The palace, the roof of Jianji Hall, the Pinnacle of the Forbidden City from the legends of the martial world.
In the deep night, Li Wei and Gu Jinzhi sat shoulder to shoulder, gazing down together at the myriad lights of Yujing City.
Whoosh—BOOM! Crackle, crackle!
Chirp, chirp—BOOM, BOOM!
Brilliant clusters of light soared into the sky from every corner of Yujing City, bursting across the night like trees of fire and flowers of silver, dazzling with streaming radiance.
A faint smile played at the corners of Gu Jinzhi's lips as he turned to look at Li Wei.
"I heard you came back today. The people prepared this celebration for you... How is it? Pretty, isn't it?"
Li Wei made no sound, but a thousand thoughts churned in her heart.
She remembered the old farmer by the field ridge, the one who had stuffed the biggest, roundest wheat cake into her hand and grinned with a mouthful of yellow teeth, smiling so broadly that his eyes had vanished.
She remembered the orphanage, the children who had timidly tugged at her clothes and called her "Immortal Madam" in their tender childish voices.
She also remembered the young men at the construction site, eating meager meals and sweating like rain, yet erupting into thunderous cheers the moment they saw her.
What she had done was clearly so little.
To her, it had been nothing more than a lift of the hand.
How could she accept such weighty, sincere love and respect with a clear conscience?
Thinking of this, the tip of her nose stung. It felt as if a wad of cotton had lodged in her throat, leaving her struggling to breathe.
Just then, a warm, large palm gently covered her hand.
Gu Jinzhi seemed able to see straight through her