Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

The Nature of the Fifteen-Year Proposal ...cont.

Jing successfully prevented Xiao Yao from reneging on the fifteen-year promise by appealing to her compassion. He has always been aware that the foundation of Xiao Yao’s feelings towards him stemmed from pity, which is why she took him in and cared for him in the first place. He weaponized this insight, using it as his primary strategy to trap Xiao Yao.

十七微笑起来，小六对自己的确心狠，可其实她对别人一直都很好，老木、桑甜儿、麻子、串子……她只是他们生命中的过客，可她成全了他们每个人。
Shi Qi smiled. Xiao Liu was indeed ruthless to herself, but in fact, she had always been kind to others—Lao Mu, Sang Tian'er, Ma Zi, Chuan Zi... She was just a passing figure in their lives, yet she helped each of them accomplish their objectives.

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

To remind Xiao Yao of his pitifulness, Jing refused to fix his limp. When Ma Zi offered Shi Qi his savings to see a doctor about healing his leg, Shi Qi declined the money, insisting that Xiao Liu didn't care about his disability. Even after returning to his former identity as Tu Shan Jing and being able to afford the best care in the world, he still declined to fix his limp when Xiao Liu brought up the option.

小六盯着十七的腿，边思量边说：“但高辛宫廷里颇有些好东西，也许能治好你的腿，只是要吃点苦头。”十七右腿上的旧伤，因为身有灵力，走快时不会察觉有异，但走得慢时，就能看出来有些瘸。
Xiao Liu stared at Shi Qi's leg, pondering as she spoke, "But there are some good things in Gao Xin Palace that might heal your leg, although it will require enduring some pain.” The old injury on Shi Qi's right leg wasn't noticeable when he was walking quickly due to his spiritual power, but it became apparent when he was walking slowly that he was slightly limping.

十七摇了下头，“我不在意。”
Shi Qi shook his head. "I don't mind."

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

Jing’s pitifulness served as an enduring reminder to Xiao Yao that he was a helpless victim of unspeakable torture, making it impossible for her to turn her back on him in good conscience. He successfully deployed this strategy of using Xiao Yao’s compassion against her to prevent her from escaping when Cang Xuan and his men surrounded them. Jing knew that Cang Xuan could not do him any serious harm because he was Tu Shan Jing.

“我是涂山璟，就算高辛王在此，杀我也需要仔细考虑，别的将领绝不敢擅作主张。”
"I am Tu Shan Jing. Even if King Gao Xin were here, killing me would require careful consideration. Mere generals would never dare to act without authorization.”

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

However, when he was captured, he intentionally told Cang Xuan that he was Ye Shi Qi instead of Tu Shan Jing. This allowed Cang Xuan to act against him without the fear of retribution from the Tu Shan clan. Jing also knew that Xiao Yao, having saved Shi Qi, had a soft spot for him and would allow herself to be captured in order to help Shi Qi.

So, we can see that Jing orchestrated the opportunity to propose the fifteen-year promise to Xiao Yao by preventing her from escaping. Later, he appealed to her compassion by making himself appear helpless and pitiful to prevent her from abandoning the promise. Meanwhile, he kept his options open with Yi Ying, Jing Ye, and Lan Xiang. However, these were not the only signs that Jing was not sincere in upholding his end of the fifteen-year promise.

Jing resolved to return Shi Qi to Xiao Liu in fifteen years, but was he really forced into reassuming his Tu Shan Jing identity in the first place? Let’s take a closer look at the events that led up to Jing Ye recognizing him. Jing Ye came to town in an exquisite carriage and met with Yu Xin, the half king of Qing Shui Town. This news caused quite a stir, so it’s reasonable to assume that Shi Qi was aware of Jing Ye’s arrival. Next, Shi Qi followed Xiao Liu to meet Yu Xin, who happened to be a Tu Shan family slave. It would have been reasonable to assume that Shi Qi would have been extra vigilant to avoid detection if he truly did not want to be recognized. With his famed skills in “stealthy reconnaissance,” it should have been easy for him to monitor the situation without getting caught. Instead, he overtly followed Xiao Liu into the meeting with Yu Xin. Of course, Jing pretended not to want Jing Ye to recognize him, but this was only an act.

There may have been many reasons for Shi Qi wanting to go back to being Tu Shan Jing. For instance, he may have missed the status that his former identity carried, or he may have missed Jing Ye and Lan Xiang’s attention and admiration. Another possible reason for resuming his former identity might have been that Xiao Liu had recently told him:

“我上次深夜跑他家里偷鸡吃，他怀疑我别有居心，弄了个甜儿出来，不过是想看我背后的倚仗，我如果糊里糊涂求了相柳帮忙，日后可就麻烦大了。现在他也不见得真相信我干净，不过日久见人心，我是的的确确就干干净净。”
"Last time, I snuck into his house late at night to steal some chicken to eat. He suspected I had ulterior motives and brought out Sang Tian'er, just to see who I had backing me. If I foolishly asked for Xiang Liu's help, there would be a big trouble in the future. Now, he may not really believe I'm completely innocent, but over time, the truth will emerge. I am as innocent as a newborn baby.”

— Vol 1 Ch 4 (Chapter 4)

This reveals that Xiao Liu trusted Xiang Liu and saw him as the one backing her up. Shi Qi might have felt threatened by this realization and determined that his Tu Shan Jing identity could better compete with Xiang Liu for Xiao Liu's affection. Since Jing willingly reassumed his Tu Shan Jing identity, this supports the theory that he had no real intention of giving everything up to become Shi Qi again. Another sign that Jing never intended to return to being Shi Qi is that he almost certainly already knew Xiao Liu’s true identity before proposing the fifteen-year promise. According to King Gao Xin:

“他是涂山狐狸家的人，心眼比你多，就算刚开始没想到，后来也早猜到你的身份了。”
"He's from the Tu Shan clan of foxes and more cunning than you. Even if he didn't guess it at first, he has likely long since guessed your identity."

— Vol 1 Ch 9 (Chapter 9)

King Gao Xin believed that Jing knew Xiao Liu’s real identity early on. The only question is how early? Xiao Liu’s skills in concocting poisons were a clue to her identity. Xiang Liu was suspicious of Xiao Liu’s proficiency with poisons, so it’s reasonable to assume that Jing was too. Xiao Yao’s poison making skills would have given Jing an important clue that she was not just an ordinary healer from Qing Shui Town.

Next, when Jing tracked Xiao Liu down to the cave where Xiao Liu had been soaking in the medicine pool, he may have deduced that Xiao Liu’s injuries came from protecting Xuan. Even if he didn’t realize Xuan’s importance to Xiao Liu at that time, he would have known after the second assassination attempt on Xuan. When Xiao Liu asked Jing for ice crystals to help treat Xuan’s injury, she pleaded with Jing:

“我想请你，不管在任何情况下，都不要伤害轩。”
"I want to ask you, no matter what the circumstances, please don't hurt Xuan."

