Love Beyond the Grave

Having obtained the information she sought, He Simu stayed a few more days at Yilier's home before departing. Naturally, Duan Xu bid farewell to Luda and accompanied He Simu on her journey.

They walked out of the city together, where the small paths beyond the walls were lined with vibrant wildflowers under the gentle spring breeze. As Duan Xu walked, he gradually caught the scent of blossoms mingled with fresh grass, along with the fragrance emanating from He Simu.

Originally, her scent had been cold—like a mix of snow and plum blossoms—but now it carried the lingering aroma of his incense. They shared the same fragrance, though hers remained cooler.

The time had come. The exchange was over.

He Simu, walking ahead of Duan Xu, paused and turned to look at him for a moment. Ghostly energy began to swirl around her, and her eyes darkened like ink. Duan Xu felt a sharp twist in his abdomen, bending over as he coughed up the Ghost King Lamp. The ghostly energy surrounding him dissipated.

Duan Xu, the Evil Ghost, had returned to being an ordinary mortal.

The Ghost King Lamp hovered midair, caught by a gust of wind, tumbled into a nearby stream, then emerged from the water and returned to He Simu’s waist.

Lowering her gaze, He Simu casually wiped the lamp and called, "Jiang Ai."

As soon as the words left her lips, a wisp of blue smoke appeared, and a beautiful woman in her thirties, clad in purple robes adorned with butterfly patterns and a curvaceous figure, materialized on the country path. Draped in lavish jewelry and ornaments, she looked even more resplendent than an imperial consort, starkly out of place against the rustic countryside. She bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

"Prepare my sedan chair. I'm returning to Jade Zhou City."

"I anticipated the end of Your Majesty's leave and have already made arrangements." The woman named Jiang Ai straightened up, smiling brightly as she clapped her hands.

In an instant, dust swirled along the road. Duan Xu shielded his eyes with his sleeve, and when he lowered his arm, he saw a vast horde of ghosts filling the path like a dark cloud. Among them, thirty-two ghost servants carried a red-lacquered sedan chair carved with rolling clouds and flame patterns, its sides draped with gauze curtains and bells hanging from each corner, their chimes crisp and melodious.

Duan Xu froze—likely due to lingering effects from the Ghost King Lamp, he could still see the Evil Ghosts.

"Simu, I can still see Evil Ghosts and Wandering Souls," he remarked.

Hearing him casually address her as "Simu," the Xi Ghost Palace Lord and Netherworld Left Chancellor, Jiang Ai, raised an eyebrow in surprise, her gaze flickering between him and He Simu with barely concealed curiosity.

He Simu acted as though she hadn’t heard him, striding along the unfurled red carpet toward the sedan chair. Extending a pale hand from her crimson sleeve, a ghost servant offered an arm to steady her as she stepped onto the chair.

Truthfully, these past few days, she had barely acknowledged him. His presence beside her had been little more than talking to himself.

Duan Xu’s expression darkened slightly.

"Are you leaving?" he asked, raising his voice slightly, uncertainty lacing his words.

She stepped smoothly into the sedan chair without answering, as if ready to depart the mortal realm without a backward glance. The gauze curtains fell, severing their line of sight. She had mentioned before that her customary breaks came only once every few decades—this departure might span an entire human lifetime.

Duan Xu lowered his gaze briefly before looking up with a smile. Outside the sedan chair, he quipped lightly, "Didn’t you promise me a month? It’s only been a few days. A ruler’s word is unbreakable—you can’t go back on it now.""I've been so audacious, offending you time and again. How could you just let me off like this? Aren't you going to settle accounts with me properly? Make me pay the price?"

Silence filled the surroundings. He Simu didn't respond, and Duan Xu couldn't see her expression. The smile on his face remained unchanged, but the fist behind his back clenched tighter and tighter.

Then the gauze curtain was pulled aside, revealing the pale woman slightly frowning as she said, "Enough with the nonsense. Get up here already."

Duan Xu froze momentarily. The hand behind his back instantly relaxed, his whole body easing as the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.

With curved eyes, he loudly replied, "Alright."

He Simu lifted her chin slightly, and the ghost servant beside her immediately extended a hand to help Duan Xu board the sedan chair, just as they would serve her.

Jiang Ai watched from the side, covering her lips with a meaningful smile.

