The generals began discussing strategies for attacking You Province. After Duan Xu said he would “fully cooperate and say no more,” he truly closed his mouth and spoke no further. He didn’t show any signs of impatience, smiling and attentively listening to the generals’ words, like a pleasant guest enjoying a storytelling session.

He Simu thought this young general must be plotting something in his mind.

“I’ve heard there are two remarkable individuals in the Tabai Army who can observe celestial phenomena to predict weather with incredible precision. I’m very curious—would General Duan be willing to introduce them to me?”

At some point in the discussion, General Yin of the Cheng Jie Army suddenly shifted the topic to the Tabai Army’s weather diviners, specifically “He Xiaoxiao.”

He Simu rested her chin on her hand, turned to look at Duan Xu, and gave a light “Oh?” with a faint smile.

Duan Xu exchanged glances with her, took a couple of sips of tea, and replied calmly: “General Yin may not know that this remarkable person, Miss He, is young and frail. She was already deeply traumatized by the city massacre in Liang Province. Recently, the brutal fighting in Shuo Prefecture frightened her into illness, and she still frequently falls into bed unconscious for no apparent reason. The general’s imposing presence naturally carries the aura of war, and I fear it might frighten her further, causing her harm.”

General Yin’s attempt to poach talent hit a stone wall from the beginning. He joked: “With the enemy at our doorstep, General Duan shouldn’t keep such talent to himself. The weather in You Province is changeable, and my Cheng Jie Army will be at the vanguard—we need these two weather diviners. I wonder if General Duan would be willing to part with them and lend this expert to me.”

General Qin seemed about to say something, but Duan Xu beat him to it, responding straightforwardly and decisively: “I am not willing.”

The smile froze on General Yin’s face, awkwardly stuck between staying and going.

Duan Xu put down his teacup, still smiling, and said: “In life, eight or nine out of ten wishes will go unfulfilled. For instance, when I was trapped defending Shuo Prefecture, I also desperately needed reinforcements, yet not even a shadow of help appeared. He Xiaoxiao is my diviner; naturally, wherever I go, she goes.”

His pointed remarks caused General Qin to narrow his eyes slightly. General Qin asked, “Is General Duan blaming me for not sending troops to your rescue?”

“General Qin was trapped on the Yu Province battlefield, unable to be in two places at once. I understand,” Duan Xu replied frankly, without showing the slightest trace of resentment.

General Qin’s gaze rested on Duan Xu for a long time before slowly turning away. He didn’t continue the topic, instead diverting the conversation in another direction with a few words. General Yin’s attempt to poach talent had hit a hard nail and went nowhere.

He Simu twirled the Ghost King Lantern jade pendant at her waist, glanced at General Yin, and then at Duan Xu, smiling as she said: “What, are you afraid I might eat this General Yin?”

Duan Xu shook his head and said in a barely audible voice: “He’s not good-looking. I’m afraid he would offend your eyes.”

He Simu clicked her tongue a couple of times, smiling without speaking.

The strategic discussion ended at noon, and the generals went to have lunch. Duan Xu, who hadn’t contributed much, courteously waited for all the generals to leave the tent before respectfully saluting General Qin and withdrawing from the camp with his little sworn brother.

General Qin watched Duan Xu’s leisurely, upright figure depart, his slightly aged eyes containing traces of complex emotions. His deputy said: “Back then, we could barely protect ourselves in Yu Province, yet he secretly blames you. You’ve still magnanimously highlighted his achievements in the battle report, perhaps being too courteous to him.”

General Qin shook his head and said lightly: “The Duan family can reach the Emperor’s ear. Even if we wanted to suppress him, we couldn’t.”

He had placed Duan Xu in Shuo Province as bait, but the bait had somehow devoured the fish. This smiling, inscrutable young man might truly be a rare talent.

Talent though he may be, unfortunately, they belonged to different factions, with many grudges and enmities between their backers. He could never be used by them.

General Qin sighed twice and rose from his seat.

This was Chen Ying’s second time following Duan Xu to see the world, and he was incredibly excited. When he returned, he ran straight into He Simu, who was walking out while yawning. Chen Ying looked up and exclaimed: “Sister Xiaoxiao, you just woke up again!”

