Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 solarlunareclipse:

Chapter 43, titled "日日思君不见君 - Thinking of My Beloved Daily to No Avail," unfolds shortly after Jing's disappearance, on the night XY was supposed to marry him, but instead, married the moon. While it may seem like XY is looking for and missing Jing on the surface, it's clear that deep down, the person she's actually searching for and yearning for is XL.

Thank you for you interpretation of this conversation. XY and XL had always shared doublespeak since she became a princess. The more harsher XL became the harder to decipher the doublespeak. In reading your excerpt, it does make their relationship more sadder because they can't even share sentiments and the moment, they waver, it would've spelled a tragedy.

Your interpretation also goes to prove that Jing, in the end, was just a plot device.

 solarlunareclipse:

Chapter 43, titled "日日思君不见君 - Thinking of My Beloved Daily to No Avail," unfolds shortly after Jing's disappearance, on the night XY was supposed to marry him, but instead, married the moon. While it may seem like XY is looking for and missing Jing on the surface, it's clear that deep down, the person she's actually searching for and yearning for is XL.

Welcome to the thread!

Ah yes, some YaoJing were trying to appropriate the moon for Jing, when it's always been a symbol of XL.

 solarlunareclipse:

After XY nearly got crushed by a vortex, XL arrived just in time to save her. It was strongly implied that this had been her hope all along, considering she knew the East Sea was like XL’s home. After being rescued, XY desperately clung to XL, pleading for him not to go. Both physically and emotionally drained, they lost control of their inhibitions, and XY allowed XL to intimately drink from her neck.

OMG.  Wait a sec.  So, after that 'ghost bride' nonsense Jingers were trying to sell us, where XY declares she's married to dead Jing, blah blah blah ... XY willing steps into a trap so she can get rescued by XL, she sees XL's true form and this is immediately followed by the epic make out scene and cuddle on the beach??  Is that the sequence of events?

ahahahahahahahahah  Jing who???  LMAO!

Lord have mercy.  I thought the getting drunk and falling asleep on her wedding night was hilarious.  OMG.  It's just too funny.  

 solarlunareclipse:

At this point, the following conversation takes place. During this conversation, XL personifies the traits of being 嘴硬心软 (Zuǐyìng xīnruǎn), hard-spoken but soft-hearted. He employs harsh words to push XY away, preparing her for a life without him.

This has always been the way he tries to ... encourage XY.  Even when she lay in a coma after the first assassination, and XL sacrificed a life for her, he spoke 'harshly' telling her to live or he'd feed her to fish ... or was it cut her into pieces for his various heads?  He's more of a tough love kind of guy, rather than someone who coddles.  But that's why he's empowering, rather than depowering, like Jing.

 solarlunareclipse:

Xiao Yao walked to the edge of the ship and looked out at the wide expanse of the ocean, the wind whipping her red wedding dress around her like a dance, and the red sunset behind her illuminated her vivid color so much that the red dress looked like blood was dripping from it.

XY is telling XL that she stands by the blood oath they took when they accepted the Lover’s bugs. She doesn’t want to break their connection.

When I read this scene, I also see her father Chi You, in his red robe, which is also the symbol of a lover's oath.

 solarlunareclipse:

I really regret getting my life connected with a stupid woman as you! I beg of you, before you die from idiocy can you find a way to break our bug link first!”

You are in a dangerous situation, targeted by individuals for selfish reasons. But remember, your death will have enormous consequences for those who care for or rely on you. Meanwhile, my situation is worsening, and my days are numbered. We must to find a way to break the bug link so you won’t die when I inevitably do.

Ah!  So, he did NOT know how to break the Lovers Bug link when he accepted the bug -- as I thought.

 solarlunareclipse:

This is the song XY was singing when she and XL first met. The ocean symbolizes XL, so she is singing the song for him. The lyrics convey what she wishes to express to XL but lacks the courage to say directly.

EXACTLY what I've been saying forever!  That is not a YaoJing song.  It's a YaoLiu song!

 solarlunareclipse:

XY understands that no matter how much she wishes for it, XL won't change his mind and choose to accompany her. She accepts that she must walk her own path.

