liddi:
To be honest, I cannot figure out how WeTV does their compilations.
They did a two part compilation for S1 for each of the ships, with YaoXuan and YaoJing clearly having the most footage - almost 5.5 hours each, while YaoLiu had less than 5 hours.
YaoXuan's S2 footage is clearly a lot more with 2.5 hours footage vs a little more than 1.5 hours for YaoLiu. Yet their S1+S2 compilation came up to less than YaoLiu? How is that possible?
I have not seen any YaoJing S2 compilation yet - be it an individual S2 footage, or the total S1+S2 compilation.
YaoLiu YaoXuan YaoJing S1 Part 1 2:26:51 2:44:25 3:25:53 S1 Part 2 2:20:43 2:43:19 1:58:45 S1 total 4:47:33 5:27:44 5:24:38 S2 1:37:29 2:30:41 1:57:25 S1 + S2 6:25:02 7:58:25 7:22:03 S1 + S2 compilation 5:55:27 5:52:28
WeTV does their compilations BADLY. ;p
Seriously, their editing is ... not good.
Man, that's half an hour difference in the whole compilation and the individual YaoLiu compilation! And TWO HOURS for YaoXuan???
You know, they did two versions of the season 1 compilations? Now I need to go check and see what the running time is on both of them.
Chi You knew that Zhu Yu was stealing his half of the jade egg while he and Ah Heng were in bed, but instead of confronting Zhu Yu he waited and followed Ah Heng and saw her give her half of the jade egg to Zhu Yu?AH :
Yes. He wanted to prove that A Heng's loving words were all just a lie to get the jade egg.
You were rooting for Ah Heng to be with Shao Hao? Even though she felt that Shao Hao valued her less than half of the jade egg?
Yes. When Chi Chen confronted A Heng over her alleged deceit regarding the jade egg, deliberately humiliated her with offensive words ("When you were pretending to moan under me, were you thinking about whether your maid had successfully stolen the He Tu and Luo Shu?”), and in spite of her pleas, forced her to watch as her brothers were being burnt to death by Yan Zhuan and Hong Jiang. Although Chi Chen began to regret it when he saw A Heng's reaction as she stared at her brothers dying before her eyes, it was Shao Hao who had been healing underwater in the pool, who managed to burst out a huge water dragon to counter the flames and free A Heng from being trapped in Chi Chen's vines. Not enough with watching her suffer, he then went on to make that terrible offer and crush her even further. Then his refusal to intervene when A Heng begged him to stop Yan Zhuan from going after Qing Yang would result in her death when she tried to stop Yan Zhuan alone, and later still chose to block the attack meant for him. Too late he would bitterly regret his actions of that day, when he watched A Heng die and plunge into Yu Abyss.
On the other hand, while it was deplorable to see Qing Yang and Shao Hao accept the offer, in the end, one had to consider the fact that their topmost consideration was their kingdom and their people. This, in comparison with Chi Chen who gave away the jade egg which Shen Nong wanted and treated Ah Heng in that manner because of her personal offence towards him, really convinced me that he, for all his passionate love for her, did not deserve her at all.
I can't tell you how much I wish she had accepted Shao Hao after that. Shao Hao himself told her that he did not care that she was Chi Chen's lover. What he wanted was for them to be a true husband and wife. However, in the end, even he too, had to let her down. Nonetheless, every single time he did it, it was never out of jealousy for Chi Chen or to try and break them up, but consideration for Gao Xin and the people he had sworn to protect. If anything, his love for Xiao Yao won my approval. And when he had to refuse A Heng's pleas for an army to save Zhong Yi, he forged her writing and sent a letter asking for help to Chi Chen, even though he knew that in doing so, it would mean that he was paving a way for A Heng and Chi Chen to reunite once more.
XY basically had four suitors. Did Ah Heng ever have other suitors, apart from Chi You and Shao Hao? Or maybe it would've been too crowded if Ah Heng had more suitors, since her story also included her brothers?
No. It was always only Chi Chen and Shao Hao, and even then, Shao Hao was never a serious contender because early on in the novel, despite being betrothed since her childhood, Shao Hao took pains to draw the line between them so that she never felt romantically moved by anything he did for her. Qing Yang's words to A Heng should explain this reasoning a little, since she was a Xuan Yuan princess who was betrothed to a Gao Xin prince, and one day, their nations would go to war against each other:
Qing Yang walked to the window and looked at the mulberry grove outside. “What do you think of Shao Hao?”
Fourth Brother had already asked this question in the morning, but A Heng could not use the same answer to brush off Eldest Brother. She could only ponder seriously, but the more she thought about it, the more troubled she became.
Qing Yang waited a long time without receiving an answer from A Heng, but this silence was an answer in itself. He chuckled, “Shao Hao is very impressive. As long as he wishes, there isn’t a woman in the world who would be willing to reject him.” A Heng’s face slowly turned red, and Qing Yang turned to look at his sister. “But you have to be that one woman in the world who must reject him and cannot like him.”
Utterly shocked, A Heng blurted out, “Why? Aren’t you good friends?”
“Qing Yang and Shao Hao are friends, but Xuanyuan Qing Yang and Gaoxin Shao Hao may not necessarily be. You should know that Royal Father is eager to unify the Central Plains and even the world. You never know when Shao Hao and I will meet on the battlefield and try our best to kill each other.” Qing Yang’s lips curved into a faint smile, as if he were casually saying, “Ah, the weather might be bad tomorrow.”
A Heng’s face lost its blush a little and turned pale. “But I still have to marry him because I am Xuanyuan Ba, and he is Gaoxin Shao Hao.”
“Yes, you still have to marry him. The only thing you can do is not to develop feelings for him.” Qing Yang snorted lightly, his eyes suddenly turning cold. “I thought Shao Hao would show some mercy because of our relationship, but I did not expect him to spend an entire night's effort on you.”
A Heng lowered her head and said softly, “It has nothing to do with him. I wanted to know more about him, so I took the initiative to get close to him. I know he likes wine, so I deliberately used it to spark his interest in conversation.”
Qing Yang walked up to A Heng, lifted her chin, and stared into her eyes with a serious expression. “Little sister, never do such dangerous things again! He is Gaoxin Shao Hao, the Gaoxin Shao Hao that even I am afraid of! He won’t always be kind enough to remind himself not to make you a chess piece in his hand because of our friendship...”
Tears welled up in A Heng’s eyes, but she stubbornly bit her lip.
Qing Yang said, “For me and Shao Hao, there are too many things in our hearts: family, country, the world, responsibilities, power... Women are not a priority. For your own sake, it’s best if you regard him as a stranger.”
Ah Heng sneered coldly, “I should should thank Eldest Brother, for helping me consider my situation so thoroughly. I do not know if you are more worried about Shao Hao making me a chess piece, or worried about me not being able to be a chess piece for you and Father.”
Qing Yang fell silent a long time before he said, “Whether you accept it or not, this is the reality. What can you do when your surname is Xuanyuan?” He opened the door and left.
Ah Heng wearily leaned against the couch, feeling a wave of desolation. Her mother and Fourth Brother always tried to shield her from all the dark struggles, hoping she would always be the carefree Xiling Heng. However her eldest brother constantly reminded her that her last name was Xuanyuan and her name was Ba, the princess of the Xuanyuan clan.
-- Once Promised Vol 1 Ch9
Later on, even though Shao Hao finally fell in love with her, it was too late anyway, and she never truly wavered long enough for their relationship to grow.
Would you say that Chi You basically correlates to XL, Shao Hao correlates a bit to Feng Long and a bit to TSJ, and Ah Heng's brothers sort of correlate to CX?
Well... not quite.
While Chi Chen and A Heng were clearly on opposing sides, Chi Chen never made any secret of his love for A Heng from the very beginning. And he asked her to go away with him various times. The one who could not leave was A Heng, because she wanted to protect her mother and Fourth Brother, and she forcibly cut ties, claiming she no longer loved him, and kept him in the dark about his child. Both A Heng and Chi Chen were always very clear where their priorities laid, and they made do with what they could, being bound by duty and responsibilities to their respective kingdoms. During the war between Zhong Yi and Yan Zhuan, Chi Chen came and helped the Xuan Yuan army against Yan Zhuan because A Heng asked for his help (actually it was Shao Hao who forged that appeal for help). However, he painfully sealed the spiritual powers in half of his body, because that was all he could give to help A Heng and the Xuan Yuan army against Yan Zhuan and the Shen Nong army, and that was his way of honouring his loyalty to Yu Xiang, and his promise to live and die with the woman he loved.
