That's a huge subject. Especially with the second season. The major differences that I think should have been…
Lol, okay I saw my name.
This is XY's conversation with the Shaman King and her conversation with XL afterwards.
----- Jiu Li = Baili
Zhuan Xu = Cang Xuan
Qi Yo = Chi Chen
-----
Chapter 37:
Xiao Yao stopped and said to Jing, “You go back first, I have something I need to talk with the Voodoo King privately.”
Jing didn’t leave. “Are you planning to ask him about the voodoo bug in your body and in Xiang Liu’s body?”
Xiao Yao sheepishly admitted, “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, I just didn’t want to worry you.”
Jing said, “Keeping it from me is what will worry me. Let me stay with you, okay?”
Xiao Yao nodded.
Seeing Jing and Xiao Yao, the Voodoo King invited them to join him for tea. Xiao Yao sipped her tea and said, “I have a friend named Se Mai Er and wanted to ask the Voodoo King what fort she belongs to?”
The Voodoo King replied, “So you’re the person who knows voodoo and helped Se Mai Er. She’s dead now but she was my mom’s older sister. Years ago it was actually my mom who was to be sent to the outside but she already had a beloved and was carrying me so my aunt went in my mom’s place to be a slave. Thank you for helping her come home safely.”
Xiao Yao silently poured her tea on the ground for Se Mai Er’s passing.
The Voodoo King continued, “Se Mai Er mentioned that you wanted to know how to break the Lovers' Bug voodoo spell?”
Xiao Yao quickly glanced at Jing and acted nonchalant. “When I placed the voodoo bug I didn’t know it had such a weird name.”
Jing smiled. “It’s just a name, why are you in a rush to explain?”
Xiao Yao quickly said, “Yes, yes! It’s just a name.”
The Voodoo King coughed once and solemnly explained, “Lovers' Bug, like its name indicates, is a pair of male-female voodoo bugs. The couple who has the bug successfully planted will have their life and emotions connected. If one hurts [emotionally] then the other will hurt [emotionally]. If one is injured then the other will also [feel the pain of the injury].”
Xiao Yao said, “This I know already. What else?”
“To outsiders voodoo is considered mysterious and bad, but really it's a craft and magic that the Jiu Li tribe has passed down through generations to protect and heal us. Jiu Li has lots of deadly insects, deadly plants, deadly gasses, to live here our ancestors had to learn to understand it and control it. Voodoo is seen as a harmful power but we actually mostly use it here to save lives. The Lovers' Bug keeps two people’s lives connected, which means when one is injured as long as the other is healthy then the injured person will survive. This is a very good thing. Even if the Lovers' Bug is notoriously hard to grow, it ought to still be relatively prevalent since many people will try to grow it. So why it is so rare to see?”
Xiao Yao asked, “Why?”
“All living things that have a benefit must also carry a harm. The greater the benefit then the greater the potential for harm. The Lovers' Bug is exactly that. It can enable lovers to communicate with each other and connect their lives, but the Lovers' Bug is just like a pair of lovers in love with each other with changeable tempers and very difficult to control. The Lovers' Bug can easily backfire. Once it breaks out, both people will die. Which is why the Lovers' Bug also has another name: the Heartbreak Bug.”
Jing stared in dismay at Xiao Yao who quickly said, “It can’t be as scary as he makes it out to be. It’s been over seventy years and I’m still just fine.”
The shaman king's face paled in horror. "Did you not plant your bug in this young master?"
"No."
The Voodoo King stared in shock at Xiao Yao. “Can I feel the bug in you?”
Xiao Yao nodded.
The Voodoo King didn’t move so he was likely using a bug inside of himself to sense. He frowned and murmured, "It is indeed the lover's bug! But how is it possible? 'Lovers raise the Lovers' Bug. Broken-hearted people produce the Heartbreak Bug.' Lovers' Bug differs from other bugs. It requires the couple to be willing in order to successfully plant it. If he is not your lover, how did you manage to plant the Lovers' Bug in him?"
Xiao Yao said, “You might not know as much as your ancestors, the bug could be more multi-facted and evolving in ways beyond your understanding.”
The shaman king was extremely puzzled, but Xiao Yao's lover was obviously the young man next to her so there were some things he could not verbalise. As such, he responded perfunctorily, "You are right. The poisonous bug in your body is different from other bugs. It is likely there is something unique about you and the other man."
Xiao Yao inwardly sighed in relief. “He is very unique!” Since the bug was planted, only Xiang Liu could sense her but she could never sense him.
Jing anxiously asked, “How to break the spell?”
The Voodoo King’s face scrunched up. “The Lovers' Bug – either live in love or die in heartbreak. Once the Lovers' Bug has been planted there is no way to break the spell. It is impossible. This is what I was trying to say earlier for why so few people raise it despite the great benefit. Only very determined girls would raise the bug but even if they successfully raise it, it’s near impossible to find a man willing to accept the other bug to be planted in him.”
Jing was stunned and after a moment of silence he slowly asked, “What happens if one person who has the Lovers' Bug dies? What happens to the other person?”
The Voodoo King sighed, “Our Jiu Li folk ballad sings ‘The twisted roots of the parasol tree entwine on land, the doves do not fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water always die together.'”
Jing stared at Xiao Yao and tightly grabbed her hand.
Xiao Yao smiled at him and made a joke face. “Don’t worry! We don’t need to believe everything the Voodoo King says. Don’t forget, he said that only in a pair of lovers in love could the bug be successfully planted. I don’t have any relationship with Xiang Liu, but we still successfully planted the bug. The Voodoo King also said the spell couldn’t be broken once the bug was planted but don’t forget that I planted the bug first in Zhuan Xu before Xiang Liu helped me break the spell and move the bug to himself.”
Jing let out a sigh of relief. “Yes! The bug was moved from Zhuan Xu!”
Xiao Yao shook Jing’s hand, “Don’t worry, there is no absolutes in this world. If no one has broken the spell before then let me be the first.” She said to the Voodoo King, “Once I break it I’ll pass on the knowledge to you as gratitude for your ancestor teaching me voodoo.”
The Voodoo King smiled. “Jiu Li people are the lowest untouchables and we have limited ability. But to protect the Miss we would do everything in our power. Please Miss never mention repaying any gratitude.”
This was the first time Xiao Yao was being treated with respect and offered kindness because of her real father. Xiao Yao’s heart clenched and she didn’t have the heart to decline. “Thank you.”
Xiao Yao glanced at the peach tree forest and Jing asked, “Want to spend another night?”
Xiao Yao shook her head. “Everything is done that needed to be taken care of, let’s go home! By now Xiao Xiao will have discovered that the Xiao Yao on the ship is a fake.”
Xiao Yao bid farewell to the Voodoo King. “Right now the Xuan Yuan ruler is the Black Emperor. He’s different than other rulers and in his eyes there are no class differences. Please give him some time and he will lift Jiu Li’s slave tribe designation.”
The Voodoo King didn’t know if that could ever happen but he bowed low to Xiao Yao. “Miss, please take care!”
Xiao Yao and Jing returned to the bamboo hut and tidied it up before Xiao Yao said, “Let’s go now.”
Jing was waiting outside on the crane allowing Xiao Yao some alone time to say farewell to her parents.
Xiao Yao stood before Qi Yo’s portrait for some time before softly saying, “Dad, Mom, I’m leaving now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be just fine.”
She turned and ran outside to greet Jing with a big smile and cheerfully said, “Back to the East Sea to look for Xiao Xiao and Miao Pu.”
When they returned to the Tu Shan ship, Xiao Xiao as expected figured out that the Xiao Yao on the ship was a clone but she didn’t know where Xiao Yao went so she could only wait on the ship in the East Sea.
Seeing them return, Maio Pu was so happy she could cry while Xiao Xiao remained as placid as usual as she greeted Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao scooted over with a grin. “Don’t worry, if Gege gets mad I’ll take all the blame.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t say thanks or no need, she just calmly asked “Does my lady want to return to Sheng Nong Mountain now?”
Xiao Yao stared at the sea and didn’t respond. Moments later she said, “I want to stay one night on the sea.”
That night the waves rocked the ship and Xiao Yao couldn’t sleep. She climbed off her pallet and draped a robe over herself and walked out on the deck.
A slight ocean breeze, a bright round moon hanging in the sky reflecting the glittering light on the waves. It was beautifully silent.
Under this big ocean she laid inside a giant white clam shell for thirty-seven years. No one knew how Xiang Liu managed to save her life, or that her body had changed. Every time Zhuan Xu would ask, she would claim to have slept the entire time and remembered nothing. But in her heart everything was crystal clear to her. His blood flowed inside her body. Even now her body clamored for the ocean. In the past she loved water but that feeling was nothing like what she felt now. Back then the ocean was the ocean and she was herself. Now she was a daughter of the sea, she could swim with the fishes and listen to the merpeople’s song. She could dive into the deepest part of the ocean like a demon fish and could swim faster than a dolphin.
