peperomia

I still remember the earlier scene where the father told the eunuch that the succession battle between his sons have officially begun (just like he had experienced with his brothers). So, I agree, the father isn’t oblivious to what’s going on and can see through each of his son’s heart, including the queen. He knows who is capable of plotting, but he has been opting to turn a blind eye to try to preserve his family. However, the time has come for him to accept the inevitable and to consider what’s in his (and Yongzhou's) best interest. I agree. I also remember the father was looking at a 30th birthday gift from young FLX during his talk with the eunuch so it shows there is father/son love within him that shouldn’t be discounted here. These aspects in your “wilder” theory make sense. The eunuch’s expressions while the king and minister were talking about HFX and the Fountain Abode seemed to imply he may have some kind of connection to it. When BFX’s master had met with FLX, he overheard the Fountain Abode’s troubles so I also do think getting imprisoned was a plan as the Tianshuang Sect’s part to protect the greater good.

Episode 28 was so heartbreaking to watch! (Really great acting by YY.) I don't think he lost anything either. This is my wild theory on what may have happened: Yes, 100% agree. How she naturally let him know was way more beautiful and moving than a confession scene.

@abs-oluteM I have seen ep 9 which I enjoyed, but not 10 yet. During the same night where ep 8 ended, the teenagers’ fathers sat down in In Gwon’s living room and had a heart-to-heart talk. They made up. Ho Sik started to refer In Gwon as hyung again, but he corrected him and said they are in-laws (family) now. Their kids are married and have their fathers’ full support. We got to see Dong Seok and Seon Ah’s backstory as teenagers. Both came from messed-up family dynamics and were each other’s comfort. Dong Seok’s strained relationship with his mother stems from her becoming a mistress and turning a blind eye on the mistreatment/abuse on him. After Seon-Ah’s father’s business failed, he committed suicide by driving his car into the sea. This is when her depression started and may be why we saw her imagining herself with water in the earlier episode. Her mother who had remarried brought her from Jeju to Seoul. From here, Dong Seok and Seon Ah, separated and lost contact. Prior to Seon Ah leaving, she had purposely done some hurtful things to cause Dong Seok to resent her. However, reunited as adults, they were able to clear up the past. I don’t feel romantic sparks between them, but they are becoming each other’s support again. I like that. She opened-up about her depression, divorce, and custody battle with him. He talks about his mother with her. With Jeong Jun and Yeong Ok, there was not much development, but they are slowly dating. She seems to understand that he is a rare and good guy so hopefully, she doesn’t do anything to hurt him. Jeong Jun is a sweetheart. He is so kind to everyone. Apparently, he almost drowned in the past, but halmeoni saved him which he is forever grateful. Sigh, if so, I am not surprised by it. I do believe she needs to get better before she has custody of her son again. I can see Dong Seok being able to help her become healthy and back on her feet again.

I believe you're right. YWY did not obtain the skill through the bead, only the energy that was absorbed in it to temporarily suppress his curse. It would be like as if HFX and BFX had transferred their energy to him like they did to FQW to heal her. I don't think YWY found out how they were able to perfect the skill, but he knew they did because he saw that their fighting power increased after coming down from Mount Wu. From what I understood, Master Taiyin would not have given him a chance to try the skill anyway. He knew he was a heartless person and had his assistant lure him to a different array which was a dead end. It's a good thing that YWY doesn't know about the orchid flowers that Master Taiyin had gifted to BFX. The flowers have inner force given by Master Taiyin and now BFX. If he knew, I am sure he would want them to prevent or reverse his curse. ====== If anyone is interested in knowing about how the Sacred Jade Moon (Lan Yin Bi Yue) was featured in the novel which is different from the drama, I am putting it in a spoiler here:

My understanding is the Sacred Jade Moon is a qigong (life energy) technique. When mastering it, it elevates the person’s internal energy/inner force which in turns enhances their martial arts fighting power and also their healing abilities. The healing aspect of it is why HFX needed BFX to use this technique with him to save FQW and why YWY wanted it to suppress his curse. He couldn't obtain the technique himself at Mount Wu (as he planned) so as an alternative, he used the jade bead that he planted into FQW's body to indirectly obtain the Sacred Jade Moon power. Master Taiyin did give a gifts to HFX and BFX. He gave The Great Map of DaDong to HFX which should benefit him in military strategies and governing the lands. To BFX, he gave his most treasured orchid flower which is also called the Sacred Jade Moon. For it to live, BFX needs to provide inner force for it every day. He also said that the orchid flower may be able to help them in a life and death situation so I think its relevance will be shown in the story later.

