The wind at Jialing Pass carried a hint of desolation as it swept past Dai Mubai's reddened eyes. Liu Erlong unfolded the letter addressed to Dai Mubai, her fingertips still trembling, tears welling in her eyes. Her voice choked as she relayed Lin Zhixia's instructions word by word.
"Big Brother Mu Bai, by the time you read this letter, I should already be walking beneath the setting sun at Jiayu Pass, chasing after Zhi Nian..."
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as tears slid down his cheeks. He remembered practicing archery alongside Zhi Xia, remembered how she always said, "Big Brother Mu Bai, you're the captain. We'll all listen to you." He remembered how, on every mission, she would silently bring up the rear, protecting everyone with her precise arrows—those days of fighting side by side had now become the most painful longing in his heart.
"The wind on the city wall that day was so fierce... The moment I released that arrow, I saw him smile, as if he had finally set down a burden weighing a thousand pounds. That was when I knew I hadn't made the wrong choice."
Liu Erlong's voice paused, thick with tears. Dai Mubai seemed to see the blood-red sunset over Jiayu Pass that day, Zhi Xia's resolute figure holding the Star River Shattering Bow, and that arrow carrying both longing and determination as it tore through the sky—he finally understood that the pain Zhi Xia had endured was far deeper than anything they had seen.
"Now I'm going to find him. Don't be sad for me... But Big Brother, you have to promise me that you'll take good care of Zhuqing."
"You always say Zhuqing has a cold temperament, like a block of ice, but have you forgotten? The last