Traveling through thousands of years, I only love you

Xiao Yi stood in the ancient, empty palace, everything around him seeming so quiet and desolate. His gaze fell on the zither he and Li Lingyuan had once played together. The strings seemed to still bear the lingering touch of her tender touch. Ever since Li Lingyuan's disappearance, his heart felt as if it had been torn apart, every inch of it bleeding.

Recently, he stumbled upon a dusty ancient tome in a library deep within the palace. The pages were yellowed and brittle, yet the handwriting on it clearly recorded strange events traversed by time and space. Overjoyed, Xiao Yi perused the book word for word, a mixture of hope and fear mingling within him. As he delved deeper, he gradually realized that Li Lingyuan might not have suffered an ordinary accident, but rather had been dragged back to the present day by the mysterious forces of time and space.

This conclusion was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering his heart. Xiao Yi's body trembled slightly, and he nearly dropped the ancient tome in his hands. "Ling Yuan, you've actually traveled back to that distant millennium..." His voice was hoarse and dry, as if something was choking his throat. His eyes were filled with despair and helplessness. His once bright pupils were now sunken, surrounded by dark circles, and he looked haggard.

Unwilling to accept this harsh reality, he summoned all those with connections to the mystical realm to the palace. In a short time, the palace was filled with experts from all walks of life. There were white-haired, deep-eyed astrologers, versed in astrological divination, able to discern the secrets of fate from the trajectory of the stars; there were black-robed, stern-faced magicians, skilled in wielding mystical spells and incantations to communicate with unknown forces; and there were Taoists, clad in white, with an air of immortality, possessing a profound understanding of yin and yang, the five elements, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, capable of performing miraculous magic.

Xiao Yi sat in the magnificent yet oppressive hall, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd. His voice was low and trembling as he asked, "Everyone, my beloved concubine is missing, and I suspect it's related to a time-space disorder. I've heard there's a way to travel through time and space. Do you know of any of this?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and for a moment, the hall fell into a hushed silence. After a long moment, an elderly astrologer slowly emerged. He bowed slightly to Xiao Yi and said, "Your Majesty, the secrets of time and space have been profound since ancient times. While we have dabbled in them, few can truly master them. Ancient texts record that opening the gate of time and space requires the right time, place, and people, and it also carries immense danger. The slightest misstep will lead to being swallowed by the endless turbulence of time and space."

Xiao Yi frowned and asked anxiously, "Is there any way to confirm whether Ling Yuan has returned to a thousand years later?"

At this moment, a magician stepped forward, holding a wand inlaid with a mysterious gemstone. His eyes were solemn as he spoke, "Your Majesty, I can cast a tracking spell, but it requires the use of something close to my beloved concubine, and it can only sense her approximate location. If the distance is too great or the barriers of time and space are too strong, I cannot guarantee a precise location."

Xiao Yi immediately ordered someone to fetch the jade pendant that Li Lingyuan had worn. The jade pendant emitted a soft glow in the candlelight, as if it still carried her breath. The magician took the jade pendant, muttered something, and gently waved the magic wand in his hand. A faint blue light slowly rose, enveloping the jade pendant. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the ball of light. After a few flickers, the light suddenly became extremely weak and almost extinguished. The magician's face turned pale as paper, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, this... this breath is extremely weak, and it points to a very distant place. I... I really can't determine the specific location, but I can be sure that my beloved concubine is very likely in the world a thousand years later."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi felt as if struck by lightning, stumbling back a few steps. His eyes were filled with despair and helplessness, and the pain in his heart surged like a raging tide. "Is it true that Ling Yuan and I will be separated by this millennium?" His voice was low and mournful, echoing through the hall, filling everyone present with pity.

From that day on, Xiao Yi often climbed the high towers of the imperial palace alone and gazed up at the sky. His gaze on the sun, moon, and stars let his thoughts drift. He wondered if Li Lingyuan, in a world a thousand years from now, would also be gazing at the same sky. "Lingyuan, do you know how much I miss you? Why is this thousand years of distance so far? So far that even if I tried my best, I couldn't even reach the edge of your clothes." Tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. His solitary figure, swaying in the wind, seemed even more desolate.

He began searching the palace for memories of Li Lingyuan. He visited the palace where they had once lived together, touching the familiar furniture and objects. He sat on the bed where they had shared countless happy hours, recalling her gentle smile, her soft whispers. Every corner, every object, held memories of them, yet now became a sharp blade piercing his heart.

Xiao Yi also commissioned a portrait of Li Lingyuan, which he hung in his chambers. Every morning, upon waking, her face was the first thing he saw; every night before falling asleep, he would pour out his longing and love to the portrait. "Lingyuan, you were the light of my life, but now, after a thousand years, that light has vanished, leaving only endless darkness in my world."

Even while attending to state affairs, his mind often wandered. He would sometimes ignore the memorials and advice of his ministers, his thoughts drifting to the distant present. While he remained in control of state affairs, his mind was no longer entirely focused on them. He knew that as an emperor, he shouldered the responsibility of the people of the world, but his heart was largely occupied by Li Lingyuan.

Sometimes, he would meet Li Lingyuan in his dreams. They would stroll through the familiar garden, holding hands and sharing their innermost thoughts. But every time he woke from his dream, he was faced with only an empty room and endless loneliness. This huge gap made his heart even more painful.

He had considered abandoning the throne and embarking on a journey to find Li Lingyuan. Even if it meant traversing an unknown time and space, even if it meant facing countless dangers and challenges. But he knew that if he left, the country would inevitably fall into chaos, and the people would suffer war and hardship. He was caught in a dilemma, and the inner struggle and pain burned his soul like a raging fire.

"Lingyuan, what should I do? Should I abandon all this and go find you, or stay here and wait for the reunion that may never come?" Xiao Yi asked Li Lingyuan's portrait in the silent night, but the only response he got was endless silence.

As the days passed, Xiao Yi's physical and mental state deteriorated. He often couldn't eat, and his dragon robe, which once fitted him well, now felt much looser. His face was thin, and his eyes were filled with fatigue and sadness. But he still didn't give up looking for any chance to reunite with Li Lingyuan.

He began studying the ancient book on time and space, hoping to find a way to travel through time. He worked day and night, ignoring physical fatigue and the dissuasion of his ministers. He established a dedicated research center in the palace and summoned a group of knowledgeable scholars and craftsmen to explore how to solve the mystery of time and space.

They tried everything from ancient formations to mysterious spells, from exotic instruments to special materials. But each attempt ended in failure, some even causing minor disasters, such as partial vibrations in the palace and uncontrolled magical powers. But Xiao Yi remained undaunted. He firmly believed that as long as he persisted, he would one day find a way to travel through time and space and reunite with Li Lingyuan.

In the process, he also gained a deeper understanding of the mysteries and complexities of time and space. He knew that even if he found a way to travel through time, he might still face countless unknown dangers and challenges. But his love for Li Lingyuan made him fearless.

"Lingyuan, I will definitely find you, even if it takes a thousand years, even if it means making the whole world my enemy." Xiao Yi looked into the distance, his eyes full of firmness and determination.