❸ Idioms/Common Sayings about Love
① Love at first sight
If I were to fall in love with the young lady at first sight (merfolk courtship)
[Beauty Trap]
Unparalleled in beauty
Taking off the mask
●Other women’s recognition of Liuzi’s looks:
•A Nian
Stunned by his appearance
•The dancer girl (geisha)
•Others
If he weren’t incredibly handsome, it wouldn’t be easy for a low-ranking concubine’s son to ask the beautiful women of Xuanyuan City out...
◐Xiao Yao’s first impressions and comments on others’ appearances
•First
Her impression of Xiangliu
•First impression of Tushan Jing
No particular reaction to Tushan Jing
•First impression of Cang Xuan
◐Xiao Yao’s Appearance Anxiety
Xiao Yao grew up in the royal palace and should have been used to the good looks of those around her.
But during her years of wandering, she lost her true appearance and lived as a man.
Maybe it was because Xiangliu was so stunningly beautiful that Xiao Yao developed appearance anxiety and lacked confidence in her restored true appearance...
Xiao Yao envied the beauty of women like Yi Ying, and the noble status of women like A Nian and Xinyue...
She was afraid other men would be disappointed (which man, exactly?)
Additional dialogue in the drama version:
Even though her cousin and the King of Gaoxin both praised her beauty, other men like Fenglong were stunned, and Tushan Jing called her beautiful (while the fox secretly thought: the uglier, the better),
she still felt inferior… and couldn’t believe it.
•King of Gaoxin
Praised her beauty
•Cang Xuan
•Fenglong
•Tushan Jing
It’s better to be a bit ugly.
•Xiangliu
Feeling inferior to Xiangliu
She couldn’t believe Xiangliu would praise her
❹ Collection of Classical Love Poems and Verses
- Three-Five-Seven Character Poem: Autumn Wind Song by Li Bai
The autumn wind is clear, the autumn moon is bright,
Fallen leaves gather then scatter, cold crows perch then startle.
When will longing and meeting come again? On this night, such feelings are hard to bear!
Enter the gate of my longing, and you’ll know the bitterness of yearning,
Long is my longing, long is my remembrance; short is my longing, yet endless in depth.
Had I known it would so entangle the heart,
How much better it would have been if we’d never met from the start.
◐Ten Commandments Poem
Tong Hua – Scarlet Heart (original title: Bu Bu Jing Xin)
Expand
- To the Tune of "Yi Jian Mei" – Faded Fragrance of Red Lotus on a Jade Mat in Autumn by Li Qingzhao
The fragrance of red lotus fades, the jade mat turns cold in autumn.
Lightly, I take off my silk robe and board the orchid boat alone.
Who will send a brocade letter through the clouds?
When the wild geese return, the moon fills the western chamber.
Flowers fall of their own accord, water flows on its own —One kind of longing, yet sorrow felt in two places.
There is no way to dispel this feeling;Just as it leaves my brow, it enters
One kind of longing, sorrow felt in two places.
Got it—you’re thinking of me.
- Qing Yu An · Lantern Festival Night by Xin Qiji (辛弃疾)
Adorned with butterfly-shaped ornaments, snow willows, and threads of gold,
With laughter and fragrance, she gracefully slips away in the night.
I searched for her a thousand times among the crowd,
Suddenly, when I turned around—There she was, in the dim light where the lanterns were fading.
"I searched for him hundreds and thousands of times among the crowd."
Hidden Parting / Bai Juyi
不得哭，潜别离。
不得语，暗相思。
两心之外无人知。
No tears allowed — we part in secret.
No words exchanged — we long in silence.
Beyond our two hearts, no one knows.
At Baozhu’s house after the forced marriage.
In the drama adaptation, the window was opened.
Who do you most want to spend your life with?
"You."
One at the bow, one at the stern.
- 《摸鱼儿·雁丘词》 / Yuan Haowen(Chapter 15 of Part Two – Fengfeng Bei’s "death")
问世间，情为何物？直教生死相许。
What is love in this world?
