Symbolika1:


Concerning XL and TSJ in LYF , symbols are Yang -white-life TSJ/ Yin- XL-black-death. 

But again this kind of interpretation/ view of characters/story is,  just one among many others, a creator's (TH) tool to "paint" the story.   It's not the whole picture/canvas. And I see as you the whole thing :) from start to it's Happy ending. 

=> With soooo many colors hehehe :D

XL’s whiteness is winter, death.  Ye Shiqi/TSJ is represented usually in green, that is spring and life.  Shiqi/TSJ also reminds me of Persephone too.  Wherever he walks, plants and flowers become more lush and beautiful!

 LeafHearts:
XL’s whiteness is winter, death.  Ye Shiqi/TSJ is represented usually in green, that is spring and life.  Shiqi/TSJ also reminds me of Persephone too.  Wherever he walks, plants and flowers become more lush and beautiful!

Yeshiqi and a plant <3

as TSJ...


                                                                               Some loving eye interaction

                                                                                

 Symbolika1:


Concerning XL and TSJ in LYF , symbols are Yang -white-life TSJ/ Yin- XL-black-death. 

But again this kind of interpretation/ view of characters/story is,  just one among many others, a creator's (TH) tool to "paint" the story.   It's not the whole picture/canvas. And I see as you the whole thing :) from start to it's Happy ending. 

=> With soooo many colors hehehe :D

Well if she actuay fell for XL then. ..it is likely be the black for her. On the other hand, on positive Im getting vibes of twinflame and soulmates symbols for TSJ and XL. I studied about them before it depends on each place interpretation. From google interpretation, XL is likely twinflame and TSJ is romantic soulmate. 

I am meaning from this definition. ..

 Im currently reading chapter 37.. about this voodoo stuffs, actually i have read it before. ..after reading so many times, this love bugs things like a tease to me...I am looking at Xiao Yao reaction. To me she did not seem to care about it at all. She's doing this because of Jing who actually worry about her well being. Or it sounds like that to. I mean she sounds like "I put love bugs in both ZX and XL. I am marrying Jing. So what, brew it up!" To me. ??But the thing i love about this chapter how yaojing got to bow to Qi Yo portrait, its something meaningful to me. ..i mean to YaoJing. 

I was comparing and contrast yaojing and yaoliu scenes .. I always feel XY more naturally  romantic towards Jing. what is important is XY is happy with Jing. She hardly  thinks about XL while with Jing. So i was thinking would she preferred XL. It is never implied. All i get is TH message of whatever of this connection thingy, our driven actions that gives results. So not just clinging towards all those kind of stuffs,   unseen bond or something mysterious mythical like love bugs, just act out for what you want.

 Symbolika1:

                                                                               Some loving eye interaction

                                                                                

love their looks ???

 LeafHearts:

XL’s whiteness is winter, death.  Ye Shiqi/TSJ is represented usually in green, that is spring and life.  Shiqi/TSJ also reminds me of Persephone too.  Wherever he walks, plants and flowers become more lush and beautiful!

definetly Green is Ye Shiqi signatur... direction to life.???

 Winny Aye:
But the thing i love about this chapter how yaojing got to bow to Qi Yo portrait, its something meaningful to me. ..i mean to YaoJing. 

Could you extract that part to here (I can do so too) :p...so we can talk about this if you want :)

I which someone could analyse XL without love bug connection. What would his relationship with XY look like?  I wonder.

Jing’s white crane winged ride arrived and circled the ship. Jing bid farewell to Ru So and embraced Xiao Yao by the waist to jump on the crane before it called out and ascended into the clouds.

Jing asked Xiao Yao “Back to Sheng Nong Mountain or to the East Sea?”

Xiao Yao looked at the package on Jing’s back and said “To Jiu Li.” 

Her mom and dad’s only wish was to be an ordinary husband and wife and grow old together. But they controlled thousands of soldiers yet could never give themselves a home.

(This part i found,  is really relating on her choices/counterchoices about building her own family mather...)

