Tushan Jing and Xiao Yao's romance

 Winny Aye:

Oki see you here??

Getting my pajamas ready ??

 Ari_Lee:

?? I meant ships.

Ahh hahaha no! I'm just hanging out here for a bit before the other foxy ladies catch me lolol

I don't think I even ship him with XY anymore. I just want him for me. Enough of that girl, she's getting on my nerves ?

 AH :

Then, like XL, you can support XY and TSJ’s happy ending and keep XL for yourself. 

But he needs to be alive for that! It's the only thing I want, I'll never ask for anything else (this week), pinky promise ?

 AH :

Read to the end of chapter 48 and then write a different ending to keep as your own head-canon. ^^

I'll be crying the whole time, it will be a mess.

What I need are those fanfics someone shared the other day. And time to grieve. Maybe even years. help

 AH :

Your honour, I’d like to submit this binder with three dozen TSJ defence posts into evidence. 

I'd like a copy of this. ??

 nathsketch:

Ahh hahaha no! I'm just hanging out here for a bit before the other foxy ladies catch me lolol

I don't think I even ship him with XY anymore. I just want him for me. Enough of that girl, she's getting on my nerves ?

Hehe...you can re imagine that XL reincarnated. If i were XL's fan, I would have  done..And then create a new love interest in new life. Maybe a beautiful goddess or just yourself.❤️

 AH :

If you really want to see them, go to my posts in the YaoLiu discussion thread a few days back. But be prepared for… not the kind of posts you’d find in this thread. It’s YaoLiu territory. ^^”

Lol I have enough of them. .on yt comments ,.reddit , comments on Koala novel update page or even MDL main comment section. ..I have nothing against XL character and accept YaoLiu arc to a level..But the way they downgrade YaoJing is just a no no for me. I have no problem with XL character.  But really, should any choose a guy who could never confess? If things have to change,  it's not LYF.

 Winny Aye:

It appeared like a beautiful piece of icy jade but actually exuded a poisonous aura that could pierce straight to the heart.

I think this particular highlighted phrase mean she wanted her heart or their hearts to be pierced by passion (I am taking poison symbol as passion)

Xiao Yao used all her effort to carve this piece of poisonous Ice Essence into the shape of a sea clam shell, she carved two sides of an exquisite white clam shell with wave ripples along the edges. When it was opened it resembled a blooming flower.

She want this passion to be bloomed.

This part I thought was really interesting because I had a very different interpretation and I think it comes to the duality of what the clam shell can represent, based on XY's thoughts and experiences in chapter 26. 

In both the drama and the novel a clam shell is shown to be a place where mercouples consummate their relationships. So I totally get why you interpreted it to represent a place where XY would invite XL to share a passionate tryst.

But in the novel it's also shown that the clam shell can represent a home where mercouples live together and raise their children together. XY even wonders to herself, if mercouples view the shells that they share as their homes, how did XL view the shell that they shared?

So when XY chose to place the mermaid inside a clam shell and to have the mermaid beckon to the merman to join her, I didn't see that as XY inviting XL to share a passionate tryst. I saw it as an invitation for something more serious, like returning to the clam shell that was like a home to them for 37 years. A place where they had shared a bed and a pillow almost like a married couple, and perhaps even a place where they could raise children together one day. 

A beautiful, safe place where XY could sleep peacefully and have sweet dreams, far away from the surface world where they each had difficulties and obligations weighing on them. In XY's case, those difficulties and obligations included being heartbroken due to TSJ's marriage and being engaged to Feng Long.

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Chapter 26:

Xiao Yao saw them.

The merpeople had the body of a person and the tail of a fish. The mermaid had thick lustrous hair like seaweed, brilliant gem-like eyes, snow white skin, beautiful and exotic; the merman was comparatively ugly but strongly built with thick chest muscles and arms, very powerful. He was raising a giant clam shell above him while chasing the mermaid and singing his song. The mermaid ran from him but sang back, fast and swift she darted so the merman couldn’t touch her.

