Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 AH :

Yu Shi... the person who Cang Xuan said was actually Yihe Nuo Nai, a noble from the Yihe family in Gao Xing who was Shao Hao's close friend from childhood? The man that Yun Sang (one of the princesses of Shengnong / Ah Heng's friend) fell for and who fell for her in return, but unfortunately he thought she was Shao Hao's betrothed and then later she was actually betrothed to Qing Yang?

So sorry for taking some time to get back to you on this.

Yes, Yu Shi is actually Xihe Nuo Nai, from the Xi He tribe.

He and Yun Sang were both in love. After his initial misunderstanding that she was Shao Hao's betrothed, A Heng was cleared, they were to be married. However, on their wedding day, his ex-betrothed, dressed in wedding finery and holding a piece of white jade in her mouth (signifying her virtue and innocence), hung herself at the city gates, and the wedding was called off.

His betrothed was Bing Yue, a girl from the Chang Xi tribe, an engagement he agreed to while he was drunk, and could not disengage from because of the influential Chang Xi sister consorts. Shao Hao, whose mother was from the Qing Long tribe, could not allow the engagement to go through as it would mean the neutral Xi He tribe would align with the Chang Xi and Bai Hu tribes through Nuo Nai's marriage, and by extension his brother Prince Yan Long who wanted him dead. As such, he set up the girl with false evidence that she had an affair, which in turn forced the Chang Xi tribe to break off the engagement. Shao Hao intended to take her as a concubine later as compensation to her (he was the only one who would ever marry her, knowing that she was innocent), and to divide and win over the Chang Xi tribe, but before it could be set in motion, Bing Yue killed herself in a manner that attracted widespread condemnation over Nuo Nai and Yun Sang's wedding. 

Nuo Nai was guilt-ridden and avoided Yun Sang for a long time. By the time he finally came to his senses and went to her, she no longer wanted anything to do with him. Using his love and guilt for Yun Sang, Shao Hao manipulated him into infiltrating Shen Nong, disguised as Chi Song Zi / Yu Shi of the Chishui clan. To ensure Chi Chen was unaware of his identity, Nuo Nai badly disfigured and self-multilated himself, though it was ultimately useless because Chi Chen knew who he was, but chose to observe rather than out him. In the end he won Chi Chen's trust when he saw how he truly fought for them, always rushing up where the greatest danger was in battle. He only found out that Chi Chen had known his identity for over ten years during the final battle at Ji Province. 

After Eighth Flame Emperor Yu Xiang's death at the hands of the Yellow Emperor, Yun Sang accepted the proposed marriage alliance with Qing Yang to buy a period of peace for her people. She met the disfigured Nuo Nai on her wedding, and felt he was very familiar though she could not explain why. Finally realising who he was, every night, she used her spiritual powers to send colourful moths from Xuan Yuan mountain across the distance to Shen Nong to keep him company, nurse the wounds and ease the physical pain he suffered. She knew he must be working for Shao Hao, but continued to observe. 

During the final battle, she waited for news of the outcome and his fate.

If Shen Nong won the war, as a Gao Xin spy, it was expected he would cause trouble. If that happened, Chi Chen had been instructed to have him killed. She would then follow him in death because she was the one who ordered his death, and had no wish to live on. 

If Shen Nong lost the war, he would have accomplished his mission, and would return to Gao Xin. As the Eldest Princess of Shen Nong, she refused to stay alive in shame, and would kill herself.

What she did not expect was that Shen Nong fell yet Nuo Nai died instead of escaping back to Gao Xin.   Shao Hao had arranged for him to escape before the final battle, but Nuo Nai refused to abandon his comrades and fought alongside them, was badly wounded, and died in the end. Yun Sang finally understood the reason he stayed when through the coloured moths, she saw his eyes that gazed with love at the moths that gathered around him as he died. He knew from Chi Chen that she was aware of his identity, and guessed that she was the one who sent the moths all those years. Upon his death, Yun Sang immolated herself using the last of her spiritual powers, joining him in death. The dazzling flames that carried the spiritual energy transformed from her life soared to the skies and could be seen from thousands of miles away. Shao Hao, realising who the owner of the spiritual energy of the Shen Nong royal family was, supported Nuo Nai's body, lifted his head to let his still-open eyes see the flames that shot across the sky like fireworks, burning for him.

