H19279:
Many TH's books were translated into Vietnamese. I read LYF and Once Promised. It is said that TH likes to write books with 1 female loved by many men. Actually, it is not my cup of tea. I will not read any other books of hers. I read LYF after watching the drama in order to know the ending of XL. I started from the middle of the novel where CX became king. I was shocked at the ending (the last chapter). Then I re-read the book from the beginning.
Do you have the link to the version you read?
Not a fan of this addition. On one hand as others said, this bit show TSJ acknowledging his selfishness in extracting that 15 years promise from XY, but it also paints him to be so noble imo, that he wants to even up the score with XL and some might even argue that because he especially asked XL to take XY away means TSJ actively gave XL the playing field. I can already hear the Jingers screaming how noble TSJ is?. And because XL and XY parted ways in bad terms after this, they see it as more proof that XY doesn‘t love XL and poor XL didn‘t stand any chance even when TSJ served him XY on the platter ?♀️?♀️. Well I‘m over dramatizing now.luv2bafangurl:
I had similar feelings about this addition.
I guess I must now brave myself to read the novel back to back even the Jing‘s part (I heard he is actually better in novel?) and hopefully afterwards I don‘t resent TSJ so much. I really liked YSQ at the beginning even find him quite swoony myself but TSJ just blergh..?
For the most part, I prefer TSJ in the novel over TSJ in the drama. But I feel that way about pretty much all of the characters. ^^"
blabla100:
I do like tragedies and fleshed out characters, I am less into politics and action packed stories and TH seems to fit my taste, even though sound of the desert didn't really leave an impression on me. But still, I am curious to read more of her works, especially once promised and song in the clouds. Wuttering heights has been one of my fav book since forever, so now I am even more sorry that I am not able to read once promised, but who knows, perhaps with lyf hype it will eventually get fully translated.
Once Promised was adapted on screen in 2017. It is a disaster
In term of bug mechanism, pain in heart that they feel is the same (1:1). To make her feel pain in her heart, he had to have heart pain himself.
What I think normally he suppressed the transferring of pain so that she could not feel his heart or his pain in heart. In this case, either he had so much pain that he could not contain anymore or he deliberately stop suppressing and used it to threat her.
If XY feels pain in her heart, then yes XL will feel the same pain in his heart.
As for pain going in the other direction, XY never experiences any pain through the bug connection except in this one instance in chapter 32, where XL announces that she will feel the pain before she feels it. So he clearly intends for her to feel it. It doesn't seem like an accidental slip.
We have speculated about the origin of that particular pain in this thread before.
Was it pain that XL was already feeling? If so, did he have to intentionally send the pain through the bug connection for XY to feel that pain? Meaning that XY would never feel XL's pain unless XL intentionally sent it through the bug connection and there would never be a possibility where XL could "slip" and accidentally let pain go through the bug connection.
Or was it a matter of temporarily choosing to not maintain (or failing to maintain - i.e., he unintentionally let it slip) the block he put on the connection (a block that he always has to consciously maintain to prevent XY from feeling his pain) in order for XY to feel that pain?
Or if it wasn't pain that XL was already experiencing, was he able to create pain and push it through the bug connection to XY (in which case, the pain would presumably also affect him too through the bug connection after XY started to feel it)?
The novel doesn't tell us. The drama showing us that XL experienced the same pain in his heart after XY experienced it also doesn't give us much new information.
@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.
For the scene where FFB asks (half in jest) XY about giving up being a princess to wander with him, I'm not sure I would characterize her response to FFB in the novel or in the drama as "looking down on him" exactly.
I'd say that she views the suggestion as one that isn't serious and that he wouldn't go through with if she took him up on it. She didn't believe that idle libertine FFB would really give up the comfortable life of a noble to go wander the world with her. She thinks to herself that, while she spent 180 years wandering across Dahuang in the past and "being a con artist" to get by, FFB "was likely home tickling his maids". So she calls FFB out on it, and his reaction confirms her initial impression.
