Though there are many people dissatisfied with the story, I enjoyed it. The acting and chemistry between the mains was there desite the censoring. As I watch the ending, I think it's clear the ending is showing a reincarnated life. The drunken sage told her jiuyun has to regather his soul to return, he just didn't mention that it would take many of her lifetimes if he was strong enough to do so. The next scenes show the rebuilding of Li, and her taking the lantern back after giving it her spirit energy. It then jumps to a seemingly same old Li except for some important changes, such as the young princess has memories of Jiuyan, she still has her changed face, her cousin is her sister, and her buddy Cui is back as her maid! No sign of her original form. With the title, along with her crying over losing memories of him, makes me feel this is scenes from a reincarnation a thousand years later, showing that eventually he does return and they are all reunited. The old painting was a surprise from the drunken sage of course. Jiuyun once told her he used it as a place to gather his spirit energy when weak, so once he gathered enough of his soul together, he went into his painting, slowly growing strong enough to return to her. I aso think both he and his buddy knew it would take many lifetimes before he could return, hence the little sparkles of energy flowing into her head before he disappeared was him ensuring she would remember him in the lifetime he was able to return.