Arrrgh!  XY still hasn't learned.  XL isn't going to be your doormat.  He wanted to find a path both of them could have walked together, but she wanted him to walk where she told him to.  SMH

@H19279

From the looks of it, chapters were rearranged in the 2019 revised edition, in addition to the change of names, locations. The first 3 chapters of Vol 2 are now moved to the end of Vol 1. As such, the chapters you mentioned are now Vol 2 chapters 7 and 9.

From what I see of these chapters, Xiao Yao's impression should have come from Ch7 (Chapter 10). Certainly, I do not see any violence in Ch9 after he saved her from the Nine-tailed fox and brought her back to A Heng. 

The following are my translations of excerpts from the two chapters, which has me aching so much for them, and now whetted my appetite to read the entire novel:

[This takes place after Chi Chen regained consciousness and found that A Heng had given birth to Shao Hao's daughter]

Shao Hao handed Xiao Yao over to A Heng and walked down the steps to admire the lights on the river.

Chi Chen walked down the steps, face pale, eyes dark, burning with grief and fury.

"Why?" His voice was hoarse and low, suppressing his anger like a wounded beast.

A Heng held Xiao Yao tightly, her eyes brimming with tears, not saying a word.

Xiao Yao had always been fearless. Her dark eyes stared at Chi Chen and she reached out to touch him.

When the soft little hand touched his face, Chi Chen felt an inexplicable quickening in his heart and he involuntarily held her hand. "Is she my child?" Despite clearly knowing that the child could not be his based on the time she was born, he still clung on to a sliver of slim hope.

Colourful fireballs formed by fire spirits suddenly flew into the sky, bursting into the most spectacular fireworks, such as golden chrysanthemums, vermillion peonies, pure white plum blossoms... covering the sky with colours and brilliance for a time.

Xiao Yao was overjoyed, and pointing to the sky, she turned to Shao Hao and shouted, "Father! Father!"

Instinctively, Shao Hao turned and smiled at Xiao Yao.

The sudden burst of light illuminated Xiao Yao's face clearly. She looked very similar to Shao Hao, and anyone who saw her face would know whose child she was.

Xiao Yao stretched out her hands to Shao Hao, saying "Father, Father", wanting him to carry her.

Chi Chen felt as if he had plunged into the coldest ice cave, his body shivering uncontrollably, the burning flames in his eyes completely extinguished. Bright lights and brilliance abound all around him, but in his eyes, the world suddenly became pitch black.

Xiling Heng betrayed him, deceived him!

In an instant, Chi Chen's eyes turned cold-blooded and cruel, and murderous thoughts welled in him.

A Heng held Xiao Yao and backed away in fear, but Chi Chen grabbed the child and threw her over to Shao Hao.

Shao Hao sensed that something was wrong but Chi Chen's spiritual powers were even stronger than before. By the time Shao Hao hurriedly caught Xiao Yao, it was too late to save A Heng.

Rotating wind blades surrounded Chi Chen and A Heng tightly with no avenue of escape, several of which were directed at A Heng's heart from the back and had already pierced her skin.

A Heng felt the pain of the blades penetrating her bones, but her expression actually relaxed, as if she was finally free from all constraints and burdens. She did not resist at all. Never taking her eyes off him, she merely gazed intently at Chi Chen as tears fell from her eyes.

The tears seemed to touch the most tender part of Chi Chen's heart. As his heart trembled, he no longer sustained his spiritual energy and the wind blades disappeared. A Heng's back was bloodied, blood dripping down her back.

-- Once Promised, Vol 2 Ch7 (originally Ch10)

[This takes place after A Heng is threatened with Xiao Yao's life, and was forced by Yi Peng and the Nine-tailed fox to reveal the truth about Chi Chen and Xiao Yao]

A Heng wiped away her tears and took a few steps forward, standing under the gaze of all. She was not ashamed of her relationship with Chi Chen at all. Rather, she was extremely proud that the man she fell in love with was Chi Chen! She merely felt remorse and guilt towards her mother and brothers. Since she was going to announce it publicly, she wanted to tell the entire Great Wilderness with her head held high that the man she loved was Chi Chen, and Xiao Yao was their daughter!

