AH

Yep, don't worry. No additional episodes yet, but there will be.

They gave us a brief preview in the trailer: https://youtu.be/MnJ2JHkOnPE?si=P50EbpFalu1MkYa1&t=137

The excerpt I posted is from chapter 43 of the novel. According to what people have recounted about the leaked script, that chapter is getting cut from S2 and they are going to use a different scene (which involves XL's clam shell) to show his true form instead. That seems to match what's shown in the trailer.

I see 8 heads in that clip, so it looks like he hasn't used up any more lives since saving XY's life in S1 by that point.

For XL's true demon form, I don't picture a human head in the mix. Just snake heads.

Although Tong Hua borrowed Xiang Liu's name from a mythical creature with a snake's body and nine human heads ^^

Also according to other fans that have read the unconfirmed leaked script for S2, the drama will show the viewers how many lives XL has left by eliminating one of his snake heads from his true demon form every time he uses up a life. And we know he's already used one of his lives to save XY's life by the end of S1.

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This is how Tong Hua describes his true form in the novel, but she doesn't go into detail about the arrangement of his heads:

He moved his hands over Xiao Yao’s face and closed her eyes. She heard his voice “I need to revert to my demon form so that we can escape from here. Don’t look!”

Xiao Yao nodded and felt this humongous impact, like something ripped a hole in the whirlpool. She felt they were far away and the danger was gone. That made her curious and she wanted to open her eyes to see Xiang Liu’s demon form. She hesitated and told herself “just one peek” before opening her eyes.

In the thundering around, she could see a pure white nine-headed sea demon battling with the ocean, with the ocean trying to destroy it but the sea demon taking every hit and bracing for more. This was a battle as powerful as the earth and the sky fighting, without any flowery moves or clever techniques, just brute force against brute force, shaking the world around it.

In the heat of battle, Xiang Liu actually sensed Xiao Yao’s tiny move and one head turned to look at her. Xiao Yao immediately closed her eyes and her heart was racing uncontrollably, not because she was scared of him but because she was so awestruck. It was like someone who had never seen the ocean seeing it for the first time, someone who had never seen the mountain seeing it for the first time. It wasn’t about beauty or ugly, it was about being in awe of such power.

S1 covers the first half of the novel (chapters 1 - 28, more or less). The story is not complete yet.

S2 hasn't aired yet, but it should cover the rest of the novel (the end of chapter 28 - chapter 51 and the epilogue).

The spoilers you've read about XL are likely about something that happens to XL very close to the end of the novel, which should be covered in S2.

"He takes his mask off magically. That plays into, and he doesn't want to be identified. Which is kind of weird, given how he can change his face. I guess he's vain enough to fond of his amazingly gorgeous one. LOL!"

I agree, XL wearing a mask (instead of transforming his face) and FFB dying his hair (instead of transforming it) is kind of weird. But those writing choices do two important things for the reader.

First, they emphasize that XL prefers to be authentically in his true humanoid form whenever possible, even when it requires more effort (although he does actually transform occasionally when necessary). That sentiment is something he shares in common with XY.

Second, it underscores that XL and FFB are two sides of the same coin. FFB isn't a false form or a fake persona that XL creates or has to put effort into maintaining. FFB is XL's true personality when he gets a chance to take off his literal and metaphorical armor and step away from the obligations he has as XL.

Yet another reason to love Tong Hua's writing <3

I totally agree that the subtitles are misleading. They make it sound like XY had seen XL's face before and she recognized him.

In the novel she takes in his features and then he gives her a deadly look. Then she guesses his identity. I think the subtitles for the drama were trying to convey that, but they didn't do it very well.

When XY first encounters XL in the novel, XL isn't wearing a mask at all (presumably because he's in the remnant army's territory and wasn't expecting to encounter an outsider). But even without the mask XY still doesn't see XL's face clearly until they get back to XL's military tent (she intentionally shuts her eyes when she's brought to the camp).

The mask disappearing in the drama seems to be how the director chose to do something similar (showing XY seeing XL's face clearly for the first time) in a more dramatic way.

XL's mask isn't mentioned at all in the novel until chapter 5, when XL and XY kidnap Ah Nian.