With just one vault she could jump into the ocean and swim happily. But Xiao Yao refused, she tightly clenched her fist and warred with herself.
The merpeople’s song reached her from the depths of the ocean and Xiao Yao’s heart lurched and she ran to the ship’s bow to stare out into the distance. Under the silver moonlight a white-haired, white-robed man was walking on the waves towards her.
He said nothing and Xiao Yao didn’t speak either. The two of them, one on the ship and the other on the water, listened together to the song of the merpeople. The song spread out on the water’s surface, melodic and pure, touching deep into the soul like a passionate entreaty in darkness, like a longing sigh that shatters the heart, it made the soul rise and fall with the song.
When the song ended Xiao Yao softly said, “So beautiful!”
Xiang Liu softly concurred, “Yes.”
The merpeople’s song was in a pitch that very few people on earth could hear, so in that split second Xiao Yao felt that her heart was intimately close to Xiang Liu and there was nothing she couldn’t share with him. She said “My father is Qi Yo.”
Xiang Liu’s eyes showed his amusement. Saying “My father is Qi Yo” is very different than saying, “I am Qi Yo’s daughter.” The latter stated a truth complete with anger, the former was warm and loving about the relationship.
“When I first met you, you called yourself Wen Xiao Liu. Later your name was Gao Xing Jiu Yao. Now you are called Xi Ling Jiu Yao. If you ever get a fourth name, likely no one will be able to keep track.”
Xiao Yao laughed out loud and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth and glanced back. Only after confirming she didn’t alert anyone did she sass right back, “Just three names. In the future even if there is a fourth name, you have nine heads so use a brain to remember half a name and you can remember it all and still have room.”
Xiang Liu coldly stared at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao wasn’t scared in the least “If you dare raise a hand, then I dare to yell for help!”
Xiang Liu laughed. “Why do I need to do anything? Your dad is Qi Yo, there are plenty of people who will make your life difficult.”
Xiao Yao laughed back. “I just came back from a trip to Jiu Li. The Voodoo King told me all the specifics about the bug inside our bodies. I don’t remember any of the specifics of what he said but the one thing I do remember clearly is that the two bugs live and die together. Which means our lives are connected. If I’m in trouble then you’re not going to get off scot free!”
Xiang Liu smiled at Xiao Yao and didn’t seem surprised at all.
Xiao Yao was shocked and asked, “You’ve known all along since the beginning what kind of bug this was, right?”
“What if I did?”
“The Voodoo King said ‘the doves don’t fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water die together’. If I die then how can you live?”
“Why don’t you ask the question in reverse – if I die, then how can you live?”
Xiao Yao tried to stay calm and plead with him. “I don’t know who dies and who lives so that’s why I’m asking you. Tell me!”
Xiang Liu’s expression was sly and acted really nonchalant “How would I know? You’re the one who learned some voodoo. This is the first time I played with a bug. But no need to fret, when either you or I die then we’ll know what happens, right?”
Xiao Yao was so frustrated by him she was nearly hopping up and down in fury “You broke the spell on Zhuan Xu so how could you not want to break the spell between us?”
Xiang Liu smiled until his eyes were slits, “I don’t want to know!”
Xiao Yao wearily asked “What do you want then?”
Xiang Liu’s body was slowly sinking into the water. “Other than checking on how my wares are doing in your body, what else do you think I want?”
“Hey! Don’t go!”
Xiao Yao flipped over the railing ready to dive into the water to chase after Xiang Liu but a pair of hands grabbed her hard and pulled her back on deck.
“Let me go…….” Xiao Yao struggled and then turned around to see Jing. She meekly allowed him to keep her on deck.
Xiao Yao tentatively asked, “When did you get up?”
Jing said “I’ve been up for awhile.” Actually, he couldn’t sleep either so he knew from the moment Xiao Yao went on deck. But it was clear she wanted to be alone so he didn’t go disturb her.
From the very beginning Xiang Liu knew Jing was there on deck so Xiang Liu cast a spell that blocked anyone from hearing what he was discussing with Xiao Yao, except he allowed Jing to listen in.
Seeing Xiao Yao going to chase after Xiang Liu, Jing couldn’t explain the feeling but he rushed forward instinctively and grabbed Xiao Yao as if afraid she would vanish from his life.
Xiao Yao said, “Xiang Liu was just by and I asked him how to break the bug spell but he wouldn’t tell me.”
Jing’s worry dissipated.
Xiao Yao said sadly, “I’m not as glib as him, powers are not as high as him, all my poisons he eats like candy, every time I see him he is totally mean to me.” Jing smiled. “Do you want me to help you?”
Xiao Yao cocked her head. “No, you two are business transactions, what’s between him and me is purely personal. No need to mix it.”
So I've seen Chinese TikTok videos saying that Jing was saved by XL, that he used one of his lives to save Jing.…
In the drama, XL definitely did not sacrifice a life to save TSJ. As Dramaqueenvictoriaife mentioned, he protected TSJ's body from sea creatures without sacrificing one of his lives to do so. In the novel, XL played a much bigger role in saving TSJ's life.
In the drama, XL sacrificed one life to save XY's life in S1. Then he sacrificed two more lives in S2 in order to lure out and kill the Lovers Bugs to break the bug connection between him and XY before the final battle. We see two heads from XL's true form perish when he sacrifices those two lives.
In the final battle in the drama, XL's true form had six out of its original nine heads, with the three missing heads matching up with the three lives he sacrificed for XY. Over the course of the final battle XL lost all of his remaining six lives.
The two strolled around the streets before Xiao Yao took Jing to a restaurant and ordered a few Xuan Yuan classic cuisine dishes.
Xiao Yao was quietly eating when seven or eight soldiers walked in and the leader gleefully yelled out, “Shopkeeper, bring the best dishes and wine! Today I’m treating. Anyone here is invited! Waiter, give every table wine to celebrate the Xuan Yuan Army’s great victory today!”
Everyone in the restaurant got excited and started asking questions, learning that it was Great General Ru So who won the battle and a few diners laughed. “Isn’t the Great General Ru So constantly winning battles recently already?”
The lead soldier said, “This is not like any regular great victory! Nine Lives Xiang Liu is dead! You business people likely don’t know how powerful and vicious that Xiang Liu is…”
Coming so out of the blue that she could not brace for it, Xiao Yao felt a piercing dagger stab her chest and her ears were ringing. The pain in her heart exploded and the wine cup in her hand dropped.
Jing worried cried out, “Xiao Yao!”
Xiao Yao murmured, “It can’t be! It’s impossible! He can’t be dead just like this! I didn’t feel anything, I can’t feel anything anymore……” She suddenly remembered that the Lover’s Bug was removed by the Royal Mother so she obviously can’t feel the connection anymore. Xiao Yao’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backward.
Jing grabbed Xiao Yao. “Let’s go back to Xuan Yuan Mountain first, let Miao Pu take the Grand Emperor’s badge to gather information.”
Xiao Yao was lightheaded and lead-footed, all she kept saying over and over was, “It can’t be.”
Jing ordered Miao Pu and appeared to say something to Xiao Yao but she couldn’t hear anything clearly.
Miao Pu rushed off, and it seemed like it was a short time, but perhaps also a very long time, when she returned.
Xiao Yao immediately asked, “That was a false report, right?”
Miao Pu replied, “General Ying Long said that Xiang Liu died in battle.”
Xiao Yao screamed wildly, “That’s impossible, I don’t believe it!”
Miao Pu was so frightened she didn’t dare say another word.
Jing brought in a bowl of the strongest alcohol and forced Xiao Yao to drink it all. He gently asked, “Do you still want to hear more? If you don’t want to hear any more I can drink with you.”
Xiao Yao held her head and said to Miao Pu, “Keep talking.”
“After the death of the Chi Sui Clan Leader, His Majesty ordered that the Army was to completely exterminate Gong Gong’s army at all costs. Great General Ru So commanded an army of 200,000 soldiers to surround and attack Gong Gong’s army. Under the unrelenting attack of the Xuan Yuan army, Gong Gong’s army retreated deep into the forest and refused to engage. General Ru So started to burn the entire mountain to force Gong Gong’s army to come out and battle and found themselves facing General Ru So’s army and also General Li Yuan’s army of 200,000 soldiers. Gong Gong led his soldiers into the ocean but General Ru So already anticipated Gong Gong would escape towards the ocean. He stationed General Yu Jiang and his water trained soldiers to lay in wait. He was ready to cut down Gong Gong when Xiang Liu somehow energized his nearly dead soldiers to fight to open a route for Gong Gong to escape. But General Ru So and Yu Jiang followed the entire way for days and nights until they caught up to Gong Gong on a remote ocean island. General Ru So had the island surrounded and used many ancient spells and weapons so that even if Gong Gong turned into a tiny fish he couldn’t escape. Yu Jiang insisted on landing on the island with his soldiers to attack and started a fierce battle with Gong Gong….”