In the case of YaoLiu, he kept his love for her a secret up to the very end, protecting her in every way that he could. Xiao Yao was fiercely loyal to Cang Xuan and was afraid to allow Xiang Liu into her heart, not realising that he was already in there to begin with - as proven by the lovers bugs they shared. When at last Cang Xuan was king, she was the one who wanted him to take her hand in spite him refusing to confess his love, but we know how he responded. He never gave her any promises, because he would never promise something he could not keep. As such, both of them never had the assurance that A Heng and Chi Chen had - the surety of their love for each other. While Chi Chen and A Heng were always held up as a cautionary tale for why Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu should not be together, I think aside from their opposing stances, they are two very different couples, and two very different situations.
Chi Chen was ready to leave the Shen Nong army once he wins the war against Xuan Yuan, to lead a happy, peaceful life with A Heng and Xiao Yao, and A Heng was ready to join him. He waited for hundreds of years until she was free to go with him, and asked her repeatedly in the interim. She finally announced her love for him to the world, after years of denying it.
Xiang Liu would never abandon the Shen Nong resistance army - an army bound for death - and as such, did not want Xiao Yao to be with him, knowing he could not promise her what she wanted, which was someone to rely on for life. Xiao Yao was never given the hope of a life with him despite her efforts to fight for it. And she would never have the chance to announce her love for him.
As for Shao Hao, I don't see any similarity between him and Feng Long or Jing. He is a far better written character, morally grey yet fascinating and compelling. His brotherhood with Qing Yang is one of the greatest highlights of the novel. Feng Long's with Cang Xuan, or Jing's with Lirong Chang has nothing over Shao Hao and Qing Yang. Perhaps there might be some similarity with Cang Xuan, but ultimately Shao Hao will never allow romantic love to distract him from what is right for his nation. He may be a poor friend, son and husband, but he was an exemplary father and king.
WeTV final compilation of YaoJing footage is equivalent to what was manually calculated ~7hrs 21mins.
In other words, YaoLiu and in particular YaoXuan final compilation was severely decreased.
To be honest, I cannot figure out how WeTV does their compilations.
They did a two part compilation for S1 for each of the ships, with YaoXuan and YaoJing clearly having the most footage - almost 5.5 hours each, while YaoLiu had less than 5 hours.
YaoXuan's S2 footage is clearly a lot more with 2.5 hours footage vs a little more than 1.5 hours for YaoLiu. Yet their S1+S2 compilation came up to less than YaoLiu? How is that possible?
I have not seen any YaoJing S2 compilation yet - be it an individual S2 footage, or the total S1+S2 compilation.
YaoLiu YaoXuan YaoJing S1 Part 1 2:26:51 2:44:25 3:25:53 S1 Part 2 2:20:43 2:43:19 1:58:45 S1 total 4:47:33 5:27:44 5:24:38 S2 1:37:29 2:30:41 1:57:25 S1 + S2 6:25:02 7:58:25 7:22:03 S1 + S2 compilation 5:55:27 5:52:28 7:21:28
I agree with you that minimizing her grief was one of XL's objectives for treating her the way he did, but I don't think his intention was to get her to hate him (because that would have caused to PLBs to retaliate).solarlunareclipse:
Tbh, I don't think hatred, a lack of love, or love for another person causes the bugs to retaliate / backfire / turn into Heartbreak Bugs. I think heartbreak is the trigger. Sometimes heartbreak can have overlap with those other things, but not always.
My theory is that if one party is heartbroken over the other person and wants to stop loving that person, the lovers bug will retaliate, irrespective of whether the other person had or had not fallen out of love. I also think that if one party had fallen out of love for the other person, the lovers bug will definitely retaliate.
Xiang Liu could control the bugs - both hers and his, which was why she could never sense his feelings and pain unless he allows it, or drops his guard. (TJC Studio's "Chapter 2 - The Story of a Walnut" actually has a very interesting explanation about the lovers bug and how Xiang Liu was able to control both bugs.)
As such, my theory is that even if Xiao Yao had fallen out of love with Xiang Liu and ended up hating him after the confrontation at Gourd Lake, he would have been able to suppress the lovers bugs so that they did not retaliate until such time when he destroyed them.
In the drama, it was in danger of retaliation when he was heartbroken seeing her and Jing outside Dragon Bone prison, but he successfully suppressed it using his spiritual powers. The retaliation did not happen because she stopped loving him - if she did, it would have retaliated way before, when she told him he was not suitable to enter her dreams. I believe the retaliation happened because at that moment, he wanted to stop loving her.
By the same token, he did not have to suppress the bugs when their relationship was severed at Gourd lake, because their love for each other still remained unchanging, regardless of how devastated they were at the time, so there was no retaliation to speak of. However, in that moment, Xiang Liu's suffering would have been twofold - his own grief, compounded with hers, one which she could not feel because he blocked it from her.
I have to say, character growth or not, I'm not a fan of Chi Chen. I think A Heng would have had a much more stable life with Shao Hao. Both she and her children would have fared better since King Xuan Yuan wouldn't have manipulated her into go to war against Shennong if she didn't have ties to Chi Chen.
I'm not a fan of Chi Chen as well. If anything, I like Shao Hao more, even though he ultimately let her and everyone else he cared about down. He did offer her and Xiao Yao stability during the early years. The fact that he would acknowledge Xiao Yao as his own, speaks volumes to his love for A Heng. But I disagree that A Heng would not have been a pawn of the Yellow Emperor. Even though she was the royal consort of Gao Xin, it did not negate the fact that Chi Chen loves her. As such, if the Yellow Emperor could see any way to use her to gain advantage over the Shen Nong army through Chi Chen, he would have done so. See how he manipulated Gao Xin into supporting Xuan Yuan during their war against Shen Nong by enabling the Five Princes Revolt, even though Shao Hao was determined to stay neutral. A Heng would never be free of the politics, whether as a Xuan Yuan princess, or a Gao Xin Royal Consort. Qing Yang himself already warned her as much when he told her not to fall in love with Shao Hao even if she married him, because he clearly knew that one day, she would be caught in the crossfire when Xuan Yuan and Gao Xin goes to war too.
I just wonder if there was anything Shao Hao could have done earlier on to get her to choose him and forget Chi Chen. If Shao Hao had made the choice to be a real husband and wife after they initially got married, would that have changed the course of their relationship?
It is a possibility. I believe that had Shao Hao chosen to treat her as his wife rather than just a political ally, A Heng would have done her best to move on from Chi Chen. Since he did not, she kept her heart and body faithful to Chi Chen, while enjoying a good relationship with Shao Hao.
Of course, even if A Heng agreed to give their relationship an honest try, there's also the matter of Shao Hao later not sending reinforcements to help CX's parents in battle that ultimately caused her to divorce him. Did he at least have a very good reason to not help?
His hands were tied. As king, his priority was the welfare of his kingdom and people, and I understood his terrible dilemma. So he did the only thing he could - remained neutral as a nation, while forging A Heng's writing to ask Chi Chen for help.
Shao Hao lowered his head and thought for a long time. If he saved Xuan Yuan today, who would save Gao Xin when Xuan Yuan attacked Gao Xin in the future?
:
Shao Hao hurriedly grabbed A Heng’s hand, trying to stop the bleeding. A Heng pushed his hand away, knelt at his feet and pleaded sorrowfully, “Please, lend me an army.”
Shao Hao felt his heart ache, and his face turned pale. “Why do you have to do this? Stop the bleeding first.” He wanted nothing more than to help A Heng, but he was the ruler of a nation. Any promise he made today would have no immediate consequence for him, but in the future, hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of Gao Xin would pay for it with their lives.
Seeing that he was unwilling to agree, A Heng grew anxious and demanded sternly, “Who was it that said ‘From now on, I am Qing Yang’? My eldest brother would rather die himself than let anyone harm us.”
Qing Yang... Shao Hao’s body trembled, and his chest and lungs felt cold and hot, reminiscent of the pain and despair he felt when Qing Yang died. He wanted more than anyone to agree to A Heng’s request. He dared not even open his mouth, fearing that once he did, he would end up agreeing to her plea. His fists were clenched tightly, struggling to control his impulses. If he did not save Xuan Yuan today, he would no longer have the face to see Qing Yang in the crystal coffin again. He hated himself for his ingratitude. However, if he saved Xuan Yuan’s forces, he might not have let himself down but he would have let down Nuo Nai, who had risked his life and infiltrated the enemy camp; he would have let down An Rong and An Jin who followed him fervently; and he would have let down his own people, resulting in countless Gao Xin citizens being displaced and suffering a fate worse than death in the future.