It compels one to pledge life and death.
天南地北双飞客，老翅几回寒暑。
From north to south, a pair of flying travelers —
How many times have their aged wings endured the cold and heat?
欢乐趣，离别苦，就中更有痴儿女。
Joy is fleeting, parting is bitter —
And most of all, there are the foolishly devoted lovers.
君应有语，渺万里层云，千山暮雪，只影向谁去？
Surely, you would have something to say:
Across vast clouds for ten thousand miles,
Through a thousand mountains in the evening snow —
To whom does your l
one shadow now go?
Fangfeng Bei "died."
- Eternal Longing · Eternal Longing / Yan Jidao
长相思，长相思。
Eternal longing, eternal longing.
若问相思甚了期，除非相见时。
If you ask when longing will ever end — only when we meet again.
长相思，长相思。
Eternal longing, eternal longing.
欲把相思说似谁，浅情人不知。
Whom can I tell of this longing?
Those of shallow love would never understand.
[Xiaoyao hasn't had a truly restful sleep for over a year. Every night, she wakes up two or three times, and sometimes, when she really can't fall asleep, she has to take some medicine.But this time, she slept deeply and soundly]
~If you ask when longing will ever end — only when we meet again.~
- 长相思 Eternal Longing
山海两相望，相思求不得
Mountains and seas gaze at each other from afar; longing remains unfulfilled.
New edition cover
Mountains and seas gaze at each other from afar.
- The Legend of the Husband-Watching Reef
No one knows when she was born.
No one knows when she died.
No one knows whether lovers
can truly end up together.
No one knows whether loving couples
can grow old side by side.
One year, on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, a fisherman was forced to go out to sea.
He encountered a sudden storm and never returned.
His wife, married to him for just over a year, was devastated.
Every day, holding their not-yet-month-old baby,
she stood by the seaside, hoping for a miracle —
that her husband might someday return safely.
But many years passed, and her loved one never came home.
She turned into a motionless stone statue,
standing there on the shore.
The Husband-Watching Reef depicts scenes from the age of sail,
when fishermen's wives stood at the shore,
longing for the safe return of their husbands and sons.
It is also a symbol of the unique virtues of these women:
loyalty, simplicity, kindness, and wisdom.
"Song of White-Haired Longing" (Baitou Yin) – Li Bai
The brocade river flows to the northeast,
Its waves rocking a pair of mandarin ducks.
The male nests in the trees of the Han palace,
The female frolics in the fragrant Qin grass.
Rather than live a thousand lives with shattered brocade wings,
I cannot bear to part from you in the clouds above.
At that time, A Jiao was deeply jealous,
Alone she sat in the Changmen Palace, grieving as dusk fell.
She only wished her lord's favor would still reach her heart,
Not minding spending gold to buy his poems.
When Sima Xiangru wrote his verse and earned gold,
A man in his glory loves novelty and often strays.
One day he went to propose to a girl from Maoling,
And Wenjun responded by gifting him the “White-Haired Lament.”
The river flows east and never returns westward,
Falling blossoms leave their branches, ashamed to return to the old grove.
The dodder vine is truly heartless,
Swaying with the wind, collapsing at will.
But who made the female vine’s branch,
Wrap itself so tightly and cling so hard?
Even two grasses can share one heart,
Yet human hearts are not as faithful as grass.
Don’t roll up the dragon-hair mat,
Let it be, even if it traps us in its threads.
Keep the amber pillow for now,
Perhaps it may bring dreams of him once more.
Spilled water cannot be gathered to fill the cup again,
He has cast me aside and will not return.
Since ancient times, those truly in love did not betray each other —
Now all I see is the tomb at Qingling Terrace.
["I would rather die ten thousand deaths with shattered brocade wings than bear to be torn apart in the clouds."]
"I'd rather face death together than be separated in the clouds."
["Even two blades of grass share one heart; the human heart is not as true as grass."]
"Even plants and trees can love with one devoted heart; compared to them, the human heart falls short."
