Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 HeadInTheClouds:

Please step away from the bookstore @liddi!

It's too late for meeeeeee.... Flee now for your own good!

 AH :

The man sighed. “If you didn’t poison me, here I was thinking I was about to get lucky.” [Note: Google translates "男子叹气，“如果你没给我下毒，我倒真觉得自己艳福不浅。"" as "The man sighed, "If you hadn't poisoned me, I would really feel that I was very lucky."" which isn't quite as forward as Koala's translation.]

艳福不浅 actually means having great deal of good fortune in love affairs.

As such, the text would probably translate as:

The man sighed, "If you had not poisoned me, I would have really thought that I was enjoying good luck with the ladies."

-- Vol 1 Ch15

which is still suggestive, but not overly so.

What happens when you can't sleep? You go on MDL and write long replies :-)

 blabla100:

I mean, giving a similar situation, I honestly don't see myself revealing my feelings to a loved one when I know the clock is ticking. I think I'd pretty much prefer for that person to think less of me or even hate me, than having her live for thousands of years more trapped in my shadow. Doesn't matter if that person is mature enough or not, there are some people and some losses în this life that time never fully heals or replace.

This is the thing about life, no one can escape loss and eventual separation by death. Death is the great equalizer and constant in life. You learn to deal with it and continue. Perhaps some people are like XY - choosing to never have, never loved deeply rather than losing it. But I just think that's a life half-lived. XY became that way because of her trauma and she never got out of that mindset. Jing is a safe choice precisely because she does not love him deeply to the point that she's fearful of losing him. 

 ZYHLJ:

But what if XY let him know that she'd rather have it once than never? I think a woman who is mature and strong enough would think that. Eventually she would look back on him with pain and more happiness and realize that she doesn't regret it. But if she misses him, I don't think she'll ever find another person in her life that she loves so much.

If she was willing to brave it with him and willing to bear the consequences then I believe that they would have been together. If XY had managed to overcome her trauma, the story would have played out differently. But that wasn't the story that the author chose to tell. As it was, she was too fearful of losing so she avoided it - her trauma was the one calling the shot. A lot of people would have rather loved and lost, than not loved at all, but XY was the opposite. I think we previously talked about how XY's trauma had "destroyed" her a long time ago; rendering her unable to dream, to risk and to strive. And this is one of the results. Not daring to love, to strive or fight for that love. Choosing instead to take the "easier and safer" option.

Sometimes I wonder if XY (and CX) were supposed to be the main characters or XL. It seems as if the author wants to create XL in the most beautiful way possible including his eventual death on the battlefield and his selflessness, so XY has to be a certain way to facilitate this portrayal. 

 blabla100:

The thing is I am not sure if XY actually got to realise how important she was to XL or not. There are things în the novel that points to the fact that she did know and on the other hand there are some reactions from her part that really makes me believe she was genuinely clueless.

And this is one of the issues with XY, isn't it? She is not willing to be the one to take that first step; to risk first. The question here is how much does XY need to take a chance. And the answer is lots and lots and lots. Essentially, what XY needs is for XL to be like Jing and confess his feelings and probably promise undying love and devotion so on and so forth. I personally think there were plenty of clues that XL has feelings that another person without her limitations would have taken the plunge. But, once again her trauma won out. It's her trauma because little XY was quite a bold and feisty thing. Adult XY has been deeply impacted by her experiences. 

 ZYHLJ:

Yes, I also can feel her despair sometimes, especially when Xiang Liu snatched her from the wedding and then gave her to Jing. If it were me, I'd just walk away, go back to being my wandering doctor, and let those two assholes marry each other!

The idea of Xl and Jing married to each other is hilarious. 

I want to object to the idea that XL "gave" XY to Jing. Like you said, you would have walked away, and gone back to your life as a wandering doctor. There was nothing to stop XY from doing the same thing. Nothing except for the fact that she didn't want to do that. XY chose Jing; XL merely facilitated. No one held a gun to XY's head and made her go to Qing Qi and cry to Jing about how she was wrong blah blah blah - essentially angling for a reconciliation. Let's not forget that Jing was still married to boot at this time as well. Just how desperate was this woman?

 blabla100:

XL wasn't able to forget his comrades and their past togheter and move on to have an happy ending either

 blabla100:

because he knew as well how it is to be unable to let some things go and move on to have your happy ending because you've already tied yourself to something else.

