Suprise Attack
On the other side of the river, Jicheng in Shuozhou fell unexpectedly.
Xia Qingsheng was promoted to a commanding position, and there was frequent movement of troops and provisions in the city. Everyone speculated that another war was imminent, probably because the situation in Yuzhou was urgent, and the army from Liangzhou needed to support Yuzhou. It wasn’t until two days later when the battle report arrived that they realized something was amiss— the Tabai Army had unexpectedly crossed the river to the other side.
While Duan Xu feigned attacking the northern gate of Yuzhou, he secretly sent Xia Qingsheng to cross the frozen river under cover of the deepest part of the night during a snowstorm, taking advantage of the Huqi people’s archery being obstructed, and unexpectedly captured Jicheng in Shuozhou.
As soon as Jicheng fell, Duan Xu immediately abandoned the northern gate of Yuzhou without looking back. He led the Tabai Army north to join forces with the Tabai Army in Jicheng and engaged in a fierce battle with the Danzhi army in Shuozhou.
When these news reached He Simu’s ears, she didn’t find it surprising. From the moment Duan Xu asked her about the wind direction, she knew what he was up to.
The Huqi people were fierce and warlike. For this young general to lead his troops deep into Danzhi territory, he must have quite the courage. But whether his luck would hold out remained to be seen.
These stories were quite different for Chenying. Resting his chin on his hand, he looked forward with anticipation, slowing down his pace of eating sunflower seeds. “General Duan is amazing! They say General Duan is the first general from Liangzhou to cross the river!”
He Simu thought to herself that indeed, from both martial prowess and military strategy, he didn’t seem like someone cultivated from a family of scholars for generations.
“I want to become someone like General Duan in the future! I want to protect my home and seek revenge for my father!” Chenying clenched his little fist.
He Simu spat out a sunflower seed shell and turned to look at Chenying for a while. She thought to herself that perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad place for him.
“Do you want to follow Duan Xu?” He Simu asked.
Chenying looked a little confused. After a moment of thought, He Simu continued, “I’ve been observing in the city these days, and everyone is living a difficult life. There’s no one worthy of trust. Duan Xu isn’t bad. I’ve helped him with some predictions, so if he comes back alive, I can let you follow him. With his prestigious background, you won’t go hungry by his side. You might even receive titles and honours. Well… Isn’t that what mortals want?”
As she spoke, she noticed that Chenying’s eyes weren’t right, and tears were welling up. He tugged at He Simu’s sleeve. “Miss… Are you going to abandon me to someone else? I… I want to stay with you… I can eat less, and I won’t eat sunflower seeds or peanuts…”
He Simu looked at Chenying calmly for a moment, wiped the tears from his face, and said firmly with a gentle smile, “That’s not possible either. I’ve said it before—I’ll only take care of you for a while.”
She was joking, of course. Life and death were different paths, and how could the living follow the dead forever?
Chenying’s face fell silent.
He Simu pinched his cheek and said, “Even if you want to follow Duan Xu, what if he dies in Shuozhou and never comes back?”
Chenying lifted his eyes, a look of despair in them, as if he had suffered a second blow and couldn’t accept the possibility that his hero might die.
“What if General Brother dies? What do we do then?” He Simu thought, that’s a good question. She was quite curious about Duan Xu. If he died and became a wandering soul, his name would be recorded in the Book of Ghosts, and she would know everything about his life.
She was actually looking forward to it.
Then there was the matter of the Broken Illusion Sword in his possession. She didn’t want her uncle and aunt’s treasure to be buried underground with him.
He Simu then asked Chenying, “Do you remember a few days ago when we were chatting with the neighbours, there was a widow of a suona craftsman… called…”
**Nomad: A suona is a traditional Chinese musical wind instrument. It is a double-reed instrument, similar to an oboe, and is commonly used in Chinese traditional music, particularly in folk and ceremonial music.**
“Widow? What’s that?” Chenying showed a puzzled expression.
“It’s someone whose husband has died.”
“Oh! Mrs. Song?”
“Yes, go and invite her over to have some sunflower seeds, and ask her to bring the suona from her house.”
Chenying obediently jumped off the stool and ran away like a streak of lightning.
Not long after, he brought in a woman in her forties. The woman carried a box in her hand, wore a white flower on her head, and looked slightly overweight, which made her appear cumbersome and despondent.
She lifted the curtain and walked into the room where He Simu was. He Simu greeted her to sit down, and she sat down and placed the box on the table. She asked, “Miss, what do you want the suona for… I’ve been feeling sad every time I see it lately.”
She stroked the box and said, “My husband played the suona for weddings and funerals all his life, but in the end, no one played the funeral dirge for him…”
This Mrs. Song’s husband was the only suona craftsman in the city, who died during the massacre of the city.
He Simu placed sunflower seeds and peanuts in front of her, quietly waiting for her to compose herself before speaking.
“Mrs. Song, could you lend me this suona to play for a bit?”
Mrs. Song was surprised. “Miss He, can you play the suona?”
“I learned a little before.” He Simu smiled.
Mrs. Song immediately agreed, and He Simu took the suona, moistened the reed, and remembered for a moment. Then she began to play “Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.”
Mrs. Song was extremely surprised. She applauded while tears welled up in her eyes, thinking that she would never hear the sound of the suona again.
“Mrs. Song, is this tune still in tune?” He Simu finished playing and asked.
