Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 blabla100:

Not sure what version I am reading, but I believe it's the 2019 one. Kanunu8 is the site,

Thank you for sharing the site. I had a quick look and it's the 2011 edition. An easy way to tell are the references to Chi You, Flame Emperor, Yellow Emperor, Eminent Emperor instead of Chi Chen, Shen Nong king, Xuan Yuan king, Gao Xin king etc. Another difference is the fact that Vol 1 has 17 chapters (instead of 20 in the 2019 revised edition), and there is no side story at the end of Vol 2.

I am actually excited to see an early trial version of Once Promised available on the site as well - Once Promised (Heavenly Legends: Peach Blossom Strategy) with only 12 chapters.  Have not read it properly yet but the chapters are short and stops at Zhong Yi and Chang Pu's wedding ceremony.

 blabla100:

 No, I don't feel it's related from this point of view, but I also don't believe TH chose these 2 colors as XY's favorite colors unintentional.

It is quite intriguing that these two colours make a comeback in LYF, and are intrinsically tied to the two men Xiao Yao considered as potential husbands. 

 blabla100:

Still very curious to find out what exactly yellow emperor had în mind when he told XY that she's very similar to her mom when she delayed her marriage to jing because she wanted first to finish her medical works. 

If you have read up to Vol 1 Ch11, I believe this gives an inkling what the Yellow Emperor meant - do you feel the same? Both A Heng and Xiao Yao (in latter days) had the gift and heart of a healer, to the extent whereby they prioritised that calling over themselves. 

 blabla100:

If I'd have to choose a more fitting parallel în terms of relationships I'd say this scene resembles more the scene from outside the dragone bone prison, when XL came for XY,  as Chi You came for Ah Heng to take her away and both XY and Ah Heng chose to go with their - let's say - official parteners. Ah Heng went with shaohao, with whom she was engaged with for years and XY went with jing, who made the 15 years promise just prior. Neither XL or Chi You knew their real identities until then. Chi You found out the truth on the spot, while XL soon after. 

Good point. While A Heng was arguably not in any real danger at the time, she was already incarcerated on Jade Mountain for 60 years and Chi Chen had come to free her from the rest of her "prison" term. At Dragon Bone prison, Xiao Liu was forcibly taken to Gao Xin and Xiang Liu had no idea that she was in no real danger at all, but he came alone anyway to save her.

 blabla100:

Oh, and an another thing I noticed that goes for both novels is the full moon motif.  

That's a good point. Chi Chen first saw A Heng during a full moon, found the altar splattered with her blood and thought her dead, and was later reunited with her on Jade Mountain, each time on a full moon night as well.  The moon also was round on the night he hid in her room andwas later helped to escape after being wounded by Qing Yang. 

I don't think we need to elaborate on the significance of the full (or at least round) moon in YaoLiu's case. It is also notable that Xiao Yao herself considered the moon as significant to her feelings for Xiang Liu. While we are not told that it was during a full moon, on the 2nd night that Fangfeng Bei sought refuge in her bedchambers, she stared at the moon the whole night, conflicted about how to face him, knowing now his true identity, and she continued to stare at the moon after her talk with Cang Xuan, until she finally fell asleep.

Speaking of which, both A Heng and Xiao Yao protected the men they love from being caught (though arguably Zhong Yi was well aware what she was doing, but trusted her decision) by harbouring them in their bedchambers, and in highly intimate circumstances, sharing the same bed. While not as blatantly evidently intimate as with Chi Chen and A Heng, in the case of YaoLiu, we are given a second night with no details given at all, following which, Xiao Yao stared at the moon the entire next night when Cang Xuan returned.

 blabla100:

Also, to me Chi You's letters to Ah Heng hold the same meaning as XY's poisons to XL. 

The evolution of Xiao Yao's poisons was a testament to her changing feelings for him, and the very last poison was the crystal globe, which was an all out declaration of her feelings, hopes and wishes. Chi Chen's letters were an ongoing declaration of his love, while the red robe A Heng  painstakingly wove was equivalent to the crystal globe. Unlike her parents though, YaoLiu's expression of love always felt one-sided - only hers rather than his - and we, like Xiao Yao are kept very often in the dark, are only privy to his love if we looked closely enough or are finally told, in the epilogue.

