I was initially skeptical about this drama at first and only started to watch to fill my void waiting for The Pillow Book to come out, but wow was I pleasantly surprised. The casting was SPOT-ON, in my opinion there's no one that could really portray this complex GoW character like Chang Chen, and his amazing chemistry with Ni Ni was just unbelievable. Ten Miles of Peach Blossom was always a favorite of mine, and now I must admit that this drama has taken over that spot in my heart and it's all due to Chang Chen's acting talents. I loved every bit of his character, his many micro facial expressions, his sternness, his seriousness, his silliness, and his childishness. I also find Chang Chen's Jiu Chen character to be more lovable than Mark Chao's Ye Hua character (and trust me, up until a few weeks ago Ye Hua was the man) because Jiu Chen not only loved his woman with all his heart and willing to protect her with his life, he's also quite expressive with his words, I mean between his many facial expressions to his witty comebacks they're comedy gold. Ohh and the costumes in this drama is just eye candy. Another strength this drama has is the growth and emphasis of the heroin, Ling Xi evolved from a sheltered girl to a strong-willed and powerful woman who can think for the good of mankind and the personal sacrifices she must make. Let's just say the drama is over and I'm still obsessed over it, I've gone back to even rewatching it so I can understand the dialogs more. Highly highly recommend!! :)