 Symbolika1:

Jing’s white crane winged ride arrived and circled the ship. Jing bid farewell to Ru So and embraced Xiao Yao by the waist to jump on the crane before it called out and ascended into the clouds.

Jing asked Xiao Yao “Back to Sheng Nong Mountain or to the East Sea?”

Xiao Yao looked at the package on Jing’s back and said “To Jiu Li.” 

Her mom and dad’s only wish was to be an ordinary husband and wife and grow old together. But they controlled thousands of soldiers yet could never give themselves a home.

(This part i found,  is really relating on her choices/counterchoices about building her own family mather...)

lol i was going to share...but can you share more....?

 Winny Aye:

lol i was going to share...but can you share more....?

:D ok I 'll just unroll as much as I can :D!!!

Ch 37:

Jing’s white crane winged ride arrived and circled the ship. Jing bid farewell to Ru So and embraced Xiao Yao by the waist to jump on the crane before it called out and ascended into the clouds.

Jing asked Xiao Yao “Back to Sheng Nong Mountain or to the East Sea?”

Xiao Yao looked at the package on Jing’s back and said “To Jiu Li.” Her mom and dad’s only wish was to be an ordinary husband and wife and grow old together. But they controlled thousands of soldiers yet could never give themselves a home.

The crane arrived in Jiu Li in half a day, a place with the reputation of being filled with deadly toxins and noxious gases, with vicious wild beasts and poisonous foliage. The only famous thing it ever produced was Qi Yo and voodoo, both of which had the worst reputation in the world.

This was the first time Xiao Yao visited but she heard her mom describe it so it felt familiar – Qi Yo’s fort, the white altar, the peach blossom forest, the green bamboo tower.

Jing visited Jiu Li before with the Tu Shan merchant group so he knew the various forts so he flew directly to Qi Yo’s fort. Xiao Yao saw the white altar immediately not because it was big but because in the entire fort of little bamboo huts it was made of pure white rock.

Xiao Yao vaulted down the winged ride and stared at the familiar yet foreign altar which was weathered with time. Hanging on all four sides were wind chimes made of animal bones, giving off a melodic sound that her parents listened to thousands of years ago.

A few voodoo masters walked out and stared tensely at Xiao Yao and Jing. An old voodoo master used very stiff Middle Plains language to say “Outsiders are not welcome here.”

Xiao Yao used very stiff Jiu Li language to answer back “My father was a Jiu Li person.”

The voodoo masters expressions grew less tense but likely they have been taken advantage of before so they were still wary. The old voodoo master asked “Where is your dad now?”

“He….he’s dead!”

Xiao Yao looked at Jing who took the bag from his back and handed it to Xiao Yao. She clutched it in her arms “I brought him and my mom back so that they can return to here per their wishes.”

The voodoo masters stared in sadness at the bag in Xiao Yao’s arms. Because the people of Jiu Li were considered untouchables of the lowest class, the women were born into servitude and the men into slavery. Every twenty to thirty years, the young men and women of Jiu Li would be delivered to the outside world to become household slaves. Most of them would never be heard from again and never return to their homeland.

The voodoo master asked “Which fort does your dad belong to? We can sing a soul summoning song for him. You spread his ashes around his fort perimeter and he will be summoned home.”

“He belongs to the Qi Yo fort. I think……” Xiao Yao glanced around and saw the peach blossom forest beyond the altar “My parents home is over there.”

The voodoo masters expressions all changed and immediately moved to attack Xiao Yao but a very old man with a full head of white hair shouted “Cease!”

“Voodoo King.” The voodoo masters all respectfully took steps back.

The Voodoo King walked to Xiao Yao and looked at her carefully “Miss, you are certain your parents once lived there?”

“My mom said that their bamboo hut was not far from the altar and inside a peach blossom forest. In this area there is only the peach blossom forest on the hill over there.”

The Voodoo King began a long voodoo chant like a song that was from ancient times. Xiao Yao memorized the chant before but never knew it could be sung like this so she joined in as well.

The Voodoo King stared at Xiao Yao with tears in his eyes and the voodoo masters all gaped in shock and awe at her. This voodoo song was the work of the most powerful Voodoo King of all time and only the subsequent Voodoo Kings could sing the entire song.

