My own theory tends to align more closely with liddi's theory here. I think hatred, lack of love, and romantic love for another person will all cause the bugs to retaliate. Specifically regarding romantic love for another person, since the bugs are primarily raised by very determined girls for their lovers, I highly doubt most girls would condone their lover falling in love romantically with another person, even if their lover still loved them as much as before.solarlunareclipse:
You are not alone in thinking this way. Other fans in this thread definitely have similar interpretations. But as I've said before in this thread, this line of thinking doesn't make sense to me.
The thought process seems to be:
- The Shaman King said only very determined women would raise Lovers Bugs.
- Women would be upset if their lovers had romantic feelings of any kind for another person, even if they didn't act on those feelings and those feelings didn't result in their lover loving them less.
- Therefore, the Lovers Bugs must kill their hosts if one host develops any kind of romantic feelings for another person, even if that host doesn't act on those feelings and those feelings don't cause the host to love the other host any less.
Which just... doesn't seem to be supported by the text.
I see the Shaman King's comments about how very few people choose to raise Lovers Bugs (and that only very determined women would try to raise them) as indicating that this is due to the fact that it is not only very difficult to raise them, it is also very difficult to plant them, and it is very risky to plant them.
Even if the person who tries to raise the bugs goes through all the effort of raising the bugs and manages to do it successfully, it's nearly impossible for that person to find a lover who would willingly accept one of the bugs. Especially if the bugs are raised by a woman who needs to find a man to willingly accept the bug. In Dahuang a man could easily have many lovers or even many wives without compromising his reputation. While a woman could only have one lover (her husband), or else her reputation would be ruined. So it would be extremely hard for a woman to find a man who would willingly commit to tie his heart and life together with hers for the rest of his life, and to risk dying if she died or even if she only experienced heartbreak.
If a person raises the bugs knowing what they are, then before planting the bugs that person (and the person who willingly accepts one of those bugs) has to be willing to tie their heart and their life to one person for the rest of their life. They have to be willing to risk dying with that one person if that one person dies, to risk dying with that one person if that one person were to cause them heartbreak, to risk dying with that one person if they were to cause that one person heartbreak, and to risk dying with that one person if the bug were to act unpredictably and backfire for some other reason.
And it's irreversible. Once the bugs are successfully planted, they cannot be removed. The threat to both hosts' lives will remain forever, along with the chance to use the potential benefits (including using the bug connection to save the other host's life, if needed).
The potential reward is high, but the risks are also very high. And the chances of success are very slim.
So only a very determined person would choose to try to raise the bugs, especially if the person raising the bugs is a woman because her odds of successfully planting her bug are even lower than a man's odds of successfully planting his bug.
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Chapter 26:
| Kanunu8 | Chat GPT | Koala | |
| 蛇莓儿打量了一圈，看四下无人，说道：“之前王姬提过体内的蛊，我思索到如今也没想清楚到底是什么蛊，但我想起九黎传说中的一种蛊。” 小夭精神一振，仔细聆听：“什么蛊？” 蛇莓儿说：“一般的蛊都是子母蛊，母蛊可控制子蛊，养蛊、种蛊都容易，但传说中有一种极其难养的蛊，蛊分雌雄，养蛊很难，比养蛊更难的是种蛊。若是女子养的蛊，必须找个男子才能种蛊，若是男子养的蛊，必须找个女子才能种蛊，常常养了一辈子都种不了蛊，所以这种蛊只在九黎的传说中。” “究竟是什么蛊？” “究竟是什么蛊我也不知道，只知道它的名字，叫情人蛊，据说‘情人蛊，心连心’，和王姬说的情形很相似。” 小夭怔怔发了会儿呆，问道：“女子养的蛊，必须找个男子才能种蛊，这世上不是女人就是男人，听上去不难种蛊啊！怎么可能养一辈子都种不了蛊？” 蛇莓儿摇头，愧疚地说：“我所学太少，当年听完就听完了，只当是传说，也没寻根究底。但我们的巫王一定知道，王姬若有空时，就来九黎吧！虽然外面人说我们很可怕，可乡亲们真的都是好人！” | She Meier looked around and saw that there was no one around. She said, "Wang Ji mentioned the Gu in her body before. I still haven't figured out what it is, but I remembered a Gu in the Jiuli legend." Xiao Yao was refreshed and listened carefully: "What Gu?" She Meier said, "Generally, Gu is a mother-child Gu. The mother Gu can control the child Gu. It is easy to raise and grow Gu. But there is a Gu that is extremely difficult to raise in legends. Gu is divided into male and female. It is difficult to raise Gu, and it is even more difficult to grow Gu. If a woman raises a Gu, she must find a man to grow it. If a man raises a Gu, he must find a woman to grow it. Often, they can't grow Gu even after raising it for a lifetime, so this kind of Gu only exists in the Jiuli legend." " What kind of Gu is it?" "I don't know what it is, I only know its name, it's called Lover's Gu, it's said that 'Lover's Gu, heart to heart', and it's very similar to what Wang Ji said." Xiao Yao was stunned for a while, and asked: "Women raise Gu, they must find a man to grow Gu, there are either women or men in this world, it sounds easy to grow Gu! How is it possible to raise a Gu for a lifetime and never grow it?" She Mei'er shook her head and said guiltily: "I have learned too little, I just heard it back then, just thought it was a legend, and didn't find out the truth. But our witch king must know, if Wang Ji is free, come to Jiuli! Although outsiders say we are terrible, the villagers are really good people!" | Shemei glanced around, seeing no one else, and said, "The princess mentioned the Gu inside her body before. I've been pondering it ever since but haven't figured out exactly what kind of Gu it is. However, I recalled a type of Gu from the legends of the Jiuli tribe." Xiaoyao perked up and listened carefully. "What kind of Gu?" Shemei said, "Most Gu are parent-child Gu, where the parent Gu can control the child Gu. It’s easy to nurture and plant these Gu. But there is a legend of an extremely difficult Gu to nurture. This Gu is divided into male and female types. Raising the Gu is hard, but planting it is even harder. If a woman raises the Gu, she must find a man to plant it. If a man raises the Gu, he must find a woman to plant it. Often, people spend their whole lives raising the Gu without ever planting it, so this Gu only exists in Jiuli legends." "What kind of Gu is it?" "I don’t know exactly what kind of Gu it is, only its name. It’s called the Lover's Gu. It's said that 'Lover's Gu connects hearts,' which is very similar to what the princess described." Xiaoyao was stunned for a moment and then asked, "A woman raising the Gu must find a man to plant it. There are only men and women in this world; it doesn’t sound that hard to plant the Gu! How could someone raise it their whole life without planting it?" Shemei shook her head, apologetically saying, "I haven’t learned enough. I just heard about it back then and thought it was just a legend, so I didn’t investigate further. But our Witch King would definitely know. If the princess has time, she should come to Jiuli! Though outsiders say we’re scary, the villagers are really good people!" | Se Mai Er looked around to make sure they were alone and then said, “The voodoo bug the Princess mentioned before, I thought and thought and still have no idea what it is. But I did remember a legend that circulated in Jiu Li about a very rare voodoo bug.” Xiao Yao perked up and listened carefully. “What kind of bug?” Se Mai Er explained, “Most