soTreeD

Agreed... Xiangliu could have done alot more devious things for the sake of his army, but Tonghua made him do those things instead.
That was how I interpreted his actions. In his priorities, he put Hongjiang and his army before Xiaoyao. She was not his priority.

If Xiaoyao really managed to kill CX, who will be there to stop his loyal men from killing her? Xiangliu sent her back that night as his last resort to save his army.
To be fair to him, I think just as he was ready to perish with his troops, if Xiaoyao died trying to kill Cangxuan and she was no longer revivable by the bug connection, Xiangliu would have been ready to die with her too.
No longer revivable meaning say, if they cut off her head for example.
Cangxuan has many loyalists willing to take out XY in the days after she tried to kill him. Keeping her locked up at Xiaoyue peak was also for her own protection.

This is also why I had issues reconciling the drama version of Xiangliu with the novel version. The novel Xiangliu definitely did not seem to be willing to die yet. He really tried everything to extend his war so they have a fighting chance to win. The drama ver felt like he was just a depressed person, driving his truck of soldiers to go over the cliff eventually.

What would spreading rumors that Cangxuan killed TSJ and he loves Xiaoyao do? In fact that could very well just drive CX to marry Xiaoyao in the end, since its already out there, what was there to hide anymore.
The drama was already trying to justify that CX killed TSJ because he felt he didn't deserve to marry her, not because CX was toxic and jealous. And in the history of men, there has been kings who have taken wives from his ministers. Just have to see how far CX willing to go with it, especially when Xiaoyao is not even officially married to Jing yet.

Its not that CX cannot marry XY in the first place, its because she never loved him romantically and he didn't dare to say it. And TSJ is a clan leader, who is replaceable. Tushan family is unlikely to go to war over him. Chenrong and Chishui clans with actual armies already fell out with Jing over his involvement in ruining Fenglong's wedding, so there was no way they would try to go against CX over Jing.

As the drama Xinyue said, Zhaoyun Peak has no Queen. Who is to stop CX from getting a third Queen? And marrying from Xiling tribe, his own grandmother's tribe, will only cement the Xiyan clans to be even more loyal to him.

So XL won't try to do that to Xiaoyao. Xiangliu will only accept hurting Xiaoyao if the end result was worth the risk and pain.

"Or, to really put CX in a bind, XL could have revealed the true nature of the bug connection between himself and XY to CX so that CX would be aware that if his army killed XL, XY would likely die too. He also could have used the bug connection to cause XY immense pain and threatened to use the bug connection to kill XY if CX did not give in to his demands."

This one is possible but its not difficult to stop. As other fans suggested, Cangxuan could just leave the Chenrong army alone for a few hundred years more. Eventually the soldiers will all die from natural causes.
Can Xiangliu make Xiaoyao hurt all the time, since he actually does love her even if she is not his number 1 priority? Also, won't he himself will be in perpetual pain too? Where this ready pain from the bugs is from, is also another long discussion.
But say what if CX chose his kingdom over XY? If XL kills XY over their connection, XL would supposedly die as well. Novel XL is really not depressed that way to just kill XY and take himself out while doing it.

I felt that while he 'freed Xiaoyao from CX' , XL also effectively removed the last person around Xiaoyao thought she could depend on for the rest of her life - her family member, bound by blood.
The hurt she felt when she found the truth was far worse than the pain she felt when she heard Jing died. The level of betrayal and shock, eventually drove her to killing herself one more time, when she couldn't bring herself to kill CX.
I thought that was the point Xiangliu truly regretted what he had done to her and finally did his best to restore her happiness back to her by letting Jing return. He decided to no longer involve XY in his personal war. Otherwise as you suggested, he could still make use of the bug connection to continue to wage his war.

As always thanks AH for the interesting takes on what else XL could have done. This is actual discussion, not some weird passive aggressive talk from those trolls lol

oh you again.
And so your great bugs is showing no heartbreak symptoms? All Xiaoyao and Xiangliu's heartaches are just there for show?
Funny how you keep saying you understanding writing, when you ignore TH writing about Xiaoyao's family, love and friendship.

" But XL never used TSJ as a bargaining chip? "

He did use TSJ - because if he returned Jing to Xiaoyao, then she won't need to avenge him anymore. I am sure he had other ways to 'return Jing' if he chose to, such as use the merfolk who are not directly affiliated with him in the first place. See how Xiaoyao in the novel just thought of thanking the mer couple, she never even thought XL was involved. Xiaoyao had her own means to cure Jing, instead of needing Xiangliu to take so much of her blood at one go because he knew he needed to wake Jing up asap - since Xiaoyao was about to become the Queen mother after she tried to kill CX.

