CALID Chapter 97

Reconciliation

On New Year’s Eve in the mortal realm, it was always the liveliest time of the year. Countless fireworks bloomed in the night sky of the Southern Capital, with households adorned with lanterns and decorations, creating a festive sea of red as far as the eye could see. The residence of Fang Xianye was relatively quiet due to the sparse population. He joined the servants in decorating the mansion. When he and Hezhi were hanging lanterns at the entrance, a cluster of fireworks soared into the distance, illuminating the scene with splendour.

Fang Xianye looked up at the fireworks for a moment and then, as he lowered his head, unexpectedly saw Duan Jingyuan standing at the entrance. She was wearing an orange fur cloak, her face flushed and slightly out of breath, looking up at him. Her maid stood behind her, holding a lacquered wooden box.

Fang Xianye descended from the ladder and bowed to Duan Jingyuan, saying, “Miss Duan.”

Duan Jingyuan returned the greeting with a bit of awkwardness, glancing at him before saying, “Mr. Fang… We made too many dumplings at our mansion. I thought since you don’t have family here in the Southern Capital, I’d bring you a bowl.”

Her maid handed the food box to Hezhi. Fang Xianye opened the lid and looked at the steaming dumplings in surprise, then looked at Duan Jingyuan, at a loss for words for a moment.

However, Duan Jingyuan thought he didn’t believe her and was preparing to reject her kindness. She widened her eyes, puffed up her cheeks, picked up a dumpling, blew on it because it was hot, and mumbled, “Look… I’ve eaten some myself; I didn’t poison it.”

Fang Xianye was taken aback, then couldn’t help but chuckle. He closed the food box and said to Duan Jingyuan, “Why would I suspect poison? Thank you, Miss Duan, for your kindness.”

The fireworks in the distance illuminated Duan Jingyuan’s face; her eyes shimmered with embarrassment as she avoided his gaze and said, “It’s nothing… We just made a little extra at home.”

After saying this, she turned decisively and walked away with her maid, boarding her sedan chair and returning to her mansion. Fang Xianye watched her depart, smiling and shaking his head.

Hezhi, holding the food box, asked curiously, “Why did Miss Duan send dumplings to you, sir? Didn’t she dislike you?” After a pause, he added, “And Miss Duan clearly came in a sedan chair, why was she still panting?”

Fang Xianye took the food box and smiled at Hezhi. “You hang the lanterns yourself,” he said.

With that, he carried the food box and entered the mansion.

Why was she panting? Duan Mansion was quite a distance from Fang Mansion, and the dumplings were still hot. She must have hurriedly packed them up right after they were cooked and rushed out the door.

As Fang Xianye pondered, he couldn’t help but smile, thinking that this New Year was going quite well, and he hoped the next year would be even better.

On the bustling New Year’s Eve in the mortal realm, Yan Ke was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, his hands tied behind his back, kneeling in the grand hall of the palace. This Immortal Binding Rope was a treasure given by Feng Yi, and he finally made amends by capturing Yan Ke.

Just now, with all the palace lords obedient to He Simu’s orders, the interrogation and punishment were already concluded. Naturally, Yan Ke was sentenced to annihilation, and dealing with his remaining followers would be a matter for the days to come.

Now, only He Simu and Yan Ke remained in the grand hall. He Simu stood up from the throne and walked down the steps to stand in front of Yan Ke. She bent down, looking into his eyes filled with anger, and calmly said, “Yan Ke, you are defeated in the end.”

Yan Ke gritted his teeth. “Fusing the Soul Stripping Technique with the Ghost King’s Lamp, failure means the lamp is destroyed and the soul is injured. Naturally, I’m not as ruthless as you.”

“In your eyes, the Ghost King’s Lamp is a precious treasure, a supreme holy object. In my eyes…” He Simu pointed to the silent silver-inlaid throne on the high platform and said, “It’s just like that seat, just an object.”

From Yan Ke’s life to death, his five attempts at rebellion had all failed. His desires were too deep; seeking life led to death, self-entanglement leading to no gain no matter how much he sought.

Yan Ke lowered his head, then lifted his eyes to look at He Simu again. His anger remained unchanged, but his voice trembled. “Since when… did you know that I killed your father?”

“From the beginning, I suspected it. It was finally confirmed when I banished Bai Sanxing to the Nine Palaces Maze.”

“Then… so all these three hundred years, your reliance on me, your trust, your closeness… it was all fake?”

