Love Beyond the Grave

After drinking the medicine, He Simu felt her control over this body had improved significantly. Fortunately, the physician diagnosed her with only a mild cold, nothing too serious. The next day, she got out of bed, wrapped herself in a thick fur-lined cape, and walked from her room into the small courtyard.

Though Shuozhou lay north of the Guan River, its climate was similar to Liangzhou. The wealthy household's courtyard was planted with many locust trees, maples, and plum trees, with bluestone paving and gray walls. The plum blossoms were just beginning to bud, lending an elegant charm to the entrance. Chen Ying came bouncing over and took her hand, looking up at her with concern. "Sister, are you alright?"

"Nothing serious."

Chen Ying nodded but then frowned. "Sister Simu, you talked with Brother General for so long yesterday. You're not going to hand me over to him, are you?"

He Simu shook her head. She sat down on the bench along the corridor and said, "Given the current situation, Duan Xu is likely in grave danger. I wouldn't push you into a pit of fire."

"What does the lady mean by that?"

He Simu turned her head and saw a young man in white standing in the courtyard, his gaze burning as he looked at them.

Perhaps not a man in white—light-colored clothes all appeared white to her. His robes were embroidered with intricate patterns of pine trees and distant mountains, his hair half-loose over his shoulders. Tall and well-built with firm features, he was a handsome young man.

He Simu's eyes lingered on his head for a moment. His bone structure wasn't bad, though naturally, it couldn't compare to Duan Xu's.

He bowed to He Simu and said, "Greetings, Lady He. I am Lin Jun, a native of Shuozhou."

Lin Jun—so this was Boss Lin, the owner of this estate.

The young master of the Lin family, a prominent Han merchant in Shuozhou, was the unfortunate owner of the carriage she had nearly destroyed. Since Duan Xu took control of Shuozhou's prefectural city, the Lin family had staunchly supported him, providing the Snow-Treading Army with ample supplies. When He Simu, the wind diviner, fell ill, it was Lin Jun who had offered her this place to recuperate.

Who knew how much oppression the Lin family had endured under Danzhi to welcome the Great Liang army so warmly?

He Simu returned the greeting, only to hear Lin Jun press further. "Lady He, you just said General Duan is in grave danger. What did you mean by that?"

He Simu studied Lin Jun for a moment before resting her arm on the railing with a smile. "Boss Lin, given how closely you work with the Snow-Treading Army, you should know better than I do. How many men does the Snow-Treading Army have? They must defend Liangzhou while attacking Shuozhou. Even if General Duan had three heads and six arms, he couldn't conjure more soldiers out of thin air."

"The Snow-Treading Army captured five cities in Shuozhou by striking where the enemy least expected it, attacking where they were unprepared. But why was Danzhi unprepared? Because Duan Xu took a path that was practically suicidal. The Snow-Treading Army has barely fifty thousand troops in Shuozhou, while Danzhi has two hundred thousand waiting to march south. Aside from the prefectural city, with its high walls, mountains on two sides, and a river at its back making it easy to defend, the other four cities have no natural defenses. Soon, those four cities will fall back into Danzhi's hands, and we'll all be trapped and doomed in Shuozhou's prefectural city."

"Shuozhou's prefectural city is the only route for Danzhi to send reinforcements to Yuzhou. They will attack relentlessly. Duan Xu might retreat or stand his ground. If he chooses to hold the city, a bloody battle will ensue. And if Shuozhou soon returns to Danzhi's control, Boss Lin, what do you think will become of you?"After delivering that lengthy speech, He Simu started coughing, and Chen Ying's face turned pale with fright. He rushed to her side to help soothe her, whispering anxiously, "Then, Sister Simu... why did you still agree to come to Shuozhou? It's so dangerous..."

Why? Naturally, it was for Duan Xu's invitation and her own sustenance.

He Simu showed no trace of concern, merely smiling as she tapped Chen Ying's forehead. "Now you're scared? Back then, I said it would be fine to go read the winds for the Danzhi people, but you didn’t believe me."

Lin Jun's gaze flickered as he stared at He Simu, remaining silent.

An elderly man resembling a steward hurried into the courtyard, bowing to Lin Jun and He Simu before announcing, "Master, Miss He, General Duan has arrived and is waiting in the front hall."

Lin Jun nodded. He seemed about to turn and leave but paused mid-step, glancing back at He Simu.