Chi Chen, hiding on the pillar of the great hall, looked down coldly.

He was slightly injured from the formation that his opponent set in place in advance, but the Nine-tailed fox suffered greater injuries.

When he rushed back with Xiao Yao, Zhong Yi was leading Yun Sang in Qing Yang's place towards the Xuan Yuan king and Xie Zu. He did not call out to A Heng, instead quietly hid himself, waiting to see A Heng admit her feelings for him in public. However, when forced by Yi Peng, A Heng stood alone under everyone's curious, suspicious eyes as if she was facing trial and punishment alone. Chi Chen could hide no longer, and he descended and walked towards A Heng.

In an instant, all the guards panicked and rushed out to stop him while over ten deity generals immediately sprung out in front of the Xuan Yuan king to protect him.

Across the blades and swords, A Heng and Chi Chen's eyes met, silently staring at each other.

"Mother!" Xiao Yao's clear voice sounded out.

Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao walked in hand in hand, playing with a fluffy white fox tail - taking turns to pat it.
:

Seeing Chi Chen leave, A Heng picked up Xiao Yao and hurriedly ran out in pursuit. She dared not reveal herself and continued to chase after him, only calling out to Chi Chen when they were outside the palace gates.

A Heng put Xiao Yao down. "Do you remember what Mother taught you?"

Xiao Yao bounced over to Chi Chen and hugged his legs. "Thank you, Uncle."

Chi Chen's body stiffened. After a while, he finally squatted down. Before he could react, Xiao Yao reached out and hugged his neck, kissing his cheek first on the left, then on the right, before giggling and burying her head into Chi Chen's arms.

Chi Chen could not help hugging her, immeasurable pride and tenderness surging in his heart. He looked over to A Heng. "Why exactly?" In the mountains of Bai Li, she built a home for him with her own hands, personally promising that she would leave Shao Hao as soon as possible. However, by the time he woke up, she said that she could not sever the affections in Cheng En Palace and she had given Shao Hao a daughter. Even now, he could not understand why, and the only explanation he could come up with was that A Heng loved Shao Hao.

Chi You handed Xiao Yao over to A Heng. "If she were my daughter, I would definitely be the happiest man in the whole world." Just as A Heng was about to take Xiao Yao from him, Chi Chen grabbed hold of her with one hand while carrying Xiao Yao in the other, and said, "Come away with me!"

Chi Chen's grip hurt A Heng to the bone. With him holding their daughter and pulling her hand, they were together as a family. All that was needed was for her to gently turn her hand back and she could hold his hand and follow him into the vast world, carefree and unfettered.

She could not help wanting to hold on to Chi Chen tightly--

Fireworks suddenly flew up to the sky, lighting up the entire Xuan Yuan City, and snapping A Heng back to reality.

Her mother and brothers were still in Xuan Yuan City! Yu Xiang and Qing Yang had long drawn an unbridgeable chasm between them!

She pulled her hand away forcefully and frowned, "I am now the Royal Consort of Gao Xin. General, please forget me!"

In that instant, Chi Chen clearly sensed her feelings, and could even feel the deepest, lingering affection on her fingertips. But just when he thought she would be willing to go to the farthest corners of the earth with him and grow old together, she became cold, and the one she thought of was Shao Hao.

Once again, everything was an illusion after all!

Chi Chen let go. As A Heng took Xiao Yao from him, she lowered her head and told Xiao Yao, "Say goodbye to Uncle."

Xiao Yao smiled and waved, "Uncle, have a pleasant journey."

Chi Chen stared at A Heng who resolutely refused to look at him once more. Shaking his head, he let out a desolate cry and left on [his roc] Xiāo Yáo** into the distance.

Seeing Chi Chen standing on top of the roc all dressed in red, a vision of magnificence, as glorious as the glow of sunrise, as fast as lightning, Xiao Yao could not help but shout out to her mother in admiration, "Yao Yao also wants to ride on a big bird."