voodoo bugs are parent-child bugs. The parent bug can control the child bug, and this kind of bug is easy to raise and easy to plant. But legend has it there is a rare, extremely difficult-to-raise-and-plant bug. That bug has a gender difference and is split into a male bug and a female bug. It is hard to raise and even harder to plant. If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it. If a man raised the bug, he needs to find a woman to plant it. Almost always this bug is raised but cannot be planted even in a lifetime. So this bug remains just a legend in Jiu Li.” “What kind of bug is it?” “I don’t know what kind of bug it is but I do know its name. It’s called a Lover’s Bug and legend says “Lover’s Bug, Heart to Heart.” It sounds a lot like what Princess described.” Xiao Yao was stunned and in a daze. She then asked, “If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it in. But this world had plenty of men and women, how hard would it be to plant the bug! How could this bug be so hard to plant, a lifetime could pass and it still wouldn’t be planted?” Se Mai Er shook her head and said apologetically, “I learned too little back then and listened to this but didn’t ask more questions thinking it just a legend. But our Voodoo King will know. If Princess has time, please visit Jiu Li! Even though the outside considers us scary evil people, our people are actually quite wonderful!” |
| 小夭目送着蛇莓儿的身影消失在苍茫的天地间，转头看向了东边，那里有清水镇，还有辽阔的大海，小夭喃喃说：“情人蛊？” | Xiao Yao watched She Mei'er's figure disappear in the vast sky and earth, turned his head and looked to the east, where there was Qingshui Town and the vast sea, Xiao Yao murmured: "Lover's Gu?" | Xiaoyao watched as Shemei's figure disappeared into the vast expanse of sky and earth. Then she turned her gaze to the east, where there was Qingshui Town and the vast ocean. Xiaoyao murmured to herself, "Lover's Gu?" | 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?” |
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Chapter 37:
| Kanunu8 | Chat GPT | Koala | |
| 巫王咳嗽了一声，郑重地说：“情人蛊，顾名思义有一对雌雄蛊虫，中蛊的男女命脉相连、心意相通，一人痛，另一人也会痛，一人伤，另一人也会伤。” 小夭说：“这些我都知道，还有呢？” | The witch king coughed and said solemnly: "Lover Gu, as the name suggests, has a pair of male and female Gu worms. The lifeblood of the man and woman infected with the Gu is connected, and their minds are connected. If one person hurts, the other will also feel pain, and if one person is injured, the other will also be injured." Xiao Yao said: "I know all these, what else?" | The Witch King coughed and solemnly said, "The Lover's Gu, as the name implies, consists of a pair of male and female Gu worms. The lifelines of the man and woman who have been affected by the Gu are connected, and they can understand each other's thoughts. If one feels pain, the other feels it too. If one is injured, the other will also be injured." Xiao Yao said, "I know all that. What else?" | The Voodoo King coughed once and solemnly explained, “Lover’s Bug, like its name indicates, is a pair of male-female voodoo bugs. The couple who has the bug successfully planted will have their life and emotions connected. If one hurts then the other will hurt. If one is injured then the other will also be injured.” Xiao Yao said, “This I know already. What else?” |
| “蛊术在外人眼中，神秘歹毒，其实不过是我们九黎族一代代积累下的医术和防身术。九黎多毒虫、毒草、瘴气，为了活下去，祖祖辈辈都在努力了解它们、驾驭它们。蛊术以狠毒闻名大荒，可实际上，我们更多地用蛊救人。情人蛊让两人命脉相连，也就是说，纵然一个重伤，只要另一人生机旺盛，就可以让重伤的人活下来，这本是极好的事，即使难养，也应该有很多人想养，但为什么一直罕有人养呢？” 小夭问：“为什么？” “孤阳不生，独阴不长，万物有利一面，则必有害一面，利越大，害就越大，情人蛊亦是如此。它能让有情人心意相通、命脉相连，可情人蛊就像相恋的恋人，脾气多变，非常难驾驭，蛊虫极易反噬，一旦发作，两人俱亡，所以情人蛊还有个名字，叫断肠蛊。” 璟震惊地看向小夭，小夭忙道：“哪里有他说的那么可怕？这都七八十年了，我不一直好好的？” 巫王悚然变色：“难道你的蛊不是种给这位公子？” “不是。” 巫王面色怪异，问小夭：“能让我探看一下你的蛊虫吗？” | "Gu art is mysterious and poisonous in the eyes of outsiders, but it is actually just the medical skills and self-defense skills accumulated by our Jiuli people from generation to generation. Jiuli has many poisonous insects, poisonous grasses, and miasma. In order to survive, our ancestors have been trying to understand and control them. Gu art is famous for its viciousness in the wilderness, but in fact, we use Gu more to save people. Lover Gu connects the lifeblood of two people, that is, even if one is seriously injured, as long as the other is vigorous, the seriously injured person can survive. This is a very good thing. Even if it is difficult to raise, there should be many people who want to raise it, but why is it that few people have raised it? " Xiao Yao asked: "Why?" "No yang can grow alone, and no yin can grow alone. Everything has a good side, and there must be a bad side. The greater the benefit, the greater the harm. The same is true for the lover's Gu. It can make lovers communicate with each other and connect their lives, but the lover's Gu is like a lover in love. It has a changeable temper and is very difficult to control. The Gu worm is very easy to backfire. Once it breaks out, both of them will die. Therefore, the lover's Gu has another name, called the heartbreak Gu. " Jing looked at Xiao Yao in shock. Xiao Yao hurriedly said: "How can it be as terrible as he said? It's been seventy or eighty years. Haven't I been fine all the time?" | "To outsiders, Gu techniques seem mysterious and sinister, but in reality, they are simply medical and self-defense techniques accumulated by our Jiuli tribe over generations. The Jiuli region is full of poisonous insects, poisonous plants, and miasma. To survive, our ancestors made efforts to understand and control them. Gu techniques are notorious for their cruelty in the Great Wilderness, but we often use them to save lives. The Lover's Gu connects two people's lifelines, which means that even if one is severely injured, as long as the other has strong vitality, the severely injured person can survive. This is actually a very good thing. Even though it is difficult to nurture, many people should want to nurture it. But why is it so rare?" Xiao Yao asked, "Why?" "Solitary yang cannot grow, and solitary yin cannot survive. Everything has both benefits and drawbacks. The greater the benefit, the greater the drawback. The Lover's Gu is no exception. It allows lovers to connect their hearts and lifelines, but like lovers in a relationship, it has a volatile temper and is extremely difficult to control. The Gu worms are prone to backfire, and once it happens, both people will perish. Therefore, the Lover's Gu has another name: the Heartbreak Gu." Jing looked at Xiao Yao in shock. Xiao Yao hurriedly said, "It's not as scary as he says! It's been seventy or eighty years, and I've been just fine." | “To outsiders voodoo is considered mysterious and bad, but really it's a craft and magic that the Jiu Li tribe has passed down through generations to protect and heal us. Jiu Li has lots of deadly insects, deadly plants, deadly gasses, to live here our ancestors had to learn to understand it and control it. Voodoo is seen as a harmful power but we actually mostly use it here to save lives. The Lover’s Bug keeps two people’s lives connected, which means when one is injured as long as the other is healthy then the injured person will survive. This is a very good thing. Even if the Lover’s Bug is notoriously hard to grow, it ought to still be relatively prevalent since many people will try to grow it. So why it is so rare to see?” Xiao Yao asked, “Why?” “All living things that have a benefit must also carry a harm. The greater the benefit then the greater the potential for harm. The Lover’s Bug is exactly that. It can lead two people to be connected in life and emotions but it is just like a pair of lovers in love with each other. It is tempermental and hard to control. If the Lover’s Bugs turn on each other then both people will die. Which is why the Lover’s Bug also has another name: the Heartbreak Bug.” Jing stared in dismay at Xiao Yao who quickly said, “It can’t be as scary as he makes it out to be. It’s been over seventy years and I’m still just fine.” |
