CALID Chapter 87

Wake Up

When Duan Xu opened his eyes, the morning light fell into his eyes, causing them to sting slightly. But soon, this pain was overwhelmed by the pain all over his body, especially in his chest, so tiny that it could be ignored. Over these years, with the decline of his senses, his perception of pain was not as intense as before. In the past, injuries that required gritting his teeth to endure now seemed bearable.

Slowly, some memories returned to his mind. He recalled the chaotic sound of horse hooves in the night, the flying arrows, the enemies on the mountainside, being surrounded, and then breaking out. The memory froze at the arrow that came straight at him. He raised his hand to touch the gauze on his chest, realizing that he was probably injured there.

It was indeed perilous; these people seemed to be specifically targeting him.

He turned his head to call out for Chenying, but saw a woman sitting in the room instead. The morning light filtered through the paper door and fell on the ground between them. She wore a dark red dress, sitting in the shadows, looking at him faintly through the rising dust. The atmosphere around her seemed somewhat different from usual.

Duan Xu felt uneasy. Wasn’t Simu supposed to not come to see him during this time?

Seeing him wake up, He Simu remained silent.

Duan Xu hesitantly called out, “Simu?”

She remained indistinct in the shadows, silent for a while before speaking, “You’ve been trapped for three days.”

“Ah, this is…”

“Exactly three days. Why didn’t you ask for my help?”

He Simu’s voice was calm, but Duan Xu couldn’t quite gauge her emotions. He felt she might be angry. So, he mustered up some strength to smile and said, “Victory and defeat are common in warfare. It’s not the first time I’ve been in trouble. Every time I called for you to come, you seemed bothered. I thought you might find it troublesome.”

He Simu didn’t respond. The room was filled with silence for a moment, even the chirping of insects and birds outside seemed noisy.

Duan Xu began to feel uneasy. He continued, “Besides, even if you were to save me, it would only be me, at most, along with Chenying. As a commander of an army, I can’t just abandon my troops, can I?”

As he spoke, he tried to sit up from the bed with his arms, but at that moment, He Simu suddenly moved. She stood up in a flash and appeared beside Duan Xu. Her red dress fluttered in the morning light as she sat on Duan Xu’s waist, pressing him back onto the bed by his shoulders.

Duan Xu was startled, looking up at He Simu, only to realize that her eyes were pitch black, and an eerie aura surrounded her. Normally, when she appeared by his side, she always seemed to suppress this eerie aura, but today was different.

“Did I…say something wrong?” Duan Xu felt like something was amiss.

He Simu slowly bent down, her icy long hair falling onto the side of his face, and the black colour in her eyes retreated, becoming distinctly black and white. She smiled gently and said, “You didn’t say anything wrong. Think carefully, you’ve never called for me when you truly needed me.”

In Duan Xu’s confusion, she suddenly lowered her head and steadied his lips. This kiss was not gentle; she kissed him fiercely, prying open his lips and tangling her tongue with his. He was forced to tilt his head back, his breathing became erratic, and the saliva he couldn’t swallow flowed down his neck. He raised his arm, but He Simu immediately pressed him down with more force, as if urgently searching for something on him, as if trying to seize his soul and take his life in this moment.

“Pain…pain…” Duan Xu mumbled in between, and He Simu finally eased her grip. She looked down to see the blood seeping through the bandage wrapped around his chest.

“Cough… Although I really want to… I’m heavily injured now…” Duan Xu coughed and laughed.

As he coughed, his chest trembled slightly, as if his beating heart inside was also trembling. He Simu looked down at the bloodstain on the bandage, deep emotions contained in her eyes. After a moment, she said softly, “The living are indeed fragile.”

Fragile against the storms, fleeting and impermanent.

Do not be greedy, only to increase parting.

He Simu turned her eyes to Duan Xu and said, “When I kissed you just now, I felt nothing.”

She was almost against him, her eyes very close to his. A pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, with a small mole underneath, but there was no emotion in her eyes, like a frozen sea. Duan Xu was stunned, feeling increasingly uneasy. He reached out to hug her back.

“What feeling do you want, I can give it to you now.” He still smiled lightly, as if the person who had just narrowly escaped death wasn’t him.