Her mother's face was pressed on her forehead, not moving for a long time, tears falling on to Xiao Yao's face. Xiao Yao wiped away her mother's tears and said obediently, "Mother, don't cry. Yao Yao doesn't want to sit on the big bird anymore!"

-- Once Promised, Vol 2 Ch9 (originally Ch12)


** Chi Chen's roc is called 逍遥 Xiāo Yáo meaning "carefree", which is pronounced differently from his daughter's name 小夭 Xiǎo Yāo

@liddi 

Seeing Chi Chen standing on top of the roc all dressed in red, a vision of magnificence, as glorious as the glow of sunrise, as fast as lightning, Xiao Yo could not help but shout out to her mother in admiration, "Yao Yao also wants to ride on a big bird."

and after growing up, xiaoyao was finally able to ride a big bird.

@kokuto

Welcome to the thread!

Thank you! This is an amazing thread. I've been loving reading everybody's insights.

OMG.  Wait a sec.  So, after that 'ghost bride' nonsense Jingers were trying to sell us, where XY declares she's married to dead Jing, blah blah blah ... XY willing steps into a trap so she can get rescued by XL, she sees XL's true form and this is immediately followed by the epic make out scene and cuddle on the beach??  Is that the sequence of events?

ahahahahahahahahah  Jing who???  LMAO!

Lord have mercy.  I thought the getting drunk and falling asleep on her wedding night was hilarious.  OMG.  It's just too funny.  

You're right, it's hilarious how "not into Jing" XY actually is. Even funnier is the scene right before she married the moon where she was startled awake by a dream of someone *cough XL cough* knocking on her window, immediately checked the window for "Jing", and then admitted she's not once dreamed about Jing. ROFL :)

To me things are simpler, XY's biggest fear, scarier than death, was being abandoned by a loved one. XY and XL were both aware of his path since the beginning, I don't believe for a second that he ever considered outliving his army, giving how devoted to his past, his soldiers and their cause was. I don't believe a woman has the power to change the principles of a man like that, regardless of how much that man loves her. XY even gave her 4th uncle as an exemple for her and for the readers to understand that sometimes you can love a woman to death and vice versa and still pick a different path. 

Her so called rejection from chapter 13 is only secondary related to Jing and CX, at the core of it is her fear of not being strong enough to outlive him. She already went through her fair share of losing people she cared about, she was already too tired to face yet another one who's giving up on her because he's already caught in a different cause to death. Hence her wish to be born a few hundreds years earlier. They met too late. I believe XY trusted XL the most from beginning to end, she always knew what type of man he is, on the other hand she didn't trust Jing much, but she wanted to give it a go because he was the only one who was willing to try to have her wish of a forever come true. Even going through the death of a loved one is easier when you have someone by your side, who knows how would XY have dealt with XL's death at the end if she didn't have Jing to cling on. 

There is no way XY rejected XL in chapter 13 because a man whom she didn't even trust or love that much made her a promise who at that giving time  she herself didn't believed much în it.  Obviously her reason goes much deeper than that and has everything to do with her fear and awareness that XL will eventually succumb  on the battlefield and abandon her. For all I know that' s a given fact since the beginning and I honestly belive the theory that XL planned a future for them, while XY didn't trust him or misunderstood him or whatever îs just overthinking and overcomplicating things. 

 H19279:

11 hours ago
 Kokuto:

 Kimiya78:
1) WXL never saw XL or his face before meeting him, then after the mask melting how could she possibly recognize him?
Everyone knows XL is a white haired demon.

No-one knew how XL looked like. The rumor about he had white hair was not mentioned . Lao Mu had never encountered high-ranking official of Sheng-nong before. They only knew XL was a 9 headed demon who was ruthless, cunning etc.

WXL awared that that man had high ranking in the army because other soldiers called him "Lord"; additionally, he had exceptionally high spiritual power, he had powerful, special riding animal, and wore special outfit.  And he also dealed with paperwork/document.

