i believe this book is built with tragedy as its foundation and angst as its pillar. sufferings rained down on me until i was suffocated with the pain.

this book really served the "your lover or your country" trope, if such trope ever existed. both mo xi and gu mang were awesome characters in their own way and when they were together, they accomplished much more. every time mo xi brandished tuntian or gu mang used dark magic, i couldn't help but get pumped up!

as for their relationship, it's kinda similar to erha in which the couple cannot lay their hearts out because of some secrets or their status. so if you expect a couple who communicates, i suggest you read golden stage/golden terrace.

what i really liked about this book is that i could barely guess what will happen next. it kept me guessing until seconds before the twists were unwound. oh, i also liked the ending and all the erha's easter eggs. unfortunately, how they resolved the final plot felt a bit off to me. i learned to expect the unexpected but not to that degree!

all in all, yu wu has become my favorite danmei, right after tgcf and mdzs.