CALID Chapter 99

Lost

Duan Chengzhang was stunned by Duan Xu’s words. One stood under the eaves, the other knelt in the snow, separated by the swirling snowflakes, as if separated by an insurmountable chasm.

In truth, they looked very much alike, and their stubborn refusal to yield was also similar. Bound by the ties of blood, the two ends of the chasm were inexplicably linked together.

Duan Chengzhang felt anger and sorrow welling up inside him, and he could only say, “You stay kneeling here until I permit you to get up!”

Snow fell on Duan Xu’s eyelashes. He blinked, then smiled gently.

The sunlight dimmed little by little, the wind grew colder, and the snowflakes fluttered between heaven and earth, landing on Duan Xu’s hair, shoulders, and sleeves, gradually covering him in a thin layer of snow. His complexion grew paler, his gaze fixed far away.

Duan Chengzhang sat inside the house, staring at Duan Xu with a grim expression, as if waiting for him to say something—apologize, confess, or plead for mercy.

But Duan Xu said nothing. He didn’t even look at Duan Chengzhang; his gaze was fixed on a plum tree in the courtyard. The plum blossoms on the tree bloomed early, a few touches of red against the branches, the flowers carrying traces of snow, cold yet enchanting.

As dusk approached and the snow danced in the air, half plum blossoms and half willow catkins.

“He Simu…”

He murmured softly, his eyes gradually closing, his body tilting to one side.

Amid the gasps of the people in the courtyard, he fell onto someone’s shoulder. This person’s body was cold, brushing away the snow that fell on him, then reaching out to embrace him.

He closed his eyes, murmuring softly on her shoulder, “Simu, I’m so tired.”

He Simu stood up, holding his shoulder. Duan Chengzhang reacted, both shocked and afraid. “Who are you?” he asked.

He Simu looked up at Duan Chengzhang, pondered for a moment, and said calmly, “I am the Ghost King.”

Her face was pale, her neck showing veins that were bruised purple. Appearing out of nowhere in the courtyard in broad daylight, she indeed didn’t seem like a living person.

Hearing He Simu’s words, Duan Chengzhang was even more astonished. “Release Xu’er! He is my son!”

“Your son?” He Simu smiled. Suddenly, she placed her hand on Duan Xu’s neck and said, “Otherwise, I’ll strangle him now. Once he becomes a ghost, he won’t be your son anymore.”

Duan Chengzhang, fearing she might really act, stepped forward urgently. “Don’t hurt him!” he exclaimed.

He Simu’s hand released from Duan Xu’s neck, then she lifted his chin and kissed his lips directly.

The courtyard erupted in astonishment. Duan Jingyuan, who had just arrived, froze in place, covering her mouth, her heart almost stopping in shock.

It was a deep kiss. Duan Xu closed his eyes and obediently parted his lips to accept He Simu, their tongues entwining, and he even raised his hand to gently hold her arm. They exchanged this lingering kiss in the courtyard. When they separated, Duan Xu’s breath was somewhat hurried, and he still kept his eyes closed, leaning against He Simu’s shoulder.

He Simu turned her face towards the speechless Duan Chengzhang and calmly said, “Understand now? I won’t hurt him. Duan Xu’s health is very poor right now. If you insist on having him kneel in the snow, it seems to me that you’re the one hurting him. If you truly care about him, don’t let your pride get in the way and put on a show.”

**Nomad: Why explain with words when you can do so with actions (,,>﹏<,,)**

Duan Chengzhang was so choked up by her words that he nearly collapsed. Before he could say anything, she and Duan Xu disappeared from the courtyard in broad daylight, leaving the people of the Duan Residence speechless and astonished.

He Simu didn’t take him far. She simply brought him to a room in the Moon Palace, changed his clothes, and covered him with a thick blanket.

“Feng Yi has sent for a doctor, who will be here shortly,” He Simu said softly, bending down to embrace him.

