The current situation was somewhat thorny. Duan Xu thought perhaps he needed to deploy Ziwei agents lurking in Jing State. Just as he was thinking this, he saw a crow land on the ground illuminated by moonlight.

His eyes flashed, and then he smiled.

A pale hand pressed on Han Lingqiu’s shoulder. He Simu’s pale yet beautiful face appeared behind him as she said coldly, “Am I interrupting your reunion?”

Her fingers dug deeply into Han Lingqiu’s shoulder as she enunciated each word: “Let. Go.”

Han Lingqiu looked at He Simu in astonishment, involuntarily releasing his grip, murmuring, “You are…”

He Simu snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. Han Lingqiu swayed and collapsed unconscious on the ground. She then turned unhurriedly to face the room full of astonished eyes, pointing at Duan Xu and saying: “This man is mine. I’m taking him away.”

The soldiers in the shadows whispered fearfully. Lu Da was the first to react, looking at the Ghost King’s Lamp at He Simu’s waist, he said, “That lamp… could you be… the Ghost King?”

He Simu nodded and said, “Good eye.”

“When I last saw you, you were still human.”

“That was a little game.”

Lu Da’s gaze moved between Duan Xu and He Simu. He said, “From then until now, your situations have reversed. You changed from human to ghost, and he from ghost to human. There is some kind of connection between you.”

His gaze turned to Duan Xu and said, “So this is why General Duan previously achieved such great victories on the Yun-Luo battlefield?”

Duan Xu couldn’t help but sneer. He sheathed his Pówàng sword and said coldly, “If thinking that makes you feel better, then think that way.”

He Simu waved her hand, and three hidden darts flying toward Duan Xu froze in mid-air. She looked toward number fourteen, snapped her pale fingers, and the three poisoned darts burned to ashes, falling to the ground.

The owner of the darts, number fourteen, looked grim. He coldly said to Duan Xu, “You ultimately betrayed the Azure God and turned to the Evil God.” After a pause, he turned to Mu’ertu and lowered his head, saying, “Master, he is the legendary person connected to the Evil God, the child who opposes the Azure God. We should have killed him long ago.”

He Simu, having no interest in the grudges and resentments of people other than Duan Xu, wanted to take him away directly, but Duan Xu held her hand, indicating she should wait.

He turned toward the white-haired Mu’ertu in the wheelchair. In fact, since entering the prison until now, Mu’ertu hadn’t said much, nor had he responded to number fourteen just now. He just sat there with his spine straight, like a statue, like a mountain.

But Duan Xu felt he knew what Mu’ertu wanted to say but couldn’t articulate.

“Master, is this your first time leaving the Heaven Knowing manor in nine years?” he asked.

Duan Xu still remembered that when he left, Mu’ertu had a head of black hair; now it was completely white. Those once nimble steps now relied on a wheelchair. He still kept his spine straight, maintaining his dignity, unwilling to show excitement or old age.

But he had truly aged. So this is what aging is—nine years had passed, and the once unbending, imperious leader of the Heaven Knowing had declined.

So even nightmares age.

The anger and fear surging in his heart gradually receded. It was as if one foot had struggled out of a years-long nightmare, finally able to barely shed the bloodshot vision and carefully look at his nightmare.

How could he not be Mu’ertu’s nightmare as well?

“Master, not everything in this world has an answer. I don’t have the answer you seek, and even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. What I can tell you is that your once-favorite disciple, number seventeen—his obedience, attachment, fervor, and piety were all false, always false. I despised everything about the Heaven Knowing. I never thought becoming number seventeen was glorious, and I never worshipped the Azure God. Master I’ve never worshipped any god. In all the mires…”

Duan Xu pointed to himself and said, “I pulled myself out by myself. God has divine power because I believe in him, and divine power is my power.”

Mu’ertu’s hand tightened. He seemed to be struggling intensely to control his emotions, to the point where veins bulged on his forehead and his breathing became heavy.

After a pause, Duan Xu said, “I hated you, Master.”

Mu’ertu once told him that useless people didn’t deserve to live in this world, so he blinded Mu’ertu’s eyes, maliciously wanting to see how a useless Mu’ertu would live. As if by torturing Mu’ertu, he could breathe when recalling that past.

But hatred didn’t end, the past didn’t disappear. What truly made him let go was time and He Simu.

“But I don’t hate you anymore, Master. You should still hate me, probably until you die or I die, only then will this hatred have an end. Perhaps even in the next life, we won’t understand each other. Actually… this is also a decent ending.”

Duan Xu stepped back, then knelt on the ground covered with withered grass. He slowly bowed down, his forehead touching the ground with a soft sound.

As if realizing what Duan Xu was doing, Mu’ertu’s expression showed a moment of bewilderment.

“Thank you for teaching me martial arts, and passing on military strategy. All my skills came from your favor and unreserved teaching.”

“Thank you for once treating me sincerely, regarding me as your child, protecting me in every way.”

