Thanks for the translated excerpts, liddi. Xie Zu seemed like great mother to A Heng, giving her independence and space to make her own decisions. In a way, this makes Xiao Yao's story even more tragic than A Heng's because Xiao Yao felt alone in the world, never having anyone she could rely on in her formative years. Although A Heng's story ended tragically, with her dying/becoming the living dead due in part to her own father's manipulation. At least A Heng knew her mother loved her unconditionally and cared about her happiness. Similarly, she knew that the man she loved, Chi Chen, loved her in return. In contrast, Xiao Yao always felt abandoned by all her parental figures, and XL refused to acknowledge that he loved her, so she never knew his feelings for sure.solarlunareclipse:
You're welcome. Yes, you make an excellent point about the contrast between A Heng and Xiao Yao. Actually, when you think about it, they are quite similar - both lived spiritedly and boldly in the early part of their lives, before responsibility, duty and family forced them to curb themselves from following their heart. The difference is that A Heng was loved and secure in the love she received from her mother, her brothers, and Chi Chen (even Shao Hao). Xiao Yao lived under the trauma of abandonment from her terrible childhood experience. This is the person who said that she was used to being unlucky, and dared not believe that anything good would ever happen to her. As such, where A Heng was strong and fearless, Xiao Yao was incredibly timid and afraid, ultimately pitiful, and Xiang Liu understood this part of her so well, which was why he refused to respond when she pleaded to him with uncharacteristic courage, knowing that in the end, she would be shattered once more when he died.
I wonder if Xie Zu had a chance to go back to her youth, if she would have made the same decision to follow King Xuan Yuan.
She empathetically said that she would not, in the novel, and even instructed that she be buried apart from the Yellow Emperor.
[After A Heng killed Yi Peng and the Yellow Emperor tried to kill her in retaliation ]
After a while, A Heng slowly came to her senses and murmured to Xie Zu, "I killed Ninth Brother." Unable to hold herself together any longer, she broke down completely and collapsed into Xie Zu's arms, sobbing in anguish, "I couldn’t let Ninth Brother harm Cang Xuan. I don’t regret it; I just regret that I did not act sooner. If I had made the decision earlier, if I had been resolute and killed Ninth Brother sooner, Fourth Brother would not have died, and Fourth Sister-in-law would not have died either." However, her tears flowed uncontrollably, her entire body was chilled to the bone and she continued to shiver.
"Mother understands, Mother understands everything," Xie Zu gently patted her daughter's back, tears streaming down her face. This was supposed to be her burden to bear, but her own weakness had led her to escape from it years ago. Now her daughter had to rise up and bear it all. If everything could be undone, she would rather gouge out her own eyes than see that young man at the foot of Xuan Yuan Mountain.
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch11 (originally Chapter 14)
Xiao Yao was swinging on the swing alone. When she saw them, her eyes lit up. She immediately jumped off the swing and ran over.
A Heng took one child in each hand and said, “Let’s go see Grandma and Uncle.”
As they walked, Xiao Yao chattered away, while Cang Xuan kept biting his lip in silence. When they reached the graveside, Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan kowtowed and paid their respects.
Hugging Cang Xuan, A Heng said to him, “Grandma did not want to be buried in Xuan Yuan. She left instructions to be interred at the Head of the Azure Dragon, which is her hometown. However, since Grandma was the empress, Grandfather did not agree to her being buried far away in ancient Shu. I may not have enough time to be able to fulfill Grandma’s wish myself. Can you make me a promise? One day, when if you have the authority, please bury Grandma at the Head of the Azure Dragon. Regardless of any opposition, you must not allow Grandfather and Grandma to be buried together.”
Cang Xuan nodded solemnly and said, “I promise. I will definitely fulfill Grandma’s wish and will not allow Grandfather and Grandma to be buried together.”
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch14 (originally Chapter 17)
I don't think A Heng regretting being with Chi Chen, but I wonder if she had known how difficult things would have been for Xiao Yao, would she have done anything differently?
This was the promise Chi Chen made A Heng when she was finally free to go to him with the death of her mother and Fourth Brother. And how heartbreaking that their happiness was so short-lived, to be shattered at the next instant, and all their hopes and dreams never came to pass. Perhaps if she knew how Xiao Yao would have suffered, perhaps she would have gone with Chi Chen no matter what, but could she really have abandoned the Xuan Yuan people who were suffering from the war? Ultimately the situation was that they lived in troubled times and their lives were not their own...
The sky in the east suddenly brightened. A Heng looked up and murmured, "Look, the sun is rising. It’s a new day."
