Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 Kokuto:

I have finished watching A Life Time of Love.

I want my medal.

I have questions.

Congratulations! 🎉🏅🏆 Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Real life is calling with a vengeance but hopefully I'll be lucid enough to discuss (albeit very likely at a far more delayed pace).

 liddi:

Congratulations! 🎉🏅🏆 Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Real life is calling with a vengeance but hopefully I'll be lucid enough to discuss (albeit very likely at a far more delayed pace).

;Waves;

Good to see you too, liddi!  Hope it is a good busy with Real Life.

I'm still gathering my thoughts on A Life Time of Love.  I may have to break down and read a Google Translate of Once Promised. :(

 Kokuto:

And they killed off Gong Gong!!! LOL!

 Janex:

Wow!!! Congratulations 🥳 are you alright now?lol 

Thank you.  I'm recovering. ;p

 Kokuto:

Good to see you too, liddi!  Hope it is a good busy with Real Life.

It's a good busy, but oh so hectic!

 Kokuto:

I'm still gathering my thoughts on A Life Time of Love.  I may have to break down and read a Google Translate of Once Promised. :(

Please read it! It is far far better than A Lifetime Love any day. Not to mention the insight it gives into events that are perfunctorily mentioned in LYF.

 Kokuto:

WHY that ending??? Why is A Mo completely healthy and unharmed, and abandoning her kid XY on Daddy Emperor?   That's not what happened in the book, and makes zero sense for the drama.

I know right? We understand why A Heng could not keep her promise to Xiao Yao in the novel since she could not leave without causing destruction. But A Mo was fine and her only weak excuse for not going to Nuo Su was just because she wanted to be near Chi Yun at Ruo Jiang (Bai Li) . Hello? His heart was already in her. How much closer can he be? Not to mention her monologue at the end, that her father the Xuanyang king (Yellow Emperor) led the army and finally united the Great Wilderness, and the world was at peace thanks to Chi Yun's sacrifice. Seriously?

 Kokuto:

Also, what the heck happened to Sir Bi?  They mentioned going back to look for him in the Abyss of Yu, but then they never did?

You know, I can't recall what happened to Sir Bi either. Probably he fell through the gaping cracks that were all over the plot.

 Kokuto:

Plus, where's Granddaddy's other surviving sons?  The ones that wanted to kill CX?

If I recall correctly, De Yan and Yu Yang barely had any mention in Once Promised as well except being dispatched to war, so am not surprised that they didn't make an appearance here.

 Kokuto:

And please tell me that Zhu Rong was not a total villain in the book. I mean, holy cow. If I were Feng Long, I wouldn't claim that guy as grandpa either.  He was the reason why Chenrong lost.

Yan Zhuan was not a likeable character in the novel as well - vicious and cruel, even to his own men. However, his patriotism and loyalty towards Shen Nong was evident and he was respected by allies and feared by foes. And he did not go around plotting against and murdering the other generals.

 Kokuto:

Did we ever get to see what happened to Chi You's bird?

Nope. The last mention of his roc in the novel was during the final battle when he fought Shao Hao. Nothing after that. Certainly not when he used the Pan Gu bow.

 Kokuto:

And they killed off Gong Gong!!! LOL!

YES exactly! I guess the upside is that in this universe, there is no Shen Nong resistance army for Xiang Liu to be a part of and give his life for, seeing Hong Jiang was dead as a doornail even before he ever returned from the North Pole - which in turn means that there is probably a better chance of a happy ending with Nuo Su (Xiao Yao). Yay? Gah!

 Kokuto:

I feel like there was alot of white washing going on some of these characters.  Like they completely eliminated the reason WHY the two wives of Granddaddy emperor started their feud.  And he came out looking much better and less aggressive in the whole wars.

Very much so - especially for the Yellow Emperor, who was portrayed to be much more benevolent compared to the novel. In the novel, he even condoned the destruction of the bead that retained remnants of A Heng's soul which was recovered from Tang Gorge despite Xie Zhu's pleas because his reputation and ambitions outweigh any hope of recovering a daughter thought dead. Unlike the novel, the drama had him unaware that A Mo was trapped to be destroyed in a formation by his ministers after her resurrection, a move instigated by Ji Yi (Yi Peng).  Likewise, he did not hold A Mo to ransom nor manipulate her to lead the army in the final battle. Rather, the drama had it such that he was very against the idea of A Mo leading the army, but the courtiers kept pushing for it, pointing out it was the only way for the sake of the survival of their kingdom. 

