[Mainland Chinese Web Drama 2020] Three Lives Three Worlds The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书

[Ninky]

2 hours ago, jimmylyne said:

@Ninky 

After read it, would very much love to know your opinions or anyone? who read TMOPB/PB in Chinese and English version.

 

@jimmylyne WOW that's a lot but let me just make quick comments:

 

Book verse, Bai Qian can be dense in the matters of the heart. She is on the lower end of the EQ spectrum (not as low as Dong Hua though, Dh's EQ is practically non-existent) especially in the love department. She is socially awkward partly because of this. She can appear cold to people on the outside. However, she is a woman of valour and has a strong and very stubborn streak. A woman who is very sure what she wants and goes after it. This is very clear during her relationship with Li Jing. Li Jing's betrayal hurt her young soul then (she was around 50 000 to 70 000 years old). 

 

In the book, it is very clear that she respected her master, Mo Yuan like a teacher. She had no indication of romantic love for him at all. Bai Qian feels deeply. Despite having low EQ she is fully capable of emotions. When she thought her Shi Fu died, she went to great lengths to try to preserve his body. She felt terrible that because of her issues with Li Jing and Xuan Nu (Xuan Nu's sister married one of her brothers if you didn't know), her teacher died.

 

I saw her indifference very differently from the poster you linked above. Half the people who read the original book in Chinese would be on my point of view. The other half very much like what redfoxpincess feels.

 

Her life as Susu, unlike the drama was  at the beginning of the book, in the prologue. It shows you all the pain and the torture she went through during her mortal trial. After waking up from that nightmare, she decided there and then to take Zhe Yan's potion and be done with Ye Hua, totally detaching him from her life. This is her personality. She cuts out people who betrayed her this way. She has done that to Li Jing, to Shao Xing and finally to Ye Hua. She has a very strong and stubborn personality and as such it is a double edged sword for her as conversely, she will also love deeply to the point she got to at the end of the book when she lost the man she loved for three years.

 

Perhaps people felt she didn't appreciate Ye Hua at all. But how could she? From her point of view, all he did was cause her pain and suffering even to the point of taking her eyes away. In Bai Qian's point of view, Ye Hua betrayed her. She expected him to side with her when Su Jin accused her of pushing her and hurting her eyes at the Zhu Xian Tai as she knew Su Jin planned it that way. To her horror, he not only appeared to side with Su Jin and even personally took her eyes away.

 

-------------

 

Here is an excerpt that I am going to translate here directly from the prologue of Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, original Chinese version, this was after the "Su Jin frames Su Su incident": 

 

Ye Hua carried Su Jin and stood in front of me, looking at me coldly, in the depth of his black eyes, was raging fire.

 

Su Jin spoke from within Ye Hua's arms in a weak voice: "Don't blame Su Su, I think she did not push me on purpose, it's just that I got too excited after I heard the news that the Tian Jun was going to bestow me to you."

 

I couldn't believe it, I was very, very sure that I did not do such a thing.

 

"It is not me, not me, I did not push her, Ye Hua, please believe me, please believe me..."  I repeated myself again and again and tried to explain it to him, panicking like a clown jumping over the roof. 

 

He waved his hand and said: "Enough. I only believe what I have seen."

 

He refused to listen to my explanation, he did not believe me, he carried Su Jin, anger between his brow and hurried off Zhu Xian Tai.

 

That night, he stood front of me, his expression grave: "Su Jin's eyes were damaged by the sharp knife-like aura emanated by the Zhu Xian Tai, Su Su, because of cause and effect from reincarnation, the debt you owe needs to be repaid. Su Su,  don't be afraid, I will marry you, from now onwards, I will always be your eyes."

 

Previously, he has never mentioned that he will marry me in the Nine Heavens. I felt a coldness spreading across my heart, a mixture of anger and fear mixed together.

 

I was thinking, before any of this, I have never felt such a loss of dignity, I grabbed his palm and begged: "Why do you want my eyes, she jumped off the Zhu Xian Tai on her own, she jumped off on her own, it has got nothing to me... nothing to do with me at all, why don't you believe me?"

