A slender figure clad in white gracefully descended from the palms of the Lamp Sea Bodhisattva, like a fragile, mournful white bird drifting in despair.
A blast of heated wind whistled past her ears.
In an instant, flames engulfed her.
The massive wooden framework collapsed with a deafening roar, producing a series of thunderous tremors.
Amid the scorching cacophony, the girl's heart remained eerily tranquil.
In her mind's eye, an old childhood lullaby her mother used to hum flickered forth—
"The crescent moon shines over the nine realms,
Some families rejoice, while others agonize.
Some couples share the warmth of a quilted tent,
While others drift to the corners of the world…"
As a child, her father was always guarding the border, and years would pass before he could return home even once.
She cried endlessly, pleading for her father.