Xiao Yao nodded to the Voodoo King and headed to the peach blossom forest.

The Voodoo King called out “Miss, do you know that hill is sacred ground in Jiu Li. We venerate Qi Yo there. In the past thousand years only Qi Yo and his wife the Xi Ling goddess lived there.”

Xiao Yao stopped in her steps. So here her mom’s only identity was as her dad’s wife. After a second she continued walking “I know now.”

“What does the young miss call yourself?”

“Xi Ling Jiu Yao.”

The news that Xiao Yao was Qi Yo’s daughter was well-known gossip in the vast wilderness but due to Jiu Li being so remote the news didn’t spread here. So the Voodoo King was trembling with excitement as he walked Xiao Yao and Jing enter the peach blossom forest. He ordered “Summon all the voodoo masters to prepare a large prayer ceremony.”

Before coming here Xiao Yao thought the residence would be run down so was surprised to see it intact and well kept. Even the foliage outside was tended to and a multitude of flowers grew around the residence. A bucket was placed next to the well as if the owner had just stepped aside and was planning to be right back.

Xiao Yao lightly pushed open the door and walked in.

(suite1 ) A large portrait was hung in the main entrance chamber of Qi Yo wearing all red and standing on the back of his giant condor winged ride with an arrogant fearless look on his face.

Xiao Yao placed the bag on the table and stared at the portrait for a long time before smiling at Jing “This is my dad.”

Jing got on his knees and bowed three times before lighting three incense sticks.

Xiao Yao leaned against the window and stared out at the peach blossom forest “When I pushed open the door, for a split second I thought my mom and dad would answer me if I called out to them.”

Jing walked up behind Xiao Yao and embraced her “Tired?”

Xiao Yao closed her eyes “A bit. I’m not as strong as I act like. All of the insults, the derision, the hatred….I felt it.”

Jing said “It’s been over seventy years now but when I see the scars on my body I still can feel the pain and the shame. It’s normal to feel and only by feeling the pain can we also feel the happiness. It proves that our heart is still beating.”

“That’s true but I still wish I can be stronger.”

“Crying when sad, avoiding when hurting, that’s all normal reaction. A moment of weakness does not mean cowardly, it’s to let the wound heal and conserve strength for the future.”

Xiao Yao smiled “So be it! With your explanation and encouragement I’ll just let myself be weak all I want now then!”

Jing smiled back and clasped her hand.

A choral singing reached them from the altar and Xiao Yao asked “They are singing, what for?”

“A prayer ceremony. I think they are welcoming your mom and dad home. The Jiu Li people do not see death the same way as the Middle Plains. They think life comes from nature and death is not the end but is instead a return.” The song comforted the soul and led it back, a plaintive ballad that wasn’t sorrowful.

Xiao Yao was silent for awhile before she picked up the bag from the table – inside was dirt she collected from the desert north of Chi Sui.

“Jing, can I borrow your winged ride?”

The white crane flew over and Xiao Yao got on its back.

The crane rose into the air and flew over the altar where Xiao Yao saw over twenty voodoo masters dressed in ceremonial prayer robes singing and dancing. They saw Xiao Yao and paid no heed and continued their singing and dancing.

The crane flew over the rivers and hills and Xiao Yao opened her bag to look at the dirt from the peach blossom forest. Because it contained hundreds of years of fallen petals the dirt was red-tinted in color.

Xiao Yao picked up handfuls of it and opened her palms to let the wind carry it away.

The red dirt flew in the air like droplets of blood and disappeared into the rivers and hills.

The Voodoo King led his voodoo masters in praying and singing.

Many years later in the Jiu Li mountains there would grow maple trees with leaves as red as blood. A Voodoo King explained it as the red maple being formed from the blood of Qi Yo so generations of Jiu Li people would venerate the maple as their sacred tree.

When Xiao Yao woke up it was almost noon.

She asked in shock “I slept that long? And you didn’t wake me?”