- 《Farewell to My Wife》 / Su Wu
- Book 3, Chapter 17 (Xiangliu goes to war after killing the Gu parasite)
- 结发为夫妻，恩爱两不疑。
- We became husband and wife from the time we tied our hair, our love and trust never in doubt.
["We tied our hair and became husband and wife, our love and trust never in doubt."]
"To bind the hair"
"If I live, I shall return to you; if I die, I will long for you forever."
❺ Betrayal of Trust and Loyalty (Tushan Jing’s Chapter)
To be read together with Sections 1-5 and 4-7-2 in the table of contents.
Self-evaluation:
It's really hard to say who Tushan Jing truly loves, but he clearly wants to have Xiaoyao — after all, she's the only one who never looked down on him.
Don’t listen to what he says — watch what he does.
Is it really love if you don’t care at all about “emotional connection”?
(Tushan Jing’s attitude toward the women and his brother is worth examining closely.)
Tushan Jing’s positioning of Lan Mei, Yi Ying, and Xiaoyao is actually quite clear:
Lan Mei (flower friend, sister-in-law), Yi Ying (first wife), Xiaoyao (second wife/remarriage).
① Regarding the engagement to Yi Ying, he didn’t take any firm or direct action to break it off — he only wanted his grandmother to inform Yi Ying instead.
Grandmother thought he was being unreasonable.
He didn’t tell Grandmother about Xiaoyao’s true identity.
Grandmother never knew the real reason he insisted on breaking off the engagement.
She was convinced that Yi Ying was the rightful wife of the clan leader.
Yi Ying was the clan leader’s wife whom Grandmother had spent sixty hard years grooming.
Yi Ying was fulfilling her filial duty.
● Despite multiple warnings from several people, nothing changed.
Warning from the King of Gaoxin
➡️ Cangxuan’s First Warning
Xiaoyao’s Warning
Cangxuan’s Second Warning
Cangxuan’s 3 Warning
Cangxuan’s 4 Warning
Cangxuan’s 5 Warning
Cangxuan’s 6 Warning
Cangxuan’s 7 Warning
XiangLiu warning
Cangxuan’s Eighth Warning
You don’t realize it until you start counting — and once you do, there’s a whole basketful. So many repetitive lines going back and forth, even keeping track of them is exhausting. This boring, cliché family drama is such an eyesore — even one more glance feels like it pollutes the eyes.
(If not for Xiangliu, who could even bear this crappy plot...)
Cangxuan couldn't take it anymore — just hurry up and kill him...
◐ Like "High Mountains and Flowing Water" — soulmates who understand each other, each kills their own enemy.
Heaven-chosen soulmate
• Cangxuan kills Tushan Jing
In the book version, Cangxuan teams up with Tushan Hou to strangle Tushan Jing to death.
• Xinyue tries to kill Xiaoyao
In the book version, Xinyue teams up with Fenglong to hunt down Xiaoyao (of course, both times she was saved by Xiangliu).
• Hurting each other
Both emotionally broke down
- "Testing Xiaoyao’s attitude through others’ words."
"Testing Xiaoyao's willingness to become a concubine through Grandmother's words."
"Using Li Rongchang’s words to probe Xiaoyao’s attitude toward becoming a mistress."
• In the end, they successfully got married and had children
② Various “fifteen-year promise” warnings
● Ye Shiqi warning
Deal made
• The engagement remains, and the warnings don’t stop
Before returning to the Tushan family — Fifteen-Year Warning 1
Setting sail — Fifteen-Year Warning 2
Qiyuan — Fifteen-Year Warning 3
Cangxuan refurbishes the palace — Fifteen-Year Warning 4
• Even after a hundred years, the promise was still never fulfilled.
● Unwilling to let go of the Tushan Jing identity
He said he wouldn’t be Tushan Jing anymore — but his actions told the truth...
"Unwilling to part with"
"Don’t do (it)"
"Willing to give up everything."
"To become the leader of the Tushan clan."