| 巫王悚然变色：“难道你的蛊不是种给这位公子？” “不是。” 巫王面色怪异，问小夭：“能让我探看一下你的蛊虫吗？” 小夭点了点头。 也不见巫王有何动作，想来是用自己体内的蛊虫在探看。巫王眉头紧皱，喃喃说：“的确是情人蛊！怎么可能呢？‘有情人养情人蛊，断肠人成断肠蛊’，情人蛊和其他蛊都不同，必须要一对情人心甘情愿，才能种蛊，他若不是你的情郎，你怎么可能给他种下情人蛊？” | The witch king changed color in horror: "Isn't your Gu planted for this young man?" "No." The witch king looked strange and asked Xiao Yao: "Can I take a look at your Gu worm?" Xiao Yao nodded. The witch king didn't see any action, so he thought he was using the Gu worm in his body to check. The witch king frowned and murmured, "It is indeed a lover's Gu! How is it possible? 'Lovers raise lover's Gu, and heartbroken people become heartbroken Gu'. Lover's Gu is different from other Gu. It must be planted by a pair of lovers willingly. If he is not your lover, how could you plant lover's Gu on him?" | The Witch King's expression changed dramatically. "Your Gu wasn't planted in this young man?" "No." The Witch King looked at Xiao Yao with a strange expression and asked, "May I take a look at your Gu worm?" Xiao Yao nodded. Without any visible movement from the Witch King, it seemed he was using his own Gu worm to investigate. His brows furrowed tightly as he murmured, "It really is the Lover's Gu! How is that possible? 'Lovers nurture the Lover's Gu, the heartbroken become the Heartbreak Gu.' The Lover's Gu is different from other Gu worms. It must be willingly planted by a pair of lovers. If he is not your lover, how could you have planted the Lover's Gu in him?" | The Voodoo King’s expression changed as he stared at Jing, “You’re not the man the other bug is planted in?” “No.” The Voodoo King stared in shock at Xiao Yao. “Can I feel the bug in you?” Xiao Yao nodded. The Voodoo King didn’t move so he was likely using a bug inside of himself to sense. He furrowed his brows and murmured, “It really is a Lover’s Bug! But how is this possible? ‘Lovers who raise the bug produce the Lover’s Bug, Not Lovers who raise the bug produce the Heartbreak Bug.’ The Lover’s Bug is different then other voodoo bugs and absolutely requires the couple to willingly accept the bug for it to be successfully planted. If the man you successfully planted the other bug in is not your lover, then how did you plant it in him?” |
| 小夭道：“你可大大比不上你的先祖，太拘泥于前人的经验了。猛虎生于山野是百兽之王，但如果长于斗定，不过是大一点的野猫。蛊虫不是死物，所以蛊术才变幻莫测。” 巫王心中百般不解，可小夭的情郎明显是她身边的这位公子，有些话不好再说，只得敷衍道：“姑娘教训的是，姑娘体内的蛊虫的确不同于一般的蛊虫，想来姑娘和那人都有特异之处。” 小夭叹了口气：“他是很特异！” 自从中蛊，只能相柳感觉到她，她却从没有感觉到他。 | Xiao Yao said, "You are far inferior to your ancestors. You are too rigid about the experience of your predecessors. A tiger born in the mountains is the king of beasts, but if it grows up to fight, it is just a bigger wild cat. Gu worms are not dead things, so Gu techniques are unpredictable." The witch king was puzzled, but Xiao Yao's lover was obviously the young man next to her. Some things were not easy to say, so he had to perfunctorily say, "What the girl taught is that the Gu worm in the girl's body is indeed different from ordinary Gu worms. I think the girl and that person have their own special features." Xiao Yao sighed, "He is very special!" Since being poisoned, only Xiang Liu can feel her, but she has never felt him. | Xiao Yao said, "You are far inferior to your ancestors, too bound by their experiences. A tiger born in the wild is the king of beasts, but if it grows up in captivity, it's just a big cat. Gu worms are not lifeless things, which is why Gu techniques are so unpredictable." The Witch King was deeply puzzled, but it was clear that Xiao Yao's lover was the young man beside her. Some things were better left unsaid, so he replied perfunctorily, "The young lady is right. The Gu worm in your body is indeed different from ordinary Gu worms. It seems both you and that person have unique qualities." Xiao Yao sighed, "He is indeed very unique!" Ever since the Gu was planted, only Xiang Liu can sense her, but she was never able to sense him. | Xiao Yao said, “You might not know as much as your ancestors, the bug could be more multi-facted and evolving in ways beyond your understanding.” The Voodoo King was still perplexed. But it was clear that the young man sitting beside Xiao Yao was clearly her beloved so the rest of what he wanted to say wasn’t suitable for discussing at this time. He smoothed things over. “Miss you are likely right, the bug inside of you is different than other bugs. Likely Miss and the other man have very unique bodily compositions.” Xiao Yao inwardly sighed in relief. “He is very unique!” Since the bug was planted, only Xiang Liu could sense her but she could never sense him. |
| 璟急切地问：“请问如何解蛊？” 巫王的脸皱成了一团，说道：“要么同心而生，要么离心而死，情人蛊一旦种下，无法可解。我刚才还想说，这也是为什么很少有人养它的原因，只有一些执拗的女子才会养此蛊，即使养成，也很难找到男子愿意种蛊。” | Jing asked anxiously, "How can I cure the poison?" The face of the witch king wrinkled up, and he said, "Either live together or die apart. Once the lover's poison is planted, there is no cure. I was just thinking that this is why few people raise it. Only some stubborn women will raise this poison. Even if they do, it is difficult to find a man willing to plant it." | Jing asked urgently, "How can the Gu be removed?" The Witch King's face wrinkled into a frown as he said, "Either live with united hearts or die with separate / divided hearts. Once the Lover's Gu is planted, it cannot be removed. I was about to say that this is also why very few people nurture it. Only some stubborn women would choose to nurture this Gu, and even if they succeed, it is difficult to find a man willing to plant it." | Jing anxiously asked, “How to break the spell?” The Voodoo King’s face scrunched up. “The Lover’s Bug – either live in love or die in heartbreak. Once the Lover’s Bug has been planted there is no way to break the spell. It is impossible. This is what I was trying to say earlier for why so few people raise it despite the great benefit. Only very determined girls would raise the bug but even if they successfully raise it, it’s near impossible to find a man willing to accept the other bug to be planted in him.” |
| 璟愣住，半晌后，才缓缓问：“如果种了情人蛊的一人死了，另一人会如何？” 巫王叹了口气：“我们九黎的歌谣说‘地上梧桐相持老，天上鹣鹣不独飞，水中鸳鸯会双死。’” | Jing was stunned. After a long while, he slowly asked, "If one of the people who planted the lover's poison dies, what will happen to the other person?" The witch king sighed, "Our Jiuli ballad says, 'The phoenix trees on the ground will grow old together, the mandarin ducks in the sky will not fly alone, and the mandarin ducks in the water will die together.'" | Jing was stunned. After a while, he slowly asked, "If one of the people with the Lover's Gu dies, what will happen to the other?" The Witch King sighed, "Our Jiuli folk song says, 'On earth, the phoenix trees grow old together; in the sky, lovebirds never fly alone; in the water, mandarin ducks die together.'" | Jing was stunned and after a moment of silence he slowly asked, “What happens if one person who has the Lover’s Bug dies? What happens to the other person?” The Voodoo King sighed. “Our Jiu Li folk ballad sings ‘The twisted roots of the parasol tree entwine on land, the doves do not fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water always die together.'” |
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In the drama, the wording is a bit different. Lirong Ji even mentions betrayal. But I think the gist is pretty much the same.
