"Brother Chao, you should be going." King Zheng of Qin stood at Xianyang's gates in plain clothes, gazing down the western road with reluctance in his eyes. "I shall await your good news in the Central Plains."
"When you return, what you see will be a Central Plains with me as its common sovereign!"
Ji Chao said nothing. He merely stood before the carriage and looked at King Zheng of Qin.
Tears welled in his fierce eyes as he let out a heavy sigh.
"My lord, Chao has overstepped!"
Before King Zheng of Qin could react, Ji Chao stepped forward and suddenly embraced him.
"Hm!?" King Zheng of Qin startled, only to find that Ji Chao had already released him and turned to board the carriage.
"Wen Ju, let us go." Ji Chao's voice came from within the carriage, leaving King Zheng of Qin somewhat at a loss.
"Huh? Oh—hyah!" Wen Ju blanked for a moment, then snapped the reins and set the carriage in motion.
By the time King Zheng of Qin thought to reach out and stop Ji Chao, the carriage had already driven away.
Watching it recede into the distance, King Zheng of Qin could not help but feel a touch of sorrow.
"Brother Chao, once you leave... who knows when ruler and subject will meet again? Even if you overstepped, so what?"
With a sweep of his sleeve, King Zheng of Qin turned around. His retreating figure as he walked back into Xianyang was utterly desolate.
Inside the swaying carriage, Ji Chao looked at the mechanical bird cradled in his palms.
Before his departure, King Zheng of Qin had returned Wayfinder to him.
This had been the beginning of their friendship. As long as one held it in hand, one would forever gaze toward the other's