-- Once Promised Vol 2 Ch10 (Chapter 13)
To me, her wearing red and him responding in kind is showing XL's love for XY (something that's not really debate due to TJC's on-point acting), not XY's love for XL (which is what is in debate). Although, I did love the part where she suddenly stood up expectantly when she thought she sensed him during her wait.
I don't see it this way. She had no reason whatsoever to wear red if she did not believe in the significance of wearing that colour during the 7-day wait. The fact that she wore red first was indicative of her love for him, her wanting to marry him, and she was clearly waiting for him, especially from her reaction when she saw the falling snow over the ocean. He could never answer her appeal, so what he did was wear red in response while watching her from far away, his silent answer to her if only he was free to take her hand.
Hrm, I watched the scene where she woke up from her nightmare and didn't see see her clutching her heart. She did clutch her heart after she learned of his death.
Her hand was over her heart when she woke up from the nightmare, an indication that her heart was bothering her.
The weeping during XL's death was appropriate and I felt that we could feel XY's grief for XY during that scene. And as you know, I absolutely hated the prolonged displays of irrationality, catatonia, and histrionics during Jing's disappearance. That said, when you compare the two diametrically opposing expressions of grief coming from the same person, I feel that Jing's disappearance had a more profound impact on Drama!XY than XL's death.
I agree about the overwrought theatrics that accompanied her reaction to Jing's disappearance. While such a pain to sit through, I think it showcases her finally pinning her hopes for a life she wanted on the man, only to have it taken away from her without warning. Xiang Liu never gave her any hope to begin with - if anything, he categorically crushed any hope she might have of being with him. So compare a man who promises her the world, getting her hopes up, only to take it away at the last minute, vs a man whom she loves deep down but refuses to give her any hope at all, so she never had anything to pin her hopes on. It would be understandable that the former would induce far greater reaction because all her hopes were crushed. With Xiang Liu, she always knew he would die, and yet when she finally learnt of his death, she could not control her profound grief even though she should have been prepared from the start.
still very much prefer XY's reactions in the book, where she is able to move on with her life as before after Jing's disappearance, but after XL's death, she couldn't go on hiding her feelings as before and she took to the sea and islands, places inextricably tied to XL.
Agreed. In the novel, Xiao Yao's reactions feels right.
His hands were tied. As king, his priority was the welfare of his kingdom and people, and I understood his terrible dilemma. So he did the only thing he could - remained neutral as a nation, while forging A Heng's writing to ask Chi Chen for help.
However, if he saved Xuan Yuan’s forces, he might not have let himself down but he would have let down Nuo Nai, who had risked his life and infiltrated the enemy camp; he would have let down An Rong and An Jin who followed him fervently; and he would have let down his own people, resulting in countless Gao Xin citizens being displaced and suffering a fate worse than death in the future.
The main reason is that Xuan Yuan was dominant at that time and they could defeat Shen nong soon. And Yellow emperor's ultimate target was to unify Dai Huang. Gaoxin was weaker than both Shen-nong and Xuan Yuan. Maintaining the 3 kingdoms was better for Gaoxin's future. At that time he also conducted some change in Gaoxin to improve its power and society to make the old styled country better and more more progressive. He already saw the drawback of the system and society in Gaoxin. When informing the matter to Chi Chen, he already knew he would lose A Heng forever. He also predicted that Chi Chen would help A Heng on his own for a few individuals (her brother) but would not change the outcome of that battle.
For clarity, I also think that it's clear that only lovers can produce Lovers Bugs, so none of this calls into question whether XL and XY loved each other when the bug was successfully planted in XL. And I personally believe that XY continued to have romantic feelings for XL until the end, even after he had thoroughly killed any hope she had of ever being with XL in a romantic relationship.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that one of the requirements is that love is required at time of planting in order for the planting to be successful. And if anything their love had grown immensely by the time XL killed the bugs in the novel.
When they planted the bugs, there were dots of light.
"Huh?" Xiaoliu felt something strange in his hand, opened his hand, and saw the hickory nuts glowing and gradually melting, turning into tiny dots of light, flying around Xiaoliu and Xiangliu like fireflies. Slowly, half of it fell into Xiaoliu's palm, and the other half fell into Xiangliu's palm and disappeared, as if it had entered their bodies.
-- Vol 1 Ch 7 (Chapter 7)
When XL killed the bugs, there were countless lights.
As he chanted, one, two, three... countless blue fluorescent lights appeared, as if countless fireflies were flying around the two of them. Under the night sky and above the Jade Pool, the sky was full of fireflies, which were reflected in the water.
-- Vol 3 Ch 15 (Chapter 48)
If XL was able to control the bugs so that they would not turn into Heartbreak Bugs and would not kill him and XY, then he could be extremely cold and harsh towards XY (as he was in chapter 32 and chapter 46) without having to worry that his coldness and harshness might result in the bugs killing them both.
Xiang Liu could control the bugs - both hers and his, which was why she could never sense his feelings and pain unless he allows it, or drops his guard. (TJC Studio's "Chapter 2 - The Story of a Walnut" actually has a very interesting explanation about the lovers bug and how Xiang Liu was able to control both bugs.)
As such, my theory is that even if Xiao Yao had fallen out of love with Xiang Liu and ended up hating him after the confrontation at Gourd Lake, he would have been able to suppress the lovers bugs so that they did not retaliate until such time when he destroyed them.
Good points. I agree with both of you that there is ample evidence in the novel, the drama, and in the TJC MaoQiu extra that XL could control both bugs. As such, I also agree that XL would have been able to temporarily suppress the lovers bugs until he could kill them, had they started to turn into heartbreak bugs.
Tbh, I don't think hatred, a lack of love, or love for another person causes the bugs to retaliate / backfire / turn into Heartbreak Bugs. I think heartbreak is the trigger. Sometimes heartbreak can have overlap with those other things, but not always.
My theory is that if one party is heartbroken over the other person and wants to stop loving that person, the lovers bug will retaliate, irrespective of whether the other person had or had not fallen out of love. I also think that if one party had fallen out of love for the other person, the lovers bug will definitely retaliate.
My own theory tends to align more closely with liddi's theory here. I think hatred, lack of love, and romantic love for another person will all cause the bugs to retaliate. Specifically regarding romantic love for another person, since the bugs are primarily raised by very determined girls for their lovers, I highly doubt most girls would condone their lover falling in love romantically with another person, even if their lover still loved them as much as before.
As for Shao Hao, I don't see any similarity between him and Feng Long or Jing. He is a far better written character, morally grey yet fascinating and compelling. His brotherhood with Qing Yang is one of the greatest highlights of the novel. Feng Long's with Cang Xuan, or Jing's with Lirong Chang has nothing over Shao Hao and Qing Yang. Perhaps there might be some similarity with Cang Xuan, but ultimately Shao Hao will never allow romantic love to distract him from what is right for his nation. He may be a poor friend, son and husband, but he was an exemplary father and king.
I agree with this ^^^^ LYF really made me a fan of Shao Hao. He seems much more ambitious and capable than Jing, and better developed than CX. Although he was morally grey, his scheming and actions didn't leave the same bad aftertaste in my mouth as King Xuan Yuan's or Jing's because I didn't get the impression he did what he did for selfish reasons, and tried to avoid hurting the people he cared about.
A Heng would never be free of the politics, whether as a Xuan Yuan princess, or a Gao Xin Royal Consort.
That's sad. Poor A Heng. It seems like she was doomed to lead a tragic life no matter which path she had chosen.
I'm not a fan of Chi Chen as well. If anything, I like Shao Hao more, even though he ultimately let her and everyone else he cared about down. He did offer her and Xiao Yao stability during the early years. The fact that he would acknowledge Xiao Yao as his own, speaks volumes to his love for A Heng.
I agree. Official match be damned, I'm team Shao Hao! Correct me if I'm wrong, but Shao Hao seems thoughtful and selfless, traits I also admire about XL. Perhaps the degree of his thoughtfulness and selflessness are not to the same degree as XL, but still... In terms of temperament, I find XL to be a closer match to Shao Hao than Chi Chen.
His hands were tied. As king, his priority was the welfare of his kingdom and people, and I understood his terrible dilemma. So he did the only thing he could - remained neutral as a nation, while forging A Heng's writing to ask Chi Chen for help.
As I expected. Thanks for the details.
I don't see it this way. She had no reason whatsoever to wear red if she did not believe in the significance of wearing that colour during the 7-day wait. The fact that she wore red first was indicative of her love for him, her wanting to marry him, and she was clearly waiting for him, especially from her reaction when she saw the falling snow over the ocean.
