Previously…
In Love Beyond the Grave: Drama Recap Episodes 13 to 18, Duan Xu followed He Simu to the Void, and he not only survived but thrived there!
But as I wrote in the previous part, we still had three more senses to exchange and three more wishes to fulfill. Would we see them back in the mortal world in this part?
If you’re wondering about the featured image, it was from Episode 10. However, the term “holding someone’s hand means holding the person’s heart” became profound in this part.
Recap Episodes 19 to 24
Episode 19
At least something started brewing in this so-called peaceful Void realm. It started with the Void Tournament event held every century. In this event, any spirit could challenge the Sovereign. If anyone wins, they could become the new Sovereign; if anyone loses, they could try again in the next century. Simu created this tournament for spirit’s obsessions. Without this event, she would face constant assassination attempts and potential mass revolt. Duan Xu, sensing that her power was significantly depleted from fixing the Fusang Tree, asked her not to enter the Tournament. Simu reasoned that if she didn’t join, spirits would be suspicious and try to assassinate her.
We found out why Duan Xu spent his days at Jiang Ai’s casino, seemingly just for fun. He actually raised money from winning gambles to get supplies to make a carousel lantern for Simu because of her care while he was injured. She dismissed it as a pointless thing, but she secretly liked it. The lantern depicted Simu, whom Duan Xu had known, having fun while in the mortal world. The depiction reminded her of her normal childhood in the mortal world, until she had to enter the Void to replace her father as the new Sovereign. She never wanted to be one, but her mother reminded her that the responsibility to maintain balance between the spiritual and the mortal world. If the Sovereign of Spirits didn’t manage the wandering spirits, they would attack the mortal world, and it would come to an end.
During the Void Tournament, nobody matched the Sovereign of Spirits. However, there were mysterious spirits in hooded black robes. They used the Chilling Secret Technique that hadn’t appeared for a thousand years. Simu could overcome those two, but she sensed something was wrong. After the mysterious spirits left, Simu and Yan Ke gave them a chase. Duan Xu also smelled something with his keen sense of smell. He followed the smell to Jiang Ai’s casino. They received a message that Simu was ambushed but had returned to the palace. Duan Xu was worried about her, but she told him she would go into seclusion to replenish her power. Behind the scenes, Simu and Yan Ke discussed the two mysterious spirits and deduced they were “feathered spirits”, which should no longer exist. Simu asked Yan Ke to investigate. Couldn’t do anything, Duan Xu only waited outside Simu’s room.
Episode 20
With this forbidden Chilling Secret Technique, we were introduced to a new character, a formidable spirit named Bai Sanxing. He was sent to the Nine-Square Maze Prison three centuries ago. Simu destroyed his soul candle, which meant total annihilation. However, Bai Sanxing was still alive. Moreover, both Jiang Ai and Yan Ke had a close connection to Bai Sanxing in the past. Yan Ke used to be his deputy palace master. Jiang Ai used to be Bai Sanxing’s lover. Yan Ke accused Jiang Ai of intentionally getting close to Duan Xu, to trick him into going to the prison and see Bai Sanxing. Jiang Ai reminded Yan Ke that he had taken over Bai Sanxing’s position. As he had betrayed his former master to be the head of Qiling Temple, who knew he would do it again to be the Sovereign of Spirits. It was a matter of who would betray Simu, the ambitious Yan Ke or the scheming Jiang Ai?
The treatment of the cold poison finally came to an end. Duan Xu offered to help Simu with the issues in the Void, but she refused. Duan Xu questioned the reason she took him to the Void if not that because she liked him? Simu forced a kiss on him and lied that she was only curious. Now she was no longer interested in him and had arranged Jiang Ai to take him back to the mortal world the next day. However, Simu was only harsh with Duan Xu because she thought it was for his own good. The night before Duan Xu’s departure, Simu already missed him terribly, and she could only touch the bed he had once lain on.
Well, it was not easy to get rid of this obsessive Duan Xu, lol. Before Jiang Ai took Duan Xu back to the mortal world, he asked her to fulfill her promise to take him anywhere in the Void. It was the promise she made if he won the gamble last time, which he did. He asked her to take him to the Nine-Square Maze Prison, where Bai Sanxing was imprisoned. Jiang Ai took him inside the prison. Equipped with soul candles, they navigated through the creepy prison.