 AH :

In theory, a fish and a bird should be two beings that live in separate worlds and cannot be together, like XL and XY.

But there was a divine beast who could transform from one into the other.

And that makes me think of XY transforming into WXL, an identity that allowed her to be XL's companion and to live in his world for a while. And demon XL using the deity identity FFB, an identity that allowed him to be XY's companion and to live in her world for while. 

Once Promised introduces us to so many fantastical beasts which I adore in varying degrees. Kun was the one which transformed from its roc form back into a great fish and protected Ying Long, before routing the floodwaters that were as high as the sky into three directions, away from Ze Province. 

I never associated Kun and its abilities with Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu, but what you said makes so much sense and brings such an ache to my heart. If the lyrics of Xiao Yao's song is actually referring to Kun which is both bird and fish, then it adds such an added layer of poignancy since their natural habitat is totally separate, but they are actually one. 

 AH :

I can't help but be reminded of XY facing the whirlpool, and XL arriving to save her at the last moment with his hair fanning out in the water. 

Yes! Then there is also the passing of air for A Heng who was drowning.

 AH :

Tong Hua seems to like these "I could escape and save myself, but instead I'll face doom and die honourably on the battlefield side-by-side with my fellow doomed comrades" moments.

They certainly pull on one's heartstrings. 

Exactly. And having read this just makes me tear up that much more during the scene in Ep2 when the old Lirong donkey meat seller cried out for joy thinking that it was the Great General he swore his loyalty to, whom he cannot forget, allowing me to understand even more the kind of camaraderie and brotherhood that bound these men together in life and death, and why Xiang Liu felt that death was the best outcome for them rather than live with the memories of all their comrades who had perished.

 AH :

Zhu Rong really can't help being like this, even for one moment? ^^"

He is a veritable jerk most of the time, quite unlikeable. He was the reason A Heng died at Yu Abyss the first time due to his sneak attack. I am waiting to see if I feel differently towards the end, especially since he is revered as a Shen Nong hero in LYF.

 AH :

I can see why you enjoy this scene.

Was Luo Jia the seventh Flame Emperor's adoptive daughter? What was her story?

Definitely one of my favourite scenes, especially after the hopelessness of the situation before that. 

Luo Jia is actually Hou Tu in the revised edition. He would later bring his army of eighty thousand men to swear fealty to the Yellow Emperor on the day that Yun Sang married Qing Yang. In the side story, he was the one who set up Xuan Ting so that he would face punishment and be executed because Xuan Ting had was conducting witchhunts for Shen Nong remnants, bringing misery and suffering to those former Shen Nong citizens who were now living as a conquered people.

 liddi:

So sorry for taking some time to get back to you on this.

No, no! Thank you so much for the summary!

 liddi:

Yes, Yu Shi is actually Xihe Nuo Nai, from the Xi He tribe.

He and Yun Sang were both in love. After his initial misunderstanding that she was Shao Hao's betrothed, A Heng was cleared, they were to be married. However, on their wedding day, his ex-betrothed, dressed in wedding finery and holding a piece of white jade in her mouth (signifying her virtue and innocence), hung herself at the city gates, and the wedding was called off.

His betrothed was Bing Yue, a girl from the Chang Xi tribe, an engagement he agreed to while he was drunk, and could not disengage from because of the influential Chang Xi sister consorts. Shao Hao, whose mother was from the Qing Long tribe, could not allow the engagement to go through as it would mean the neutral Xi He tribe would align with the Chang Xi and Bai Hu tribes through Nuo Nai's marriage, and by extension his brother Prince Yan Long who wanted him dead. As such, he set up the girl with false evidence that she had an affair, which in turn forced the Chang Xi tribe to break off the engagement. He intended to take her as a concubine later as compensation to her, and to divide and win over the Chang Xi tribe, but before it could be set in motion, Bing Yue killed herself in a manner that attracted widespread condemnation over Nuo Nai and Yun Sang's wedding.

