Romans_Revenge:

My take is XL could only feel it cos he loves her but XY doesn’t feel the same. I remember when she poisoned herself & XL came to save her, he told her the reason he couldn’t remove the bug wasn’t because he wouldn’t ,but didn’t know how since he was heart & willing to let the bug in.

XY doesn’t love him that’s why. She even asked him during ZX’s wedding how he knows she’s sad & he said I can feel your pain & know your heart is broken because of Tushan Jing.

Yes same, my thought too. Because the bugs need mutual feeling. And the voodo kings himself curious too, why it worked like that. He just said maybe because XY and XL have unique body compositions.

 Winny Aye:

It's not 100% clear how XY feelings are for XL. ..XL fans claim XL has blocked it... i need to reread the novel. I can't 100% say XY doesn't love XL.  It doesn't actually matter though. It shouldn't matter because they both rejected it. Tong Hua usually like her fl to fall in love more than once. With YaoLiu romance is not 100% clear. What matter is YaoJing has strongest bond which is why they are together in the end.

Ohh they said XL has blocked it? But it never mention in the novel. I just curious about it.

Yes it doesn’t actually matter if XY love XL or not. Because the one XY willing to love was Jing. 

 Winny Aye:

He can croak and reborn again as jing..my bad ????

Lmao do you want to be XY’s poison Guinea pig?

@Ah thanks for the clarification.


Now I wonder if all those  transfer of medicine or blood via the mouth  considered as kiss as well in the book? Do you know?   I have not read all the chapters. I did skip and skimmed  a lot of chapters and them carried on after the crashed wedding . 

 winizone:

I’ll ask here because in the main page is full of them.

I don’t understand with the lover’s bugs. Why only XL could sense XY? But XY could never sense XL when they’re happy or hurt.

In the novel, the voodo king himself couldn’t answer it. My thought, is it because XY didn’t love him, so she couldn’t sense him? ?

I'm own interpretation  was that  she was not "in love "with XL  when she gave him the bug and as their story progressed , she never gave him her heart as a lover  even though she loved him.

He on the other hand was in love and gave her his heart when he accepted the bug 


If I remember correctly the bug is supposed to be raised by a girl for her lover or am I wrong? 

I could be wrong but XY never did that to begin with so the " Magic formula" kind of off from the start ?

Of course that my interpretation of their connection via bug.


Maybe XL did indeed block it. I cannot remember. @AH  did he block it? 

 mparthur:

XY could relate herself to the three men.  The only person who was compatible with her would always be TSJ because he was willing to give up everything for her.

CX would never do that as well as XL.

Um.. it's true though TSJ is willing to give up everything for her. I don't like to think he's her choice because of that alone.   And the three man somehow relate to her in some parts. But TSJ was most related to her in her most inner self which she's comfortable in whereas the other two are a bit apart from her. He can make her go gentle and want to be a woman as much as I see. I think XY is also a very kind person deep down but she was very fierce and could kill when she had to survival. TSJ is gentle inside out and could provoke this side in her. What I mean is she originally do not have ambition to become empress to change the world. She's by CX side cos she loves him. As for XL,  I think he appeared in her life to deal with the fear inside her and some personal growth. Such he is a kind of man,  her enemy, that she's afraid would fall in love with and had to face tragedy that she's unwilling to face but have to face. And he actually aid her to be stronger inside out. Therefore, he will be still part of her forever after he'd gone I guess but  romantic feelings and how much involved is not 100% sure. But with TSJ, it's very very obvious from the start that he could be her husband in the future. The way she act around him. Blushing,  jealousy,  girly side, but so afraid to give in because she doesn't want to get hurt yet she still want to try him out. And she didn't do that to the other two men. I don't know why some people miss this whole thing. And I think her being with him at the end is only because of his willingness to give in to her the most, but rather their own inner core value in life which the other two men were not born for. By inner core value, I mean their wishing to live ordinary life. She wants someone who will be by her side. He wants to be by her side. With their upside down throughout, I think they had strongest bond. It's relatable to real life, sometimes we can or have to fall in love more than once, that's why there are exboyfriends,  exgirlfriends. even though the feeling might have been genuine but when inner core values are not the same couple had to farewell somehow and finally be with the rightful one who will accompany you throughout life. Passion can come and gone but commitment and devotion stay. That's how i see YaoJing couple is which is why I don't care her feelings for XL had been romantic or not. 

