Reversal
Chenying hesitated, and as Master Mingfeng’s hand loosened, he instinctively caught the sword, then looked anxiously at Qiao Yan. Qiao Yan affectionately rubbed his forehead and said, “You’re a little grown-up now, it’s time to try exorcising spirits.”
Chenying’s gaze trembled as he looked blankly at He Simu.
He Simu just raised an eyebrow, stood with her arms crossed in place, and looked at Qiao Yan and Master Mingfeng with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
“Since you’re so afraid of me, why bother trying to kill me? Show some courage, I might even respect you a bit,” she taunted.
But Qiao Yan didn’t respond to He Simu, just coaxing Chenying to act quickly. Chenying hesitantly held the sword in both hands, trembling, and looked at He Simu as if hoping she would say something.
He didn’t even know what he hoped she would say, but at least, some words of defence for herself would be good.
He Simu remained silent towards him, directing all her emotions and words towards the two behind him. Occasionally, when their eyes met, her gaze was calm.
It seemed there was no expectation, nor disappointment.
Chenying hesitated as he raised the sword, turning his head to meet Qiao Yan’s encouraging gaze. Trembling uncontrollably, he seemed extremely afraid, almost gritting his teeth as he swung the sword.
“Ah!” a scream pierced the night sky. Qiao Yan’s wrist was dripping with blood as she covered the wound caused by the spiritual sword. Her spiritual power was constantly draining from the wound.
Chenying took the opportunity to snatch the Ghost King Lantern pendant from her hand and ran to stand beside He Simu, mustering the courage to shout at Qiao Yan, “No! You’re not my sister! My sister is a good person… she would never ask me to kill!”
He stuffed the Ghost King Lantern pendant into He Simu’s hand, somewhat fearful, and said, “Take it back. You’re the real sister, right?”
Before He Simu could respond, Qiao Yan and Master Mingfeng launched their attacks in anger. Several spiritual swords and bone spikes flew towards them like meteors in the dark night. Chenying instinctively opened his arms to shield his “sister,” closing his eyes in fear, only seeing a flurry of flying clothes.
But the pain he expected did not come. Chenying felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders. Shivering, he slowly opened his eyes to see He Simu crouched in front of him, slightly bowing her head, hands on his shoulders protecting him.
Her chest was pierced by several spiritual swords and bone spikes, blood staining her jade-blue clothes like crimson flowers blooming from a blue surface. The longest bone spike was only an inch away from Chenying’s chest.
The warm breeze of spring blew her long hair onto his face. Chenying stood still, only to see He Simu spit out a mouthful of blood, lifting her head slightly to look at him. For the first time, her emotionless eyes showed a hint of a smile towards him.
She said softly, “Why are you protecting me? You’re the one who will die. I won’t die, I’ll just feel pain.”
This was indeed his little sister.
Chenying pursed his lips, bursting into tears. He reached out his hand but dared not touch the blade piercing his sister’s body.
“Sister, don’t die… Don’t leave me… I will become stronger in the future… General Brother said… Those who always protect others are very lonely… In the future, we will protect you, just like you protected me… Don’t die…”
Those who always protect others are very lonely.
One day, you will be like your father, maintaining the balance between ghosts and humans, to protect this world.
He Simu was taken aback. She lowered her eyes slightly, then smiled helplessly. Her chest trembled as blood dripped from her lips, falling onto the scorched earth.
She placed the Ghost King Lantern pendant in Chenying’s hand and whispered, “Hold onto it.”
Slowly, she stood up, turning to look faintly at Qiao Yan and Master Mingfeng. She grasped the blade piercing through her body, paused for a moment, and then smoothly pulled it out.
Though she could clearly feel the pain, at this moment, she seemed oblivious to it. It was a stroke of luck; these spiritually draining artefacts had no substantial impact on her, as she had no spiritual power left to drain.
“If you want to kill me, either find my fatal weakness or control the Ghost King Lantern to burn me alive. Your power is insufficient to control the Ghost King Lantern, even needing to use a mortal’s hand to take it from me. So, only the first method remains.”
He Simu gently patted Chenying’s shoulder and said, “With the Ghost King Lantern, neither humans nor ghosts can harm you. Go find Duan Xu.”
“Little sister…”
“Never give the Ghost King Lantern to anyone else. Go quickly!”
Chenying’s face was streaked with tears. He held the pendant, glanced at the group of people, seemingly realizing that he would only be a burden to He Simu. Gritting his teeth, he took a few steps back and then ran away.
Immediately, several dark figures followed Chenying, while the rest still stared at He Simu with hostility.
He Simu had already pulled out the blades that were stuck in her body and thrown them to the ground. With the moon rising high in the sky, illuminating the earth, she stood beneath the full moon, smiling slightly as she pointed to the sky above her head.
“Before the sun rises today, feel free to torture me however you like, to pierce every inch of my skin to find my fatal weakness. But if the sun rises and I regain my spiritual power, and you have still not found it, then prepare to be annihilated by me.”
Qiao Yan and Master Mingfeng’s faces turned pale, revealing a hidden ferocious expression.
Duan Xu rushed back to Shuozhou Prefecture at the break of dawn. Chenying, covered in blood, sat on the steps at the entrance, holding only a blood-stained jade pendant emitting a faint blue light. He clenched his teeth and refused to respond to anyone until Duan Xu entered. Then, as if awakening from a trance, he ran to Duan Xu and cried out, “Save my sister, save little Miss!”
Duan Xu had already heard about what had happened in the city, but seeing the blood-stained jade pendant made his expression change even more. He immediately took Chenying and rode out of the city. Eventually, amidst the scorched earth soaked in blood and covered with crows, they found He Simu.
