“What happened to Xian Ye?”

“There’s a famous unrestrained scholar in the Southern Capital’s Feng Ci Poetry Society named Fan Qian. In May, he wrote a poem called ‘Jiang Hua Zi’ which offended His Majesty. After the Emperor awoke from his fainting spell and saw this poem, he flew into a rage and sentenced Fan Qian to beheading. Lord Fang, as the head of the Feng Ci Poetry Society, was implicated and demoted to the fifth-rank position of Section Chief in the Bureau of Receptions at the Ministry of Rites.”

Duan Xu’s gaze darkened, and he murmured, “Bureau of Receptions at the Ministry of Rites… Xian Ye has been assigned to a nominal position.”

“Ten years ago, after the Crown Prince died, the Emperor never established another heir. Though the Emperor is still in his prime, his fainting condition makes the matter of naming an heir urgent. Now all the princes and their factions are stirring. The court situation has become treacherous lately, and Lord Fang must be having a difficult time,” Luo Xian sighed.

This situation was quite similar to the Three Princes’ Conflict in Danzhi years ago. Previously, Duan Xu had laughed at Danzhi’s internal strife, not knowing that fortunes would soon turn to affect Great Liang. Currently, the chaos remains beneath the surface, with uncertain future developments.

Thinking of this, Duan Xu felt helpless and said, “Without you in the Southern Capital to relay information, Xian Ye has indeed lost much support. We’re at the frontier, so the impact on us will be smaller.”

“In his letter, Lord Fang barely mentioned these troubles.”

“He’s never been one to complain about such matters.”

With Fang Xian Ye far away in the Southern Capital, Duan Xu’s desire to help was constrained by distance. After Luo Xian reported all recent important intelligence, he silently disappeared into the night. Duan Xu lifted the tent curtain and stepped outside. Tonight the stars were brilliant, making for a beautiful night.

He stood there for a moment, lost in thought, then turned to the guard on his left and said, “You, come with me.”

The guard saluted and followed his commander through various tents to a stream with lush vegetation at the edge of the camp. Duan Xu leisurely stopped and turned to look at the guard without speaking. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward and strange. After a moment of silent confrontation, the guard unexpectedly said, “Fine, you’ve discovered me again.”

The man’s body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. Red boots embroidered with flowing cloud patterns stepped onto the soft, damp soil by the stream. The beauty beneath the starry sky glowed even more brilliantly. He Simu stood before him with floating sleeves and a gentle smile.

Duan Xu glanced at the fallen guard and sighed, “Now I’ll have to find someone to carry him back again.”

“Call Chen Ying. He’s already quite practiced at this task,” He Simu said, stepping over the man’s legs to reach Duan Xu’s side. Duan Xu extended his hand and caught her cold, fair hand that carried the scent of amber, interlocking their fingers.

“You’re still Chen Ying’s sworn sister. Should you be ordering your brother around like this?” Duan Xu’s eyes reflected the starlight, his smile clear and bright.

“Speaking of which, Chen Ying has complained to me that you’re too strict when teaching him martial arts, almost like you’re torturing him.”

Duan Xu raised an eyebrow. “He said that?”

He Simu nodded, moving closer to him and saying, “I told him—your Third Brother is doing well, strict teachers produce outstanding students, so train hard.”

Duan Xu couldn’t help but laugh, imagining Chen Ying’s pitiful, tearful expression, almost feeling sympathetic. As he laughed, he noticed He Simu’s gaze moving down his collar. She reached out to pull at his clothes, and when her cold fingertips touched the skin of his chest, the chill made him shudder.

“How’s your wound from last time healing? Let me see.” As He Simu spoke, she had already pulled his clothing half-open, revealing his scarred skin. His previous wound was on his abdomen, and she continued to undress him without any hesitation.

Though Duan Xu was long accustomed to her disregard for propriety, he now grasped her hands and said with a tactful smile, “Your Highness, we’re in the wilderness. It’s not appropriate for you to undress me here.”

He Simu looked up at him, and he whispered in her ear, “It’s one thing for me to walk alone by the river talking to myself, but if my clothes suddenly fall off as I’m walking and someone sees it, wouldn’t that be indecorous? Besides, two months have passed, and the wound has long healed.”

After speaking, he raised his head and looked at her with a smile. He Simu gazed at the brilliant stars reflected in the young man’s eyes, then raised an eyebrow with a smile and placed a kiss on his exposed fair collarbone, causing his body to tremble again beneath her palm.

“True, we can’t let others see our little fox Duan’s body. Are you sure the wounds have completely healed? Do they still hurt?”

Duan Xu straightened his clothes and said while adjusting them, “They’ve healed and don’t hurt anymore. The medicine you brought later was very effective. What kind of precious medicine was that? Did I cause you a great expense?”

“Good that you understand. Take better care of yourself and get injured less. Don’t recklessly push yourself just because you’re young.” He Simu gently patted his face. Duan Xu obediently allowed her to do so while earnestly looking at her and asking, “I heard He Jia Feng Yi has left the Southern Capital. Has something happened in the Ghost Realm?”

