So im on ep 4 but im dying to know why she doesn't know who she is yet or have any spiritual power like the dude…
Wen Xiao Liu knows who she is. Although she doesn't want to return to her former identity, she never forgets that she was formerly Xiao Yao / Princess Haoling Jiu Yao.
Her face is a different matter. When Xiao Yao was a baby, her mother (Xiling Heng / the General Princess / the former Queen of Haoling) and her father (Shao Hao / the King of Haoling) secretly implanted the Face Forming Flower in her body and used it to conceal her true features (particularly her eyes) which give away the fact that Chi Chen is her real biological father. Xiao Yao did not know that the Face Forming Flower was implanted in her body, or that the face she had as a child was not her true face.
Before Xiao Yao's mother left for the final battle, she gave Xiao Yao two precious texts (the Jiu Li Poison Manual and Chenrong Herb Manual) which were kept in a jade necklace. On Jade Mountain, the Royal Mother knew those texts were precious and dangerous. She forced Xiao Yao to memorize them and then to destroy them. The Jiu Li Poison Manual gave Xiao Yao a world-class knowledge of poisons, setting her up to become a poison master.
Xiao Yao spent 70 years on Jade Mountain before she ran away. She trained under the Royal Mother, so the strong spiritual power she had before arriving on Jade Mountain would have only increased. The food and drinks that Xiao Yao consumed on Jade Mountain (e.g., eating Jade Mountain peaches and drinking bone essence) had special properties. Over the course of 70 years, they gave Xiao Yao's body special properties. This is at least part of the reason why Xiao Yao's blood can help heal Xiang Liu's wounds.
When Xiao Yao ran away from Jade Mountain, word got out that eating her and consuming her spiritual energy would allow a demon to greatly increase their powers. In order to escape the demons that wanted to find her and eat her, Xiao Yao transformed her features. As a young deity with limited transformation experience, any powerful demon or deity should have been able to see through Xiao Yao's transformation. But Xiao Yao didn't realize she was using the power of the Face Forming Flower inside her body to transform, which made her transformation seamless. Not even the most powerful deity or demon could see through it.
However, after using the Face Forming Flower to transform for an extended period of time, Xiao Yao eventually forgot what her previous face (the one her mother and father created with the Face Forming Flower, which she didn't know was fake) looked like and wasn't able to return to it. She was treated like a monster and fled to live alone in the mountains for 20 years. That was where she met the snake demon whose egg she stole.
Later in the mountains, Xiao Yao met a nine-tailed fox who only had eight remaining tails. He taught Xiao Yao to use his magical mirror to record her faces so she could remember what they looked like and return to them (which helped him gain her trust), but she still couldn't remember what her previous face looked like. Then the fox captured Xiao Yao and threw her in a cage. Xiao Yao found out that the fox was once best friends with her ninth uncle, and the fox hated Xiao Yao's mother for killing her ninth uncle (Xiao Yao's mother had a good reason for doing so). The fox also hated Xiao Yao's mother's "friend" (Xiao Yao's biological father, Chi Chen), because he was the person who cut off the fox's ninth tail, which greatly depleted the fox's power. Since Xiao Yao's mother and Chi Chen are both believed to have died in battle, the nine-tailed fox with eight remaining tails couldn't take revenge on them directly. So he planned to eat Xiao Yao as revenge, and also as a means of restoring his spiritual power.
For 30 years, the fox fed Xiao Yao horrible concoctions that caused her spiritual power to seep into her blood (which would make it easier for the fox to absorb all of Xiao Yao's spiritual power when he ate her). This is the reason that Xiao Yao / Wen Xiao Liu has low spiritual powers. After 30 years in that cage, Xiao Yao was eventually able to use her poison skills to incapacitate the fox. She cut off each of his remaining eight tails before killing him, and then stole his mirror. She used the Face Forming Flower to take on the form of a man and travelled the world for ~160 years before settling in QS town and opening a fertility clinic using the name Wen Xiao Liu.
When Wen Xiao Liu faced off against Xuan (when he came with Ah Nian to get the antidote from Wen Xiao Liu), Wen Xiao Liu planned to have Ye Shi Qi defend against Xuan's attack, so she could see what kind of powers Xuan had (if you are interested to know, Cang Xuan has wood-based powers). Wen Xiao Liu would then use that information to decide what kind of poison to use against him. She didn't realize Ye Shi Qi had abandoned her and wouldn't defend against Xuan's attack until it was too late.
