Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 atmospheres:

And agreed that Yang Zi's new drama is just such a slow-paced, cliched bore. Her and Fan Chengcheng are such a casting mis-match, the only good thing about this show is Jin Shijia's guest role and, literally no one is surprised by this, the good chemistry he has with Yang Zi. They need to stop casting her opposite younger actors who can't act, she performs better and has better chemistry with actors who are around the same age range as her who have some acting ability. She is turning into China's Song Hye Kyo in terms of big name actress who always gets cast with  younger male idol actors resulting in no chemistry and making her look less accomplished too.

 nathsketch:

You should see the comments on Viki about her new drama. That whole thing apparently sucks, but one poor soul dared to mention how weird her acting was as a teenager and the Zimis did not like to hear such truths.

As a fan of YZ (literally the reason why I watched LYF and met the most talented man called JCT), I hate to admit that I agree with both of your comments. I tried watching Love Endures but.... couldn't get passed the first 10 minutes of episode 1 LOL. Tried again but didn't work, sadly.

There's no doubt that YZ is a phenomenal actress and deserves all the fame and love she has now. But the dramas she's choosing to star in are pretty mediocre or repetitive.  The only actually good and interesting drama she's acted in so far is LYF, but that """might""" just be me being biased hahaha. Am I wrong though? It's not easy to play a man and have chemistry with three (sorry, Fenglong) different people.

I get the feeling that she's trying to stay on the safe side by picking the same dramas. So just like Song Hyekyo who received praise for her acting in The Glory, I hope to see YZ take on more complex roles in the future.

 atmospheres:

I am a bitter old fan wondering where everyone and their over the top adoration was in the years he was toiling before when he didn't look perfectly idol groomed and got extremely good styling in a big budget idol xianxia ;b

I wonder that too. I feel bad knowing I missed the chubbier era and all the struggles. Being a newbie is awful but unfortunately, I only started watching cdramas back in March. Ignorance is definitely not bliss :(

Like if you look at his birthday celebration at Hengdian in I don't remember exactly the year maybe it was 2019 where like 11 fans were there compared to his most recent birthday celebration at Hengdian with an attendance of what seemed like ten thousand lol, it's shocking what a difference a few short years has made. I mean, I am truly thrilled and happy for him, I just hope the fandom stays fun and level-headed instead of morphing into a typical idol fandom industrial complex of toxicity.

 atmospheres:

I don't know much or really hardly anything about his international fans or their attitudes (I suppose that's why I'm here, to try and gauge that).

I can only speak for the United States.  Fandom and official fan clubs have evolved over the decades.  Before social media, they provided info about the celebrity, sometimes merchandise and access to other fans.  

Our fandoms here are far less organized and demanding than what I've seen of Chinese fandoms.  We don't have the endorsement system that they have in China, where fans get celebrity specific goodies to go with their purchases, which are seen as supporting the actor.  We don't have the organized fandom driven social media stats or influencing.  Though I'm sure there are marketing teams that try to do that.

Fandom in the US is seen more individual than community.  So, you'll see individual fans buying stuff that is directly related to the celebrity, like costumes or items they owned or replicas of such things, as well as the usual press and merch stuff.  The community stuff comes from talking with other fans.  Or attending concerts or movie premieres or a convention with other fans.

The only organized fans thing I see regularly is supporting a celebrities favorite charity.  Fans will do fundraisers of various kinds and then donate the money to the charity in the celeb's name or in the fangroup's name.

Sadly, Tan Jian Ci's work isn't well known in the US.  You have to know about CDramas and where to watch them to know about him.  And the largest CDrama platform in the US, Netflix, doesn't have any of his shows.  That's why I really wanted them to pick up Lost You Forever this summer, but instead we got The Longest Promise, no doubt, because of XZ and the Untamed. :(

 windiaaa041293:

You should see it, this is Yangzi's interview

And reportedly the yaojing were very angry when they saw this

https://www.tiktok.com/@duoduo_kenji/video/7332541554067852549?_r=1&_t=8jfoyxzwEoD&social_sharing=1

lol. Her interview is fine. haha...such a non-issue! 

 Kokuto:

Plus he is such a ... flawed, ineffective character, and yet, we have people telling us he's perfect, a saint, the greenest of flags, and worse, we have Tong Hua rewarding only this... passive goober, out of all the characters in the book.

