[Just to clarify, I wasn't writing Qingyi's story arc—I was adapting PV content.]
Maples blazed red against the evening haze, while old faces lingered in dreams.
A former life of chivalry, a present life of keeping the peace, roaming New Eridu.
The heart of the jianghu had not faded from her past life; dreams of chivalrous bones still burned.
Today, in the Hollows, she stood alone against Ethereals; a kindred spirit across two lifetimes was hard to find.
(This chapter featuring Zhu Yuan and Qingyi was adapted from the PV and background story.)
In the XXXth year of the previous era, within a prosperous city in the Jiangnan waterlands.
In a secluded northwestern corner stood a heavily guarded grand residence, its blue brick walls and green tiles fitted seamlessly together, with carved beams, painted rafters, red railings, and jade pavilions arranged in elegant layers.
The servants wore gray cloth garments and walked in orderly steps, while the maids wore simple, elegant dresses with twin ponytails or cloudlike buns.
Every movement followed proper decorum, displaying the grandeur of a wealthy household at every turn.
Deeper along the covered corridor lay a tranquil courtyard.
High walls shut out the bustle of the world. The parasol trees in the courtyard were in bloom, pale violet flowers clustering along their branches. A gentle spring breeze stirred, sending petals drifting down like snow and filling the courtyard with fragrance.
Inside an elegant chamber, a young maiden yet to be wed sat before a carved bronze mirror, dressing herself.
She sat upright before the mirror, which reflected her flawless face.
As though crafted by heaven itself, her watery eyes were clear to their depths, their shifting glances brimming with captivating spirit.
Dressed in a gauzy emerald robe, the girl picked up a carved ivory comb