Is it worth watching or best to wait until season 2?
I would've gone mad from the waiting if the complete novel wasn't available to read. I'd recommend waiting unless you're worried about seeing too many spoilers (that's the reason I started it even though I usually don't watch dramas until they've completely finished airing).
In episode 30, if XY had truly died, would XL have died as well, considering they are connected by the lover's…
The logic of the life-and-death bond created by the bugs is a bit odd. It seems clear that if one host is mortally injured and the other host is healthy, the bond will ensure that the injured host doesn't completely die, potentially allowing them to be revived (sort of like the concept of "mostly dead" from the Princess Bride). And that's what happened to XY with her assassination. But XL says that if he came too late or if TSJ and ZX's people hadn't poured their spirit power into XY, then he wouldn't be able to save her.
So my speculation is that if TSJ and ZX's people hadn't poured their spirit power into XY, she still wouldn't "completely" die (while XL was still alive), but she would be "more" dead and past the point where she could be revived. Which is basically dead. That's the only way I can reconcile the logic of it in my mind.
Also, if the lovers turn against each other or try to remove the bugs, the hosts will die. XL is only able to break their connection by killing (rather than removing) the bugs, which requires the use of one of his lives + stabbing himself in the heart.
I assume that if both hosts are mortally injured at the same time, then they can both be killed. It's not clear what would happen if one of the hosts was on the brink of death due to natural causes (i.e., old age).
One important point to note: in the novel Jing's grandmother uses a different type of poisonous bug to extend her life. This results in Jing finding out that poisonous bugs come with a price. At the end of the host's life, the poisonous bug will consume the host from the inside until their body, soul and essence are all consumed. No corpse will be left behind.
If, despite the poisonous bug connection, XY had 100% died as a result of the assassination, the example of Jing's grandmother suggests that both she and XL would have their bodies, souls and essences consumed by the poisonous bugs. I'm not sure XL would survive that (e.g., think about all the emphasis they've put on the fact that he has nine lives but only one heart) no matter how many lives he had left.
XL spares XY and himself from that fate by using one of his lives (and stabbing himself in the heart) to kill their bugs, which breaks the connection between them.
I think the key here is the author. I read somewhere that she really wanted XL to be endgame but she just couldn’t…
At least twice in the novel, XY wonders if things could have been different if she met XL before he met Gong Gong and joined the Sheng Nong army (e.g., if she had been born earlier and saved him from the slave death match arena). I feel like if the writers wanted to give a boon to the YaoLiu shippers, they could show us an extended version of that fantasy where XY and XL meet earlier in his life, they fall in love, have lots of dates (exploring the ocean and its islands, eating, shopping, etc. - all things the novel says XY wants to do), get married, and have kids. If it was a fantasy, the details wouldn't have to be fully fleshed out or totally make sense. And they wouldn't have to change XL's character or ending.
do the writers hate xiao yao or something? why does she keep going through horrible things 🥲 i hate everyone…
Horrible things happen to her so that her reverse harem men can worry about her and try to help her. They would have fewer opportunities to dramatically show their love if her life was all sunshine and rainbows.
How did he die in the nov? I thought he had nine lives.
XL uses at least one of his lives to revive XY after her assassination (she mentions it in chapter 26 of the novel). He might also use one of his lives to revive XY a second time after she poisons herself to death (the process seems different, so it's not totally clear, and the novel doesn't specify one way or the other). He also uses a jewel that he creates from XY's blood to bring TSJ back from the dead. He might have used a life as part of that process as well (the novel doesn't specify that he does).
XL definitely uses a life to kill the poisonous bugs and sever his connection with XY before the final battle where he knows he will die (the novel does specify this).
Apart from the two lives he definitely used for XY and the possible two additional lives he might have used for XY and TSJ, it's not 100% clear how XL loses his other lives. He may have lost a few in the slave death matches before he escaped. He may have lost a few in war. Or he might not have lost any before, and loses them all in the final battle. The novel doesn't specify.