A red sun erupted from the roiling sea of clouds, like a blazing fire, illuminating the entire world and making everything shine.
Chi Chen embraced A Heng tightly. "Can we really greet each new day together from now on?"
In the bright morning sun, A Heng smiled and nodded vigorously. It was not clear whether it was the sun or the temperature of their bodies, but they both felt enveloped in a comforting warmth.
Seeing A Heng's clear eyes, Chi Chen opened his mouth, intending to tell her that the battle was over, but the words never left his lips. At that moment, all he wanted was to hold her and quietly watch the sunrise shine on the earth together.
The fiery morning glow spread across the horizon, and the fiery red rhododendrons bloomed all over the cliffs. They sat quietly on the top of the cliff, leaning on each other, surrounded by the rosy glow of dawn and the blooming mountain flowers. Their silhouettes were as solid as the rocks, only the morning breeze gently stirred their clothes.
Chi Chen softly asked, “Xiling Heng, what do you most want to do in the future?”
Xiling Heng. How long had it been since this name which signified freedom and joy appeared in her life? A Heng whispered, as if in a dream, “I want to be with you every day. I want to see Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan grow up safely, see them get married, then die happily with you.”
Chi Chen smiled, “That’s a simple wish. I will definitely make it come true!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch13 (originally Chapter 16)
Most notably, in order to buy medicine for Xiao Liu after Xiao Liu was injured while using his body to protect Xuan, Xiang Liu cut off one of his own heads in order to collect the bounty on it.
That sounds more like something out of Once Promised than LYF. In any case, the rumoured 2nd epilogue is supposedly from the novel and as I said, to be taken with a (massive) ladle of salt. I can accept Xiang Liu having some unknown ties with the Guifang clan, but if he truly were clan leader, there would be no reason he had to painstakingly source for provisions for the Shen Nong resistance army. I am more inclined to think that the Guifang clan leader owed him a debt of gratitude, hence gave him the token which enabled him to get the customised bow made by the Jintian clan. All this should be explained in the LYF prequel, which unfortunately, unless Tong Hua decides to revisit it, will always remain a mystery except for a brief excerpt.
Yeah, I'm sorry, but I think there's way too much salt with this one. It reads more like fanfic to me.Kokuto:
Yes. I think so too.
Oh, wait. Even Ru Shou appears to know about this rumored Guifang resurrection though. Ding Jia Wen posted this in his farewell to LYF, which was written entirely in Ru Shou's character.
It was quite funny to see his post as Ru Shou to Xiang Liu, because if I recall correctly after S1, he was pretty much a supporter of Jing with Xiao Yao. In a different time and place, perhaps Ru Shou could have been good friends with Xiang Liu. He should pretty much have guessed Xiang Liu was Fangfeng Bei by the final battle too.
Wait @liddi was the second epilogue description that you translated a description of a second epilogue for the novel (where XL's epilogue was the first epilogue)?AH :
Or was it for the drama (where I assume CX and Ah Nian's "many years later" scene in QS town would be the first epilogue)?
It's the rumoured 2nd epilogue of the novel, that needs a side of ladles of salt to go with it, which suddenly made its rounds again a few days ago.
What an underwhemling ending for him.
According to mythology, that was how Gong Gong died, so in that sense, it was faithful to the source material.
To be very honest, I cannot imagine Hong Jiang ever abandoning his men to escape alone in that final battle, and the drama made it even more impossible, when he gave his men a choice to leave or stay. Someone like that would not have left his men and saved his own skin.
Not a fan. The novel was so clear that the ocean was where she belonged. And she should stay away from CX's reach.
YES. Something the drama butchered.
Plus she never promised XL that she would never leave QS Town. After she was whipped in S1 Ep3, WXL's one condition (which she was willing to die for if XL refused to agree to it) for her agreeing to work for XL was that he would never order her to leave QS Town (e.g., to go assassinate the King of Xiyan or the King of Haoling). XL agreed (and later added that if he summoned her, she must obey). But that didn't in any way mean that WXL had promised XL that she would never leave QS Town for any other reason.
Good point. She hoped to always be Wen Xiao Liu, if Xiang Liu would allow it. Her condition for working with Xiang Liu was that she would never leave Qingshui Town..
As a clan leader held captive by responsiblities that he didn't want, never getting to be free??? Is this supposed to be a happy ending?!!?
Let's not forget a clan leader, bound for life with responsibilities, never free, and without all the memories - basically a shell without his own identity.
Basically, anything that goes against conventional moral values is being censored. I imagine either loving two men at the same time, or obviously loving one man, but deciding to be with another might violate some censorship rules.
