In the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve had arrived.
On this day the rare wind and snow had paused, yet the skies did not clear. Heavy, leaden clouds still lay over Changa An City like a gigantic palm pressing on everyone's heart, weighing down on the city's crown. In the biting north wind, the chill was sharp as a blade, always giving people a looming sense of crisis, as if a storm were about to break and the whole building was filled with wind.