In terms of how he dies, it's important to know that right before the final battle he revives XY (the second time) and kills the poisonous bugs. Both steps required significant power and left XL injured and drained. He doesn't use XY's blood to heal himself before going to the final battle.
After protracted fighting XL (disguised as Gong Gong) leads the last 1,000 soldiers of Sheng Nong's army to an island where they make their last stand against 100,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers. Even though XL was heavily injured at this point, not even the strongest Xuan Yuan warrior could defeat him. He was finally killed when 10,000 arrows were fired at him at once.
CX will get the throne. Jing will get the girl. But in the end XL will be left with nothing. He’s probably gonna…
It would be very difficult to put all of them here succinctly, but I'll mention a few of my favourite parts that occur after XY's assassination.
Chapter 22 - During XY's healing period, XL takes her to the surface to observe the moon, takes her to hear the songs of the merpeople, and tells her a bit about his past. XL isn't sure if she is awake or not at this point, and when it comes up later (in chapter 26) it is clear that XL doesn't want XY to be aware of the things he told her while she was healing, so XY pretends she wasn't awake.
Chapter 23 - XY wishes she was born a few hundred years earlier so she could save XL from the slave death matches and make him just be like her companion FBB, and not XL (i.e., a man who can be her companion, not the man who cannot abandon Gong Gong and his cause, an army strategist who is her family's enemy and a warrior bent on a warrior's death).
Chapter 26 - When XY sees TSJ for the first time in a year after his marriage to FFYY she is alone (it's ZX's wedding day) and XY's heart is in pain. XL takes her away and they spend a night and a day in the ocean together, and eat a meal together on an island. XY thinks to herself (not out loud) that, if it were possible, she would like to spend the rest of her life like this. XL describes the beauty that can be found on the islands scattered across the sea, and XY tells him she wants to see them.
Chapter 43 - XL saves XY from danger. XY sees XL's true demon form. XL drinks blood from XY's neck to heal. XY falls asleep on top of XL / in his arms. XY says she will agree to any price (unrelated to ZX) if he helps her find a demon. XL makes her promise to live. XY wonders if she had met XL years earlier, could he have found the woman he loved? Would he take her out to shop and eat?
Chapter 46 - When XY cannot bring herself to kill XL, XL smiles at her. It appears to be a mocking smile, but that was just hiding his true joy. XL pushes XY to cut ties with him, because he knows he is going to die soon (the defeat of his army is imminent). XL creates the jewel that will save TSJ's life and gives it to the merman who will revive him.
Chapter 48 - XL saves XY from death a second time, but this time secretly. He also kills the poisonous bugs (using a life and stabbing himself in the heart to do so - and he does not use XY's blood to heal himself afterwards) to sever the connection between them, so that when he dies XY will live and not feel him die. He covers his tracks so XY won't know what he's done for her.
Chapter 50 - XY has mixed feelings when she finds out her poisonous bug connection with XL has been broken. XY asks ZX to spare XL's life (even though she has cut ties with him and she knows her life is no longer connected to his).
Chapter 51 - XY is devastated by XL's death. In the end, she disappears with TSJ (the man XL resurrected for XY to rely on) to the ocean (the place where XY belongs, thanks to XL's essential blood). Perhaps to explore the beauties of its scattered islands that XL described to her.
TSJ will be drugged and trapped to make everyone think he impregnates Yi Ying (in fact he hasn’t done a thing…
Adding to what VesperLynd said, TSJ was definitely resurrected by XL.
When XL pushes XY to cut ties with him, he has her drain a significant amount of blood for him - ostensibly for him to turn the blood into healing pills for himself. XY views this as paying her debts to XL so she owes him nothing more. But XL takes that blood and secretly turns it into a jewel that he gives to a merperson, along with instructions in the language of the merpeople.
