Longing becomes obsession, as the same story is relived across three lifetimes.
This dream has been an endless torment. If only I had never seen its glorious splendor, if only I had never experienced it… He shattered this gaudy dream, forcing all those lost in it to face the cruelty of reality once more.
The palace gates swung open. She stood alone, blade in hand, ready to meet them. By then, the news that the emperor had fled with his favorite consort and officials was no longer a secret. The innocent people, kept in the dark, faced the smoke of war alone.
At the small Mawei Slope, they stopped advancing. Armored soldiers surrounded the dilapidated house from every direction, and at last he had no choice but to make a decision. “A golden age needs adornment; an age of chaos needs solace.” There was no other choice.
In her short life, she had known no regrets, yet now she stood utterly alone. She put on that skin, donned those clothes, obeyed the urging voices, and climbed the old tree. A simple white silk sash brought it all to an end.
She thought she could leave just like that, but a warm flute melody drifted into her ears. When she opened her eyes, she saw blue skies and orchids, a scene like a dream. She no longer knew what was real…
This dream had lasted far too long.
You live at the head of the Yangtze; I live at its tail. Day after day, I long for you but cannot see you, though we drink from the same river.
Perhaps we will meet again someday