How do you find Shao Hao thus far?

 blabla100:

Anyway, looking forward to read more. Definetely once promise stands well by itself, but I believe there are things în lyf that are easier to understand once you know the story from once promised too. 

We are in the interesting position of having read LYF first, and you are right that things make a lot more sense after reading Once Promised. Certainly the world-building, characters from the older generations and their stances / motivations become clearer. However, I appreciate the fact that our perspective from reading LYF first is unique in that we as readers approach the world from the lens of the younger generation with their imperfect knowledge - and whatever we learn is merely based on what is disseminated information written by the victors of the Great War; or patchy hearsay from those who survived. The complete truth of the events that unfolded would only be available from reading Once Promised. This is a perspective that would not have been possible if we read Tong Hua's books in chronological order as they were first published.

 blabla100:

"You're bloodline already made the choice for you". This line has been said by yellow emperor to both Ah Heng and XY, but with opposite purposes. To Ah Heng as a way to get her to marry ShaoHao and to XY as to forget and give up on XL.

Did the Yellow Emperor say that to A Heng? My recollection is that it was Qing Yang who reminded her of her responsibility and Xie Zu spoke of her destiny as the Xuan Yuan princess. The Yellow Emperor merely told her she had to obey him in matters of her marriage. Rather, my take is the regret he spoke of in LYF had more to do with his manipulation of A Heng, forcing her to stay when she finally had decided to leave and be with Chi Chen, then using her to go to war against him. Had he not tricked her into staying, A Heng and Chi Chen might have survived and gone on to live a far different, happier life with their daughter.

 blabla100:

That was the driving force that pushed Ah Heng to start learning medicine from my understanding, she wanted to be powerful enough as to gain the right to have freedom of choice în general and to say no to her father în regards to her marriage to shaohao în particular.

That's interesting. I never considered A Heng's decision to polish her medical skills solely to be used as leverage to reject marrying Shao Hao when the time came. Rather, I felt that the reason for her dedication was twofold. The first was her spiritual cultivation and skills up to that point were not outstanding enough to prevent herself from being a mere pawn in the hands of her father and Qing Yang, and she hoped her medical accomplishments would give her a voice they would listen to when the time came. Chi Chen was clearly the impetus for that, as she committed to meeting him at Bai Li every year during the Peach Blossom Festival over the course of the 6 years she roamed the Great Wilderness as Young Master Xiling. Unfortunately, she would find that when the time came, her medical accomplishments was still insufficient and had no bearing in the face of tremendous pressure from her family, due to the extenuating circumstances of the political landscape.. 

The other, had to do with the incredible wealth of knowledge and power that came from the Shen Nong Materia Medica, the original purpose of which was to bless the lives of the people, and this was what motivated her to become Young Master Xiling, offering free treatment in return for the patient praying in the direction of Shen Nong Mountain (and by extension to the man who made their recovery possible), and sharing medical skills with local physicians.

In Xiao Yao's case, I am not as certain that she consciously used the medical texts as an excuse to delay her wedding. Rather, my impression is that she found real, meaningful purpose in the compilation of the medical texts, one that would alleviate the suffering of the people, and her wedding paled in significance to it. What it does show is the state of her heart - after all the obstacles she personally cleared to be able to marry Jing, she saw no urgency in marrying him after all, and it would be another 42 years before the wedding was finally set. It is actually quite ironic when we think about it. Jing first exacted the 15-year promise from her, asking her to wait for him to be free to marry her. Yet, when he was finally free to marry her - thanks to her efforts, he ended up having to wait for her another 42 years despite there being no extenuating circumstances that prevented them from being married.

 blabla100:

Shaohao is a very interesting character, even more fascinating than Chi Chen. As I said, if not for ah heng falling for Chi chen first, I believe she would have fallen for shaohao for real.

YES. He is arguably my favourite character in Once Promised, certainly the one I rooted for a lot, even though he did many terrible, unconscionable things along the way. 

 blabla100:

If I think about it, XL is the perfect combination between the two. He has the elegance, the charm and the restrain of shaohao, while also having the arrogance and playfulness of Chi chen, especially as Bei.  For XY XL was both the flame that Chi chen was for ah heng, but also the ally and the mentor that shaohao was to her mom, at least from my interpretation thus far.