Over the six years of Xiaoyao's pining, Xiangliu wanted Xiaoyao to hunt down who killed TSJ. She herself analyzed that he hoped that she would make mistakes along the way and kill the other clan leaders that she suspected, so that the Central plains can destabilize.
When Xiaoyao still didn't get to the right conclusion, he finally gave her the last piece of information she needed on the night he failed to kill Cangxuan himself.
He did that even knowing that Xiaoyao might get killed trying to kill CX.

That was the Xiangliu - he will want his army to survive if possible. He wasn't planning for them to die. He only chose to die with them when there was no other way out.
Xiaoyao was his last move to get rid of Cangxuan - he could use her to save his troops. But now, the drama changed it so this important aspect of who Xiangliu is, is now gone.

I understand why XL is the way he is. I just don't see why people think he loved her like Chichen when its clear he did not.

The irony is, the novel Xinyue was more intelligent than the drama version.
In the novel she can't wait for Xiaoyao to marry Tushan Jing so that her worry- that CX will remove her and make Xiaoyao queen- will be 'gone' for good. But the drama made her take the blame for something CX would do just to spare him the hate, which kind of failed, I still hate him for even slapping Xinyue over something he already knew he was capable of doing.

"I didn't think this part of the drama made XL look better. By removing the fact that he used the blood jewel to save TSJ and by removing the mercouple's involvement, I thought it actually diminished XL's role."

My point was, it did diminish the essence of XL but it also made the drama XL 'look better in character'. Because obviously Jing was not floating out at sea for 6 years surviving being eaten, so logic says Xiangliu or his mer people saved him right at the beginning.

In that case, when Xiangliu went to save Xiaoyao from dying in the whirlpool, he already had Jing and knew he was alive. Which was why he told Xiaoyao to swear she will never try to die again. He needed Tushan Jing as his bargaining chip in future, but he didn't want a Romeo-Juliet situation on his hands.

So the novel XL was 'hard hearted' enough to keep Jing for 6 years while he observed the war situation and eventually manipulated Xiaoyao to kill Cangxuan for him. This is THE strategist for the Chenrong army. Not someone who is drinking all the time, or so free to fly around looking for TSJ when there is a battle raging on at home.
The way the drama changed events, made things no longer flow like it should have.

I can't even tell how long TSJ took to return, since he can't have survived for years in that underwater cave. As you pointed out, making him 'save himself' was positive, but very unrealistic. As someone heavily injured who cannot breathe underwater for long, it really made no sense he could do what he did, without food or medicine ( novel had him take Xiaoyao's life saving pill before he fell in the water... I suppose drama wants us to accept her elixir was that powerful here).

Agree with you they even spare the Queen mother ascension but since the story plot was changed, that just didn't happen lol Its was also so strange for her to think that she can escape to Mount Jade after killing Xinyue and fall on that position as her last resort. Will Mount Jade even be willing to take in a murderer as the next Queen mother?? In the script, they were supposed to run towards each other in a sea of flying flower petals... since Xiaoyao only received 32 petals in her reunion with her parents... I guess they were all out of petals by then..

I will always think S2 is a huge pity. We got a great cast that actually fit all the roles, but the adaptation for the last part really ruined it all.

Maybe that was the point?
The drama team wanted the audience to understand when a woman say its friendship, its friendship. Its so scary when even women won't believe women, how will we expect the men to? And when the men don't believe it, they became scary stalkers ok?

What do people expect from Xiaoyao? XL has been telling her they are short term companions from day 1, telling her what they have between them is transactional... and still people keep expecting her for fall in love with such a man, and criticizing her when she didn't?
The whole point was she didn't know and XL kept it that way so she won't have to feel like she owed him anything, and she can be truly free. Xiangliu knew too well how gratitude itself can be a shackle which is how he ended up with Hongjiang.

Also why complain about the friendship line being toned down?
The main CP love line was watered down so much. No engagement, no special pre-wedding healing-moon, Xiaoyao didn't even try to join Jing in death like she did in the novel. And people complain just because she didn't cry hard enough for XL?
It was always going to be this reaction, she won't die for XL, her hair won't turn white over being upset. It was an outcome she didn't want for him, but she knew he wanted it himself. There was nothing to avenge him over when he was the one who chose this.

LOTR was truly an amazing series that was really a labour of love and perfectly adapted!
I understand that due to budget limitations many things have to be scaled back on, even the Chenrong rebel army final battle... didn't many of us imagine there to be more of them left for CX to make such a big fuss over?
I will just have to imagine the LOTR battle scenes for that last fight..

