Love Beyond the Grave

In the third year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu was ordered by imperial decree to recruit soldiers to suppress bandits, forming an army named the Returning Crane Army. Fifty to sixty percent of its soldiers hailed from Shenzhou, renowned for their bravery and combat prowess. Within three months, the rebellious mountain bandits were utterly defeated, surrendering en masse and accepting amnesty. The Emperor specially permitted them to join the Returning Crane Army, which subsequently swelled to a force of 150,000.

In the ninth month of the third year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Ningyi for his merits.

In the fourth year of Yuanshou, Han Chinese uprisings erupted in Danzhi's Yuzhou and Qizhou. The rebel forces rapidly expanded, with commoners rallying to their cause wherever the Han army passed, spreading like wildfire across both regions.

In the ninth month of the fourth year of Yuanshou, Qian Chengyi, leader of the Yuzhou rebels, captured the entire territory of Yuzhou with the aid of Great Liang's army from Yunzhou. He then returned Yuzhou to Great Liang and was granted the title of Loyal and Brave General.

In the seventh month of the fifth year of Yuanshou, Zhao Xing, leader of the Qizhou rebels, gained control over all of Qizhou.

In the third month of the sixth year of Yuanshou, an uprising broke out in Jingzhou.

In the eighth month of the sixth year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu was ordered to lead his troops to the Yunzhou frontlines to support the Jingzhou rebels.

"Third Brother! Third Brother!"

As Duan Xu's army reached the border between Yunzhou and Luozhou, he heard the distant sound of galloping hooves and shouts from horseback, immediately recognizing it as Chen Ying coming to greet him. Casually, he took out his crossbow, rested it on his arm, and fired an arrow at the dust-covered figure in the distance.

The youth on horseback deftly dodged the arrow with a mid-air twist before settling back into the saddle—a maneuver so skillful it was hard to believe he was only thirteen.

Reining in his horse before Duan Xu, he complained, "Third Brother, I came to welcome you, and you still test me?"

Three years had passed, and Chen Ying had grown taller and tanner, no longer the frail and delicate boy he once was. His physique had become remarkably strong and resilient.

This was largely thanks to his third brother, who had kept him close these past years, subjecting him to relentless training and sudden tests like the one just now. Initially, the "weapons" were ginkgo nuts, leaving him bruised when he failed to dodge. Once he mastered evasion, the weapons escalated to bamboo poles, blunt swords, sharpened swords, and small arrows. These trials permeated every aspect of his life, occurring at any moment. There was even an incident where his third brother tricked him in the middle of the night by shouting about a fire, nearly causing him to run out without pants. Later, his third brother earnestly explained it was to teach him not to trust others easily—including his third brother.

Chen Ying had come to deeply understand what his third brother meant when he said learning martial arts from him would be arduous. It wasn't just arduous—it was life-threatening! That he had survived this long was nothing short of a miracle born of sheer willpower.

Duan Xu laughed heartily and patted his head. "You haven't neglected your training these months in Yunzhou. Not bad, not bad."

At these words, Chen Ying's face twisted as if he were about to cry.

Four months earlier, Duan Xu had sent him to Yunzhou to gain experience and broaden his horizons. There, he joined the Snow-Treading Army at the border under the command of Han Lingqiu, one of his third brother's former subordinates. It seemed Duan Xu had written to Han Lingqiu, instructing him to rigorously oversee Chen Ying's martial training. Han Lingqiu dutifully took on the task personally, and soon Chen Ying discovered to his despair—Han Lingqiu's teaching methods were nearly identical to his third brother's, with the only difference being an occasional apology for the harshness.It was truly a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. While broadening his horizons here, Chen Ying was also being tormented to death by Han Lingqiu. The only consolation was that his martial skills had indeed improved significantly. The seasoned veterans under Han Lingqiu marveled at how someone so young, with such limited training time, could already possess such formidable strength.

Chen Ying basked in this pride while secretly writing to Duan Xu, tentatively asking if he could transfer to General Xia's Accomplishing Victory Army or General Wu's Hall North Army—or better yet, General Meng's Solemn Valor Army. Changing locations to gain experience wouldn’t be bad, especially since Xia Qingsheng, Wu Shengliu, and Meng Wan were all his third brother’s former subordinates.

Most importantly, he privately believed these generals weren’t as skilled as Han Lingqiu and thus wouldn’t torment him the same way.

His third brother soon replied, amiably crushing his hopeful delusions by stating that Han Lingqiu’s teaching methods most resembled his own, making him the most trustworthy mentor. As if that weren’t enough, Han Lingqiu then mentioned receiving a letter from Duan Xu urging him to train Chen Ying even more rigorously.