XL's choice to fight and die with his comrades on the battlefield is very different from not being able to move on and offing himself because of their deaths. He has lost comrades and he has continued on remembering them and honouring them. This also sounds like the Shen Nong's Army and his adopted father are burdens that he felt he had to bear. That he couldn't have his happy ending because he felt obliged to stick by them. I don't see that as the case at all. So while I'm sure being able to spend his life with XY would have been a happy ending; XL also sees being able to die on the battlefield with his comrades as a happy ending as well.

 liddi:

I think there is probably some misunderstanding here. I never implied nor intended to imply that Xiang Liu's death meant fading into oblivion, or that he would not be loved, mourned and always hold a special place in the lives of those who knew him. I wholly agree with every point you outlined, and exactly because I agree, it just hurts all that more.

What I really meant to say (poorly it seems) was that there was nothing left of him. Yes, there is the black blood that destroyed every living thing on that island, but there is nothing left that would give those who missed him something tangible to hold on to. There is no body that could be given an honourable burial, no memories to revisit - he erased every trace of himself - including his own home. Will he be forgotten because of it? No. On the contrary, despite his singular attempts to do so, he will never be forgotten. But he gave everything for everyone else, yet showed no mercy to himself, spared nothing for himself, choosing to leave nothing behind. And that is what is so heartbreaking for me.

Ah, that makes sense. Yes, it was painful every time XL erased or hid part of his physical legacy. Erasing the memories of him from the gorilla spirit mirror, disintegrating his clam shell, hiding the altered ice crystal ball inside a wooden doll (and even the doll was given in the name of another) so that it would never be seen, and even his body disintegrating into poisonous black blood. All of that was definitely painful.

I think that might have played a role in how much I focused on the things he did leave behind in my fic. His body disintegrated into black blood, but the black blood remained for thousands of years and created something like a grave that could be visited. The altered ice crystal ball was hidden, but ultimately discovered. The origin of XY's bow was hidden, but ultimately realized. And in the thousands of years where it seemed like he had left nothing else behind, the sea map jewel that he gifted to XY became a token. Even XL's disintegrated clam shell sort of made a brief re-appearance as an extension of the manifestation of XL's spirit.

 liddi:

This is definitely the 2013 version, since Cang Xuan is still referred to as Zhuan Xu. I am interested to see if the typos I see here are also in the physical book itself.  Seeing the 苍岩 Cang Yan (as opposed to 德岩 De Yan, renamed from 苍林 Cang Lin) debacle in my 2023 physical copy, I won't be surprised either way.

Thanks for confirming! 

 liddi:

Should I be concerned that I find myself buying two versions of the same novel, and am even eyeing a third? Hmmm...

Lol, I feel like when there are multiple conflicting versions of a story it can really feed the obsession. And with LYF there are multiple versions of the original Mandarin text, official translations to Vietnamese and Thai, an unofficial fan translation to English, other partial fan and AI translations... and that's only LYF the novel without getting into the LYF manhua, the LYF drama, or any of the versions of Once Promised. It makes me think of MDZS, with its original mandarin novel, the unofficial fan translation, the official English translation, the manhua, the anime, the audio play, and the drama. There's just so much content to consume, compare, and analyze. 

 solarlunareclipse:

"XL did not intend to pursue XY after he found out her true identity" theory. I agree this is the more logical theory, especially since it matches the description on XL's casting sheet for the drama. I can only assume Tong Hua approved of the casting sheet's description. 

So, according to official sources XL considered a future with WXL. 

So before WXL became XY, it gave him plenty of opportunities and a decent laps of time (it may be possible to evaluate the precise period of time) to put his plan into action.

Therefore, what prevented XL from coming forward earlier and confess his love to WXL ? 