That was my guess too when I saw how the script was changed. Still, for all the muted YaoLiu scenes, I find that S2 unexpectedly makes it even more obvious in certain scenes.
Xiang Liu laughed and pointed at his head. “I’ve lost count, but they are all here.”
In the novel, Xiang Liu was pointing to his heart when he said this. The drama had him saying that his nine heads made it impossible for him to forget every face, every voice, which I disliked because it downplayed the fact that he cared for his comrades, instead emphasising that he could not forget because of his nine heads.
She empathetically said that she would not, in the novel, and even instructed that she be buried apart from the Yellow Emperor.liddi:
[After A Heng killed Yi Peng and the Yellow Emperor tried to kill her in retaliation ]After a while, A Heng slowly came to her senses and murmured to Xie Zu, "I killed Ninth Brother." Unable to hold herself together any longer, she broke down completely and collapsed into Xie Zu's arms, sobbing in anguish, "I couldn’t let Ninth Brother harm Cang Xuan. I don’t regret it; I just regret that I did not act sooner. If I had made the decision earlier, if I had been resolute and killed Ninth Brother sooner, Fourth Brother would not have died, and Fourth Sister-in-law would not have died either." However, her tears flowed uncontrollably, her entire body was chilled to the bone and she continued to shiver."Mother understands, Mother understands everything," Xie Zu gently patted her daughter's back, tears streaming down her face. This was supposed to be her burden to bear, but her own weakness had led her to escape from it years ago. Now her daughter had to rise up and bear it all. If everything could be undone, she would rather gouge out her own eyes than see that young man at the foot of Xuan Yuan Mountain.-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch11 (originally Chapter 14)
Weirdly I feel kind of proud of Ah Lei for this.
It's the rumoured 2nd epilogue of the novel, that needs a side of ladles of salt to go with it, which suddenly made its rounds again a few days ago.
Got it. Thanks for clarifying.
According to mythology, that was how Gong Gong died, so in that sense, it was faithful to the source material.
That's good context, but still...
To be very honest, I cannot imagine Hong Jiang ever abandoning his men to escape alone in that final battle, and the drama made it even more impossible, when he gave his men a choice to leave or stay. Someone like that would not have left his men and saved his own skin.
Agreed.
Let's not forget a clan leader, bound for life with responsibilities, never free, and without all the memories - basically a shell without his own identity.
In the novel, Xiang Liu was pointing to his heart when he said this. The drama had him saying that his nine heads made it impossible for him to forget every face, every voice, which I disliked because it downplayed the fact that he cared for his comrades, instead emphasising that he could not forget because of his nine heads.
Right, right I remember you mentioning that for the novel. Although I can't remember if it was a Koala mistranslation or a 2019 edition change.
Right, right I remember you mentioning that for the novel. Although I can't remember if it was a Koala mistranslation or a 2019 edition change.
Both the 2013 and 2019 revised editions said this:
Xiao Yao could not imagine but she understood what Xiang Liu meant. Similarly, Fourth Uncle clearly could have survived, clearly loved Fourth Aunt and Cang Xuan deeply, yet chose to die along with his fellow soldiers. In this world, there were some ties of comradeship that could never be abandoned even if it meant sacrificing one’s life for it.
Xiang Liu smiled and pointed to his own heart. “Even I have lost count, but they are all in here.”
-- Vol 3 Ch2 (Chapter 35)
And yes. I'm in a very bad mood. Can you tell? :-).HeadInTheClouds:
Hopefully good news will cheer you up. Apparently, the Hi!6 LYF special that was filmed last year with Xiang Liu wearing the red robes, is supposed to make its appearance in the new episode with TJC tomorrow.
And secondly, as @plor20 mentioned, TJC is taking legal action against 4 Weibo users for defamation and malicious attacks using offensive language.
I finally properly listened to 美丽的孤独 Beautiful Loneliness. It is indeed such a gorgeous, poignant piece and I can truly understand why he said the song reminded him of Xiang Liu, particularly the line:
我化作地脉 无所不在的相伴
I transform into the veins of the earth, accompanying you everywhere
which is also used in the final Mao Qiu video "The Great Wilderness Portal: The Nine Lives Strategy - Final Chapter: A Letter from Mao Qiu"
Yes, you make an excellent point about the contrast between A Heng and Xiao Yao. Actually, when you think about it, they are quite similar - both lived spiritedly and boldly in the early part of their lives, before responsibility, duty and family forced them to curb themselves from following their heart. The difference is that A Heng was loved and secure in the love she received from her mother, her brothers, and Chi Chen (even Shao Hao). Xiao Yao lived under the trauma of abandonment from her terrible childhood experience. This is the person who said that she was used to being unlucky, and dared not believe that anything good would ever happen to her. As such, where A Heng was strong and fearless, Xiao Yao was incredibly timid and afraid, ultimately pitiful, and Xiang Liu understood this part of her so well, which was why he refused to respond when she pleaded to him with uncharacteristic courage, knowing that in the end, she would be shattered once more when he died.
