The setting sun slanted in the west, its dim light spilling over the courtyard wall, passing through the treetops, and landing on the edge of the white stone chessboard.
A few chess pieces were covered with withered yellow leaves, slightly flipping in the breeze.
A petite and elegant woman in a white dress, with a golden bell tied to her waist, sat quietly at one end of the chessboard.
"If unrequited love cannot be contained, let the emotions run deep into the Qingyao..." (Qingyao, a type of lantern placed in rivers to carry one's longing in the Great Spirit. People write their final words of affection on the lantern cover. When the lantern drifts away, it signifies forgetting everything and starting anew.)
"When the Qingyao is out of sight, one can forget everything. But you are not suited for the path of extreme emotions." A tall man in a blue robe, with billowing sleeves, stood at one end of the courtyard, having appeared unnoticed.
