I watched Blood River (暗河传) because it is related to 2 other dramas that I have sat through earlier. There are some common characters and names mentioned in all 3 dramas because they are parts of a long saga that spans across 2 generations. The overall feel of each drama may be different but there is a loose connection running through all of them. I say loose because each drama has its own story and you do not need to watch all 3 to understand what is going on. Anyway, my Blood River review below will have more on this wuxia drama.
My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 38
Type: Wuxia
Aired: October 2025
Images Credit: Douban Movie
The Cast Of Blood River
- Simon Gong Jun as Su Mu Yu / Zhuo Yue An
- Chang Hua Sen as Su Chang He
- Peng Xiao Ran as Mu Yu Mo / Rabbit
- Yang Yu Tong as Bai He Huai
- Zhang Shi An as Tang Lian Yue
- Qiao Zhen Yu as Su Zhe
- Geng Le as Mu Ming Ce
- Zhang Duo as Mu Zi Zhe
- Hou Chang Rong as Su Jin Hui
- Hei Zi as Xie Ba
- Li Dai Kun as Mu Ci Ling
- Bai Shu as Xiao Ruo Feng / Prince Langya
- Zhao Huan Ran as Xiao Yong / First Prince of Beili
- Yan Su as Zhuo Qing
- Wang Xuan as Water Official / Su Hen Shui
- Lu Xing Yu as Yi Bu
Main Characters
Su Mu Yu / Zhuo Yue An
Mu Yu is the Lord Kui of the Blood River assassin underground organization. He is the commander of the Spider Shadow unit which is directly under the Patriarch of Blood River. His duty is to protect the Patriarch and carry out missions as instructed. While Mu Yu may be an assassin, he has a compassionate heart and wishes to be free. He is a highly skilled swordsman with his unique umbrella being his weapon. He was an orphan and his real name is Zhuo Yue An from Swordless City.
Su Chang He
Chang He is Mu Yu’s best friend and fellow member of Blood River. They are like brothers to each other and both of them are Blood River’s most skilled assassins. Chang He is adept at using daggers and has secretly practiced the Hell Palm technique which makes him a very formidable martial artist. He is ambitious and can be ruthless.
Supporting Characters
Mu Yu Mo / Rabbit
Yu Mo is from the Mu family of River Blood but is now one of the 12 zodiac members of Spider Shadow under Mu Yu. She is known as Rabbit of Spider Shadow. Yu Mo is a beautiful woman who knows how to use her charm to distract adversaries.
Bai He Huai
He Huai is a legendary doctor from Medicine King Valley. She has the ability to treat difficult illnesses and detoxify poisons. Her late mother was from the Wen family which is famous for their poisons and healings.
Tang Lian Yue
Lian Yue is from the Tang Clan and the closest disciple of 2nd Master Tang. He is also one of the 4 Guardians of Tianqi City.
Su Zhe
Su Zhe is the former Lord Kui of River Blood. Now he is a senior member of the Su family. Su Zhe is a powerful martial artist with high cultivation level.
Mu Ming Ce
Mu Ming Zhe is the Patriarch of River Blood. He is from the Mu family.
Mu Zi Zhe, Su Jin Hui & Xie Ba
Mu Zi Zhe is the current head of the Mu family. Su Jin Hui and Xie Ba is head of the Su and Xie family respectively. The 3 families make up the composition of River Blood.
Mu Ci Ling
Mu Ci Ling is from the Mu family and is known as a freak. He secretly mastered the Hell Palm technique and has great powers which threatens the head of the Mu family.
Xiao Ruo Feng / Prince Langya
Xiao Ruo Feng is Prince Langya of Beili. He is Emperor Ming De’s brother. Prince Langya is powerful and charismatic. Hence, he is viewed as a threat to the emperor as well as the emperor’s sons.
Xiao Yong / First Prince
Xiao Yong is the First Prince of Beili. He is ambitious and is always scheming to further his chances of inheriting the throne.
Zhuo Qing
Zhuo Qing is the former Great Eunuch of Beili. He has since lost his power and has to spend his time in the royal mausoleum after the death of the previous emperor.
