Love Beyond the Grave

All eyes turned to Lin Jun in bewilderment, while he stood frozen in place, utterly perplexed. "General Duan... what are you saying? Do you suspect me of being a spy?"

Duan Xu shook his head leisurely and said, "Not suspect—I’m certain. The carriage carrying the Diviner of Wind Angles was ambushed, with Han Lingqiu accompanying it, but the carriage was provided by you. You were also privy to the grain depot’s defenses, the timing of the raid, and the correspondence from the Lin family’s main branch."

Lin Jun scoffed. "So what?"

"Must I spell it out?" Duan Xu stepped slightly closer to Lin Jun, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I had no idea the Nether Examination was a jianghu custom, Fifteen of Heaven Knows."

Lin Jun’s expression shifted instantly, the earlier confusion and anger vanishing without a trace. With lightning speed, he hooked an arm around Duan Xu’s neck. Duan Xu twisted free, but Lin Jun anticipated the move, locking his arms and pressing a hidden blade against Duan Xu’s throat.

His martial skills were unfathomable—even Duan Xu couldn’t resist.

Cold-eyed, Lin Jun declared loudly, "No one move, or I’ll kill him."

The surrounding soldiers drew their swords but hesitated, unwilling to act with Duan Xu at risk. Wu Shengliu pointed his broadsword at Lin Jun, furious. "Damn it, Boss Lin, I thought you were a real man! When the Lin patriarch died beneath the city walls, I even felt guilty toward your family. Turns out you were the one who betrayed your own uncle!"

He Simu tossed aside melon seed shells and rose leisurely, reminding them, "This man isn’t the real Lin Jun—just a disguise. The uncle he sold out wasn’t his real kin."

"Bah! I don’t give a damn if he’s kin or not—this bastard’s not leaving alive!" Wu Shengliu roared.

Lin Jun remained eerily calm, his grip on Duan Xu unyielding. No one doubted that the slightest provocation would send his blade slicing through Duan Xu’s throat.

Amid the chaos, Han Lingqiu had rushed onto the platform, standing among the crowd with a conflicted expression as he faced Lin Jun and Duan Xu. Lin Jun’s gaze shifted to him, and he asked calmly, "Did you truly lose your memory?"

Han Lingqiu’s eyes flickered, but he stayed silent. Wu Shengliu, however, bellowed, "What the hell does it matter to you whether he remembers or not?"

"If you did lose your memory, perhaps there’s still hope. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but you should be my Seventeenth Junior Brother. Come back with me to see our master."

Lin Jun’s gaze was as cold as iron, a stark contrast to the patriotic fervor of Boss Lin.

Han Lingqiu shook his head, the scar on his face ghastly but his resolve firm. "Stop spouting nonsense to confuse everyone. I am Han Lingqiu, a captain of Great Liang’s Snow-Treading Army—nothing more."

Lin Jun chuckled. "You were once our master’s favorite disciple. Now you can’t even tell right from wrong."

He sealed Duan Xu’s acupoints and, keeping him hostage, slowly backed out of the training ground. After demanding a horse, he ordered Wu Lang Jiang to let him leave the city. True to his principle of not resisting when outmatched, Duan Xu instructed Wu Lang Jiang to comply.

But Lin Jun didn’t keep his word. Instead of releasing Duan Xu, he took him beyond the city walls, riding straight into the Huqi army’s camp at Danzhi.

Wu Shengliu could only stomp in frustration, ordering the city gates shut the moment Lin Jun left while cursing, "Damn those Hú Qì People, ruining the New Year! Once night falls, we’ll storm their camp and rescue the general!"Han Lingqiu and Meng Wan remained calm. They exchanged a glance before Han Lingqiu stepped forward and said, "Colonel, the general previously entrusted me with a matter."

Upon entering the enemy camp, Lin Jun and the Danzhi soldiers exchanged passcodes and presented their tokens. The soldiers immediately ushered Lin Jun in with great deference.

Duan Xu was taken to a cell within the camp, shackled hand and foot and tightly bound to a frame. If conditions had allowed, they would have gladly pierced his collarbones with chains. His status as a prisoner was anything but ordinary—evident from the fact that he had a cell to himself and guards stationed only at the entrance.