On the other hand, Tong Zheng (Yan Zhuan) was utterly villianised, which was not my impression of him in the novel despite being very unlikeable.

The real question now is... how are you after watching the drama? Shell-shocked?

 Kokuto:

I was scanning through liddi's table (thank you so much for that) trying to figure out if I had missed something.  

You're very welcome! It really helped me in my attempts to keep the characters straight in my head as well while I was watching. Like you, I had to double confirm that I actually mapped the characters correctly when I saw Xing Mang killed because that totally came out of left field!

 AH :

So if there was no Gong Gong when XL left the North Pole and became FFB... he wouldn't have been in the mountains near QS town. He wouldn't have met WXL/XY there. She wouldn't have raised the Lovers Bug to use against XL. XY might not have ever given her identity away and might not have been taken back to Gao Xing and might not have gone with CX back to Xuan Yuan. If WXL/XY and XL/FFB ever did meet, it would be under very different circumstances. Maybe they'd be able to fall in love and actually have a happy ending. Or maybe they just wouldn't fall in love at all...

Idk how to feel about that.

It's definitely an alternate universe What If?  FFB could still end up in Qingshui Town, given the family profession.  But it wouldn't be as XL.  Where would he be XL, even?  As FFB, he could still be in conflict with CX, given he was hired to kill him by the uncles.  But he wouldn't have his commitment to them, like he had to Hong Jiang.  So, yes, he could have promised her a lifetime.

 AH :

So if there was no Gong Gong when XL left the North Pole and became FFB... he wouldn't have been in the mountains near QS town. He wouldn't have met WXL/XY there. She wouldn't have raised the Lovers Bug to use against XL. XY might not have ever given her identity away and might not have been taken back to Gao Xing and might not have gone with CX back to Xuan Yuan. If WXL/XY and XL/FFB ever did meet, it would be under very different circumstances. Maybe they'd be able to fall in love and actually have a happy ending. Or maybe they just wouldn't fall in love at all...

Idk how to feel about that. 

 Kokuto:

It's definitely an alternate universe What If?  FFB could still end up in Qingshui Town, given the family profession.  But it wouldn't be as XL.  Where would he be XL, even?  As FFB, he could still be in conflict with CX, given he was hired to kill him by the uncles.  But he wouldn't have his commitment to them, like he had to Hong Jiang.  So, yes, he could have promised her a lifetime.

With Hong Jiang dead, the entire Central Plains would be wholly subject to Xuan Yuan after the final battle at Ji Province. While Hong Jiang was not the only leader of the resistance army (Once Promised mentioned Jing Tian and others), he was, at least by the time of LYF, the only one left. His death means there would be no Shen Nong resistance army entrenched in the east of Qingshui Town, so neither Xiang Liu nor Cang Xuan would have any reason to be there, since there were no pockets of resistance to join or put down. 

Xiang Liu would very likely have continued to maintain his alter ego as Fangfeng Bei even after the passing of his "mother". I don't believe he would have led an apparent life of a wastrel though - that was a facade he put on to blind his enemies to who he really was. Bearing in mind that in this universe, Hong Jiang was killed by Yan Zhuan, and Yan Zhuan was already dead by the time Xiang Liu returned from the North Pole, I don't see him dedicating his life to exacting vengeance on his benefactor's behalf. Rather, he would be carefree and unfettered - alternating between the charms of the mortal realm and his true home in the ocean as the Demon King of the Seas, with Mao Qiu as his mount.

Since Xuan Yuan already had complete control over the Central Plains, the Yellow Emperor's next target would inevitably be Gao Xin. As such, I do not see Cang Xuan being sent as a glorified hostage to Gao Xin. If anything, the Yellow Emperor would either continue to mentor him personally, or send him to the Central Plains instead. Should Cang Xuan be sent to the Central Plains, the chances of him and Fangfeng Bei crossing paths and becoming acquaintances, even friends, is a likely one. As for Fangfeng Bei being hired to kill Cang Xuan, I am less inclined to think that would happen. I am not convinced that Xiang Liu would be an assassin for hire even if the Fangfeng clan's loyalties lie with De Yan, since there is no resistance army that he needs to keep alive.

