The rain had softened from torrential to gentle drizzle, yet it persisted with stubborn steadiness. Pedestrians hurried through South City's streets, occasionally casting bewildered glances at the young man wandering silently beneath an umbrella. His fine garments marked him as nobility, and though he held an umbrella, he remained utterly soaked, water cascading from him. His gaze fell distantly upon the path ahead, his expression deeply absorbed.
Yet his steps remained unwavering. When encountering other travelers, he naturally yielded space, moving with the unconscious grace of one fully aware despite apparent distraction. The contradiction was striking.
Duan Xu was indeed lost within himself.
He considered how, from such distance earlier, he couldn't have possibly discerned what He Si Mu held in her hand, much less recognized the outline of a crow. That had been merely an excuse, a fabrication born of desperation.
He had no true understanding of how he recognized her.
Yes—how had he truly recognized her? How, in that singular instant, had he distinguished one soul among countless ordinary, unfamiliar faces?
He had known this soul for scarcely half a year.
Duan Xu found himself unable to comprehend. He pondered how others claimed forgetting was trivially simple, that perhaps when his temples silvered with age, he might reach the years his father described—old age rendering childhood companions distant memories. Would he still recognize her at a glance when countless strangers surrounded him?
Yet somehow, he believed he still would.
Perhaps by then, he would lack the privilege of recklessness, unable to chase after her, his vision dimmed and uncertain, his body bent with age, unable to call out loudly, not knowing what words to offer. When that time arrived, even should he recognize her, would he still pursue her as desperately as today?
He contemplated this at length and concluded: he still would.
But why?
As Duan Xu wandered, his feet encountered something solid. Startled, he raised his umbrella to look upward, discovering the city wall before him, overgrown with verdant vines in remarkable profusion. He had reached the city's edge.
This path had concluded. Nowhere remained to run.
In this moment, as if illuminated by sudden clarity, the puzzle that had tormented him crystallized into sudden understanding—a revelation that broke through all confusion. Duan Xu began to laugh. He laughed uncontrollably, his entire frame trembling. As laughter consumed him, the umbrella fell from his hands, and he covered his eyes, slowly sliding down against the stone wall as rain drenched him completely.
To pursue someone while leaning upon a cane, temples gray with age—how absurdly ridiculous! How could such madness exist in this world?
Why would he commit such a foolish act?
From youth to elderhood, from birth to death—a human life stretches vast and endless. How could he harbor such certainty that forgetting would never claim him?
He did harbor affection for her. She was the first girl to awaken such feeling within him. Yet he remained uncertain what conclusion such mortal attachment should reach.
She was merely the first girl to stir him from dormancy.
Simply the first girl to extend her hand to him through darkness so absolute that sight itself became impossible.
The first girl whose existence granted him understanding of both the world's terrible beauty and its profound pain.
A girl whose words spoke harshly yet whose actions never truly harmed him—a girl who would feed him medicine with her own hands.
A lonely, proud girl who harbored no expectations of understanding or remembrance or gratitude, who simply acted according to what her conscience decreed was right.
A girl who called him "little fox Duan," "Duan Xu," "Duan Shun Xi"—who promised, "I will protect you, but do not love me."
A girl with endless years ahead who would inevitably forget him, yet whom he could never forget within his brief mortal decades.
Rainwater flowed between Duan Xu's fingers as they covered his eyes, mingling with tears that seeped through, trickling upon the stone-paved ground below.
How ironic. His original aspiration had been to exist as a normal person—to escape the shadow known only to heaven, to conceal his brilliance and master his tempestuous emotions, learning to live genuinely like an ordinary being.
Or more precisely, to perform the role of an ordinary person convincingly.
He had strived relentlessly toward this goal. Yet now, everything conspired against that initial wish. The Ghost King He Si Mu had become his new aspiration—the most shocking and unconventional desire imaginable.
He comprehended not where such worldly affection should ultimately lead, yet he recognized his destination. Despite his inherent resistance to fate's designs, in this moment, he accepted it completely.
They had both spoken truth and falsehood.
Yes—in this vast world, no person proves indispensable to another's survival.
But for him, He Si Mu must be that indispensable one.
When Wu Wan Qing, wife of the eldest Duan son, encountered her brother-in-law in the mansion's corridor, genuine shock overtook her. Duan Shun Xi—that most coveted young talent of South City—had returned completely drenched and disheveled, yet paradoxically held an umbrella in his grip.
Upon seeing her, Duan Xu immediately raised his finger to his lips, smiling with conspiratorial warmth. "Sister-in-law, I must request your discretion regarding my current appearance."
Wu Wan Qing nodded, then realized with surprise that he had not entered through the main gate but had scaled the wall. This unrestricted youthful spirit within Duan Xu astonished her, prompting an impulsive question. "How did you become so thoroughly soaked? Has your umbrella failed?"
Duan Xu shook his head. "The umbrella functions perfectly. I simply neglected to use it."
"During such relentless rain, refusing an umbrella guarantees drenching. With this bitter wind, you'll contract illness. How can you be so reckless with your own health?"
With Madam Duan consumed by Buddhist devotions and uninvolved in household management, Wu Wan Qing had grown accustomed to maternal responsibility and unconsciously began scolding Duan Xu as though he were her own son.
Duan Xu smiled faintly, rotating the umbrella in his hand, murmuring almost to himself. "Indeed—knowing full well that refusing an umbrella leads to thorough drenching, yet choosing such refusal nonetheless. Comprehending how to live properly, yet deliberately choosing otherwise. Truly insane."
Wu Wan Qing detected deeper significance beneath his words and couldn't refrain from asking gently. "Brother-in-law… something weighs upon your mind, does it not?"
