Ashes of Love (TV series)

Ashes of Love is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost (2009) by Dian Xian. It stars Yang Zi as Jin Mi and Deng Lun as Xu Feng in the lead roles. The series premiered on Jiangsu TV starting August 2, 2018.

The series reached 100 million views in just 15 minutes after the broadcast of the first episode. As of January 2019, the series has reached over 15 billion views.

Plot
Zi Fen, the Flower Deity, died after giving birth to a daughter, Jin Mi. She foresaw a future where her daughter would suffer a great love trial within the first ten thousand years of her life. Therefore, before dying she gave Jin Mi a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love, hoping to avoid the love trial tragedy. Jin Mi grows up in the Flower Realm, living as a low-level immortal. Her peaceful life is interrupted when she encounters the Fire Deity, Xu Feng, from the Heavenly Realm who had crashed into the Flower realm. After saving him, she persuades him to take her to see the Heavenly Realm, where Jin Mi meets Xu Feng's half-brother, the Night Deity, Run Yu. She also meets Princess Sui He, who is a close ally & niece of Xu Feng's mother, the Heavenly Empress, and as a result, Sui He believes she will one day marry Xu Feng. Both Xu Feng and Run Yu develop a love interest in Jin Mi. Due to the magic pill, Jin Mi becomes unwittingly involved in a love triangle between the two brothers who become rivals for Jin Mi affections. Jin Mi, unknowingly, falls for Xu Feng, through the mortal realm trial experience. Jin Mi learns, later, of her true origin as a child of the late Flower Deity and the current Water Deity & she was also promised to the Holy Emperor's first-born son, Run Yu when the Water Deity married the Wind Deity.

Eventually, Jin Mi is tricked by Princess Sui-He into thinking her father and his wife, her stepmother died at the hands of Xu Feng. She kills him on the day of her wedding to Run Yu who has rebelled during his wedding against his father, the Heavenly Emperor, as Xu Feng is defending his father against Run Yu. As Xu Feng is dying, Jin Mi coughs up the magic pill. She realizes she does love Xu Feng and regrets what she has done.

Jin Mi feels guilty for killing her true love, Xu Feng. She wanders around the river of souls looking for Xu Feng and torturing herself for what she has done. She finds out Xu Feng's soul was retrieved by his father before he died who placed it into Xu- eng's Phoenix hairpin and gave to Sui He for safekeeping. She also learns there's an elixir which can bring back Xu Feng to life, but the main ingredient is difficult to find. With the help of Xu Feng's uncle the Marriage Deity and her friend, the green snake Deity, Jin Mi was able to get the main ingredient but at the cost of giving up her color vision. She gave the ingredients to the Medicine Deity to create the elixir of life. With the elixir in hand, Jin Mi found out Xu Feng's soul was being kept safely in the demon realm in a cave by Sui He and a demon king who was sympathetic to Xu Feng. She sneaks into the cave after Sui He leaves and gives the elixir to Xu Feng's soul. The elixir works and Xu Feng is bought back to life. Jin Mi filled with joy weeps and a teardrop falls on Xu Feng's face. She quickly leaves before Xu Feng awakens as she hears Sui He coming back to the cave.

Xu Feng is later reborn in the Demon Realm and is named as the new Demon King. He unites the Demon realm and wages war against Run Yu, who has now ascended the throne as Heavenly Emperor after his father died. He plans to make Jin Mi Heavenly Empress. Sui He, who went to Demon realm with Xu Feng, lies about how she bought Xu Feng back to life. Jin Mi can't help visiting Xu Feng in the Demon realm & frequently visits Demon realm to watch him secretly. Xu Feng is aware of her secret visits, tries to hate her for killing him and telling him as he was dying that she never loved him unaware of the magic pill given to her by her mother. To hurt Jin Mi, Xu Feng decides to marry Sui He knowing Jin Mi is nearby listening. Sui He is elated to finally becoming Xu Feng's wife. Xu Feng walks over to Jin Mi after Sui He leaves and returns the love token (a piece of her true form) she had given him. Jin Mi tries to tell Xu Feng she loves him and about Sui He's lies, but Xu Feng doesn't want to hear about it and tells her to leave or he will kill her. Jin Mi is completely heartbroken, destroys the love token and goes back to the Heavenly Realm. She finally agrees to marry Run Yu, but finds out he had manipulated the truth about her father's death. She refuses to marry him, tries to escape to go back to the demon realm to stop Xu Feng from marrying Sui He and to tell him the truth about Sui He & her true powers. Run yu gets upset and imprisons her in her palace until the day of their wedding which is the same day as Xu Feng's wedding. With the help of her friends the Marriage Deity & the green snake Deity, she escapes.

