A Hundred Feet Deep in the Mortal World

Just how much false affection is there in this world, and how many people are truly sincere with one another?

Twelve years ago

She was so innocent that she could make promises without a second thought. Her words still rang in his ears: If we cherish each other, we will be together. But cruel reality had left her utterly broken.

Her strange origins, the schemes of those around her: she had no idea where to go from here. This was Min Ying.

He had spent years navigating one deceitful scheme after another, yet she had touched his heart so effortlessly. But when all the gains and losses were laid before him once more,

he still tried to numb himself into forgetting the woman with the flowerlike smile. In the end, he was only fooling himself. This was Jing Xu.

And he, too, was merely a passing traveler in this mortal world. He played at life, concealing all his brilliance behind laughter and scorn,

but little by little, she had already carved herself into his heart. This was Wen Zhou.

Twelve years later

Min Ying set foot once more on the land that had broken her heart. Her sharp gaze saw through the ways of the world; she had gone from reckless youth to quiet, keen-eyed composure. And facing everything that had happened,

her slender face held no trace of the girl she once was. Her life now consisted of cautious plans, day after day and night after night.

He remained trapped in the struggle for power, unable to pull himself free. Only the tears at the corners of his eyes when he woke from midnight dreams told him the truth: she was still in his heart.

Then there was Xu Yuan. After twelve years by her side, he still could not enter her heart. All he could do was swallow his endless bitterness and protect her in silence.

So often, the human heart is the hardest thing to fathom. As the world rises and falls around us, we eventually shed all our innocence and ignorance, and become frightening.

The mortal world is fragile, the road to the Yellow Springs is hard to cross. Let us speak no more of heartache.