Tushan Jing and Xiao Yao, here's to a Happily Ever After

 soTreeD:

Tushan family governs all fox kind... so I think it includes everything from deities to demons to the foxes in the forest. As the Stone in the drama explained, the purest bloodline was Tushan Hou and Tushan Jing.

Tushan Tian will probably be pressured into marriage much sooner than those two, because he is the last of that particular bloodline now. hehe

I hope yaojing will work hard. LOOL

For those into writing fan fiction, I guess this where we could start. What happens to Tian? LOL

And XY and Jing are happy wherever they are. They are both finally free from any shackle or burden of responsibility. I've always imagined that wherever they went, they opened up a healing shop like back in Qingshui Town.

 ah_luck:

AND why she was so sad and upset to learn of XL's death when she already knew all along that this is the ultimate end of XL's existence.

I think she was more regretful that the last words she had with him were bad ones... She thought he died thinking he had no friend in life...so that is my take on it...

If they had a proper goodbye, Xiaoyao probably could have accepted it better as you said...but in life, no matter how cool  or hard hearted a person thinks they are and Xiaoyao is definitely a soft-hearted kind person, she will never be able to just coldly accept the news of his death. Even after she 'repaid' him for everything she 'owed' him, nobody can really be that calculative, and definitely not Xiaoyao.

In the novel she had more lines that are more illuminating as well... she just never really thought he would really die. In the novel Xiaoyao said ' he is so cunning, if he wanted to, he could have found a way to live.' Isn't it sad that Xiangliu was really set on dying, like there was nothing else in the world for him to hold onto life for?

In what has been deleted from drama adaptation, Xiaoyao was actually going to follow Jing 'in death' as well. Someone lured her out to sea to kill her pretending Jing was the one who called her. She gave up fighting and was ready to join him since 'he was in the sea'. Its similar to how he 'shut down' in the plum forests when she first 'died', so Xiaoyao had a matching moment of weakness as well. TH's way to show they love each other as much.

When Xiangliu died, Xiaoyao could mourn his death, but she is going to live on perfectly fine. That is the difference of a lover dying and a friend dying I suppose.

 ah_luck:

I especially do not know why XY was so sad and cried so much behind the door when she learned of FFB's death from XL when XL took her away from the wedding, it looked more like she was crying for her lost love like in "ashes of love" and "Go Go Squid"...       AND why she was so sad and upset to learn of XL's death when she already knew all along that this is the ultimate end of XL's existence.

If anyone had the answers, please enlighten me...

I think the wonderful thing about the story is that many things are open to interpretation. When XL tells her that FFB is dead, it is at a point in the story when Jing is married to Fangfeng Yiying. So to XY at that time, Jing is gone, and now FFB is gone. To me, there is enough in the novel to suggest that if given the opportunity, XY would have considered a life with FFB. It is even more apparent in the drama because you can see the actors' expressions on their faces (and there was added stuff to make it even more obvious). But just as in the novel, FFB/XL always pushes her away - in one scene in S1 (as in the novel), he literally makes her back away into Jing.

But regarding Xiangliu, I don't think Xiaoyao allowed herself to consider a future with him because of their being on opposite sides of the war. Theirs is always a push and pull, back and forth, somewhat frustrating dynamic because neither can or would say what is really in their heart. He definitely has an important place in her heart, which is why she mourns his death. What exactly that place is is up for debate. I like how in the novel, Jing also recognizes this and allows her time and space to mourn. In fact, the relationship between these 3 was much better characterized in the novel, and it's unfortunate due to lack of episodes that we couldn't see more of it in the drama.

 soTreeD:

He is really having a blissful life with Xiaoyao, sounds like they settled down somewhere and has a garden full of flowers on hand to make pancakes with hahahaha

Man, those pancakes. I forget how long that shot was in ep 18 when Yang Zi ate that pancake while crying.

 soTreeD:

I agree. At that point of time, being heartbroken and feeling very alone, Xiaoyao was very vulnerable. She also did not really understand what it means to love yet. She was still just looking for a companion to spend her days with.

But ultimately can it work out because is FFB the 'real' Xiangliu?

I think XY at that point did know she loved Jing, but she did not yet realize that to spend a lifetime with someone required her to put her all into the relationship. Fortunately, with some help (Sang Tian'er) and self-reflection, she does eventually go all in and reconciles with Jing.

Which makes your point really interesting. If FFB were able to free himself from being Xiangliu, would he and XY work as a pair? I guess we'll never know because XL was very strong in his determination to never allow XY even to entertain the notion. It's hard to know if his hard exterior is his true self or if he is putting up a front to alienate himself from XY. It might be both. His never being completely transparent with her is what has also made me less enthusiastic about him and XY being together romantically. I know it appeals to some (that tragic, hidden love he has for her), but I find that XY and Jing's relationship and story are what has always moved me more. It's really all subjective I guess.

 FTCU:

CX bumped into someone & he thought it was XY? So he knows she came back but doesn’t know where she & Jing are. Nian did tell him XY could be anyone(she can change her appearance)

Best to keep CX and XY separate. He might get overcome by pangs of jealousy again and go crazy with Jing. Imagine he met XY with Jing carrying one kid and XY holding the hand of another. I don't think he can take it. 

 soTreeD:

That's growth for me... I don't get why so many salty people insist that she never changed, when its obvious she had.

I definitely agree she changes throughout the story. She's bound by her trauma and abandonment issues at the beginning, and her story is how she (with Jing's help) gets through it. I like one of the parallel stories is her ongoing studies in medicine, it just works thematically to me. <shrugs> I guess it's not a development to everyone's liking.

 ChunTian:

Best to keep CX and XY separate. He might get overcome by pangs of jealousy again and go crazy with Jing. Imagine he met XY with Jing carrying one kid and XY holding the hand of another. I don't think he can take it. 

Yeah, it made much more sense in the novel for XY to disappear from CX forever. In the drama, I get the sense that she and Jing could always return (to Qingshui Town or whatever). But perhaps you are right, never trust a jealous CX lol.

 soTreeD:

Ah yes I don't mean she didn't love Jing..  She said that its the first time either of them liked someone, so they are bound to make mistakes in the relationship...
So at that time, she only loved Jing but she didn't go 'all in' as you said. She still thought she could forget him.
Only after she had her epiphany after talking to Tian'er, she finally understood what to do. And later when faced with her loss, she decided to remember him instead of forgetting, even when everyone around her encouraged her to forget.

That's growth for me... I don't get why so many salty people insist that she never changed, when its obvious she had.

Her character definetly developed and so is yaojing love. I mean when they were separated by jing family issue. They were just in love. But by their relationship grew by time and got more matured  into inseparable. Thats how i see.