③ Protecting Yi Ying’s reputation
Tushan Jing as judge: Xiaoyao vs. Yi Ying
Whether for the sake of the Tushan clan’s interests or his own strategy, Jing always gave Yi Ying full respect as the official wife in public.
In every situation where Yi Ying and Xiaoyao appeared together, Yi Ying always came out on top...
Clear awareness
[The drama version made major changes to how Tushan Jing and Yi Ying interact publicly, but it still didn’t change the outcome.]
The two walk side by side
• R1: Fenglong invites Cangxuan (modified in the drama version)
The loving engaged couple in Xinyue’s eyes
Yi Ying wins by tugging his sleeve
Xiao Liu leaves the scene
• R2: Watching fireworks (modified in the drama version)
Yiying and Jing appear loving, while Xiao Liu only envies Yiying’s beauty.
The drama version changed the banquet scene to show envy of Yi Ying’s beauty.
The drama version changed it to show a fake version of Yi Ying and Jing appearing loving.
• R3: Banquet scene on the ship before setting sail
In the book version, Yi Ying and Jing constantly flaunt their love — in the past and in the present.
Minor change in the drama version: past affection remains, and even now, Yi Ying must not be embarrassed in public.
• R4: Encounter outside the casino
In the book version, she directly followed along and called him Second Brother.
Minor change in the drama version: she hesitated a little before calling him Second Brother.
• R5: Fenglong and Xinyue’s birthday banquet (Part 1)
The Fangfeng siblings come out victorious.
• R6: Fenglong and Xinyue’s Birthday Banquet (Part 2)
In the book version, Jing stops Xinyue
Modified in the drama version
Follow-up:
Jing: Yi Ying’s reputation matters
Cangxuan: My sister’s feelings matter (questionable?)
• R7: Encounter at the Armory Register
Outside the weapon shop
Second Brother
付钱 – Pays the bill / Pays the money
The drama changed Tushan Jing so much that it’s hard to even tell what his character is supposed to be anymore.
• R8: It’s a pregnancy pulse!
Originally intended to kill two birds with one stone.
Asking for help at the same time
While helping to treat the illness
There’s no way to deny it — the child is exactly what he wanted... and in the end, Yi Ying won overwhelmingly.
He stayed silent for three months after it happened, just waiting for Xiaoyao to show up and be humiliated.
• R9: He kept the scandal private to protect the reputation of the Tushan clan and Yi Ying — and acknowledged the child as his own.
Kept private
• R10: Tushan Zhen inherits the clan leadership
After Jing died, the elders approved Zhen.
Even with Jing still alive, the elders still approved Zhen.
④ Does not protect Xiaoyao’s reputation
Tushan Jing never really defended Xiaoyao’s reputation (of course, he didn’t even care about Fenglong — let alone Xiaoyao).
Cangxuan, in the early stages, made a strong effort to protect her publicly (later he revealed her true identity in a big way),
and Xiangliu actually did his best to protect her...
• Secret affair in the Dragonbone Prison
Cangxuan protects (her)
Cangxuan gives a warning, but Tushan Jing doesn’t defend her.
• Secret affair in the Osmanthus Garden
In the drama version, Fenglong saw it all clearly — he was completely shocked.
Fenglong, in pursuing Xiaoyao, honestly told her everything.
Didn’t tell Fenglong, didn’t treat him as a brother (putting yourself in Fenglong’s shoes, this whole thing is just disgusting...)
In the end, Fenglong graciously forgave him and continued being a good brother.
• Brutal rescue in the plum forest
Cangxuan protects, Xiangliu protects
• Returns from the seabed to save Jing
Cangxuan protects (from his perspective: Xiaoyao is the one clinging to him)
• Sabotages Xiaoyao and Fenglong’s marriage arrangement
Fenglong, wanting to marry Xiaoyao, honestly told her once again.
Unable to let go himself, he secretly got someone to sabotage things behind the scenes. (Putting yourself in Fenglong’s shoes — being backstabbed by a brother again is suffocating, absolutely sickening...) Yet Fenglong, being gracious, still forgave him.