— Vol 1 Ch 7 (Chapter 7)

After hearing this, Jing would have certainly realized that Xuan was very important Xiao Liu, providing him with another important clue about her true identity. Additionally, when Xiao Liu sought Jing's help to escape from King Gao Xin, the fact that King Gao Xin wanted to meet her rather than ordering her immediate execution also hinted at her identity. Moving on to the situation where they were surrounded by Cang Xuan’s forces at the inn they were staying in, Jing asked about Xiao Liu's reluctance to meet King Gao Xin. In response, Xiao Liu said:

“宁死也不见！”
“I would rather die than see him.”

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

This indignant response wouldn't have come from someone who was truly afraid of King Gao Xin. Assuming Jing hadn't already guessed her identity by this point, when they were locked in Dragon Bone Prison before Jing proposed the fifteen-year promise, he raised the concern that King Gao Xin might want to kill Xiao Liu. However, Xiao Liu reassured him:

“我不想见高辛王是别有原因，十七，别再担心我的安危了，我保证高辛王不会杀我！”
"I don't want to see King Gao Xin for another reason. Shi Qi, stop worrying about my safety. I promise that King Gao Xin won't kill me!"

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

If Jing had any doubts about King Gao Xin’s intentions towards Xiao Liu, they would have been dispelled upon hearing this response. Considering all the clues—Xiao Liu's exceptional poison-making skills, her willingness to risk her life for Xuan, and her confidence that King Gao Xin didn’t intend to harm her—it would have been quite straightforward for Jing to deduce her true identity. Therefore, Jing almost certainly knew Xiao Liu’s real identity before proposing the fifteen-year promise, most likely knew it before he pretended to help Xiao Liu slip away when they were surrounded by Xuan’s men at the inn, likely knew it before he offered to help Xiao Liu run away, and possibly knew it long before that time.

Jing later confessed to Xiao Yao that he knew only Tu Shan Jing had the status to marry her. So if he already knew Xiao Liu’s true identity before proposing the fifteen year promise, it's likely he never intended to honor his end of the promise by returning Ye Shi Qi to her.

“小夭，我一直希望能做你的夫君，能堂堂正正地拥有你。你是王姬，只有涂山璟的身份才有可能配上你，所以我一直舍不得舍弃这唯一有机会能明媒正娶到你的身份，可我错了！我不做涂山璟了，能不能堂堂正正地娶你不重要，即使一辈子无名无分，一辈子做你的奴仆，都没有关系，我只要在你身边，守着你、看到你就够了。”
"Xiao Yao, I have always hoped to be your husband, to proudly and openly have you. You are a princess, and only Tu Shan Jing's status could possibly match yours. So, I have always been reluctant to give up the only chance to marry you openly and legitimately. But I was wrong! I won't be Tu Shan Jing anymore. Whether I can marry you properly doesn't matter. Even if I have name or status, even if I serve you as a servant, it doesn't matter. I just want to be by your side, to protect you, and to see you. That's enough for me."

— Vol 2 Ch 5 (Chapter 22)

Even the above statement about giving up his identity after Xiao Yao helped awaken him from his 37-year coma seems insincere, given that he didn’t follow through with this plan. Not only did Jing not intend to honor his pledge to return to his identity as Shi Qi when extracting the fifteen-year promise from Xiao Liu, but he also likely didn’t really intend to break his engagement with Yi Ying. Jing was a highly capable business person. In his own words:

“这世间看似越严重的事情其实越简单，逃不过利益二字，说白了不过都是生意，即使是轩辕王和高辛王，我也可以和他们谈谈生意。”
“In this world, the more serious a matter seems, the simpler it actually is, ultimately revolving around the word 'interests.' Put bluntly, it's all just business. Even if it’s King Xuan Yuan and King Gao Xin, I can still make a deal with them."

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

Jing was confident in his ability to influence even King Gao Xin and King Xuan Yuan. He also played a crucial role in assisting Cang Xuan in navigating the dangerous path to the throne. In comparison, breaking off an engagement with the moderately powerful Fang Feng clan wouldn’t have been particularly challenging for him, regardless of his grandmother's or Yi Ying’s approval. However, there is no evidence that Jing seriously tried to dissolve the engagement beyond mentioning the issue to his grandmother and Yi Ying a couple of times. His grandmother wasn’t even aware of his feelings towards Xiao Yao until Xiao Yao came to treat her illness.

One reason for his lack of effort in breaking the engagement was his concern for his public image. Unilaterally ending his engagement to Yi Ying, who had helped his grandmother take care of the Tu Shan clan’s business affairs for the ten years he was missing, could damage his reputation and negatively impact his future business endeavors. Additionally, he might have still harbored hopes of having the best of both worlds: one wife to manage his career and another one to boost his self-esteem. In fact, he proposed this idea to Xiao Yao three times, using his grandmother, Yi Ying, and Li Rong Chang as mouthpieces.

“奶奶本来就觉得对不起她，看她实在可怜，竟然反过来劝我，让我给意映一个名分，说就算我喜欢其他姑娘，大不了都娶回家。”
"Grandmother already felt guilty towards her. Seeing how pitiful she was, she actually turned around and advised me to give Yi Ying a title, saying that even if I liked other girls, I could still marry them later."

…

“我告诉意映，我已经有意中人，想取消我们的婚约，不管她要求什么补偿，我都会做到。可意映竟然说，她不介意我多娶几个女人。”
"I told Yi Ying that I already had someone I liked and wanted to cancel our engagement. I assured her that I would give her whatever compensation she wanted. But Yi Ying actually said she didn't mind if I married a few more women."

— Vol 2 Ch 2 (Chapter 19)

离戎昶说：“你不喜欢青丘的那对母子，大不了就在轵邑安家，让璟陪你长住轵邑。我和你说句老实话，防风邶的日子都是有今夕没明朝，纵是犯了错的璟也比防风邶强……”
Li Rong Chang said, "If you don't like the mother and son in Qing Qiu, at worst, you can settle down in Zhi Yi and have Jing accompany you there permanently. Let me tell you the truth, Fang Feng Bei's life is here today, gone tomorrow. Even though Jing has made a mistake, he is still a better choice than Fang Feng Bei..."

— Vol 2 Ch 12 (Chapter 29)

From Jing’s actions, it seems clear that he had no intention of fulfilling his end of the fifteen-year promise. He didn’t actively pursue ending his engagement, nor did he genuinely plan to abandon his Tu Shan identity. Initially, he may have even entertained the idea of having a loving relationship with Yi Ying. When that proved unattainable due to Yi Ying’s disdain for him, he still hesitated to break the engagement for fear of tarnishing his reputation. Instead, he remained committed to trapping Xiao Yao for fifteen years, hoping that by the end of that period, she would be so invested in the relationship that she would accept being his second wife.

