Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 Kokuto:

We also got XL / FFB admitting XY was very important to him in the casino scene, though she completely missed it due to homophones of her and him.

We also got confirmation of who XY loved, when FFB image was reflected in her eyes -- and XY was reflected in Jing's eyes.

We also got to meet Mr Invisible Hong Jiang!

Chapter 29 too. To me the drama made it clear that XY did have some hopes regarding FFB/XL. When she told him about the name of the bugs, her disappointment when she found out that FFB knew she's getting married and her reply that it turns out that he is, in fact, just a passanger in her life and not someone who's there to stay really confirmed to me that she was testing the waters / forcing his hands to act on it. 

Also, I second to the "you" sound they added when XL asked her who she most wants to spent her entire life with. I clearly heard it and I am 100% sure that it wasn't unintentional. The jingers believe XL looked disappointed afterwards, but I go by the script and to me he looked tender with a bitersweet expression on his face, because he got the confirmation that the person XY trully loves and wants to spend her entire life with  giving the chance is him, not jing or shiqi.  

Also, I go by liddi's theory and I believe that the struggle XY had when facing this question was because she knew XL doesn't have a lifetime left to spend and not because she couldn't admit that she wants him. As said, she clearly had some hopes regarding him,  chapter 29/ the bridge scene, the red gown, the discussion she had with yellow emperor ("you can marry anyone you want"... "anyone I want, even if he's your enemy?) , the "the one who has the ability, doesn't have the will", her disappointment and tears after the 37 years underwater etc, so it never made much sense to me to believe that that was the reason for her struggle. 

  These actions don't look as if they are coming from someone who's in complete denial of her own feelings to the point that she would rather get hurt than facing her heart. Instead it was the impossibility of things that made them both look so bittersweet afterwards.

 How can you answer something when you know that option doesn't exist? How can you answer "you" when asked about whom do you want to spend your entire life with when  you know that that "you" doesn't have the entire life to accompany you, hence why she first opened her mouth as to answer (a clear indication that she did have an answer, no hesitation here), but went into a struggle a second later, when she processed the question with her mind and realised / confronted  the facf that that's not going to be possible because XL is doomed to die much sooner.  She was ready to admit that the person she wants is him, but she wasn't ready to face the fact that she's going to survive him. The "why?" and "I am so hurting, XL, I hurt.."  that came afterwards, to me clearly indicates the heartache she had and not the headache of the struggle, hence why she told him that everything is not going to be ok, even after a good sleep. 

The novel says that that's what she does when she encounters things that she doesn't want to think about, she clearly did think of FFB/XL as an option in the past, so the trigger must have been the "entire life" part and how hard it was for her to think and face XL's unavoidably death. The way how at the end she first screamed "impossible, I don't believe it" followed by the admission that "I knew since the beggining, I always knew"  definetely sounded as a repressed thought/emotion that finally came to light.  The pain in her heart finally exploded, but she was carrying this pain all along. She always knew at the back of her mind that that's what's going to happen, but she always refused to admit it or think about it (her biggest fear, the fear of being abandoned by the ones she loves), that's why she always seemed to forget about the life and death connection they had, that's why XL  kind of rhetorically asked her to put the "if i die, can you live"  question in reverse etc.  She refused to think of anything that could imply XL's death. Even in the last chapter,  his death came as a total shock, even though she knew CX is now the emperor of the world. The denial and her refusal to think of XL's death really pains me.  Again, XL knew how weak she is and how much he means to her, that's why he kept everything he did for her and his feelings hidden from her. 

 Kokuto:

We also got XL / FFB admitting XY was very important to him in the casino scene, though she completely missed it due to homophones of her and him.

We also got confirmation of who XY loved, when FFB image was reflected in her eyes -- and XY was reflected in Jing's eyes.

We also got to meet Mr Invisible Hong Jiang!

 blabla100:

Chapter 29 too. To me the drama made it clear that XY did have some hopes regarding FFB/XL. When she told him about the name of the bugs, her disappointment when she found out that FFB knew she's getting married and her reply that it turns out that he is, in fact, just a passanger in her life and not someone who's there to stay really confirmed to me that she was testing the waters / forcing his hands to act on it. 

