Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 liddi:

Wishing all who celebrate a very blessed Lunar New Year! While certainly not as coiffed and cool as Xiang Liu, this does reflect my journey from the frazzled look of CNY preparations leading up to the transformation on the first day of the New Year LOL

Looks like S2 might be airing this month or early March after all? Can't wait! Will we all still be here dissecting the drama and novel long after S2 finally ends? 

Happy Lunar New Year @liddi.We all miss you very much. ｡◕‿◕｡

@HeadInTheClouds @windiaaa041293

Thank you! I've missed all of you too. I've been sneaking peeks every now and again at the thread but still haven't got time to catch up - so many discussions! I am practically lost! Will try to catch up some time...

 HeadInTheClouds:

Your daughter Xiang Liu doll is so cute. I'm trying to locate one with the extra hair piece. Apparently, he looks homeless without it :-). Poor dude, his lack of money will never not be an issue, is it?

Yes! That extra hairpiece is a must and I am so glad I bought it for her (was debating between that and the skeleton that allows him to sit properly). It is a travesty... every other doll in the drama is perfectly groomed with no hair issues, except for this one, poor as church mice snake demon who has to suffer the indignity of bad hair days on top of everything else! Is it difficult to get the doll with the hair piece? It is available on AliExpress from this seller (among others) for ~$54.98. Hope that helps.

 liddi:

Yes! That extra hairpiece is a must and I am so glad I bought it for her (was debating between that and the skeleton that allows him to sit properly). It is a travesty... every other doll in the drama is perfectly groomed with no hair issues, except for this one, poor as church mice snake demon who has to suffer the indignity of bad hair days on top of everything else! Is it difficult to get the doll with the hair piece? It is available on AliExpress from this seller (among others) for ~$54.98. Hope that helps.

Thank you for this link @liddi. I want to buy one with the hairpiece and the spine. Why are they making us choose between poor XL looking perpetually homeless and being able to sit properly?? Hasn't the poor dude suffered enough in his life :-)

I am clearly so behind on so many discussions, so it is highly questionable whether I will be able to catch up, not to mention I will still be busy these next few weeks. However, here is a small project I initiated after @windiaaa041293 pointed out about the very brief sighting of the glowing bugs just before Xiang Liu wakes her up at the end of the 37 years - and I started going back to translate available scenes from S1 based on the leaked script to chart the sightings and descriptions of the bugs from S1 to S2. This is the result of the work I did since end of last year.

Charting the Glow of the Bugs  (script, drama)

The glow of the bugs are different in different situations. Note that this is the description in the script where available, which might differ from how it is finally depicted in the drama.

Retaliation (S1 Ep19) - the drama depicts it coming out of his body wildly, similar to the moment in Ep30 when she was dying and he forcibly pushed it back to keep her alive (note that it was also coming out of her body at the time). When he finally pushed it back in, the glowing bugs also returned back to her body

Xiang Liu's eyes were sorrowful, and he smiled self-deprecatingly. A glow that appeared over his heart (the poisonous bug) was struggling, floating, trying to retaliate. Xiang Liu ruthlessly pressed his hand on his heart, suppressing it forcibly with his spiritual power. With the spillover of spiritual power, snowflakes danced around him.
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Despite suffering from heart-wrenching pain, he continued to smile. With Xiang Liu's spiritual power suppressing it, the glow (poisonous bug) was gradually brought under control.

Dying (S1 Ep30) - no script available but this is the observation based on the drama:

If we are to assume that the drama intentionally covers what was not really described in the novel, the moment her heart almost gives out would be the time when the glowing lights started leaving both their bodies. Note that the lights kept glowing and moving outwards (wildly and profusely in her case) until Xiang Liu finally used his spiritual power to seal and force them back in, vomiting blood as he did so. When the lights in his chest stopped glowing, the lights too finally moved back into her body, signifying that she was no longer at risk of dying.

The 37 Years of Healing under the Ocean

From the Jaws of Death (S1 Ep30) - this scene takes place right after Xiang Liu brought Xiao Yao to the seashell. The glow looks to be an outward indication of the condition of their hearts and lives, dimming, a frail lifeline, when near death or severely injured. 

