AH

It is impossible to remove the bugs, and trying could kill both hosts. XL doesn't lie to XY when he says he also doesn't know how to remove the bugs.

But he does know how to kill the bugs, which will sever the connection between XY and XL without killing XY. He uses one of his nine lives and stabs himself in the heart in order to do so, and is heavily weakened in the process.

Some TSJ fans will be furious to read your comment and not realize you are directly quoting XL (when he gets annoyed in episode 15 after A Nian has XY's hands beaten). Although he doesn't say that line in the novel.

But to be fair, as the other comments noted, TSJ, ZX and ZX's attendants played an important role in making sure that XY was in a state where XL could still save her when he arrived.

From what I remember, the novel doesn't include any detailed scenes with XL and Gong Gong, but they have a longstanding relationship of deep loyalty. Albeit one of adoptive father and adoptive son. XL also has his loyal condor. And in the novel, XY and FFB become genuinely close friends for years.

On top of that, as FFB, there are plenty of people he could socialize with, and as XL he could drink and celebrate the new year with his fellow soldiers. But he chooses not to, and holds himself apart from them. Maybe because he can't be close with anyone who only knows FFB and not XL. Or with the mortal soldiers, maybe to avoid greater pain when they die, or the discomfort they may have with being casual around a snake demon (despite the respect they have for him). Or maybe it's just his personality.

But overall, one of the tragedies of XL is that his isolation is at least partly a choice he makes, rather than a wholly unavoidable circumstance that he has to resign himself to.

Major spoilers obviously.

XY loves CX / ZX, but as a brother only. She does not end up with him.

XY falls in love with and ultimately marries TSJ / YSQ. She ends up with him.

XY's relationship with XL is the most complicated of the three... XL is initially violent and cruel to her, but they bond over shared trauma. XL falls for XY surprisingly quickly, which is demonstrated when he successfully accepts the transfer of XY's lovers' bug into his heart. So XL definitely loves XY from early on, but he always knew his ending would be death on the battlefield, not a happy ending with a lover. That becomes even clearer after XY's true identity is revealed. So XL chooses to play a different role in XY's life. He helps and protects her (and still occasionally uses her blood to heal his injuries), but he never lets her become aware of his true feelings and doesn't let her know the full extent of the sacrifices he makes for her. In turn, XY definitely cares about XL, but doesn't allow herself to fall in love with him. When she comes close to falling for him, XL intentionally pushes her away. They do not end up together.

I was thinking about the ways in which each love interest loves XY and it occurred to me...

At first, TSJ seems like he's prepared to accept XY having a relationship with other men. He doesn't say anything when he thinks the marks on XY's neck are hickeys from XL. But then he asks XY to promise to save her heart for him and to not fall for another man, even though he knows he won't be able to break his engagement quickly.

ZX also seems like he accepts that XY will marry someone else and is okay with it as long as she remains his "sister". But ultimately his jealousy drives him to kill TSJ.

And then there's XL. Even though he is the one who takes XY away from her first wedding (at TSJ's request) and always seems to enjoy making TSJ and ZX jealous, he knows from early on (perhaps from the moment XY explained why she refused his gift-of-air kiss) that they are not going to end up together in any capacity. Instead, he saves TSJ's life specifically so that TSJ can be with XY. And he makes sure that XY doesn't fall for him or understand his true feelings for her.

All three of them are obsessed and intensely devoted to her in their own ways, but IMO XL's love ends up being the most selfless.

XY sees XL's true demon form in chapter 43 of the novel.

In the novel, XY mentions (in chapter 26) that XL used one of his lives when he revived her (in addition to all the essential blood transfusions) but doesn't specify when it was used. I assumed it was used when he did the last healing session and finally woke her up (since that session was different from all the others). But the novel doesn't cover XL's journey when he rushed to XY after her assassination. It only mentions XL leaving the army camp in the mountains outside QS town and then his arrival at ZJ Summit. It's possible that the formation he used in the drama while on his way to XY was meant to depict him using that life.

