I have waited a lifetime— waiting until the Tang banner I once held has long since vanished from this land, …
I have waited a lifetime—
waiting until the Tang banner I once held has long since vanished from this land, almost sixty years gone.
They say a man knows his destiny by fifty. But what I waited for was no simple fate ordained by heaven.
So I wrestled with time itself—even if it meant forsaking my compassion, wielding power ruthlessly, sacrificing... my eldest brother.
No, even if it meant sacrificing myself. Liangzhou could do without me. The Guiyi Army could do without me.
But the sacred oath to reclaim our homeland still demands a torchbearer.
And today, I wait for that successor to appear.
Yet the one I await still carries the fire of innocence—and a deep respect for me.
The hostage in Chang'an must never become a weakness for our cause.
So I laid bare the truth before him—the noble and the sordid alike.
I want him to abandon me, just as I abandoned my brother.
If every passing of the torch must be bathed in blood, then let mine stain the path ahead—
until he rises above my old allies, eclipsing even my own renown.
I watch his loyal guards standing sentry outside, watch him silence the voices opposed to my return to Tang.
He is proving himself worthy indeed.
I once thought his arrival would come with a blade at my throat—
but instead, he handed the blade into my hands.
I know this blade too well. At our first farewell, it was my brother who gave it to me.
Later, I passed it on to my brother's son.
And now, it has come full circle—back into my grasp.
He vows to lead the Guiyi Army, waiting for the day I come home.
In that moment, we understood one another completely.
From now on, through all the miles that lie ahead, no matter the distance, we will stand side by side.