Chi Chen and XL are also similar in terms of how ah heng and XY look at them. They both have this efect on them as being both the strenght  and their peace of mind. Of course, XY, unlike Ah Heng, never admits it out loud, but we know that having her heart connected to XL helped her so many times during her darkest times. 

Shao Hao did act as A Heng's mentor, particularly in terms of understanding the political landscape. However, I don't see Xiang Liu in either Shao Hao or Chi Chen. While there may be some similarities from a physical standpoint - from their attire of choice to appearance - Xiang Liu is cold and remote more often than not, while Fangfeng Bei is fun-loving and outrageous; but this is not Shao Hao, who is unfathomable in spite of his elegance and charm, because he wears a perpetual mask and allows very few to see the real man behind it. As for Chi Chen, he is bold, arrogant and mischievous but in no way similar to Fangfeng Bei around the woman they love. The core difference lies in the fact that Chi Chen was always upfront about his love for A Heng, while Fangfeng Bei masked his love behind a jest.

Was Xiang Liu Xiao Yao's strength? I don't really feel that she consciously relied on him for her source of strength. However, I do agree that with him, she found comfort, rest and peace, as evidenced from how she slept well without a care under the ocean for the first time in a long long time, and he was there through her most difficult moments.

 blabla100:

I personally find this to be very similar to  how XY shared her thoughts and life through her poisons with XL, while her poisons also being the only ray of color that XL had during his days on camp, surrounded only by death.

The array of black poisons that she concocted after Jing's marriage, the regular, beautifully detailed poisons, the conciliatory gifting of koi in the lotus pond poisons, the crystal globe, not to mention having poison she made for him with her despite having no guarantee when she would meet him again, if she ever would. These are all clear indications of her moods and her thought of him. I never thought of her poisons being the only ray of colour for Xiang Liu, but I imagine it would certainly be a source of joy (and perhaps even mirth) for him, although we have seen that there are times that he was actually by her side when she shipped the poisons off to Qingshui Town. 

I was re-watching Season 2, and noticed a parallel in episodes 4 and 9.

In episode 4, Feng Long came to visit Xiao Yao but instead of spending some time with her, he played the game of Go with Yellow Emperor. Grandpa was keeping an eye on Feng Long and noticed that he wasn't interested in Xiao Yao. Whereas Cang Xuan was taking care of Xiao Yao and cooking her favorite food that day. In episode 9, Tushan Jing couldn't focus on the game at all as he kept looking at Xiao Yao and what she was doing. 

So now I can't stop thinking what would Xiang  Liu do in this situation? Would he focus on the game as Feng Long? Or would he be as absent-minded as Tushan Jing? Would he help Xiao Yao in the middle of the game as Cang  Xuan did? .. and would Xiao Yao be so distant as she was with Feng Long, Cang Xuan and Tushan Jing (i.e  kept doing what she was doing?) Or would she stay by Xiang Liu side watching the game?

 primaspe:

I was re-watching Season 2, and noticed a parallel in episodes 4 and 9.

In episode 4, Feng Long came to visit Xiao Yao but instead of spending some time with her, he played the game of Go with Yellow Emperor. Grandpa was keeping an eye on Feng Long and noticed that he wasn't interested in Xiao Yao. Whereas Cang Xuan was taking care of Xiao Yao and cooking her favorite food that day. In episode 9, Tushan Jing couldn't focus on the game at all as he kept looking at Xiao Yao and what she was doing.

So now I can't stop thinking what would Xiang  Liu do in this situation? Would he focus on the game as Feng Long? Or would he be as absent-minded as Tushan Jing? Would he help Xiao Yao in the middle of the game as Cang  Xuan did? .. and would Xiao Yao be so distant as she was with Feng Long, Cang Xuan and Tushan Jing (i.e  kept doing what she was doing?) Or would she stay by Xiang Liu side watching the game?

That makes me think of how XL/FFB and XY interacted at Feng Long and Xing Yue's birthday party in chapter 18. FFB was drinking and chatting with TSH. FFYY, TSJ, Feng Long, CX and Xing Yue were also present. But when XY saw XL/FFB, she worried about XL's safety and called him away from the crowd to talk to him alone, with neither of them worrying about leaving the others behind. After her worries were resolved, they chatted until TSJ showed up to watch / eavesdrop on them. 

