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Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

windiaaa041293

If you interpret "people who can't dream" as "people who can't fall in love with Xiang Liu", the logic of this understanding is unreasonable.

Xiaoyao knew that she had fallen in love with Xiangliu, and Xiangliu also knew that Xiaoyao loved him. "Dream" means "fantasy". The meaning of Zhuanxu 's words is: Xiaoyao is still a girl who has illusions about love after all.

So what Xiaoyao means when she says "Afraid of Xiang Liu entering her dream" is that she is afraid that even if she just kisses Xiang Liu, she is worried that she will not be able to control herself and fantasize about a future with Xiang Liu. However, Xiang Liu is definitely not something she can imagine. Once people have this idea, they will definitely be in pain - Xiaoyao in the later period was so in pain that she wanted to die but couldn't. She already knew the result of fantasizing about Xiang Liu, but she still couldn't help it!

Xiaoyao's words should be translated as: I love you, but I can't have even the slightest illusion about you. People like you are not a man that girls can fantasize about, otherwise it will only make my life worse than death. So let’s not get entangled like before.

The reason why Xiang Liu felt hurt at this time was because he couldn't understand Xiao Yao's fear at all. Xiao Yao's words sounded to him: We are not suitable, let's break up!

Why can't Xiang Liu understand Xiao Yao's fear?

The first reason is that Xiang Liu is different from Xiao Yao. He doesn't know about Xiao Yao's parents. Xiao Yao has already seen the ending of her parents - the ending that he would face if he and Xiang Liu were together, but this Everything is still unknown to Xiang Liu.

For example, it's like going for an interview for a position that you particularly want. Xiaoyao already knows the inside story and he will definitely not be able to apply for it, so he is too lazy to prepare or go for the interview. Xiang Liu only knows that this position is relatively competitive. The passing rate is low, but he doesn't know the final result. So with his character, will he shrink back? Won't.

The second reason is that the two people have different perceptions:

Xiang Liu has never known what "fear" is. In the past, when he fought with others, he fought desperately, and the enemy could not find his weakness at all. Xiang Liu has always conquered everything with absolute strength. As the strongest person in the world, no matter what danger he encounters, Xiang Liu is confident enough to solve all problems and overcome all difficulties. He is not afraid of anything, and no one can do anything to him. So Xiang Liu couldn't understand Xiaoyao's fear at all. What was she afraid of? He is the strongest male beast in the entire wilderness and will not allow anyone to harm her. He will fight to the death whoever dares to threaten her.

And Xiaoyao knows very well what "fear" is. During the hundreds of years of living in the wilderness, she has been afraid every day, fearing that her life will be lost if she doesn't pay attention. She has low spiritual power and is unable to protect herself. She has always been in a weak position. It can even be said that it is the caution and conservatism that comes with her "fear" that allows her to survive to this day. Xiang Liu is very strong, but will Xiang Liu always protect her from harm? Can she trust Xiang Liu? In Xiaoyao's understanding, facing different positions, Xiang Liu will definitely abandon her for the Shennong Rebel Army. What should she do then? She has no confidence at all to overcome the difficulties of the two of them being together. He can still get rid of his delay; she can't get rid of her delay! So she didn't dare.

Xiang Liu is brave, while Xiao Yao is cowardly.

One is afraid, and the other doesn't know what she is afraid of.

It wasn't until he experienced Xiaoyao's death that Xiang Liu tasted the feeling of fear and understood why life was worse than death. He also learned about Xiaoyao's parents and truly understood Xiaoyao's fear.

But obviously, because he didn't understand before, he used Fangfeng Bei to provoke Xiaoyao, and Xiangliu still fell into Xiaoyao's dream. So thirty-seven years later, all of Xiangliu's actions were all to awaken Xiaoyao's dream with his own hands. .


Tonghua has a passage in "Starry Sky Sea" that can just explain the changes between the two of them in the early, middle and later stages:

<"You said, 'Love is the most magical witchcraft in the world. It can make the selfish selfless, the cowardly brave, the greedy kind, and the cunning person stupid'."

"I said so!"