Beside the above clues, WXL could guess XL's identity due to the impression of his look

At this time he was holding a document in one hand as his eyes were lifted in scorn. He sensed Xiao Liu looking at him and smiled towards Xiao Liu who shivered and immediately shut his eyes. That look he’s only seen once when he was small, it was the way the famous demon in the wilderness  looked at her, it was the look that only someone who had stepped on countless corpses could give off. Xiao Liu guessed who he was, that legendary handsome beyond compare murdering evil devil the Nine-headed Demon – the one with nine-lives Xiang Liu. (Chapter 2)

+1 for H19279's explanation.

Kimiya78, you are not alone in being confused by that scene because the drama presented it in a way that was confusing and made it seem like WXL was recognizing XL as someone she had seen before when she had not ever seen him before. IMO, the drama did a poor job of adapting that moment and made it more confusing for people who haven't read the novel than it needed to be. 

 H19279:

Many of the idea about life and death which was highlighted in orange text (up to chapter 29) is XY's perception and opinion. And we all know that she had psychological shortcomings. Thus her view was abnormal. Her thinking is very negative, persimistic.

To be honest I've never liked the translation "psychological shortcomings" when describing XY. In English it sounds to me like an attempt at politely referring to someone with brain damage or delayed development and often seems like it's used to write off any thought or action of hers that fans don't agree with. I tend to substitute that phrase, and instead think of her as someone who has been traumatized and acts like it. 

I agree that some of her views can be described as negative and pessimistic. I would also say that some of the other characters' views could be described as negative and pessimistic at times. That's more or less why I was thinking of them and wondering how their long lifespans might play into their views. But yeah, the trauma that most of the characters endured is another factor that probably plays into it. 

 H19279:

For example, in chapter 26, she wondered about meaning of life when it was not possible to control birth and death. “Life! Death! We can’t control our birth and can’t control our death. Sometimes I think since we can’t control the biggest two things in our lives, why fight for all the little insignificant things? It feels so pointless!”

On the opposite, CX said “Dummy, can’t you look at it from another angle? Because we can’t control life and death, we have to fight to control the others so that everything between life and death is fully under our control."

Thanks for adding this exchange to the list.

Although I would be cautious about concluding that XY had an abnormal pessimistic view here and CX had a normal, more positive view. In that exchange he's trying to cheer XY up (as he says so himself), so I imagine the position he expressed might not perfectly reflect his actual views.

-----

Chapter 26:

Xiao Yao watched until Se Mai Er’s figure was gone from sight and she turned to look East where Qing Shui Town was, and beyond that, where the vast ocean lay. Xiao Yao murmured, “Lover’s Bug?”

Xiao Yao had so many thoughts going through her mind so she sent Shan Hu and Miao Pu back first so she could slowly walk up the mountain path back to Zhi Jin Summit.

Seeing the looming grandeur of the Palace, Xiao Yao suddenly felt extremely fatigued, so fatigued she might shatter. She wearily sat down on a stone step.

The mountain breeze was quite strong and she started to get cold but Xiao Yao still didn’t want to move. She stared in a daze as the sun set and the leaves continued to fall.

Zhuan Xu walked up behind her and draped his own cloak around her “What are you thinking of? An entire afternoon thinking and you still don’t have an answer?”

“I thought too much and couldn’t figure it out, so I stopped thinking. Actually, life is really futile. No matter how strong and powerful, there are two things in life that cannot be controlled.”

Zhuan Xu raised his eyebrow. “Oh? What two things? Do share!”

“Life! Death! We can’t control our birth and can’t control our death. Sometimes I think since we can’t control the biggest two things in our lives, why fight for all the little insignificant things? It feels so pointless!”

Zhuan Xu laughed. “Dummy, can’t you look at it from another angle? Because we can’t control life and death, we have to fight to control the others so that everything between life and death is fully under our control. For example, you’re not happy right now and I’ve decided that no matter what I will make you happy again.”

Because of the last thing Zhuan Xu said, everything felt meaningful again. There was a hint of laughter in Xiao Yao’s eyes but she pretended to be all stern and said, “Fine, you make me happy then!”

