CALID Chapter 69

Ice Crack

When Duan Xu had finished dealing with the aftermath of the failed marriage, and returned to his courtyard, both Chenying and Duan Jingyuan were in his Moonlight Residence, surrounding He Simu as she painted. She had changed into a moon-white lotus-patterned robe, and was meticulously painting on the rice paper.

Beside her was a pile of colourful paints. Duan Jingyuan, embracing Chenying, watched in amazement as He Simu sketched and painted. When Duan Xu stepped in, Duan Jingyuan whispered to her brother, “This Miss He’s painting skills are amazing. I bet the palace artists can’t match her.”

After a pause, she added, “But it seems like she doesn’t recognize colours very well. I showed her all the colours I had and she still seemed unsure. How can such a skilled artist not recognize colours?”

Duan Xu patted Duan Jingyuan’s shoulder, not responding but instead, embraced He Simu from behind, causing her to stop painting, drawing her attention away from her concentration.

Duan Jingyuan covered Chenying’s eyes and said, “We won’t disturb you anymore,” as she dragged Chenying out of the room. Chenying struggled, insisting on staying with Miss Xiaoxiao, but she couldn’t resist Duan Jingyuan’s strength.

“Brother, please behave! I’ve informed my lady and the steward that Chenying’s sister has arrived, but at least you should pretend a little. And… don’t corrupt the child!” Duan Xu laughed and released He Simu to close the door. He then said to Duan Jingyuan outside the door, “Thank you sister for taking care of me.”

Once there was no more noise outside the door, he turned back and walked up to He Simu, continuing to wrap his arm around her waist.

“I thought you might have left by the time I came back.”

He Simu’s gaze remained on her painting as she gently smiled and replied, “With you and Feng Yi joining forces to deprive me of my powers, where else could I run to?”

“Wang Su Yi safely left Nandu and arrived in Shunzhou.”

“You should call her Madam.”

“Si Mu…” Duan Xu elongated his tone, as if pleading for forgiveness. He Simu turned her face to look at him, her smile fading as she saw his profile. She put down her brush and reached out to stroke his cheek, asking, “Who hit you?”

Duan Xu was somewhat surprised. He had already applied ice to his face, and throughout the day, no one had noticed the fingerprint on his face. Indeed, He Simu’s supernatural perception was extraordinary.

Duan Xu’s hand covered hers as she touched his cheek, his eyes softening. “It’s nothing. I can’t feel anything now, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

He Simu frowned, pondering for a moment before saying, “Was it your father who hit you?”

“Yeah.”

“After abandoning you to die back then, he still has the audacity to hit you now.”

“My father naturally doesn’t think he did anything wrong.” Pausing for a moment, Duan Xu leaned on her shoulder and continued, “I can’t blame him either, saying he was wrong back then. Do you remember the mineral I mentioned in front of the generals, Tianluo?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Back then, the Huqi threatened my father, wanting to obtain the refining method of Tianluo ore in Luozhou.”

When his father was young, he had made some connections in the martial world, including the Hall of Whispering Sounds, which was known for its assassination operations. When his father discovered that one of the assassins in the Hall of Whispering Sounds was from a renowned artisan family in Luozhou, and moreover, one of the few people in the world who knew the high-purity refining method of Tianluo, he helped this assassin leave the Hall of Whispering Sounds and prepared to have him join the Ministry of Works to put the Tianluo refining method into practice. However, the Huqi somehow got wind of the news and came to threaten and coax his father to demand this person. When coercion and coaxing didn’t work, they abducted Duan Xu. However, his father never gave in.

“The Huqi knew the news so quickly that my father suspected there was a traitor in the court. He temporarily hid this person and her family’s secret books, waiting for the day Luozhou was recaptured and the mines were recovered before making plans. In obscurity, the girl who held the method for extracting Tianluo back then is now the Lady Luoxian of the Jade Tower.”

He Simu looked up at Duan Xu somewhat surprised, and Duan Xu smiled and said, “What do you think? Doesn’t it sound like my father was a hero in his youth?”

Could he really say that his father was wrong?

Could he really blame his father for sacrificing him for the sake of the nation, for the sake of preventing a critical national asset from falling into the wrong hands, and for the sake of the survival of millions?

Of course not.

Moreover, his father didn’t even know about his experiences in Danzhi. His father thought he was just wandering and making a living with his martial arts, finding his way back to Nandu. If he continued to feel guilty for a year or two, it would eventually dissipate.

“But he is getting old after all. He thought Luoxian was still his eyes and ears, but Luoxian has long been mine. What he knows from Luoxian is only what I want him to know.”

Duan Xu said lightly, but he saw He Simu turning around. She sat on the table, holding the back of his neck, looking into his eyes seriously.

In her eyes, where there was only black and white, light and shadows flickered.

“Are you resentful?” she asked, her tone calm, as if making a statement rather than asking a question.

This was the first time he had heard such a question.

