Johanna Linnea Karlsson

And this is how he is disarming. Even she has to stop crying.

XL had to do it the horrific way however, as he knew he had to kill her love for him. He killed his FFB alterego and she grieved as if it was a death.
Not until she leaves for Jing's mansion do we see that FFB isn't just an act, XL smirks and is wholly the XL/FFB that he's never allowed XY to see.
He and his 9 heads are something else in their scheming to push her in to Jing's arms.
Everything he does is for her future for after he's gone.
His 9 headed self came up with a plan that works for him, XY, and his beloved army. He's always been able to think his way to benefitting the only two things that matter to him.
The fact that old 9 heads cannot think his way in to a future with her, goes to show the impossibility of it all.
Think Doctor Strange and the infinite possible futures - in only ONE do they win.
In only a future without XL does XY live a peaceful, happy ever after.

XL had to do it the horrific way however, as he knew he had to kill her love for him. He killed his FFB alterego and she grieved as if it was a death.
Not until she leaves for Jing's mansion do we see that FFB isn't just an act, XL smirks and is wholly the XL/FFB that he's never allowed XY to see.
He and his 9 heads are something else in their scheming to push her in to Jing's arms.
Everything he does is for her future for after he's gone.
His 9 headed self came up with a plan that works for him, XY, and his beloved army. He's always been able to think his way to benefitting the only two things that matter to him.
The fact that old 9 heads cannot think his way in to a future with her, goes to show the impossibility of it all.
Think Doctor Strange and the infinite possible futures - in only ONE do they win.
In only a future without XL does XY live a peaceful, happy ever after.

Course you can.

Well, FFB isn't as gone as he wants her to believe, he's obviously smirking after her as she leaves the village to skedaddle to Jing.
Can we just delulu for a couple of episodes longer?
We know he has no future what so ever, his death was decided long before he met her.

This is literally what they say! how the saying goes, whatever!
It's not genuine, just performative if you let the object of your efforts know the extent of your efforts.
It is not true and PURE, if you 'burden' them with the knowledge.
If you tell people about the good you do.

XLs selflessness makes me want to be a better person.
I'm sour and abbrasive too.

I'm hoping much against hope that Jing and XL's mutual friend breaks ranks and shines a light up on what's gone on behind the scenes.
I feel hes on the side lines seeing much... lots even.

I'm unravelling, I can't cope.

It's sad.
She sees what Jing does because others are there to see him do it, or he confides in others.
Old 9 heads would never do such a thing.

I am hoping against hope that there's a little 'Puck' amongst them, a little narrator who sees through even the 9 headed scheme.
I have my hopes on the buddy shared by both Xiang Liu and Jing, in fact Jing's wingman.
Please buddy, do enlighten , do shine a light.
9 heads goes through life unseen, but I cannot bear for Xiao Yao not to see HIM.
Because I know she does to a degree, please, why would you fall for such obvious false bravado... my good lady.

The selflessness is so grand scale, he has the conviction of a God.
When you're willing to go to the grave with your true heart. Let's not burden the girl.
His 9 heads leave no room for error, he will not let her carry affection.
He has no future, this is about her forever.
Love indeed does not boast, it is not proud, it is not self-seeking and he will not dishonour her by binding her to his own self. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love is patient, love is kind.. even as your heart breaks.
His love pushes her in to the arms of happily ever after.

And Gods, I think .. I fear she will truly never know to the extent..
It's enough to scramble your guts and leave you unable to sleep.
My stomach is not OK.
I'm not OK.
This is not OK!
But that's why 9 heads is 9 heads, and I'm just Johanna.
I am not truly selfless, I do not know how to have the conviction of a God, I must speak, I must rage against the unfairness.
I am only human.

This Novel goes so very hard.
The heart you can have for another creature is infinitely large, I know, I am a mother.

Because he has a master plan,
He has 9 heads remember, well fewer now possibly, but several heads to think with.
He knows Xiao Yao has feelings for him, he goes in HARD to kill her love for him in every way.
He wants her to have a ''lifetime of love, free from pain and woe'', he wants her to have her always and forever, at the cost of anything. He's willing to be the villain, the bad guy, the monster.
He manages, or so we think at least for now.

His love is really everywhere, but he never burdens her with it and he's willing to be completely selfless.
All he had to do was turn up after she gave him the mermaid orb, when she was waiting at the ocean for him, she would have gone with him then -
But our 9 heads has a master plan, that doesn't involve himself, but her pure, true happiness.

Is Xiang Liu still alive by the time supposedly Jing has been assassinated? or is he already gone.

Please do not read spoiler comment unless you want to possibly be terribly spoiled - novel readers only please.

I think general consensus is, nobody expected to like it so much.

Yes, out of everyone Huang Yao Shi is most immersive. He's a tremendous actor. I have a big crush on him again.

We are basically watching Flower Island play a song of perv, while Poison perv is perving on the young couple who were just married - and who are now listening to sex maniac flue solo. All the while poor FL has to witness all this, and ML by her side unable to move an inch.

What in tarnation.

What in 7 hells is ep 19?

Some people require the couple to ride off in to the sunset, these two do not, but they end up together and they aren't separated for long.

His death was over 8 years after their marriage, so we cannot say they didn't have a wonderful life together, they did.
The size of the tree tells us she die many, many years later, possibly over 20 years later and she saw her child grow up and have a family of her own most likely.
Then after nature took it's course, the day she passed she was transformed in to her young beautiful self and her spirit was transported to that hill, to that tree ... with his spirit racing on the wind to greet her.

It's beautiful, they had real love with real equals and they had many years together.

He didn't. He did die that day, but that day was at least 8 years in to the future, they had a happy married life.
End of ep 40 is her dying after having lived a long life - notice the age and size of the flowering tree.
His spirit is rushing with the wind on that horse to greet hers.

He does die in that battle.
The scene of her in a red dress running out the outside and up the hill to their tree - the tree being clearly several years old, maybe even 20 years old or more - is her having lived out her natural life as she said she would, in widowhood, and her spirit is finally reunites with his.