Time flew like a white colt flashing past a gap, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
When Li Mu Yang had bid farewell to his family at Maple Forest Ferry and set off into the distant starry sky to pursue his studies, it had been a season of radiant spring sunshine, crimson flowers and emerald grass, slender willows brushing the breeze, and the scent of earth carried through the air. Fish had darted through West Lake.
Now that he had returned to Tiandu, several months had already passed, and winter had descended upon the capital. The leaves had withered yellow, chrysanthemums were in bloom, the cold wind was as sharp as a blade, and wintersweet in the courtyard had endured wind and frost, putting out one or two tender shoots.
Gongsun Yu and her husband, Lu Qingming, were standing beneath the corridor eaves talking when they saw a handsome young man in a white robe and jade crown walking toward them under Jing'er's guidance. Both of them froze for a moment.
His eyes were like stars, his brows like drawn swords.
His features seemed carved by knives and axes, and the corners of his lips held a faint, elusive smile.
With his broad robes and flowing sleeves, he passed through the gardens guided by the girl in blue, looking like an exiled immortal descended to the mortal world. He was dazzling.
The husband and wife exchanged a glance, both finding it hard to believe.
The news they had received about Li Mu Yang in the past had always said that his skin was as black as charcoal and that he was hideously ugly—the sort of person one did not want to look at a second time after seeing him once.
When he had just announced his identity, the couple