Love Beyond the Grave

As night fell, He Simu and Duan Xu settled in the best inn of Fujian City. To protect He Simu from Evil Ghosts, Duan Xu stayed in the same room with her—naturally, he slept on the floor while she took the bed.

Duan Xu removed his veiled hat, finally revealing his true form in the human world. As he spread his quilt on the floor, he remarked, "Since you can't feel touch, isn't it a bit of a waste for you to sleep on a bed?"

He Simu lay on the bed and replied languidly, "With such boldness, isn't it a waste for you to be human?"

Duan Xu immediately grinned and fell silent. By the time he finished tidying up and returned, He Simu was already fast asleep, hugging a pillow.

Originally, Evil Ghosts neither slept nor dreamed, but during the period when she had exchanged senses with Duan Xu, He Simu fell asleep punctually every night.

He had sneaked in to watch her several times while she slept and noticed she always clung to something, as if she needed an object in her arms to sleep soundly—like a child.

Duan Xu blew out the lamp in the room, allowing the silvery moonlight to fill the space. Sitting on his makeshift "bed," he propped his chin on his hand and gazed at the sleeping He Simu. Half her face was buried in the bedding, her posture slightly evasive yet peaceful.

She was extraordinarily pale, like porcelain, making the darkness of her features and hair all the more striking—like ink and vermilion on white paper, mesmerizing.

Having lived so long with such beauty, she must have had many lovers. Would the Ghost King, like the Emperor in the human world, have a harem of consorts?

At this thought, Duan Xu narrowed his eyes slightly. Mischievously, he reached out to tug at the pillow in her arms, shifting it left and right until he finally pulled it free and leisurely placed it on his own bedding.

In her sleep, He Simu frowned, her hands groping across the bed as if searching for her lost pillow. Duan Xu watched as her fingers crept over the pristine bedding, slowly nearing his arm before resting warmly against it.

He didn’t pull away.

Sure enough, when her fingers brushed against his forearm, still clad in his thin sleeping robe, she seemed to believe she had found her pillow again. She grabbed his arm and tugged it toward her.

Duan Xu leaned closer with her pull, watching as her frown smoothed out and she nestled his arm against her chest. He mused that if He Simu woke now and saw this, once she regained her magical power, his arm would likely be forfeit.

But Duan Xu was never one to quit while ahead.

He was the type to push his luck.

He crouched by He Simu’s bed, watching her. Her earlier movements had freed her face from the bedding, leaving it fully exposed before him.

"He Simu…" he murmured her name softly.

Naturally, she didn’t respond.

"He Simu…"

"He Simu…"

He called her name three times in varying tones, but she didn’t stir from sleep. Smiling, he said, "If I kissed you now, you wouldn’t actually kill me, would you?"

"Hmm, since you have no magical power right now, if you settle the score later… that would leave me with just eight days to live, wouldn’t it?"

Duan Xu slowly leaned closer to He Simu, studying her sleeping face.

"Simu," he called, each syllable deliberate.

It was unclear whether he was speaking her name or voicing the thoughts in his heart.The call of "Simu" made He Simu frown and slowly open her eyes. She seemed to have just woken from a dream, her gaze unfocused as she looked at Duan Xu, who was mere inches away, as if struggling to distinguish reality from illusion.

Moonlight traced a faint arc in the depths of his eyes—round and slightly upturned at the corners, like clear, luminous jade, giving him the appearance of an utterly innocent and sincere youth.

He Simu murmured vaguely, "Such beautiful eyes."

"Thinking of collecting them again?"

"Eyes... are only beautiful when alive."

"...I see. Then you'll have to keep me alive."

Duan Xu smiled, his bright eyes closing as he leaned in to kiss her. It was a light, fleeting kiss, carrying the crisp fragrance of his scent, like flowers blooming after spring rain, transferring from his lips to hers.

He Simu's eyes remained open. She froze for a moment before truly awakening from her daze, realizing what had just happened.

Duan Xu was kissing her.

That little fox Duan... was kissing her!

This wasn't just pushing his luck—it was outright scaling the heavens!

Narrowing her eyes, she was about to react when the fearless rogue before her suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of alertness flashing within. Duan Xu pulled away, draping his black outer robe over her shoulders and raising a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence.

Enveloped in the scent of his clothes, He Simu glared coldly at him. Moments later, suspicious figures appeared outside the door. After a faint rustling sound, the door was pushed open without a sound.

A group of black-clad figures—ordinary mortals who looked like assassins.

Duan Xu and He Simu exchanged a glance.

There were about twenty assassins. Seeing both Duan Xu and He Simu awake, they immediately abandoned stealth and launched an open assault, brandishing their weapons in silent unison.

Duan Xu sighed. "I don't actually enjoy killing without reason."

He weaved between the assassins, deftly deflecting blades with his scabbard before drawing his twin swords. Silver flashes danced like wind as he circled the room, slicing the throats of those who came too close. Only one who tried to ambush He Simu was pierced through the heart from behind.