Water Official / Su Hen Shui
Water Official is one of the 3 officials of Soul Reaper’s Hall of River Blood. The other 2 are Earth and Heaven Officials. Water Official is originally from the Su family with the name Su Hen Shui. Soul Reaper’s Hall is where missions are given to the assassins chosen for the job.
Yi Bu
Yi Bu is the head of Shadow Sect which is an underground organization that protects Tianqi City and does the bidding of certain members of the imperial family.
Synopsis
Blood River is an assassins organization that operates in the dark. Its members are trained to kill without asking questions. It is run by 3 families, namely Su, Mu and Xie, but headed by a Patriarch. However, a secretive higher power controls the organization behind the scenes.
When the current Patriarch is poisoned and his life is at risk, a power tussle ensues among the 3 families. All of them are working to kill the Patriarch and grab the seat for themselves. Su Mu Yu, who is the Lord Kui of Blood River has a duty to protect the Patriarch. At the same time, his best friend and sworn brother, Su Change He, also wants to grab power to change Blood River from a dark underground organization to one that lets in light.
After the death of the Patriarch, Su Change He manages to convince Su Mu Yu to chart a new future for Blood River together. He becomes the new Patriarch while Su Mu Yu heads the Su family. They want to free Blood River from being anyone’s tool and killing machine. But this is easier said than done with the ambitious members of the imperial family muddying the waters.
Blood River Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Blood River has an open ending. Chang He has been pretending to be on the First Prince’s side but launches a surprise attack on Zhuo Qing when he is fighting with Mu Yu. Zhuo Qing is Chang He’s revenge target as the former had slaughtered everyone in Chang He’s village in the past. He was after Chang He’s clan’s treasured lingzhi. Mu Yu and Chang He have decided that they need to surprise Zhuo Qing because Zhuo Qing is too powerful to be defeated. But Zuo Qing absorbs the inner force of the 3 Shadow Sect elders to recharge his powers. Mu Yu turns demonic to reach his strongest to defeat Zhuo Qing.
Bai He Huai’s potion helps Mu Yu to regain his sense after the fight. But she suffers a relapse of the drugged puppet poison due to Night Crow’s scheming. She asks Mu Yu to kill her as she knows she couldn’t be saved and doesn’t want to be a puppet. Mu Yu is too weak after the fight and collapses from exhaustion. When he awakens the next day, he is told that Su Zhe has killed his daughter as what she wanted. But in actual fact, Su Zhe has made a deal with Su Yun Xiu. She will treat Bai He Huai as she needs a miracle physician by her side to cultivate a martial technique. But in return, Su Zhe has to keep it a secret as Su Yun Xiu doesn’t want Mu Yu to look for them.
The First Prince’s Ending
General Ding Ye takes the blame for the chaos after the plan to frame Prince Langya for rebellion fails with Zhuo Qing’s defeat. Although Zhuo Qing is presumed to have died, Mu Yu and Chang He learn that his body has gone missing. The First Prince writes a petition to confess that he is partly responsible for his uncle’s crimes. He is willing to be stripped of his title and to be imprisoned in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The Emperor consents to the petition.
However, Mu Yu and Chang He don’t agree with the ruling. So, Mu Yu kills the First Prince in revenge for causing the death of Bai He Huai, Mu Qing Yang, and Mu Xue Wei. When they bid Prince Langya farewell to return to Blood River, they tell him that their paths are different and it is hard to be friends. Prince Langya just wants to pave the way for those he cares about before he dies. But to Mu Yu, those people and River Blood do not share the same values and they won’t be anyone’s pawn. Although Blood River is now back in the dark for having killed a prince, they feel that it is the justice the First Prince deserved.
In the ending narration, it is mentioned that there is no turning back for Mu Yu and Chang He. They just have to keep moving forward. It takes another 8 years before Blood River rejoins the martial arts world and 12 years before Mu Yu reunites with Bai He Huai. In the snippet after the credits roll, Mu Yu is visiting Bai He Huai’s grave 12 years later. He senses a presence and turns around to find her standing behind him.
