AH

In the novel, TSJ stopped Xiao Yao from kissing him on the lips in that scene and kissed her on the forehead instead because he didn't want her pity / to keep using her kindness. He wanted her love. And at that point (chapter 14), he knew that hadn't gotten it yet.

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Chapter 14:

Xiao Yao laughed and pointed to her lips. “Why not here?”

Jing said in a low voice, “Now’s not the time yet.”

“What time then….?” Xiao Yao lowered her eyes and used her hands to cover her face and her embarrassment.

Jing couldn’t answer because the choice was with Xiao Yao and not with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t desire her, but what he wanted was her love. He didn’t want her pity and care for him, she already gave him too much, he didn’t want to continue using her kindness.

In the novel, XL hides his involvement in saving TSJ's life very thoroughly. It is unlikely that XY would ever find out about it.

LYF but without the reverse-harem dynamics? That would be a very different story! ^^

By "the first time he came to save her", do you mean in chapter 8 when she was still WXL and he went to the shore of Five Gods Mountains and offered to take her away from Gao Xing? Right after she made the 15 year promise to YSQ in the dragon bone prison?

Why would XL need to use the blood oath to get WXL to swear to stay alive in those circumstances? Because he was planning to eventually die on the battlefield and would want her to stay alive, even if she was miserable over his death? Getting her to promise to live in chapter 43 didn't seem to work very well...

Would that mean that XL and WXL would live with the remnant army until they were finally wiped out? Would WXL never regain her true form? Would that have been a good long-term outcome for her?

Asking in good faith as someone who considered these types of questions for fanfic purposes. ^^

You're welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read my response with an open mind.

True. They're all fictional. All good.

Happy watching to you too!

I wasn't referring to in-universe standards for Dahuang. I was only intending to refer to the setting to indicate that I was talking about LYF, but clearly my wording was confusing. Apologies for that. Maybe I should have said "in LYF" instead of "in Dahuang"?

To clarify, I'm saying that many fans (in the real world) can watch a drama storyline (such as the storyline of this drama, which is set in Dahuang) where a man who is engaged and later married has a romantic relationship with another woman and have the ability to assess the context and determine that the behaviour (TSJ having a romantic relationship with XY while being engaged / married to FFYY) is still acceptable, because of the context.

I don't think anyone in this fandom has ever suggested that FFYY sexually assaulting TSJ (or making him think that she had) and forcing him to marry her was acceptable in any way?

I did not bring up WXL apologizing to XL to indicate that his behaviour in reaction to her words (the words she apologized for) was acceptable. Which is why I made a point of saying the opposite - that the behaviour was not okay regardless. I brought it up to point out that WXL understood where XL's reaction came from. As it did come from an understandable place. Understanding where a reaction like that comes from and saying that a reaction like that is acceptable are not the same thing.

We do have different interpretations. And yes, I agree, that is okay.

As a general rule of thumb, hurting another person in any way, physically or mentally/emotionally, is generally not a good thing to do. Of course there are some obvious exceptions and also some circumstances where people's opinion about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behaviour will differ.

As a general rule of thumb, having an affair with one woman while you are engaged or married to another woman is not a good thing to do. And yet we can see that in Dahuang there are circumstances where doing so could be deemed acceptable behaviour by many fans. Because context is key.

Perhaps XL didn't need to let XY feel his heart-wrenching pain through the bug connection at the end of chapter 32 in order to give her a final hard push away from himself and towards TSJ, so that she would go to TSJ in chapter 33 to start reconciling with him and stop having any thoughts about FFB/XL. Perhaps everything else he did after the wedding interruption was already enough. Or perhaps it wasn't. Even with that final harsh action, XY thought to herself in chapter 35 that she was nearly torn again when XL comforted her and she thought, for a moment, that he looked like FFB again.

In QS town, XL did indeed react very harshly to XY's comment about Gong Gong out of anger. XY came to understand why he reacted that way later and apologized for mocking Gong Gong and the remnant army's cause. The fact that her words led XL to react harshly in that case doesn't excuse his reaction of course. That harsh behaviour was not good. If he were able to go to therapy, that moment would probably be a good item for him to cover. I think we agree on that one.

In chapter 24 of the novel / episode 34 of the drama, XY mentioned Gong Gong / Hong Jiang but didn't insult or threaten him. In the novel, FFB put on a deadly aura. In the drama, FFB's eyes began to glow red. In each case, after XY said a very touching line about wishing she could have been the one to save XL and saying that, if she had, she would have only let him be FFB, free and not owing favours to anyone (words that XL/FFB was obviously touched by), and after XL/FFB glanced behind XY (to where TSJ was standing, having followed them), he turned harsh and scared XY backwards into TSJ's arms. Personally, I view that as XL intentionally acting angry and fierce to push XY away from himself and towards TSJ. I don't think he was actually angry. There was nothing for him to be angry about.