So the TL;DR answers to your questions: Wen Xiao Liu knows who she is, and she will eventually regain her true face. She really does have low spiritual powers, but she is not helpless. She is already a world-class poison master, and her skills will only increase with practice and time, and she has the will and the ability to gain other skills along the way.
Xiaoliu is upset because during the whole time she took care of Shiqi, he never told her who he really is. You…
You're welcome! ^^ Totally get it. The first time I read and watched LYF I skipped so much. But then with the delay for part 2 I ended up re-watching and re-reading... probably too much.
Two months ago I might've been able to reference the specific episodes and scenes, but now it's not fresh in my memory. The novel excerpts are easier to pull up quickly. But iirc the drama matched up with those parts of the novel pretty closely, so hopefully they're close enough.
Xiaoliu is upset because during the whole time she took care of Shiqi, he never told her who he really is. You…
IMO, WXL did not think that YSQ was an ordinary person. She and Lao Mu both knew he was a powerful god, that he likely came from a powerful family, and the person who inflicted his injuries was a powerful and dangerous person. She also knew (logically) that he wouldn't be able to stay with her as YSQ forever. But when TSJ's identity was revealed and he was really forced to leave her, she was still hurt. As Ltran904 mentioned, she still carries her childhood trauma and has serious abandonment issues.
On top of that, she unexpectedly found out that he was engaged. WXL still met TSJ by the riverbank in the evenings after TSJ returned to the Tushan clan residence in QS town, but she stopped doing that after she found out about his engagement.
-----
Chapter 1:
Ma Zi spoke to the person laying on the pallet through the window, “Beggar, Brother Liu spent an entire night saving you and used up all the medicine he was saving for himself. You have to survive.” When Xiao Liu came back in the afternoon, he was so tired and sleepy his eyelids were battling each other.
He tossed a wild duck on the ground and went to the kitchen to get a bowl of hot soup, crumbling some biscuits to toss inside. He sat behind the stove and noisily slurped his meal. Lao Mu was rolling dough and said, “I heard about that man’s injuries from Ma Zi.”
Xiao Liu drank his soup. “Uhm hmmm.”
“Ma Zi, Chuan Zi – neither can see it, but you must be able to tell. He is from one of the God tribes, and he is definitely not one of the lowlier types of Gods like us.”
Xiao Liu drank his soup and didn’t respond.
“Killing someone is just cutting off a head. These kinds of injuries have a big reason behind it. Saving someone who shouldn’t be saved is like bringing death to the door.”
Xiao Liu chewed and said, “Clean up that duck and put a bit of salt on it and nothing else, then roast it over a small fire.”
Lao Mu glanced over and saw that Xiao Liu didn’t care so he sighed and said, “Understood.”
-----
Chapter 2:
Xiao Liu ate his portion and watched Shi Qi. He was still the same, every gesture was elegant and refined, as if he was seated at the most lofty banquet eating the most incredible food. Xiao Liu sighed “Shi Qi, you’ll leave sooner or later.”
Shi Qi glanced at him. “I. Won’t.”
...
Shi Qi’s footsteps slowed and Xiao Liu gave his chest a few comforting slaps. “I know, you’re Shi Qi. I wish you would stay Shi Qi for the rest of your life. But I know that isn’t possible. But for each day you don’t leave, then you are Shi Qi for an additional day, and you have to listen to me…….” “Mmmm hmmmm.”
-----
Chapter 4:
At dinnertime Tian Er asked where Shi Qi was and everyone looked at Xiao Liu who smiled “He’s gone, no need to make his portion anymore.” Lao Mu sighed “Good, I was always worried about him.”
...
That night, Xiao Liu walked along the stone path through the medicine patch to the river. He strolled along the river and someone followed behind him, speeding up and slowing down along with him. The Summer breeze brought the scent of hops and it calmed Xiao Liu down. He stopped and turned around. Shi Qi stood behind him wearing the same old sack cloth robe which had been laundered and now smelled like fragrant incense.
Xiao Liu said, “I don’t like this scent on you.”
Shi Qi lowered his head and Xiao Liu smiled. “I liked the smell of medicinal herbs. Next time when you come see me, I’ll give you a satchel of medicinal herbs.” Shi Qi raised his head and it was like stars had fallen into his eyes as it sparkled with hope. Xiao Liu smiled and kept on walking so Shi Qi hurried up to walk alongside.
From then on, Shi Qi would always wear the same sack cloth robe and come walk with Xiao Liu every night by the river. The two of them would walk until Xiao Liu got tired and went back to sleep, and then Shi Qi would leave.