"You are only right about one side of love. There is another side to love. It can make the selfless people selfish, the brave people cowardly, the kind people greedy, and the stupid people cunning." >

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nathsketch VIP
 windiaaa041293:
So what Xiaoyao means when she says "Afraid of Xiang Liu entering her dream" is that she is afraid that even if she just kisses Xiang Liu, she is worried that she will not be able to control herself and fantasize about a future with Xiang Liu. However, Xiang Liu is definitely not something she can imagine. Once people have this idea, they will definitely be in pain - Xiaoyao in the later period was so in pain that she wanted to die but couldn't. She already knew the result of fantasizing about Xiang Liu, but she still couldn't help it!

This is exactly what I understood from that scene when I saw it for the first time. I also didn't read the novel, so my experience comes only from watching the drama. Even with all the changes, they couldn't erase the essence of what it really meant.

People keep saying this was a rejection, that she was afraid of him. It never felt this way for me. She was afraid of herself. Afraid of losing control. Why would she be so deadly afraid of him entering her dreams (falling in love with him) with just one kiss if it wasn't because she was already head over heels for him?

 windiaaa041293:
Xiaoyao's words should be translated as: I love you, but I can't have even the slightest illusion about you. People like you are not a man that girls can fantasize about, otherwise it will only make my life worse than death. So let’s not get entangled like before.

Exactly.

 windiaaa041293:
The reason why Xiang Liu felt hurt at this time was because he couldn't understand Xiao Yao's fear at all. Xiao Yao's words sounded to him: We are not suitable, let's break up!

Poor baby. If only he knew what she really meant :(

 windiaaa041293:
he used Fangfeng Bei to provoke Xiaoyao, and Xiangliu still fell into Xiaoyao's dream. So thirty-seven years later, all of Xiangliu's actions were all to awaken Xiaoyao's dream with his own hands. .

THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL, STOP.

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MayaDavid
 blabla100:
I pity XY the most. It's easier to see XL's selfishless and pity him, because he is the one who dies alone at the end of the novel, but honestly the feeling of emptiness  I had when I finished reading it was for XY, not for XL.

I felt the same way. I started reading the book feeling sad about XL after the drama, but ended up heartbroken for XY. I don't blame XL or anyone. I think it's a tragic story with very tragic circumstances, but I felt so sad about XY. The most poignant part for me was after the marriage robbery when they arrived in Qing Shui town. The text doesn't even say much, but reading through that, my heart hurt so much for XY.

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nathsketch VIP
 MayaDavid:
The most poignant part for me was after the marriage robbery when they arrived in Qing Shui town. The text doesn't even say much, but reading through that, my heart hurt so much for XY.

This is interesting. I haven't read the novel, so no idea about this. But why did you feel sad for her?

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MayaDavid
 nathsketch:
This is interesting. I haven't read the novel, so no idea about this. But why did you feel sad for her?

She loved XL despite all her efforts to suppress and cut down the feeling. She dared to send the ice ball and waited for 7 days by the sea. When FFB took her away from the wedding, XL called back to the promise they made in Qing Shui town, ruined her reputation in front of everyone, killed FFB, and shattered her hopes. That was the cruelest way to break her heart. I understand why XL did that; I don't blame him. XL was even harsher on himself. However, it was so heartbreaking to read that. 

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nathsketch VIP
 MayaDavid:

She loved XL despite all her efforts to suppress and cut down the feeling. She dared to send the ice ball and waited for 7 days by the sea. When FFB took her away from the wedding, XL called back to the promise they made in Qing Shui town, ruined her reputation in front of everyone, killed FFB, and shattered her hopes. That was the cruelest way to break her heart. I understand why XL did that; I don't blame him. XL was even harsher on himself. However, it was so heartbreaking to read that. 

Oh, I see. I thought you were talking about the ending.

All that is terribly sad indeed. Even sadder because it leaves her no choice but to end up with Jing. That for me is the saddest aspect of this entire story.

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pomelotree
 H19279:
it is very easy to find free sharing movie/drama internet sites which update continuously with the latest released dramas (with subtitles or even with verbal subtitles)

Thanks for sharing! no wonder LYF is such a big hit there. I'm glad the actors got recognition in Vietnam and that the fans there are so passionate. I'm jealous of the community you have there!

 H19279:
Last, lately i find that many young people interested in Chinese literature. Many of them translate online Chinese novels and stories and share with others.

Such a great positive outcome. My mandarin is slowly improving too, thanks TJC!

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liddi

@HeadInTheClouds

Thank you very much for your insightful analysis into the evolution of Xiao Yao's journey to healing from the scars of her childhood that shaped who she became as an adult.

