Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

@AH

The #1 reason why I am still able to enjoy the interactions and romance between XL/FFB and XY/WXL despite XL's harshness towards XY for various reasons throughout the story (including physically harming her) is XY's reaction to it all. The whipping, wound-stepping and cruel words from their first interaction, for example? Barely seemed to phase XY emotionally. The next time she sees him, she isn't afraid of XL. She boldly tries to poison his wine and isn't worried when he detects the poison. She jokes with him and honestly tells him about her fear of being lonely. She doesn't trust him (she thinks he came to the wedding to remind her that he could harm her people if she breaks her promise to make poisons for him), but they are still able to develop a rapport so quickly. And that connection builds so beautifully throughout the story.

The way I read the early chapters, WXL felt more hurt and upset about YSQ's betrayal (when YSQ disappeared and didn't protect her from Xuan the way she expected him to) than any of the times when CX or XL physically hurt her in Volume 1. She took it more deeply to heart and took much longer to get over it. Because of XY's reaction, I found myself also holding that betrayal against YSQ for a long time. I felt like I couldn't trust him as easily after that. As if I also needed to guard my heart against being disappointed again.

I agree. This is exactly my feeling watching the drama and how I jump to XL-ship because WXL/XY clearly understand the motivation behind the torture he suffered under XL and CX hands and in the context it‘s even justified to torture the enemy and later XL rough treatment to her as mix of XL rough demon nature and result of her pushing his buttons (sometimes even intentionally), whereas YSQ/TSJ betrayal hurt her so much more. I find it also interesting, that she keeps testing YSQ/TSJ (she did have ground to but never once XL. I don‘t know it we should interpreted it, because she didn‘t have any expectation of XL as romantic partner so she never has the need to test if XL will abandon her or she implicitly already trusted XL, so much so that no test was needed?.

 windiaaa041293:

then what is meant by rubbing their ears? isn't that the scene when learning archery? I'm sure he dreamed of Jing, and Jing turned into XL.

In the archery scene, if I remember correctly that FFB was very near to XY to fix her posture. XY felt her mind blank as when XL jumbed to bite her neck

She had had another dream way earlier (just after breakup with Jing when he had a son). In her dream, she first saw Jing but with his baby son. She could not see the son's face. Then she turned away. Then she saw FFB on the shell on the ocean. She swam toward to the shell. But then FFB transformed to XL and she swam back to the shore. After that she woke up with full of tears on her face.

I don't pay much attention to the itimacy between Jing and XY so I could not remember if they touched each other's ears

Lol, în which chapter is this rubbing ears dream? 

 windiaaa041293:

@luv2bafangurl

Yangzi once said she never tested the same thing on XL, when she tested Jing, XY always believed in XL.

Thx for your reply. I enjoyed reading your post about the psychological analysis on XY, but I don’t think this diagnose that XY has mental health issue is the right one. 

I see XY actually as someone who is quite healthy emotionally and mentally. She is able to reflect and analyze herself quite accurately and her quoted sentences are proof of that. She knows her baggages, what traumas shaped her and what she wants from life and even how to achieve this goals (e.g. the companionship she crave by surrounding herself with makeshift family who need her in Qingshui Town). I heard that in psychology there are three aspect of ones life: personal, social and work life aspects, that could be an indicator if someone needs help or has mental illness. If one or more of this aspect is not going well (the person is not functioning well in one if them), then it is an indicator that there are something wrong with him and he should get the help he needs. XY has a pretty good and I would even say healthy life actually in Qingshui Town. She has his work as a doctor which going well enough to support her family, she has good and loving relationship with her family even taking the role as the head of the family, she has friends and neighbours who respect and like her and vice versa. Does she has baggage, of course, but most of us do. Does this baggage or trauma influence her behaviours and choices sometimes even make her make bad decision (like indulging Jing and accepting being side piece) yes absolutely, but still that‘s not enough to say she has mental health issue. After being the princess she was adjusting herself to her new identity and role quite well. She was even able to reconnect with her father, building a bond with A Nian, building friendship with Xingyue and FL and friendship with hot chemistry undercurrent with FFB ?. She was also continuing her work with experimenting with poison and writing the Herbs Manual. So all of the life aspects are in good order.  

Her deep depression and suicidal thoughts later are indicator that she needs help to overcome her suffering, but it‘s also actually pretty normal reaction that everybody will have after suffering such big blow one after another. Who won’t get severely depressed after losing literally a husband one loves on the eve of the wedding and finding out your beloved brother orchestrated the whole thing. Even other healthy person with no baggage would be crushed completely under such devastation and betrayal imo. 

 windiaaa041293:

Xiaotian doesn't want to recall, but no matter whether he opens his eyes or closes his eyes, the scenes in his heart are all about the two of them rubbing their ears together. The memory is so clear, and the tenderness seems to still be on my lips, but everything can never be regained.

I am lost. Can you please tell me which chapter in the novel did Xiao Yao rub ears with anyone?

 AH :

I agree that, in the novel, CX's attempts to get Gong Gong or XL to surrender or switch sides were numerous and not solely motivated by concerns about XY's connection with XL. So XL would not necessarily be aware that the Yellow Emperor had an inkling of XY's feelings for XL and that that insight motivated the Yellow Emperor to ask CX to spare no effort to bring XL over to Xuan Yuan's side. Or that XY personally begged CX to spare XL's life before the final battle.