Jing set the table “It’s rare you slept so well, of course I was going to let you sleep as much as you want.” In the past year even when Xiao Yao smiled there was hidden sadness in her eyes. Now she finally got closure and slept soundly, of course Jing didn’t have the heart to wake her.

Xiao Yao sat down at the table and buried her head in the food.

After eating, the two of them strolled in the hills and Xiao Yao felt that every place looked familiar. She shared her mom and dad’s story with Jing.

The two arrived at the white altar and saw the Voodoo King sitting under a tree drinking tea.

Xiao Yao stopped and said to Jing “You go back first, I have something I need to talk with the Voodoo King privately.”

Jing didn’t leave “Are you planning to ask him about the voodoo bug in your body and in Xiang Liu’s body?”

Xiao Yao sheepishly admitted “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, I just didn’t want to worry you.”

Jing said “Keeping it from me is what will worry me. Let me stay with you, okay?”

Xiao Yao nodded.

Seeing Jing and Xiao Yao, the Voodoo King invited them to join him for tea.

Xiao Yao sipped her tea and said “I have a friend named Se Mai Er and wanted to ask the Voodoo King what fort she belongs to?”

The Voodoo King replied “So you’re the person who knows voodoo and helped Se Mai Er. She’s dead now but she was my mom’s older sister. Years ago it was actually my mom who was to be sent to the outside but she already had a beloved and was carrying me so my aunt went in my mom’s place to be a slave. Thank you for helping her come home safely.”

Xiao Yao silently poured her tea on the ground for Se Mai Er’s passing.

The Voodoo King continued “Se Mai Er mentioned that you wanted to know how to break the Lover’s Bug voodoo spell?”

Xiao Yao quickly glanced at Jing and acted nonchalant “When I placed the voodoo bug I didn’t know it had such a weird name.”

Jing smiled “It’s just a name, why are you in a rush to explain?”

Xiao Yao quickly said “Yes, yes! It’s just a name.”

The Voodoo King coughed once and solemnly explained “Lover’s Bug, like its name indicates is a pair of male-female voodoo bugs. The couple who has the bug successfully planted will have their life and emotions connected. If one hurts then the other will hurt. If one is injured then the other will also be injured.”

Xiao Yao said “This I know already. What else?”

“To outsiders voodoo is considered mysterious and bad, but really its a craft and magic that the Jiu Li tribe has passed down through generations to protect and heal us. Jiu Li has lots of deadly insects, deadly plants, deadly gasses, to live here our ancestors had to learn to understand it and control it. Voodoo is seen as a harmful power but we actually mostly use it here to save lives. The Lover’s Bug keeps two people’s lives connected, which means when one is injured as long as the other is healthy then then injured person will survive. This is a very good thing. Even if the Lover’s Bug is notoriously hard to grow, it ought to still be relatively prevalent since many people will try to grow it. So why it is so rare to see?”

Xiao Yao asked “Why?”

“All living things that have a benefit must also carry a harm. The greater the benefit then the greater the potential for harm. The Lover’s Bug is exactly that. It can lead two people to be connected in life and emotions but it is just like a pair of lovers in love with each other. It is tempermental and hard to control. If the Lover’s Bug turns on each other then both people will die. Which is why the Lover’s Bug also has another name, the Heartbreak Bug.”

(suite2)

Jing stared in dismay at Xiao Yao who quickly said “It can’t be as scary as he makes it out to be. It’s been over seventy years and I’m still just fine.”

The Voodoo King’s expression changed as he stared at Jing “You’re not the man the other bug is planted in?”

“No.”

The Voodoo King stared in shock at Xiao Yao “Can I feel the bug in you?”

Xiao Yao nodded

The Voodoo King didn’t move so he was likely using a bug inside of himself to sense. He furrowed his brows and murmured “It really is a Lover’s Bug! But how is this possible? ‘Lovers who raise the bug produce the Lover’s Bug, Not Lovers who raise the bug produce the Heartbreak Bug.’ The Lover’s Bug is different then other voodoo bugs and absolutely requires the couple to willingly accept the bug for it to be successfully planted. If the man you successfully planted the other bug in is not your lover, then how did you plant it in him?”

