The clapper of the fifth watch still echoed at the base of the city wall, its sound carrying a desolate tone, as if bidding farewell to those about to embark on a long journey. Gu Jinghong had tucked the final volume of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* into his blue cloth bundle. His fingers lingered on the pages, as if taking a final leave of the stability of the past. Although the candlelight cast heavy shadows beneath his eyes, the fatigue of three days and nights without sleep could not dim the flickering fire in his gaze—a glimmer of hope for the future, and more importantly, a firm conviction to protect Shen Mingyue. Shen Mingyue leaned against the doorframe, watching him. The morning light slanted across an old scar on the nape of his neck, and tiny beads of sweat were forming upon the wound left by the war in the Southern Frontier—he always claimed it had fully healed, yet whenever it rained, she would catch him unconsciously pressing against the spot. That subtle gesture was like a thorn pricking her heart.
"Are you truly leaving?" She rubbed the broken jade pendant at her waist, the cold, jagged piece hurting her palm. She had woken up in a cold sweat from a nightmare once again last night; the face of the Evil Lord reflected in the bronze mirror had intertwined with the image of Gu Jinghong stained in blood, leaving her shaken. The scene from her dream played on a loop in her mind. She was terrified that she would be unable to control the power within her, and …
Chapter 45