"My beloved Dongzhi, farewell... This is my first time in this world, and perhaps it will be my last," she thought. By now, her breath was little more than a thread. If she hadn't fought with the last of her strength, she would have already vanished into the sky. She waited, though she didn't know whether she was waiting for the blue of dawn or for the graceful figure, stubborn yet resolute, who had once emerged from the morning mist...
I have never regretted coming here, nor have I ever regretted tasting all the bitterness and sweetness life has to offer. No matter where I fade away, I will always protect the peace of Dongzhi! She thought perhaps she might still see that person return with news of a complete victory, but in the end, she missed her chance... A strand of blue light curled around the first rays of morning and spiraled into the clouds, shooting straight up into the heavens before fading away and turning transparent. It was as if it had never appeared at all, so how could anyone say it had disappeared...? The people had etched into their memories the Lady of Jingyang, who had silently protected them for three years; the general Wei Lan, who fought to defend the city in a sea of blood; and Rong Zhi, the princess sent as a bride, who ventured into the barbarian lands of Mangcang to seize medicine and end the plague in the city... Enough. They all vanished along with her. Who ever saw that final tear she shed as she lay dying, like a dewdrop catching the first light? Perhaps it carried blood and sweat, perhaps regret, and perhaps a trace of reluctance to let go...