Miao Pu’s voice got softer and softer. “One thousand Sheng Nong soldiers against 100,000 thousand Xuan Yuan soldiers, not a single person surrendered and every Sheng Nong soldier died. Yu Jiang is a top fighter among the Gods but he could not defeat the heavily injured Gong Gong. Later General Ru So ordered every single soldier to shoot their arrow at Gong Gong and with thousands of arrows shot at him, Gong Gong finally died. It was after his death that his true form appeared. It was the Nine Lives demon… General Ru So realized then that he was tricked.”
Xiao Yao bent over and her arms wrapped around her head as her shoulders shook uncontrollably. Miao Pu didn’t dare to say more but Jing gently stroked Xiao Yao’s back and said, “Keep talking.”
Miao Pu glanced at Left Ear and saw his emotionless face so she continued. “General Ru So, once he discovered he was tricked, did not fall into a rage. Instead he said happily, “With Xiang Liu’s death, the hardest part of the war is over.” Because Xiang Liu really killed so many of our men, I heard a lot of soldiers wanted to harm and desecrate his body to assuage their anger. But General Ru So whipped the men who rushed forward and ordered everyone to step back. Once everyone left the island, Xiang Liu’s body dissolved into black blood that destroyed every living thing on the island including blades of grass. Even the ground turned black. All the soldiers were frightened and even General Ru So was scared afterwards, if it wasn’t for his respect for this enemy likely everyone would have died alongside him on the island.”
Xiao Yao’s body collapsed on the pallet. If she didn’t believe it earlier, now she believed it. Only Xiang Liu could do something like that.
Can someone who read the novel please tell me how XL lost all his lives? Does it say in the novel?
In the novel, XL's true form doesn't lose a head when XL loses one of his extra lives. So at any given point in the story we don't know exactly how many lives he's lost / how many he has left.
XY sees XL's true form in chapter 43 and it has all nine heads even after XL sacrificed one of his lives to save her life in chapter 22. So that's how we know that the number of heads that XL's true form has left does not correspond with the number of extra lives that he has left in the novel.
Before the final battle in the novel we only know for sure that XL lost two lives. The first was in chapter 22, when he sacrificed a life to extend XY's life after her assassination. The second was in chapter 48, when he sacrificed an extra life in order to lure out and kill the Lovers Bugs so that he could break the bug connection between himself and XY before he died in the final battle. He had to break the connection to ensure that his death would not cause XY to die too.
We don't know if XL lost any of his extra lives before he met XY (e.g., in the slave death match arena, during the 100+ years he spent in the far north, or in the ~300 years he spent fighting with the remnant army before meeting her). We do know that Gong Gong (Hong Jiang) saved XL's life when he was nearly killed by a whirlpool after escaping from the death match arena (incurring the life debt that prompted XL to return to Gong Gong and fight with his army more than 200 years later). So presumably XL did not lose one of his lives in that situation.
Some fans speculate that XL might have sacrificed one of his extra lives to save TSJ's life between chapter 42 and chapter 49 (when XL created a jewel from XY's blood that was used to revive TSJ and might have taken other steps to save his life). They also speculate that he might have sacrificed one of his extra lives when he saved XY's life in chapter 48 (even though the details were quite different from when he saved her life in chapter 22).
In any case, he had somewhere between seven lives and one life remaining when the last battle began. As he told Sir Bi, it didn't matter if he had one extra or one fewer life when it came to facing the Xuan Yuan (Xiyan) army in the last battle. He chose to die on the battlefield with his comrades and continued fighting until he had burned through all of his remaining lives.
The final battle began with the remnant army (including XL) being burned out of the mountains that previously gave them a geographic advantage. They were forced to face 200,000 Xuan Yuan soliders under General Ru Shou's command (with another 200,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers under General Li Yuan's command available to provide support) in direct combat. Days later, the battle ended on an island where the last 1,000 remnant army soldiers (including XL) faced an army of 100,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers. Every single remnant army soldier chose to fight to the death and not a single one surrendered.
---
In the drama, XL's true form does lose a head when XL loses one of his extra lives. So we always know exactly when he loses a life and how many lives he has left.
In S1, XL sacrificed one of his lives to save XY's life after her assassination. That is why, when XL's true form is revealed before he breaks the bug connection between himself and XY in S2, his true form only has eight heads instead of nine. That also tells us that XL never lost any of his extra lives at any point before he sacrificed one of his extra lives to save XY in S1 after her assassination.
In S2, in order to break the bug connection before the last battle, XL uses two more of his lives to lure out and kill the bugs. After that, XL's true form has six heads left.
When XL protected TSJ from the sea monsters, his true form had six heads left. And when XL fought in the final battle, his true form also had six heads left. So he did not sacrifice any more lives between breaking the bug connection and fighting in the final battle. In the final battle, he lost his last six remaining lives.
I'm gonna read the novel now.I usually read the novel and THEN the drama comes out, this is one of those rare…
An added benefit of reading the novel (on top of getting to read all the great XY and XL scenes in their unadulterated, original glory) is that there are a few fanfics out there that are intended to help XL fans get closure. And they'll make a lot more sense if you read the novel first, since the drama changed so many things.
Some fans seem to be under the impression that XL sacrificed one of his lives to save TSJ's life in the drama. But I don't think that was the case.
In the novel, TSJ was able to survive the wounds he sustained from TSH thanks to XY's pill, but he was unconscious from the moment he fell into the water after his battle with TSH and he disappeared for 7 years. CX only had his army search for TSJ for a few days. After that, XY was the one who told him to call off the search (with good reason) even though she personally continued to search for several more days. After that, no one searched for TSJ. The implication was that XL or a merperson under his command found TSJ and kept his body safe. Then (after six and a half years) XL used the blood that he obtained from XY to create a jewel and gave that jewel to a merman who used it to revive TSJ at the right time. Some fans even speculated that XL might have sacrificed one of his extra lives to turn the jewel into a life-saving jewel.
In the drama, it seems things were quite different.
I went back to watch the beginning of S2 Ep23 to count the number of heads that XL's true form had left in the last battle. In the drama, two out of the original nine heads disappeared when he sacrificed two lives to kill the Lovers Bugs and broke the bug connection between himself and XY. Another head had previously disappeared when he sacrificed one of his lives to save XY's life in S1. In the last battle, XL's true form still had six heads left. Which means he didn't sacrifice one of his lives to save TSJ's life. If he had done so, his true form would only have five heads left.
And since he used the jewel made from XY's blood on XY, he must not have used it to revive TSJ. And TSJ wasn't unconscious from the moment he fell into the water and as far as I can tell he wasn't missing for 7 whole years. It seems like TSJ was sucked into an undersea cave by a whirlpool while still conscious and had to escape from that cave himself, after taking XY's pill to help replenish his power. He managed to get out, but fell unconscious during or after his escape. XL found him and protected him from sea monsters, but only briefly. Just long enough for Lirong Chang to find TSJ's body. Which was possible because the search for TSJ never stopped.
It's all so watered down compared to what XL did to save TSJ in the novel and ensure that XY would have her "person to rely on"!
And, as one additional gripe from a novel reader about changes related to XL and TSJ, they changed the third figure that XL added to the ice crystal ball (to represent TSJ) so that the new figure is also a merman (like the originaal two figures that represent XY and XL) instead of a humanoid figure!
I made a post about it on the feeds and yeah that ending absolutely sucked. About the reincarnation, they showed…
I think Kaleidoscopic might be referring to the rabbit demon?
In S1 Ep1, WXL helped a rabbit demon (a former patient from her fertility clinic) give birth to a litter of cute little rabbit demons near the stone spirit's story telling circle.
In S2 Ep23, when the stone spirit tells the updated story of Dahuang, we see in the crowd that the same actress is playing a rabbit demon and she has a litter of young rabbit demon children with her (they have fluffy white hair accessories like the rabbit demon's ear's from S1 and they're eating carrots to emphasize what kind of demon they are).
So much time has passed, no one in the crowd listening to the stone spirit's story seems to even remember the events that took place during the drama when there was more than just one kingdom / one royal family (and the rabbit demon says those events took place a long, long time ago). So there is an open question. Is this the same rabbit demon from S1 with a new litter of children? One of her descendants? Or her reincarnation?
XiangLiu performed on her, his final hypnotherapy session, where he sealed or removed her memories of him 🤔,…
Sure, if you want to remind yourself of how it played out in the novel.