The interior of the large pure white seashell was like a small room with a low ceiling, patterns of sea waves all over the walls. Several small seashells with large pearls emitted a warm glow, illuminating the interior of the seashell. A round white jade pallet was at the centre, and Xiao Yao was seated on it, her eyes closed, her face ashen white.
Xiang Liu sat in front of her, continuously transferring spiritual power into her body. Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao's hearts emitted a pulsating glow, like their heartbeats. However, while the glow in Xiang Liu's heart was bright, Xiao Yao's gradually dimmed, until it finally extinguished. All of a sudden, Xiao Yao collapsed and fell forwards with no sign of life in her, just like a corpse.
His face blanched, and Xiang Liu held on to her hand while continuing to transfer spiritual power, but there was no response.
Xiang Liu stopped the transference of power. Raising his hand, a small bowl in the shape of a seashell appeared in his left hand, while a long ice nail formed in his right hand. Xiang Liu took one look at the ice nail and without batting an eye, turned his hand and drove it into his heart. As his heart's essential blood flowed into the bowl, it transformed into flame-like bluish purple spiritual energy.
In a split second, Xiang Liu's face turned stark white, and the glow in his heart dimmed while blood spilled from his mouth.
With no regard for himself, Xiang Liu carried Xiao Yao, forced her mouth open and poured the bowl of spiritual energy flames into her mouth.

XL (severe expression, taunting tone): You are planning to give up, just over something like this? Don't make me look down on you.

As the heart's essential blood entered her mouth, Xiao Yao's heart began to emit a glow again, albeit very weakly.

Reunion (S1 Ep31) - when he held her hand after the first time he performed the drastic healing process, their hearts glowed in unison, and disappeared when he let go of her hand. Was it like the description of what she felt, not saw, when she first planted the bug in him - "两颗心脏就好似久别重逢的朋友，一唱一和地跳动着。The two hearts are like friends reunited after a long absence, beating in harmony."? In that scene, there was no glowing bug over their hearts both in the drama or the novel, but a description of how Xiao Liu felt. As such, does this scene indicate the same joy in the two hearts, after their very close call with separation and death?

Xiang Liu's eyes shot open upon regaining consciousness and he looked over at Xiao Yao by his side anxiously. As he held her hand, their hearts emitted a pulsating glow, akin to their heartbeat, and relief finally washed over him.
Xiang Liu let go of her hand, and the glow disappeared.

Awakening (S1 Ep32) - pulsating glow, no adverse pain, just before her consciousness merges back into her body and he awakens her. Here, it specifically mentions that both their hearts glowed at that time. Could it be that the glowing of their hearts in unison signifies Xiang Liu initiating the process to wake her up using the lovers bug connection, which was why her consciousness was finally pulled back and merged into her body?

XL: Ever since you were in a coma, Tushan Jing has also been unconscious, solely dependent on elixirs to sustain his life until now. Now, it is no longer possible to continue sustaining his life, he is dying.
XYC (shocked, grieved): Jing, unconscious... I had thought he... (anxiously) Xiang Liu, what is going on? What happened?

As Xiang Liu held Xiao Yao's hand in his, his heart and that of Xiao Yao's body once again started to glow.

XL (gaze fixed on Xiao Yao's body): If Tushan Jing died, would you be very sad, and hate me to the core of your being?
XYC (gazing at Xiang Liu): I don't want Jing to die, but why should I hate you? You saved me.

Xiao Yao's consciousness pulled Xiang Liu's hand urgently (the hand which was not holding Xiao Yao's hand). Xiang Liu seemed to have felt it, and looked down at his other hand.

XYC (expectantly): You can feel me, can you?

Following the hand that Xiao Yao's consciousness held, Xiang Liu looked up right at her face, their eyes meeting. However, just at that moment, Xiao Yao's consciousness feel a sudden pull, and merged back into her body.

Unspoken Response (S2 Ep7) - her unspoken response after the 4 questions in Qingshui town, which prompted the bugs to glow in unison in their hearts. Despite her refusal to verbalise an answer, her heart had already given an answer which the bug in his heart clearly received, understood and was secure in.

XL (momentarily hesitant): With whom do you most wish to spend your life with?

Xiao Yao opened her mouth as if to answer, but her expression showed extreme resistance, and she struggled to snap out of the trance. Xiang Liu firmly focused his eyes on her and intensified the spell.

XL (tense): Tell me, with whom do you most wish to spend your life with?

Xiao Yao gripped her head violently, in such pain that her body was shaking.

XY: Ah! It hurts, hurts...

Xiang Liu quickly dispersed the spell, and Xiao Yao collapsed into his arms in pain.

XL: I won't ask anymore, won't ask anymore...

Xiao Yao closed her eyes wearily, her tightly knit brows slowly relaxing.

XY (murmuring): Why...
XL: Because...

Xiang Liu did not continue. His eyes were tender, as if everything he had kept deeply buried inside would finally overflow.
The poisonous bugs in both their hearts emitted a glow in unison with their heartbeats.
Xiang Liu stared at the unconscious Xiao Yao, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

XL: Have a good sleep. You will forget everything after you wake.

