The feeling of holding warm, fragrant jade in his arms was something Duan Xu had come to deeply appreciate over these years, having thoroughly tasted its sweetness.
When he awoke, He Simu was in his embrace, idly playing with his fingers. She lay with her back to him, resting on his arm, without a stitch of clothing, their skin pressed together in intimate contact. By now her body had been warmed through by his temperature, truly resembling a warm living person rather than a ghost.
Duan Xu embraced her shoulders and heard her say languidly, "Duan Xu, you're awake."
At this moment she wasn't sharing her senses with him, so she remained completely in her evil ghost state—staying awake all night without sleeping. This situation had occurred frequently over the past three years. He Simu knew Duan Xu hoped to still see her when he woke in the morning, so she would often lie in his arms through the long night until he awakened.
Sometimes Duan Xu was amazed by her indulgence. Always lying in his arms with open eyes all night with nothing to do, yet the Ghost King never complained.
"Good morning, Simu. How long will you stay this time?"
"I'll go back soon. You just arrived in Yun State, so I came to see you. Who knew I'd find such an entertaining scene." He Simu turned in his arms to face him and smiled mischievously. "You talked in your sleep last night."
"Me? What did I say?"
"Couldn't make it out clearly. Your voice was very low, mumbling—don't know if it was Huqi language or Han speech. It was quite amusing."
"What if I call your name in my dreams when you're not by my side?"
"Then I'd be summoned from far away, and I'd certainly wake you from your dream." He Simu poked Duan Xu's nose playfully. "This isn't fair, Duan Shunxi. You can see me in your dreams, but if I want to see you, I must come to you in person."
Duan Xu first laughed, then sighed with genuine longing.
"I miss you so much, Simu. Why is the Ghost King so busy?"
He Simu snorted with laughter. "How dare you complain about me? Aren't you busy too? At least three times I've come to find you, but you weren't available to greet me. I left without you even knowing, right?"
"I was wrong," Duan Xu immediately admitted defeat.
During these three years, He Simu had been stationed in Yuzhou City handling Ghost Realm affairs, while Duan Xu had been recruiting troops and suppressing bandits. The two of them always met hurriedly, spending more time apart than together. Counting it up, it was during those ten days of exchanging senses that He Simu had spent the most time by his side.
He Simu looked into Duan Xu's eyes and smiled. "Marquis Duan, when will this war of yours end?"
"At least ten years, I suppose. Why? Is Your Highness the Ghost King waiting for me to finish the war so you can hide me away in a golden house?"
"That depends on whether you're still worth hiding after ten years, whether you'll still be charming enough."
He Simu poked Duan Xu's chest teasingly, and he tightened his grip around her waist, kissing her deeply. Between kisses, he murmured, "Your Highness the Ghost King has taken me for a lifetime. There's no reason to abandon me now."
He Simu giggled against his lips.
After some playful banter, He Simu prepared to leave. She reluctantly left Duan Xu's warm embrace and began dressing. Duan Xu sighed, saying he had just managed to warm her up, and now she would be cold again.
He Simu wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a lingering kiss, and disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. As she vanished, the poor young girl who had been lying unconscious on the table all night woke in confusion, flexing her stiff limbs as she looked at Duan Xu with bewilderment.
Duan Xu wore a white inner garment, appearing entirely satisfied. He smiled slightly and said kindly, "You must have been very tired yesterday. You fell asleep immediately, and couldn't be awakened no matter how I called."
The young girl stared blankly and uttered a confused "Ah?"
The prefect came with a smiling face to receive Duan Xu and escort him back to the military camp. When he learned that Duan Xu hadn't touched the young girl, the prefect was first stunned, then smiled diplomatically, suggesting that Yun State was remote, unlike the southern capital, and perhaps the beauties of Yun State weren't to Duan Xu's refined tastes.
Before coming, Duan Xu had heard about this prefect in Fang Xianye's letter. Although the man was slippery and obsequious, he was very skilled at balancing various relationships. Fang Xianye had abolished the four-class system previously established by the Huqi people, but had not purged the well-behaved Huqi citizens, nor did he advocate revenge. Thus, relations between various ethnic groups across these states were in a delicate transition period, and this prefect was adept at smoothing things over—giving some pressure here, some comfort there—making the past few years relatively stable.