"Was this intentional, or did you lose a bet?"

A familiar woman's voice rang out as a rust-red hem appeared in Duan Xu's line of sight. He looked up to see the pale, beautiful ghost standing before him, twirling the Ghost King Lamp Jade Pendant in her hand with a meaningful smile.

Leaning against the frame as if it were a backrest, Duan Xu replied leisurely, "This game isn't over yet—it's too soon to call the winner. Did Your Highness guess the spy correctly?"

He Simu nodded. "The day Lin Huaide died beneath the city walls, I figured it out."

She had heard that Lin Jun was very close to his uncle, respecting him like a father. Originally, his staunch support for the Snow-Treading Army in the prefectural city would likely implicate Lin Huaide. Yet, not only did he not distance his uncle from himself, but he also sought Lin Huaide's help despite knowing there was a spy in the army. This could very well doom the Lin family, yet he seemed utterly oblivious, without even a hint of hesitation.

Even the most fervent loyalty should come with the most basic human fears, hesitations, and calculations.

Moreover, based on He Simu's centuries of experience, on the day Lin Huaide died, Lin Jun appeared grief-stricken, but his shock outweighed his pain—as if he hadn't expected his uncle to meet death so willingly.

It was as though he didn't know his uncle at all.

"And when did you start suspecting him?" He Simu asked.

"From the very beginning." Duan Xu grinned. "I caught the scent of a kindred spirit on him."

"A kindred spirit to you? Then he's certainly no good person."

"Naturally." After a pause, Duan Xu wisely stopped beating around the bush and explained, "At first, I noticed Lin Jun probing Han Lingqiu. My curiosity about Han Lingqiu stemmed from suspecting he was connected to Heaven Knows. So why was Lin Jun curious about him? Whatever their connection, it was strange."

"Though whether Han Lingqiu has regained his memories is still unclear, I suspected both of them regarding the burning of the supplies. During the grain raid, I brought Han Lingqiu along. His behavior didn't suggest he was a spy. The Danzhi forces wanted to capture him alive, perhaps because someone was curious about him and wanted to interrogate him—which aligns with Lin Jun."

"So I hinted to Lin Jun about Han Lingqiu's amnesia. He grew anxious and, failing to gauge Han Lingqiu's true strength during their duel, resorted to the Nether Examination to verify it. Only those from the Danzi Royal Court or Heaven Knows would know of the Nether Examination. As a lone spy infiltrating the prefectural city, he didn't seem like a noble from the royal court—so he must be from Heaven Knows."

He Simu raised an eyebrow. "Nether Examination?"Duan Xu nodded and said, "This is the final assessment for every disciple of Heaven Knows upon completing their training. The Danzhi Royal Court serves as the audience, watching two disciples duel blindfolded. The one who survives is officially recognized and given a numbered designation within Heaven Knows. Fifteen is this fake Lin Jun’s designation."

"If they’re both from Heaven Knows, shouldn’t Fifteen have recognized Han Lingqiu immediately? Why the need for testing?"

"Disciples from different cohorts within Heaven Knows rarely meet. Even if they do cross paths, they wear black veils covering everything but their eyes. Han Lingqiu’s face is also disfigured—how could Fifteen possibly recognize him?"

He Simu’s eyes flickered as she watched this man who spoke so casually, as if he were at home even in enemy territory. Slowly, she raised a finger to her lips and smiled. "Shh. Someone’s coming."

Duan Xu turned his head at the same time she did, just as a tall, lean man lifted the tent flap. He had the features of a Han man, but his hair was braided in the traditional Huqi style, adorned with silver ornaments. His gaze was as cold as a winter night, his narrow phoenix eyes sharp. He couldn’t see He Simu, only staring indifferently at Duan Xu, who was tied to the rack.

After a moment of silent confrontation, Duan Xu smiled earnestly and said, "Fifteen of Heaven Knows—truly skilled in disguise. Even one’s closest kin wouldn’t notice."

This was the true face of the fake Lin Jun.

