Svetlanchik89:

https://h5.video.weibo.com/show/1034:5053955642687545

I don't understand what she was saying. From the costume, I guess this is XY after the wedding robbery. Probably in Qing Shui town.

 HeadInTheClouds:
Scratch that. XL feels really off to me :-(

I don't want to spread my Grump Mode too much, but I strongly agree. 

They've turned Drama!XL and Drama!YaoLiu into something very different from Novel!XL and Novel!YaoLiu. 

 Kokuto:
I didn't think XL did music at all, in the book, did he?


 AH :

Correct. He did not. 

I have a vague recollection that there was a passing comment that when XL and Ah Bei meet if they are in the mood, they will drink wine, sing, play the flute or zither, play chess etc. All these talents would also fit into and come in handy for his FFB persona.

 Kokuto:
The Shen Nong Resistance Army topic was a complete surprise ... that came out of weibo. But that certainly didn't stop some people from jumping on it with the usual lack of understanding.

It was obvious the intention was to blacken XL and make XY look good. Part of dirty fandom tactics. They think they are so smart with their questions and "discussion". Here's a lesson in the importance of question framing. Instead of asking:

When should the Shen Nong Resistance Army stop fighting to reclaim their country? What's the purpose of continuing to fight? How about we ask - how long does XY insist on occupying lands that they took through invasion? Why does XY insist on keeping what is not theirs?

This whole "Uniting the lands" slogan is nothing but propaganda to justify their invasion. They can't go around saying "We invaded your country because we want your resources and to expand our territory because of greed and ambitions". It's a case of might makes right, but makes it sound noble. 

And for XY, the princess of the invading country to talk about following the course of history and putting the responsibility on XL and the Shen Nong Resistance Army for re-igniting the flame of war because they want to reclaim their country is the height of gaslighting and victim blaming. Why doesn't she go home and tell her brother to give Shen Nong back their country - wouldn't that also stop "war"? Oh, because her brother wants to be the ultimate king. XY can take several seats. 

What are the chances that they'll have TJC's XL rolling his eyes at XY during this scene? 'Cause I was rolling my eyes real hard when I was reading it. Girl, the lack of self-awareness and shame. And don't pretend that the greater good is high on XY's list of priorities.

 HeadInTheClouds:
I have a vague recollection that there was a passing comment that when XL and Ah Bei meet if they are in the mood, they will drink wine, sing, play the flute or zither, play chess etc. All these talents would also fit into and come in handy for his FFB persona.

True. 

Although the text seems a bit contradictory.

-----

Chapter 48:

Kanunu8
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Koala
玉山之上,千里桃花,蔚然盛开,与夕阳的流光交相辉映,美不胜收,一只白羽金冠雕穿过漫天烟霞,疾驰而来,白衣白发的相柳立在白雕上,衣袂飘扬,宛若天人。

一袭黑衣的獙君站在桃花林内,静静等候,相柳看到他,从雕背上跃下,随着纷纷扬扬飘落的桃花瓣,轻轻落在了獙君面前。

相柳对獙君翩翩行礼,说道:“我来看望王母,义父命我叩谢王母上次赠他的蟠桃酒,义父喝过后,旧疾缓和了很多,”

獙君说:“王母这会神志不清,认不出你,不如你休息一晚,明日早上再见王母。”

相柳显然清楚王母的病情,并未意外,彬彬有礼的说:“听凭獙君安排。”

“依旧住原来地方吗?”

“照旧.”

獙君伸手,做了个请的姿势。

相柳欠欠身子:“有劳了!”

两人并肩而行,待到了相柳的住处,獙君并未离去,而是取出珍藏的蟠桃酒,和相柳喝起了酒。

王母和炎帝曾是结拜兄妹,所以对共工有几分照拂,但玉山独立于红尘之外,不问世事,王母虽常命人送些灵药灵草给共工,却从不过问共工的其他事。

相柳多次往返玉山,和獙君是君子交,每次相逢,两人总是几坛好酒,月下花间对酌,谈的是美食佳景,风物地志,兴起时,也会抚琴弄箫,唱和一番,却从不谈世间事。

獙君的声音天生魅惑,迷人心智,连烈阳都不敢听他的歌,化为人形后,獙君只偶然唱过一次歌,却弄得玉山大乱,自那以后,獙君就再未唱歌。相柳却没有畏惧,听獙君声音异常悦耳,主动邀獙君唱歌。

獙君说:“我是獙獙妖,歌声会迷人心智。”

相柳笑言:“我是九头妖,想要九颗头都被迷惑,很难!如果真被你迷惑了,也是难得的经历,我所做所为,并无休于示人处。”