-----
Chapter 5:
“Now that the Fang Feng family has heard the Second Lord has recovered, the two families have resumed wedding preparations and want it to happen as soon as possible.”
...
“Tu Shan….how to write it?” Jing splashed some wine and wrote his name for Xiao Liu who laughed and asked, “And what’s the name of your soon-to-be wife?”
Jing’s hand froze above the table. Xiao Liu smiled. “Six years, I let you stay for six years. Give me six years without rent and then we won’t owe each other anything!” ...
Xiao Liu refused to go to the river banks anymore. He locked the doors to the courtyard and laid on the pallet to count the stars.
Same here and I like this genre and the main leads. Watch quickly to episode 22 and you'll want to binge to the…
I generally try to avoid watching airing dramas so I can binge them. ^^ Since Xu Kai is in it and I've liked a few of his past dramas I'll probably give it a try once it finishes airing.
Same here and I like this genre and the main leads. Watch quickly to episode 22 and you'll want to binge to the…
I did like some parts, but after finishing episode 34 I don't think I'm going to make myself watch the last few episodes. I'm just not into the FL / the main couple enough.
I can't believe they put that in trailer for Season 1. I was so disappointed that we didn't get to see that.
I don't think the trailer was intended to be for just season 1 (which is more like part 1 of 2) but rather for the drama as a whole. I imagine they weren't expecting to have such a long delay between the two parts / seasons back at the point when they would've been putting the trailer together. Even so, I was surprised they put such major spoilery moments from later on in the story in the trailer.
quick question: in ep 30 or 31 when xiao yao died, xiang liu was trying to save her - why did he say "if tu shang…
When Tushan Jing thought that Xiao Yao was dead, he wanted to die with her. Cang Xuan's people found him before he was killed by the assassins' flames, but Jing's spirit still sought death. Despite being treated by the best doctors with the best medicine, after 37 years in a coma Jing was really on the brink of death. Xiao Yao was the only person who could save him.
Xiang Liu had to decide whether to use a more extreme and painful method of healing to wake Xiao Yao up earlier and to send her to Tushan Jing directly so that she could save Tushan Jing's life, or if he should continue healing Xiao Yao in the same manner as always (a manner that was less extreme and less painful, but slower), which would mean letting Jing die. Xiang Liu wondered if Xiao Yao would hate him if he chose the second option.
In the end, Xiang Liu chose to use the more extreme and painful method of healing to wake Xiao Yao up earlier and to send her to Tushan Jing so that she could save his life.
----- Chapter 21:
“Master Jing is just burned. Doctor Yin said his injuries are not severe but he’s inconsolable and his spirit is actively seeking death which is why he remains unconscious.”
...
Xiao Xiao said, “We rushed into the maze to save the Princess. When we found her, Master Jing was protecting her. If it wasn’t for Master Jing using his spiritual power to protect her body then her body would have been incinerated into ashes already. Because he kept transferring power into her, it kept a sliver of hope alive. You can say Master Jing was the real person who rescued her. But when we got there he was already unconscious and we brought them both back to Zhi Jin Summit. Master Jing’s injuries are actually not severe but he’s the one who doesn’t want to live so that is why he’s not waking up.”
...
What could have happened to lead to her master becoming so despondent and heartbroken that he wished for death?
Jing Ye slowly figured out the reason and nightly prayed that the Gao Xing Princess who made her master start playing the zither again would not die. If the Princess died, then Jing Ye worried that her master would never wake up again.
----- Chapter 22:
One day Xiang Liu came back but instead of his usual touching her forehead and cheeks, he instead quietly stared at her. Xiao Yao couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, but she knew he was deciding something.
Xiang Liu picked up Xiao Yao, “Tonight is a full moon. I’ll take you out to play!”
Xiao Yao was confused, wasn’t full moon a night for healing?”
...
Xiang Liu took Xiao Yao out for a long time and they didn’t return until late into the night.
“Xiao Yao, do you remember Tu Shan Jing? Wen Xiao Liu’s Ye Shi Qi? Since you’ve been sleeping, he’s also been unconscious. His life has been maintained by spiritual medicines until now but it’s almost at the limit. He’s at the brink of death.”
Jing, Jing……Xiao Yao didn’t feel sad when she died, life has its beginning so it must have an end. It didn’t start happy and need not end sad. But right now she was very sad, she didn’t want Jing to die.
Xiao Yao tried to move.
Xiang Liu asked, “If he died, would you be really sad and hate me to the core?”
