Destiny & Saving: Tong Mengshi and Zhang Yuxi Xianxia's Comeback

Zhang Yuxi & Tong Mengshi Lead Xianxia Comeback

Here we go again—another xianxia drama is ready to roll out. Destiny and Saving (千秋令), starring Zhang Yuxi and Tong Mengshi, is hitting screens on 8 April 2025 via Mango TV. 

But before we all jump on the hype train, there’s a looming question: does anyone still care about xianxia in 2025?

Filmed back in 2022, this fantasy romance was crafted when the genre still had a decent pulse. But the market’s changed, and it’s not quite the golden age of immortal sects and flying swords anymore. That said, this one seems to be going all-in on the nostalgia card.

Zhang Yuxi plays Feng Lixue, who’s being groomed to lead the dark side—literally. 

Meanwhile, Tong Mengshi steps in as Mo Xiao, the young head of Shushan who’s been through a few reincarnations and now walks his own path. Sound familiar? It should. 

Their love story mirrors that of their ancestors—the Fire Phoenix Ni Huang and the God of War Bai Yan—who also fell in love despite being on opposite sides of the battlefield.

It’s the age-old xianxia plot: love, betrayal, epic battles, and the usual “three lifetimes, three worlds” cycle. 

Lixue even takes on three identities throughout, with her final one being Wu Chen. 

Basically, if you’ve seen a xianxia, you probably know where this is going.

But here’s the catch—audiences might not be biting anymore. The once-booming genre has been fading fast. Take Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact for example. Yang Mi herself couldn’t save it from tanking. 

Then there’s A Moment But Forever with Tang Yan, which also stumbled right out of the gate. And if A-listers can't pull it off, what chance does Destiny and Saving have?

Still, you never know. The drama also features familiar faces like Han Dong, Bo Fangjun, Huang Yi Piggy, and Chen Zihan. That’s a decent ensemble, and maybe that’ll be enough to draw in a few nostalgic fans.

The plot? Well, no surprises there. A thousand-year feud between good and evil. 

Lixue and Mo Xiao start off friendly until fate and misunderstanding tear them apart. Ten years later, they meet again. 

Lixue, manipulated by her master, tries to kill him, but of course—emotions get messy. She falls for him again. Cue chaos, heartbreak, war, and eventually reconciliation.

Sure, it’s another ancient world love story with dramatic robes, glowing swords, and lots of slow-motion longing stares. 

But is it anything new? Not really. If anything, it feels like déjà vu with prettier faces and better CGI.

And that’s kind of the problem. Audiences are shifting. 

The crowd who once loved xianxia for its grand romance and moral struggles are now bingeing short-form dramas and mini-series that don’t drag their love stories out over 45 episodes. 

It's less about sweeping fantasy now, and more about tight, fast storytelling that doesn’t require much brainpower after a long day.

Destiny and Saving may just end up being another pretty-looking drama that fades away quietly. But the producers probably knew this going in. They’re likely just happy to get it out there, rake in whatever views they can, and move on.

If it manages to pull in numbers anywhere close to what A Moment But Forever got, they’ll probably consider it a win. Even if the genre’s fading, there's still a tiny pocket of die-hard fans who’ll give it a shot.

In the end, whether Destiny and Saving sinks or swims will come down to two things: how well it’s written, and whether Zhang Yuxi and Tong Mengshi’s chemistry can carry the same old story in a way that still feels a little bit magical.