Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 HLCYXNFILMS:

Joining this thread to read beautiful analyses and the first thing I saw they removed most of XL's scenes due to censorship? One of the biggest crimes against this story - ?

Welcome! Have loved your breathtaking videos since I was first introduced to them via your posts on the main comments section here! One of my favourites is the cinematography video, which reminds me  anew just how beautifully shot the drama is, something I sometimes overlook because I am so engrossed in the characters. 

Yes, we did lose quite a lot of Xiang Liu scenes (or had it watered down) even in S1 (the 37 years under the ocean with all its kisses, neck biting, cuddles; their underwater stroll after they receive the lovers bug where he would pass air to her repeatedly as they enjoyed the sights together etc). If the leaked script is to be believed, we would lose far more in S2, or have his scenes / efforts given to Jing or Cang Xuan. Really hope that S2 will pleasantly surprise us when it does air, and our concerns unfounded. There are little Xiang Liu scenes as it is, even in the novel.

 Kokuto:

What nathsketch said!  Great channel and welcome!

Thank you so much!!

 blimarch:

I'm not a costume specialist, as you can see, but I really enjoy analyzing the costumes in a drama. And for me, the costume department of LYF achieved an astonishing result with XL and FFB's costumes. Each of these costumes tells a story and reflects XL and FFB's personalities and reveals their true feelings.

Thank you so much for your in-depth analysis of Xiang Liu vs Fangfeng Bei, and how their costumes correlate to the apparently different yet essentially the same personalities. You have delved into far more detail than I could have. For the most part, Fangfeng Bei is usually only described as richly dressed, except for the occasional white when he takes Xiao Yao away during Cang Xuan's wedding (Vol2 Ch9 - Chapter 26), when he takes her away on her own wedding to Feng Long (Vol 2 Ch15 - Chapter 33) -  is this a deliberate pattern here, to reflect that during those times, he came ostentatiously as Fangfeng Bei but actually represented Xiang Liu? 

In any case, as I mentioned to @H19279, I find the various shades of red used for Fangfeng Bei's outfits reflective of how he was temporarily a part of the mortal world during those times, contrasted with the otherworldly white of Xiang Liu who chose to be detached from the attractions of that life because of his loyalties and responsibilities to the Shen Nong army.

 H19279:

That picture features XL and XY (not WXL). Maybe it reflects her yearning for him

Oh, I see, thanks. Still, if he's the only guy who got a picture with her on the first edition of the book, to me personally it does speak volumes. 

 H19279:

It is correct that the only time they walked on the sea, observing full moon was in Vol 1 chapter 4. She was in the form of a mid-aged man, WXL (I think WXK has fixed hair). In the poster, it is XL (not FFB) and a girl with loose hair. During 37 year, XL took her to the sea surface but she was in coma, no movement and he held her in his arm (I think), they could only lay on waves. After 37 year, he took her to the sea once but they mainly swam under the water. Later they got on an islands, grilled fish. So the poster is a fantacy scene. I don't know if it refects her yearning of returning to their starting point after he died or before he died. I incline to the previous option (after he died). It's her eternal yearning. And that poster was the only one poster of the 3 volumes

It's interesting that the art in the first edition and the art in the second edition with XL feature scenes that never occurred -- unless the attack of the sea gull demon involved them walking on water?

The second edition featured XL, not FFB, shooting a bow with XY with two horses nearby.

 Kokuto:

unless the attack of the sea gull demon involved them walking on water?

No, he was badly injured at that time. She wore wedding outfit

 liddi:

If the poster was part of Vol 2, it would be before his death, possibly a reflection of her yearning which she depicted in the crystal globe with the mermaid, hand on heart, holding out the other hand to the distant merman. A longing for the time when they admired the moon together hand in hand, when life was a whole lot simpler, their identities in no conflict with their loyalties. 

|Weibo| The only poster of the story of Xiangtu School – Xiangtu School – Xiangxiao Lieu (wordpress.com) 

it mentioned a small detail that in the poster it's XL holding her hand, in vol1 chapter 4, it was WXL holding XL's hand.