Jade Zhou City was located in the southeastern region of Great Liang. Occupied by Evil Ghosts centuries ago, it was initially forbidden to the living. Later, the Ghost King cast spells to make the city completely vanish from human sight. Thus, in the present world, Jade Zhou City had become like a legend—no one knew whether the Ghost Capital existed or where it might be.

Yet clearly, Jade Zhou City not only existed but was also bustling with activity.

The Ghost King's grand and leisurely return in a sedan chair after her rest period was precisely to announce to all the Hall Masters that the Ghost King was back. In no time, except for the fugitive Rakshasa Hall Master, all other Hall Masters gathered in Jade Zhou City to welcome their sovereign.

As Duan Xu followed He Simu down from the sedan chair, he beheld the legendary ghost city—towering walls and buildings, all at least four stories high, with roofs and walls as white as snow, glaringly bright. The entire city was visibly dominated by shades of black, white, and gray, making the red carpet beneath them stand out starkly, stretching from the palace along the main road right to He Simu's feet.

Evil Ghosts lined both sides of the road. The moment He Simu stepped down from the sedan chair, they immediately knelt and prostrated themselves along the path, shouting in unison, "We welcome Your Majesty!"

Duan Xu paused mid-step, pressing down the edge of his veiled hat—this same hat, once split in two, had been restored by He Simu and now sat atop his head once more.

A living man entering a ghost city—this was truly like a lamb walking into a den of tigers.

Thus, he basked in the reflected authority behind the Ghost King, accepting the worship of ten thousand ghosts as he walked the red carpet all the way to the palace gates. The Ghost Palace Lords bowed at the palace steps, greeting, "Your Majesty."

At the forefront stood a man who appeared to be in his late twenties—tall, stern, with sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes, exuding an intimidating aura that warned others to keep their distance.

After bowing to He Simu, the man's gaze shifted to the veiled youth behind her, whose features remained hidden. Rumor had it the Ghost King had brought back a living human from the mortal world, even allowing him to ride in her sedan chair.

This was undoubtedly an extraordinary show of favor.

"Your Majesty, this is..."

Before he could finish, He Simu pointed at the youth and said, "Yan Ke, tie him up and hang him from the palace gates for two days and two nights."

"..."

The youth seemed momentarily stunned, then actually... laughed. "So Your Majesty is finally settling accounts with me."

His tone sounded as if a weight had been lifted from his heart—light and cheerful.He Simu raised her chin to glance at the youth before waving her sleeves and walking into the palace. Yan Ke watched as the boy bowed to him, extending his hands with a bright smile. "Trouble you for this, Lord Yan Ke," he said.

Yan Ke couldn't help but frown. Just what was the relationship between this mortal and Simu?

The mortal who had returned alongside the Ghost King moments ago, seemingly highly favored, had suddenly been bound with ropes and hung outside the palace gates, drawing a crowd of Evil Ghosts from Jade Zhou City. Meanwhile, the Ghost King summoned her ministers to court to discuss unresolved matters and discoveries during her absence. When the topic of the assassination attempt arose, Guan Huai immediately stepped forward before He Simu could even begin. Prostrating himself in remorse, he loudly denounced his own failures in discipline and lax governance with his raspy voice, never imagining Fang Chang would collude with the Rakshasa Hall Master. He then repeatedly swore oaths that he harbored no disloyalty or intent to harm His Majesty.

Guan Huai was truly a one-man show, passionate and sincere, utterly lacking the dignity expected of the oldest Evil Ghost in the Ghost Realm—though perhaps his ability to read the room and adapt was precisely why he hadn't turned to ashes yet.

He Simu watched Guan Huai's performance indifferently, not interrupting. Only after his act concluded did she flip through the recent memorials and say, "Yan Ke, your thoughts."

Yan Ke stepped forward and bowed. "Fang Chang has been captured and imprisoned in the Nine Palaces Maze Prison, deserving the punishment of complete annihilation. Guan Huai's negligence led to this disaster and he should be thrown into the Nine Palaces Maze Prison as well. As for myself, I failed in overseeing the Ghost Realm in Your Majesty's stead and should also be punished. The manner of my punishment is for Your Majesty to decide."

He Simu tossed the memorial onto the dais. "Bring Fang Chang forward."

