With that loud crash, the images of Yan Ke and Duan Xu vanished from the treasured mirror in the royal palace of Yuzhou City.
He Simu’s raised corner of her mouth flattened. Wind threads wrapped around her, fine and dense, as the room began to shake. The ghostly energy around her surged, filling the entire palace and even extending like weapons throughout Yuzhou City. The entire city began to tremble as if in an earthquake.
Jiang Ai was pressed to her knees by this ghostly energy. With effort, she raised her head and said to He Simu, “Your Majesty… Simu! Calm down!”
He Simu, with her completely black eyes, said softly, “He Zhi, do you want to die?”
The turbulent ghostly energy from her body rushed toward He Zhi in the hall. He raised his cane in surprise, but the normally silent Zi Ji suddenly stepped in front of him.
The ghostly energy dissipated upon hitting Zi Ji. The power emanating from her spread like water extinguishing a fierce fire, pressing against He Simu’s ghostly energy and dispersing it, calming the tremors throughout Yuzhou City. The power burst forth suddenly and was withdrawn in an instant, leaving no trace.
Jiang Ai covered her mouth in astonishment, while He Simu gazed deeply at the unharmed Zi Ji.
Zi Ji stood in front of He Zhi, her expression calm as she said, “He came to notify you immediately in person. It was his carelessness, but he acknowledges his mistake.”
He Zhi peeked out from behind Zi Ji, blinking nervously. He Simu looked at the large red rash on He Zhi’s body caused by his allergy, closed her eyes, and turned away.
Jiang Ai looked at He Zhi, then glanced at He Simu, cleared her throat, and tentatively asked, “Simu, you… is the Ghost King’s Lantern your weakness? Is it all right for you to tell Yan Ke about it?”
“I can’t let him use Duan Xu to threaten me again,” He Simu said coldly. She rubbed her temples and said, “He won’t be willing to destroy the Ghost King’s Lantern. Now that he knows this, he will keep Duan Xu alive to defeat me.”
This was Duan Xu’s one chance for survival.
In the ghost prison set up by Yan Ke, after hearing He Simu’s words, he angrily smashed the magical device in his hand. When he turned around, he saw Duan Xu on the wooden rack, eyes open, looking at him with a dark gaze.
“She won’t save me?” Duan Xu said, his eyes trembling as if he couldn’t believe it.
It seemed he had heard everything just now. Seeing Duan Xu’s distressed appearance, Yan Ke felt a malicious satisfaction rising from the depths of his heart. He mocked, “I told you long ago that she never lacks lovers. What could you possibly mean to her? You’re just passing clouds and fleeting smoke. She was willing to use the Ghost King’s Lantern to save you only because she had a backup plan. If it truly required a heavy price, she would abandon you immediately. You’ve been deceived by her; you’re just a plaything!”
His voice grew louder as he spoke, his emotions intensifying, as if he wanted to vent all the humiliation he had suffered from He Simu onto Duan Xu. Seeing the expression of the person opposite him growing darker, he felt increasingly delighted.
Duan Xu lowered his eyes, then raised them again and laughed loudly, “Since she abandons me, I shall abandon her too. Destroy this useless lantern! When she turns to dust, I will be her last lover.”
Hearing these words, Yan Ke hesitated. The anger in his eyes diluted as he looked down at the Ghost King’s Lantern at his waist for a moment, then slowly raised his eyes to look at Duan Xu.
He slowly approached Duan Xu, his hands behind his back, his expression inscrutable as he said, “Do you wish to completely possess He Simu in your lifetime, to prevent her from leaving you?”
“Of course,” Duan Xu answered without hesitation.
Yan Ke narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “You can exchange your five senses with Simu. During this exchange, Simu loses all her powers and becomes like a mortal, right?”
Duan Xu clenched his fists, but his eyes widened slightly, as if very surprised. He said, “You mean…?”
“In a few days, there will be a great battle. Exchange your five senses with her at the time I specify. Once I defeat and capture her, making the Ghost King’s Lantern recognize me as its master, He Simu must obey me. I will then have her stay by your side for the rest of your life. How does that sound?”
Duan Xu was silent for a moment, then asked, “And after I die, what will happen to her?”
“After you die, what connection will she still have with you?” Yan Ke sneered.
“Indeed,” Duan Xu pondered for a moment, then laughed softly, looking into Yan Ke’s eyes and saying, “Deal.”
At this very moment, the Duan residence in the Southern Capital was in chaos. Duan Xu had suddenly disappeared on his way to the military camp outside the city, vanishing without a trace. The Duan household had searched day and night for three days but couldn’t find him. When news of this reached the soldiers outside the city, Shi Biao immediately jumped up.