@movingwheel The drama is taking a different approach in the storytelling than the novel and we've only seen 24 out of 40 episodes. I personally think it's too early to tell whether their respective story will be equal or not. I believe they will balance out as we get to the end.

Oh, there's one more thing... I also want to know if they'll circle back to Eun Hee and Ho Sik about giving their relationship a second chance.

Yes, I am still interested in the stories. I am curious to see if Dong Seok will be able to help Seon Ah deal with her depression. Also, I want to know what will happen between him and his mother. I am very close to my mother so seeing their strained relationship is quite sad to me. The preview only gave us a snippet of Jeong Jun and Yeong Ok. Seems like their story will build more in the second half.

@movingwheel Since BFX received a letter from her brother indicating there may be troubles in Qingzhou, I think her story is starting to get back on track. It may take until episode 30 to fully get there though. (I adore FLX, but there's so much emphasis on his royal family drama than I like. LOL.) I love Han Pu too. I hope we will get to see what will become of him later. I would be up for a spin-off drama about him.

Since we’re on the topic of names, I thought I’d share something I read about their martial arts names in the novel. BFX’s “Feng Xi” means “wind of the night” while HFX’s “Feng Xi” means “abundant breath”. Because they have the same pronunciation and easily confused without characters, people in the martial arts world started differentiating the two by the color of their clothes. So, “Bai” meaning white became attached to BFX for her white attire and “Hei” meaning black was attached to HFX for his black attire. It also mentions that BFX’s Feng family color is white and HFX’s Feng family color is black which may be the relevance. (Huang Chao’s family color is purple which we normally see him wearing purple robes.)

@mademoiselle @Chocolate I totally understand your point of view. When I was their age, my mom’s number one fear was teenage pregnancy. All she wanted was to see her kids finish their education without any setbacks. With regards to YJ ad Hyeon though, I happen to share similar feelings as @abs-oluteM. After seeing the baby in the ultrasound and hearing its heartbeat, I think it becomes difficult to say what is the right or wrong decision. Furthermore, she is already 6 months into her pregnancy and at this term, abortion is illegal. There’s that to consider too. There are downsides of an abortion at this point too.

@abs-oluteM LOL. Yes...I started to figure that it's just me and you here. I agree...this episode was exceptional. I think it got us right in the heart. I cried watching YJ and her father, but totally bawled like a baby with Hyeon and his father. What a revelation that Hyeon could have left with his mother when he was young, but he chose to stay by his father's side. And, it seemed his father did try his best to turn his life around to not be an embarrassment to his son. There's so much to appreciate in this episode, including the underlying friendship between the fathers. Well done!

It was another good episode. The scenes with their father made me cry, especially the ones between Hyeon Ju and Ho Sik. We want to see their fathers support them in this, but from a parent's perspective, their emotions are understandable in that moment. It's a situation that is difficult to accept because they're worried their children's future is in jeopardy and will suffer. It was very realistic. I agree with your praise for Hyeon. He is really a presentation of a man while still young in age. Not that it's impossible for Hyeon Ju to raise the baby alone, but it's with him by her side why I have a lot of faith they can do this together. They knew telling their fathers, facing their classmates and teachers would be like the typhoon coming...it will hit hard at them, but it will pass and they will be okay. I am proud of them for standing firm in their decision together. I was pleased we got the backstory of the fathers. They shouldn't be this upset because they had requested to be in-laws through their kids. LOL. I kid...I know very well not under these circumstances. You were right that the fathers need to hash out their issues first. Because they were good friends in the past, I also think there's hope their friendship can be salvaged as well.

I agree FLX in the novel and book are characterized differently. Regarding the marriage situation with Hua Chunran, how I understood it was...

I finished the novel and agree that it does not explain when he found out. However, there was a bit that read, "Since their first meeting, they have never tacitly asked each other's identity and origin. They have done the same for the past ten years, but it is true that both sides have a clear understanding of each other's origins." So, I took away that both always knew each other were FLX and FXY, but it was unspoken between the two. Same. I was so glad when he scolded her and I thought finally! However, I was disappointed when he later fell for her sob story and pretending to renounce herself as queen. So annoying! Honestly, I think this wicked stepmother plotline needs to wrap up soon. It's going in circles and I'm losing my patience. LOL. Yes, she is cruel to her eldest son. I don't understand the king for this either. I am hoping elder brother and FLX can repair their relationship though.

