Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 MayaDavid:

Hi all, thanks for the wonderful discussion. Visiting this thread has now become a daily routine of mine. I saw the three book covers that Windiaaa posted in the other thread. Does anyone know what plant is in each of the book covers? The one in volume 3, miss you forever, is that acacia?  Also there seem to be two dragonfiles in that cover. Is there any Chinese symbolism attached with dragonfiles? 

Welcome! Do join us and share your thoughts!

Yes, the pictures refer to red beans (rosary peas), also known as 相思子 seeds of lovesickness or 相思豆 lovesickness beans. From what I know, it should not be called acacias, which are a totally different family of plants altogether.

I concur with @Kokuto that the three covers refer to the red beans in different seasons.

In Feng Shui, dragonflies are considered to be a bringer of luck and good fortune, representing the arrival of good changes and opportunities. The short but wonderful life cycle of the dragonfly is also regarded as a reminder to cherish and make full use of every opportunity.   -- cr. Sohu

Kokuto and liddi, thank you both. I thought the leaves in the two plants in book 2 and 3 are different. If they do represent the same plant in three different seasons, I wonder what the different seasons represent with respect to the three volumes. Thanks for the information about the dragonflies. The “short but wonderful life cycle of the dragonfly” does remind me of what the novel mentioned about life being a mix of encounters and separations and how even a short encounter could be unforgettable.

Interesting discussion on Chapter 43. Personally, even more than the lovers bug, chapter 43 was the one that convinced me where XY’s heart truly lies. I am not as eloquent as you wonderful people, but since XL appeared, XY’s behavior was very contradictory to a woman who just lost her fiancé. She was in awe of his demon form, her heart raced uncontrollably, she ate well, she pouted, she grabbed his hair, she twirled, she taunted the seagull demon, and she slept well. And I thought that she even felt a little jealous of furball. In any case, I felt that she was so happy to be with him. And just a chapter before, she married Jing under the moon and said that she will not forget Jing even if it hurt. In chapter 43, she did ask XL about having seen Jing, cried and sang a song. However, those actions felt more like a reaction to XL’s harsh response.

Aah... looks like you were right @liddi.@kokuto.
The plants on each cover seemed to be red beans.
So, who does Tonghua tell in her 3 books? ^^ 

Speaking of the legend of red beans, I remembered Farwell's poem in chapter 50, about a husband who left his wife to go to war.

@Maya david

I agree with you.
There's nothing wrong if she tries to look for Jing or misses him, after all, he's her future husband.
But ....
First, she didn't intend to commit suicide there.
Second, why did she insist on coming to the sea alone even though she knew it was a trap?
Third, if she intended to commit suicide, she should not try to get out of the coffin, she would not remember Miao PU and cx.
Even when she was in the whirlpool she was really afraid that she would die.
Fourth, to whom does the ocean belong?
I remember in one of Yangzi's interviews: she believed in XL, that whatever the circumstances, he would definitely come to save her.

 MayaDavid:

Kokuto and liddi, thank you both. I thought the leaves in the two plants in book 2 and 3 are different. If they do represent the same plant in three different seasons, I wonder what the different seasons represent with respect to the three volumes. Thanks for the information about the dragonflies. The “short but wonderful life cycle of the dragonfly” does remind me of what the novel mentioned about life being a mix of encounters and separations and how even a short encounter could be unforgettable.

My guesses ...

The winter of the first book refers to the 'frozen' beginning state of the characters.  Their past trauma has frozen their emotions, so they are hiding, like seeds in winter, trying to avoid the hurt of loss.

The second book is spring or summer.  Emotions and love have awakened and "bloomed." The characters are revived and full of emotions and hope.  

The third book is autumn.  The characters have matured and changed (hence the dragonflies), their choices and emotions have narrowed, been pruned, as they face winter's cold harshness.

@liddi ,is this acacia red bean?

I looked it up on AliExpress and found this picture of red acacia beans.

@nathsketch  Beautiful gifs of an amazing, amazing actor!! Thanks for the welcome and thanks for keeping all the XL related threads going. I have had a few good laughs browsing through the other threads!

I wonder whether Xiao Yao ever made good on her promise to walk backwards...

相柳问：“你很想毒死我吗？”

小六诚实地说：“我又不是轩辕的士兵，你我之间现在还没有生死之仇，我只是想抽你百八十鞭子。”

“你这辈子就别做梦了。”相柳又喝了一杯酒，飘然而去。

小六气闷地对十七说：“我迟早能找到他的死穴，毒不倒他，我就倒着走。”

Xiang Liu asked, "You really want to kill me by poison?"

Xiao Liu honestly replied, "I am not a Xuan Yuan soldier, and there is no blood feud between us. I simply wish to whip you 180 times."

"You can stop dreaming in this lifetime." Xiang Liu drank another cup of wine and floated off.

In anger, Xiao Liu told Shi Qi, "I will find his weakness sooner or later. If I can't take him down by poison, I will walk backwards."

-- Vol 1 Ch2

****************************

“相柳长期服用各种毒药练功，这天下没有任何毒药能毒倒他，他的血才是天下至毒。”
"Xiang Liu has been using various poisons to cultivate his powers for a long time. No poison in this world can take him down, his blood is the world's greatest poison."

-- Vol 3 Ch13  (Chapter 46)