Love Beyond the Grave

Clang.

Amidst the commotion of the onlookers, the Illusion-Breaking Sword fell to the ground. He Simu suddenly covered her face and burst into tears, sobbing, "My Liangzhou was massacred by the Hú Qì People... My elders and kin all died at their hands. Hearing her spout such nonsense, I was overcome with rage... I couldn’t bear not to cut down this vile woman myself..."

Just as she was about to collapse dramatically onto the ground, a pair of hands steadied her arms—so firmly that it ruined her performance.

He Simu turned her head and saw Duan Xu gazing at her meaningfully. With one hand gripping her arm, he bent down to pick up the fallen Illusion-Breaking Sword and slid it back into its sheath.

The Illusion-Breaking Sword only unsheathes for those it deems worthy. Moments ago, it had gleamed lethally in He Simu’s grasp.

In the brief exchange, Duan Xu whispered, low enough for only her to hear, "Don’t draw my sword so recklessly. I nearly killed you just now."

He Simu had indeed sensed it. The moment she unsheathed the blade, Duan Xu had instinctively moved to strike her down but forcibly restrained himself. Had he failed to hold back—unfortunately, the only one injured would have been himself.

Tears streaming down her face, she trembled and cried out loudly, "Please, General, do not blame me for this."

Duan Xu arched an eyebrow. With a light chuckle, he reached out and wiped the blood splattered on her cheek with his thumb. "Miss He is a hero of my Treading White. Grief and rage drove her to slay a villain—how could I blame her?"

After a pause, he murmured, "How do you even cry like this?"

"Biting my tongue."

"Doesn’t it hurt?"

"No."

"Try to be gentler on yourself."

As the two whispered, Lin Jun stormed over, stamping his foot in frustration. "We hadn’t even interrogated He Yan about how she got into the granary! How could you just kill her like that, Miss He?"

He Simu clutched Duan Xu’s sleeve and hid behind him. Playing along, Duan Xu shielded her and turned to Lin Jun with a smile. "We can still question the guards on duty today. Fortunately, the fire didn’t spread far—no major harm done."

He ordered the soldiers to clear the scene, disperse the crowd, and instructed Han Xiaowei to tighten granary security while summoning the guards on duty for questioning. Then, true to his word, he escorted He Simu home, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder.

On the way back, Duan Xu asked, "Why did you choose to ferry her soul?"

It seemed he, too, understood the significance of the Illusion-Breaking Sword.

"Let’s just say I pitied her," He Simu replied, glancing at him before countering, "General, how did you come by these Illusion Breaking Twin Swords?"

"That’s a long story. One day, I met an old man on a bridge in the Southern Capital..."

The moment that familiar opening line left his lips, He Simu nearly rolled her eyes.

But Duan Xu laughed. "It’s true. I met a man who looked very young but insisted he was centuries old. He suddenly stopped me and gifted me this sword, saying the Illusion-Breaking Sword severs delusions and ferries the grievances of the living. Those slain by it avoid corruption and reincarnate immediately. If fate wills it, the sword might even acknowledge me as its master."

A young man claiming to be hundreds of years old.

He Simu fell silent for a moment. If her guess was correct, this "old man" had passed away not long ago—after living nearly five hundred years.

Bo Qing, former master of the immortal sect Star Clarity Palace, the Celestial Beam Star Lord who governed longevity—the longest-lived mortal in the world.

And the senior brother of her mother, aunt, and uncle.Century after century passed, countless old acquaintances returned to dust, leaving only her and Bai Qing in this world. Now even Bai Qing was gone. Though she wasn't close to this stern and rigid elder, his departure meant she was truly alone in this world.

She decided to take a long break and wander about to clear her mind. Unexpectedly, she encountered this enigmatic fellow who turned out to have obtained the Illusion-Breaking Sword from Bai Qing.

Bai Qing was the most accurate diviner in this world. What had he foreseen to give the Illusion-Breaking Sword to Duan Xu? Could it be... he knew Duan Xu was someone who could form a Curse Bond with her, leaving this clue for her to find him?

He Simu shuddered. She'd never liked Bai Qing precisely because his divinations were terrifyingly accurate.

After escorting He Simu to the Lin family residence, Duan Xu excused himself to investigate the granary fire.