Haha yes! I'm on the side that he has always known she is FXY. I think he finds joy in toying with her that he doesn't know by purposely bringing FXY up and seeing what her reaction is. LOL.

@abs-oluteM It looks like the fathers are literally going to fight with each other. I really hope their grandchild turns out to be a blessing in disguise for them - two enemies unexpectedly become "friends" for the sake of family.

Has anyone watched episodes 17? When FLX and BFX were talking about his aspirations on top of the tower, she saw a sketch drawn by him on the wall… She asked him what it was. He didn’t know what to say at first, but responded that when he first met her, he felt their fate would be intertwined forever, but she turned out to be a problematic person. If you look closely at the sketch, the young boy and girl appears to be in noble clothing. His hair is in a top knot. He seems to indicate that they first met on palace grounds with her as Princess Xi Yun. I’m going to go with that he’s always known she is FXY (at least by now), but does BFX knows that he knows? Does my question make any sense?? LOL. Have you seen episodes 15-16? He looked especially handsome at Mount Wu. I like this natural shot of YY as HFX.

I really like these shots of Black and White Foxy.

Indeed…Black Foxy gave us a meaningful life lesson here. The need to win the chess game with yourself was well done. I agree. I think these were the best scenes of FLX so far. They fleshed out his character very well - from his need to deal with his mother's death to inevitably choosing between two paths. When he cut off all the strands that stood in his way, but for BFX, I think it basically meant he has already chosen and given up the world for her. If I could have it my way, I prefer that FLX always knew BFX is FXY just like he did in the novel. I think I would be disappointed if the drama didn’t follow that. But if he doesn’t, I agree…I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have figured it out when she talked about the 8 virtues from the Dadong Pagoda.

@abs-oluteM New poster of our darling Hyeon and Yeong Ju happily holding hands. Looks positive! Their fathers here are a different story. Let's cross our fingers they'll learn to get along for the sake of their children. I totally agree with you that they need their fathers' and the community's support right now. Rooting for them to successfully raise their baby, finish school and maybe even fulfill their dream of life in Seoul one day.

I also really loved FLX's black and white fight scene with himself. He was able to face all of his troubles and come out with more clarity.

Yes, the battle scenes look amazing so I can see why it would have taken 4 months. They did a great job pairing each scene with the tempo of the song. By the way, I am reading the novel. Some things are kept the same in the drama, but a lot is different as well. Haha, lovely to meet you here too! I mostly watch K-dramas, but right now, it's only Our Blues. I occasionally watch C-dramas if I like the plot. (I also feel like I should learn more Mandarin.) I like both YY and ZLS so I can't pass up this pairing! ====== ~ Spoiler ~ I absolutely loved this whole part with Master Tiayin. They really can't deny their destiny with each other and are indeed bounded together forever. How FLX admits his love for BFX is one thing he cannot ever cut off was beautifully done.

@abs-oluteM I really like the teenagers’ story. I am touched they found the courage to keep the baby after hearing the heartbeat. I think Hyeon rushing to be by her side at the end of episode 5 made a big impact on Hyeon Ju. She realizes she is not alone in this – Hyeon truly meant it when he said the baby is his too. It was a lovely scene when they held hands in school. They know difficulties lie ahead of them, but they will face them together. (I am rooting for them.) Based on the preview, their fathers are going to have a hard time processing their situation. Let’s hope Eun Hee can be the bridge to help the fathers understand that their support is important to their kids persevering through their choice. Gosh, Seon Ah’s story is so sad. I can really feel how depression has taken over her. Until she gets better though, it makes sense for her ex-husband to have custody of her son. If she was attempting suicide, but fortunately saved – I hope she will recognize that she is really ill and seek treatment. Getting better is the only way she can be reunited with her son.

Yes, YWY cannot live past the age of 30 so he suppresses his feelings. It seems YWY does like BFX. He was thinking of her when Huang Chao's younger sister was playing the zither for him. However, BFX only highly respects as a notable figure in jiang hu. I think it will take place after BFX is revealed as FXY. It would make more sense as how she is able to enter the palace, etc. Yay, you're watching it too. No, just up to episode 12 has aired so far, but I see previews up to episode 18 on Tencent. I know what you mean about FLX becoming less cautious and it is unlike him. I think it's starting to show that because of his love for BFX, he is willing to put a lot at risk. I completely understand why his older brother is upset about him lying about his health. I hope he will listen to his uncle that FLX must have his reasons, but FC has trauma due his mother's abandonment. So, I am worried that his view that FLX has been dishonest with him may not be repairable.