So if XY arrived after XL/FFB sat down to play a game of Go with the Yellow Emperor (hard to imagine him doing so, but putting that aside...), perhaps XY would pull him away in a similar fashion and XL/FFB would go with her willingly, not caring about leaving the Yellow Emperor behind at all. XY might express her worries (justified worries, if XL really went to play Go with the Yellow Emperor on Xuan Yuan Mountain), the two of them might chat, and the interaction might end with TSJ showing up as usual. 

As for the results of the Go game, given his prowess as a military strategist, I think XL would be able to match the Yellow Emperor's skill. Obviously XL would play as white, which has the disadvantage of moving second (quite fitting), and I don't think they would use compensation points or handicap stones. And yet XL would still prevent the Yellow Emperor from breaking their stalemate until XY showed up to take him away. Then I think XL wouldn't give the game or the Yellow Emperor a second thought, just as he didn't give a second thought to TSH or the rest of the crowd at Feng Long and Xing Yue's birthday party. 

And now I'm thinking about how it seemed like there was, perhaps, a moment where XL could have accepted XY's ice crystal ball and left the remnant army's fight against the Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor behind in order to go away with her. But, unlike simple stones, he couldn't abandon Gong Gong and his comrades... 

-----

Chapter 18:

Feng Long and Xing Yue were twins so they celebrated birthdays together by inviting friends and having a small get together.

...

Fang Feng Bei and Tu Shan Hou were laying on the pallet drinking and chatting while Jing sat beside the window looking out the window. Feng Long and Zhuan Xu walked over to join him.

Xiao Yao was stunned, she was expecting Jing but she was shocked to see Fang Feng Bei was also here!

Yi Yang pulled Xiao Yao in. “Second brother, look who is here.” Yi Yang’s gesture was clearly to show that Xiao Yao and Bei had a special relationship for everyone else to see.

Fang Feng Bei turned to look at Xiao Yao and broke into a slow smile. “You came as well.”

Tu Shan Hou stood up to greet Xiao Yao and she politely returned the greeting while thinking “what do you mean you came as well”?

Fang Feng Yi Yang winked at Fang Feng Bei. “Second Brother, you take good care of Xiao Yao, I’m headed out to play.”

The garden was huge so in a moment Fang Feng Yi Yang disappeared into the fake mountains.

Xiao Yao said in a low voice to Bei, “You come with me!”

She walked ahead, he walked behind, the two of them entered the garden and disappeared behind the fake mountains as well.

Standing by the window, Jing, Zhuan Xu, Feng Long, and Xing Yue all saw it clearly. Xing Yue nudged her brother “Gege, you are so stupid! If you don’t work harder Xiao Yao will be stolen.” She wanted to complain about Yi Yang daring to push her brother towards Xiao Yao, but with Jing standing there she held it in.

...

Xiao Yao led Fang Feng Bei into the maze but had no idea where to go and got lost everywhere until she reached an area dense with trees. It was a good place to talk privately so Xiao Yao stopped.

She whipped around and couldn’t control herself anymore and shouted, “Are you insane! This is Little Zhu Rong’s residence, if you’re discovered this time I can’t save you again!”

Fang Feng Bei smiled. “This isn’t Xuan Yuan Castle, this is the Middle Plains.”

Xiao Yao was taken aback. Yes, he’s right! This was the Middle Plains, Sheng Nong Kingdom’s original territory. Even though the Yellow Emperor took over rule of the Middle Plains, but the people still respected General Gong Gong and his loyalty to Sheng Nong in refusing to surrender to Xuan Yuan. Even Little Zhu Rong, he was a descendant of Sheng Nong royalty and was likely secretly loyal to the resistance army. The Gods of the Middle Plains might not openly support the resistance army against the Yellow Emperor, but they also wouldn’t help the Yellow Emperor to catch the resistance army.

“Fine! Consider me worried for nothing!” Xiao Yao turned to storm off.

Fang Feng Bei reached out his hand to lean on the tree and block Xiao Yao’s path. “How’s archery practice coming along?”

“I keep up with my practice, my grandfather got a master archer to teach me but his method isn’t suitable for me. His method requires strong powers and he thought I was lazy and insisted I build up my powers first. I learned from him a few times and then fired him.”

Fang Feng Bei said, “Then I’ll keep teaching you.”