“Yes, it was all fake.”

Yan Ke’s hope was mercilessly shattered, yet he still choked out, “But you appointed me as the Right Minister, allowing me to implement the Golden Wall Law…”

“You are indeed capable, and you seemed to enjoy the obedience of the palace lords when implementing laws as the prime minister, didn’t you?” He Simu crouched down, smiling lightly. “I had to give you some benefits. As the saying goes, ‘make use of everything.’”

In the light of the candles and night pearls, her features were profound, her smile shallow, with something indomitable hidden in her eyes. She was still so beautiful, just like the first time he fell for her.

Just like the first time he was deceived.

Yan Ke’s eyes were pitch black, his ghostly aura surging, and he roared in an attempt to approach He Simu. However, he was firmly bound in place by the Immortal Binding Rope, unable to move. His enraged cries echoed through the hall, one after another.

He Simu didn’t flinch. She blinked and even smiled, saying, “You look very pained. Good, pain suits you.”

In order to make the painless demons suffer, she had put in a lot of effort and more than three hundred years of time. She lifted Yan Ke up, knowing that after he left, she would have to find another demon to fill his position of power, so as not to cause chaos. Therefore, when Feng Yi created a tool capable of controlling Bai Sanxing, everything was finally ready.

Her finger pointed to Yan Ke’s forehead. Yan Ke’s eyes trembled, finally revealing a bewildered and sorrowful expression. He said, “If I hadn’t killed the former king, would things between us have been different?”

“If you could have done that, you wouldn’t have become a demon,” He Simu said flatly.

He whispered, “I liked you. I really liked you.”

**Nomad: I feel kinda bad for him. But he did kill her father and tried to get rid of Duan Xu so….**

He Simu smiled.

“I know.”

Admiration for me was truly shallow, while longing for power was deep and lasting.

“You clearly don’t want to be the Ghost King.”

“I don’t want to, but I won’t hand this world over to someone I despise.”

The Ghost King’s Lamp at He Simu’s waist emitted a blue light. Flames ignited on her fingertips, burning from his forehead down to his shoulders and body, engulfing him entirely in blue flames.

“Farewell, Yan Ke.”

He Simu stood up and bid him goodbye.

Yan Ke gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a sound of pain. He stared fiercely at He Simu through the flames, as if seeing the street where he was torn apart a thousand years ago, filled with pain, resentment, ambition, and grand aspirations, all leaving him along with his limbs and life.

He hated it so much, he hated it so much. He was so close, just a little closer, and he could have succeeded.

The raging flames consumed everything about him. At the end of bone-deep pain, he suddenly wondered, was it really just a little bit away? Would that have truly been success? The thing he pursued for a thousand years, would obtaining it have brought him happiness?

He had gone too far, losing the chance to start over.

The obsession imprisoned in this world regained its freedom as it turned into ashes.

He Simu looked down at the fine ashes on the ground, waved her hand to open the palace doors, and the wind carried the ashes swiftly away, flying into the distant realms. Moonlight shone through the door, illuminating her feet as He Simu gazed out at the night sky, slowly walking into the light.

No moon, yet the moonlight could still be seen.

She transformed into blue smoke in the moonlight and appeared again at the peak of the Void Life Mountain, in front of her parents’ two tombstones.

She crouched down, looking at her father’s tombstone, and reached out to wipe away the fallen ashes, saying, “Dad, Mom, happy New Year. I’ve avenged you. Are you happy, old man?”

Calling him an old man, she was already older than her parents who were buried here.

She fell silent for a moment, then smiled softly. “You might have a new neighbour in the future. When he grows old and passes away, I plan to bury him beside you. He’s quite an interesting person; you’ll like him.”

“When you left, I had already made a decision. I never want to be abandoned again. I want to be the one who leaves first. But Duan Xu, this person…” He Simu fell silent for a moment, speaking softly. “I intend to give him that right, the right to leave me first. I think one day, I’ll be saddened by it.”

“It’s inevitable, isn’t it?” She stood up, looking at the vast starry sky above, shimmering with silver light.

Why become the Ghost King? When will a better demon appear who can be the Ghost King?

—These mortals love their own relatives, lovers, and friends, along with this vast world. If you allow them to love and be loved peacefully, then every bit of that love is related to you.

—Perhaps they don’t know you, don’t know your name, or even that they’ve received your help. But they love you.