Thinking about the opportunities/missed chances:

• just before the implantation of the poisonous bug*
• right after the implantation of the poisonous bug during the underwater stroll/date
• after the underwater stroll, on Mao Qiu, before WXL fell asleep
• the entire time between the implantation of the bug and CX trying to take WXL back to Haoling
• *to begin with, XL could have been truthful and not withholding information he knew about the bug. At least, he could have said the truth right after the implantation of the Lover's Bug in case he wanted to first confirm WXL's feelings for him. There was no longer no point in hiding his feelings, since he could see that there was reciprocity from WXL's part

I know that the primary objection is that WXL would perhaps have rejected XL's love because of who she is. WXL would be frightened to reveal her real identity and risk being estranged from XL of having herself killed/used by him to get back at Xuan Yuan. But WXL didn't necessarily need to regain her true form and reveal her real identity to be with XL. Thanks to the Face Forming Flower, she had the ability to change into a girl. At this point of the story, WXL had shown to XL that she intended to stay in QST when she turned down CX's offer to make a name for herself in Gao Xing. So, WXL didn't need to consider XL and her as mortal enemies and she wouldn't have to reject XL's love. Especially since she herself needed a companion, even a temporary companion (at this point of the story, we're nowhere near the end of the Resistance Army and the Kingdom of Sheng Nong - whose downfall would only be precipitated by the return of XY).

Had XL came forward and confessed his love to WXL on one of those missed opportunities:

• WXL would have gone full force beating herself up (as in the drama) to ask for XL's help* to not return to Gao Xing with CX.
• or she would have tried to go hide in the Sheng Nong army base by her own means. Given her resourceful personality and to not be separated from the one she loves, other options would have popped up in her head.
• WXL wouldn't have felt the need to ask for TSJ's help or at least she would have just used the Tu Shan clan secret passage way by herself
• if she still had run away with TSJ, she wouldn't care about his disposition towards her because her heart would already be filled with XL's love
• if she would still have ended in Dragon Bone Prison with TSJ, WXL wouldn't have let herself and TSJ share the degree of intimacy we know and there wouldn't even have been the 15 year promise
• maybe, WXL would have follow XL into the sea at the cost of risking their lives (I'm sure she would have think it through and understood that TSJ wasn't really in danger because of his untouchable statut)
• *even if WXL wouldn't want to risk XL's life because Gaoxing and Xuan Yuan had joined forces to block all the roads, she wouldn't had felt the need to test TSJ and to know his choice

What was holding XL back from confessing? 

It can't be a trust issue because that didn't stop him to let WXL implant the lover's bug in him. 

I know that there's also two theories about what XL knew about WXL:

• either XL didn't know that WXL was the long lost Gao Xing Eldest Princess, so we're back at "it was totally possible to see a future together"
• or either he already knew that WXL was the long lost Gao Xing Eldest Princess (given the astounding number of clues that hinted at that). Consequently, either XL intended to have a love relationship with her given that she herself intended to absolutlely not go back to Gao Xing. Or either he intended to make her confess her real identity and work together on it before he would take the risk to confess first

Furthermore, for a large part of the novel, XY desperately tries to get XL to confess to her because it's the decisive factor she needs to fly into his arms. However, XY is often criticised for not wanting to be first to confess. But, why can't we take XL accountable for not confessing his love first? Especially as he knew thanks to the nature of the Lover's bug that WXL/XY was already in love with him. Maybe XL is exactly like XY: waiting for the other to come out first? Or not declaring his love first because he was afraid of being rejected?

 solarlunareclipse:

Also, thanks for sharing the theories on what could have been if XL had confessed before WXL's identity was exposed. XL's casting sheet says:

他渐渐对她产生情愫，渴望与她有一个未来，直到得和她真正的身份时才如梦初醒。

He gradually developed feelings for her, longing for a future with her, only to wake up from the dream when he discovered her true identity.

This implies that despite the clues, XL did not know WXL's true identity until it was exposed.

Ah, yes, true!

I know this isn't the first time we've debated this issue here but the more I look into it, the more I'm having a hard time conceiving that XL didn't guess himself swiftly WXL's real identity.

 Kokuto:

 blimarch:
But WXL didn't necessarily need to regain her true form and reveal her real identity to be with XL. Thanks to the Face Forming Flower, she had the ability to change into a girl. At this point of the story, WXL had shown to XL that she intended to stay in QST when she turned down CX's offer to make a name for herself in Gao Xing. So, WXL didn't need to consider XL and her as mortal enemies and she wouldn't have to reject XL's love.
I don't think WXL had control of the Face Forming Flower at this point.

