Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 liddi:

After destroying the lovers bug, Xiang Liu took his leave of A Nian and the Royal Mother, and destroyed the seashell that was their home before he departed

Oof, the phrasing of "and destroyed the seashell that was their home" HURTS.

 liddi:

XYK: Chi Chen, Yan Zhuan**, Hong Jiang... all of them will only [choose to] die, but not bend; can only be killed, but not be humiliated.

 liddi:

** 炎灷 Yan Zhuan (祝融 Zhu Rong in the original version)

Does anyone know the specifics of how Zhu Rong died? His plot resulted in Chang Yi's death on Jun Mountain, and they died together, burned alive... but did Once Promised provide any more details?

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Chapter 11:

Little Zhu Rong was a direct descendant of the Sheng Nong imperial family, born into royalty and his father was the world-renowned big hero Zhu Rong. 

...

Initially people didn’t dare publicly critique the appointment since Little Zhu Rong was royalty, but behind his back people derided him for surrendering since both his parents died for Sheng Nong in the battle with Xuan Yuan. 

...

Zhu Rong’s death was an imperial courage to his homeland, Little Zhu Rong’s living was a different type of imperial responsibility to his people.

...

Zhuan Xu said in a low voice, “Zhu Rong caused my father’s death, and the death of one’s father is a vengeance greater than the Heavens. When Little Zhu Rong surrendered, I was still in Xuan Yuan and Grandfather asked me to decide his life or death. I wanted to kill him but in the end I decided not to. Seeing the scenes today, I feel comforted that my decision was correct. But I also feel like I’ve failed my parents….Aish!” Zhuan Xu sighed softly.

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Chapter 15:

Her fourth uncle, who was Zhuan Xu’s dad, died at the same time as the Sheng Nong Kingdom’s General Zhu Rong (Little Zhu Rong’s dad). They were both burned alive and nothing was left.

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Chapter 21:

He also asked about Zhuan Xu’s affairs but his attitude towards Zhuan Xu was a bit unusual and Zhuan Xu was also rather strange around him.

Feng Long and Xing Yue both knew their grandfather Sheng Nong Zhu Rong and the Xuan Yuan Fourth Prince died together. Xiao Yao also knew how her Fourth Uncle died. But this was so far ago for Feng Long and Xing Yue that they wouldn’t feel the rage and anger of losing a loved one. Xiao Yao knew that Zhuan Xu already let go of personal vengeance hundreds of years ago. So the three of them pretended not to notice anything was off.

Xiao Yao inwardly sighed. Little Zhu Rong also gave up on personal vengeance for the greater good. He created a peaceful life for the people of the Middle Plains and gave up on personal and national vengeance. Perhaps because Little Zhu Rong and Zhuan Xu made the same decision, there was grudging respect for each other.

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Chapter 38:

“Then what about my dad? When Auntie discovered Zhu Rong’s nefarious plan and went first to beg Master to help her, it was Master who denied Auntie!”

 liddi:

The one who was the most afraid of being alone had lost her lover, her friend (she severed ties with Xiang Liu over Cang Xuan)

<.<

 liddi:

When Lao Sang encouraged him to go over and talk to her, Cang Xuan said that the person she wanted to see was not him.

Just then Tushan Jing called out to Xiao Yao from the peach forest. Unable to believe her eyes, at first she thought it was an illusion. Finally she realised it was real, and she ran to him, crying and laughing. He used his spiritual energy to turn her white hair black, though she told him not to do so as it would turn white again once the energy dissipated, to which he said it won't as long as he prevented the energy from dissipating.

Underneath the peach blossom tree, Cang Xuan watched Xiao Yao, relieved yet in pain, before quietly turning to leave.

Rather underwhelming.

 liddi:

he himself suffered injuries to his heart vessels as well as loss of all spiritual power

 liddi:

He took the live-preserving pills from the osmanthus flower sachet Xiao Yao gave him and ate it. The pills healed his heart vessels and replenished his spiritual power

?? His power was only temporarily lost, and could be restored with XY's pills that easily? Were seven of his tails not cut off?

 liddi:

took out a big-bellied laughing doll, its eyes closed in sleep.

 liddi:

gazing at the sleeping big-bellied doll.

 liddi:

Xiang Liu flicked the head of the sleeping big-bellied doll as punishment.

Laughing and sleeping??

 liddi:

Xiang Liu's eyes were tender, quietly gazing at the sleeping big-bellied doll.

[Flashback]
XL: Is kissing me more frightening than death?
XY (speaking hesitantly): My brother, that is Cang Xuan. One night while we were talking, he laughed at me for being a girl who still dreams after all.
XL (coldly commanded): Continue.
XY (fake laugh): Although... the possibility is remote... I am still afraid that if I was not careful, you might enter my dreams. You... are definitely not suitable to enter a girl's dreams. That is possibly far more terrifying than death indeed.
[End flashback]

Xiang Liu flicked the head of the sleeping big-bellied doll as punishment.

