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.

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?

Duan Ling is one tough kid, he can be beaten, kicked, poisoned, tossed down a cliff, and time and time again he will get back up and make those who schemed suffer a fate worse than his. He's incredibly intelligent and knows how to read a person and the room, and for his dad he would brave through a turbulent warring period to find him, and then to avenge him. He's strong, but afraid; he's weary of trust after LJX's betrayal, but then will trust Wu Du whole-heartedly. He's small and his martial arts skills are weak, but he doesn't hesitate to jump into a icy river to protect Wu Du. He's a scheming two-faced liar, but he needed 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 had to grow up in a warring period and endure tons and tons of setback, 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 later could no longer see DL being 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, both lifting each other up to rise together. The only person in the novel who, regardless of DL's identity, would still treat him the same and not change the way he loves and cares for him would only be Wu Du. For that, Wu Du eventually comes out on top as DL's best love interest among a very generous helping of suitors. And DL, in addition to Li Jianhong, were the only two people who did not treat Wu Du like a weapon created to kill, but they treated him like a human being, and that is something very precious to Wu Du, to be recognized and treated as a person who has ambitions and aspirations with dignity.

I'm still thinking about his character, and he's ultimately my favorite character in this novel. Hell, I need a novel where he's the protagonist because I want to understand his character more, his thoughts and why he acted the way he did. A tragic character with a sad backstory, he was Prince of the Wuluohou clan and fled to the Xianbei mountains, where he was later saved by his master, who taught him his martial arts. After murdering his master and the disciples in his sect, he attempted to assassinate Li Jianhong three times and failed, but 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 for 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 that made me ache bitterly every time I think about his rueful smile. He may be cold, but he wasn't heartless because he's the type of restrained character that was so emotionally suppressed that while he appeared heartless, he had 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, and silently observed a young DL nodding off in class and dropping a plum on his head to wake him up, to the way he tended to the flowers in their garden while DL was at Biyong college, and the way he told Cai Yan he would be leaving after he poisoned DL (his leaving was probably to kill himself if he couldn't find DL, but then changed his mind after he realized DL was still alive), 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 his life down when it comes to it. I'll never get over the epilogue and extra, especially of him looking into Li Jianhong's eyes from the painting while playing Joyful Reunion, and then telling him that he'll be going, and then coming, to him.

LJH gives no sh*t and the way he and the fourth prince tell each other "you do it" when picking among themselves who gets to ascend the throne, I just loved 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 (metaphorical) remained through the novel to lift DL when he most needed it.

They all came off as intimidating and menacing, and my hackles were raised

every time they appeared in Book I, but by Book III, it's revealed that they're all just big fat dorks, constantly bickering and bantering at one another. I loved it whenever all the assassins appeared because they're just so badass and capable of so much destruction, but when they get together, they act like one big dysfunctional family.

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

that author would reinstall Li Ruo faster and then for us to have one book dedicated to his work as a crown Prince. I just wanted to see how he would govern and how he would deal with politics when he was in power, not hidden in the shadow.