Sir Bi is a person from Jade Mountain who observes XL revive XY the second time. XL makes him promise not to tell XY that XL was the person who saved her life this time. Sir Bi and XL agree to say that the Royal Mother of Jade Mountain was the person who saved XY and removed the poisonous bug. Sir Bi also sees XL hide the clam shell (XL's clam shell) that was used to keep XY alive before XL arrived. He sees that XL does everything to hide and erase what he's done for XY.
Sir Bi is also present when Jing explains how he returned. Jing only knows that he was revived by a pair of merpeople, seemingly by chance and out of the goodness of their hearts. Even though Sir Bi did not see XL give the jewel to the merperson I mentioned earlier, he knows that XL is a supreme power in the ocean, that the merpeople respect and obey him and that he speaks the merpeople's language. Sir Bi realizes that XL not only saved TSJ, he did so in a way that ensured TSJ and XY would never be able to discover that XL was the person who orchestrated it (because they do not speak the merpeople's language).
I should also mention that some fans speculate that XL might have even used one of his nine lives to revive TSJ (maybe by putting it in the jewel), since XY said that XL used one of his lives when he first revived her.
CX will get the throne. Jing will get the girl. But in the end XL will be left with nothing. He’s probably gonna…
He can't read her mind, so he wouldn't know *exactly* her thoughts and feelings for him at any given moment. But the poisonous bug connection means that he can feel all her pain (including heartache), her emotions, and her heartbeat (including every time it speeds up around him). And he discovers the memories of him that she recorded in her mirror.
There are many occasions where XY says or does things that make it pretty clear how she feels without directly confessing. On at least one occasion she starts to try to put how she feels into words more directly. But XL always cuts her off, redirects her, or pushes her away at these points. He intentionally stops her from developing deeper feelings for him. Erasing her memories of him in the mirror is one example of many.
Do you mean when does XY give upon on becoming the Royal Mother of Jade Mountain? That happens after her second death and resurrection (the one that actually involves blood from XL's tongue). It hasn't been covered in the drama yet. It comes much closer to the end.
CX will get the throne. Jing will get the girl. But in the end XL will be left with nothing. He’s probably gonna…
She will remember him and will be distraught after his death. She will go to check her mirror and find that XL erased the memories of him that she recorded in it, so she can no longer use the mirror to watch those memories again.
CX will get the throne. Jing will get the girl. But in the end XL will be left with nothing. He’s probably gonna…
XL will end up with the ending he carefully and diligently orchestrated. An honourable death on the battlefield. Never failing in his loyalty to Gong Gong or betraying his cause. Giving XY a way to defend herself (her archery), a person to rely on (TSJ - and I do mean "give" here, not just "allow"), and a refuge to escape to (the ocean). And knowing that XY cared about him, but not so much that she couldn't have a happy ending with TSJ after his death.
Those of us who love his character would prefer that he got an ending with lasting happiness, but at least we can take comfort in the fact that he got almost everything he wanted. I think ZX's ending is much worse, but he brings it upon himself.
I'm rewatching episode 25 and had a thought. FFB is clearly injured, so XY hands him a small bottle with something in it (very high quality healing medicine that she received from the emperor). XL doesn't know what's in the bottle, but he knows that whether it's medicine or poison, it won't have any affect on him. But she gave it to him, so he eats it immediately, and XY says "You do trust me."
Every time XY gives XL or FFB something to eat or drink (whether it's medicine, an antidote or poison), he always eats it completely and without question. Is there ever a risk of any of it actually irreversibly hurting him? Probably not. But it still reminds me of that moment in QS town where TSJ drank the poison XY gave him without hesitation, even though he almost certainly knew it was poison. He also knew XY would give him the antidote.
It just makes me think that XL and TSJ have the same mentality: "If XY gives me something to eat or drink, I will eat or drink it without hesitation. No questions asked."