“Because they love me,” He Simu murmured.

And the one she loved, encompassed both darkness and light, red and yellow.

For the sum of all colours in the world.

For all sounds, all ice rivers, all warmth, all fragrances, all delicacies.

Ultimately, for the bones buried three feet under, for the wound four inches deep in the heart.

When He Simu returned to the palace, Duan Xu had just awakened. He sat against the bed holding a bowl of medicine, talking to the ghost servants with a pale face, his smile brimming with familiar false sincerity and cunning. Seeing He Simu arrive, the ghost servants felt as if they had been granted amnesty, running to He Simu and saying that this living person refused to take the medicine.

Duan Xu looked at He Simu innocently, and He Simu gestured for the ghost servants to leave before sitting down beside him on the bed.

She asked, “How long have you been vomiting blood?”

Duan Xu, knowing he was in the wrong, cleared his throat and said, “For… two and a half years…”

“Two and a half years. When did you first experience it?”

He Simu’s tone was overly calm, reminiscent of the day they parted ways, making Duan Xu tense up.

“Was it because of the exchange of senses? Why didn’t you tell me?” Seeing Duan Xu didn’t answer, He Simu confirmed it herself.

After hesitating for a moment, Duan Xu felt it was better to be honest at this moment, so he said, “If I told you, you wouldn’t exchange senses with me again. Then you wouldn’t be able to perceive colours, temperatures, smells, melodies, which would be a pity.”

He Simu fell silent for a moment, then chuckled coldly. In the blink of an eye, Duan Xu found himself pinned down by He Simu on the bed. The bowl of medicine shattered on the ground, emitting a crisp sound, and the bitter scent of medicine filled the air.

He Simu slowly pressed down on him, looking down at Duan Xu with contempt, almost mockingly saying, “What am I in your eyes? A villain who drains your senses and then leaves? You wouldn’t care even if you died? Duan Shunxi! Do you think I wouldn’t be sad? Do I not have a heart?”

She punched Duan Xu’s face, and he stared blankly into He Simu’s eyes, her eyes trembling. If ghosts could cry, she might be crying now.

She was always calm and composed, burying her emotions deep within, to the point where now, in this moment, sorrow burst forth like a flood.

Duan Xu stared into He Simu’s eyes, witnessing the deep sadness within. He said, “You are a compassionate and gentle demon. Naturally, you wouldn’t drain my senses completely. But that’s your will, not mine. I never thought of living a long life. Even if I lived another hundred years, compared to you, it would still be short-lived. My senses are just senses to me, but for you, they are the entire world.”

“What do you mean ‘just senses’? Duan Xu, I only have this one life, and so do you. Your senses are also your world! Do you understand… what you mean to me…”

She didn’t finish her sentence. Pausing for a moment, He Simu smiled bitterly, suddenly changing the subject, “Why do you think I left you?”

“…Because you used the Ghost King Lamp to exchange for the antidote for me, violating your principles,” Duan Xu guessed.

He Simu slowly shook her head. Leaning in close to his ear, she whispered softly, “It’s because I suddenly realized that I had grown too fond of you, to the point where I couldn’t bear to watch you leave me one day.”

Duan Xu’s eyes widened gradually, his voice hoarse as he murmured, “Life, old age, sickness, death… Aren’t you already accustomed to seeing them?”

He Simu chuckled softly. “Yes, I’m used to it. I’m tired of it, indifferent to it, don’t want to see it anymore! But when it comes to you, I still… can’t accept it…”

Even though she is exceptionally talented, undefeated in battles, proficient in various arts even without the five senses, and the master of ten thousand ghosts, there are still things she’s not good at.

Four hundred years have passed, yet she still hasn’t learned to accept farewells.

She no longer wants to bid farewell to anyone.

She keeps herself distant from everyone, and if the distance becomes too close, she leaves first. This distance is just right, not too cold, like the residual warmth of ashes that won’t ignite again.

Duan Xu, this fox, persistently persuades her, pleads with her, enticing her with unprecedented vitality, saying he wants to warm her. But he is a burning flame that ignites her irresistibly with its scorching heat.

“You will eventually fade away. Just like my aunt and uncle, just like my parents, disappear completely, leaving me alone in this world.” He Simu caressed Duan Xu’s face and whispered softly, “I know you’ve always been afraid that I’ll forget you. I… I’m also afraid, I don’t want to forget you, I want to remember you.”