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Chapter 2:

A white-haired man dressed all in white was elegantly sitting on a tree branch smirking in glee at the fallen condor. Xiao Liu silently sighed, the real danger had arrived.

...

Xiao Liu tossed powder at the man and then turned to run when the man in white blocked his path.

...

The man waited until the condor was done eating before everyone headed back to camp.

Xiao Liu kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to see the route. Based on the sound of voices, this wasn’t a large camp and was likely temporary. Xiao Liu was tossed on the ground and the man’s cold voice entered his ears. “A very good set of ears is often more useful than a set of eyes.”

Xiao Liu opened his eyes and from his vantage point could only see the man’s waist. “I’ve lived in Qing Shui Town for over twenty years, a quick check will confirm it.”

The man ignored him as he changed his robe and sat down at his desk to review documents. It was then that Xiao Liu finally saw his face clearly. White hair like the clouds that wasn’t tied into a bun but instead a jade-colored rope was used to tie it neatly back to let it fall behind his head. His face was so beautifully handsome it bordered on surreal. His entire body was so spotlessly clean it was eerie.

At this time he was holding a document in one hand as his eyes were lifted in scorn. He sensed Xiao Liu looking at him and smiled towards Xiao Liu who shivered and immediately shut his eyes. That look he’s only seen once when he was small, it was the way a world-renowned giant demon looked at her. It was the look that only someone who had stepped on countless corpses could give off.

Xiao Liu guessed who he was: that legendary, handsome-beyond-compare, murdering, evil devil. The Nine-headed Demon. The one with nine-lives. Xiang Liu.

nathsketch I just worry that your expectations will soar only to later plummet and be horribly + painfully dashed. I'm a big believer in tempering expectations... Better to be pleasantly surprised than to be deeply disappointed.

Every ending like this one needs a good old crack alt universe and totally OOC alt ending full of fan pandering ^^

Somehow I feel like XL travelling to Brazil and marrying a mortal is always going to feel OOC, but I have faith that some talented person somewhere could write it well ^^

After making the 15 year promise when she was WXL, I would say that XY chooses to be with TSJ as a romantic partner for the first time when she tries to kiss him on the beach outside of Five Gods Mountain after her presentation ceremony as Gao Xing's Eldest Princess. I'd say she chose to end their relationship when she returned the fish amethyst to TSJ, and that she chose to be with TSJ as a romantic partner a second time when she accepted the fish amethyst from him a third time (in chapter 34).

I'd say she chose to be with TSJ as his fiancee when she accepted his marriage proposal in chapter 38. I'd say she chose to be with TSJ as his wife in her heart when she conducted her own wedding in absentia under the full moon after TSJ's death, and that she chose to be with him as his wife for real when they got married for real after he returned.

She definitely chose to spend tons of time with FFB and XL. Including 10+ years of learning archery, shopping, hiking, exploring, visiting dance halls, sharing meals together, etc.

I'm just saying that choosing to spend time with a temporary companion (and XL always emphasizes that it's temporary) is different from choosing to be with a romantic partner. It's a very different "be with".

Lol, yes don't worry your emojis perfectly captured the intent of dark humour ^^

Oh dear, that's a rather dark moniker! I really do like the idea of them together. But the way Tong Hua wrote this story... it's very hard for me to picture a different ending that wouldn't be OOC.

But that's why fanfiction exists ^^

_ <3

@ o_reo123 In S1 of the drama, XY ends up engaged to another man (not CX). XY and CX have a very strong bond... but on CX's side his feelings are not just platonic sibling feelings. After XY regains her true female form, his feelings are very much romantic. Whereas XY only views him as a brother.

If S2 follows the novel, XY ultimately ends up with TSJ. CX hides his romantic feelings for XY for a long time but does eventually confess. It goes very badly, and they have to go through a few things before they can repair most (but not all) of the damage.

@ Symbolika1 Whether CX is XY's cousin by blood or not in the drama is an open question. In the novel, they are definitely cousins related by blood.

As much as I love all of XY and FFB's excursions and all the time they spend together, I'd point out that XY chooses to be with FFB as his archery student and close-but-temporary companion. Which is quite different from choosing to be with him as a romantic partner, fiancee or wife.

