Duan Jingyuan paused, gathering her courage before asking in a small voice, "Let me ask you once more, are you Miss He? The Miss He who stayed at our Duan residence a few days ago, who went with me to watch polo, the one my brother is fond of?"
He Simu nodded.
Duan Jingyuan swallowed hard. "You are… an evil ghost disguised as a human, and even a… a ghost leader, right?"
He Simu nodded again.
Duan Jingyuan's grip tightened on the scroll until her knuckles went white. "You saved me today, and I'm eternally grateful for your immense kindness, but Miss He… could you please leave my brother alone? My brother is a good person. He hasn't done anything wrong or killed any innocent people. Please go claim someone else's life!"
He Simu couldn't help but burst into laughter at this earnest plea. She tilted her head, genuinely amused. "I'm not claiming your brother's life. The relationship between us should be described as… lovers? True lovers."
Duan Jingyuan stood dumbfounded, as if watching a ghost-human romance play materialize before her eyes.
"As for leaving him alone, you should speak to your brother about that. If he's willing, I have no objection. But your brother has known I was an evil ghost from the very beginning."
Duan Jingyuan thought this revelation belonged in a theater, not her real life.
Since they were some distance from the Duan residence, He Simu summoned the Ghost King's Lamp and carried Duan Jingyuan through the night sky above Nandu. As dusk deepened and the first evening lights flickered to life below, Duan Jingyuan cautiously leaned against the lamp post, looking down with mingled fear and wonder at the familiar streets transformed by height and darkness. Countless people moved like shadows below. Rows upon rows of lanterns illuminated the human world, stretching like the Milky Way across the earth.
She let out a soft exclamation of awe. A slight jolt made her frantically grab He Simu's wrist, only to panic and release it immediately, as if burned.
He Simu turned her head, glanced at her, then looked away. "I won't let you fall."
After a long hesitation, Duan Jingyuan whispered, "Your hand is so cold."
"I'm dead. Of course it is."
Duan Jingyuan studied He Simu's profile, sharp against the wind and darkness, then glanced at the distant ground far below. Carefully, she reached out to hold onto He Simu's sleeve instead.
He Simu caught the tentative gesture from the corner of her eye and smiled gently, saying nothing.
"Miss He, why did you save me?"
"I may be dead, but I'm not without conscience. After all, you showed me around Nandu for many days, taught me about colors one by one, intentionally defended me in front of Wu Sheng Liu, and you're also Duan Xu's sister."
Duan Jingyuan felt adrift in confusion. Everything that had happened today existed beyond the boundaries of her understanding. "Are all evil ghosts as gentle as you?"
This time He Simu turned her head fully. Blood still marked her face, dark against pale skin. Her gaze grew serious, and that terrifying aura—the one that made death feel immediate and inescapable—surged forth again. Duan Jingyuan shuddered.
"Even if a wolf saves a sheep a hundred times, the wolf is still a wolf, and the sheep is still a sheep. This is an unchanging truth. Humans shouldn't have high expectations of evil ghosts. Whether an evil ghost is good or evil, when the living encounters one, they should run."
Duan Jingyuan suddenly didn't know whether she should withdraw her hand from He Simu's sleeve.
"…No matter what, you're a ghost and my brother is human. The paths of humans and ghosts are different. I won't let my brother continue to be with you!"
He Simu smiled with enigmatic amusement, offering no response. She simply guided the Ghost King's Lamp to descend directly into the courtyard of the Duan residence. Duan Jingyuan's feet touched solid ground at last. He Simu removed the concealment spell, and Duan Jingyuan looked back once, managed a quick "thank you," then immediately turned and ran, lifting her skirt as she fled.
He Simu watched with leisurely interest as the girl ran into Duan Xu's courtyard, then followed at an unhurried pace. She could hear Duan Jingyuan's faint sobs already beginning—no doubt telling Duan Xu about her ordeal.
"My King."
He Simu turned to find Yan Zhang materializing at her side, bowing deeply.
"The matter Your Majesty entrusted has been taken care of."
"So quickly?"
"That human was quite weak, unable to withstand much."
"Then throw him back to his home. Make sure his memory is wiped clean."
"Yes." Yan Zhang straightened, glanced toward Duan Xu's courtyard, and said carefully, "My King, you always protect these humans, yet they think no good of you."
"Why would I need them to think well of me? Do I need them to build temples to worship and make offerings to me?" He Simu turned to look at Yan Zhang directly. "Your person, has the time come?"
Yan Zhang nodded.
He Simu didn't inquire further. She merely waved her hand in dismissal, and Yan Zhang withdrew into shadow.
Yan Zhang was the head of the Xiao Ghost Palace, populated entirely by female ghosts—the highest number being those who had been courtesans or pleasure women in life. Those who had been scorned and toyed with by men while living found their greatest pleasure in tormenting men after death.
In life, Yan Zhang had loved a man deeply. He had betrayed her, causing her disfigurement and tragic death. After becoming an evil ghost, she made it her eternal purpose to seduce that man each time he reincarnated. When he turned eighteen in each new life, she would appear—ultimately causing him to lose his family, ruin his reputation, and die miserably.