In novel it was from mouth.. but they probably want downgrade romance between XL and XY
In the novel it wasn't specified where the blood came from or how it was delivered in this scene. The blood from his tongue is mentioned in the novel much, much later (albeit in similar circumstances).
In future does Xiaoyao retain her spiritual power?
She does not regain her spiritual power, but (in addition to her poison skills) she becomes a very proficient archer and gains the ability to breathe under water without any assistance and to swim under water almost as well as XL. So she is stronger and better able to defend herself near the end of the novel.
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So my speculation is that if TSJ and ZX's people hadn't poured their spirit power into XY, she still wouldn't "completely" die (while XL was still alive), but she would be "more" dead and past the point where she could be revived. Which is basically dead. That's the only way I can reconcile the logic of it in my mind.
Also, if the lovers turn against each other or try to remove the bugs, the hosts will die. XL is only able to break their connection by killing (rather than removing) the bugs, which requires the use of one of his lives + stabbing himself in the heart.
I assume that if both hosts are mortally injured at the same time, then they can both be killed. It's not clear what would happen if one of the hosts was on the brink of death due to natural causes (i.e., old age).
One important point to note: in the novel Jing's grandmother uses a different type of poisonous bug to extend her life. This results in Jing finding out that poisonous bugs come with a price. At the end of the host's life, the poisonous bug will consume the host from the inside until their body, soul and essence are all consumed. No corpse will be left behind.
If, despite the poisonous bug connection, XY had 100% died as a result of the assassination, the example of Jing's grandmother suggests that both she and XL would have their bodies, souls and essences consumed by the poisonous bugs. I'm not sure XL would survive that (e.g., think about all the emphasis they've put on the fact that he has nine lives but only one heart) no matter how many lives he had left.
XL spares XY and himself from that fate by using one of his lives (and stabbing himself in the heart) to kill their bugs, which breaks the connection between them.
XL definitely uses a life to kill the poisonous bugs and sever his connection with XY before the final battle where he knows he will die (the novel does specify this).
Apart from the two lives he definitely used for XY and the possible two additional lives he might have used for XY and TSJ, it's not 100% clear how XL loses his other lives. He may have lost a few in the slave death matches before he escaped. He may have lost a few in war. Or he might not have lost any before, and loses them all in the final battle. The novel doesn't specify.
In terms of how he dies, it's important to know that right before the final battle he revives XY (the second time) and kills the poisonous bugs. Both steps required significant power and left XL injured and drained. He doesn't use XY's blood to heal himself before going to the final battle.
After protracted fighting XL (disguised as Gong Gong) leads the last 1,000 soldiers of Sheng Nong's army to an island where they make their last stand against 100,000 Xuan Yuan soldiers. Even though XL was heavily injured at this point, not even the strongest Xuan Yuan warrior could defeat him. He was finally killed when 10,000 arrows were fired at him at once.
Chapter 22 - During XY's healing period, XL takes her to the surface to observe the moon, takes her to hear the songs of the merpeople, and tells her a bit about his past. XL isn't sure if she is awake or not at this point, and when it comes up later (in chapter 26) it is clear that XL doesn't want XY to be aware of the things he told her while she was healing, so XY pretends she wasn't awake.
Chapter 23 - XY wishes she was born a few hundred years earlier so she could save XL from the slave death matches and make him just be like her companion FBB, and not XL (i.e., a man who can be her companion, not the man who cannot abandon Gong Gong and his cause, an army strategist who is her family's enemy and a warrior bent on a warrior's death).
Chapter 26 - When XY sees TSJ for the first time in a year after his marriage to FFYY she is alone (it's ZX's wedding day) and XY's heart is in pain. XL takes her away and they spend a night and a day in the ocean together, and eat a meal together on an island. XY thinks to herself (not out loud) that, if it were possible, she would like to spend the rest of her life like this. XL describes the beauty that can be found on the islands scattered across the sea, and XY tells him she wants to see them.
