Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 liddi:

My take on this part is not because she wanted to draw a line between them, but because as a woman, any bite mark on her neck would be apparent for all to see. As Wen Xiao Liu, she could afford to walk around with a bite mark which could be mistaken for something else, but not as the Gao Xin princess Xiao Yao.

Yes, that's what I was trying to say :)

@liddi

You have the ending as well? Can you tell us în a few words how do they plan to play out XL's death and XY finding out? 

 liddi:

LM (sorrowfully) Recently, two more comrades passed away. Those old friends who followed Chi... followed the Great General have almost all died out.
FFB (detachedly): Everyone will die. It's just a matter of time.
LM (sighs): You are right. Who knows when it will be our turn.

Xiao Yao put down her chopsticks and stared at Fangfeng Bei in stunned silence.

This addition feels so different from the novel. The man isn't the last survivor from Chi Chen's army at this point? And XL says that new line detachedly? 

 liddi:

FFB (mocking): You are doing so well that you came all by yourself to the gambling den to gamble.

Another add that feels... off. 

 liddi:

My take on this part is not because she wanted to draw a line between them, but because as a woman, any bite mark on her neck would be apparent for all to see. As Wen Xiao Liu, she could afford to walk around with a bite mark which could be mistaken for something else, but not as the Gao Xin princess Xiao Yao.

blimarch speculated that XL could fully heal his bites but chose to leave a mark. Do you think that's the case?

XY would also have access to the best medicine as a princess. With the Sheng Nong Herm Manual in her possession, I would think she herself would be able to heal and hide the mark if she was worried about it.

But I suppose even if XY could heal the mark completely, she would need some time to do so and someone might see the mark before she did. So your reasoning makes sense. 

 Kokuto:

No. She doesn't need XL to end the engagement.  And yet, why does she send her crystal ball message and wait for XL?  You yourself said, that she asking XL to give her a reason to break off her marriage to Feng Long.  She wants to break it off, but she needs someone else to do it for her, to make the choice for her, and to hopefully replace Feng Long.

Right, she would only break it off if there was a better option, i.e., if XL/FFB was willing to be with her.

 Kokuto:

And as I pointed out, she tells others, she wants to settle down, but she tells XL that she wants to wander the world with him.  Which is what she ends up doing, with Jing in the end, wandering the world, not settling down.

With Jing, she proposes going to the ocean to explore the islands that XL mentioned, so that they can find one they like and settle down there.

Xiao Yao wearily closed her eyes. “Jing, I want to leave!”

“Where shall we go?”

“To the ocean! The millions of miles of ocean and unending horizon. Xiang Liu said there were endless uninhabited and uncharted islands, perhaps we can find a beautiful island to call home.”

“Sure!”

 blabla100:

@liddi

You have the ending as well? Can you tell us în a few words how do they plan to play out XL's death and XY finding out? 

I will translate it in full when I get to it, but here's a brief summary. Note that this all takes place before Xiao Yao's wedding:

Xiao Yao woke up from a nightmare, calling Xiang Liu's name. She gazed at the moon, thinking this is the same moon Xiang Liu must be looking at right now. When asked why she was not resting, she told Jing that she felt anxious after dreaming about Xiang Liu, and could not sleep. She said that everyone hoped the war would be over, but she nursed a selfish wish that it would take longer, and if possible never end. 

*****

Meanwhile, in the wilderness at the outskirts of Qingshui town, the Chenrong remnant army was wiped out by Ru Shou's superior forces, with only Hong Jiang left, holding off for 6 days and nights. Reports came back that Xiang Liu was nowhere to be found. Realising that the last man standing was actually Xiang Liu in disguise, Ru Shou called off his army and told them to prepare to attack from afar with arrows instead. He tried to persuade Xiang Liu to surrender, having been authorised by Cang Xuan to offer him a princedom in return, but was rejected by Xiang Liu, who turned around and asked Ru Shou if he would surrender if he were in his shoes. Knowing that it was futile, Ru Shou was filled with admiration, respect and regret as he gave the order to shoot, and we see Xiang Liu's remaining 6 heads die one by one. Even as he drew his last breath, his body remained standing, and Ru Shou warned his army, particularly those who wanted revenge, that any attempts to desecrate Xiang Liu's body will be met with court martial. Suddenly poisonous black fog emitted from Xiang Liu's body, and everything in its path dissolved. In fear, Ru Shou and his army fled the area, leaving only Xiang Liu's body, standing in the midst of the fog, his eyes tenderly gazing at a pearl held in between his fingers. As the mist thickened around him, dissolving everything in its wake, his body finally collapsed, and the pearl transformed into tears, falling down on Xiang Liu's face.

******

Xiao Yao sat alone by the window of her mother's old quarters at Chao Yun Peak, grieving over Xiang Liu's death, saying that although she kept warning herself that Xiang Liu was their enemy, she was not prepared for his death. She asked whether the blood she gave was not enough to keep him alive (having no idea he used it to save her), and wished she had given more. She also regretted the cruel things she said to him the last time they met. Trying to retrieve the memories in the mirror, she realised to her dismay that it had all been erased. As she recalled their happier moments, she clutched her chest and wept bitterly, asking him whether she truly meant nothing in his eyes, that he would not even leave her a small memory. The scene ends with the song playing in the background which she sang to lure Fei Fei, which Xiang Liu heard when they first met.  

 liddi:

in the wilderness

Hmmm, they changed it from an island.

 liddi:

we see Xiang Liu's remaining 6 heads die one by one

I'm curious how they'll show this. I can't imagine he'll fight the entire last battle in his true form.

In the drama version of the story, he used one life to revive XY once and two lives to break the bug connection? No other lives used to revive XY a second time or to revive TSJ, right?

 liddi:

his eyes tendering gazing at a pearl in between his fingers.

We predicted this scenario in this thread, but it's still a little surreal to read it.

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=2688469&page=25#p2688469

 liddi:

Xiao Yao sat alone by the window of her mother's old quarters

Which quarters?

 liddi:

She asked whether the blood she gave was not enough to keep him alive (having no idea he used it to save her), and wished she had given more.

Oh I never thought about this in the novel - how she might hope that the blood she gave him could be used to prevent him from dying in battle. 

 liddi:

The scene ends with the song playing in the background which she sang to lure Fei Fei, which Xiang Liu heard when they first met.  

The shippers get riled up about this song and who it belongs to. Seems like the drama is using it for both TSJ and XL.

 liddi:

with only Hong Jiang left, holding off for 6 days and nights. Reports came back that Xiang Liu was nowhere to be found, Realising that the last man standing was actually Xiang Liu in disguise

So what of Hong Jiang? Is it clear why XL disguised himself? Is there a suggestion that Hong Jiang escaped? We speculated about this part of the novel in this thread earlier but I'm wondering if the drama will be clearer.

@liddl I am in tears 😭 😭😭😭