I am a descendant of the Marquis of Wu, and my family has passed down a heaven-defying secret art: lighting the Seven Stars Lamp to extend someone's life.
The technique consumes the caster's vitality to replenish the fading life of someone on the verge of death.
My husband, Wei Pingchuan, took seven arrows on the battlefield protecting me. As he lay dying, he gripped my hand, eyes full of regret.
“Shaoying, I only regret... that I won't live to see the day the realm is united with you...”
Heartbroken, I performed the ritual to extend his life.
I thought that once he recovered from his grievous wounds, he would return to the front lines and fight by my side.
But when I returned victorious, he was nowhere to be found, despite being supposed to recuperate in the rear.
Following the guidance of the lamp's dying wick, I eventually found a secluded estate in the mountains.
The courtyard was draped in red silk. Wei Pingchuan was tenderly pinning up a woman's hair and placing a hairpin in it.
I recognized her: Cailing, a maid who had served his late mother.
Nestled in his arms, Cailing spoke in a soft, coquettish voice. “General, if Madam finds out...”
Wei Pingchuan gently covered her red lips and murmured:
“Only after dying once did I realize how exhausting duty to the realm can be.”
“From now on, I will live only for you.”
I stood outside the window, the cold wind cutting to the bone.
So I had sacrificed my own vitality to extend his life, only to prolong his bond with another woman.
He wanted true love, but he didn't know the life-extending ritual relied on a pact between kindred hearts.
If the hearts aren't in accord, the pact breaks. And once the pact breaks, life won't last long...