And thank you for the "expert" title! ^^
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Chapter 48:
Xiang Liu smiled and appeared not to take offense to what Sir Bi said and asked, “I have one favor to ask of you.”
Sir Bi said, “If I can do it, I will.” A gentleman’s friendship may be light as water, but a gentleman’s promise was as heavy as gold.
“I want to sever the remaining connections between me and Xiao Yao. In a bit, no matter what is happening, please do not interfere and just watch.”
Sir Bi replied swiftly, “I will!”
Xiang Liu waved his hand and Xiao Yao’s precious gorilla beast mirror flew from her arms into his hand. He stared at it for a long time and didn’t make any move.
Sir Bi stood to the side and silently and patiently looked on.
Xiang Liu smiled and explained to Sir Bi, “This is a gorilla mirror that’s saved some ancient stuff from the past. Not even sure if Xiao Yao already deleted it.” He waved his hand and the mirror clouded before clearly showing Xiang Liu’s face.
………………………………..
In a dingy room in Qing Shui Town, Xiang Liu was injured and couldn’t move. Xiao Yao snatched the opportunity to get revenge on Xiang Liu for being mean to her for so long. She used coal briquettes and drew seven eyes on Xiang Liu’s face, and together with his two eyes, it formed nine eyes so she could mock him for being a nine-headed demon.
At that time, Xiao Yao was holding the mirror with one hand so only her other hand was visible. Her voice was totally mocking as she said, “Take a good look, but don’t get mad otherwise you’ll interrupt the healing!”
Xiang Liu opened his eyes looking like he was going to kill her, but Xiao Yao wasn’t scared and instead rubbed the seven eyes while counting until she used her grubby charcoal hands to draw nine heads on Xiang Liu’s face. She cackled, “I still can’t imagine what nine heads look like, when are you going to show me your true form?”
Xiang Liu glared at Xiao Yao and silently mouthed, “I. Am. Going. To. Eat. You.”
Nine Lives Xiang Liu was renowned for being deadly, but with his face all blackened the scariness of his threat lessened immensely.
………………………………..
Xiang Liu watched to this part and then started laughing. From the moment he was born he didn’t have parents, and had to start surviving from that moment forward. He had no childhood or playmates or fun, and after he was an adult his reputation was so bad that no one dared to joke around with him. Xiao Yao was the first person who dared to play tricks on him, but do so without any real ill will or harmful intention.
Xiang Liu stared at his blackened face in the mirror for quite some time in a daze. Then he waved his hand and called forth the next memory.
To remove the bug from Zhuan Xu, he struck a deal with Xiao Yao and took her to Five Gods Mountain where he successfully planted the bug in himself. Afterwards the guards chased them, so he took Xiao Yao deep into the ocean where they explored for a long time.
Xiang Liu stared at the mirror recording of the colorful seashells, various fishes, the underwater fields……Xiang Liu in all white walking while Xiao Yao was right next to him, curiously taking all the sights in.
Whether it was Xiao Yao being so amazed at being under the sea or there were too many things to take in, she secretly recorded the memory without Xiang Liu knowing. She likely did so from behind him so his profile was always in view. Only at the last scene when he turned around to look at her did the mirror record his face directly.
Xiao Yao quickly put the mirror away so the memory ended on that ephemeral image of Xiang Liu turning to look at her.
…………………………..
Xiang Liu still clearly remembered the moment he discovered these saved memories in the gorilla mirror. He was shocked and amazed that Xiao Yao secretly recorded him, and that he wasn’t even aware of it. That proved he was completely relaxed at that time, and Xiao Yao could have had the chance to kill him.
Xiang Liu stared at the mirror for a long time before sighing, taking Xiao Yao to Five Gods Mountain felt like yesterday to him, but was really so long ago! His hand lifted to erase the memories but Sir Bi stopped him looking alarmed, “These are Xiao Yao’s most precious memories, you can’t!” Xiang Liu silently looked at Sir Bi until he remembered the promise he just made and slowly released his hand.
Xiang Liu used his power to rewind the saved memory in the mirror like turning back time. It was like things were going back to the way they were from the very beginning, but there was no way to do so with feelings and memories!
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Chapter 51:
Xiao Yao suddenly remembered something and hurriedly searched herself before taking out the mystical Gorilla Mirror she always kept by her side. Inside the mirror were two memories she saved, and now they were the only things she had left of him.
One memory was in Qing Shui Town when he couldn’t move because he was injured. Wen Xiao Liu captured him and used the chance to get revenge on all the times he was mean to her. Xiao Liu used the coal in the warmer to draw 7 eyes on his face, plus his 2 eyes, that gave him 9 eyes so she could make fun of him as a nine-headed demon.
The other memory was from deep in the ocean. Wen Xiao Liu and Xiang Liu’s reached a deal and Xiang Liu took her to Five Gods Mountain to remove the voodoo bug from Zhuan Xu. After removing the bug, they were chased by the Five Gods Mountain soldiers so they went deeper into the ocean to escape. That was the first time Xiao Yao experienced the beauty of the ocean depths and when Xiang Liu wasn’t paying attention she secretly recorded Xiang Liu as he was carefree and with his guard down.
Xiao Yao took a deep breath and used her power to turn on the mirror. But after swiping repeatedly nothing appeared.
Xiao Yao grew frantic. “It can’t be! It can’t be!…..” She anxiously used her power to look into the mirror. But no matter how many times she looked there were no memories of Xiang Liu.
Even the only thing he left to her was gone!
Xiao Yao could not believe it and she angrily kept trying the mirror. “How could this be? How could this be?……”
Suddenly she remembered, when she was unconscious Xiang Liu discovered the secret of the mirror and ordered her to erase it. When she woke up he never mentioned it again and she thought he forgot, but it turned out that when she wasn’t aware he had completely erased it all!
Xiao Yao stroked the mirror and said through tears. “Xiang Liu, in your eyes, am I really that meaningless? So you won’t even leave me a small memory!”
“Nine Headed Demon, I hate you!” Xiao Yao violently threw the mirror as her tears tumbled down her cheeks.
In Qing Shui Town, she was Wen Xiao Liu, he was Xiang Liu. They were always at odds, but when he got injured he would hide in her room to heal. She didn’t know when she started telling him about her painful past that she had never told anyone before.
In Xuan Yuan Castle, he was the dissolute playboy Fang Feng Bei, he was gentle and considerate, fun loving yet diligently and patiently taught her ten plus years of archery.
When she was asleep under the ocean for thirty seven years, they spent every night together. That was probably when Xiang Liu was the most tender and caring towards her. She was of no use to him to exploit and they have no reason to be on opposite sides of each other. So during that time it was just one person taking the other person through life together in the ocean. One person sometimes saying a few words here and there, the other laying forever in silence.
At her wedding ceremony in Chi Sui, he came to steal the bride from the wedding and made her go with him as payment for the promise she made. He also asked for 37 years of army provisions from Jing. All he gave up was his alter ego identity, but her reputation was thoroughly destroyed.
After that he was the General to Gong Gong’s army and she was Zhuan Xu’s little sister, every time saw each other even their words were like swords slashing at one another.
The last time they saw each other, because of Feng Long’s death, on the very Hu Lu Lake where they once played together she now wanted to kill him and he used Jing’s death to rile her up to get revenge for Jing. That night he nearly took all of her blood just to make a pill for healing. She hated him for being so cold-blooded and vowed never to see him again!
If she knew that it would be the last time they would ever see each other in this life time, she would have said something else. No matter how cold and harsh he was to her, she would never ever have wanted to say what she said to him.
Xiao Yao’s entire face was awash with tears and she lifted her head to stare at the sky.
Xiang Liu, why? Why? Why do you treat me this way? Why won’t you even let me keep one memory of you…..so our hundreds of years together, it was always just a transaction to you?
Xiang Liu died so boldly and left nothing behind, no parting words and even his body dissolved into poison. No one was there to answer Xiao Yao’s plaintive question.
XiangLiu performed on her, his final hypnotherapy session, where he sealed or removed her memories of him 🤔,…
Hmmm. I think XY was the last surviving person who really knew a side of XL that he didn't show to anyone else. But I don't think she was the only surviving person who knew that XL was more than the villain he was made out to be by some.
Lirong Chang knew him and knew that he was both XL and FFB.
Chenrong Yi (Feng Long's father) knew the sacrifice that he and the army had made for the former citizens of Chenrong. He deeply respected XL and felt guilty for it.
CX and the former King of Xiyan realized that XL was FFB and also respected his fight.
Ru Shou respected XL as an honourable adversary.
TSJ was grateful to XL for saving XY's life.
In the novel, Sir Bi was XL's long-time drinking buddy and knew several of the sacrifices that XL made for XY. Lie Yang and the Royal Mother also knew about some of the sacrifices.
In the drama, Ah Nian knows about several of the sacrifices that XL made for XY and the Royal Mother knows about some of them too.