Since nathsketch asked, I'll give my take on that specific point. For the record, there are a few other points in some of the posts above that don't align with my own interpretation of the story, but I don't want to unpack all of them. This comment is too long already ^^"

Okay, specifically on the question of "And and what makes you think if XL has confessed XY would be dilemma between TJ and XL?" ... Winny Aye I think you are right to mention timing.

For most of the story XY is pretty good about sticking to her guns. She's found a guy who loves her, she loves him, and he says he's committed to being the kind of life partner she wants. Someone who is warm-hearted (not cold-hearted like herself, per her own words) and devoted and who can't let her go, even for her own good. And someone who wants to have a peaceful life and a family. The family part was a bit surprising to me, but it was really emphasized in the chapters where XY becomes depressed over her breakup with TSJ after CX takes the throne. For most of the story she's either committed to him or at least willing to give him a chance (and not entertain alternative romantic candidates during that time). Whereas XL is her family's mortal enemy three times over. He's a ruthless soldier who's dedicated to his men and their cause. Despite their connection, she recognizes that a romance with him would be doomed from the start.

If XL had confessed his feelings to XY and tried to pursue a romantic relationship with her (which, IMO, would require fundamentally change some key parts of his character) at a point in the story where things were going well between TSJ and XY, I don't think XY would have chosen XL. We see evidence of that immediately after TSJ confesses his feelings and XY makes the 15 year promise. That's when XY refuses to "kiss" XL for air underwater and gives her "you're not someone who is suitable to enter a young girl's dreams" explanation.

When things are going well for TSJ and XY later in the story... XL had already decided to keep a certain distance between himself and XY and to push her and TSJ together... So it's hard to know what those parts of the story would've been like if XL had pursued XY for himself and not helped TSJ. Including by saving his life.

That said, unfortunately for TSJ and XY, there are long periods of the story where things are not going well for them. I'd say their lowest point (genuinely a lower point for them than when TSJ was dead, since XY considered herself to be TSJ's wife while he was dead) was when TSJ was married to FFYY and TSZ was born, but neither TSJ nor XY had realized that TSZ was not TSJ's son yet.

That not-so-coincidentally happens to be the point in the story where XY plans to marry Feng Long. But she doesn't love Feng Long and she doesn't really want to marry Feng Long. TSJ is not an option at that point, and she's actively trying to get over him. That's when she sends her meticulously crafted ice crystal ball to XL. IMO, the underlying message is pretty clear. She was extending her hand to him. More specifically, she was asking XL/FFB to go to her and give her a reason to not marry Feng Long.

XL chooses to not go to XY at that point for a reason (or many reasons). But if the circumstances had been a little different, or possibly if he had just chosen differently... if he had gone to her at that point and asked her to run away with him, I think there's a decent chance she would've chosen to be with him. Would that have worked out in the long term, given all the circumstances? Probably not... which, IMO, is one of the reasons XL doesn't choose that course of action. But I do think XY was open to that possibility in her heart at that point in the story.

Lol, I mainly took it as her not feeling ready to leave ZX and not being keen about taking on the role of clan leader's wife, but there certainly could've been other factors.

XL definitely does leave a lot of things to the last minute. ^^

If there would be one change from the novel that I would be okay with, it would be something to give us assurance that TSZ won't be traumatized and maybe some sign that he has people in his life other than Hu Mao, Jing Ye and Hu Zhen who care about him.

"Speaking of ... I think there's something there about who Jing can free himself of ... or maybe it's just active vs passive characters. But it does seem to take death to make him prioritize, poor guy."

Idk if I'm right to do so, but I partly credit XL for TSJ being able to free himself from his clan. XL waits as long as he can to bring TSJ back. TSJ comes back just in the knick of time to save XY from becoming the Royal Mother and not a moment earlier (very reminiscent of FFB's dramatic entrance at XY's wedding). The longer XL waited, the easier it would be for TSJ to free himself from his previous life.

"I don't know. TSZ would be a turn of the cycle and I'm not sure Tong Hua wants to visit it again."

The irony is that TSJ wanted to protect TSZ from continuing the tragedy of the previous generation. In chapter 34 he says:

“My mother’s actions have shown me that hate will never end. So killing you is a punishment to release anger, but I don’t want us to incur another cycle of vengeance and let Zhen Er become the next Hou.”