In chapter 48 of the novel, another demon (Lie Yang) threatens to kill Gong Gong and XL has no reaction at all, he just turns to a third demon (Sir Bi) and speaks calmly to him. To me, that demonstrates that XL is capable of controlling his anger.

I feel like just about every LYF character would benefit from some quality therapy sessions.

But anger management therapy would only change XL's harsh behaviour if he was acting harshly out of anger (e.g., some of his harshness in QS town in S1). If his harshness was part of a long-term plan to push XY away for her own good (e.g., his harshness in QS town in S2), then anger management therapy would do nothing to change how he acted.

You're welcome! Yes, it really didn't feel like justice was served.

You're welcome!

I hope most or all of those details will be included in the drama!

Although translations often refer to XY's biological father as a "demon" or a "monster", his exact origins and identity are not super clear in Once Promised or in Lost You Forever. If he was actually a demon, it is not clear what type of demon he was. Some fans believe he was the manifestation of nature rather than a demon.

In terms of XY's true identity playing a role in the story, the fact that she is not the biological daughter of the Grand Emperor (the King of Haoling) does become relevant. In the novel, CX secretly makes that fact known to the world in order to break the official family ties between XY and Gao Xing (Haoling) before he invades Gao Xing. XY then has to choose a new family name. The Yellow Emperor (the former King of Xiyan) wanted her to pick Xuanyuan (Xiyan). In the novel, that was her mother's family name. In the drama, CX wanted her to pick Xiling, which was her grandmother's family name (and in the drama, that is also XY's mother's family name). XY also got to meet her mother and her father's spirit before they die, and her connection to her father (who was a hero in Jiu Li) means that XY is honoured when she visits Jiu Li.

The Grand Emperor (the King of Haoling) was nice to XY because he loved her mother and felt extremely guilty towards both her mother and her uncle (his best friend) but also, and more importantly, because he genuinely loved XY. He raised her alone for the first year of her life (as her mother was in a coma) and felt that she was the only one who loved him unconditionally at that time. You'll see that he also treats Ah Nian very well. Presumably he treats both of them so well because, after all of the terrible things he did to his family and friends in order to obtain and hold his throne, he wants something good to come out of it for his daughters.

As for the Face Forming Flower, the Grand Emperor removed it from XY after she visited her mother and her father's spirit, which meant that XY was able to start using it to transform herself again. She did so in chapter 46 (after XL killed Feng Long) so she could sneak out to confront XL. It is strongly implied that she may also use it at the end of the novel (when she disappears with TSJ) so that CX will never be able to find her.

We definitely have a lot more angst coming down the road!

We are expecting that Xiyan Cang Xuan's ending in the drama will be a little different from Xuanyuan Cang Xuan's ending in the novel.

In the novel, Xuanyuan Cang Xuan (CX) was responsible for enabling Tushan Hou to assassinate Tushan Jing (TSJ). Xiang Liu (XL) ended up saving TSJ's life, but that betrayal fundamentally changed the relationship between Xiao Yao (XY) and CX. TSJ convinced XY to forgive CX, and she did so, but the previous level of trust she had with him could never be fully restored. After XL's death (at the hands of CX's army), XY chose to leave Dahuang and CX behind without telling CX - disappearing to the ocean (one of the only places where CX would not be able to find her and force her to return to his side) with her husband, TSJ.

So CX was left as the Emperor of the whole world (Xuan Yuan, Shengnong and Gao Xing / Xiyan, Chenrong and Haoling were united into one kingdom under one Emperor) but he lost the woman he loved.

In the novel, Xing Yue tries to have XY assassinated twice after TSJ's "death". CX can't kill Xing Yue or even publicly punish her because of political factors and her identity, but he punishes her non-publicly by freezing her out. Apparently that was enough to start driving her crazy. Feng Long was so worried about her that he insisted on leading the campaign against the Chenrong remnant army so he could win merits and beg CX to forgive her. Feng Long ended up dying after protecting CX from a poison arrow and, before he died, he begged CX to forgive Xing Yue. CX agreed, promising to honour her and treat her well as his Empress. So Xing Yue managed to avoid all consequences for her actions (except that she became responsible for her brother's death).

I'm feeling silly for not picking up on it immediately the first time I watched that scene.

It also feels like it's kind of echoing S1 Ep34 too, when XY and XL/FFB went to the gambling den together and watched Left Ear win his freedom in the death matches, then XY expressed that she wished she could have been the one to save him after he escaped and that, if she had, she would have had him only be FFB. And then XL/FFB scares XY into TSJ's arms and those two run away together while XL/FFB walks away in the other direction, alone.

The painful foreshadowing is not subtle.

Wait, in S2 episode 2, when XL/FFB and XY walk across the bridge in daylight... there are unlit lanterns strung across the canal above them, they stand side-by-side as a male-female pair looking out over the water, and they observe a boat paddle down the canal away from them after it passed under the bridge.

