OMG!!! I’m seriously on the verge of dropping this drama. The only reason I haven’t yet is because the overall story is actually interesting. But wow, this drama is really testing my patience with the character QC. I don’t even find QJT or Madam Black Fox as annoying as I find him. His obsession with QT is just so cringey and completely unnecessary. That whole plotline is dragging on for way too long. And QT—ugh, in today’s episode I swear she only had two brain cells left. How can she not see that her so-called brother is the real villain? and not the clones of Madam Black Fox.
So, here’s what I’ve understood after watching the dramas:The Tushan Fox Clan (and allied spirits) take on…
Yes, I know that the seed of the main Grief Tree was given to her by the Tushan Elders. However, because she nurtured the tree with hatred and negative emotions, it eventually transformed into the Black Grief Tree. As I mentioned earlier, a normal Grief Tree can turn into a Black Grief Tree if it is nurtured with hate.
So, here’s what I’ve understood after watching the dramas:The Tushan Fox Clan (and allied spirits) take on…
The Seal is an artifact which possesses the ability to predict the future made by Prince Ao Lai. This Third Prince appears in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact. I didn’t watch that drama closely—just enough to understand the storylines involving the Black Fox and the Black Grief Tree so I could follow them better in LIP and SAB.
Its in Dashing Youth - he had a son Ye Anshi with Yi Wenjun. That son is also Wuxin in TBOY.
Yi Wenjun has two sons — one with Ye Ding Chi (from DY), Wu Xin / Ye An Shi (appearing in TBOY and DY), and another with Crown Prince Xiao Ruo Jin (from DY), later known as Emperor Ming De (in TBOY), whose son is Xiao Yu / Prince Chi (in TBOY).
So, here’s what I’ve understood after watching the dramas:The Tushan Fox Clan (and allied spirits) take on…
Let me break down the story by each drama: 1) Red-Moon Pact The Grief Tree begins to weaken as negative emotions seep into the realm. The Black Fox uses this weakness to invade, turning love into hatred to feed on that dark energy. Tushan Honghong (Red Fox leader) and Dongfang Yuechu work together to save both humans and spirits. Yuechu’s spiritual blood is the key to purifying the Tree. Honghong sacrifices her spirit bone, and Yuechu offers his blood to reseal the corruption. The Grief Tree is saved — for now — but the Black Fox’s root isn’t fully destroyed, hinting at a lingering curse. 2)Love in Pavilion (Past Lives Arc) Set before the Red-Moon events, this arc dives into how the Tushan Fox Clan came to guard the Grief Tree. We see the first manifestation of the “Black Grief Tree”, born from centuries of sorrow and betrayal. The Black Fox’s energy merges with it, creating a dark mirror of the real Tree — a symbol of corrupted love. The fox-spirit ancestors discover that when too much grief gathers beneath the Tree, it births resentful energy. This energy is sealed, but fragments remain — those fragments are what later awaken as the Black Fox. 3)Sword and Beloved (Future Arc) The balance restored by Honghong and Yuechu starts to break again centuries later. The Black Grief Tree begins to re-emerge as the seal weakens — not just from hatred, but from forgotten promises and broken fates. The Black Fox’s remnant consciousness manipulates mortals and spirits through reincarnation, seeking full revival. A new generation of fox-spirits and humans must confront the same moral question: Is love worth the pain it inevitably brings? The ultimate goal becomes not just sealing the corruption, but understanding and integrating grief instead of suppressing it — transforming the dark energy back into light. 🦊 Summary The Grief Tree represents pure emotional energy — the link between humans and spirits. The Black Grief Tree represents corrupted emotion — grief turned into obsession and hatred. The Black Fox is the consciousness born from that corruption, always seeking to destabilize the realms. Across all three arcs, every generation of lovers (human + spirit) relives this struggle — love healing corruption, hatred feeding it again.
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Edit: Now that you’ve mentioned all those scenes, it really does feel like she’s going to die.
1) Red-Moon Pact
The Grief Tree begins to weaken as negative emotions seep into the realm. The Black Fox uses this weakness to invade, turning love into hatred to feed on that dark energy. Tushan Honghong (Red Fox leader) and Dongfang Yuechu work together to save both humans and spirits. Yuechu’s spiritual blood is the key to purifying the Tree. Honghong sacrifices her spirit bone, and Yuechu offers his blood to reseal the corruption. The Grief Tree is saved — for now — but the Black Fox’s root isn’t fully destroyed, hinting at a lingering curse.
2)Love in Pavilion (Past Lives Arc)
Set before the Red-Moon events, this arc dives into how the Tushan Fox Clan came to guard the Grief Tree. We see the first manifestation of the “Black Grief Tree”, born from centuries of sorrow and betrayal. The Black Fox’s energy merges with it, creating a dark mirror of the real Tree — a symbol of corrupted love. The fox-spirit ancestors discover that when too much grief gathers beneath the Tree, it births resentful energy. This energy is sealed, but fragments remain — those fragments are what later awaken as the Black Fox.
3)Sword and Beloved (Future Arc)
The balance restored by Honghong and Yuechu starts to break again centuries later. The Black Grief Tree begins to re-emerge as the seal weakens — not just from hatred, but from forgotten promises and broken fates. The Black Fox’s remnant consciousness manipulates mortals and spirits through reincarnation, seeking full revival. A new generation of fox-spirits and humans must confront the same moral question: Is love worth the pain it inevitably brings? The ultimate goal becomes not just sealing the corruption, but understanding and integrating grief instead of suppressing it — transforming the dark energy back into light.
🦊 Summary
The Grief Tree represents pure emotional energy — the link between humans and spirits.
The Black Grief Tree represents corrupted emotion — grief turned into obsession and hatred.
The Black Fox is the consciousness born from that corruption, always seeking to destabilize the realms.
Across all three arcs, every generation of lovers (human + spirit) relives this struggle — love healing corruption, hatred feeding it again.