Xiao Yao answered in her heart: I don’t want Jing to die, but I also won’t hate you.
Xiang Liu said, “Tonight I’m waking you up.”
Xiang Liu fed his essential soul blood to Xiao Yao, and different than before where it felt like warm flames that chased away the coldness of death in Xiao Yao’s body, tonight his essential soul blood was a raging inferno that scorched Xiao Yao. It was colliding in her body and appeared to rip her insides to shreds before slowly bonding it back together.
Xiao Yao couldn’t cry out but her body violently shook. Gradually her hands could move, her legs could move, and then she painfully cried out as all the soul essence entered her body and she passed out in the midst of unbearable pain.
When Xiao Yao woke up, she felt the warm sun on her body and she subconsciously turned over to keep on sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes in disbelief. She laid there in a daze and then slowly raised her hand up.
Oh! She really could move!
“Xiang Liu!” Xiao Yao sat up but then her head bumped into something hard and she saw stars.
...
Xiao Yao put her hands around her mouth and yelled “Xiang Liu! Xiang Liu! Where are you? I’m awake!”
A white and gold condor descended but without Xiang Liu on his back.
Xiao Yao stroked its back. “Furball, where is your master?”
Furbal flapped his wings and called towards the sky once, as if urging Xiao Yao to get on his back.
Xiao Yao happily asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to bring me to see him?
Furball shook his head.
Xiao Yao quizzically asked “Xiang Liu asked you to take me home?”
Furball nodded his head.
Whether Xiang Liu had matters to attend to or he was purposely avoiding seeing her, Xiao Yao stood there in a dumbstruck daze, the initial happiness of regaining life and light disappearing like receding waves.
Furball pecked Xiao Yao’s hand to urge her to hurry up.
Xiao Yao climbed on Furball’s back and it rose into the air and flew towards the Middle Plains.
Xiao Yao stared at the passing ocean surface as it rushed past her like a shooting arrow, disappearing behind her. The feelings in her heart were so jumbled.
The next morning, Furball landed outside Zhi Yi Castle...
...
Xiao Yao said, “I ought to go to Sheng Nong Mountain to see Gege first but I heard Jing is very sick. I want to go to Qing Qiu to see him, can you come with me?”
Xing Yue pulled her inside. “You came to the right place. Jing gege is not at Qing Qiu. He’s here.”
Xiao Yao's mother was married to the King of Haoling, but her biological father was Chi Chen (the Sheng Nong General whose army was defeated by Xiao Yao's mother in episode 1). The King of Haoling knows Xiao Yao is not his biological daughter but loves her anyway.
Please hide your comment under a spoiler cover to avoid spoiling this detail for other viewers. ^^
yesss thanksss for that thought, one of things we look forward to😉🦊 but, but-- depending on how the prod'n…
When the truth of their plot (pretending that FFYY's son was TSJ's son rather than TSH's son) was revealed, TSH threw FFYY under the bus and blamed everything on her. She suffered a terrible punishment, while TSH got off lightly. FFYY realized that TSH never really loved her. TSJ showed FFYY mercy and helped her fake her death and let her see her son (TSZ) for a few months every year, but FFYY was in very ill health and close to death. Eventually TSH poisoned TSZ to get TSJ to fall into his trap. All of that motivated FFYY to kill TSH and to die with him.
yesss thanksss for that thought, one of things we look forward to😉🦊 but, but-- depending on how the prod'n…
Tushan Hou was killed by his lover (Tushan Jing's wife, Fang Feng Yi Yang) at the end of that fight. Fang Feng Yi Yang shot Tushan Hou using a bow that Tushan Hou gifted to her, and she used the arrow that ran Tushan Hou through to also kill herself.
yesss thanksss for that thought, one of things we look forward to😉🦊 but, but-- depending on how the prod'n…
Xiao Yao was born with very high spiritual power from both of her biological parents (Xiling Heng and Chi Chen). Her powers increased after she spent 70 years on Jade Mountain learning from the strict Queen Mother. But when Xiao Yao escaped from Jade Mountain and was caught by the nine-tailed fox that held her captive for 30 years, he fed her concoctions that caused her power to dissipate. So she had very low spiritual power after that.
Xiao Yao's unusual body composition and the special healing powers that her blood has are due to the 70 years she spent living on Jade Mountain.
Her transformation abilities come from the Face Forming Flower that her mother and the King of Haoling planted in her to conceal her identity as Chi Chen's daughter.
Later in the story, she gains additional abilities (the ability to breathe under water, to swim faster than a dolphin, and to see great distances) thanks to XL's blood.
