Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 Elise:

XY asked him. Jing's reason for breaking up the marriage with Feng Long was that he thought XY was unhappy. IMO, that was just an excuse and he's selfish and didn't want to see XY getting married to another guy.

The script changed it so that he is less selfish and we get to see him acknowledge his selfishness back in Dragon Bone prison, and wanting to give Xiao Yao another chance to choose whom she really wanted to be with. But I don't see him telling her this was his reason, when she came knocking on the door of Qingqiu after leaving Qingshui town.

If they gonna go with "healing" theme, this is definitely not the right drama to go.

Why can't they just go with the book?

 MySiFeng:

If they gonna go with "healing" theme, this is definitely not the right drama to go.

Why can't they just go with the book?

If they had gone by the book, I would have been devastated at the end, but at least I could have accepted it. The way things are butchered in the leaked script, I am actually terrified of what I might see when S2 airs.

 blabla100:

@liddi

Thank you, liddi, for the translation! 

You're welcome!

 AH :

My understanding is that they basically cut all of chapter 43 :/

Yes, unless I missed it, we do not get an attempted assassination where Xiang Liu had to revert to his true form to save her from the whirlpool, and their very intimate proximity afterwards, with her throwing herself at him and clinging on to him, nestling into his arms as he drank her blood; him making her to promise to keep on living even if she had lost Jing; meeting Left Ear again, admitting to Left Ear in front of Xiang Liu that she missed Fangfeng Bei... the list goes on. Why does it feel like this is reverse-Robin Hood, robbing the poor to give to the rich? Gah.

 Kokuto:

Though her non-friendly feelings for FFB were probably tied to XL, because, as you said, he looked like him.  But the reason why I said I didn't think they were just friends, was because she kept asking him 'who was he?'

All those moments that she asked "who are you" are associated to things that tied to XL. But outside those moment, their contact was quite neutral (my impression from the book) she was pretty cold. If I remember correctly, 

 Kokuto:

Plus there was that exchange about leaving everything behind and running off together.  

@AH wrote some analysis about this conversation in the book (this scene was modified in the drama). She looked down on him. something like when he still enjoyed the spoiled life in his rich house, she had been on adventure in the mortal realm. 

In the scene when she removed his mask and saw that was FFB, she looked disappointed (she might had expected someone else, XL). In my opinion, her reaction to FFB himself is pretty neutral as friend. The abnormal feeling only tied to the moments where FFB reminded her of XL. 

 H19279:

She spent ~ 2 years hanging with FFB in Xuan Yuan capital. It was just friendship. During that time, she was more dominant in that relationship. 

 H19279:

After that, when she met him again in Middle Plain, they continued hanging out, learning archery. She paid more attention on his temper/attitude.

Very true. As Fangfeng Bei, he was more deferent to her whims. When she realised he was Xiang Liu, she cared more how he felt, and would try to coax him when she knew he was angry. It is quite telling that Xiang Liu is the only one among her suitors with whom she tried to please, while the rest were always trying to please her. Likewise, Xiang Liu was the only one whom she took the initiative and mustered the courage to express her feelings, unlike the rest whom she waited for to prove their devotion and sincerity to her.

Also nice that they are highlighting that XL is intentionally pushing XY away now and outright telling the audience that he intended to "give" her TSJ. But it's a bit frustrating that they added that line and yet took away XL bringing TSJ back from the brink of death.

It's nice bc they spell out his thoughts but I am very frustrated. How is his action here considered him giving her TSJ. 

I can see how Jingers would say that he only did what Jing told him and it's a bit arrogant to think that because he says he doesn't care  and that's somehow giving her Jing when she already has Jings affection and vice versa. That comment makes little sense in context IMO.

If they make it explicit and give him a role in making XY change her mind to go back and reconcile. That was STE.

It is a whole league different and not really meaningful as him literally sacrificing himself to resurrect her dead lover so she has someone to always be with.

Thinking about it.... Has he actually thought through his plan of pushing her away... He was so aggressive... What if she stopped loving him... Then they would both die when the PLB turns to heartbreak bugs.

桃 夭  - Peach Yao

The name Xiao Yao was originated from the sentence "桃 之 夭 夭 " (in a poem 桃 夭 by Confucius). Since she had a birthmark of peach flower on her forehead, peach flower is representative figure for her, too. 

When I read chapter 46, the last encounter between XL and conscious XY there is a paragraph captured my attention: The scene when XY shot XL using the bow which she didn't know that it was his gift to her. 