Good point. Red symbolizes love and marriage, so XY wearing red during her wait symbolizes her love for XL and her desire to marry him. Agree that her reaction to the falling snow clearly showcased her yearning for XL to come get her.
Why couldn’t he have just afforded her an honest discussion that she so desperately needed? (I know, this is difficult to do given their character traits.) Maybe something along the lines of: “Hey, I know we are not suitable for each other. Our loyalties will very likely lead me to abandoning you–your worst fear. I just want you to be happy. But the unavoidable truth is that we have already fallen deeply for each other. So how should we proceed?” It’s not like they didn’t have the opportunity. Rather, they had multiple (ie. their time in the clamshell in chapter 26). This kind of keeping her in the dark no doubt added to her emotional turmoil/conflict.Rain_83223:
I agree with this ^^^. Both XL and XY need to sign up for @HeadInTheClouds's Communication 101 class.
That said, it wouldn't be a Tong Hua novel without tragic miscommunication. If all the characters handled their problems like rational adults, LYF would never gained the acclaim it has.
Was he so afraid that even opening up to her like this in the context of a plain conversation would cause them to uncontrollably fall even deeper? Why was he still so compelled to abide by his unilateral decision to cruelly distance himself despite seeing her like that? Was he fundamentally insecure too? Maybe I am being too naive and simplistic, maybe not. As selfless as XL was, I can’t help but feel that this part of him–the part that made the decision of what he thought was best for her while excluding her agency– was ultimately selfish.
I definitely agree with you and don't like XL's unilateral decision. Regardless of what he thought the outcome would be, I believe he would have caused XY less emotional damage if he laid everything on the table and then told her they still had to walk separate paths (e.g. didn't allow her to choose to be with him) because he wanted to set her up to be able to live well after he died.
I think most others on this forum would disagree with this opinion because they believe XY is too emotionally damaged to live on, and would choose to follow XL in death, had he confessed. There certainly are more than enough examples of her seemingly unstable and irrational behavior after Jing's disappearance and after finding out CX was responsible for Jing's disappearance.
That said, I don't think she intended to kill herself after Jing disappeared--she just wanted to do everything she possibly could to try to save him--even risking death by walking into what she most likely knew was an obvious trap. There's also the possibility that she walked into the trap partly in hopes that XL would come to save her and she could convince him to take her away.
As for her poisoning herself after finding out about CX's betrayal, I'm 100% convinced she did this in hopes of XL coming to save her and freeing her from the prison that CX had built for her. I believe she was very careful to make sure that whatever she did wouldn't hurt XL or cost him his life.
In both cases (albatross demon & phoenix forest poisoning), I don't think XY's primary objective was to commit suicide.
I wrote a post a while back mentioning both these incidents in relation to XY trying to open the window to try to be with XL: https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=3062193&page=607#p3062193
What bothers me is how so many jing's fans keep spreading misinformations on the mdl's main page, making it harder for people who know nothing about lyf to pick up the drama.blabla100:
Sorry to hear that. I now have first hand experience with dealing with unreasonable Jing fans since I've been posting comments on Tencent's YouTube channel as episodes from the latest season get released. Sometimes, my comments are met with a barrage of Jing fans saying things like: "So, you're just going to overlook the fact that when XL probed her mind, she picked Jing" When I take the time to explain the correct way to interpret XL's four questions to XY and how they prove XL is the one XY loves, they respond with: "You like to deal in interpretations and opinions; I like to deal in facts," while ironically, not backing up their statement with any "facts."
Of course, I can't say that I don't deserve the consternation of Jingers' since I often like to post instigating comments about Jing ;)
Yes. When Chi Chen confronted A Heng over her alleged deceit regarding the jade egg, deliberately humiliated her with offensive words ("When you were pretending to moan under me, were you thinking about whether your maid had successfully stolen the He Tu and Luo Shu?”), and in spite of her pleas, forced her to watch as her brothers were being burnt to death by Yan Zhuan and Hong Jiang. Although Chi Chen began to regret it when he saw A Heng's reaction as she stared at her brothers dying before her eyes, it was Shao Hao who had been healing underwater in the pool, who managed to burst out a huge water dragon to counter the flames and free A Heng from being trapped in Chi Chen's vines. Not enough with watching her suffer, he then went on to make that terrible offer and crush her even further. Then his refusal to intervene when A Heng begged him to stop Yan Zhuan from going after Qing Yang would result in her death when she tried to stop Yan Zhuan alone, and later still chose to block the attack meant for him. Too late he would bitterly regret his actions of that day, when he watched A Heng die and plunge into Yu Abyss.
On the other hand, while it was deplorable to see Qing Yang and Shao Hao accept the offer, in the end, one had to consider the fact that their topmost consideration was their kingdom and their people. This, in comparison with Chi Chen who gave away the jade egg which Shen Nong wanted and treated Ah Heng in that manner because of her personal offence towards him, really convinced me that he, for all his passionate love for her, did not deserve her at all.
O _ O Yikes...
I can't tell you how much I wish she had accepted Shao Hao after that. Shao Hao himself told her that he did not care that she was Chi Chen's lover. What he wanted was for them to be a true husband and wife. However, in the end, even he too, had to let her down. Nonetheless, every single time he did it, it was never out of jealousy for Chi Chen or to try and break them up, but consideration for Gao Xin and the people he had sworn to protect. If anything, his love for Xiao Yao won my approval. And when he had to refuse A Heng's pleas for an army to save Zhong Yi, he forged her writing and sent a letter asking for help to Chi Chen, even though he knew that in doing so, it would mean that he was paving a way for A Heng and Chi Chen to reunite once more.
That makes sense.
-- Once Promised Vol 1 Ch9
Thank you for the translation liddi. I've read a less precise and detailed translation of this scene and related scenes that preceed it. But this is a good reminder. I'd forgotten how cold Qing Yang seemed here.
Well... not quite.
While Chi Chen and A Heng were clearly on opposing sides, Chi Chen never made any secret of his love for A Heng from the very beginning. And he asked her to go away with him various times. The one who could not leave was A Heng, because she wanted to protect her mother and Fourth Brother, and she forcibly cut ties, claiming she no longer loved him, and kept him in the dark about his child.
I don't really disagree with anything you said, but some of this still sort of seems similar to XL and XY for me.
Obvioulsy the whole powerful-entity-who-isn't-from-a-noble-deity-family-and-who-fights-with-the-Shengnong-army and Princess-related-to-the-Emperor-of-Xuan-Yuan-who-would-rather-be-an-ordinary-doctor who fall in love while the Shengnong army (or remnants of it) are at war with Xuan Yuan dynamic. But other parts too.
Chi You made Ah Heng aware of his feelings pretty early on, but for a while Ah Heng wasn't sure whether she should take his advances seriously, until the Flame Emperor assured her that Chi You's feelings were genuine and serious.
For a long time XY was very unsure of XL's feelings. In the healing pool, XL seemed like he was going to take things further even though XY was in a man's body. XY thought that XL's flirtatiousness when he was FFB was not serious. There were so many confusing hot and cold moments between them after that. But then, surely, when the Shaman King explained the Lovers Bugs to XY, XY must have realized what that meant about XL's feelings for her on some level, even if she tried to deny it in front of TSJ and even to herself? Of course XL then went on to do what he could to make XY question that revelation, which was different from how Chi You acted, so the dynamics aren't the same. But the partial similarities still stand I think.
Idk what XL would have done if XY had agreed to run away with FFB when he half-seriously made his offer, but (as you said) I don't think he would have abandoned the Shengnong remnant army. Just as I presume Chi You would not have abandoned the Shengnong army if Ah Heng had agreed to run away with him before the war was over. The idea that they would run away together "after the war was over" with both of them unscathed and able to cut ties with their prior loyalties sort of seems like a fantasy. Maybe it's easy to say that with the benefit of already knowing how their stories ended. Idk. I can see both differences and similarities between the two couples on this point.
XL didn't ask XY to run away with him again, and that made him different from Chi You. But if he had, for much of her story XY couldn't leave or betray CX in order to be with XL. Somewhat similar to how Ah Heng couldn't leave or betray her brothers, her mother and her people to be with Chi You before the war ended.
XY didn't exactly forcibly cut ties with XL (as he later did with her) before getting married and she didn't have a child with XL so she didn't keep him in the dark about her child's parentage. But she did make the 15 year promise with TSJ, she did give XL the "suitable to enter a girl's dream" line, and she did agreed to marry TSJ... twice. Not exactly the same, but maybe in the same ballpark?
