It's not clear whether the Yellow Emperor ever realizes that XL and FFB are the same person, but he is aware that…
He wants ZX to forgive Xing Yue. She tried to have XY assassinated, twice. After ZX finds out, he punishes her by completely ignoring her. Which, IMO, is already a much lighter punishment than I would've thought him capable of given his speech about dealing with the conspirators behind her first assassination.
---
Chapter 46:
Feng Long said “I asked His Majesty to let me lead the army this time not for higher position or more riches, I’m doing this only for Xing Yue. His Majesty didn’t take away her Empress position or lock her up, but he has completely and utterly ignored her. A knife slowly cutting flesh is even more painful, and without His Majesty’s respect then the women on Zhi Jin Summit all look down on Xing Yue. In three years she’s aged hundreds of years. I want to win this big war and when His Majesty asks me what great reward I want, I will want nothing other than to ask that he forgives Xing Yue this once.”
Of all the characters in the show, it's Invisible Hong Jiang that I want to accidentally fall down the stairs…
This is what the novel says in chapter 46:
"An army base needed supplies and provisions and the reason Gong Gong picked Qing Shui town was because it was aligned with Gao Xing and next to the East Sea for the water route. Even if the Yellow Emperor closed off all land routes for the provision of supplies, Gong Gong could still get supplied through Gao Xing channels or the water route. Back then Gao Xing was happy to have the resistance army be a thorn in the side of Xuan Yuan and secretly sent provisions, and even some powerful families secretly were helping Gong Gong."
Is Chengrong Yi the drama equivalent of Little Zhu Rong? Feng Long and Xing Yue's dad? The fem!XL boat scene doesn't exist in the novel, so I'm afraid I can't check for specifics there.
I can't remember enough details of the part where the novel talks about the Middle Plains families not helping the Yellow Emperor to try and track that scene down, so take my recollection with a grain of salt.
Of all the characters in the show, it's Invisible Hong Jiang that I want to accidentally fall down the stairs…
Oh my god can you imagine if, after hundreds of years of stubbornly fighting, he just died in some seemingly-innocuous accident like the deity equivalent of slipping on a banana peel??
I disagree. I don't think it's XY's blood and background that put her at odds with XL. I put it on XL's full devotion…
Please use the spoiler tag for comments with those kinds of details.
EDIT: Thank you :)!
By "why everyone thinks that XY's blood and family background pre-determine her fate with XL? As in, why they are assumed to be enemies that could never reconcile or be together?" I mean why everyone around XY in the novel (her father, her grandfather, and ZX) tells her she needs to stop having any association with XL because of who she is.
I agree that, regardless of XY's identity, XL always planned to die on the battlefield with his fellow soldiers, which would make a romantic relationship with anyone rather futile.
Of all the characters in the show, it's Invisible Hong Jiang that I want to accidentally fall down the stairs…
They made offers to both Gong Gong and XL.
---
Chapter 46:
One Spring day, the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong to pay a visit to Gong Gong and request his surrender and joining of the kingdom. Gong Gong refused. Within the span of three months, the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong three more times to see Gong Gong, each time with ever greater rewards and incentive. He even promised to make Gong Gong a regional King with his own armed forces, and allow him to govern the entire territory around Qing Shui Town. But Gong Gong turned it all down.
---
Chapter 50:
“Don’t thank me. Grandfather and I tried countless times to bring Xiang Liu to our side and I even gave him carte blanche to name his terms. But he would never abandon or betray Gong Gong. Actually all this time it’s not I who wouldn’t stop, it’s him who wouldn’t stop. If he vows to fight to the death, then there is nothing I can do. I can’t sacrifice Ru So and the soldiers. His life is a life, but so are the lives of those fighting for me.”
Yeah, I understood this. That's why I am now over being sad about the ending (i.e. Xiang Liu's death, I was okay…
"Yeah, I understood this. That's why I am now over being sad about the ending (i.e. Xiang Liu's death, I was okay with XY being with Jing although I really wanted her to somehow be with all of them lmao but I'm over that now for the most part)."
Right? I feel like the ending is easier to accept after understanding how impossible it would be for XL and XY to be together even if they both confessed their feelings and wanted a lasting romantic relationship.
"Also, thanks for your commentary AH. It's always so insightful."