XL does not give 37 years of one of his lives to XY. The first time XY dies, XL spends 37 years reviving XY. He does so using a transfusion of his essential blood on every full moon (this is covered in chapter 22 of the novel) as well as one of his lives (which XY mentions in chapter 26 of the novel).

Although XL can't give up his cause or stop being enemies with ZX for XY's sake, at least his cause is noble. Abandoning it would make him a less admirable person. I found it easier to understand his position when I thought of real-world examples. Like Japan's past occupation of Korea. Or Russia's current attempts to invade and annex Ukraine. Or China's threats to annex Taiwan in the future. If you dedicated yourself to fight for the freedom and independence of one of those countries, but then betrayed that cause to be with the granddaughter / daughter / sister of the occupying power's leader? That would be shameless and despicable.

Also, TSJ wants to give up everything for XY, but in reality he can't. He is unable to break his engagement for a very long time, and going along with an engagement to one woman while being in love with another sometimes puts him in a position that makes him a less admirable person, even though his intentions are always good. The difference between the two fo them is not so black and white.

And I'd point out that XL does prioritize XY over his cause / army / fight against ZX when it really matters. When she needs him, he goes to her and helps her for as long as it takes. Even if it takes 37 years. And he expects nothing from her in return. Instead of hoping that she'll return his feelings, he makes sure to hide his feelings and keep distance between them in order to protect her. If he makes a deal related to his help, it's mostly for show to hide his true feelings and intentions. Even in the beginning he could've used the bug connection between XY and ZX against ZX. Instead, he offered to transfer the bug into himself to protect XY, knowing he could never take back that decision.

In any case, what would happen if XL did give up his cause and stopped being enemies with ZX? As a demon with no money or family connections, would he be able to marry the first princess of Haoling? Would ZX and the emperors allow that? Would their people accept it? Would XY leave ZX behind in order to elope with XL? Would XY still respect XL after he made that choice? And would she definitely accept + return his feelings? Even though she already told him she was afraid of even accidentally allowing him into her romantic dreams? Even though she promised TSJ to not let anyone else into her heart for 15 years? The impossibility of a happy ending between XL and XY goes way beyond XL's inability to stop being ZX's enemy.

I think she initially accepts FFB's offer for a bunch of reasons. Some of those reasons are directly mentioned in the novel. First, she is curious about FFB. She perceives him as a possible enemy, or at least someone with dubious intentions, and isn't sure whether he is XL or not, so she wants to know more about his identity and his intentions. Second, the possibility of learning high-quality archery despite her low spirit power is very appealing. At that point she really only has her poisons. Archery would be a very helpful tool that she could use to protect herself and the people she cares about (with the attack on ZX fresh in her mind). Third, part of her (an understandable part driven by her insecurities) wants TSJ to know that she is out spending time with another man. I don't think XY would seek someone out specifically for that purpose, but when FFB makes his offer that is a factor in her acceptance. FFB is a relatively "safe" option for that role because realistically he's not husband material (due to his playboy reputation and concubine-born status), she already thinks he's a playboy and has guarded her feelings accordingly - so she feels less vulnerable, and (something she only consciously realizes when FFB's identity is finally confirmed) he always felt like someone familiar to her.

I think she continues to spend time with him because (to her surprise) she ends up genuinely appreciating his mentorship and companionship.

Regarding the gender comment, I think being in a man's body when she was WXL provided XY with a layer of physical and emotional protection from the (presumably) straight men around her. She thought that it wouldn't be possible for them to have romantic feelings for her in that body, and she expected that her true body would likely be ugly, so romance was just off the table.

TSJ revealing that he knows she's a woman at the same time that he makes his confession shifts the balance - suddenly romance between them is more of a possibility. But she doesn't know if she can get back to her true form, and she expects that her true form could be ugly. When she regains her true form (which, of course, ended up not being ugly), the balance shifted again: romance was suddenly a real possibility. But that possibility also came with greater physical and emotional vulnerability, and that vulnerability was a driver behind the boundaries she drew with XL (with her explanation for refusing the air kiss and her insistence on using her wrist instead of her neck).