Chen Ying felt like he’d dropped a boulder on his own foot, shattering it to pieces. With a bitter expression, he could only continue his fearful, grueling training.

Duan Xu was thoroughly pleased with his foster brother’s four months of tempering and showed not an ounce of remorse for his actions. Happily, he had Chen Ying lead the way to Yun Province’s capital.

Duan Xu’s arrival coincidentally overlapped with Fang Xianye’s reassignment to the Southern Capital, so his welcoming banquet doubled as Fang Xianye’s farewell feast. Zheng An, having been completely sidelined by Fang Xianye a year prior, had stormed back to the Southern Capital in fury. During his time there, Duan Xu even crossed paths with Zheng An, listening to his furious tirade about Luo Xian’s defection to Fang Xianye’s side. Dutifully, Duan Xu feigned shock and lamentation, all while tending to his father, who had fainted from rage.

Now, Fang Xianye was the official border inspector of both Yun and Luo Provinces.

The local magistrate hosting the banquet was entirely unaware of the bad blood between Fang Xianye and Duan Xu, so he eagerly seated them in prominent positions near each other. It wasn’t until they took their seats without exchanging greetings or even acknowledging each other that the magistrate belatedly realized these two might not get along.

Cold sweat broke out on his back, and his eyes darted nervously between them.

The banquet itself was substantial—though lacking the extravagant music and dancing beauties of the Southern Capital, there was no shortage of fine wine and delicacies. Duan Xu broke the silence first, raising his cup with a smile. "Over three years in Yun and Luo, Lord Fang has overseen the expansion of Yun Province Horse Ranch, breeding over six thousand fine steeds. The mines in Luo Province have flourished, equipping border infantry with Sky Luo-forged light armor instead of heavy gear. On behalf of all soldiers, I thank you. A talent like Lord Fang is truly a blessing for Great Liang."

Fang Xianye raised his cup in return, replying gracefully, "I don’t deserve such praise. The horse ranch owes much to Lord Zheng’s efforts, and the mines benefited greatly from Princess Hua Luo’s guidance. It’s been three years, Brother Duan. Now a marquis and commander, your bearing outshines even your past self."

"Not at all," Duan Xu demurred. "South of Guan River, I merely cleared out a few bandit dens and trained a single army. Lord Fang, however, inspired the Han people to rise up, reclaiming Wei Province without deploying a single soldier. With two more provinces on the verge of rebellion and imminent return, I am utterly in awe."The two raised their wine cups, exchanging polite compliments before downing the fine liquor in one go. The prefect, seeing their outwardly courteous demeanor, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

These lifelong adversaries set down their cups and smiled simultaneously.

Three years—for those in their thirties, it was neither too short nor too long.

Duan Xu had grown a bit taller in those three years, now standing half a head above Fang Xianye. His skin remained fair, seemingly impervious to tanning, and despite enduring wind and rain daily, it was nearly as pale as Fang Xianye’s, who spent most of his time indoors at court. His eyes still sparkled when he smiled, bright and mesmerizing. He seemed unchanged—still fond of laughter, his words light and airy, like an ageless youth.

Fang Xianye looked much the same, though his demeanor had grown even more composed. If he had once resembled mist in the mountains, now he was like frost upon the grass—graceful and aloof, with less sharpness and more ease. His gentle appearance made it hard to imagine he had once silenced countless nobles in court debates.

Reunited after years apart, yet unable to exchange casual greetings.

As Duan Xu shook his head with a laugh and drank, a tall figure appeared before him. The man bowed deeply at his table and said, "Lin Jun pays his respects to Commander Duan."

Duan Xu looked closely—it was the real Lin Jun, head of the Lin family, whom Shishi had impersonated in Shuozhou’s prefectural city back then. When they rescued Lin Jun, he had been on the brink of death and later spent a long time bedridden. Coincidentally, Duan Xu had also been recovering from injuries at the time, so they had barely met before he returned to the Southern Capital.

He had spent far more time with the imposter Lin Jun than the real one.

"In the haste of those days, I never had the chance to thank you, General, for discerning loyalty from treachery and saving me." Lin Jun bowed deeply once more. Duan Xu stood and steadied him with a smile. "There’s no need for such formality, Master Lin. The Lin family’s unwavering support during Shuozhou’s siege is something I’ll never forget. Ah, but I shouldn’t call you ‘Master Lin’ now—it should be ‘Official Lin.’ I hear you’ll be accompanying Official Fang back to the Southern Capital?"