Chapter 43 - XL saves XY from danger. XY sees XL's true demon form. XL drinks blood from XY's neck to heal. XY falls asleep on top of XL / in his arms. XY says she will agree to any price (unrelated to ZX) if he helps her find a demon. XL makes her promise to live. XY wonders if she had met XL years earlier, could he have found the woman he loved? Would he take her out to shop and eat?
Chapter 46 - When XY cannot bring herself to kill XL, XL smiles at her. It appears to be a mocking smile, but that was just hiding his true joy. XL pushes XY to cut ties with him, because he knows he is going to die soon (the defeat of his army is imminent). XL creates the jewel that will save TSJ's life and gives it to the merman who will revive him.
Chapter 48 - XL saves XY from death a second time, but this time secretly. He also kills the poisonous bugs (using a life and stabbing himself in the heart to do so - and he does not use XY's blood to heal himself afterwards) to sever the connection between them, so that when he dies XY will live and not feel him die. He covers his tracks so XY won't know what he's done for her.
Chapter 50 - XY has mixed feelings when she finds out her poisonous bug connection with XL has been broken. XY asks ZX to spare XL's life (even though she has cut ties with him and she knows her life is no longer connected to his).
Chapter 51 - XY is devastated by XL's death. In the end, she disappears with TSJ (the man XL resurrected for XY to rely on) to the ocean (the place where XY belongs, thanks to XL's essential blood). Perhaps to explore the beauties of its scattered islands that XL described to her.
When XL pushes XY to cut ties with him, he has her drain a significant amount of blood for him - ostensibly for him to turn the blood into healing pills for himself. XY views this as paying her debts to XL so she owes him nothing more. But XL takes that blood and secretly turns it into a jewel that he gives to a merperson, along with instructions in the language of the merpeople.
Sir Bi is a person from Jade Mountain who observes XL revive XY the second time. XL makes him promise not to tell XY that XL was the person who saved her life this time. Sir Bi and XL agree to say that the Royal Mother of Jade Mountain was the person who saved XY and removed the poisonous bug. Sir Bi also sees XL hide the clam shell (XL's clam shell) that was used to keep XY alive before XL arrived. He sees that XL does everything to hide and erase what he's done for XY.
Sir Bi is also present when Jing explains how he returned. Jing only knows that he was revived by a pair of merpeople, seemingly by chance and out of the goodness of their hearts. Even though Sir Bi did not see XL give the jewel to the merperson I mentioned earlier, he knows that XL is a supreme power in the ocean, that the merpeople respect and obey him and that he speaks the merpeople's language. Sir Bi realizes that XL not only saved TSJ, he did so in a way that ensured TSJ and XY would never be able to discover that XL was the person who orchestrated it (because they do not speak the merpeople's language).
I should also mention that some fans speculate that XL might have even used one of his nine lives to revive TSJ (maybe by putting it in the jewel), since XY said that XL used one of his lives when he first revived her.
There are many occasions where XY says or does things that make it pretty clear how she feels without directly confessing. On at least one occasion she starts to try to put how she feels into words more directly. But XL always cuts her off, redirects her, or pushes her away at these points. He intentionally stops her from developing deeper feelings for him. Erasing her memories of him in the mirror is one example of many.
Those of us who love his character would prefer that he got an ending with lasting happiness, but at least we can take comfort in the fact that he got almost everything he wanted. I think ZX's ending is much worse, but he brings it upon himself.
Every time XY gives XL or FFB something to eat or drink (whether it's medicine, an antidote or poison), he always eats it completely and without question. Is there ever a risk of any of it actually irreversibly hurting him? Probably not. But it still reminds me of that moment in QS town where TSJ drank the poison XY gave him without hesitation, even though he almost certainly knew it was poison. He also knew XY would give him the antidote.
It just makes me think that XL and TSJ have the same mentality: "If XY gives me something to eat or drink, I will eat or drink it without hesitation. No questions asked."