Reincarnation Explained - Moonlight Mystique - Jing Yuan/Fan Yue & Xing Yue/Bai Shuo

I just want to make this thread topic, to explain how I personally see this in Moonlight Mystique, since to me, I never really see Xing Yue and Jing Yuan as different individuals because I always saw them as "Fan Yue and Bai Shuo's past life".

*** Reincarnation ***
When a person dies, it was said that a part of them will become the stars(in MM).

It makes sense when you look at reincarnation side of things. When you are reincarnated you will carry your original soul to the next reincarnation cycle and that will be who you are in the next life. Same soul doesn't mean you need to be the exact same person again as your past life because that is not how reincarnation works.

Bai Shuo is the reincarnation of Xing Yue, same as Fan Yue is for Jing Yuan.

The theme of MM is through the process of this reincarnation in this story, despite their past is Jing Yuan and Xing Yue, but for Xing Yue when she died, that part of her is no longer in this world. Since her "soul" has entered a reincarnation and became Bai Shuo in her next life.

When Bai Shuo said she is not Xing Yue, she did not mean that she's not her reincarnated self, but she wants others to respect that Xing Yue is the past life and it shouldn't let that dictate herself in this current life as Bai Shuo.

She doesn't want to be anyone else, but she just wants to be herself(Bai Shuo).

Just like what Bai Shuo said that the one who has experienced all that with Jing Yuan is Xing Yue(in her past life), not her current life. She didn't go through the same experiences as Xing Yue. That has ended in their past life.

Once the reincarnation process takes place their life is renewed in that sense.

To put it simply, Bai Shuo didn't want to live her life as Xing Yue when that was her past and she may have learned the memories of her past but in this life, she's Bai Shuo. Fan Yue felt the same on his end. Despite he have flashbacks of memories from Jing Yuan (before he awakens), he separated himself from Jing Yuan because they were Jing Yuan memories of his past life, not his. In this life, he simply just wants to be Fan Yue.

This is different to Qing Mu and Hou Chi in Ancient Love Poetry. I wouldn't even regard Hou Chi is Shang Gu's reincarnation but she's more like her vessel for when Shang Gu awakens.

I think the confusion part for some people is how Jing Yuan can come back like it was his individual self but Xing Yue couldn't. The thing is, when Xing Yue died back then, she didn't left behind any remaining parts of her "original remnants" in this world. When she died, she died completely. So that side to her is no more once she entered the reincarnation cycle and became Bai Shuo in this life. While for Jing Yuan, back then, he used his Divine Power(which I took it that this includes a part of his original self) to bind the hidden heart. He and Mo Li can come back because they both left behind something that belongs to them originally. Despite they all died back then.

Does that make Jing Yuan still alive? No, because his physical body is no more. When he died back then, a part of his Divine Power(a part of him) was binded to sealed the Hidden Heart, and his Divine Mantle(original being) was split into two, as he has explained it. 1 half of it was reincarnated into Fan Yue. The other half continue searching in this world(like a wandering soul) to search for Xing Yue(as explained in the drama), that was also during the time he saved BS and BX.

When little Fan Yue was 15, he fell off the cliff, which made the divided Divine Mantle(that was originally split into two) became one again in little Fan Yue and that was why Fan Yue (at the age of 15) lost his memories because of this.

So, when Jing Yuan who returned 60,000 years later and said he wants to join Xing Yue in the stars, that part of him that left Fan Yue, was the remaining part that was tied to this world, that just wants to join Xing Yue in the stars(because Xing Yue is no longer in this world).

It doesn't change who they were in the past. But this just means that Fan Yue and Bai Shuo being reincarnated version of both Jing Yuan and Xing Yue, they just want to live their life as their own identity being Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, because this is who they are in their present life.

I felt like their past life experiences subconsciously shaped them into a better version of themselves in this present time to not make the same mistake and regrets they had in their past life. This is how I see it

For Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, it is reincarnation because they have their own identity in this life time that makes them who they are. But even when they have their own identity as Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, it doesn't take away who they were in their past life. 

Even if they don't want to live in the previous identity as Jing Yuan and Xing Yue, I felt like we need to respect that. I mean, if you are going to put this in reality, for reincarnation side of things, would you let your past life (version of yourself) dictate who you are in this life and become an exact replica of your past self? Or would you want to live your life based on the current version of yourself? If you just want to live your life based on this current version through your current life experience that shaped your persona in this life, then this can be relatable to how Bai Shuo and Fan Yue is feeling. It doesn't change who they were in their past life. They are still them but in this life they are living on as Fan Yue and Bai Shuo. I personally respect that about them, because this is how reincarnation should be like.  