"Miss He, do you think my Lin family is so wealthy and powerful that we live in splendor even under Danzhi rule? You’ve never seen how my father’s generation and I endured humiliation while forcing ourselves to flatter those Huqi nobles. To the Hú Qì People, we Han are nothing but slaves—perhaps not even worth as much as a dog."

His back straightened as if propped up by an unyielding force, and he declared word by word, "We of the Lin family are human beings. We are not slaves, nor are we dogs."

With that, he swept his sleeves and left. He Simu, holding Chen Ying, narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched his retreating figure. This boss still had fire in his veins.

Following the steward’s guidance, she accompanied Lin Jun to the front hall. Duan Xu and Han Lingqiu stood there clad in armor. Lin Jun strode forward to greet them with a bow, then turned to Han Lingqiu with concern. "Han Xiaowei, how is your condition?"

Han Lingqiu’s left arm still couldn’t lift properly. He bowed stiffly. "I’m recovering. It’s no longer serious."

"I heard from the physician that you once took a life-or-death medicine with endless repercussions. Do you recall what it was? The physician could adjust your treatment accordingly," Lin Jun offered warmly.

Han Lingqiu, however, frowned and shook his head, his tone rigid. "I know my own body. There’s no need for Boss Lin to trouble himself."

Lin Jun’s goodwill was rebuffed, leaving him awkwardly urging Han Lingqiu to take care before falling silent. Observing the scene, He Simu’s gaze swept over the group before meeting Duan Xu’s eyes—the latter’s brows curved slightly in a faint smile.

Duan Xu smoothly redirected the conversation, stating plainly that he was heading to the military camp and had come to fetch He Simu for important discussions.

She didn’t refuse.

Upon reaching the camp, He Simu stepped gracefully from the carriage while Duan Xu dismounted and approached her.

"Care to guess what I want to talk to you about now?"

"Han Xiaowei?"

Duan Xu leaned closer, whispering, "No, you’ve got a runny nose. Wipe it quickly."

...Being human was truly troublesome.

He Simu frowned and instinctively reached to touch her nose, but Duan Xu caught her wrist.

"Don’t," he chided lightly, his tone lifting as he pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her.

"A hero of Treading White can’t attend a meeting with snot dripping."

This seemed to be the second handkerchief of Duan Xu’s she’d ruined.He Simu held the handkerchief to her nose and smiled, saying, "You're the one who's the hero of the Snow-Treading Army. What am I? In a moment, no one will probably even look at me."

As it turned out, she was right. The moment they entered the tent, before Duan Xu could even introduce her, Wu Shengliu jumped up. His bronze armor clanked as the burly, bearded man shouted, "General, what do you mean by sending Xia Qingsheng back to Liangzhou?"

After just a few days apart, Wu Shengliu—who had previously been stubborn and defiant—now called Duan Xu "General" with increasing ease, though his neck was still stiff with pride.

Seeing that she truly had no part in this, He Simu paused mid-step, then gathered her cape and walked to the side, taking a seat at what was presumably her designated spot. She picked up a cup of tea, ready to enjoy the show.

"Careful, or you'll burn your tongue. The tea's scalding hot."

Duan Xu tapped the table in front of He Simu with two fingers, giving her a meaningful warning. Then he turned to face Wu Shengliu, still smiling brightly.

"Yes, I sent Commander Xia back to Liangzhou to lead the remaining Snow-Treading Army forces there and await reinforcements. Do you have any objections, Commander Wu?"

He Simu, who had been watching the scene, raised an eyebrow and wisely set down the steaming cup of tea to avoid injury.

By now, all the commanders and captains—except for Xia Qingsheng—had gathered in the tent. Their gleaming armor cast a cold light, making the tent feel even chillier. Aside from Meng Wan and Han Lingqiu, there were a few unfamiliar captains who watched the confrontation between Wu Shengliu and Duan Xu with nervous tension.

Commander Wu and Duan Xu had been at odds for quite some time—one was a seasoned veteran, the other a high-ranking noble; one was blunt and hot-tempered, the other always wore a smile. They could barely cooperate during battles, but once the fighting ended, arguments inevitably erupted.

Yet somehow, despite their constant clashes, they had managed to win battle after battle—a fact that never ceased to amaze.