也许就是因为这份坦荡不羁,獙君和相柳倒有几分默契,只不过,一个是出世之人。万物不萦胸怀,一个是人世之人,万事缠身不得自由,所以君子交淡如水。

几斤中天,獙君才醉醺醺的离去。

四下无人时。合目而憩的相柳睁开了眼睛,眼泪一片清明,没有一丝醉意,他出了屋子,犹如一道风,迅疾的掠向瑶池。
 At the top of Jade Mountain, thousands of miles of peach blossoms were in full bloom, reflecting the light of the setting sun, which was extremely beautiful. A white-feathered golden-crowned eagle was soaring swiftly through the misty sky. Xiang Liu, dressed in white and with white hair, stood on the white eagle, with his sleeves fluttering, like a heavenly being.

The black-clad Lord Bi stood in the peach forest, waiting quietly. When Xiang Liu saw him, he jumped off the eagle's back and landed gently in front of Lord Bi as the peach petals fluttered down.

Xiang Liu bowed to the Lord and said, "I came to visit the Royal Mother. My adoptive father asked me to thank the Royal Mother for the peach wine she gave him last time. After drinking it, my adoptive father's old illness was relieved a lot."

The Lord said, "The Royal Mother is not in a clear state of mind now and can't recognize you. Why don't you take a rest for a night and see the Royal Mother tomorrow morning?"

Xiang Liu obviously knew the Royal Mother's condition and was not surprised. He said politely, "It's up to Lord."

"Will you stay in the same place?"

"As usual."

The Lord stretched out his hand and made a gesture of invitation.

Xiang Liu bowed: "Thank you!"

The two walked side by side and arrived at Xiang Liu's residence. The Lord did not leave, but took out the treasured peach wine and drank with Xiang Liu.

The Royal Mother and the Flame Emperor were sworn siblings, so they took care of Gong Gong a little bit, but Jade Mountain was independent of the world and did not care about worldly affairs. Although the Royal Mother often ordered people to send some magical herbs to Gong Gong, she never asked about Gong Gong's other affairs.

Xiang Liu went back and forth to Jade Mountain many times, and he and Lord Bi were gentlemen. Every time they met, they always had a few jars of good wine, drank under the moon and flowers, and talked about delicious food, beautiful scenery, and local customs. When they were in a good mood, they would play the zither and the flute and sing together, but never talk about worldly affairs.

Lord Bi's voice was naturally charming and fascinating. Even Lieyang did not dare to listen to his songs. After turning into a human form, Lord Bi only sang a song once by chance, but it caused chaos in Jade Mountain. Since then, Lord Bi has never sung again. Xiang Liu was not afraid. Hearing Lord Bi's voice was unusually pleasant, he took the initiative to invite Lord Bi to sing.

The Lord said: "I am a demon, and my singing can enchant people."

Xiang Liu said with a smile: "I am a nine-headed demon, and it is very difficult to enchant all nine heads! If I am really enchanted by you, it is also a rare experience. I have no concerns about revealing my actions to others
."

Perhaps it is because of this openness and unrestrainedness that Lord and Xiang Liu have a tacit understanding, but one is a person who has left the world. Nothing lingers in his mind, and the other is a person in the world, entangled in everything and not free, so the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. [True friendship between two men of accomplishment need not be overly demonstrative.]

After a few pounds of wine, Lord Bi left drunkenly.

When there was no one around. Xiang Liu, who had closed his eyes and rested, opened his eyes. His eyes were clear, without a trace of drunkenness. He left the house, like a gust of wind, and quickly swept towards the jade pool.

On Jade Mountain, the sun was setting and the peach blossoms blooming in exquisite glory in the sunset. In the sky, a white condor with a golden feather crown was slowly descending through the clouds, with a white-robed, white-haired Xiang Liu standing on its back, billowing in the wind like an ethereal being.

Sir Bi wearing all black was waiting for him in the forest. When Xiang Liu saw him, he vaulted down and landed softly before him.

Xiang Liu bowed respectfully. “I came to see the Royal Mother. My adopted father asked me to thank the Royal Mother for her gift of the Saturn peach wine. After drinking it, his old injuries feel much better.”

Sir Bi said, “The Royal Mother isn’t lucid right now and won’t recognize you. Why don’t you rest for a night and see her tomorrow?”

Xiang Liu clearly knew about the Royal Mother’s illness and didn’t look surprised. He respectfully said, “As Sir Bi will arrange.”

“You want to stay in the same place?”

“The same.”

Sir Bi gestured a welcome and Xiang Liu followed him until reaching a residence. Sir Bi didn’t leave and instead took out a bottle of Saturn peach wine and the two men began to drink.

