It was the third day after Fang Xian Ye’s death when Duan Xu’s condition improved and he finally regained consciousness.

Duan Xu stared at the ceiling for a moment, then felt his hand holding another soft hand, their fingers intertwined. Before he could react, the hand holding his moved slightly, and he was embraced.

The young woman lying on him had been warmed by the room’s fire. She restrained her strength, careful not to press on him, yet her arms held him tightly. She had always struggled to control her strength, but now she managed it perfectly.

Duan Xu raised his other hand to pat her back, saying softly, “It’s alright now. I feel much better as if I’ve just woken from a very long sleep.”

“What do you mean ‘alright’? You nearly died,” He Simu said in a low voice.

During this time, besides handling matters in the ghost realm and looking after Duan Xu, she had been searching for spiritual medicines with He Jia and Feng Yi. Every medicine they found was rejected by Heavenly Similarity Star-Lord, who was treating Duan Xu, saying that good medicines couldn’t be used indiscriminately.

In all her years, this was the first time she understood the meaning of desperate measures in dire situations.

Sometimes she held his hand with their fingers interlocked. She thought that as he wished, with ten fingers connected to the heart, with her heart in his hand, perhaps he wouldn’t be willing to let go of life.

The Heavenly Similarity Star-Lord, standing to the side, let out a long sigh and said quietly, “Ghost King, may I have a word with you in private?”

He Simu patted Duan Xu’s back and released him, saying, “Lie down and rest.”

Duan Xu obediently nodded.

He Simu turned and left the room with the Star-Lord, just as they encountered Duan Jingyuan running in with reddened eyes. With a trembling voice, she asked, “Is my brother awake?”

He Simu nodded, and Duan Jingyuan wiped her tears and rushed into the room. The Star Lord closed the door, walked a few steps away, then turned to face He Simu.

The Heavenly Similarity Star Lord was a first-rank Star Lord from the Star Palace, bringing good fortune and one of the most powerful mortals in the world. With a young and gentle face, he sighed deeply and said, “Your Highness, I have done my best to nurse him and provide blessing talismans. However, his yang energy is severely depleted, and his physical condition has deteriorated badly. I… can only do my best.”

He Simu lowered her eyes and asked directly, “How long does he have?”

“If he rests well, perhaps around ten years,” the Star Lord said carefully.

“If he were to rest well, he wouldn’t be Duan Xu,” He Simu smiled bitterly.

“If he continues exerting himself like this, even with my blessing talismans and my full efforts to nurse him back to health, he… will have at most two years.”

He Simu remained silent for a moment, then looked up to see snow had begun falling from the clear sky. Fine snowflakes drifted down lazily in the sunlight, crystal clear and translucent like a world of colored glass, melting into water upon touching the ground.

The second time she had met Duan Xu, it had snowed just like this in Liang Province. Back then, Chen Ying was still just a child whose only concern was getting enough to eat. She had held Chen Ying in her arms as Duan Xu placed his veiled hat on her head. Through the gaps in the veil, she had watched his backlight and straight.

Clear day, white snow, and a youth in the world.

Yet snow on a clear day, arriving suddenly and melting upon landing, was as fleeting as a dream.

“I understand. Thank you. I will trouble the Star-Lord in the future,” He Simu heard her voice, calm yet hollow.

The Star Lord bowed and said, “No thanks necessary.”

Suddenly, there was a crash from inside the room. He Simu’s thoughts returned as she quickly turned and pushed open the door, only to see the bedside table overturned and a vase shattered on the floor. Duan Xu had fallen to the ground, apparently having tried and failed to walk. Duan Jingyuan was supporting him, tears streaming down her face as she called out, “Third Brother…”

He Simu immediately went over to help Duan Xu up. He grabbed her arm and, before she could attempt to help him back to bed, said through clenched teeth, “Fang Xian Ye… did Fang Xian Ye take his own life?”

His eyes were bloodshot, the words seemingly squeezed through his teeth.

He Simu was silent for a moment, then said, “I checked the ghost register yesterday. His name isn’t there. He has already moved on to his next life.”

Duan Xu closed his eyes, covered his forehead, and remained quiet for a moment, then suddenly began to laugh inexplicably. The laughter started low and gradually grew louder, becoming wild and shrill, as if a fierce wind was sweeping out from his frail body, threatening to turn this absurd world upside down.