Xiao Yao once recounted her experience with the eight-tailed fox to Xiang Liu.

“他应该一捉住我就杀了我，可是他被仇恨和贪婪蒙蔽了眼睛，用各种各样的宝贝养着我，逼我吃很多很恶心的东西，想把我养得肥肥时，再吃了我，用我的灵血恢复他失去的功力……哦，我忘记告诉你了，他其实已经不是九尾狐了，而是八尾，他的尾巴被剁掉了一根，元气大伤。他养了我三十年，就要大功告成，可那天他不小心，在我面前喝醉了。”
"He should have killed me as soon as he caught me, but he was blinded by hatred and greed. He used all sorts of treasures to raise me, forced me to eat disgusting things, wanting to fatten me up before eating me and using my spirit blood to restore his lost powers… Oh, I forgot to tell you, he's actually not a nine-tailed fox anymore, but an eight-tailed fox. One of his tails was cut off, severely injuring his vitality. He raised me for thirty years, about to have his investment pay off, but that day he accidentally got drunk in front of me."

— Vol 1 Ch 4 (Chapter 4)

After fattening Xiao Yao up for thirty years, the eight-tailed fox planned to eat her during a full moon night, typically falling on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, to maximize the boost to his spiritual power. Similarly, Jing hoped that after fifteen years, he would replace Xiang Liu as Xiao Yao’s new "full moon," to maximize the boost to his male ego. Throughout, he ensnared her with false promises, tarnished her reputation to deter other marriage prospects, and used her compassionate nature against her to prevent her from escaping their entanglement. In the end, because of his greed, Jing suffered a fate as bleak as the other fox: he had the majority of his tails chopped off, lost his wealth, status, and life's work, and forever lived in the shadow of his love rival.

"Is Jing Ye prettier, or is Lan Xiang prettier?”

I always thought the reason why XY repeatedly asked Jing this question is to put him on guard, because she thought one of them betrayed him. 

" In the end, because of his greed, Jing suffered a fate as bleak as the other fox: he had the majority of his tails chopped off, lost his wealth, status, and life's work, and forever lived in the shadow of his love rival."

I agree. Great analysis.  

 solarlunareclipse:

I understand how someone might see this interpretation as illogical given their theories of novel, but this interpretation logically fits with my theories. I don't think XY's words and "thoughts" should be interpreted at face value. Tong Hua intentionally leaves a lot of blank space/omits a lot of information in XY's thoughts. Add to that the fact that XY often says/thinks things that are meant to deceive herself or at least remind herself of the mask that she must put on for the world to see.

I definitely agree that there are many circumstances where XY's words should not be taken at face value. I also agree that there are many circumstances where XY clearly seams to be trying to deceive herself (e.g., after XL kisses her forehead in chapter 35 and she thinks to herself "mistaken illusion!"). And I agree that there are lots of points in the story where the reader is not given full insight into XY's thoughts. 

However, I do think there are times where the neutral narrator's voice in the novel presents information about XY's thoughts, feelings or intentions that I think is meant to be taken as it is presented. And I think that includes the following description of XY's thoughts and feelings in chapter 43 after the seagull demon tells XY that TSJ really is dead, dashing XY's hope:

Xiao Yao stared at the sky and didn’t feel any rage at being lied to, or fear at imminent death. Only the sadness of having her hopes dashed. Since childhood she had lived a hard life, her heart always drifting, feeling like she would be abandoned at any time. Only after her engagement to Jing did her heart settle down, thinking that things would finally change. Who knew Jing would leave her? Even if it was just like her parents when a reason that couldn’t be helped. But she was still abandoned again, and she didn’t want to keep being strong anymore to face a long life ahead. If Jing slept in this ocean then she would rather be here with him.

 solarlunareclipse:

To me, XY's words and "thoughts" contradict her actions in this scene.

Her words and thoughts in these scenes seemed consistent to me. 

 solarlunareclipse:

XY is not an illogical person and she verbally acknowledges that this could be a trap. As clever as she is, she must have known that this was a trap because there would be no reason for Jing to demand that she not tell anyone where she was going.

There's a big difference between acknowledging that something could be a trap and "knowing" (with absolute certainty) that something is a trap. 

IMO, XY knew that the message might be a trap and was willing to accept the risk. If there was some chance (no matter how small) that the message might actually have been sent by TSJ, she had to go and check it out. 

Because the message was so short and provided such little information, XY couldn't know whether there was or wasn't a good reason why Jing would send a message instructing her to not tell anyone else about her going to the East Sea. Which, of course, was intentional on the part of the seagull demon. 

As Miao Pu observed, even if the message was a trap, the person setting it was ruthless and found the one way to get Xiao Yao to follow instructions. Xiao Yao was desparate for any shred of hope that might lead her to see TSJ alive again. So she was willing to comply with the message's instructions despite the fact that it was extremely suspicious. 

And I would note that, even though XY is willing to take the risk of following the message's instructions on the slim hope of seeing TSJ again, she isn't completely reckless about it. 

When XY first encounters the seagull demon, XY doesn't immediately blindly follow her instruction to get on the ship. She challenges the seagull demon ("why should I believe you?") and waits until the seagull demon presents her with compelling evidence of a connection with TSJ first before getting on the ship. And when the seagull demon presents her with red jade plant wine to drink, XY sniffs it to confirm that it really is red jade plant wine (and not a substance that will harm her) before drinking it.

That behaviour makes sense if XY is walking into this situation knowing that there's a good chance that it is a trap, but willing to take big risks (including ingesting a plant that will make her weak and dizzy, but only after confirming that it would not harm her) as long as she felt it was getting her closer to possibly seeing TSJ alive again. 

If XY simply wanted to put her life in danger in order to compel XL to come and save her, then there would be no reason for XY to ask the seagull demon why XY should believe the seagull demon before getting on the ship and no reason for XY to confirm that the jade plant wine wouldn't harm her before drinking it. 

 solarlunareclipse:

Anyhow, she did tell Miao Pu where she was going, directly disobeying the directions in the message.

 solarlunareclipse:

Otherwise, why would XY let Miao Pu know about the rescue, but not CX, who could enlist proper help in successfully rescuing Jing?

The risk of telling Miao Pu was quite limited because XY already knew that Miao Pu was loyal to her and that Miao Pu would follow her orders to go with her and to not tell anyone else about it. Whereas if XY had told Xiao Xiao about it, Xiao Xiao definitely would have told others, including CX at the very least. And XY didn't know whether TSJ needed rescuing or not. If the message had actually been from TSJ, it would have meant that TSJ was at least conscious (and therefore capable of recording and sending a message to her). And, importantly, the message did not ask for a rescue or indicate that TSJ needed one. It only asked for XY to go to the East Sea and to not tell anyone. If the message really had been from TSJ and XY had told others about it / asked CX for resources before going to TSJ, for all XY knew she might have made things much worse for TSJ by going against his instructions. Since XY couldn't know what the consequences might be if she told anyone else, only telling Miao Pu was her best option. 

 solarlunareclipse:

She also took precautions to tell Miao Pu to hide and wait for her instead of coming with her to the ship, which wouldn't be necessary if she didn't realize this was a trap.

