Winner_is_King:

Yes... it took me so long to get it perfect size, had to send it to the phone then back to the computer and everything... oh well at least the picture still got changed 

I am hoping it stays because from the comments on the drama page, yours got changed for the old one again. 

 Ari_Lee:

I am hoping it stays because from the comments on the drama page, yours got changed for the old one again. 

I'm pretty sure thats what happened but I never got to see it before it was taken down

 TinaL:

https://twitter.com/dramaticsKC/status/1705784026676801814?t=Q8hIXHzmIE546F8swPp7ZQ&s=19 


This is a small thread about the love bug. What do y'all think? 

I do think that it's very much to TSJ's credit that, when they visit the Voodoo King in chapter 37, TSJ's #1 concern about the bugs is definitely the potential threat to XY's life (if XL dies or the bugs turn into Heartbreak Bugs). 

He seems to have very little, if any, concern about the name of the bugs and what it means that XY and XL have been connected by Lovers' Bugs for over 70 years. 

 TinaL:

https://twitter.com/dramaticsKC/status/1705784026676801814?t=Q8hIXHzmIE546F8swPp7ZQ&s=19 


This is a small thread about the love bug. What do y'all think? 

Oh it makes sense.

XL’s bug is unhappy because his bug is hungry with love. Imagine if XL didn’t close off his connection. It will hurt XY since the beginning.

 winizone:
Imagine if XL didn’t close off his connection. It will hurt XY since the beginning.

Even if _dramatics_'s theory about each bug "feeding" off of the other host's love is correct (I personally don't think that's exactly how it works) I don't think XY would have felt XL's pain through the connection unless he intentionally caused her to, the way he does in chapter 32.

Everything that XY says about the bugs in the drama and in the novel, and everything that we know about them (as readers and viewers) suggests that the way the bug connection works is that only the recipient feels the bug cultivator's pain. Other things are shared across the connection like a two-way street (e.g., their lives being connected, feeling each others' heartbeats, and feeling each others' presence) but the pain is normally just one-way (with only the recipient feeling the cultivator's pain) even when the connection isn't being controlled.

One example of how we know that is that CX did not control the bug connection between him and XY when the bug was in him. XY could feel CX's presence through the connection, but she could not feel his pain (e.g., when he was shot by FFYY's arrow). Only CX could feel her pain.

@AH

In CX’case, it’s because the bug didn’t plant perfectly in CX. So the bug didn’t have two-way connection. And it also make the bug could be moved from CX to XL. But it just my toughts.

But in XL’case, he closed his bug’s connection off.

 winizone:
In CX’case, it’s because the bug didn’t plant perfectly in CX. So the bug didn’t have two-way connection.

The bug planted in CX did create a two-way connection. XY was able to sense CX when he arrived with his men. Check 29 minutes into episode 9.

Or from chapter 6 in the novel:

At dawn when Xiao Liu was still fast asleep, he suddenly felt a stirring in his body. Initially he didn’t understand but gradually he figured it out – the bug was sending him a message. Xiao Liu quickly got up and rushed out of the hut “Xiang Liu, Xuan…..”

“I know.”

There were more then ten masked men standing on the mountain top. Each man and their winged rides were all huffing with deadly intent and braced for battle. Clearly they knew Xuan was close, and seeing the way they fanned out, Xuan was bringing a lot of people.

Xiang Liu said to Xiao Liu “Xuan’s coming with murderous rage. I’m ready to kill him so tonight it’s a battle to the death. You find a place to hide safely.” 

-----

The bugs are only supposed to cause pain in one direction. XY knows it from the beginning. 

After she plants the bug in CX, but before the connection is established and CX starts to feel her pain, XY describes how the bug connection works to TSJ in chapter 5. She says that CX will feel her pain, but she says nothing about feeling CX's pain. 

She also isn't surprised to find out that she didn't feel CX's pain through the connection after he was hurt.

---

Chapter 5:

Xiao Liu explained “In truth, I raised a voodoo bug inside of my body, and that bug is now in Xuan’s body. From now on, when my body hurts, his body will also experience the same pain.”

Jing asked, “Is the voodoo bug harmful to the body?”

“No!”

“You certain?”

“Yes, with my life I promise!”

Jing wasn’t so sure but he didn’t know enough about voodoo bugs so he would need to consult a doctor later. Xiao Liu asked “How many days since I was captured?” 

“Four.”

Xiao Liu looked down at his hands, thinking perhaps it's time not to apply medicine. “The time is almost ready.”

