Tan Jian Ci’s Agency Releases New Stills of Xiang Liu in All His Blindingly White Demon Pain and Glory
Reading Once Promised (Ceng Shu Nuo) and its direct sequel Lost You Forever (Chang Xiang Si) is like two flip sides of the same coin. There are so many parallels but the ends and choices are almost diametrically opposite. It goes to show that what happens to form a person’s life, personality, and background ultimately influences how choices in the future are made. Xiao Yao is her mother’s daughter, as curious and bright and of the world, but while Ah Heng is raised loved and spoiled Xiao Yao was abandoned and tortured so the two women may fall for the exact same type of man but would ultimately choose differently. Or would Xiao Yao, which is a legitimate question as one aspect of her choice was taken away from her because she NEVER KNEW the extent of Xiang Liu did for her. She knew about saving her life, rescuing her from the seagull demon, arranging Left Ear as bodyguard, teaching her archery, and giving her the sea map but he kept saying it was all a transaction, and then she never knew about the custom made bow to the Lover’s Bug removal to saving Jing to the remade tableau in the ice crystal ball and her wedding present the laughing big bellied doll, that was all kept from her.
So if she knew would she still choose Jing? We will never know, because unlike Tong Hua‘s other novels Bu Bu Jing Xin, Da Mao Yao, and Yun Zhong Ge, our leading ladies there all picked knowing all the facts. Which is why my love for Xiang Liu is so blindingly strong, he’s just THE BEST despite having no parents, a tortured slave, and a looked down upon demon, his love is so selfless and so thoughtful and his ending is exactly as he wrote his own story like he wrote Xiao Yao’s happy ending for her. Without him there is no HE for Xiao Yao and Jing and I love that Demon all the more for it. The drama watching for LYF is morphing as new episodes comes out and the Xiang Liu fans keep growing as expected. Tan Jian Ci‘s agency released these pictorial stills that are just epic I hit SAVE SAVE SAVE so hard on my keyboard haha. I’ve been getting emails and comment questions as to whether I will actually translate fanfiction for LiuYao and the answer is “OH HELLS YEAH!” There is one fanfiction published closer to recent time than when the novel first came out that is the best fanfiction of anything I’ve ever read. It’s creative, passionate, meaty, and really thoughtful in giving LiuYao shippers an ending without taking away from the novel OTP JingYao.
Oh those stills are hauntingly beautiful that I don’t know if my eyes heart more or my heart! Since the drama aired I’ve added a whole new photo album on my fone for XL hehehe
Yes!!! please do translate fanfiction for LiuYao. The more epic the drama has been the more my love for XL has grown including the dread for his ending. So much so I tried to look for fanfic myself. OMG 😳 that was a terrible mistake… they literally had EVERYTHING
Xiang Liu v Jing
Xiang Liu v Gege
Xiang Liu v Cong Cong
Xiang Liu v his riding beast
Xiang Liu v a Drfrom another drama
It was actually hard to find a vanilla one with just xiao6 (T_T)
I cannot thank you Koala enough for bringing this epic story to a wider audience, have to admit that when I followed along with your translations a decade ago, I was an immediate XL lover, but was never really able to imagine the how XL would look like in real life or a drama form. And after so many years, thank the drama gods for Tan Jian Ci’s nailing the unspoken messages that is XL, his deep portrayal of our cold and powerful 9 headed demon who dresses in white and looks more regal and ethereal than the god clans themselves! I didn’t know I wanted him to play this character but now I cannot imagine it being anyone else…
Where do you find all these fan fictions?
Check out AO3 (Archive of Our Own), but you have been warned 😂 🙈
Google translating the Chinese fanfic was mind boggling to read…
Not me thrilled to see these BEAUTIFUL stills, but then immediately crying as I read through the post, because I want them together, but can understand why they’re not T_T
The what-ifs are killing me, sigh
YASSSS can’t wait to read your translation of the fics!