Edit: And in the drama we got confirmation that Chubby did not die in the final battle. After 300 years together, of all the survivors he probably knew XL the best.
XiangLiu performed on her, his final hypnotherapy session, where he sealed or removed her memories of him 🤔,…
If I kept a diary, I'm sure I wouldn't like that. If the erased content was particularly precious, I'd probably be devastated. Just as XY was devastated when she realized that XL had erased the memories of him that she had recorded.
But it's not meant to be something that XY likes or appreciates in the moment. It's meant (along with everything else XL did) to prevent XY from mourning his death too deeply or for too long. So she could have that life of worry-free happiness that XL wished for her.
XiangLiu performed on her, his final hypnotherapy session, where he sealed or removed her memories of him 🤔,…
Adding to what Kokuto said, XL did not erase XY's memories from her own mind in the final episodes.
XL erased the memories of him that she had recorded in her mirror, so she would no longer be able to look at them after he died. The memories that XY had in her own mind (other than her memories of XL asking her his four questions in QS town) remained intact.
3 
1 
1 
This is XY's conversation with the Shaman King and her conversation with XL afterwards.
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Jiu Li = Baili
Zhuan Xu = Cang Xuan
Qi Yo = Chi Chen
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Chapter 37:
Xiao Yao stopped and said to Jing, “You go back first, I have something I need to talk with the Voodoo King privately.”
Jing didn’t leave. “Are you planning to ask him about the voodoo bug in your body and in Xiang Liu’s body?”
Xiao Yao sheepishly admitted, “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, I just didn’t want to worry you.”
Jing said, “Keeping it from me is what will worry me. Let me stay with you, okay?”
Xiao Yao nodded.
Seeing Jing and Xiao Yao, the Voodoo King invited them to join him for tea.
Xiao Yao sipped her tea and said, “I have a friend named Se Mai Er and wanted to ask the Voodoo King what fort she belongs to?”
The Voodoo King replied, “So you’re the person who knows voodoo and helped Se Mai Er. She’s dead now but she was my mom’s older sister. Years ago it was actually my mom who was to be sent to the outside but she already had a beloved and was carrying me so my aunt went in my mom’s place to be a slave. Thank you for helping her come home safely.”
Xiao Yao silently poured her tea on the ground for Se Mai Er’s passing.
The Voodoo King continued, “Se Mai Er mentioned that you wanted to know how to break the Lovers' Bug voodoo spell?”
Xiao Yao quickly glanced at Jing and acted nonchalant. “When I placed the voodoo bug I didn’t know it had such a weird name.”
Jing smiled. “It’s just a name, why are you in a rush to explain?”
Xiao Yao quickly said, “Yes, yes! It’s just a name.”
The Voodoo King coughed once and solemnly explained, “Lovers' Bug, like its name indicates, is a pair of male-female voodoo bugs. The couple who has the bug successfully planted will have their life and emotions connected. If one hurts [emotionally] then the other will hurt [emotionally]. If one is injured then the other will also [feel the pain of the injury].”
Xiao Yao said, “This I know already. What else?”
“To outsiders voodoo is considered mysterious and bad, but really it's a craft and magic that the Jiu Li tribe has passed down through generations to protect and heal us. Jiu Li has lots of deadly insects, deadly plants, deadly gasses, to live here our ancestors had to learn to understand it and control it. Voodoo is seen as a harmful power but we actually mostly use it here to save lives. The Lovers' Bug keeps two people’s lives connected, which means when one is injured as long as the other is healthy then the injured person will survive. This is a very good thing. Even if the Lovers' Bug is notoriously hard to grow, it ought to still be relatively prevalent since many people will try to grow it. So why it is so rare to see?”
Xiao Yao asked, “Why?”
“All living things that have a benefit must also carry a harm. The greater the benefit then the greater the potential for harm. The Lovers' Bug is exactly that. It can enable lovers to communicate with each other and connect their lives, but the Lovers' Bug is just like a pair of lovers in love with each other with changeable tempers and very difficult to control. The Lovers' Bug can easily backfire. Once it breaks out, both people will die. Which is why the Lovers' Bug also has another name: the Heartbreak Bug.”
Jing stared in dismay at Xiao Yao who quickly said, “It can’t be as scary as he makes it out to be. It’s been over seventy years and I’m still just fine.”
The shaman king's face paled in horror. "Did you not plant your bug in this young master?"
"No."
The Voodoo King stared in shock at Xiao Yao. “Can I feel the bug in you?”
Xiao Yao nodded.
The Voodoo King didn’t move so he was likely using a bug inside of himself to sense. He frowned and murmured, "It is indeed the lover's bug! But how is it possible? 'Lovers raise the Lovers' Bug. Broken-hearted people produce the Heartbreak Bug.' Lovers' Bug differs from other bugs. It requires the couple to be willing in order to successfully plant it. If he is not your lover, how did you manage to plant the Lovers' Bug in him?"
Xiao Yao said, “You might not know as much as your ancestors, the bug could be more multi-facted and evolving in ways beyond your understanding.”
The shaman king was extremely puzzled, but Xiao Yao's lover was obviously the young man next to her so there were some things he could not verbalise. As such, he responded perfunctorily, "You are right. The poisonous bug in your body is different from other bugs. It is likely there is something unique about you and the other man."
Xiao Yao inwardly sighed in relief. “He is very unique!” Since the bug was planted, only Xiang Liu could sense her but she could never sense him.
Jing anxiously asked, “How to break the spell?”
The Voodoo King’s face scrunched up. “The Lovers' Bug – either live in love or die in heartbreak. Once the Lovers' Bug has been planted there is no way to break the spell. It is impossible. This is what I was trying to say earlier for why so few people raise it despite the great benefit. Only very determined girls would raise the bug but even if they successfully raise it, it’s near impossible to find a man willing to accept the other bug to be planted in him.”
Jing was stunned and after a moment of silence he slowly asked, “What happens if one person who has the Lovers' Bug dies? What happens to the other person?”
The Voodoo King sighed, “Our Jiu Li folk ballad sings ‘The twisted roots of the parasol tree entwine on land, the doves do not fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water always die together.'”
Jing stared at Xiao Yao and tightly grabbed her hand.
Xiao Yao smiled at him and made a joke face. “Don’t worry! We don’t need to believe everything the Voodoo King says. Don’t forget, he said that only in a pair of lovers in love could the bug be successfully planted. I don’t have any relationship with Xiang Liu, but we still successfully planted the bug. The Voodoo King also said the spell couldn’t be broken once the bug was planted but don’t forget that I planted the bug first in Zhuan Xu before Xiang Liu helped me break the spell and move the bug to himself.”
Jing let out a sigh of relief. “Yes! The bug was moved from Zhuan Xu!”
Xiao Yao shook Jing’s hand, “Don’t worry, there is no absolutes in this world. If no one has broken the spell before then let me be the first.” She said to the Voodoo King, “Once I break it I’ll pass on the knowledge to you as gratitude for your ancestor teaching me voodoo.”
The Voodoo King smiled. “Jiu Li people are the lowest untouchables and we have limited ability. But to protect the Miss we would do everything in our power. Please Miss never mention repaying any gratitude.”
This was the first time Xiao Yao was being treated with respect and offered kindness because of her real father. Xiao Yao’s heart clenched and she didn’t have the heart to decline. “Thank you.”
Xiao Yao glanced at the peach tree forest and Jing asked, “Want to spend another night?”
Xiao Yao shook her head. “Everything is done that needed to be taken care of, let’s go home! By now Xiao Xiao will have discovered that the Xiao Yao on the ship is a fake.”
Xiao Yao bid farewell to the Voodoo King. “Right now the Xuan Yuan ruler is the Black Emperor. He’s different than other rulers and in his eyes there are no class differences. Please give him some time and he will lift Jiu Li’s slave tribe designation.”
The Voodoo King didn’t know if that could ever happen but he bowed low to Xiao Yao. “Miss, please take care!”
Xiao Yao and Jing returned to the bamboo hut and tidied it up before Xiao Yao said, “Let’s go now.”
Jing was waiting outside on the crane allowing Xiao Yao some alone time to say farewell to her parents.
Xiao Yao stood before Qi Yo’s portrait for some time before softly saying, “Dad, Mom, I’m leaving now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be just fine.”
She turned and ran outside to greet Jing with a big smile and cheerfully said, “Back to the East Sea to look for Xiao Xiao and Miao Pu.”
When they returned to the Tu Shan ship, Xiao Xiao as expected figured out that the Xiao Yao on the ship was a clone but she didn’t know where Xiao Yao went so she could only wait on the ship in the East Sea.
