Say_do

Could you share a link for where you saw the preview?

I think it is because they are around the same area. In the beginning, JH went to a place that was not far so that he could set off smoke signals to warn the nearby villages of incoming intruders. And then he went back to Neuggunri and started tracing the intruders from there because they killed the old couple. GC & the other women ran, but not too far because they were on foot, the weather and because they had a newborn and a weak mother that had just given birth. Plus they spent a lot of time hiding. The intruders were much more agile and free, and had horses, so they were able to catch up with them quickly. And because JH had been tracing them, he was able to rescue GC. Generally, the places people are able to settle and hide are very very few and are not that far relatively, from the place the King is. And the current fights have been around the fortress where the King is trapped because the armies have been gathering to rescue him from there.

I just even re-read my original post and it was not even to defend a particular character, but to introduce a new perspective. This show is entertainment to us, but it is also one that makes us ponder because of how well the story is written. And for us to watch better, we have to understand better from the point of view of each character, as well as the author. The point of this post was not to say someone has done more than the other and so is better or more deserving. It was to say that relationships should be 100/100 which means that each person gives to the best of their own ability, regardless of difference in strength. And that is what they should be judged on, while also considering their weaknesses and their ability to change. Each character is doing their best in their given positions for what they want. They are doing the best they can, and even if they make mistakes now, they will get better because they're all going through a process. To say Jing is unable to sacrifice for XY is simply not true. XL would not even be such a ship captain of XY and Jing if he did not see him as a good fit and a good man, but that is by the way.
Think that all these people are flesh and blood and because of it, they will make mistakes too in their pursuit of happiness.

I NEED to see it. I hope they do not mess up that part gosh

To start with, why should he let go of his family for a woman? These are the people who raised him, who he grew up with and who he loves. If they asked you to let go of your parents or siblings just to be with a partner, would you? The thing that is important here is that Jing still loves his family, regardless of all the things they have done to him. And because of that, although he is kind by nature, he is really softhearted with them. The reason why he keep mentioning this sacrifice by Jing is because of how extraordinary it is to be willing to lay down all that you are just to be with someone else. It is an extraordinary sacrifice. To let go of your ties to the family you love, to let go of your prominent status, to let go of wealth that you had a hand in accumulating, all these things you grew up with for years longer than normal mortals live, just for one person.
On the other hand, we keep belittling this sacrifice when XY is neither willing nor able to do the same. Imagine giving it all up for a woman that told her brother that if you became her enemy or if she had to choose, she'd choose him. That is crazyyyyy. Why do we not expect XY to be able to make those same sacrifices to be with him? What is the great thing she is contributing to this relationship?

Even for him to leave, he needs time and to do things well. Should he because he wants to leave for her, cause a mess for his entire clan? That engagement is "political" and things of such nature should be handled carefully to mitigate the effects.

And like @Antinh85 said, he held on to his position because he wanted to be on the same level as her. To be worthy of her so that they'd be able to get approval to get married. is that so bad?

Another thing is, we keep saying XL is the biggest "what if." That may be true, but to get to the root of it is to as "what if" for every other character. If XY lived well with both her parents, did not get abandoned for 70 years and did not go through torture, the person she'd be most likely to marry is CX, or maybe not even him at all. XY of today and her choices now reflect her experiences in life. The things she decided on that helped her survive and what she thinks is best for her. XY of the second season is somewhat different because she is learning to embrace things & make even detrimental sacrifices because the thing/ person she wants is worth is and so is she. She deserves to seek the best for herself, even by doing things she said she'd never do, because she has a newer perspective. And the XY even much later will experience changes too because of what she will learn on the way.
If XL was not bound to Gong Gong, because he is skilled, he may still rise to be a general in an army & would still be loyal & loving, but he may never meet XY, especially not get to know her and connect with her on their somewhat common tragedies because she's too far for him to reach and they both don't have similar experiences. If Jing did not go through betrayal & suffer torture from the older brother he loved and admired, he would not have met XY to save him & give him the will to live. Come to think of it now, they may have met because of their statuses, at important gatherings, and maybe they would have fallen for each other. But the flow of their relationship would have been different. Their fundamental needs would have been different. Same with Fenglong. Lol, at the end of the day, only Xl and XY has the least probability, and CX has the highest.

These characters are made up of their stories and what they went through to be who they are now. So really, in the end, the what ifs cannot really apply.