-----
Chapter 16:
After they entered the residence, Xiao Yao jumped off her winged horse and sighed. “My version of the wild Princess is so different from Ah Nian’s. With the entire street staring at me, my first instinct is to wonder what I did wrong. Is this a side effect of doing too many bad things in my past?”
Fang Feng Bei asked half seriously half in jest, “Why don’t you not be a Princess anymore and go wander the world with me?”
Xiao Yao giggled. “Sure! If you can let everything go first.”
Fang Feng Bei chuckled while Xiao Yao stared at him. She felt like she called him on his bullshit. When she was wandering the world being a con artist, he was likely home tickling his maids!
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.
The way they portrayed FFB's unmasking in the drama was slightly different from the novel. In the drama, after XY removed FFB's mask, they added XY asking, "You... are...?", FFB smirking, XY tossing the mask aside, and XY rolling her eyes.
But in both the novel and the drama I didn't view XY's reaction as her being disappointed that the masked man was FFB. She went from being tense to laughing (in the novel) and more relaxed + tossing the mask aside + rolling her eyes (in the drama).
A masked man entered her bedroom and she wasn't able to take him down with her poison. He felt familiar, but XY was tense. When his identity was revealed, XY relaxed. I see that as reflecting positively on her relationship with FFB, not negatively.
-----
Chapter 17:
The person didn’t accept her suggestion and walked towards the pallet. Xiao Yao counted to ten but the man arrived at her pallet by the count of ten and still hadn’t collapsed from her poison.
Xiao Yao knew this person must have strong powers if her poison was unable to fell him.
The man lifted up the curtains around her pallet and sat down on it. Xiao Yao said “You may have strong powers but you’re injured. I suggest again you not mess with me.”
The man was wearing a mask and silently staring at Xiao Yao.
Her body tensed and her instinct told her this man was someone she knew well. She reached out, and the man didn’t stop her, and she slowly took off his mask. It was Fang Feng Bei.
Xiao Yao laughed. “I much rather you were making a late night call to my lady’s chamber.”
Fang Feng Bei said nothing and Xiao Yao said, “Can you go find your play buddies? Why come to me?”
“Like you said, they are just play buddies.” Blood trickled from the corner of his lips as Fang Feng Bei replied and he wiped it away.
Xiao Yao was torn and she picked up his wrist and then gave him some of the precious medicines that the Yellow Emperor and the Grand Emperor gave her.
“Lay down.”
Fang Feng Bei laid down on the pallet and Xiao Yao laid down as well and covered them. “My Gege can’t control anything right now and my identity isn’t of much use either. If they insist on searching, there is nothing I can do.”
Fang Feng Bei said nothing and Xiao Yao felt he was very strange tonight. Just as she was mulling it over, a loud ruckus came from outside.
Xiao Yao couldn’t do anything other than wait.
She whispered, “What did you do? You couldn’t have tried to assassinate the Yellow Emperor, did you? No matter how many have tried, they all end up cut down into pieces. You can’t have been that stupid.”
Fang Feng Bei continued to ignore her.
Xiao Yao sighed. “Too bad you’re not a real useless playboy.”
...
Xiao Yao extinguished the flame and sat on the pallet and released the curtains. She pulled down the blanket and revealed Fang Feng Bei’s head. “Didn’t suffocate to death?”
Fang Feng Bei had his eyes closed and ignored her and she didn’t light another lamp and instead reached under the covers to touch his hand. She felt his pulse to understand his injuries and realized the pills she gave him earlier had no effect.
Xiao Yao released his hand and laid down beside him, staring at the ceiling.
“Who are you?”
“Who do you want me to be?” Fang Feng Bei coldly answered.
Xiao Yao said nothing and after a long time she spit out, “You can be whoever you damn well please!”
Fang Feng Bei half rose up and his head slowly descended, but as his lips were about to touch Xiao Yao’s neck her hand came up “Stop!” and his lips kissed her palm.
