Love Beyond the Grave

As it turned out, Captain Meng Wan was true to her word. After He Simu and Chen Ying had breakfast in the morning and the physician confirmed they were unharmed, they were politely escorted out of the governor's residence. Apparently, this was a restricted military area, and unauthorized personnel were not permitted entry.

Chen Ying tugged at He Simu’s sleeve, his voice trembling with worry. "Little Miss, will we still have food to eat from now on?"

This child never went three sentences without mentioning food—he must have truly suffered from hunger before.

He Simu patted his head and smiled. "Of course we’ll have food, and much better than what you’ve had before."

Holding Chen Ying’s hand, she first took him to find his father’s body. The young general had ordered the collection of corpses in the city, moving them to several abandoned mansions where families could come to identify their dead. Those unclaimed within three days would be buried together.

Seeing the bodies lined up one after another in the courtyard, so many they made one’s eyes blur, He Simu secretly cast a spell. Following its guidance, she quickly located Chen Ying’s father.

The moment Chen Ying saw his father’s body, he burst into tears again. Wiping his eyes, he said, "Father was hurt so badly… I couldn’t even recognize him… How did you spot him from so far away, Sister?"

"I’m an adult. Adults have better eyesight than children," He Simu replied without batting an eye.

Chen Ying sobbed over his father’s body for a while, then clumsily but earnestly straightened his father’s clothes and wiped his face and limbs clean with a damp cloth. Midway, he discovered bite marks on the corpse’s neck. His lips quivered before he wailed again, "I was too late! Wild animals have already ruined Father’s body!"

The "wild animal," He Simu, stood nearby, wondering where this child got so many tears. She patted his head kindly and said, "Once you’re done crying, let’s take your father away and bury him."

After registering with the guards, they carried Chen Ying’s father’s body out and buried him in a grave dug behind the city. The burial ground was overgrown with sparse, withered trees and wild grass. Yet at this moment, it was bustling—many townsfolk were burying their loved ones, and the sound of weeping rose and fell in waves. With so many dead, space was running short.

He Simu found a wooden plank and sat by the small mound in front of Chen Ying’s father, helping him write an epitaph.

Chen Ying, who couldn’t read a single character, could only pronounce his father’s name. He Simu improvised the characters based on the sounds.

When the wooden plank was finally planted atop the mound, it felt like a final seal—Chen Ying realized his father would never lift that plank and return to him again. His spirits sank completely, and he fell silent, scattering spirit money over the grave with tears streaming down his face.

"Why cry for him? He should be crying for you. He’s already finished this life and will be reborn, while you, little one, still have to survive alone in this chaotic borderland. By all accounts, you’re the one worse off," He Simu mused.

The usually talkative child had no words left, only tears to wipe away.

He Simu sighed and crouched beside him, casually picking up a stack of spirit money and tossing it into the air.

The paper money she scattered seemed enchanted—it swirled and danced in the air for a moment, the pale, thin sheets glinting in the sunlight before suddenly transforming into countless white butterflies, their wings fluttering up and down in a mesmerizing dance.

Chen Ying, who had never seen anything like this before, was stunned speechless. The nearby townsfolk burying their loved ones also gasped in amazement.He Simu encouraged him: "You throw some too."

Chen Ying hesitated for a moment before picking up a handful of paper money and scattering it into the air. The paper money flew up halfway before suddenly transforming into butterflies, fluttering noisily like dancing snowflakes.

Chen Ying was startled, jumping to his feet in shock as he stared at his own hands in disbelief. "I... this is..."

"What are you looking at? It's just a trick," He Simu laughed heartily.

Chen Ying froze for a second before exclaiming joyfully, "So Sister Xiaoxiao is a magician!"

"You could say that."

He Simu snapped her fingers, and the butterflies rode the north wind away in graceful flight. Chen Ying's mouth fell open as he turned to watch the butterflies disappear into the distance. He Simu also tilted her head to look.