"Nothing of consequence. By the way, Sister-in-law, do you maintain close association with Madam Wang, wife of the Revenue Ministry's Minister Wang?"
"I frequently socialize with Madam Wang. Why do you inquire?"
"Today at Jade Algae Tower, I encountered Young Master Wang and his sister Su Yi coincidentally. Young Master Wang requested I escort Su Yi homeward. However, while conversing with Su Yi, I glimpsed a suspicious figure on the streets—possibly a Dan Zhi spy or assassin—and hastily pursued them, regrettably neglecting my escort duties to Su Yi. Sister-in-law, when you next encounter Madam Wang, might you convey my sincere apologies?"
Duan Xu spoke with deliberate lightness, his eyes radiating earnest sincerity.
Wu Wan Qing observed his drenched garments, sensing the explanation lacked full truth, yet she had learned long ago that certain matters warranted no deeper investigation. She acquiesced simply. "Very well."
Duan Xu smiled and nodded, turning toward his chambers when something seemed to surface in his memory. He pivoted to regard Wu Wan Qing once more, speaking with uncharacteristic hesitation. "Sister-in-law, might I presume to inquire of you something intimate?"
Wu Wan Qing nodded, puzzlement evident on her features.
"Sister-in-law, you and my eldest brother were childhood companions. Your union must have been true love, yes?"
Wu Wan Qing's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks flushing with modest embarrassment. "Why… whatever prompted such a question?"
"Recently, Father has been orchestrating marriage arrangements for me, so I confess curiosity. After all, many couples exist as my parents do—passing entire lifetimes in peaceful indifference, maintaining respect as though toward guests."
"Shun Yi and I… we possess genuine affection for one another. I believe so, at least."
"How can Sister-in-law harbor such certainty regarding eldest brother's feelings toward you?"
"Well… it was evident, surely. When we were fifteen or sixteen years old, his countenance brightened whenever I approached. He would blush with embarrassment when others teased us, perpetually discovering pretexts to visit our household to see me. Upon encountering me, he would redden, speaking rapidly and without coherence. Is this not what affection resembles?"
Duan Xu appeared to deliberate seriously for some duration, then smiled with noncommittal grace. "I see. My gratitude to you, Sister-in-law."
Yet within his heart, disquiet took root. He Si Mu maintained such unshakeable composure in his presence—gentle and distant as though perpetually contemplating his welfare, eternally unmoved by worldly entanglement.
According to his sister-in-law's description of affection's signs, not a single marker aligned with He Si Mu's behavior. Of course, her temperament and disposition differed fundamentally from his eldest brother's. Her preferential treatment and indulgence toward him—how much genuine emotion intertwined within such conduct?
Duan Xu returned to his chamber, attending to his soaked garments while acknowledging an uncomfortable truth: he would likely have to gamble once more.
The Immortal's Observation
After parting from Duan Xu, He Si Mu traversed South City's thoroughfares beneath He Jia Feng Yi's umbrella, with Zi Ji maintaining quiet attendance behind them, umbrella in hand.
He Si Mu's gaze remained fixed forward. This unremarkable body radiated unmistakable authority as she spoke with deliberate unkindness. "He Jia Feng Yi, your divination techniques have demonstrably improved."
He had proclaimed the streets offered pleasant scenery, insisting she accompany him despite torrential rain. After scarcely several paces, he had exclaimed with fabricated surprise, "Is that not General Duan seated within Jade Algae Tower? And who occupies the seat across from him? They seem to share an extraordinary connection!"
He Jia Feng Yi's white birch cane tapped against the stone ground as he sighed with transparent innocence. "What remarkable serendipity! Who could have predicted our encounter?"
His evasion proved far too transparent.
Rain dripped from the umbrella's ribs as the deluge obscured their vision. He Si Mu remained silent briefly before inquiring, "Has Duan Shun Xi maintained good health recently?"
"Extraordinarily well indeed. General Duan represents the most celebrated young talent currently gracing our court—his vitality and success paint a perfect image. Though I confess uncertainty regarding an apparent injury from battlefield engagement, as he displays certain weakness. Getting drenched in weather such as this, he courts genuine peril of illness. Speaking of sickness, I possess considerable expertise. Such individuals who appear robustly healthy ordinarily, once afflicted, collapse catastrophically. The danger proves severe; minor ailments transform into grave conditions, and a single life—"
Receiving He Si Mu's pointed warning glance, He Jia Feng Yi swallowed the words trembling upon his lips.
She snorted coldly. "Does conversational deficiency cause you physical suffering if you neglect adequate speech?"
"Indeed, Elder, you comprehend me most profoundly." He Jia Feng Yi smiled with his characteristic peach blossom eyes, his expression perpetually mischievous and flirtatious when amusement crossed his features. He gestured toward his lips, speaking in conspiratorial whisper. "What troubles you? Fear that I curse him toward death? Reassure yourself—such words carry no curse's power."
"I am aware."
"You are aware? Then you simply harbor compassion for him and cannot bear hearing predictions of his demise?"
"Given your deteriorated health, you would do well to speak less frequently."
Were He Jia Feng Yi not the descendant of her aunt and uncle, and had she not tended to him carefully during his childhood years, He Si Mu would have beaten him beyond recognition long ago. How had someone raised within the formality of Star Minister Palace developed into this insufferable creature?
"Which aspect of your inheritance derives from my aunt and uncle?" He Si Mu found herself asking despite better judgment.
"Probably… my exceptional appearance," He Jia Feng Yi pointed to his own face with shameless pride.
"…"
He Si Mu's silence stretched endlessly.
Next
.jpeg)
.jpeg)