Nuo Nai was guilt-ridden and avoided Yun Sang for a long time. By the time he finally came to his senses and went to her, she no longer wanted anything to do with him. Using his love and guilt for Yun Sang, Shao Hao manipulated him into infiltrating Shen Nong, disguised as Chi Song Zi / Yu Shi of the Chishui clan. To ensure Chi Chen is unaware of his identity, Nuo Nai badly disfigured and self-multilated himself, though it was ultimately useless because Chi Chen knew who he was, but chose to observe rather than out him. In the end he won Chi Chen's trust when he saw how he truly fought for them, always rushing up where the greatest danger was in battle. He only found out that Chi Chen had known his identity for over ten years during the final battle at Ji Province.

After Eighth Flame Emperor Yu Xiang's death at the hands of the Yellow Emperor, she accepted the proposed marriage alliance with Qing Yang to buy a period of peace for her people. She met the disfigured Nuo Nai on her wedding, and felt he was very familiar though she could not explain why. Finally realising who he was, every night, she used her spiritual powers to send colourful moths from Xuan Yuan mountain across the distance to Shen Nong to keep him company, nurse the wounds and ease the physical pain he suffered. She knew he must be working for Shao Hao, but continued to observe.

During the final battle, she waited for news of the outcome and his fate.

If Shen Nong won the war, as a Gao Xin spy, it was expected he would cause trouble. If that happened, Chi Chen had been instructed to have him killed. She would then follow him in death because she was the one who ordered his death, and had no wish to live on.

If Shen Nong lost the war, he would have accomplished his mission, and would return to Gao Xin. As the Eldest Princess of Shen Nong, she refused to stay alive in shame, and would kill herself.

What she did not expect was that Shen Nong fell yet Nuo Nai died instead of escaping back to Gao Xin.   Shao Hao had arranged for him to escape before the final battle, but Nuo Nai refused to abandon his comrades and fought alongside them, badly wounded by the Yellow Emperor's spear, finally dying. Yun Sang finally understood the reason he stayed when she saw his eyes that gazed with love at the moths that gathered around him as he died. He knew from Chi Chen that she was aware of his identity, and guessed that she was the one who sent the moths all those years. Upon his death, Yun Sang immolated herself using the last of her spiritual powers, joining him in death.

Goodness. This is insanely tragic. I didn't realize they came so close to getting to be with and marry each other. I thought her death was something she chose because Shengnong had fallen. I didn't realize it was more about Nuo Nai. 

I'm wondering... in Once Promised, Chang Pu killed herself after Chang Yi died in battle (a death he could have escaped, but he chose to fight and die with his comrades) because she couldn't bear the idea of not being with him, even though her son was still alive and right there. Then Yun Sang killed herself after Nuo Nai died in battle (a battle he could have escaped, but he chose to fight and die with his comrades), even though their relationship had ended tragically and she was "married" to another man. Then Ah Heng wanted to kill herself to join Chi You in death after he died saving her life at the end of their battle, but Chi You made her promise to live on in order to meet XY and even after that his spirit had tp comfort her even after his body had perished to prevent her from choosing to die despite her promise. So if XL had acted differently and allowed XY to see his feelings for her and to understand how much he did for her and cared for her before he died in battle... might there have been a risk that she would not only be deeply, deeply hurt by his death (perhaps even broken by it, given her trauma as a result of feeling abandoned by everyone else she loved) but that she might want / try to join him in death, following the pattern of the three main women of the previous generation whose stories were told in Once Promised? Meaning that perhaps readers are supposed to understand that Sir Bi and Shao Hao's concerns about tragedy repeating itself were well-founded and XL's approach was necessary to break the cycle?