 Romans_Revenge:

Lmao do you want to be XY’s poison Guinea pig?

??? hehehehe...I'd run..??

 winizone:
I don’t understand with the lover’s bugs. Why only XL could sense XY? But XY could never sense XL when they’re happy or hurt.

The bug was always meant to only cause the recipient to feel the bug cultivator's pain. After the bug that was in CX was transferred to XL, it is normal that XL feels XY's pain, but XY does not feel XL's pain.

When the bug is in CX, XY can sense when CX approaches through the connection. After the bug that was in CX was transferred to XL, XY can sense when XL approaches - but only when XL allows it. For example, XY senses when XL comes to Five God Mountains to offer to rescue her. But she can't sense the bug in FFB. In the first case, XL allows her to feel him coming. In the second case, he controls the connection and prevents her from sensing him.

The bugs also connect the hosts' lives, hearts and emotions. As others have mentioned, XL can feel XY's heartbeat, heartache and emotions through the connection. Most of the time, XY can't feel anything from XL through the connection because XL is controlling the connection, but sometimes his control slips and XY can sense something (e.g., XL's heartbeat speeding up). 

-----

Chapter 26:

Fang Feng Bei, wearing a white embroidered robe, was standing there with a lazy smile.

Xiao Yao felt the voodoo bug in her body but got no response. Xiao Yao gave up, was she the one who raised the bug or was it Xiang Liu? Xiang Liu could control her but she couldn’t control Xiang Liu at all! Could it be that even voodoo bugs know how to fear the strong and sneer at the weak?

...

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!”

-----

 winizone:
My thought, is it because XY didn’t love him, so she couldn’t sense him?

The voodoo king said the bugs would turn into heartbreak bugs and kill the hosts if there wasn't love between the hosts. The bugs were in XL and XY for over 100 years without an issue. So I believe there was love between them for that whole time. But that doesn't mean that XY didn't also love other people (TSJ, CX, Ah Nian, her father and grandfather...). 

 Romans_Revenge:
I remember when she poisoned herself & XL came to save her, he told her the reason he couldn’t remove the bug wasn’t because he wouldn’t ,but didn’t know how since he was heart & willing to let the bug in.

XL does say that he cannot remove the bugs. He doesn't know how to. No one does. But he can still sever the connection between them by killing the bugs. So he uses up a life to lure out the bugs and stabs himself in the heart to kill them. 

He also says that the bug wasn't planted properly in CX because CX did not willingly accept the bug. Which is why they were able to transfer the bug to XL, who was heart-and-soul willing to accept the bug.

-----

Chapter 48:

Xiang Liu sat down next to the raft and stared at the sleeping Xiao Yao before softly saying, “The tree grows old on land together, the mandarin ducks die together in the water – the Lover’s Bug connects heart to heart and our lives, and there truly is no way to remove the bug. Years ago I was only able to remove the bug from Zhuan Xu because he didn’t know it was you so he didn’t willingly accept the bug. So you never successfully planted the bug on him in the first place. But I….I was heart and soul willing, so the bug successfully planted in me. You asked me to remove the bug and I kept telling you I can’t do it, but you didn’t believe me. But I truly didn’t lie to you, I cannot remove the bug.

Xiang Liu picked up Xiao Yao’s hand and used his finger as a knife to slice into the flesh of her palm and his palm back and forth until he drew a blood spell. “I cannot remove the bug, but I can kill the bug!

Xiang Liu smiled before joining his bloody palm to Xiao Yao’s bloody palm, so tightly that the blood flowing wasn’t clear whether it was his or hers. “Don’t blame me for not telling you this before, blame yourself for being useless!”

Xiang Liu started to chant the spell and with it countless glowing blue dots appeared and flew around both of them. The blue dots lit up the night sky until it was an ethereal beauty of lights in the air and reflected in the lake surface.

Xiang Liu’s hand suddenly grabbed a real dagger made from ice and he stabbed it directly into his own heart. Sir Bi gasped out loud and had to force himself to not do anything.

Xiang Liu pulled out the dagger and blood gushed from the wound in his chest. All the blue dots rushed into the wound in his chest until they all vanished inside.

