Realizing this possibility, Chen Ying became truly anxious. He pushed Duan Xu's arm. "Third Brother, did you fight with Sister Xiaoxiao? Are you… are you two breaking up?"
This question seemed to pierce Duan Xu.
He slowly raised his head from the crook of his arm. His eyes were rimmed with red, bright eyes containing a shallow sheen of moisture, looking downward as if lost in thought.
Chen Ying had never seen Duan Xu cry before.
He felt his heart breaking and desperately offered suggestions. "…If only I had known, I would have told Sister Xiaoxiao about your illness. If she knew you were sick, she definitely wouldn't leave you."
Duan Xu finally raised his eyes to look at Chen Ying. He tilted his head and smiled, holding the wine jar. "No, that wouldn't be good."
Very few people knew about Duan Xu's illness.
His first attack was a year and a half ago, after completing his sixth exchange of senses with He Simu. That time, He Simu had exchanged taste, and to allow her to fully experience delicious food, he had taken it upon himself to give her his sense of smell as well. Then he invited master chefs from the four great culinary traditions to cook for her and shared all the finest wines in the world with her.
After the exchange ended, He Simu quickly returned to the ghost realm. Just a few days after she left, Duan Xu was organizing military tactics when he suddenly felt a suffocating sensation, as if something was rising in his throat like nausea. Before he could control it, he vomited everything out, seeing bright red blood stain all the papers on the table, slowly seeping and spreading.
He stared at the pool of blood in stunned silence for a moment, not immediately understanding what had happened.
Chen Ying happened to enter and see this scene, frightening him so badly that he nearly burst into tears on the spot. Duan Xu then privately called a physician to check his pulse. The doctor, over seventy years old, was greatly alarmed after examining his pulse, his hand stopping midway through stroking his beard, his expression grave. The doctor said his pulse was peculiar and irregular, outwardly showing sudden internal bleeding, but the cause couldn't be determined.
The old gentleman asked strangely, "General, did you not feel any pain in your abdomen before vomiting blood?"
Duan Xu shook his head, and the old gentleman continued to frown deeply. However, while shaking his head, Duan Xu suddenly realized the reason—perhaps his internal organs had already lost sensation, so he couldn't feel the pain.
His body's deterioration was far worse than he had imagined.
During the subsequent two exchanges of senses with Simu, within five days after each exchange ended, he would inevitably have an attack and vomit blood, each time more than the last. Fortunately, Simu was also busy and wasn't by his side at those times. The old doctor who came to check his pulse couldn't prescribe any medicine and frowned all day.
Duan Xu knew the cause of his illness and asked the doctor—what would happen if I didn't treat this illness.
The doctor said—your body will gradually weaken, and you may not be able to enjoy your later years.
Duan Xu thought for a moment, then said it didn't matter, it was enough. After that, he never visited this doctor again and stopped managing his illness. He only instructed the worried Chen Ying to never tell He Simu about this matter.
Chen Ying couldn't understand why Duan Xu wanted to do this, but years of accumulated experience told him that both He Simu and Duan Xu were very intelligent people, and he should follow their opinions. So, apart from taking good care of Duan Xu and preventing him from taking risks everywhere, he never mentioned this matter to He Simu.
At this moment, Chen Ying finally couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed Duan Xu's arm and shook it. "Third Brother, why don't you treat your illness? Why don't you tell Sister Xiaoxiao? If you stop exchanging senses with Sister Xiaoxiao, wouldn't you stop getting sick?"
Duan Xu was perhaps truly a bit drunk. A man who was usually difficult to move was now swaying back and forth as Chen Ying shook him. His face was still smiling, with a thin layer of light in his eyes.
"I knew about these damages early on. I am her curse-binder; this is the meaning of my existence by her side." He pressed Chen Ying's hand and said softly, "Originally, I could do so little for her. If I can't even do this, what else can I do?"
Perhaps he would become blurred and fade in her memory like all her other lovers, but in this, he was unique—by his side, she had experienced a living world. He hoped she would be happy, and he hoped she would remember him because of this happiness.
His hand was a bit cold as he patted Chen Ying's warm hand, with a somewhat comforting meaning. Perhaps because Chen Ying's expression was too sad and heavy, Duan Xu instead became more relaxed. He spoke with a warm smile.
"Besides, I've experienced the world she lives in daily—it's too cold and lonely. I don't want her to be like that. If she wants five, I can give her ten."
Duan Xu's words left Chen Ying speechless. He stared at Duan Xu for a long time, then said somewhat angrily, "But now… now there aren't even five! Sister Xiaoxiao doesn't want it anymore!"
Duan Xu's smile faded. He said, "Yes, she doesn't want it anymore."
Then, as if feeling unwell, he raised his hand to press his temple and said softly, "I think I'm drunk. My head hurts a bit. Chen Ying, I'm going to sleep. You should go rest too."
Chen Ying finally left Duan Xu's room, sober but smelling of alcohol. After closing the door, he stood in the courtyard for a long time. In the flickering candlelight, Duan Xu's shadow fell on the window. Duan Xu had grown thinner during this time, the outline of his bones looking almost sharp. He continued to sit in the chair supporting his forehead, not going to rest.
After who knows how long, Duan Xu suddenly blew out the candle, and his shadow merged into the indistinct darkness.
At that moment, Chen Ying didn't know why, but he felt extremely sad.
After that night, Duan Xu resumed his usual composed demeanor. Before his wound had fully healed, he went to the front lines in You Prefecture, arriving just in time for the final stages of He Jia Feng Yi's ghost exorcism. After briefly reorganizing the camp, he went to find He Jia Feng Yi.