I take pretty much the opposite view of this. 

From what I gather, your view is that XY was knowingly and intentionally walking into something that she believed was definitely a trap because she expected XL to save her once her life was put in danger and she desperately wanted to see him. If that was the case, why would she instruct Miao Pu to go get Xiao Xiao and even to gather the Xuan Yuan army to bring them to that location if it did turn out to be a trap? Bringing the Xuan Yuan army to the location where XL was saving her should be the very last thing that XY would want to happen. 

IMO, it makes much more sense that XY was going into this situation knowing that there was a very high chance that it might be a trap (in which case, she at least wanted Maio Pu to get away from the danger and if Miao Pu also managed to get help that could save XY from the danger that would be even better) but hoping for that small possibility that it wasn't a trap and that she really would find TSJ alive. 

-----

Chapter 43:

Miao Pu grumbled, “My Lady, why did you have to go to the East Sea in the middle of the night? Can’t Xiao Xiao have informed His Majesty, he dotes on you and lets you do whatever. If you wanted to go he would have allowed it. Why sneak around?”

“I heard Jing tell me to immediately go to the East Sea and tell no one.”

Miao Pu gasped. “What? The voice inside the message jewel was the Tu Shan Clan Leader? What did he say?”

“To go to the East Sea, and to tell no one.”

Miao Pu thought about it. “If he can say those words why can’t he explain more? It’s easy to find someone to impersonate his voice, but those closest to him will see through it if a lot is said. The less is said the more the ruse will work. I think this sounds fishy, my lady let’s go back!”

“Perhaps you are right but it could have been an urgent situation and he could only say such curt phrases. Miao Pu, do you know, even if there is only a miniscule chance or it's even a trap, I have to immediately go.”

Miao Pu sighed and urged the horses faster. Even if this was a trap, the person setting it was ruthless and found the one way to get Xiao Yao to follow instructions. Miao Pu silently prayed for the miniscule chance to come true.

The two strong winged horses flew nonstop and Xiao Yao fed them Jade Mountain stew to keep up their strength. They landed on an island in the East Sea around noon the next day. The two winged horses were spitting foam from exhaustion and could not be used to search over the sea lest they fall into the water from passing out.

Xiao Yao pointed to the East where a ship was sailing towards them, and on the mast cover was a beautiful nine-tailed fox.

Xiao Yao said “I’ll go see over there, you hide here waiting for me.” Miao Pu immediately said “No! I’m going with you!”

“Then who will watch the winged horses? If they run away and we need to escape, are we going to run on our two feet?”

Miao Pu had no answer until she said “Xiao Xiao will definitely find us, their powers are strong and at most will be here in two or three hours. Wait until then.”

“We can wait but Jing might not be able to wait.” Xiao Yao picked up her amethyst fish ruby on the necklace and said, “I’ll swim over there underwater and look around. If there is any danger I’ll hide deep underwater. They won’t be able to do anything to me there. If you come with me then you’ll be a liability. Plus if you wait here, you can be my backup and I can go forward or retreat. If anything happens, you can also tell Xiao Xiao and find the Xuan Yuan forces stationed nearby to come rescue us.”

Miao Pu had to admit Xiao Yao made sense but she was still upset. “Then you quickly come back, just go take a look and no matter what we need to discuss before taking any action.”

“Okay!” Xiao Yao hid behind a rock and slowly disappeared into the water.

Xiao Yao didn’t need the fish ruby to breathe underwater but she didn’t want others to know of her body’s new ability and she kept the fish ruby on her because it was a gift from Jing. Right now Xiao Yao felt this ache in her heart as she sank into the water and prayed: heavens, you can do anything cruel to me but please let Jing be alive even if he’s gravely injured or crippled.

Xiao Yao was swimming under the ship taking things in when a woman in purple laying on the edge lifted her head. “If you want to see Tu Shan Jing then get on the ship.”

Xiao Yao emerged and asked, “Why should I believe you?”

The woman tossed a scrap of cloth at Xiao Yao and on it was writing in Jing’s hand. It was the lyrics of the song she sang for him in his residence.

,,,

Xiao Yao finished reading and restrained her tears before jumping on the ship.

The woman in purple handed a bowl of wine to Xiao Yao with a laugh. “I’ve heard you are well versed in medicines so I don’t dare to use poison in front of you. This is just a bowl of wine made from the red jade plant. Humans who drink it will sleep for three hundred years, at most it’ll make a god weak in the limbs and dizzy and a good sleep will shake it off. It’s not a poison or will render you unconscious, therefore it doesn’t have an antidote either. After you drink it I will take you to see Tu Shan Jing.”

Xiao Yao picked up the bowl and sniffed, it really was red jade plant wine. Drinking too much would make it addictive, but one drink wouldn’t harm the body.

The purple robed woman said, “I never force anyone, if you don’t want to drink then go back!”

Xiao Yao raised her head and gulped it down. “Where is Jing?”

...

Xiao Yao said, “Don’t ask anymore. If I really died there would be no trace but now I’m alive there are plenty of traces to find out who.”

Xiang Liu asked Xiao Yao, “Do you have an idea who?”

Xiao Yao looked solemn. “The voice in the message jewel was Jing, the lyrics in the cloth was a song I sang for Jing. Even the cloth was Jing’s favorite type. The person who wants to kill me must be very close to Jing. I’m not certain yet, but I have a strong hunch.”

...

Xiang Liu’s voice suddenly called out, “Based on your deduction, who do you think tried to kill you?”

Xiao Yao sleepily opened her eyes. “Jing’s voice in the message jewel is easy to fake since many have heard him speak, but the song lyrics on the cloth only Jing and his servants, my maids, and Feng Long and Xing Yue know. Not even Zhuan Xu has heard me sing it! My maids would never, Jing’s servants would not betray him, so that only leaves Xing Yue and Feng Long. And only they would have the ability to pay the sky high price the seagull demon named.”

 solarlunareclipse:

She knew that the East Sea was like XL's home, so her primary purpose in going there was to see Xiang Liu because she desperately missed him.

The evidence pointed to the fact that, dead or alive, TSJ was in the East Sea. 