How many lifetimes had it been now? Thirty?
For many of those lifetimes, that man seemed to have been decent. After so many reincarnations, he was no longer the same person who had betrayed Yan Zhang. Such revenge had long ceased to hold meaning.
Did Yan Zhang know this? Perhaps she didn't want to know.
He Simu sighed deeply and leaped lightly onto the wall of Duan Xu's courtyard, arriving just in time to see Duan Jingyuan clutching Duan Xu's hand.
"Brother, did you know that Miss He is an evil ghost?"
Duan Xu raised his gaze over Duan Jingyuan's head, finding He Simu perched on the courtyard wall. He Simu smiled slightly. He withdrew his gaze and patted Duan Jingyuan's hand reassuringly, speaking softly, "I knew."
"Then you still… Do you still like her? Are you still with her? Evil ghosts eat people!"
"In this world, sometimes humans devouring humans is far more terrifying than ghosts devouring humans."
"Brother! Are you even listening to me? Miss He, He Xiaoxiao is an evil ghost. How can she be your lover? Humans and ghosts travel different paths. Humans belong to yang, ghosts to yin. Being with her will surely harm you. Think about it, you still have a long road ahead. You will certainly need to take a wife and have children someday. If you don't think of yourself, think of your parents… Brother, look at the ghost-human romances in plays, they all end badly! Please don't go looking for her anymore, alright? Please break up with her!"
Duan Jingyuan pleaded with desperate earnestness, her voice rising with emotion as if determined to rescue her Third Brother from a sea of suffering and return him to the proper path.
Duan Xu fell silent for a moment. His eyes were always clear and transparent, filled with easy smiles as if he concealed no worries. At this moment, his eyes remained unchanged—calm like a shallow, clear pool reflecting nothing but sky.
He said very straightforwardly, "Alright."
Her Third Brother agreed.
Duan Jingyuan felt the weight in her heart drop, but only halfway. It caught there, suspended, refusing to settle.
"Third Brother, tell me the truth. Will you never see her again? Are you not lying to me this time?"
Her Third Brother stood with his back to the lamplight, silhouetted against the night sky. Suddenly, she felt his expression was indistinct, his thoughts unreachable—as distant as a stranger's.
Duan Xu looked at her calmly, then said with a smile, "Jingyuan, you already know the answer in your heart. Why ask me again?"
Duan Jingyuan released his hand and stepped back twice. She looked him up and down as if seeing him for the first time, as if she had never truly known him at all. How could he lie so cheerfully, so effortlessly?
"…Third Brother, why are you like this? How many more things are you hiding from me? We're family. There shouldn't be any secrets between us." Her voice cracked with desperation.
Duan Xu thought that someone in this family still believed there were no secrets between them—and perhaps that was one of the few remaining tender feelings worth preserving. So he pulled the confused and distraught Duan Jingyuan toward him, gently embraced her shoulders, patted her back, and said quietly, "I'm sorry."
With that apology, he silenced all of Duan Jingyuan's questions.
Chen Ying, who had observed the entire exchange from a respectful distance, came to their side and said tentatively in a low voice, "Sister Xiaoxiao even saved you at the polo field. She's not a bad person."
Duan Jingyuan pushed Duan Xu away and glared at Chen Ying. "Don't I know that? I know she's good… she's also been good to me, but no matter how good she is… she's an evil ghost! Third Brother, why did you have to fall in love with an evil ghost? You'll either have to hide it your whole life or be discovered and disgraced. You… you…"
Her eyes reddened as words failed her. Not knowing what else to say, she turned and rushed out, slamming the courtyard gate with thunderous force.
Duan Xu and Chen Ying exchanged a glance. Chen Ying asked worriedly, "Will Sister Jingyuan tell others?"
Duan Xu smiled. "She won't. She's afraid Father will beat me. But she'll probably be angry with me for quite a while. I'll need to ask someone how to make her happy again."
With that, he looked up. He Simu, who had observed the entire scene from her perch, jumped down from the courtyard wall and walked up to him. She extended her hand. "Come, I'll take you somewhere."
Duan Xu didn't ask where. He simply took her hand. "Alright."
Chen Ying hesitantly asked, "Can I come too?"
Before he finished speaking, He Simu and Duan Xu had vanished from his sight. He scratched the back of his head, looked around at the empty courtyard, then resumed his martial arts practice with a pouting expression.
Duan Jingyuan had previously thought that when He Simu left Nandu, Duan Xu hadn't seemed sad at all—as if she hadn't left. Now she understood why. He Simu had merely reverted to her evil ghost state. She hadn't left at all. She still came frequently to see Duan Xu.
He Simu and Duan Xu sat together on the Ghost King's Lamp, suspended high above Nandu. She explained that while walking the streets, she had suddenly sensed Duan Jingyuan's presence in a place the girl never visited. Curiosity had drawn her to investigate. She'd arrived just in time to see the maid Bi Qing lying in a pool of blood and Wang Qi reaching for Duan Jingyuan with obvious ill intent.
"But I've already taken care of Wang Qi."