Of all the characters in the show, it's Invisible Hong Jiang that I want to accidentally fall down the stairs…
In the novel, Gao Xing (Haoling) provides some limited support for Gong Gong's army (they're happy to have him be a thorn in Xuan Yuan's side) and the families of the Middle Plains don't actively support him, but also won't actively help Xuan Yuan to suppress him.
This has to do with the scene that XY creates in the ice crystal ball that she sends to XL before her wedding…
I don't read XL in the drama as being unfamiliar with human emotion.
In the novel, XL is over 600 years old. After leaving the North, he cared for FFB's mother for four years and lived as FFB for hundreds of years. He joined Hong Jiang and fought with him and his soldiers for hundreds of years. He became Hong Jiang's adopted son, did business with TSJ, and was Sir Bi's occasional drinking partner. He's had plenty of time to figure out how to interact in the world of deities rather than demons.
Later in the novel, Left Ear reunites with XY and she sees him as a young XL. Like XL, he wandered for a period of time after escaping the death match arena, and then reunited with a person that he wanted to repay. When she teaches Left Ear to read and about certain more complex emotions, she imagines Gong Gong doing the same thing with XL centuries earlier.
I believe falling for XY was XL's first experience with romantic love (rather than the love between a parent and child or the loyalty between comrades). But XY and TSJ also have no prior experience with romantic love. XY definitely isn't a natural and takes a very long time to realize that a romantic relationship requires mutual effort in order to be successful.
In terms of how XL's emotions and emotional control are portrayed... I think XL tries to scare XY several times on purpose (maybe as a subconscious defence mechanism rather than a conscious one) because (very similar to XY with TSJ) he's trying to protect his heart. He's used to people being afraid of him and treating him like an abomination. Better to assume she will be scared off and be proved right early on than to let himself start to trust and believe that she will be different and then be disappointed. And there are other times where his usual ruthlessness (which is appropriate in a military context) or general bad temper lead him to behave harshly. By the time he appears as FFB he's had more practice with dealing with XY, but she also doesn't push his boundaries in the same way when he's FFB.
This has to do with the scene that XY creates in the ice crystal ball that she sends to XL before her wedding…
"The crystal is about their relationship, which TuShan Jing has no part in."
This is a bit tricky, because, in a way, he has a huge part in their relationship... One of the main reasons XL starts to meet XY as FFB is that she can't be with TSJ at that point. She suffers from heartache and a lack of companionship, so FFB fills the gap. Later on, XL intervenes on several occasions to help ensure that XY and TSJ end up together. And at the point in the novel where XL is returning the crystal to XY, FFB has been "dead" for more than a decade and XL has just saved TSJ's life so that he could return to XY and marry her.
"I think there is a part of XL that wants XY to remember FFB. He didn't take her bow. She can't shoot any bow without being reminded of FFB who taught her archery. And one of the first things FFB did was write his name on her palm and asked her to remember it."
As much as a really like this theory and the call back to their meeting when he first appeared as FFB, I can't help thinking about how ruthlessly thorough he was about not leaving any trace of himself behind (at least, any trace that XY would be able to connect back to him). She is only allowed to keep the silver bow because she doesn't know he commissioned it for her. So I don't think I can personally subscribe to this theory.
"If we actually get to see the crystal in the drama after XL altered it, and we can actually recognize the figure (if it has white hair), then I'll just have to accept the final rendering of my poor abused heart."
One thing I'd like to know is... can TSJ walk on water the way XL can? XY wasn't able to in the beginning, but after XL healed her she was able to if iirc. Which makes it seem like something that's connected to XL's blood rather than a matter of spirit power. If TSJ can't walk on water, it would be very interesting to see where the man that XL added is standing.
Out of curiosity... do people understand why everyone thinks that XY's blood and family background pre-determine her fate with XL? As in, why they are assumed to be enemies that could never reconcile or be together?
Her Parents - Her parents' sacrifice results in the defeat of Chi Chen's army (Qi Yo's army in the novel), which directly results in Xiyan finally conquering Chenrong (Xuan Yuan conquering Sheng Nong in the novel) and General Hong Jiang (General Gong Gong in the novel) being the only Chenrong General still standing who refuses to surrender. At this point, everyone else abandons Hong Jiang, and that is when XL seeks Hong Jiang out to repay him. He fights for Hong Jiang and later becomes his adopted son. XY is the daughter of the people who make Hong Jiang's cause futile - making death on the battlefield the only remaining option that he and his army can accept.