Of course she considered XL as an enemy.  He was trying to kill CX and intended to keep trying.

After Ah Heng and Shao Hao implanted the Face Forming Flower in XY when she was a baby, her true form was concealed by the Face Forming Flower. So, although she did not know it at the time, the features that XY grew up with (particularly her eyes) were not her real features. 

After XY ran away from Jade Mountain, she realized that she could change her face and gender, but did not know how she was able to do so. Shortly after learning that she had that ability, she lost control of it and had to isolate herself in the mountains for 20 years until she was captured by the nine tailed fox. He taught her to regain control of her transformations. After she escaped and killed the nine tailed fox, XY transformed her gender and became WXL.

However, since XY/WXL didn't know what her true face / form (or even the false face / form she grew up with, which she did not know was false at that point) looked like by that point, she could not use the Face Forming Flower to transform back to that specific face / form. For that reason, her true form could only be revealed when the Royal Mother turned off the transformation effect of the Face Forming Flower in chapter 12, which prevented XY from using the Face Forming Flower to transform until her father removed it in chapter 37. 

So, if she had wanted to, XY did have the power to transform herself into a female form at any point during the time when she lived in QS town. She just wasn't able to transform into the specific female form that was her own true form, because she didn't know what her own true form looked like. 

However, if WXL transformed into a female form, she would have to admit that her WXL form was not her true form. If she did that, she would have to explain how she could transform so seamlessly with her low powers, and she might end up being questioned (again) about her true identity. And she was hell-bent on not revealing her true identity. 

-----

Chapter 9:

“Dad and Grandfather made a proclamation to the world looking for me. Many people started looking for me. Some wanted to bring me in for the reward, others wanted to kill me. I saw a little girl my age get killed. Some demons wanted to eat me because rumor was that I was bathed in the holy Yang Valley water when I was born, and lived in Jade Mountain for 70 years. The Royal Mother was very harsh with my training but generous with her bounty and I ate whatever treasures were there willy nilly. So rumor was that eating me would increase their power multiple folds. I was afraid and started running and hiding. One time I hid with beggars but the people chasing me had us cornered. I was so scared and dreamed that if I could change my looks, if I was covered with the pox, my eyes crooked, my nose flat, my forehead without the birthmark, then they wouldn’t recognize me. They checked all the kids and when they got to me, I thought I was a goner but they looked at my face and let me go. I didn’t know why until I got to the river and discovered that I changed my face. I transformed into exactly the face I was thinking of. And after trying it time and again, I learned that I not only could change my face, I could change my gender as well. After learning I had this ability, I was rarely in danger.”

Zhuan Xu had so many questions but he didn’t ask and only listened.

Xiao Liu looked at the sky and calmly continued.

“In the beginning I was so excited and changed my face every few days. After a year the people chasing me gradually decreased and I felt safe. I changed my face all the time and traveled the vast wilderness. One day I looked in the mirror and discovered that I forgot what my real face looked like. I desperately tried to remember and reassemble it but nothing looked it. Initially I tried not to be nervous, I knew magic transformation could never destroy the true face. I tried to learn the magic to transform back and discovered that there was no transformation ability quite like mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find my real face anymore.”

Xiao Liu closed her eyes. “Those days were like an nightmare, my face changing all the time. I walked on the street and a girl walked towards me and if her eyes were pretty and I thought about it, my eyes would become hers. I was so nervous every day, and at night I would worry about it and my face would change even in my dreams so I woke up with a new face. I was constantly changing and every face was a false one. I was too scared to look in the mirror or see anyone. One day I was eating at a restaurant when I heard a girl call grandmother and remembered my grandmother and my face changed and everyone saw it and screamed. I rushed out of the restaurant and ran and ran until I ran into the mountains. I hid there seeing no one. I had no mirror and when I washed my face in the river I closed my eyes. If I didn’t look at myself, it didn’t matter what my face turned into because I was still me.”

Shi Qi and Zhuan Xu were both very distressed. They knew Xiao Yao had experienced very bad things, but they never would have imagined that she would lose her face. Everyone envied the Gods for having spiritual powers and could change their forms, but to lose oneself is the biggest nightmare of all.