XL (warningly): Since you won't let me enter your dreams, you must be sure to have peace of mind and have sweet dreams every night for your whole life! Or else...

His words trailed, because there was no more "or else" to be had.
Xiang Liu gazed up at the moonlight.

I'm so annoyed by how much the drama keeps insisting on flashing back to this moment and framing it like this. 

It wasn't true that XY never let XL into her dreams, literally (chapter 27) or figuratively (every time she wished that XL could be FFB forever + what was the ice crystal ball if not the expression of a dream that the merman would turn around and take the mermaid's hand?).

What is XY most afraid of? The thought of falling for a man filled her with fear of being abandoned. Of the pain of loving and then losing. 

If she was afraid of XL entering her dreams, wouldn't that be because she was afraid of falling for him? Or, more accurately (whether she was fully conscious of the nature of her feelings or not), afraid of falling more deeply for him? By chapter 13 she hadn't seen him since chapter 8, and yet instead of forgetting him and moving on, she thought about him and missed him constantly throughout that chapter. He was in her heart, he was in her thoughts, and the was the man whose memories were saved in her mirror, which she revisited when she missed him.  

And just to make sure we all understood that XY was no longer afraid of "kissing" XL for air and risking having him enter her dreams later on, the choose-whether-to-drown-or-to-"kiss"-XL-for-air scenario was repeated in chapter 26 and XY was willing to "kiss" him for air that time, rather than drown. It was XL who turned his head away!

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Chapter 8:

Xiao Liu’s legs were in excruciating pain and he leaned on Shi Qi and murmured to himself, “If I knew it was so painful to run, I would have chosen not to run. But if I didn’t run, then I would have never known that you would do anything for me. But what shall I do now? It would have been better had you not helped me. I could have easily severed my longing and hope. Or when we were surrounded back there, it would have been better had you not told me to run away by myself. Xan Tian Er’s life is a struggle, and when a man thinks he is helping her by easing her struggle, he is putting her into a different kind of struggle. She is now struggling with the fear that he would leave her one day and she’s left struggling all alone again. Which of the two struggles is harder? Perhaps most women choose to struggle with a man easing her load, at least there is some happiness, some hope that the man won’t let go one day. But I’m not like that! I would rather be roasted all alone, struggle all alone, because at least my hands are free. Pain makes me hope for escape, a man’s hands make me fear he’ll let go. I would then reach out and hold onto him tightly, collect all the happiness tightly. Right now Xan Tian Er is able to save herself because I helped her. But who will help me? The Gods can help humans, but who will help the Gods? No one! I still feel it’s safer to hide in my shell. I’ve suffered so much in my life already, I don’t want to suffer more, I don’t want to be hurt more…..”

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Chapter 13:

Xiao Yao felt that she must be growing lonely again and forced herself to think of other things. Swimming, swimming…..there must be other things in her life connected with swimming…..Xiao Yao suddenly missed Nine-lives Xiang Liu very much. If he was here, likely she would not have any time to think about the past. But Wen Xiao Liu was gone and even if she ran into Xiang Liu in the future, he would not recognize her anymore.

Xiao Yao floated on the surface and sighed deeply.

...

Xiao Yao started researching poisons again. During the day she went to find the palace doctors to discuss and at night she went to hang out with her dad. Everyday she was busy and it made her feel better. The only regret was that there was no one around for her to test her poisons on.

One night Xiao Yao was in Cao Yao Court admiring the latest poison she concocted, feeling very sad that she couldn’t give it to Xiang Liu.

She took out her most precious mirror and pulled up the memories she saved in it. One was when she drew nine heads on Xiang Liu’s face, and the other was after she moved the voodoo bug from Zhuan Xu to Xiang Liu and walked along the ocean floor with him. She secretly used the mirror to record that moment.

In the dark blue ocean depths, Xiang Liu’s white hair white robe was so elegant and refined as he swam, the white hair billowing behind him, making his already handsome face even more ethereally beautiful.

“Who is he?”

The Grand Emperor’s voice asked and Xiao Yao was so surprised, turning around to discover her dad was sitting behind her and looking into the mirror. He was clearly curious about the man in his daughter’s mirror.

Xiao Yao said, “A friend who is not quite a friend.”

The Grand Emperor laughed. “I thought at this time you would be missing the Tu Shan clan’s little fox.”

Xiao Yao made a face. “Perhaps he’s walking with his fiancee under the moonlight, happy as can be. I’m not an idiot, why think of him?”

...

The Grand Emperor’s hand waved over the mirror and called up the image of Xiang Liu under the sea “Does this friend who is not a friend deserve for you to keep him in your memory forever?”

Xiao Yao took the mirror back. “This is just for fun, maybe I’ll erase it tomorrow.”

The Grand Emperor laughed and appeared to want to say something, but Xiao Yao stretched and said, “So tired!”

He pulled her up. “I’ll take you back to rest.”

