😁
Wuxia drama always comes with fighting scenes as the main dish. And the camera work played a great role in delivering it. Personally, I think the camera work capturing the action in The Immortal Ascension feels more fluid and immersive.
Yes, they have a different style, but if we take away the CGI and focus only on the camera movement, The Immortal Ascension did it better. Still, the CGI made Blood River unforgettable. Some scenes truly felt like anime coming to life. Especially with those giant scary figures that appeared when a special array was performed.
And if you pay attention, you will notice how the color tone shifted through the story. In the beginning, it looked darker and colder. Reflecting Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He’s life in the shadows.
But after Blood River was rebuilt, the tone turned lighter and brighter, as the hope finally arrived and the future could be better than the past. Later in the series, the color turned a little darker to suit the story when Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He faced the real villain of the story.
The Characters
Su Mu Yu / Zhuo Yue An / Lord Kui (Played by Gong Jun)
Su Mu Yu grew up as Zhuo Yue An in the No-Sword City. His father was the Lord of the city. When the entire city fell, Zhuo Yu Luo sent his only son down the river to save him.
Although he was later trained by the Blood River, Su Mu Yu never forgot his father’s teaching. Therefore, he becomes an anomaly in the assassins’ world. He became a righteous assassin. He adhered to the principles of loyalty, as he always said, “Loyalty comes first.”
Su Mu Yu was known by the alias Umbrella Ghost. It was because he concealed his swords inside the specially made umbrella. His signature technique was the Eighteen Swords Array.
Personality-wise, Su Mu Yu is loyal, focused, and responsible. He didn’t speak much compared to the talkative Su Chang He. As an assassin, he has a strong moral compass and a compassionate heart. Su Chang He often called him naïve, while Bai He Huai called him a soft-hearted idealist.
And they were right. Otherwise, Su Mu Yu wouldn’t set the Three Refusal, an ironclad rule for the Soul Reaper’s Hall. He is a good leader who cares about his subordinates, so when there was betrayal, he was the one who felt the deepest cut.
Su Chang He (Played by Chang Hua Sen)
Su Chang He has been friends with Su Mu Yu for twenty years. Their personalities were different, but they understood and supported each other. Su Chang He’s code name in the Blood River is The Undertaker.
Together with Su Mu Yu, they were the most formidable assassins of Blood River. However, although his swordsmanship was less powerful than Su Mu Yu’s, his reputation was even more frightening than Su Mu Yu’s Umbrella Ghost.
In contrast with the cold and reserved Su Mu Yu, Su Chang He was lively and bold. He is talkative and chases his ambitions without hesitation. Su Chang He never waited for an opportunity to arrive, he created them. He could be ruthless when needed and loved to push boundaries.
Although he loves to laugh and smile, it carries a hidden warning and danger. Underneath the reckless façade was someone strategic, visionary, as well as cunning.
Su Chang He cares about power because it was the key to freedom. Not only for himself, but also for his people. He looked detached, but deep down inside, he really cared about Su Mu Yu. Su Chang He has a younger brother, Su Chang Li.
Bai He Huai (Played by Yang Yu Tong)
This young woman was known as the martial senior of the King of Medicine. She is the last disciple of Li Yu Zhen, the founder of Medicine King Valley. Her ability was formidable, and she was famous as the Miracle Physician.
Bai He Huai is smart, straightforward, and proud of herself. Although she looked fragile and harmless, she was quite powerful. Skilled in medicine and poison, she also had decent martial arts ability.
Bai He Huai’s father is Su Zhe from the Su family. Her mother was Wen Luo Jin from the Wen clan. She grew up in the Medicine Valley, and her motto is “As long as one’s not dead, they can be saved.”
Mu Yu Mo / The Rabbit (Played by Peng Xiao Ran)
Mu Yu Mo is one of the Spider Shadow Unit members. There were twelve assassins in the group, each using a code name according to the Chinese zodiac. Hers is the Rabbit. Like most from the Mo family, Mu Yu Mo was skilled with poison and insect techniques. She is also famous for her beauty and confidence.
Mu Yu Mo grew up alongside Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He. She was one of the few people whom Su Mu Yu considered as real family. On the outside, Mu Yu Mo looked gentle, warm, and kind. But she is loyal, sharp, and far stronger than she appears. And when she chose to turn on her charm, even someone as aloof as Tang Lian Yue couldn’t escape from her grasp.
Tang Lian Yue (Played by Zhang Si An)
Tang Lian Yue is the last disciple of the Second Master Tang, who died at Mu Ming Ce’s hand. He inherited his master’s skill in hidden weapons and became famous for it. His martial ability was on par with Sikong Chang Feng and Baili Dong Jun (Dashing Youth).
Tang Lian Yue was from the Tang clan. He holds the role of Xuanwu Guardian, one of Tianqi City’s Four Guardians. He is also Prince of Langya’s favorite. Even though his martial arts ability was impressive, Tang Lian Yue hated killing and had a soft heart. When he wasn’t on any mission, he was a gentle and protective person, especially toward the people he cared about.
Mu Xue Wei (Played by Snow Kong)
Mu Xue Wei comes from the Mu family. She is proficient in poison, and her whole body is poisonous. Anyone who touches her will die a miserable death.
Mu Xue Wei always wore a veil and gloves to make sure she didn’t touch and accidentally kill an innocent person. Mu Xue Wei has been in love with Su Mu Yu for a long time, but he only thought of her as a family member.
Mu Qing Yang (Played by Gao Ji Cai)
Mu Qing Yan is also a member of the Mu family. He is talented in fortune-telling and is often seen with a coin in his hand. Although he looked like an ordinary youngster, he had solid martial arts skills and a sharp mind hiding behind the carefree nature.
Mu Qing Yan is also a talkative person who could ease an awkward situation with his cheerful personality.
Mu Ming Ce (Played by Geng Le)
Mu Ming Ce is the Patriarch of Blood River. He is a ruthless, calculated, and feared by many. He is cautious by nature and never trusts people easily.
He got too many enemies to afford kindness. Mu Ming Ce never lived a peaceful life. The past followed him like a shadow he can never outrun.
Su Zhe (Played by Qiao Zhen Yu)
Su Zhe is the former Lord Kui before Su Mu Yu. He is the strongest warrior of the Su family. Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He called him Uncle Zhe. Su Zhe is Bai He Huai’s father. After she was born, Wen Luo Jin fell sick and died.
Su Zhe wanted to get close to her, but then decided to stay away from her. He was afraid his presence would put Bai He Huai in danger. Su Zhe may look carefree and relaxed like someone who never takes life seriously. But underneath the easy-going attitude, he carried a soft and protective heart.
The Conclusion
Blood River is a kind of drama that needs to be savoured slowly. You cannot treat it as light entertainment for your series marathon. The story demands patience. The characters need some time to grow on you. And once they fo, you’ll realize why the slow burn pace was necessary.
Don’t bother to guess who the villain was. I wasted so much energy trying to predict who the biggest villain was. But many of them ended up dead way before the finale. Just let yourself be dragged by the plot wherever it wants.
If you love wuxia dramas, Blood River is definitely worth your time. And even if you are not into wuxia, try it anyway. You might be surprised or even fall a little bit in love with it. Trust me, you wouldn’t regret it. Happy watching, dear readers!