"General Duan." He Simu called out to stop him. Staring into his eyes with a faint smile, she asked, "Given my eccentric behavior, aren't you afraid I might truly be Duke Pei or one of Danzhi's people?"

Duan Xu blinked his deep, bright eyes and said earnestly, "Would you be the type to take orders from others? Judging by your skull, you were born rebellious, a woman who makes her own decisions."

His eyes curved into crescents, his smile dazzlingly bright.

He Simu narrowed her eyes slightly.

Earlier, Duan Xu had told the citizens the fire was quickly contained and most provisions saved. But in her view, he was merely placating them.

With that intensity, keeping one-fifth of the supplies would be fortunate. In this besieged city, Duan Xu's leisurely seclusion relied on sturdy walls and ample provisions. Now with the granary severely damaged, the already precarious prefecture faced greater crisis. Who knew how long it could hold?

Yet this young general smiled like an innocent. He Simu mused that after years away from the mortal realm, living humans had become increasingly peculiar. The mind within that perfect skull truly baffled her.

Without further questions, she bid Duan Xu farewell and watched him leave. When his figure disappeared into the bustling New Year shopping crowd, she called, "Du Zheng."

This was the Wandering Soul's name that Yan Ke had found for her.

The ghost of a young man floated behind He Simu. Having died recently, he should have been an unconscious Wandering Soul incapable of becoming a vengeful spirit. Yet He Simu had specially awakened his consciousness.

"Du Zheng, native of Dài Province. In life, you served the Duan family matriarch before becoming Duan Xu's attendant. In the eighth month of Tianyuan Year Five, you died during a robbery at Gutai, Shun Province while accompanying Duan Xu to the Southern Capital."

Kneeling, Du Zheng kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty speaks true."

"Did you see clearly? Was the man who spoke with me your master, the third young master of Duan family, Duan Xu?"

Du Zheng straightened, his youthful face full of confusion as he looked toward where Duan Xu had disappeared.

"That gentleman? Though years have passed, this humble servant can tell he isn't the third young master."

"Was he the robber who attacked you?"

"No... I've never seen him before."Indeed, if that were the case, all the oddities about Duan Xu could be explained—he was an impostor, not the young master of the prestigious Duan family with royal connections and generations of distinguished officials, but possibly a Huqi person. Watching him enthusiastically fight for Great Liang and take such delight in bombing the Huqi people, one wondered what deep-seated hatred he harbored for his homeland.

He Simu idly twirled the jade pendant at her waist and asked, "Where is the real Duan Xu?"

"This humble servant does not know. When I died, the villains were chasing after the young master, but I don’t know what happened in the end."

He Simu nodded and said, "You may go."

Du Zheng bowed deeply and vanished in a wisp of blue smoke.

Upon his return, Duan Xu interrogated all those on duty at the granary that day. The granary was a critical location, guarded not only by the Lin family’s servants who patrolled it but also by a detachment of Treading White troops assigned specifically to protect it. Yet it had been set ablaze by a deranged courtesan—utterly unreasonable.

Xiao Xie, the duty supervisor, knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly. He said he had taken pity on He Yan and sheltered her, only for her to drug him and steal the granary keys and layout. While she infiltrated the granary, he had been unconscious and unaware of how she evaded the patrols.

Duan Xu rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, calmly observing Xiao Xie below. He Yan had originally been the daughter of a wealthy family; her father had once been a minor official overseeing construction projects, so she was well-versed in architectural layouts and knew how to set fires that would be difficult to extinguish. Moreover, she clearly knew the patrol schedules of both the Lin family and the military.

One undeniable fact was that there was a traitor among them, secretly guiding He Yan to accomplish all this, aiming to force them into surrender due to lack of provisions.

"Miss He suddenly appeared and killed He Yan—I find that suspicious. Could she have been trying to silence her?" Wu Shengliu said.

Duan Xu shook his head. "Not her. She didn’t know the granary’s defenses."

"But why would she kill—"

"I was there too, and I could have stopped her. But I figured if the traitor allowed He Yan to be exposed, they wouldn’t have let her know too much. We wouldn’t have gotten any valuable information from her. With He Yan dead, the traitor might let their guard down."

Duan Xu ordered Han Lingqiu, who oversaw the granary’s defenses, to thoroughly investigate the leak. Lin Jun also stated that he would scrutinize the Lin family’s granary servants to see if anyone besides Xiao Xie was involved.