He Simu looked at him quietly, then grabbed his arm as he was about to hug her and slowly pressed it down. She shook her head and said calmly, “It’s not needed. What’s not mine, will never be mine.”

Not needed.

Duan Xu was stunned.

She got off the bed, standing in the bright morning light by the bedside, looking down at him from above. Dust danced in the sunlight, her long hair and eyelashes tinged with gold, but there was no shadow in the radiance. She looked into Duan Xu’s eyes, devoid of any emotion, as if stating a fact, “Let’s stop here, Duan Xu.”

Duan Xu was stunned. This time, he couldn’t care less about the pain, propping himself up and asking, “What did you say?”

“I said, we stop here,” He Simu repeated word for word.

She didn’t give any reasons, nor did she explain anything, just disappeared into the dazzling light.

“He Simu! He Simu, Simu!” Duan Xu panicked, calling out her name, trying to get up from the bed but falling back.

Chenying heard the sound and pushed the door open, running in, supporting Duan Xu with joy, “Third Brother, you’re awake!”

Duan Xu coughed violently, unable to speak as he held onto Chenying’s hand, only covering his mouth tightly and furrowing his brow. Then he vomited blood, splattering it all over the floor. Chenying was shocked, patting his back, panicking, “What’s wrong? Miss didn’t exchange senses with you this time. How could you get sick…”

Duan Xu grabbed his arm, looked up at Chenying, blood staining his lips, “Did you tell her about my illness?”

“No! I swear I didn’t say a word, I didn’t tell Miss!”

Duan Xu slightly relaxed. His chest heaved heavily as he tried to steady his breathing, then suddenly stiffened. He slowly lifted his head to look at Chenying, then at the room behind Chenying, his gaze slowly filled with confusion and panic.

“I… can’t see…”

The threads of wind, wandering spirits, eerie auras, all disappeared.

He Simu took back the world she had shown him through the eyes of the evil spirits.

– Let’s stop here.

Duan Xu lowered his gaze, looking at the bed curtains stained red with his own blood, smiling incredulously, and whispered, “Impossible… she can’t be… serious, why?”

Why?

In his first awakening after being pulled back from the gates of death, Duan Xu fainted again due to the excitement. He didn’t notice that this time when he saw He Simu, the ghost king’s jade pendant around her waist was nowhere to be seen.

This time, Shi Biao would have to take the blame for Duan Xu’s entrapment. Originally, Duan Xu anticipated the possibility of an ambush and changed the marching route while arranging for Shi Biao to lead the troops to support. However, Shi Biao, having won a splendid victory here in Youzhou and with Duan Xu not around to supervise, couldn’t resist celebrating with alcohol. He drank excessively and got drunk, delaying the time for reinforcement, which led to Duan Xu’s peril.

Fortunately, Zhao Xing had foreseen trouble and prepared a team in advance. Sensing something amiss, they immediately went to provide support, rescuing Duan Xu’s cavalry. Shi Biao felt extremely guilty and voluntarily accepted a hundred lashes, staying in the camp prison awaiting punishment.

After Duan Xu woke up, he called him over and said that the situation in Youzhou was still fierce. Shi Biao, aside from him and Chenying, was the most familiar with the feather formation chariots. Now, being in a hurry to receive punishment, was he lacking in insight? He should hurry to the front lines. They would settle the score after the battle temporarily calmed down.

With red eyes, Shi Biao swore and cursed that he would never touch alcohol again. If he ever drank again, he would chop off a finger.

After sending Shi Biao to the front lines, Duan Xu stayed temporarily in Qizhou, looking at the war reports converging from all directions and arranging troops in the rear. This time, Zhao Xing had greatly helped Duan Xu, causing him to look at Zhao Xing with new eyes. He found that Zhao Xing was quite talented and handled matters calmly and wisely, understanding the greater good.

The emperor didn’t allow him to receive a title in the Southern Capital, but inadvertently helped Duan Xu.

Chenying, seeing Duan Xu awake again, didn’t mention He Simu in front of him, only asking what had happened during his coma. Duan Xu mentioned that Miss had helped find an antidote, and there was nothing else special.