Duan Xu bowed twice, then straightened up and looked at Mu’ertu. The person opposite him trembled slightly as if some uncontrollable emotion was raging inside him. The dark red scars where his eyes should be, under the moonlight, proclaimed some painful past events.

“Thank you for traveling thousands of miles to Jing State, to see me once, to make an end with me. Master, you are still one of the most excellent people I have ever seen in this world. However, I would rather walk the single-plank bridge in the human world than the golden road to the netherworld.”

In the Scripture of Azure Words, the most faithful believers of the Azure God would, after death, tread a road paved with gold, leading directly to a world without pain, only extreme joy. At that time, he thought people liked gold because it could be exchanged for fine food, silk, and grand houses. Since that was a world without hunger, cold, or rain, what would gold be used for? If people were like mice, would the golden road become a road paved with rice?

He was ultimately a person who questioned everything, a rebel. The only certainty was the single-plank bridge beneath his feet.

Duan Xu bowed once more, then stood up from the ground. At this moment, Mu’ertu finally spoke, saying, “Duan Xu, that is your name now.”

“Yes.”

“I swear by the Azure God’s righteousness, you will lose everything and die with your eyes open.”

Duan Xu smiled slightly and said, “Very well, I’ll be waiting. Master, farewell.”

He Simu held Duan Xu’s hand, and Duan Xu conveniently picked up the unconscious Han Lingqiu. Under the serene moonlight, a wisp of blue smoke drifted by, and the three disappeared.

To avoid causing a disturbance, He Simu placed Duan Xu and Han Lingqiu in a remote area some distance from the Returning Crane Army camp in Yun State. When his feet touched the soil of Yun State, Duan Xu finally let out a long breath, his entire body relaxing. What had just happened seemed like a dream. Now, all around was quiet, everything silent, as if waking from a dream.

He turned to He Simu and said, “Your timing was perfect.”

“Why didn’t you call me when you encountered trouble?”

“It wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.” Duan Xu walked toward the distant, brightly lit, bustling military camp.

He Simu walked beside him with her arms folded, saying, “Were you very afraid of that person, your master?”

“Was it obvious?”

“When I first arrived, your whole body was trembling.” She twirled to stand in front of him, looking up into his eyes, smiling, “But after I came, you weren’t afraid anymore. How about that, little general, you’re learning to use borrowed power?”

Duan Xu stopped in his tracks. He looked down at He Simu, then reached out to embrace her, holding her cold body tightly against his, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the fragrance in her hair, identical to his own.

He Simu gently patted his back.

“I once lived to please him. I thought I couldn’t face him. Before you came, I felt like I was back in a nightmare. But you came, and the dream ended.” He laughed softly, saying, “Although I’ve mentioned the Heaven Knowing to you before as if it were easy, I know I hadn’t let it go.”

The occasional madness and bloodthirst that surfaced in him still reminded him that he wasn’t an ordinary person; perhaps he was a weapon and a beast in human skin.

“Just now I felt like I could let it go. Perhaps after years of pretending, I didn’t even realize that I had already become human.”

Over these years, he had shed some of his sharpness. Although it still seemed like he was walking a single-plank bridge, his steps appeared more steady. Perhaps it was because he had something of his own, feeling for the first time that life was reassuring.

There was also someone who would hold him like this, patting his back, calmly yet earnestly smoothing away his pain.

He Simu was silent for a moment. She smiled, lifting Duan Xu’s head, stroking his face, and said, “Duan Fox, you’re very brave.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, many people in this world can’t face their past as calmly as you do, making a good closure. Perhaps I couldn’t either.”

“It’s your contribution.”

“No, you are inherently a very brave person. Courage is a precious quality. Among all the people I’ve met, you are the bravest.”

Duan Xu smiled. He released He Simu, took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and walked toward the military camp. When they neared the camp, he picked up Han Lingqiu, who had been magically dragged along by He Simu and carried him on his shoulder.

The sentries in the distance seemed to recognize Duan Xu. A commotion came from the camp, and then the camp gate opened. Chen Ying led people on horseback to meet Duan Xu. When he was not far from Duan Xu, he dismounted and ran over to help Duan Xu with Han Lingqiu, urgently saying, “I only learned after returning from the Treading White Army that you had infiltrated the enemy camp alone again. Third Brother, how could you do this again? Your body has long…”

Only then did he notice He Simu beside Duan Xu. He quickly swallowed the rest of his sentence, and meeting Duan Xu’s warning gaze, he immediately said, “Long since ceased to be your own, but belongs to Daliang. You must take better care of yourself!”

He Simu paid no attention to Chen Ying’s stumbling. Originally, only Duan Xu and Chen Ying could see her. She waved her hand, indicating she would wait for them in the camp, then disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.

Chen Ying observed for a while, then sighed in relief. While helping Duan Xu place Han Lingqiu on horseback, he said, “Third Brother, you can’t be so reckless anymore.”

“I know, I know. Look how scared you are.” Duan Xu laughed.

Chen Ying accused, “Third Brother, you’re still laughing!”

Duan Xu continued to smile, patting the back of Chen Ying’s head.