After all the blue dots were gone, Xiang Liu’s face was stark white and he pressed down with one hand on his chest wound, and the other grabbed medicine but he didn’t apply it to himself and instead applied it on Xiao Yao’s hand. The cuts on her hand quickly healed until there was no sign it was ever injured.

Xiang Liu smiled sadly and said to Xiao Yao, “I broke the bug connection between us! From now on, you and I will have no connection with each other!”

Xiang Liu gently pushed the raft towards Sir Bi “She will wake up tomorrow morning.”

Sir Bi understood what happened – the heart-and-life-connected Lover’s Bug was planted between Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao, which is why Xiang Liu could save Xiao Yao’s life earlier. Xiang Liu managed to now break the bug by using his own life as the lure to kill the bugs. It was a suicidal method, but a method that only Nine Lives Xiang Liu could use by taking one of his lives.

 peng-peng:

@Ah thanks for the clarification.


Now I wonder if all those  transfer of medicine or blood via the mouth  considered as kiss as well in the book? Do you know?   I have not read all the chapters. I did skip and skimmed  a lot of chapters and them carried on after the crashed wedding . 

Yes, the medicine-feeding is also described as a kiss.

----

Chapter 22:

Xiao Yao spooned medicine and fed Jing but it all dribbled out like when Jing Ye did it.

Xiao Yao touched his cheek and sighed “What to do? Last time you were gravely injured but you had the will to live. No matter how hard to swallow you would work with me, but this time you are rejecting the medicine.”

Xiao Yao put down the bowl and held Jing by the neck and lightly kissed his eyes, then lightly kissed his nose, then lightly kissed his lips. She bit down on his lip and murmured “Do you remember? In this residence I learned the zither from you, and each time you shyly wanted to kiss me but restrained yourself and even purposely stayed a distance from me. I could sense all that but I loved to tease you so I pretended not to know. I wanted to see you battle with your own self-control. But once you kissed me, you turned from a little rabbit into a big bad wolf, no matter how I avoided I couldn’t run from you, and then I turned from the big bad wolf into the little rabbit.”

Xiao Yao laughed “But now you’re really the little rabbit and I get to do whatever with you.”

Xiao Yao picked up the medicine bowl and drank a sip before kissing Jing and dribbling the medicine into his mouth. Jing’s consciousness was still asleep but it was like a tree that wrapped its roots around soil so his subconscious started to swallow the medicine and wanted more of the sweetness. The entire spoonful of medicine went down his throat.

Just like that, with a kiss and a swallow, Xiao Yao fed him the entire bowl of medicine.

 AH :
So


 AH :
So I believe there was love between them for that whole time. But that doesn't mean that XY didn't also love other people (TSJ, CX, Ah Nian, her father and grandfather...). 

Exactly the feeling I got, she is carrying love for all 3 ML, with some different vibes/tonality...like different music partitions. 

 Symbolika1:


Exactly the feeling I got, she is carrying love for all 3 ML, with some different vibes/tonality...like different music partitions. 

She loved all three guys. Can't deny at all..?

 peng-peng:
If I remember correctly the bug is supposed to be raised by a girl for her lover or am I wrong?

I could be wrong but XY never did that to begin with so the " Magic formula" kind of off from the start ?

The bug has to be carefully raised by a cultivator. The cultivator doesn't need to have a specific person in mind when raising the bugs. However, if the cultivator is a woman, the recipient must be a man. If the cultivator is a man, the recipient must be a woman. 

Over two years pass in the novel between the time that XY meets XL and the time that XL accepts the bug. XY says she raised the bugs for XL and the novel says it took her years to do so, which fits the timeline from the novel.

-----

Chapter 5:

“You——–” Jing looked at his hands and in his eyes was unspoken pain. Xiao Liu “That…. fooling them will only temporarily save my life. So even if I didn’t poison Ah Nian….I poisoned Xuan.”

Jing stared in shock at Xiao Liu.

“The poison was placed on Ah Nian’s body, I know Xuan would hug her, comfort her, and the poison would enter his body. Once it went into the blood stream, it’s very hard to remove. With Ah Nian’s personality, she must be crying these last few days and needing Xuan to comfort her often. He would never suspect it was aimed at him.”

“What poison did you give him?”