She also agreed to marry Feng Long and told XL that she would stop making poisons for him after she got married... but that seemed more like she was giving XL an ultimatum and threatening to cut ties with him if he didn't do... something, rather than actually cuttinig ties with him. So that part doesn't feel similar to Chi You and Ah Heng's dynamic.
And yet... Ah Heng did wait for Chi You under the peach blossom tree and she was disappointed when he didn't arrive. Didn't she think that was the end of their relationship? Obviously the circumstances were different. XL chose not to answer the ice crystal ball message until he interrupted the wedding itself. Chi You was prevented from meeting Ah Heng under the cherry blossom tree, so it wasn't his choice... But I can't help feeling like it's still an interesting partial parallel.
During the war between Zhong Yi and Yan Zhuan, Chi Chen came and helped the Xuan Yuan army against Yan Zhuan because A Heng asked for his help (actually it was Shao Hao who forged that appeal for help). However, he painfully sealed the spiritual powers in half of his body, because that was all he could give to help A Heng and the Xuan Yuan army against Yan Zhuan and the Shen Nong army, and that was his way of honouring his loyalty to Yu Xiang, and his promise to live and die with the woman he loved.
Yeah I can't really picture XL ever helping the Xuan Yuan army fight the Shengnong remanant army in any context, even if XY asked him to.
But it seems possible that he chose not to take advantage of many opportunities that he had to kill CX, for XY's sake. Which is pretty significant.
While Chi Chen and A Heng were always held up as a cautionary tale for why Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu should not be together, I think aside from their opposing stances, they are two very different couples, and two very different situations.
It seems like the biggest difference came down to XL's choices though, in keeping his feelings secret and not making promises to XY / not pursuing a relationship with XY. And it seems like XL's choices might have been the main reason that XY was able to avoid an ending that would have been similar to her mother's tragic fate.
As for Shao Hao, I don't see any similarity between him and Feng Long or Jing.
I agree that I don't see similarities between these characters themselves.
But I do sort of see some minor similarties between Ah Heng's decision to marry Shao Hao and XY's decision to marry Feng Long (and maybe, to an even lesser extent, her decision to marry TSJ).
They're definitely not exactly the same... Ah Heng's hand was forced, while XY's was not.
But Ah Heng chose to get married to Shao Hao despite her feelings for Chi You, and Shao Hao initially agreed that the marriage would be an alliance of mutual benefit and not a love match.
XY chose to get married to Feng Long depsite her feelings for XL and TSJ, and she and Feng Long had an understanding that this was a marriage alliance that they would be entering into for mutual benefits and that it wasn't founded on love.
Shao Hao and Ah Heng further agreed that their marriage would only be temprorary, which is different from what XY and Feng Long agreed to. But that makes sense given that XY planned to have children with Feng Long, didn't want to be alone (although she was aware that Feng Long probably was not going to be the exact type of life-long companion she really wanted), and she had no reason to think that she might be able to get together with XL or TSJ in the future if she did divorce Feng Long.
Later on, XY chooses to marry TSJ (an acceptable match for her as far as her father, her grandfather, and Sir Bi were concerned and eventually a match that even CX came to accept) despite her feelings for XL. We never find out that the wedding has been consumated in the novel...
Thin, partial parallels. But still parallels I think?
My theory is that if one party is heartbroken over the other person and wants to stop loving that person, the lovers bug will retaliate, irrespective of whether the other person had or had not fallen out of love. I also think that if one party had fallen out of love for the other person, the lovers bug will definitely retaliate.
Is there something in particular in the novel or the drama that makes you feel that heartbreak alone wouldn't cause retaliation? That wanting to stop loving the other person or falling out of love with the other person would instead be the trigger?
I can't think of anything in the novel that indicates that. The Shaman King said that heartbroken people produce Heartbreak Bugs. He didn't say anything about a heartbroken host needing to also want to stop loving the other host, or actually stopping loving the other host, before retaliation would occur.
In the drama, it was in danger of retaliation when he was heartbroken seeing her and Jing outside Dragon Bone prison, but he successfully suppressed it using his spiritual powers. The retaliation did not happen because she stopped loving him - if she did, it would have retaliated way before, when she told him he was not suitable to enter her dreams. I believe the retaliation happened because at that moment, he wanted to stop loving her.
If XL had to have wanted to stop loving XY in order for the bug to try to retliate in S1 Ep19, does that mean that he also wanted to stop loving XY when the bug tried to retlaiate in S2 Ep7?
In S2 Ep1, XL/FFB says that he would not have changed his path because, if he did, then he would not have met an important someone (WXL / XY). I find it hard to believe that XL (in the drama or in the novel) would have wanted to stop loving XY even in the circumstances set out in S1 Ep19 and S2 Ep7.
Based on everything that the Shaman King and Lirong Ji said, I also don't think it makes sense that the bugs would not try to retaliate if a host was heartbroken unless that host also felt that they wanted to stop loving the other host or actually stopped loving the other host.
IMO, the bug could have been trying to retaliate in S1 Ep19 and S2 Ep7 simply because XL felt heartbroken, without him also having to have wished that he could stop loving XY.
By the same token, he did not have to suppress the bugs when their relationship was severed at Gourd lake, because their love for each other still remained unchanging, regardless of how devastated they were at the time, so there was no retaliation to speak of. However, in that moment, Xiang Liu's suffering would have been twofold - his own grief, compounded with hers, one which she could not feel because he blocked it from her.
In S1 Ep18, the drama doesn't show the bug glowing, doesn't show XL having a pained expression, and doesn't show XL suppressing the bug when XL finds out that WXL's true identity is XY and he thinks that she lied to him about being an abandoned person with no means of protecting herself, no one to rely on and nowhere to go. If there was ever a point where XL would have wanted to stop loving WXL/XY, wouldn't this have been it?
In S1 Ep19, the drama doesn't show the bug glowing, doesn't show XL having a pained expression, and doesn't show XL suppressing the bug when XY gives her "not suitable to enter a girl's dream" response.
In S1 E19, the drama does show the bug glowing, XL having a pained expression, and XL suppressing the bug when XL observes XY and TSJ together on the beach after XL left XY to get back to shore on her own. Basically pushing XY to be with TSJ instead of him for the first time.
In S2 Ep7, the drama doesn't show the bug glowing, doesn't show XL having a pained expression, and doesn't show XL suppressing the bug at any point when XL is cold and harsh towards XY in that episode, including when he uses the bug connection to cause XY to feel immense pain (presumably the pain of the bugs trying to retaliate). XY's bug glows at that point and she is clearly in immense pain, but XL's bug does not glow and he does not appear to be in immense pain... until he turns his back on XY. Then, and only then, does the drama show us that his bug is also glowing and he is clearly also in pain. We don't see him suppress the bugs, even though he must have done so to prevent them from turning into Heartbreak Bugs.
As you noted, in S2 Ep21, the drama doesn't show the bug glowing, doesn't show XL having a pained expression, and doesn't show XL suppressing the bug when XL pushes XY to cut ties with him.
Based on these examples, I don't think we can count on the drama to always show us when the bugs are trying to retaliate, when they are causing XL pain, and when he needs to suppress them. Honestly I don't trust the drama to be logical and consistent about these kind of details, so this doesn't surprise me.
(TJC Studio's "Chapter 2 - The Story of a Walnut" actually has a very interesting explanation about the lovers bug and how Xiang Liu was able to control both bugs.)
This was cute! And it does suggest that, at least unofficially, XL was able to control... something in him and something in XY.
But the way they laid it out as if there were two walnuts (instead of two halves of one walnut) and as if the walnuts were somehow the same as the bugs and yet existed outside of the hosts such that one of the walnuts could... have a casual chat with Chubby out in the wilderness instead of being inside the hosts (after being absorbed into them) and... not being sentient / capable of having a chat. It seems unnecessarily confusing. Couldn't they have just had Chubby chat with the bug in XL while XL was sleeping?
solarlunareclipse:
Hrm, I watched the scene where she woke up from her nightmare and didn't see see her clutching her heart. She did clutch her heart after she learned of his death.
Her hand was over her heart when she woke up from the nightmare, an indication that her heart was bothering her.
After XY wakes up from the nightmare, she goes to sit outside. A short time later, TSJ comes out and covers her with an outer robe and XY explians what happened to him.
----
TSJ: Why are you still up?
XY: I just had a nightmare. Suddenly my heart palpitated and I couldn't fall back asleep.
TSJ: Didn't the Royal Mother say that the Gu was removed?
XY: It's not the Gu.
TSJ: It's the war?
XY nods. TSJ takes XY's hand to comfort her.