 

Pain crossed his eyes, he continued with a cold laugh: "Zhu Xian Tai is enveloped with strong spiritual energy, she jumped into it herself? Doesn't she want to live? Su Su, you are becoming more and more unreasonable."

 

In the Nine Heavens, he is my one and only. I kept thinking, thinking about waiting for the birth of this child, wanting to hold my child's hand together with him after it is born, watching the clouds and the sunset. He does not understand how important my innocence is to me, and what it truly means to me.

 

My eyes were dug out and taken away. Nai Nai took care of me for three days. Three days later, Su Jin stood in front of me and said: "Your eyes, I feel good using them." 

 

I came to a realisation.

 

Have you ever loved someone. 

 

Have you ever hated someone.

 

This was initially the love hate relationship between the two of them, I am just a passing person who haphazardly stepped into this relationship, it is my predestined doom.

 

--------------

 

Tell me after reading this, do you think she could have forgiven him at all after she wakes up from her mortal trial after falling out of Zhu Xian Tai? People can say all they can about her being an irresponsible mother. Her heart was completely broken even before her son was born. I'll tell you that I cried while reading and translating those words as I always have in the prologue of the story.

 

Of course after going through such a terrible heartbreak, she did not bond with her baby at all, she could not even SEE the baby's face. She named him A-Li (means separation / to leave). She wanted to leave him behind, a symbol of her suffering, to leave her pain behind. So she left A-Li behind and jumped into the Zhu Xian Tai.

 

If you were someone going through so much pain, even if this was a mortal trial that you have to go through to become a High God, it doesn't mean your real emotions and feelings aren't involved. While most parents are normal and care for their children, there are stories in real life on the contrary. It doesn't mean all of those "bad" parents are truly bad, there might be a background story we don't know about.

 

Sure she is playful, arrogant and at times selfish, but no one deserves to be betrayed. Notice how she breaks off ties with whoever betrays her -> Li Jing, Xuan Nu, Shao Xing and Ye Hua. To Bai Qian, people reap what they sow. She is also kind and will help out the downtrodden. She saved Shao Xing from bullies and even gave her the magic fan that the Lord of artifacts bestowed to her while she was Si Yin. 

 

But what she truly cannot stand is betrayal. She has a very strong sense of fairness and justice. She is hard when she speaks at times but she really isn't that way deep down inside. She said she will cut ties with Shao Xing for good after she helps her with her son in the mortal world. The truth is she still helped her because she wanted to and still appreciated their days together when they were close friends.

 

She is not written as a Mary Sue, she is written as what Tang Qi intended, faults and all. And as with everything in life, there is always a silver lining.

[Ninky]

11 minutes ago, ChibiLy said:

That is a surprise. So Koreans are not as receptive to the drama because of DH's silver hair?

 

FJ/Reba and Vengo/DH have ruined all other dramas for me. I have unconsciously set the bar too high and compare all drama characters to them. I guess I will be watching ELoD on repeat for a while. 

 

@jimmylyne  wow. I now realized why I never wanted to watch TMoPB. Just reading the analysis of BQ, made me dislike her character. 

 

I think you might want to read my post before you come to a conclusion about Bai Qian. I am offering you another point of view.

[MayanEcho]

13 minutes ago, ChibiLy said:

I now realized why I never wanted to watch TMoPB. Just reading the analysis of BQ, made me dislike her character. 

 

I say you give it a chance, if only to watch the acting of the characters.  Especially the episodes of what @Ninky posted. Ep23-26 if I remember correctly. Further along Ep27-30, Ep28 especially, need tissues on hand.

[Ninky]

6 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

I say you give it a chance, if only to watch the acting of the characters.  Especially the episodes of what @Ninky posted. Ep23-26 if I remember correctly. Further along Ep27-30, Ep28 especially, need tissues on hand.

 

What I quoted is direct from the book's prologue. And yes tissues please. And this is from just reading and translating.

[MayanEcho]

18 minutes ago, Ninky said:

 

What I quoted is direct from the book's prologue. And yes tissues please. And this is from just reading and translating.

 

 

Your own translation puts to shame Toland's.

 

The bold, italicised part I remember so well in TMOPB series. BQ was talking to fox FJ who was visiting her.

