The sky had just begun to brighten when Duan Rong, following orders, led soldiers to open the city gate to deliver grain to the rebel army stationed outside. The grain carts rumbled past. Ni Su had slept in the felt tent at the base of the city wall. Her shoulder injury hurt too much—her sleep was extremely shallow. Hearing sounds, she rose and hurriedly combed her hair and tidied her clothes.

Lady Zhong still slept beside her. Moving extremely quietly, she lifted the felt flap and went out, just in time to see the city gate opening. Outside was misty. She quickly ran over.

“Miss Ni?”

Reminded by a soldier, Duan Rong turned his head and saw Ni Su approaching, so he went to meet her.

“Officer Duan, may I go out with you?”

The city gate was not opened wide—only a narrow passage was left for the grain carts and several soldiers to pass through together.

Duan Rong looked back at the grain carts slowly passing through. He nodded. “We’re just about to unload grain. There’s still some time before the city gate closes.”

Ni Su thanked him. She had only followed Duan Rong a few steps when he suddenly stopped again and turned around. “Miss Ni isn’t planning to stay outside, is she?”

“No.”

Ni Su shook her head. “I still have some patients to treat. I won’t linger long outside the city gate.”

“That’s good. The current situation isn’t suitable for you to remain outside.” Duan Rong breathed a sigh of relief and walked out together with her. “Last time I failed to protect you properly…”

His face showed shame.

“The battlefield changes in an instant. How could Officer Duan predict everything?” Ni Su showed a slight smile while supporting her left arm.

“Your injury hasn’t healed yet, has it?”

Duan Rong scratched his head. Seeing her pale complexion, he expressed concern. “Miss Ni herself is still injured. You really mustn’t overexert yourself.”

Qingqiong, holding an earthen jar, was following his father Fan Jiang back when he saw Ni Su and Duan Rong emerge from the passage in the city gate. He didn’t know what Ni Su said, but Qingqiong saw that Duan Rong gave a simple laugh. Without thinking, he immediately shoved the earthen jar into his father’s arms and ran to the felt tent close against the city wall.

The sky was not yet very bright. The lamp candles in the felt tent had long since burned out. Xu Hexue lay on the bed, his vision blurred. Vaguely hearing Ni Su’s voice, he immediately sat up.

Before Qingqiong could reach out to lift the felt flap, a hand emerged, then a person walked out. He lowered his voice and called: “General Xu.”

The light outside was much better than inside the felt tent. Xu Hexue happened to see that woman whose hair was tied somewhat messily, supporting her arm while talking with Duan Rong as she walked over.

Qingqiong stood beside him. He raised his head to look at Xu Hexue but could not see the slightest ripple on his expression of bland indifference.

Ghosts were like this—they could never achieve the vivid liveliness of humans.

Qingqiong saw Ni Su turn her face. Upon seeing them, her eyes brightened, then she quickly walked over.

“I think you should learn from my father.”

Qingqiong could not help but say softly.

Fan Jiang was just walking near and didn’t hear too clearly. He made a sound of confusion. “Learn what from me?”

“I said you’re heartless and carefree.”

Qingqiong muttered.

“Out of nowhere, why are you talking about your old man?”

“If you weren’t heartless and carefree, how would you have had me? Finding suffering for yourself…”

Qingqiong snorted.

Ni Su had just approached when she saw Fan Jiang raise his hand as if to strike Qingqiong. She looked bewildered at Qingqiong who had hidden behind her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Qingqiong raised both hands, compromising with Fan Jiang. “Father, let’s hurry and brew tea, shall we?”

Duan Rong and his soldiers busied themselves unloading grain. Qingqiong and his father dove into the tent. Ni Su and Xu Hexue stood facing each other. Neither spoke first.

“What are you looking at?”

Ni Su could not help but smile.

Xu Hexue saw beneath her eyes a patch of weary light blue. “Your injury hasn’t healed yet. You must treasure yourself.”

“I know.”

Ni Su nodded. Between the two of them, somehow it had grown quiet again. But time was so tight. She looked back at the grain carts, always feeling she should say more words to not waste this bit of time.

Thinking of Yang Tianzhe, she asked, “You should have already spoken with Yang Tianzhe yesterday? What did he say to you?”

The morning wind and sand were somewhat strong. Xu Hexue saw her eyes blink from time to time, her eyelids already rubbed red by her fingers, so he said, “Come into the felt tent with me first.”

Qingqiong and Fan Jiang were busy while bickering. Seeing the two of them enter, they restrained themselves. Xu Hexue sat down supporting himself on the table’s edge, looking toward the two of them. “With battle imminent, you must not go to Agate Lake anymore.”

“How can that be?”

Fan Jiang raised his head. “General Xu, you rely on this reed flower dew to calm your soul. Without it, what will you do?”

“Thanks to you father and son, I have already improved greatly.”

Xu Hexue nodded lightly to them.

“Well, well, there’s still some dew stored anyway. We’ll just use it sparingly for you.” Fan Jiang sighed. In the end he did not insist further and rose to select tea leaves again.

Ni Su lit several lamps. Xu Hexue pushed the yellow bean cakes on the table toward Ni Su. “These were made last night by the cook in the rebel army. Try one.”

Ni Su hummed in acknowledgment and picked up a piece.

“Yesterday Yang Tianzhe told me that in the Nanyan tribe, he discovered a military report from sixteen years ago concerning Yongzhou from the barbarian side. The military report said that when they launched a surprise attack on Yongzhou that year, they discovered Yongzhou’s garrison was insufficient. Afterward, Yang Tianzhe found from another military report that the withdrawn portion of Yongzhou’s army was annihilated by them on the road heading toward Jianchi. And that Yongzhou army could only be deployed by my military order and Yongzhou Commander Miao Tianning.”