Her Grandfather - The Yellow Emperor has spent hundreds of years fighting against Hong Jiang both before and after Chengrong was conquered. He was the one who sent his daughter (XY's mother, the Princess General) to battle, resulting in everything that I mentioned above.
Her Cousin - CX (ZX in the novel) is the Yellow Emperor's eldest grandson. He and XY are the only living direct descendants of the Yellow Emperor and his Empress. Later on, he tries to kill XL in QS Town. Later still, he becomes the Black Emperor and commands the Xiyan army that Hong Jiang's remnant army is fighting against and that ultimately annihilates them.
Her "Father" - The King of Haoling sees the parallels between XY and her mother, and between XL and Chi Chen. He doesn't want XY to have the same tragic fate that her mother had.
Hong Jiang will never surrender to Xiyan, and XL will never abandon Hong Jiang. Xiyan makes many generous offers to Hong Jiang and XL, but they refuse them all. Like the rest of Hong Jiang's remnant army, XL wants to die on the battlefield with his comrades. He doesn't want to survive the battle and have to remain alive, remembering the dead. As Emperor of Xiyan, CX cannot allow Hong Jiang's army to rebel forever, and he cannot cede a conquered kingdom back to a royal family that has already surrendered and accepted defeat. And XY will not betray CX.
So that leaves XY and XL forever on opposite sides of a war that will never end in surrender.
It's not clear whether the Yellow Emperor ever realizes that XL and FFB are the same person, but he is aware that…
XL kills Feng Long (as mentioned in the excerpt I posted) with an arrow that was originally aimed at ZX (Feng Long took the arrow for him) and does a few more things to push XY to cut ties with him before his army's final battle where he plans to die.
Hello. Can someone recommend me series with similar kind of heroine? But even better if she will have some power,…
It's a completely different genre (no fantasy / mostly set in early 20th century Korea), but consider trying Mr. Sunshine. It's a reverse harem drama with some political / war / rebel plot elements. The FL dresses as a man at times. She has a noble background but she is a capable sniper. Also, certain parts of the ending feel similar (to me at least) to the ending of one of the main characters in LYF.
Well I guess after all what the female lead wants doesn't matter right?.... Anyways be mad all you want he's still…
I think people forget many of his strengths and the things he does because he tends to do them quietly and without drama or fanfare (and also just the usual shipper blinders). And they just focus on the more dramatic moments where his family treats him horribly and when he wants to die after XY's assassination (and on that front, he's not exactly the only one - ZX is willing to let XY poison him and herself to death later on...).
They forget that he restores XY's ability to trust another person with her heart. He provides the key move that helps ZX win the throne, as well as most of the resources and assistance that he needed to pave the way there. He uses his spirit power to preserve XY's body after her assassination, making it possible for XL to save her life. He is the one who asks XL to stop XY's wedding with FL (XL needed this excuse to get involved - he couldn't act on his own). He is the one who brings XY back to Gao Xing (Haoling) and gets her father to finally reveal the truth about her mother and biological father + nearly dies getting her the closure she desperately needed. And in the end he is the only one who is willing to give up everything else to live a simple, peaceful life with XY.
Question for a novel readers. When people (CX, the Grampa King) found XL was Ffb, was there any shock factor?
It's not clear whether the Yellow Emperor ever realizes that XL and FFB are the same person, but he is aware that XY cares about both of them.
ZX puts the pieces together near the end of the novel. XL's army is cornered and ZX's army is leading a full-scale assault to wipe them out once and for all. XY asks ZX to spare XL's life, and ZX asks XY if XL is FFB. Even though he "asks", he's already figured out the answer. So not shocked, really.
---
Walking them out, Xiao Yao suddenly called out “Gege, can I speak privately with you?”
Everyone continued walking leaving Xiao Yao standing there with Zhuan Xu as she said “I heard that Ru So’s relentless attack has backed Gong Gong’s army into a corner.”
Zhuan Xu said “I was planning on a slow attrition to minimize casualties, but Feng Long’s death has left me no choice but to launch a full on assault.”
Xiao Yao said, “Gege, can you……can you……spare Xiang Liu?”
