Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 Kokuto:

That's a good question ...  I would guess that whatever he could control, he did, to make it pleasurable.

Whether intentional or not, yes, they both knew the other knew of the physical sensations.  Remember, when Cang Xuan had the bug, he told her he could feel XL biting her neck and she should avoid those sort of encounters (sexual) when wounded.

Oh, thank you, I remembered that just now! But did she come to realize this, or did she, as usual, postpone this realization beyond her reality denial syndrome? Somewhere in the novel, she seems to have told someone that Xiang Liu could only feel physical pain from her. Did she really think so, or was she lying, as usual (what a lying heroine!). If she realized that he felt not only her pain but also her other physical sensations, then wouldn't it have been awkward for her to kiss Jing, knowing that Xiang Liu felt it? Would she have cared? And wouldn't she have been embarrassed or anxious at all about having those sensations from Xiang Liu? I wouldn't agree to feel that way about some man who was just my friend and would not let it happen again once realized. 😬

 HeadInTheClouds:

Jing, more than anyone, had a front row seat to the Xiang Liu/Xiao Yao's relationship. This was very clear in the novel.

Your interpretation of this will depend on how you view this love triangle.

Have you read the novel, or is this purely from the drama? 

Yes, I have, but quite a while ago though. I know that Jing had 'the front seat', but I meant that it always surprised me how shockingly ignorant XY was. She knew Jing loved her, and she cared about him but didn't think that her feelings for XL would/could hurt Jing. 

On the other hand, she  did try to downplay the meaning of the Voodoo King's words (as if she didn't realise that Jing already knew everything about her feelings).

 HeadInTheClouds:

In the drama, Xiang Liu never drew blood from her neck once she became Xiao Yao.

Well, yes, not in the drama, but he did in the novel.

 MountainPine:

I share your vision on this.

Just think of the moment when, already on a late stage of the relationship between Jing and Xiao Yao, he suddenly discovers that she is still preparing poison for Xiang Liu. He asks her anxiously about it, and she is like: "Yeah, so what?" And then she is completely indifferent and ignoring his emotions at that moment. She does not even try to reassure him in any way.

That! That's what I mean. What a good example! And your question re: what XY knew about the bug connection and what XL could feel through them is spot on. CX did mention to her that he could feel her arousal, but in some way that was part of biting and blood drinking. Did XY assume CX would feel the same if that was a normal kiss (or more) without any biting? I think there was no any other moment in the drama or novel that would confirm XY's knowledge? 

 MountainPine:

But did she come to realize this, or did she, as usual, postpone this realization beyond her reality denial syndrome?

CX flat out told her.  But it is entirely possible she decided to lie to herself about it.  Because later, there's a conversation where XL tells her that he feels what her heart feels.  If she doesn't want him to feel her sadness, she needed to not be sad.. or he'd rip her heart or something.  lol   I think it was when CX got married one time.  XL was wearing that dark red costume and came to take her away from the event.

 MountainPine:

If she realized that he felt not only her pain but also her other physical sensations, then wouldn't it have been awkward for her to kiss Jing, knowing that Xiang Liu felt it? Would she have cared?

Well, there's several takes on this.  I tend to think XY is more often than not, self centered, or self protecting, and doesn't really consider how it makes XL feel.  There was a passage in the novel, after Jing married, and when she was really depressed, where she said something about laying there at night, and taking comfort in knowing that she shared her heart pain with XL.

Of course, if you adhere to the substitution theory, then kissing Jing is the only way she can kiss XL.  Though, we can see in the drama, that XL didn't seem to see it that way. ;p

 primaspe:

Did XY assume CX would feel the same if that was a normal kiss (or more) without any biting? I think there was no any other moment in the drama or novel that would confirm XY's knowledge?

I thought it was clear, and that she understood what he was saying, but with XY, who knows?  But yes, as I said above, XL explained he could also feel her emotions, later.

 primaspe:

I was under impression that the physical sensation was unintentional and more like a side effect (the way predators have different types of venom that have different effects on the body) .

 Kokuto:

 I tend to think XY is more often than not, self centered, or self protecting, and doesn't really consider how it makes XL feel

I wish there was a certified psychologist among the fans who could create something like a personality and character map of Xiao Yao. Something like a database (which would still look like a labyrinth, haha). Because she is a very interesting person with all her chaos and contradictions. A very lively character. Almost like Xiang Liu. In contradiction, he is very "whole", orderly, reasonable, rational, and has rare high character traits. It would seem that in this case the character would look unreal. But he is the most lively character of all that I have seen.