Also, the circumstances of Nuo Nai's engagement, the way he ended it, and the consequences that followed feel like they're meant to provide context for TSJ's actions (or lack thereof) in LYF. As if reminding the reader that finding a cruel way to end an engagement you don't want could backfire and result in consequences that are even worse than the ones you would face if you refused to use such methods. Perhaps that context is supposed to make readers feel that TSJ's approach, as frustrating as it was, was better. In the long-run, his kinder approach towards FFYY until the end (even after their engagement was broken) helped save his life in his battle against TSH, helped give him the key to his escape from the Tushan clan (TSZ - yes, with all the caveats about how problematic it was to leave him behind) without having to be responsible for clan's ruin under TSH, and allowed him to eventually be able to marry XY and have some version of a happy ending with her. 

 liddi:

He is a veritable jerk most of the time, quite unlikeable. He was the reason A Heng died at Yu Abyss the first time due to his sneak attack. I am waiting to see if I feel differently towards the end, especially since he is revered as a Shen Nong hero in LYF.

I disliked him from the beginning due to how casually and unremorsefully cruel he was in Jiu Li. 

But if Yi Peng's death could make readers cry for him after everything, I wouldn't put it past Tong Hua to write an ending for Zhu Rong that would somehow manage to make me dislike him less. 

 liddi:

Luo Jia is actually Hou Tu in the revised edition. He would later bring his army of eighty thousand men to swear fealty to the Yellow Emperor on the day that Yun Sang married Qing Yang. In the side story, he was the one who set up Xuan Ting so that he would face punishment and be executed because Xuan Ting had was conducting witchhunts for Shen Nong remnants, bringing misery and suffering to those former Shen Nong citizens who were now living as a conquered people.

Oh, the turncoat that saved the Yellow Emperor's life. Did he have a good reason for his betrayal?

 H19279:

As far as I remember, No, he had no hatred toward ShenNong.
However his personality was not really good. Maybe @liddi remember the excerp where Flame Emperor made comment of his generals' personality. I remember that it was not so positive characteristics.

2nd reason: I think he had crush on Yu Sang. So, when she "married" Qing Yang and moved to Xuan Yuan, he wanted to follow her. 

Interesting. If that's the case, (I'm probably reading to much into it... but) it feels like that's also a set up that's meant to be contrasted with LYF. 

Like saying to the reader, do you remember that Shengnong general from Once Promised? The one with a bad charachter who willingly and dishonourably betrayed his country and abandoned the losing side (Shengnong) for the winning side (Xuan Yuan), in part because he had a crush on a princess and wanted to follow her to Xuan Yuan? Now here, have a Shengnong remanant army general with a bad reputation but an incredible character underneath it, one who will never willingly betray his adoptive father or his comrades and will never abandon the losing side for the winning side, even if doing so might have allowed him to be with with the woman he loved. Fall in love with and mourn this incredible character, whose choices seem all the more honourable when contrasted with Hou Tu's dishonourable choices. 

 Svetlanchik89:

https://h5.video.weibo.com/show/1034:5054663595327521

That has to be XL comforting XY from chapter 35, doesn't it? But his hair is uncovered. She can't have her seeing-FFB moment! :( :(

 AH :

On top of the general indifference, XL and TSJ are both close with the Lirong family. And now, on top of that, TSJ's clan owns and makes rent money from the propery where the death matches take place? It's nauseating.

In the novel, TSJ's shady dealings are more speculative and Tong Hua uses the Spring and Autumn brushwork technique to allude to them. The drama makes TSJ's shady dealings more overt. Incidents that come to mind include:

• Orchestrating his return to his TSJ identity
• Preventing WXL from escaping by telling CX he is Ye Shi Qi instead of TSJ
• What you mentioned with owning and making rent money off of the Lirong clan's casinos

On the other hand, I felt that TSJ was shadier in terms of the novel implying that he gave FFYY a chance. In the drama, he acts like he wants nothing to do with FFYY from the beginning.

 liddi:

And yet, we then have that dialogue with A Nian about not knowing what she was waiting for - really? So she jumped up in anticipation because she thought she saw Nessie the Lochness monster?