I don't think Lirong Ji's words are meant to mean that mostly women raise the bugs with the objective that the bugs will kill the hosts if the man who is the lover of the woman who raised the bugs (or the woman herself) develops any amount of romantic love for another person. As if the bugs would be monitoring the hosts' hearts for traces of such romantic feelings and would be triggered to retliate by them... instead of monitoring for feelings of heartbreak and betrayal and being triggered by those feelings.
I think Lirong Ji is saying that the people who choose to undertake the difficult task of raising such bugs are usually women who hope for a love where both parties are willing to tie their hearts and lives together and to live and die together. In other words, these women are hoping for a life-long love with a man who is willing to risk dying if he were to cause her heartbreak (e.g., the kind of heartbreak a woman might feel if her lover left her, if her husband married a second wife, or if her lover otherwise betrayed her) and who is willing to die with her when she dies.
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S1 Ep12
离戎老伯：传说中有一种极其难养的雌雄蛊。一雌一雄，力量相当。施蛊者便无法控制蛊虫。这种情况大都是女子养来种给情郎的，求的是一心一意，永不相负。一旦种上，便同命连心，生死相随，所以又叫做情蛊。liddi:
相柳：如果彼此无情，能种蛊吗。
离戎老伯：哎呦，不行不行不行。不过蛊术之道神秘莫测，也许能种吧。但即便勉强种下也是后患无穷，不但不能同命连心，还可能被蛊虫反噬，危及性命啊。
相柳：怎么解蛊
离戎老伯：种蛊要靠情意，解蛊也要靠情意。如果种蛊时间不长，趁其根基未稳，也可能将蛊移到另一个人身上。但另一个人必须心中有情才行。情蛊这东西啊，不但要命还要心。你命是有九条，但心只有一颗。一旦给了出去，可就再也收不回来了。
LROM: Legend has it there are male-female poisonous bugs which are very difficult to cultivate. One is male, the other is female, with equal power. The one who raises them cannot control the poisonous bug. Mostly women raise it for their lovers, hoping for a love that is devoted (one heart, one mind), never betraying each other. Once it is planted, the couple's hearts and fates/lives are joined, living and dying together. As such, it is also called love poisonous bug.
XL: If there is no love between the couple, would it be possible to plant the bug?
LROM: No, no, no. However, the art of poisonous bugs is mysterious and unpredictable. Perhaps it is possible. Even so, forcibly planting it will lead to endless troubles. Not only are they unable to join their hearts together and share the same fates/lives, but the poisonous bugs may retaliate against them and harm their lives.
XL: How can they be removed?
LROM: The planting of the bug relies on love, as does its removal. If it has not been planted for long, it is possible to transfer it to another person while its foundation has not yet stabilised. However, the other person must have love in his heart. The love poisonous bug demands not only your life but your heart. You have nine lives, but only one heart. Once your heart is given, you can never take it back.
MengXiang:
@AH
XL didn't ask XY to run away with him again, and that made him different from Chi You. But if he had, for much of her story XY couldn't leave or betray CX in order to be with XL. Somewhat similar to how Ah Heng couldn't leave or betray her brothers, her mother and her people to be with Chi You before the war ended.
I was thinking... If XL did ask her seriously to run away with him and he was willing, I think it shouldn't be a hard decision. It wouldn't really be a betrayal to CX as she is taking XL from the resistance army and XL was what made the army so difficult so in a way her leaving with him would be beneficial to CX.
In one sense, yes it wouldn't be a betrayal of CX (or Xuan Yuan) if XY took XL away from the remanant army (in some bizarre AU scenario where he would be willing to abandon the remnant army...).
But in another sense, running away with XL and leaving CX behind would be a betrayal of her childhood vow.
And leaving CX behind forever in that context (where CX didn't betray XY) would be very painful for both XY and CX.
-----
Chapter 10:
Zhuan Xu’s teasing faded and he got serious “You’ve been whatever goes for so long, but I know you won’t be able to sit back and watch me without getting involved. Once I go back to Xuan Yuan, whatever I do will clearly impact you. The people who want to get rid of me will try and harm you. So why should I act like you won’t get involved? Rather than vowing not to get you involved, I’d rather tell you up front so you are better prepared.”
Xiao Yao patted Zhuan Xu’s hand to indicate that she understood. She said, “Zhuan Xu, do you remember? When grandmother was about to die, she grabbed both our hands and said that we were poor children and that we needed to stick to each other from then on and take care of each other.”
“I remember.” It was long engraved in his heart, how could he forget? Zhuan Xu vividly remembered their grandmother’s dying request. Because his parents died so tragically, he grew up very young and he solemnly promised grandmother that he would protect his sister for life. Xiao Yao didn’t understand at that time so she merely copied him and promised to protect her Gege for life.
“I thought grandmother was senile back then since you may be a poor orphaned kid but I wasn’t. Look at us now! Grandmother likely already predicted what would have happened to us.”
Zhuan Xu said softly, “Back then the laughter and joy blanketed the entire Cao Yuan Court – and now it’s only the two of us left!”
-----
Chapter 47:
Xiao Yao ate a flower. “When Grandmother died, we vowed before my mom, your mom, Auntie Ju Li, we promised them that we would always take care of each other, together and never apart. I did it, but you didn’t! Gege, you didn’t do it!”
-----
Chapter 49:
Zhuan Xu stared hard at Jing one last time before silently walking past Xiao Yao and heading down the cliffs. His guards surrounded him but everyone kept their distance, making his lone figure seem even more isolated.
Xiao Yao’s eyes followed Zhuan Xu until his form disappeared from sight, as if watching the most important and precious part of her life vanish forever. Her body trembled and ached from the pain in her heart so she grabbed her chest with one hand as she leaned on Jing’s body for support.
