Love Beyond the Grave Recap Episode 37-40 + extra

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Table of Contents

Previously…

In Love Beyond the Grave: Drama Recap Episodes 31 to 36, the battle in the mortal world escalated with Yan Ke’s involvement.

How will this drama end?

I loved their wedding scene, as shown in the featured image. The details of the setting are stunning.

Recap Episodes 37 to 40 (+Special Episode)

Episode 37

Simu knew that Feng Yi couldn’t heal Duan Xu, so she would return to the Void. Feng Yi was surprised to see a ghost squid following her. Yay, that was Chen Ying’s obsession! Simu asked Jiang Ai to find some herbs as per her instructions and went to seclusion. Jiang Ai was also surprised to see the ghost squid around Simu.

Since Lu Da swallowed the Spiritual Lantern, Yan Ke couldn’t get close to him, neither killed him. Lu Da asked Yan Ke to teach him spiritual power, so he could use the Spiritual Lantern to win the war and kill Simu.

The atmosphere in the camp was very gloomy with the passing of Chen Ying and the soldiers in the vanguard team. They brought back the Great Liang flag, which Chen Ying protected. General Wu blamed himself for letting Chen Ying go. He led the vanguard team to buy time for the main force, but none of them survived.

The Emperor thought that Duan Xu rebelled because he didn’t return to Nandu to rescue His Majesty. The stupid emperor didn’t know that his edict was not delivered to Duan Xu, instead it was destroyed midway. The culprit was Duke Pei. Fang Xianye couldn’t defend his bestie. He only suggested that there might be unforeseen circumstances that prevent Duan Xu. Furious, before his death, the emperor wrote a will to promote Fang Xianye and execute Duan Xu. The Emperor demanded Duan Xu be buried in his tomb. Fang Xianye was the only witness presented when His Majesty wrote that will, so he decided to hide the will in his study.

After the Emperor passed, Wang Jin, Duan Xu and Fang Xianye’s bestie, ascended the throne. Wang Jin turned out to be a prince. Unfortunately, the late emperor’s will was stolen from Fang Xianye’s home. When he found out that the will was missing, Fang Xianye knew that Duke Pei was the culprit, and the will would be used to kill Duan Xu. Fang Xianye was ready to take responsibility for his negligence and protect his bestie with his life.

Jingyuan gave dumplings to Fang Xianye, to thank him for saving the Duan family from disaster. Jingyuan realized that Fang Xianye and Duan Xu must’ve been very good friends. Awww, I felt bad for them…

Sure enough, Duke Pei showed the late Emperor’s will during the court session, and demanded Fang Xianye’s answer as to why he didn’t deliver the edict. To save Duan Xu, Xianye said that it was a fake edict and that Duke Pei asked him to write it. However, the late Emperor had visited him in dreams. He couldn’t bear it anymore, so to atone for his sin, he committed suicide by banging his head on the pillar. His bestie, the new emperor, was grieved but couldn’t show it. He immediately sentenced Duke Pei to death.

Duan Xu’s father, so ungrateful, was very happy with Fang Xianye’s death. After all, his son lost a rival in the officialdom. On the other hand, Jingyuan was shocked by his death. In addition, her father wanted to arrange a marriage for her. She was very angry and ran out to the place where she met Fan Xianye for the last time. She didn’t understand the reason why she was very sad about his death. They only met five times. But she felt a connection with him. To this day, Jingyuan never knew that Fang Xianye was her stand-in “brother” who accompanied her when she was little. Oh man, this is so heartbreaking!

Poor Duan Xu! He received a letter from the Capital. The good news was that his bestie Wang Jin became the new Emperor. The bad news was that his bestie Fan Xianye committed suicide. He also read Xianye farewell letter and was so aggrieved that he threw up blood and fainted.

Simu finally came out of the seclusion she took to refine the medication for Duan Xu. She used her power to concoct it, as Feng Yi’s mortal medication didn’t work. When she returned to Duan Xu, he begged her to take him to see Fang Xianye. Simu could only comfort him. They both knew they wouldn’t meet Fan Xianye in the Void, because he had let go of his obsessions.

Episode 38

Wang Jin, the new Emperor, knew that his bestie, Fang Xianye, had died for the sake of the Great Liang. His Majesty couldn’t abandon Xinye’s body, so he built a solitary tomb for Xianye in the suburbs of Nandu. Duan Xu returned secretly and met Wang Jin, and together they paid respects to Fang Xianye. Duan Xu knew he also didn’t have much time left, so he vowed to fulfill Fang Xianye’s legacy. He said farewell to his father, who yelled his name, but Duan Xu didn’t look back. Later, he told Simu that he and his sister were both his father’s pawns. However, he knew that his father loved them both. When he was “abandoned” by his father last time, his father told him to climb out of the pit. His father actually hid and watched his son for several hours under the hot sun, until Duan Xu climbed up by himself.