With imminent war between Gao Xin and Xuan Yuan, Shao Hao would very likely continue to leave Xiao Yao on Jade Mountain. When war breaks out, there is no reason Xiao Yao is unaware of it even on Jade Mountain as it affects the entire Great Wilderness - unlike the Five Princes revolt, which was internal strife that may not necessarily be common knowledge. In that case, I don't see her running away from Jade Mountain hoping to make her way back to Gao Xin. Rather, it is more likely that she would understand the need to stay put. 

We already know from Once Promised that geographically, Gao Xin is at a massive disadvantage, relying on rivers as a natural barrier, and would fall once their enemies cross the river. It is also a known fact that the Central Plains are adept in water warfare. The Yellow Emperor would not necessarily employ the same strategy as Cang Xuan - conducting a war of attrition, minimising casualties and winning hearts of those they conquer. As such, I think the chances of the Xuan Yuan Great Army crossing the river and decisively bringing Gao Xin to its knees is only a matter of time. When the day comes, the unification of the Great Wilderness would be at hand. 

As the Yellow Emperor's granddaughter, Xiao Yao would hold a revered position as a princess of the unified Great Wilderness. She would have the choice to stay with Cang Xuan as the Xuan Yuan princess, or remain with Shao Hao. Either way, she too has no need to run and hide or rely on her wits to stay alive. And the likelihood of her meeting Fangfeng Bei would definitely be there too. Would they both fall in love in this situation? There is no common trauma to draw her to Xiang Liu anymore. However, Xiao Yao, even as a child, was inherently wily, fearless and precocious. I can see them meeting and being drawn to each other - his looks captivated her from the moment they met; and he would still be able to see the same spirit that drew him to her originally. Yes, there is no more Lovers bug to link them together, but ultimately, the Lovers bug merely cemented a love that already existed between them, one that remained unchanging for those 120+ years. In this universe, with no loyalties putting them on opposing sides, there is nothing to keep them from acting upon any attraction they might feel. While the Fangfeng clan is a lesser clan in the Great Wilderness, as her mother's daughter, I believe Xiao Yao, without the trauma of abandonment, would also be courageous in following her heart rather than the dictates of family or society. Likewise, Xiang Liu, without the shackles of responsibility and loyalty to a resistance army, would not force himself to stay away from what he wants. And perhaps in this universe, we may see the fruition of Fangfeng Bei's words - "Why don’t you not be a Princess anymore and go wander the world with me?"

Having rambled so much, I finally came to the conclusion that the true obstacle to YaoLiu is Hong Jiang after all. Looks like A Lifetime Love was attempting to pave the way for their happy ending by killing him off. Okay Tong Hua, have you considered another revised version of Once Promised and LYF? 

 HeadInTheClouds:

You deserved a gold medal for your persistence..

I also have questions:

1) Can I assume that the time it took for you to finish the drama is inversely proportional to the drama quality?

2) How did you make it through Tarzan's Chi Yun and his hair

3) How did you cope with block of wood Shao Hao?

Ahhhhhh!  I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you for my lovely medal! :)  And how have you been?  I feel like we haven't chatted in months.

I was on a roll when I started, but then I got distracted, and there always seemed something else to watch, hence the delay.  I just decided this last week or two to knock it out and clean up my watch list.  So ... maybe?  lol   NGL, the quality is ... not good for a variety of reasons.  But I overlooked most of the issues, because I want to continue enjoying the world of LYF.

That Tarzan Chi Yun was ... eye watering.  lol  Fortunately he didn't stick around long.  I don't know who thought that was a good idea.  I can't even excuse it as just being dated.  It was ... not good.  And yes.  I did think he looked better when his hair grew out and was combed and pulled back like you normally see in costume dramas.

I was a little disappointed with Shao Hao, though he looked nice, he didn't emote much.  Wouldn't it have been something if they had actually got Daddy Emperor to play him back then?  He was quite handsome when he was younger.