Zhuan Xu was shocked. “He killed Feng Long, don’t you want to avenge his death?”
“Killing Xiang Liu won’t bring Feng Long back.”
Zhuan Xu stared long and hard at Xiao Yao as she continued, “I know you are in a tough spot, but I’ve never asked you for a favor when it’s difficult for you. This is my first, and last time, begging you for something.”
“Xiang Liu is Fang Feng Bei?” Zhuan Xu appeared to be asking Xiao Yao but his expression was certain.
Xiao Yao didn’t want to hide it anymore and woefully nodded.
“So that’s it! No wonder I’ve felt that certain things were so odd, but now it all makes sense. Are you two still seeing each other?”
“We’ve severed all ties. I never want to see him again in this lifetime and he certainly will also never want to see me. But no matter how he’s treated me……..I…..I still want him to stay alive.”
Zhuan Xu took a deep breath. “Xiang Liu killed Feng Long and I need to give a reckoning to the Chi Sui clan and Sheng Nong tribe, otherwise it cannot appease the Middle Plains. But, as long as Xiang Liu is willing to stop, I can give him a chance to disappear.”
“Disappear” doesn’t mean “die”, so this meant Zhuan Xu agreed with her pleading. Xiao Yao smiled brightly. “Thank you Gege!”
“Don’t thank me. Grandfather and I tried countless times to bring Xiang Liu to our side and I even gave him carte blanche to name his terms. But he would never abandon or betray Gong Gong. Actually all this time it’s not I who wouldn’t stop, it’s him who wouldn’t stop. If he vows to fight to the death, then there is nothing I can do. I can’t sacrifice Ru So and the soldiers. His life is a life, but so are the lives of those fighting for me.”
Xiao Yao bit her lip and lowered her head as she quietly said, “I know.”
Well I guess after all what the female lead wants doesn't matter right?.... Anyways be mad all you want he's still…
Ignoring the other comments.... "Somehow Jing is the weak one." This seems to come up as a topic of debate a lot. IMO, TSJ's kindness is both a strength and a weakness.
XY says it can be a weakness to TSJ, and he agrees:
Xiao Yao walked out and said, “You are kind and loving and it’s not a personality flaw, but faced with Yi Yang and Hou then it becomes a weakness.”
Jing said, “I understand. It all stops now and I won’t retreat anymore.”
Xiao Yao nodded. “That’s more like it.”
---
XY says its a kind of strength to ZX, and he agrees:
"...I thought Jing would turn cold and suspicious after what Hou did to him, and actions would be decisive and heartless, like both of us have become – but he didn’t! Gege, don’t you think that’s another kind of strength and courage? It appears different than us, but Jing is using his own method to defeat and overcome his suffering.”
Zhuan Xu was silent but he agreed, someone like Jing who was so brilliant and strategic on political matters, how could he not know how to get revenge on Hou?
Hi , still confused about who is XY father? is it really Chi chen or King of haoling?
It's Chi Chen but the King of Haoling is aware of it and loves XY like a daughter anyway. He wants to protect her from the truth and the consequences she would face if others found out about it.
This has to do with the scene that XY creates in the ice crystal ball that she sends to XL before her wedding…
Still thinking about Hou? ^^
Hou being Hou and FL dying are the things that make TSJ's ending less than perfect / not getting everything he could have wanted like the other characters' endings. But really getting to leave all his other obligations behind to disappear with XY is pretty close to perfect for him.
And at least Hou never gets what he wanted most. He never receives his mother's love. He never gets to be clan leader, directly or by controlling his son. Even after learning the truth about his parentage, his son chooses to call TSJ father. The mother of his son, who used to love him, is the person who kills him. Before she does so, she says that TSJ was too good for her, and that's why she met Hou first. TSJ refuses to say that this version of Hou is better than him until the very end and goes even further. He finally says that he looks down on this version of Hou who has fallen so low and who let hatred and jealousy control his heart. All of that must've killed Hou inside as much as FFYY's arrow physically killed him.
If anyone deserves to suffer for what they've done, then Hou deserved to suffer, and he didn't really suffer too deeply. But he also never got to really be happy. TSJ's happy ending is, in a way, its own kind of revenge.