This Yan Ke went completely crazy by sending evil spirits to the battle. Of course, these demons were indiscriminate; they didn’t care who belonged to which country, so both the Great Liang and North Chong suffered a big loss. Lu Da, the High Priest of North, was angry at Yan Ke but he couldn’t do anything. Under the disguise of spiritual power, Yan Ke actually controlled Lu Da.

Simu finally heard what Yan Ke had done. She went down to the battlefield to confront Yan Ke. Feng Yi helped with injecting mana into the weapons of the Great Liang soldiers to help them kill the evil spirits. Yan Ke was no match for Simu. When he was about to be defeated, suddenly, Lu Da appeared and destroyed the Spiritual Lantern inside his body. If he destroyed it, Simu would die. In the nick of time, Yan Ke seemed to get an enlightenment; he didn’t want her to die, so he fought Lu Da. Simu herself was secretly happy that she finally could die and be free. However, with her death, the Great Liang army would be defeated. Duan Xu knew Simu was in trouble. He asked Mai Zi, his maid in the Void and his battle comrade in the battlefield, to take him to Simu.

Simu was walking to the afterlife. However, she suddenly saw Duan Xu, smiling and extending his hand to her. The wandering spirit who kept following her also called her name. Yes, the ghost squid was Chen Ying! In the Void, Jiang Ai and Bai Sanxing blocked the evil spirits from entering the Void.

Episode 39

Simu finally killed Yan Ke, and he perished. All evil spirits disappeared, and the Great Liang won. Duan Xu arrived just in time with Mai Zi to see that Lu Da wanted to kill Simu from behind while she was watching Yan Ke vanish. Duan Xu killed Lu Da. The Spirit Lantern inside Lu Da flew out and went into Chen Ying, who was standing among them. Simu took Chen Ying back to the Void and introduced her to Jiang Ai as her brother. She asked Jiang Ai to take care of Chen Ying at this time, because spiritually, Chen Ying was still weak. Simu then went to her parents’ graves to pay homage.

Duan Xu took over all 17 states for the Great Liang. At the end, he returned the tiger tally to the Emperor. Now that his wish was fulfilled, he retired. He said farewell to his comrades: Wu Shengliu, Han Lingqiu, Meng Wan, and Xia Qingsheng. The last two finally got together. He and Simu would spend their last days together.

Duan Xu and Simu went to Simu’s childhood house and stayed there. Feng Yi and Ziji visited them, but couldn’t stomach Simu’s burned fish, because Simu didn’t have her senses. It was revealed that Ziji was an immortal, a goddess. Ziji had accompanied Feng Yi for ten years. They had developed feelings for each other.

Episode 40

Simu proposed marriage, and Duan Xu agreed. The wedding was held in the Void. It was a grand wedding. Duan Xu’s last gift was to lend Simu all his senses so she could enjoy the wedding. When Feng Yi visited them last time, Duan Xu asked for a blessed flower. While walking down the aisle towards Simu, Duan Xu stopped and activated the flower. Simu couldn’t stop him. Suddenly, she saw a burst of red color everywhere. A flower fell onto her hand, and she could feel the flower. She heard the music. She felt the wind. When tears flowed down her lips, she could taste them. By lending all five senses, Duan Xu was getting weaker. Fortunately, the wedding ceremony went smoothly.

For Duan Xu, with his health deteriorating rapidly, it was freezing in the Void. They went to the mortal world for the wedding night, sitting on top of the mountain. Simu could enjoy her senses in the mortal world. Duan Xu requested Jiang Ai to bring them wine. They drank crossed-cup wine.

Duan Xu couldn’t even kiss Simu, and he vomited blood and passed away. Simu wailed and even tried to revive Duan Xu without avail. In his journey to the afterlife, Duan Xu suddenly regretted dying. He didn’t want to leave Simu in a sorrowful state. He tried to fight back. With his obsession, he became a wandering spirit, the ghost jellyfish. He found his way back to Simu.

Simu returned to the Void and announced her retirement. Chen Ying would be her successor, as he absorbed the Spiritual Lantern. At first, many people disagreed, since Chen Ying was still young and inexperienced. However, Jiang Ai, as the Elder, saluted Chen Ying and bowed in respect. The rest then followed Jiang Ai to salute Chen Ying.