“I lived like a beast and thanks to the Royal Mother’s harsh training I had pretty decent powers and the normal beasts were no match for me. It was free in the mountains but there was no one to talk to and I was very lonely. But I didn’t dare leave so I started talking to myself. Later I talked to a snake demon in training but it didn’t want to talk to me. I stole its egg so it would chase me every day to kill me. I would run and talk to it. It understood what I was saying but hadn’t developed the ability to talk yet so I would talk for it and converse with myself. My talkative habit was formed there. Day after day, year after year, I didn’t know how much time passed, and it was only later I learned 20 years had passed.”

Zhuan Xu held her hand tightly, as if wanting to give that frightened lonely girl some companionship. He asked with a raspy voice, “How did you maintain your face?”

“One day I met a man and he candidly admitted he was a demon and was gravely injured and was seeking medicines. He talked to me so I talked to you. Initially I was very wary so I sat far from him and ran away after a few words. After a long time and I kept testing him, he never expressed any ulterior motive towards me. So I talked more to him and he wasn’t afraid of my changing face. He changed his face and I changed my face and we had a competition and had a great laugh about it. In front of him I didn’t feel like a monster, I didn’t feel scared so I gradually trusted him. One night he caught me and wanted to take me away. The snake demon got mad and wanted to stop him but he killed it. He took me to a far-off Southern place where the mountains were tall and perilous. He hid me in a remote cave where he built a nest and a cage to raise me in. He said he was the Nine-tailed fox, a hundred years ago my mother’s………friend cut one of his tails off. He was greatly injured and his powers were severely diminished. Because of my special body, he wanted to raise me for tens of years to become the best medicine.”

Zhuan Xu’s face changed and he pulled out his satchel with the furry white fox tail. “Is this his?”

Xiao Liu nodded her head and Zhuan Xu wanted to destroy the white fox tail but Xiao Liu snatched it away and wrapped it around her wrist and continued talking.

“That bastard fox demon hated my mom, and not just because my mom’s………friend injured him. It was also because my mom killed my ninth uncle and he was best friends with my ninth uncle. Whenever he thought of my ninth uncle, he would curse my mom with the most vicious loathsome insults. But mom was dead so he could only torture me. I was raised by him for 30 years, tortured by him for 30 years. One night he said that in two more full moon nights then he could eat me. He sang a sad song and got drunk and didn’t shut the cage completely. I had been devising how to run away for 30 years so I opened the cage and came out and secretly poisoned his drink then snuck back in the cage. He didn’t sense anything odd and the second day I tried to get him drunk by purposely mentioning my ninth uncle. He beat me up and started drinking again and ingested the poison that I developed from all the weird things he had been feeding me. He collapsed on the floor and returned to his true fox form. I climbed out the cage and he opened his eyes and looked at me. I picked up a knife and cut off each of his tails. After I cut off a tail, I would show it to him. His entire fox mouth was covered in blood but in his eyes was the sense of release. He closed his eyes and I lit a fire and burned the entire cave down.”

Xiao Liu picked up the fox tail. “He locked me in a cage for 30 years, cursing and torturing me, stripping all my powers developed on Jade Mountain and turned me into a useless person. But he taught me many things. In the mountain it was just the two of us. When he wasn’t having a crazy fit, he explained the various transformation powers to me and gave me a priceless treasure. It was the mirror made from the soul of a mystic gorilla beast that could record the past. He told me to use the mirror to record my face so that if it changed the next day I could use the mirror to change back. Gradually I learned to hold my face and when he took me out occasionally he would teach me how to differentiate between the plants and told me all the various demons and beasts he had killed. He told me all the weaknesses of the various types. In the end when I killed him, when I cut off each of his remaining 8 tails, then he and I ended our vengeance at that time. I’ve long stopped hating him so just keep this tail!”

Xiao Liu handed the tail to Zhuan Xu. “The Nine-tailed fox is as rare a beast as the phoenix. I can transform myself so this tail has no use for me. You keep it, in the future you can use it to help you transform and break through mystic enchantments.”

Zhuan Xu tossed it on the ground in disgust. “I don’t want it.”