Blood River Arc
Change He wants to change Blood River and has gathered a group of like-minded fellow members called Other Shore. These include Mu Qing Yang and Xie Qi Dao. He wants to bring them to cross the Blood River to reach the other shore for a new dawn. He doesn’t want to live in darkness and being controlled as assassins. So, he defeats Su Jun Hui to take control of the Su family in Episode 9. Chang He’s idea is to have Mu Yu become the new Patriarch while he heads the Su family. Together, they will bring Blood River from darkness to light.
However, Mu Yu wants to dissolve Blood River and let the members given the choice to be free instead. He is skeptical about Chang He’s plan as he fears there will be a heavy price to pay as the people behind River Blood is too powerful. When the Patriarch is nearing death due to his poison relapse after a duel with Tang Lian Yue who is avenging the death of his master, he leaves the succession to Mu Yu and Chang He. The Patriarch then chooses to die in a blaze of self-immolation.
After the Patriarch’s death, Mu Yu decides to stay and help Chang He in Episode 10. But he tells Change He to become the new Patriarch and he heads the Su family instead. The Xie and Mu family are also taken over by new leaders associated with Change He. Xie Qi Dao kills Xie Ba while Mu Qing Yang kills Mu Bai, the heir to the Mu family. The Water Official is also on Change He’s side and this is revealed in Episode 15 with the Earth and Heaven Officials being killed. Mu Ci Ling kills Mu Zi Zhe in Episode 16.
Shadow Sect Arc
Shadow Sect is the shadow organization that protects Tianqi City in the dark and is working for the First Prince. However, its powers have been seriously curtailed by Prince Langya and the head of the sect, Yi Bu, needs to show that the sect is still relevant and powerful to the First Prince. Shadow Sect also has vast intel which includes a list of names of Blood River’s assassins. In Episode 12, Yi Bu wants Mu Yu to kill Prince Langya. Otherwise, he will release the list of River Blood’s assassins to the public which will cause them to be hunted down by their enemies.
Mu Yu and Chang He trick Yi Bu to divert his resources to help them to kill Prince Langya in Episode 16. But they have no intention to kill Prince Langya. The real aim is to destroy Shadow Sect’s records of Blood River and its members. Mu Yu also wants to find out who participated in the wipeout of Swordless City from their records. It shows Blood River carried out the mission while Wushuang City was also implicated. Mu Yu then sees that the Shadow Sect’s intel vault is burned down after obtaining the information.
Chang He defeats and kills Yi Bu in Episode 17. Before he dies, Yi Bu refuses to tell him who is behind Shadow Sect and Blood River.
Wushuang City Arc
From the intel obtained from Shadow Sect’s vault in Episode 16, Mu Yu learns that one of the Blood River assassins sent to massacre Swordless City was Su Xie Mo. The Su family also coveted Mu Yu’s talent. After having been made an orphan, they arranged for Mu Yu to be nurtured as a Nameless so that he could serve the Su family in the future.
Mu Yu goes to look for Su Xie Mo in Episode 17. In Episode 18, Su Xie Mo reveals to Mu Yu that someone tried to silence them after they have carried out their mission as instructed. Only a handful of them survived. While they were at Swordless City on their mission, another group from Wushuang City was also there to look for the Swordless City’s sword manuals. Mu Yu lets off Su Xie Mo and his group as they were not given a choice as Blood River assassins. But he seeks a duel with the former lord of Wushuang City, Liu Yun Qi who participated in the Swordless City massacre in Episode 20.
Mu Yu defeats Liu Yun Qi in Episode 21. Liu Yun Qi’s disciple, Song Yan Hui who is the current lord of Wushuang City, stops Mu Yu from killing his master outright. They agree to a duel set for another time. Liu Yun Qi is crippled and dies a few days later. Song Yan Hui and Mu Yu have deep respect for each other and the duel did not take place. Instead, they cooperate to fight Jian Wu Di who have been made used by the First Prince of Beili to create chaos in Wushuang City with the aim to have Song Yan Hui replaced as city lord in Episode 23. Jian Wu Di dies from the fight.
