Had more time to think about a plausible outcome of the CP, adding on to my theories in an earlier comment:
Context: We were never shown the dead bodies of NYZ and RRY (and by extension, YSS, and a relevant bit is the other Liudao member, Ding Hui). Fake deaths and disguises are also quite common in this show.
My preferred theory goes: 1. Before the final battle (when they kissed at the city gate), NYZ and RRY did not make advance plans to fake their deaths, and sincerely thought to (a) survive or (b) be parted in death
2. This explains the genuine inner thoughts of NYZ and RRY, like you broke your promise again, this world is too lonely without you (paraphrased)
3. But rmb that QZ gave NYZ the life preserving pill? It’s very likely he could have taken it after his stab wounds, either by his own memory OR promoted by or saved by Ding Hui, the other Liudao Hall member. We weren’t told if Ding Hui is dead at this point so it’s plausible that he’s still alive. At this point, we can plausibly believe that NYZ is alive but severely injured.
4. When RRY decided to assassinate the Beipan nobles, I do think she truly thought she wouldn’t come back alive. Not in the sense that she would commit suicide, but more like at the cost of anything, including her life, she would end this. But also, rmb that following your lover to the end (and the underworld) is also not a foreign topic to our CP, and RRY even wanted to stay with NYZ no matter what after their reunion (when she came back from her faked death) despite her ill health. So her mindset of all or nothing, at the cost my life, follow my lover wherever he goes is quite in character here.
5. It’s also plausible that NYZ and Ding Hui overheard the plans to assasinate the beipan nobles and impersonated as the accompanying army (Rmb how they were given beipan uniforms to blend in? Not impossible for NYZ and Ding Hui to do the same - not the first time for them anyway)
6. When RRY set off the bombs/grenades in the tent, it is likely that she could have survived the blast, given her abilities. We’ve also seen regular soldiers/CY and YSS surviving direct blasts (on the battlefield, or when YL set off the bombs when he went to find LTG), so it’s not impossible to think that RRY can also survive. Moreover, the tent was quite big = more distance between her and the blasts? Haha
7. With our leads plausibly alive, it’s completely reasonable to think that they’ll just let the world think they died in the war - all their comrades were dead, YY and LTG were saved, and basically anyone important to them is either cared for or gone. There’s no more reason for them to be protecting them. NYZ had always wanted to retire after this mission was over anyway.
8. Skip to 10 years later, I don’t think NYZ and RRY intentionally revealed themselves to CY via NSS - why would they do so when CY wasn’t particularly important to them and if they wanted to reveal, they would do so to YY or LTG. Even then, both of them have the track record of not revealing their fake death status to even their closest friends (reference to NYZ and YL in the first few episodes at his funeral, and RRY for the 5 years of her life post empress ZJ).
9. So why meet CY? With CY being the Shaxi Tribe Leader, she has much more freedoms to travel the lands than YY and LTG and thus by that, more probability to meet people out in the open world.
10. And to be honest, CY was the only one left alone (the rest were reunited in death or had someone with them), so it’s not unreasonable for the show to end with her reminiscing about YSS
11. A few things hint that the ending being a real one for the CP
A random town / academy scene -> NSS mentioning that he stays in an academy / town with an academy
The kids reciting the line “what a pleasure to meet a friend from afar” -> next scene CY meets NSS (son of old friends, possible reunion at their home at the end)
The names of NSS and his sister being names of their beloved brothers YSS and YL
Father (NYZ) being good at wine making and mother (RRY) being good at sword dances -> references the future life that RRY mentioned to NYZ that while he cooks etc, she will be practising her sword skills
12. So why not show this ending to YY or LTG? As said, they would likely have less chance to bump into them out in the open while they generally remain in the palace, and I don’t think NYZ and RRY ever intended to reveal their status to anyone, and wanted everyone to believe they have died.
13. The ending portion where CY ‘sees’ all the Liudao brothers and CP riding off into the sunset could likely be her imagining a happy ending for all of them, being reunited wherever they went, now that she knows that the happy ending of NYZ and RRY is a reality
14. Lastly, someone commented below that the show started with NYZ and RRY’s fake deaths, and it’s quite fitting for it to end with their fake deaths again for it to come full circle. Except that this time, they no longer need to fake their deaths to avenge people, but they can live their happy and peaceful lives as they always wanted.
Nonetheless, this drama does come with its own flaws, especially in the last 6 episodes like: - unnecessary scheming by third prince of Wu when we were never shown his deviousness and ambition, so there wasn’t any loose ends to tie here to begin with (I can see why it was added, but it still didn’t belong in the last arc and lacked emotional gravitas)
- Random LTG scheme to marry RRY??? That single scene threw away all the redemption and goodwill he had for me, and it was such a betrayal to the development and maturity he had shown thus far. Tho I have to say the ending scene of him and NYZ on the battlefield was super wholesome and he finally acknowledged him as his Master too.
Overall, the tragedy of this doesn’t take away my enjoyment of the show, rather it has ensured a permanent place in my heart as one with deep love and loyalty for each other, the sacrifice one can make for each other, and the redemption that anyone can go through (Wu Di was redeemed for me!) ❤️
1. Tho the episode showed them getting stabbed/being in an explosion, we were never shown their dead bodies. In…
More thoughts!