Before coming to the Southern Capital, he had suspected that the Emperor would cause them trouble. Now he was even more convinced that Duan Xu’s disappearance was the Emperor’s secret plot, and that Duan Xu might have already lost his head. If it weren’t for Xue Chen Ying restraining Shi Biao with all his might, he would have immediately led the brothers outside the city to storm the Southern Capital, surround the imperial palace, and demand that the Emperor return Duan Xu.
As the saying goes, “When it rains, it pours.” Danzhi, who had originally said they wanted peace, suddenly launched a counterattack with great momentum. They not only recaptured some territory in Fengzhou and Qingzhou but even opened a gap in Youzhou, although it was soon reclaimed by Great Liang soldiers. The Emperor then ordered Zhao Chun to serve as marshal and return to the front lines with Shi Biao, Xue Chen Ying, and the soldiers outside the city.
Zhao Chun came from a military family and had some military achievements, but he had never been to the northern bank. He was a close confidant of the Emperor, who wanted to use this opportunity to elevate him. Shi Biao didn’t think that far; he simply didn’t respect this commander who had appeared out of nowhere. Without seeing Duan Xu, he refused to return to the front lines, shouting that while they were risking their lives at the front, they returned only to be harmed by their people. He vowed not to go back and make the same mistake.
The atmosphere in the Southern Capital grew tense. The Emperor shifted the pressure to the Duan household, accusing Duan Xu of leaving the Southern Capital without an edict, which was disrespectful to the Emperor. He refused to acknowledge that Duan Xu might have been harmed or killed.
The entire Duan household was like ants on a hot pan. Duan Chengzhang, whose health was already poor, became even more ill from the stress but still had to manage the situation while sick. Even Lady Duan, who was devoted to the Buddhist hall, temporarily left it to worry about family affairs.
On the fifth day of Duan Xu’s disappearance, at the most anxious moment, when the moon was high in the sky, someone knocked on the back door of the Duan residence. The visitor wore a cloak with a hood and said he had information about Duan Xu that he needed to discuss with the master of the house. The steward immediately led this guest to the main hall.
When Duan Jingyuan rushed over after hearing about this, she saw the guest standing in the main hall. His black hood concealed his appearance. Duan Chengzhang, leaning on a cane and supported by Sister Wu, came forward and asked in a trembling voice, “Do you know the whereabouts of my son?”
The visitor was silent for a moment, then reached up to remove his hood, revealing an elegant and handsome face with phoenix eyes and thin lips, like ink-wash mountains and waters. He slowly raised his eyelids to look at everyone in the hall, moonlight gleaming in his eyes.
In the face of Duan Chengzhang’s shocked expression, he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
After a pause, he said, “But perhaps you need someone to impersonate him.”
Duan Jingyuan stared at him, his appearance both familiar and strange to her. She murmured, “Fang… Jian Ya.”
Fang Jian Ya turned to look at her, nodded slightly, and then looked at the ashen-faced Duan Chengzhang.
Duan Chengzhang pointed at him with a trembling finger and said, “Audacious scoundrel, what are you saying? Impersonate my son… after all these years… you think…”
“Lord Duan, at this point, do you have any other options?” Fang Jian Ya said calmly.
He was certain he wouldn’t be refused, and indeed, he was not.
The next day, the Duan residence announced that they had found Duan Xu.
According to the announcement, Duan Xu had fallen ill on his way to the military camp and collapsed was rescued and treated by nearby farmers and had only recently regained consciousness and been sent home. However, his illness was not ordinary but highly contagious leprosy, so he could only receive visitors from behind a screen.
Shi Biao was half-believing, half-doubtful, and insisted on seeing Duan Xu, even if it meant talking through a door or curtain. He wanted to confirm that Duan Xu was still alive. Seeing Shi Biao boldly barging into the Duan residence, Duan Chengzhang knew that further obstruction would arouse suspicion, so he granted Shi Biao’s request to visit.
Duan Chengzhang sat in Haoyue Residence with just a curtain separating him from the “fake Duan Xu.” He watched nervously as the burly man walked in with Xue Chen Ying from outside. The man gave him a cursory bow, then eagerly addressed the person behind the curtain, “General Duan!”
“What, did you think I was dead?”
The voice of the person behind the curtain was about eighty percent similar to Duan Xu’s, enough to pass as genuine.
Upon hearing this familiar voice, Shi Biao’s heart, which had been anxious for so many days, finally found some relief. He immediately tried to lift the curtain but was stopped by “Duan Xu’s” shout.