• Public reaction to the marriage snatching
An unusual flush on Jing’s face (I could barely hold back my laughter).
Cangxuan: Hehe
King of Gaoxin: Get ready to marry into her family.
Old King Xuanyuan: What’s going on?
(Brings her back to grant a marriage, to keep her away from Cangxuan)
The Great Wilderness crowd: So exciting! Such deep love between Yaoyao and Bei!
Sharp-tongued attack
• Silently approves of Xiaoyao personally seducing Hou
Jing: I failed to keep all the promises I made to you before, but this time, I’ll make sure to keep it!
Jing: This time, you're going to seduce my big brother — and I’ll fully support you!
Xinyue: Thought Xiaoyao and Bei were deeply in love, but she turned around and started flirting with someone else.
Cangxuan stands up for her
Sharp-tongued attack
• Because the scandal wasn't made public, she could only become a second wife and stepmother
Wait a year — the ceremony for a second wife is less formal than that of the first wife.
Xinyue makes her move
Xinyue’s sharp commentary
◐ Rowdy and disreputable friends
(Explicitly a derogatory term)
(Jing and Chang are clearly written as rowdy bad-influence friends — no way that’s just a coincidence, haha...)
Rowdy, disreputable friends — these lines aren’t subtle insults, they’re outright ones...
• A head-on confrontation
Tushan Jing pretends to be honest in front of Xiaoyao (modified in the drama version)
◐ Xiangliu’s eye roll
(What kind of trash are you, and what kind of look is Liuzi giving you...)
⑤ Hoped Xiaoyao would become as ugly as possible, so no one else would want her — better to keep her all to himself.
In this, Yaoyao and Jing are completely in sync — one wishes the other would become uglier, the other hopes they’d fall more broken.
(Under normal circumstances, people in love want the best for each other. But with Yaoyao and Jing, it’s the opposite — they wish the other would fall lower, just so they can feel “worthy” of each other and be locked together forever...)
Being an ugly freak is great — no one else wants you, so I get to have you all to myself.
Being all broken and battered is great — no one else wants you, so I get to have you all to myself.
Yiying isn’t interested in Jing, and Xiaoyao finds that perfectly reasonable.
Tushan Jing feels anxious about Xiaoyao’s attractive appearance.
Upon hearing that Xiaoyao might be a beauty, Jing became very anxious.
Seeing the great princess’s beauty, Jing became even more anxious.
“You're amazing, and I'm not worthy of you” — the classic pity act.
Don't call that insecurity.
Someone truly insecure wouldn’t cling so desperately to a “fifteen-year promise.”
This isn’t low self-esteem — it’s unparalleled scheming.
⑥ Tushan Jing doesn’t care about Xiaoyao’s preferences (as pointed out by netizens)
Tushan Jing “liking Xiaoyao” is honestly a false premise… because he constantly goes against everything she likes.
Jingye truly understands sarcasm.
Suddenly reminded of the saying: “Liking is about possession and taking; love is about giving and sacrifice.”
From that perspective, Jing probably does just like Xiaoyao…
● Xiaoyao doesn’t eat longan.
Xiaoyao told Jing that she doesn’t eat longan.
Jing prepared a big plate of longan...
● Xiaoyao likes drinking strong liquor.
Even Fenglong knew to change it,
but Tushan Jing said Xiaoyao likes drinking green plum wine...
Only prepared green plum wine.
So, what does Xiaoyao actually like to drink?
Xiaoyao wants to drink strong liquor.
Jing gives tea, Xuan gives strong liquor.
No wonder some suspect that this Jing can actually force-feed strong liquor.
● Xiaoyao likes snow, fears heat, and enjoys cold water to cool off and swimming.
Xiaoyao likes snow.
Fearing the heat, (she) cools off in the pond at Yiqing Garden.
The pond Jing made is supplied with hot spring water... (Jing, are you really intentionally going against Sister Tian?)
● Xiaoyao wants the top-quality fish-dan red that can stay in the water for a long time.
Xiaoyao wants the finest fish-dan red to extend her time in the water.
