u/belz_yan

📚 REVIEW: Copper Coins

Author: Mu Su Li
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Supernatural, Xuanhuan, Yaoi
Publication Year: 2016
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2/5

So this is take two of my review for Copper Coins. 😭

I decided to make a new one because after looking back at my original review, I realized there were a few things I wanted to clarify and explain better.

First of all, I'll just say that everything I'm saying here is obviously based on my own experience and opinion while reading this novel. I originally described Copper Coins as a light-read danmei, but I realized I probably should've clarified that this is obviously going to differ from person to person.

What feels like a light read to me might not necessarily feel like one to someone else, especially depending on what kind of stories you're used to reading.

So yeah, this is just my personal experience with the novel. Feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences reading it because I always find it interesting how differently people can interpret the same story.

Now, going back to Copper Coins...

📖 The story

The premise is basically this:

Xue Xian, an extremely proud dragon, has his spine stolen and is forced to exist inside a tiny, fragile paper doll.

Then he gets picked up by a cold, powerful, amnesiac monk who basically just stuffs this dramatic little paper dragon into his pouch.

And thus begins their supernatural journey to find Xue Xian's missing bones while simultaneously figuring out who took them and uncovering the mystery behind Xuan Min's lost memories.

Honestly, the premise itself already sounds fun.

The main conflict revolves around the mystery of who stole Xue Xian's bones and what connection Xuan Min might have to the whole situation.

And this is where I have to say something:

The plot was fairly easy for me to predict.

But before anyone interprets that as me saying the plot was bad—NO.

That's not what I mean at all.

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT — EVERYTHING BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS ⚠️

The plot and my suspicious little brain

From the moment Xuan Min revealed that he was also looking for someone, despite not even remembering who or what he was looking for, I immediately started getting suspicious.

My first thought was basically:

"Wait... is this man somehow involved with Xue Xian losing his bones?"

And obviously the most straightforward conclusion would be that Xuan Min himself was the person who took Xue Xian's bones.

But logically, I didn't think that would make much sense as the actual ending.

Xue Xian has a LOT of hatred toward whoever stole his bones, so having the ML secretly be the perpetrator would create a pretty massive problem considering where their relationship was heading.

And what's funny is that Xue Xian himself also starts having suspicions about Xuan Min.

Which I actually think is interesting because we're following Xue Xian's perspective, so we're naturally exposed to that suspicion as well.

At the same time, we get to watch Xue Xian develop these very conflicting feelings toward Xuan Min.

On one hand:

"This bald donkey is suspicious."

On the other hand:

"Why am I starting to feel something for this bald donkey?"

😭

And I LOVE that conflict.

The Imperial Advisor

Another thing that immediately caught my attention was the whole Imperial Advisor situation.

Actually, even when I first read the description, I already had a suspicion that the mysterious Imperial Advisor mentioned early on was somehow connected to Xuan Min.

The sudden disappearance of this Imperial Advisor and then the appearance of an amnesiac ML felt WAY too coincidental.

I was like:

"Mu Su Li, what are you cooking?"

And then we eventually get the possibility that there were two Imperial Advisors—a fake and a real one.

At that point, I knew for sure that something was going on.

Because why would the story introduce all of these details if they weren't going somewhere?

And thankfully...

THE AUTHOR DELIVERED.

The eventual reveal of the real villain and the actual conflict wasn't necessarily shocking to me because I had already been following the trail and had most of my suspicions pointed in the right direction.

But what DID surprise me was how deep Xuan Min's own storyline actually went.

I expected there to be some kind of connection.

I just didn't expect the connection to run THAT deep.

And that's probably what I enjoyed most about the plot.

The mystery surrounding Xue Xian's bones was relatively easy for me to figure out, but the deeper truth behind Xuan Min gave the story another layer that I wasn't expecting.

Why I consider this a "light read"

This is probably where my original review needed more explanation.

When I say Copper Coins was a light read for me, I don't mean that the story itself is shallow or that nothing happens.

Quite the opposite.

There is actually a pretty solid world behind it.

It's just that I personally found the plot relatively straightforward to digest and predict.

I'm already used to reading stories where the plot is ridiculously heavy, with conspiracies appearing every three chapters and another secret hiding behind every single character. 😭

Compared to those kinds of stories, Copper Coins felt much easier for me to follow.

I could see where certain things were going, so I wasn't constantly trying to mentally untangle ten different conspiracies.

But honestly?

I didn't mind.

Predictability doesn't automatically equal bad writing.

I really enjoyed how Mu Su Li executed the story even when I could guess where some things were heading.

The worldbuilding was interesting, the characters were memorable, and the plot remained focused.

And honestly, I think the story could've been expanded quite a bit because the background was solid enough to support it.

But at the same time, I actually appreciate that the author didn't give in to the temptation to make everything bigger and more complicated.

The story had a goal.

It followed that goal.

And it eventually reached it.

Sometimes that's all you need.

👥 NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CHARACTERS!!!

Because honestly, this is where Copper Coins really got me.

Xue Xian — THE DRAGON

Our proud, petty, dramatic, absolutely hilarious MC.