Xiao Yao stared at him slack jawed – Xiang Liu wanted to teach her archery? It was absurd.

Fang Feng Bei laughed, “You scared? Where did the courage to go taunt a demon snake go?”

Xiao Yao also laughed. “Fine, I’ll learn from you.” She needed to learn and who taught her made no difference. Let it be Xiang Liu then!

Xiao Yao checked him out from top to bottom and used her finger to poke his arm. “Did you already die in the North Pole?”

Others would have no clue what she said but Fang Feng Bei casually replied, “Yes.”

...

“You look like Fang Feng Bei?”

“No, we don’t look alike. But when Fang Feng Bei ran away from home he was still an adolescent and his looks weren't fully matured. Plus he was injured in the North Pole and his face required a doctor to fix up after he got home.”

Xiao Yao suddenly felt her heart set down a burden and she smiled.

 Rain_83223:

Lol you are asking some very hypothetical questions. First, the thought of XL playing a game of Go with Grandpa Emperor is quite something to imagine. It's like having Yoda and Palpatine sit down together peacefully to play a game of chess.

Ignoring all of the arguments that make the situation impossible, we can only speculate. The closest scene to this in the book is chapter 18 when FL, CX, Jing, and XL (as FFB) are all together at a party. XY sees FFB and immediately takes him out into the woods. First she is concerned about his safety, but later they have a discussion on his FFB identity while Jing watches them behind the trees. But, this is still very different from the scenes you described.

Rain_83223  DID YOU READ MY MIND??

Edit: 

When I read your response:

 blabla100:

 I was sure that yellow emperor was the one to say that to ah heng, but now I can't find the quote anymore, so maybe I am recalling it wrong. I know for sure though that someone did tell her about the bloodline making the choice for her and it wasn't part of the discussion that she had with qinhyang. Perhaps something she recalled when thinking about her dad?

Hmm... the only verses around Vol 1 up to Ch12 regarding her bloodline that I can remember are the following when she was told that her marriage to Shao Hao was going to take place. In the following passage, only Qing Yang and Xie Zu referred to her responsibility and fate from birth. The Yellow Emperor simply stated that she could have her way in everything else except her marriage:

Upon entering the main hall, A Heng actually saw her father who had not appeared in Zhao Yun Palace for hundreds of years.

Father and Mother sat across from each other at a table, drinking tea.

Father was dressed in royal robes, his demeanor graceful and elegant, radiating vitality, while Mother had white hair, a face lined with age, already looking old and faded. If one did not know their identities, no one would believe they were husband and wife.

After Qing Yang paid his respects, he stood to the side. A Heng knelt down and bowed her head, saying, “Father, Mother, Heng'er has returned.”

The Yellow Emperor said with a smile, “Come sit beside your Royal Father. You’re always out and about, but never said you’d come to visit me.”

A Heng sat next to her father, and the Yellow Emperor then instructed Qing Yang, “You sit too.”

Qing Yang took a seat beside their mother, personally serving tea to their parents.

A Heng wrapped her arms around her father’s arm, and asked in a mixture of coyness and cautious inquiry, “Royal Father, why are you here? Are you not busy lately?”

The Yellow Emperor chuckled, “No matter how busy I am, I have to worry about your lifelong matters!”

A Heng’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked to her mother for clarification. Xie Zu said, “Your Royal Father wants to pick a date and arrange your marriage to Shao Hao as soon as possible.”

A Heng’s vision darkened, and after steadying herself, she softly pleaded, “Royal Father, I don’t want to marry just yet!”

The Yellow Emperor was drinking tea, and his gestures did not slow down at all, as if he had not heard A Heng’s words.

Qing Yang lowered his head slightly, pouring tea while casually asking, “Do you not want to get married, or you do not want to marry Shao Hao?”

At the sight of her elder brother’s unusually cold expression, A Heng felt a chill in her heart, and replied, “I just want to play for a few more years. Why the rush to marry me off?”

Qing Yang replied, “Under normal circumstances, if you want to play, then you may go ahead; it would not matter much. However the current situation does not allow you to be willful.”

“What is the current situation?”

“The world only knows that the Flame Emperor is in seclusion refining medicine, but we have received news that he is gravely ill. We fear the sovereign of the Shen Nong tribe would likely change soon.”