A jade bracelet that TSJ had been making for XY was found at the mouth of Qing Shui River where it met the East Sea. The river and even the East Sea, which was impossible to search exhaustively, was very thoroughly searched by thousands of soldiers for more than two days before XY finally called for the Xuan Yuan soliders (who were harming their own health in order to carry out the search) to stop searching. But (after fainting from exhaustion and waking up days later) XY continued searching for 11 more days before returning to Sheng Nong Mountain just ahead of her scheduled wedding day (hoping that, somehow, TSJ would still manage to show up for it). Then, at the end of the day when they were supposed to be married (and after XY makes her wedding vows to the moon*), XY receives the message.

The message, which (as far as she knows) might really be from TSJ despite the long odds, tells her to go to the East Sea and the East Sea is where XY logically expects TSJ to be. So that is where she goes.  

Later in the chapter, XY does mention that the East Sea is "like" XL's home. However, she mentions it as part of the explanation for why she thinks XL might have seen or heard of TSJ being in the East Sea. In that context, the East Sea being "like" XL's home is a relevant to what is being discussed. 

However, the East Sea being "like" XL's home is not relevant to XY's chances of seeing XL after putting herself in danger. While the East Sea might be "like" XL's home in some senses, there would be no guarantee that he would be anywhere near the East Sea on that particular night. He could have been with the Shengnong remanant army outside of QS town. Or he could have been in the far north for all XY knew. Or in any other part of Dahuang, although he'd have to be extra careful in most parts that were under CX's control. And if XY were under the impression that XL would come save her if her life was in danger no matter what / no matter where she was, then the fact that the danger occurred in a place that was "like" XL's home would be irrelevant. 

-----

Chapter 43:

Xiao Yao said, “My thank you was for saving me! You haven’t forgotten why you were injured in the first place, right?”

Xiang Liu furrowed his brows. “It’s not that I wanted to save you, I simply have no interest to use my own life to confirm the words of the Voodoo King.”

Oh! Right, the Lover’s Bug! The Lover’s Bug does not live alone, if she died then likely Xiang Liu would die. Xiao Yao smiled sadly. “No matter what, thank you for saving me.”

Xiang Liu asked, “Why were you imprisoned in the ocean?”

“Someone wanted to kill me.”

Xiang Liu stared in disgust at Xiao Yao. “Someone wanted to kill you, so you let yourself get imprisoned?”

Xiao Yao stared at the fire and said nothing.

Xiang Liu pressed on. “Why didn’t you fight back?”

Xiao Yao said in a low voice, “Jing……disappeared.” She suddenly remembered and anxiously asked, “The East Sea is like your home. You….you….have you seen Jing?”

Xiang Liu mockingly said, “Do you think I spend my time hanging in the ocean just waiting to rescue people?”

“No….I just thought….Qing Shui Town is also your territory of sorts, perhaps you noticed Tu Shan Hou’s activities. The East Sea may be big but you’re a sea demon….so maybe…..”

Xiang Liu coldly replied, “There aren’t that many maybes!”

Xiao Yao lowered her head and her tears came down silently.

-----

Chapter 42:

Xiao Yao was still in the river looking for Jing, from dusk until now she refused to leave the water. She searched every inch of the river floor from Qing Shui Town until when the river met the ocean. A ship brought Xiao Yao back to Qing Shui Town but she refused to quit and wanted to swim back upstream and search all over again. Everyone could see she was exhausted but no one could stop her. Xiao Yao jumped into the river and her legs spasmed so she couldn’t swim. She tightly grabbed onto an oar and still refused to get out of the water, as if she could stay closer to Jing if she stayed in the water, and give him a better chance of being alive.

It was only when Zhuan Xu arrived that he forcefully pulled Xiao Yao out of the water. Her face was blue and her lips black, her eyes blank, with her hair plastered on her face and body colder than ice. Zhuan Xu called her to drink wine but she didn’t respond. Zhuan Xu forced her lips open and poured wine in her mouth. Xiao Yao’s body jerked and she started to cough.

Xiao Xiao dried Xiao Yao’s hair with a towel and used her power to dry her clothes. Zhuan Xu wrapped Xiao Yao up in a blanket to carry her away but Xiao Yao’s eyes remained fixed on the water in abject terror as she shook her head vigorously. Zhuan Xu had no choice but to let Xiao Yao sit by the shore.

Xiao Yao stared blankly at the ships coming and going on the river, and whatever Zhuan Xu said it was like she didn’t even hear it. From time to time she would ask, “Found yet?”

By noon, Qing Shui River had been searched upside down, and it wasn’t just Jing not found, neither Hou or Yi Yang had been found either. The only find was a jade bracelet, dark green and malleable, without any design on it but the jade itself was very high quality and exquisite. But it wasn’t finished yet so the bracelet shape wasn’t finished either.

Jing Ye saw it and burst into tears. “Clan Leader said the Miss didn’t wear jewelry but a bracelet wouldn’t be too cumbersome, so he was making her this bracelet himself.”

Xiao Yao stood up but Zhuan grabbed her. “Where was it found?”

One person replied, “Down river close to the mouth to the ocean.”

Xiao Yao yelled, “Jing! Jing is there!”

“Because this bracelet was found there, we had men search that area top to bottom and every rock turned over. Nothing was found. Likely carried by the current into the ocean.” Xiao Yao’s voice was tight and sharp, “Then search the ocean.”

No one dared say anything other than to murmur, “The mouth to the ocean has been searched thoroughly.”

Whether it was Tu Shan people or Zhuan Xu’s people, every person was doing everything possible and searching the ocean area nearby. But it was still the ocean, the vast open ocean, forget looking for one person, even sinking an entire mountain into the ocean it would be difficult to find it. Plus there were lots of demon water beasts and sea monsters in the ocean, and gods had godly powers that were the favorite foods of those sea creatures.

Zhuan Xu ordered, “Keep searching!”

“Yes!” Everyone went back on the ships or dove back into the water, and in a second was all gone. Under the bright sun, the river waves churned beautifully forward, not a shred of sadness or awareness that it swallowed up the happiness of two people.

Xiao Yao stood up and stumbled, “I’m going to look for him!”

Zhuan Xu said, “If you want to go, you still need to eat. If you don’t have energy how can you search? Be good, let’s eat first, okay?”

Xiao Yao wanted to shake his hand off. “I want revenge!”

Zhuan Xu shot Xiao Xiao a look and she quickly returned with a ship. Zhuan Xu carried Xiao Yao and flew onto the ship. The ship traveled downstream as Xiao Yao held the unfinished bracelet in her hand and stared out at the water unblinking, as if she wanted to remember clearly the river that so cruelly took Jing away from her.

Xiao Xiao’s powers were strong and the ship was sailing fast. When the sun was dipping low the ship entered the mouth to the ocean. There were countless ships out in the ocean continuing to search. Xiao Xiao halted her powers as the ship slowly sailed forward in the current.

Xiao Yao touched the bracelet and asked, “Was the bracelet found here?” Xiao Yao struggled to stand up to jump in the river. Zhuan Xu grabbed her. “You can’t even stand, what are you going to do down there?”

