The spring afternoon was peaceful and quiet. Chen Ying was still asleep nearby, so Duan Xu kept his voice low, almost whispering in her ear, yet every word was exceptionally clear.
To swear by everything that the name Duan Xu possessed in this world—this oath was heavy enough.
He Simu gazed into his eyes, then after a brief moment smiled and pushed him away. “If it’s not, then it’s not. Why are you reacting so strongly? You’re angry. This is the first time I’ve seen you truly angry. Interesting.”
He hadn’t become angry when Commander Qin threw him to the North Shore, when Wu Sheng Liu questioned him, or when Commander Qin’s subordinates ostracized him, yet he was angered by such an ordinary question.
Duan Xu pressed his lips together, his gaze turning away and then back again. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the figure before him flash, and immediately found himself pinned against the wall, his throat in her grip. He Simu wore a white single-layer garment and lifted him with just one hand. She smiled, tilting her head, “But we haven’t settled our account yet. What was it you said? That you’d only live for ten days?”
The Ghost Queen still held a grudge from the day they first exchanged sensations.
Duan Xu grasped her wrist and said with some difficulty, “Your… wounds…”
“You should worry about yourself first.” He Simu moved closer, staring intently into his eyes. Duan Xu merely returned her gaze in silence.
The sunlight was warm, the room quiet.
He Simu seemed surprised. “Aren’t you usually silver-tongued? Why aren’t you speaking now?”
Duan Xu smiled faintly. His grip on He Simu’s wrist tightened as he submissively said, “I beg… Ghost Queen… to spare me…”
“Will you dare do it again?”
“…” Duan Xu blinked but did not answer.
Eagerly admitting fault, but ready to repeat the offense next time.
He Simu narrowed her eyes. He knew she wouldn’t bear to kill him and was just humoring her. Being manipulated by this little fox didn’t feel good at all.
Yet he gazed at her with apparent sincerity, his eyes filled with nothing but her.
“Those who always protect others are very lonely.”
He Simu suddenly recalled these words that Chen Ying had relayed. The hand gripping Duan Xu’s throat paused, then released him.
When Duan Xu landed on the ground, he still had the presence of mind to use technique, making no sound that would wake Chen Ying. Even his sigh of relief and coughing were suppressed. As he bent over coughing, he looked up at He Simu with a smile in his eyes. He Simu looked down at him imperiously, waved her hand, and walked to sit on the bed. With a snap of her fingers, the heavy ancient book fell into her hand again.
“What exactly happened?” Duan Xu asked, acting as if nothing had occurred, and sat down at the edge of He Simu’s bed. He Simu’s gaze remained on the Ghost Register as she indifferently related the events to Duan Xu.
Now that both Daoist Ming Feng and the fake Qiao Yan had been burned to death by her, Duan Xu could fabricate whatever story he wished. He Simu had no desire to quibble with mortals. To her, the ones who tried to usurp her position in the Ghost Realm were the ones she needed to punish.
Duan Xu smiled and said, “What’s wrong with these subordinates of yours? How dare they be so disrespectful.”
“It’s not surprising. They’ve been eagerly waiting for me to fall from grace for quite some time now.” He Simu flipped through the Ghost Register without raising her eyelids. “Whether in the human world or the ghost realm, it’s always like this on the throne.”
Duan Xu fell silent, his gaze falling on the crisscrossing scars on her arms.
He Simu looked up at Duan Xu, following his gaze to the scars on her own body. She sighed and shook her sleeve to cover her arm. Before, she had seen Duan Xu’s body covered in old and new wounds without thinking much of it, but after truly experiencing pain herself, she realized how unbearable it was. These mortals living in the world were truly fragile.
So she said, “If only I had discovered you when you first entered the Tianzhixiao, you could have suffered fewer wounds and endured less pain.”
Duan Xu seemed to consider this seriously for a moment, then with a hint of a smile in his eyes, he said in an almost joking tone, “That wouldn’t have happened. If you had met me then, you certainly wouldn’t have been interested in me. Meeting you now, I think, is the best timing.”
During his time at Tianzhixiao, he had been most confused and in pain, living in constant fear, his heart like a furnace, with no room for affection. He was grateful she met him now, for he had already gained clarity, had firm beliefs, and needed no saving.
“You don’t wish I had rescued you earlier?”
“No, I don’t.”
I am willing to fall into hell, experience hardships, renew my sinews and bones, change my temperament, comprehend the world’s emotions, and become myself.
Then meet you.
When Chen Ying awoke, he found himself in Duan Xu’s room. After a moment of confusion, he saw Duan Xu push open the door from outside. His general brother wore light armor as if he had just returned from the training field. Seeing Chen Ying, he smiled, “Were you so worried last night that you couldn’t sleep? You’ve slept until evening.”
Chen Ying looked at the light armor Duan Xu wore and jumped down from the bed. He ran to Duan Xu and asked, “General Brother, when can I go to the battlefield with you?”
Duan Xu crouched down to look at him and said, “You’re too young. How about when you’re thirteen or fourteen, I’ll take you to the battlefield?”
Chen Ying lowered his head somewhat dejectedly, then raised it again. “Sister Xiaoxiao is a ghost… will she stay with us forever? Will she leave us?”
Duan Xu fell silent at this question.
Chen Ying became anxious. In his heart, He Xiaoxiao and Duan Xu were the two most omnipotent people, and Duan Xu’s silence now seemed to suggest there was no room for negotiation on this matter. In his urgency, he took Duan Xu’s hand and said, “Sister Xiaoxiao likes you. She… she’s even lovesick for you! Don’t you like Sister Xiaoxiao? If you two are in love, Sister Xiaoxiao will stay, right?”
Duan Xu was taken aback, his expression becoming somewhat peculiar. “Lovesick? She said that?”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Hahahahaha…” Duan Xu’s expression changed several times before he finally burst out laughing, saying softly, “She really will say anything.”
Chen Ying looked at him in confusion. Duan Xu stroked his shoulder and looked into his eyes, saying, “I want to tell you something. Will you keep a secret for your brother?”
Chen Ying nodded vigorously like a little chick pecking at rice, saying, “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good.” Duan Xu spoke slowly and seriously, “He Xiaoxiao might often say she likes me or has affection for me, but it’s all false. She doesn’t like me; she’s just saying it for fun. To her, I’m just a somewhat special mortal—special enough for her to tolerate some offenses, but not special enough for her to love me.”
Chen Ying’s expression turned bewildered.
Duan Xu was silent for a moment, then continued, “I’ve never said I like her. But… I do like her, truly.”
Chen Ying looked at Duan Xu in surprise. Before he could comment on this, he saw Duan Xu place his index finger to his lips and smile, “You promised to keep this secret for me. You absolutely cannot tell He Xiaoxiao.”
Chen Ying was still confused but nodded seriously. With his eight-year-old mind, he couldn’t understand why someone would like a person but not want them to know. He understood even less how the situation Duan Xu described was opposite to what he thought he knew!
Duan Xu nodded with satisfaction. He patted Chen Ying’s shoulder and said, “Don’t call me General Brother anymore. Since you’re my sworn brother, you should call me Third Brother like my sister does.”
Chen Ying’s eyes lit up, and he stammered, “Third Brother… Are you my brother now?”