I could go on about XY and TSJ both completely ignoring the possibility of romantic feelings between men, but that's a whole other topic.

XL should've felt XY being stabbed in the foot, but that kind of pain / wound wouldn't necessarily prompt him to abandon his army and run to her. But he should at least notice it and be concerned about it, or be irritated with the people around her who are supposed to protect her (as he was when ZX had XY's leg broken -- and yes he did go to her when her leg was broken, but the circumstances were different at that point).

It's possible that all of that (XL feeling XY's foot being stabbed and reacting to it) happened without being shown on screen to avoid interrupting the flow of the assassination scene. A lot had to be covered between XY getting attacked and the three male leads realizing something terrible was happening.

Her feelings toward FFB when she first meets him (mainly skepticism and suspicion) change quite a bit later on when she seems to genuinely appreciate his talents, teachings and companionship. We know she thinks XL and FFB are objectively handsome, and she does seems to have moments of vulnerability and closeness with FFB. Does she feel romantic attraction towards him that isn't undercut by skepticism (her default defence mechanism)? It's hard to say. I think yes, but I don't think that's what makes her decide to spend time with FFB.

One of my favourite take aways from the novel is that XL got to spend the better part of two years teaching XY archery and being her companion (constantly exploring castles, attending dance halls, gambling, shopping, eating out, etc.) as FFB before he revealed / confirmed his identity and things got complicated again. Although two years is very brief in their immortal lives, it's still a pretty significant amount of time where he got to be close with XY.

XY also constantly prepares and sends new poisons to XL during that time - a regular reminder to XL that he is in her thoughts. And XL finds out about the memories of him that XY saved in her mirror. Those and other events show XL that XY cares about him, even though they both know it wouldn't be possible for them to have a happy ending, and even though XL knows that XY is not aware of his true feelings.

XL also got to experience the unconditional love of a mother for four years when he fulfilled his promise to the real FFB, and he clearly felt strongly about his adoptive father and fellow soldiers.

Although XL's fate is quite tragic and he never gets to have the romance that Jing gets to have, there are definitely moments in his life where he got to experience love and care and goodness.

In the novel, XY finds out for sure that FFB is XL two years after FFB first starts teaching her archery (on the night where he comes to her injured and drinks her blood). At that point she feels like it was something she always knew on some level, but she didn't consciously know / believe it until then. The timing might be different in the drama (the time skips aren't always obvious) but otherwise I think XY's awareness is pretty much the same as in the novel.

Jing and XY were both miserable about not seeing each other for 16 months.

The tail was cut off by XY's mother before the events of the first episode. That greatly diminished the 9 tailed fox's power and was the reason why the fox wanted to exact revenge on XY + use her to replenish his depleted power.

The drama and the novel don't specify the exact reasons why XL chooses to accept the bug, but context clues suggest that he was self-aware enough to realize he had already developed feelings for XY and at least didn't want her to die (and he knew that she would likely die if the bug stayed with CX). Personally, I think at that point he already wanted to be the companion who would alleviate her loneliness and the person she could rely on, which was why he felt so betrayed later when he initially found out about her relationship with ZX and KoH. Meaning that she wasn't the abandoned person she originally claimed to be. A person with a past very similar to his own.

He might also want the connection so he can know about her feelings or when she's hurt, or because the connection can help keep XY alive in the future at times when she might otherwise be killed.

And on some level I even think that there was an element of jealousy. XL always seems oddly pleased when XY creates a poison especially for him. She prepared the bug especially for him too. He might've felt a twinge of jealousy that she used it on his enemy instead. He might even feel like transferring the bug to him would be like making sure he got something that was always meant to be his. Especially since the bug comes with a fated connection to XY.

I think the deal he made with XY in exchange for accepting the bug was just an excuse (much like the deal he made with A Nian later on) and not his actual motive for suggesting and accepting the transfer.