"Do I have objections? General, I've fought alongside you in these battles, and though we won, I was left completely bewildered. You never gave me a straight answer!"

Wu Shengliu grew angrier as he spoke. Originally, Duan Xu had claimed they would attack Yuzhou, but shortly after the battle began, they suddenly turned around to cross the river and strike Shuozhou. During the siege of the prefectural city, things escalated further—before the attack, Wu Shengliu had argued with Duan Xu, insisting that given the terrain and enemy numbers, they were doomed. Yet out of nowhere, a swarm of red birds appeared, terrifying the Huqi soldiers into abandoning the city.

Duan Xu had never discussed these plans with him beforehand—clearly, he looked down on him!

What Wu Shengliu didn’t realize was that he was gravely mistaken in his assumption. Duan Xu didn’t look down on him—this man simply had an innate tendency to act unilaterally, even if the heavens themselves stood before him.

Duan Xu chuckled and motioned for Wu Shengliu to sit down. He then took his own seat behind the table, leisurely explaining, "Commander Wu, your emotions are plain to see, and having been stationed at the border for years, the enemy knows you well. If I had shared our deceptive tactics with you, they might have been exposed. Besides, you’re well aware of the disparity in strength between our forces and the enemy’s. As the saying goes, 'In desperate ground, fight.' If we hadn’t faced the enemy with the resolve to die, what use would backup plans have been?""Those red birds were nothing more than pigeons painted red. I had Meng Wan search all the messenger stations in this area and obtained thousands of carrier pigeons, each painted with red flame patterns to be released during battle. The Huqi people devoutly believe in the Azure God and revere the Scripture of Azure Words as their supreme text. The scripture mentions that when the Azure God punishes his followers, he sends red birds adorned with flame patterns from the sky—those touched by them will suffer eternal damnation."

Wu Shengliu listened to Duan Xu's explanation, his expression softening slightly.

Duan Xu smiled and said slowly, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. It has always been so."

He Simu's fingers idly traced the rim of her teacup, the tips reddening from the heat, yet she didn't withdraw them.

Given her understanding of the Huqi, they only permitted their own people to worship the Azure God, and reciting the Scripture of Azure Words was a privilege reserved for their priests. That day on the battlefield, the Huqi words Duan Xu had spoken were scripture—word for word identical to the original text.

—"Azure God's Calamity, burning all living things."

How could he be so familiar with the Scripture of Azure Words?

Her gaze shifted to the Illusion-Breaking Sword at his waist, and she mused that her uncle's sword had quite the peculiar taste, choosing such an enigmatic master.

Had a hundred years passed, and now it found itself bored, even taking a liking to solving mysteries?

Wu Shengliu and the others had no real understanding of the Scripture of Azure Words or the Azure God, only vaguely aware that it was something akin to the Huqi people's Jade Emperor or supreme deity. Finally, he snorted and sat back down, crossing his arms. "General Duan is well-traveled and knowledgeable—this rough man can't compare. Now that Danzhi's Awoerqi leads an army that will be at our gates in a few days, I assume the general must have a foolproof plan. Would you care to share it with us?"

"Awoerqi..." Duan Xu interlaced his fingers, rubbing them thoughtfully.

All eyes were on Duan Xu. By now, they had grown accustomed to him pondering briefly before presenting one strange plan after another.

This time, however, after a moment of thought, Duan Xu said, "To be honest, I don’t have a foolproof plan."

Wu Shengliu nearly leapt up again. "No plan? They have two hundred thousand troops!"

Everyone knew the four cities of Shuozhou couldn’t be held. If they didn’t retreat along the official road connecting those cities back to Liangzhou soon, once Danzhi’s army took them, the prefectural city would become an isolated island, besieged on all sides.

"Does Miss He Xiaoxiao have any suggestions?" Duan Xu suddenly called on her.

All eyes turned to He Simu, who had been idly blowing on her tea. The motion paused.

He Simu raised her eyes, glancing at the circle of people watching her, then set down her teacup with a graceful smile.

Duan Xu took the opportunity to introduce her. "This is Miss He, our Treading White’s Diviner, from Liangzhou. She assisted in calculating the opportune time for our attack on Shuozhou."

He Simu smiled faintly, then turned her gaze to Duan Xu. "General, must you stop Danzhi’s reinforcements?"

"Yes."

"Then why don’t you just blow up the Guan River?"