AH

This is true in the drama, but it's a little different in the novel. XY does not know XL commissioned the bow in the novel.

He goes through a bunch of elaborate steps to make sure she doesn't know it was him who commissioned it (hiding his identity, pretending to be from another clan, pretending he no longer wants the bow for himself as soon as XY tries to commission her own bow, making it completely unappealing and unusable to other people because the bow's master must consume XL's blood, etc.). Or he at least gets the weapons master who created it to spin an elaborate lie to fool XY.

And XY doesn't need to approach XL in order to gain control of her bow. XL's blood has already been transfused into her on every full moon for 37 years. The bow bites into her arm and immediately recognizes her. Only she can wield it.

The other thing with the timing is that XY didn't have a bow with her when she was assassinated. I can't remember if she had a different weapon with her in the novel, but in the drama she only had a knife. So she wasn't able to use the archery that XL painstakingly taught her for 10 years to protect herself. With that in mind, as soon as he was able to, XL commissioned a special bow for her that could be kept inside her arm. So she would never again be in a situation where she didn't have it with her.

If XL instead commissioned the bow for her way before the assassination, that special feature of the bow doesn't have the same level of meaning.

In the novel she does not know.

I haven't seen the episode yet, but in the novel she really doesn't know.

The scene when XL (as FFB) meets XY on the stairs after her resurrection reminds me... in the novel XY and XL both constantly mask their pain or unpleasant feelings with a smile or a laugh. When they put on a smile, it is more often masking deep heartache than reflecting anything like happiness. Everything about their demeanour and body language in this scene hurts, but XL's smile especially so. Even more so since he doesn't put it on until XY turns to look at him. And we also know that through the whole scene XL can feel every shift in her emotions, every clench and beat of her heart. When he calls her name. When she recognizes his voice. When she recalls ZX's words. When she clenches her sleeve and steels herself before turning to look at him. And when he mentions TSJ. I thought I was emotionally prepared after reading the novel, but that was addictingly painful.

That's fair. I liked that XY was able to kill the beasts that initially came after her without any help. But without a bow she was pretty vulnerable after that.

YW :)

Seeing JTC in wedding clothes right now? Oof. Doesn't even matter if it's modern.

In the novel, the first part (the mountain peak) is promised by ZX to XL for saving XY from death after her assassination. The second part (the years of army provisions) is promised by TSJ to XL for using the promise XY owed him (in exchange for allowing her to transfer the poisonous bug from ZX to him) to make XY leave her wedding to FL.

Interesting. The bow taming part is different than the novel. I hope their escapade in episode 37 includes other important bits from the novel. Thanks for the summary.

Yes, thanks to his essential blood transfusions she can breathe under water and swim almost as well as XL can. iirc it's covered in chapter 26 of the novel.

Even when you catch up with the end of S1, be careful in the comments section if you haven't also read the novel to the end. Some people are really not great about using the spoiler tag.

"ugly poisonous snakes" ... ridiculously, I feel compelled to put in a word here for XL and any other "poisonous snakes" that aren't horrible, conniving Tushan clan members. Some are quite principled and not bad to look at!

(Please don't take this seriously, "poisonous snakes" was just too on point to resist).

She says it to him in episode 8 and episode 9 too. So good.

He hated having to ask her to do that. He needed TSJ's support.

There isn't really one clear moment in the novel or the drama, but it would necessarily have to be sometime before XL decided he was a candidate to receive the poisonous bug.

I really don't want to think too hard about what Gong Gong does after XL dies and saves his life. It's too frustrating no matter what he does.

Yes, that's a little clearer in the novel I think. They had some time together in QS town (a bit more than what was shown in the drama). A few meetings after that before XL pulled out his FFB persona. 10+ years as companions as FFB and XY. 37 years in the clam shell (although not under ideal circumstances). And a few more meaningful meetings after that. At least three that last more than a full day.

Oh no, I feel like he decided he wasn't her endgame long before that, and was also already actively working to ensure that she could get a happy ending with TSJ. Definitely by the time of her resurrection in chapter 22 (which is why he pushes her to TSJ when she wakes up). Way before her wedding in chapter 32.

Remember he has always felt from the very beginning that the best death for a general is to die on the battlefield. So I'm not sure he ever thought there was any chance of having a long-term romance and peaceful happy ending with anyone - even XY. Even as early as when he willingly accepted the poisonous bug.

But if he did, learning about XY's true identity killed any hope they would've had. XY knew that from the start. And it significantly changed the equation for XL. Yes, he wanted XY to kiss him underwater and he wanted her allow him to drink blood from her neck after that point, and was hurt when she drew lines stopping him from doing so. But even so, I don't think he thought they could be endgame at that point. And eventually he starts to actively hide his feelings and keep XY's in check too. The balance between them shifts to a point where XY is the one constantly making bids and XL is the one shutting her down.

I think that really starts when he presents himself as FFB, when he clearly says they are temporary companions. And he starts to toe a very fine line between keeping XY company to alleviate her loneliness (and his own) but not letting her know how he feels about her or letting her develop deeper feelings for him.