In the Xingqing Palace, He Zhi wore a light cyan-colored wide-sleeved robe with dark orchid patterns. The back was embroidered with the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the spring court attire of Xingqing Palace. He sat cross-legged behind a small purple sandalwood table, tossing copper coins while saying, “Ancestor, you originally said half a year, but it’s been over a year now. They’ve already captured Youzhou, so why hasn’t the rebellion in your ghost realm been quelled yet?”

The red-robed woman sitting at his table slowly raised her eyes. Amidst the swirling ghostly energy, beneath black eyelashes were a pair of completely black eyes, like a bottomless night sky.

Every time He Zhi had seen He Simu during this past year, her eyes had been completely black. She did not restrain the ghostly energy around her, allowing that eerie and oppressive atmosphere to wander around her. Anyone who approached even slightly would find themselves gasping for breath under the pressure of this powerful force.

The Ancestor was truly strong.

Originally, He Zhi had been extremely nervous when he learned that the Ancestor had lost the Ghost King’s Lantern, thinking she would lose. But the Ancestor had simply told him—”Watch over Duan Xu, and I will not lose.”

The current situation was indeed as she said; both sides were at a stalemate, with Yan Ke gradually declining. Though Yan Ke had obtained the Ghost King’s Lantern, for some unknown reason, his magical powers had not increased, nor could he exert pressure over the other ghosts. He could only use the lantern as a banner to incite the unstable hall masters.

“The Hall Masters of Drought Ghost and Pestilence Ghost have been restless recently. Be careful of Fengzhou and Shuozhou,” He Simu said calmly.

“Another new battlefield? Ancestor, you’re working hard, suppressing the rebellion in the ghost realm while protecting the human world.”

He Zhi suddenly changed the subject, inserting a teasing comment amid serious matters: “So you don’t plan to see Duan Xu again?”

Under He Simu’s knife-like gaze, he raised his hands and said, “I’m just asking. I promised to help pass his message, so I need some resolution. Besides, you asked me to find someone to protect him but don’t let me mention him, which makes no sense.”

After a pause, He Zhi lowered his hands and said seriously, “By the way, when I saw him last time, he didn’t seem to be in good health.”

He Simu’s eyes flickered, pure black eyes concealing unreadable emotions. She stood up, looked down at He Zhi, and smiled slightly, saying, “It seems you’re still too idle, having time to worry about these matters.”

Having said that, she didn’t speak further with He Zhi and simply vanished.

He Zhi looked at the empty room, rested his chin on his hand, and sighed deeply. Though he didn’t even have the title of matchmaker, he was certainly doing a thorough job of bringing people together. The next time he went to the Southern Capital, Duan Xu would have to treat him well.

The beaded curtain behind him rustled gently as Zi Ji carried in medicine. She sat beside him and simply said, “Time for your medicine.”

He Zhi sighed, “Zi Ji, there’s no other ghost king in the world as perfect as our Ancestor, right?”

Zi Ji thought seriously, then nodded.

He Zhi’s fingers tapped on the table. He was thin and sickly-looking, with only his eyes shining brightly, as if all his spirit was hanging by this one point of light. He seemed suddenly moved to philosophize.

“Using an evil ghost lord without lingering desires to restrain evil ghosts born of deep desires, using a short lifespan to restrain the strong killing power of the disaster star Mars. Everything in this world has been carefully designed in advance, interconnected to operate smoothly. Zi Ji, do you think this is good?”

Zi Ji’s beautiful face rarely showed expression. Her deep eyes blinked, and she said, “As you said, the world operates smoothly.”

He Zhi burst into laughter. He suddenly leaned closer to Zi Ji, looking into her eyes, and slowly said, “So we have no chance to choose, and are merely tools? After being in the human world for so long, do you still think this way?”

Faced with He Zhi’s intense gaze, Zi Ji finally lowered her eyes and pushed the medicine toward He Zhi, saying softly, “Drink your medicine.”

He Zhi looked at her for a moment, then returned to his usual playful state.

“You know very well that the medicine is useless for me, so you might as well go back early.”

After saying this, he still picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

The last time Duan Xu returned to court, he was just one of the generals following General Qin. This time, when he responded to the summons to return to the Southern Capital, he was already a marshal commanding a large army.