Mrs. Song nodded repeatedly and said, “Miss, your skill is really good, and it’s in tune.”
He Simu then asked Chenying, whose eyes were full of admiration. He said it sounded good and didn’t go out of tune.
Fortunately, it was passable. She couldn’t tell if it was in tune or not.
He Simu then asked Mrs. Song if she could borrow the suona for a while.
“What do you need the suona for?”
“I have an acquaintance who is in great danger. If he dies, I plan to send him off.” He Simu said casually.
If he died, his coffin would be transported from Liangzhou to the Southern Capital, and there wouldn’t be a funeral dirge along the way, which would be quite desolate.
A funeral dirge in exchange for his Broken Illusion Sword.
Anyway, he was already dead by then, so there was no way to protest. After all, it was a fair exchange, not violating her principles.
Before the person died, He Simu had already completed the funeral arrangements and exchanged half a basket of eggs for a one-month rental of the suona.
Chenying escorted Song Dama out the door, then bounced back, tiptoed to the table, and looked at the suona in the box with curiosity.
“Little miss, how come you’re good at everything! You even know how to play the suona!”
“Just something to do when I’m bored,” He Simu picked up the suona and twirled it in her hands. “My father taught me this when I was young. There were hardly any instruments he couldn’t play.”
Although she was born a demon and was destined to inherit the position of Ghost King, she had been raised in the human world until then. Her parents seemed to want her to be like a living person. So now, she could barely pass as human without giving herself away.
Of course, that was another story when it came to Duan Xu, that little fox.
“Little miss, what did your father do?” Chenying jumped onto a small stool and asked politely.
He Simu thought for a moment, spun the horn a few times in her hand, then found a suitable description. “My father… used to be a chief butcher. There’s a place in my hometown where all they do is butcher.”
If her dad, the Ghost King, heard this analogy, he would surely applaud and praise it as brilliant.
“Oh, a butcher, like Zhang the butcher who sells pork on the street?”
“Something like that,” He Simu smiled casually, her eyes seeming somewhat absent-minded. “Butchers are quite difficult to manage, you know.”
“So, how did the little miss’s parents pass away?”
Chenying was still at that age where he spoke without reservation, unaware that some questions were not appropriate.
He Simu glanced at Chenying, who was startled by the shadow in her eyes and fell silent.
She just smiled and changed the subject, asking Chenying to go to the market to buy two ounces of soy sauce for her, and Chenying immediately ran off as if granted a reprieve.
After Chenying left the courtyard, He Simu took out the trembling pearl from her pocket and asked, “Feng Yi, what’s going on?”
“I’m here to report to you, old master.” The cheerful voice of a young man came from the other end.
“I investigated Duan Shunxi again. He is one of the four children of the Duan family, the third son of the Duan family. He was talented from a young age, able to memorize things at a glance and recite over a hundred poems and essays. When he was seven, his grandmother in Daizhou fell seriously ill, so he was sent to take care of her. During this time, many of his works were circulated and he became quite famous in Daizhou. These experiences are fairly ordinary, but the only unusual thing is that when he was fourteen and returning from Daizhou to the capital, he encountered bandits.”
“All his attendants were killed, but he managed to escape death and made his way to Nandu. It was only then that he settled in Nandu.”
He Simu tapped her fingers on the table, thoughtful. “All his attendants were killed, but he survived? What happened to the old lady of the Duan family later?”
“Not long after Duan Shunxi arrived in Nandu, the old lady passed away.”
So it seemed that almost everyone who knew him during his seven years in Daizhou was no longer alive.
“Isn’t it quite a coincidence? Can such coincidences really happen in the world, or is he trying to hide something?”
He Simu cracked some melon seeds, thinking to herself that this young general was truly a treasure trove; the more she dug, the more she found. It just so happened that she was feeling a bit hungry lately and could go to the frontline in Shuozhou to find some food. She could also check if this young general was still doing well.
Under the cover of night, before the city of Shuozhou, the sounds of battle echoed, swords clashed.
He Simu concealed her true form amidst the chaos of swords and bloodshed, leisurely walking. She wore her favourite triple-layered red and white dress, with a shining jade pendant around her waist.
Continuous deaths, continuous souls flickering, lanterns ascending, souls transmigrating. The blood-stained battlefield seemed like a grand festival of releasing sky lanterns in the eyes of demons.
She crouched down, selecting a Huqi man whose skull was still full of life but barely hanging on. With a touch of her fingers to his eyes, he blinked and saw the demon before him.
“I can grant you one wish, and then I’ll eat you. What do you want?” He Simu asked him in the Huqi language.
Seeing his usual confused expression, she succinctly explained the pros and cons in Huqi. The Huqi man grabbed her clothes with trembling hands and called out, “Lord Asura…”
He Simu tilted her head. “I am not any Lord Asura.”
“Lord Asura… kill that… guy!” The Huqi man raised his finger, his face covered in blood making it hard to see his features, but the hatred and anger in his eyes were clear.
Following his pointing finger, in the world illuminated by the souls’ flames in her eyes, Duan Xu rode a chestnut horse, clad in armour, wielding his blade in the midst of the crowd, blood splattering three feet high.
His expression was calm and indifferent, devoid of anger or hatred. But beneath that calm surface, there seemed to be something hidden.
Something hidden, she couldn’t quite see.
“Do you want me to kill that person?” He Simu pointed at Duan Xu, turning to her prospective food.
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