“Miao Tianning.”

Ni Su repeated this name once.

“He is Grand Marshal Miao’s younger brother. Sixteen years ago, when I led troops to Mount Mushen, I ordered him to remain in Yongzhou to garrison and guard against barbarian surprise attacks.”

Xu Hexue’s words attracted Fan Jiang and Qingqiong’s attention. While busy with tasks at hand, they looked toward him.

“Yang Tianzhe speculates that Miao Tianning, disregarding his father Yang Ming’s obstruction, privately increased troops at Jianchi.”

“Impossible! Commander Miao was a good man!”

Fan Jiang limped over. “The barbarians had already killed their way into the city. It was he who led troops and forcibly drove the barbarians back outside the city! When he died, it was just outside that city gate. He was hacked by barbarians beyond recognition…”

“Ashuang also said she clearly heard Magistrate Yang and Commander Miao arguing. Commander Miao refused to withdraw half of Yongzhou’s garrison, saying it was your military order. Magistrate Yang was the one who wouldn’t listen…”

Fan Jiang said urgently.

Fan Jiang had mentioned this matter to Xu Hexue before. Of course Xu Hexue had not forgotten.

“This…”

Ni Su only felt this matter was becoming more and more confusing. “What Qingqiong’s mother said must be true. Then Yang Tianzhe’s speculation is mistaken?”

“Yang Ming had no authority to deploy Yongzhou’s garrison. Even if he had the intention, he lacked the power.”

Xu Hexue paused, thinking of Miao Tianning. When he first entered the Huning Army, Miao Tianzhao had entrusted him to Miao Tianning, and Miao Tianning had unreservedly taught him all the experience and skills accumulated on the battlefield.

Apart from Xue Huai, Miao Tianning was the person he trusted most.

This was precisely why Xu Hexue had entrusted Yongzhou city to him.

“Commander Miao absolutely could not have disobeyed your military order.” Having personally witnessed the battle to defend the city sixteen years ago, Fan Jiang’s leg had been injured then by barbarians who broke through the city gate. Fortunately his life remained. He had also seen Commander Miao leading troops running past him, charging straight at the barbarian soldiers.

How brutal that battle had been—when reinforcements arrived, Yongzhou’s army was almost completely annihilated. The survivors were all common people like them who had hidden beneath the ruins.

The tent grew quiet for a moment.

After a long while, Xu Hexue closed his eyes. “I know.”

Qingqiong had just brought over two bowls of hot tea when Duan Rong’s voice came from outside the felt flap: “Miss Ni, the grain carts have been unloaded. We should return to the city.”

Ni Su’s hand, about to touch the tea bowl, stopped. She stood up. “Then, I’ll go first.”

As she turned, her steps paused. She lowered her eyelids and saw the hand that had grasped her sleeve—pale blue blood vessels beneath pallid skin, slender finger joints curved, the sinews of the hand back flowing smoothly.

“When you return to the city, please have someone relay a message to Magistrate Shen for me. Say that I wish to see that military report from Yongzhou back then. The magistrate’s office should have it preserved.”

He said.

“Mm.”

Ni Su nodded. Seeing his fingers release, she pressed her lips together, not knowing what else she should say.

“Your injury—remember to apply medicine.”

Xu Hexue sat by the table. His voice was clearly very light, without even much emotional fluctuation, but hearing it, Ni Su smiled and said, “I’ll apply it as soon as I return.”

Xu Hexue said nothing more, watching her walk over to lift the felt flap. A patch of blue-gray light shone in. Wind and sand blew at her garment hems. She suddenly stopped, turning back, and their gazes collided.

But she said nothing. She quickly left.

The felt flap swayed back and forth. The patch of light and shadow on the ground moved with it. Xu Hexue lifted his tea bowl, but heard Qingqiong mutter again, “General Xu, why are you unwilling to learn from my father? What if Miss Ni also feels toward you…”

Fan Jiang had gone to store the earthen jar of reed flower dew and did not hear these words.

Xu Hexue looked at the hot steam rising from the bowl’s rim. “Your father is human, and I am not.”

“What difference does that make?”

Qingqiong did not understand.

Weren’t they both a mortal and a ghost?

“General Xu, in my opinion, you should treasure the present! At least tell Miss Ni what you’re thinking in your heart.”

Xu Hexue’s expression was calm. “How I think in my heart is not important.”

If he treasured his present, then who would treasure the remainder of her life?

Qingqiong suddenly fell silent. He seemed to understand somewhat, just like his father—though he had never revealed before him how much he missed his mother, Qingqiong could sometimes sense it.

Their time as husband and wife was too short. With the Waters of Bitter Hatred separating yin and yang, ultimately they could never reunite again.

“Ghosts ultimately cannot remain long in the mortal world. If I indulge my selfish desires, then I would not sufficiently respect her.”

Xu Hexue had just seen Duan Rong and thought in his heart that if he were still alive, he could have many greedy desires and selfish thoughts, even possessiveness.

If she were the ghost and he the human, he would not need such restraint. He would be more decisive and more resolute than he imagined himself to be—becoming a person like Fan Jiang, for one person, for a lifetime.

But as a ghost,

he could only coldly observe the desires in his heart. Unable to kill them, he still had to bind them.

“I can act for her, but should not make her act for me.”