The ship wobbled and Xiao Yao weakly fell into Zhuan Xu’s arms. She still insisted on diving in as her eyes fixed on the water “I….I….I want to go find him!”

Zhuan Xu grabbed her chin and forced her head up to look around her, nearly about to yell, “Look! How many people are looking for him? They are stronger and more familiar with this area than you, they know better than you how to look for someone in the water. If you go down I’ll have to ask them to follow you and protect you. Are you looking for someone or causing more problems for them?”

Xiao Yao’s lips were quivering as her body shook. Zhuan Xu embraced her tightly and softened his tone. “Xiao Yao, if Jing is alive they will find him.”

Xiao Yao stared at the people in the water, searching in pairs in perfect form, truly looking at every inch and nook.

Xiao Xiao directed their ship to follow along with the search vessels. From the sunset until late into the night, all the ships were far out at sea. It was a dark starless night but the moon was bright and it shone down on the thousands of searchers still looking for Jing. Because everyone carried an illuminating new moon jewel sent over by the Tu Shan clan, thousands of moon jewels glittered in the water like thousands of stars dancing in the waves.

From when Jing fell into the water, two days had passed. All the searchers had lost hope but without Zhuan Xu’s order no one dared stop or give up.

...

Xiao Yao’s body convulsed from the pain and not eating for two days, she felt like throwing up but nothing came up.

“Xiao Yao, Xiao Yao.” Zhuan Xu tried to inject power into Xiao Yao to lessen her pain but could do nothing because her pain came from her heart.

The moon gradually disappeared as the sun came up from the East and its red light blanketed the ocean in color. One commander came to report, “Your Majesty, we’ve searched for two days one night, many soldiers are exhausted and passed out. Does Your Majesty want us to rest or continue searching, or call more men here?”

Zhuan Xu said, “Rest and then continue searching, and order a thousand more water-based soldiers here.”

The commander paused for a moment before saying, “Yes!”

The exhausted soldiers climbed onboard the ships and collapsed on the deck even before drinking water. Calls of “doctor, doctor!” rose from various directions. Some didn’t even have strength to climb onto the ship and fell back into the water, dragging other soldiers behind. No one dared say anything since Zhuan Xu was there.

Xiao Yao stared at the soldiers before looking back out at the ocean, so vast and unending. Even taking all the soldiers of a kingdom as vast as the wilderness was not enough to even match up with one part of the ocean. She was never going to find Jing!

Xiao Yao said in a low voice, “Tell them to stop searching.”

Zhuan Xu said, “Perhaps he was saved by a fishing vessel, or saved by merpeople and sent back to land.”

Xiao Yao’s tears fell in large drops. “Twenty two more days until our wedding, he needs to mind the time to hurry back.”

After saying that, Xiao Yao toppled forward in a dead faint. Zhuan Xu scrambled to catch her in his arms, she didn’t eat or rest for two days and finally collapsed from exhaustion.

...

Xiao Yao slept for four days straight, and Yin said her body was healthy but it was like she was gravely ill and couldn’t wake up. Even in sleep she would shake in pain.

Zhuan Xu was anxious beyond belief but could do nothing other than stay beside Xiao Yao. After four days and four nights, Xiao Yao woke up, her body wan and thin as if recovering from a major illness. Zhuan Xu had also lost weight and wanted to take Xiao Yao back but she refused so he had no choice but to stay with her in the East Sea for tens more days.

Every night Xiao Yao would wait, every day Xiao Yao would go in the water. Zhuan Xu had no choice so had Xiao Xiao follow her everywhere. On the eleventh day, with four more days until the wedding date, Xiao Yao said to Zhuan Xu, “I want to go back to Sheng Nong Mountain.”

Zhuan Xu brought Xiao Yao back to Sheng Nong Mountain and when she saw the Yellow Emperor she asked, “Grandfather, is my wedding dress altered?”

“Yes.”

“Is my dowry prepared?”

“Yes, already packed.”

Xiao Yao seemed relieved and went back to her room.

...

After she was all readied, Xiao Yao sat down as if she was just a bride waiting for the hour of her wedding ceremony.

Xiao Yao asked, “Miao Pu, do you know when the scheduled wedding time was?”

“No.”

“Do you think Jing knows?”

“He would definitely know.”

“That’s good.”

...

Xiao Yao asked, “Has the auspicious hour passed?”

The Yellow Emperor said, “Xiao Yao, Jing won’t be coming back. Your life is still long so forget him!”

Xiao Yao said, “Grandfather, I’m tired and I want rest. You go rest too!”

The Yellow Emperor was worried but Xiao Yao said, “I’m fine. I just…..need time.”

The Yellow Emperor stared silently before standing up and slowly shuffling out of the room.

Xiao Yao walked to the window to look up at the full moon. Jing picked a full moon night for their wedding, so they had a round happy ending. But today the round moon didn’t shine on a happy ending pair.

Xiao Yao told the Yellow Emperor she just needed time, but how much time did she need? How long would it take before her heart didn’t hurt anymore?

Xiao Yao asked, “Miao Pu, how long do you think before I’m not heartbroken?”

Miao Pu answered, “Like a severe injury, it will hurt a lot initially, and slowly the wound will scab and scar, and slowly it won’t hurt as much.”

Xiao Yao looked down, she had been injured before and knew how long it took to stop hurting. To stop hurting she had to forget! But time was like sand, it would cover up everything in the heart.

But——

Jing, I don’t want to!

If the price to pay to not hurt is to forget you, then I would rather be in pain always so that you can live in my heart, until my life reaches its conclusion.

I’ve already put on my wedding dress and said my vows to the moon. From tonight forward, I am your wife!

-----

Chapter 46:

Xiang Liu smiled. “No matter my purpose, all I said was the truth.”

“I won’t forgive anyone who harmed Jing, but I also won’t do as you wish. Like you said, you never took any advantage of Jing, and now you won’t do the same to his wife!”

-----

Chapter 47:

It was Zhuan Xu who killed Jing! And the reason was because of her! Xiao Yao painfully closed her eyes, wanting to sleep and never wake up! Actually, she wished that the person she tried to kill yesterday was herself!

Xiao Yao started to laugh loudly and the laughter was more painful to the ears than crying. Miao Pu didn’t know what to do when the Yellow Emperor walked into the room so she quickly retreated outside.

Within one night the Yellow Emperor aged another round. He silently stared at Xiao Yao and didn’t know how to talk to her. He had endless plots and vast commanding power, but he didn’t know right now how to comfort Xiao Yao. He finally said, “Zhuan Xu already committed a grave mistake, but if you kill him now it won’t bring Jing back.”

