Chapter 1 - My Love For You Will Carry On, For More Lives To Come

It all began in J City, which is part of the Chi Kingdom.

"Bang!" The prison's gate was pushed open, and a scrawny and brittle woman emerged from the inside. With only a layer of thin clothes, she was obviously underdressed for the cold, windy weather.

Looking hollow-cheeked and bony, her seven years in prison clearly did not do her well. It was apparent that her skin had lost its usual radiance as the years went by. There was also no trace of her once alluring glamour, as her beauty had withered like a rose that was dry and shriveled.

Dark clouds came rolling in that dark gloomy day. Then, it soon started to drizzle with harsh blustery winds in the background.

Alas, the woman had regained her freedom but had nowhere to go, no one to see, and nothing to move on to. No one even came to see her. Perhaps, the treacherous weather was apt for her.

"I deserve this," she thought to herself repeatedly.

The woman had wandered the streets for a while now until a jeep suddenly showed up and stopped next to her.

She stopped, too, in bewilderment, clearly puzzled by the presence of this foreign vehicle.

Soon, a tall, strong man appeared from the car. The lady could not help but ponder the identity of the stranger.

"Oh, it's you. Hi Xu Yi!"

"Sister-in-law, let's talk in the car, shall we?"

With arduous effort, she climbed into the tall car and stared blankly at Xu Yi who sat next to her. It had been years since they last met. The many years in prison had all but blurred her memory. Nevertheless, she remembered that Xu Yi was the youngest member of Blood Wolf; he was also a man that was highly valued by 'him'.

Speaking of 'him', the character suddenly came alive in her memory; the man of a resolute and steadfast disposition. Uncontrollably, she looked to the ground as tears started rolling down the sides of her cheeks.

She thought she would never cry again after being hardened by the hard knocks of prison life, but there she was, weeping for the man named Lu Beixiao.

Lu Beixiao - the man was her husband who passed away seven years ago.

"Sister, don't be sad. Now that you are out, you should move on with your life. You are still young. With the property and money that Leader Lu left behind for you, you can always start over," he tried to ease her grief as soon as she started crying.

Seven years ago, she was arrested right after Lu Beixiao's death. The experience left such a scar on her that Xu Yi's effort to cheer her up only made her feel worse. Feeling depressed and guilty, she continued to grieve for the man even more.

"Sister, this is a letter that carries Leader Lu's last words. It has been kept in the force for a while now. I am glad that I can finally hand this over to you." Xu Yi presented the letter to her from his pocket whilst explaining.

With tearful eyes, she gazed fixedly at the letter.

"It is a tradition for us to write our last words on a letter before every mission. Leader Lu was the God of War, as we called him - always strong and invincible. He never felt the need to write one, except for that one time. He finally penned his words down on the letter, not knowing that those were going to be his last," Xu Yi hoarsely said, overwhelmed by the sad ending of the man's life.

Shakily, she lifted her bony hands and accepted the letter with a gentle nod.

…

In a cemetery, a woman could be seen standing in front of a tombstone alone, unmoved by the downpour.

She looked thoughtfully at the picture inscribed on a tombstone and her fingers then softly traced the face of the person's perfect features, as though the man in the picture was still alive.

"I took you for granted when you were alive. I deserve this. I should have listened to you. Instead, I chose to trust Li Yun and Shen Xichuan, who eventually got me chained and thrown into prison," she said with a tremble in her voice.

The man in the picture stared back at her with a wry smile, as if mocking her for her terrible misjudgment. However, that was all only in her head. Lu Beixiao loved her more than he loved himself, so he would never jeer at her for any reason at all.

It was only moments ago that she found out how deep his love was for her. He said in his last letter, "Ye Qiao, from now on you must live your life to its fullest. I bought the house that you liked, the one with a yard. You can stay there if you wish to, or turn it into a lodge and rent it out. When we meet again in our next lives, you ought to fall in love with me all over again, understand? My love for you will carry on, for more lives to come."

"I don't deserve you. I don't deserve your love, Lu Beixiao! The embarrassment is too much to bear! How can I live on with such grief?" Overwhelmed, she knelt down and touched the picture with her forehead. With both arms hugging the tombstone, she finally let out a shuddering sob.