My own theory tends to align more closely with liddi's theory here. I think hatred, lack of love, and romantic love for another person will all cause the bugs to retaliate. Specifically regarding romantic love for another person, since the bugs are primarily raised by very determined girls for their lovers, I highly doubt most girls would condone their lover falling in love romantically with another person, even if their lover still loved them as much as before.
You are not alone in thinking this way. Other fans in this thread definitely have similar interpretations. But as I've said before in this thread, this line of thinking doesn't make sense to me.
The thought process seems to be:
- The Shaman King said only very determined women would raise Lovers Bugs.
- Women would be upset if their lovers had romantic feelings of any kind for another person, even if they didn't act on those feelings and those feelings didn't result in their lover loving them less.
- Therefore, the Lovers Bugs must kill their hosts if one host develops any kind of romantic feelings for another person, even if that host doesn't act on those feelings and those feelings don't cause the host to love the other host any less.
Which just... doesn't seem to be supported by the text.
I see the Shaman King's comments about how very few people choose to raise Lovers Bugs (and that only very determined women would try to raise them) as indicating that this is due to the fact that it is not only very difficult to raise them, it is also very difficult to plant them, and it is very risky to plant them.
Even if the person who tries to raise the bugs goes through all the effort of raising the bugs and manages to do it successfully, it's nearly impossible for that person to find a lover who would willingly accept one of the bugs. Especially if the bugs are raised by a woman who needs to find a man to willingly accept the bug. In Dahuang a man could easily have many lovers or even many wives without compromising his reputation. While a woman could only have one lover (her husband), or else her reputation would be ruined. So it would be extremely hard for a woman to find a man who would willingly commit to tie his heart and life together with hers for the rest of his life, and to risk dying if she died or even if she only experienced heartbreak.
If a person raises the bugs knowing what they are, then before planting the bugs that person (and the person who willingly accepts one of those bugs) has to be willing to tie their heart and their life to one person for the rest of their life. They have to be willing to risk dying with that one person if that one person dies, to risk dying with that one person if that one person were to cause them heartbreak, to risk dying with that one person if they were to cause that one person heartbreak, and to risk dying with that one person if the bug were to act unpredictably and backfire for some other reason.
And it's irreversible. Once the bugs are successfully planted, they cannot be removed. The threat to both hosts' lives will remain forever, along with the chance to use the potential benefits (including using the bug connection to save the other host's life, if needed).
The potential reward is high, but the risks are also very high. And the chances of success are very slim.
So only a very determined person would choose to try to raise the bugs, especially if the person raising the bugs is a woman because her odds of successfully planting her bug are even lower than a man's odds of successfully planting his bug.
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Chapter 26:
| Kanunu8 | Chat GPT | Koala | |
| 蛇莓儿打量了一圈，看四下无人，说道：“之前王姬提过体内的蛊，我思索到如今也没想清楚到底是什么蛊，但我想起九黎传说中的一种蛊。” 小夭精神一振，仔细聆听：“什么蛊？” 蛇莓儿说：“一般的蛊都是子母蛊，母蛊可控制子蛊，养蛊、种蛊都容易，但传说中有一种极其难养的蛊，蛊分雌雄，养蛊很难，比养蛊更难的是种蛊。若是女子养的蛊，必须找个男子才能种蛊，若是男子养的蛊，必须找个女子才能种蛊，常常养了一辈子都种不了蛊，所以这种蛊只在九黎的传说中。” “究竟是什么蛊？” “究竟是什么蛊我也不知道，只知道它的名字，叫情人蛊，据说‘情人蛊，心连心’，和王姬说的情形很相似。” 小夭怔怔发了会儿呆，问道：“女子养的蛊，必须找个男子才能种蛊，这世上不是女人就是男人，听上去不难种蛊啊！怎么可能养一辈子都种不了蛊？” 蛇莓儿摇头，愧疚地说：“我所学太少，当年听完就听完了，只当是传说，也没寻根究底。但我们的巫王一定知道，王姬若有空时，就来九黎吧！虽然外面人说我们很可怕，可乡亲们真的都是好人！” | She Meier looked around and saw that there was no one around. She said, "Wang Ji mentioned the Gu in her body before. I still haven't figured out what it is, but I remembered a Gu in the Jiuli legend." Xiao Yao was refreshed and listened carefully: "What Gu?" She Meier said, "Generally, Gu is a mother-child Gu. The mother Gu can control the child Gu. It is easy to raise and grow Gu. But there is a Gu that is extremely difficult to raise in legends. Gu is divided into male and female. It is difficult to raise Gu, and it is even more difficult to grow Gu. If a woman raises a Gu, she must find a man to grow it. If a man raises a Gu, he must find a woman to grow it. Often, they can't grow Gu even after raising it for a lifetime, so this kind of Gu only exists in the Jiuli legend." " What kind of Gu is it?" "I don't know what it is, I only know its name, it's called Lover's Gu, it's said that 'Lover's Gu, heart to heart', and it's very similar to what Wang Ji said." Xiao Yao was stunned for a while, and asked: "Women raise Gu, they must find a man to grow Gu, there are either women or men in this world, it sounds easy to grow Gu! How is it possible to raise a Gu for a lifetime and never grow it?" She Mei'er shook her head and said guiltily: "I have learned too little, I just heard it back then, just thought it was a legend, and didn't find out the truth. But our witch king must know, if Wang Ji is free, come to Jiuli! Although outsiders say we are terrible, the villagers are really good people!" | Shemei glanced around, seeing no one else, and said, "The princess mentioned the Gu inside her body before. I've been pondering it ever since but haven't figured out exactly what kind of Gu it is. However, I recalled a type of Gu from the legends of the Jiuli tribe." Xiaoyao perked up and listened carefully. "What kind of Gu?" Shemei said, "Most Gu are parent-child Gu, where the parent Gu can control the child Gu. It’s easy to nurture and plant these Gu. But there is a legend of an extremely difficult Gu to nurture. This Gu is divided into male and female types. Raising the Gu is hard, but planting it is even harder. If a woman raises the Gu, she must find a man to plant it. If a man raises the Gu, he must find a woman to plant it. Often, people spend their whole lives raising the Gu without ever planting it, so this Gu only exists in Jiuli legends." "What kind of Gu is it?" "I don’t know exactly what kind of Gu it is, only its name. It’s called the Lover's Gu. It's said that 'Lover's Gu connects hearts,' which is very similar to what the princess described." Xiaoyao was stunned for a moment and then asked, "A woman raising the Gu must find a man to plant it. There are only men and women in this world; it doesn’t sound that hard to plant the Gu! How could someone raise it their whole life without planting it?" Shemei shook her head, apologetically saying, "I haven’t learned enough. I just heard about it back then and thought it was just a legend, so I didn’t investigate further. But our Witch King would definitely know. If the princess has time, she should come to Jiuli! Though outsiders say we’re scary, the villagers are really good people!" | Se Mai Er looked around to make sure they were alone and then said, “The voodoo bug the Princess mentioned before, I thought and thought and still have no idea what it is. But I did remember a legend that circulated in Jiu Li about a very rare voodoo bug.” Xiao Yao perked up and listened carefully. “What kind of bug?” Se Mai Er explained, “Most voodoo bugs are parent-child bugs. The parent bug can control the child bug, and this kind of bug is easy to raise and easy to plant. But legend has it there is a rare, extremely difficult-to-raise-and-plant bug. That bug has a gender difference and is split into a male bug and a female bug. It is hard to raise and even harder to plant. If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it. If a man raised the bug, he needs to find a woman to plant it. Almost always this bug is raised but cannot be planted even in a lifetime. So this bug remains just a legend in Jiu Li.” “What kind of bug is it?” “I don’t know what kind of bug it is but I do know its name. It’s called a Lover’s Bug and legend says “Lover’s Bug, Heart to Heart.” It sounds a lot like what Princess described.” Xiao Yao was stunned and in a daze. She then asked, “If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it in. But this world had plenty of men and women, how hard would it be to plant the bug! How could this bug be so hard to plant, a lifetime could pass and it still wouldn’t be planted?” Se Mai Er shook her head and said apologetically, “I learned too little back then and listened to this but didn’t ask more questions thinking it just a legend. But our Voodoo King will know. If Princess has time, please visit Jiu Li! Even though the outside considers us scary evil people, our people are actually quite wonderful!” |