Good examples of additional hidden lines that were fleshed out in the drama!

 blabla100:

Also, I second to the "you" sound they added when XL asked her who she most wants to spent her entire life with. I clearly heard it and I am 100% sure that it wasn't unintentional.

Yep, the 你 heard in the background was totally intentional. I can't believe they put that in the drama. It was certainly a nice surprise :) 

 blabla100:

The novel says that that's what she does when she encounters things that she doesn't want to think about, she clearly did think of FFB/XL as an option in the past, so the trigger must have been the "entire life" part and how hard it was for her to think about XL's unavoidably death. The way that at the end she first screamed "impossible" followed by the admission that "I knew since the beggining, I always knew"  definetely sounded as a repressed thought/emotion that finally came to light.  She always knew at the back of her mind that that's what's going to happen, but she always refused to admit it or think about it (her biggest fear, the fear of being abandoned by the ones she loves), that's why she always seemed to forget about the life and death connection they had, that's why XL  kind of rhetorically asked her to put the "if i die, can you live"  question in reverse etc.  She refused to think of anything that could imply XL's death.

These are great points to support the interpretation that XY's refusal to answer the last question stemmed from her refusal to think about XL's death. Although I'm not 100% convinced that this interpretation aligns with TH's intent, I do like it a lot and it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

 blabla100:

The baili king even made a point in asking XL who exactly is he when he saw him paying his respects to XY's parents, but the question was left unanswered. 

My perspective is that the witch king's question, which he asked while XL was bowing to Chi Chen and A Heng, was implicitly answered. The Chinese tradition is to pay respects to your ancestors so he wouldn't be bowing if he didn't acknowledge XY's parents as his in-laws. I think the question was asked during this time to call attention to XL's actions.

Speaking of rare scenery, tomorrow night, Sept. 17, a full moon and partial lunar eclipse will appear in the night sky, perhaps similar to the one Xiang Liu experienced on the eve before the final battle. Tomorrow’s full moon will even be a supermoon (bigger and brighter than usual). In the drama, XL bids his farewell to Mao Qiu and inscribes and seals the ice crystal globe in the big-bellied doll for XY. Meanwhile, a distant XY startles awake and clutches her heart. In the novel, after sending off the completed doll, XL finally reveals his unspoken devotion to XY in the epilogue. Lunar eclipses are considered more intense and emotional than a regular full moon, lasting about four hours tomorrow. Check your local sources for exact timing in your area.

 solarlunareclipse:

When XL asked, "Who do you most want to spend the rest of your life with?" after the wedding robbery, the background sound effects said a clear "you" (你 - nǐ) before XY fainted.

I went back to watch this scene again a few times (link here).  But even though there is a very slight resemblance of "you," I think it was just an artifact of the base drop sound effect at that instant and not something intentional or actually there.

 Rain_83223:

I went back to watch this scene again a few times (link here).  But even though there is a very slight resemblance of "you," I think it was just an artifact of the base drop sound effect at that instant and not something intentional or actually there.

I personally hear a clear "you".  Could be an artifact as you said, but I don't think so. The original script had their bugs glowing, so I am inclined to believe that they replaced that for that "you" sound. There is a drop sound effect, but I also hear a man's voice saying ni on top of / a second before that.  Why ni, which means you in chinese?  Why not na or la or whatever. Seems too coincidental to me to be a mistake. 

Happy Mid-Autumn festival 🥮

 Yuki :

Not long after, a bright moon slowly rose from the sea, and its light poured down. Xiaoliu was shocked by the magnificence of the world, and the hard shell in his heart softened.

Jingers tried to say that Jing was the one who slowly opened XY's heart, something XL could never do.