He Simu’s movements paused briefly. She turned her head, smiled, and said, “That’s exactly what I came to tell you about. Yan Ke recently attempted to assassinate me and seize the Ghost King Lantern but failed, so he’s now in open rebellion. He has rallied four Ghost Masters to rise with him, and there will soon be a great battle in the Ghost Realm. To prevent the chaos from spilling into the human world, nearly all the cultivators and mages across the land have been mobilized. Feng Yi, being the strongest sorcerer at present, naturally had to return to the Star Qing Palace.”

Duan Xu squinted in confusion and asked, “Yan Ke? The… Right Chancellor, who admires you?”

“Yes.”

He Simu answered calmly and serenely. Seeing that she appeared to have anticipated this, Duan Xu didn’t inquire further but instead said, “So you wanted to tell me that you’ll be very busy from now on and might rarely come to see me?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Sigh… how long will this turmoil in your Ghost Realm last? It won’t be… ten or several decades, will it?”

He Simu burst into laughter and said, “It depends on the circumstances. Some last just a few years, others several decades.”

“How long will yours take?”

“Mine?” He Simu teased, pausing for a moment before smiling and saying, “Half a year, I suppose.”

Duan Xu visibly relaxed. Since she spoke with such certainty, she must be well-prepared, and nothing unexpected should occur. He remarked with some regret, “Half a year? Then you’ll miss the flower season in Luo Province.”

“Hmm?”

“The peonies in Luo Province are the most famous. I had planned to take you to see them when they bloom next spring. With gentle breezes, bright sunshine, and fragrant blossoms—you love the wind, so we could ride horses through the flower fields. During peony season, Luo Province has dragon lantern displays and Taiping drum performances at night, making it very lively.”

The two walked hand in hand along the riverbank. Listening to Duan Xu’s description, He Simu said, “Duan Shun Xi, do you realize how many sensations you’ve mentioned? Are you planning to exchange visual perception, tactile sense, and smell all at once with me?”

“That’s not impossible.”

Duan Xu answered without hesitation, causing He Simu to stop in her tracks. She narrowed her eyes, drew closer to him, and said, “Duan Shun Xi, don’t be reckless. Since Feng Yi taught you how to exchange the five senses, you’ve become increasingly unrestrained. Haven’t you noticed your senses deteriorating? Exchanging three senses with me at once—are you tired of living?”

Duan Xu blinked, smiling innocently, “But with just one sense, you can’t fully experience the world.”

“It’s enough, more than enough.” He Simu pointed at Duan Xu’s chest and said, “You are more important.”

Duan Xu’s eyes flickered, and he smiled happily.

After a pause, He Simu, still concerned, said, “This is a sensitive time. If any danger arises, you must call for me. Do you understand?”

Duan Xu sighed, “But I can’t come find you either. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t know. What should I do?”

“Don’t worry. If anything happens to me, you’ll certainly know. If I were to be annihilated, there would be chaos and disaster throughout the world. At that point, what would be the use of Great Liang and Danzhi fighting? They’d sign a treaty, go home to clean up the mess, and focus on survival first.”

The human realm remained too fragile compared to the Ghost Realm, fragile like children playing house. If the Ghost Realm were determined, and the Immortal Sect cultivators didn’t intervene, they could change the course of events with a mere flick of a finger—let alone something as significant as the destruction of the Ghost King, which even the Immortal Sect cultivators couldn’t contain.

As the saying goes, “When a dynasty rises, the common people suffer; when it falls, the common people suffer.” Such was the way of things.

He Simu embraced her lover, brave yet fragile in this ever-changing, delicate human world. His young eyes reflected her image, with the vast sea of stars above their heads.

“Will you miss me?” her lover asked.

She chuckled softly. Duan Xu often asked this question. He never seemed to insist on hearing her say she liked him, but frequently asked if she would miss him.

She said, “Yes, I’ll miss you often.”

And sometimes, I am moved by you.

Moved by the brief, tiny, foolish, meaningless, yet vibrant emotions of the human world.

Duan Xu lowered his head to embrace her and sighed deeply, “I don’t want to go back. I wish I could win this war tomorrow and go play in your Jade Zhou City. That place is all black and white; it could use a colorful palace.”

“A colorful palace?”

“Do you remember in Hu Province, the caisson ceiling we saw at the Jade Ling Tower? That color.”

“The caisson with green lacquer, golden yellow swastika patterns, scarlet qilin, and azure orchid birds? Building a palace with such colors would be too gaudy, wouldn’t it? Are you trying to build a peacock with its tail feathers spread?”

“Anyway, other evil spirits can’t see colors. Only I can, and you when you’ve exchanged the sense of color. Imagine how striking it would be—such a palace in a black-and-white city. It would be fascinating and help you remember colors too.”

“I don’t think it would look good.”

“How could it not…”

The two of them walked hand in hand along the riverbank, circling around and around. Under the starlight, there appeared to be only one figure on the path and only one reflection in the river, but the cold hand in Duan Xu’s grasp gradually warmed from his touch.

After that night, rumors spread through the military camp that the commander had been seen walking circles by the river late at night, talking to himself. Given Duan Xu’s reputation for brilliant strategies and ingenious ideas, the soldiers speculated this must be his unique method of contemplation and planning.

So when night fell, Duan Xu would lift his tent curtain to see numerous soldiers walking circles by the river.

Chen Ying, who had carried the unconscious guard back, observed that at least they didn’t suspect their commander had mental issues, which was something to be thankful for.