Dawn glimmered faintly as the sun rose in the east.
The morning sun clothed the earth in a fresh layer of light. Darkness receded, and daylight arrived.
Inside the Eastern Palace in Great Chu's Capital City, sunlight filtered through tree after tree and the latticed windows, spilling onto the floor tiles in a dazzling patch of white that stood apart from the surrounding gloom.
The breeze gently brushed the curtains, like a playful child toying with the hem of their clothes.
Two little sparrows landed on the sill of an open window in a side hall. Their bodies were round, their down white flecked with black. One lifted a tiny black foot to scratch its pointed beak and let out a sweet chirp.
On the large bed behind the hanging beaded curtains in the main bedchamber, two figures, one large and one small, curled together beneath a rather thin quilt. The larger one's features were soft, as though he slept deeply, wrapped in a peaceful dream.
The smaller one's brows were tightly knitted, all ten fingers clutching the fabric in his hands. But a closer look revealed that he held only the edge of a sleeve.
No matter how hard he gripped or how much he stirred, he would not wake the sleeping man.
Both remained lost in dreams, neither waking before the other.
Only when a knock sounded at the bedchamber door did the lightly sleeping Chu Xuanzhen's lashes flutter, and he opened his eyes.
His eyes had returned to normal; even the whites were no longer pitch-black.
Not a trace of impurity remained in his eyes. Upon waking, he first looked at the man lying beside him. Seeing that he was still asleep, he raised a hand and lightly pressed the corner of his mouth.
Heaven knew how