-----
Chapter 50:
Xiao Yao grew silent as she plucked the weeds and slowly her tears began to fall. Since she was a child, every trip to the graves was with Zhuan Xu. With someone beside her to help share in the pain, even sorrow seemed less heavy. This was her first trip here solo and so many memories from the past came flooding back……
When her grandmother was dying, her mother and her eldest aunt sat beside the bed day and night. Auntie Ju Li had her sleep on the same pallet as Zhuan Xu so she could watch them more conveniently. Xiao Yao had a vague understanding of death but she had never experienced it in person before so didn’t have any feelings about it. But Zhuan Xu had seen his mother commit suicide right in front of him, and he was raised beside his grandmother since he was born, so his sadness was far greater than hers. He was always afraid that grandmother would be dead when he was sleeping so he couldn’t sleep soundly. Sometimes he woke up unconsciously, other times deliberately, and Xiao Yao would wake with him and got used to it. Every time he woke up, she would do as her mother did with her and comfort Zhuan Xu to go back to sleep. She would embrace him and softly pat his back, croon a lullaby to him even as her eyes were closed because she was so tired.
That night Zhuan Xu woke up again and got dressed before waking Xiao Yao. “Grandmother is near death.” He got her robe to dress her.
Xiao Yao was so sleepy she curled into the blanket. “It’s just a nightmare, I’ll sing to you.”
Zhuan Xu said, “Xiao Yao, be good! Stop sleeping and get dressed to go see Grandmother one last time so she doesn’t worry. In the future……” Zhuan Xu started crying.
Xiao Yao scrambled up and got dressed. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m up now.” Xiao Yao brushed the tears from Zhuan Xu’s face. “Look at you, such a crybaby. I never cry!”
Zhuan Xu awkwardly turned his head and Xiao Yao quickly added, “Only you know, I know, the sky knows, and the ground knows. I will never tell anyone else!”
Just as Xiao Yao got dressed Auntie Ju Li rushed into the room intending to wake the kids and was shocked to see them standing hand-in-hand by the door. She didn’t think more of it and grabbed them both. “We need to see Her Highness the Empress. Remember, whatever she says to you both, listen carefully and remember always.”
As they entered the room, her mom and her big aunt each picked one child up and placed them beside their grandmother.
Grandmother took the two kids hands and put them together. “You both are such good kids, but also such tragic fated kids. No matter how the world treats you, you will forever be each other’s closest and dearest person. No matter what happens, you will never leave or abandon each other. You must always take care of each other. As long as there is one person to rely on, then, no matter how hard the road ahead is, you can get over it.”
After speaking their grandmother started to violently cough and her hand tightened around Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao’s hands. Xiao Yao thought that death was just going to sleep and never waking up, which meant her grandmother would not be able to read stories to her or help her when Zhuan Xu was being mean to her…… Xiao Yao’s tears fell and she murmured “Grandmother, I don’t want you to die, I don’t want you to die……..”
Zhuan Xu had no tears and was like an adult as he said, “I will remember what Grandmother said.”
Her grandmother stared at Xiao Yao waiting for her response but Xiao Yao didn’t really even understand what her grandmother said and kept crying. “I don’t want you to die, I don’t want you to die……..”
Her grandmother wanted to repeat it again but she couldn’t talk with all the coughing. Zhuan Xu anxiously wrenched Xiao Yao’s ear which hurt so bad she stopped crying. Zhuan Xu stared at Xiao Yao and repeated each word carefully. “Grandmother said we both are such good kids, but also such tragic fated kids. No matter how the world treats us, we will forever be each other’s closest and dearest person. No matter what happens, we will never leave or abandon each other. We must always take care of each other. Do you remember all of this?”
Xiao Yao held her tears in and nodded her head.
Zhuan Xu said, “Repeat it to Grandmother.”
Xiao Yao repeated Zhuan Xu’s words to her grandmother who continued to hold their hands tightly as if she had millions more things to say to them, but in the end she said through her coughs directly to Zhuan Xu. “Zhuan Xu, in the future do not let anyone be mean to Xiao Yao. You have to protect her.”
Zhuan Xu solemnly vowed, “I will remember and protect my little sister!”
Xiao Yao huffed, Zhuan Xu couldn’t even beat her in a fight, she would be the one who took care of Zhuan Xu and made sure no one was mean to him!
Grandmother gestured to Auntie Ju Li to take the kids out and let her speak with Xiao Yao’s mom and their big aunt.
Xiao Yao and Zhuan Xu stood outside for a while until they heard their eldest aunt sobbing. Zhuan Xu held Xiao Yao’s hand and ran back inside and they saw their grandmother with her eyes closed in peace.
Zhuan Xu kneeled down silently with no tears as he bit down hard on his lips.
Xiao Yao called out for her grandmother but got no response and started wailing…….
Hrm, I watched the scene where she woke up from her nightmare and didn't see see her clutching her heart. She did clutch her heart after she learned of his death.
Her hand was over her heart when she woke up from the nightmare, an indication that her heart was bothering her.
After XY wakes up from the nightmare, she goes to sit outside. A short time later, TSJ comes out and covers her with an outer robe and XY explians what happened to him.AH :
----
TSJ: Why are you still up?
XY: I just had a nightmare. Suddenly my heart palpitated and I couldn't fall back asleep.
Thanks, I watched the scene again and caught both her hand over her heart when she wakes up and her telling TSJ about her heart palpitation causing her to wake up.
Kokuto:
I'm not EXACTLY sure what this guy is saying, but I'm guessing he is taking XY to task about letting XL die, given the words 37 years, and Tushan Jing are mentioned. lol
https://x.com/AST90CHENGYI/status/1820303246889787403
IIRC, this was the guy last year, who made a video, where he whipped out a TV in front of Jing's chieftan ceremony, and showed everyone what Tushan Hou and FFYY where doing behind closed doors. lol
Hahaha, thanks for sharing. The guy is doing a great job guilt tripping XY over everything XL did for her including accompanying her for 37 years under the sea and feeding her his essential soul blood drop by drop. For her, XL even had to use one of his spare lives to save TSJ (which is inaccurate), and had to use another life to kill the lovers bugs (which is also inaccurate because he used two). XL used 3 lives to save her. Xiang Liu's love was never possessive, it was about fulfilling and letting go.
I don't think Lirong Ji's words are meant to mean that mostly women raise the bugs with the objective that the bugs will kill the hosts if the man who is the lover of the woman who raised the bugs (or the woman herself) develops any amount of romantic love for another person. As if the bugs would be monitoring the hosts' hearts for traces of such romantic feelings and would be triggered to retliate by them... instead of monitoring for feelings of heartbreak and betrayal and being triggered by those feelings.
I think Lirong Ji is saying that the people who choose to undertake the difficult task of raising such bugs are usually women who hope for a love where both parties are willing to tie their hearts and lives together and to live and die together. In other words, these women are hoping for a life-long love with a man who is willing to risk dying if he were to cause her heartbreak (e.g., the kind of heartbreak a woman might feel if her lover left her, if her husband married a second wife, or if her lover otherwise betrayed her) and who is willing to die with her when she dies.