What a coincidence, I am having a great month too!
Just ruins the view to see some people 拿着鸡毛当令箭 on mdl... trying to scare and bully fans to remain silent on unfair things... 😏

The whole reason TSJ had to float out at sea was because the LYF drama team couldn't afford to make his own mount available to him and that's why he needed 'saving' by Xiangliu.
Once again, its an opportunity for XL to shine just because they deprived Jing of something he should have had in the first place.

When Jing woke up in the novel, his crane mount found him and brought him back to land.
In the novel, it would appear the mer-people and Xiangliu were in touch and no matter who saved Jing by direct action, Xiangliu did get the blood from Xiaoyao to awaken him.
Drama absolves Xiangliu of withholding the return of Tushan Jing in favor of his war.
Its so painful to see just how biased the drama is that whatever feelings I had for XL as a character from the novel is wiped out by these accumulated manipulative moves by the drama team.
XL was a flawed character but he made sense. Now he became a pale shadow of who he really was.

I can't wait for a future adaptation of LYF which can remain true to the novel and give to every character what they are due.

Salty comment from salty fan.
The way TH wrote her story, all the characters were necessary.

If there is no Tushan Jing, who will help strategize and fund Cangxuan's war? Who is going to talk the other clans into supporting his ascension? If Cangxuan has no power and dies at the hands of his uncles, will Xiaoyao also become collateral damage while he is being taken out?
Who is going to be there for Xiaoyao? Xiangliu? The 'super-loyal' one who cannot even overcome his own depression that he needs to head into battle for a glorious death?

Your sweeping statement about how the story goes, just shows how close-minded you are and how you twist the truth just to fit your own biased narrative.

TH's writing is just a normal xianxia story, the tropes are all the same.
Finding true love while not knowing their real status so their love is 'real' and not influenced by other factors. That is already the most obvious writing there is.

Xiangliu was the one who tried to play the game again since he started on the wrong foot with Xiaoyao, and he pretended to become someone else to get close to her again. But he still lost. Get over it already.

It would appear this statement prompted a flurry of activity for TJC fans themselves, sending warnings to each other to remove other defamatory posts on Yangzi and the other co stars on various other platforms for fear of retaliatory action.

Don't act as if all C Ent fandoms don't function by the same old playbook... all of them make fights to get heat and engagement... Notices, Lawyer letters, actual lawsuits are common news in every fandom...
TJC's side 'taking legal action' is just a warning letter for now, he has not sued anyone yet. It would seem that what those accounts have been sharing were his unfiltered photos... is it a crime to post those?
Getty images also made it a point to note that their TJC photos were requested to be edited, will Getty be warned next?
Those typical few fans even trying to bring the weibo drama over here to intimidate i fans are such a joke...

Yes why do you even bother?

As far as I can see, the couple bugs and the childhood lovers are just typical xianxia tropes Tonghua engages and breaks on purpose for LYF.
She went for the xianxia - 'I save you and therefore you are my true love' trope.

Did you say you read the novel? If you didn't you sure have alot to say about it.

Lets just say there is one clear love line and one invisible loveline some people insist is there haha

Ah ok! lol

She does not in the novel either.

The drama is marketed like its a reverse harem but actually there is only one consistent love line from start to end.

If you ever have time or interest, try reading the novel.
What you saw in the drama is made that way so the iconic 3rd lead can look 'better'.

Yes and as we have said, those who read the novel will understand just what has been stolen from Jing for drama audience to come to that conclusion. It was engineered for them to see it that way.
Even the complaint of the 'I don't see why Xiaoyao is so in love with him' because the romance is so watered down. If Yangzi and Dengwei didn't have their great chemistry working just for being on screen together, the CP won't work well because all their scenes were pared down to a bare minimum, esp setting wise.

I think why people find Jing dull is because he is dull when he is with Xiaoyao esp in S1, and that is when we see him on screen.

As for his really long engagement if Xiaoyao had used her royalty card to pressure either the Tushan/Fangfeng family, it would have been such a simple thing to solve. But when Jing hoped FFYY will break it herself, it became a stalemate since she can't give up that position. Xiaoyao realized this herself. Anyway its all part of TH's grand scheme. If they got together so easily in the beginning, will Xiaoyao or Jing come to realize just how much they love each other?
Its a xianxia rule to overcome some tribulations and vomit blood a few times on the path to 'true love' hehe

If you take out TSJ, CX won't even have become king... how do so many people not realize this?
Anyway it was clear in the author's novel that she meant to show the female lead's different types of relationships with the 4 men...
her family, her lover, her friend and the one she was going to settle for.
None of them can be removed without changing the flow of the story.

Unfortunately the drama adaptation really failed to deliver in S2, removing too much critical scenes and dialogue that will support this.