Blood splattered everywhere in an instant. The sudden assassination attempt lasted no longer than a blink before Duan Xu wiped his blades clean and sheathed them.

Killing had always been his greatest skill.

From the corpses littering the room, bright lanterns rose like fireflies emerging from decaying grass, their glow flickering before vanishing into the night sky beyond the window.

Duan Xu turned to He Simu with a smile. "Lanterns ascending, meteors reversing—so this is how death looks in the eyes of Evil Ghosts."

He Simu didn't return his smile. She stepped off the bed, wrapped in his black robe, and walked toward him with deliberate steps, her gaze locked onto his. The atmosphere grew tense and dangerous.

Duan Xu stood his ground, unflinching. When she stopped before him, he remarked lightly, "This room is too filthy to stay in now."

He Simu stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before abruptly turning away and heading for the corridor. Duan Xu blinked, then called after her, "Where are you going?"

Her steps paused, but she didn't turn back, merely stating flatly, "Didn't you say this room is unusable? I'm getting the innkeeper to change it."

After a brief silence, Duan Xu chuckled and followed. "It's hardly proper for Your Highness to handle such errands personally."In his imagination, she should have been angry, threatened, or punished him, but she didn't. She behaved as usual, as if that kiss of his had been nothing but an illusion.

Such a casual, dismissive attitude was perplexing. It didn’t seem like silent consent—was she truly planning to settle scores with him later?

Would the eighth day really mark his death?

He Simu told the innkeeper she had encountered bandits, so she changed rooms that very night. The next morning, the owner of the inn even came to check on the situation.

The owner of the inn—Lord Iril.

When the innkeeper came to He Simu’s room to announce Lord Iril’s arrival, she had just ordered a table full of fragrant, mouthwatering delicacies. Seeing the innkeeper, she smiled and said, “I’ve had enough of the smell but can’t eat any of it. Take a couple of dishes for yourself.”

Duan Xu, sitting to the side wearing a veiled hat to remain unseen, chuckled inwardly, thinking how generous she was with his money.

The innkeeper had no mind for food, hastily explaining that the incident with the bandits the previous night had reached the lord’s ears. Before he could finish speaking, the wealthy lord He Simu and Duan Xu had seen before strode in, followed by several servants.

The innkeeper immediately prostrated himself on the ground, saying, “My lord.”

He subtly gestured to He Simu with his eyes, whispering, “This is Lord Iril! Hurry and bow!”

He Simu glanced at Iril indifferently, not even bothering to rise from her seat. In Huqi language, she said, “My lord, why don’t you join us for a meal?”

The innkeeper’s frantic eye signals were practically giving him a twitch.

The bells at Iril’s waist jingled softly as he looked at He Simu, then at the Evil Ghost beside her, concealed under the veiled hat. The Evil Ghost politely stood up from his seat, stepped aside, and gestured for him to sit.

Iril was surprised. Every Evil Ghost he had encountered before had been haughty and aloof—this was the first time he had seen one so courteous.

Waving his hand, Iril dismissed the innkeeper and his servants. After studying the girl and the Evil Ghost for a moment, he walked over and took the seat beside He Simu, saying, “It seems my inn failed to take proper care of you. This meal is nothing—if you’d like, I can have the best chefs in the city prepare another feast for you.”

He Simu rested her chin on her hand and chuckled softly. “Failed to take care of me? I think you took excellent care of me—sending so many people to keep me company in the middle of the night. Truly a delightful surprise.”

Iril stroked the gem-studded golden hook at his waist, unruffled by her pointed remark. Instead, he laughed heartily. “With an Evil Ghost as your companion, how could those men possibly harm you?”

“Is that so? My lord must have thought that even if they did kill me—just a foreign commoner—you’d have no trouble covering it up. And if they couldn’t kill me, you’d at least get a chance to test my limits.”

“Hahaha, why must you put it so harshly, miss? I was merely curious. People usually only keep minor ghosts—this is the first time I’ve seen someone with a fully formed Evil Ghost as a companion.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the man beside her, who seemed to let out a soft chuckle.

Duan Xu found the situation amusing—a living man mistaken for an Evil Ghost, while the actual Evil Ghost was treated as human.

He Simu shook her head. “Who said I keep him? I am the master, and he is the servant. I command him.”Yilier showed a look of surprise. Traditionally, when raising ghosts, the relationship was always the ghost as master and the human as servant. There was actually a way to reverse their roles? His eyes darkened slightly as he smiled and said, "Miss, what method do you use to command Evil Ghosts? Would you be willing to transfer this Evil Ghost you're commanding to me?"

"You want my ghost? I heard you serve the Rakshasa Hall Master. One shouldn't serve two ghosts—I can't let my ghost steal the Rakshasa Hall Master's follower." He Simu picked up her chopsticks and leisurely took a bite of braised pork.

It smelled delicious, but had no taste when eaten.

She continued, "What's the matter? Lord Yilier, could it be you've also heard the Rakshasa Hall Master has gotten into trouble and plan to abandon him?"