In the pursuit, the mermaid appeared to be moved and slowed down. The merman opened his giant clam shell and inside was a purple pearl the size of a fist glowing brightly.

The mermaid smiled and swam into the clam shell and picked up the pearl and happily sang to it. She appeared to have accepted the merman and was praising him.

The merman also swam into the clam shell and embraced the mermaid before enthusiastically kissing her. Their tails intertwined and were rhythmically thumping.

Xiang Liu tried to pull Xiao Yao away but she wouldn’t leave “What are they doing?”

Xiang Liu didn’t answer her and Xiao Yao thought about it before suddenly realizing – they were mating! She swiftly turned around.

The two merpeople in the clam shell sensed movement and both exposed their sharp teeth and looked over angrily. Xiang Liu grabbed Xiao Yao and swam for it.

When it was certain the merpeople weren't going to catch up, Xiao Yao incredulously asked “Are you afraid of them?”

“I’m not afraid of them, but for them to notice we were peeping at them…..that’s not something to be proud of!”

Xiao Yao’s face was beet red “How was I to know they would be so direct?”

“In this world, other than the gods and the humans, all other living beings are direct in mating. From the percentages, direct is the natural way and the unnatural way is you guys. So you have no right to be upset at them.”

Xiao Yao immediately surrendered “Yes, yes, I’m in the wrong.”

Xiang Liu stifled a smile.

Xiao Yao curiously asked “Why did the merman carry a giant clam shell?”

“The clam shell is their home, and the larger the clam shell the harder to catch, so the mermen display their strength in wooing the mermaids to mate by displaying their catch. They mate in the clam shell and bear their offspring there. The pearl inside is actually the innards of the clam shell demons, and will become the food fed to the baby merchildren.”

Xiao Yao remembered when she was asleep for thirty-seven years, it was inside a giant clam shell. She didn’t pay attention after she woke up but she remembered it was all white, and there seemed to be wave pattern ridges along the edges. She didn’t remember how big it was though. Xiao Yao wanted to ask Xiang Liu but was too embarrassed to bring it up. She now regretted not carefully observing the clam shell she slept in for thirty-seven years to see what it looked like.

Xiang Liu noticed Xiao Yao was saying nothing but her face was gradually turning red again. He coughed lightly “I know you’re pretty shameless and thick skinned, who knew you’d be wrangled to behave by a pair of merpeople.”

Xiao Yao glanced at Xiang Liu and it was the rare instance when she didn’t have a quip back.

The two of them aimlessly ambled in the ocean until Xiao Yao got tired and laid down in the water and couldn’t move anymore.

Xiang Liu asked her “Tired?”

Xiao Yao was tired and sleepy and murmured “I’m just going to close my eyes for a second.” And she promptly fell asleep. With the water as her cushion, it was soft but continuously moving so her sleep was being jostled.

A pure white enormous clam shell floated over to them and slowly opened when it arrived next to them. Xiang Liu picked up Xiao Yao in his arms and gingerly placed her inside the clam shell. He didn’t sleep and instead leaned against the clam shell and stared at the glittering starfish in the distance.

Xiao Yao hadn’t slept through the night for the past year and would even wake up two or three times a night. Sometimes she needed sleeping pills on particularly bad nights to even fall asleep.

This sleep was deep and restful and she didn’t even have a single dream. When she was about to wake up, she finally had a dream and it was one where she was picking stars in the ocean. The ocean stars were growing like mushrooms in the mountains and she plucked one after another and it was in all sorts of colors. She ate one and discovered it was sweet. Xiao Yao laughed happily as she picked more and she actually laughed out loud and woke herself up with her laugh. She realized it was a dream but kept her eyes closed to remain happily ensconced in the happy dream.

Xiao Yao opened her eyes and saw Xiang Liu leaning against the clam shell next to her, one leg straight and the other curved with his arm resting on it as he lowered his head to stare at her, a smile curving on his lips. Xiao Yao smiled and stretched and sweetly said, “I had a happy dream.”