Let me see if I understand your point. Are you saying that only feelings of heartbreak and betrayal will cause the PLBs to retaliate? So if the husband loves and marries a second wife, as long as the first wife with the PLB doesn't feel heartbroken or betrayed, then retaliation will not occur? That seems plausible to me given what we've seen in the drama. It would explain why XY could have "romantic" interludes with TSJ and not cause the PLBs to backfire (because XL was able to suppress his feelings of heartbreak and betrayal).
I was then thinking if it would be possible for one partner to cheat on the other partner, without the other partner knowing, and not have the bugs retaliate, but then I remembered the 3-way neck-biting with XL, WXL, CX and the 3-way kiss with XY, TSJ, XL. I guess it would be pretty difficult to cheat without the other person knowing.
I do think that a separate requirement must be that the two hosts must continue to love each other, given that it is a requirement for the initial planting. If one of them falls out of love with the other, I think the bugs will retaliate, regardless of whether there are any feelings of betrayal or heartbreak involved.
"Happiness or sorrow, it’s all relative. If a person had only one biscuit a day but then saw beggars frozen on the street, he would feel happy because he wasn’t as bad off. But if he saw all his friends get rich then he would feel sorry that his life was terrible"blabla100:
This is why I believe XL went to greath lenghts not to reveal his feellings to her. She would have never been able to be happy with jing, had she known or taste XL's love.
Haha, very good point. It'd be like being content eating a tuna sandwich that had been left in the refrigerator for two weeks absorbing all the smells, after having a taste of Beluga caviar.
Do you think XY would go with XL if he responded to her crystal ball and would that be a betrayal of their childhood promise, given at that point CX has all least ascended the throne.
In the novel, the mermaid in the shell is reaching her hand to the merman outside the shell. Two different ways to interpret this are (1) the mermaid wants the merman to join her inside the shell (XY wants for her and XL to both leave everything behind to be together) (2) the mermaid just wants the merman to reach out and take her extended hand (XY is willing to leave everything behind and join XL in his world).
In the drama, there are two shells--driving home the idea of two completely different worlds. I think this is goes even further than the novel and XY is asking XL to join her in her world, without her necessarily giving anything up.
Based on my interpretation of the meaning behind the crystal ball, I lean towards the interpretation that XY would view it as a betrayal of her childhood promise to CX to be together with someone who opposed him, regardless of whether CX was on the throne or not. Ironically, before CX was on the throne, he and XL were not in direct opposition of each other, but after he ascended the throne, they were destined to have to fight each other to the death.
Thus, even with the crystal ball confession, I think a prerequisite for XY to go with XL is that he leaves the army and stops opposing CX.
I'm not EXACTLY sure what this guy is saying, but I'm guessing he is taking XY to task about letting XL die, given the words 37 years, and Tushan Jing are mentioned. lol
https://x.com/AST90CHENGYI/status/1820303246889787403
IIRC, this was the guy last year, who made a video, where he whipped out a TV in front of Jing's chieftan ceremony, and showed everyone what Tushan Hou and FFYY where doing behind closed doors. lol
hahahahahah hahahahah how this man be Asian dad lecturing her. hahahahahhahahaha
Do you think XY would go with XL if he responded to her crystal ball and would that be a betrayal of their childhood promise, given at that point CX has all least ascended the throne.
XY is fickleminded. I feel like she will leave with XL, and make XL feel guilty asf for still staying with the army, and eventually, he will have to let get go, again.
XY also doesn't think about the consequences of her actions. She decides to go back home to help CX, but beyond appealing to his supporters, XY didn't understood what this meant. She literally just threw her name around like some weapon, using her status as shield and for me is just kind of pathetic. And this is just one example of XY lacknof awareness of the bigger picture. She thi ks so small and for a logical and pragmatic woman, it's not convincing. Logical and pragmatic women think long term and weighs in all the pros an cons, and map out a road to that success, veibg active players in thier game plan. XY set her parameters and sat around like a fisher man waiting for a fish to catch on.
Svetlanchik89:
Dear Liddi, is there any information about Ghost Fang Clan.
In the novell they made a very interesting gift for the CX wedding: 9 herbs for soul reincarnation.
Once Promised only describes the Guifang clan as one of the Four Noble Families.
In LYF, there is a passage that talks about the individual characteristics of the ancestor of the different families through the opera that was performed. While this is Cang Xuan's way of propagating the belief in a united Great Wilderness, it was based on, it also gives some idea of the origins of the Guifang clan.
Since there were too many people, the secret guards could only park the ox cart outside. Xiao Yao stood on the cart, stretching her neck to look inside. It turned out that a fangxiang opera were being performed within. Fang Xiang 方相氏 was an ancient deity. It was said that he was extremely adept in changing his appearance, being able to transform into a thousand faces in a single day. He was exactly like a woman when he appeared as one; and was exactly a man when he took on the appearance of one. After his death, he transformed into a mask. Anyone who wore it could change their appearance at will. No one had ever seen the real fangxiang mask, but people crafted various masks with their skilled hands. By wearing different masks, they could play different roles, singing and dancing in the process. Over time, this practice evolved into what was now known as fangxiang opera.
To put in simply, the mask was a representation; putting on a mask is like possessing Fang Xiang’s transformation powers, allowing one to become that person and enact their story.
Fangxiang opera was popular among the people, featuring legendary tales of heroes and beauties that are loved by both adults and children. Tonight’s performance of fangxiang opera was already more than halfway through, likely starting with the story of Great Emperor Pan Gu, who was said to have split open the heavens and the earth. The story included the wise and passionate Hua Xu, the loyal and brave Shen Nong, the suave and elegant Gao Xin, the learned and talented Xi Ling, the sly and money-loving nine-tailed fox Tu Shan, the physically frail but wise and cunning Gui Fang, Chi Shui who was adept in water control, and Jin Tian who was skilled in metalwork... Together with Great Emperor Pan Gu, they eradicated demons and monsters to establish the Great Wilderness. At that time, the Great Wilderness was a unified world and there was no Shen'nong royal family, no Gaoxin royal family, and especially no Xuanyuan royal family.
The adults and children watching the play would sometimes burst into hearty laughter at the sly, money-loving nine-tailed fox Tu Shan; sometimes wipe away tears for the frail but wise and cunning Gui Fang. Sometimes, they would cheer for the loyal, brave Shen Nong, and sigh for the wise and passionate Hua Xu. When they saw the suave, elegant Gao Xin giving up the rich and prosperous Central Plains for the sake of the peace of the Great Wilderness, choosing to protect the remote, desolate Tang Gorge, they would even joined together in enthusiastic applause and loud cheers.
-- Vol 3 Ch6 (Chapter 39)
What I find even more fascinating is the correlation of the fangxiang 方相 opera with the title of the LYF prequel 千方相. I had previously translated the title of the prequel literally as "Thousands of Directions", but I believe I missed the nuances between the title, fangxiang(shi) and the Guifang clan.