If some people's dislike and criticisms of TSJ are partly driven by TSJ fans making statements like that or by frustration about TSJ getting to live and getting to be with the woman he loves (unlike XL, CX and Feng Long) despite all of his flaws, I can understand that. 

 Kokuto:

Every character in the book recognizes that what he is doing is scummy and not how it should be done.

This made me think of the scene where the Grand Emperor speaks to TSJ after XY's identity as his daughter has just been irrefutably confirmed. The moment his relationship with XY (and therefore, his position as someone entitled to question the man hanging around her) is established, he turns to TSJ and asks him about his engagement, and literally makes TSJ sweat. 

-----

Chapter 9:

Shi Qi bowed to the Grand Emperor who asked, “Tu Shan Jing?”

Shi Qi respectfully answered, “It is I.”

The Grand Emperor said very leisurely, “I remember you are engaged to the youngest daughter of the Fang Feng family. Or am I mistaken?”

Jing started to sweat and he answered very stiffly, “No.”

“No, you aren’t engaged? Or no, I am not mistaken?”

“Yes, Your majesty is not mistaken.”

Xiao Liu couldn’t watch this anymore and said, “Dad!”

The Grand Emperor looked at Shi Qi for a long time and then said to Xiao Liu, “I made a residence in the court where your mother used to stay. If you want to move there, It can be arranged. I moved back to my old residence. If you like any court then pick one, there are plenty sitting empty.”

 Kokuto:

 AH :
If he prioritizes his responsibilities as clan leader, isn't unfilial and ruthless towards his family, or cares about maintaining his status (which was something he needed in order to be with XY in her current identity, which she was not capable of escaping from at the time, and which enabled him to help XY and CX) even when that means not breaking his engagement as he promised, he's an incompetent person who fails to follow through and is selfishly willing to trap and hurt XY.
That's not exactly true, as it's only what Jing thought he needed and he decided it that on his own.  XY never asked him for that and specifically told him she wanted 17.

The reason TSJ needed to retain his status in order to be with XY was not because she wanted someone with his status or because she asked him to keep his status. 

After XY's true identity was revealed (against her will), she was not able to escape from that identity for most of the story. She lost the ability to use the Face Forming Flower until chapter 36. When she asked her father if she could discard her princess title, he convinced her to accept it. XY didn't know it, but the Grand Emperor was trying to protect her by hiding her identity as Chi You's daughter. When XY tried to leave Gao Xing behind in chapter 30, her father wouldn't let her. When XY tried to leave CX behind in the same chapter, he wouldn't let her. 

For as long as XY was unable to escape from her noble identity (first as Eldest Princess Gao Xing Jiu Yao and later on as Lady Xiling Jiao Yao, who remained the beloved granddaughter of the Yellow Emperor and cousin of the Black Emperor), TSJ needed to retain the status of a Tushan Clan member, future Tushan Clan leader, or present Tushan Clan leader in order to be with XY. 

With respect to marrying XY, this story does not take place in the present or in a western setting. For as long as XY was unable to escape from her noble identity and family, XY's opinion was not the only one that mattered. In order to marry XY, TSJ needed to get formal approval from at least two Emperors initially, and later on he ended up needing to get formal approval from three Emperors and the Xiling Clan leader. The likelihood of him getting approval for the match from all of those men if he lost or renounced his position as TSJ would have been very, very low. Especially if his grandmother continued to oppose the union. 

And if TSJ renounced his title, family and wealth in order to become YSQ, it would even become difficult for TSJ to see XY at all. He would no longer be able to command the Tushan Clan's resources, so he would be of little or no help to CX. He might even become a liability to CX if associating with TSJ/ YSQ would cause the Tushan Clan to develop a grudge against CX. So TSJ/YSQ would no longer be invited to palaces and noble houses to discuss business related to CX. He also might no longer have easy access to the palaces where XY resided, and areas around them. Depending on the circumstances of how he lost or renounced his status as TSJ, he might even no longer be welcome at Feng Long and Xing Yue's family residence and other noble houses that XY visited. 

XY wanted YSQ, but because of her identity and inability to escape it until the end of the novel, she could not have him for most of the story. 

Basically, if he lost his status as TSJ earlier in the story, YSQ would have found himself in a different world from XY, unable to be with her. 

 Kokuto:

And he kept doing the exact same thing repeatedly.

I'm probably forgetting something (it's been a while since I've done an end-to-end re-read or an end-to-end rewatch), but is there another instance where TSJ makes a promise or commitment to XY that he fails to deliver on? Off the top of my head, I can only think of the chapter 3 instance and the 15-year promise. Unless you count not showing up on his wedding day (because he was basically murdered) as failing to follow through on a commitment?

