[SPOILERS AHEAD] It’s time to say goodbye to the foursome of Han Lingsha, Yun Tianhe, Murong Ziying and Liu Mengli. Despite a controversial start off-screen, Sword and Fairy 4 仙剑四, which stars Ju Jingyi, Chen Zheyuan, Mao Zijun and Mao Xiaohui, carried on and left with an ending that had many crying buckets. Four people made a hundred year pact, yet only three of them were there to see it through. I use “see” here lightly since Tianhe ended up paying a huge price for taking fate into his own hands when he saved mankind – his sight, and his beloved Han Lingsha.
Open for Interpretation
So was it a bad ending or a happy one? You can say that it was a sad one since Han Lingsha sacrificed her life force and didn’t live long enough to see the end of their pact. In fact one of the scenes from the finale has the camera actually panning away towards her tombstone which the three were visiting. As for Yun Tianhe, he lost his sight and Han Lingsha. Meanwhile, Murong Ziying is still alone with only his memories of Han Lingsha and his one sided love to keep him company. So yes, it’s definitely not a happy ending everyone was hoping it to be… although the show did ingeniously try to get around it with an open ending to let viewers draw their own conclusions.
In a way, that last scene of Han Lingsha walking off into the sunset hand in hand with Yun Tianhe is probably the closest one we can all hope for at this point. But whether it’s indeed Han Lingsha who returned in the flesh a hundred years later or merely a spectral version is up to the viewers.
Meanwhile, Ju Jingyi in her goodbye message to her character said she often felt not just sorry for Han Lingsha but also powerless for her. But looking at things from the eyes of Han Lingsha, she said giving what you think is best to the people you care about the most and living life passionately no matter how short it is, is a life fully lived and a life without regrets. “She is impressive, dynamic. She will live happily and dies without regrets, our Han Lingsha. I hope wherever she may be, may she live a life without worries, full of joy and happiness.”
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Lisa
It’s not an open ending. She died. Tianhe was given 100 years by the dragon, so when his 100 years is up and he died as well. She died in the game as well. They’re just staying true to the story. Plus Chinese Paladin typically has sad endings anyway. Just look at 1 and 3.
Uncle Chow
for me, it’s good ending, the ending scene is 100 years later, which is no ordinary human can live that long.
Han Lingsha died because of natural causes.