Could that be an intentional reversal / parallel to S1 episode 17, when WXL and the woman in white (Female!XL) were on a boat together at nighttime? There were lit lanterns strung across the canal above them, they observed a male-female pair that were togther on the bridge, and their boat was about to pass under that bridge.

In S1 Ep17, after passing under the bridge, the woman in white observed that the couple that they had seen on the bridge looked like a well-matched pair, and perhaps, to outside viewers, the two of them ("male" WXL and the "woman" in white) sitting beside each other on the boat would also look like a well-matched pair. WXL responded that they were just strangers who met by chance that happened to share a boat ride. This doesn't seem to be the answer that the woman in white hoped for. At that point, the woman in white had the boatman pull in to shore to drop WXL off, and they parted ways to travel separately. We are shown a shot of XL's serious expression (back in his usual, white-haired male form) as his boat pulls away from WXL, and WXL looks up at fireworks in the sky.

In S2 Ep2, on the bridge, XY asks XL/FFB, "Why is it so hard to find someone to travel with together?" and "Whom should I marry, if not Feng Long?". In response to the second question, after a pause, XL/FFB responsds, "You're asking me? Whom should I ask?" This doesn't seem to be the answer XY hoped for. XY answers, "In any case, no matter whom I marry, that person must not have a family, nor be an enemy of my brother." At that point, Ah Nian (who, along with Xing Yue, is holding firecrackers) calls to XY, and XL/FFB says, "This is as far as I can take you. Ahead of you is your world." And he turns to walk away. After XL/FFB walked off the bridge / away from XY, Ah Nian approached her and asked what she was looking at. XY responded, "Nothing. Just a passerby who occasionally kept me company in this world. Ultimately he wasn't someone who could travel with me all the way after all." We are shown a shot of XL/FFB's serious expression as he walks away from XY and overhears her words. Then XY turns with Ah Nian and heads off the bridge in the opposite direction from XL/FFB.

You're welcome!

XY was the first person to discover that FFYY (YSQ/TSJ's long-time fiancee) was pregnant. At that time, FFYY made it obvious that TSJ was the father, and TSJ did not deny it. Shortly after that painful situation, TSJ told XY that his grandmother and FFYY had drugged him and he woke up in bed with FFYY the next morning. Suggesting that FFYY had basically date-raped him and that was how she got pregnant. With that news, XY broke up with TSJ. TSJ and FFYY got married shortly after that.

Spoilers ahead. As is strongly implied in the first few episodes of S2, we will soon see confirmation that TSJ is not actually the father of FFYY's child.

Different fans have different interpretations of course, so take this as just one fan's interpretation.

This is based on the novel.

In chapter 33 (when XY and TSJ started to reconcile), XY told TSJ that after FFYY's pregnancy and XY and TSJ's breakup, XY partly blamed herself for her role in what had happened, as she felt she should have warned TSJ about certain aspects of FFYY's character (e.g., that she had tried to assassinate CX) and done more for their relationship. That guilt played a role in some of her pain and sleeplessness.

In chapter 25, two further things contributed to her pain, heartache and loneliness. First, XL told her that she was graduating from his archery lessons and he would no longer teach her. Second, TSJ married FFYY. XY was in great pain after TSJ's wedding. But the novel said that over time she was comforted through the bug connection and released her pain by channeling it into a particular batch of poisons that she made for XL (where every creation was black). After that, she still had deep heartache and did not sleep soundly through the night for a whole year (until her excursion to the sea with XL in chapter 26), but her pain was less intense.

Then, by chapter 29 (after CX took the throne), XL/FFB did not raise any objections about XY's engagement with Feng Long (and her comment about not making poisons for him after she was married / wanting to remove the bugs) when they met up in that chapter and there was a strong sense that XY and XL/FFB were drifting apart and seeing each other less and less. After they parted, XY felt an intense sense of loneliness.

At that point, she was not dating TSJ, she was not spending time with or getting archery lessons from XL/FFB and she was not helping CX fight for the throne.

Then, in chapter 30, CX was going to marry Xing Yue and make her his official Empresss (Queen). It felt to XY like she was no longer the #1 person in his life, and she decided to leave with Ah Nian for Gao Xing (Haoling). This chapter also mentions that, when XY felt particularly lonely or heartbroken, she was comforted by the bug connection and the fact that another heart was sharing her pain.

TSJ's marriage, drifting apart from XL/FFB and not seeing him anymore, and feeling like she was losing her place with CX too led XY to fall into a prolonged period of depression and loneliness. In the novel, XY does not expressly attribute her depression or loneliness to XL/FFB but, as you noted, her depression deepened when the Grand Emperor (the King of Haoling) mentioned FFB to XY.

When CX forced XY to return to Xuan Yuan (Xiyan) after 13 months in Gao Xing (Haoling) and assured her of her continued importance to him, that did not alleviate her depression.

The Yellow Emperor (the former King of Xiyan) finally got through to her by convincing her to study medicine and to carry on the legacy of the seventh Flame Emperor of Shengnong (the King of Chenrong).

You're welcome!