Time slips away like a white steed galloping past a crevice; in the blink of an eye, countless seasons have passed.
In youth, bonds of friendship often feel eternal, yet come the age of responsibilities, paths inevitably diverge.
Since parting in Lanshan City in '84, twelve years have flown by. The once-dominant Longxi Alliance has vanished, yet the scholar remains a scholar.
Many people interpret "destroying to rebuild" as breaking the old to bring forth the new. In truth, after destruction, improvement rarely comes. Positions once held by people are merely left vacant, or population decline reduces the pressure.
The situation in the Lingjiang Seven Cities is similar. Cities with shifting power inherit many gaps, but the righteous families could not fill all these positions with their own people. So, they sought examples to highlight their distinction from the former rulers.
