Am I the only one who find this whole part about 4 very good potential guys chasing after one girl a bit too cliche? It's like Boys Over Flowers / F4, but in ancient drama. Don't get me wrong, I love how the characters played out but I guess I'm not a huge fan of the romance plot. Every guy seems to be pining for one girl, it does seem like the entire world only has one potential girl worth chasing after.

If I strip away all the romance, each character is multi-dimensional and I love how the actors / actresses play out their characters.

1. The character whom you should hate but couldn't because he makes you feel more sad than angry - Xiang Liu
2. You also have this character who is playboy (with reason), powerless but extremely capable and the most loyal to one - Chang Xuan
3. A character who has everything but also has nothing - Tushan Jing
4. This girl who has gone through the worst things possible in life from being abandoned, abused, surviving alone and heartbroken - Xiao Yao

Who am I rooting for with Xiao Yao? To be honest, I really would love Chang Xuan together with Xiao Yao. The chemistry between the two characters is honestly off the charts. Chang Xuan is so firm on protecting Xiao Yao, that nothing could get in the way. Without hesitation, he would sacrifice anything to keep Xiao Yao from harm.

Of course, the one person who could match Chang Xuan is Xiang Liu. I feel bad for him. The whole time, he seems to always be alone. Other than Xiao Yao, I don't think I see him having a genuine good time with anyone else.

I always thought Tushan Jing is quite acceptable. Until when Xiao Yao was "assassinated". Dude went into coma the whole time because of his unwillingness to live without Xiao Yao. Dude, that guy just went to sleep while Chang Xuan went around taking revenge for Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu sacrificing his life to save Xiao Yao's. When CX and XL were out doing whatever they could to keep Xiao Yao alive, this guy given up. How this guy is the perfect match, baffles me.

All in all, the plot turned out to be pretty good - the politics, the fight scenes, the story behind every character, the different clans and kingdoms - I love them all. Just the romance - not my cup of tea.