Shi Biao originally didn’t want to return at all. He kept thinking about the envoys and edicts from the old emperor that they had ignored, feeling that once they returned to the Southern Capital, it would be equivalent to losing their heads. But since Duan Xu was determined to return and he couldn’t dissuade him, Shi Biao remembered his oath that “as long as my head remains on my neck, I won’t let General Duan lose him,” so he gritted his teeth and followed.

On the way back, Shi Biao was constantly nervous. Even Xue Chen Ying couldn’t bear it and often tried to comfort him with jokes, but after just a few sentences, Shi Biao would return to his worries.

“We were fighting right up to the doorstep of the Huqi royal court, just one push away from capturing their capital and eliminating those bastards. And at this critical moment, they call for a ceasefire and summon us back. Danzhi asks for peace and we just agree? What peace? What capabilities do they still have?”

Duan Xu smiled without speaking.

In his view, what capabilities Danzhi still had wasn’t important; what mattered was what calculations the new emperor in the Southern Capital was making.

The Southern Capital, after experiencing a period of turmoil, had quickly rebuilt after the new emperor’s ascension and restored its former bustling scene, with many new buildings visible. In this familiar yet strange Southern Capital, Duan Xu received the new emperor’s warm greetings and hospitality. After attending various welcoming banquets, receiving rewards for meritorious service, and participating in court meetings and private talks, Duan Xu understood what calculations the emperor had in mind.

“The emperor has just ascended the throne and is young, so naturally, he wants to defeat Danzhi, achieve military success, and leave his name in history. However, he hopes that the person who leads the army to destroy Danzhi isn’t me,” Duan Xu said calmly, dressed in night clothes and sitting in Fang Jian Ya’s residence, leisurely drinking his tea.

“My father was part of Minister Du’s faction and previously supported Prince Su. The emperor and Prince Su fought until blood splattered in the imperial hall, so naturally, he is a thousand times wary of me and doesn’t want me to earn the merit of capturing the capital and destroying Danzhi. But since I’ve recently gained five provinces on the northern bank and rendered service to the court, he must still be outwardly courteous to me.”

Having not seen each other for over a year, Fang Jian Ya had become somewhat melancholic. He lowered his eyes and fingered his teacup, his brows furrowed, seeming troubled. He looked up at Duan Xu and asked, “Do you still plan to return to the front lines?”

Duan Xu smiled, “Of course. Those war chariots, battle tactics, and soldiers have been coordinating with me for many years. If someone else took over, the effectiveness would probably be greatly reduced.”

After saying this, Duan Xu pointed northward and said, “He thinks those Huqi people in the north are sincerely seeking peace? I know them too well. They would rather fight to the death down to the last person than surrender easily. This is probably just a delaying tactic.”

“It’s precisely because you’re too independent that the late emperor and the current emperor can’t feel at ease with you,” Fang Jian Ya couldn’t help raising his voice as he looked at Duan Xu’s relaxed and self-satisfied expression. He said, “Your position in the army is irreplaceable, but is that army yours or the emperor’s? The Southern Capital was in chaos, while you had food, soldiers, and armor on the northern bank, fighting your own battles without relying on the court. How, then, can the court control you?”

Duan Xu looked at Fang Jian Ya with some surprise, not quite understanding why Fang Jian Ya was so angry, showing a puzzled expression.

Fang Jian Ya knew he had misspoken. He rubbed his temples and said, “You… should hide your edge, not expose it like this.”

Duan Xu smiled, leaned on the table supporting his chin, and said lightly, “As the saying goes, ‘The general who is capable but not controlled by the ruler will be victorious.’ Do they understand warfare? If I listen to them, what battles can I fight?”

Fang Jian Ya felt only headache and restlessness.

Duan Xu was a reckless madman; no one could make him do what he didn’t want to do. He had always been one to kill gods and Buddhas alike when encountered. But not everyone could deal with matters as he did.

He, Fang Jian Ya, certainly could not.

Duan Xu continued speaking, unconcerned, “I have no wife, no children, and no one in the Duan family besides me has entered government service. After Danzhi is destroyed, if I disappear, won’t the emperor be rid of his greatest worry? He would probably still have to put on a show of mourning me and treating the Duan family well.”

“You’re still thinking of finding your evil ghost wife in the future?”

