Feng Si Niang and Yang Kai Tai's story is quite well-developed despite being on the sidelines. Love triangles are painful enough and for Si Niang to be the fourth leg of that triangle would have been overkill so I'm glad that as the series progresses, Si Niang slowly gets over her childhood friend Xiao Shi Yi Lang and finds purpose in helping Yang Kai Tai recover from the loss of his father.
The second half of the series is when Lian Cheng Bi completely turns to the dark side creating innumerable problems for the good guys. Enraged over losing Bi Jun, he is pushed over the edge after overhearing that Tai Jun coaxed Bi Jun into marrying him despite Bi Jun's pleas to call it off.
While I don't disagree that Tai Jun should bear the brunt of the blame, a diabolic Cheng Bi exacts his revenge in the most despicable way possible. He offers the oblivious grandma a cup of tea that will cause her to lose reason and kill people every night, knowing that the only solution will be for Xiao Shi Yi Lang to become the bad guy by cutting off Tai Jun's head.
Half a year passes and Xiao Shi Yi Lang returns with a pregnant lady named Bing Bing who is actually Cheng Bi's sister Lian Cheng Jin. However, the two go through great lengths to hide Cheng Jin's identity, puzzling even her uncles Bai Yang and Lu Liu.
Sure enough, Lian Cheng Bi had to confirm his sister's identity so that he can finish the deed to kill her. Although his second attempt remained unsuccessful, Lian Cheng Bi's identity as the big bad clad in red is revealed. I can't end the posting without talking about the interactions between Xiao Shi Yi Lang and the masked man. Their dialogues while short are fraught with humor bringing out a pleasant father-son dynamic, which is a much-needed balance to the drama in Xiao Shi Yi Lang's love life.
At least one thing in his life is going well given that Xiao Shi Yi Lang always had the masked man to look out for him, and not a stupid person who can be easily manipulated to stab him in the back or anywhere else because that has happened one too many times.
The much-awaited reveal happens towards the latter part of the series when the masked Er Guo Tou finally pulls out the Deer Carver Sabre proving that he is none other than Xiao Shi Yi Lang's long-lost father. On a sidenote, I find it hard to believe that Xiao Shi Yi Lang couldn't recognize his father's face. It's not like he was that young when they were separated?
Hands down one of the most exciting battles in the entire series occurs in the last episode when Xiao Shi Yi Lang walks into an ambush of epic proportions where he gets backstabbed by not one but two of his close friends and has to face a multitude of assassins.
Having been misinformed about Bi Jun's death, Xiao Shi Yi Lang still fought down to his last breath determined to take down as many people with him amidst the thrashing of swords. Fortunately, Bi Jun arrives in the nick of time to save Xiao for his final showdown with Lian Cheng Bi.What drama would you like to remember next?