| 小夭目送着蛇莓儿的身影消失在苍茫的天地间，转头看向了东边，那里有清水镇，还有辽阔的大海，小夭喃喃说：“情人蛊？” | Xiao Yao watched She Mei'er's figure disappear in the vast sky and earth, turned his head and looked to the east, where there was Qingshui Town and the vast sea, Xiao Yao murmured: "Lover's Gu?" | Xiaoyao watched as Shemei's figure disappeared into the vast expanse of sky and earth. Then she turned her gaze to the east, where there was Qingshui Town and the vast ocean. Xiaoyao murmured to herself, "Lover's Gu?" | Xiao Yao watched until Se Mai Er’s figure was gone from sight and she turned to look East where Qing Shui Town was, and beyond that, where the vast ocean lay. Xiao Yao murmured “Lover’s Bug?” |
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Chapter 37:
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| 巫王咳嗽了一声，郑重地说：“情人蛊，顾名思义有一对雌雄蛊虫，中蛊的男女命脉相连、心意相通，一人痛，另一人也会痛，一人伤，另一人也会伤。” 小夭说：“这些我都知道，还有呢？” | The witch king coughed and said solemnly: "Lover Gu, as the name suggests, has a pair of male and female Gu worms. The lifeblood of the man and woman infected with the Gu is connected, and their minds are connected. If one person hurts, the other will also feel pain, and if one person is injured, the other will also be injured." Xiao Yao said: "I know all these, what else?" | The Witch King coughed and solemnly said, "The Lover's Gu, as the name implies, consists of a pair of male and female Gu worms. The lifelines of the man and woman who have been affected by the Gu are connected, and they can understand each other's thoughts. If one feels pain, the other feels it too. If one is injured, the other will also be injured." Xiao Yao said, "I know all that. What else?" | The Voodoo King coughed once and solemnly explained, “Lover’s Bug, like its name indicates, is a pair of male-female voodoo bugs. The couple who has the bug successfully planted will have their life and emotions connected. If one hurts then the other will hurt. If one is injured then the other will also be injured.” Xiao Yao said, “This I know already. What else?” |
| “蛊术在外人眼中，神秘歹毒，其实不过是我们九黎族一代代积累下的医术和防身术。九黎多毒虫、毒草、瘴气，为了活下去，祖祖辈辈都在努力了解它们、驾驭它们。蛊术以狠毒闻名大荒，可实际上，我们更多地用蛊救人。情人蛊让两人命脉相连，也就是说，纵然一个重伤，只要另一人生机旺盛，就可以让重伤的人活下来，这本是极好的事，即使难养，也应该有很多人想养，但为什么一直罕有人养呢？” 小夭问：“为什么？” “孤阳不生，独阴不长，万物有利一面，则必有害一面，利越大，害就越大，情人蛊亦是如此。它能让有情人心意相通、命脉相连，可情人蛊就像相恋的恋人，脾气多变，非常难驾驭，蛊虫极易反噬，一旦发作，两人俱亡，所以情人蛊还有个名字，叫断肠蛊。” 璟震惊地看向小夭，小夭忙道：“哪里有他说的那么可怕？这都七八十年了，我不一直好好的？” 巫王悚然变色：“难道你的蛊不是种给这位公子？” “不是。” 巫王面色怪异，问小夭：“能让我探看一下你的蛊虫吗？” | "Gu art is mysterious and poisonous in the eyes of outsiders, but it is actually just the medical skills and self-defense skills accumulated by our Jiuli people from generation to generation. Jiuli has many poisonous insects, poisonous grasses, and miasma. In order to survive, our ancestors have been trying to understand and control them. Gu art is famous for its viciousness in the wilderness, but in fact, we use Gu more to save people. Lover Gu connects the lifeblood of two people, that is, even if one is seriously injured, as long as the other is vigorous, the seriously injured person can survive. This is a very good thing. Even if it is difficult to raise, there should be many people who want to raise it, but why is it that few people have raised it? " Xiao Yao asked: "Why?" "No yang can grow alone, and no yin can grow alone. Everything has a good side, and there must be a bad side. The greater the benefit, the greater the harm. The same is true for the lover's Gu. It can make lovers communicate with each other and connect their lives, but the lover's Gu is like a lover in love. It has a changeable temper and is very difficult to control. The Gu worm is very easy to backfire. Once it breaks out, both of them will die. Therefore, the lover's Gu has another name, called the heartbreak Gu. " Jing looked at Xiao Yao in shock. Xiao Yao hurriedly said: "How can it be as terrible as he said? It's been seventy or eighty years. Haven't I been fine all the time?" | "To outsiders, Gu techniques seem mysterious and sinister, but in reality, they are simply medical and self-defense techniques accumulated by our Jiuli tribe over generations. The Jiuli region is full of poisonous insects, poisonous plants, and miasma. To survive, our ancestors made efforts to understand and control them. Gu techniques are notorious for their cruelty in the Great Wilderness, but we often use them to save lives. The Lover's Gu connects two people's lifelines, which means that even if one is severely injured, as long as the other has strong vitality, the severely injured person can survive. This is actually a very good thing. Even though it is difficult to nurture, many people should want to nurture it. But why is it so rare?" Xiao Yao asked, "Why?" "Solitary yang cannot grow, and solitary yin cannot survive. Everything has both benefits and drawbacks. The greater the benefit, the greater the drawback. The Lover's Gu is no exception. It allows lovers to connect their hearts and lifelines, but like lovers in a relationship, it has a volatile temper and is extremely difficult to control. The Gu worms are prone to backfire, and once it happens, both people will perish. Therefore, the Lover's Gu has another name: the Heartbreak Gu." Jing looked at Xiao Yao in shock. Xiao Yao hurriedly said, "It's not as scary as he says! It's been seventy or eighty years, and I've been just fine." | “To outsiders voodoo is considered mysterious and bad, but really it's a craft and magic that the Jiu Li tribe has passed down through generations to protect and heal us. Jiu Li has lots of deadly insects, deadly plants, deadly gasses, to live here our ancestors had to learn to understand it and control it. Voodoo is seen as a harmful power but we actually mostly use it here to save lives. The Lover’s Bug keeps two people’s lives connected, which means when one is injured as long as the other is healthy then the injured person will survive. This is a very good thing. Even if the Lover’s Bug is notoriously hard to grow, it ought to still be relatively prevalent since many people will try to grow it. So why it is so rare to see?” Xiao Yao asked, “Why?” “All living things that have a benefit must also carry a harm. The greater the benefit then the greater the potential for harm. The Lover’s Bug is exactly that. It can lead two people to be connected in life and emotions but it is just like a pair of lovers in love with each other. It is tempermental and hard to control. If the Lover’s Bugs turn on each other then both people will die. Which is why the Lover’s Bug also has another name: the Heartbreak Bug.” Jing stared in dismay at Xiao Yao who quickly said, “It can’t be as scary as he makes it out to be. It’s been over seventy years and I’m still just fine.” |
| 巫王悚然变色：“难道你的蛊不是种给这位公子？” “不是。” 巫王面色怪异，问小夭：“能让我探看一下你的蛊虫吗？” 小夭点了点头。 也不见巫王有何动作，想来是用自己体内的蛊虫在探看。巫王眉头紧皱，喃喃说：“的确是情人蛊！怎么可能呢？‘有情人养情人蛊，断肠人成断肠蛊’，情人蛊和其他蛊都不同，必须要一对情人心甘情愿，才能种蛊，他若不是你的情郎，你怎么可能给他种下情人蛊？” | The witch king changed color in horror: "Isn't your Gu planted for this young man?" "No." The witch king looked strange and asked Xiao Yao: "Can I take a look at your Gu worm?" Xiao Yao nodded. The witch king didn't see any action, so he thought he was using the Gu worm in his body to check. The witch king frowned and murmured, "It is indeed a lover's Gu! How is it possible? 'Lovers raise lover's Gu, and heartbroken people become heartbroken Gu'. Lover's Gu is different from other Gu. It must be planted by a pair of lovers willingly. If he is not your lover, how could you plant lover's Gu on him?" | The Witch King's expression changed dramatically. "Your Gu wasn't planted in this young man?" "No." The Witch King looked at Xiao Yao with a strange expression and asked, "May I take a look at your Gu worm?" Xiao Yao nodded. Without any visible movement from the Witch King, it seemed he was using his own Gu worm to investigate. His brows furrowed tightly as he murmured, "It really is the Lover's Gu! How is that possible? 'Lovers nurture the Lover's Gu, the heartbroken become the Heartbreak Gu.' The Lover's Gu is different from other Gu worms. It must be willingly planted by a pair of lovers. If he is not your lover, how could you have planted the Lover's Gu in him?" | The Voodoo King’s expression changed as he stared at Jing, “You’re not the man the other bug is planted in?” “No.” The Voodoo King stared in shock at Xiao Yao. “Can I feel the bug in you?” Xiao Yao nodded. The Voodoo King didn’t move so he was likely using a bug inside of himself to sense. He furrowed his brows and murmured, “It really is a Lover’s Bug! But how is this possible? ‘Lovers who raise the bug produce the Lover’s Bug, Not Lovers who raise the bug produce the Heartbreak Bug.’ The Lover’s Bug is different then other voodoo bugs and absolutely requires the couple to willingly accept the bug for it to be successfully planted. If the man you successfully planted the other bug in is not your lover, then how did you plant it in him?” |