[Megan]

31 minutes ago, Ninky said:

Pain crossed his eyes, he continued with a cold laugh: "Zhu Xian Tai is enveloped with strong spiritual energy, she jumped into it herself? Doesn't she want to live? Su Su, you are becoming more and more unreasonable."

Ooh. Interesting. They didn’t show the first line in To The Sky Kingdom.

what irks me the most in the book is that he thinks SS actually pushed her.

 

Bai Qian says FJ is colder than her. Both of them cut out things they don’t like from their lives.

this is actually true. Bai Qian reluctantly engages in conversation with Li Jing and even gives Shao Xing a parting gift (why...?). Feng Jiu immediately heads for the mortal realm. She does not tell DH about his Son, or react when he turns the world upside down looking for her. If they had ever had a chance encounter, she would probably have run the other way.

though honestly I can’t blame her for not wanting to see DH. How can she trust what excuses he will make when he has lied to her so much before? The dude has a silver tongue. He could probably get her to forgive him in one conversation. But since it was too late by then, he didn’t.

[Ninky]

7 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

 

Your own translation puts to shame Toland's.

 

The bold, italicised part I remember so well in TMOPB series. BQ was talking to fox FJ who was visiting her.

 

As I have read Toland's version, my critique is that she did not translate Bai Qian's angst as per Tang Qi when she translated TMOPB. I couldn't feel the same angst in "To the Sky Kingdom" as I felt from Tang Qi's original work. But the truth of the matter is, Bai Qian got betrayed a few times, all by the people she loved. 

[ChibiLy]

M

14 minutes ago, Ninky said:

I think you might want to read my post before you come to a conclusion about Bai Qian. I am offering you another point of view.

I see why she behaved that way from you explanations. 

The short excerpt actually made me dislike YH.  YH has his reasons I am sure, but I disagree with how he handled the situation. 

Although DH had hurt FH, but he never physically nor intentionally hurt her.

From what I gathered,  TMoPB was intense and a roller coaster ride. It must have hit the right spot for many people. 

 

15 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

I say you give it a chance, if only to watch the acting of the characters.  Especially the episodes of what @Ninky posted. Ep23-26 if I remember correctly. Further along Ep27-30, Ep28 especially, need tissues on hand.

I must confess, I did watch it for DH and FJ's parts, and fast forward all the other scenes. I happened to catch a BQ and YH's kiss scene, and wow it was passionate! But again, I think I got use to the more gentle and affectionate love between DH and FJ, that I felt uncomfortable watching it.

[Ninky]

1 minute ago, ChibiLy said:

M

I see why she behaved that way from you explanations. 

The short excerpt actually made me dislike YH.  YH has his reasons I am sure, but I disagree with how he handled the situation. 

Although DH had hurt FH, but he never physically nor intentionally hurt her.

From what I gathered,  TMoPB was intense and a roller coaster ride. It must have hit the right spot for many people. 

 

I must confess, I did watch it for DH and FJ's parts, and fast forward all the other scenes. I happened to catch a BQ and YH's kiss scene, and wow it was passionate! But again, I think I got use to the more gentle and affectionate love between DH and FJ, that I felt uncomfortable watching it.

 

Worse still he personally took her eyes out and did not stand up for her. This is why I said if you read the original work, you would have hated Ye Hua so much. This would have been like a knife cutting her heart into several pieces.

[MayanEcho]

8 minutes ago, ChibiLy said:

I must confess, I did watch it for DH and FJ's parts, and fast forward all the other scenes. I happened to catch a BQ and YH's kiss scene, and wow it was passionate! But again, I think I got use to the more gentle and affectionate love between DH and FJ, that I felt uncomfortable watching it.

 

You really should watch, as the actors were really good. LS was funny most of the time in ELOD, but his scenes with YH in TMOPB Ep28... You'd actually hate FJ in that episode.

[MayanEcho]

15 minutes ago, Ninky said:

 

As I have read Toland's version, my critique is that she did not translate Bai Qian's angst as per Tang Qi when she translated TMOPB. I couldn't feel the same angst in "To the Sky Kingdom" as I felt from Tang Qi's original work. But the truth of the matter is, Bai Qian got betrayed a few times, all by the people she loved. 

