captivated me from the start. The plot was very well woven throughout the 29 episodes, never did it drag or fill out of place. It seemed like a very simple friendship. detective story in the beginning. But, it is so much more than that. It weaves together the genres of mystery, suspense, action and historical( with a side of magic) to form a very intricate that comes together very nicely at the end. This kind of writing manages to keep the audience glued to their screen. And when the characters are likable like Zhang Ping and Lan Jue even with their flaws that makes it even better. I liked the enemies to friends trope here, loved how Zhang and Lan were for the most part ride or die for each other although with some hardships thrown at their friendship from time to time. Whats a friendship without angst right? I'm glad that the problems between Zhang Ping and Lan Jue weren't dragged on and only made their friendship stronger.
The friendships were the best part of course because this drama at the heart is a friendship one. The writers also did a good job at showing the audience why they should root for the relationships.
The cast did a great job with their roles. I really liked them here. As for the OST the very last song played in ep 29 gave me the feels. I'm also glad the villains got what was coming to them, even if I couldn't help and feel sorry for one. That's the due to the good writing. I'm gonna miss this one.
I give this a 9.0 only because the detective genre is not my forte but after A League of Nobleman I will give this genre more of a channce. Highly recommended if anyone loves Detective stories :ALoN should not be passed on.