It will depend on which couple you end up shipping. And even opif you end up shipping non endgame ship, it is…
Well... the reason Feng Long wanted to lead the Xuan Yuan army into battle was to earn accolades and the right to ask CX to have mercy on Xing Yue (for trying to assassinate XY). When he died saving CX's life, he was able to ask CX for that favor and have it granted. So, arguably, he did get the thing he wanted most.
yesss thanksss for that thought, one of things we look forward to😉🦊 but, but-- depending on how the prod'n…
Specific spoiler ahead... when Tushan Hou forced Tushan Jing to fight for his life in chapter 42 of the novel, Tushan Hou cut off seven of Tushan Jing's nine fox tails.
LOVERS BUG ||LOST YOU FOREVER||SAUVIGNONBLANC||1, the original text does not say "those who are deeply in love…
Sorry Kokuto I didn't see that you mentioned me.
I don't subscribe to windiaaa041293's theory that the poisonous bugs were parent-child bugs when XY planted the bug in CX. I believe that they were male-female bugs / Lovers' Bugs from the beginning, and that the walnut was absorbed into XY and XL's palms when the bug was transferred from CX to XL because the bug was successfully planted (because XL willingly accepted it). Meaning that the bug could never be transferred or removed from that point on.
There is never any suggestion in the novel that a parent-child bug can transform into a male-female bug / Lovers' Bug.
In chapter 26, Se Mai Er said: “Most voodoo bugs are parent-child bugs. The parent bug can control the child bug, and this kind of bug is easy to raise and easy to plant. But legend has it there is a rare, extremely difficult-to-raise-and-plant bug. That bug has a gender difference and is split into a male bug and a female bug. It is hard to raise and even harder to plant. If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it. If a man raised the bug, he needs to find a woman to plant it. Almost always this bug is raised but cannot be planted even in a lifetime. So this bug remains just a legend in Jiu Li.”
In chapter 37, the Voodoo King says: "The Lover’s Bug is different than other voodoo bugs and absolutely requires the couple to willingly accept the bug for it to be successfully planted."
In chapter 48, XL says: "Years ago I was only able to remove the bug from Zhuan Xu because he didn’t know it was you so he didn’t willingly accept the bug. So you never successfully planted the bug on him in the first place. But I….I was heart and soul willing, so the bug successfully planted in me."
3 
1 
1 
Her face is a different matter. When Xiao Yao was a baby, her mother (Xiling Heng / the General Princess / the former Queen of Haoling) and her father (Shao Hao / the King of Haoling) secretly implanted the Face Forming Flower in her body and used it to conceal her true features (particularly her eyes) which give away the fact that Chi Chen is her real biological father. Xiao Yao did not know that the Face Forming Flower was implanted in her body, or that the face she had as a child was not her true face.
Before Xiao Yao's mother left for the final battle, she gave Xiao Yao two precious texts (the Jiu Li Poison Manual and Chenrong Herb Manual) which were kept in a jade necklace. On Jade Mountain, the Royal Mother knew those texts were precious and dangerous. She forced Xiao Yao to memorize them and then to destroy them. The Jiu Li Poison Manual gave Xiao Yao a world-class knowledge of poisons, setting her up to become a poison master.
Xiao Yao spent 70 years on Jade Mountain before she ran away. She trained under the Royal Mother, so the strong spiritual power she had before arriving on Jade Mountain would have only increased. The food and drinks that Xiao Yao consumed on Jade Mountain (e.g., eating Jade Mountain peaches and drinking bone essence) had special properties. Over the course of 70 years, they gave Xiao Yao's body special properties. This is at least part of the reason why Xiao Yao's blood can help heal Xiang Liu's wounds.
When Xiao Yao ran away from Jade Mountain, word got out that eating her and consuming her spiritual energy would allow a demon to greatly increase their powers. In order to escape the demons that wanted to find her and eat her, Xiao Yao transformed her features. As a young deity with limited transformation experience, any powerful demon or deity should have been able to see through Xiao Yao's transformation. But Xiao Yao didn't realize she was using the power of the Face Forming Flower inside her body to transform, which made her transformation seamless. Not even the most powerful deity or demon could see through it.
However, after using the Face Forming Flower to transform for an extended period of time, Xiao Yao eventually forgot what her previous face (the one her mother and father created with the Face Forming Flower, which she didn't know was fake) looked like and wasn't able to return to it. She was treated like a monster and fled to live alone in the mountains for 20 years. That was where she met the snake demon whose egg she stole.