| 小夭道：“你可大大比不上你的先祖，太拘泥于前人的经验了。猛虎生于山野是百兽之王，但如果长于斗定，不过是大一点的野猫。蛊虫不是死物，所以蛊术才变幻莫测。” 巫王心中百般不解，可小夭的情郎明显是她身边的这位公子，有些话不好再说，只得敷衍道：“姑娘教训的是，姑娘体内的蛊虫的确不同于一般的蛊虫，想来姑娘和那人都有特异之处。” 小夭叹了口气：“他是很特异！” 自从中蛊，只能相柳感觉到她，她却从没有感觉到他。 | Xiao Yao said, "You are far inferior to your ancestors. You are too rigid about the experience of your predecessors. A tiger born in the mountains is the king of beasts, but if it grows up to fight, it is just a bigger wild cat. Gu worms are not dead things, so Gu techniques are unpredictable." The witch king was puzzled, but Xiao Yao's lover was obviously the young man next to her. Some things were not easy to say, so he had to perfunctorily say, "What the girl taught is that the Gu worm in the girl's body is indeed different from ordinary Gu worms. I think the girl and that person have their own special features." Xiao Yao sighed, "He is very special!" Since being poisoned, only Xiang Liu can feel her, but she has never felt him. | Xiao Yao said, "You are far inferior to your ancestors, too bound by their experiences. A tiger born in the wild is the king of beasts, but if it grows up in captivity, it's just a big cat. Gu worms are not lifeless things, which is why Gu techniques are so unpredictable." The Witch King was deeply puzzled, but it was clear that Xiao Yao's lover was the young man beside her. Some things were better left unsaid, so he replied perfunctorily, "The young lady is right. The Gu worm in your body is indeed different from ordinary Gu worms. It seems both you and that person have unique qualities." Xiao Yao sighed, "He is indeed very unique!" Ever since the Gu was planted, only Xiang Liu can sense her, but she was never able to sense him. | Xiao Yao said, “You might not know as much as your ancestors, the bug could be more multi-facted and evolving in ways beyond your understanding.” The Voodoo King was still perplexed. But it was clear that the young man sitting beside Xiao Yao was clearly her beloved so the rest of what he wanted to say wasn’t suitable for discussing at this time. He smoothed things over. “Miss you are likely right, the bug inside of you is different than other bugs. Likely Miss and the other man have very unique bodily compositions.” Xiao Yao inwardly sighed in relief. “He is very unique!” Since the bug was planted, only Xiang Liu could sense her but she could never sense him. |
| 璟急切地问：“请问如何解蛊？” 巫王的脸皱成了一团，说道：“要么同心而生，要么离心而死，情人蛊一旦种下，无法可解。我刚才还想说，这也是为什么很少有人养它的原因，只有一些执拗的女子才会养此蛊，即使养成，也很难找到男子愿意种蛊。” | Jing asked anxiously, "How can I cure the poison?" The face of the witch king wrinkled up, and he said, "Either live together or die apart. Once the lover's poison is planted, there is no cure. I was just thinking that this is why few people raise it. Only some stubborn women will raise this poison. Even if they do, it is difficult to find a man willing to plant it." | Jing asked urgently, "How can the Gu be removed?" The Witch King's face wrinkled into a frown as he said, "Either live with united hearts or die with separate / divided hearts. Once the Lover's Gu is planted, it cannot be removed. I was about to say that this is also why very few people nurture it. Only some stubborn women would choose to nurture this Gu, and even if they succeed, it is difficult to find a man willing to plant it." | Jing anxiously asked, “How to break the spell?” The Voodoo King’s face scrunched up. “The Lover’s Bug – either live in love or die in heartbreak. Once the Lover’s Bug has been planted there is no way to break the spell. It is impossible. This is what I was trying to say earlier for why so few people raise it despite the great benefit. Only very determined girls would raise the bug but even if they successfully raise it, it’s near impossible to find a man willing to accept the other bug to be planted in him.” |
| 璟愣住，半晌后，才缓缓问：“如果种了情人蛊的一人死了，另一人会如何？” 巫王叹了口气：“我们九黎的歌谣说‘地上梧桐相持老，天上鹣鹣不独飞，水中鸳鸯会双死。’” | Jing was stunned. After a long while, he slowly asked, "If one of the people who planted the lover's poison dies, what will happen to the other person?" The witch king sighed, "Our Jiuli ballad says, 'The phoenix trees on the ground will grow old together, the mandarin ducks in the sky will not fly alone, and the mandarin ducks in the water will die together.'" | Jing was stunned. After a while, he slowly asked, "If one of the people with the Lover's Gu dies, what will happen to the other?" The Witch King sighed, "Our Jiuli folk song says, 'On earth, the phoenix trees grow old together; in the sky, lovebirds never fly alone; in the water, mandarin ducks die together.'" | Jing was stunned and after a moment of silence he slowly asked, “What happens if one person who has the Lover’s Bug dies? What happens to the other person?” The Voodoo King sighed. “Our Jiu Li folk ballad sings ‘The twisted roots of the parasol tree entwine on land, the doves do not fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water always die together.'” |
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In the drama, the wording is a bit different. Lirong Ji even mentions betrayal. But I think the gist is pretty much the same.
I don't think Lirong Ji's words are meant to mean that mostly women raise the bugs with the objective that the bugs will kill the hosts if the man who is the lover of the woman who raised the bugs (or the woman herself) develops any amount of romantic love for another person. As if the bugs would be monitoring the hosts' hearts for traces of such romantic feelings and would be triggered to retliate by them... instead of monitoring for feelings of heartbreak and betrayal and being triggered by those feelings.
I think Lirong Ji is saying that the people who choose to undertake the difficult task of raising such bugs are usually women who hope for a love where both parties are willing to tie their hearts and lives together and to live and die together. In other words, these women are hoping for a life-long love with a man who is willing to risk dying if he were to cause her heartbreak (e.g., the kind of heartbreak a woman might feel if her lover left her, if her husband married a second wife, or if her lover otherwise betrayed her) and who is willing to die with her when she dies.
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S1 Ep12
离戎老伯：传说中有一种极其难养的雌雄蛊。一雌一雄，力量相当。施蛊者便无法控制蛊虫。这种情况大都是女子养来种给情郎的，求的是一心一意，永不相负。一旦种上，便同命连心，生死相随，所以又叫做情蛊。
相柳：如果彼此无情，能种蛊吗。
离戎老伯：哎呦，不行不行不行。不过蛊术之道神秘莫测，也许能种吧。但即便勉强种下也是后患无穷，不但不能同命连心，还可能被蛊虫反噬，危及性命啊。
相柳：怎么解蛊
离戎老伯：种蛊要靠情意，解蛊也要靠情意。如果种蛊时间不长，趁其根基未稳，也可能将蛊移到另一个人身上。但另一个人必须心中有情才行。情蛊这东西啊，不但要命还要心。你命是有九条，但心只有一颗。一旦给了出去，可就再也收不回来了。
LROM: Legend has it there are male-female poisonous bugs which are very difficult to cultivate. One is male, the other is female, with equal power. The one who raises them cannot control the poisonous bug. Mostly women raise it for their lovers, hoping for a love that is devoted (one heart, one mind), never betraying each other. Once it is planted, the couple's hearts and fates/lives are joined, living and dying together. As such, it is also called love poisonous bug.
XL: If there is no love between the couple, would it be possible to plant the bug?
LROM: No, no, no. However, the art of poisonous bugs is mysterious and unpredictable. Perhaps it is possible. Even so, forcibly planting it will lead to endless troubles. Not only are they unable to join their hearts together and share the same fates/lives, but the poisonous bugs may retaliate against them and harm their lives.
XL: How can they be removed?
LROM: The planting of the bug relies on love, as does its removal. If it has not been planted for long, it is possible to transfer it to another person while its foundation has not yet stabilised. However, the other person must have love in his heart. The love poisonous bug demands not only your life but your heart. You have nine lives, but only one heart. Once your heart is given, you can never take it back.
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