A Fallen Labyrinth City, a Farewell in the Rain

Time passed in a flash. The fresh green on the branches outside deepened, and the cicadas grew louder by the day.

Before they knew it, more than a month had quietly slipped by.

For that entire month, Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting seemed to have shut the passage of time out of their world. They traveled together, enjoying the scenery with no distractions, focused only on the road beneath their feet and each other by their side.

After descending Purple Mountain, Gao Yuting took Xiao Ran and hurried off toward even more distant corners of the world.

She was like a skylark that had finally broken free of every restraint, eager to try all the things she had never seen or done.

At dawn, on a mountaintop still veiled in mist, Gao Yuting pulled Xiao Ran along to watch vast seas of clouds surge toward the rising sun.

At noon, beside a sprawling lake shrouded in mist, she stepped barefoot into the cool water. The wind swept at her skirt as ripples spread around her, and her laughter rang clearer than silver bells.

At dusk, they lit a small campfire in the wilderness and leaned against each other, watching the stars gradually illuminate the night sky.

Xiao Ran let her plan their travels, his eyes filled with boundless indulgence.

After wandering here and there, they arrived at Fire Dragon Stockade. It had long since been deserted. The bandits who once lived there had apparently left, though it was unclear whether they had gone to Ruzhou or hidden elsewhere.

Later, they visited West Tai Mountain.

Unfortunately, the teahouse had fallen into ruin. Only a few wooden posts remained. So much time had passed; they had no idea whether the old woman was still well.

But in the village at the foot