Xiao Yao painfully asked, “You both are my closest dearest family, but one killed my husband and the other helped conceal it! What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

The Yellow Emperor sighed. “I’m sorry! I tried my best – Zhuan Xu has always been a brilliant child who knows when to give and when to take, I thought he would understand but I underestimated the depths of his love for you. When Jing died, it was already too late so I prayed that you would never find out the truth.”

“Since learning that someone was behind Jing’s death, I kept thinking of how to deal with that person. Killing is too easy, I want to turn that person into my poison guinea pig, to use the most painful deadly methods to torture and torment.” Xiao Yao laughed sorrowfully. “But that person is Zhuan Xu, the person I want to devise a million tortures on turned out to be Zhuan Xu!”

* I know some fans believe that when XY made her wedding vows to the moon she considered herself to be marrying XL and not TSJ. However, that interpretation feels both illogical and quite icky to me. 

In chapter 42, XY knows for sure that her fiance, TSJ, suffered horrific injuries and that he is missing. She knows that he might even be dead, although his death has not been confirmed beyond all doubt. She continued searching for TSJ for more than two weeks after he disappeared (two days of searching, four days unconscious, and 10-11 days of further searching) until just before the date when her wedding with TSJ was scheduled to take place. At which point she returns to the location where that wedding is schedueld to take place and gets fully ready for that wedding to go ahead. That evening, after TSJ does not show up, she makes wedding vows to the moon. Then she receives a message, that might be from TSJ, instructing her to go to the East Sea. She goes with the hope of finding TSJ alive, despite being aware that the chances of seeing TSJ alive are small and that the message may very well be a trap. When she finds out that the message really was a trap and that she won't see TSJ alive again, she decides that she no longer wants to continue being strong. She would rather die and join TSJ in death in the East Sea. 

If it turned out that the person that XY made her wedding vows to in the middle of all of that was XL (who... was still alive, was not there, and had not asked her to marry him or agreed to marry her / was not her fiance) on that day and in that dress instead of making wedding vows to TSJ... that would just feel so wrong and disrespectful to both TSJ and XL. 

And after making those vows (and before TSJ returns alive and marries her properly), XY refers to herself as TSJ's wife (both in her own thoughts, immediately after making the vows to the moon in her own thoughts, and again, when speaking to XL, in chapter 46) and to TSJ as her husband (when speaking to the Yellow Emperor in chapter 47). There would truly be no reason for XY to do that if she made her wedding vows to XL rather than TSJ. Like truly, why on earth would she do that? If she made wedding vows to XL, she can't possibly immediately turn around and pretend to herself that she actually made those vows to TSJ. That's not self-deception. That's a full on mental breakdown. And there's no reason for XY to refer to herself as TSJ's wife in front of XL or for her to refer to TSJ as her husband in front of the Yellow Emperor in order to maintain her external deception. It's totally unnecessary. So the logic just isn't logic-ing for me. 

 solarlunareclipse:

There is other evidence that points to XY going to the East Sea to look for Xiang Liu. For instance, the title of the chapter, "Thinking of My Dearest Daily to No Avail,"  is derived from a poem that describes a situation similar to the one between XY and XL.

The poetry analysis is interesting. I agree with H19279's observation that the poem has aspects that are applicable to both YaoJing and YaoLiu at that point in the story and that the "when will this hatred end?" line seems to most closely apply to YaoLiu's dynamic and the conflict between Xuan Yuan and Shengnong that has played such a big role in keeping them apart. Although I would point out that Tushan Clan dynamics (mainly the hatred that TSH had for TSJ) also played a major role in keeping XY and TSJ apart, culminating in TSH trying to kill TSJ and succeeding in heavily wounding him before he disappeared in chapter 42, resulting in XY and TSJ being apart in chapter 43. 

While I do think that the poem and chapter title can be viewed as relating to YaoLiu, I don't think that the chapter title serves as evidence that supports the idea that XY went to the East Sea, and intentionally put herself in danger there, in the hope that she would see XL. 

For me, the YaoLiu vibes of the poem make me think of YaoLiu at the end of chapter 43 when XY and XL are on the boat. Not the beginning of the chapter when XY decides to go to the East Sea. 

-----

Chapter 43:

Left Ear asked, “Who is Zhuan Xu?”

Everyone knew the Black Emperor but very few people knew his real name so Xiao Yao said “The Black Emperor.”

“What about the man who was with you before? You called him Bei.” Left Ear saw Bei many times in the slave death match arena, but he was always wearing a dog face mask so Left Ear didn’t know what Bei looked like.

Xiao Yao looked at Xiang Liu just as he glanced at her and the two’s eyes met. Xiao Yao immediately looked away and said to Left Ear, “He died.”

Left Ear’s normally dispassionate eyes turned sad. In his heart, Bei wasn’t just someone who experienced the same fate as him, he was also Left Ear’s teacher that guided him to be reborn. Many times when Left Ear collapsed from a severe injury, feeling like not a shred of hope was left, he would see Bei silently sitting in the audience staring at him. He never said anything, but Bei’s presence was enough to convey warmth and hope to Left Ear. It gave him strength to stand back up one more time. Left Ear’s gratitude to Xiao Yao wasn’t just because she hugged him and gave him a sack of money, it was also because of Xiao Yao and Bei’s relationship. Because Xiao Yao accepted his own species, because she was friends with his own species.

Left Ear asked, “Do you miss him?”

Xiao Yao sighed and didn’t answer.

Left Ear was persistent and stared at Xiao Yao to ask again, “He’s not here anymore. Do you miss him?”

Xiao Yao cried out, “Yes!”

Left Ear smiled. “That will make him very happy.”

Xiao Yao stared at Xiang Liu as she said to Left Ear, “You’re not him. How do you know whether he cares that someone misses him? He totally wouldn’t care.”

Left Ear’s expression was dead serious, and he normally spoke so little and cared not to explain anything, but now he was very agitated and said, “I know! We slaves are never scared of death! We’re not scared of anything, other than being scared of the dark! If I died and someone missed me.” Left Ear used his fist to hit his chest “then it wouldn’t be dark here, it would be very bright and very happy!”

Xiao Yao asked Xiang Liu, “Is what he’s saying true?”

Xiang Liu smirked at Xiao Yao and teased, “You actually want to believe that? I totally don’t care!

“I must be crazy then, to have believed it!” Xiao Yao laughed heartily and used that exaggerated gesture to snap the tenuous mood between them. She said to Left Ear, “Can you steer the ship? If you can, then let’s sail the ship back to land.”

“I can.” Left Ear raised the sails and took the wheel to turn the ship towards land.

Xiao Yao walked over to Xiang Liu. “It’s another 4 or 5 days until we reach land. We’re the only ship in the ocean here. It’s very safe, so you can heal.”

Xiang Liu looked out at the ocean and remained silent. Xiao Yao thought he was turning her down when she heard, “Fine.”

...