Jing just casually picked a fish-dan purple from the home warehouse...
● Xiaoyao likes freedom and excitement.
Xiaoyao likes to be free and at ease.
Jing would love to hide Xiaoyao deep inside the mansion...
● Xiaoyao likes Xiangliu.
Jing is perceptive and understands people’s hearts.
Presenting the fifteen-year promise—guard your heart well.
● Xiaoyao doesn’t care about Jing’s feelings either
• Yaoyao and Jing’s marriage proposal (drama version modification)
Xiaoyao also doesn’t care about Jing’s feelings, and finally found the excuse of studying medical books to avoid the marriage...
Jing: I have something to say.
Yaoyao: No need to say it — I know you're encouraging me to study medical texts!
Jing: Huh? (Are you about to start performing again?)
Jing: Heh… shattered.
Yaoyao: What’s wrong with you?
Jing: Look at me — I’m perfectly fine.
• Yaoyao and Xiangliu pulling at each other outside the casino
"Teacher Yang Zi, did you just realize that Xiaoyao doesn't seem to care much about Tushan Jing?"
• "Not many memories about Dragon Bone Prison."
"It's not completely gone either — there are some memories, but not many."
• "Directly suggested that her maternal grandfather change his brush and ink."
"Can't you keep (or save) it?"
❶ A Thousand Faces for a Thousand People (Filter Crossover Edition)
(This part is a crossover with Tong Hua’s new drama — just for fun, no need to overthink it ❌)
Note ⚠️: “Filter” and “Lost You Forever” are two completely independent stories. The only commonality is Tong Hua’s signature narrative “logic and thinking style”…
Male version vs Female version
Our hearts beat together
Overpowered in combat, Su Chengcheng (“Full-level Yushan account” version of Sister Yao) VS Strong mind but weak body, Tang Qi (“No cultivation technique” version of Liu Zi)
My son(Tong Hua's inner voice: Xiangliu is my son, a perfectly crafted character — his arch-enemy doesn't like him? No taste!)
Lin Yuan = Tong “Mouth”
A handsome guy has arrived
● Theme
【Life】
Toad oil
Hold on tightly to both love and responsibility (want them all)
Want both love and responsibility (Liu Zi’s inner voice: Xiaoyao and the righteous army—I want them all)
• Accepting your imperfect self
“Participation award” — plain-looking, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, can take on ten opponents alone.
Four-color observer
【Love】
Mobius strip: eternal and perfect love
Her courage and kindness are a beam of light shining into my heart
If your eyes can't see the truth clearly, your heart will tell you the answer.
Humans who think they know everything see kissing as “love” (the real situation).
Xiaoyao rides the little wooden horse made by daddy.
Xiaoyao’s Shongshong Mirror
Sister Yao lounging on a chair, crossing her legs and sunbathing
“Eat” a walnut, listen to the voice of the heart
Jealouse
Sharing the same bed and pillow (the pillows were flipped just to get a close-up of the "two fish")
Spider weaving a web: waiting for prey to fall into the trap.
You turned and left, taking away all the colors of the world. From that moment on, you were gone, and life held no more expectations.
(With you gone, even the most beautiful scenery loses its meaning; if you don’t come, even the most splendid world feels desolate.)
Tang Qi’s inner voice: Don’t assume I’m “heartbroken” and want to commit suicide…?
Prince Rupert's Drop
White Snake crossing the river in the same boat
The beast's instinct
Together, we admire the beauty of the mortal world(A person like a rainbow — only upon meeting them do you realize such things exist)
Desire sparked by physical attraction
Xiaoyao’s bronze figure (Shenjing Bing has already imagined the scene of Liu Zi turning into a bronze statue...?)
Soul-level love (The blogger is like a loudspeaker, always stealing the official lines...)
All of it is fake? Then what is real?
You’d have to be truly blind not to see the “extremely high combat power,” right?
Two Jing/Jin
An octopus can turn invisible and disguise itself as a “sea snake” — these are natural survival instincts of animals: to intimidate enemies and protect the secret of their true form.