A Heng clasped her hands tightly. Although she had guessed the Flame Emperor’s condition might have worsened, hearing it with her own ears was still hard to accept.

Qing Yang said, “Since our vassal states border Shen Nong’s vassal states, the conflicts between the Xuan Yuan and Shen Nong tribes have persisted for thousands of years. They have long been dissatisfied with us. The newly ascended Flame Emperor will seek to attack us sooner or later. The Shen Nong tribe is located in the Central Plains, with fertile land, abundant resources, and a large population, far surpassing us in national strength. What’s more, compared to these ancient deity tribes, our foundation is still shallow. If Shen Nong and Gao Xin were to form an alliance, Xuan Yuan could face annihilation. So the sooner you marry Shao Hao, the better it will be for us.”

A Heng stared at Qing Yang. “You keep talking about the Xuan Yuan and Shen Nong clans—what about me?”

Qing Yang’s face was expressionless as he said coldly, “You are the princess of Xuan Yuan. This is the responsibility you must bear.”

A Heng pleaded with the Yellow Emperor, “Royal Father, you have always loved me the most. I really don’t want to get married yet. Please let me stay with you and Royal Mother for a few more years.”

Solemnly, the Yellow Emperor replied, “It’s not that I don’t want to let you stay. The Eminent Emperor and I have already communicated. Shao Hao will come to Xuan Yuan in a day or two to set the wedding date. You may have your way in all other matters, but you must obey your father’s orders on marriage.”

A Heng suddenly overturned the wine cups and fruit dishes on the table, storming out of the hall. “If you want to marry, all of you may go ahead and do so yourself! No matter what, I won’t marry!”

The Yellow Emperor addressed Xie Zu in exasperation, “Look at how you’ve spoiled her! Does her Royal Father still exist in her eyes anymore? If she dares to escape down the mountain again this time, I will punish her severely!” With that, the Yellow Emperor flung his sleeves and rose in anger. Under the protection of the guards, the entourage left Zhao Yun Peak with great fanfare.

The courtyard was filled with tall poinciana trees, their flowers in full bloom. As the wind blew, petals fluttered down, shrouding the entire courtyard in a shower of hazy, red rain, an exceptionally vibrant scene.

A Heng looked up at the sky, finding it difficult to breathe.

Xie Zu’s voice came from behind her. “Why don’t you want to marry Shao Hao? Although I have never met Shao Hao, Qing Yang and Zhong Yi speak very highly of him, so he must be good. Could it be you have someone else in your heart?”

A Heng hesitated and was about to speak, “I…” Qing Yang stood behind his mother and stared at her with icy cold eyes that carried a hint of murderous intent. The scene back when Eldest Brother thrust a sword into Chi Chen’s heart flashed before A Heng’s eyes. Her heart chilled, and she swallowed the words that were at the tip of her tongue.

“I... I don’t like anyone. I just want to be free for a few more years, and not get married.”

Gently Xie Zu said, "Women will have to get married. You are the princess of Xuan Yuan. Many things were already destined for you from the moment you were born. Don’t be afraid. Perhaps when you really get married, you might regret not marrying sooner. In a couple of days, Shao Hao will come. I will try to arrange for you to spend some time alone with him. Perhaps then you will understand what I am saying.”

A Heng nodded and replied softly, “Yes.” But her eyes were looking at Eldest Brother.

-- Once Promised Vol 1 Ch11

 blabla100:

As to yellow's emperor's regrets în lyf, it's very possible you're right, I am only a few chapters în the second volume and I might change my opinion by the time I reach the last page. 

Ahh so you're at Vol 2 now. Would love to hear your thoughts about the events leading up to A Heng's death at Yu Abyss.

 blabla100:

For sure her interest was genuine, but IMO the driving force that made her so invested into it was the fact that she has fallen în love for Chi you, therefore she wasn't willing to marry shaohao anymore. She even admits it herself,  she doesn't want to marry shaohao, so she had studied medicine for so hard în the past few years just to have the right to say no to her father one day and that day came when her father told her to set a wedding date. For sure there were others reasons,  but my feeling îs that her falling în love with chi you îs what put things into action.

