soTreeD:
YES!! And we got character growth and healing for Xiaoyao this way...
Always annoyed when people overlook this achievement of Xiaoyao. Taking this seemingly small step forward towards another person, for her is a big breakthrough.
And when she did all these, she did it without knowing where her life path will go, how things will end.
Yes, she definitely grows a lot throughout the story. Her achievement largely is not one of outward accomplishments like governing a country or fighting as a general but of inward healing from her past scars and learning to open up to move forward towards another, as you said. What I have always loved about her relationship with Jing was that they both learned to help each other heal and move on from their past.
I've seen some criticism of XY saying after she helps CX win the throne, she has no goals or aspirations, etc. I personally don't see her as aimless. In the novel, she continues her pursuit of medicine. And while she is not actively helping CX anymore, I don't see why she has to lol. She is free to pursue whatever life she wants to, and that's what she has always wanted, a quiet, simple life with someone she loves and who will be with her forever, through thick and thin.
Anxiously waiting for S2! Particularly the conclusion to XY and Jing's difficult journeys in love, in life and in healing.