Duan Xu waved his hand and smiled. "Prefect, there's no difference whether such words are said or not. I don't care what habits others from the southern capital have brought, but for me and my military leaders, if you wish to entertain us with banquets, just observe proper etiquette. Beautiful women like today are unnecessary, and you don't need to flatter me."
The prefect immediately bowed and nodded in eager agreement. Duan Xu patted his shoulder with a familiar gesture. "Now that Lord Fang has returned to the southern capital, and a new Border Patrolling Envoy hasn't been appointed yet, you are the highest official in Yun State. Over these years, the court has allocated considerable silver for the mines and horse farms, so Yun State should be quite prosperous. You must use the money in the right places."
"Of course," the prefect replied with trepidation.
Duan Xu lowered his head, smiling at the prefect with that particular expression that never reached his eyes. "You needn't be so cautious. To be honest, I quite like you."
The prefect inexplicably shuddered as he watched Duan Xu walk out of his residence with hands behind his back, entirely at ease. He thought to himself that this marquis from the southern capital was even harder to understand than Lord Fang had been.
Duan Xu hadn't walked far from the prefect's residence when he encountered Chen Ying and Shi Biao, a commander from his Returning Crane Army, who had come to escort him back. Shi Biao was originally a bandit leader from Three Master Mountain in Hu State—skilled in martial arts, intelligent, and fiercely loyal, with considerable local reputation. Because of the many tattoos covering his face, he was nicknamed "Blue-faced Tiger." When suppressing bandits, Duan Xu had adopted a strategy of large encirclement and defeating them one by one. At that time, he had already defeated five to six out of ten bandits and had surrounded Shi Biao's stronghold for seven days. Finally, he had entered the stronghold alone and talked with Shi Biao for an entire day, successfully persuading him to surrender. Thus, Shi Biao became a commander in his Returning Crane Army.
Shi Biao was a large man with a tiger's back and bear's waist, sporting a full beard. Seeing Duan Xu, he said loudly, "General Duan, I heard the prefect treated you well yesterday, with fine wine and beautiful women. Why didn't you bring your brothers to enjoy?"
"You still want to taste? Shi Biao, what did you promise me? Once north of the border, absolutely no alcohol. Have you forgotten?" Duan Xu walked past them, and they turned to follow him toward the military camp.
Shi Biao complained like a child denied a treat. "The battle hasn't even started yet. What's wrong with a few drinks?"
"A few drinks? Brother Shi, are you sure you can stop at a few? When have you ever touched alcohol without drinking yourself into oblivion? If it weren't for that weakness, my Third Brother wouldn't have surrounded you so thoroughly back then." Chen Ying mercilessly exposed Shi Biao's past, earning a slap on his head as Shi Biao angrily told him to stop talking.
Shi Biao was older than Duan Xu, but Duan Xu was casual in their friendship, following Chen Ying in calling him Brother Shi. He said, "Brother Shi, the terrain of Jing State is similar to Hu State. You would be most adept at fighting here, as long as you can stay sober…"
Duan Xu suddenly stopped speaking and halted his steps abruptly. Chen Ying, not paying attention, bumped into his back and rubbed his forehead, asking curiously, "Third Brother, why did you stop?"
Duan Xu didn't answer. His gaze had fixed on some jumbled drawings in a corner of the street. With a suddenly serious expression, he walked over and bent down to carefully observe the strange markings—circles and slashes of varying lengths arranged in a specific pattern. Chen Ying and Shi Biao exchanged puzzled glances, followed him, and peered at the markings over his shoulder. Chen Ying said in surprise, "These are… Third Brother, what you taught me…"
Shi Biao asked in confusion, "What? Little Xue, you recognize these scribbles?"
Duan Xu straightened up, his expression grim. He said softly, "They have come."
These were the markings of the Heaven Knowing.
The message indicated they were hunting for number seventeen, and the circle nearby referred to the High Priest. With the previous High Priest deceased and Lu Da now serving as Zhi's new High Priest, this symbol appearing here meant that Lu Da was also nearby—and actively hunting.
Shi Biao, still utterly confused, asked, "Who has come? What's going on?"
Duan Xu suddenly turned and strode toward the military camp. Though he wasn't running, his steps were alarmingly fast, and Chen Ying and Shi Biao barely kept pace with him. He asked sharply, "When did Han Lingqiu leave, where is he now, has there been any news?"