The scumbag in the main plotline, and all the hidden plotlines are just disguises of the young couple(Tong Hua teaches how to use perspective differences to write two stories at the same time)
Recognizing someone by the heartbeat
[There really are two Fang Jin
Just two
One makes my heart
beat fast, beat fast — the one I like
The other makes my heart completely calm
so calm — the one I don't like
Believe me]
Guess who I am?
Modern version of the Lover's Gu
(So this is the little trick you lovebirds are playing? The blogger once imagined Sister Yao talking to the Lover's Gu every day saying, “Hubby, I love you~”, but it turns out it’s the secretly affectionate Liu Zi saying it to Sister Yao instead…)
Final form: "Invisibility" (visual concealment)
【Ideal vs. Reality】
(At first, the blogger thought it was about two kinds of "perfect" views on love, but in the end, it turned out to be a contrast between light and darkness.)
Camera language (background)
Love and acceptance (what is said out loud)
Exerting one's subjective initiative (like a frog slowly being boiled in warm water)
Successful pregnancy preservation
(Let’s see how everyone interprets it — Gu Yu’s “love” might be real, but having his own “selfish motives” is also real… it’s a bit of a Hamlet situation.)
Fortune
"Pride and Prejudice"
Status vs. Appearance
Changing one’s identity vs. changing one’s appearance
What is it that you truly like?
Is it just this identity or this face that you like?
If what you like is just this identity or this face, then once it’s gone, you won’t need to like it anymore.
[I only like you.]
It’s all my fault.
No matter who “you” are, I only like “you.”
[Spiritual Power Soothing] (General use)
Ye Shiqi soothed and relieved Xiao Liu’s pain without using spiritual power.
(When Ye Shiqi didn’t have spiritual medicine, he soothed Xiao Liu without using spiritual power; Tushan Jing, who has an endless supply of spiritual medicine, has now started using spiritual power to soothe Xiao Liu.) What an interesting little fox.
[Illusion spell that confuses the five senses]
Numbing the sensory system
Mist and water illusion (excerpt)
Tushan Jing actually knows fire magic (from a netizen)
◐ Tushan Jing's spiritual power after the “disaster”
• Spiritual power status
While imprisoned, he completely lost his spiritual power.
Before leaving Qingshui Town, his spiritual power had fully recovered
• Clashed with Haitang
Stronger than Haitang
Haitang is a maid personally assigned to A'Nian by the King of Gaoxin
Ordinary people can’t afford to use it
• Clashed with a top expert from the god clan
Severely beat Shennong soldiers and Gaoxin guards, but claimed he couldn't defeat top experts
• “Confronted” Xiangliu
Confronting Xiangliu (this tiny little guy? Just pretending to be tough)
You said you couldn’t beat anyone — and now you think you can beat Liu Zi?
It’s because he knows the righteous army can still be used to hold him back — Liu Zi wouldn’t really harm him. But the top experts of the Gaoxin god clan only obey the King of Gaoxin, so that’s a different story…
• The direct bloodline descendants of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, ancestors of the Tushan Clan, are often born with the ability to shapeshift.
The Tushan Clan is skilled in illusion techniques.
Even divine powers cannot see through the illusion techniques of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Once the Nine-Tailed Fox regains spiritual power and transforms, outsiders simply cannot recognize him (Drama version Jing isn’t telling the truth — solid proof #3).
Tushan Jing said he was afraid of creating enmity with the liu Xuan, so he chose to run away even at the risk of Liu being beaten to death by Xuan?
● Hibiscus flower
Flower meaning: Gentle perseverance, eternity
Symbolism: The hibiscus flower blooms with grace, yet it possesses strong vitality. It symbolizes a resilient character that remains strong despite enduring many hardships.
The hibiscus flower also carries the meaning of eternal beauty — when one flower blooms and withers, many more will follow, bringing continuous beauty.
Another meaning is gentle perseverance, because the hibiscus has a long blooming season, and each flower blooms in the morning and falls by evening.