Duan Xu nodded. He reached out to wipe the blood from He Simu's face with gentle fingers. "Thank you for today."
"It was nothing."
"But why did you bring me here?"
"Earlier, when I flew with Jingyuan, she marveled at Nandu's night view. I realized that you probably never have the opportunity to see the scenery from here, so I wanted to show it to you."
The wind was fierce at this height. White threads of qi curved and twisted between heaven and earth, flowing through streets and alleys like living things. People below were like ants, houses like lacquer boxes, and the lights like the Milky Way scattered across darkness. Even the most majestic and grand palace looked small from here—reminding Duan Xu of the sand castles he used to build at Tian Zhi Xiao as a child.
"Do you like it?" He Simu asked.
"Of course I do. I love it very much."
Duan Xu thought that she always seemed to want to give him something—somewhat awkward and clumsy in her gestures, but incredibly endearing because of it.
He Simu cleared her throat. "I need to say goodbye. I have to return to the ghost realm. I've been away too long, and there are matters I need to handle."
Duan Xu sighed deeply. "Just when my little sister-in-law discovers your identity, you dump this mess on me and run off. I foresee myself keeping an empty house for years to come."
He Simu glanced at Duan Xu. "What could I say to her?"
"You're right. When you're not pretending to be alive, it's already good if your words don't frighten people."
"Then why haven't I scared you away?"
"Why would I leave? I'm also leaving in a few days to raise troops."
He Simu recalled seeing piles of diagrams scattered across Duan Xu's table these past few days and asked if they were military formations he planned to use.
Duan Xu nodded. "Yes. Even with our solid armor and strong horses, Great Liang's cavalry still couldn't match the Hu Qi people who grew up on horseback. The gap in our cavalry strength is unavoidable, making infantry crucial. I'm very familiar with Dan Zhi's cavalry and need to find ways for infantry to counter them effectively. Previously, we took advantage of Dan Zhi's internal conflicts to capture three provinces with surprise tactics. Now that Dan Zhi's internal strife is subsiding, things won't be so easy in the future. We need a perfect strategy."
He Simu smiled. "So you plan to test your ideas on your newly recruited soldiers? Have you decided where to recruit from?"
"Does the Ghost King have recommendations?"
"Shen Province would be best. It produces the most evil ghosts. Those fierce enough in life remain fierce after death. Shen Province has many people but little land, with frequent conflicts between families or villages, often escalating to armed combat and bloodshed, with sons continuing their fathers' feuds to the bitter end."
"Oh? Sounds promising."
"Little Fox Duan, life is limited. How long do you plan to wage war?"
Duan Xu considered for a moment. "As the saying goes, 'Five victories bring disaster, four victories bring harm, three victories bring hegemony, two victories bring kingship, one victory brings emperorship.' Wars that last too long or occur too frequently drain both the national treasury and the people. Dan Zhi is too vast after all. I think three northern campaigns to reclaim all lost territories would be appropriate."
Three times—the audacity of it matched his character perfectly. He Simu leaned on his shoulder, her face close to his, and teased, "My little general's plans are truly crazy."
Duan Xu smiled, his eyes containing a layer of complacent light as he lowered his head to touch his forehead to hers. "Is that so? Then perhaps for a hundred years after my death, you won't love anyone else, because you'll never find another eccentric madman like me."
He Simu blinked. "Will I find someone after a hundred years?"
"You still won't find anyone, but you will gradually forget me, forget all my passionate life, reduced to a blurry outline beyond recognition. You'll point at my grave and say, 'I once liked this person very much, but now, I can't remember his name anymore.'"
Duan Xu spoke matter-of-factly, as if joking about something trivial. "Could you remember me a little longer? Remember me for another hundred years, please."
He Simu looked at him—really looked at him—recalling his image in vermilion wedding clothes amidst falling red firecrackers, his figure galloping on horseback through golden summer sunlight. She smiled silently and embraced the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss.
"Duan Shunxi, I've noticed you've become increasingly skilled at playing the pitiful one lately."
Duan Xu sighed dramatically. "Ah, you've discovered my secret."
The night wind above Nandu was fierce and cold. Under the moonlight, countless white threads in the world entangled them, intertwining their hair and binding their bodies together. Heaven and earth formed a cocoon, and they were like larvae within—fragile, temporary, suspended between one form and the next.
Three days later, He Simu left Nandu. Ten days after that, Duan Xu also departed under orders to suppress bandits.
In the Nine Palace Labyrinth of Yu Zhou City, within the endless, bottomless darkness like a vast ocean, a dimly lit area suddenly appeared, illuminated by a single heart candle.
There, sitting on the cold ground, was a figure with snow-white hair and eyelashes, dressed in snow-white clothes. He bore many wounds across his body, appearing haggard and weak, his head lowered in silence.
The visitor crouched down. The heart candle in his hand illuminated his face as he called out, "Bai San Xing, it's time to wake up."
The snow-white evil ghost raised his pitch-black eyes. His originally empty and lifeless gaze gradually focused, light slowly returning as consciousness surfaced. As if awakening from a lengthy dream, he stared at the visitor in bewilderment for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice filled with disbelief.
"How… is it you?"
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