Why I Believe Zhang Haixia Is Still Alive
I've seen a lot of people depressed over the ending (myself included :>). But FEAR NOT my friends! Our boy is coming back! Here are reasons for Haixia's return:
Part 1: Clues Outside the Show
Sanshu (the screenwriter or novel writer of the story) has already hinted at Haixia's return.
He explained the concept of "Severing the Connection Between Earth and Heaven" (绝地天通). According to this, for seven years, no one can create new records of the person or even talk about them. Everyone has to genuinely believe that the person has died in order to deceive Heaven. After those seven years, Daoist priests can perform a ritual that gives the person a chance to return.
That fits Haixia's situation perfectly. If everyone believes he's dead and stops mentioning him, it doesn't necessarily mean he's gone forever—it could actually be part of the ritual.
"Severing the Connection Between Earth and Heaven. The subsequent story is yet to come."
That sounds like a clear hint that Haixia's story isn't over yet.
On top of that, Sanshu has said he doesn't want to end this story as a tragedy, which makes me believe Haixia's death isn't the end.
2. Ding Yuxi's recent post
Ding Yuxi, Haixia's actor, also posted after the finale:
"Don't be sad. I left you one final puzzle. I hope you can solve it."
Along with that message, he shared a photo of Haixia, Hailou, and Haiqi together.
Here is fans translation of the number codes:
To me, this doesn't feel like a farewell. Instead, it feels like he's encouraging viewers to look beyond the surface of the ending and piece together the clues. I mean, fr, it's speaking for itself!
When combined with Sanshu's comments about "Severing the Connection Between Earth and Heaven," it makes me think Haixia's apparent death is part of a much larger mystery rather than the end of his story.
• Part 2: Clues Within the Story
Haixia stabbed Hailou on the left side.
Hailou also stabbed Haixia on the left side.
We already know their hearts are on the right side.
If Hailou survived after receiving essentially the same wound, then there's no reason Haixia couldn't have survived as well, right?
Hailou only lost consciousness after being stabbed. It's entirely possible that Haixia simply passed out too.
It wouldn't make sense for the show to spend so much time emphasizing the medicine if it was never going to matter.
I mean, Haiqi sacrificed her life to obtain it, and the camera even zoomed in to show that the medicine was still intact.
Why go out of its way to highlight it if it was never going to be used?
On top of that, Hailou experienced Haiqi's memories, meaning he knows the medicine exists.
The medicine has to become important later.
In the last episode, Wuxie looked at their family photo and asked:
"Is this really the end of their story? Will they ever be able to see each other again?"
That doesn't sound like a conclusion.
He specifically says, "see each other again," referring to the three of them.
Since Haixia is one of those three, that line feels less like a farewell and more like a hint that they'll eventually be reunited.
Haixia is a member of the Zhang family.
If the head of the Zhang family was able to bring Haiqi back after she sacrificed herself to obtain the medicine, became weakened, and was later killed...
...then it's reasonable to believe they could also bring Haixia back.
Further note: Haiqi's supposed last line before her supposed death was: I'm a little tired.
And guess who else said the same thing after their *supposed* death? Haixia. (+ We literally didn't get a 100 percent confirmation of Haixia being dead and even if we did, that wouldn't be a problem. And that leads us to the next point...
7. We never saw him being buried
We never actually saw Haixia's funeral or burial.
Even if they had shown him inside a coffin, that still wouldn't necessarily prove anything.
And Haixia himself has already "died" once before earlier in the story.
8. He's already come back once
Haixia has already died and returned once.
If it happened before, why couldn't it happen again?
The story has already established that character death may not always be permanent.
Not very sure on this, but from what I've heard, in the Lost Tomb universe, as long as someone's body remains intact inside the coffin, they can still be brought back.
So unless the story gives us undeniable proof that Haixia is truly gone, I'm not ready to believe he's dead.
Before I wrap this up, there's one more detail I want to mention.
To understand this point, it's important to remember that a lot of things in this show were censored, and some moments carry meanings that aren't stated outright.
Throughout the final episodes, we heard Haixia thinking:
"Hailou, will you prepare a fall-back plan for me too?"
Now think back to the bracelet. Throughout the series, Hailou always wears the handmade bracelet Haixia gave him. When Haixia gave it to him, he said:
"This reminds you to always think before you act."
But during the final confrontation, just before Hailou hugs Haixia, you can see him quietly return the bracelet.
To me, that moment doesn't feel random.It feels like Hailou silently answering Haixia's question.
"Yes. I prepared one for you too. Trust me."
Of course, this is just my interpretation. But considering how much the show communicates through symbolism—especially because of censorship—it feels like an incredibly meaningful moment rather than a simple exchange of a bracelet.
So, what do you guys think?