She sat quietly on the ground, with the sleeping Qiao Yan resting against her legs, and several crows standing quietly on their bodies. Around them lay a large amount of ash left behind by the burning, the remnants of countless once living beings.
He Simu’s clothes were no longer intact, completely dyed red, and her body was covered with numerous cuts and wounds from head to toe.
In contrast, Qiao Yan’s body was unharmed, sleeping peacefully.
The gentle sunlight slowly shone from behind He Simu, illuminating the area brightly, casting a reflection on the blood pool around her. She slowly raised her eyes to look at Duan Xu, giving him a faint smile.
When Duan Xu saw this scene, he felt as if his heart had frozen, his breath suspended.
She even sighed lightly, saying, “It hurts, it hurts so much.”
She said it hurts. He held back his bite, not wanting to hurt her for real.
He provided her with a sense of touch, not to make her suffer.
Duan Xu stiffened for a moment, then immediately dismounted and ran over like the wind. He squatted down and hugged He Simu’s shoulders, startling the crows on her body.
He Simu let out a soft hum and said, “Luckily, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Duan Xu hugged her shoulders tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably.
But he was the one in pain, he would rather be the one in pain for her.
With He Simu’s return of spiritual power, her sense of touch disappeared again. She patted Duan Xu’s back, not knowing why, but whether it was he who was injured or she herself, he always seemed to be the one feeling the discomfort the most.
“Tomorrow the wounds will heal. Ghosts have strong regenerative abilities, don’t act like half of you is paralyzed for life,” He Simu said.
But Duan Xu remained silent. As soon as he released her, he lifted her up by the waist. He Simu furrowed her brows. “I can walk,” she said.
“Stop talking,” Duan Xu said, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. The light in his eyes dispersed, hinting at a lurking madness.
He Simu looked at him for a moment, sighed, and then reached out to hug his neck, relaxing her body in his embrace. Her damp, sticky, blood-stained skin pressed against his neck.
“Stay calm, General Duan,” she said softly.
Duan Xu fell silent for a moment, closed his eyes, then opened them again, and said with a light laugh, “I am very calm.”
He lifted He Simu onto the horse, ordered his men to bring Qiao Yan along, and rode back to the city.
When He Simu was cleaning herself up, it took three buckets of water to wash away all the blood. Although her wounds had slowly stopped bleeding and were healing, there were simply too many of them. If she were an ordinary person, she would have bled to death.
After changing into a clean shirt and lying down on the bed, He Simu insisted she didn’t need to rest, but Duan Xu and the tearful Chenying still pressed her down onto the bed. So, she leaned against the edge of the bed and silently calculated in her mind, analysing each suspicious ghost to figure out which foolish individual orchestrated this poorly staged drama.
Chenying sat by her bedside, no longer crying, but also not saying a word. He simply held her hand, his gaze fixed on her.
He Simu diverted some of her attention from her calculations to lightly tap his forehead. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
Chenying looked up, as if he had grown up overnight. The childishness in his eyes was replaced by determination. He looked at He Simu seriously and said, “Little Miss, I’ve made up my mind. I will become stronger and protect you all. Even though you are a ghost, you are a good one. You and General Duan are amazing. If I protect you, you won’t get hurt anymore, and you can do great things.”
He Simu couldn’t help but smile. She turned her head and said, “I remember your wish was to eat eight meat pies in one meal.”
Chenying shook his head solemnly and said, “I don’t want pies anymore. I don’t mind never eating them again in my life. I want to protect you all. That’s my only wish from now on.”
He Simu’s eyes flickered as she looked at the child’s determined expression, one he had never shown before.
In reality, when the fake Qiao Yan spoke those words, it should have been the truth that Chenying hoped for in his heart: that He Xiaoxiao was a human, not a ghost, and hadn’t consumed his father. In that brief and chaotic moment, Chenying ultimately rejected this beautiful lie and ran to her, asking if she was the real Little Miss, right?
He Simu remembered that day in the courtyard when Duan Xu smiled and said, “You’ll never be able to leave his life.”
Was a mortal’s fleeting life meant to be tied to her as a passing traveller?
She sighed softly and put her arm around Chenying’s shoulder, patting him gently. “First, become stronger, little one.”
Duan Xu spent the whole morning dealing with matters outside. Considering the death of Master Mingfeng and this mess, it would take him a while to sort everything out. He Simu thought he wouldn’t return until evening, but he pushed open her door at noon.
Chenying had already fallen asleep exhausted by He Simu’s bedside, while she held a thick black ancient book with casual interest.
Duan Xu lifted Chenying and laid him on a nearby couch, then sat down beside He Simu, asking softly, “What are you doing? How are you feeling?”
He Simu closed the book with a snap, making it disappear. She replied nonchalantly, “Feeling? I don’t feel anything. I told you earlier that the wounds would heal on their own. Soon, I’ll be able to settle this score properly.”
Pausing for a moment, she turned to Duan Xu and said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “But I’m curious to know how those ghosts found out I lost my powers. It wasn’t you, was it?”
Duan Xu seemed taken aback for a moment. He lowered his gaze and then looked up, smiling as he leaned closer to He Simu, whispering softly, “Do you suspect me?”
He Simu just looked at him, saying nothing.
There seemed to be a fire burning in the young man’s eyes. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “I swear to you with everything I have: my past, my future, my body, my heart, my family, my ideals—I, Duan Xu, swear to never do anything that would harm you for as long as I live.”
Author’s note: I probably haven’t had so many people bookmarking my story before, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a big argument before a plot twist! To end the debate and update two chapters in one day, I did my best. Chenying trusts He Xiaoxiao very much. After all, he’s a kid who believes in invisible magic tricks. So, it’s normal for him to hesitate when fake He Xiaoxiao deceives him. He’s still just a kid, my friends!
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