He Simu grabbed his wrist. He trembled slightly, slowly lowering his hand, his bloodshot eyes filled with boundless madness.

He laughed and said, “The Emperor is desperate to kill me, so I’ll go to him and see who can kill whom!”

That night, as candles flickered, the young Emperor of Great Liang frowned while reviewing memorials. The farce that had occurred at court had temporarily suspended his plans. The Ministry of Justice claimed there was no witness, and the case of the forged edict could only be classified as unresolved. Lady Duan had also gone to the Empress Dowager to cry and plead, and the Empress Dowager declared it a forged edict, instructing him to treat meritorious officials well.

Duan Xu was certainly a meritorious official with outstanding contributions. The armies on the North Bank only listened to him. The late Emperor’s edict couldn’t recall them. He had obeyed the Emperor’s edict and brought back ten thousand troops supposedly for review but actually as a threat. Even the new general sent to the North Bank had died under mysterious circumstances.

How could such an uncontrollable person be allowed to live?

The Emperor was deep in these thoughts when he suddenly felt something cold around his neck. Something was constricting his throat. He was so startled that he tried to call for help but discovered that the attendants nearby had already collapsed, and he couldn’t make a sound.

A figure silently appeared before him. He looked closely—who else could it be but Duan Xu?

Duan Xu was dressed entirely in black, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot, like a specter from the netherworld. He calmly pulled over a nearby chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and looked at the most noble emperor in the world.

The Emperor clawed desperately at his neck. Duan Xu said calmly, “Your Majesty, disregarding the urgent situation at the front lines, you attempted to kill me while I was ill. I didn’t realize Your Majesty feared me so much. But in the current situation, I wonder who would die faster.”

The Emperor stared wide-eyed at Duan Xu.

Duan Xu nodded knowingly, “Your Majesty wants to know how I got in. If I want to enter, naturally I can. Isn’t that right, Simu?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in red appeared out of thin air in the hall. Her eyes had no whites, and her completely black eyes coldly regarded the Emperor. The Emperor, as if unable to believe his own eyes, shrank back in fear.

He Simu snapped her fingers, and the soft thread around the Emperor’s neck dissipated. He clutched his throat, coughing continuously while hoarsely calling for help, his voice echoing in the vast hall with no response. The Emperor stood up and frantically ran to the door, only to find it wouldn’t open, and no one responded to his pounding.

He turned back in astonishment to look at Duan Xu and He Simu, who watched his antics casually as if telling him—you can’t escape.

Anger welled up in the Emperor’s eyes. He lowered his hand from the door and pointed at Duan Xu: “You dare… you dare to treat me like this!”

“Why wouldn’t I dare!” Duan Xu suddenly slammed the table as he rose, laughing, “What are you? An emperor? What’s so great about being an emperor? Do you have three heads and six arms, or a heart with seven apertures? What can you do? Be born into privilege? Reap benefits without effort? Establish trusted aides to secure your throne. Only you can kill others, but others can’t kill you?”

The Emperor straightened his neck, furious: “Insolence! I am the Son of Heaven, the ruler of the world!”

Duan Xu snorted with derision, saying, “The world? How big is your world? You’ve never stepped outside the Southern Capital in your entire life. How dare a frog in a well speak of the world?”

He walked a few steps toward the Emperor, who retreated repeatedly but was still caught by his collar. Duan Xu said, “Since Your Majesty speaks this way, let me show you your world.”

In an instant, the surroundings changed. The Emperor watched in horror as all the furnishings in the imperial palace vanished in the blink of an eye, and they stood on a scorched earth with deafening war drums coming from both sides.

Duan Xu released the Emperor’s collar. The Emperor staggered back a few steps, looked down, and saw he was stepping on a soldier’s severed limb. He immediately screamed and fell to the ground. In the darkness, countless people with swords passed through their bodies, killing each other. Battle cries resounded, flesh and blood flew, and even the moonlight seemed to turn crimson. This land was like a human-devouring furnace, with countless people being crushed within it.

The Emperor frantically called for help, but no one answered; no one could even see them. They were like three ghosts on the battlefield.