I guess YSQ's declaration in chapter 1 that he would listen to XY could be added to the list, since there were several occasions where he did not obey her orders (e.g., when he followed her into the mountains in chapter 2)?

 Kokuto:

It's beyond ironic that he's the one that XY is supposed to rely on, when he's proven the most unreliable character in the book... except maybe for TS Hou.

He's unreliable in some ways (the ways that a well-adjusted person should care about most), but his (unhealthy) feelings for XY never waver, and that seems to be what XY cares about most. As she told her mother in chapter 36, she can rely on him to never (willingly) leave her...

 AH :

Sometimes it seems to me like, in the eyes of some readers / viewers, TSJ was always damned if he did and damned if he didn't. That's not to say that I think he always made good choices and was wrongly vilified for them, but IMO it feels like if he had two choices available to him, his critics would criticize him no matter which option he chose.

If he puts XY first above his responsibilities as clan leader (past, present or future), above his family members, and above other considerations of some might view as objectively right or wrong behaviour, he's a weak man who lets his feelings for XY dictate his actions. He's irresponsible, messed up, and selfish.

If he prioritizes his responsibilities as clan leader, isn't unfilial and ruthless towards his family, or cares about maintaining his status (which was something he needed in order to be with XY in her current identity, which she was not capable of escaping from at the time, and which enabled him to help XY and CX) even when that means not breaking his engagement as he promised, he's an incompetent person who fails to follow through and is selfishly willing to trap and hurt XY.

The specter of another "correct" option where he selflessly releases XY from her promise, ends their relationship himself and completely lets go of all hope of being with her (or, at the end of the novel, where he chooses to be TSZ's father and completely lets XY go in a similar way) seems like an illusion to me. The reality of XY's mindset and issues meant that she didn't want that. IMO, she would have felt abandoned and hurt and it would not have been this great fix that sent her down a path of healing that ultimately led her to resolve her issues. It would have been a case of noble idiocy that left both of them miserable. 

 Kokuto:

 AH :
The specter of another "correct" option where he selflessly releases XY from her promise, ends their relationship himself and completely lets go of all hope of being with her (or, at the end of the novel, where he chooses to be TSZ's father and completely lets XY go in a similar way) seems like an illusion to me. The reality of XY's mindset and issues meant that she didn't want that. IMO, she would have felt abandoned and hurt and it would not have been this great fix that sent her down a path of healing that ultimately led her to resolve her issues. It would have been a case of noble idiocy that left both of them miserable.
The "correct" option was to never extract the promise in the first place.

I think you're referring to what you view to be the "correct" option (not asking WXL to make the 15-year promise) that TSJ should have chosen in chapter 8 (when he chose to ask WXL to make the 15-year promise)? But I was talking about the later chapters. Once the 15-year promise was made and he kept hitting hurdles, TSJ couldn't go back in time to change the past. So, at that point, what should TSJ have done? The answer that many YaoLius tend to give is that he should have released XY from her promise. And my point above was that, IMO, doing so would not have been the solution those readers/viewers think that it would have been. At that point, as far as I can tell, there wasn't an option available to TSJ that would have avoided the pitfalls I mentioned.

 Kokuto:

It's not like he didn't know the situation or his grandmother. 

TSJ didn't know some pretty significant parts of the situation when he asked WXL to make the 15-year promise. When WXL's true identity as XY was revealed (after the 15-year promise was made) that significantly complicated things. For as long as XY was unable to escape from her newly revealed status, TSJ had to remain TSJ and could not "give back" YSQ to WXL/XY as he had promised. And TSJ also came to find out that TSH was leading the Tushan Clan astray, and that it would be dangerous for the clan if he was left in charge. He also didn't have any idea how tenacious and cold-blooded FFYY could be, or that she had been having an affair with his brother for years. 

I also believe that TSJ genuinely thought that he could handle his grandmother. Before WXL's true identity was revealed to be XY, it seemed like he knew it would be difficult (which is why he asked for 20 and then 15 years to make it happen) but definitely believed he could convince her. After WXL's true identity was revealed, that seemed to make things harder, but he still thought it would be possible to convince his grandmother eventually. IMO, he underestimated how much FFYY would fight to keep her position and how much influence she would have over his grandmother. He wrongly thought that it would be possible to have TSH become the clan leader. He overestimated the degree to which his grandmother doting on him when he was growing up would translate into her allowing him to marry the person he loved, even if she thought marrying that person would not be in the clan's interest. And he did not anticipate his grandmother using her pain and impending death to force his compliance.