1. NSS said that Uncle Ding gave him the horse - I thought it might have been a mistranslation but the audio is clearly Ding. But it’s also strange why he would mention this name, esp to CY, but I think it’s meant to be a hint to the audience that he’s referring to Ding Hui, the sixth member of the Liudao Hall (if I recall the correct name)
2. The bit about the names of the NSS and (Ning?) Ren Lu (not specified but likely Ren Lu was the name with surname being Ning as well) wouldn’t be of significance to CY as well, as she wouldn’t have known the closeness of YL to the leads, and she only knew about SS cus she liked/loved YSS. So this is less likely to be her hallucination because she has no context to make up these details
3. A hallucination of children/family would make far more sense if it appeared to YY instead, as she was deeply involved with the leads
4. It’s more realistic for the actual NSS to appear in front of CY in an open field as being the leader of Shaxi Tribe, I imagine her to have much more freedoms than YY as the duke’s wife staying in the palace, which imo lends more credence to this being an actual reality rather than a hallucination
1. Tho the episode showed them getting stabbed/being in an explosion, we were never shown their dead bodies. In wuxia, no dead bodies = not 100% dead.
2 AND even if we were shown dead bodies, there are numerous times that the leads have faked their deaths. And anything can happen in wuxia.
3. It was almost a throwaway remark but the NYZ was given a life preserving pill in the later parts of the show, and it was never brought up again. He could have taken the pill to survive!
4. In the second-last ending scene, we’re shown an academy setting with kids and one of the lines they’re reciting is: “how good it is to meet friends from afar” and immediately we cut to CY in the field and the actual ending scene where it alludes to her meeting old friends
5. In the ending scene, CY meets NSS, who bears the surname of NYZ and the name of YSS, and also that he has a sister with the surname of RRY and name of YL. He goes on to drop more details to reference the character and interests of our CP. He also says that he stays in an academy a dozen miles from here! Rmb we were shown an academy in just the previous scene?
6. The part that I guess gets people confused (incl me initially) if it’s illusion or what is when CY hugs NSS in tears, and she sees all the 6 realm brothers, NYZ and RRY riding on horses and being all happy. - my counter to this is that this was her imagination, where she imagined a happy ending for all of them
7. There’s no reason for her to hallucinate a happy ending for the CP cus she wasn’t particularly close to them, and why 10 years later of all times? She could have hallucinated YSS but she didn’t, so I’m more inclined to believe that NSS is real, and that the NYZ RRY family is real, AND MY CP SURVIVED AND HAD BABIES
my reasons above therefore have justified this being my favourite wuxia drama in a while, and I will look back on this fondly and in tears, and maybe rewatch when I’m more emotionally ready 😭
My preferred theory goes:
1. Before the final battle (when they kissed at the city gate), NYZ and RRY did not make advance plans to fake their deaths, and sincerely thought to (a) survive or (b) be parted in death
2. This explains the genuine inner thoughts of NYZ and RRY, like you broke your promise again, this world is too lonely without you (paraphrased)
3. But rmb that QZ gave NYZ the life preserving pill? It’s very likely he could have taken it after his stab wounds, either by his own memory OR promoted by or saved by Ding Hui, the other Liudao Hall member. We weren’t told if Ding Hui is dead at this point so it’s plausible that he’s still alive. At this point, we can plausibly believe that NYZ is alive but severely injured.
4. When RRY decided to assassinate the Beipan nobles, I do think she truly thought she wouldn’t come back alive. Not in the sense that she would commit suicide, but more like at the cost of anything, including her life, she would end this. But also, rmb that following your lover to the end (and the underworld) is also not a foreign topic to our CP, and RRY even wanted to stay with NYZ no matter what after their reunion (when she came back from her faked death) despite her ill health. So her mindset of all or nothing, at the cost my life, follow my lover wherever he goes is quite in character here.
5. It’s also plausible that NYZ and Ding Hui overheard the plans to assasinate the beipan nobles and impersonated as the accompanying army (Rmb how they were given beipan uniforms to blend in? Not impossible for NYZ and Ding Hui to do the same - not the first time for them anyway)
6. When RRY set off the bombs/grenades in the tent, it is likely that she could have survived the blast, given her abilities. We’ve also seen regular soldiers/CY and YSS surviving direct blasts (on the battlefield, or when YL set off the bombs when he went to find LTG), so it’s not impossible to think that RRY can also survive. Moreover, the tent was quite big = more distance between her and the blasts? Haha
7. With our leads plausibly alive, it’s completely reasonable to think that they’ll just let the world think they died in the war - all their comrades were dead, YY and LTG were saved, and basically anyone important to them is either cared for or gone. There’s no more reason for them to be protecting them. NYZ had always wanted to retire after this mission was over anyway.
8. Skip to 10 years later, I don’t think NYZ and RRY intentionally revealed themselves to CY via NSS - why would they do so when CY wasn’t particularly important to them and if they wanted to reveal, they would do so to YY or LTG. Even then, both of them have the track record of not revealing their fake death status to even their closest friends (reference to NYZ and YL in the first few episodes at his funeral, and RRY for the 5 years of her life post empress ZJ).