Duan Xu’s body and spirit were greatly depleted, and his mind was becoming somewhat blurred. He struggled to lift his arm and place it on He Simu’s back.

“When I was young, I fell into a hole in our backyard…” His voice was very soft, almost like a murmur. “It was so dark in that hole, the walls were slippery, and the opening was high. I was scared and cried for help.”

He Simu patted his shoulder, listening quietly.

“Then I saw my father. He stood outside the hole, looking down at me, and he said he wouldn’t pull me out, nor would he let anyone else come down to rescue me. I had to learn to climb out on my own. If I couldn’t climb out, then I would starve to death in the hole…”

“I begged him for a long time, but he left without saying a word to me. Later, I climbed many times, fell to the ground countless times, and finally, I managed to climb out of that hole by myself. I realized that I didn’t need to rely on others; I could save myself… No one would come to rescue me, not even my father…”

He Simu thought to herself, no wonder he had never blamed his father for not rescuing him when he was kidnapped to Danzhi; their estrangement had begun much earlier.

“When I came back at fourteen years old… almost no one remembered that incident,” Duan Xu rubbed his cheek against He Simu’s face and whispered softly, “Once I mentioned it to the steward, he recalled it. He told me that on that day, my father had been standing not far away, guarding the entrance of that hole under the sun for hours, until he saw me climb out before leaving…”

He Simu’s hand, which was patting Duan Xu’s shoulder, stopped. Duan Xu sighed deeply, holding He Simu in his arms, and said, “Perhaps he did love me. He should have loved me.”

Compared to his mother, who had almost never shown him any attention, at least during those hours under the scorching sun, his father had shown genuine concern.

“But it’s too late. All the opportunities… are too late.”

Between father and son, connected by blood, with obligations as heavy as mountains, yet there were rifts in their hearts, and their desires were different.

Too late.

He Simu kissed his forehead and whispered softly, “Have a good sleep, rest for a while, don’t think about these things anymore.”

Duan Xu nodded slowly.

When Fang Xianye visited the Jin’an Temple outside the city to see Master Songyun, he received a letter from Duan Jingyuan’s maid, informing him that Duan Xu had returned but was currently unconscious.

He burned the letter over the candle flame, murmuring, “Disappearing for over a month, causing trouble for everyone.”

Now he no longer had to disguise himself as Duan Xu and visit the Duan Residence every few days. Fang Xianye let out a long sigh of relief, but another matter surfaced in his mind. The imperial decree that he still kept at home weighed heavily on his heart, like a thorn in his side.

“Master, what should I do?” Fang Xianye looked at Master Songyun opposite him and asked.

Although he didn’t specify what the matter was, Master Songyun understood. The venerable old monk, who had remained calm and composed for years, sighed as he twirled his prayer beads. “Amitabha, the firewood never stops burning, and the nature of understanding attacks each other. How can there be no danger? Being true to oneself is enough.”

“Being true to oneself…” Fang Xianye repeated softly.

But the human heart is complex, even one’s own heart—how many can truly understand it?

Fang Xianye bid farewell to Master Songyun and, upon returning to his mansion from Jin’an Temple, he was met by a flustered steward who exclaimed, “Sir! Something terrible has happened while you were away! Thieves have ransacked the house!”

Fang Xianye paused for a moment, then hurriedly asked, “What was stolen?”

“The study and bedroom, sir. They’ve been turned upside down. Since you usually don’t allow us to tidy up, we didn’t dare…”

Fang Xianye’s gaze hardened. He immediately rushed through the hall and headed straight for the bedroom. After closing the door behind him, he felt around under the bed and found the hidden box stuck to the underside of the bed frame. Opening it, he took out the secret decree hidden inside, and upon confirming its safety, he finally felt his frantic heart settle down.

Outside the door, a servant asked if they should clean up the room.

Fang Xianye replied, “No need,” then carefully placed the decree back into the box and re-hidden it under the bed.