Xu Feng becomes suspicious of Sui He and her true intentions after finding evidence of her deceit. He and his friend, the demon princess Liu Ying, saw Sui He switch out the heartstone in the great hall which can tell if a couple is meant to be by using one drop of blood from each person, for a fake stone. On the day of his wedding to Sui He he arranges a plan to make Sui He show her true powers and deceit. Originally his friend the demon Princess Liu Ying was to impersonate Sui He and Sui He was given incense to knock her out, but at the last minute Jin Mi was substituted with the help of the Marriage Deity and the Snake Deity. Using a puppet spell, Xu Feng and Jin Mi are married by the Marriage Deity and pass the test of the heartstone. Sui He comes rushing into the hall stating the stone is fake and the bride is not her. The Demon princess Liu Ying arrives in the hall, to the surprise of Xu Feng, with the fake stone which had been switched out before the wedding for the real stone, found in Sui He's room. To Xu Feng's surprise, his bride is Jin Mi. Upset, Xu Feng demands to know the truth and who bought Jin Mi to the wedding. The Demon Princess Liu Ying & the Marriage Deity both tell Xu Feng to stop denying his heart's true desire. Xu Feng learns the truth of his rebirth from his uncle and of Jin Mi's sacrifices which Sui He took credit for. In anger & resentment, Sui He admits to her wrongdoings and it was done because of her love for Xu Feng. She shows deadly power given to her by the Heavenly Empress & tries to kill Jin Mi. Realizing the truth, Xu Feng stops Sui He, removes her powers and banishes her from the demon realm. Xu Feng admits to Jin Mi, even though she killed him, he couldn't bring himself to truly hate her, hated himself for it, but in fact, he truly loves her with all his heart. They reconcile and admit their love for each other.

A final battle arrives between the Heavenly Realm and the Demon realm where Run Yu states Jin Mi was kidnapped and detained by the Demon Lord Xu Feng, with a duel to the death taking place between Run Yu and Xu Feng. Jin Mi wants to stop the loss of innocent lives and realizes she must ultimately sacrifices herself to end the war and return peace to the six realms. Jin Mi's soul disappears in Xu Feng's arms and Run Yu, heartbroken about what he had done to Jin Mi and his people, declares he will not set foot in the demon realm ever again.

In the aftermath, Xu Feng gives up his position as Demon lord to his friend, Demon Princess Liu Ying, & tirelessly travels the six realms to search for the remains of Jin Mi's soul which is protected by the ashes of Buddha. He believes because of her great sacrifice to bring peace to all realms, her soul is intact as a reward somewhere in the six realms. For three years, his search is unsuccessful. He settles into the first place he shared on the mortal realm with Jin Mi. He discovers Jin Mi was, in fact, a teardrop in his eye after he opens a box full of drawings Jin Mi made of all their times together. Realizing Jin Mi will one day be reincarnated, Xu Feng resolves to wait for her.

Five hundred years later, Jin Mi is reborn alongside her father in the Mortal Realm. On the day of her arranged wedding, Xu Feng arrives in his phoenix form, kidnaps and reunites with Jin Mi, who has retained her memories. They elope.

Seven years later Demon princess Liu Ying works to bring a new age of prosperity to the Demon Realm. Sui He, driven mad by her defeat, rambles around in the Demon Realm's outskirts. One day, she mistook an entrance to a cave to be the Heavenly Empress' throne room and stumbles into the same cave where she once threw the old Demon King's sons when they insulted her. This led to her being eaten alive by one of the remaining sons. He appears to have eaten his own brother.

In the Heavenly Realm, Run Yu rules alone as Heavenly Emperor realizing it's not a position to be taken lightly. He notes this to his faithful female servant, Kuang Lu. She renews her vow to always be by his side along with his dream beast.