At the end of where the butterflies flew, bathed in slanting sunlight, stood a young man as straight and tall as an ancient pine.

He wore a veiled hat, its black gauze draping past his shoulders. His silver-gray robe had tight arrow sleeves and a round collar, embroidered at the cuffs and center with black motifs of the sun, moon, stars, and clouds. His hair was neatly tied up with a silver crown, two pale ribbons from the veiled hat flowing down outside.

—This was the scene in He Simu's eyes. To be honest, she had no idea what color his clothes really were. They might have been red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet, but in her eyes, there were only black, dark gray, light gray, and white.

Such was the world of Evil Ghosts—devoid of color.

The butterflies fluttered past the young man's head, and he slightly turned to avoid them, the ribbons tracing a dashing arc through the air.

The young man looked at He Simu and said with a bright smile, "What a marvelous trick."

He Simu stood up, her gaze lingering momentarily on the Illusion-Breaking Sword at his waist before moving up to his faintly visible face beneath the black gauze of the veiled hat.

She had been wondering how to get closer to this young general, never expecting him to come to her himself.

With a charming smile, she bowed in gratitude. The body she inhabited was originally that of a sweet and lovely girl, and her smile was all the more innocent and captivating.

"We siblings can never repay Your Honor's life-saving grace yesterday. We offer our deepest thanks here."

"As a general sworn to protect Great Liang, saving the people is my duty. There's no need for such gratitude, miss." He raised a finger to his lips and said, "Please don't call me 'Your Honor,' miss. It wouldn't do to attract attention from others."

Wearing a veiled hat without official robes or attendants, he clearly didn't want to be recognized. He Simu's eyes flickered as she said, "Are you here incognito?"

He didn't deny it, his gaze shifting toward the soldiers overseeing the graveyard in the distance.

Because of the overwhelming number of dead, to prevent disputes over limited burial space, some soldiers had been stationed there to maintain order. The rule was supposed to be first come, first served, but some people bribed the soldiers for better plots, driving away families who had already dug graves and were preparing to bury their loved ones to make way for their own. The soldiers were all too willing, accepting bribes without hesitation.

These were all families who had suffered misfortune, yet here they were, trampling over each other in their grief.

He Simu glanced back at the young man, though his expression was unreadable.

"But you have sharp eyes, miss. After just a brief encounter yesterday, and with me wearing a veiled hat today, you recognized me at a glance?" He turned to He Simu as he spoke.

He Simu replied without hesitation, "Of course! Your illustrious reputation and dashing heroism have long filled this humble girl with admiration."

Hearing this, the young general crossed his arms, resting his chin on his hand. As if amused, he said leisurely, "Oh? Illustrious reputation? Then what's my name?"

"..."Wasn't this exactly the question she had prepared to ask him?

The young general didn't press further, lowering his head with a laugh. "No need for flattery, miss. If I truly had such formidable prestige, I should have prevented Liangzhou City from being slaughtered. My name is Duan Xu—the 'Xu' from 'sealing Langjuxu.' My courtesy name is Shunxi."

Duan Xu, Duan Shunxi.

This young general held a high position despite his youth, yet contrary to expectations, he carried no airs of arrogance.

He Simu thus smiled and said, "This commoner is named He Xiaoxiao, and this is my sworn younger brother, Xue Chenying."

"Miss Xiaoxiao," Duan Xu repeated. He took two steps closer to the siblings as if to say something, but He Simu caught sight of a figure standing atop a nearby pavilion from the corner of her eye and shouted, "Watch out!"

Almost simultaneously with her cry, Duan Xu swiftly sidestepped. The Illusion-Breaking Sword left its sheath, spinning once in his palm before flashing silver as it knocked aside the arrow shot from above. In the blink of an eye, the sword was sheathed again.

"Huqi assassins!" the guards shouted.

The black-clad figure on the pavilion vanished in a flash, and many soldiers gave chase. Duan Xu, however, remained unhurried, still smiling as he returned the sword to his waist. "It seems I've been recognized not just by Miss He, but by others as well."