Fang Feng Bei immediately laid down, but Xiao Yao turned herself to the side and handed him her wrist. “Bite here.”
“Why not there?” Fang Feng Bei’s expression was tense.
Xiao Yao started to really miss the easy going, whatever goes, totally game Fang Feng Bei. “Why do you think? Fang Feng Bei!”
...
She opened the curtains and saw Fang Feng Bei silently laying there still.
Xiao Yao sat cross-legged on the pallet and quietly stared at him.
Xiao Yao still vividly remembered that it was a Summer morning. She was carefully packing the poisons she wanted to send Xiang Liu and was delivering it to the messenger shop run by the Tu Shan clan. After the product was sent, she was just thinking about how Xiang Liu would feel when he saw a box containing all sorts of beautifully designed poisons. Likely he would call her a weirdo pervert.
When she was happily leaving the messenger shop, he swanned over to her, just like a playboy hitting on a lady. He was all smiles and honeyed voice offering to teach her archery. Xiao Yao was amused and didn’t mind his trying to get close to her. Probably because he always made her feel like he was someone familiar to her.
From the day he taught her archery until now, it had been two years.
During the two years, the two of them were each other’s companion exploring every nook and cranny of Xuan Yuan Castle. He sometimes disappeared, and then would show up again, always with a whatever attitude. Xiao Yao felt like the two of them could have kept playing together like this for forever and an eternity. Because the two of them were just too similar – they didn’t care about anything, willing to try everything, interested in all, and whatever could make them smile. They appreciated all that was beautiful, but wanted to own none of it. Their life balanced precariously between darkness and light, if they chose light then behind them was thousands of miles of desolation, if they chose darkness then behind them was thousands of miles of glittering luxury. But even if they faced the light, they still had one step in the darkness so their light wasn’t completely pure but instead came from never forgetting all the pain they experienced before. The pain followed them forever which is why they were so strong, so brave, so independent, so cold, so “no matter what happened, they knew they could keep on living”.
Last night, when she realised he was Xiang Liu, she felt no surprise at all. It was as if that was how it was meant to be, and the heavy burden in one corner of her heart was lifted, but weighed down at the same time in another part of her.
The last paragraph is liddi's translation, which differs slightly from Koala's translation.
Not really. As she reminisced about the two years she spent with Fangfeng Bei, those were happy times for her and she remembered details of how good he was with her - like how patient he was with her while she shopped, how he would walk behind her so that the branches of the trees she passed would hit backwards to him instead of her, how they enjoyed the beauty of the world but did not feel the need to possess it. When she realised Fangfeng Bei and Xiang Liu were the same person, the novel described it as follows:liddi:
Last night, when she realised he was Xiang Liu, she felt no surprise at all. It was as if that was how it was meant to be, and the heavy burden in one corner of her heart was lifted, but weighed down at the same time in another part of her. -- Vol 1 Ch17
Whoops, didn't see that you already covered this! There are so many posts to keep up with ^^"
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.
Ooh, two very interesting observations!
This made me think about the ice crystal ball and the other poisons that XY created for XL, and all the effort she put into them, and made me try to remember if XY gave any similar hand-made creations to TSJ or CX. The only thing I could recall was the embroidered pouches she made. But her first reason for making the first pouch was to practice needlework (a transferrable skill for practicing medicine). Giving the pouch to TSJ was a secondary motivation. And CX had to ask her to make one for him too.
On some level, XY making poisons for XL was part of a promise / transaction. But she could have made those poisons simply and just focused on making them functional. Instead, she put a huge amount of effort into making them beautiful, and put her feelings into them.
-----
Chapter 34:
When Zhuan Xu came to Xiao Yue Summit to see Xiao Yao, she was sitting in the corridor embroidering a black pouch using gold thread to create little magnolia flowers. Each needle was intricate and precise and she was nearly done.
Zhuan Xu waited until she finished the final thread and asked, “When did you get the interest to make such things?”