The man stepped closer, scrutinizing Duan Xu before asking coldly, "Who exactly are you?"

He Simu thought this was such a familiar question. From her to Han Lingqiu to Fifteen, it seemed everyone wanted to strangle him until he coughed up his true identity.

Duan Xu, who hadn’t even flinched when the Ghost King had him by the throat, merely smiled leisurely and smoothly deflected.

"Who am I? What kind of person do you think would have witnessed the Nether Examination? Now that you’ve captured and tied me up here, what do you think will happen when I return to the Royal Court?"

"You’re from the Royal Court? I’ve never seen you before."

"Between the Danzhi Royal Court and the Council of Elders, there are hundreds of noble descendants. You can’t possibly have met every single one, can you?"

Fifteen neither confirmed nor denied Duan Xu’s response. After a pause, he asked again, "How did you know I’m Fifteen?"

"Only Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen fit the age. Sixteen was accidentally disabled, Seventeen has been missing for years—so you must be Fifteen."

"You let yourself be captured on purpose. What do you want? To return to the Royal Court?"

Leaning back against the rack, Duan Xu grinned brightly. "Guess."

Taking advantage of Fifteen’s uncertainty about his identity—and thus his reluctance to resort to torture—Duan Xu grew even bolder in his evasiveness, pushing his luck.

"If you can’t figure me out, then let me guess about you. Heaven Knows rarely interferes with military affairs. You infiltrated Shuozhou Prefecture likely to investigate the red bird calamity—such a desecration of the Scripture of Azure Words would be of great concern to the High Priest. When you couldn’t uncover my background, you stumbled upon Han Lingqiu’s mysterious origins and stayed to help Awoerqi relay messages. If Fenglai were to find out about this, they wouldn’t be too pleased with Heaven Knows."

Fifteen’s pupils contracted slightly, though his expression remained mostly composed. He said coolly, "No need to flaunt your knowledge of Danzhi in front of me. Once you reach the Royal Court, everything will become clear."He seemed to have given up on dealing with Duan Xu and turned to leave the camp. But just as he was about to step out, Duan Xu's leisurely voice sounded behind him: "How does it feel to live as Boss Lin?"

Shishi's footsteps halted.

"You've spent your life pretending to be all sorts of people, but you've probably never lived as someone so passionate and open-hearted. Fifteen, when you spouted those grand words about sacrificing yourself for the country and choosing righteousness over life, when you watched Lin Huaide willingly march to his death beneath the city walls—didn’t you waver even for a moment?"

He had deceived so many people—had there never been a moment when he even deceived himself?

The air fell silent for a brief moment. Dust danced in the sunlight as Shishi stood in the shadow of the tent flap, his grip on the fabric tightening slightly.

After a pause, he turned his head calmly to look at Duan Xu and said with quiet firmness, "No. By the Azure God above, Heavenly Awareness was born for the Azure God and will never betray Him."

As if the shock and grief he had shown as Lin Jun on the city walls had all been nothing but masterful acting.

With that, he lifted the tent flap and stepped out, his black figure disappearing behind it. Only his voice could be heard outside, ordering more guards to keep a close watch on Duan Xu.

Duan Xu let out a derisive chuckle and remarked coolly, "You can’t even live with your own name, yet you fuss over gods and ghosts."

He Simu clicked her tongue in amusement. She crossed her arms and walked up to Duan Xu, her red skirt drifting effortlessly through the dry grass on the ground.

Leaning closer, she reached out and brushed her fingers along his face. "Now you're trapped in enemy territory. They plan to send you back to Danzhi’s Upper Capital, while Shuozhou City teeters on the brink. Little General, my offer still stands—would you like to make a wish to me?"

Duan Xu blinked, then leaned forward with a smile and whispered in her ear, "I promised to put on a show for Your Highness. How could I trouble you to step onto the stage yourself?"

A faint click sounded. He Simu glanced up to see that Duan Xu had somehow freed himself from his shackles. Rubbing his reddened wrists, he said lightly, "Unluckily for them, I learned bone-shrinking as a child. No shackles can hold me."

He Simu narrowed her eyes. The Hú Qì People would probably regret not piercing his pipa bones .