9. So why meet CY? With CY being the Shaxi Tribe Leader, she has much more freedoms to travel the lands than YY and LTG and thus by that, more probability to meet people out in the open world.
10. And to be honest, CY was the only one left alone (the rest were reunited in death or had someone with them), so it’s not unreasonable for the show to end with her reminiscing about YSS
11. A few things hint that the ending being a real one for the CP
A random town / academy scene -> NSS mentioning that he stays in an academy / town with an academy
The kids reciting the line “what a pleasure to meet a friend from afar” -> next scene CY meets NSS (son of old friends, possible reunion at their home at the end)
The names of NSS and his sister being names of their beloved brothers YSS and YL
Father (NYZ) being good at wine making and mother (RRY) being good at sword dances -> references the future life that RRY mentioned to NYZ that while he cooks etc, she will be practising her sword skills
12. So why not show this ending to YY or LTG? As said, they would likely have less chance to bump into them out in the open while they generally remain in the palace, and I don’t think NYZ and RRY ever intended to reveal their status to anyone, and wanted everyone to believe they have died.
13. The ending portion where CY ‘sees’ all the Liudao brothers and CP riding off into the sunset could likely be her imagining a happy ending for all of them, being reunited wherever they went, now that she knows that the happy ending of NYZ and RRY is a reality
14. Lastly, someone commented below that the show started with NYZ and RRY’s fake deaths, and it’s quite fitting for it to end with their fake deaths again for it to come full circle. Except that this time, they no longer need to fake their deaths to avenge people, but they can live their happy and peaceful lives as they always wanted.
Nonetheless, this drama does come with its own flaws, especially in the last 6 episodes like:
- unnecessary scheming by third prince of Wu when we were never shown his deviousness and ambition, so there wasn’t any loose ends to tie here to begin with (I can see why it was added, but it still didn’t belong in the last arc and lacked emotional gravitas)
- Random LTG scheme to marry RRY??? That single scene threw away all the redemption and goodwill he had for me, and it was such a betrayal to the development and maturity he had shown thus far. Tho I have to say the ending scene of him and NYZ on the battlefield was super wholesome and he finally acknowledged him as his Master too.
Overall, the tragedy of this doesn’t take away my enjoyment of the show, rather it has ensured a permanent place in my heart as one with deep love and loyalty for each other, the sacrifice one can make for each other, and the redemption that anyone can go through (Wu Di was redeemed for me!) ❤️
1. NSS said that Uncle Ding gave him the horse - I thought it might have been a mistranslation but the audio is clearly Ding. But it’s also strange why he would mention this name, esp to CY, but I think it’s meant to be a hint to the audience that he’s referring to Ding Hui, the sixth member of the Liudao Hall (if I recall the correct name)
2. The bit about the names of the NSS and (Ning?) Ren Lu (not specified but likely Ren Lu was the name with surname being Ning as well) wouldn’t be of significance to CY as well, as she wouldn’t have known the closeness of YL to the leads, and she only knew about SS cus she liked/loved YSS. So this is less likely to be her hallucination because she has no context to make up these details
3. A hallucination of children/family would make far more sense if it appeared to YY instead, as she was deeply involved with the leads
4. It’s more realistic for the actual NSS to appear in front of CY in an open field as being the leader of Shaxi Tribe, I imagine her to have much more freedoms than YY as the duke’s wife staying in the palace, which imo lends more credence to this being an actual reality rather than a hallucination
2 AND even if we were shown dead bodies, there are numerous times that the leads have faked their deaths. And anything can happen in wuxia.
3. It was almost a throwaway remark but the NYZ was given a life preserving pill in the later parts of the show, and it was never brought up again. He could have taken the pill to survive!
4. In the second-last ending scene, we’re shown an academy setting with kids and one of the lines they’re reciting is: “how good it is to meet friends from afar” and immediately we cut to CY in the field and the actual ending scene where it alludes to her meeting old friends
5. In the ending scene, CY meets NSS, who bears the surname of NYZ and the name of YSS, and also that he has a sister with the surname of RRY and name of YL. He goes on to drop more details to reference the character and interests of our CP. He also says that he stays in an academy a dozen miles from here! Rmb we were shown an academy in just the previous scene?
6. The part that I guess gets people confused (incl me initially) if it’s illusion or what is when CY hugs NSS in tears, and she sees all the 6 realm brothers, NYZ and RRY riding on horses and being all happy.
- my counter to this is that this was her imagination, where she imagined a happy ending for all of them
7. There’s no reason for her to hallucinate a happy ending for the CP cus she wasn’t particularly close to them, and why 10 years later of all times? She could have hallucinated YSS but she didn’t, so I’m more inclined to believe that NSS is real, and that the NYZ RRY family is real, AND MY CP SURVIVED AND HAD BABIES
my reasons above therefore have justified this being my favourite wuxia drama in a while, and I will look back on this fondly and in tears, and maybe rewatch when I’m more emotionally ready 😭