I so want to watch this, but what with the 2 seasons and season 2 being cut down, I seriously hesitate…
Do not hesitate to look at it, it is very beautiful
I don’t think she could choose him even if she wanted to. It’s quite sad that their lives are not their own. If she chose him, it’ll be sad ending either way. Either they both die or XY lives and go back to Jing. I don’t think XL would let her go though that kind of trauma so that was why he kept that from her.
So agree with your comment that XL wouldn’t let XY go through that kind of pain of losing him. XL, given his allegiance to his adoptive father, clearly knew that he would not be able to give what XY wanted, i.e. to have someone accompany her through life. XL knew that he would die. That’s why his self control not to reveal his love to avoid any pain to XY makes his love even more selfless and admirable (in contrast to Zhuang Xu who chose power over love but still wanted it all). XL just loved XY and truly wanted happiness and the best for her, even though it means that they could not be together, including saving Jing, knowing Jing was the only one who could give XY’s wish.
@Miss Koala, you just summarized so well the many many things that XL did for XY. And, thank you so much for translating the novel. I rarely read a novel more than once but LYF is truly exceptionally beautiful. I am a Jing shipper from the start, but after re-reading the novel, XL is becoming on par or even more.
not going to lie, these pictures look pretty epic.
Ethereal pics🤩🤩🤩
After the novel, I’ve been dying for fanfics for XL n XY.
Actually I hope the drama would create another drama or alternate endings? Wishful thinking…
Please, please translate fanfiction! Thank you. My ideal ending is some form of Jing x XY x XL threesome, but anything you translate would be welcome.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh lol
I know we hate when drama or movie series differs from the original Novel. But I wish we can have an alternate ending.. where XL doesn’t have to die. He might not end up with XY but ultimately the three of them retires to roam the world together, then settle in a remote village just like WXL wanted all his life.
Off topic
I’m so grateful to you Ms Koala for the translations
. I’m sure many readers has reread it many times since you’ve finished, while we wait for a drama version that can portray each character properly. I have to honestly say. Besides my initial concerns with Yang Zi. Everyone is perfect. Especially Tan Jiang Ci as XL. His face!!
Really loving the behind the scenes of him and YZ.
The actor who plays Jing is also perfect. He gives Jing emotions that Jing seems to lack for me in the novel.
Yes, that would be nice, I don’t want to see him die, that’s why I stopped watching the series now. XL is my favorite and Tan Jianci is a very good actor. I would have liked more emotions between him and XY he deserved it.
thank you for the article
I realised the writer actually left many subtle symbols to show XL is XY’s first love. In fact they are both each other’s firsts. First love as white as snow, and no one represents snow better than XL. XY also experience many firsts with XL/FFB. But in the end, as most first loves, they did not end up together because they each have different priorities. But just like the doll XL gave XY, first love and all the first experience will always be there to accompany her for life in her memories. Because all those experiences made her stronger and better.
You Koala, after I read your translation and the c-version. I realized you never truly understood the novel. Did you really think Xiao Yao chose Jing? When her whole family basically forbid her to be with xiangliu. When she basically said to her grandpa that if it wasn’t for him and Xuan, she would run to xiangliu. Did this scream she had a choice to you? How about the numerous of times that she said she wanted to wander around with xianglu forever, in fact, she even said it out loud in ep 37! If this isn’t enough for you, on August 7th, 2023, Yang Zi, who is portraying Xiao Yao, even said that she didn’t a choice bc Xiangliu had his country, Xuan wanted to be emperor, so there was only Jing! And she said ‘ in fact, I didn’t choose Jing, he chose me”. Because she had said on record that Xiao Liu was stronger and didn’t need anyone. Xiao Yao on the otter hand became much weaker! These interviews can be found anymore.
Thank you the amazing work! After reading what took years to translate, I humbly ask if you would please consider translating the following XY and XL fanfic which uses the multiverse approach to keep the original story intact while offering another Yaoliu ending.
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/555723806?utm_id=0
Next put Imma Get It and Be Fascinated on SP0TIFY.
Ahh Koala I would so much like to know which fan fic that is the best fan fiction that you have ever read.. can you share the link pls
XL forever!