Love Beyond the Grave

Since both Chen Ying and He Xiaoxiao looked utterly terrified, Meng Wan instructed Old Xu to report the incident to the general and then offered to escort Chen Ying and He Xiaoxiao home.

He Simu wiped away her remaining tears with her sleeve and pointed to a nearby courtyard. "There’s no need to escort us, Captain. We live right there."

Meng Wan’s eyes widened in surprise as she glanced between the courtyard and He Simu. "You live next to the governor’s residence? But this place was assigned to—"

Mid-sentence, realization dawned on her. "Wait… were you the woman who saved the general earlier today?"

He Simu nodded, pressing a hand to her chest.

"Indeed, it was this humble one."

Meng Wan’s expression instantly flared with suspicion, all traces of pity and concern vanishing. She stepped forward and grabbed He Simu’s wrist. "So you do have ulterior motives! Scheming to get close to the general—what are you planning? Reporting to your master? Plotting against our general?"

He Simu laughed softly, as if she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world, and repeated, "Master?"

After a pause, she said, "Rest assured, Captain, I don’t know any duke. If I wanted to harm the general, I could’ve just held him back during the assassination attempt and let him die, couldn’t I?"

Meng Wan’s eyes gleamed sharply. "Then you must have some other scheme!"

Well… that much was true.

He Simu glanced at Meng Wan’s grip on her wrist and thought to herself how troublesome this teenage girl was. Deciding to cut to the chase, she said, "Fine, I do have another motive. To be honest, ever since the general descended like a celestial being to save the people of Liangzhou, I’ve been smitten. That’s why I wanted to get closer to him."

Chen Ying let out a small, awed "Wow," his eyes lighting up, the pallor of his frightened face regaining some color. Clearly, even at his young age, he already appreciated the thrill of gossip.

"You! The general comes from a noble family—only a lady of the Southern Capital is worthy of him! How dare a country girl like you even dream—" Meng Wan’s face twisted with disdain amidst her anger.

He Simu suddenly leaned in, meeting Meng Wan’s gaze. "Are you a lady of the Southern Capital?"

Meng Wan faltered, her face flushing. "I… I’m not—"

"Exactly. You’re not a lady of the Southern Capital, and neither am I. You can’t marry Duan Xu, and neither can I. But you like Duan Xu, and so do I. Aren’t we kindred spirits, destined by fate to support each other? Don’t you agree?"

He Simu smiled and patted Meng Wan’s shoulder. The girl was left speechless by her bizarre logic, so He Simu turned away leisurely, taking Xue Chenying—who hadn’t dared to interject—by the hand as they headed home.

Suddenly remembering something, she turned back to Meng Wan and said, "Captain Meng, thank you for saving us today. But if you don’t have any spells on hand next time, you should run when you see vengeful spirits."

She tilted her head slightly, smiling. The night was deep, snowflakes swirling around her, the black veil of her Veiled Hat faintly revealing her features like a lantern shrouded in dark gauze.

"After all, even the bravest sheep shouldn’t fight a wolf, right?"

The long night returned to silence.

Or at least, the silence as mortals perceived it.

In the graveyard outside the city, a blue flame flickered suddenly. Within the flame, the faint silhouette of a woman appeared. As the fire faded, her cloud-patterned upturned cloth shoes stepped onto the damp, soft earth.She wore a rust-red triple-layered robe embroidered with flowing cloud and honeysuckle patterns, a style popular about a hundred years ago. At her waist hung a white jade pendant carved into the delicate shape of a hexagonal palace lantern, emitting a faint blue glow.

That small jade pendant, if revealed in its true form, would be the infamous Ghost King Lamp that struck fear into all who heard of it.

The woman’s face was pale and lifeless, with slender willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a small mole resting at the corner of one eye. The phrase "jade-like skin and bones, radiant and captivating" could not have described her better. Even amidst an aura of deathly stillness, she exuded a beauty that was eerily striking.

He Simu had inherited her parents' beauty flawlessly, and her true form could manifest as a physical body. The only pity was that even when this body appeared before others, one glance would reveal it to be unmistakably that of a corpse.

Twirling the jade pendant at her waist, she lifted her dark eyes and lazily smiled. "Come out."

A green-clad woman materialized before her in a swirl of blue smoke, dropping heavily to her knees, trembling like a leaf.

"Y-Your Majesty... spare me..."

"Name?"

"Shao... Shao Yinyin..."

He Simu raised her hand, and as the pendant at her waist flickered with light, a thick ancient book with dog-eared pages fell into her grasp.