 

When I was reading Toland's, my reaction was, how in the world this translation was published? It was like Toland was forced to do it, and the way she wrote it screams "tired and just want to be over it".

 

I'm glad I saw TMOPB series first before reading the book. Had I read the translated novel instead, I won't watch the series adaptation at all. Fortunately TMOPB also got really great BGM, which was the reason why I watched it.

 

[ChibiLy]

13 minutes ago, Ninky said:

 

Worse still he personally took her eyes out and did not stand up for her. This is why I said if you read the original work, you would have hated Ye Hua so much. This would have been like a knife cutting her heart into several pieces.

I wouldn't have blamed BQ for leaving him forever. I should admire her, for her courage to continue loving him in the end.

 

5 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

You really should watch, as the actors were really good. LS was funny most of the time in ELOD, but his scenes with YH in TMOPB Ep28... You'd actually hate FJ in that episode.

I will check it out for LS! He is a great side kick.

Yeah, I there were parts in TMoPB that I thought FJ went overboard. 

[Ninky]

4 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

When I was reading Toland's, my reaction was, how in the world this translation was published? It was like Toland was forced to do it, and the way she wrote it screams "tired and just want to be over it".

 

I'm glad I saw TMOPB series first before reading the book. Had I read the translated novel instead, I won't watch the series adaptation at all. Fortunately TMOPB also got really great BGM, which was the reason why I watched it.

 

 

The thing is, Bai Qian is not perfect. She was never meant to be perfect in Tang Qi's eyes. Tang Qi wanted to show you that true love transcends the surface. It is beyond a person's flaws.  This goes both ways for either character as Ye Hua is also flawed as you can see from my translated text. 

 

A reader asked Tang Qi about her view towards her writing and her characters and it is very clear why and how she writes them this way:

 

I have no idea what the real immortal world is like. Everything is from my imagination as I am the most secular of all people, and have the most emotions and sentimental feelings, so the immortal world I create along with the characters are perhaps just like me.

 

I have never thought about whether I really like this secular mortal world, I just feel that as a human learning through experiencing this mortal world, there are times of pain and there are times of happiness.

 

To me, the charm of the secular mortal world is not because it could be more beautiful, more enriching or to further allow you and me to release the deep longing in our hearts, but that it is very real. This sense of reality needs each one of us to understand it on our own terms by experiencing it, by grasping it, by embracing opportunities and by conquering the bad in our lives.

 

Lastly, this kind of reality contributes to an essential spark within ourselves. In my opinion, this is exactly what the siren call of the secular mortal world is for me.

 

[MayanEcho]

1 minute ago, ChibiLy said:

I will check it out for LS! He is a great side kick.

Yeah, I there were parts in TMoPB that I thought FJ went overboard. 

 

You'll see a very different LS in Ep28! Don't forget the tissues!

[ChibiLy]

13 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

You'll see a very different LS in Ep28! Don't forget the tissues!

LS is like the on-site counselor in heavenly realm! 

[MayanEcho]

Why is Tencent FB posting ELOD Ep1 cut version...does that mean that later they'll  soon give the uncut version? 

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=960791754318342&id=1053101664728725

[jimmylyne]

7 hours ago, ChibiLy said:

That is a surprise. So Koreans are not as receptive to the drama because of DH's silver hair?

 

FJ/Reba and Vengo/DH have ruined all other dramas for me. I have unconsciously set the bar too high and compare all drama characters to them. I guess I will be watching ELoD on repeat for a while. 

 

@jimmylyne  wow. I now realized why I never wanted to watch TMoPB. Just reading the analysis of BQ, made me dislike her character. 

 

 

It just a interpretation and their point of view between @enigmatic_zephy and @redfoxprincess . Sadly it been a while since they visit our forum..it would've been good if we can hear their opinions regarding ELOD drama. 

 

Both had a strong perspectives just like our insightful @Ninky here.. The part you've translated about BQ as Mortal Susu ... it was so heartbreakingly sad.... the way you translated it...

 

@redfoxprincess *wave* what's up gurl? Hope everything's fine in Australia?

