Pros :

MC and ML chemistry is one of the best. They give off an old married couple vibe. And them teasing each other is so cute.

The phasing is great. Just when the tension is high, the author ease it with some sprinkle of comedy.

... more>> The villain, well I have mixed feelings about them. Kinda wish the author write them better. On the other hand, the twist is good. It's giving me MDZS at the temple scene where the villain is mixing with the good guys vibe.

Cons :

Need quite a lot of juice brain to unravel the mystery. But it's more of a light read compared to other revenge novels. <<less

Absolutely brilliant... loved it... a great read... beautifully crafted plot... excellent charcoal... everyone was good... it's one of the best books I have read till now... thanks to the author and the translator for bringing us this piece of gem...

The suspense.. the plot.. the interaction all is well balance... and same time it can caused you to have an emotion roller coaster ride too.. highly recommended to read😍🤣😍🤣😍🤣

Lightning fast witty MC and rigidly polite ML. What's interesting about these two?

The MC is the Demonic Sect Leader but he's also the ML's trustworthy shidi. He's an A grade troll, you're gonna love him. He has a revenge plot 10 years in the making but also a dark spot in the history between him and his beloved. The ML is the rigid Sect Leader of the orthodox path whose hearts only moves for his shidi.

See now? These two together? The villains are quaking in their boots! Honestly, these two... more>> are such a power couple, but the villain is also smart so the protagonists never feel overpowered like in other novels, never boring.

What to look forward the most in this novel? The plot. The puzzle. The unmasking and re-masking of everything you thought you knew for certain. Ye You's beautiful hyper galaxy brain. This novel is Agatha Christie's level of puzzle complexity, but with an actual loveable cast of characters.

I wished the narration was more balanced, especially for the scarcity of descriptions or smooth transitions, but the complexity of the plot more than makes up for it. The romance proceeds well enough.

Read it. Read it for Ye You's chef's kiss galaxy brain. <<less

I almost, just almost to give this story 4.9 star, since, welp, for me the suspense is killing me. And although it's good, sometimes it's confusing. Like,

... more>>

Spoiler

Not really spoiler spoiler, but the big reveal of the main villain is nonchalantly revealed when talking to someone, because imo, I really thought they are gonna keep the suspense and when it's at the peak, big-grand-reveal and also satisfying climax. But nope.

[collapse]

But then, I saw this story onl got a 4.4 star which quite wtf for me. So yey, 5 stars it is. But hey, a lot of review here already pointed out why this story is so good and it's the same for me more or less anyway.

My fav character is of course the missing Sect Master's witty comeback that could make you vomit a mouthful of blood everytime he spoke. Mann, that's best. And also his friend, with the same tr*sh talk. This duo got me laughing and laughing.

AND THE AUTHOR IS SO SMART IDK HOW YOU COME UP WITH SUCH INTRIGUING AND COMPLEX STORY AS THIS.

Thank you also for the translator who pick this story. You are the MVP. <<less

Rating: 3.5/5

Enjoyable story, read if you like mystery/revenge plots with cool MCs but the BL romance here falls short

PROS

• Overarching mystery and revenge plot is well thought-out and easy to follow
• MC is scheming and intelligent
• Side characters are entertaining (hilariously so - I love the Demonic sect elders)

CONS

• Underdeveloped romance
• Bland ML compared to MC (MC is charismatic, funny, thoughtful and sly... but ML feels mostly just like a foil character that is there to admire and respond to MC’s brilliance)
• Plot feels fairly contrived at times - I find it difficult to believe that supposedly powerful and authoritative figures such as sect leaders can be so thoughtless and reliant on others to guide their thinking
• Unsatisfying ending re side characters

Got to say I love the demonic sect's peoples.. They are the biggest reason why I read this.. The Demonic Sect's Elders are really cute, amusing & comical 😄

For the story, It doesn't have a big twist or complex story & characters, but it's interesting enough to read..

Thank you for translate this story, bless you!

Mediocre rating, at most.

The mystery is boring. The comedy is meh. Romance also meh, basically ML is just there as side characters to prove this is a BL. The plot is so slow with many unnecessary turns. The ending also flat.

And many overused plot, like, seriously it happen few times in the story

... more>>

Spoiler

• Show off OPness
• Fall in cliff
• Fall in water
• Then pretend to be weak
• Kidnapping

[collapse]

Also hate the OPness. Everyone in MC side, is OP. Everyone in non-MC side, is a cannon fodder. Basically the story can't move on without the MC tell all those character to do something. <<less

The most interesting part of this novel is the uniqueness of the characters. They are so lovable. Especially the demonic elders. 🤣🤣🤣

Can I give this one six stars?