The Royal Mother was sworn blood siblings with one of the former Flame Emperors, so she took extra care of Gong Gong. But Jade Mountain remained uninvolved in world affairs so she would just send medicines to Gong Gong without ever asking about his matters.

Xiang Liu visited Jade Mountain many times and was casual acquaintances with Sir Bi, the two would always drink together when Xiang Liu visited. They would discuss good food and places visited, and would even play instruments and sing if the mood arose. They never discussed world affairs either.

Sir Bi’s voice was magically powerful and could enchant and corrupt men’s souls. Even Lie Yang didn’t dare listen to Ah Bi sing. After gaining human form, Sir Bi only sang once by accident and it caused mass chaos on Jade Mountain so he never sang again. Xiang Liu wasn’t afraid of Sir Bi’s voice and asked him to sing.

Sir Bi said, “I am a winged fox demon, my voice will enchant the soul.”

Xiang Liu smiled. “I’m a nine-headed demon, it’ll be hard to enchant all nine of my heads! And if I am enchanted, it wouldn’t matter because I’ve done nothing worth fearing.”

Because of this bold attitude, that’s why Sir Bi got along so well with him.

After many cups of the wine, Sir Bi finally passed out.

Xiang Liu opened his eyes and looked around. His eyes were clear with no sign of being drunk.  He vaulted out of the residence and rushed towards the lake as quiet as the wind.


-----

The text in red seems to indicate that when Sir Bi and XL met on various previous occassions, they had discussions, played instruments and sang songs together. 

But then the text in gold mentions that, after obtaining a human form, Sir Bi only ever sang once, by accident, and it caused chaos so he didn't sing again. And when XL asks Sir Bi to sing for him, Sir Bi protests at first. Which seems to suggest that Sir Bi had never sung in XL's presence before. Which also seems to suggest that the two of them playing instruments together might not have happened before either. 

 AH :
But then the text in gold mentions that, after obtaining a human form, Sir Bi only ever sang once, by accident, and it caused chaos so he didn't sing again. And when XL asks Sir Bi to sing for him, Sir Bi protests at first. Which seems to suggest that Sir Bi had never sung in XL's presence before. Which also seems to suggest that the two of them playing instruments together might not have happened before either. 

Actually the text says this:

Xiang Liu had visited Jade Mountain many times, and established a gentleman friendship with Sir Bi. Each time they met, they would always have a few jars of fine wine which they drank together under the moon among the flowers, talking about delicious food, beautiful scenery and local geography. When the mood struck them, they would play the qin or the flute or sing together, but never discuss worldly affairs.

Sir Bi's voice was naturally captivating, mesmerising hearts and minds. Even Lie Yang dared not listen to him sing. After gaining human form, Sir Bi had only sung once by chance, causing chaos on Jade Mountain. 
Since then, Sir Bi never sang anymore. However, Xiang Liu was not afraid. He heard that Sir Bi's voice was enchanting, and took the initiative to ask him to sing.

Sir Bi said, "I am a winged-fox demon. My voice can mesmerise the heart and mind."

With a smile, Xiang Liu responded, "I am a nine-headed demon. It would be very difficult to enchant all nine heads! If I were to really be enchanted by you, it would be a rare experience. I have done nothing to be ashamed of."

Perhaps due to such openness and uninhibitedness, Sir Bi and Xiang Liu formed a certain affinity with each other. It was just that one was detached from the world with no lingering attachments, while the other was one who was deeply involved in worldly affairs with so much entanglements, unable to be free. As such, their gentleman friendship was as clear as water.

-- Vol 3 Ch15  (Chapter 48)

In other words, they regularly played the qin or flute, or sang together over the years.

The subsequent paragraph referred to what happened way back in the beginning, before the first time that Sir Bi sang for Xiang Liu, and how Xiang Liu managed to convince him to start singing once more when he was with him.

 liddi:
The subsequent paragraph referred to what happened way back in the beginning, before the first time that Sir Bi sang for Xiang Liu, and how Xiang Liu managed to convince him to start singing once more when he was with him.

Ah, that dialogue was a flashback that was showing the first time (of many times, it seems) that Sir Bi sang for XL! That makes sense. 

Thanks for clarifying liddi! ^^

 HeadInTheClouds:
It was obvious the intention was to blacken XL and make XY look good. Part of dirty fandom tactics. They think they are so smart with their questions and "discussion". Here's a lesson in the importance of question framing. Instead of asking:

When should the Shen Nong Resistance Army stop fighting to reclaim their country? What's the purpose of continuing to fight? How about we ask - how long does XY insist on occupying lands that they took through invasion? Why does XY insist on keeping what is not theirs?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. 