Xiao Liu cautiously explained “Actually, it’s not really a poison, it’s best described as voodoo. The voodoo magic is practiced by the Jiu Li tribe and is their secret learning. A few hundred years ago, the Jiu Li tribe had a voodoo king who was called the poison master of the great wilderness. The voodoo magic is considered evil stacked against mainstream medicine and poisons. People have heard of it but very few actually understand it.”

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.”

That voodoo bug, must not have been easy to raise.”

Of course! Very hard to raise!” If it was easy to raise this magic would be all over the great wilderness. Even with Xiao Liu’s special body, it still took him years to raise it.

Why raise a voodoo bug?

Xiao Liu sighed “It was all to control Xiang Liu that big demon! He is a nine-headed monster and not a single poison can take him down. So I thought of this great plan but before I had a chance to plant it in him, I ended up using it on Xuan.”

----

Chapter 7:

“Where did you get the bug?”

“Many years ago, I met an old lady from the Jiu Li tribe. You know that the legendary most fearless, vicious, cruel demon of all time Qi Yo was from the Jiu Li tribe. After he was killed by the Yellow Emperor, the entire Jiu Li tribe was demoted to slave status. The men and women were born into slavery. That old woman was a slave that no one wanted anymore. She was smelly and dirty, laying close to death in a pile of dirt. I found her very pitiful so I asked her what her final wish was before she died. She asked for a bath so she could go see her lover clean and pretty. I took her to the river and helped her bathe, then brushed her hair into the hairstyle of a Jiu Li woman. She gave me a blackened shriveled walnut, saying that she had nothing on her except this pair of voodoo bugs. She gave it to me as thanks. She told me to leave and then she died. Her body immediately attracted a lot of insects and was immediately devoured clean. Later on, when I didn’t know how to deal with you, I suddenly remembered this walnut I carried with me for a long time. I used it to raise the two voodoo bugs according to the magic of Jiu Li. I fed it pieces of my own flesh and blood, then one bug chose me, and then other was meant for you but instead I planted it in Xuan.

----

Chapter 26:

Se Mai Er looked around to make sure they were alone and then said “The voodoo bug the Princess mentioned before, I thought and thought and still have no idea what it is. But I did remember a legend that circulated in Jiu Li about a very rare voodoo bug.”

Xiao Yao perked up and listened carefully “What kind of bug?”

Se Mai Er explained “Most voodoo bugs are parent-child bugs. The parent bug can control the child bug, and this kind of bug is easy to raise and easy to plant. But legend has it there is a rare, extremely difficult-to-raise-and-plant bug. That bug has a gender difference and is split into a male bug and a female bug. It is hard to raise and even harder to plant. If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it. If a man raised the bug, he needs to find a woman to plant it. Almost always this bug is raised but cannot be planted even in a lifetime. So this bug remains just a legend in Jiu Li.”

“What kind of bug is it?”

“I don’t know what kind of bug it is but I do know its name. It’s called a Lover’s Bug and legend says “Lover’s Bug, Heart to Heart.” It sounds a lot like what Princess described.”

Xiao Yao was stunned and in a daze. She then asked “If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it in. But this world had plenty of men and women, how hard would it be to plant the bug! How could this bug be so hard to plant, a lifetime could pass and it still wouldn’t be planted?”

Se Mai Er shook her head and said apologetically “I learned too little back then and listened to this but didn’t ask more questions thinking it just a legend. But our Voodoo King will know.

-----

Chapter 37:

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.

@AH

Oh i just knew that XL can control the bug. Because the voodo king didn’t mention that the bug can be controlled. Did it mention in the novel? 

The voodo kings only said that the bug in their body might be different, because they have unique body compositions.

Aahh i see. I’m agree with you too. If both of them didn’t have feeling for each other the bugs will become heartbreak’s bug. But it didn’t happen. So the feeling was there. But it was only just to be there, not to become real. And XY didn’t think to make it happen. Because XY love Jing and will give her love for Jing. The one that can be her lover.

 Symbolika1:


Exactly the feeling I got, she is carrying love for all 3 ML, with some different vibes/tonality...like different music partitions. 

Ooh that's a lovely way to think about it.

 Winny Aye:

She loved all three guys. Can't deny at all..?

Yes, I felt like Tong Hua did a good job of both telling and showing the readers that XY loved all of them. 

The bug was just one way of proving it for CX and XL. And XY's physical illness after her breakup with TSJ was just one way of proving her feelings for TSJ. There were so many other examples.