Destruction of the Lover's Bugs (S2 Ep19) - right to the end, the bugs responded to each other - hers glowing in tandem with his. This was a brutal destruction of the bugs at the cost of two of his lives, which, left to nature, would have continued to exist in harmony with each other in each other's hearts, with no retaliation in sight. 

At last, he returned the mirror to Xiao Yao with another wave of the hand. Sitting cross-legged in the seashell, he activated the poisonous bug and its glow emitted from his chest like a beating heart. A similar glow appeared on Xiao Yao's chest, shining together in response to Xiang Liu's.

Xiang Liu gazed at Xiao Yao as he spoke softly with a tenderness that he never had.

XL: Silly girl, to even dare to recklessly plant the lovers bug that connects hearts and lives! "The sycamore trees on the ground will grow old intertwined, the mythical ji'an bird in the sky will not fly alone, the mandarin ducks in the water will die together." The lovers bug connects our hearts and lives, and is impossible to remove. Back then, I was able to remove the bug from Cang Xuan only because he did not willingly accept the bug, so you never properly planted the bug in him in the first place. I however, was wholeheartedly willing, and allowed you to properly plant it in me. You kept asking me to remove the bug and I kept telling you it was not possible. You never believed me, but I was not lying. I really cannot remove it.

Using his finger as a knife, Xiang Liu slashed two cuts on Xiao Yao and his own palms.

XL: I may not be able to remove the bug, but I can kill it (sly smile) Don't blame me for deceiving you. Who told you to only ask me whether I could remove the bug, but never asked whether I could kill it.

With a smile, Xiang Liu held Xiao Yao's two hands in his. Their palms were joined, blood and flesh intermingling and Xiang Liu began to chant the bug spell. As he chanted, glowing lights emerged from their bodies like countless fireflies flying around them. There were fireflies all over the night sky and the lake surface. The lights on the surface of the water, and the reflection beneath complemented each other perfectly, what was real mixed with what was not. It seemed that lights covered the sky and the depths of the water, as mesmerising as a dream.
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The glowing lights surrounding him were like bloodsucking insects, rushing into his chest and slowly vanishing inside, as if they had burrowed into his body. In the midst of it all, another of Xiang Liu's heads started fading away. By the time all the lights disappeared, that head too was gone.

Even though it seems that I am the only one who belives that XL never had the intention to ultimately escape from his army's fate, I am still standing my ground. I think you guys are focusing too much on XL's feelings for XY and too little on what the army and its soldiers meant to him. Forget about teasing XL for having 9 heads, XY herself didn't dare to say anything bad about the army, since she knew that's the only topic that could really piss him off to the point of no control. I read all your posts regarding this subject, but I still belive XL chose to tied his fate with the army long before meeting XY and falling in love with her was just his light in the darkness. 

I found this quote on Facebook, I don't belive it's a quote from the novel, at least I am not sure, but I belive it sums up quite well the situation. 

"The boat has passed, forever she sees his past selves and wistfully wishes she had met him earlier. But, his ship has sailed, he will die for General Gong Gong.”

Yes, IMO XL's ship had already sailed to the point of no return long before XY came into the picture. 

I re-watched the last part from episode 11, at a first glance I believe XL's intention of killing CX right after the discussion he had with the veteran about the bugs was because killing CX while the bug was not successfully planted would have gotten rid of the bug without harming or having XY die alongside with him. I don't remember if there is an explaination of why XL haven't tried to kill him again when he found out he failed to do so, I will have to re-watch the next episodes to form a full opinion, but atm that's my take on this part. 

 H19279:

after that talk, WXL returned to the town and  was called to check CX. She found the way to stop the bleeding and advised him to wash out the poison in the wound with water from Tang Gorge. Then CX left for Haoling. XL did not have any chance for another attempt in QS town. CX had many high spiritual power guard. thus it was not easy to approach and kill CX

Oh I see, thank you, H19279. I don't know what to say, if that is the case, than I am even more convinced that XL had no other option but to agree to the bug in order to save her from calling back the bug, XL even tells her that if she doesn't want to die, than she shouldn't do that. Also, în the same scene, after he got the message from FFY telling him that the mission on CX is complete, he tells XY that she shouldn't worry about the bug anymore because CX will die before having the chance to leave QS Town, so to my understanding what he did there was trying to kill 2 birds with a stone, having CX killed and getting rid of the bug. 

 liddi:

Oh that option is available from that same seller for $59.98 - it is the last one that says "Body Clothes Bone" (they couldn't add "wig" to the description due to text limitations - lol!) So your Xiang Liu will definitely be able to look groomed and sit regally, which is better than my girl's!

Thanks for the info, liddi. I've put in my order for a Xiang Liu with great hair and the ability to sit :-).