Xiao Yao said “You might not know as much as your ancestors, the bug could be more multi-facted and evolving in ways beyond your understanding.”

The Voodoo King was still perplexed. But it was clear that the young man sitting beside Xiao Yao was clearly her beloved so the rest of what he wanted to say wasn’t suitable for discussing at this time. He smoothed things over “Miss you are likely right, the bug inside of you is different than other bugs. Likely Miss and the other man have very unique bodily compositions.”

Xiao Yao inwardly sighed in relief “He is very unique!” Since the bug was planted, only Xiang Liu could sense her but she could never sense him.

Jing anxiously asked “How to break the spell?”

The Voodoo King’s face scrunched up “The Lover’s Bug – either live in love or die in heartbreak. Once the Lover’s Bug has been planted there is no way to break the spell. It is impossible. This is what I was trying to say earlier for why so few people raise it despite the great benefit. Only very determined girls would raise the bug but even if they successfully raise it, it’s near impossible to find a man willing to accept the other bug to be planted in him.”

Jing was stunned and after a moment of silence he slowly asked “What happens if one person who has the Lover’s Bug dies? What happens to the other person?”

The Voodoo King sighed “Our Jiu Li folk ballad sings ‘The twisted roots of the parasol tree entwine on land, the doves do not fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water always die together.'”

Jing stared at Xiao Yao and tightly grabbed her hand.

Xiao Yao smiled at him and made a joke face “Don’t worry! We don’t need to believe everything the Voodoo King says. Don’t forget, he said that only a pair of lovers in love could the bug be successfully planted. But I don’t have any relationship with Xiang Liu but we still successfully planted the bug. The Voodoo King also said the spell couldn’t be broken once the bug was planted but don’t forget that I planted the bug first in Zhuan Xu before Xiang Liu helped me break the spell and move the bug to himself.”

Jing let out a sigh of relief “Yes! The bug was moved from Zhuan Xu!”

Xiao Yao shook Jing’s hand “Don’t worry, there is no absolutes in this world. If no one has broken the spell before then let me be the first.” She said to the Voodoo King “Once I break it I’ll pass on the knowledge to you as gratitude for your ancestor teaching me voodoo.”

The Voodoo King smiled “Jiu Li people are the lowest untouchables and we have limited ability. But to protect the Miss we would do everything in our power. Please Miss never mention repaying any gratitude.”

This was the first time Xiao Yao was being treated with respect and offered kindness because of her real daddy. Xiao Yao’s heart clenched and she didn’t have the heart to decline “Thank you.”

Xiao Yao glanced at the peach tree forest and Jing asked “Want to spend another night?”

Xiao Yao shook her head “Everything is done that needed to be taken care of, let’s go home! By now Xiao Xiao will have discovered that the Xiao Yao on the ship is a fake.”

Xiao Yao bid farewell to the Voodoo King “Right now the Xuan Yuan ruler is the Black Emperor. He’s different than other rulers and in his eyes there are no class differences. Please give him some time and he will lift Jiu Li’s slave tribe designation.”

The Voodoo King didn’t know if that could ever happen but he bowed low to Xiao Yao “Miss, please take care!”

Xiao Yao and Jing returned to the bamboo hut and tidied it up before Xiao Yao said “Let’s go now.”

Jing was waiting outside on the crane allowing Xiao Yao some alone time to say farewell to her parents.

Xiao Yao stood before Qi Yo’s portrait for some time before softly saying “Daddy, Mom, I’m leaving now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be just fine.”

She turned and ran outside to greet Jing with a big smile and cheerfully said “Back to the East Sea to look for Xiao Xiao and Miao Pu.”

When they returned to the Tu Shan ship, Xiao Xiao as expected figured out that the Xiao Yao on the ship was a clone but she didn’t know where Xiao Yao went so she could only wait on the ship in the East Sea.

Seeing them return, Maio Pu was so happy she could cry while Xiao Xiao remained as placid as usual as she greeted Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao scooted over with a grin “Don’t worry, if Gege gets mad I’ll take all the blame.”

Xiao Xiao didn’t say thanks or no need, she just calmly asked “Does my lady want to return to Sheng Nong Mountain now?”

