Battlefield
“Kill… kill him!” The Huqi soldier roared, his voice hoarse and desperate, but it was drowned out by the overwhelming sounds of battle.
He was indeed a soldier with lofty ambitions, understanding the principle of capturing the leader first.
He Simu stood up, and in a flash, she appeared in front of Duan Xu’s horse. Duan Xu’s chestnut horse seemed to sense the ominous aura and suddenly reared up, halting abruptly with half of its body in the air.
Duan Xu quickly pulled the reins, steadying the horse’s hooves as they thundered down in front of He Simu, kicking up clouds of dust.
With her hands behind her back, He Simu looked up at Duan Xu on the horse. There was a slight hint of confusion in his usually smiling eyes as he furrowed his brow slightly, looking at the seemingly normal air in front of the horse.
“Duan Xu,” He Simu spoke softly, her voice not loud, but he wouldn’t have been able to hear it even if it was.
In the moment of their standoff, the air seemed to freeze. The pitch-black sky lit up, and countless crimson birds flew in from nowhere, their wings depicting vivid flame patterns, descending like a raging fire from the heavens.
The Danzhi army, in the midst of battle, was horrified; they threw down their weapons and fled backward, causing the previously deadlocked battlefield to collapse. The Daliang army’s drums thundered, soldiers wielding their weapons to slaughter, like a storm sweeping through.
The fleeing Huqi people looked back at the red birds in the sky, fearing that they would land on them, shouting in the Huqi language.
In the morning light, Duan Xu, covered in blood, smiled gently. There were still traces of blood on his face, but his eyes were slightly curved, revealing white teeth.
It was an innocent and carefree smile, so perfect that it seemed fake.
Amidst the red that covered the sky, he opened his mouth slightly and uttered a few simple syllables. Then, he spurred his horse, passing by He Simu, his cloak fluttering like a swift wind.
He Simu turned to look at his figure rushing into the enemy army. She squinted slightly, the jade pendant in her hand spinning in circles, the blue ghostly flames flickering.
Just now, Duan Xu spoke in the Huqi language.
The sentence he uttered was similar in meaning to the shocked and fearful cries of the fleeing Danzhi soldiers, and he spoke it very clearly and authentically.
As if it were his native language.
—The Asura God descends calamity, burning all living beings.
He Simu walked towards her prospective meal, the Huqi soldier who was cowering on the ground, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at the sea of red birds in the sky. He Simu patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Congratulations, may good luck continue to accompany you in the next life.”
The deal was rejected.
Perhaps it would be more interesting if Duan Xu continued to live in this world.
Duan Xu.
Was he really Duan Xu?
Could Duan Shunxi, who was born into a scholarly family with aspirations for high government positions, possess extraordinary martial arts skills, exceptional equestrian skills, and be able to speak fluent Huqi language?
Or perhaps the real Duan Shunxi had died along with his servants when he was fourteen, on the road from Daizhou to Nandu, and then someone else took his place.
After all, the period between the ages of seven and fourteen is when a child undergoes the most significant changes, so even if he was somewhat different from before, it wouldn’t be of much concern.
He Simu returned to Liangzhou City, back to the borrowed body she was using. It was already mid-morning, and she swung her arms and legs as she sat up in bed.
Yesterday, she had specifically instructed Chenying not to disturb her while he went to have breakfast at Aunt Song’s place, considering the peaceful situation. Chenying was quite obedient in such situations.
Just as He Simu was thinking about this, the overly enthusiastic boy banged on her door, shouting, “Miss! There’s news! We’ve captured Shuozhou City!”
His tone made it sound like he had personally fought and conquered it.
He Simu got dressed and got out of bed. When she opened the door, Chenying immediately hugged her leg, excitedly looking up at her. “Miss, General Duan has captured Shuozhou City! He’s still alive!”
He Simu bent down and scratched his nose. “What does that have to do with you?”
Chenying grinned happily and pointed outside. “The general sent someone to pick us up!”
“…”
He Simu raised an eyebrow in surprise. Without waiting for her response, Chenying grabbed her hand and ran all the way to the courtyard gate, pointing at the horse carriage outside. “Look, sister! Such a beautiful carriage!”
A large crowd of people had already gathered on both sides of the street, curious about what was happening. Captain Han, standing beside the carriage, clasped his fists and bowed to He Simu. “Miss He, the general has entrusted me to deliver a message to you.”
He Simu returned the greeting. “Please speak, Captain.”
“Shuozhou City has been captured. Your strategic advice played a significant role, and the general wishes to invite you to continue assisting him as a strategist and go to Shuozhou.”
“The general understands that you are delicate, averse to bloodshed, and indifferent to worldly affairs. However, he promises to ensure your safety and well-being, and won’t force you.”
Captain Han recited this passage as if he had memorized it, then bowed to He Simu. “Miss, are you willing?”
He Simu narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the man and the large carriage beside him with a smile on her face. Coming to Liangzhou City at this moment, it was likely that Duan Xu had sent Han Lingqiu to pick her up right after capturing Shuozhou.
Was Duan Xu determined to continue this game with her to the end?
He Simu recalled Duan Xu’s smile amidst the sea of red birds and lanterns as he uttered “The Asura God descends calamity.” She smiled too, extending her hand into the air.
“The general extends his invitation, and yet I can’t decline his kindness.”
Han Lingqiu held her hand, and with a slight push, He Simu boarded the carriage. Chenying ran back to gather a few things before joining them on the carriage.
He Simu took a look and found that the boy had actually brought along the veiled headdress given by Duan Xu, as well as the suona she had rented. Chenying held onto these things, somewhat hesitantly saying, “Maybe we’ll need them in the future.”