In the Mortal Realm, Jin Mi and Xu Feng live a happy & carefree life and have a son, who knows the story of his parents and tells it proudly.

Main

 * Yang Zi as Jin Mi (锦觅)
 * A grape spirit, whose real identity is a six-petal frost flower fairy. Daughter of the Flower Deity and Water Deity. She is naive and altruistic but does not understand the true meaning of love due to the magical pill she was given at birth. She later becomes the Water Deity following her father's death.
 * Deng Lun as Xu Feng (旭凤)
 * Second prince of the Heavenly Realm and the legitimate heir of the Heavenly Throne, the Fire Deity, God of War, and the Commander of the Divine Armies of 8 Directions. He becomes King Yi of Huai Wu Kingdom, a warrior king in the Mortal Realm in his mortal trial. His true form is that of a phoenix. He becomes the Demon King after his rebirth in the Demon Realm.
 * Luo Yunxi as Run Yu (润玉)
 * Eldest prince of the Heavenly Realm; the Night Deity. A gentle and calm person, he never makes a move without being certain of the outcome. After his mother's death, he becomes coldhearted and ambitious to the point where he usurps the throne. His true form is that of a dragon.
 * Wang Yi Fei as Sui He (穗禾)
 * Princess of the Bird Tribe; proud and arrogant, she wields great responsibility in securing power within the Bird tribe. A close ally & niece of the Heavenly Empress, she goes on to commit many cruel deeds in her attempt to obtain power and marry Xu Feng. Her true form is that of a peacock.
 * Chen Yuqi as Liu Ying (鎏英)
 * Demon Princess. A cheerful and forthright girl, and a heroic warrior. She has a tragic romantic relationship with her bodyguard, Mu Ci.
 * Zou Tingwei as Qi Yuan (奇鸢), Mu Ci (暮辭)
 * A reaper who has double identities. He was forced to commit evil deeds for the Heavenly Empress due to her control and manipulation of him, but he remains kind at heart. He was Liu Ying's bodyguard before he was thrown out of the demon realm, because of his tribe and ability to create an arrow using his blood & bones which can kill any deity. He has a tragic romantic relationship with Liu Ying.

Heaven realm

 * He Zhonghua as Taiwei (太微)
 * Heavenly Emperor. Ruler of the Heaven realm. At first good-hearted later cruel, he is adept at making use of other people to achieve his goals. His true form is that of a golden dragon.
 * Kathy Chow as Tuyao (荼姚)
 * Heavenly Empress. Ruler of the Bird Tribe. A scheming and cruel woman who caused the death of the Flower Deity, along with many others. She schemes to get rid of any threats to Xufeng's ascension to Heavenly Emperor, including Jinmi and Runyu.
 * Xia Zhiyuan as Dan Zhu (丹朱), Match Maker, Moon Immortal (月下仙人), Fox Immortal (狐狸仙)
 * The Moon Immortal Yuexia. His true form is that of a fox. Taiwei's younger brother; Xufeng and Runyu's uncle. Known for his mischievous personality and youthful looks, he is in charge of love and marriage of all mortal beings. He is earnest in bringing Xufeng and Jin Mi together as a couple.
 * Wang Renjun as Luo lin (洛霖)
 * Water Deity. Jin Mi's father and Zifen's former lover. An elegant and refined man who keeps himself out of worldly affairs, but is loyal and helpful to those in need.
 * Wang Yuanke as Lin Xiu (临秀)
 * Wind Immortal. Luo lin's betrothed wife. A kind and gentle woman who was a good friend of Zifen and, later, treats Jin Mi as her own.
 * Fan Mianlin as Suli (簌离)
 * Dragon Fish Princess. Lord of Dongting lake. Runyu's birth mother, who gave birth to him after being seduced by the Heavenly Emperor, which was due to her resemblance to Zifen. She schemed for years to seek revenge on the Heavenly Empress for killing her tribe.
 * Liao Jingfeng as Lord Puchi (扑哧君), Yanyou (彦佑)
 * Snake Immortal. After getting banished from the Heaven realm, he was adopted by Suli and became one of her god-sons. He goes along with his adoptive mother's schemes. He befriended Jinmi after saving her from the attack of Qiongqi nine hundred years ago.
 * Du Yuchen as Kuang Lu (邝露)
 * Daughter of Immortal Taiji. She voluntarily becomes Runyu's subordinate due to her admiration for him, and remains loyal to him from then on.
 * Sa Dingding as Immortal Yuanji (缘机仙子)
 * An immortal who is in charge of the fate and destiny of human beings. She has a friendship with Moon Immortal.
 * Zhang Junran as Lord Liaoyuan (燎原君), Qin Tong (秦潼)
 * Xufeng's personal guard.
 * Li Yixuan as Lord Doumu (斗姆元君)
 * Luolin, Lin Xiu and Zifen's teacher.
 * Li Yongtian as Taishang Laojun (太上老君)
 * Zhang Shihong as Immortal Taiji (太巳仙人)
 * He Junlin as Thunder God Yunxiang (云响雷公)
 * Liu Siying as Lightning Goddess, Shengguang (圣光电母)
 * Li Xuefeng as Rat Immortal (鼠仙)
 * Leader of the Zodiac Immortals. Suli's subordinate, who helps her collect information in the Heaven realm.
 * Zhang Xiaoyang as Liao Ting (了听)
 * Xufeng's subordinate.
 * Cui Binbin as Fei Xu (飞絮)
 * Xufeng's subordinate.
 * Zheng Ge as Po Jun (破军)
 * A heavenly soldier recruited by Xufeng.
 * Fu Hongsheng as Yinque (隐雀)
 * Elder of Bird Tribe.
 * Dong Xiaobai as Queling (雀灵)
 * Suihe's subordinate.
 * Liu Haochen as Lianchao (廉晁)
 * Brother of Taiwei, and Tuyao's first love.
 * Liu Xiangping as Earth Deity (土地仙)
 * Zhong Sutong as Little Fairy (小仙女)