The word 方相 fangxiang from the title could be very much related to fangxiang(shi), which among its interpretations include "one who conjures visions". Historically, fangxiang(shi) was a Chinese ritual exorcist who conducted Nuo rituals to exorcise demons and spirits. In the present day, the fangxiangshi is a masked character in Chinese Nuo opera (also known as 鬼戏 ghost opera), and its Japanese equivalent is the hososhi exorcist in Shinto ceremonies.
Correspondingly, the name of the Guifang clan 鬼方 literally means “ghost direction". The LYF prequel itself was meant to feature the Guifang clan, the King of the Underworld, and themes of life and death.
The reference to the fangxiang mask in LYF reminds me also of the mask of the Guifang clan leader in the rumoured 2nd epilogue.
The title of the prequel might correlate to how the passage in LYF describes Fang Xiang as one who has the ability to transform into a thousand faces in a day. So perhaps the title should have been translated literally as "A Thousand Fang Xiang" or "A Thousand Conjured Faces/Visions".
We also know from the leaked excerpt that Xiang Liu was featured in the prequel. Xiang Liu himself was rumoured to have 81 transformations, and he wore a silver mask as Xiang Liu. Is there a relation somewhere?
Not for the first time, I wish Tong Hua would revisit that prequel, if only for more of Xiang Liu, and greater insight into the lore that drives that story.
Let me see if I understand your point. Are you saying that only feelings of heartbreak and betraying will cause the PLBs to retaliate?
I am generally wary of absolutes like "only" (especially in the case of bugs that are described as alive and unpredictable), but that's more or less what I got from the Shaman King and Lirong Ji's explanations.
Heartbreak / feeling betrayed / the two hearts being separate or divided instead of unified and in harmony. Those seem to be the things that cause the bugs to retaliate and turn into Heartbreak Bugs as a general rule.
So in the husband loves and marries a second wife, as long as the first wife with the PLB doesn't feel heartbroken or betrayed, then retaliation will not occur? That seems plausible to me given what we've seen in the drama. It would explain why XY could have "romantic" interludes with TSJ and not cause the PLBs to backfire (because XL was able to suppress his feelings of heartbreak and betrayal).
Yes, although I would assume there would be a limit to how far that could conceivabely go.
The hosts have to be in love, and how much can even the most tolerant and magnanimous partner accept in terms of that kind of behaviour from their beloved before feeling heartbroken or betrayed? Perhaps a woman brought up in a certain society could accept the man she loved marrying a second wife and even having some romantic feelings for that second wife without feeling heartbroken and betrayed. But I can't imagine that being the norm.
XL accepted the fact that XY hugged TSJ, kissed TSJ, played with TSJ's hair, and agreed to marry TSJ. He even played a major role in saving TSJ's life and pushing XY towards TSJ so they could be together. But even with that acceptance, XL must have felt some heartbreak. Hence the need for him to suppress the bugs when they tried to retaliate so that they wouldn't turn into Heartbreak Bugs.
I was then thinking if it would be possible for one partner to cheat on the other partner, without the other partner knowing, and not have the bugs retaliate, but then I remembered the 3-way neck-biting with XL, WXL, CX and the 3-way kiss with XY, TSJ, XL. I guess it would be pretty difficult to cheat without the other person knowing.
Ugh I hate thinking about XL having to endure that.
But yes, in normal circumstances where both hosts could feel each other's hearts and sensations it would presumably be pretty much impossible for either host to cheat on the other without them knowing about it.
I do think that a separate requirement must be that the two hosts must continue to love each other, given that it is a requirement for planting. If one of them falls out of love with the other, I do think the bugs will retaliate, regardless of whether there are any feelings of betrayal or heartbreak involved.
I feel like it would be a pretty unusual situation if one host completely fell out of love with the other host and there were no feelings of heartbrokeness or betrayal on either side.
But in that case I assume "要么同心而生，要么离心而死" would probably still apply and the couple's hearts would be considered to be 离 rather than 同, so both hosts would 死 together.
I feel like it would be a pretty unusual situation if one host completely fell out of love with the other host and there were no feelings of heartbrokeness or betrayal on either side.
I agree that it would be pretty unusual for one host to completely fall out of love with the other host without there being feelings of heartbreak and betrayal. That said, we've seen that YaoLiu is pretty adept at hiding their true feelings. I don't think the bugs would tolerate love being faked on either side.
But in that case I assume "要么同心而生，要么离心而死" would probably still apply and the couple's hearts would be considered to be 离 rather than 同, so both hosts would 死 together.
Impressive use of Chinglish! So are we in agreement that the following two conditions could cause the bugs to retaliate?
- 有情人养情人蛊，断肠人成断肠蛊 - If heartbreak occurs, the bugs will retaliate.
- 要么同心而生，要么离心而死 - If the couple is no longer single-hearted (someone falls out of love with the other person), the bugs will retaliate.
The main reason is that Xuan Yuan was dominant at that time and they could defeat Shen nong soon. And Yellow emperor's ultimate target was to unify Dai Huang. Gaoxin was weaker than both Shen-nong and Xuan Yuan. Maintaining the 3 kingdoms was better for Gaoxin's future. At that time he also conducted some change in Gaoxin to improve its power and society to make the old styled country better and more more progressive. He already saw the drawback of the system and society in Gaoxin. When informing the matter to Chi Chen, he already knew he would lose A Heng forever. He also predicted that Chi Chen would help A Heng on his own for a few individuals (her brother) but would not change the outcome of that battle.H19279:
Yes. Xuan Yuan was the more powerful nation since Shen Nong had lost their king and were practically leaderless. He could not afford to assist Xuan Yuan defeat Shen Nong, which would bring them one step closer to conquering Gao Xin next. If he withheld military support, he hoped that both Shen Nong and Xuan Yuan would suffer losses, which would keep Gao Xin safe for that much longer. However, he never wanted Zhong Yi to die. He did not think that Zhong Yi would refuse to leave even when he knew about the fire formation, nor that Chang Pu would decide to follow her husband in death when she was such a strong woman.
Also, I don't recall him considering that Chi Chen's assistance would not change the outcome of the battle. Where was this mentioned?
But yes, he knew when he sent the letter, that A Heng would be lost to him because he was opening the doors for her to reunite with Chi Chen. And when he saw Chi Chen comforting A Heng after Zhong Yi's funeral and her severing ties with him with the symbolic cutting of her skirt that he held on when she walked past him, it drove home what it cost him to protect his people:
The xuan bird carried him and soared high into the sky. The moon was dim tonight and the stars bright, each one resembling a light of a lantern. As he gazed up at the starry sky, he suddenly burst into wild laughter, laughing so hard as if he would topple over.
The tens of thousands of lights on Gao Xin River were safe, but the last light that was his had completely extinguished!
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch11 (originally Chapter 14)
His reference to the lights on Gao Xin river was significant because it harks back to the time he brought the Xiling Young Master (who was A Heng in disguise) up on the xuan bird to look down at the breathtaking sight of lanterns floating on Gao Xin river during the Lantern Festival, as if the land of Gao Xin had transformed into a sky full of stars, and he explained what it personally meant to him:
Shao Hao said, "I believe these lights are stars."
"They are stars?"