Later in the mountains, Xiao Yao met a nine-tailed fox who only had eight remaining tails. He taught Xiao Yao to use his magical mirror to record her faces so she could remember what they looked like and return to them (which helped him gain her trust), but she still couldn't remember what her previous face looked like. Then the fox captured Xiao Yao and threw her in a cage. Xiao Yao found out that the fox was once best friends with her ninth uncle, and the fox hated Xiao Yao's mother for killing her ninth uncle (Xiao Yao's mother had a good reason for doing so). The fox also hated Xiao Yao's mother's "friend" (Xiao Yao's biological father, Chi Chen), because he was the person who cut off the fox's ninth tail, which greatly depleted the fox's power. Since Xiao Yao's mother and Chi Chen are both believed to have died in battle, the nine-tailed fox with eight remaining tails couldn't take revenge on them directly. So he planned to eat Xiao Yao as revenge, and also as a means of restoring his spiritual power.
For 30 years, the fox fed Xiao Yao horrible concoctions that caused her spiritual power to seep into her blood (which would make it easier for the fox to absorb all of Xiao Yao's spiritual power when he ate her). This is the reason that Xiao Yao / Wen Xiao Liu has low spiritual powers. After 30 years in that cage, Xiao Yao was eventually able to use her poison skills to incapacitate the fox. She cut off each of his remaining eight tails before killing him, and then stole his mirror. She used the Face Forming Flower to take on the form of a man and travelled the world for ~160 years before settling in QS town and opening a fertility clinic using the name Wen Xiao Liu.
When Wen Xiao Liu faced off against Xuan (when he came with Ah Nian to get the antidote from Wen Xiao Liu), Wen Xiao Liu planned to have Ye Shi Qi defend against Xuan's attack, so she could see what kind of powers Xuan had (if you are interested to know, Cang Xuan has wood-based powers). Wen Xiao Liu would then use that information to decide what kind of poison to use against him. She didn't realize Ye Shi Qi had abandoned her and wouldn't defend against Xuan's attack until it was too late.
So the TL;DR answers to your questions: Wen Xiao Liu knows who she is, and she will eventually regain her true face. She really does have low spiritual powers, but she is not helpless. She is already a world-class poison master, and her skills will only increase with practice and time, and she has the will and the ability to gain other skills along the way.
10 seconds into episode 8: Oh. Well, then. I'm glad I didn't stop there! ^^
You can take this mini comment thread as proof that I'll still pop back here from time to time!
Two months ago I might've been able to reference the specific episodes and scenes, but now it's not fresh in my memory. The novel excerpts are easier to pull up quickly. But iirc the drama matched up with those parts of the novel pretty closely, so hopefully they're close enough.
On top of that, she unexpectedly found out that he was engaged. WXL still met TSJ by the riverbank in the evenings after TSJ returned to the Tushan clan residence in QS town, but she stopped doing that after she found out about his engagement.
-----
Chapter 1:
Ma Zi spoke to the person laying on the pallet through the window, “Beggar, Brother Liu spent an entire night saving you and used up all the medicine he was saving for himself. You have to survive.” When Xiao Liu came back in the afternoon, he was so tired and sleepy his eyelids were battling each other.
He tossed a wild duck on the ground and went to the kitchen to get a bowl of hot soup, crumbling some biscuits to toss inside. He sat behind the stove and noisily slurped his meal. Lao Mu was rolling dough and said, “I heard about that man’s injuries from Ma Zi.”
Xiao Liu drank his soup. “Uhm hmmm.”
“Ma Zi, Chuan Zi – neither can see it, but you must be able to tell. He is from one of the God tribes, and he is definitely not one of the lowlier types of Gods like us.”
Xiao Liu drank his soup and didn’t respond.
“Killing someone is just cutting off a head. These kinds of injuries have a big reason behind it. Saving someone who shouldn’t be saved is like bringing death to the door.”
Xiao Liu chewed and said, “Clean up that duck and put a bit of salt on it and nothing else, then roast it over a small fire.”
Lao Mu glanced over and saw that Xiao Liu didn’t care so he sighed and said, “Understood.”
-----
Chapter 2:
Xiao Liu ate his portion and watched Shi Qi. He was still the same, every gesture was elegant and refined, as if he was seated at the most lofty banquet eating the most incredible food. Xiao Liu sighed “Shi Qi, you’ll leave sooner or later.”
Shi Qi glanced at him. “I. Won’t.”
...