Haha yeah :) That said, denying her feelings/hopes for XL isn't that out of character for XY.

 liddi:

He already knew way back that they stood on opposing sides because of her bloodline, which was why he would secretly protect her while pushing her away time and again - just as he did when she asked him the leading questions about whom she should marry, whether it was possible to never forget a person. He was stunned because he learnt of her true parentage. In that moment, he saw clearly the outcome of being in love while standing on opposing sides - her parents' tragedy was a clear example. Hence his grief, because knowing it in his mind (which he did all along), and realising how it turned out in her parents who were in the exact same position, just drove home the impossibility of their situation. So the words he said to the Lirong old man - about her saying he was someone she could not allow into her dreams, and that the one in her heart was not him - was more him telling/convincing himself that was the case, even though he already knew that that was not true (her actions and words already belied it).  And now the knowledge of her parents' past would strengthen his resolve all the more to totally remove himself from her life.

I like this interpretation of him saying that the person in XY's heart isn't him because he his trying to convince himself.

In the novel, I always felt that XL learned of her parentage sometime during the 37 years at sea and that was one of the primary reasons for him pushing her away after 37 years. That said, it's better for the drama to explicitly show XL learning about her parentage.

 liddi:

During the final battle, she waited for news of the outcome and his fate.

If Shen Nong won the war, as a Gao Xin spy, it was expected he would cause trouble. If that happened, Chi Chen had been instructed to have him killed. She would then follow him in death because she was the one who ordered his death, and had no wish to live on.

If Shen Nong lost the war, he would have accomplished his mission, and would return to Gao Xin. As the Eldest Princess of Shen Nong, she refused to stay alive in shame, and would kill herself.

What she did not expect was that Shen Nong fell yet Nuo Nai died instead of escaping back to Gao Xin.   Shao Hao had arranged for him to escape before the final battle, but Nuo Nai refused to abandon his comrades and fought alongside them, badly wounded by the Yellow Emperor's spear, finally dying. Yun Sang finally understood the reason he stayed when she saw his eyes that gazed with love at the moths that gathered around him as he died. He knew from Chi Chen that she was aware of his identity, and guessed that she was the one who sent the moths all those years. Upon his death, Yun Sang immolated herself using the last of her spiritual powers, joining him in death.

Thanks for sharing their story. Nuo Nai and Yun Sang's story may be even more heart-wrenching than YaoLiu's story.

 liddi:

As such, he set up the girl with false evidence that she had an affair, which in turn forced the Chang Xi tribe to break off the engagement. He intended to take her as a concubine later as compensation to her, and to divide and win over the Chang Xi tribe, but before it could be set in motion, Bing Yue killed herself in a manner that attracted widespread condemnation over Nuo Nai and Yun Sang's wedding.

This is super shady. It's interesting to note that Nuo Nai was planning to take Bing Yue as a concubine after he married Yun Sang. I guess he thought that Yun Sand didn't have being the only woman in Nuo Nai's life as a requirement. It makes me wonder if Xiao Yao was the only one with this requirement--which certainly makes sense given what XY saw happen to her grandmother.

 Svetlanchik89:

https://h5.video.weibo.com/show/1034:5054663595327521

Good to see them offering some comic relief amidst the unrelenting of heartache.

 solarlunareclipse:

In the novel, TSJ's shady dealings are more speculative and Tong Hua uses the Spring and Autumn brushwork technique to allude to them. The drama makes TSJ's shady dealings more overt. Incidents that come to mind include:

• Orchestrating his return to his TSJ identity
• Preventing WXL from escaping by telling CX he is Ye Shi Qi instead of TSJ
• What you mentioned with owning and making rent money off of the Lirong clan's casinos

On the other hand, I felt that TSJ was shadier in terms of the novel implying that he gave FFYY a chance. In the drama, he acts like he wants nothing to do with FFYY from the beginning.

We had the same interpretation of the rent money issue, but we had different interpretations for the other points I think.

In both the novel and the drama I did not feel that YSQ orchestrated his return to his TSJ identity. I felt that it happened against his will. 