Bai Sanxing was still alive and fought with them. Their soul candles went out, and without the candles, they would get lost in the prison. Duan Xu made a bet with Jiang Ai that if he could make it out alive, she had to tell her everything about Simu. Jiang Ai accepted the bet, and Duan Xu jumped into the darkness to chase Bai Sanxing. Terrified, Jiang Ai returned to report it to Simu. She was frantic when she knew Duan Xu went down to the prison to chase Bai Sanxing and continued without the soul candle. Before entering the prison, Simu finally told Jiang Ai and Yan Ke that Duan Xu was her spell-bearer, and she had to save him.
Duan Xu eventually met Bai Sanxing and asked him directly whom Bai Sanxing had taught the Chilling Secret Technique. After fighting, Bai Sanxing ran away into a nightmare realm. Duan Xu chased him, only to be greeted with his own nightmares, starting from his childhood nightmare of being abandoned by his father. His next nightmare was a cruel Simu. The real Simu finally found him, but Duan Xu put his sword on her. Once they were connected by the Deliverance Sword, both Duan Xu and Simu entered an illusion. Simu woke up with senses of touch and smell, and Duan Xu greeted her with a big smile!
Episode 21
In this illusion, Duan Xu and He Simu lived happily as an ordinary couple in the mortal realm. She stepped down from the Sovereignty of Spirits, and the Great Liang restored the country. However, she was still an immortal, and he a mortal. Eventually, he grew old, and she remained young, and he passed away in her arms.
They finally got out of the illusion, and Duan Xu passed out from exhaustion. But not before he delivered a heartfelt confession that this was the first time someone came for him and that he held her heart again.
Simu took Duan Xu to her room, and he was in a coma, intoxicated from the prison heat. Simu was preoccupied with him; she even moved the court meeting next to her room. The masters gossiped that the Sovereign of Spirits had been infatuated by a mortal. After the meeting was over, Yan Ke confronted Simu. She could read his mind and asked whether the masters were dissatisfied or he? Yan Ke tried to barge in, but he was no match for Simu, who kicked him out injured.
Jiang Ai also came for Simu’s mercy. Simu knew Jiang Ai wanted to release Bai Sanxing and used Duan Xu. However, she showed mercy to Jiang Ai. Jiang Ai then braced herself to tell her about their bet in prison, that if he made it alive, she had to tell him about Simu’s past. Jiang Ai pointed out that Duan Xu’s motivation to enter the prison was to know more about Simu and shared her burden. Before leaving, Jiang Ai concluded that not only had Duan Xu fallen for Simu, but she also had feelings for him.
Simu spent the whole night holding Duan Xu’s hand and lying next to him.
Episode 22
Yan Ke was not only wounded physically, having been kicked out last time, but also emotionally. Failed to criticize Simu, Yan Ke instigated the other temple masters to complain about Jiang Ai, who took Duan Xu to prison. Jiang Ai protested, although she had trespassed the law by taking Duan Xu to prison, he survived. Yan Ke suggested 30 flogs. Simu knew Yan Ke’s hate towards Jiang Ai. She asked Yan Ke to flog Jiang Ai right there, and then, so Jiang Ai would survive.
Jiang Ai went to see Simu to deliver the healing elixir for Duan Xu. She took advantage to ask Simu permission to tell him about her past, which she agreed to. Simu asked Jiang Ai about her feelings for Bai Sanxing. No matter what Jiang Ai said, Simu could read her mind. Jiang Ai then retorted and asked Simu about her feelings towards Duan Xu. She had to face it. At night, Simu wandered in the forest, remembering all of their sweet times together. However, he didn’t belong to the Void.
Duan Xu finally woke up. Simu was horrified when Duan Xu remembered their sweet time in the illusion. To Simu, it was a nightmare, as he ended up dying and left her in eternal loneliness. Frantic, Simu retracted that memory from Duan Xu.