Tang Clan Arc
When the Wushuang City plan fails, the First Prince turns his attention to the Tang Clan which is Prince Langya’s ally. Night Crow, an ex-disciple of Medicine King Valley, works for the First Prince. She captures Mu Xue Wei and strips her of her poison to be used for her experiment on Tang Ling Huang, the designated heir of Tang Clan in Episode 27. With Tang Lian Yue having been frozen by a spell and Tang Ling Huang being imprisoned, the Tang Clan is controlled by a faction aligned with the First Prince.
Tang Lian Yue is saved by Mu Yu and his team in Episode 28 but Tang Ling Huang remains under Night Crow’s control through her drugged puppet poison. They track them to Tianqi City. Mu Yu and Chang He meet Prince Langya to discuss cooperation in Episode 30. They need an alliance with Prince Langya to enable Blood River to move out of the shadows into a legitimate sect. In return, they will help him to save Tang Ling Huang.
Tianqi City Arc
Prince Langya just wants to use Blood River to purge enemies from Tianqi City for his emperor brother before he dies. Bai He Huai could detect that he is suffering from serious frost poison in Episode 31. The First Prince is planning to use the drugged puppets to create chaos in the city and then frames Prince Langya for rebelling with these puppets. So, he sends an assassin to kill Bai He Huai in Episode 31. This is because she could treat those who have been afflicted. She is stabbed and poisoned but manages to stop the poisoning with her medical skills.
Mu Yu has to go to his extreme to kill off the assassin in Episode 32. Su Zhe transfers part of his qi to Mu Yu to make him strong again in Episode 34. Both of them then await recovery after the qi transfer. But the First Prince’s men turn up at that moment to try to kill them in Episode 35. Mu Qing Yang and Mu Xue Wei offer to stay to hold back the enemies to allow others to bring Mu Yu and Su Zhe to safety. But they are no match for Mu Fu Sheng, the Shadow Sect elder. Mu Qing Yang confesses to Mu Xue Wei and talks about their wedding plans before they fight Mu Fu Sheng and his men. They are presumed dead after the fight.
In Episode 36, Bai He Huai successfully produces the antidote for those poisoned. Tang Lian Yue and Yu Mo fight Tang Ling Huang and try to purge him of the poison. In the end, Tang Ling Huang kills himself in a moment of consciousness. Tang Lian Yue then uses his greatest power to fight Night Crow who becomes injured and reportedly died later.
Blood River Review – For Fan Of The Series
First of all, Blood River is a stand alone drama that you can watch without having to sit through the other 2 titles that were released much earlier. Personally, I have forgotten much of the details of what I have watched earlier and it didn’t affect my understanding of the current production. But if you want to know more about the characters, events and places that are mentioned in Blood River, you can find them in the other 2 earlier dramas. You also need to bear in mind that the release dates of the dramas does not mean that they should be watched in that order. In terms of the overall story timeline, Dashing Youth should come first, then Blood River and finally The Blood Of Youth.
For Blood River, it starts off with a dark and mysterious vibe. Well, it is consistent with the nature of the sect which is a secretive assassins group that operates in the shadows. You have a bunch of the younger ones who want to break free from the control of those hiding behind the scenes while the heads of the 3 families that control Blood River are busy fighting among themselves to be the next leader. So, you will have this intriguing power struggle at the start. But this is quickly wrapped up in less than 10 episodes. That’s when I started to wonder what’s next and I find that the plot execution is somewhat similar to Dashing Youth.
Character after character will be introduced at a whirlwind pace and then disappears. Except for a few key figures, the rest will make an entry and then written off. Are they pointless then? Well, not exactly but neither would they leave a deep impression on you.
Different Arcs
The reason why there are so many characters in Blood River is because you can divide up the story in different arcs. The beginning is about the power struggle in Blood River. Hence, numerous characters have to be killed off for the protagonists to gain control of the sect. From there, it is mainly about their journey to bring Blood River into the open as a legitimate sect acceptable to all except for one revenge subplot. Along the way, they have to stop at different places to kill off enemies or seek allies and this is where the arcs and the corresponding characters come in.
Some viewers may enjoy this kind of storytelling whereby each minor character is going to be extremely short-lived but the story moves along quickly for the protagonists. You might even feel that the story is shallow with these different arcs. This is unlike Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty 1 and 2 whereby it is clear that they are mystery dramas with cases to solve. So, it is natural that each case will open a different arc. But for Blood River, the different arcs with all the passing characters can become one big blur.