Duan Xu paused for a moment, lowered his gaze, and smiled as he shook his head. “I didn’t expect anything, so there’s nothing to feel resentful about.”

He Simu lifted his chin and looked at him. “Even if you didn’t expect anything before, you can count on me now. You are my beloved.”

With that, she embraced him, pulling him close to her, and whispered in his ear, “I don’t make promises lightly, but once I do, I won’t let you down. You can trust me.”

Duan Xu remained silent for a long time, then reached out to embrace her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He spoke softly, with a hint of a smile in his voice, “It wasn’t really a hardship to begin with. He deceived me, and I deceived him, putting on a facade of harmony. Maybe that’s just how families are.”

“Families shouldn’t be like that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. From now on, I’ll be your family too.”

Duan Xu hugged her tightly, saying nothing more.

He had always been like a flame, melting everything around him while retaining his essence. Bright and sharp, unreachable warmth, an unfathomable mystery.

But not anymore.

He Simu felt like she was holding a beating heart, fragile yet steadfast, determined yet fragile.

The little heart looked up at her, its eyes shining brightly, and said, “You said I’m your beloved.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you want to leave a mark?”

He Simu was a bit surprised. Duan Xu pointed to the table full of paints and smiled, “As the omnipotent Ghost King, can you do tattoos? Would you like to paint on me?”

He Simu was taken aback, looking at Duan Xu in his blue clothes for a long time before smiling, “What should I paint?”

“How about snow-covered red plum blossoms, like you,” Duan Xu replied.

He Simu didn’t understand how snow-covered red plum blossoms could be like her, perhaps because the red and white colours resembled her usual attire. Duan Xu instinctively took off his shirt, revealing his strong upper body and the scars all over him. He Simu circled around him, then pushed him onto the bed, instructing him to lie down.

“The first time I saw these scars on you, I felt like you were a porcelain with cracks,” He Simu stroked his back.

Duan Xu lay on the bed, chuckling softly. “I didn’t expect to look so good in your eyes.”

He Simu’s hand reached the burn on his waist.

“What happened to this scar on your waist?” she asked.

“It was originally a slave brand. I had it burnt off,” he replied.

“Aren’t you afraid of pain?” she inquired.

“I’m actually very sensitive to pain, but not afraid of it. I used to cry out in pain just to soften your heart.”

He Simu patted his head. “You’re being honest now.”

Duan Xu chuckled softly in response.

There was a gash on his back, the scar resembling a growing branch. He Simu traced along the scar with paint and needle, as if painting a vibrant plum blossom sprouting from his flesh, covered with a layer of fine snow.

She had only recently learned about colours, finding everything in this world overly vibrant, even dizzying. The plum blossom on Duan Xu’s back was no exception, adding a hint of enchantment to his sunny and snowy appearance, making him look somewhat ethereal.

As the breeze lifted the veil, the fair-skinned youth lay on the crimson bedding, while the maiden in moon-white attire leaned over him, painting on his back. The scene was indescribably charming.

“I learned painting from my father,” He Simu said as she painted. “He’s very skilled in these arts, proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Unlike me, he was once a mortal, so he has a better grasp of these things than I do. He would make me imagine what life in the mortal realm was like in various ways, and he has always felt guilty because I couldn’t truly experience it. I don’t blame him, and I’ve always loved him. That’s what family should be like in my eyes.”

Finally finishing her work, the lifelike plum blossom bloomed on Duan Xu’s shoulder.

She leaned down to kiss his shoulder, and when Duan Xu turned his head, she kissed the corner of his eye and his lips. Then, Duan Xu pulled her to the bed, and He Simu embraced his neck, saying, “Be careful not to smudge it later.”

Duan Xu kissed her fingers, seeming to always enjoy kissing them, before intertwining their fingers together.

“If it smudges, we’ll continue tomorrow.”

He Simu looked up at him, smiling, “No more hurting me today.”

Duan Xu shook his head, saying, “Never.”

As he bent down, He Simu whispered in his ear, “Do you know what the meaning of cracks in ice is?”

“What?” he asked.

“It means the harsh winter has passed, and the earth is rejuvenating,” she paused, then continued, “You will be like that too.”

The harsh winter has passed, nightmares are gone, scars healed, allowing spring to come into your life, and you will be like that too.

Duan Xu chuckled softly and kissed He Simu. He felt that in the future, he wouldn’t be able to help but show his vulnerability in front of her. At that time, maybe he wouldn’t feel sad, but he would pretend to be. He just liked how He Simu cared for him.

“Simu.”

“…Yes?”

“I really want to know what touched you and made you agree to be with me.”

“Silly.”

“Ah, my broad-minded Ghost King, tell me…”

Duan Xu’s neck was pulled down, his voice drowned in a series of tender kisses and breaths.

Like moths to flames, like the tail wrapping around a pillar, such a smart person acting like a fool, it’s worrying.

Author’s note: According to my calculations, He Simu and Duan Xu can have many more sweet chapters. All the concentrated sweetness without any tragedy is in these chapters.