Shao Hao smiled a bit embarassedly, "My mother died when I was born. The old nanny who raised me often pointed to the stars in the sky and told me that my mother had never left. She had turned into stars and was always watching over me. At first, I truly believed her words and would earnestly confide in the stars, whether I was happy or sad, as if my mother could hear everything. But one time, I was deeply wronged. My younger brother had his mother’s protection, but I had nothing and could only be bullied. I told the old nanny that I no longer believed in her nonsense—there were never any guardian stars! The old nanny was very upset and took me out to see lanterns being released. Just like tonight, the entire land of Gao Xin seemed to transform into a sky filled with stars. The old nanny said, 'Do you see it? These are all guardian stars!'"
Xiling gazed at the stars beneath her feet and understood what Shao Hao meant. These lights were lanterns lit by countless young women, brave warriors, mothers, and sons. The light from these lanterns were their hearts protecting their loved ones, so they were guardian stars.
-- Once Promised Vol 1 Ch11
That said, we've seen that YaoLiu is pretty adept at hiding their true feelings. I don't think the bugs would tolerate love being faked on either side.
YaoLiu love being faked? I don't follow.
Impressive use of Chinglish!
Lol. Sometimes I feel like it's better to use the original word if it doesn't have a perfect direct translation in English or if there are multiple potential translations. Just to avoid losing nuance where nuance is important.
So are we in agreement that the following two conditions could cause the bugs to retaliate?
有情人养情人蛊，断肠人成断肠蛊 - If heartbreak occurs, the bugs will retaliate.
要么同心而生，要么离心而死 - If the couple is no longer single-hearted (someone falls out of love with the other person), the bugs will retaliate.
For the most part, yes.
"有情人养情人蛊，断肠人成断肠蛊" and "。。。可情人蛊就像相恋的恋人，脾气多变，非常难驾驭，蛊虫极易反噬，一旦发作，两人俱亡，所以情人蛊还有个名字，叫断肠蛊。" together seem pretty straightforward. If the lovers become heartbroken their Lovers Bugs will retaliate and become Heartbreak Bugs that will kill them both.
"要么同心而生，要么离心而死" seems a bit more nebulous. I think falling out of love would probably qualify for 要么离心而死. But I'm not sure what the full range of things might be that would be caught by 同心 vs. 离心. And I feel like we the readers can't really know with certainty. We can only speculate about what might or might not be covered by each concept.
Hahaha, thanks for sharing. The guy is doing a great job guilt tripping XY over everything XL did for her including accompanying her for 37 years under the sea and feeding her his essential soul blood drop by drop. For her, XL even had to use one of his spare lives to save TSJ (which is inaccurate), and had to use another life to kill the lovers bugs (which is also inaccurate because he used two). XL used 3 lives to save her. Xiang Liu's love was never possessive, it was about fulfilling and letting go.
plor20:
hahahahahah hahahahah how this man be Asian dad lecturing her. hahahahahhahahaha
I'm glad I wasn't too far off in my interpretation of the video. Asian dad sounds about right. lol
I may have to post this in the 'Fun and Meme's' topic with your explanations.
Do you think XY would go with XL if he responded to her crystal ball and would that be a betrayal of their childhood promise, given at that point CX has all least ascended the throne.
XL did respond to her crystal ball, when he committed the wedding robbery... it just wasn't the exact manner of response she wanted. ;p
But I think the clue to her reaction is still there, even had XL showed up on that beach where she was waiting. As some of us have pointed out, her sending the crystal ball was half-a$$ed and hedging her bets, because she included a message that said she was marrying and this was the last poison she would send him. IF she had been sincere in leaving with XL, she wouldn't have sent the crystal ball with that message. Likewise, when he showed up at the wedding, she would have leaped off that stage and into his arms, happy to leave -- but she did not, and was mad at him. She even had a third opportunity to go with XL, when he asked her 'who she wanted to spend her life with?' that she botched and refused to answer.
So, while I feel in her heart she wanted to be with XL, she still couldn't conquer her fear, and actually take the step to do so. And given how difficult their relationship would have been, XL wasn't going to force her to choose.
People claim XL made the decision for both of them, but I've always thought, he was only doing as she said she wanted. But up to the point of the wedding robbery, I felt he was hoping for her to change her mind, which is why he kept answering her questions with a question, like "Who do you want me to be?"
I feel like it would be a pretty unusual situation if one host completely fell out of love with the other host and there were no feelings of heartbrokeness or betrayal on either side.
That said, we've seen that YaoLiu is pretty adept at hiding their true feelings. I don't think the bugs would tolerate love being faked on either side.
YaoLiu love being faked? I don't follow.
My thinking here is if it would be possible for one host to fall out of love with the other host, but still fake being in love with the other host, so as not to trigger feelings of heartbreak and trigger retaliation from the bugs. Along the same lines, would it be possible for both hosts to grow apart and fall out of love with each other, but not trigger feelings of heartbreak and betrayal, thereby not causing the bugs to retaliate. In my eyes, the answer to both questions is no. I think that the hosts must remain in love with each other in order for the bugs not to retaliate. Thus, I think the couple being in love is a separate and necessary condition, apart from neither host feeling heartbroken, in order to keep the bugs from retaliating.
Another interesting description of the bugs is:
"它能让有情人心意相通、命脉相连" - They can let lovers connect their emotions and link their lives together.
I wonder to what extent we can interpret "心意相通" to mean that the minds of the hosts are somehow connected. This condition may make it impossible for hosts to try to fool each other under normal circumstances (unless you happen to be XL).
In the book, there seems to be a multiple instances where YaoLiu was able to communicate via the bug connection, including:
- XL telling XY that the shell was not tasty after they planted the bugs
- XL telling XY not to give up during the plum forest assassination
- XY signaling to XL through the bugs that she wanted to see him at Cang Xuan’s wedding
- XL telling XY not to look at his demon form when he was saving her from the vortex
- XL smiling when XY thought about him taking her to the flower demon shop on the ship with Left Ear
- XY telling XL that she wanted to see him at the gourd-shaped lake when she went to avenge Feng Long’s assassination
Yes. Xuan Yuan was the more powerful nation since Shen Nong had lost their king and were practically leaderless. He could not afford to assist Xuan Yuan defeat Shen Nong, which would bring them one step closer to conquering Gao Xin next. If he withheld military support, he hoped that both Shen Nong and Xuan Yuan would suffer losses, which would keep Gao Xin safe for that much longer.
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the explanation.
But yes, he knew when he sent the letter, that A Heng would be lost to him because he was opening the doors for her to reunite with Chi Chen. And when he saw Chi Chen comforting A Heng after Zhong Yi's funeral and her severing ties with him with the symbolic cutting of her skirt that he held on when she walked past him, it drove home what it cost him to protect his people:
The xuan bird carried him and soared high into the sky. The moon was dim tonight and the stars bright, each one resembling a light of a lantern. As he gazed up at the starry sky, he suddenly burst into wild laughter, laughing so hard as if he would topple over.
The tens of thousands of lights on Gao Xin River were safe, but the last light that was his had completely extinguished!
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch11 (originally Chapter 14)
This is heartbreaking. Poor Shao Hao!
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