Duan Xu walked up to the Emperor. In the moonlight, he resembled an asura from hell, looking down at him and saying: “Your Majesty, do you see? This is also part of your world. On the North Bank front that you consider your historical achievement, thousands of souls perish daily. Every inch of this land belongs to every person who steps on it. You sit high in the bright hall, your feet touching but a small space. Do you truly believe the world belongs to you, that they must die and live for you?”

He grabbed the Emperor’s collar and said, word by word, into his terrified eyes: “It is you who should die for them, live for them. If you can’t do this, you have no right to speak the words ‘the world.'”

The Emperor trembled for a long time, then finally gathered his courage and said firmly, “Duan Xun Xi! You treacherous rebel! Even if you kill me, I will never bow to a traitor like you!”

Duan Xu tilted his head, sneering, “Treacherous rebel? Traitor? A ruler who drives worthy officials to their deaths dares to speak such words?”

Suddenly, their surroundings changed again, and they were back in the brightly lit palace with candles. It was warm and quiet as if the hellish bloodbath had been just an illusion. The Emperor looked at Duan Xu in terror, then at He Simu, and upon recovering, said, “Duan Xun Xi, you… you practice sorcery!”

Duan Xu released the Emperor’s collar, and the Emperor collapsed to the floor.

Duan Xu looked at him calmly and said, “That’s right, I do.”

“I have no interest in your throne. I will drive away the Hu Qi people and prevent them from ever setting foot in the Central Plains again. You had better guard your position well and govern the realm properly, lest someone else takes it from you. I will neither harm you nor be loyal to you, as long as you don’t interfere with my affairs.”

He crouched down, pointing at the Emperor: “I’ll only say this once, whether you believe it or not. My brother is dead, my friend is dead. If you dare touch any of my people, I will immediately commit regicide. I possess supernatural sorcery; even with your high walls and imperial guards, I can still burst in and kill you as I did today. You should pray that I live, for if I die, I will haunt you every day.”

The Emperor said with a trembling voice, “Duan Xun Xi… you… you’ve gone mad!”

Duan Xu laughed, bright and fierce, nodding in agreement: “Yes, so you’d better not offend a madman. Write the edict now, allowing me to return to the North.”

When the attendants of Ning Le Palace woke in the morning, they found the Emperor sitting on the ground, pale and exhausted, as if he had suffered a severe shock and was completely disoriented. They hurriedly called for the imperial physician. Opening the door, they saw a figure in a black cloak gradually disappearing through the vast snowy landscape, holding an imperial edict, leaving four sets of footprints in the snow.

The attendant rubbed his eyes—strangely, there were two additional footprints beside Duan Xu’s, accompanying his steps through the heavy snowfall, which was extremely mysterious. In a world invisible to him, a young woman dressed in three layers of red robes, with black hair and silver hairpins, supported Duan Xu’s arm as they slowly walked out of the palace walls together.

The attendant turned back to the Emperor’s side, helping him up, and said, “Your Majesty… this was… this was an assassin!”

The Emperor’s gaze slowly moved to that receding figure. It seemed he had finally caught his breath, and he said through gritted teeth: “No, it was I… late at night… secretly summoning Duan Xun Xi to the palace, bestowing upon him an imperial edict… appointing him as the Grand Marshal of all forces in the realm… to campaign against Dan Zhi.”

Duan Xu’s body trembled in the snow. He Simu supported him as he smiled wearily, saying, “I’ve broken your rules, haven’t I?”

He Simu held his shoulder and replied, “I didn’t say anything. I merely took you both on a trip to You Province. What rules have been broken?”

After a pause, she sighed and said, “This is an exception. If Feng Yi and the others question it, let them reduce me to ashes. We’ll see if they can find a better Ghost King.”

“He Simu, how have you started talking like this too?”

“Perhaps I’ve been influenced by you and have also gone mad.”

Duan Xu leaned on He Simu’s shoulder, laughing softly. As he laughed, he grasped her sleeve and began to choke up.

Before entering the palace, Jing Yan had come to see him, giving him all the books and treatises found when searching Fang Xian Ye’s residence, saying he was fulfilling a promise. He also delivered Fang Xian Ye’s last words to him.

Fang Xian Ye had said—A gentleman dies for his confidant. In my next life, I wish to be reborn on the North Bank. Please, you must ensure I live in a prosperous era for the Han people.