 H19279:

XL's view about life is much more positive, loving the life and enjoying life despite his hard life (including the life in Sheng Nong army, witnessing countless death). Xiang Liu’s voice spoke, “As long as there are such sights in this world, then life is very precious.” 

Despite the hardship that he had endured, XL was still capable of appreciating beautiful views like the full moon rising over the ocean. And he was able to be a more relaxed version of himself when he was FFB. But "much more positive, loving the life and enjoying life" seems like an overstatement to me. A pretty significant one. And in that particular scene, WXL noticed that XL was in a bad mood and commented on it more than once. 

I would also note that XL taking WXL to see the moonrise and making that comment seems like him responding intentionally to XY's earlier words. 

In a previous scene, WXL noted that she felt like the gods favoured humans because they had shorter lives. No matter how beautiful the moon is, one would get tired of looking at the same moon after a thousand years. 

And then earlier in the same scene as XL's comment, he asked XY how she endured her 30 years of captivity and she told him that she tried to escape, then she tried to kill herself, and finally when those attempts didn't work she tried to find joy in her situation.

So it seemed to me that XL's words ("As long as there are such sights in this world, then life is very precious.") were about him trying to convince her, and maybe also trying to convince himself. 

When XY responds that such views are only meaningful when one has a companion to share the view with, he doesn't agree, disagree, say anything that might suggest he would share such views with her in the future, or respond at all. I took that to mean that he probably didn't disagree with her position, but didn't want to say anything that might create any expectations that he couldn't meet in the future (his usual MO). 

-----

An abridged version of the excerpt from my earlier comment:

Xiao Liu looked up at the moon and there was an indescribable sadness in his eyes. “They say the Heavens favors the tribes of the Gods, but I think it favors the humans. They are just like the Gods in every way except their lives are so short in comparison. Look at the moon, it’s been there like that for the last thousand years. No matter how beautiful a sight, one will still get tired of it.”

...

Furball was flying slow and evenly while Xiang Liu looked out at the horizon, his face like the still water, without any emotion. Xiao Liu asked, “You’re in a bad mood?”

Xiang Liu quietly asked, “Those thirty years you were locked up in that cage. How did you endure it?”

“In the beginning I wanted to escape. I would yell, try to upset it. Later I stopped and just silently refused to cooperate. I tried to kill myself many times but never succeeded. Finally I gave up and tried to find joy in my situation. I would make bets with myself as to what nasty new thing the evil fox would bring. I loathed him and hated him with every fiber of my being. I started collecting materials to try and make a poison, thinking that when he ate me I would eat the poison first and poison him to death.”

...

After some time, a moon rose from the edge of the ocean and the quiet beauty was so powerful that Xiao Liu felt the hard shell around his heart soften. In the sound of the ocean waves, Xiang Liu’s voice spoke, “As long as there are such sights in this world, then life is very precious.”

Xiao Liu nattered, “The most precious of sights will get old after seeing it too much. Only if someone views it with me. Views are dead, only if a person can appreciate it then the view has meaning.”

It wasn’t clear whether Xiang Liu heard what Xiao Liu said, but he didn’t respond. The most beautiful view had passed and Xiang Liu summoned Furball to take them back. Xiang Liu closed his eyes and there was exhaustion in his brows. Xiao Liu asked, “Why are you in a bad mood?”

 H19279:

The donkey meat seller who was a veteran for sure suffered from PTSD. 

I don't know enough about PTSD symptoms to weigh in on whether he had it or not, but the text does seem to be pretty clear that he was haunted by memories of his fallen comrades. 

 H19279:

I don't know if Xang Liu also suffered from PTSD

Ditto.

 H19279:

but for sure he was afraid of that. All those ceased soldiers carved in his mind. 

Yeah, that was my impression too. 

