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It is increasing.

True. Mei Changsu came to the capital with full arsenal and knowledge about everything. He knows his enemies, but his enemies don't know about him. He has clear targets to shot, and he is protected well in his fortress by a doctor, a bodyguard, a prince, two military generals, and two big organizations in the jianghu.

Here, XHA is basically a fugitive. He plays from the shadow. He doesn't have strong allies, only several people that share similar cause with him, yet some them are actually traitors and he is used for their own agenda. The targets are always moving and changing, emerge from unexpected corners. The casualities are beyond his expectation. What a hardship to win the game.

NIF is an outstanding show. It was 10 years ago. Truly legend. The first in CDrama that tells a character like Monte Cristo of the West. Their only similarity are theme and quality production. But the premise, the plot, the narrative technicality, the setting, are completely different. TVOA has its distinct identity and worthy a praise. For me, to be comparable to NIF is an achievement, not a problem.

Women portrayed in this drama are sister, friend, daughter, mother, and wive, not lover. There is love, but not in the romantic forms. It is more relational and committed. I love this choice. Because in the era of conflict, the most impacted by war is relations people have and their strength is measured by how great their commitment to each other.

He looks so innocent at first. He gives some comedic relief when his character is introduced, but... I am deceived again. He is a psychopath, worse than Wang Pu.

Yes that is a mistake that is also lamented by the ml, not only us, the viewers.

When you feel disappointed, anger, worry, or anything on certain scenes, this show have characters inside the story to feel the same. Such synchronicity is the interesting thing in this drama, but...

You need to let youself flow with the story. If you resist the course of the plot, and begin think what is should and shouldn't, that is when enjoyment diminished. You lose the shocking value and will fail to grasp what will happen later.

You will get more shocked later as this show dare to kill more characters you might like. For soft hearted viewers maybe this show is really too much, especially if you compare this one to MLC. Literally different genre and theme.

This show won't disappoint you in giving answers to your questions about the plot because they are definitely there in later episodes. You just need to pay attention and don't skip any scene.

Please tick spoiler in your comment if it contains spoiler.

Don't get triggered. This person just teased us to enjoy our reactions 😒

At first, I thought it was just his imagination, seeing Wang Pu's ghost. I thought he became a madman, too, like Huai An!

It is like a checkmate situation. But the cornered king actually can change the tide of game.

My friend, get ready. But don't read spoilers.

IMO, being watched is pretty much the same to being controlled. Why do Huben watch a person unless they try to control that person?

He is selfish and doesn't have a chivalrous spirit.

Yeah, Wang Pu is his reason for controlling his killing intent and looking beyond victory or defeat. For him, that is the definition of a good commander.

You should learn the psychology of the general before you call him stupid. IMO, his "revenge operation" is quite successful. They lose Han Ziling and some soldiers, but then the enemy loses Qingyi and his mother, and later Wang Pu.

Since the beginning (episode 2), we have known that. Her scene with Qingyi after her teacher committed suicide.

Not many. They appear and next, die.

I agree with you. The show is telling the dark side of human being without losing the moral core. It is not a fight for power, or a game of throne. It is about finding justice from existential perspective.

I think, it is another thing that makes this drama differs greatly from the famous NIF. In NIF, the ml is from the army. He struggles through political maneuvering and utilizing established law to serve the justice, to end corruption, and put the righteous heir to the throne. It is a story of the elites, and don't really show the struggle in the grassroot.

Here, it is more like an underground movement, or an asymmetrical war. The ml doesn't care about the monarch. He only wants to kill his enemy and to end the existence of an army. The story tell people lives from the palace to the market, from the big city to the rurals, how relationships take various forms and continue to evolve.

He is a chess piece himself and the player of the game at the same time.