Shi Qi’s footsteps slowed and Xiao Liu gave his chest a few comforting slaps. “I know, you’re Shi Qi. I wish you would stay Shi Qi for the rest of your life. But I know that isn’t possible. But for each day you don’t leave, then you are Shi Qi for an additional day, and you have to listen to me…….” “Mmmm hmmmm.”
-----
Chapter 4:
At dinnertime Tian Er asked where Shi Qi was and everyone looked at Xiao Liu who smiled “He’s gone, no need to make his portion anymore.” Lao Mu sighed “Good, I was always worried about him.”
...
That night, Xiao Liu walked along the stone path through the medicine patch to the river. He strolled along the river and someone followed behind him, speeding up and slowing down along with him. The Summer breeze brought the scent of hops and it calmed Xiao Liu down. He stopped and turned around. Shi Qi stood behind him wearing the same old sack cloth robe which had been laundered and now smelled like fragrant incense.
Xiao Liu said, “I don’t like this scent on you.”
Shi Qi lowered his head and Xiao Liu smiled. “I liked the smell of medicinal herbs. Next time when you come see me, I’ll give you a satchel of medicinal herbs.” Shi Qi raised his head and it was like stars had fallen into his eyes as it sparkled with hope. Xiao Liu smiled and kept on walking so Shi Qi hurried up to walk alongside.
From then on, Shi Qi would always wear the same sack cloth robe and come walk with Xiao Liu every night by the river. The two of them would walk until Xiao Liu got tired and went back to sleep, and then Shi Qi would leave.
-----
Chapter 5:
“Now that the Fang Feng family has heard the Second Lord has recovered, the two families have resumed wedding preparations and want it to happen as soon as possible.”
...
“Tu Shan….how to write it?” Jing splashed some wine and wrote his name for Xiao Liu who laughed and asked, “And what’s the name of your soon-to-be wife?”
Jing’s hand froze above the table. Xiao Liu smiled. “Six years, I let you stay for six years. Give me six years without rent and then we won’t owe each other anything!”
...
Xiao Liu refused to go to the river banks anymore. He locked the doors to the courtyard and laid on the pallet to count the stars.
Xiang Liu had to decide whether to use a more extreme and painful method of healing to wake Xiao Yao up earlier and to send her to Tushan Jing directly so that she could save Tushan Jing's life, or if he should continue healing Xiao Yao in the same manner as always (a manner that was less extreme and less painful, but slower), which would mean letting Jing die. Xiang Liu wondered if Xiao Yao would hate him if he chose the second option.
In the end, Xiang Liu chose to use the more extreme and painful method of healing to wake Xiao Yao up earlier and to send her to Tushan Jing so that she could save his life.
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Chapter 21:
“Master Jing is just burned. Doctor Yin said his injuries are not severe but he’s inconsolable and his spirit is actively seeking death which is why he remains unconscious.”
...
Xiao Xiao said, “We rushed into the maze to save the Princess. When we found her, Master Jing was protecting her. If it wasn’t for Master Jing using his spiritual power to protect her body then her body would have been incinerated into ashes already. Because he kept transferring power into her, it kept a sliver of hope alive. You can say Master Jing was the real person who rescued her. But when we got there he was already unconscious and we brought them both back to Zhi Jin Summit. Master Jing’s injuries are actually not severe but he’s the one who doesn’t want to live so that is why he’s not waking up.”
...
What could have happened to lead to her master becoming so despondent and heartbroken that he wished for death?
Jing Ye slowly figured out the reason and nightly prayed that the Gao Xing Princess who made her master start playing the zither again would not die. If the Princess died, then Jing Ye worried that her master would never wake up again.
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Chapter 22:
One day Xiang Liu came back but instead of his usual touching her forehead and cheeks, he instead quietly stared at her. Xiao Yao couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, but she knew he was deciding something.
Xiang Liu picked up Xiao Yao, “Tonight is a full moon. I’ll take you out to play!”
Xiao Yao was confused, wasn’t full moon a night for healing?”
...
Xiang Liu took Xiao Yao out for a long time and they didn’t return until late into the night.
“Xiao Yao, do you remember Tu Shan Jing? Wen Xiao Liu’s Ye Shi Qi? Since you’ve been sleeping, he’s also been unconscious. His life has been maintained by spiritual medicines until now but it’s almost at the limit. He’s at the brink of death.”
Jing, Jing……Xiao Yao didn’t feel sad when she died, life has its beginning so it must have an end. It didn’t start happy and need not end sad. But right now she was very sad, she didn’t want Jing to die.