When he turned back, the Miss He who had warned him was already clutching his clothes, while her brother clung to her sleeve—both crouched behind him, trembling.

He Xiaoxiao's eyes brimmed with tears as she said pitifully, "That was truly terrifying."

"...It's alright now. Thank you for the warning, miss," Duan Xu reassured her.

He Simu tightened her grip on his sleeve. "Though I'd love to say 'no need for thanks' like you, General, my brother and I have no family left. Yesterday, we were driven out of the prefect's residence and now have no shelter, fearing we'll be left to wander and starve. And with snow about to fall, we haven't even found a place to stay tonight."

Chenying, gripping He Simu's sleeve, realized this was the crucial moment determining whether they'd eat today and nodded vigorously in agreement.

This young general clearly had a proper upbringing steeped in the classics and would likely not refuse such a pitiful young girl and her helpless sworn brother. Duan Xu looked from He Simu to Chenying and indeed said, "Very well. A drop of kindness deserves a flood of repayment. I'll naturally arrange lodging for you and your brother."

Pausing, he glanced at the sky, seeming puzzled. "Miss He, did you just say it would snow soon?"

"This year's weather has been strange. With the Guan River freezing over, a sudden snowfall on a sunny day wouldn't be surprising. The sun may shine now, but the skies will change soon." Having secured Duan Xu's promise, He Simu released his sleeve contentedly and pointed to her eyes. "These eyes of mine have always been sharp."

This had been easier than expected. Had Duan Xu not been present, she would have applauded the assassin's attempt—and she had indeed returned the favor.

In truth, Duan Xu had seemed to have eyes on his back, dodging before her warning. The arrow wouldn't have hit him originally. But He Simu had used her arts to alter its trajectory midair, forcing it toward him and thus drawing out his Illusion-Breaking Sword.

Holding Chenying's hand, He Simu cheerfully followed Duan Xu back to the city.The Illusion-Breaking Sword was a pair of blades—ebony inlaid with silver, engraved with silver-carved incantations. Normally, the two hilts served as each other's scabbards, merging into what appeared to be a single sword. Two-handed weapons were inherently harder to master than single-handed ones, yet Duan Xu had wielded them with remarkable skill earlier. It was even the left sword that had severed the incoming arrows, a testament to his formidable martial prowess.

When the Illusion-Breaking Sword was unsheathed, she had seen it clearly—a blade gleaming with cold light, sharp beyond compare. Ordinarily, it remained an unsharpened, blunt sword; only after recognizing its master would its edge awaken.

He Simu discreetly scrutinized Duan Xu from head to toe.

No spiritual cultivation, yet he could wield the Illusion-Breaking Sword. It seemed this young general possessed an exceptionally robust fate and had won the sword’s favor.

Strange. What had earned this young general the Illusion-Breaking Sword’s regard?

The once bright and clear sky suddenly darkened, clouds swirling ominously before heavy snow began to fall, blanketing the sparsely populated streets of Liangzhou’s prefectural city, adding to its desolation.

He Simu lifted her sleeve to shield Chen Ying’s head. "You’ve only just woken after a day and night of unconsciousness. If you catch a chill, I won’t be able to tend to you."

No sooner had she spoken than she felt a weight atop her head, followed by the obstruction of black gauze over her vision—Duan Xu’s veiled hat now rested upon her.

She turned to see Duan Xu holding the brim, his smile visible through the black veil and falling snow. "Miss He has also only just woken after a day. Best not risk catching cold."

His eyes were round and bright, as if holding a layer of light, his smile revealing neat, white teeth—a picture of natural youthful exuberance.

He Simu steadied the veiled hat and smiled faintly. "Thank you, General."

Duan Xu released the brim and turned to stride forward into the wind and snow. His back was straight, his steps light, as though nothing in the world could trouble him.

Truly, he was like the moon over mountains, snow on a clear day—a youth of this world.