 H19279:

Moreover, death for righteousness, loyalty to the country is consider great value in Confucianism. Thus, as a soldiers, death for the country, their belief is much more honor than death because of dease or old age (when he told WXL in Sheng-nong camp during medicine crisis). However, he only said out loud that the best ending for a general is death on the battlefield in chapter 29 when maybe he lost all hope in XY. Moreover, we also can see XL's choice is similar to Samurai's spirit and its well-known Samurai's suicide. I watched some movies about Samurai and most of the time I can't swallow the reason they committed suicide

I personally didn't feel like XL's death was about patriotism or loyalty to a nation (Shengnong) that wasn't his, and that it was mainly about camaraderie, loyalty and dying a soldier's death. Like Chang Yi, he could not abandon his comrades and he was willing to die for loyalty and camaraderie. I also don't think he was all that interested in other people's views about honour, but he did seem to operate according to his own personal honour code and set of ethics, and that probably played a role in the end that he chose for himself. 

I felt like XL's thoughts were heavily hinted at and his ending was already being foreshadowed in chapter 5 with the funeral pyre scene, the blood-soaked sunset image, and his comment that if the soldiers were going to die (as every person eventually must), they should die facing the Yellow Emperor's army, because they were soldiers. Tong Hua made a point of having XY think back to the blood-soaked sunset image in chapter 29 before XL makes his death-on-the-battlefield comment (among all the other foreshadowing that happens in that chapter), and then the foreshadowing continues in chapter 35 when XL talks about his comrades and XY makes a mental comparison to the circumstances of Chang Yi's death. 

 Kokuto:

Really?  I wouldn't think very many demons were in the army, since there would have been less contempt for XL as a demon if there were.  Plus, didn't XY say demons weren't suited for the army?  That she was surprised that XL had overcome / suppressed his demonic nature to be disciplined enough for the army?

I get the feeling that the powerful deities, if they were in the army, would be generals, leading the troops.

In chapter 2, it's noted that the whip that was used to give WXL 40 lashes could make even the most devious demon soldier capitulate (suggesting that there were multiple demon soldiers serving with the remnant army) and that the soldier who administered the whips had such a strong arm that he had once killed a demon solider who was over a thousand years old (older than XL) with his whipping. 

Not all, but a significant portion of XL's treatment seems related specifically to his nine heads and nine lives, which apparently seemed to make him come across as particularly strange and scary compared to other demons (and that was probably amplified by Xuan Yuan propaganda, since he was their most difficult enemy). My guess is that that was why he declared the subject of his nine heads to be taboo, but didn't have any problem with anyone mentioning the mere fact that he was a demon. 

-----

Chapter 2:

Two soldiers dragged Xiao Liu out and Xiang Liu calmly said, “Whip him. Twenty lashes.”

The army’s whipping can make the most devious demon soldier capitulate. That was how painful it was. And the man Nine-lives Xiang Liu sent to whip him had a shockingly strong arm. Once with just one hundred and twenty lashes he killed a demon soldier who was over a thousand years old. The whip was as thick as an oxtail and it came down in snaps as Xiao Liu yelled, “I’m done thinking! Done thinking!”

-----

WXL wasn't surprised that a demon like XL was serving in the army. She'd known that he was a demon and that he served before she even met him. But she was impressed to see how disciplined he was when it came to training his men, especially to fight for a cause that seemingly had nothing to do with him, as that would require overcoming his default nature in order to do something the he might despise. 

-----

Chapter 5:

Xiao Liu wanted to laugh but didn’t dare in case he made Xiang Liu angry. He raised his head to look at the stars. “You are a demon. To help out the completely unrelated Sheng Nong, is it worth it?”

Xiang Liu laughed, “You can waste your time taking care of a bunch of losers. Why can’t I waste my time doing pointless things?” Xiao Liu smiled “You’re right. In this long life, one has to find something to do. Fine, let’s go see him.”

...

In the morning, Xiang Liu left. So Xiao Liu climbed on the pallet and kept on sleeping. There was the sound of organized chants and hollers from outside, initially it was interesting but after some time Xiao Liu wished he were deaf. Day after day, year after year, these repetitive army exercises were boring but needed to keep the blade sharp and morale high. But was their determination worth it? The soldiers wanted to protect their homeland, to protect their people, but they were now hiding in the mountains without either a homeland or people to protect.