Through watching this show, thinking about my own personality and some other things, there is something I learnt. I am the type that is extremely hard wired to share things into equal parts, to make sure everyone gets the same size because I NEED things to be fair. But something to think about is what of the abstract scenarios or situations? When it is not just numbers or size?

I asked a question some hours ago about if we think a relationship should be 50/50 or 100/100. Gabriel Union and her husband decided to make their relationship 50/50 where they both contributed the exact same amount, regardless of their individual earning power, into running their household and even investments together. Basically, everything that involves the two of them together, had to be split into two. And she said it was because they went to Miami or someplace and Dwayne, her husband made a remark saying it was his house he bought with his money and that pissed her off. That's already problematic.

I believe that first of all, you should be with someone you can trust. And if you have trust issues, you should work on it because if you do, no matter what effort the other person puts into the relationship, it'll never be enough for you. You'll not be able to live in the security you have & may eventually ruin things because of it. When you trust someone, you are willing to give them chances because you know and understand who they are, while also acknowledging their human nature. No human being is capable of being perfect. They will disappoint you and fail you, but if they are good people and are willing, they will learn and do better.

To the drama. In this CP "war/conversation," we keep on enumerating the things each of the men has done for XY to say the one that is better for her. More than our preferences, XY is the woman that is going to be with whoever for the rest of her life. And if she goes by our stances, she'll be alone forever because none of them will measure up to us and she is too guarded to trust completely. In this story, each character is pursuing what is most important to them and are willing to make tremendous sacrifices to get it. CX is pursuing power to protect himself and his family because he went through not being able to do either & detests that situation. XL is a very loyal man that is tied to his adoptive father because of gratitude & no matter what, he cannot bring himself to let go of it. Fenglong is loyal to his dream and to his friendships and has found a way to achieve the former. Women are not a priority to him. Jing, after being saved by XY, just wants to be with her no matter what. So he is able to let go of his achievements & let others take credit for his smarts because they do not affect his pursuit of XY.

Each man in their own position has done the best they can, and has given what is in their ability to give because they love XY (FL is not included here lol). CX was willing to partner with his enemy as long as it meant that XY could come back alive. He was willing to trust him for that slim chance and that's a big deal. This might offend some people, but XL has 9 lives and learnt from a master. His nature as the creature his is and his experiences & knowledge make him the best to provide "medical assistance". Let us think, if he did not have 9 lives, would he have been willing to sacrifice his one life to save XY when he still was not free from Gong Gong? Would CX be willing to do so? Xl did everything he did because he wanted to, because he loved XY, and because it was within his ability to do it. CX did the same and Jing did the same. They all acted based on their hearts, according to their priorities and most importantly within their abilities. If for example, CX did not have an army behind him, had position, but no power or resources, there was no way he would have had enough people to feed XY's body with spiritual power to keep her organs alive long enough for XL to come and save her. There would have been no way too to get revenge on the people that hurt her. He'd have to take it like the rest of the ordinary people to bury her and mourn her death, while not being able to do anything about it. To compare love this way is to say that an ordinary person, probably average in everything loves less or is less deserving because he cannot do what someone more powerful or wealthier than him can do for the person he loves. It is only a problem when that person can clearly do something, but just doesn't for whatever reason.

Thank you for your answer. I think it should be 100/100 either way because what is the point of being in a relationship with someone you don't trust? Also, how do you accurately quantify what each person has done for the other?

I believe she loves them both. But just like she loves CX too albeit in a brotherly manner, her love for XL and Jing are different. Jing romantically, as someone to spend the rest of her life with, and XL platonically, but somewhat not, and at the same time, not the type of person to spend life with forever romantically.

I have a question. Do we think a relationship should be 50-50% or 100-100%?

That's not completely accurate. Jing had Huo on tight watch, so that even if he met one single person to try to make a plot, Jing would have found out. XL said so himself. XL told XY that it was completely impossible for Huo to even take a step forward in making an assassination plan or any such thing because Jing was very smart and had Huo on lock so tight. He also said that it was then impossible for Huo to get anyone, especially highly trained people, to take out a TuShan guard. That the Tushan clan did business, so their guards were not trained for war, but they were some of the absolute best protectors. That he once saw them in action when he was a hired killer, and decided that unless his adopted father was abducted by them or something similar, he'd never go to attack a Tushan clan leader. So the only one that had the power and resources to take out dozens of those guards, even the ones that were there in secret was CX as the Black Emperor. And when XY confronted CX, he admitted that it was him that arranged it and colluded with Huo to kill Jing.