Flower realm

 * Zhang Yanyan as Zifen (梓芬)
 * Flower Deity. Ruler of the Flower Realm. Jinmi's mother. She died in childbirth after being attacked by the Heavenly Empress.
 * Peng Yang as Chief Peony (牡丹芳主)
 * Head of the Pavilion chiefs.
 * Ma Jing as Chief Begonia (海棠芳主)
 * Wen Luhan as Chief Magnolia (玉兰芳主)
 * Furou Meiqi as Rourou (肉肉), Qianghuo (羌活)
 * A succulent plant sprite. Jinmi's close friend, who died saving Jinmi from Qiongqi's attacks. She is later revived to accompany Jin Mi in her mortal trial.
 * Ning Wentong as Lao Hu (老胡)
 * Carrot sprite. An elder of the Flower Realm.
 * Xia Yiyao as Lianqiao (廉晁)
 * A flower sprite.
 * Wu Wenxuan as Pavilion Chief (芳主)
 * Duan Yu as Pavilion Chief (芳主)

Demon realm

 * Lu Yong as King Yancheng (焱城王)
 * Ruler of the Demon realm.
 * Yao Qingren as King Biancheng (卞城王)
 * Liuying's father.
 * Song Yunhao as King Gucheng (固城王)
 * An ambitious man who aims to usurp the throne.
 * Wang Siyu as Chishou (炽狩)
 * Son of King Yancheng.
 * Li Silang as Xuanshou (炫狩)
 * Son of King Yancheng.
 * Hu Mianyang as Qiongqi (穷奇)
 * A ferocious and legendary beast.

Mortal realm

 * Sun Ning as Lord Nanping (南平侯)
 * A royal of Huaiwu Kingdom and Suihe's father in the human realm. He aims to kill Xufeng during his mortal trial and usurp the throne.
 * Zhou Yihua as Chancellor Fu (傅相)
 * Chancellor of the Huaiwu Kingdom.
 * Tuo Gufeng as General Ji Chong (偏将齐冲)
 * Lord Nanping's subordinate.
 * Wen Jing as Jingjie (荆芥)
 * Elder of the Healer Tribe. She adopted Jinmi as a child during her mortal trial.

Production
The series began filming in June 2017 and finished in October 2017.

Reception
This drama was commercially successful, placing first among audience ratings in its time slot and reaching over ten billion views. It also received positive reviews, scoring a 7.7 on Douban. The drama was praised for its light-hearted yet grounded storyline, high production quality of beautiful cinematography and exquisite costumes; as well as the well-constructed plot and excellent performance of the actors.