But compared to rooting out the traitor, there was a more pressing matter.

Duan Xu stood up from his seat and looked at the assembled officers—those who had fought alongside him all the way from Liangzhou: Wu Lang Jiang, Han Xiaowei, Meng Wan, and Lin Jun, who had provided crucial support in Shuozhou.

After a moment of silence, he smiled as usual and said, "I’ve sealed the news, but I don’t wish to hide it from all of you here. The remaining provisions in the city will only last our soldiers and civilians another thirty days."

Because Duan Xu smiled so casually, the scene took on an indescribable strangeness. Despite the dire news, it felt as though he had merely remarked on the fine weather that day.

Wu Shengliu’s eyes widened. He wanted to erupt but then remembered that Duan Xu was always this way—reckless and fond of laughter—so he could only suppress his frustration and say, "At worst, we’ll fight our way out of the city and take as many Huqi bastards with us as we can! That’d be worth it!"

Duan Xu waved his hand and chuckled. "It’s not yet time for such desperate measures."Wu Shengliu thought it made sense—that pretty boy Duan Xu was always full of cunning tricks, one shady scheme after another. From Liangzhou all the way here, he had been ready to fight to the death several times, yet somehow never had to resort to it.

Duan Xu turned and walked to the geographical map of Shuozhou hanging in the camp, pointing at the mountain east of the prefectural city. "Before the enemy arrived, I sent scouts to survey the terrain. They found a hidden path on the southern side of Peng Mountain—high enough for horses to pass and wide enough for five men to walk abreast—leading straight to the enemy's rear. As the saying goes, it's impolite not to reciprocate. Since they burned our provisions, we'll repay them by seizing theirs."

Wu Shengliu's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated. "Will... will this work?"

"Whether it works or not, we have to try. Better than waiting to die, right?" Duan Xu smiled brightly.

Lin Jun bowed and said, "When the Hú Qì People transport provisions, they must pass through several northern cities. Our Lin family has relatives up there. I'll try contacting them via carrier pigeons to see if they can keep an eye on the grain shipments."

Duan Xu nodded. "Thank you, Boss Lin."

After the group in the hall discussed and assigned their respective tasks, everyone dispersed—except Han Lingqiu, who called out to Duan Xu.

"General."

Duan Xu turned to look at him. Han Lingqiu's gaze flickered as he saluted and said, "General, may I have a word in private?"

Duan Xu studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Of course."

They walked to a secluded spot near the camp. Han Lingqiu still seemed hesitant but finally gritted his teeth and said, "General, you tasked me with investigating the burning of the granary. There are some things I still don’t understand—may I ask for your guidance?"

"Go ahead."

"General... back when you blew up the Guan River, how did you predict the Hú Qì People would launch a sneak attack?"

Duan Xu laughed brightly and patted Han Lingqiu’s shoulder. "I thought it was something serious. It’s actually quite simple."

"The commander of the Hulan Army reinforcements, Awoerqi, and the commander of the Yuzhou battlefield, Fenglai, have always been at odds. After getting involved in the Danzhi Royal Court’s succession dispute, each supported a different prince, turning them into mortal enemies. Now that the Yuzhou front is deadlocked, Fenglai is already humiliated. If Awoerqi arrives to reinforce and takes all the credit, it would only make things worse for him."

"I led troops into Shuozhou, occupied the prefectural city, and even used prophecies from the Scripture of Azure Words to deceive the Danzhi defenders—long incurring the wrath of the Danzhi Royal Court. If Fenglai could retake Shuozhou and claim my head, not only would he humiliate Awoerqi, but he’d also gain merit for himself. So I calculated that he would strike before the Hulan Army arrived. I had Meng Wan monitor their movements and detonate the prepared explosives when they crossed the Guan River."

Duan Xu explained in meticulous detail. Though he rarely disclosed his schemes in advance, he was always willing to answer questions.

Han Lingqiu listened quietly, then raised his gaze to meet Duan Xu’s, tightening his grip on the sword at his waist.

"I’ve been stationed at the border for years, yet I’ve never heard of any of this. This is your first time in the army, General—how do you know so much about Danzhi?"

Duan Xu looked at Han Lingqiu’s doubtful yet resolute expression and let out a hearty laugh, his tone casual and unhurried.

"Han Xiaowei, are you doubting me?"