I believe from the beginning, A Heng accepted that she would one day marry Shao Hao because she had been promised to him since birth. What she did not anticipate was to fall for Chi Chen. It is not obvious now, but at the end of the novel, she admits to Chi Chen that she was already drawn to him the first time she saw him and asked him for directions to Bo Fu Kingdom. However, even then, she was still ready to honour her betrothal. Remember when Shao Hao took her from Jade Mountain, she made the effort to try and get to know the man she was betrothed to, something that greatly alarmed Qing Yang. Qing Yang warning her against giving her heart to Shao Hao simply made it even clearer and easier for her to follow her heart, which of course then culminated in the years she spent as Young Master Xiling, and meeting Chi Chen each year at Bai Li. However, fate conspired against her plans, and she still could not overrule her father and brother when the time came: 

“I always feel that those who can immerse themselves to study medicine must have something in their hearts they wish to protect. I wonder what Young Master Xiling wants to protect the most?”

Young Master Xiling fell silent. Although Shao Hao did not see through her identity, he could perceive her thoughts. In the presence of Father and Elder Brother’s authority and power, she appeared too insignificant. She did not want to be in a position where she could do nothing before Father and Elder Brother one day, so she had to work hard at studying medicine.

-- Once Promised Vol 1 Ch11

 blabla100:

If Ah Heng initially started to learn medicine as means of having enough power so she can be with the one she loves, XY used it as means to forget. She didn't need power, but healing. No more poisons, but medicine from then on. My interpretation at least. 

That is an interesting interpretation - thank you for sharing it, which makes a lot of sense as well. I believe the reason for her compilation of medical texts is twofold (I seem to see twofold reasons everywhere!). She was deeply moved by the Flame Emperor's great love for his people, evidenced by the incredible suffering he put himself through in order to alleviate their suffering. That finally set her perspective right, when before, she saw it as simply a tool, a means to an end. In that moment, her worldview changed - moving from  introspection and insularity to one that has a genuine concern and passion to help those who needed it. The other, as you said, is her need to find healing for herself - moving from poisons, which is closely associated with her love for Xiang Liu, to medicine. 

 blabla100:

Speaking of jiuli, there's that tradition where if the man sings a song and the woman responds to it, means that they agree to indulge themselves in an unconventional marriage. Couldn't helpit but to compare it to the merpeople's song and pursuit and the meaning behind the crystal ball.  Kind of like that was XY's song to XL, which he refused to answer it back, unlike Ah Heng. 

Chi Chen sang to A Heng for years, without getting an affirmative response from her, but he never stopped trying. The day she finally responded, carefully giving her heart fully at last, circumstances and his own suspicious nature destroyed everything, including A Heng's life, which he would go on to try and make up for when fate gave them a second chance. 

Xiao Yao's unfiltered declaration of love to Xiang Liu happened once, through the crystal globe, something that took so much courage from her, who guarded her heart fiercely and was so afraid of being vulnerable. Not only did he refuse to respond, but he ensured that any hope she harboured was totally destroyed, every possible avenue closed, so that she would not try anymore. And yet, he could no more stop her from involuntarily being drawn to him after that, no matter how cruelly he treated her before. 

@liddi

"the only verses around Vol 1 up to Ch12 regarding her bloodline that I can remember are the following"

No, that's not it. I clearly remember the use of bloodline and choice în the sentence I read, at least according to google translator, since that's what I am using. I did check the part you quote and some other fragments and there's no mention of these words. It's not even that important, but it bugs me that I can't find it, lol. 

"Ahh so you're at Vol 2 now."

Yes and first of all I wanna say that I really like Ah Heng. Compared to XY, she's so not afraid to stay true to herself and act on it, that it makes XY look even more broken than what I thought.  În lyf, the only character that really stood out to me was XL, but în here there's so many more chacaters that gets my attention. Qingyang and his relationship with shaohao îs also very intriguing and it gives me some XY and XL vibes.  

As to what I feel about the events that lead to Ah Heng's death în yu abyss, again, Ah Heng really stood out în these chapters, to me she was the star. A lot of things happened, but that scene în the cave with shaohao was what I found the most outstanding.  Her reluctance as to whether to go and save herself or to stay and both of them to die was so palpable. She couldn't put him above her mom and 4th brother, yet she couldn't leave him behind either. When shaohao told her that if he was him, he wouldn't have risked his life to save her I kinda believe him. I believe that's where Chi you stands out more. Shaohao definetely has other priorities în life, he could never be just a loving husband and disregard his position and ambitions when faced with a tough decision, but Chi you, while also staying true to his people, he would have risked everything to save Ah Heng. The fight over the river map îs a good exemple în this sense. Chi you couldn't be bothered by zhurou and gong gong's protests when he oferred the jade egg în exchange for ah heng, but shaohao and qingyang, though conflicted, would ultimately agreed. 