@AH

Oh i thoughts its supposed to be “two-way connection” include “the pain” too.  Like the threads in twitter.

So when XY feel the pain from XL its because XL who make her feel it. Oh why he did that ?

And if in their lovers bug, XY and XL’s love for each other matter the most. Why the bugs still unsatisfied and caused pain.

I thoughts this bug was very interesting ? the voodo king himself didn’t know it well. It’s a complicated thing.

 winizone:
So when XY feel the pain from XL its because XL who make her feel it.

Yes.

 winizone:
Oh why he did that ?

I'll be honest, I'm not totally sure why he makes her feel pain through the connection at the end of chapter 32. I'll post the excerpt.

-----

Chapter 32:

Xiang Liu casually said “I already got what I wanted, you can leave anytime!”

Xiao Yao turned to leave and Xiang Liu said “A word of reminder, the voodoo bug still connects us so if you tell the world I’m Fang Feng Bei, don’t blame me if I hurt your heart and you die from the pain.”

Xiao Yao stopped and looked back at Xiang Liu.

“Don’t believe me?”

Xiao Yao’s heart was suddenly cut with so much pain like a sword pierced it, the pain so excruciating she fell on the ground in a slump.

Xiang Liu appeared to hold her life in his hands and he coldly said “If you don’t want to die, then don’t say a word!”

Xiao Yao was in such pain her face was ashen and cold sweat dotted her face. She sat up and smiled “Is this the reason you never had time to go to Jiu Li to break the voodoo bug? You want to control my life and death so that one day you can hold me hostage to your will? General Xiang Liu, you really are something!”

Xiang Liu smiled and turned to leave. With a whistle his white condor descended and he vaulted on its back and disappeared in the clouds.

-----

XL makes it seem like he doesn't want the world to know that he and FFB are the same person (although TSJ and his friend Li Jie Chang already know). But if FFB is never going to re-appear, why does that matter? I feel like it matters a lot more to XY. If the world knows how close she was with FFB (and that FFB took her away from her wedding with FL) and then finds out that FFB is XL... Her reputation would be even more ruined. She might be vilified for consorting with the enemy. She might even be attacked again. Or people might try to use her against XL.

And if CX found out... that would also create problems. So he might have done it to try to make sure that XY didn't create those kinds of problems for herself.

But I think the more likely explanation is that he hurt her on purpose to push her away. It reminded me a bit of when he scared her into TSJ's embrace at the end of their encounter in chapter 23. 

 winizone:
I thoughts this bug was very interesting ? the voodo king himself didn’t know it well. It’s a complicated thing.

Yes, agreed. I thought it was strange that the Voodoo King said that if one host was injured, the other host would also be injured, since we know that is not the case. That made me think that he must not know everything about how the bugs work. 

@AH @winizone

Lol love bugs theory is not clear yet.  Tong Hua purposely did it. i guess. Hehehehhe??. Its really cool idea. ??.. XY definetly like XL/FFB. .but im just not sure about how much romance level is there.

 Winny Aye:
Lol love bugs theory is not clear yet.  Tong Hua purposely did it. i guess. Hehehehhe??. Its really cool idea. ??..

Yes, some parts are definitely not explained fully and left open to interpretation.

 Winny Aye:
XY definetly like XL/FFB. .but im just not sure about how much romance level is there.

Out of curiosity Winny Aye, how do you interpret the ice crystal ball?

 AH :

Yes, some parts are definitely not explained fully and left open to interpretation.

Out of curiosity Winny Aye, how do you interpret the ice crystal ball?

You mean this passage from the epilogue ?

"The clear exquisite ice crystal ball, inside was a deep blue sea, and in the water was colorful little fishes and a beautiful red coral. There was an all-white giant clam shell like a blooming flower and inside a beautiful mermaid sat on the clam shell. Her hair flowed like seaweed and her beautiful tail was half on the clam shell and half in the water. There's man standing besides her, holding the mermaid outstretched hand, smiling at the mermaid. In a corner, a merman floating in the waves, seemingly not far from the shell, his detached attitude felt like he was in another world and not in the world of the peaceful isolated ocean with the mermaid."

it's very clear indicating what happen to XY, XL and TSJ in the end. XY is the mermaid,  XL is merman and TSJ is the man. (I wonder if  XY did really crafted the man!") Even when mermaid and merman are same species, existing near her, yet they can't be together, because he can't be in the same world with her. The man is a different species, but he can be with her in her world. YaoLiu romance or XL love for her is something could not be bloomed out but locked down. Just like crystal ball and his wishes are locked down in big belly doll.