Forever, like this moment, remembering you will bring back memories of your face, your smile, your breath, and your colours.

Remembering fireworks and lanterns, the scent of flowers and wine, blood and wedding dresses, polo and sunlight, your breath, temperature, pulse, fragrance, smile, wild words, and whispers, begging and coquettishness.

I don’t want to forget, I don’t want everything to return to silent dust, like water disappearing into the river. I don’t want to become dust disappearing into the soil, or water disappearing into the river.

He Simu chuckled softly and said, “But eventually, I will have to.”

Her life is filled with tombstones without inscriptions.

Duan Xu looked at He Simu without saying a word.

His eyes were wide open, round and bright, with a thin layer of mistiness, as clear as jade to the bottom. The mist trembled slightly and gradually turned red, spreading from the corners of his eyes.

He Simu’s throat tightened for a moment, and she whispered softly, “Why are you crying?”

Duan Xu smiled with his eyes curved, and as he smiled, tears flowed down his cheeks, disappearing into his hair.

“I cry for you,” his voice trembled slightly.

Crying for the one he loves, shedding tears of love; crying for the one he loves, enduring the loneliness.

He reached out to embrace her back, which felt cold and stiff, very straight. Patting her back, he said, “Simu, our Ghost King, why are your bones so hard? Relax, relax, I’m here.”

He Simu stiffened for a moment, then gradually relaxed her grip, following his strength and leaning against his chest.

“What are you doing?” she asked softly.

Duan Xu then hugged her back, quiet for a moment, and chuckled softly, “Holding you, to warm you up.”

Although he deliberately avoided thinking about those things, he also knew that his life was full of various disappointments, and the future would continue to be rocky.

But holding her, he thought of the verdict that said bad luck would turn into good fortune.

At the end of these hardships, would she be there?

Would she be the lucky one in his tumultuous life?

Even if rejected, pushed away, angry, and sad, he still felt it was worth it. Regardless of the outcome, if he could do it all over again thousands of times, he still hoped to meet her, every time, thousands of times.

“Would you regret meeting me? If you could do it again, would you want to know me?” Duan Xu asked softly.

He Simu remained silent, closing her eyes as she lay on his chest, sighing deeply and embracing him.

“Yes.”

No matter how many times, she would still hold his hand on that New Year’s Eve, pulling him up from the ground. And she would still embrace him at this moment, deciding to accompany him through this brief life.

She would be sad, but she would never regret it.

They were entirely alike in this regard, perhaps that was enough.

Duan Xu chuckled softly and said, “You just said ‘once,’ does that include the first sentence?”

“What?”

“You said you liked me,” Duan Xu said, “It’s the first time I’ve heard you say you like me.”

He Simu looked up at him and said, “You never asked, I thought you didn’t want to hear it.”

“I want to hear it, who wouldn’t want to hear that?”

After a moment of silence, He Simu slowly embraced Duan Xu’s shoulders, lowered her eyes, and said, “I like you. If you want to hear more, you’ll have to live a hundred years.”

Duan Xu held her back and whispered, “Alright.”

Due to excessive blood loss, Duan Xu was weak. The chef from the Jiang Ai’s Manor prepared many tonifying and blood-replenishing foods, and He Jia Feng Yi also sent some elixirs. They said Duan Xu’s illness was related to the Five Senses Curse, which earthly doctors might not be able to diagnose. In a few days, they would send a senior brother from the Star Palace who was knowledgeable in medicine to see Duan Xu.

Under He Simu’s coercion, Duan Xu drank the medicine, frowned, and said, “Simu, I’ve stayed in the ghost realm for too long. I don’t know what’s going on in Nandu. I need to go back.”

“You vomited so much blood and passed out. You just woke up not long ago, and you’re still staggering when you walk. Even if you go back, what can you do?”

That day, the winter sun was warm, and they chatted casually. It was a good time in the world. He Simu leaned against Duan Xu’s side, feeling half of her body warmed by him. She held the Ghost Records and turned to a new page, her eyes following the lines of text. When she saw a certain line, she suddenly froze, reaching out to touch the newly appeared entries, as if she couldn’t believe it.

Duan Xu looked at her strangely. “What’s wrong?”

He then saw the line of text her fingers were tracing.

“Xue Chenying, born in the second year of Tianyuan, passed away on the third day of the first month of Xinhe, seen in Youzhou.”