I can't help but wonder if Xiang Liu made the right decision in keeping Xiao Yao in the dark about his true feelings for her. I know he was afraid of irreparably hurting her, possibly even causing her to follow him in death when he died, had he confessed his feelings. However, the passage you just shared proves Xiao Yao is capable of understanding of the reasons he chose to die on the battlefield and ultimately make peace with that fact.
Xiao Yao could not imagine but she understood what Xiang Liu meant. Similarly, Fourth Uncle clearly could have survived, clearly loved Fourth Aunt and Cang Xuan deeply, yet chose to die along with his fellow soldiers. In this world, there were some ties of comradeship that could never be abandoned even if it meant sacrificing one’s life for it.
-- Vol 3 Ch 2 (Chapter 35)
After 37 years at sea, Xiao Yao tried to get Xiang Liu to confess a number of times: sending the crystal ball, almost jumping into the ocean after him after she found out the true nature of the lovers' gu, and tightly clinging to him, refusing to let him go after he saved her from the vortex. In my eyes, Xiang Liu would have caused Xiao Yao less pain if he confessed his feelings to her, and let her be secure in knowing his love for her, even if he still refused to let them act on that love because of the consequences for her.
In Tong Hua's 2013 letter introducing the novel, she wrote:
Eternal yearning happens because of profound love, because it is unattainable, because it is unforgettable.
However, I am willing to bear all these emotions and live well.
Life is a series of encounters and partings, a cycle of forgetting and beginning anew.
You’ve been here, you’ve gone.
Even though yearning is hard to get over, I will still smile when I see a beautiful rainbow.
How can Xiao Yao smile when she sees a beautiful rainbow if she never knows that the only man she loved wholeheartedly and will never be able to forget actually profoundly loved her back in return? I believe it was healing for Xiao Yao to finally see her mother again and understand the depth of her mother's love for her. Similarly, I think Xiao Yao can only truly bravely face her emotions and heal if she knows Xiang Liu loved her.
If everything could be undone, she would rather gouge out her own eyes than see that young man at the foot of Xuan Yuan Mountain.
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch11 (originally Chapter 14)
Thanks for the translation. Lol, I guess that's a pretty definitive answer that Xie Zu definitely regretted following King Xuan Yuan.
This was the promise Chi Chen made A Heng when she was finally free to go to him with the death of her mother and Fourth Brother. And how heartbreaking that their happiness was so short-lived, to be shattered at the next instant, and all their hopes and dreams never came to pass. Perhaps if she knew how Xiao Yao would have suffered, perhaps she would have gone with Chi Chen no matter what, but could she really have abandoned the Xuan Yuan people who were suffering from the war? Ultimately the situation was that they lived in troubled times and their lives were not their own...
I agree, I don't know what A Heng could have done differently that would have not caused all their lives to end tragically and to be forced to "abandon" Xiao Yao, even if she were given a chance to start over.
I wonder, if given the opportunity, what Shao Hao would have done differently. If he had told A Heng that he wanted a real marriage instead of a political one, would A Heng have tried her best to forget Chi Chen and have a real marriage with Shao Hao? Or was it too late at that point regardless of how Shao Hao responded to her question?
Still, for all the muted YaoLiu scenes, I find that S2 unexpectedly makes it even more obvious in certain scenes.
Hrm, which scenes made Xiao Yao's true feelings for Xiang Liu more obvious in your eyes? I still can't get over how histrionically she acted after hearing about Jing's death while having a comparatively very mild reaction to Xiang Liu's death. Episodes 18 and 19, where Xiao Yao goes through with the ghost wedding, and then violently goes after Cang Xuan for his involvement in Jing's disappearance were not enjoyable for me to watch. In the novel, her ghost wedding was just her saying her vows to the moon by herself. Also, it seemed that in the novel, she only impulsively acted out against Cang Xuan when she learned the truth about Jing's disappearance. She didn't repeatedly go after him with a knife. In those scenes, Xiao Yao acted way too toddler-throwing-a-tantrum emotional for me.
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