Bai Chuan's lover disappeared. When he found him again, he was no longer breathing.
Inconsolable with grief, Bai Chuan was discovered by a System called "Steaming Wine," and struck a deal with it.
Terms of the deal:
1. You can save him only 81 times.
2. You can experience a total of nine worlds, with 81 chances to reload and save him.
3. Once your final chance is used up, all nine cycles will become one.
Outcomes of the deal:
1. If Bai Chuan fails to save his lover, his soul will belong to the System.
2. If Bai Chuan succeeds in saving his lover, his soul and body will be with his lover forever.
Known identities of the lover:
A general who fought on the battlefields of the Xia Hua Dynasty and died for his country;
An onmyoji on Yamato Island who protected the people by sacrificing someone to the mountain god;
A slave who was protected at all costs by a loyal servant of the Kingdom of Pati.
At first, Bai Chuan was full of confidence. But after missing his lover again and again, he gradually grew disheartened, numb, and despairing.
In the final world, Bai Chuan came to terms with it.
He could face death calmly and go to another world to reunite with his lover.
Just as his final chance was about to run out, Fu Hai suddenly smiled beside the dining table. His eyes reddened as he looked at Bai Chuan, his voice hoarse and trembling,
carrying the sorrow and weight of countless centuries: "So this is the last time, right?"
Bai Chuan: "!"
* Mature, steady, powerful, gentle, devoted top x optimistic, cheerful bottom who becomes cold-blooded, rational, and detached
* The bottom's personality changes. It's not out of character: after witnessing his lover die so many times, he changes as a way to protect himself from emotional pain.
* The small worlds have tragic endings, but the overall ending is happy
* Sweet and angsty, with plenty of melodrama
Theme: Life is a difficult journey, but a single reed can carry you across