Xiao Yao smiled and looked at Left Ear, feeling this hard to grasp feeling inside. Many years ago, was Xiang Liu just like this? Appearing dangerous and deadly, but actually simple and straightforward. If back then she could have met Xiang Liu, could he have found the woman he loved? Would he take her to buy perfumes at the flower demon shops? Go eat at hard to find restaurants in little alleys…? Xiao Yao glanced at Xiang Liu but he was standing with his profile to her, looking at the ocean with a small warm smile on his lips. Because of the angle, his smile made his face no longer cold but instead splashed with a sliver of warmth.

Xiao Yao stared for a while before looking away so that she could sort out all the jumbled feelings in her heart. 

...

Xiao Yao whirled around and stared with bright eyes at Xiang Liu and said in a strong voice, “Xiang Liu, I don’t have a way to break our bug link right now. Sheng Nong Mountain is rife with danger but Qing Shui Town isn’t any better. It’s unclear who will drag the other down. Rather than worry that I’ll be a hassle to you, why don’t you worry about yourself first!”

Xiao Yao walked up to Xiang Liu and lifted up her arm from under her sleeve. “While I’m still here to give you blood, hurry up and get better so you don’t burden me!”

Xiang Liu didn’t even act polite and took her arm to bite down and suck.

During the rest of the trip, every dawn and dusk Xiang Liu would drink Xiao Yao’s blood, and sometimes they would say a few words to one another, other times stay silent. One would sit with her arms wrapped around her knees staring sadly at the ocean as if waiting, the other would sit cross-legged facing the ocean healing with no expression on his face. After three days, Xiang Liu finished healing and stood up.

...

He tossed a little jewel to Xiao Yao before vaulting off the ship to land on the water surface.

“What is this?” Xiao Yao asked.

“A sea map. If you don’t have the ability to survive on Sheng Nong Mountain, then come to the ocean. This sea map is but a small portion of the ocean but with your body in no time you’ll be like a fish as familiar with the ocean.”

Xiao Yao remembered what Xiang Liu said before, there are countless islands in the vast ocean, some with nothing on it, others as beautiful as a dream.

“I don’t need this!” Xiao Yao wanted to toss the jewel back but Xiang Liu was already walking away, stepping on the emerald waves headed North until his form disappeared.

Left Ear watched Xiao Yao continue to stare at the direction where Xiang Liu vanished.

After a long long time, Xiao Yao finally looked away and carefully tucked the sea map jewel away. She said to Left Ear “Tomorrow I will wake Miao Pu up. Don’t let her know that Xiang Liu was ever here. And never tell anyone that Xiang Liu killed the seagull. If anyone asks, say that you brought Miao Pu back on the ship and learned the seagull wanted to kill me so you killed her and saved me.”

Left Ear nodded his head.

...

Zhuan Xu said, “Sing me a song.”

Xiao Yao huffed. “How old are you now? Still need to be lulled to sleep?” But she started singing nonetheless.

In the familiar melody, Zhuan Xu finally couldn’t hold out any longer, closing his eyes and falling deep asleep. Xiao Yao stayed wide awake, her eyes staring at the canopy above. She was deciding between telling or not telling Zhuan Xu, and decided not to tell him. She couldn’t confirm it was Xing Yue and Feng Long, or either of them, or someone learned the details and decided to set them up as the culprits. Plus this matter involved the Lover’s Bug linking her and Xiang Liu, to explain now would require going back tens of years to what happened. Zhuan Xu was against her getting close to Xiang Liu from the beginning and she had promised Zhuan Xu she wouldn’t have any further contact with Xiang Liu. She downplayed the bug connection between them until that lie became a snowball that had only grown larger and larger.

-----

I feel like one way to read YaoLiu from chapter 43 into the poem would be:

 solarlunareclipse:

Thank you! It was a very interesting read.

You're welcome!

 solarlunareclipse:

It's interesting that they thought Xiao Yao looked to be about seven or eight years old but Cang Xuan looked to be about ten years old. I thought the two were not born very far apart.

That is an interesting point. However, it is noteworthy that it was  Shen'nong Yi who thinks she should look like a seven or eight year old child, but he himself had never seen her, whereas Cang Xuan's description was based on what Jiang Li saw in person. In addition, it is possible that Cang Xuan looked far more mature due to the kind of life he led, hence perhaps appearing older than presumably an eight year old human child.

 solarlunareclipse:

The poster from the old version of LYF shows XL holding hands with XY while admiring the moon.

Hm. I always considered that picture to be of Wen Xiao Liu, not Xiao Yao, because of the way she is dressed, which is more rugged (?) and less feminine.

. 

 solarlunareclipse:

In an illustration from the new version of the book, a white haired XL is shooting arrows with XY. However, in the novel, only FFB shoots arrows with XY.

My impression was that it was to clearly show that the man with whom Xiao Yao was practising archery with was Xiang Liu. Illustrating Fangfeng Bei with long, black hair might have resulted in ambiguity because Jing was also depicted with long dark hair in Vol 2, as opposed to Cang Xuan who is easily identifiable because his hair was always swept up in a top knot in both the cover and insert illustrations.

 AH :

Thank you for the translation liddi!

You're welcome!

 AH :

Imagine if the Shengnong remnant army had searched for XY in order to capitalize on the Grand Emperor and Yellow Emperor's promises. Imagine if XL had succeeded in finding XY in that context. The story could have gone in quite a different direction. 

You're right! In a similar vein to the possibility that they had met before on Jade Mountain. If Xiang Liu had managed to find Xiao Yao in the years that she went missing... what would that have entailed? There would definitely not have been any Wen Xiao Liu to begin with, and by extension no Ye Shi Qi as well. She might not have been so adept with poisons. Would she (as physically an eight year old child) have been drawn to Xiang Liu, and vice versa? Or would they have been more like older brother-annoying younger sister? What would Hong Jiang and the resistance army have requested from the Gao Xin king? A lifetime of peace from the Xuan Yuan king - would they have asked for it for all the Shen Nong families who had surrendered while they continued fighting for their cause? The possibilities are intriguing...

 AH :

Seeing how Chi You was scapegoated for the war is rather infuriating. 

Yes. Then again history is always written from the POV of the victor... so Chi Chen's villification is frustrating, but not unexpected.

 AH :

My recollection from the novel was that Ah Heng took her there, and it wasn't the Grand Emperor who sent her there? Although he chose not to collect her for a long time due to the Five Princes Rebellion. 

You are absolutely right - thank you so much for pointing out my mistake in translation which I have corrected. The correct text should read as follows:

 “After our princess died in battle, the Gao Xin king continued to leave his daughter in the care of Jade Mountain to learn from the Royal Mother.”

 AH :

The irony. 

Yes. Cang Xuan was clear-minded even from those early days, until his jealousy and love for Xiao Yao saw him doing exactly what he once said, hoped he would never do - allow his feelings to cloud his judgment and dictate his actions.