“Shi Biao! My illness is contagious. Do you want to catch it and spread it to our soldiers? The Emperor wants you to return to the front lines, why haven’t you gone? You, Chen Ying, and I are the most knowledgeable about the Feather Formation Chariots, yet all three of us are in the Southern Capital. Danzhi’s counterattack is fierce; what are the Guihe Army and Ding Jin supposed to do?”
Shi Biao’s hand, which was about to lift the curtain, dropped. He said somewhat dejectedly, “I was worried about General Duan. The Emperor wants to change commanders, and I couldn’t swallow that.”
The person behind the curtain was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, “Shi Biao, when you were drunk and lost track of time, didn’t you swear to me? Besides never drinking again, you also said you would listen to me in all matters from then on.”
Duan Chengzhang couldn’t help but widen his eyes, turning to look at the silhouette behind the curtain. His old hands trembled as strange conjectures occupied his mind.
Hearing “Duan Xu” mention this, Shi Biao completely believed that the person behind the curtain was indeed Duan Xu.
The person behind the curtain continued, “Rest assured, I won’t lose my head in the Southern Capital. Now you should listen to me and return to the front lines to drive the Danzhi people back to their homeland. As for who the commander is, that’s not the most important thing right now.”
Shi Biao lowered his head and said, “Since General Duan is well, I’m reassured. I’ll take our brothers back to kill those bastards!”
After exchanging a few more words with “Duan Xu,” Shi Biao took his leave. Xue Chen Ying, who had been silent throughout, said he had some words for his Third Brother and would leave later. After Shi Biao had gone, Xue Chen Ying looked at the bamboo curtain, and then at the seated Duan Chengzhang.
He seemed to hesitate, but before he could speak, the person behind the bamboo curtain said, “Xue Chen Ying, say what you want to say.”
That voice was no longer “Duan Xu’s” voice.
Xue Chen Ying finally spoke, “Lord Fang.”
“It’s me.”
Duan Chengzhang stood up from his seat, looking at Xue Chen Ying with shock.
But Xue Chen Ying only asked, “Where is my Third Brother?”
“I don’t know either. He has disappeared, and his fate is uncertain. Do you want to stay in the Southern Capital to wait for his return?” the person behind the curtain asked calmly.
Xue Chen Ying shook his head. Standing in the sunlight that streamed through the door, dressed in blue, he said, “I will return to the front lines with Shi Biao. The third Brother’s wish is to destroy Danzhi and recover the Central Plains. His wish is my wish. Now that he’s absent, I must fulfill his wish in his place.”
In another ten days or so, it would be the New Year, and he would turn fourteen. Over the years, his physique had become more robust, lean, and tall. When not in the presence of Duan Xu and He Simu, his features showed determination and steadiness, making him look like a reliable adult.
He bowed and said, “Thank you, Lord Fang. Take care.”
Then he turned to Duan Chengzhang and said, “Master, take care of your health.”
With that, he walked out of the room, his straight figure disappearing at the doorway of Haoyue Residence.
Fang Jian Ya leaned against the bed, listening to Xue Chen Ying’s departing footsteps. A moment later, Duan Chengzhang came over with his cane, lifted the curtain in one motion, and stood before Fang Jian Ya. His face was ashen, and he was furious. He grabbed Fang Jian Ya’s collar and said, “You… how could… all these years, you and my son… cough, cough, cough!”
Before Duan Chengzhang could finish, he began to cough violently.
Fang Jian Ya looked up at Duan Chengzhang calmly, removing his hand, “All your guesses are correct. Calm yourself before speaking…”
He smiled somewhat mockingly, looking into Duan Chengzhang’s eyes full of shock and anger, and said, “Should I call you ‘Father’?”
Duan Jingyuan, who had been eavesdropping outside the window, was thunderstruck and stood frozen in place.
In the following days, various people came to the Duan residence seeking information, requesting to speak with Duan Xu. Even the Emperor personally visited, testing the authenticity of “Duan Xu” from behind a curtain.
Behind the curtain, Fang Jian Ya fended off every inquiry, seemingly knowing every detail of Duan Xu’s interactions with everyone from the Emperor down to the common soldiers. He could casually mention events from the year Duan Xu entered government service. The people from the court gradually changed from half-believing and half-doubtful to completely convinced about the explanation for Duan Xu’s mysterious disappearance and reappearance.
During these days, Duan Jingyuan gradually realized as she recovered from her shock and confusion.
Fang Jian Ya and her Third Brother were perhaps not the arch-enemies she had believed them to be. On the contrary, they were friends who had known each other for many years and were very close.