Hmm… Should she go back to eavesdrop in stealth or give Duan Xu a proper send-off?
He Simu rubbed Chenying’s head and said, “You’re such a thoughtful child.”
Liangzhou was just across from Jicheng in Shuozhou. The frontline between Jicheng and Shuozhou City had been breached by the Daliang Army, with all five cities falling under their control. There was a direct official road between Jicheng and Shuozhou City, making the journey swift.
He Simu sat in the swaying carriage, resting her eyes. Chenying lay by the window, looking at the scenery outside, murmuring, “So this is Danzhi…”
He Simu glanced out the window. The architectural style of Shuozhou was identical to that of Liangzhou, with black-grey tiles, blue-brick battlement walls, and streets paved with mixed bricks and stones. The only difference was the presence of more signs and shops with Huqi characters, and any shop with Huqi characters looked grand and magnificent.
These shops also had flame patterns painted on their facades, somewhat similar to the patterns on the red birds she had seen last night.
That was the totem of the deity worshipped by the Huqi people—the Asura God. In Huqi language, Danzhi meant “the great kingdom of the Asura God.”
After looking around for a while, Chenying turned back to He Simu and said, “Miss, my grandfather once told me that our family’s ancestral home is actually Lu City in Shuozhou. During the time of the Great Sheng Dynasty, before the Huqi people came, the entire Shuozhou belonged to us Han people.”
“Later, when the Huqi people attacked and destroyed the Great Sheng Dynasty, my grandfather fled south to Liangzhou with his family. They spent all their money, lost their land, and couldn’t even afford food.”
“When my grandfather was still alive, he would occasionally talk to me about Shuozhou. He said that in this lifetime, and perhaps even in my lifetime, we might never be able to return to Shuozhou. But here I am! I’ve returned to Shuozhou.”
Chenying seemed a bit sad and a bit excited. He looked out the window into the distance and whispered, “I still want to go to even farther places.”
He Simu leaned her arms on the window sill, casually watching Chenying. With just a thought, she could go anywhere in the world, let alone Shuozhou—even beyond the Great Wall to the seventeen provinces north of the frontier and beyond.
She didn’t care about wars, nor did she care about distances. But for mortals like Chenying, it was an insurmountable chasm in their lifetime.
Mortals were truly insignificant and pitiful. The journey they could exhaust in their lifetime amounted to nothing more than a short distance, quickly turning into dry bones.
She patted Chenying’s head, and he snuggled up beside He Simu.
Halfway through the journey, there was suddenly a commotion outside, and the whole carriage shook violently, startling Chenying awake from his nap. He jumped up and exclaimed, “What’s happening? What’s happening?”
He Simu let down the curtain and sat back calmly. “We’ve been ambushed.”
“Ambushed! By… by the Huqi people?” Chenying stammered.
“That’s right.”
The sounds of weapons clashing outside could be heard, indicating a fierce battle. Chenying shrank beside He Simu, afraid to go out, and asked in a low voice, “Where are we? Will General Brother come to rescue us?”
“We’re still far from Shuozhou City. I just saw at least a hundred ambushers. We have only a dozen or so people here. The young general won’t be able to help us from a distance,” He Simu replied with a smile, thinking to herself that it wasn’t certain whether these ambushing people had anything to do with Duan Xu.
Chenying panicked, “What should we do? Are the Huqi people going to take you back to show them the way?”
“Then let’s go. It’s not a big deal to help someone show the way. If those Huqi people want my help, they won’t skimp on our food supply, and you’ll still have something to eat. Maybe it’ll be more comfortable than in Liangzhou,” He Simu said casually. As she spoke, she noticed Chenying’s eyes change.
He looked at He Simu in astonishment, his cheeks puffed up with anger. He spoke word by word, “How could you help the Huqi people?”
“They drove my grandfather from Shuozhou to Liangzhou. Why do they, who have their own homes, need to rob others of their homes? Why, when we’ve all fled, do they come to Liangzhou? Why did they have to kill my father? Our ancestors have lived here for generations, why should they be bullied by them? And you still want to help them, Miss? I won’t, I won’t help them even if I die!” Chenying’s voice was powerful, but tears kept flowing down his face.
He grabbed He Simu’s hand, crying, “Miss, please don’t help them, okay?”
He Simu’s gaze was calm as water as she looked at Chenying’s tear-streaked face. Outside, the sounds of swords clashing and shouting continued, and the carriage shook, mirroring Chenying’s restless heart.
“Sigh… alright,” He Simu sighed heavily. She patted Chenying’s shoulder reassuringly and smiled, “Fortunately, there’s a mountain nearby, and there are many wild graves on the mountain.”
“What?” Chenying looked puzzled.
He Simu pinched her fingers and said solemnly, “I can calculate this. The ancestors buried in these graves wouldn’t stand by and watch their descendants suffer like this. They’ll jump out of the graves to fight the Huqi people. Quickly close your eyes and cover your ears, count to one hundred silently, and they’ll scare the Huqi people away!”
Chenying immediately closed his eyes and covered his ears, starting to count silently.
He Simu’s gaze turned slightly cold. The lamp-shaped jade pendant around her waist emitted a faint blue light, then floated up and expanded into a real hexagonal ice-cracked glass lamp.
He Simu held the terrifying Ghost King Lamp in her hands, her chin resting on its top, murmuring, “With about a hundred people, will five evil spirits be enough to scare them?”
A blue flame suddenly ignited within the lamp, emitting ghostly fire.
“Or is it easier to just set fire directly?” He Simu raised her hand, twirling her index finger in the air, and snapped her fingers crisply.
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