XL seems to understand how the bugs work better than anyone else. In the drama, he specifically seeks the information out. In the novel, we don't know how he gets the information, but he is still the one who suggests transferring the bug and he is immediately able to control the connection between him and XY so that XY can't feel his pain or emotions (except for one instance where he intentionally lets her feel his pain). When XY finally learns more about the bugs, she tells XL what she found out right away and he isn't surprised at all. Later, XL knows how to use the connection to save XY and also how to break the connection, which was information that XY never found out.

Novel spoilers ahead.

For me, the satisfaction of XY x TSJ's happy ending in the novel doesn't come from them having chemistry. It mostly comes from the fact that it was only possible because it is part of the ending that XL chose and orchestrated.

He succeeds in keeping her alive through everything, even two "deaths". Which I believe has been one of his main goals since at least the point where he decided to accept the lovers' insect. But he also saved TSJ's life specifically so that TSJ could be the life-long devoted companion she needed.

He kept himself at arm's length from XY and never let her understand his true feelings for her because they both knew it wouldn't be possible for them to have a happy ending and he couldn't be the constant, end-game companion she needed. But he could be the temporary companion that alleviated her sadness and loneliness before she could be with TSJ, and he succeeded in that role as FFB. In the novel, he spent more than two years as FFB teaching her archery and being her frequent companion.

Edit: In chapter 51, XY says FFB gave her more than 10 years of archery instruction. So the first two years she wasn't sure if FFB was XL and for the last 8 years she did know for sure that he was XL.

In the end, he couldn't have a happy ending with XY, but he got everything else he wanted: he died an honourable soldier's death on the battlefield fighting for the noble cause he devoted himself to, he kept XY alive and gave her a happy ending with TSJ, and he knew that despite all his efforts to keep his distance, XY cared enough about him that she couldn't bring herself to kill him even after he tried to kill ZX (again) and succeeded in killing FL, but no so much that his choices and ending would completely devastate her.

In the novel, XY accepts FFB's offer to teach her archery (despite thinking that he's a playboy with dubious motives and no serious intentions to teach her anything useful) partly because she wants TSJ to know that she's spending time with another man. A playboy at that. I totally get why her feelings would compel her to act that way given the circumstances. Later on she comes to truly appreciate FFB's instruction and his companionship, and she's grateful because (upon reflection) her behaviour would've been pathetic if her initial expectations proved to be correct.

From the novel:

"Xiao Yao didn’t know what to feel. She had been learning archery from Fang Feng Bei for 16 months and with the Tu Shan clan’s information network and her and Fang Feng Bei’s identities, Jing must have heard about it a long time ago. Or perhaps in the beginning before she really understood Fang Feng Bei’s devil may care attitude, she never believed he would really teach her archery so she wasn’t even learning in earnest. She didn’t reject Fang Feng Bei getting close because she wanted the news that she was hanging out with him to spread across all the powerful families and reach Jing. Xiao Yao wanted Jing to know but she didn’t know why she did that. She just wanted to do it so she did it.

Later Xiao Yao realized she was mistaken about Fang Feng Bei and he really was teaching her archery. She began to learn in earnest and gradually she felt her initial purpose wasn’t important, but she still waited for how Jing would respond. But after 16 months she had totally given up waiting and felt she was so lame. Thank goodness Fang Feng Bei turned out to exceed her initial expectations otherwise it wouldn’t just be lame, it would have been pathetic."

Just finished the novel, but I only read the parts with my favourite characters. On the one hand their choices are so frustrating, but then I think of real-world equivalents like Ukraine... Sometimes doing the right thing comes at a very high cost. Utterly heartbreaking.

Thank you so much for the excerpts! I find it so interesting that Xiao Yao is the one who finds this information out in the novel, rather than Xiang Liu. But he must have known about it as well if he had already accepted the bug? I assume he didn't just accept it because she asked, without investigating it?

Does the novel provide any more details about the poisonous bugs that the drama hasn't covered? Do they actually cause the pair's hearts to beat in sync, for example?