Invitation
On a quiet afternoon in spring, with Chenying still sleeping on the side, Duan Xu kept his voice very low, almost whispering, yet each word was exceptionally clear.
The oath Duan Xu made, using his name, carried a weighty significance.
Gazing into his eyes, He Simu smiled after a moment and pushed him away gently. “If it’s not, then it’s not. Why such a big reaction? You’re actually angry. This is the first time I’ve seen you genuinely angry. Interesting.”
He had been thrown to the northern shore by General Qin, interrogated by Wu Shengliu, and marginalized by General Qin’s subordinates, yet he had never been angry. Yet now, he was angry over such a trivial question.
Duan Xu pursed his lips, his gaze drifting away before returning. He was about to say something when he suddenly saw He Simu’s figure flash before him. He was immediately grabbed by the neck and pressed against the wall. He Simu, clad in a white robe, lifted him effortlessly with just one hand, smiling as she turned her head. “But we haven’t settled our score yet. What did you say? Just live for ten more days?”
It seemed the Ghost King still remembered the grudge from the day she gained her sense of touch.
Duan Xu grasped her wrist, struggling to speak through his disfort. “Your… injury…”
“You should worry about yourself first.” He Simu leaned closer, staring into his eyes, and Duan Xu could only silently meet her gaze.
The warm sunlight filled the room with tranquillity.
He Simu was somewhat surprised. “You’re usually so eloquent. Why the silence now?”
Duan Xu smiled faintly, tightening his grip on He Simu’s wrist and obediently saying, “Please… spare me… as the Ghost King…”
“Will you dare next time?”
Duan Xu blinked but didn’t answer.
Admitting mistakes proactively, and then doing the same thing again next time.
He Simu narrowed her eyes. He seemed to have seen through her reluctance to kill him and was now here, trying to appease her. It didn’t feel good to be manipulated by such a cunning little fox.
But at this moment, he looked at her with innocence and sincerity, his eyes brimming with her image.
Those who always protect others are very lonely.
He Simu suddenly recalled the phrase Chenying had relayed to her. She paused, her hand on Duan Xu’s neck, before loosening her grip.
When Duan Xu fell to the ground, he still had the posure to employ some skill, making no sound to wake Chenying. Even the relieved sigh after finally catching his breath was suppressed. He coughed quietly while smiling up at He Simu, who looked down at him from above. Waving her hand, she sat down beside the bed, and with a snap of her fingers, the heavy ancient book appeared in her hands again.
“What’s going on?” Duan Xu asked as if the earlier incident hadn’t happened, sitting down beside He Simu on the bed. He Simu’s gaze remained on the ghost book as she briefly recounted the events to Duan Xu.
With Master Mingfeng and Fake Qiao Yan both burned to death by her, Duan Xu could fabricate any story he wanted. He Simu had no interest in interacting with ordinary mortals. For her, the individuals in the ghost realm seeking to take advantage of the situation were the ones she aimed to punish.
Duan Xu chuckled. “What’s wrong with your subordinates? They’re so disrespectful.”
“It’s not surprising. They’ve been eagerly awaiting my downfall for a long time now,” He Simu flipped through the ghost book, not lifting her eyelids as she spoke. “Whether in the mortal realm or the ghost realm, it’s always the same on the throne.”
Duan Xu fell silent, his gaze falling on the scars crisscrossing her arms.
He Simu looked up at Duan Xu, following his gaze to the scars on her body. She sighed and pulled her sleeve down, covering her arms. She hadn’t thought much of Duan Xu’s numerous scars before, but experiencing pain herself made her realize how unpleasant it was. Mortals living in this world were truly fragile.
So she said, “It would have been better if I had found you when you first entered the Celestial Realm. That way, you would have suffered fewer injuries and less pain.”
Duan Xu seemed to think about it seriously for a moment, then his eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement. He said in an almost joking tone, “No, if you had met me back then, you definitely wouldn’t have been interested in me. Meeting you now, I feel it’s the best time.”
When he first entered the Celestial Realm, he was lost and tormented, his heart a furnace with no room for admiration. He was grateful she met him as he was now, clear-minded and firm in conviction, without needing salvation.
“You don’t wish I had e to save you earlier?”
“No.”
I’m willing to descend into hell, endure hardship, change my bones, alter my nature, understand the world, just to meet you again.
When Chenying woke up, he found himself in Duan Xu’s room. He felt dazed for a moment before seeing Duan Xu enter through the door. His general brother was dressed in light armour, as if he had just returned from the training grounds, and he smiled when he saw him. “Did you worry so much last night that you slept until evening?”
Chenying looked at the light armour on Duan Xu and immediately jumped out of bed. He ran to Duan Xu and asked eagerly, “General brother, when can I go to the battlefield with you?”
Duan Xu squatted down and looked at him, saying, “You’re still too young. When you’re thirteen or fourteen, I’ll definitely take you to the battlefield, alright?”
Chenying lowered his head somewhat dejectedly, then lifted it again. “Miss He is a ghost… Will she always stay with us? Will she leave us?”
To this question, Duan Xu fell silent.
Chenying began to feel anxious. In his heart, He Simu and Duan Xu were the two most indispensable people. Duan Xu’s silence seemed to suggest that there was no room for manoeuvre on this matter. Anxiously, he held Duan Xu’s hand and said, “Miss He really likes you. She… she’s lovesick for you. Don’t you like Miss He? If you both have feelings for each other, then Miss He will stay with us.”
Duan Xu was taken aback for a moment, his expression being somewhat subtle. “Lovesick? She said that?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
“Hahaha…” Duan Xu’s expression changed a few times before he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He whispered, “She really can say anything.”
Chenying looked at him somewhat puzzled. Duan Xu placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes, saying, “I want to tell you something. Will you keep it a secret for your big brother?”
Chenying nodded vigorously, saying, “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good.” Duan Xu said slowly and seriously, “He Simu may often say that she likes me or admires me, but it’s all false. In fact, she doesn’t like me at all. It’s just for fun. To her, I’m just a somewhat special mortal, special enough to tolerate some offenses, but not special enough for her to love me.”
Chenying’s expression showed confusion.
Duan Xu was silent for a moment before continuing, “I’ve never said that I like her. But, I really do like her, sincerely.”
**Nomad: Ahhhhhhh we got a confession (,,>﹏
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