American Perspectives: "Laying Out the Groundwork" Ever Night Ep. 3

Episode 3 was interesting as we begin to find out a little bit more about where everyone is going.  Ning Que is a very likeable character.  He's not too concerned about the Princess not liking him, and he isn't a jerk about it.  Mainly because he has other concerns, such as taking care of Sang Sang, cultivating, and passing the admission exam into Tang Academy.  Besides, he isn't a fan of her either.  However, he doesn't harrass her because of that, and it's something I can appreciate.

The Princess is dealing with her own issues.  She's dealing with the evil Empress Xia Tan, who had something to do with her being married off into a Mongol tribal group.  She's had to deal with rumors since childhood that she would destabilize the Tang Empire due to a prophecy.  However, it is more likely that the supposed prophecy was instigated by Xia Tan and her brother Xia Hou, as Xia Tan has interest in obtaining more ruling power.  The Princess, who is not her biological daughter, just so happens to be in the way.

Ning Que is not able to cultivate supernatural power, but he remains interested in learning about the process, and how it works.  The instructor is adamant that cultivation is something that can't be taught, however, with grave reluctance, he agrees to tell him about it.  I can't wait to see Ning Que prove him wrong.  I loved seeing the various martial arts demonstrations when the instructor was discussing all the cultivation levels.  One thing I like when watching martial arts in C-Dramas and K-Dramas is seeing the cultural context where it comes from, and how it's applied from their original perspectives.  Like in the C-Dramas, I like how they include supernatural elements instead of flashy kicks and punches.  It adds a little extra depth to it all.