Xiao Yao said, “Two birds, one stone. Needle work is good medical skill practice since I can sew up a wound so the more practice I have to make my movements more fluid the better for my patients.”
“What’s the second benefit?”
Xiao Yao smiled. “When I’m done, I’ll give this to Jing.”
Zhuan Xu was stunned and after a moment asked “You…you got back together with him?”
Xiao Yao shook her head. “No.”
“Then that….what’s that for?” Zhuan Xu pointed to the embroidered pouch in Xiao Yao’s hand.
“Last time I went to Qing Qiu, I learned that he was quite ill and if he wasn’t treated promptly then he might not live more than a hundred years. I’m simply his doctor now.”
Zhuan Xu silently sat there and didn’t have any expression on his face and appeared very calm.
Xiao Yao felt something odd and asked, “Gege?”
Zhuan Xu smiled and gently said, “When you’re done embroidering this pouch, I want one as well. I want it with the phoenix flower, our favorite flower.”
Xiao Yao happily replied, “Sure.”
-----
Chapter 16:
Xiao Yao started spending more time developing her poisons. Late into the night, she would lay on the pallet playing with her poisons and thinking of how to make it even better in terms of prettier and not necessarily more poisonous.
She had memorized the Sheng Nong Herb Manuel left by the Flame Emperor, who the entire world regarded as the progenitor of medicine. She also flipped through all the Gao Xing and Xuan Yuan medical books. She didn’t doubt her poison's ability to be deadly, she just wanted to make it look pretty. She stared at the phoenix flower and researched a few days and worked a few nights and finally created a perfect replica of the small red phoenix flower with the same intoxicating fragrance. She made the poison layered on it like the morning dew.
Every one of her poisons was one of her longing, one of her missing, one of her feelings. She created it and watched it come to life in her hands, and then carefully put it away to send out.
Xiao Yao wondered what Xiang Liu would think when he saw the poisons? Would he call her a weirdo pervert?
This made me think about the ice crystal ball and the other poisons that XY created for XL, and all the effort she put into them, and made me try to remember if XY gave any similar hand-made creations to TSJ or CX. The only thing I could recall was the embroidered pouches she made. But her first reason for making the first pouch was to practice needlework (a transferrable skill for practicing medicine). Giving the pouch to TSJ was a secondary motivation. And CX had to ask her to make one for him too.AH :
On some level, XY making poisons for XL was part of a promise / transaction. But she could have made those poisons simply and just focused on making them functional. Instead, she put a huge amount of effort into making them beautiful, and put her feelings into them.
This has somehow brightened my day even more.
Thank you <3
Flame Emperor gave Ah Heng the Manual when she and Chi You came to Shen Nong for the antidote. Flame Emperor actually had poisoned Chi You. When Flame Emperor had a talk with her (since he regarded her as Chi You's lover), A Heng forgot to use to Flower face former. So, she revealed her own real face. Flame Emperor saw some familiar figure of Ah Lui (her mother who was his sworn sister or very close friend). Then he knew she was Ah Lui's daughter. Actually, the Flame Emperor, Ah Lui and Ah Mi (the Royal Mother) were very close with each other, they had spent time travelling together before Ah Lui was attracted by Huangdi and he became King.
Ah Heng latter used the knowledge and practiced health treatment as Xilang Heng in male form (using the flower face former).
Also, Ah Heng cared for ordinary people which is actually her motivation of accepting the general role.
Okay I have read these parts. I thought Ah Heng did conceal her face but the Flame Emperor was able to guess her identity anyway? I could be mis-remembering that.
I don't remember the Flame Emperor giving the Sheng Nong Herb Manual to Ah Heng or teaching her in the translated parts that I read, so I thought maybe it was shown later in the story (after the Flame Emperor's death) in a flashback or something. But the translation I read was incomplete (some parts were just summaries) and I might just be forgetting some of the details.
It was her who treated and took care of serious injury of Yellow Emperor.