The room was in a mess, with many of his valuable paintings and porcelain pieces missing. As Fang Xianye tidied up the room and pondered whether this theft was truly just an unfortunate incident, he knew that in times like these, every unexpected event must be handled with caution.

After personally cleaning up the bedroom, he went to check the damages in the study. Just as he finished a quick inspection, a sense of unease gripped him. He hurried back to the bedroom and looked under the bed again.

The box containing the secret decree was nowhere to be found.

This was a setup! The theft was used as a distraction to lure him away and allow the real theft to occur unnoticed.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Fang Xianye slowly stood up, leaning against the bed frame for support. A servant who had followed him asked, “Sir, is everything all right?”

Fang Xianye replied coldly, “Nothing.”

Who had targeted him? Did that person know about the secret decree beforehand?

Should he go find Duan Xu? But according to the letter from Duan Jingyuan, Duan Xu was still unconscious, and even if he were to seek him out, there would be no opportunity for discussion.

Fang Xianye breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of not having to tell Duan Xu about the incident, yet he felt even more anxious due to his own avoidance. He sighed, rubbing his temples, then slammed his fist on the table, causing the teapot and porcelain plates on it to clash with a piercing sound, reflecting his turbulent state of mind.

News of Duan Xu’s worsening condition and loss of consciousness spread, with rumours claiming that an extremely skilled doctor had been summoned from afar to treat him at Haoyue Residence, where no one was allowed to approach casually. Fang Xianye attempted to communicate with Duan Xu using the method they had agreed upon previously, but received no response, indicating that Duan Xu was indeed seriously ill and unconscious.

Four or five days passed, and news arrived of General Zhao’s suicide at the front lines, shocking the court and the public. However, after Zhao Chun’s suicide, the Daliang army unexpectedly performed even better in battle, reclaiming the land of Fengzhou.

During court recess that day, Lin Jun suddenly stopped Fang Xianye and informed him that the emperor wanted to secretly summon him.

Lin Jun, no longer the timid figure Fang Xianye had brought from the north bank, had risen to the rank of fourth-grade Tongyi Dafu, Deputy Minister of Personnel. Originally a minor official upon arriving in the southern capital, his fondness for birds and flowers had brought him close to the then Prince Jin, eventually becoming his confidant. After Prince Jin seized power and ascended the throne, Lin Jun’s career skyrocketed, making him a favoured figure in court whom many officials sought to curry favour with.

However, Lin Jun had deliberately distanced himself from factions aligned with Prince Ji and Prince Su. Fang Xianye, having been demoted, had little interaction with him over the past year.

Glancing at Lin Jun, Fang Xianye bowed and said, “Please lead the way, Lord Lin.”

He was not a trusted confidant of the emperor. Previously, the emperor had deliberately neglected him, so why would he now secretly summon him?

Walking alongside Lin Jun towards the emperor’s Ning Le Hall, Lin Jun smiled and said, “Years ago, Lord Fang brought me from the north bank to the southern capital, for which I am deeply grateful. I can only repay this favour by doing what little I can. Congratulations, Lord Fang, on your impending rise.”

Fang Xianye turned to look at Lin Jun, maintaining a neutral expression. “What is Lord Lin talking about? I don’t understand.”

Lin Jun, with a calm demeanour and a meaningful tone, replied, “Doesn’t Lord Fang have an imperial edict? An edict to support the virtuous and punish traitors.”

Fang Xianye stopped in his tracks, glaring at Lin Jun and gritting his teeth. “Was it you?”

“What do you mean, ‘was it me’? Now it’s Lord Fang’s words I don’t understand. Doesn’t Lord Fang have an imperial edict entrusted to me to pass on to His Majesty to fulfil the late emperor’s wishes? Or would Lord Fang privately keep an imperial edict and not disclose it?”

**Nomad: Lin Jun, When I catch you Lin Jun. Stop hiding Lin Jun you running from everybody