Xiang Liu answered “I know.”

Xiao Yao suddenly realized they were in a clam shell and wanted to immediately check it out but was afraid her intentions would be too obvious so forced herself to be patient. She continued laying for a bit before slowly getting up and acting all nonchalant as she looked around. It was the same clam shell, all white in color with wave ripple ridges. It was beautiful.

The clam shell was enormous and even with the two of them inside it wasn’t a tight squeeze at all. She slept here for thirty-seven years with Xiang Liu. Would that be equivalent of sleeping in the same bed and sharing the same pillow? Those two merpeople saw the clam shell as their home, how did Xiang Liu view this clam shell?

Xiao Yao suddenly felt all sorts of thoughts and feelings rush up and her face burned as her heart sped up.

Xiao Yao chastised herself and tried desperately to control her feelings and reactions, but she couldn’t control her heartbeat. Just like that, Xiang Liu sensed it and looked over at her. Xiao Yao quickly said “I’m hungry! So hungry I’m all nerves!”

Xiao Yao’s face was so red it was like a burning sunset and she forced her eyes wide open to stare at Xiang Liu. His heartbeat quickened a few times and Xiao Yao sensed it. But then it was gone just like that and she wondered if it was her mistaken sensation.

Xiang Liu casually said “Let’s go!”

Xiang Liu led the way as they swam up to the surface. Xiao Yao turned to look back and saw the clam shell slowly closing like a flower.

When they reached the surface it was already sunset. Xiao Yao realized they spent a day and a night under the sea. Xiang Liu took Xiao Yao to an island, Xiao Yao grilled two fishes for herself and roasted a giant suckling pig-sized fish for Xiang Liu. 

...

After Xiang Liu was done eating he said “Let’s go back.”

Xiao Yao didn’t move and continued to stare at the ocean. If it was possible, she really wanted to live like this for the rest of her life.

“Xiao Yao?” Xiang Liu stood before Xiao Yao. She raised her head to stare at him and smiled “Don’t you feel like today was a day we stole to spend together? That there is only now and no tomorrow!”

-----

 Winny Aye:

I have a feeling that by having a hand on her heart means her heart needs healing (trying to heal by putting her hand because she has it broken).  But is reaching out to the merman who was floating at another corner or seemingly in another world to come to her (to her isolated world, into her heart), to heal her, to be with her. But to her he's cold looking. Meaning. ..like she asking like "Why are you so cold!" (I guess this hand is taken by Jing at the end).

I had a different take for this part as well, but I thought your interpretation was very interesting. Her heart has definitely been broken at this point, and I absolutely see the logic behind interpreting the mermaid putting her hand to her heart as indicating that her heart needs to be healed. For the next part... while XY could be asking XL why he's so cold, I don't really see a good reason for her to ask XL this question. She puts so much effort into creating this scene and she spends so much money to make sure XL receives it as quickly as possible... just so she can ask him why he's so cold? 

When I read chapter 31, I felt like the context from the rest of that chapter was important for interpreting the meaning of the scene that XY created inside the ice crystal ball. When XY agrees to set a date for her wedding with Feng Long, she puts off visiting her father in order to complete the ice crystal ball and send it to XL first. She spends five times the usual shipping cost (which is already expensive) to ensure that he will receive it as quickly as possible. When she gets to Gao Xing (Haoling), she waits by the ocean every day for seven days.

The scene she sends depicts a mermaid sitting partly inside a clam shell with one hand on her heart and the other hand outstretched to a merman who is facing away from her. Given their relationship up to this point and the timing of when she sends the ice crystal ball to XL, I felt like the message she was sending was that the mermaid (XY) was reaching out to the merman (XL) asking him to turn around and take her hand. Asking him to go to her. To return to her. Asking him to give her a reason to break her promise to Feng Long and not marry him. A reason like a commitment for the two of them to be together.