What always struck me about Xiang Liu's role in her life, is how he differs from the other men who love her. Yes, he wanted to protect her, and did so many many times - the planting of the lovers bug was him giving his all to do so - putting his heart and his lives on the line for that purpose. Even his final words spoke of not being able to protect her anymore. However, he knew he could not be there for her forever, while her words about being unable to protect herself always stayed with him, and these words (as well as her other two wishes) would shape his actions from there on. And so he made provision to ensure that she would never need to be reliant on anyone to protect her, to give her a home she could always return to, and to give her a companion who would stay with her for life. He wanted her to be strong, to break free and live life to the fullest, even if he was not there to see it, to experience it with her. However, in the end, he was the final crutch that had to be taken away from her before she could finally break through.

Throughout the entire novel, he was Xiao Yao's crutch - the one she instinctively trusted to always save her, whatever danger she found herself in. She saw this when he breached the formation at the coast outside Dragon Bone prison after Cang Xuan forcibly took her to Gao Xin; again after the Plum Forest assassination where he sacrificed his life, essential blood and 37 years to save her; then after the assassination attempt by the albatross demon when he had to revert to his true form to do so; yet again after her suicide attempt. She knew in her heart that he would always be there, and I have to wonder whether that was the reason she was often reckless with her life because deep down inside, she expected he would come through and save her at the end, even if she railed against her inability to die due to the lovers bug that bound them both. The knowledge that the lovers bug connection was gone, was the loss of her first crutch. Suddenly, that surety was no longer there; alongside the sense of loss  for the last tie that connected them for more than 120 years. The final straw was knowing for a fact that he was dead, well and truly lost to her at last. And that outpouring of grief gave her the strength to grasp the life she wanted at last, to leave the shackles behind for a place which would always remind her of him.

So why do I feel so much sadness that this was the steep price she had to pay for her to finally become whole?

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liddi
 windiaaa041293:
The first reason is that Xiang Liu is different from Xiao Yao. He doesn't know about Xiao Yao's parents. Xiao Yao has already seen the ending of her parents - the ending that he would face if he and Xiang Liu were together, but this Everything is still unknown to Xiang Liu.

Another good article - thank you for sharing.

However, I disagree that she dared not allow herself to love him because of the ending of her parents. At the time she told him about her fear of letting him into her dreams, she did not know her father was Chi Chen. What did traumatise her was the fact that her mother died in war and failed to keep her promise to return. It had nothing to do with knowing the consequences of loving an enemy based on her parents' history. I am still of the opinion that she was afraid because she knew he stood on opposing sides to her family, and his loyalty to Hong Jiang and his brothers-in-arms meant that one day, he too would die with them - "They are soldiers. Even if they had to die, let it be in battle" were the very words he said to her. She had seen what befell Cang Xuan's parents. She understood the kind of torture of having a spouse at the frontlines, the fear and uncertainty, never knowing when news of their death would come. For someone with abandonment fears, this was indeed a fate worse than death, waiting for the time when death would claim the one she loved.

The irony of all her fears was that it was way too late anyway, since he was already in her dreams, to have even had those fears in the first place.

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liddi
 MayaDavid:

I felt the same way. I started reading the book feeling sad about XL after the drama, but ended up heartbroken for XY. I don't blame XL or anyone. I think it's a tragic story with very tragic circumstances, but I felt so sad about XY. The most poignant part for me was after the marriage robbery when they arrived in Qing Shui town. The text doesn't even say much, but reading through that, my heart hurt so much for XY.

That was the first time Xiao Yao ever openly declared her feelings to Xiang Liu through the crystal globe, her mute appeal for him to come to her. It was also the first time she had ever taken the first step, she who had always been passive, waiting for those who claim to love her to give her their promise first. It must have taken so much courage from her to do so, which is why her 7 days waiting by the ocean for his response in vain was heartbreaking to watch, just as it was to see how much it cost Xiang Liu not to come to her. Then the standoff at Qingshui town, the devastation knowing he had killed off Fangfeng Bei - her last hope of him being willing to stay in the mortal realm, in her world. The 4 questions he would ask after that, and the unspoken answer he got from her refusal to answer that final question would at least accord him some modicum of comfort on the long, lonely path he has chosen to take for both of them.