Hearing Fang Jian Ya say this, Duan Xu was silent for a moment, then smiled, “Yes, I can hardly wait.”

The candle on the table burned steadily, the room dimly lit. Duan Xu tapped his teacup idly, turned to look at Fang Jian Ya, and changed the subject, “How are things on your end? The emperor’s attitude toward Prince Ji’s faction is ambiguous. I see that the purge won’t extend to you, but he won’t heavily employ Prince Ji’s people either.”

The emperor’s series of appointments and reassignments in the court were all paving the way for people in his own faction or neutral officials. It seemed that he would focus on cultivating these forces in the future.

Fang Jian Ya was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “We’ll take it slowly.”

Last month, news came from the palace that Steward Zhao had suddenly died from a severe illness. Though they called it illness, it might well have been a covert assassination in the palace power struggle. It was said that the event was so sudden that Steward Zhao hadn’t left even a word behind. Now that Duan Xu had returned to the Southern Capital, the emperor appeared unable to find a pretext to suppress him, suggesting he didn’t know about the existence of this secret edict.

So this imperial edict, if he didn’t speak of it, might simply vanish from this world without a trace.

“Jian Ya, you seem restless today. Has something happened?” Duan Xu tapped the table, bringing Fang Jian Ya back from his thoughts.

He looked at this spirited friend, whose eyes were still as bright as when he was fourteen, and suddenly felt a surge of irritation and disgust. He couldn’t discern whether this irritation and disgust were directed at Duan Xu or himself.

“Duan Xu, have you ever thought about what you would do if one day I betrayed you?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fang Jian Ya somewhat regretted them. Duan Xu widened his eyes, the smile still lingering on his face. After a moment of silence, Duan Xu quickly smiled again, his gaze clear, eyes curved.

“If betrayal comes, then let it come. What I originally wanted from you was never loyalty. People always have to pay a price for the things or people they believe in, don’t they?”

Fang Jian Ya was taken aback and then fell silent.

Duan Xu’s expression turned serious. He asked, “Jian Ya, do you need help?”

Fang Jian Ya slowly shook his head.

Duan Xu wanted to say something more, but before he could speak, his expression changed. He clutched his chest and bent over as blood unexpectedly gushed from his mouth, splashing onto the ground and spreading along the cracks between the bricks. He strenuously lowered his voice as he coughed, blood still dripping intermittently from the corner of his lips.

Fang Jian Ya watched in shock as Duan Xu wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, his expression unchanged. This man even smiled, pointing at the blood stain and saying to Fang Jian Ya, “Oh no, how will you explain a pool of blood appearing in your room tomorrow?”

Fang Jian Ya frowned deeply. He grabbed Duan Xu’s sleeve and asked gravely, “Duan Xu, what’s wrong with you?”

“Just a minor illness, internal organs bleeding from time to time, nothing serious,” Duan Xu said casually, patting Fang Jian Ya’s arm. When he stood up from his chair, he swayed slightly, fortunately caught by Fang Jian Ya’s quick hands.

“How will you get back? By climbing over the wall?” Fang Jian Ya asked.

Duan Xu nodded as if it were obvious.

Looking at the blood on Duan Xu’s collar and face, Fang Jian Ya sighed and said, “It’s the hour of Hai now, there aren’t many people on the streets, and no one is watching my house. You can leave through the side door.”

Duan Xu couldn’t help but smile, saying, “Fang Ji, ah Fang Ji, I never thought there would be a day when I could walk out of your house through a door.”

From age fourteen to twenty-four, their interactions had always taken place in the darkness, away from people’s sight.

Fang Jian Ya escorted Duan Xu out of the Fang residence through the side door. His friend’s agile figure disappeared into the silent, empty street. Even after he could no longer see Duan Xu’s silhouette, Fang Jian Ya still didn’t leave. The north wind howled through the streets and alleys, but he seemed completely unaware of the cold.

In the end, he still hadn’t told Duan Xu about the imperial edict.

He didn’t know why he couldn’t say it. The reason seemed like a monster locked in a black box, and out of some inexplicable fear, he dared not look closely.

That black box is named Fang Jian Ya.

But there was someone by the street who was surprised to witness this scene, wondering about the identity of the masked man stained with blood whom Fang Jian Ya had sent away in the night.