But that's my personal take.

https://weibo.com/7309770265/NkNPQrpFX

saw on Weibo and wanted to share coz Deng Wei's handsome in pink ?love his hairstyle ?

 Winny Aye:
You mean this passage from the epilogue ?

No I was wondering how you interpret XY's creation of the ice crystal ball, her giving it to XL when she did, her waiting by the ocean before announcing the wedding date, and her not so much being upset with XL for breaking up her marriage to Feng Long as much as being upset with him for not doing it sooner.

-----

Chapter 31:

The Grand Emperor wrote back to Xiao Yao that he and Feng Long’s grandfather had conferred and set the wedding for two months hence.

Ever since Xiao Yao got engaged the Grand Emperor had her trousseau prepared already so all Xiao Yao needed to do was don her wedding dress and walk down the aisle. But the Grand Emperor requested that Xiao Yao return to Five Gods Mountain to prepare for the wedding before he would announce the wedding date to the entire world.

Xiao Yao knew why her dad did this, it wasn’t to adhere to wedding custom because her dad didn’t care about that. It was the request of a father who was worried and anxious over the future of his daughter and wanted to confirm her decision one last time. He wanted to be certain that Feng Long was the man his daughter wanted to entrust the rest of her life to.

Xiao Yao wrote back that she would return to Gao Xing after she did a final personal matter.

Xiao Yao went through Yu Jiang to contact Chi Sui Xian to ask her to dig up something that Xiao Yao asked her to bury a few years ago.

After Zhuan Xu assumed the throne, Xiao Yao used her position for the first time in her life to have precious treasures from around the vast wilderness collected and brought to her.

From the Northeast tops of the Snow Mountain, she collected a piece of Snow Mountain Ice Essence. It grew on the tops of the Snow Mountain and itself was not poisonous. But if something poisonous went inside when it was forming, then it would soak up the poison and after tens of thousands of years it would become one of the most poisonous things in the world. This particular Ice Essence that Xiao Yao found happened to have an injured ice worm demon crawl inside so after countless thousands of years underneath Snow Mountain, it had become a piece of extremely rare poisonous ice. It appeared like a beautiful piece of icy jade but actually exuded a poisonous aura that could pierce straight to the heart.

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.

Xiao Yao then used all sorts of exotic herbs and poisons to create two merpeople. She put the mermaid on the clam shell and she put the merman in the corner away from the clam shell. Xiao Yao also made red coral and colorful little fish.

After it was all completed, Xiao Yao brought out the ice crystals collected from the North Pole and had a specialist split it open and hollow it out. She put the red coral in first and secured it on the bottom. Then she mixed up a batch of poisons with Jade Mountain bone essence to create a blue liquid suspension that she filled the ice crystal ball with so it appeared like blue water. She then put the clam shell with the mermaid and the merman carefully inside the poisonous liquid and surrounded it with the colorful fish. She then closed up the ice crystal ball and used her spiritual power to temporarily seal it.

To permanently seal back up an opened ice crystal required that it be returned to the North Pole and placed back inside the ice mountains. Then a powerful ice spirit god or goddess would then create a spiritual maze around it. After two or three more years, the opened up ice crystal would permanently seal back up without any signs it had ever been opened.

Back then when Xiao Yao finished to the final step, she racked her brains and remembered the most powerful ice power god in the vast wilderness was Chi Sui Xian. She asked Zhuan Xu if she could ask Xian to help and he said “You found the right person. I’ll have Yu Jiang ask her for help. That ice goddess is quite warm towards Yu Jiang.”

When Xian came to see Xiao Yao, she thought Xian would look down on her for asking such a powerful goddess to do such a little favor. But when Xian saw Xiao Yao’s creation she exclaimed “It’s so beautiful! You must have spent a lot of time?”

Xiao Yao nodded.

Xian said “I’ll help you seal it into the ice mountain in the North Pole. When you need to retrieve it, just have someone send me a message.”

Four years had passed and now Xiao Yao needed to take it out. When Xian brought the ice crystal back, she placed it on a dish and it was covered with more ice so looked just like a regular chunk of ice crystal dug out from the North Pole.

Xiao Yao asked a master carver who spent three days and three nights to finally shape the ice crystal into a round ball.