 Kokuto:

 AH :
I'm repeating myself here I think, but my view is that, on the one hand, it is objectively a sad and lamentable thing that TSZ is left to live out the rest of his childhood (and adulthood) without a proper parental figure when TSJ was still alive and capable of filling that role, but chooses not to. On the other hand, there are a lot of factors that lead me to sympathize with TSZ and XY's decision. I don't view it in such black and white terms.

This is maybe opening a can of worms, but maybe an XL related example can help give a sense of how I feel about nuance.

When XL breaks the branch that WXL was holding in chapter 4 and intentionally causes her to fall out of a tall tree, resulting in her legs being badly injured, that is objectively Not Good behaviour. But many readers / viewers are able to watch that scene and take contextual factors into consideration (e.g., WXL provoked XL and requested this meeting with the intent of diffusing his temper, expected to receive some kind of retaliation, and was satisfied with the outcome) in order to reach the conclusion that XL shouldn't be written off completely for that objectively Not Good behaviour. Those readers / viewers choose not to view the scene in black and white terms.
Those hardly compare -- XL wasn't selfishly sacrificing an innocent.

Whether XL did or did not "selfishly sacrifice an innocent" is beside the point. I'm not suggesting that the specifics of the two scenes are the same, or that the degree of Not Good-ness in the case of the "objectively Not Good" behaviour in the two scenes is perfectly equal. They just happen to both be scenes where I personally do not take a black-and-white view of the characters' objectively Not Good actions. In that sense, they are the same. And since I was confident that most, if not all, of the participants in this thread did not come away from the XL scene thinking that XL was detestable for his actions, it seemed like it could be a useful example to illustrate a scene where we all agreed that one shouldn't take a black-and-white view of the characters' objectively Not Good actions. 

While I view TSJ and XY's decision as objectively Not Good, I personally can't unequivocally condemn them for it. But I understand why many readers do condemn them for their decision. Even if I think that their case statements tend to verge into hyperbolic overstatements that bring out my inner contrarian. ^^"

Similarly, I view XL hurting XY as objectively Not Good, but I personally can't unequivocally condemn him for it. And yet I can understand why some readers / viewers do condemn him for it.

Where we draw the line is subjective and (IMO) the fact that all of these scenarios and characters are fictional can have an impact on where we draw our lines.

 HeadInTheClouds:

 

 AH :
Previously, TSJ wasn't able to be hard-hearted towards his grandmother, TSH or FFYY, even though his soft-heartedness hurt XY. XY was understanding of his position, and even said that she would have left him if he had been hard-hearted enough to kill FFYY in those circumstances ("Honestly, if Jing was like you and was hardhearted enough to decide on the plan to kill Fang Feng Yi Yang to end the engagement, then I would actually leave him.").
Framing Jing's failure to address the situation with Hou and his grandmother and FFYY as hardhearted vs. soft/kind-hearted is myopic and distorted. Xiao Yao's judgement here is not trustworthy and very much comes from her psychological deficiencies. Setting boundaries is not being hard-hearted.

 AH :

IMO, TSJ did set some boundaries. But he wasn't willing to take ruthless measures against his family.

He directly opposed his grandmother's wishes and outright refused to proceed with the wedding to FFYY until he was trapped by FFYY and his grandmother with the fake rape and pregnancy, at which point XY chose to leave him.

Later, he worked with XY to expose FFYY and TSH's affair and to have them punished, but wasn't willing to see either of them killed for it.

Later still, he clipped TSH's wings (which, as XL explains to XY, would have been a sufficient option if CX hadn't gotten involved) instead of killing him. 

 Kokuto:

Again.  The first boundary he should have set was around himself and his desires.  He wouldn't be in this situation if he hadn't extracted the prison promise.

Kokuto the type of boundary you're describing is a self-limitation boundary that TSJ could have imposed on himself to prevent his own improper actions. But HeadInTheClouds and I were discussing boundaries that he could have set, or did set, between himself and other people to limit the impact that the improper actions of those other people could have on him, and (by extension) on XY.

 Kokuto:

Jing is supposed to be extremely smart and the best at getting a deal, and yet he couldn't figure out a way to get out of this mess?  He could have just renounced everything and gone back to being 17, or at least threatened to do so.