Duan Xu finally got better and asked Jiang Ai to uphold the bet. Her mother was a mortal, a sorceress from the Starhaven Sect that maintained balance between the mortal and the spirit worlds. Her father was the former Sovereign of Spirits. When Simu was born, they went to the mortal world, and she grew up as a mortal. However, duty calls, so they returned to the Void. Simu’s mother died from mortal old age, leaving her father and Simu alone. Soon, her father died, too, and left only the Spiritual Lantern.
After the death of the Sovereign of Spirits, the Void was in chaos because everyone coveted the throne. Simu was only 100 years old and didn’t even have enough power to fight them. When the Spiritual Lantern came to her, she merged her blood into it, and the Lantern acknowledged her as the next Sovereign of Spirits.
Episode 23
Jiang Ai continued that Simu didn’t have any choice but to take the Kunwu Blade as a leadership token. Since her parents’ death, she had changed completely, becoming cold and ruthless to guard herself. Jiang Ai said Simu became a stranger in her eyes. I didn’t know what else Jiang Ai told Duan Xu about Simu because it was not shown. It must be a lot, because Jiang Ai said she could talk for three days and three nights without repeating.
After Jiang Ai finished telling Simu’s life story, Simu took Duan Xu to the Void graveyard. It had 22 cemeteries… of Simu’s 22 lovers in the past 400 years! Most never knew who she was. She held dear her first love before the death of her father; even then, she didn’t remember his name anymore. Basically, she was officially rejecting Duan Xu. Duan Xu didn’t have any choice but to leave the Void and return to the mortal world. He gifted Simu a map of the Void he made himself, from exploring the Void.
After Duan Xu left, Yan Ke felt relieved because his love rival was gone. Now he would deal with the political rival Jiang Ai. Yan Zhang, Jiang Ai’s deputy master, loved Yan Ke since he saved her the last time. She knew Yan Ke wanted to get rid of her boss, so she showed him the account ledger. Yan Ke promised her the position of the temple master once Jiang Ai was gone. The next time Bai Sanxing escaped from the prison, and the prison was duped. Yan Ke and Jiang Ai accused each other.
Duan Xu had bad luck after returning to the mortal world. The Emperor promoted Marshall Qin (the one who wanted to take away Simu last time), Fang Xianye. On the other hand, Duan Xu was demoted because he attacked Souzhuo without permission (that was when Simu predicted the weather for him), so he was demoted to Court Counselor and no longer General of Tabai Army. Duan Xu went home to Nandu. But even then, he still would go back and join the army.
Episode 24
Yan Zhang was the one who let Bai Sanxing escape. She had magic tools to control Bai Sanxing. Bai Sanxing was released in the forest. Yan Ke and Jiang Ai tracked him down, but they lost him. They would’ve fought each other if Simu hadn’t come to break the fight.
Duan Xu was called by his dad for three reasons: First, not to return to the army because he was the only one left after his two brothers died on the battlefield. He complied with his ailing father’s wish. Second, to get married to continue the Duan lineage. Duan Xu argued that his father had a sweetheart but was betrothed to his mother (who also had a sweetheart). Did father regret marrying his mother? Dad couldn’t argue with that. He knew Duan Xu had someone he loved. Then the last request was to be careful with Fang Xianye, because he became more powerful now.
Now that Yan Zhang wanted Yan Ke to be the Sovereign of Spirits and she his wife, Yan Zhang wanted to get rid of Simu using Bai Sanxing. He controlled Bai Sanxing to capture Simu. When she was tied up, Yan Zhang wanted to take Simu’s spiritual power. But Yan Zhang was no match for Simu. Not only could she not retract Simu’s power, Simu also broke free.
TL;DR
- Something started brewing in the Void with He Simu’s enemy of the past: Bai Sanxing.
- Duan Xu went down to Nine-Square Maze Prison to meet Bai Sanxing. He was trapped in illusion, only to be saved by Simu.
- Jiang Ai told Duan Xu everything about Simu.
- Simu officially rejected Duan Xu and Duan Xu returned to the mortal world.
- Duan Xu was demoted and no longer a general.
- Someone planned a rebellion in the Void to take down He Simu.
I’m pretty sure the rebel was no match to He Simu. But when would Simu and Duan Xu meet again? Let’s continue to the next part!