Seeing them return, Maio Pu was so happy she could cry while Xiao Xiao remained as placid as usual as she greeted Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao scooted over with a grin. “Don’t worry, if Gege gets mad I’ll take all the blame.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t say thanks or no need, she just calmly asked “Does my lady want to return to Sheng Nong Mountain now?”
Xiao Yao stared at the sea and didn’t respond. Moments later she said, “I want to stay one night on the sea.”
That night the waves rocked the ship and Xiao Yao couldn’t sleep. She climbed off her pallet and draped a robe over herself and walked out on the deck.
A slight ocean breeze, a bright round moon hanging in the sky reflecting the glittering light on the waves. It was beautifully silent.
Under this big ocean she laid inside a giant white clam shell for thirty-seven years. No one knew how Xiang Liu managed to save her life, or that her body had changed. Every time Zhuan Xu would ask, she would claim to have slept the entire time and remembered nothing. But in her heart everything was crystal clear to her. His blood flowed inside her body. Even now her body clamored for the ocean. In the past she loved water but that feeling was nothing like what she felt now. Back then the ocean was the ocean and she was herself. Now she was a daughter of the sea, she could swim with the fishes and listen to the merpeople’s song. She could dive into the deepest part of the ocean like a demon fish and could swim faster than a dolphin.
With just one vault she could jump into the ocean and swim happily. But Xiao Yao refused, she tightly clenched her fist and warred with herself.
The merpeople’s song reached her from the depths of the ocean and Xiao Yao’s heart lurched and she ran to the ship’s bow to stare out into the distance. Under the silver moonlight a white-haired, white-robed man was walking on the waves towards her.
He said nothing and Xiao Yao didn’t speak either. The two of them, one on the ship and the other on the water, listened together to the song of the merpeople. The song spread out on the water’s surface, melodic and pure, touching deep into the soul like a passionate entreaty in darkness, like a longing sigh that shatters the heart, it made the soul rise and fall with the song.
When the song ended Xiao Yao softly said, “So beautiful!”
Xiang Liu softly concurred, “Yes.”
The merpeople’s song was in a pitch that very few people on earth could hear, so in that split second Xiao Yao felt that her heart was intimately close to Xiang Liu and there was nothing she couldn’t share with him. She said “My father is Qi Yo.”
Xiang Liu’s eyes showed his amusement. Saying “My father is Qi Yo” is very different than saying, “I am Qi Yo’s daughter.” The latter stated a truth complete with anger, the former was warm and loving about the relationship.
“When I first met you, you called yourself Wen Xiao Liu. Later your name was Gao Xing Jiu Yao. Now you are called Xi Ling Jiu Yao. If you ever get a fourth name, likely no one will be able to keep track.”
Xiao Yao laughed out loud and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth and glanced back. Only after confirming she didn’t alert anyone did she sass right back, “Just three names. In the future even if there is a fourth name, you have nine heads so use a brain to remember half a name and you can remember it all and still have room.”
Xiang Liu coldly stared at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao wasn’t scared in the least “If you dare raise a hand, then I dare to yell for help!”
Xiang Liu laughed. “Why do I need to do anything? Your dad is Qi Yo, there are plenty of people who will make your life difficult.”
Xiao Yao laughed back. “I just came back from a trip to Jiu Li. The Voodoo King told me all the specifics about the bug inside our bodies. I don’t remember any of the specifics of what he said but the one thing I do remember clearly is that the two bugs live and die together. Which means our lives are connected. If I’m in trouble then you’re not going to get off scot free!”
Xiang Liu smiled at Xiao Yao and didn’t seem surprised at all.
Xiao Yao was shocked and asked, “You’ve known all along since the beginning what kind of bug this was, right?”
“What if I did?”
“The Voodoo King said ‘the doves don’t fly alone in the sky, the pair of mandarin ducks in the water die together’. If I die then how can you live?”
“Why don’t you ask the question in reverse – if I die, then how can you live?”
Xiao Yao tried to stay calm and plead with him. “I don’t know who dies and who lives so that’s why I’m asking you. Tell me!”
Xiang Liu’s expression was sly and acted really nonchalant “How would I know? You’re the one who learned some voodoo. This is the first time I played with a bug. But no need to fret, when either you or I die then we’ll know what happens, right?”
Xiao Yao was so frustrated by him she was nearly hopping up and down in fury “You broke the spell on Zhuan Xu so how could you not want to break the spell between us?”
Xiang Liu smiled until his eyes were slits, “I don’t want to know!”
Xiao Yao wearily asked “What do you want then?”
Xiang Liu’s body was slowly sinking into the water. “Other than checking on how my wares are doing in your body, what else do you think I want?”
“Hey! Don’t go!”
Xiao Yao flipped over the railing ready to dive into the water to chase after Xiang Liu but a pair of hands grabbed her hard and pulled her back on deck.
“Let me go…….” Xiao Yao struggled and then turned around to see Jing. She meekly allowed him to keep her on deck.
Xiao Yao tentatively asked, “When did you get up?”
Jing said “I’ve been up for awhile.” Actually, he couldn’t sleep either so he knew from the moment Xiao Yao went on deck. But it was clear she wanted to be alone so he didn’t go disturb her.
From the very beginning Xiang Liu knew Jing was there on deck so Xiang Liu cast a spell that blocked anyone from hearing what he was discussing with Xiao Yao, except he allowed Jing to listen in.
Seeing Xiao Yao going to chase after Xiang Liu, Jing couldn’t explain the feeling but he rushed forward instinctively and grabbed Xiao Yao as if afraid she would vanish from his life.
Xiao Yao said, “Xiang Liu was just by and I asked him how to break the bug spell but he wouldn’t tell me.”
Jing’s worry dissipated.
Xiao Yao said sadly, “I’m not as glib as him, powers are not as high as him, all my poisons he eats like candy, every time I see him he is totally mean to me.”
Jing smiled. “Do you want me to help you?”
Xiao Yao cocked her head. “No, you two are business transactions, what’s between him and me is purely personal. No need to mix it.”
In the drama, XL sacrificed one life to save XY's life in S1. Then he sacrificed two more lives in S2 in order to lure out and kill the Lovers Bugs to break the bug connection between him and XY before the final battle. We see two heads from XL's true form perish when he sacrifices those two lives.
In the final battle in the drama, XL's true form had six out of its original nine heads, with the three missing heads matching up with the three lives he sacrificed for XY. Over the course of the final battle XL lost all of his remaining six lives.
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Gong Gong = Hong Jiang
Xuan Yuan = Xiyan
---
The two strolled around the streets before Xiao Yao took Jing to a restaurant and ordered a few Xuan Yuan classic cuisine dishes.
Xiao Yao was quietly eating when seven or eight soldiers walked in and the leader gleefully yelled out, “Shopkeeper, bring the best dishes and wine! Today I’m treating. Anyone here is invited! Waiter, give every table wine to celebrate the Xuan Yuan Army’s great victory today!”
Everyone in the restaurant got excited and started asking questions, learning that it was Great General Ru So who won the battle and a few diners laughed. “Isn’t the Great General Ru So constantly winning battles recently already?”
The lead soldier said, “This is not like any regular great victory! Nine Lives Xiang Liu is dead! You business people likely don’t know how powerful and vicious that Xiang Liu is…”
Coming so out of the blue that she could not brace for it, Xiao Yao felt a piercing dagger stab her chest and her ears were ringing. The pain in her heart exploded and the wine cup in her hand dropped.
Jing worried cried out, “Xiao Yao!”
Xiao Yao murmured, “It can’t be! It’s impossible! He can’t be dead just like this! I didn’t feel anything, I can’t feel anything anymore……” She suddenly remembered that the Lover’s Bug was removed by the Royal Mother so she obviously can’t feel the connection anymore. Xiao Yao’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backward.
Jing grabbed Xiao Yao. “Let’s go back to Xuan Yuan Mountain first, let Miao Pu take the Grand Emperor’s badge to gather information.”
Xiao Yao was lightheaded and lead-footed, all she kept saying over and over was, “It can’t be.”
Jing ordered Miao Pu and appeared to say something to Xiao Yao but she couldn’t hear anything clearly.
Miao Pu rushed off, and it seemed like it was a short time, but perhaps also a very long time, when she returned.
Xiao Yao immediately asked, “That was a false report, right?”
Miao Pu replied, “General Ying Long said that Xiang Liu died in battle.”
Xiao Yao screamed wildly, “That’s impossible, I don’t believe it!”
Miao Pu was so frightened she didn’t dare say another word.
Jing brought in a bowl of the strongest alcohol and forced Xiao Yao to drink it all. He gently asked, “Do you still want to hear more? If you don’t want to hear any more I can drink with you.”
Xiao Yao held her head and said to Miao Pu, “Keep talking.”