I did think it was a poor decision and an odd decision for the drama writers to change the timing of when TSJ told CX that he was YSQ (rather than TSJ) in chapter 8, as the drama's timing makes way less sense and doesn't include certain details that I feel demonstrate that he definitely did not intend to force WXL back to his side with that statement. But I still didn't see the change as indicating that TSJ made that statement to CX because he was being calculating and intended to force WXL back to his side in the drama.

And in both the novel and the drama I never felt that TSJ ever considered having any kind of intimate or romantic relationship with FFYY. I felt like he tried to treat her kindly, politely, and respectfully given that she seemed (at least at first) like she was very loyal, very helpful to his grandmother, and an innocent person who was going to be negatively impacted by his love for XY when the engagement ended. But TSJ knew that FFYY had no feelings for him, was disgusted by his scars, and was mainly interested in keeping her position and reputation. And he in turn only had eyes for XY. 

TSJ didn't know that FFYY was having an affair with his brother the whole time, he didn't know that FFYY had colluded with Deyan to try to assassinate CX in chapter 7, and he didn't know that FFYY (and not TSH) was actually the one who tried to assassinate him in chapter 19. 

 AH :

In both the novel and the drama I did not feel that YSQ orchestrated his return to his TSJ identity. I felt that it happened against his will. 

I think there are definite clues in the drama hinting that YSQ orchestrated his return to his TSJ identity. The drama is clever about how it cuts scenes. It often cuts scenes in a way where one scene will pose a question or a point of view and the following scene(s) will answer that question or present an alternate point of view.

• In Episode 2, Xuan states he doesn't know what XY likes to eat these days. It then cuts to a scene of XY eating some soup (quite possibly the mutton soup that Xuan said she didn't like when she was a child) - https://youtu.be/ijaXfl8InAQ?si=SLVxMPIyw2QV4J65&t=2367
• In Episode 33, CX and XY discuss XL's conditions for saving her. XY thinks to herself that XL won't take on any losses. It then cuts to a scene of XL delivering materials for XY's bow and arrows. This offers contrasting points of view on XL's motivations for helping XY. - https://youtu.be/XsBs1oMWz6g?si=3K3OJ9VFhPkqpPt7&t=399
• In Episode 7, Ye Shi Qi tells Xiao Liu he'll deal with Xiang Liu going forward. It then cuts to a scene where malaria is spreading through Xiang Liu's army camp. The following scene after that is Jing Ye arriving in town, followed by the revelation that Yu Jiang is taking back the properties by the river including Rejuvenation Hall. The next scene is Xiao Liu and Ye Shi Qi going to talk to Yu Jiang and Jing Ye recognizing Ye Shi Qi as Jing. This whole sequence could be a long question and answer sequence, which first poses the question of how does Ye Shi Qi plan to deal with Xiang Liu, and then answering it by implying he orchestrated the spread of malaria through Xiang Liu's army camp, orchestrated Jing Ye coming to town to take back properties by the river, and orchestrated getting recognized by Jing Ye. If these events were not orchestrated by Jing, then the question of how Ye Shi Qi planned to deal with XL would been a loose end that never got answered. I don't think this was Tong Hua's intention in writing the script. Relevant scene links below:
  • Ye Shi Qi telling Xiao Liu he’ll deal with Xiang Liu going forward - https://youtu.be/mwBn2wiUOac?si=gYjGCe3Y5029HxR_&t=1120
  • Ye Shi Qi’s suspicious side-eye reaction to hearing that Rejuvenation Hall will be taken back by Yu Xin - https://youtu.be/mwBn2wiUOac?si=XiB5jO83Ayr07C7p&t=1350
  • Tu Shan family emblem in big banners in front of Yu Mansion. This indicates that Jing was aware of Yu Jiang's association with the Tu Shan clan - https://youtu.be/mwBn2wiUOac?si=jrgPLERpr4cIwHC2&t=1382; Compare this to Tu Shan family emblem on Fang Feng Yi Ying’s carriage - https://youtu.be/FHhx3GlJKQA?si=BItzGSoT03jh8PEU&t=968
  • Ye Shi Qi looking in Jing Ye’s direction and holding eye contact before she “recognizes” him. If he didn't want to be recognized, he wouldn't have held eye contact with Jing Ye - https://youtu.be/mwBn2wiUOac?si=eKcqHq5Pnce5STy-&t=1453