So based on this article, it is said that this is her dream/desire that having a free life together with him, discovering islands that they mentioned in Vol 2 Chapter 9

 blabla100:

No, I honestly don't belive he would have been able to move on from the past. I am convinced that's not the case. He took the bug in in order to protect her, not because he thought of a future of her. That's my take on it.

It reminds me of this quote which also seems to be in line with a protective role:

Xiao Yao pouted “I didn’t force you to take the voodoo bug into your body years ago.”

“Years ago, I knew you were useless and would often get injured. But I didn’t know you were this foolish and couldn’t even protect your own heart.”

Xiao Yao opened her mouth like she wanted to argue back but said nothing. She dejectedly lowered her head like a wilted sunflower.

So, basically, people are fighting over whether XL planned to be a temporary (STP) or a lifelong partner (LFP) for XY. And from this flows all the "ifs" ?

Let's sum up the teams and their theories based on XL's sybillian intentions:

• Team "XL is kind of suicidal" (STP): XL couldn't bear to outlive GG and his buddies and already had decided to use up all his remaining lives for Sheng Nong's cause
• Team "XL had a back-up plan" (LFP): XL intended to use his last life to stay with XY for evermore
• Team "XL the protector" (STP): XL had always planned to only protect XY, make her 3 wishes come true and be a temporary companion for her
• Team "XL's standpoint" (STP): as a matter of position, XL never intended to end up with the granddaughter and daughter of Sheng Nong's sworn enemies
• Team "XL is so selfless" (STP): XL had planned to fulfill everybody with his 9 lives: XY by protecting her, GG, Sheng Nong and his companions by fighting alongside them, himself by dying with dignity on the battlefield
• Team "XL the absolute lover" (LFP): after having not spare himself in the last centuries for Sheng Nong's cause, XL intended to enjoy a well-deserved retirement with XY provided that she takes the initiative in formulating clearly that she loves him and chooses him

If one day, we reach an agreement over XL's intentions, the next issue would be XY's choices. Honestly, I don't particularly love her character, but I don't like the pressure that is put on her shoulders. Some blame her by making her responsible for the collapse of her and XL's relationship and a fortiori, for the destiny and the death of XL. Presumably, because:

• XY chooses TSJ (whether in love with him or not) over XL causing him to give up on her (and on a life after Sheng Nong)
• XY was too indecisive and ungrateful, going from XL to TSJ despite all XL's proofs of love, causing XL to eventually give up on her
• XY was stupidly unconscious of her own feelings or too immature to admit and confess her real feelings, causing the self-confident and grown up XL to give up on her
• XY understood XL's way of communicating ultimatums to her by giving her many chances to go back to him but repeatedly failed to seize even one of them
• XY had overly demanding criterias for a spouse, making XL unable to fulfil them and thus he gave up on her

I'd already like to point out that neither XL nor XY are communicating properly in this whole story, and if there's one thing they need, it's to settle their misunderstandings with a couple therapist and a "Learn to communicate" module. Secondly, XL withholds information (the true nature of the Lover's Bug, FFYY and TSH relationship, the true natures of TSJ and CX, etc.). He and XY are not at the same level of information and yet XL makes unilateral decisions (he considers that he and her are in a love relationship after the planting of the bug, he vowes to fulfill XY's 3 wishes eventhough she didn't ask for it, etc.). Thirdly, I wonder: "Why would XY be a better candidate than XL for sacrificing loyalty (to CX/her family) and ideals?". I thought it was clear that neither of them wanted to give anything away?

But, I don't think anything I've talked above has any relevancy facing the irrefutable tool that can answer (nearly) all of our questions: the author's intentions. And these intentions expresses themselves via the writing techniques. These last few pages we've been talking a lot about them: the "grass snake gray line" technique, the "foreshadowing", the "Spring and Autumn Brushwork" and Tong Hua's introductions to the novel (the "more than meet the eyes" one and the one that was published on Weibo in 2013 before the publication of the first edition of the novel). These tools enable us to unlock the hidden meaning behind the surface. They open the parallel story from which a reductionist reading would prevent us from enjoying. And some of the keys behind the hidden meaning has clearly been revealed:  

• XL knows that XY loves him and doesn't doubt her love
• XY knows that she loves XL, she is fully aware of being in love with him