Back at Ming Se Court, Xiao Yao wanted some water and was about to drink when she sensed and opened the pitcher to find bugs floating inside. She murmured, “Ah Nian, why are you so weak? If you can be as strong and smart as that Nine-headed demon Xiang Liu, then my days would be way more interesting.”

 liddi:

In the middle of the night, Xiao Yao laid alone in A Heng's sleeping quarters at Cao Yun peak, sound asleep. Suddenly she woke up with a start.

XY (panicked, raving): Xiang Liu--

Her heart racing and restless, unable to sleep, Xiao Yao got up and walked out, to sit at the corridor. She gazed at the moon. missing him. The bright moon she was seeing, should be exactly like the one Xiang Liu was seeing right now!

 liddi:

XY (unconsciously pressing her chest): I suddenly dreamt of Xiang Liu and was terrified, unable to sleep after that.

The irony of putting this scene after the one where XL talks about XY not letting him into her dreams. smh. 

I guess I should be happy about them showing that XY cared and worried about XL... 

 liddi:

Using his finger as a blade, Xiang Liu wrote two lines of fine words on the crystal globe with his spiritual power: the ability to protect yourself, someone to rely on, somewhere to go. Wishing you a lifetime of carefree peace and happiness.

I'm still annoyed about them undermining two out of three of the things he gave her. 

 liddi:

The thread is running way from me and I apologise for not joining in! Unfortunately things got busy earlier than I expected, so I can't really participate much. I have not completed everything for the last episode, but here are the installments of what I have managed to complete thus far.

 liddi:

Leaked script Ep20 scenes 3-9

 liddi:

Leaked script Ep20 scenes 10-13

Thank you for these translations liddi! Hope you're enjoying the holidays with your family!

 H19279:

About the Script. I found it more and more illogical. It seems that XL is bitter, could not give-up thinking of her refusal.

YES

 H19279:

 liddi:
Xiang Liu opened a wooden box and took out a big-bellied laughing doll, its eyes closed in sleep.
So how comes that the big bellied doll laughting and sleeping at the same time? It's weird that the doll was grinning with closed eyes in sleep. The novel describled that laughing doll had crooked eyebrows and eyes, grinning and looking at him with a smile 

ALSO YES

 H19279:

 liddi:
XL: Is kissing me more frightening than death?
XY (speaking hesitantly): My brother, that is Cang Xuan. One night while we were talking, he laughed at me for being a girl who still dreams after all.
XL (coldly commanded): Continue.
XY (fake laugh): Although... the possibility is remote... I am still afraid that if I was not careful, you might enter my dreams. You... are definitely not suitable to enter a girl's dreams. That is possibly far more terrifying than death indeed.
Why do they have to make him recall this scene so much? when he prepared the arrow and now?

YES x 3

In the book when XL is writing the wishes he recalled when they first met. It shows how deeply he loved her that he still remembers their first meeting 100 years ago and made them come true.

Why didn't they make him recall that flashback instead of the dream line? It just make him look sulky.

 It looks like the producers want to tie it to the next scene where she wakes up from dreaming about him. It's a bit pointless at that point to show he has walked into her dreams as she is with someone and undermines the original statement where it he walked into her dream it's a fate worse than death.... But she has Jing and don't they live happily? It's very inconsistent how they show the XY -XL relationship.

@liddi 

Mega thanks for the translation especially when you are so busy. I like to know so I won't be as infuriated as I watch S2

@windiaaa041293 Thank you for the leaked script.  There are inaccuracies in the OCR and this is not the full scene. Do you have the entire scene, or better still, the full S1 script?

 windiaaa041293:

I found it in the comments column. They posted a snippet of the script. And that's it, nothing else.

Oh I see. Can you please send me the link to the comment? Do share if you find any more of S1 script - thank you so much!

@windiaaa

I agree with what you have said, IMO XY never really wanted the bug out, breaking the spell or transfer the bug to Jing makes no difference because bottom line is she never tried to ged rid of it. Sharing the bug with XL was her safe place, she always found comfort in it, I not once got the impression that it's a burden to her. 

@liddi

Thank you for the translation, liddi. Very disappointed about everything, but it is what it is.  I can understand the big belly doll who's laughting and sleeping at the same time, probably XL's wish for XY to always dream about happy things, like that dream she had when they went underwater, but the rest of the script makes no sense to me and there are so many things I dislike that they are not even worth mention.  Jing just being a stalker, as usual, just the thought of having someone like him constantly on my back is tiresom,  I feel suffocated just reading this. 

 H19279:

This seems to match the drama scene

meaning there's nothing wrong with yangzi...but the script is problematic.
They (book fans) say the production team and others are just picking up trash and throwing away diamonds.

 windiaaa041293:

meaning there's nothing wrong with yangzi...but the script is problematic.
They (book fans) say the production team and others are just picking up trash and throwing away diamonds.

I would not say so: the production team exchanged diamond with trash (since this scene is their imagination). LOL