The first reason of liking this drama is Li Yi Tong, her role as assassin Wan Mei is played so well, multifaceted and convincing.
In the beginning young, innocent but already full of hardship, she tries her best to bring some food home to her little brother and obviously good for nothing herbalist father.

Even after he sells her to a brothel for two bags of rice ( ( -how far sighted, how long can they live on that-), her will to live is stronger than giving in to her obvious destiny.

In the end desperate and wanting, she still finds a way of living on.

I love Li Yi Tong, I liked her in every drama, but in this one I liked her so far the most. She can display so many character traits in just one role.Really great. Although she is an assassin she never gives in to power and bloodthirst, she ist soft but strong, never killing anyone.Maybe not realistic for an assassin but she has two men by her side, one always manipulating and pushing her but also deeply in love for the first time, the other Chang An.

Chang An (Qu Chu Xiao), her shadow and his undying love and will to give everything for her impressed me so much. Who doesn't want to see a charactare like him in a drama.Torn between personal revenge and his love for Wan Mei, in the end he's always by her side, secretly helping her,pleading for her or sacrificing for her.

Though both, Chang An and Wan Mei, often make everything more complicated by giving in to their feelings, they won't stop loving each other.

Sometimes I had the feeling, that when one of them wouldn't have been there it would have made things a lot easier for the other.
Trying to sacrifice everything for each other but only maximizing the extend of damage that is done is not my ideal way of loving but yes, it's a
"bloody romance". Quite interesting.

Cha Luo as heartless and pain ridden crazy leader of the assassins is also greatly portrayed. You really get into hating her whole personality, even though you get to know how hard her life was. She is just selfish and doesn't want anyone in a similar situation having a better life than her. She clings to her power hungry self as so not to give in to her misery.
Great actress, her cruel laughter still sends shivers down my spine.

Xing Feng, Cha Luo's man,shadow and true love is also an interesting character.I really like the actor.He loves Cha Luo although she is so cruel.You can see how often he tries to pacify her but still wants to do everything for her.

Xing Feng and Cha Luo are the saddest couple I have ever seen in a drama.Him impotent and sad for not beeing able to give her what she wants and her needy and always aggressive for beeing an almighty leader but still a powerless person.

The best charactare displayed in this drama is King of Ning, really impressive. Blind in the beginning, with lots of heart illnesses but also with a powerful inner strenght, he uses everyone for his own ambitions. A lonely but manipulative guy whom you can't really see through.He is the secret puppetry master of everything.

All in all it was one of the dramas which left an imprint on me.
I highly recommend it to people who like to get
carried away by a drama.
I loved it.