TSJ did threaten to renounce everything in chapter 23, as soon as he returned to Qing Qiu after XY revived him from his coma. He was persistent, but his grandmother revealed that she was dying, and in great pain, and used that to force her way.

TSJ immediately tells XY about it. XY understands his decision and resigns herself to it because, as the novel tells us, if he had chosen to leave the clan in order to be with XY despite his grandmother's situation, then he would not have been the person she liked.

------

Chapter 23:

Jing returned to Qing Qiu around midnight but ordered the servants not to alert the Grand Madam and he’ll go see her when she rose in the morning.

...

Jing greeted his brother and sister-in-law and the Grand Madam pointed to Yi Yang. “You need to thank Yi Yang, she’s been so busy on your behalf all these years.”

Jing politely bowed to Yi Yang but said nothing. After he straightened himself he turned to his grandmother. “I have something to say to grandmother.”

...

Jing knelt down. “I want to quickly end my engagement with Yi Yang. Please will grandmother permit it.”

The Grand Madam was not surprised. “I knew you would say this. I also know what I will say back: Impossible!”

Jing begged, “I have no feelings towards Yi Yang and she feels the same towards me. Why won’t grandmother let us end the engagement?”

“I can see you don’t have feelings for her, but I can’t see that she doesn’t have feelings for you!”

Jing raised his head. “I already love another, please will grandmother permit!”

The Grand Madam sighed. “Silly child, how long do you think feelings will last? Day after day, the endless time together, all feelings will be smoothed out until all that remains is lightness. Actually, a married couple is more like a business partnership, you give her what she needs, she gives you what you need, you respect her one step, she respects you one step. Back and forth, like flowing water lasting for a long time.”

“Grandmother, I will not marry Yi Yang!”

“If you are Hou then you can do whatever you want and I don’t care! But you are the future Tu Shan clan leader, and the leader determines the rise and fall of the entire clan! Yi Yang is smart and careful, plus the Fang Feng clan relies on the Tu Shan clan which further limits her options. Trust grandmother’s judgment, she is the best choice for the leader’s wife! For the Tu Shan clan, you must marry her!”

Jing said, “I don’t want to be the clan leader, let older brother be the clan leader!”

“You wretch!” The Grand Madam slapped the table and all the plates and cups shattered on the floor and the tea splashed Jing. The Grand Madam touched her heart. “Sixty years! I spent sixty years training the best clan leader's wife, I don’t have another sixty years left!”

Jing kept bowing his head even as his forehead slammed into the broken shards on the ground and jabbed into his flesh. “If grandmother doesn’t agree to end the engagement, then I can only leave the Tu Shan clan.”

The Grand Madam’s body shook and she pointed at Jing. “If you want me to die, then leave! You might as well strangle me now. If I die, then you can do whatever you want and no one will care.”

Jing kept bowing and begging, “Grandmother!”

The Grand Madam called her maid, “Xiao Yu, tell this wretch to scram!”

Xiao Yu walked in. “Please will young master not distress the Grand Madam and allow her to rest!”

Jing saw her clutching her chest and her face had turned purple so he immediately left.

But he didn’t leave and only knelt down in the courtyard. The maid reported it to the Grand Madam but she kept her eyes closed. “Ignore him! Call all the clan elders here!”

Jing knelt outside her room for a day and a night but the Grand Madam ignored him and continued to arrange matters with the clan elders.

After everything was arranged, she had servants bring everyone back. Jing was just recovered from a long illness and had knelt for so long that his face was pale white and his forehead bloody and bruised, looking very ragged. 

...

Jing knelt down. “Grandmother, the clan leader matter can wait a few years.”

The Grand Madam raged. “A few years? How many years do you think I have left? Your grandfather died shortly after your father was born and I had to steel myself and run the entire clan. I finally lasted until your father married and became the clan leader and thought I could take a break….but that wretch actually left before me! I almost collapsed that time but thank goodness your mom stepped up to manage the clan. Us two widows raised the pair of you but your mom didn’t get to enjoy any happiness before leaving to join that wretch. I pray day and night that you will take over as clan leader, but then you disappeared for years! I got you back after ten years and before I could even let out a sigh of relief, you went unconscious and wouldn’t wake up. How much longer do I have left for you to torment?”

The Grand Madam spoke and a lifetime of pain and hard work rose up and the normally stalwart her began to cry.