Lin Jun seemed slightly embarrassed but far more exhilarated. "Thanks to Official Fang’s high regard, I—born north of the Guan River, raised under the oppression of the Huqi people—now have the honor of serving Great Liang in the Southern Capital. To have my lifelong wish fulfilled still feels like a dream."

Duan Xu chuckled and patted Lin Jun’s shoulder. "Official Lin, your loyalty to the sovereign and love for your country, your generosity and righteousness—your ancestors and your uncle would surely be proud."

Lin Jun’s eyes reddened at these words.

Duan Xu’s former subordinates arrived one after another for the welcoming banquet. After conquering Yun and Luo provinces back then, Duan Xu and Meng Wan had returned to the Southern Capital, while the officers of the Snow-Treading Army and Accomplishing Victory Army he had once led remained at the border, now commanders of their own forces. After Commander Qin’s downfall, the military underwent waves of reshuffling and purges. Though the Minister of War position didn’t go to Meng Qiaoyan—instead landing on the neutral Cao Ruolin—Meng Wan still achieved his goal of taking over Commander Qin’s former elite force, the Solemn Valor Army, and was stationed at the frontier.These were the men who had been besieged together with Duan Xu in Shuozhou Prefecture, later fought side by side to capture Yunzhou and Luozhou, shedding blood and risking their lives. Now that Duan Xu had returned as a newly appointed marshal to take command of the Border Army, they were naturally overjoyed. After a round of greetings, Duan Xu glanced around the group and asked, "Why isn’t General Han here?"

Chen Ying quickly answered, "General Tang of the Jingzhou rebel army needed reinforcements, so General Han went to Jingzhou to meet him. He left just a few days ago—just missing you, Third Brother."

Wu Shengliu, seated nearby, slapped his thigh and laughed. "No wonder Chen Ying’s been so cheerful these past few days. Finally free from hardship and able to slack off!"

"I haven’t been slacking!" Chen Ying protested immediately.

The banquet continued with lively banter and ended in high spirits, with everyone stumbling back to their quarters in varying degrees of drunkenness. Originally, the Yunzhou prefect had prepared a fine residence for Duan Xu, but he politely declined and chose to stay in the military camp instead. As he lifted the tent flap and stepped inside, he sensed someone’s presence.

Something pressed against his arm. Duan Xu paused briefly, then smiled. "What an unexpected honor to receive the esteemed Princess Hualuo. My apologies for not welcoming you properly."

The intruder chuckled and lit a lamp. In the flickering light, a delicate face became visible—the rest of her figure was concealed in a black night suit. This was Luo Xian, Princess Hualuo and overseer of the thirteen mines in Luozhou.

"Marquis, it seems you’ve grown rusty after years away from the battlefield. What if this had been a sword?" Luo Xian weighed the scroll in her hand—a long, heavy one that reached her shoulders when stood upright—yet she handled it effortlessly with one hand.

Duan Xu walked to a chair in the tent and sat down. "Though it’s been years, I wouldn’t mistake you for an enemy. I planned to visit you tomorrow, but you’ve beaten me to it. What brings you here tonight?"

"A gift—though not from me. It’s from Lord Fang."

She handed the scroll to Duan Xu, who unrolled it on the table. The map revealed intricate details of seventeen prefectures—Yunzhou, Luozhou, Weizhou, Qizhou, Jingzhou, Youzhou—displaying mountains, rivers, cities, and villages with remarkable precision. At the location of Danzhi’s Upper Capital, a small red arrow had been drawn.

"A shot straight through the heart..." Duan Xu traced his fingers over the Upper Capital on the map, then turned and hung the massive geographical map on the tent wall. Stepping back, he admired the towering map, his eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight.

"This was drawn by Purple Micro agents scattered across the seventeen prefectures," Luo Xian explained.

Purple Micro. Over the years, Luo Xian had established a third Echo Pavilion in the borderlands, specializing in infiltration, incitement, assassination, and serving as a hub for intelligence.

The name "Purple Micro" referred to the imperial star of the Han dynasty, symbolizing the hope that its light would endure and the Han people would reclaim their lost lands. Purple Micro had played a role in the uprisings in Weizhou, Jingzhou, and Qizhou—Qian Chengyi, leader of the Weizhou rebels, was one of its members. Zheng An had once believed Purple Micro to be his weapon, only for it to slip from his grasp into Fang Xianye’s hands."Fang Xianye was supposed to depart for the Southern Capital long ago, but he deliberately delayed until today just to see you in Yunzhou. However, with so many eyes around, it wasn't convenient to talk. He asked me to pass on a message: 'The remaining thirteen states are in your hands now.'"

Upon hearing this, Duan Xu gave a light smile and nodded. "Very well. Tell him not to worry."