I'll start from the end: I just finished it, 40 episodes and it was totally worth the late night sleep. I still feel the lump in my throat and the heaviness in my heart because the ending is beautiful, liberating, heartwarming, and I feel like I'm not ready to let go of Lianhua. The trio friendship lasts till the end and finally Lianhua gets what he wants: freedom. I mean, seriously. Leave the poor man alone. Also, I give low rewatch value because I can't bear to be this involved the second time. Dramatic, I know.

We don't get to see much of the ambitious and arrogant sect leader Li Xiangyi, instead we see him as the mature, reliable, witty, calm Li Lianhua. Lianhua is the kind of guy that you might say "Oh he's here! Thank goodness!" upon seeing him. The way he cultivates friendships with Fan Daobing and Di Feishang is kind and understanding that no wonder they can't resist him. Kudos to the actor for conveying such gentle yet strong character. His eyebrow lifts, smirks, the little gestures feel so natural I forgot he is an actor doing his job.
Fan Daobing grows a lot throughout the story and not only in fighting skills. By the end of the story he is an intelligent young adult in control of his own life. Di Feishang is a villain you can't hate. His A Fei mode is endearing and emotionally clueless makes him almost like a comic relief. These characters are perfectly portrayed by the actors.

I don't want to write too much and at 40 episodes it is quite a daunting commitment to watch but listen, do watch it anyway. It's about lovely friendships and loyalty, so there is barely any romance, but our trio is more than enough.