The first book in Fei Wo Si Cun's Republican-era trilogy, starring Wallace Chung and Li Xiaoran in a heartrending romance. They once thought they could spend their lives together, joined in love and pledged to be as devoted as mandarin ducks and butterflies. But they could not escape the tumult of a world of worldly desires, beset by danger on every side. He only wanted to break free of his bindings, so he grabbed her as a convenient shield. They brushed past each other on a narrow road. It was not love at first sight, nor a deep and lasting affection, but merely an act put on in the face of death. When they met again among the falling blossoms, both were still young and full of spirit. He leaned against a bridge on horseback, with women in red filling the teahouses above; he was a powerful lord amid the chaos of war. She was a blushing bride-to-be who had come to save her beloved Xu, once half of a pair reflected in a wedding mirror. Years passed. With snowy mountain passes and the fading dreams of war between them, their love was deep, but fate kept them apart, and their endless sorrow became a song.
