“The moon hangs in a crescent above the Nine Heavens, leaving a cold shadow on the human world...”
The desolate desert, where the sand dances like silk, reminds one that even if love abounds in this place, it amounts to no more than a fleeting moment, like wind and flowers. On this yellow earth, no footprints of passion can be engraved. As time changes, it erases everything, leaving only the barren sand dunes stretching endlessly into the horizon, an eternal sea of drought, its waves never ceasing.
These words, though sorrowful, are also inevitable...
Yet, what is the greatest distinction between humans and other living creatures?
Beyond instinct, it is the ability to dream, which belongs solely to humans.
...
Kneeling before Qing Yun were thirteen individuals, including Lian Huan and Ye Pei, with whom he had met a few times before. He sat on his throne, looking down at them, silent. The atmosphere in the Ice Thorn Palace was heavy, with the vassals and generals all quiet, their minds racing with speculation.
After a moment, Lian Huan raised his head and firmly reiterated, “Whether she is alive or dead, we beg Your Majesty to allow us to see Na Xiu one more time!”
Now, the faces of these thirteen people were haggard, weathered from long days of travel, as they clearly hadn’t taken proper care of themselves while journeying. They referred to her as Na Xiu, not Queen Guan Ying, their intent plain to see.
“She is dead!” Qing Yun replied coldly, yet inwardly he pondered what this tactic from that war was all about.
Upon hearing this, Lian Huan pressed his lips together before speaking again: “Then, we beseech Your Majesty to return Queen Guan Ying’s body! Without seeing her corpse, we will never be at peace!” After these words, the thirteen bowed deeply, resolute in their determination.
Qing Yun thought for a while before turning to Miao Jing, who stood to the side. Miao Jing nodded and left to carry out his task.
“The thirty-day ceasefire is almost over, and yet your nation’s King Zhan... still has the leisure to look for someone from the past?” Qing Yun mocked with a faint smile. “Does your great nation have nothing better to do?”
At this point, Lian Huan and the others were no longer paying attention to the words in the hall; their ears were straining to catch the footsteps outside. Soon enough, their answer came. A black walnut coffin was carried in by four people and placed ominously in the center of the silent hall. Miao Jing stood by, nodded to Lian Huan, and said, “Take it.”
Lian Huan and Ye Pei exchanged glances, tightening their grip on each other’s hands before tremblingly reaching for the coffin's edge. Perhaps out of lingering dread, they hesitated for a long time before finally pushing aside a corner of the lid to look inside...
“Empty!” Ye Pei exclaimed in both shock and joy. “Where is Na Xiu?!” The question slipped out, inevitably lacking in decorum.
Qing Yun watched them and merely said, “You may return to report. Take the coffin with you.” His tone left no room for negotiation, as though he wished these eight generals and three maids to vanish immediately. After all, they had been saved by Huang Bei Shuang at the cost of her life, and it was hard to say what trouble they might bring him.
He had thought he would need to go through some effort to chase them away, but unexpectedly, Lian Huan nodded in agreement. After expressing their thanks in unison, the thirteen quietly carried the coffin out without further resistance or questions, their figures fading into the distance.
In the great hall, silence fell once again, suddenly taking on a strange atmosphere...
That night, in the depths of the Ice Thorn Palace, the moon was still visible, emerging from the clouds.
King Jing sat at a table, in front of a chessboard. Opposite him sat a beautiful woman, her delicate brows furrowed in frustration. Qing Yun smiled, teasing her, “For someone as clever as you, your chess skills are really unimpressive. Look, I’ve already let you off with seven pieces, and yet you still manage this?” His tone was filled with affection as he moved two more pieces aside, clearing her path.
Huang Bei Shuang sighed and smiled, “Though I’m not skilled at chess, I’m certainly not a novice. I never expected that playing against the king would result in such utter defeat every game. You mustn’t laugh at me anymore!”
Qing Yun raised an eyebrow, “Did you lose that war?”
Huang Bei Shuang nodded, her cheeks slightly flushing.
Qing Yun burst into hearty laughter. “So what? Zhan's moves are too restrained. No matter how many times he wins, it’s never satisfying.”
Huang Bei Shuang glanced up at him before returning her gaze to the chessboard. “I heard... he once threw the chessboard at you?”
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