Excellent story. Excellent side cast. Excellent hero. It's like Count of Monte Cristo met Scarlet Pimpernel. I would not be surprised if it is made into a Chinese (bromance) drama.

A page turner novel and a work of art!

The plot is very well written and executed. The mystery about the white piece and black piece of the chess board will make you want to uncover the truth.

The MC is one of the kind of character that I like as a shou. He is so intelligent and talented, at the same time he's so shameless. Even there's some serious moments, you can't help but laughed out loud. I also commend the loved and devotion of ML for him. Knowing that they... more>> were in a senior- junior relationship in the past. ML have waited for him for 10 years!

But despite MC's lively character, a lot of things that happened to him that he bare it all alone in the past. I felt bad that he went through that kind of suffering. Still, I am very happy that though ML wasn't there for him in the past, he was able to mend it in the present and as well promise to love and take care of MC in the future.

Aside from the main characters, I also like to highlight all the junior sect masters. I love all of them. Uwu, they're like little buns following the MC. I just felt sad in the end for the three sons of the main traitors of this novel. They were all a good and devoted sons and nothing really is their fault... On the brighter side, I'm glad that they were still righteous people and respected the MC a lot.

Highly recommended! <<less

I really enjoyed this story! It was well-paced, well-written, and well thought out. Characters had depth and nuance to their actions, villains had all kinds of motivations behind their plots, and the side characters left me laughing out loud at their antics. The romance plot didn't have too many ups and downs, but was heartwarming and playful -- the mystery/revenge plot on the other hand was full of thrilling ups and downs, with some genuine surprises along the way

It was a very good read and the mystery element was superbly crafted.
i Wish there was more info on their romance, but it was very ‘fade to black’ all the time and that was very frustrating. I would still recommend this book and will probably reread a few chapters from time to time. Thank you to the author and translator.

Second re-read!

Honestly somewhat confusing the first time, and less confusing the second (but still a bit, lol). The Shrimp translations were very good though. It's just that the underlying plot has a lot of twist and turns, all plotted out by our beloved MC.

Despite that (and surprisingly how I managed to forget who the main villains were in the second read), the main draw of this novel is the MC, or as the ML lovingly calls him "the disaster". Quick witted, sassy, intelligent, powerful, and paired with funny and dynamic... more>> side characters who might seem a bit like caricatures but are perfect bits of comic relief makes the novel such a joy to read.

ML had a bit of depth vs. The usual stone-faced gong, and I liked their chemistry and suggestive (lol) interactions (no smut ;_;). Most (if not all?) of what was revealed of his character was in relation to MC, kind of wish there was more there.

What I also wish could have been better, on my second read. Being picky here:

• My personal ick, I strongly remember even during my first read. The black piece, white piece thing. It's so cringey to me HAHA. Also the jianghu grapevine is really fantastic how everyone unequivocally knows what a black/white piece is referring to. I get that it's an easier reference with all the complicated things happening but it just made me laugh and cringe at the same time every time it appears.
  Spoiler

  Especially after ML buys in and goes 'WE are the black piece.' AHHH is this supposed to be romantic LOL

  [collapse]
• Mostly dumb sheep 'righteous faction' that were led around by the nose.
  There were some attempts to question but they were mostly conveniently dumb.
• Considering how 'smart' the villains are to set up this whole thing, I would have hoped they would be 1) more developed
  Spoiler

  Other than being prolific fathers whose weaknesses are somehow always their SONS who are never in on the plot. Like, get them in on the plot too! Make them also evil!

  [collapse]
  and 2) fight back more; it seemed like quite a cruise for MC throughout the entire story, which is odd.
• Spoiler

  And lol I swear I remember the sons becoming MC's disciples but I must have dreamt that up

  [collapse]

Despite all that, it's still a very smart novel with great enjoyable characters beyond the two leads. Would re-read again in due time, haha. <<less

Its written very well but without deep emotions.

Maybe that was just the style of the author. The plot is very solid. And the writing is good too. Even though I read it all the way through it was because that is how I do things. I felt disinterested many times. The author failed to convey the emotions of characters or maybe their focus was simply the mystery.

As someone who loves both plot and emotions, the lack of either of these makes me dissatisfied.

Overall nice plot tho, it just felt bland.