3 
1 
1 
---
Chapter 46:
Feng Long said “I asked His Majesty to let me lead the army this time not for higher position or more riches, I’m doing this only for Xing Yue. His Majesty didn’t take away her Empress position or lock her up, but he has completely and utterly ignored her. A knife slowly cutting flesh is even more painful, and without His Majesty’s respect then the women on Zhi Jin Summit all look down on Xing Yue. In three years she’s aged hundreds of years. I want to win this big war and when His Majesty asks me what great reward I want, I will want nothing other than to ask that he forgives Xing Yue this once.”
"An army base needed supplies and provisions and the reason Gong Gong picked Qing Shui town was because it was aligned with Gao Xing and next to the East Sea for the water route. Even if the Yellow Emperor closed off all land routes for the provision of supplies, Gong Gong could still get supplied through Gao Xing channels or the water route. Back then Gao Xing was happy to have the resistance army be a thorn in the side of Xuan Yuan and secretly sent provisions, and even some powerful families secretly were helping Gong Gong."
Is Chengrong Yi the drama equivalent of Little Zhu Rong? Feng Long and Xing Yue's dad? The fem!XL boat scene doesn't exist in the novel, so I'm afraid I can't check for specifics there.
I can't remember enough details of the part where the novel talks about the Middle Plains families not helping the Yellow Emperor to try and track that scene down, so take my recollection with a grain of salt.
EDIT: Thank you :)!
By "why everyone thinks that XY's blood and family background pre-determine her fate with XL? As in, why they are assumed to be enemies that could never reconcile or be together?" I mean why everyone around XY in the novel (her father, her grandfather, and ZX) tells her she needs to stop having any association with XL because of who she is.
I agree that, regardless of XY's identity, XL always planned to die on the battlefield with his fellow soldiers, which would make a romantic relationship with anyone rather futile.
---
Chapter 46:
One Spring day, the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong to pay a visit to Gong Gong and request his surrender and joining of the kingdom. Gong Gong refused. Within the span of three months, the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong three more times to see Gong Gong, each time with ever greater rewards and incentive. He even promised to make Gong Gong a regional King with his own armed forces, and allow him to govern the entire territory around Qing Shui Town. But Gong Gong turned it all down.
---
Chapter 50:
“Don’t thank me. Grandfather and I tried countless times to bring Xiang Liu to our side and I even gave him carte blanche to name his terms. But he would never abandon or betray Gong Gong. Actually all this time it’s not I who wouldn’t stop, it’s him who wouldn’t stop. If he vows to fight to the death, then there is nothing I can do. I can’t sacrifice Ru So and the soldiers. His life is a life, but so are the lives of those fighting for me.”
Right? I feel like the ending is easier to accept after understanding how impossible it would be for XL and XY to be together even if they both confessed their feelings and wanted a lasting romantic relationship.
"Also, thanks for your commentary AH. It's always so insightful."
Thanks for your comments too! ^^
In the novel, XL is over 600 years old. After leaving the North, he cared for FFB's mother for four years and lived as FFB for hundreds of years. He joined Hong Jiang and fought with him and his soldiers for hundreds of years. He became Hong Jiang's adopted son, did business with TSJ, and was Sir Bi's occasional drinking partner. He's had plenty of time to figure out how to interact in the world of deities rather than demons.
Later in the novel, Left Ear reunites with XY and she sees him as a young XL. Like XL, he wandered for a period of time after escaping the death match arena, and then reunited with a person that he wanted to repay. When she teaches Left Ear to read and about certain more complex emotions, she imagines Gong Gong doing the same thing with XL centuries earlier.
I believe falling for XY was XL's first experience with romantic love (rather than the love between a parent and child or the loyalty between comrades). But XY and TSJ also have no prior experience with romantic love. XY definitely isn't a natural and takes a very long time to realize that a romantic relationship requires mutual effort in order to be successful.
In terms of how XL's emotions and emotional control are portrayed... I think XL tries to scare XY several times on purpose (maybe as a subconscious defence mechanism rather than a conscious one) because (very similar to XY with TSJ) he's trying to protect his heart. He's used to people being afraid of him and treating him like an abomination. Better to assume she will be scared off and be proved right early on than to let himself start to trust and believe that she will be different and then be disappointed. And there are other times where his usual ruthlessness (which is appropriate in a military context) or general bad temper lead him to behave harshly. By the time he appears as FFB he's had more practice with dealing with XY, but she also doesn't push his boundaries in the same way when he's FFB.
