A City of Smoke, Three Lifetimes of Fireworks for One Lifetime of Bewilderment

Beneath the setting sun, a face in red first appears.

Whose imperial legend did this fulfill?

A ruler's love, in a fit of rage, laid waste to the world for you.

But you fell in love with a handsome general on the battlefield.

Amid the smoke of war, the two of you wielded swords to vanquish your foes.

Rivers of blood flowed, the realm was united, and a vow was made.

Who could have known that one cup of wine would divide life and death forever?

The man of the past lost his soul to keep his promise.

Years ago, he swore to give the realm to his beloved.

Now, all that remains is a lonely, unmarked grave.

He took his own life; one sword remained, and a generation's ruler perished.

He forsook the realm and betrayed all its people, but never her.

A peerless beauty, her black hair turned white in a single step.

She wept at the ruined graves, burning incense and playing the zither, afraid he would grieve.

For seven days, the music lingered. As his life ebbed away, he drew one last breath.

The strings snapped; when the incense burned out, his soul departed.

To love someone, is it only to wait?

Why not speak the words in your heart and make them clear?

One person has two lovers, but in the end one must leave.

The love of this life, you'll have to repay in the next.

That debt from the next life, we will fall in love again.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.