Hou, Lan Mu, and Yi Yang all knelt down before her and the Grand Madam wiped her tears. “I don’t care what you guys think, this time Tu Shan Jing is going to become the clan leader regardless of whether you want to or not.”

Jing continued to bow his head on the ground and begged, “Grandmother, I really don’t want to be clan leader! Older brother is the elder, why can’t he become the clan leader?”

The Grand Madam shouted, “Wretch! You know the answer and yet you still ask? Some things can be concealed to the world but can’t be concealed from those who are close. Your maternal grandfather was the last leader of the Tan family, and the current leader is your uncle. Your maternal grandmother was the eldest daughter of the Chi Sui clan, the current cousin of the clan leader. Hou…..will they accept him as clan leader?”

The Grand Madam clutched her heart and cried, “Wretch, tell me! Will the Chi Sui, Xi Ling, and the Middle Plains Six Big Families all agree with you not being the clan leader?”

Jing pleaded, “I can go convince them one by one.”

The Grand Madam cried, “You think I don’t know all the things you’ve done behind my back all these years? The clan elders only accept you. They won’t allow you not to be the clan leader.”

Jing could only keep pleading and bowing his head. “Grandmother, I really don’t want to be clan leader, older brother wants to be clan leader!”

...

Jing also bowed his head hard. “Please cancel the clan leader ceremony three days from now. I don’t want to be clan leader.” Still he refused to accept the clan leader role.

The Grand Madam stared at her grandsons. Her heartbreak, rage, and despair all rushed to her heart and suddenly all her blood burst forth and she spit out blood that splattered on Jing and Hou.

Both Jing and Hou jumped up and went to assist her but her face was ashen and she was barely breathing. 

...

The Grand Madam smiled bitterly. “I won’t hide it from you two anymore, I have at most a year left to live.”

...

Se Mai Er explained, “The prohibited magic of voodoo is that it allows a person to accomplish their greatest desire, but conversely before death the person will endure the greatest pain of the voodoo bug collecting on its equal payment. A person will endure the pain of the bug eating all the insides until the body, soul, and essence is all consumed by the bug. In the end, there is nothing remaining, not even a corpse.”

...

The Grand Madam laughed “How could I? Because of you two wretches! Even if I endure the most horrific pain and have no corpse left, if I can protect the Tu Shan clan then after I die I will have done my duty to our ancestors and not be ashamed before them……” The Grand Madam suddenly stopped talking and she curled up in pain. Jing and Hou rushed over to help her.

...

Jing and Hou glared at each other in rage but when they heard their grandmother scream in agony, both closed their eyes in pain. Because of them, their most loved one must endure the agony of a voodoo bug consuming her insides.

The Grand Madam’s maid Xiao Yu walked out. “Two young masters, please leave now! The Grand Madam must endure the agony an hour a day now but most of the time she’ll be lucid. In time the pain will grow longer and her mental acuity will leave her. She said earlier that she has at most a year left, but really it’s half a year only.”

Xiao Yu started crying. “For hundreds of years I’ve taken care of the Grand Madam and seen what she has done for the Tu Shan clan, what she has done for you both. If both of you even have a shred of filial piety left in you, then please accept the Grand Madam’s wishes for the sake of the Tu Shan clan. When she is lucid let her see the new clan leader emerge so that she can die in peace, so that this pain is worth it.”

...

Jing stared at Li Li but didn’t know where to go. He thought he could leave Qing Qiu and wander the world just the two of them. But the truth was that he could never leave Qing Qiu.

...

He was willing to give up everything, but he could not give up his bloodline.

...

Jing grabbed Xiao Yao suddenly in a tight embrace, his body cold after being in the rain for so long. Xiao Yao silently let him hold her.

After some time Jing said, “Grandmother used a prohibited voodoo bug spell. The voodoo bug has backfired and is consuming her insides.”

When the voodoo bug backfires, there is not much time left to live. Xiao Yao was stunned and didn’t know how to comfort Jing so could only stroke his back.

Jing said, “Grandmother wants me to assume the clan leader position in three days time. I can’t say no anymore.”

Xiao Yao said, “I understand.”

“I had decided that regardless of whether Grandmother agreed or not, I was going to be with you….but now….I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, it’s really okay!”

Xiao Yao sighed. It wasn’t that she didn’t care but if Jing’s grandmother was willing to give up her life and Jing selfishly chose to leave the Tu Shan clan to be with her, then he wouldn’t be the Jing that Xiao Yao liked.

That night Jing didn’t go back to Qing Qiu.