This is a bit tricky, because, in a way, he has a huge part in their relationship... One of the main reasons XL starts to meet XY as FFB is that she can't be with TSJ at that point. She suffers from heartache and a lack of companionship, so FFB fills the gap. Later on, XL intervenes on several occasions to help ensure that XY and TSJ end up together. And at the point in the novel where XL is returning the crystal to XY, FFB has been "dead" for more than a decade and XL has just saved TSJ's life so that he could return to XY and marry her.
"I think there is a part of XL that wants XY to remember FFB. He didn't take her bow. She can't shoot any bow without being reminded of FFB who taught her archery. And one of the first things FFB did was write his name on her palm and asked her to remember it."
As much as a really like this theory and the call back to their meeting when he first appeared as FFB, I can't help thinking about how ruthlessly thorough he was about not leaving any trace of himself behind (at least, any trace that XY would be able to connect back to him). She is only allowed to keep the silver bow because she doesn't know he commissioned it for her. So I don't think I can personally subscribe to this theory.
"If we actually get to see the crystal in the drama after XL altered it, and we can actually recognize the figure (if it has white hair), then I'll just have to accept the final rendering of my poor abused heart."
One thing I'd like to know is... can TSJ walk on water the way XL can? XY wasn't able to in the beginning, but after XL healed her she was able to if iirc. Which makes it seem like something that's connected to XL's blood rather than a matter of spirit power. If TSJ can't walk on water, it would be very interesting to see where the man that XL added is standing.
Her Parents - Her parents' sacrifice results in the defeat of Chi Chen's army (Qi Yo's army in the novel), which directly results in Xiyan finally conquering Chenrong (Xuan Yuan conquering Sheng Nong in the novel) and General Hong Jiang (General Gong Gong in the novel) being the only Chenrong General still standing who refuses to surrender. At this point, everyone else abandons Hong Jiang, and that is when XL seeks Hong Jiang out to repay him. He fights for Hong Jiang and later becomes his adopted son. XY is the daughter of the people who make Hong Jiang's cause futile - making death on the battlefield the only remaining option that he and his army can accept.
Her Grandfather - The Yellow Emperor has spent hundreds of years fighting against Hong Jiang both before and after Chengrong was conquered. He was the one who sent his daughter (XY's mother, the Princess General) to battle, resulting in everything that I mentioned above.
Her Cousin - CX (ZX in the novel) is the Yellow Emperor's eldest grandson. He and XY are the only living direct descendants of the Yellow Emperor and his Empress. Later on, he tries to kill XL in QS Town. Later still, he becomes the Black Emperor and commands the Xiyan army that Hong Jiang's remnant army is fighting against and that ultimately annihilates them.
Her "Father" - The King of Haoling sees the parallels between XY and her mother, and between XL and Chi Chen. He doesn't want XY to have the same tragic fate that her mother had.
Hong Jiang will never surrender to Xiyan, and XL will never abandon Hong Jiang. Xiyan makes many generous offers to Hong Jiang and XL, but they refuse them all. Like the rest of Hong Jiang's remnant army, XL wants to die on the battlefield with his comrades. He doesn't want to survive the battle and have to remain alive, remembering the dead. As Emperor of Xiyan, CX cannot allow Hong Jiang's army to rebel forever, and he cannot cede a conquered kingdom back to a royal family that has already surrendered and accepted defeat. And XY will not betray CX.
So that leaves XY and XL forever on opposite sides of a war that will never end in surrender.
They forget that he restores XY's ability to trust another person with her heart. He provides the key move that helps ZX win the throne, as well as most of the resources and assistance that he needed to pave the way there. He uses his spirit power to preserve XY's body after her assassination, making it possible for XL to save her life. He is the one who asks XL to stop XY's wedding with FL (XL needed this excuse to get involved - he couldn't act on his own). He is the one who brings XY back to Gao Xing (Haoling) and gets her father to finally reveal the truth about her mother and biological father + nearly dies getting her the closure she desperately needed. And in the end he is the only one who is willing to give up everything else to live a simple, peaceful life with XY.
Lots of strengths there.