It brings out that sense their love can transcend through both life time where they can meet again, and fall in love with each other again, only this time Bai Shuo persistent to walk her own path has proved Heaven wrong in the past how she forced Xing Yue to not hold those feelings of love. I always felt why Bai Shuo always so stubborn about that part in how she doesn't like others dictating her life or make decisions for her stems from how she truly felt in her past as Xing Yue(deeply rooted into her soul), so in this life, she just wanted to follow her heart and feelings over the heavy burden as what Xing Yue once carried on her shoulders. I actually respect and love Bai Shuo better because of this tbh.

It was also because of her firm belief in walking her own path as Bai Shuo (not Xing Yue) that allowed her to have this 6th contemplation that was able to destroyed the hidden heart (Mo Li) and in the end save Fan Yue(and the other side characters who died for a great cause), because it proved Heaven way of thinking was wrong because what Xing Yue failed to accomplish(through Heaven way) back then, Bai Shuo was able to with this 6th contemplation of "great love". So I love that addition at the end that shows a contrast in parallel that proved Heaven wrong back then. 

So as much as I love Jing Yuan and Xing Yue backstory back then, I am glad that in this life, they are living on as Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, because it allowed them to get that happiness and live freely (when compared to their past) at the end. 

I appreciate Jing Yuan and Xing Yue backstory, because without them, we wouldn't have the Fan Yue and Bai Shuo love story that I came to love, but for me, both Fan Yue and Jing Yuan do carry the same traits in them so I love them both equally on my end. They're both the same on how they feel about the woman they love, Jing Yuan on Xing Yue, and Fan Yue on Bai Shuo, because it is in lined with who they met back then and now and that is who they love. Bai Shuo (imo) is definitely a better version of Xing Yue who follows her heart and her own path that doesn't let her past regret repeat itself, and I am not saying this to hate Xing Yue, because I do like her too, but in comparison, I personally love Bai Shuo better on my end (in comparison between past vs present). 

So in the end, Jing Yuan and Xing Yue was able to get their happiness in their next life as Fan Yue and Bai Shuo and their love lives on in their next life. 

P.S: My other thread topic on how I feel about Jing Yuan and Xing Yue ending (if you're interested): https://mydramalist.com/discussions/zhu-yue/134640-jing-yuan-and-xing-yue-ending-contain-spoilers

@RomanticRosebud_BL, yes, Fan Yue definitely do carry the same traits as Jing Yuan. 

E.g.

When Jing Yuan returned, the first words he uttered showed a sense of protectiveness towards Xing Yue(Bai Shuo) where he said "those who hurts her, or wants to hurt her will all die". This shows that he will not spare anyone who dares harm the woman he loves. 

Fan Yue is the same where you can evidently see how he is protective of Bai Shuo, which is clearly shown in the Bodhi Village arc when those flowers attacked Bai Shuo, she wasn't even hurt, but the fact that those flowers dared attack Bai Shuo, Fan Yue personally went there to destroy them on his end because of what happened(and I love that about Fan Yue when that scene played out).

Back then Jing Yuan said he wanted to take Xing Yue to travel around the world and take her to different places that is outside the Xing Yue Pavillion, and in this life time, Fan Yue said to Bai Shuo that if she wants to live in seclusion, he will accompany her in seclusion and if she wants to travel the world, he will accompany her too. These two, whether it is Jing Yuan in the past, or Fan Yue in the present, they just want to be with the person they love in both life times and accompany her. That is the extent of their love for her, Jing Yuan can give up his title as the Demon God for Xing Yue back then when he said he wanted to accompany her, and Fan Yue said to Bai Shuo that "Demon King, Demon God, I don't care any of that, sometimes I just want to forget all this and just live with you in seclusion". 

So honestly, not just the style in both Jing Yuan and Fan Yue in terms of the clothes they wear, but their personality is the same to me when it comes to the woman they love. They love that person wholeheartedly and is irreplaceable. 

So this is why for me, I love both Jing Yuan and Fan Yue equally because they carry the same traits I love in them. 

For Bai Shuo, I saw a clear difference in her character when compared to Xing Yue from back then and I'm glad there is this difference because if she were to be Xing Yue again then tragedy may repeat itself so I always saw that Bai Shuo is a better version of Xing Yue where she is free to love and just wants to follow her own heart and path in this lifetime. Her past (as Xing Yue) had subconsciously made her into a better version of herself in this present time. I wish Xing Yue was free to love in the past but their tragedy happened because of Heaven's way so I blamed Heaven for that but if I was to look at the overall picture, without their past, we wouldn't have the Fan Yue and Bai Shuo love story that we came to love in this life time. So in the end, how the writers wrote it was done in a way from past vs present time that makes sense and written in a beautiful way imo. 