“After the death of the Chi Sui Clan Leader, His Majesty ordered that the Army was to completely exterminate Gong Gong’s army at all costs. Great General Ru So commanded an army of 200,000 soldiers to surround and attack Gong Gong’s army. Under the unrelenting attack of the Xuan Yuan army, Gong Gong’s army retreated deep into the forest and refused to engage. General Ru So started to burn the entire mountain to force Gong Gong’s army to come out and battle and found themselves facing General Ru So’s army and also General Li Yuan’s army of 200,000 soldiers. Gong Gong led his soldiers into the ocean but General Ru So already anticipated Gong Gong would escape towards the ocean. He stationed General Yu Jiang and his water trained soldiers to lay in wait. He was ready to cut down Gong Gong when Xiang Liu somehow energized his nearly dead soldiers to fight to open a route for Gong Gong to escape. But General Ru So and Yu Jiang followed the entire way for days and nights until they caught up to Gong Gong on a remote ocean island. General Ru So had the island surrounded and used many ancient spells and weapons so that even if Gong Gong turned into a tiny fish he couldn’t escape. Yu Jiang insisted on landing on the island with his soldiers to attack and started a fierce battle with Gong Gong….”
Miao Pu’s voice got softer and softer. “One thousand Sheng Nong soldiers against 100,000 thousand Xuan Yuan soldiers, not a single person surrendered and every Sheng Nong soldier died. Yu Jiang is a top fighter among the Gods but he could not defeat the heavily injured Gong Gong. Later General Ru So ordered every single soldier to shoot their arrow at Gong Gong and with thousands of arrows shot at him, Gong Gong finally died. It was after his death that his true form appeared. It was the Nine Lives demon… General Ru So realized then that he was tricked.”
Xiao Yao bent over and her arms wrapped around her head as her shoulders shook uncontrollably. Miao Pu didn’t dare to say more but Jing gently stroked Xiao Yao’s back and said, “Keep talking.”
Miao Pu glanced at Left Ear and saw his emotionless face so she continued. “General Ru So, once he discovered he was tricked, did not fall into a rage. Instead he said happily, “With Xiang Liu’s death, the hardest part of the war is over.” Because Xiang Liu really killed so many of our men, I heard a lot of soldiers wanted to harm and desecrate his body to assuage their anger. But General Ru So whipped the men who rushed forward and ordered everyone to step back. Once everyone left the island, Xiang Liu’s body dissolved into black blood that destroyed every living thing on the island including blades of grass. Even the ground turned black. All the soldiers were frightened and even General Ru So was scared afterwards, if it wasn’t for his respect for this enemy likely everyone would have died alongside him on the island.”
Xiao Yao’s body collapsed on the pallet. If she didn’t believe it earlier, now she believed it. Only Xiang Liu could do something like that.
XY sees XL's true form in chapter 43 and it has all nine heads even after XL sacrificed one of his lives to save her life in chapter 22. So that's how we know that the number of heads that XL's true form has left does not correspond with the number of extra lives that he has left in the novel.
Before the final battle in the novel we only know for sure that XL lost two lives. The first was in chapter 22, when he sacrificed a life to extend XY's life after her assassination. The second was in chapter 48, when he sacrificed an extra life in order to lure out and kill the Lovers Bugs so that he could break the bug connection between himself and XY before he died in the final battle. He had to break the connection to ensure that his death would not cause XY to die too.
We don't know if XL lost any of his extra lives before he met XY (e.g., in the slave death match arena, during the 100+ years he spent in the far north, or in the ~300 years he spent fighting with the remnant army before meeting her). We do know that Gong Gong (Hong Jiang) saved XL's life when he was nearly killed by a whirlpool after escaping from the death match arena (incurring the life debt that prompted XL to return to Gong Gong and fight with his army more than 200 years later). So presumably XL did not lose one of his lives in that situation.
Some fans speculate that XL might have sacrificed one of his extra lives to save TSJ's life between chapter 42 and chapter 49 (when XL created a jewel from XY's blood that was used to revive TSJ and might have taken other steps to save his life). They also speculate that he might have sacrificed one of his extra lives when he saved XY's life in chapter 48 (even though the details were quite different from when he saved her life in chapter 22).
In any case, he had somewhere between seven lives and one life remaining when the last battle began. As he told Sir Bi, it didn't matter if he had one extra or one fewer life when it came to facing the Xuan Yuan (Xiyan) army in the last battle. He chose to die on the battlefield with his comrades and continued fighting until he had burned through all of his remaining lives.
The final battle began with the remnant army (including XL) being burned out of the mountains that previously gave them a geographic advantage. They were forced to face 200,000 Xuan Yuan soliders under General Ru Shou's command (with another 200,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers under General Li Yuan's command available to provide support) in direct combat. Days later, the battle ended on an island where the last 1,000 remnant army soldiers (including XL) faced an army of 100,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers. Every single remnant army soldier chose to fight to the death and not a single one surrendered.
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In the drama, XL's true form does lose a head when XL loses one of his extra lives. So we always know exactly when he loses a life and how many lives he has left.
In S1, XL sacrificed one of his lives to save XY's life after her assassination. That is why, when XL's true form is revealed before he breaks the bug connection between himself and XY in S2, his true form only has eight heads instead of nine. That also tells us that XL never lost any of his extra lives at any point before he sacrificed one of his extra lives to save XY in S1 after her assassination.
In S2, in order to break the bug connection before the last battle, XL uses two more of his lives to lure out and kill the bugs. After that, XL's true form has six heads left.
When XL protected TSJ from the sea monsters, his true form had six heads left. And when XL fought in the final battle, his true form also had six heads left. So he did not sacrifice any more lives between breaking the bug connection and fighting in the final battle. In the final battle, he lost his last six remaining lives.
In the novel, TSJ was able to survive the wounds he sustained from TSH thanks to XY's pill, but he was unconscious from the moment he fell into the water after his battle with TSH and he disappeared for 7 years. CX only had his army search for TSJ for a few days. After that, XY was the one who told him to call off the search (with good reason) even though she personally continued to search for several more days. After that, no one searched for TSJ. The implication was that XL or a merperson under his command found TSJ and kept his body safe. Then (after six and a half years) XL used the blood that he obtained from XY to create a jewel and gave that jewel to a merman who used it to revive TSJ at the right time. Some fans even speculated that XL might have sacrificed one of his extra lives to turn the jewel into a life-saving jewel.
In the drama, it seems things were quite different.
I went back to watch the beginning of S2 Ep23 to count the number of heads that XL's true form had left in the last battle. In the drama, two out of the original nine heads disappeared when he sacrificed two lives to kill the Lovers Bugs and broke the bug connection between himself and XY. Another head had previously disappeared when he sacrificed one of his lives to save XY's life in S1. In the last battle, XL's true form still had six heads left. Which means he didn't sacrifice one of his lives to save TSJ's life. If he had done so, his true form would only have five heads left.
And since he used the jewel made from XY's blood on XY, he must not have used it to revive TSJ. And TSJ wasn't unconscious from the moment he fell into the water and as far as I can tell he wasn't missing for 7 whole years. It seems like TSJ was sucked into an undersea cave by a whirlpool while still conscious and had to escape from that cave himself, after taking XY's pill to help replenish his power. He managed to get out, but fell unconscious during or after his escape. XL found him and protected him from sea monsters, but only briefly. Just long enough for Lirong Chang to find TSJ's body. Which was possible because the search for TSJ never stopped.
It's all so watered down compared to what XL did to save TSJ in the novel and ensure that XY would have her "person to rely on"!
And, as one additional gripe from a novel reader about changes related to XL and TSJ, they changed the third figure that XL added to the ice crystal ball (to represent TSJ) so that the new figure is also a merman (like the originaal two figures that represent XY and XL) instead of a humanoid figure!
In S1 Ep1, WXL helped a rabbit demon (a former patient from her fertility clinic) give birth to a litter of cute little rabbit demons near the stone spirit's story telling circle.
In S2 Ep23, when the stone spirit tells the updated story of Dahuang, we see in the crowd that the same actress is playing a rabbit demon and she has a litter of young rabbit demon children with her (they have fluffy white hair accessories like the rabbit demon's ear's from S1 and they're eating carrots to emphasize what kind of demon they are).
So much time has passed, no one in the crowd listening to the stone spirit's story seems to even remember the events that took place during the drama when there was more than just one kingdom / one royal family (and the rabbit demon says those events took place a long, long time ago). So there is an open question. Is this the same rabbit demon from S1 with a new litter of children? One of her descendants? Or her reincarnation?
And thank you for the "expert" title! ^^
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Chapter 48:
Xiang Liu smiled and appeared not to take offense to what Sir Bi said and asked, “I have one favor to ask of you.”
Sir Bi said, “If I can do it, I will.” A gentleman’s friendship may be light as water, but a gentleman’s promise was as heavy as gold.