I remember CX and XY talking about this, but I haven't read the original scene. As far as I am aware, this part hasn't been translated. I hope it does get translated one day. I'd love to understand Ah Heng's thoughts and motivations at this point.
If I remember that conversation between XY and Yellow Emperor correctly. XY used to say that she was cold, selfish and didn't care for people. However, by taking of editing the book, it shows she cared for mortal people.
This conversation?
-----
Chapter 16:
Xiao Yao controlled her conflicted emotions and asked with a goofy smile, “Anyone I want? Even someone who is already engaged? Even someone who is your enemy?”
The Yellow Emperor stared at Xiao Yao. “What kind of man do you want?” The Yellow Emperor did not come from a noble or imperial birth right or received such an education, he was born in an ordinary family so when conversing with him, he was much more blunt than the Grand Emperor.
This bold topic would have made any young girl blush but Xiao Yao. She really thought about it and said, “Before I came of age I was already pretending to be a man. When young ladies are just noticing guys I was trying to just survive. I was alone for so long that really I just wanted someone to keep me company. Not someone I want to marry – I want someone I can live with, share happiness and sorrow with, fight and make up, I just don’t want to talk to myself anymore. But I’m scared because think about it, my own grandfather, mom, dad, they all abandoned me before. How can I trust someone won’t abandon me. I took in lonely elders and orphans because I know they need me so they won’t abandon me.”
Xiao Yao chuckled. “People think I am kind but really I’m just weak. When I’m with those who are weaker than me, I feel like I am in control and am needed so I won’t be abandoned. That is when I feel safe.”
------
XY also had another conversation with the Yellow Emperor, but it took place long after the Yellow Emperor made his comments about XY being like her mother.
-----
Chapter 47:
The Yellow Emperor pleaded, “A dead person cannot be brought back to life. If you kill Zhuan Xu now you will send the world into chaos and what will it bring to you?”
“Revenge for Jing!”
“Will revenge make you happier?”
Xiao Yao said decisively, “Yes, revenge will make me happy!” All she thought about yesterday was killing Zhuan Xu and then she would commit suicide and end it all!
“You know the answer, whether it makes you happy or sad. I want you to think carefully about this, and about who you are? Your mother is Princess Xuan Yuan Ba, who died in battle for her kingdom. Your father is Qi Yo, who never gave up on protecting Sheng Nong even to his last breath. Your adopted father is the White Emperor who gave up power for the wellbeing of his people. If for your own selfish reason you send the world into chaos and disarray, then you don’t deserve to be their daughter!”
Xiao Yao coldly scoffed. “Then I don’t deserve to be their daughter and I don’t care! You guys are all great heroes with legacies, willing to shoulder the responsibility of the world, but that is your choice! I just want to be a selfish, normal person, find a little corner of the world to live with my own personal happiness and sorrows. Wise and sage Yellow Emperor, if you want to keep me from getting revenge on Zhuan Xu then you best kill me now! For the good of your world, you need to be heartless once again!”
It had been thousands of years since anyone had dared speak to him thusly, but the Yellow Emperor knew that nothing more could be said at this time. He shuffled to the door before abruptly turning back. “You don’t need to think of the good of the people but you should consider Jing. You know his personality the best, would he want you to do this?”
Xiao Yao coldly retorted, “You should say that to Zhuan Xu, what did Jing do wrong that he had to kill Jing?”
The Yellow Emperor sighed and left the room all stooped over.
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.MengXiang:
Agreed.
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.
Good question.
He had to push her away enough to make sure she wouldn't be completely broken and devastated by his death, but he still wanted to alleviate her loneliness and give her comfort when she needed it, and if he pushed her away too much (to the point where she had no love for him left in her heart) then that might end up killing them both... He managed to pull off a very tricky balancing act.
@H19279
I don't know much about once promised, I had only read a few fragments that AH posted, but I do have a curiosity. Do you find XY relationship with Jing (and/or CX) similar to the relationship between Aheng and Grand Emperor?