 MountainPine:

Also, is it said somewhere in the novel (I can't remember or conclude) that he drank blood from people on a regular basis, or is this something he only did with Xiao Yao? 😏

He drinks XY's blood because it has special properties that accelerate his healing. I don't think drinking blood is something that he has a habit of doing.  

 MountainPine:

He asks her anxiously about it, and she is like: "Yeah, so what?" And then she is completely indifferent and ignoring his emotions at that moment. She does not even try to reassure him in any way.

Are you guys trying to erode whatever affections I have for Xiao Yao to nothing?  You're making me feel bad for Jing.  For a second. Until I remembered that he was plenty manipulative and did his darnedest best to keep her by him.  Oh, well! She should have tortured him some more :-).

If she realized that he felt not only her pain but also her other physical sensations, then wouldn't it have been awkward for her to kiss Jing, knowing that Xiang Liu felt it? Would she have cared?"

The way I see it, XY was never certain or at least was always confused about XL's feelings for her, so I don't believe she thought that XL would care or even pay much attention to her moments with jing. În fact I believe that, for most of the story, XY thought that her love was one sided.
 IMO she first rejected him because she thought her family is worth more than a short term relationship with a man who's looking for her every once în a while only for a bit of fun or even worse, who uses her as a pawn, so she believed that it's better to free herself while she's still able to rather than reaching the point of craving the whole jar of honey, while keep receiving drops of it.

Let's not forget that she was planning to leave QS's Town even before CX came after her and the reason for that, IMO, was the realization of her own feelings for XL versus the aknowledgement that CX, her lost brother, never abandoned her and never gave up looking for her. It's only after this aknowledgement that XL and her became enemies, she didn't care about that before because she thought her family abandoned her. She thought she can get rid of her feelings by running away, but she was already in too deep. At the palace, while being surrounded by her family and Jing, her mind was still at XL, nothing was exciting enough. She kept making poisons for him, kept checking her mirror, was irritated at ah nian for not being able to be as fun as XL etc.
 As a side note, contrary to what a lot of people think, I believe XY was very aware of her feelings, hence that fragment that I kept posting about how she admits how she now understands her mom's look at Chi cken. For sure that wasn't pointed at Jing, since afterwards she felt the need to think of Jing and Shaohao în order to get rid of her thoughts.
Anyway, what I am trying to say is that, IMO, she was never în denial about her feelings, but was always confused about XL's and there were parts în the novel where I believe that she was even under the impression that XL has no feelings whatsoever for her, therefore kissing Jing wouldn't have been a big deal for XL, if at all.
XY started to get kind of active in pursuing XL only after she found out that XL îs Bei and mostly after their 37 years togheter, but that's not necessary because she thought of the possibility of having a future with Bei, but maybe because she also started to realize that XL is not that indifferent towards her as she believed. Let's recall her thoughts in QS's Town, after she sent him the Crystal ball and XL rejected it

"Xiaoyao was dejected. Xiangliu was right. It was a fair deal between her and him. Even if it happened again, knowing that she would have to bear the consequences now, she would still choose to transplant the Gu to Xiangliu in order to protect Zhuanxu. It was just because Xiangliu hadn't asked her for compensation for too long, and because she took Fangfengbei seriously, the relationship between the two was covered with a veil of tenderness. Xiaoyao forgot that it was a deal between him and her. No matter how he treated her, she had no right to be indignant."

Bottom line, to me the question is had XY known for sure that XL always loved her, would she have made the same choice? IMO no, otherwise I see no point for XL to slowly erase himself completely from her life and leave her thinking that everything between them was just part of a deal. He knew she would have choose him if giving  the opportunity.
Yang Zi said that only Jing chose her and I highly agree with this statement. Not because XY would have been unwilling to pick the general XL, I mean let's just recall her happiness and heartbreak when she realized that XL didn't want to see her after the 37 years underwater, the Crystal Ball she worked on for 4 years, her desperate attempts to find out if what voodoo king said was true, etc...but because XL didn't want her to go through the loss of her lover too.