Xiao Liu knew Zhuan Xu was furious right now so pointed to Shi Qi to pick it up. She said to him, “That night in the inn when you asked me to show you my true form, I declined not because I was planning to abandon you and disappear forever. It’s because I couldn’t show you my true form. That fox dummy mocked me correctly. If I don’t know what I really look like, how can she transform into me?”

Zhuan Xu was so angry that the anger even rubbed off on Shi Qi who carried the Nine-tailed fox lineage. “They say the Nine-tailed fox is adept at transformation. What problem does Xiao Yao have that she can’t return to her true form?”

Shi Qi thought and realized that Xiao Yao’s childhood face was probably already a false one. If she had a false face from the moment she was born, that meant the Grand Emperor and the Xuan Yuan Princess must have used an incredibly powerful magic or the assistance of a magical object to transform the face of an newborn infant who had no powers yet. And do so in a way not to be seen through by others. But why? This inexplicable action must be hiding a huge secret, but one done so they could protect Xiao Yao. Shi Qi slowly said, “I don’t know either. You should go ask the Grand Emperor, perhaps he will know why.”

Zhuan Xu was very perplexed and turned to Xiao Liu. “I can’t see your true form, so I feel like you’re hiding in a shell. I’m scared that if I open the shell, you’ll run away again.”

Xiao Liu teased him, “What do you want me to look like? I’ll transform into her for you. You can have whatever little sister you want.”

...

Shi Qi said to Xiao Liu, “Don’t worry, you’ll find your true form.”

Xiao Liu laughed. They all wanted to see what she looked like but the person who most wanted to know what she looked like in this world was herself.

-----

Chapter 8:

Xiao Liu asked Jing what his plan was.

“Let them pretend to be two servants and leave with a batch of goods. We’ll transform our looks and pretend to be messengers and leave town the other way with a group of departing messengers.”

Jing Ye immediately cautioned, “That’s too dangerous. If Prince Zhuan Xu finds you guys missing, he will station men everywhere searching for people using godly powers. My lord’s powers are all recovered and can mask it, but Master Liu can’t.”

Jing ordered, “You take them to change.” Jing Ye knew he made up his mind and went with the two dolls.

Jing walked up to Xiao Liu. “If you change your looks, can it avoid all detection?” Xiao Liu hesitated and then nodded. Jing smiled. “Then we’ll go with the plan.”

Xiao Liu’s heart was thumping wildly. “You….you always knew I could transform my face?”

The power of transformation wasn’t a very hard power to learn, but only those with great power using it can truly transform and avoid detection. With Xiao Liu’s power, no one would believe him using the skill could avoid detection using a magical object seeker.

Jing said, “The Tu Shan clan aren’t simply from the God tribe. One of our ancestors was the far-reaching original nine-tailed fox. So the bloodline of the Tu Shan family can all transform. I have the spiritual eye and can usually see through all transformation and masking spells and powers. That was how I was able to see Ah Nian’s true face and knew to avoid her. But everything about you seems real even to me, except my instinct tells me your face is fake. So…..that is why I can’t leave you. If I leave and you disappeared, it would be without a trace.”

Xiao Liu was stunned. Jing knew all along that he was fake.

...

Xiao Liu could see in the maze thanks to the fox satchel Shi Qi gave him. He transformed into one of Zhuan Xu’s servants and silently slipped out of the inn.

Xiao Liu ran due Northeast and he raised the fox satchel high and a large crane descended. Xiao Liu climbed on the back of the crane and it took off continuing Northeast. Xiao Liu looked back and didn’t feel at ease.

Zhuan Xu’s angry thunderous voice reached him “Wen Xiao Liu, the person with you right now is Ye Shi Qi. I don’t have a problem with killing one Ye Shi Qi.”

Xiao Liu sighed – he really was able to be cold and heartless at the blink of an eye, thorough and unyielding. No wonder the Yellow Emperor liked Zhuan Xu.

Xiao Liu transformed back into being Wen Xiao Liu and turned back. After some time, he saw Zhuan Xu flying towards him and behind him Shi Qi was trussed up in a cage.

----

Chapter 10:

Xiao Liu stopped crying and asked him to measure her height again. He marked a slash above her head and said, “You grew and grew, but you didn’t grow so tall that your dad can’t mark your height.”