 AH :

I did think it was a poor decision and an odd decision for the drama writers to change the timing of when TSJ told CX that he was YSQ (rather than TSJ) in chapter 8, as the drama's timing makes way less sense and doesn't include certain details that I feel demonstrate that he definitely did not intend to force WXL back to his side with that statement. But I still didn't see the change as indicating that TSJ made that statement to CX because he was being calculating and intended to force WXL back to his side in the drama.

Tong Hug adapted the novel to the drama script herself. I don't think she made a mistake in changing the timing of TSJ revealing his identity to CX. I think this change was made to highlight that TSJ wasn't willing to have WXL to step out of his life and he helped orchestrate WXL's capture by stating that he is Ye Shi Qi, knowing that this allowed CX to threaten to harm him without suffering the repercussions of offending the Tu Shan clan.

 AH :

And in both the novel and the drama I never felt that TSJ ever considered having any kind of intimate or romantic relationship with FFYY. I felt like he tried to treat her kindly, politely, and respectfully given that she seemed (at least at first) like she was very loyal, very helpful to his grandmother, and an innocent person who was going to be negatively impacted by his love for XY when the engagement ended. But TSJ knew that FFYY had no feelings for him, was disgusted by his scars, and was mainly interested in keeping her position and reputation. And he in turn only had eyes for XY.

Whether Jing had romantic feelings for FFYY or not, I don't think he rejected her outright in the novel. Yi Ying had all the ideal qualities that Jing looked for, was extremely capable at managing the Tu Shan clan's business affairs, and was hand-selected to be his wife by his mother, who took all his requirements into consideration. When they first met after he regained his identity, Jing adopted a wait-and-see approach with Yi Ying. Towards the end of the Chi Shui Autumn Tournament, Feng Long and Xin Yue organized a banquet on a boat for Jing and Yi Ying. Xiao Liu opted not to attend, but she did catch sight of Jing tenderly caring for Yi Ying as the boat sailed by. While the novel doesn't specifically reveal who the man assisting Yi Ying was, we can infer it was Jing from the description of the man as wearing sky-blue robes and being likened to tall bamboo in a mountain stream.

赤、橙、黄、绿、青、蓝、紫……各种颜色、各种样子的烟花绽放在船的上方，映照得立在船头的两人分外清楚。男子穿着天青色的衣衫，静静而站，清隽飘逸，有若山涧中的青柏修竹。女子身材高挑，一袭水红的绣花曳地长裙勾勒得她纤腰只堪一握。她好似喝醉了，半仰头惊讶地看着烟花，踉跄走了几步，身子摇摇欲坠，差点跌倒。男子伸手扶住她，她软软地倚在男子身上，犹如美丽缠绵的菟丝花。
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet... Fireworks of all colors and shapes burst above the boat, illuminating the two figures standing at the bow. The man, dressed in sky-blue robes, stood quietly, his elegant and graceful demeanor resembling the cyan cypress and tall bamboo in a mountain stream. The woman, tall and slender, wore a long, embroidered red dress that trailed on the ground, accentuating her slim waist. She seemed to be drunk, half-raising her head and looking at the fireworks in surprise, staggering a few steps and nearly falling. The man reached out to steady her, and she leaned softly against him, like a beautiful and delicate dodder flower.

— Vol 1 Ch 12 (Chapter 12)

Jing had worn a sky-blue robe in Gao Xin.

此时，十七身着天青色的高辛衣衫，宽袍广袖、轻衣缓带、玉冠束发、足踏木屐，行走间，步如行云、衣袂翩飞，真正是明月为身，流水做姿。
At this moment, Shi Qi is dressed in sky-blue Gao Xin robes, with wide sleeves and a loose belt, his hair tied with a jade crown, and wooden clogs on his feet. As he walks, his steps are like drifting clouds, and his garments flutter gracefully, truly embodying the elegance of a bright moon and the grace of flowing water.