The clear exquisite ice crystal, inside was the deep blue sea, and in the water were colorful little fish swimming and beautiful red coral. There was an all-white giant clam shell like a blooming flower and inside a beautiful mermaid sat on the clam shell. Her hair flowed like seaweed and her beautiful tail was half on the clam shell and half in the water. She had one hand on her heart and the other hand reached out towards the distance like she wanted to grab onto something or like she was calling someone to her. In the direction where her hand stretched there was a merman floating in the water. He appeared close to the clam shell but he was coldly staring outside the ice crystal ball so that it felt like he was actually in another world and not in the world of the peaceful isolated ocean with the mermaid.

The underwater world inside the ice crystal was so beautiful that it appeared like a blue-colored dream.

When the ice crystal ball was placed on the table, it was so cold the icy air swirled around it and made it even more illusory like it could vanish in a gust of wind, except the ice crystal was so hard that even knives and swords couldn’t damage it.

The Yellow Emperor saw what Xiao Yao had made and he was so taken aback. He walked into the hut and carefully examined it for a long time. He said nothing other than to sigh “Only you will waste such precious things.”

Xiao Yao stared at the ice crystal ball and said “This is the last time.”

Xiao Yao wrapped the ice crystal ball in a demon bear pelt and sent it along with a letter inside a jade container. She went to the Tu Shan clan messenger shop and paid five times more than usual to deliver it as soon as possible to Qing Shui Town.

Inside the jade container was a letter with only one short message:

“In two months I am getting married. This is the last poison I will make for you. Please accept with a smile.”

...

When she agreed to marry Feng Long it was because of Zhuan Xu, she kept insisting otherwise because she didn’t want him to feel bad. But now she didn’t want to call off the wedding because Feng Long was the best choice for her. He knew about her past with Jing and accepted it. They also agreed that he would help Zhuan Xu and he did do that. Feng Long help up his end of the bargain, it was Xiao Yao’s turn to fulfill her end of the promise.

The Grand Emperor said “I’ll give you seven days to reconsider.”

During the ensuing seven days, Xiao Yao really did reconsider and think carefully. Every day she sat on the jagged rocks outside of the Dragon Bone Prison and looked out over the deep blue ocean.

When Ah Nian went to get her, she could see the blue horizon, the red rocks on the cliffs, and Xiao Yao dressed all in white sitting barefoot on the black jagged rocks as the waves crested at her feet.

This image was impossible to describe other than Ah Nian felt a sense of utter desolation for her sister. Xiao Yao’s image made her think of the legends of old, of a fisherman’s wife sitting on the rocks waiting for her lover to come back, sitting and waiting for so long she turned into a rock.

...

Ah Nian asked “Jiejie, what were you doing that night here?”

Xiao Yao said “I came to see a friend.”

“Then later, did that Nine-headed demon Xiang Liu continue to harass you?”

Xiao Yao shook her head.

Ah Nian said “I thought that demon was pretty fascinating.”

Xiao Yao looked back out over the blue ocean and said nothing.

Seven days later the Grand Emperor asked Xiao Yao “Have you decided?”

Xiao Yao said “I decided. Announce the wedding date!”

...

Fang Feng Bei, “I want you to leave with me right now!”

Xiao Yao’s entire body turned cold, with the entire vast wilderness gathered here, if she ran away from her wedding and especially left with another man, that would be such an insult to the Chi Sui clan and to Feng Long. How would the Chi Sui clan see her? How would the entire world view her?

Xiao Yao asked “Why?” Xiang Liu, you knew two months ago I was getting married, why do you have to do it this way?

...

His one foot was out the door when Xiao Yao suddenly asked, “When did you find out I was getting married?” Due to her head being buried on her knees, her voice sounded muffled like it was coming from far away.

Xiang Liu didn’t turn around and his voice was cold. “Two months ago.”

Xiao Yao’s voice was shaking. “Why… why did you have to do it this way?”

...

Ah Nian scoffed “I write regularly with Zhuan Xu gege, plus he’s the ruler so his actions are watched by everyone. I often go to talk with Ru So about Zhuan Xu. I probably know more about his life than you do. Jiejie, did you run away from your wedding because you don’t like the Chi Sui clan leader?”

Xiao Yao thought “Yeah, I guess so!” Even though running away was forced by Xiang Liu, the truth was that she didn’t love Feng Long.

Ah Nian excitedly said “Then what is your relationship with that Fang Feng Bei who stormed the wedding so dramatically? Everyone said you two already got it on before, when you guys were in Xuan Yuan Castle there was all this flirting and you guys hooked up then.”

Xiao Yao looked out the window at the silver moon shining down and smiled sadly but said nothing.

I ask because I see that sequence as one of the clearest moments where Tong Hua gives the reader insight into XY's feelings without putting those specific feelings into words.