Xiao Yao tried to move.
Xiang Liu asked, “If he died, would you be really sad and hate me to the core?”
Xiao Yao answered in her heart: I don’t want Jing to die, but I also won’t hate you.
Xiang Liu said, “Tonight I’m waking you up.”
Xiang Liu fed his essential soul blood to Xiao Yao, and different than before where it felt like warm flames that chased away the coldness of death in Xiao Yao’s body, tonight his essential soul blood was a raging inferno that scorched Xiao Yao. It was colliding in her body and appeared to rip her insides to shreds before slowly bonding it back together.
Xiao Yao couldn’t cry out but her body violently shook. Gradually her hands could move, her legs could move, and then she painfully cried out as all the soul essence entered her body and she passed out in the midst of unbearable pain.
When Xiao Yao woke up, she felt the warm sun on her body and she subconsciously turned over to keep on sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes in disbelief. She laid there in a daze and then slowly raised her hand up.
Oh! She really could move!
“Xiang Liu!” Xiao Yao sat up but then her head bumped into something hard and she saw stars.
...
Xiao Yao put her hands around her mouth and yelled “Xiang Liu! Xiang Liu! Where are you? I’m awake!”
A white and gold condor descended but without Xiang Liu on his back.
Xiao Yao stroked its back. “Furball, where is your master?”
Furbal flapped his wings and called towards the sky once, as if urging Xiao Yao to get on his back.
Xiao Yao happily asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to bring me to see him?
Furball shook his head.
Xiao Yao quizzically asked “Xiang Liu asked you to take me home?”
Furball nodded his head.
Whether Xiang Liu had matters to attend to or he was purposely avoiding seeing her, Xiao Yao stood there in a dumbstruck daze, the initial happiness of regaining life and light disappearing like receding waves.
Furball pecked Xiao Yao’s hand to urge her to hurry up.
Xiao Yao climbed on Furball’s back and it rose into the air and flew towards the Middle Plains.
Xiao Yao stared at the passing ocean surface as it rushed past her like a shooting arrow, disappearing behind her. The feelings in her heart were so jumbled.
The next morning, Furball landed outside Zhi Yi Castle...
...
Xiao Yao said, “I ought to go to Sheng Nong Mountain to see Gege first but I heard Jing is very sick. I want to go to Qing Qiu to see him, can you come with me?”
Xing Yue pulled her inside. “You came to the right place. Jing gege is not at Qing Qiu. He’s here.”
Xiao Yao said, “Take me to see him now.”
Please hide your comment under a spoiler cover to avoid spoiling this detail for other viewers. ^^
Xiao Yao's unusual body composition and the special healing powers that her blood has are due to the 70 years she spent living on Jade Mountain.
Her transformation abilities come from the Face Forming Flower that her mother and the King of Haoling planted in her to conceal her identity as Chi Chen's daughter.
Later in the story, she gains additional abilities (the ability to breathe under water, to swim faster than a dolphin, and to see great distances) thanks to XL's blood.
I don't subscribe to windiaaa041293's theory that the poisonous bugs were parent-child bugs when XY planted the bug in CX. I believe that they were male-female bugs / Lovers' Bugs from the beginning, and that the walnut was absorbed into XY and XL's palms when the bug was transferred from CX to XL because the bug was successfully planted (because XL willingly accepted it). Meaning that the bug could never be transferred or removed from that point on.
There is never any suggestion in the novel that a parent-child bug can transform into a male-female bug / Lovers' Bug.
In chapter 26, Se Mai Er said: “Most voodoo bugs are parent-child bugs. The parent bug can control the child bug, and this kind of bug is easy to raise and easy to plant. But legend has it there is a rare, extremely difficult-to-raise-and-plant bug. That bug has a gender difference and is split into a male bug and a female bug. It is hard to raise and even harder to plant. If a woman raised the bug, she needs to find a man to plant it. If a man raised the bug, he needs to find a woman to plant it. Almost always this bug is raised but cannot be planted even in a lifetime. So this bug remains just a legend in Jiu Li.”
In chapter 37, the Voodoo King says: "The Lover’s Bug is different than other voodoo bugs and absolutely requires the couple to willingly accept the bug for it to be successfully planted."
In chapter 48, XL says: "Years ago I was only able to remove the bug from Zhuan Xu because he didn’t know it was you so he didn’t willingly accept the bug. So you never successfully planted the bug on him in the first place. But I….I was heart and soul willing, so the bug successfully planted in me."