In the twilight, the entry of the cave looked like a monster's opening mouth.
That was what Ning Que felt like when he looked at the cave. He knew it was cliche, but he couldn't find a more suitable word.
The cave was wide open as if it was ready to eat up all the things that entered it, including sun rays, seasons, time and all the feelings connected with time.
Ning Que felt very cold when he started thinking about walking into the cave and not knowing when he would get out. It might take a couple of months, years, or even decades. Maybe in another ten years, he wouldn't see the girls in Chang'an or eat hot and sour noodle slice soup anymore. Maybe when he was out, the girls in the House of Red Sleeves would become really old, Xiaocao would have got married and Dewdrop would have gone back to her hometown.