While Chi you most of the times is leaded by his beast instincts, ah heng makes decisions guided by her feelings and selflessness,  which again, makes her different than XY (unless she is în the presence of XL). Ah Heng stood up to his father because she didn't want to marry shaohaon, gave in out of love for her brother, yet she still kept her part of the promise to Chi you and schemed a plan for 6 months în order to be în jiuli for the next spring festival.  When she thought about her mom and 4th brother, she was ready to leave shaohao behind în order to save herself, yet when she recalled her times with him, she turned around and ran back. Faced with Chi you's harsh words due to the misunderstanding caused by qingyang, she still couldn't help but jumping în front of Chi you în order to save him from zhurou's attack. She's so similar, while also so different than XY. She doesn't need reciprocity în order to act  on her feelings and instincts. She told him she gave him her heart and eyes, as a reference to the ballad, but at that moment she doubted that Chi you did the same. (funny, în lyf there is a similar reference, the heart through the lovers bug and the eyes as seen in the chapter when XL covered XY's eyes, because he could clearly see himself reflected into them or the chapter where jing made a point în stating that he wasn't the one în her eyes).  The fact that SirBi sang this ballad when looking at XL after he killed the bugs from both him and XY is so bittersweet and powerful.  While Chi you would have take his heart and eyes out to be the one în ah heng's heart, XL did it as to remove himself from XY's heart. Both acted out of deep love. 

Relationship wise, Chie you îs also similar while also different than XL. Chi you didn't mind that Ah Heng îs married to shaohao as long as his the one în her heart, I believe he even told her that the only part he wants from her îs her heart. It was the same for XL, IMO. He was the one who had XY's heart, not Jing and that's what made everything painfully beautiful for both him and us. 

"I believe from the beginning, A Heng accepted that she would one day marry Shao Hao because she had been promised to him since birth."

Maybe it's me  romanticize things, but my feeling îs that up until the discussion she had with qingyang about shaohao, ah heng did have an interest în him that went beyond of just accepting that one day she will have to marry this man. She never saw him, but she heard a lot about him and she has always been curious about him, because in their world shaohao was seen like jing, the perfect man and the perfect match to every woman. The fact that qingyang made it obvious that giving the circumstances, shaohao will not hesitate to use her as a pawn îs what draw the line, IMO. Up till the, shaohao did have a chance with Ah Heng, she was open to get to know him better. I'd say even after the wedding it wasn't too late for him to turn the tables în his favor, if facing with ah heng's question about whether he wants a wife or an empress, he would have answer the first.  While I believe that question was asked as to make a point, because she already knew his answer, I still believe that if shaohao would have been willing to first and foremost be a husband to ah heng, she would have done her best to accept him wholeheartedly, same as XY tried her best to love jing, because he was the only one who promised her to always put her first. 

Might be some things I get wrong though, i am using google translator to read it and it's not very reliable. 

"Xiao Yao's unfiltered declaration of love to Xiang Liu happened once, through the crystal globe, something that took so much courage from her,"

This was the only situation where XY was so much braver than Ah Heng. Reaching a similar point, I don't see Ah Heng doing the same. As you mentioned, Chi you tried for years to get an affirmative response from her and once she gave in, she did stay true to her heart, regardless of how Chi you treated her. However, XY had no confirmation from XL, no promise, I mean she didn't even know for sure if he even likes her,  his brother's nemesis, yet against everything and everyone she took the decision of sending the crystal ball to him and running away from her wedding to Feng Long în front of everyone. This action alone outshine ah heng by far. În fact from this pov, I don't even know if XY was weaker or stronger than her mom, if XL would have pursued XY as Chi you pursued Ah Heng, I believe XY would have given in twice as fast, with half of the effort that Chi You put in, but I am one who believes XY fell for XL at first glance, the same how Chi you fell for ah Heng at first sight, when he saw her playing în the river.