Sorcerers often needed to find a high place facing south from the north for their spells. He Jia Feng Yi had chosen Xing Yun Mountain in central You Prefecture. When Duan Xu reached the mountaintop, he saw the thin, tall man standing at the summit, his shoulder-high carved wooden staff moving swiftly in his hand, drawing full arcs, bells ringing rhythmically. When the sound reached its peak, a strong wind spread from He Jia Feng Yi's body.
In the strong wind, He Jia Feng Yi's sleeves fluttered like a clothes rack made of withered branches. However, as the core of the formation, his power spread irresistibly, connecting with the formation below the mountain and the various cultivators, extending magnificently to cover the entire battlefield.
The Breaking Illusion Sword at Duan Xu's waist seemed to respond, emitting a slight ringing sound. If he could still see ghosts, he would probably witness a magnificent scene.
However, after completing this set of movements, He Jia Feng Yi seemed to lose his strength and began to slump, skillfully supported by Zi Ji. Red spots began to appear on He Jia Feng Yi's body. He muttered that this ghost energy was too filthy, that the Southern Capital was better, wondering why the Ancestral One had chosen this time to make such a big move, causing him to rush east and west harming his body.
He Jia Feng Yi's ability to talk to himself continuously proved he was truly a person who couldn't bear loneliness. Duan Xu walked to Feng Yi's side. Today he wore light armor with a jade hairpin binding his hair, smiling brightly and handsomely. "Thank you for your assistance."
"It's my duty, no need for thanks." He Jia Feng Yi waved his hand. Such formal words coming from his mouth indeed felt incongruous.
Duan Xu smiled lightly.
He didn't care about Yan Ke's provocations, but He Jia Feng Yi had indeed sparked a bit of jealousy in him. Initially, it was because of Feng Yi's intimate relationship with He Simu. Later, after understanding the blood connection between He Simu and Feng Yi, that occasional jealousy was because Feng Yi and He Simu were people from the same world.
For instance, these spells, barriers, magical powers, and ghost exorcism were He Jia Feng Yi's specialties, but he was different. When it came to him and Simu, they were truly living in two different, non-interfering worlds.
If they were people from the same world, they wouldn't lose contact so easily.
Duan Xu looked at He Jia Feng Yi. "Lord Imperial Tutor, could you deliver a message to Simu for me? Tell her I have doubts in my heart and hope to see her once more."
He Jia Feng Yi wore a worried expression. His complexion was already not rosy, and with the added worry, it looked even more miserable. He sighed and moved closer to Duan Xu, speaking softly. "That ban goes both ways. Not only are we forbidden to mention the Ancestral One to you, but the Ancestral One also forbids us from mentioning you to her. I can shamelessly deliver this message once, but she probably won't agree."
Duan Xu's gaze darkened.
"Our Ancestral One is quite a resolute person. She was always very indulgent with you before. Perhaps when the war is over, you can go to Yu Zhou City to find her yourself."
"When the war is over…" Duan Xu repeated, then laughed softly and sighed deeply. "If you want to see her, you can go find her anytime. If she wants to see me, she can appear anytime too. But I can't do that. It's unfair."
He Jia Feng Yi coughed twice. "You should have known this from the beginning."
Duan Xu was silent for a moment, then smiled. "I know."
When he was coming down the mountain with He Jia Feng Yi, he vomited blood again. It seemed that this serious injury had triggered his strange illness. Even without exchanging senses, he began to vomit blood unpredictably and didn't feel any pain. Regarding the lack of pain, he didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Sometimes he felt like he couldn't grasp this body.
Chen Ying used a handkerchief to wipe the blood from Duan Xu's lips. Duan Xu looked up and saw He Jia Feng Yi. He Jia Feng Yi showed a pitying expression, pointing to himself and then to him. "Look, here are two sickly people. General Duan, if your wound isn't healed, don't force yourself. Do you want to be like me?"
From looking at Feng Yi, one might think this was caused by his arrow wound.
Duan Xu smiled, his face full of warmth. "Your Excellency is right."
Although he had promised He Jia Feng Yi not to push himself, Duan Xu was someone who actively acknowledged his mistakes but never changed and was always very good at pushing himself. He immediately threw himself into the frontline battle. After completing this large-scale ghost exorcism, He Jia Feng Yi retired successfully, leaving some cultivators from Star Palace to continue monitoring the situation. Those previously brave Dan soldiers finally returned to normal, and because of the backlash from ghost possession, their fighting ability decreased. They were driven back steadily by the Great Liang soldiers, who recaptured the two cities that had been taken back.
In addition, Great Liang continued to press forward and captured two more important towns.
Duan Xu mostly commanded from the camp but also personally fought in two battles. Because his reputation had spread throughout Dan, the Dan army became somewhat afraid when they saw him, which produced very good results. Chen Ying, following beside him, was terrified—killing enemies while being prepared to carry his Third Brother back if he suddenly collapsed.
Although his Third Brother could still be energetic and lively even after vomiting blood, possibly even able to knock him to the ground, he was still extremely worried, feeling that he would develop wrinkles at his young age from all the anxiety.
Misfortunes never come singly. Just as the battle in You Prefecture reached a critical moment, Luo Xian suddenly sent them a letter. Chen Ying's face changed as soon as he opened the note. He said to Duan Xu, "Third Brother, the Emperor has fainted again and hasn't attended court for half a month. Currently… his fate is uncertain. Prince Su has mobilized the Imperial Guards to seal off the palace. Prince Ji, under the pretext of concern for the Emperor's safety, has surrounded the Southern Capital with the garrison troops from Dai, Shun, and Yi Prefectures. The Southern Capital… is in chaos."
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