Xiao Liu was suddenly rather impressed with Xiang Liu. Demons were by nature wild and untamed, refusing to follow rules and authority, and definitely no desire for status. But Xiang Liu reined in his rebellious streak to live a mundane daily life doing what might be something he utterly despised. When Xiang Liu finished training the soldiers, he returned to the hut.

 H19279:

My understanding is he had never seen an officer several levels lower than XL, thus it was almost no chance to encounter XL.

That's how I read it too. 

Lao Mu hadn't even seen a lower level officer, so forget / don't even mention someone as high-ranking as Xiang Liu, because he definitely hadn't seen someone like that!

 H19279:

However, it was strange that he did not know and mention this particular XL's habbit 

In what context would Lao Mu mention it? WXL reassured Lao Mu that he didn't have to worry, the risk that WXL would encounter XL was miniscule. It would be a bit weird for Lao Mu to then say, "But just in case, keep your eyes peeled for a man dressed in white, because I've heard XL always wears white." That information doesn't seem particularly beneficial or relevant, given the way their conversation went. And from a writing perspective it would just make the conversation feel like it was ending weirdly. 

 liddi:

Thank you for sharing this, as well as the original poem by Tao Yuanming.

 liddi:

Thank you too for the excerpts that gave us clues as to the characters' mindsets with regards to life and death.

You're welcome!

 liddi:

I don't remember whether it was shared on the thread, but I translated it for my daughter when she was reading the novel, and it was pretty much similar to what you had:

This body is entrusted to the rivers and mountains, Life and death is insignificant.

Once the breath is gone, the soul will dissipate.

Gains and losses are no longer known, How is one aware of right and wrong?

After thousands of years have passed, Who is aware of the honour or disgrace?

The word "生" can mean "give birth to", or "life".  In the context of 生死, it always means life and death.

Thanks for sharing!

 liddi:

I would like to point out a discrepancy in the translation in Chapter 35:

 AH :
Xiang Liu laughed and pointed at his head. “I’ve lost count, but they are all here.”
The actual text says this, which meant that he kept them in his heart, and more than just his memories of them, what kept him on that tragic inevitable path to death was the bonds of comradeship and affection that he had for them:

“不仅仅是为了义父，还有并肩作战、同生共死的袍泽，我们一起喝酒，一起打仗，一起收殓战友的尸骨……”相柳看向案上的灵位，“几百年来，你能想到我究竟亲手焚化过多少袍泽的尸体吗？”

小夭无法想象，可她能理解相柳的意思，就像四舅舅，明明能逃生，明明深爱四舅娘和玱玹，却选择了和袍泽一起赴死。这世间，有些情义，纵然舍弃生命，也不能放弃。

相柳微笑着，指了指自己的心口：“我也数不清了，但他们全在这里。”

"Not just because of Adoptive Father. There are also all those brothers in arms I fought alongside with, shared life and death with. We drank together, went to battle together, collected our fallen comrades' bodies together...." Xiang Liu looked over at the altar on the table. "Over the past hundreds of years, can you imagine how many of my fellow brothers in arms I have had to personally cremate?"

Xiao Yao could not imagine but she understood what Xiang Liu meant. Similarly, Fourth Uncle clearly could have survived, clearly loved Fourth Aunt and Cang Xuan deeply, yet chose to die along with his fellow soldiers. In this world, there were some ties of comradeship that could never be abandoned even if it meant sacrificing one's life for it.

Xiang Liu smiled and pointed to his own heart. "Even I have lost count, but they are all in here."

-- Vol 3 Ch2  (Chapter 35)

Oooh thank you for mentioning that! Pointing to his head (in Koala's translation) made me think that he definitely remembered all his comrades and probably cared about them a fair bit, but pointing to his heart makes me feel like he definitely remembered them and definitely cared about them in a major way. Way more poignant that way! 

Also interesting to see the implication that once someone he cares about is in his heart, they remain there forever, even hundreds of years after death.