Xiao Yao stared at the sea and didn’t respond. Moments later she said “I want to stay one night on the sea.”

That night the waves rocked the ship and Xiao Yao couldn’t sleep. She climbed off her pallet and draped a robe over herself and walked out on the deck.

A slight ocean breeze, a bright round moon hanging in the sky reflecting the glittering light on the waves. It was beautifully silent.

Under this big ocean she laid inside a giant white clam shell for thirty-seven years. No one knew how Xiang Liu managed to save her life, or that her body had changed. Every time Zhuan Xu would ask she would claim to have slept the entire time and remembered nothing. But in her heart everything was crystal clear to her. His blood flowed inside her body. Even now her body clamored for the ocean. In the past she loved water but that feeling was nothing like what she felt now. Back then the ocean was the ocean and she was herself. Now she was a daughter of the sea, she could swim with the fishes and listen to the merpeople’s song. She could dive into the deepest part of the ocean like a demon fish and could swim faster than a dolphin.

With just one vault she could jump into the ocean and swim happily. But Xiao Yao refused, she tightly clenched her fist and warred with herself.

The merpeople’s song reached her from the depths of the ocean and Xiao Yao’s heart lurched and she ran to the ship’s bow to stare out into the distance. Under the silver moonlight a white haired white robed man was walking on the waves towards her.

He said nothing and Xiao Yao didn’t speak either. The two of them, one on the ship and the other on the water, they listened together to the song of the merpeople. The song spread out on the water’s surface, melodic and pure, touching deep into the soul like a passionate entreaty in darkness, like a longing sigh that shatters the heart, it made the soul rise and fall with the song.

When the song ended Xiao Yao softly said “So beautiful!”

Xiang Liu softly concurred “Yes.”

The merpeople’s song was in a pitch that very few people on earth could hear so in that split second Xiao Yao felt that her heart was intimately close to Xiang Liu and there was nothing she couldn’t share with him. She said “My daddy is Qi Yo.”

Xiang Liu’s eyes showed his amusement. Saying “My daddy is Qi Yo” is very different than saying “I am Qi Yo’s daughter.” The latter stated a truth complete with anger, the former was warm and loving about the relationship.

“When I first met you, back then you called yourself Wen Xiao Liu. Later your name was Gao Xing Jiu Yao. Now you are called Xi Ling Jiu Yao. If you ever get a fourth name, likely no one will be able to keep track.”

Xiao Yao laughed out loud and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth and glanced back. Only after confirming she didn’t alert anyone did she sass right back “Just three names. In the future even if there is a fourth name, you have nine heads so use a brain to remember half a name and you can remember it all and still have room.”

Xiang Liu coldly stared at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao wasn’t scared in the least “If you dare raise a hand, then I dare to yell for help!”

(suite 3)

Xiang Liu laughed “Why do I need to do anything? Your dad is Qi Yo, there are plenty of people who will make your life difficult.”

Xiao Yao laughed back “I just came back from a trip to Jiu Li. The Voodoo King told me all the specifics about the bug inside our bodies. I don’t remember any of the specifics of what he said but the one thing I do remember clearly is that the two bugs live and die together. Which means our lives are connected. If I’m in trouble then you’re not going to get off scot free!”

Xiang Liu smiled at Xiao Yao and didn’t seem surprised at all.

Xiao Yao was shocked and asked “You’ve known all along since the beginning what kind of bug this was, right?”

“What if I did?”

“The Voodoo King said ‘the doves don’t fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water die together’. If I die then how can you live?”

“Why don’t you ask the question in reverse – if I die, then how can you live?”

Xiao Yao tried to stay calm and plead with him “I don’t know who dies and who lives so that’s why I’m asking you. Tell me!”

Xiang Liu’s expression was sly and acted really nonchalant “How would I know? You’re the one who learned some voodoo. This is the first time I played with a bug. But no need to fret, when either you or I die then we’ll know what happens, right?”

Xiao Yao was so frustrated by him she was nearly hopping up and down in fury “You broke the spell on Zhuan Xu so how could you not want to how to break the spell between us?”