It also carries the flower meaning of simplicity and sincerity.
◐ Explanation of the hibiscus flower in the drama
In the drama version, the flowers growing by the riverside in Qingshui Town are hibiscus flowers. Pay close attention to the close-up shots of the hibiscus during the riverside conversation scene.
Chuanzi picked a hibiscus flower by the river and threw it to the beggar.
● Hibiscus flower (same as above)
Hidden plot close-up: Hibiscus flower, Xiangliu, and Xiao Liu appear in the same frame.
Close-up of the blooming hibiscus flower, other flowers blurred
(Hibiscus leaves are Xiangliu’s hair dye — see Directory 3-❶-⑤)
● Periwinkle (new addition in the drama version)
Xiaoyao is eating a poisonous flower — who is she thinking of? (Do not imitate)
(Periwinkle is a plant from the Apocynaceae family. The white sap that flows when its stems or leaves are broken is highly toxic and should never be ingested.)
Flower meaning: Eternal youth, joyful memories, loyalty
Symbolism: A person who seeks out the periwinkle tends to be sentimental and values friendship deeply. They are serious and sincere in what they do.
In love, this flower symbolizes two people who were once each other’s first love — even if they now have different partners, they still remember one another.
A Heng understands Gu magic and knows that Xiaoyao has planted a Lover’s Gu—meaning she already has a lover.
(If the book version didn’t make A Heng’s sarcastic remarks to Xiaoyao and Jing clear, the drama version expresses it very obviously…)
"Now that you’ve grown up, and you have someone you love, and Zhuan Xu is also taking care of you, I can leave in peace and reunite with your father."
◐ Xiling Jiuyao
(Truly a textbook example of “three dishes from one fish”)
• What Xiaoyao says out loud.
Xiling and Tushan
• What Xiaoyao is thinking in her heart.
The wife of the Beast King/Demon King — the Xiling Priestess
Deconstructing the character Tushan Zhen (涂山瑱)AkuMau:
The name "Zhen (瑱)" definitely seems to carry some deeper meaning…
▽– Did Grandma know about Zhen’s background?
• This is just like whether Grandma knew it was Hou who harmed Jing… When she chose the name, she didn’t avoid the father’s name taboo at all. Jing and Zhen ended up being named like “brothers.” Think about that? (For reference only)
Dear @AkuMau
I haven't return to this thread for some time, passed by today and your posts captured my attention. There are many interesting points that make me think of the drama and the book again.
Talking about the topic of Zhen's meaning:
I have never looked up the character Zhen 瑱 and I don't recall who gave the baby name. It seems that in the drama the grandmother named Yiying's baby. Character 瑱 with pinyin of "zhen" means jade jewelry on a crown which hangs over the ears. It definitely links to Jing's name which also has jade element in his name.
The interesting part is the same character with pinyin of "tiàn" means jade ear plugs and there is an idiom "以规为瑱 " [yǐ ɡuī wéi tiàn] which means "pay no attention to another's advice" or "ignore the rules". It implies Jing's grandma's intention and action. She knew her action to trap Jing is beyond the rule. She probably knew or sensed Yiying and Hou's relationship. In any case, the baby was still direct descendant of her husband and entitled the clan leader in future. She empathized Hou and this can be considered as compensation for his mistreatment by Jing's mother and his disqualification as clan leader by the clan seniors if the baby was Hou's son.
Hi, I’m new here and really regret not finding this thread sooner. Today I finished reading all the pages, and I truly enjoyed it. I’d like to share a link with you — it’s an analysis of Yao Liu based on the drama adaptation. You might find some similarities between the novel analysis discussed in this thread and what’s shown in the drama. There are also a few parts that I personally find a bit too dark, but of course, that’s up to individual interpretation. Enjoy it if you have some free time!
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/699826956?utm_psn=1792613331888119810
Welcome to the board, AkuMau. It's impressive that you read through all 750+ pages of this thread. Thank you for contributing to the discussion. I have not had the chance to read through them, yet.
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