Chen Ying saw a ghost jellyfish following Simu when she left the Void. He checked the register to see if Duan Xu’s name was in the book. Jiang Ai explained that theoretically, Duan Xu wouldn’t be in the Void because he no longer had an obsession. He regained all 17 states for the Great Liang and lent all his senses to Simu. Chen Ying still believed that Duan Xu and Simu would be together again. Jiang Ai agreed.

After retirement, Simu was seen by Feng Yi and Ziji wandering in the mortal world happily. Feng Yi did some celestial calculation and hope they Simu and Duan Xu would meet again. Ziji said it was possible. We then saw Simu stop and sense Duan Xu’s aura. The ghost jellyfish approached her. She saw him and said, “Follow me, don’t get lost!” And they walked together.

Special Episode

Simu was lamenting Duan Xu, while holding his body. Suddenly, Ziji approached them as an immortal. Simu leashed her anger to Ziji, everything that happened to her was to uphold the order from the higher-ups (deities). But what happened to Duan Xu was not supposed to uphold order. Ziji said she could save him. She would reward them with new destinies.

We then see Simu’s childhood home. Simu went in and looked around. She heard her name being called. It was Duan Xu. They looked at each other from a distance, like the usual ending of Chinese dramas. In the background, we heard the rest of Simu and Ziji’s convo. Ziji said, “I can save him. But you will lose your spirit power and become a mortal. Are you willing to pay this price?” Simu replied, “Being a mortal is my lifelong wish. How could that be called a price?”

THE END

Summary of Final Part (Major spoiler not hidden)

Fang Xianye hid the Emperor’s decree punishing Duan Xu for not rescuing His Majesty.
To save Duan Xu, Fang Xianye blamed Duke Pei for forging the Emperor decree and committed suicide.
Wang Jin became the next Emperor and order Duke Pei’s beheading.
Yan Ke sent evil spirits together with the North Chong army to fight the Great Liang.
Simu fought Yan Ke. Lu Da wanted to kill Simu. Yan Ke fought Lu Da, letting his obsession with her go. Yan Ke died. Evil spirits gone and the Great Liang won.
Simu proposed marriage to Duan Xu.
Duan Xu lent all his senses to Simu during the wedding.
He died the next day in her embrace, but regretted leaving Simu behind. His obsession made him a wandering spirit.
Chen Ying absorbed the Spiritual Lantern, and Simu appointed him as the new Sovereign of Spirits.
Simu retired and wandered the mortal world with Duan Xu’s wandering spirit. Feng Yi predicted they would meet again soon.
Special episode: Ziji was the immortal representing the God of Fate. She granted both Simu and Duan Xu new destinies. Simu became a mortal, and Duan Xu was revived. They reunited in Simu’s childhood home.

Mini Review

Story: With a gothic vibe, the drama explores themes of fate, loyalty, and sacrifice centered on a relationship that transcends life and death.
Plot: Centers on He Simu and Duan Xu’s fated connection, contract-based partnership to maintain peace, and the tragic inevitability of human mortality against supernatural existence.
Pacing: The first few episodes are a slow-burn setup. The pace is reported to pick up significantly after episode 8. Towards the end, the pacing seems rushed, with some conflicts explained and resolved quickly, which felt like filler scenes.
Characterization: Role reversal in which the Female Lead was the most-powerful ghost leader, and the Male Lead was a vulnerable mortal.
Visuals: A gothic vibe with cinematic aesthetic, with careful attention to costumes and sets.
Ending: I think both are happy. In the main story, with his obsession to stay with Simu, Duan Xu would return as a wandering spirit. After centuries of cultivation, he would take his body back. The special episode is similar to the novel. Simu became a human and lived happily with Duan Xu in the mortal world.
Final rating based on my rating system: 9.0 (+1.0 for gothic romance story, +0.5 for role reversal, +0.5 for Dilraba Dilmurat and Chen Fei Yu’s acting, and +1.0 for visualization).
My criticism: some underdeveloped plot points and rushed ending.

Conclusion

I recommend Love Beyond the Grave (白日提灯) for anyone who likes epic fantasy with a unique fated connection trope and high-production visuals. Unlike typical romance tropes, He Simu and Duan Xu are bound by a mystical contract to share all five senses. Moreover, the world-building is rich with a blend of political intrigue in the mortal world and supernatural conspiracies in the underworld.

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