 RomanticRosebud_BL:

I did like how the writers wrote their characters in the past and present. The distinction between the two lives are there more in BS than FY but it’s important that they carry both trains in them because it does make them better people and much stronger too. Yep since both Jing Yuan and Fan Yue are more similar and carry the same traits it’s easier to love them equally. Both with Bai Shou we prefer her 🤣. Without XY tho there’d be no BS. That’s the message the writers want to leave the audience with and they did it well, agreed same with Fan Yue and Jing Yuan. 

For me I love Bai Shuo better because she puts love above responsibility whereas for Xing Yue, she puts responsibility first and love second. 

I get why she had to do it because she carry that heavy burden in her but again like I've been saying all along I am tired of seeing characters who put responsibility first and love second so this is why for me, Bai Shuo being free to love and walk her own path to follow her heart, makes me love Bai Shuo better. I am glad Bai Shuo stay as Bai Shuo in the end. 

Xing Yue is her past and this will always be a part of her(since that is her past life), but how the writers wrote it is, the whole past vs present can show the difference on how the ending can be like depending on one's decision and in the end, love conquers all thanks to Bai Shuo 6th contemplation of great love that proved Heaven is wrong. 

Xing Yue have traits that I wish was done better but I don't dislike her, I am just thankful that these traits that I don't like happened in their past instead of the present because I find it easier to forgive if it was their past since their past is their past and the present is what we come to love and appreciate through the past experiences that made it into a better version in that comparison (imo)

RomanticRosebud_BL , I know why Xing Yue did it and it is like you said which I agree, but it is also at the same time why in this comparison, it made me like Bai Shuo better in that sense because she never gives up on Fan Yue and she is very firm with this. 

This is why I said their past gave us the comparison between the choices made by both Xing Yue and Bai Shuo respectively. I am not saying Xing Yue doesn't love Jing Yuan because she did, but she is willing to walk that path alone to keep him out of this instead of working together (which is what Jing Yuan would have wanted), like he said to her that he is willing to die with her by going through this together instead of him being the only one to survive and live on his regrets. Bai Shuo is someone who have expressed it over and over again to Fan Yue when she made him promise that no matter what happens in the future, they will do it together. I felt like it is this contrast that despite they are the past vs present that makes Bai Shuo a better version of Xing Yue that I like better. 

Again I am not saying all this to dislike Xing Yue because I don't dislike her, I understood the choices she made and why she did it. I also understood that she did love Jing Yuan too but her decisions did hurt Jing Yuan in the past which is what I didn't really like in that sense. 

But yes, we can both agree that all Xing Yue mistakes in the past definitely had made her stronger in the present time because it is through the past that we have the present Bai Shuo now, and for this,  I will always be glad that we had that version of their past because without it we wouldn't have what we had in the present time. 

I felt like the reason why Fan Yue did that was to show a parallel to the past in that sense and how in the end, it was Bai Shuo's 6th contemplation to show Heaven was wrong that it was her great love that was able to destroy the hidden heart and in the end earned her that happy ending.

 RomanticRosebud_BL:

Like Heaven says at the end: “Great love” is what makes a Deity.  Had that not happened I don’t think Heaven would have realized she was wrong. Although she did say that she guided Bai Shou to Fan Yue again. At that point she knew their love was a weapon against the evil in the world. Which BS, proves of course. 

 I think when Xing Yue died Heaven started. seeing the error of her ways with keeping XY & JY apart. 

Xing Yue was complicated 😆😆😆😆. Gladly we now have Bai Shou who is a better version of her past self. 

I think she guided Bai Shuo to Fan Yue again because only both Fan Yue and Bai Shuo can do it since they carry the Divine Mantle of the Demon God and Lunar Goddess in them so if anyone who can defeat Mo Li it is those two. But it was Bai Shuo persistent in walking her own path and not become Xing Yue again(like what Heaven said that she did not become Xing Yue again) that ultimately proved Heaven wrong in that sense because it was her great love(6th contemplation) that ultimately destroyed the Hidden Heart which made Heaven rethink her ways from back then and showed that Heaven can be wrong as well. 

But on a side note, now knowing who Heaven is, I laughed and cheered for Bai Shuo for kinda kicking her at the beginning 🤣🤣🤣 because that was such a delight to see at the beginning that Bai Shuo did that to her(without knowing she is Heaven lmao), so my inner heart was like "you go girl, payback time for what Heaven did back then" 😂😂😂