He Simu rubbed his head and asked: “What is it?”

“Today I saw many other generals with General Brother and even the Marshal.”

“Good, you’re broadening your horizons.”

Chen Ying looked a bit worried: “They don’t seem to like General Brother very much.”

“Well, you’re becoming perceptive.”

“The other generals wanted to take you away, but Brother wouldn’t let them. I think Brother likes you too. Sister Xiaoxiao, you two are in love with each other!” Chen Ying said excitedly.

“…”

Now it was He Simu’s turn to look worriedly at Chen Ying. She felt that with this child’s inclinations, he might end up becoming a matchmaker in the future.

She shook her head and said: “What are you thinking? Duan Xunxi is very fake.”

After a pause, she gave a light laugh.

But then again, perhaps there was no one more genuine than him in this world. He said he was Duan Xu, and his wish was to reclaim the seventeen northern provinces.

That was all true.

Yet after struggling to survive in Tianzhixiao, escaping back to Great Liang, passing the imperial examination as the second-ranked scholar, entering the Secretariat, becoming a frontier general, defeating enemy troops, and reaching where he was today—he had only reclaimed one province, Shuo.

There were still sixteen provinces waiting for him to reclaim, one by one.

“There’s still such a long road ahead, but I’m already… so tired.”

He Simu recalled when, after Fifteen’s death, Duan Xu finally stopped his maniacal laughter and lowered his head, softly saying these words.

She had always felt that the lives of mortals were but the snap of a finger, yet somehow, at this moment, she felt this young man’s life was so long, stretching endlessly.

In the evening, He Simu went to change the bandages of her curse-bound young general, checking how his wounds were healing. For a moment, she felt like a butcher raising a pig, checking daily if it had grown fat enough, calculating when it could be slaughtered.

Tonight, the piglet cheerfully told her he thought it was time for slaughter.

What Duan Xu said was: “It hurts too much. Why don’t you take away my sense of touch now? You’d be happy, and I’d be relieved.”

He had worn armor all morning, and although it was light armor, his wounds had started bleeding again, and his white undergarment was stained with blood.

This person had been like a feelingless evil ghost when killing wildly in the enemy camp and dueling with Fifteen, but now he was whining about pain like a delicate flower.

He Simu glanced at him and said indifferently: “Pain is a self-protective mechanism for the living. Losing the sense of pain would be doubly dangerous.”

Duan Xu lay on his stomach, allowing her to change the bandages on his back wounds. His laughter emerged from under the pillow as he turned his head and said: “Judging by your age, you must have died young, yet you’re nearly four hundred years older than me, so you’ve been an evil ghost for over three hundred years. How are you still so familiar with everything about the living? And your technique for applying medicine is quite skillful, just too heavy-handed.”

He Simu’s hand paused, then she suddenly tightened the gauze. Duan Xu immediately cried out in pain.

“Since you have the energy to probe me, it seems you’re recovering well. Tonight I’ll borrow your sense of touch,” He Simu said indifferently.

Duan Xu turned to look at her, his bright eyes gazing deeply into hers. He smiled and said: “I’m not probing you.”

“Oh?”

“I’m trying to understand—I want to understand He Simu.”

Understand?

Summer insects cannot speak of ice; how could a mortal understand her, and why would they want to?

He Simu looked into his clear eyes and said: “Don’t think that because I’ve allowed you to call me Simu, it means we’ve become closer. Young general, you don’t need to bother understanding me. Just live well and trade with me.”

Duan Xu met her gaze for a moment, then smiled with slightly curved brows and eyes, not arguing. His expression was identical to when he had said “Further words are useless” in the military camp.

Borrowing the five senses required using her own body. He Simu left “He Xiaoxiao’s” body in the room and once again entered Duan Xu’s bedroom. Duan Xu was already sitting cross-legged on the bed, wearing a white undergarment, waiting for her.

He had several letters on his lap. Seeing He Simu arrive, he burned the letters in the fire, only the words “mission accomplished” faintly visible.

He Simu glanced at the letters, then shifted her gaze to Duan Xu. Duan Xu’s deep black eyes reflected the candlelight as he smiled and extended his hand to her, his five fingers long and slender like those of a scholar.