No.
Ah Heng had no affection for Shao Hao. She was engaged with him since she was a child under her eldest brother's arrangement. They treated each other as alliance.
I partly agree. I don't see XY's relationship with TSJ as similar to the relationship between Ah Heng and Shao Hao.
I do think there are some limited similarities that can be drawn between Ah Heng and Shao Hao's relationship and XY and CX's relationship.
XY and CX vs Ah Heng and Shao Hao
CX is very much like Shao Hao. He is filled with ambition, and believed that once he had power he would be able to do what he most wanted (i.e., protect his loved ones). As a ruler he generally makes decisions based on the big picture rather than personal ties. He chose to invade Gao Xing, for example, despite knowing that XY would be very angry with him about that decision. He chose to marry many women for political gain / the common good, despite knowing that that choice might close off any possibility of him ever marrying XY.
CX loved XY romantically. Shao Hao came to love Ah Heng romantically.
While XY cared deeply for CX and considered him her most important person (which differs from how Ah Heng viewed Shao Hao), she did not have romantic feelings for him. XY was also CX's greatest source of political support when he sought the throne. Ah Heng did not have romantic feelings for Shao Hao, but she was close with him at one point in their relationship and she played a similar role for Shao Hao (providing political support) as his wife and ally.
Shao Hao's ruthlessness (particularly his decision to not save Ah Heng's brother) ultimately led to Ah Heng divorcing him. CX's ruthlessness (particularly his decision to support TSH murdering TSJ) led XY to poison him and to try to kill herself and then to try to become the next Royal Mother to escape from him. His role in trying to kill TSJ and his role in actually killing XL led to XY deciding to leave Xuan Yuan without saying goodbye to CX.
-----
XY and Feng Long vs Ah Heng and Shao Hao / Ah Heng's First Tragic Fate
I also think there are some similarities between XY's relationship with Feng Long and Ah Heng's relationship with Shao Hao. To be honest, I sometimes think that Ah Heng had two tragic fates and, in LYF, XY managed to escape repeating both of them (thanks to XL).
In Once Promised, Ah Heng initially wanted to break her engagement with Shao Hao, but she ended up going through with the wedding to protect her brothers and her mother. Her brother told her that if she broke the engagement, the Yellow Emperor would likely take away Empress Lei Zhu's status and make his favourite consort the Empress. Which would also affect her brothers' positions / safety and her Eldest brother's claim to the throne. When Ah Heng went through with the marriage, she still loved Qi Yo (Chi You / Chi Chen), and ended up agreeing with Shao Hao to only have an alliance between the two of them with no promises of love.
Which feels similar to XY's engagement to Feng Long. Feng Long said that he couldn't promise XY love, but he could promise to treat her well and never leave her, because to betray her would be to betray CX. XY ended up agreeing to marry Feng Long to help aid CX in his pursuit of the Xuan Yuan throne.
Ah Heng's relationship with Shao Hao trapped her and kept her away from the man she loved (Qi Yo), and it ultimately ended in divorce after Shao Hao refused to help Ah Heng in her time of greatest need.
XL/FFB saved XY from repeating that part of her mother's fate when he successfully prevented her from entering into a loveless political marriage with Feng Long.
Notably, Qi Yo also tried to stop Ah Heng's wedding with Shao Hao in the middle of the ceremony but wasn't strong enough to be able to do so on his own. He wasn't able to convince Ah Heng to change her mind, and didn't have a promise / blood oath that he could invoke like XL.
Ah Heng's Second Tragic Fate
Ah Heng's second tragic fate was that she fell in love with a demon general who was loyal to, and fought for, Sheng Nong. While she was a deity princess general who was loyal to and fought for Xuan Yuan. They couldn't give up their respective loyalties, so they couldn't be together in life (only in death).
By preventing XY from falling further for him, and pushing her to be with TSJ instead (and even saving TSJ's life), XL also prevented XY from repeating Ah Heng's second tragic fate.
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