Chen Ying, jogging to keep up, answered breathlessly, "He left three days ago. Yesterday, a message came that he had just reached General Tang in Jing State."
The terrain of Jing State flashed through Duan Xu's mind—the areas occupied by the rebel army and Zhi displayed before his eyes like a living map. Combined with the Heaven Knowing markings he had just seen, he laughed coldly. "What a fine trap they've set. Tang Dequan of Jing State must have been bought by Zhi. Under the pretext of seeking our aid, they plan to annihilate us with Zhi's army once we enter Jing State."
"What? But General Tang is Han!" Shi Biao exclaimed in shock.
Duan Xu sneered with contempt. "With enough benefits, one would even be a dog, let alone a servant."
"But General Han has already entered Jing State, and he didn't bring many troops."
"Han Lingqiu has probably been detained. Chen Ying, ride quickly to the Treading White Army and inform them that Han Lingqiu's military orders are no longer trustworthy. Even if he returns in person, face-to-face troop deployments are not allowed." As the military camp came into view, Duan Xu entered with purposeful strides and said to Shi Biao, "Relay my orders: from now on, without my permission, no army is to step into Jing State, and vigilance against Jing State's army must be increased. Call everyone to gather at my tent immediately."
Shi Biao saluted in acknowledgment.
Before long, several commanders of the Returning Crane Army had gathered in Duan Xu's tent, surrounding the enormous geographical map to discuss strategies. There were some territories belonging to the rebel army at the border between Jing State and Yun State, with troops stationed on both sides. But because General Tang had repeatedly shown goodwill toward Daliang, everyone believed he would soon lead his troops in allegiance, so they had maintained no wariness toward those rebels. If the rebels suddenly attacked, there would certainly be devastating losses.
"They have people in Yun State and Luo State who are very familiar with our movements. Just now I ordered that no army should act rashly, and they should receive this news soon. The opportunity will be fleeting. Shi Biao…" Duan Xu looked up at Shi Biao, his hand tracing a decisive line on the map. "I'll give you fifty thousand troops. Leave immediately and take these four cities in the southwest of Jing State within three days. Can you do it?"
Shi Biao's eyes gleamed with excitement at the prospect of battle, and he readily agreed with enthusiasm, "Leave it to me. Let this old man have some fun with them."
Duan Xu turned to look at Ding Jin, another commander of the Returning Crane Army who stood opposite Shi Biao. From a military family background, well-versed in military strategy and excellent in horsemanship, he had once chased mountain bandits all over Hu State—never expecting to end up as colleagues with former bandits. He had always looked down on Shi Biao and rarely spoke to him directly.
"Ding Jin, I'll give you five thousand cavalry. Take these two cities in the east of Jing State within three days. Can you do it?"
Ding Jin glanced at the excited Shi Biao with barely concealed disdain and saluted crisply. "Ding Jin will not fail this mission."
Shi Biao, rubbing his hands together eagerly, asked, "General Duan, shall we show them our special skills?"
"Not yet."
Shi Biao seemed visibly disappointed.
Duan Xu stepped back, cupping his hands at his lips as he studied the map with intense focus. The places he had just ordered his commanders to attack were all territories occupied by the Huqi people. Taking them would sever the connection between the Jing State rebels and the Huqi forces, but if too much time passed, the Huqi people and the rebels might react, and his forces would face enemies on both fronts.
However, the rebel army was probably not a united block. Tang Dequan, waving the banner of expelling the Huqi and restoring the Han dynasty, would have recruited Han people with deep grievances against the Huqi. For Tang Dequan to surrender to Zhi meant betraying these subordinates, and they probably didn't know they had been sold out.
This would require Ziwei's involvement.
As Duan Xu was thinking through the implications, Shi Biao interjected with concern, "But what about General Han? He's already in the traitor's camp and will certainly be held hostage."
"Since ancient times, it's been common for leaders to fall into traps due to momentary carelessness and lose their lives," Ding Jin said coldly, his tone dismissive.
"Well, we're all brothers fighting the Huqi together. You're saying we won't rescue him just like that?"
"This is a military camp, not your mountain stronghold. Curb that bandit attitude of yours."
"Hey, you pretty boy Ding, you…"
Duan Xu raised his hand sharply to stop the argument between his two commanders and said with calm authority, "Of course, we'll rescue him, but there's no need to use the army. You focus on fighting well, and I'll go rescue him myself."
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