SagaTeAles

I still can't watch episode 15... but as far as Jiling goes some things are getting clearer now. Jiling is the fox...the blind fox that was once found by CW. In the present timelineJiling is cosplaying as CW. We’ll probably learn the real reason later.
I have two guesses based on what is shown..

One is that he’s doing it for personal gain...we’ve already seen rumors by others that he craves power and wants people to admire and worship him.

The second is that he’s doing it in agreement with CW...who for some still unknown reason is unable to lead the Shilin sect. The sect can’t be without a leader, so Jiling takes the role while they are waiting for the true descendant to appear..and that seems to be Shiguang. We saw that CW knew who he was and even sent the star stone (now in human form) to protect him as his shifu. Jiling also seems to know more about Shiguang, esp after the episode where the twelve thoughts bracelet led to the dragon deity’s power being absorbed by him. It’s also possible that Jiling is posing as CW ...as a tactic..to deceive Jiu Ying and her followers. Every attempt she makes to kill CW and destroy the dragon deity would be directed at Jiling, not the real dragon deity. So he serve as a bait and a false target. That way....her actions would expose her...who she’s working with and where her power comes from...while the true dragon deity remains protected.
As for Xizai....so far, we haven’t clearly seen his original face from the past, but there are hints that he may have the same face as Jiling. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the same person.
Remember what was said ....demons can take on a human form of a particular person if they possess that person’s belongings. We saw that Xizai had that doll, so it’s possible that when the fox (Jiling) was found, CW and Bai Ze wanted him to take on Xizai’s human form for some still uknown reason and the doll made it possible..
The other possible explanation is that Xizai is somehow Jiling... but I can't piece it together with the fact that Jiling is the fox. YWH and the fox Jiling being brothers, in the past they were both humans...so it doesn't add up... so I still don't know if something happened in 15 to hint that both humans coincidentally ended up somehow being one butterfly demon and the other the fox... idk...to die as humans and to later appear or be born as two different "species"...
Whatever the truth is Bai Ze and CW ...and probably Jiling as well know the full story. Wu Zhiqi also realized that Xizai’s story is important enough for Bai Ze to keep it hidden. Why was Xizai important and why keep the story hidden, we'll need to wait..anyhow this is what i came up with , as possible scenarios.

I'm still in it, theorizing again...tho not so much here...can say the story , some arcs started to get clearer now, but some arcs still need more episodes..so I don't even try with those until I get the still missing missing pieces 😁

It's helpful now, like with 6 eyed butterfly demons...to remember the tattoos and stuff. Cause while watching now... it's hard to notice every single detail...we did it then... at least with what we could see..so it makes theorizing now is a bit easier..

We made 126233 theories back then😆

It could be, i even thought he was testing LJ about the dragon marrow, like wanted to see what LJ knew about it all alone..if these two were indeed the current YHW in his past self and LJ in the body of his brother they were playing cat and mouse mind game..cause LJ atp looked like he understood who he was actually dealing with..

I think that the current YHW we are seeing who is wandering around in other ep...entered his own body, the YHW from the past, who had limited knowledge about the events taking place after his time here...so he is trying to get the original star stone, that's hidden here and I'm even questioning what of the things he said to his brother were true or false..he probably knows it's LJ within his brother's body and he's feeding him info .. this is the theory i came up with after i watched 12 ep..

GJM had a similar band aid ending in FOF too...similar to the one you mentioned. He gave a clear hint about it in the extra episodes. He usually finishes his stories, so I don’t expect an open ending here...
The exception is MJTY... which had an open ending...but that’s cause he was planning S2 as was long rumored. It just didn’t happen. The same goes for L.O.R.D....but the third movie also couldn’t be filmed for various reasons.
So I don’t think an open ending is really his intended style unless something happens bts. So it probably won’t happen here.

Wanna thank @BaekhyunoonalD and @wasabi for the Character Relationship Chart in the discussion section...just saw it and want to recommend it to others, it's helpful..nice work👌

Hahaha....that, nah. I've watched many of his works, his movies too, long and short ones, and it's just something that brands him. If not death, then it's separation. He is a true believer in those. The best happy ending he offers is bittersweet, leaves you sad with some hope and gives you a band aid to patch a giant wound.

I've watched the reuters and have a theory about the ending. I wrote it even back then... and if I'm right, be prepared for the band aid he'll give you...ofc It’s just my theory so don't take it seriously 😁

This drama is the first where everything is done by himself.... meaning it's the first time he has full control of the editing cause this time, it's done by himself from beginning to end (he said this on Weibo). It's also the first time he is the solo director (before.. he shared with other directors)... and with his script and OST, we can say it's his first solo work out of his dramas..

This is why i love it..there are many layers to peel off, can't be sure what to expect, cause the story can go in any direction anytime....even when heavily guessing..
So who knows, is LJ a also a puppet but of YHW🙃...i don't think so, but even when unsettling, I crave a plot where many things will stay unpredictable. ..unlike those where you know where it's going miles away and just wait to see the execution...

I've read Lilun 😂but when it's abt choking it's not like i totally misread it😂

I'm stunned, sorry if already posted but I had to share
http://xhslink.com/o/5ixEzrIYZpt
Copy and open rednote to view the note

It's yet not fully clear what's behind CW and LS/Jiling story, but there is some guessing. In the story it was said none or a very few know his human form, how he looks. So it's possible that LS/Jiling uses this fact and show himself as CW, but as to why and where is true CW ...did he and why give his ring allowing all or not, is yet to be seen.

Yep....Rui was acting so well...t's even more stunning when thinking how he played both of these char so distinctively that I nearly forgot it's the same person 🙂
The the whole scene was tense...looking so real..his heartbreak from learning the truth, processing it and pushing back with his ..it matters to me, the purpose mattered...😢

I hear people saying this nonsense "no plot, no substance," about gjm's work. It's often just parroting what they hear from others...or they simply don't like character driven stories. Those tend to be slower...and for them that's just boring...Give them fast paced...action packed staff, and they call it a good plot. Give them five minutes of people just talking, and they'll die of boredom..

Looks more and more like it..meaning Chi Wen saved current LS, who really was the innocent fox who liked raspberries and now when he makes the puppet he transfers his memories into it, which are his own..but i still think there must be a reason why Chi Wen gave his ring to a fox and not a dragon..(if he gave it in the first place).

I'm still not into this LS is evil and corrupted..yes, he's cold..but evil? That scene we saw with him... when drawing energy from mortals appeared while LWY was listening to her master tell how dragon deity is now corrupted..and could easily be something lwy just pictured in her head...it looked more like that to me. Maybe this dragon is evil now, is just what the Formless Moon Sect, or what's the name, is cooking up.. or some within by falsified bogus prophecy to win in some power struggle..

I think that Rui even said "loneliness" in his farewell message, the part about LS😭

Omg..the pain and the whole cycle of his thoughts ending with "finding a purpose matter even as a puppet" 😭But now I'm thinking, could the raspberry memories be real memories of LS..he spoke about Jiling is his innocent youth and the last memory we saw of the figure in white approaching the fox could that be Chi Wen? And if memories were real could it mean Chi Wen found LS, back then a fox?

It was heartbreaking...😭😭