 Xiao Yao’s hands shook but she yelled “Don’t move!”
Xiang Liu continued to walk towards Xiao Yao with a laugh “Can’t believe you’re going to get revenge for Chi Sui Feng Long. If you’re that into him then you should have married him. I mean, Jing’s been dead for a few years now……..”
Xiao Yao was so furious at his words the silver arrow flew forward with a whoosh.
Xiang Liu’s personally taught archery skills along with the priceless one of a kind bow hand forged by the Jin Tian family, and the two were not far from each other, so in a split second the arrow embedded itself in Xiang Liu’s chest. Xiang Liu’s body visibly shook slightly but he continued to walk towards Xiao Yao “Don’t forget I’m called Nine Lives Xiang Liu! If you want to kill me then you need to shoot a few more arrows! And you have to be more accurate! Right here!” Xiang Liu pointed at his heart and then spread his arms wide.
“You think I won’t dare!” Xiao Yao pulled back another arrow.
But ——- blood was spreading like a plum blossom on his white robe and Xiao Yao’s heart hurt so she closed her eyes and in that moment her arrow flew forward and missed, grazing his arm. Xiang Liu stopped in his tracks and he smiled at Xiao Yao, it appeared to be mocking but was in truth hiding his joy.
Xiao Yao wanted to pull another arrow but her heart was jumbled and she couldn’t do it anymore. She finally put her bow down, all the energy from Feng Long’s death dissipated and Xiao Yao turned to Left Ear “Let’s go back!”

Actually, I read this book in Vietnamese and that sentence (which I underlined in red) was translated as " the blood was spreading like peach blossom". Plum and Peach are different plants (although the shapes are similar, plum blossom is usually white and peach blossom is pink).  @liddi: do you have the text in Chinese. Can you check if the same word 桃 is used. 

 I detected Tong Hua used a kind of metaphor message here.  At that time, I wondered why she saw his blood as peach blossom. Later when I read Once Promised, I figured out that "PEACH BLOSSOM" is symbol of "LOVE". In Once Promised peach blossom was abundant. Her parent had annual reunion under peach blossom plant in Jiu Li. Royal Mother grown miles of peach trees in Jade Mountain (as her love for Yan Emperor), and the magical tool which allows people to change their face, that Chi You presented to Ah Heng has a shape of Peach flower, too. 

Then I partly understand the metaphor image. She was angry. She wanted revenge because XL almost killed CX, and FL died instead of CX. Seeing blood on XL's robe is like she saw and felt her love for him. Her heart hurt since it reminded that person was her love. 

I don't remember how many time peach flower/blossom was used by TH in LYF. I remember 2 most prominent scenes.: the above mentioned one and the one when Jing proposed her. As I remember Jing used his spiritual power to make a whole forest of peach blossoms (mimicking the peach blossoms forest where XY's parents lived) 

Jing grabbed Xiao Yao’s hand and she suddenly realized a thick fog surrounded them. Within the fog a series of peach blossom trees sprung up and soon they were surrounded by thousands and thousands of peach blossoms all around them.

Xiao Yao knew this was a mystical illusion created by Jing but she couldn’t help but reach out to catch a petal.

Jing said “This place is where your daddy used to live. I brought you here today to ask you in front of your parents – Tu Shan Jing asks for Xi Ling Jiu Yao’s hand in marriage.”

Xiao Yao’s entire body froze.

Jing asked “Xiao Yao, will you marry me?”

Years ago when Xiao Yao and Feng Long were in the secret chamber and he asked, she didn’t feel shy at all. But right now she felt so shy and embarrassed and wanted to turn and run away. She murmured in a low voice “If you want my hand you need to ask my grandfather and Zhuan Xu.”

“Of course I will ask them but before I do I want to ask you first. Xiao Yao, will you marry me?”

Within the blanket of falling peach blossoms around her, Xiao Yao felt like she could see her mom and daddy standing together and smiling at her.

“I do!” Xiao Yao tossed Jing’s hand aside and ran into the hut with her face burning up and her heart pounding uncontrollably. She looked at herself in the mirror and she was as red as if she drank wine. She cupped her face and chided the her in the mirror “You’re so hopeless!”

However, the peach blossom that Jing brought to her were generated from spiritual power, a kind of illusion. While, the peach blossom on XL's robe was real. Did it imply a mutual love since that blossom came from XL's blood. 

P/S: the full poem from Confucius 

桃 夭
桃 之 夭 夭、
灼 灼 其 華。
之 子 于 歸、
宜 其 室 家。