 

The post below for me ...Insightful and inspiring..

 

On 9/25/2018 at 3:59 PM, mundane9 said:

 

To better 'understand' what TQ is writing/implying, one has to understand some Chinese mythology. Foxes and the Fox Spirits/Gods, in Chinese mythology carry the reputation of being immoral and lascivious seducers who are naturally gifted with such stunning good looks that they render members of the opposite gender helpless and hapless to the extent of losing any and all common sense. That is why, to this day, Chinese women who wield such 'abilities'are often labeled as VIXENS/hu li jing - a term usually used to describe mistresses, seducers, and generally women who use their looks to achieve/attain anything in life. We have had many Chinese novels and dramas that have portrayed that mythology but that notion was not dramatically integrated into TQ's TMOPB and the PB. Therefore, BQ's ability to get away with a LOT of things is because she is not only a FOX SPIRIT, she is also THAT beautiful - which then again also reflects what actually happens in real life quite pervasively as we live in a society that rewards if not venerates attractive people regardless of personality flaws. We see these parallels across different countries and cultures such as 'Samson and Delilah', 'Helen of Troy', etc.  Correspondingly, YH and DJ are both the proverbial mightiest heroes who like Samson, collapse at the feet of ultimate beauty and lose their lives to gorgeous but flawed, self-centered and somewhat dim-witted women. Even DH admits to that in the Pillow Book but unwittingly realizes he can't help himself. But most of us get so carried away by the romance that we ignore if not 'forget' about the flaws. I bow my head down to TQ for successfully rendering this timeless collective trance our species continuously repeats regardless of how much time has passed. 

 

On 10/2/2018 at 8:41 PM, redfoxprincess said:

Please don’t take this personally - i’m definitely not having a go at you, and we love the diversity of interpretations and opinions we all bring - but i really don’t agree with this! 

 

I get what you’re saying about chinese mythology - about the seducing and enchantress role/nature of typically female fox spirits - but as you have said, TQ didn’t integrate this into her stories, and in fact, i think she went quite the opposite way. The notion of the “huli jing” has been explored in so many stories, but Tang Qi’s xianxia universe seems to have a different take on the fox spirits. She also differentiates between the Nine-Tail-White-Fox-God-Tribe of Qing Qiu, and the lowly Fairy Fox Clan which is mentioned in The Pillow Book. In Tang Qi’s universe, the Celestial Tribe are not necessarily “good”, just legalistic and maybe even arrogant and hypocritical (since they have been placed in administrative power by Dong Hua). The Ghost Tribe is not necessarily “scary”/“devious” and the Demon Tribe is not necessarily “bad”. In fact, all have been at fault, all have participated in wars, all have been unified in peace by Dong Hua. I think Tang Qi has intentionally turned a lot of traditional notions on their heads.

 

Bai Qian and Zhe Yan does mention (in the books and in Eternal Love) that the 9tail white foxes are very good at their enchantment (seduction) spells, but it’s not necessarily painted in a bad light, maybe just how they “woo” and “court” their lovers, not for the traditional sense of mischief and personal advantage. Qing Qiu foxes are known for their unwavering faithfulness and stay with their one mate for life - they have no harem like those in the Celestial Tribe. This is very different to the kind of “huli jing” mistresses and seducers you described, who use their beauty to get what they want. I also disagree that YH and DH fell for the stereotypical beautiful woman/damsel in distress. BQ and FJ, although the 2 most beautiful women in the 4 seas and 8 realms, are definitely NOT dim-witted, mary sue or the cliche damsel in distress. BQ is strong, independent, brave, loyal, badass and is the heroine of the story. The drama makes YH seem like the hero/protagonist and dumbs down BQ’s voice, character and presence, but the books are all about BQ, written solely in her POV as the protagonist, and she is a powerful woman. BQ is admittedly self-centred and have all the flaws i listed out in previous posts, but i think her greatest problem is her social issues and hermit/recluse personality, not an innate selfishness or self-centredness. As i tried to explain, she puts on Goddess airs to get out of awkward situations, not to get praise nor use people for her own advantage. She never used her beauty, and she got away with things because of her respected 9tail white fox godly lineage, being daughter of the Fox King, and Goddess status, NOT her beauty. She is kind but disengaged with the affairs of the world, and has poor maternal instincts. I found that most of her flaws were actually plot-driven and the books were more forgiving because her internal dialogue demonstrated reflection and self-awareness. YH fell in love with her definitely NOT simply because of the notion of her being a beauty/he collapsed at her feet. No way. He had a connection with her way back to when Mo Yuan died and she woke YH up into his child spirit form. As Su Su, he recognised her “back”, the back of a figure that appears in his dreams. As Su Su, she showed him kindness and made him feel happiness for the first time, AND she was incredibly beautiful (but she had no spirit essence and appeared like a mortal) - all this is explained in Ye Hua’s Epilogue.