Xiao Liu stuck out her tongue and then stared at the line with her face crestfallen. “I don’t even know if this is my true height. I feel like everything is false.” When she told Zhuan Xu what happened, she tried to act nonchalant as if she was used to having no face. But now her true fear emerged.

The Grand Emperor touched her forehead and gradually a small peach blossom birthmark appeared in the middle. He said, “Your face changing is not some weird disease. It’s because you have a magical spiritual object in your body called the Face Forming Flower. It can allow a person to imprint any face.”

Xiao Liu asked quizzically, “A spiritual object? I don’t have a disease? The object causes my face to change at will? But why does my body have this spiritual object? Her face suddenly lit up. “Does that mean if the object is removed, then my true face will emerge? I can become my real self then?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Liu was so happy. “Dad, take it out for me! I hate transforming and would rather that I was a freakishly ugly girl than be a fake beauty.”

The Grand Emperor’s hand caressed the peach blossom birthmark and it glowed a red aura. Back then it required the spiritual power of two Gods, himself and Xiao Yao’s mother, to seal it in Xiao Yao’s body. It would need the spiritual power of two Gods now to remove it. “Right now I can’t remove it but dad promises that I will help you find your true face.”

Xiao Liu wanted desperately to regain her true face immediately but knew her dad had a reason for not doing it right now. The Grand Emperor looked at the birthmark on Xiao Liu’s forehead and in his eyes was such hidden sorrow. He waved his hand and the birthmark disappeared.

-----

Chapter 12:

Ah Bi said to Xiao Liu, “The Grand Emperor told the Royal Mother about your situation. You have a magical spiritual object called the Face Forming Flower in your body. That is an object that was created through tens of thousands of years of power accumulated in the peach blossom forest of Jade Mountain. It allows a person to forever be beautiful, but it can also be used for transformation.”

Xiao Liu quickly asked, “Can the Royal Mother remove the Face Forming Flower for me?”

Ah Bi shook his head. “She cannot remove it but she can help you find your true face.”

...

The Royal Mother merely nodded her head but her expression never changed, as if nothing in the world or time could ever affect her. A peach blossom branch grew from the tip of her finger and she used it to touch Xiao Liu’s forehead. A bright red peach blossom birthmark appeared in the middle of her forehead.

Xiao Liu asked, “The Face Forming Flower is a magical object from Jade Mountain, why can’t you take it out?”

The Royal Mother said coldly, “There is much in this world I cannot do.”

Xiao Liu asked, “Who put this magical object in my body? Wasn’t it you?”

The Royal Mother replied, “Who put it in you doesn’t matter. You need only care that I can help you now. Your body may be unique but your powers are weak now so in the future you will need this to keep your face from aging faster than the other goddesses. The Face Forming Flower remaining in your body won’t have any harm.”

Xiao Liu asked, “When can I regain my true form?”

The Royal Mother said, “Take off your clothes and jump into the pool.”

...

Xiao Yao bowed to the Royal Mother. “Thank you Royal Mother for returning my true form.”

The Royal Mother said coolly, “The Face Forming Flower in your body now only can help you maintain your beauty, it no longer can allow you to transform.”

Xiao Yao laughed. “I’ve changed my face enough for a lifetime, I don’t want to change anymore.”

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Chapter 37:

After he drank the medicine, he coolly said to Xiao Yao, “I’ll help you extract the Face Forming Flower and then you two depart the ship.”

...

The Grand Emperor stared at the red peach blossom mark on Xiao Yao’s forehead and his heart was so conflicted. When Ah Heng tearfully sealed the Face Forming Flower before his eyes, he already knew it meant he was going to be separated from her forever. He waved his hand over Xiao Yao’s forehead and a flash of red streaked across before the peach blossom mark vanished leaving only a beautiful peach blossom branch in Xiao Yao’s hand.

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Chapter 46:

In the middle of the night, Xiang Liu did indeed bring soldiers on another sneak attack. Zhuan Xu rushed out of the room and in the hubbub no one noticed Xiao Yao. She used the Face Forming Flower to change her looks to Xian and, with Left Ear’s help, snuck out of the residence.

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Chapter 51:

Xiao Yao had the Face Forming Flower and Jing was the descendant of the Nine Tailed Fox. Once they departed, they could disappear forever.