Dìwáng Chāiqiān Bàn

After becoming a wandering soul, even reunions beyond destiny feel weightless and fleeting. If true feelings are dressed up in clever, flowery words, then don’t listen, don’t speak. Shh— do you see it? The flickering light and shadow cast by his revolving lantern.

Farther east of the Eastern Sea… could there really be merfolk? Fish tails must taste delicious. And the pearls they cry, ground into powder, would surely make one’s skin glow, wouldn’t they? When you were young, you and your friends would crowd by the riverbank, chatting idly. Even amidst chaos and unrest, as long as your closest friends were by your side, you could still steal a few moments of peace. But later, you became the one chosen by destiny. And those familiar figures who once stood shoulder to shoulder with you were nowhere to be found. The Eastern Sea no longer held merfolk; only endless rows of merchant ships and warships. The history books say: “Lady Wenhan, blessed by the heavens, bore the weight of destiny and ushered in an era of prosperity.” Yet, stepping outside the confines of fate and titles, perhaps the ending written in the history books isn’t truly your own ending. One moment, you were clocking out from your mundane, modern-day job. The next moment, you were being handed a new mission in the underworld. Luckily, this time there’s no war, no political upheaval, just a bit of sightseeing in the realm of the dead. The good news? Your old friend is still waiting for you. The bad news? Hmm… he might remember things even more clearly than you do. Was it a misunderstanding, an obsession, or… a hint of unspoken feelings? Who knows? Either way, the two of you aren’t going anywhere now. When a strategist has been waiting so long he’s practically expired, and he still won’t take the bait… well, just grab the bowl that once held pearl powder and scoop him up yourself!