Although it's very unfortunate that the two of them ended so tragically.

daddy dearest

He is not. Although he is a very important character in the novel, and will forever leave an impression upon Duan Ling, as well as the readers.

Duan Ling is one tough kid. He can be beaten, kicked, poisoned, and tossed down a cliff, and time and time again he gets back up and makes those who schemed suffer a fate worse than his. He's incredibly intelligent and knows how to read a person and the room. For his dad, he braves through a turbulent warring period to find him and then avenge him. He's strong but afraid; he's weary of trust after LJX's betrayal, yet he will trust Wu Du wholeheartedly. Despite being small and having weak martial arts skills, he doesn't hesitate to jump into an icy river to protect Wu Du. He's a scheming two-faced liar, but he needs to be in order to survive. He's clingy and sticky, but he learns to be the first to walk away. He's a child who has to grow up in a warring period and endure tons of setbacks, but he doesn't stop until he accomplishes his goals.

Feitian got me good. Who knew the centipede creep from the pharmacy was our dorky, anti-social, poison-master ML all along, our very own Wu Du? I was ready to take off on the Lang Junxia ship until the big betrayal happened, and even after Wu Du entered the picture, I still wasn't willing to part with LJX. But perhaps it's because Wu Du is so protective, loyal, and has a tenacious ability to chug an entire vat of vinegar that I can no longer see DL with LJX. Wu Du is a character who is just as lost as DL was, both down on their luck and meeting each other during the lowest point in their lives, lifting each other up to rise together. The only person in the novel who, regardless of DL's identity, treats him the same and does not change the way he loves and cares for him is Wu Du. Because of that, Wu Du eventually comes out on top as DL's best love interest among a very generous helping of suitors. DL, in addition to Li Jianhong, is one of the only two people who does not treat Wu Du like a weapon created to kill but instead treats him like a human being. That is something very precious to Wu Du, being recognized and treated as a person who has ambitions and aspirations with dignity.

He's an interesting character who is blunt, crass, and without the ability to read the room, but he's upright and defends his morals and teachings. While he was lost and followed Zhao Kui in Book I, we later learn that he never killed indiscriminately and has a strong moral compass, though that compass eventually points only toward DL. Protecting, loving, and ensuring that DL is physically and mentally happy, I think no other character is more worthy of DL than Wu Du.

I'm still thinking about his character, and he's ultimately my favorite in this novel. Hell, I need a novel where he's the protagonist because I want to understand him more, his thoughts and why he acts the way he does. A tragic character with a sad backstory, he was the Prince of the Wuluohou clan who fled to the Xianbei mountains, where his master later saved him and taught him martial arts. After mu*dering his master and the disciples in his sect, he attempted to assassinate Li Jianhong three times and failed. Luckily, Duan Xiaowan pleaded for him after he saved her. Thereafter, he pledged his allegiance to follow Li Jianhong and help him care for Duan Ling

Bawled my eyes out while reading the epilogue and the LJX extra, and my eyes are still red-rimmed as I reflect on this character. From Book I's betrayal to the way he tailed DL, I could never get a grip on exactly what his thoughts were, saving him one second and chasing him the next. Finally, I got the closure I needed with his letter hidden in the scabbard and the fresco painting in the Tianbei mountains, but it aches bitterly every time I think about his rueful smile. He may be cold, but he isn't heartless; he's the type of restrained character who is so emotionally suppressed that, while he appears heartless, he has always been silently protecting DL.

From the way he played Joyful Reunion with his flute on the first night he dropped DL off at the Illustrious Hall, to silently observing a young DL nodding off in class and dropping a plum on his head to wake him up, to tending to the flowers in their garden while DL was at Biyong College, and the way he told Cai Yan he would be leaving after poisoning DL, he was always silently looking after DL. He deserved so much more, and at the end of the day, he didn't betray Li Jianhong and protected DL to the best of his ability, even laying down his life when it came to it. I'll never get over the epilogue and extra, especially the part where he looks into Li Jianhong's eyes from the painting while playing Joyful Reunion and tells him that he'll be going and then coming to him.

LJH gives no shit, and the way he and the fourth prince tell each other 'you do it' when deciding who gets to ascend the throne makes me love his character to pieces. I didn't think Feitian had it in him to write what is probably one of the saddest ways to kill off a character, and I couldn't believe it when the arrow pierced his heart. After reading Danmei for a while, I kept wondering if there was a magical pill that could resurrect him, but alas, even though he left us in Book I, his spirit (metaphorically) remained throughout the novel to lift DL when he needed it most.

They all came off as intimidating and menacing, and my hackles were raised every time they appeared in Book I. However, by Book III, it's revealed that they're all just big fat dorks, constantly bickering and bantering with one another. I loved it whenever the assassins appeared because they're so badass and capable of so much destruction, but when they come together, they act like one big dysfunctional family.

I can't believe Li JianHong died. I wasn't expecting it. I was hoping he would live to the end with his son. The fact that Duan Ling still believes his father is alive breaks my heart every time I see him thinking of it.

I wonder where everything will go from here.

It's not that bad and I like that Duan Ling is growing as a person. But man, that cute scene in C59 and the ending...

Also, I'm glad Duan Ling knows the truth about Li Jianhong.

But seriously wtf is Cai Yan playing. You who are not even the true prince want the throne? That's some huge balls right there. Why the f*ck is Lang Junxia helping him? Does he really think he can be saved when he lied about something so major?

lang junxia. when he sends duan ling to school and duan ling gets into a fight with the kid there, and lang junxia yells at him to kneel to the headmaster. the scene feels so real because it captures the sternness that comes out of care when you're looking after a child, and the helplessness of having to tuck your pride away and submit to the higher power for your own good. also, when lang junxia is late to pick duan ling up, despite batu being sure that lang junxia wouldn't come, and said that he must not want duan ling anymore. I was BAWLING. lastly, when lang junxia brought duan ling to their new home. staying awake for him and then he couldn't help but collapse. screaming crying. I don't even know how to describe lang junxia's relationship with duan ling in the beginning. I don't want to really say father/son because li jianhong already takes that title. I don't want to say caretaker because that makes their relationship seem too shallow. anyways, I don't know how to put it, but lang junxia.... just, , he showed so much unconditional care for duan ling. even though he was described as a type of person who didn't speak much, hell, he's an assassin who betrayed li jianhong 3 times, he was such a good person taking care of duan ling.

i genuinely thought lang junxia would be the ml, and I do love wu du, but my heart was stuck on lang junxia from the beginning :') don't get me wrong, I still 100% love the novel... BUT YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE LANG JUNXIA FLASH US IN LESS THAN 1O CHAPTERS AND THEN DESCRIBE HIS HOT BOD AND JUST EXPECT US TO FORGET ABT THAT. also I cannot get over how attached I am to this man after all those domestic scenes in the beginning and then he just......... poisons duan ling and throws him off a cliff- excuse me I was reading to transmigrate and punch him myself

The father son relationship had me bowling my eyes out

I cried when Li Jianhong died

I cried when Lang Junxia faked his dead

I cried again when Lang Junxia died

I cried again and again when I read Lang Junxia's letter

I cried again when Li Jianhong show up for the last time to Duan Ling

In conclusion, I cried a lot and now my eyes looks like a panda. I cried so bad in the epilogue to the point that I have to rest and read other stuff before I continue to the part 2 cause if I don't, my whole family will know that I cried so bad for a novel character