I glad Jingers feel comfortable making completely arbitrary declarations like this without checking the facts. I just pointed out that it was XL who first tore open XY's hard shell the very first time they met and then softened her heart when they watched the moon rise from the surface of the gourd-shaped lake. Jing only managed to break through XY's hard shell after he woke up from napping for 37 years, only to immediately trap her in a web.

 Snowcup:

I think the glow of the pink lights is meant to look like a combination of lovers bugs lights and petals to suggest Chi Chen’s peach blossom branch recognized XY’s lovers bug in XL (and vice versa), transforming the portrait as a result. Chi Chen is the King of Beasts in Baili, the origin of the Gu and the lovers bugs. The clincher is the narrative misdirection from XL after this scene, which is a component of TH’s style of cloaking visual imagery of the hidden lines in the drama.

Good points. I like the interpretation that pink lights that transformed the scroll were meant to represent a combination of the peach petals and lovers bugs lights.

 Snowcup:

XL: Instead of fighting each other, it’s better to forget each other. (He takes a deep drink of wine.)

The timing of XL’s comment right after the scene is a form of narrative misdirection to paint the preceding scene as of less consequence, which subtly influences the viewer to dismiss the visual imagery in the scene. Imo, the narrative misdirection is indicative that the visual imagery in the scene is valid.

 blabla100:

This reply from XL shows his inner thoughts regarding what he experienced in XY's parents home. Regardless if the change of the painting was something he imagined or if Chi Chen and A Heng made the illussion themselves, what I get from his reply is that

1. He belives the choice he made is the better one, rather than end up having the same path as chi chen and a heng had (living for a short time togheter than leaving to battle to never return), he would rather make sure to forget each other and put a stop on his relationship to XY before things escalate to that point.

2.  By comparing and visualising chi chen and a heng's relationship to his relationship to XY means that he is very aware of how strong XY's feelings are for him or how strong could have gotten. Basically he aknowledge how high the possibility of them following the same path as XY's parents could have been, if not for him making the choice to forget each other. 

Agree that the misdirection reinforces the interpretation something consequential happened in the previous scene. I also agree that XL believed that distancing himself from XY was what was best for her. TH loves to kill two birds with one stone. In this case, XL's inner monologue serves both to serve as misdirection for the previous scene and to give insight into why he is distancing himself from XY.

 HeadInTheClouds:

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone :-)

 liddi:

Wishing all a very blessed Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节快乐！

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 祝大家中秋节快乐！

 Snowcup:

Speaking of rare scenery, tomorrow night, Sept. 17, a full moon and partial lunar eclipse will appear in the night sky, perhaps similar to the one Xiang Liu experienced on the eve before the final battle.

I went outside to see the lunar eclipse at its peak last night. It was very cool, like someone took a bite out of the top of a cookie.

 Snowcup:

After XL asks the Shaman King how to remove the lovers bugs, there’s a transition to XL lounging in his ocean seashell on a full moon night that suggests he’s reflecting on just this part of the visit.

XL: This is really Chi Chen’s home? (Close-up of a baby bassinet with seashell mobile ornaments.)

SK: It’s a surprise, huh? The devil Chi Chen’s home looks so ordinary. There’s no bed made of human bones or walls painted with human blood.

XL: I just didn’t expect that Chi Chen and the Xiling witch would have a home. (XL stands and rocks the baby bassinet. He walks over to the portrait.)

SK: The King of beasts built this house for the Xiling witch. Then they left and never returned. They lived here only for a short time. (The portrait transforms displaying XL and XY. Then XL lights the candles and bows deeply to the portrait of Chi Chen and A Heng.)

Who exactly are you? Why are you paying respects to the King of Beasts and the Xiling witch? (XL leaves silently.)

(Transition back to XL in the seashell recalling the scene. XL pours a drink for Mao Qiu.)

XL: Instead of fighting each other, it’s better to forget each other. (He takes a deep drink of wine.)

The timing of XL’s comment right after the scene is a form of narrative misdirection to paint the preceding scene as of less consequence, which subtly influences the viewer to dismiss the visual imagery in the scene. Imo, the narrative misdirection is indicative that the visual imagery in the scene is valid.