Let me start by saying that Xue Xian is NOT my usual type of MC.

I'm usually more attracted to cold, nonchalant, pragmatic MCs.

So when I first met Xue Xian, I wasn't completely sure whether I'd actually like him.

And then this man proceeded to prove me wrong.

HE IS SO FUNNY.

I don't even know when it happened, but at some point I realized I was sitting there laughing like a lunatic by myself.

His personality is just so entertaining.

He's petty.

He's dramatic.

He's proud.

He's absolutely shameless.

And I LOVE IT.

Especially his banter with Xuan Min.

Their dynamic is probably one of my favorite things about this novel.

And of course...

"Bald donkey."

😭😭😭

THE WAY XUE XIAN CALLS XUAN MIN THAT IS SO FUNNY TO ME.

It's basically become his personal term of endearment at this point.

And honestly, after everything these two went through, I can't imagine Xue Xian calling him anything else.

Xuan Min — OUR BALD ML

Now for our ML.

Xuan Min.

First of all, yes.

He heavily reminded me of Lan Zhan from Mo Dao Zu Shi in the way he carries himself.

Cold.

Quiet.

Composed.

Not particularly expressive.

But the biggest difference?

Xuan Min knows exactly how to deal with his troublesome little dragon.

😭

He has this deadpan way of handling all of Xue Xian's nonsense that makes their interactions even funnier.

Xue Xian can be causing absolute chaos and Xuan Min will just stand there looking like he's waiting for the weather to change.

And then there's my favorite thing about him:

THIS MAN IS A GERMOPHOBE.

I was DYING every time he would cut off a portion of his robe because it got dirty.

And he does it with such a completely deadpan expression too.

Like he's just casually drinking tea.

"Oh, my robe is dirty."

CUT.

Gone.

No hesitation.

😭😭😭

And then there was that scene where Xue Xian swallowed an entire swamp of dirty water that apparently had dead bodies underneath it.

I swear I could already imagine Xuan Min's expression.

The man probably experienced every emotion known to humanity internally while maintaining the same blank face externally.

And then there's THAT side of Xuan Min...

Okay.

Let's talk about it.

Because—

GURL.

I was genuinely shocked.

Or maybe I shouldn't have been shocked considering I already have first-hand experience with Lan Zhan's "everyday means everyday" situation.

But STILL.

The way Xuan Min can be so composed and then suddenly—

SIR???

😭

I swear there were moments where I completely forgot that this man was supposed to be a monk.

Which makes it even funnier when you remember that apparently Xuan Min and his master weren't technically real monks because they never actually took the vows/fulfilled the requirements to become monks.

So technically...

I guess we were all worrying about nothing. 😭

And OF COURSE—

I FELL IN LOVE WITH A BALD ML.

A BALD MAN.

THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME.

Mu Su Li really said:

"Let's see if I can make you fall in love with a bald man."

And apparently she won.

Lu Nianqi & Lu Shijiu

And I HAVE to give these two brothers a special mention.

Because I genuinely wasn't expecting their story to affect me as much as it did.

I went into their storyline expecting to simply read it and move on.

Instead, I ended up getting emotional enough to actually tear up.

😭

Their story added another emotional layer to the novel that I wasn't expecting, and I really appreciated that.

It also reminded me that even though Copper Coins was a relatively straightforward read for me, it wasn't completely devoid of emotional weight.

There are definitely moments that hit.

📝 Final Thoughts

Looking back at Copper Coins, I think what makes me love this novel so much is that it managed to hit the exact balance I personally enjoy in a danmei.

It's relatively easy for me to follow.

The plot isn't so overwhelmingly complicated that I need to make a conspiracy board.

The characters have enough depth to keep me invested.

The worldbuilding is interesting enough that I could've easily seen this becoming a much bigger story.

And most importantly...

THE WRITING IS GOOD.

This is honestly one of those novels where I understand why someone else might not consider it a "light read" because there's definitely a lot happening beneath the surface.

But for me, compared to the kinds of ridiculously plot-heavy stories I'm used to reading, Copper Coins was surprisingly easy to digest.

And I think that's exactly why I enjoyed it so much.

I didn't have to constantly fight the plot.

I could just sit back, follow Xue Xian and Xuan Min on their journey, enjoy their banter, watch the mystery unfold, and occasionally scream about how much I love these two idiots.

Would I have been okay if the author expanded the story?

Absolutely.

The worldbuilding and background were strong enough that I think there was room for it.

But do I appreciate that Mu Su Li didn't unnecessarily expand everything?

Also absolutely.

The story knew what it wanted to accomplish and stayed focused.

And honestly, I think that's a strength.

So yeah...

4.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

And if you're wondering whether I recommend it:

YES.

Especially if you want a danmei with an entertaining MC, a ridiculously deadpan bald ML, supernatural mysteries, good character dynamics, and a plot that doesn't require you to bring a detective board and 47 different colored strings to your reading session.

Also, if you're like me and normally don't go for this kind of MC...

Give Xue Xian a chance.

That little dragon might just win you over.

And apparently, so might a bald donkey. 😭