Xiang Liu smiled until his eyes were slits “I don’t want to know!”

Xiao Yao wearily asked “What do you want then?”

Xiang Liu’s body was slowly sinking into the water “Other than checking on how my wares are doing in your body, what else do you think I want?”

“Hey! Don’t go!”

Xiao Yao flipped over the railing ready to dive into the water to chase after Xiang Liu but a pair of hands grabbed her hard and pulled her back on deck.

“Let me go…….” Xiao Yao struggled and then turned around to see Jing. She meekly allowed him to keep her on deck.

Xiao Yao tentatively asked “When did you get up?”

Jing said “I’ve been up for awhile.” Actually, he couldn’t sleep either so he knew from the moment Xiao Yao went on deck. But it was clear she wanted to be alone so he didn’t go disturb her.

From the very beginning Xiang Liu knew Jing was there on deck so Xiang Liu cast a spell that blocked anyone from hearing what he was discussing with Xiao Yao, except he allowed Jing to listen in.

Seeing Xiao Yao going to chase after Xiang Liu, Jing couldn’t explain the feeling but he rushed forward instinctively and grabbed Xiao Yao as if afraid she would vanish from his life.

Xiao Yao said “Xiang Liu was just by and I asked him how to break the bug spell but he wouldn’t tell me.”

Jing’s worry dissipated.

Xiao Yao said sadly “I’m not as glib as him, powers are not as high as him, all my poisons he eats like candy, every time I see him he is totally mean to me.”

Jing smiled “Do you want me to help you?”

Xiao Yao cocked her head “No, you two are business transactions, what’s between him and me is purely personal. No need to mix it.”

Jing nodded “If my mom were alive she could compliment her daughter-in-law on being a good merchant.”

Xiao Yao teased back “Who said I was going to be your wife?”

Jing jerked Xiao Yao into his arms and tightly embraced her “You’re not allowed to be anyone else’s wife!”

Xiao Yao was startled and then quietly stayed in his arms.

Jing stared at the ocean before softly saying “Xiao Yao, let’s leave here tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Back to Sheng Nong Mountain then!”

Xiao Yao purposely picked early morning to return to Sheng Nong Mountain. Zhuan Xu was in court in the morning and wouldn’t have time to berate her.

The Yellow Emperor was working the fields when he saw Xiao Yao and Jing. He put his hoe down and walked over.

Jing bowed courteously “Your majesty, Xiao Yao and I have returned.”

The Yellow Emperor said “It was summer when you left and it’s fall now that you’ve returned. You two must have visited many places and did many things.”

Xiao Yao could tell the Yellow Emperor had more in what he was saying but she couldn’t tell if he was angry or not “Grandfather, it’s not Jing’s doing. I…..”

Jing said “Xiao Yao, let me explain to His majesty.” He knew that Zhuan Xu didn’t want Xiao Yao to have any further connection with the Grand Emperor and he would object if asked to bring her to see him. That’s why he used the sightseeing trip was an excuse so that Xiao Yao could see the Grand Emperor but it was lying to the two Emperors. It was a huge transgression but to help Xiao Yao break through there was nothing Jing couldn’t do, even if it meant incurring the wrath of two Emperors!

Xiao Yao didn’t know the extent of Jing’s risk in planning this trip but knew he lied to the Yellow Emperor so she said “This is our family matter! I will tell Grandfather and Gege!”

The Yellow Emperor said “Xiao Yao is right, this is our family affair. Jing, you go home first!”

Xiao Yao smiled at Jing to assure him she’ll be fine and he could leave. Jing bowed farewell to the Yellow Emperor and left.

The Yellow Emperor washed his hands and sat down in the corridor with a half cooled cup of tea.

Xiao Yao sat down across from him and felt all sorts of emotions that she didn’t know where to start. “I…..I went to the desert north of Chi Sui. I saw my mom.”

The cup of tea in the Yellow Emperor’s hand shattered and for a long time he said nothing before finally asked “Was it painful for her when she passed?”

Xiao Yao’s eyes teared up “For Mom, living was what was painful.”