That year, he gave up a promising future just to return to the mountains with her; that year, she danced the Long Pavilion Melody to shield him from the pursuing soldiers.
Seven years passed, and when he returned to the cliff where they once met, his beloved had become someone else’s wife. After years of war and fierce battles, he never saw her again. He was angry, defending his family, yet unable to find peace for himself. He wept, for his childhood love had faded from his memory.
He understood why ancient people turned to alcohol to forget their sorrows and why the elite sought to wander in their youth. Perhaps it was his youthful mistake, wasting his passion and sincerity.
He finally laid down his sword, abandoning the weapon in his heart, and went to the place they had promised to meet. The simple, unadorned cottage bore the marks of time. He dusted it off and sat by the window, feeling as though his lost youth was right before him.
A beautiful woman sat at the dressing table, and he danced gracefully among the garden flowers. She gazed into the mirror, which reflected his image. First, because there was no one else around; second, because she knew she was the most beautiful in his eyes. Early March brought blooming peach blossoms and a nearby canal where fish and shrimp swam. The woman looked at him, blushing and resting her head on his chest. Soon, birds flew in pairs, chirping happily. The flowers and birds attracted her gaze, and her faint lipstick made her even more charming. Captivated, he leaned in and gently kissed her. That kiss was timeless.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. A heavy rain extinguished memories, knocked down peach blossoms, and blurred her heart. The wind blew away the clouds, birds, and deep connections from his memory. The armor that had accompanied him through many battles was soaked in muddy water, but he didn’t care. He danced with his sword, challenging the sun and moon and the heavens. Before long, he grew tired, sat on the ground, laughing and crying. But a hand reached around his waist, helping him put on his armor. Looking back, his tears had dried, the mist had cleared, and heroes awaited with flushed faces. She hadn’t lived a happy life all these years.
He had been summoned by the court and left in haste, without a word or a letter, disappearing as if into thin air. That year, she sat alone on the terrace, a cup of strong wine staining her dress. Watching the beautiful scenery of Jiangcheng, her heart was already dead. She grieved, for half her life had vanished with him. She hated him for stealing her heart in their youth. Walking on broken glass, her skin was pierced, but not her heart. In his room, she found his notes. Among the stack of papers, he remained the most prominent figure, a small boat that sailed into the harbor of the mortal world, creating ripples. She left the place where she had lived for over a decade and the sorrow it brought her.
Years passed in the small town, and she thought her sealed heart would no longer stir. But his sudden appearance shattered her peace, disturbing her heart. People said he had broken the ban, and this former general became a vegetarian overnight. Amid his travels, he instructed others to deliver his message to his wife, “Life is too short to accompany you through everything. Oaths and pledges can’t promise an afterlife to renew memories. If one day, autumn leaves cover the ground, and the traces of time still reveal gentle hues, that must be my longing burning for you, recorded alongside memories on the wall. If one day, I will gladly lift the rising sun from the horizon, illuminating the road ahead for you, waiting as always, through the evening drums, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.”
As the saying goes, may two hearts be united forever, never to part, holding the vastness of life, offering the stars. Losing the decline of one world brings you to love this city. In a lifetime, I wish to love only one person, to hold your hand and grow old together, counting the loneliness under the trees, leaving only a flame of passion, where dreams intertwine, raising love with longing, igniting fireworks colored by love.