Soon, Fang Chang was dragged into the hall. After months of absence, the scholar-like Evil Ghost looked utterly disheveled—his topknot askew, stray hairs escaping, and his face still etched with lingering terror as he staggered to his knees. Fresh from the Nine Palaces Maze Prison, he likely couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.

He Simu descended from her throne step by step, standing before Fang Chang with her hands behind her back. She leaned down and said, "Fang Chang."

The sound of his name snapped him awake. He blinked, his eyes flashing with instinctive fear mingled with reckless madness.

"Your Majesty, you've returned," he said, then sneered. "So I'm to be annihilated, right? Fine, do it! That's all you know how to do—annihilate anyone who displeases you. Do you think this will secure your reign forever? Do you think they truly submit to you? Everyone is just waiting for you to show the slightest weakness so they can replace you! You rely solely on your strength—such a tyrant deserves to be overthrown by all!"

Even at the end, this Evil Ghost seemed to fancy himself a righteous remonstrating minister.

He Simu lowered her head and chuckled softly. "Indeed. But what can be done? Here I stand. If you can kill me, then come and try."

Straightening, she said coolly, "I'd expected more impressive last words."

With that, the Ghost King Lamp on her person ignited with flames, instantly engulfing Fang Chang in a raging inferno. He writhed and howled in agony within the fire, his screams piercing the heavens. Even the most steadfast Ghost Ministers couldn't suppress a shudder.He wailed for a full half-hour before his voice finally faded. As the flames died out, fine dust dispersed in the air, pale gray silently drifting in the sunlight.

Five hundred years of death had finally come to an end—no eternal lamp of life, only the ashes of silence.

The various Ghost Palace Lords exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. Faintly, someone could be heard saying—a deputy lord gone just like that. The King has executed over twenty deputy lords and palace lords by now.

He Simu raised her eyes, and amidst the floating dust, through the wide-open hall doors, she saw Duan Xu hanging in the distance. The palace walls and tiles were snow-white, adorned with black flame patterns, while his black robes seemed like a stroke of ink upon the white wall.

Outside the hall, the threads of wind were dense. The black veil of his veiled hat fluttered wildly in the wind, and through the gaps, she caught a glimpse of his eyes.

Bright, upturned eyes, clear as crystal, staring intently at her.

He Simu met his gaze for a moment before withdrawing her eyes and walking calmly to the throne, sitting down. "Guan Huai, Lord of the Mei Ghost Palace, is sentenced to ten years in the Nine Palaces Maze Prison. The Mei Ghost Palace will be temporarily overseen by Jiang Ai. As for Yan Ke, overseeing the Ghost Realm on my behalf is no small task—oversights happen. I won’t pursue this matter, but if there’s a next time, the punishment will be the same as Guan Huai’s."

The palace lords bowed in acknowledgment of the order. Guan Huai secretly wiped his brow—the Nine Palaces Maze Prison was a hellish place he wouldn’t wish to stay in for even a moment, let alone ten years. He had truly been dragged down by Fang Chang.

Still, it was better than being reduced to ashes.

This court assembly, held after the Ghost King’s return, settled most of the rewards and punishments for the past six months. The palace lords had been on edge the entire time, only relaxing once the assembly concluded. When He Simu waved her hand and dismissed them with a "You may leave," the eyes of every palace lord in the hall lit up, and they respectfully withdrew one after another.

Jiang Ai and Yan Ke remained in the palace. Yan Ke glanced at Duan Xu, who was obediently hanging by the palace gates, and asked He Simu, "My King, who is this person you’ve brought back?"

"As you can see, a living man," He Simu replied absently, flipping through a document.

Her tone made it clear she had no intention of elaborating. She had even specially given the mortal a veiled hat—its enchantment ensured any Evil Ghost who saw him would forget his face, a subtle gesture of protection.

Jiang Ai looked between He Simu and Yan Ke, then burst into laughter. "Seems to me this boy has taken a liking to our King, and the King is rather indulgent toward him. This must be the first time you’ve brought a favored man back to Jade Zhou City, no?"

Yan Ke’s expression darkened, his fists clenching beneath his sleeves. Jiang Ai only laughed harder, pointing at Yan Ke with gleeful mischief. "Ohoho, Yan Ke, look at that face of yours! Jealous, are we? Everyone knows our King prefers mortals over Evil Ghosts—it’s been centuries. Just give up already."