Duan Xu just nodded at this, then plunged back into busy military affairs, appearing as decisive and cheerful as ever. Chenying felt that something must have happened between his Third Brother and Miss, but didn’t know the specifics.

News came from the front lines, saying that the Danzhi army suddenly counterattacked like a fierce tiger, bravely resisting the feather formation chariots with their flesh and blood. Two of the previously captured three key towns were back in Danzhi’s hands. Shi Biao and Wu Shengliu were leading the army in fierce resistance.

This news came in the morning, and in the afternoon, the former Imperial Master Feng Yi knocked on the door of Duan Xu’s recovery place in Qizhou.

Feng Yi, accompanied by his silent and beautiful attendant, Ziji, leisurely drank Zhao Xing’s good tea, saying that the Danzhi army had resorted to possessing spirits to enhance their strength, disregarding the principles of heaven and earth. They, as immortal sect cultivators, would not sit idly by and were going to the front lines in Youzhou to exorcise spirits.

“Duan Shuai, don’t worry, within ten days, this disaster will be eliminated. It was originally because that traitor from the ghost realm was too greedy, extending his hands into the human realm.”

Duan Xu, still injured, coughed twice and said, “You originally stood by and watched, but he wants to meddle in the affairs of the human realm. Isn’t it obvious that he’s trying to provoke you to stand on He Simu’s side? How could Yan Ke do such a thing that harms others and benefits himself?”

Feng Yi squinted his eyes, profound and inscrutable, “Who knows.”

Duan Xu fell silent for a moment, then asked casually, “How has He Simu been lately?”

Feng Yi sighed and said, “She doesn’t let me tell you about her affairs.”

“…Is she avoiding me?”

“Haha, the old ancestor wouldn’t avoid anyone.” Feng Yi’s words carried a significant meaning, full of regret in his eyes.

Duan Xu looked at him, his eyes flashing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just smiled faintly.

That night, Chenying was tasked by Duan Xu to secretly take Zhao Xing’s jar of wine. Anxiously holding the wine, Chenying entered Duan Xu’s room and saw him eagerly waiting with a sickly expression, which struck Chenying as strange and inexplicable.

Chenying whispered, “Third Brother, the doctor said you still can’t drink.”

“What the doctor says is what? How boring. Am I someone who listens obediently?” Duan Xu replied nonchalantly.

“If you want to drink openly, just do it! Why make me steal it secretly?” Chenying retorted.

“Shi Biao just said he would quit drinking. I’m drinking here, it wouldn’t look good if it got out,” Duan Xu casually explained, then suggested they test Chenying’s tolerance for alcohol, and they began drinking together. Due to his habit of staying alert, Duan Xu rarely drank alcohol, and when he couldn’t avoid it, he would secretly swap it. Chenying also rarely drank, but unexpectedly, he had a constitution that could handle a thousand cups without getting drunk. Duan Xu, on the other hand, soon felt a bit tipsy.

Leaning on the table, Duan Xu buried his head in his arms, seemingly suffering from a headache, murmuring softly. Chenying, worried, approached and asked him what was wrong, only to hear his slurred voice calling out—He Simu.

He rarely called her by her full name like this. In the past, as long as he called out like this, Miss would immediately appear by their side.

Chenying thought his Third Brother might be talking nonsense because of intoxication. Miss used to get angry because of his Third Brother’s sleep-talking that called her over. So he immediately looked around, expecting to see where Miss would appear from this time.

However, there was only dim candlelight around, casting shadows of their two figures. Until Duan Xu’s voice gradually became hoarse, He Simu still didn’t appear.

Feeling uneasy, Chenying turned back, noticing that Duan Xu’s sleeve beneath his eyes was wet.

“Third Brother… what’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.

Duan Xu remained silent for a long time. During this silence, he stopped calling for He Simu and didn’t say anything else. Then he smiled lightly and spoke in his usual relaxed tone.

“It’s over. I guess I’m really abandoned.”

Though his tone seemed joking, his voice trembled.

Chenying was stunned. He suddenly realized that Duan Xu wasn’t drunk; being drunk was just an excuse to see Miss.

But she didn’t come.

Would she never come again?

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