She flipped through the pages carelessly as she spoke. "Shao Yinyin, died on the seventh day of the third month in the year of Gengzi, in Muli Town, Dài Province."

"Yes... this humble one..."

Before she could finish, He Simu called out, "Guan Huai."

The way she spoke these two words carried an unusual tone, as if her voice held an invisible force, like the reverberation of a fully drawn bowstring released into the air.

No sooner had the words left her lips than another swirl of blue smoke rose, and an elderly man descended from within it.

The old man’s face was deeply lined, his body hunched, his beard and hair white and so long they nearly touched the ground. By mortal standards, he looked at least a hundred years old. He seemed to have been in the middle of combing his hair when summoned—half of it was tied up while the other half hung messily over the ground, not only comical but also obstructing his vision.

"Your Majesty! Guan Huai is here!" he cried in a shrill, off-key voice, like a broken gong, hastily bowing in greeting.

"Master of the Mei Ghost Palace, do I resemble this tree?"

He Simu’s voice came from behind him. Guan Huai pushed aside his hair and realized he had been bowing to a pitch-black locust tree, its gnarled branches stretching out as if mocking him. He hurriedly turned around, nearly tripping over his own hair in the process.

"Your Majesty, forgive this old minister for his failing eyes..."

"The Master of the Mei Ghost Palace’s hair has grown so long it’s become a hindrance. Perhaps it should be cut off?"

Guan Huai immediately clutched his hair protectively, stammering, "No, no, Your Majesty knows well that once an Evil Ghost’s hair is cut, it won’t grow back!"

Beneath the Ghost King were the Left and Right Ministers, along with twenty-four Ghost Ministers, each presiding over a Ghost Hall. Guan Huai was the Master of the Mei Ghost Palace.

He Simu studied him for a moment before leaning against a tombstone and tapping the book in her hand. "Among the Thirty-Two Golden Wall Laws, what is the fifth law’s third clause?"

Guan Huai stiffened like a student caught unprepared by his teacher’s questioning, trembling for a long moment before suddenly recalling, "It’s... ah! It’s the prohibition against consuming children under ten!"

He Simu snapped the book shut and pointed at Shao Yinyin, who was still prostrated on the ground. "One of the Evil Ghosts under your hall dared to devour an eight-year-old child right before my eyes. It seems the laws hold no weight in the Mei Ghost Palace, Master Guan Huai."Guan Huai glanced at Shao Yinyin trembling on the ground and said with an ingratiating smile, "This little girl has only recently become an Evil Ghost and doesn’t quite understand the rules..."

"Doesn’t understand the rules? Shao Yinyin, take out that black-and-white jar of yours and let the Mei Ghost Palace Master see just how little you understand." He Simu looked down at Shao Yinyin with a bright smile.

Shao Yinyin stiffened, shrinking into the dust as she shook her head pitifully and whispered, "I don’t have any jar..."

He Simu narrowed her eyes slightly and enunciated each word, "I said, take it out."

The jade pendant at her waist suddenly emitted a blinding flame, and with a shriek, Shao Yinyin trembled as she produced a jar with a wide belly and narrow mouth, painted with playful infant motifs.

At the sight of the jar, Guan Huai’s expression changed instantly. He immediately shouted, "Fang Chang! Fang Chang!"

Another wisp of green smoke appeared, and from it emerged a tall, gaunt scholar dressed in white, his face deathly pale as he knelt to pay respects to Guan Huai and He Simu.

"Greetings, Palace Master, Your Majesty."

Pointing at Fang Chang, Guan Huai roared in fury, "I trusted you enough to leave the affairs of the Mei Ghost Palace in your hands while I was in seclusion. How could you neglect your duties so carelessly, failing to notice Evil Ghosts hoarding Soul Fire within the palace?"

This righteous tirade conveniently absolved himself of blame, clearly knowing he couldn’t cover it up and thus dragging in a scapegoat. A moment ago, he had been feigning ignorance, but now his vision suddenly sharpened, instantly recognizing what the jar contained.

"You’re all strung together like candied haws on a stick," He Simu chuckled, taking the black-and-white jar from Shao Yinyin’s hands. The playful infant motifs depicted chubby toddlers in bellybands kicking a ball, lively and charming.

Inside this adorable jar were the Soul Fires of six children under ten years old—frail yet pure.

"Killing children under ten—first crime. Hoarding Soul Fire—second crime. According to the law, what is the punishment?"