This is because some of these characters have little to contribute except as fighting opponents to the protagonists. In other word, this is a drama that thrives on fighting scenes and there are abundance of them throughout the 38 episodes.
Fight Scenes Galore
If you like to watch fighting scenes in costume dramas, then Blood River should be exciting enough. To me, it has a comic feel at times with the heroes fighting numerous bad guys all the way. It is also one fight too many as far as I’m concerned. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is not always wonderful. It becomes repetitive and it is hard to feel excited over yet another fight scene as the story grinds on. If I’m not mistaken, every episode has one drawn out fight scene, sometimes more. By the end of the drama, I have lost count on how many times I have watched the same graphics of the protagonist’s 18-sword array formation.
While Blood River belongs to the wuxia genre, its fighting style is also different from traditional wuxia dramas like Side Story Of Fox Volant. It relies more on special effects and stunts to make the scenes stand out. Some people will find this appealing as it is definitely more dramatic and powerful on screen. But if you prefer pure martial arts without an overdose of CGIs, then this one would fall far behind Side Story Of Fox Volant.
On the other hand, the special effects for the fights in Blood River is definitely the highlight. My guess would be the fighting scenes and CGIs are where most of the money would have gone to. At the very least, the fights are look good and professional even though there are so many of them from start to finish.
Acting
After the disastrous Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact, Simon Gong is back as the lead in Blood River. As I recall his great acting in Word Of Honor, his performance in Blood River is a bit disappointing to me. I think he is too bland and expressionless when playing the role of Su Mu Yu especially in the first half of the drama. The inner conflict and torment aren’t there.
I suppose one could argue that is the essence of Su Mu Yu’s character – stoic, calm and still, and this is what Simon Gong delivered. If you believe that is how the character should be, then the actor has done his job well. But to me, something seems to be missing which chips away at the character’s substance beneath that stillness. But he did get much better towards the end and I could see the brilliant portrayal there although it is a bit too late by then.
As for Chang Hua Sen, he offers a good contrast in his role as Su Chang He. This is the first time that I have really noticed him although he has also acted in Are You The One and Moonlight Mystique as supporting cast. He brings life to the character as you can feel the energy and emotion in him in Blood River. Perhaps Su Mu Yu’s monotony automatically makes Su Chang He feels more alive as the characters have totally different personalities. Somehow, Chang Hua Sen is able to capitalize on this contrast to make his character stand out in the drama.
Other characters are just too fleeting to make an impact. The sheer number means one ought to really shine to leave a lasting impression. Unfortunately, none has that capability in my mind.
My Verdict – Watch!
Frankly, Blood River isn’t my cup of tea but I would still recommend a watch for it. The reason is very simple. It is a high quality production overall and it shows with the fight scenes, costumes, and cinematography. It is very appealing visually especially with the fights that are beautifully choreographed and accompanied by dramatic special effects. The detailed swords with their shiny blades, slick moves, and atmosphere of the duels come together perfectly in a dynamic way. Hence, each fight can be very intense especially if you are into wuxia dramas. So, if you like them, the pacing will seem fast and exciting. However, if you find that the drama is overpopulated by these fight scenes, then it can feel repetitive when yet another fight begins.
While the duels might feel thrilling and cinematic, the story’s emotional depth is not quite there for me. Too much screen time is taken up with battles and a plethora of characters that are introduced and then disappear just as quickly. As such, the emotional layers of the protagonists and their relationships to key figures are not adequately explored. The drama has a dark vibe but the sorrow and pain is not there to give you a more heartfelt piece. Thus, as you follow the protagonists’ journey and marvel at the fights, the drama seems soulless at times.
So, for this review of Blood River, my score would be 7.5/10. It is brilliant in most ways but the last piece of the puzzle is missing which is the soul. Also, be warned that the romance is very subtle in this drama. Watch it for the wuxia vibes, great fights, special effects, costumes, atmosphere and what have you. But leave the expectations of emotional depth at the door.
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