The tides of reincarnation never ceased. Xiao Ling drifted through life after life, his state of mind becoming like refined iron tempered a thousand times—ever more composed and lucid.
Yet in the unseen currents of fate, an invisible thread seemed to guide him. No matter what destiny he was born into or what world he found himself in, he would always meet a woman named Xun Er.
Sometimes, their meeting made them bitter enemies locked in conflict. Sometimes, they were childhood sweethearts with no secrets between them. Sometimes, they were kindred spirits who had met by chance.
Through life after life of reincarnation, Xiao Ling and Xun Er's identities constantly changed, and their circumstances were never the same.
Yet every encounter brought different joys and sorrows, unions and partings. Every story left behind a unique mark.
Xiao Ling had once stood against her amid flashing blades and clashing swords, only to feel heartrending agony when she fell. He had also remained by her side amid curling chimney smoke, experiencing the enduring warmth of ordinary days. He had broken with her over misunderstandings and spent the rest of his life in regret. He had crossed mountains and rivers merely to reunite with her and continue an unfinished bond.
These trials of emotion were like the finest whetstones, polishing Xiao Ling's nature until it became ever gentler and firmer.
He gradually came to understand that love and hatred, reunion and separation, gain and loss—all were indispensable parts of life.
And that woman named Xun Er had long ceased to be a mere passerby in his reincarnations. She was the deepest bond at the core of his trials of the heart, the anchor he could always find amid countless lives.
Every meeting gave him a deeper understanding of the word "love." Every parting