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H19279

@Liddi,

i have a question. his last word in the novel is “from now on i don’t need to protect you” or “ i can’t protect you”

i found various translation across many site. in my opinion it expresses totally different meaning.

Thanks

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liddi
 H19279:

@Liddi,

i have a question. his last eord in the nov is “from now on i don’t need to protect you” or “ i can’t protect you”

i found various translation across many site. in my opinion ot express totally different meaning.

Thanks

The text says this:

还记得清水镇外初相逢，你嬉皮笑脸、满嘴假话，唯一的一句真话是：我无力自保、无人相依、无处可去。

数十年箭术，你已有力自保，不必再危急时只能用自己的身体去保护想守护的人；一个如意情郎，你已有人相依，不必再形单影只，与孤寡做伴；天高海阔，你已有处可去，不必再被人追逼、无处安家。

相柳在心里默默地说：小夭，从今往后，我再不能守护你了，你要好好照顾自己，愿你一世安乐无忧！

I still remember our first encounter at the outskirts of Qingshui town. You were grinning cheekily, with a mouth full of lies. The only truth you said was, I have no ability to protect myself, no one to rely on, no place to go.

With decades of archery skills, you now have the ability to protect yourself, and need no longer only be able to use your own body to protect those you wish to protect in times of danger. With a lover you wish for, you now have someone to rely on, and need no longer be alone, with solitude as your companion. The skies are lofty and the oceans vast, you now have a place to go, and need no longer be pursued by others, with no place to call home.

Xiang Liu said silently in his heart: Xiao Yao, from here on, I can no longer watch over and protect you. You must look after yourself well. Wishing you a lifetime of carefree peace and happiness!

-- Vol 3, Epilogue

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H19279

Hi @Liddi,

Then the standoff at Qingshui town, the devastation knowing he had killed off Fangfeng Bei - her last hope of him being willing to stay in the mortal realm, in her world.

 ------------
in my view, XY had recognized that FFB would eventually been gone from very long time ago, right after her engagement with FL.
That was the last time she met him as FFB by accident. He brought her to the Li rong’s donkey meat restaurant. There he again confirmed he was not suitable for woman and the best ending for a general was to die in battlefield. Their conversation after leaving the restaurant was about companionship. In the beginning she addressed him as Bei, then further when she wanted to know what he really thought she called him XL. She had had feeling that they (as Bei and she) met less and less but that night when farewell in front of Zhurong’s maison he was XL in her eyes (black hair in white outfit, lonely as thousand year old ice mountain in the North). 

"In the past she felt they had so many opportunities to see each other, but it wasn’t clear when it began that Xiao Yao started to feel that she was seeing less and less of him. Until tonight, when this feeling became impossible to ignore." .... 

"Xiao Yao smiled and curtsied to him before turning to knock on the door. The door opened and Xiao Yao stepped inside while Xiang Liu continued to stand outside, white robe black hair, tall and proud, like the white snow on the black mountains in the North, even if it was covered with flowers it would still look imposing.

Xiao Yao couldn’t take another step and stood rooted in place staring at him as the door slowly closed and Xiang Liu disappeared from sight." (Chapter 29)

She knew that she lost FFB, losing hope of keeping XL in her realm . This was the pain that she mentioned in chapter 41. The pain that made her depressed and didn’t want to do anything. It was also the reason she delayed her wedding with Jing ( until finishing the medical book). She found a meaningful work that she could focus to slowly digest and overcome that loss

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alex32322344434

is it good?

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MayaDavid
 liddi:
That was the first time Xiao Yao ever openly declared her feelings to Xiang Liu through the crystal globe, her mute appeal for him to come to her. It was also the first time she had ever taken the first step, she who had always been passive, waiting for those who claim to love her to give her their promise first. It must have taken so much courage from her to do so, which is why her 7 days waiting by the ocean for his response in vain was heartbreaking to watch, just as it was to see how much it cost Xiang Liu not to come to her. Then the standoff at Qingshui town, the devastation knowing he had killed off Fangfeng Bei - her last hope of him being willing to stay in the mortal realm, in her world. The 4 questions he would ask after that, and the unspoken answer he got from her refusal to answer that final question would at least accord him some modicum of comfort on the long, lonely path he has chosen to take for both of them.

You wrote this so beautifully! Yes, their love story is truly tragic. The novel did not have XL's perspective. I am looking forward to seeing TJC's portrayal in this part. 

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