“I want to sever the remaining connections between me and Xiao Yao. In a bit, no matter what is happening, please do not interfere and just watch.”
Sir Bi replied swiftly, “I will!”
Xiang Liu waved his hand and Xiao Yao’s precious gorilla beast mirror flew from her arms into his hand. He stared at it for a long time and didn’t make any move.
Sir Bi stood to the side and silently and patiently looked on.
Xiang Liu smiled and explained to Sir Bi, “This is a gorilla mirror that’s saved some ancient stuff from the past. Not even sure if Xiao Yao already deleted it.” He waved his hand and the mirror clouded before clearly showing Xiang Liu’s face.
………………………………..
In a dingy room in Qing Shui Town, Xiang Liu was injured and couldn’t move. Xiao Yao snatched the opportunity to get revenge on Xiang Liu for being mean to her for so long. She used coal briquettes and drew seven eyes on Xiang Liu’s face, and together with his two eyes, it formed nine eyes so she could mock him for being a nine-headed demon.
At that time, Xiao Yao was holding the mirror with one hand so only her other hand was visible. Her voice was totally mocking as she said, “Take a good look, but don’t get mad otherwise you’ll interrupt the healing!”
Xiang Liu opened his eyes looking like he was going to kill her, but Xiao Yao wasn’t scared and instead rubbed the seven eyes while counting until she used her grubby charcoal hands to draw nine heads on Xiang Liu’s face. She cackled, “I still can’t imagine what nine heads look like, when are you going to show me your true form?”
Xiang Liu glared at Xiao Yao and silently mouthed, “I. Am. Going. To. Eat. You.”
Nine Lives Xiang Liu was renowned for being deadly, but with his face all blackened the scariness of his threat lessened immensely.
………………………………..
Xiang Liu watched to this part and then started laughing. From the moment he was born he didn’t have parents, and had to start surviving from that moment forward. He had no childhood or playmates or fun, and after he was an adult his reputation was so bad that no one dared to joke around with him. Xiao Yao was the first person who dared to play tricks on him, but do so without any real ill will or harmful intention.
Xiang Liu stared at his blackened face in the mirror for quite some time in a daze. Then he waved his hand and called forth the next memory.
To remove the bug from Zhuan Xu, he struck a deal with Xiao Yao and took her to Five Gods Mountain where he successfully planted the bug in himself. Afterwards the guards chased them, so he took Xiao Yao deep into the ocean where they explored for a long time.
Xiang Liu stared at the mirror recording of the colorful seashells, various fishes, the underwater fields……Xiang Liu in all white walking while Xiao Yao was right next to him, curiously taking all the sights in.
Whether it was Xiao Yao being so amazed at being under the sea or there were too many things to take in, she secretly recorded the memory without Xiang Liu knowing. She likely did so from behind him so his profile was always in view. Only at the last scene when he turned around to look at her did the mirror record his face directly.
Xiao Yao quickly put the mirror away so the memory ended on that ephemeral image of Xiang Liu turning to look at her.
…………………………..
Xiang Liu still clearly remembered the moment he discovered these saved memories in the gorilla mirror. He was shocked and amazed that Xiao Yao secretly recorded him, and that he wasn’t even aware of it. That proved he was completely relaxed at that time, and Xiao Yao could have had the chance to kill him.
Xiang Liu stared at the mirror for a long time before sighing, taking Xiao Yao to Five Gods Mountain felt like yesterday to him, but was really so long ago! His hand lifted to erase the memories but Sir Bi stopped him looking alarmed, “These are Xiao Yao’s most precious memories, you can’t!”
Xiang Liu silently looked at Sir Bi until he remembered the promise he just made and slowly released his hand.
Xiang Liu used his power to rewind the saved memory in the mirror like turning back time. It was like things were going back to the way they were from the very beginning, but there was no way to do so with feelings and memories!
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Chapter 51:
Xiao Yao suddenly remembered something and hurriedly searched herself before taking out the mystical Gorilla Mirror she always kept by her side. Inside the mirror were two memories she saved, and now they were the only things she had left of him.
One memory was in Qing Shui Town when he couldn’t move because he was injured. Wen Xiao Liu captured him and used the chance to get revenge on all the times he was mean to her. Xiao Liu used the coal in the warmer to draw 7 eyes on his face, plus his 2 eyes, that gave him 9 eyes so she could make fun of him as a nine-headed demon.
The other memory was from deep in the ocean. Wen Xiao Liu and Xiang Liu’s reached a deal and Xiang Liu took her to Five Gods Mountain to remove the voodoo bug from Zhuan Xu. After removing the bug, they were chased by the Five Gods Mountain soldiers so they went deeper into the ocean to escape. That was the first time Xiao Yao experienced the beauty of the ocean depths and when Xiang Liu wasn’t paying attention she secretly recorded Xiang Liu as he was carefree and with his guard down.
Xiao Yao took a deep breath and used her power to turn on the mirror. But after swiping repeatedly nothing appeared.
Xiao Yao grew frantic. “It can’t be! It can’t be!…..” She anxiously used her power to look into the mirror. But no matter how many times she looked there were no memories of Xiang Liu.
Even the only thing he left to her was gone!
Xiao Yao could not believe it and she angrily kept trying the mirror. “How could this be? How could this be?……”
Suddenly she remembered, when she was unconscious Xiang Liu discovered the secret of the mirror and ordered her to erase it. When she woke up he never mentioned it again and she thought he forgot, but it turned out that when she wasn’t aware he had completely erased it all!
Xiao Yao stroked the mirror and said through tears. “Xiang Liu, in your eyes, am I really that meaningless? So you won’t even leave me a small memory!”
“Nine Headed Demon, I hate you!” Xiao Yao violently threw the mirror as her tears tumbled down her cheeks.
In Qing Shui Town, she was Wen Xiao Liu, he was Xiang Liu. They were always at odds, but when he got injured he would hide in her room to heal. She didn’t know when she started telling him about her painful past that she had never told anyone before.
In Xuan Yuan Castle, he was the dissolute playboy Fang Feng Bei, he was gentle and considerate, fun loving yet diligently and patiently taught her ten plus years of archery.
When she was asleep under the ocean for thirty seven years, they spent every night together. That was probably when Xiang Liu was the most tender and caring towards her. She was of no use to him to exploit and they have no reason to be on opposite sides of each other. So during that time it was just one person taking the other person through life together in the ocean. One person sometimes saying a few words here and there, the other laying forever in silence.
At her wedding ceremony in Chi Sui, he came to steal the bride from the wedding and made her go with him as payment for the promise she made. He also asked for 37 years of army provisions from Jing. All he gave up was his alter ego identity, but her reputation was thoroughly destroyed.
After that he was the General to Gong Gong’s army and she was Zhuan Xu’s little sister, every time saw each other even their words were like swords slashing at one another.
The last time they saw each other, because of Feng Long’s death, on the very Hu Lu Lake where they once played together she now wanted to kill him and he used Jing’s death to rile her up to get revenge for Jing. That night he nearly took all of her blood just to make a pill for healing. She hated him for being so cold-blooded and vowed never to see him again!
If she knew that it would be the last time they would ever see each other in this life time, she would have said something else. No matter how cold and harsh he was to her, she would never ever have wanted to say what she said to him.
Xiao Yao’s entire face was awash with tears and she lifted her head to stare at the sky.
Xiang Liu, why? Why? Why do you treat me this way? Why won’t you even let me keep one memory of you…..so our hundreds of years together, it was always just a transaction to you?
Xiang Liu died so boldly and left nothing behind, no parting words and even his body dissolved into poison. No one was there to answer Xiao Yao’s plaintive question.
Lirong Chang knew him and knew that he was both XL and FFB.
Chenrong Yi (Feng Long's father) knew the sacrifice that he and the army had made for the former citizens of Chenrong. He deeply respected XL and felt guilty for it.
CX and the former King of Xiyan realized that XL was FFB and also respected his fight.
Ru Shou respected XL as an honourable adversary.
TSJ was grateful to XL for saving XY's life.
In the novel, Sir Bi was XL's long-time drinking buddy and knew several of the sacrifices that XL made for XY. Lie Yang and the Royal Mother also knew about some of the sacrifices.
In the drama, Ah Nian knows about several of the sacrifices that XL made for XY and the Royal Mother knows about some of them too.
Edit: And in the drama we got confirmation that Chubby did not die in the final battle. After 300 years together, of all the survivors he probably knew XL the best.
But it's not meant to be something that XY likes or appreciates in the moment. It's meant (along with everything else XL did) to prevent XY from mourning his death too deeply or for too long. So she could have that life of worry-free happiness that XL wished for her.
XL erased the memories of him that she had recorded in her mirror, so she would no longer be able to look at them after he died. The memories that XY had in her own mind (other than her memories of XL asking her his four questions in QS town) remained intact.