“Come,” he said.

It seemed he was even more eager than she was.

He Simu looked at him, and the bright pearl floated out from her bosom, slowly landing in Duan Xu’s palm.

The pearl was cold, carrying the death aura from her body.

Duan Xu’s fingers closed around the pearl, and He Simu’s icy hand covered the pearl. She closed her eyes, and the Ghost King Lantern at her waist emitted a faint blue light.

A strong wind suddenly arose from nowhere, enveloping the two of them. He Simu’s long hair and silver hairpins danced in the wind. The pearl began to emit light, revealing layers upon layers of red runes within. These runes rotated rapidly like gears until two runes rose into the air, split in half, and each merged into Duan Xu and He Simu’s foreheads.

He Simu’s forehead now bore two tiny red marks, like drops of blood falling on a pale snowfield. Duan Xu’s forehead was the same.

The pearl’s light dimmed, the wind disappeared, and the world returned to silence as before. He Simu slowly opened her eyes, meeting Duan Xu’s gaze fixed upon her, his eyes deep as the night sky.

There was a moment of silence between them before He Simu suddenly reached out and pushed Duan Xu down onto the bed. The pearl rolled onto the bedding, half-hidden.

Duan Xu looked up at her, but before he could speak, her hand caressed his face, fingers gliding over his delicate skin. Her pale fingers seemed to take on a hint of warmth.

Her long hair fell upon him, her gaze so intense it burned from her eyes into his, making him momentarily forget the jokes he had planned to say.

“Skin,” He Simu’s lips parted slightly as she murmured.

Her hand traced along the contours of his face, then moved to his lips. Duan Xu’s lips were thin and pale, naturally curved slightly upward at the corners, containing a hint of a smile—soft and warm.

“Lips.”

Her fingertips lingered briefly on his lips, then lightly moved to the side of his nose.

Her eyes gleamed brightly as she said: “Breath.”

Then her fingers slowly moved downward, following the side of his face to gently grasp his thin neck. Duan Xu stared at He Simu without blinking, his entire body relaxed and unresistant. Her hand showed no intention of tightening.

“Pulse.”

She was like a child discovering the world for the first time, naming each sensation she experienced.

As soon as she finished speaking, He Simu suddenly lowered herself to lie on Duan Xu’s chest. Her cheek pressed against his thin garment, causing Duan Xu to tense up instantly.

She lay silently on his chest, as if time had frozen. A moment later, she laughed softly and looked up at him, her breathtakingly beautiful face filled with delight.

“Heartbeat.”

Duan Xu’s eyes flickered slightly. Just then, He Simu moved closer to him and spoke words that struck like lightning.

“Bite me.”

Duan Xu was taken aback. He stared at He Simu’s expression and repeated softly: “Bite you?”

“Yes, bite my neck.” He Simu turned her face away, exposing her pale, slender neck, casually giving the command.

Wind crept through the cracks in the window, causing the candle flame to dance, casting obscure light on her neck.

Duan Xu was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his upper body suspended. His hands caressed the long hair at the back of her head, supporting her face as he opened his mouth and unhesitatingly, slowly bit her neck.

He didn’t draw blood but left a red mark.

He Simu didn’t avoid him, just calmly and softly said: “Pain.”

Her statement of pain lacked any fragile tone, far less pitiful than when she pretended to be He Xiaoxiao, yet it was like two tiny ice shards, lightly pricking Duan Xu’s ears.

And his heart.

Duan Xu’s eyelashes trembled.

She turned her head back to look at him, oblivious. At a distance where their breaths mingled, she laughed lightly with curiosity: “So this is what those people I’ve eaten felt before they died.”

The world had such a wondrous face.

Skin, lips, breath.

Smooth, soft, warm.

Pulse like a small clock, heartbeat like a small drum. Trembling and warm, delicate and vibrant, scalding as if blood were boiling.

Pain was intriguing—a mixture of discomfort and unease, a distinct sharpness.

And when he held her hair, when his cheek brushed against her neck, what was that subtle, utterly different kind of unease?

Was all of this… being alive?

Duan Xu gazed deeply at her, smiled brightly with curved brows and eyes, and said: “Ghost King, Simu, welcome to the world of the living.”