The wind and sand of the desert whipped up fine, shifting sands, weaving a blood-stained gauze curtain beneath the setting sun. Lín Shūyuè clutched the silver hairpin in her hand, gazing at the distant, beacon-smoke-wreathed city walls of Beiguan, the sound of that night's horse hooves seeming to echo once more in her ears.
"Yu'er, wait for me to return." Gu Chenzhou's parting words still lingered in her mind. At that time, clad in dark armor and with a long sword at his waist, he had looked as dazzling as a heavenly deity in the moonlight. She had pressed a sachet embroidered with her own hands into his grasp, the twin-lotus design still warm with her touch.
Three years ago, Lín Shūyuè had come to Beiguan with her father's merchant caravan. Although Beiguan was plagued by intermittent warfare back then, the city still bustled with prosperity. When she sang in the teahouse, her rendition of *Qing Ping Le* won applause from the entire house and also caught the attention of General Gu, who guarded Beiguan.
Chapter 246