Maybe the leaked script for the drama (Ep3  (S2 Ep11) gives us a clue as it shows XL linking the impossibility of a relationship with XY with a conversation he had with Lirong Chang when the latter tried to persuade him to abandon the Sheng Nong army:

LM (pleading): There is no future for you both. Let her go! Both of you have different stands. Don't be like... the Great General... loving each other devotedly, but forced to fight to the death in battle...

Looking at the tear-filled old man, Fangfeng Bei's eyes were grief-stricken as he recalled what happened not too long ago.

[Flashback]

Lirong Chang and Xiang Liu were seated at a balcony of a tea house. 

[...]

LRC: His Majesty commanded me to persuade you to surrender. 

[...]

Xiang Liu appeared to consider his words.

XL: Withdraw and retreat?
LRC: You have served loyally for several hundred years. Whatever debt you owed would have been fully repaid. Why not put down this heavy burden. From here on, you can choose to either live in seclusion or enjoy the world, be unfettered and free, doing as you please. (jokingly) You might even meet someone you love, marry, have children, and stay together to a ripe old age. That is also a happy life.

Xiang Liu looked out the window, to Hui Chun clinic directly opposite.

[He sees elderly Chuan zi and Sang Tian'er with their grandchildren, affectionate smiles on their faces]

From the balcony, Xiang Liu's face was placid, his eyes warm as he watched them. Seeing his expression, Lirong Chang thought that he had succeeded in persuading him.

LRC: Just voice out whatever you want. The Xuan Yuan king will do his best to fulfil it.

But actually, I think we can make this passage say whatever we want. For example, this passage could also means that LRC just induces the idea of a retreated and married XL, with no undertone about XY (although in the novel, we know that LRC already knows that there's something between FFB/XL and XY). 

 AH :

The things that CX promises probably seemed too good to be true, but rather than thinking that these promises must be motivated by something else (e.g., concern for XY) Gong Gong and XL would be more likely to conclude that CX would not fully uphold all those promises after they surrendered, since they would no longer have any leverage to hold him to his promises after surrendering.

CX is a pragmatic ruler but I thought that he is presented as a man of his word? Anyway, it seems unlikely that he could have allowed XL to disappear given his conditions for fulfilling his promise and XL's stubborness...

 AH :

If you're talking about the drama, XL steals XY away from her wedding with Feng Long in chapter 32 and the Sheng Nong remnant army is defeated in chapter 50. I think we calculated the amount of time that passed between those chapters before. It was definitely way more than 46 years. iirc it was more like 60 years.

Thanks!

 AH :

As we agreed before, it's open to interpretation.

I personally think XY had romantic feelings for XL, but I don't think the bug connection is absolutely unequivocal proof that XY's love for XL had to be romantic.

As you said, we agreed that it's open to interpretation, so we could have endless discussions about the Lover's Bug but they would still be somewhat fruitless. But I still have a question. I don't know if someone already raised that point. Based on this:

Chapter 47

Zhuan Xu cried “Xiao Yao, tell me! If we could do it all over again and I held you close after we reunited on Five Gods Mountain, with no chance for Jing to get close to you, would you have picked me?”

Xiao Yao was about to pass out but Zhuan Xu’s words took her back to the very beginning and it was as clear as yesterday “When I was locked up in the cage by the nine-tailed fox, all I could think of was you…..all I missed was you….when you didn’t recognize me, I still used my life to save you…….back then…….there was no Jing yet………..” Xiao Yao’s voice trailed off.

If we take into account that XY at the moment of the story when she planted the bug on CX, did love CX romantically but failed to durably plant it because as XL said, CX did not willingly accept the bug, it all makes sense, doesn't it? 

The drama emphasizes the idea of a romantic shared love bewteen XY and CX better: XY clearly displays signs of a behavior of a girl in love in front of CX: destabilized, shy and even jealous of Ah Nian (episodes 10 and 11 - in the novel: "Xiao Liu asked “You and Ah Nian…..is it really just sibling feelings between you guys?”"). And we get to listen to XY's theme "Long Lovesickness" when she discovers CX's real identity (episode 9). Likewise, XY and bystanders listening to Mr Stone's exposition story of the 2 orphans (episode 1) shows also that the 2 orphans were linked by a romantic childhood love (for example, when learning that the little prince forgot all about his Mei Mei as he roamed the world with the second princess of Haoling, the pregnant demon rabbit is shocked "So heartless! Outrageous!" ).

 luv2bafangurl:

Thx for your reply. I enjoyed reading your post about the psychological analysis on XY, but I don’t think this diagnose that XY has mental health issue is the right one.

 luv2bafangurl:

Her deep depression and suicidal thoughts later are indicator that she needs help to overcome her suffering, but it‘s also actually pretty normal reaction that everybody will have after suffering such big blow one after another. Who won’t get severely depressed after losing literally a husband one loves on the eve of the wedding and finding out your beloved brother orchestrated the whole thing. Even other healthy person with no baggage would be crushed completely under such devastation and betrayal imo.

Deep depression and suicidal thoughts are mental health issues, even if they are a 'normal reaction.'

Mental health is like physical health.  It doesn't have to be a constant state to be considered mentally ill or having mental health issues.  Just because I get a cold, that doesn't mean I'm constantly physically ill.  It just means, I'm ill at that moment.  Likewise, there's degrees of mental and physical health.  I can have a touch of arthritis or I can have crippling arthritis.

I don't agree with all of that psych analysis, but I do think serious past trauma that affects your present day choices adversely can count as having mental health issues.