— Vol 1 Ch 8 (Chapter 8)

Xiao Liu had also previously seen Jing wearing a sky-blue robe during the Chi Shui Autumn Tournament.

璟却忽然扭过了头，向着岸上看过来。小六没有动，依旧懒洋洋地坐着，懒洋洋地看着他。小六不知道璟有没有看到自己，只看船渐渐地行远了，一抹天青色渐渐地隐入了熙攘红尘中。
Jing suddenly turned his head and looked toward the shore. Xiao Liu didn't move, still sitting lazily, watching him lazily. Xiao Liu didn't know if Jing saw her. She could only watching the boat gradually sail further away, and the touch of sky blue gradually faded into the bustling world.

— Vol 1 Ch 11 (Chapter 11)

When Xiao Yao met Jing after assisting Cang Xuan with detoxing from drugs, Jing was described as wearing a sky-blue robe, and his appearance was likened to tall bamboo.

璟一袭天青的衣衫，站在茅屋和水潭之间，凝望着翻滚的云雾，静静相候。皎皎月华下，他就如长于绝壁上的一杆修竹，姿清逸、骨清绝。
Jing, dressed in a sky-blue robe, stood between the thatched cottage and the pool, gazing at the swirling mist, waiting quietly. Under the bright moonlight, he was like a tall bamboo growing on a sheer cliff, with a graceful and pure demeanor.

— Vol 2 Ch 1 (Chapter 18)

Jing was also compared to tall bamboo from A Nian's perspective when she infiltrated a military camp in an attempt to assassinate Yu Jiang and Feng Long.

阿念歪头打量着璟，眼前的男子眉眼清雅，身材修长，若空谷清泉、山涧修竹，见之令人心静，“我见过你，你是青丘公子——涂山族长。”
A Nian tilted her head, looking at Jing. The man before her had elegant features and a slender figure, like a clear spring in a secluded valley or tall bamboo in a mountain stream, bringing a sense of calm to those who saw him. "I've seen you before. You are the young master of Qing Qiu—the leader of the Tu Shan clan."

— Vol 3 Ch 6 (Chapter 39)

In addition to taking care of Yi Ying when she was drunk, it's suggested that Jing was not normally apprehensive about accepting Yi Ying's displays of affection. During an occasion at a tavern after Xiao Yao's introduction ceremony, Yi Ying poured wine for Jing and brought the cup to his lips for him to drink. Since Xiao Yao was present, Jing acted stiff and didn’t move to drink, but Feng Long hinted that this was not Jing’s usual behavior towards Yi Ying.

“咦？往常也不见你扭捏，今日倒端起来了。”
"Eh? You usually don't act so shy, but today you're putting on airs."

— Vol 1 Ch 14 (Chapter 14)

Another sign that indicates that Jing was taking a wait-and-see approach with Yi Ying is Jing’s conversation with King Gao Xin.

高辛王慢悠悠地说：“我记得你和防风小怪的女儿有婚约，是我记错了吗？”
King Gao Xin said slowly, "I remember you have an engagement with the daughter of Fang Feng clan. Am I mistaken?"

十七额头冒汗，僵硬地回道：“没、有。”
Shi Qi's forehead broke out in a sweat as he stiffly replied, "No.”

“是你没有婚约，还是我没有记错？”
"Is it that you aren’t engaged, or that I'm not mistaken?"

“是、是陛下没、没记错。”
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty isn’t, isn’t mistaken."

— Vol 1 Ch 9 (Chapter 9)

Jing could have taken this opportunity to assure King Gao Xin that he had no intentions of following through with marrying Yi Ying. Instead, he simply confirmed that King Gao Xin was not mistaken in remembering that he was engaged to her, again hinting at Jing’s wait-and-see approach with Yi Ying. The reason Jing redoubled his efforts to cling to Xiao Yao was because Yi Ying didn’t like him, leaving him feeling unvalidated as a man.