 

I even further disagree with putting FJ in the self-centred and dim-witted category (if you’re talking about Eternal Love’s FJ, then that’s not written by Tang Qi). FJ in the book is AMAZING! The only thing i agree with is that she is exceptionally beautiful, but again, she never ever used her beauty or her lineage for anything. Unlike BQ, she doesn’t put on airs to get out of situations. She is friendly and down-to-earth, willing to deal with all social situations. At the equivalent age of only 16-18, she’s naive and innocent, but it makes her cute - she’s definitely NOT dim-witted nor self-centred. She is also VERY strong, independent and has a lot of talent. She doggedly lowered herself to a servant and a pet to pursue Dong Hua for 400 years. Even after that, she suffered time and time again and never once complained, culminating in her sufferings as “Aranya”, the torture cage, etc - after which she breaks down and reflects on how her many years of perseverance and heartache has made her very strong. Many previous posts written by many people here have praised FJ’s character in the books - her integrity, her humility, her faithfulness, her kindness, her fighting and cooking ability - and all the qualities that DH also praised her about (when he told “Aranya” what he loved about FJ when they went to see the Yue Ling flowers). He said he loved everything about her, and knows why he chose her. Yes, he said she was the most beautiful. Yes, he also joked with Liang Song about her being “gullible” which he found endearing, but he also said time and time again she surprised him with how smart she was. But he is definitely not one to have merely collapsed at a beauty’s feet, nor did FJ cause his hero’s demise - in fact, she saves him (eg. heals his hands, helps him in the Wicked Lotus Sphere). DH talked about how in his hundreds of thousands of years, countless so-called “beauties” have thrown themselves at him, but he neither looked at them nor wanted anything to do with them. Only Feng Jiu was able to capture his attention, who at “first sight” already gave him a sense of warmth and familiarity (unbeknownst to him, because she had spent 400 years by his side and IS his beloved missing pet fox). DH also talked about her talent, restraint and humility which he felt made her fit to be his queen (when he realised how deeply in love with her he was after the Saha Fruit Competition).

 

So, in conclusion, i think Tang Qi really challenged the helpless beauty/damsel in distress cliche, as well as traditional mythology about the fox spirits. In fact, she spun all these notions into something new and created progressive, countercultural and highly admirable characters in BQ, FJ, YH & DH. Yes, they all have their flaws, but not the ones you mentioned and not for the reasons you mentioned. And they have much more praiseworthy characteristics than flaws. We enjoy their romance because they are meaningful and refreshing, and because the characters are so admirable and the chemistry is so intoxicating. I definitely don’t think it’s another fluff romance piece about heroes falling for the beauty/damsel in distress.

 

[Megan]

18 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Correspondingly, YH and DJ are both the proverbial mightiest heroes who like Samson, collapse at the feet of ultimate beauty and lose their lives to gorgeous but flawed, self-centered and somewhat dim-witted women. Even DH admits to that in the Pillow Book but unwittingly realizes he can't help himself.

Where was this in the pillow book?

 

21 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Yes, he also joked with Liang Song about her being “gullible” which he found endearing,

Again...where is this plz?

 

21 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

Only Feng Jiu was able to capture his attention, who at “first sight” already gave him a sense of warmth and familiarity

I thought it was because she kicked a pot at his head. Also...was this in the drama or book?