ZX puts the pieces together near the end of the novel. XL's army is cornered and ZX's army is leading a full-scale assault to wipe them out once and for all. XY asks ZX to spare XL's life, and ZX asks XY if XL is FFB. Even though he "asks", he's already figured out the answer. So not shocked, really.
---
Walking them out, Xiao Yao suddenly called out “Gege, can I speak privately with you?”
Everyone continued walking leaving Xiao Yao standing there with Zhuan Xu as she said “I heard that Ru So’s relentless attack has backed Gong Gong’s army into a corner.”
Zhuan Xu said “I was planning on a slow attrition to minimize casualties, but Feng Long’s death has left me no choice but to launch a full on assault.”
Xiao Yao said, “Gege, can you……can you……spare Xiang Liu?”
Zhuan Xu was shocked. “He killed Feng Long, don’t you want to avenge his death?”
“Killing Xiang Liu won’t bring Feng Long back.”
Zhuan Xu stared long and hard at Xiao Yao as she continued, “I know you are in a tough spot, but I’ve never asked you for a favor when it’s difficult for you. This is my first, and last time, begging you for something.”
“Xiang Liu is Fang Feng Bei?” Zhuan Xu appeared to be asking Xiao Yao but his expression was certain.
Xiao Yao didn’t want to hide it anymore and woefully nodded.
“So that’s it! No wonder I’ve felt that certain things were so odd, but now it all makes sense. Are you two still seeing each other?”
“We’ve severed all ties. I never want to see him again in this lifetime and he certainly will also never want to see me. But no matter how he’s treated me……..I…..I still want him to stay alive.”
Zhuan Xu took a deep breath. “Xiang Liu killed Feng Long and I need to give a reckoning to the Chi Sui clan and Sheng Nong tribe, otherwise it cannot appease the Middle Plains. But, as long as Xiang Liu is willing to stop, I can give him a chance to disappear.”
“Disappear” doesn’t mean “die”, so this meant Zhuan Xu agreed with her pleading. Xiao Yao smiled brightly. “Thank you Gege!”
“Don’t thank me. Grandfather and I tried countless times to bring Xiang Liu to our side and I even gave him carte blanche to name his terms. But he would never abandon or betray Gong Gong. Actually all this time it’s not I who wouldn’t stop, it’s him who wouldn’t stop. If he vows to fight to the death, then there is nothing I can do. I can’t sacrifice Ru So and the soldiers. His life is a life, but so are the lives of those fighting for me.”
Xiao Yao bit her lip and lowered her head as she quietly said, “I know.”
XY says it can be a weakness to TSJ, and he agrees:
Xiao Yao walked out and said, “You are kind and loving and it’s not a personality flaw, but faced with Yi Yang and Hou then it becomes a weakness.”
Jing said, “I understand. It all stops now and I won’t retreat anymore.”
Xiao Yao nodded. “That’s more like it.”
---
XY says its a kind of strength to ZX, and he agrees:
"...I thought Jing would turn cold and suspicious after what Hou did to him, and actions would be decisive and heartless, like both of us have become – but he didn’t! Gege, don’t you think that’s another kind of strength and courage? It appears different than us, but Jing is using his own method to defeat and overcome his suffering.”
Zhuan Xu was silent but he agreed, someone like Jing who was so brilliant and strategic on political matters, how could he not know how to get revenge on Hou?
---
So: weak or strong? He's both.
Hou being Hou and FL dying are the things that make TSJ's ending less than perfect / not getting everything he could have wanted like the other characters' endings. But really getting to leave all his other obligations behind to disappear with XY is pretty close to perfect for him.
And at least Hou never gets what he wanted most. He never receives his mother's love. He never gets to be clan leader, directly or by controlling his son. Even after learning the truth about his parentage, his son chooses to call TSJ father. The mother of his son, who used to love him, is the person who kills him. Before she does so, she says that TSJ was too good for her, and that's why she met Hou first. TSJ refuses to say that this version of Hou is better than him until the very end and goes even further. He finally says that he looks down on this version of Hou who has fallen so low and who let hatred and jealousy control his heart. All of that must've killed Hou inside as much as FFYY's arrow physically killed him.
If anyone deserves to suffer for what they've done, then Hou deserved to suffer, and he didn't really suffer too deeply. But he also never got to really be happy. TSJ's happy ending is, in a way, its own kind of revenge.