Tiny Moose, Euphobia I really like your perspectives. It’s different and thoughtful.
In the book, 2 of LXY followers said that LLH somehow looked like LXY but not as handsome as LXY. In the show, they clearly said that the monk used needles saving him and his face changed because of that. His attitudes, his living styles have changed too. Moreover, 10 years had passed, it’s normal for people not being able to recognize someone. I experienced the same, I had a high-school friend, he was 5feet3 when we finished high school, 6 years later I couldn’t recognize him and he was 5feet10 when I saw him again. He was short, thin and small, now he’s tall with 6-packs haha.
I agree with your points that those Sigu Sect people really did not care for LXY well-being. They saw him being sick many times when he came back. But at the end, they didn’t even care if he recovered from Bicha poison or not. They just didn’t care enough to keep him, or to ask about his well-being. They were all overshadowed by his light. They want him dead to use his name for their purposes. FDB also made some true remarks that LLH was betrayed by friends and it’s hard for him to trust someone now.
In the book Fang Duo Bing is a lot dumber than the show. He didn’t even know he was LXY till the end. He find him being blind and crazy at the end. He and DFS stay with LLH at the end.