 HeadInTheClouds:
This whole "Uniting the lands" slogan is nothing but propaganda to justify their invasion. They can't go around saying "We invaded your country because we want your resources and to expand our territory because of greed and ambitions". It's a case of might makes right, but makes it sound noble.

And for XY, the princess of the invading country to talk about following the course of history and putting the responsibility on XL and the Shen Nong Resistance Army for re-igniting the flame of war because they want to reclaim their country is the height of gaslighting and victim blaming.

Yes.  I pretty sure this is a real saying, along with the 'trend toward unification', but as soon as I heard both, I kept hearing the phrases, Manifest Destiny and 'you can't stand in the way of progress' in my head.

More and more I feel like there's gaslighting or white washing going on, or God forbid, alternative facts.  I wonder if Tong Hua is surprised at what she has wrought?  lol


 HeadInTheClouds:
Why doesn't she go home and tell her brother to give Shen Nong back their country - wouldn't that also stop "war"? Oh, because her brother wants to be the ultimate king. XY can take several seats.

What are the chances that they'll have TJC's XL rolling his eyes at XY during this scene? 'Cause I was rolling my eyes real hard when I was reading it. Girl, the lack of self-awareness and shame. And don't pretend that the greater good is high on XY's list of priorities.

Yes, indeed.  I certainly hope so.  So crazy.

 Svetlanchik89:
Dear Liddi, do you know the name of song in ep 4, 29 minute?

It's 凡人心 Mortal Heart. We heard it in S1 Ep39 previously when Feng Long proposed to Xiao Yao:

Getting ready for the crystal ball message and the red wedding costume ... My heart, my heart ...

It appears they gave Tan Jian Ci the same day qin lesson while his make up was being put on.   O_O

https://x.com/aleen__leen/status/1810507139875836416

The soundtrack for 桃花血 Peach Blossom Blood was officially released today, and has now joined the ranks as among my favourite pieces. As a 筝 zither player myself (which is quite similar to the 琴 qin), I truly had concerns when I read this scene in the script because I have seen all too many poorly shot scenes with the qin and other musical instruments over the years. As such, I truly appreciate the details in this scene - the care taken into making sure he looked believable as he played. Although he was not always exactly on the note with his gestures, it is pretty close. I have no problems with his more harsh sweeping gestures - this is very much in line with the piece at hand. Not all qin or zither music are just tranquil and beautiful - there are also fast, intricate, grandiose pieces as well.


 Kokuto:
It appears they gave Tan Jian Ci the same day qin lesson while his make up was being put on.   O_O

It explains why his movements appeared quite accurate. A very commendable effort, considering how short a time he had to prepare before they filmed.

 liddi:
The soundtrack for 桃花血 Peach Blossom Blood was officially released today, and has now joined the ranks as among my favourite pieces. As a 筝 zither player myself (which is quite similar to the 琴 qin), I truly had concerns when I read this scene in the script because I have seen all too many poorly shot scenes with the qin and other musical instruments over the years. As such, I truly appreciate the details in this scene - the care taken into making sure he looked believable as he played. Although he was not always exactly on the note with his gestures, it is pretty close. I have no problems with his more harsh sweeping gestures - this is very much in line with the piece at hand. Not all qin or zither music are just tranquil and beautiful - here are also fast, intricate, grandiose pieces as well.


 liddi:
It explains why his movements appeared quite accurate. A very commendable effort, considering how short a time he had to prepare before they filmed.


Oh, cool!  I didn't know you played.  Our multi-talented liddi! Sadly, I am not musically inclined at all.  So, it's basically what I uninformedly think sounds or looks good.  lol

Thank you for the link to Peachey's Youtube version.  I knew she'd have it out soon.

@all,

The notification function for discussion thread on MDL is still very unreliable. I got some notification last night but none today. 

with regard to the V-linkage chart on character popularity, XY/WXL, XL/FFB and TSJ/YSQ jumbed to 1, 2, 3 position  respectively on premier day. Cang Xuan is way below

Fans fought hard for their favorite actors. Did Cang Xuan have higher screen time in the first 3(4) episode?

 Kokuto:
Thank you for the link to Peachey's Youtube version.  I knew she'd have it out soon.

You're welcome. Peachey Blossom's version of Peach Blossom Blood - it even rhymes!


 H19279:
Did Cang Xuan have higher screen time in the first 3(4) episode?

He was featured prominently in the first 4 episodes and delivered consistently strong performances throughout. Really hope his ranking picks up as the drama continues to air.