The pale-faced scholar kowtowed desperately, pleading, "I beg Your Majesty for mercy! Spare Yinyin! She never meant to defy you. In life, Yinyin bore four children, all of whom died young, and she herself perished in childbirth with her fifth. Her resentment turned her into a Wandering Soul, and after a century, she became an Evil Ghost. Her obsession as a ghost is children—she couldn’t control herself! Please, Your Majesty, have pity on her wretched fate and spare her!"

Guan Huai immediately shot Fang Chang a fierce glare.

He Simu studied the scholar-like Evil Ghost for a moment before lazily saying, "Her life story is clearly recorded in the Ghost Records. Why repeat it to me? Whether she meant to defy me or not is irrelevant, but as long as I hold this position..."

She paused, her gaze turning icy. "My laws shall not be defied."

Fang Chang lowered his head, clenching his teeth. He Simu stepped closer to him, bending slightly to meet his eyes with a smile. "Do you love Shao Yinyin?"

"Your servant..." Fang Chang stole a quick glance at Shao Yinyin.

"So you pity her, indulge her, and cover up her crimes?"

"Absolutely not!"

He Simu stroked the jade pendant at her waist, speaking nonchalantly, "There’s a saying in the mortal world: to spoil a child is to ruin them. The same goes for lovers."

Fang Chang seemed about to say more, but Guan Huai cut him off, scolding, "His Majesty is absolutely right! 'For every grain of rice, remember the toil.' Have you forgotten the lessons learned in life just because you’re a ghost now? You cherish rice when you eat it, but when it comes to devouring people, you think it’s fine to be reckless?"Guan Huai shot Fang Chang a look to keep him quiet while stealing glances at He Simu's expression.

Shao Yinyin knelt on the ground, murmuring, "I beg Your Majesty to show mercy, considering this is my first offense."

He Simu glanced at the righteous Guan Huai and smiled. "This Evil Ghost belongs to your hall. By the rules, you should be the one to deal with her."

Fang Chang's face lit up at these words, while Guan Huai trembled. Sure enough, He Simu walked up to Guan Huai and patted his hunched shoulders.

"You deal with her, and I’ll deal with you. How about that?"

"This old servant—"

"Right now, I’m on leave. Jiang Ai and Yan Ke are overseeing the Ghost Realm in my stead. Today, you’ll first receive your punishment. No need to report to me how you handle her. If her name is still in the Ghost Records seven days from now, we’ll revisit this matter."

Without sparing another glance at Shao Yinyin or Fang Chang on the ground, He Simu patted Guan Huai’s shoulder once more and vanished in a burst of blue flames.

"This old servant bids farewell to Your Majesty." Guan Huai bowed deeply, then exhaled in relief, as if He Simu had been a mountain pressing down on him. His back straightened noticeably after she left.

He slowly turned around, brushing aside his comically white hair, and glared at the kneeling Shao Yinyin and Fang Chang. "Fang Chang, Fang Chang, what am I to do with you? Sheltering your lover is one thing, but daring to talk back to Her Majesty? No matter how eloquently you plead, Her Majesty won’t budge on what Shao Yinyin has done!"

Shao Yinyin looked at Fang Chang in terror, but before she could beg, Guan Huai scolded her again. "Now you’re scared? You were quite happy hoarding Soul Fire and killing children, weren’t you?"

Though he was an extremely aged man with a voice like a broken gong, his scolding was full of vigor, his beard puffing up a foot high.

Fang Chang’s slender hand soothingly stroked Shao Yinyin’s back. With a resolute expression, he kowtowed and pleaded, "Hall Master, you are the eldest in the Ghost Realm. Her Majesty must show you some respect. Fang Chang begs you—please intercede for Yinyin. I’m willing to serve you like an ox or horse, and I’ll never forget your kindness!"

Guan Huai studied Fang Chang for a moment before sighing deeply. "I may have lived three thousand years longer, but so what? When He Simu quelled the rebellion in the Ghost Realm and purged the twenty-four Ghost Halls in blood, she wasn’t even a hundred years old. Thirty percent of the hall masters turned to ashes at her hands—all far older than her."

"If not for her temper mellowing over the last century, the words you just spoke would’ve been enough to turn you to ash ten thousand times over."

Fang Chang froze, realizing Guan Huai’s words meant he wouldn’t save Shao Yinyin. His heart sank as he slumped to the ground.

"Once this matter is settled, go and apologize to Her Majesty on my behalf. And remember—speak little. Her Majesty rarely summons us during her leave, and she dislikes being disturbed even more."

Guan Huai patted Fang Chang’s shoulder, glanced once more at the trembling Shao Yinyin, then shook his head and left.

He Simu, the most prodigiously talented Ghost King in ten generations, was as unpredictable as she was formidable—and not someone he could afford to offend.