They said that when XY was living as WXL, she was different from when she was living as herself, as the princess. So for that part, it is different. Also, every character will experience growth in whatever direction their life goes. And love is powerful enough to make you see things differently. XY giving things up so easily, even when they are good for her is a consequence of her experiences, but it also does not mean it is a good thing. That was the way she learned to survive before. But she entered another phase of her life and is trying to give herself and others a chance (I'm not even talking romance here) to get even better results. If you continuously let go of good things for fear of future pain, you'll be doing yourself a disservice in the long run. So should she continue living as someone that does not trust others or even herself? Also, she's willing because she understands Jing and she loves him enough to wait and hold on to him. Him being kind and softhearted is what drew her to him in the first place.

The heartbreak for XL when he is FFB is so much more guttural for me. Him as FFB illustrates the biggest what ifs of his life. Not even relating to romance, but what it's be like if he was truly free, if he was able to be his true self. So when I watch him heartbroken, knowing FFB is only a different face that will never happen, it's so much sadder.

In the beginning of this show, after seeing the poster & a few posts about the first few episodes, XL was my ship. Then I found out that he was not endgame and I went through an interesting process of trying to understand and to not be sad lol. But now, after everything, plus reading the 3 volume/ section of the novel, I completely understand and agree with Tong Hua's decision lol.

The heartbreak for XL when he is FFB is so much more guttural for me. Him as FFB illustrates the biggest what ifs of his life. Not even relating to romance, but what it's be like if he was truly free, if he was able to be his true self. So when I watch him heartbroken, knowing FFB is only a different face that will never happen, it's so much sadder.

In the beginning of this show, after seeing the poster & a few posts about the first few episodes, XL was my ship. Then I found out that he was not endgame and I went through an interesting process of trying to understand and to not be sad lol. But now, after everything, plus reading the 3 volume/ section of the novel, I completely understand and agree with Tong Hua's decision lol.

She is evil to us, but if we could understand her own POV like we do the men in this show, it would not seem like she is an evil SFL for dramatic purposes. CX is determined to be emperor of the world & is willing to do almost anything to get it. This includes neglecting his heart and marrying all these women for political reasons, such that they will live their lives competing with each other because of him. He was also willing to use XY several times as in his quest for power.
THIS KINDA IS A SPOILER!
In a confrontation with Tuscan House, FFYY told him that she met him first & thought he was the one she was engaged to. That even when she knew he was in trouble, she was willing to continue with their engagement, even against her father's wishes. She took care of his grandma, waiting for him to return, deciding to live as his wife already because she already fell for him. It is twisted, but her situation is also sad, and she will later bear the consequences of her actions. The author wrote flawed, layered characters and showed us their journey in the pursuit of their desires. What they went through and what they were willing to do to get what they truly wanted. So it is not just another story with an evil SFL. All the characters, even XY could be the villain in the story of another.

IQIYI spared no expense for this show and I absolutely love it because the result is gorgeous. I have to thank the style team for Chu Kong because everything, from his hair to make up to his clothes, is stunning. The use of blue with other colours is absolutely beautiful. Especially as Immortal Chu Kong. I could stare at him all day because his fit plus his handsomeness are such a treat.

Me too

Yes. I do not even think we are being misled because if you watched it carefully, you'd know they barely told/showed anything. Even the Jang hyun that was shown in the beginning is younger than the person in the facility, which means there is a time difference between those two scenes/events. And that Jang Hyun definitely did not look crazy. He looked his normal self like in the past that we are currently watching.

Yess

People say that they already revealed the fate of the characters at the start of the 1st episode, but I do not really think so. We only got a back view of the person in the "mental facility" and it is still a mystery what really happened to Jang Hyun. According to the conversations between the Inspector and that person, and the inspector and the doctor, the person in the facility is waiting for Jang Hyun to come. Also, if the subs are correct, it is a "He" in the facility. That means there is no news of Gil Chae and no concrete news for Jang Hyun atp. Besides, from that conversation, we know that the person in the facility is not actually crazy, but is putting up an act.
The way the person in the facility reacted to Jang Hyun's name and the questions asked tell us that said person cares about Jang Hyun. Going by the characters introduced so far and build, we can narrow it down to either Gil Chae or Ryan Eum. But the subs kept on referring to the person as a "He", even though said person looks more likely to be a "she". This then cancels GC and leaves RE.

Anyway, this analysis does not mean I have hope for a happy ending lol. It just means that we are probably misreading the beginning. But, a happy ending would be a blessing, especially since I fully expect otherwise lol.