Really interesting novel, good chuckles along the way and the storyline is different and unexpected. Love all the characters and wished there was more to read.

4.6-4.7 stars. Minor spoilers.

This is a pretty good book. The plot and mystery were executed beautifully. The novel focuses on this one big revenge mystery from 20 years ago, a go game between black (Ye You and Wenren Heng) and white (the 3 righteous leaders). Aparently there were a lot of clues throughout the novel for the final reveal of who the white pieces are and the plot twist. I was not attentive enough and honestly, I couldn't tell all the way until the actual reveal. One of the best... more>> things about this novel, beside the plot and mystery that I just mentioned, is the characters— especially the supporting characters. They are hilarious! The author did a good job to portray so many quirky characters that just brought joy whenever I read about them. The Demonic Sect Elders are priceless! They are a rowdy bunch that I would love to read about their stories if there's a side nove/spinoff about them. Wei Jiangyue and Ding Xilai are also very good characters. Ding Xilai is just a precious baby that I was hoping that there is a better wrap-up for him or more screen time for him toward the end. He a very pure boy, but because of his dad that he lost very good relationship with some awesome people, for example Ye You and Ren Shaotian. As for Wei Jiangyue, I felt bad for him about his unrequited love for Ye You and honestly, I don't know how I feel about him. He is very righteous and willing to compensate for his dad mistakes. He brought out evidence of his dad wrongdoings. In a sense, that is good but sometimes, I felt he is too cold when he did that. That reminded me of a question in Way of Choices (Ze Tian Ji) : if your family/lover/close friend do evil, what will you do? Would you stop that person at all costs and try to make that person go back to the right way or would you follow that person?

Ok, onto the 2 main leads. Wenren Heng, the ML, is portrayed as handsome and smart, and very capable. He demonstrated that throughout the novel, but his presence has been eclipsed by Ye You. In a sense, I felt he is perhaps a bit too lacking in presence. I was hoping for more dynamics between the 2. Instead, he just had his kind and gentleman persona while his somewhat domineering side when he is alone with Ye You, but that's it. It seems somewhat lacking, even more than the elders. Finally, best for last: our MC, Ye You. He is quirky with a poisonous mouth, quick and clever, lazy but sharp, and very beautiful. He's the kind of person who will wrong others before wronging himself, unless it's people he really care for. He has to have amazing fortitude and endurance and a lot of kindness in order to go through what he went through (the massacre of his whole family and master) and turn out to be such a fantastic person, seeking revenge only on those 3 and not involve innocent people, not putting his hatred on the white pieces' families. I'm glad he didn't let revenge get to himself. Amazing patience and really smart because that boardgame that he setup to trap the white pieces is amazing, 8 years of planning. He is flawed too as he can be emotional when it's about people he cares about. Overall, he is like this one cool and amazing person with high EQ and high IQ, who make all his antagonists want to beat him up and shut that mouth of his, haha. Only thing, I hope he can rely more on our ML, instead of taking on all the burden by himself. He rather die by himself than die together with our ML.

One thing I felt the novel is lacking is the romance. I'm glad they got together half way through the book and resolve all the misunderstanding, but I was hoping for more dynamics between them and sweet moments. <<less

Entertaining and humorous novel. The plot is surprising. There are some stories that you can guess most of the plot early on but this isn't one of them. A good read.

This novel was amazing. 5/5. When I first read it I was in the mood for amnesia Danmei, so it seemed fun to read but it just got better and better. The main couple are smart and they love each other and none try to "fix" the other. The main character is extremely smart and the twists and turns of the novel kept me hooked the whole time. The side characters each had personality and the elders were so much fun to read. The shamelessness of both of them was... more>> phenomenal to read. <<less

Loved it, tho there was smth that just didn't allow me to give it 5*. Idk what.... I do actually, it's that the relationship was sorta, just very much not as good as the rest of it. The romantic aspect of it. It felt somewhat like reading fanservice.... it just felt to me like it was weakening the whole thing. I would definitely recommend it. If you're a ship chaser it's a gold mine, there is no other confirmed couple in the story but there is a lot of potential... more>> there.

Gender fluid inters*x character being very nicely written in was great to see.

I think everything was tied together nicely, the characters were truly well written. Because things were good there's not much to say.... The s*xual dynamic was sorta a pity tho, could've made it reversible.

There actually could've been more to write but I am somewhat insomniac lately so I can't really put together opinions coherent enough to type. <<less