 

22 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

DH also talked about her talent, restraint and humility which he felt made her fit to be his queen (when he realised how deeply in love with her he was after the Saha Fruit Competition).

I don’t remember this.

[Ninky]

16 minutes ago, jimmylyne said:

 

It just a interpretation and their point of view between @enigmatic_zephy and @redfoxprincess . Sadly it been a while since they visit our forum..it would've been good if we can hear their opinions regarding ELOD drama. 

 

Both had a strong perspectives just like our insightful @Ninky here.. The part you've translated about BQ as Mortal Susu ... it was so heartbreakingly sad.... the way you translated it...

 

@redfoxprincess *wave* what's up gurl? Hope everything find in Australia?

 

The post below for me ...Insightful and inspiring..

 

 

 

 

And yes, Bai Qian and Ye Hua have predestined fate. While she was a disciple at Kun Lun, she had an affinity for the lotus where Ye Hua's soul resided. Don't forget Ye Hua is actually the twin brother of Mo Yuan and also Father God's son. His soul is very old and finally found the chance to be reborn into a young body. While the physical body of Ye Hua is young, his soul is as old as Mo Yuan's. 

 

That doesn't mean Ye Hua does not make any mistakes while growing up as a renewed immortal. If you read Tang Qi's outtake of Ye Hua's point of view, everything you thought was on his mind while reading the prologue from Bai Qian's POV will take on a different light. That excerpt was translated word for word to match with the Chinese meaning. It was that heart rendering. Reading that tears my heart up.

 

As the saying goes, it is important to look at the same thing from two different angles. I did not like how they changed Bai Feng Jiu's personality in TMOPB series AT ALL which is why I don't watch Dong Feng's scenes in that series since they aren't canon. I watched it only for the TMOPB main storyline. Later when I found out they were going to make ELOD, I was over the moon and was very happy to know they will adapt it straight from the books! 

 

And the other thing I really agree with from the above quotes, is that people keep forgetting Feng Jiu is behaving just like any teenager would, sometimes throwing temper tantrums or acting childishly. She is street smart and is able to survive in Fan Yin Valley and even support her life there by offering to cook for Yan Chi Wu. He actually pays her to cook, it's not like it is free (in the book). She also got out of a pickle with Yan Chi Wu at the beginning by analysing his personality and successfully using flattery. (In the book, she feels that YCW is a silly boy who seem to lack maternal love, not that she will ever say it to his face. She actually babies him because of that.)

 

Later on she even managed to survive in the mortal world and give birth and raise a child by herself. Just think about it  in the perspective of an older teenage mum caring for a young baby.

 

Those are no mean feats for a person that young.  

[MayanEcho]

1 hour ago, Megan said:

1 hour ago, jimmylyne said:

Correspondingly, YH and DJ are both the proverbial mightiest heroes who like Samson, collapse at the feet of ultimate beauty and lose their lives to gorgeous but flawed, self-centered and somewhat dim-witted women. Even DH admits to that in the Pillow Book but unwittingly realizes he can't help himself.

Where was this in the pillow book?

 

It's the view of the original poster @jimmylyne qouted. It isn't in the book.

 

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1 hour ago, jimmylyne said:

Yes, he also joked with Liang Song about her being “gullible” which he found endearing,

Again...where is this plz? 

 

When DH was at FV and he folded space to play go with LS. It's the conversation before FJ confronted DH on him pretending to be handkerchief.

 

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1 hour ago, jimmylyne said:

Only Feng Jiu was able to capture his attention, who at “first sight” already gave him a sense of warmth and familiarity

I thought it was because she kicked a pot at his head. Also...was this in the drama or book? 

 

It's in the book that DH found FJ endearing. Where exactly, I can't remember, but I remember reading that part, hence the sense of familiarity and warmth. I'm sure though that it's in the first volume of PB.

 

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1 hour ago, jimmylyne said:

DH also talked about her talent, restraint and humility which he felt made her fit to be his queen (when he realised how deeply in love with her he was after the Saha Fruit Competition).

I don’t remember this.

 

In the book, it was DH's observation of FJ's demeanor and his thoughts during the competition. Other than that, he also spoke of it to FJ Aranya at Yueling flower festival.