[A Love Beyond Life and Death]
The emperor was incompetent, and chaos was about to engulf the land.
Ji Nu had no parents and was the lowest-ranking servant in the county magistrate’s household. His main duty every day was to kneel on the ground and let the young master step on his back to climb into the carriage.
But the spoiled, nasty young master was always picking on Ji Nu. He made sure Ji Nu lacked food and clothes, and beat him several times a day. His life was miserable.
One winter, when he was eight, Ji Nu lay covered in wounds, thinking he would die silently in the drafty stable.
That was when the “General” appeared.
The General was a ghost no one could see or touch, but he was warm and outgoing, considerate and gentle. Like a father, he taught Ji Nu how to be a good person. He was the best ghost in the world.
The General protected him without asking for anything in return, and even treated his wounds. Every day, he used a method called “whaling” to give him precious, nourishing food to “boost his stats,” bought him new clothes to “boost his charm,” and gave him all sorts of strange and wonderful treasures to “boost his mood.”
The General even taught him to write, trained him in martial arts, combed his hair, and told stories and sang to lull him to sleep every night.
The General even made his military tally and the seals of all the major cities into accessories to hang on Ji Nu, smiling as he said he was waiting for Ji Nu to inherit his estate.
Meanwhile, the county magistrate’s family had just managed to connect with a young officer who had once served as one of the General’s personal guards. They dreamed of earning a place in the new dynasty amid the chaos of the rival warlords, and were so excited they couldn’t sleep for days.
Ji Nu didn’t care about the county magistrate’s family. He would never have to hide away and cry in secret again.
He knew that somewhere he’d never heard of, someone loved him very much.
And so Ji Nu rose step by step from the lowest-ranking servant. He thought he could be with the General forever, but the General suddenly vanished after Ji Nu came of age.
Until, in records from years earlier, Ji Nu saw the General’s name among the loyal officials killed by the current emperor…
*
The death of the “Great General” marked the beginning of the struggle for supremacy amid the chaos.
On the day he died, no one dared look directly at his body.
Everyone knew that while the Great General lived, he kept the world in check and peace reigned. Once he was dead, refugees would swarm the land and the warlords would rise against one another.
The world revered and hated him, and feared him.
His shadow loomed over the decaying dynasty, growing darker with each passing day. Warlords drank at banquets and dropped their cups in terror at the mention of his name. Rebel generals laid siege to cities, only to retreat in despair at the sight of his banner. A dead man had plunged the entire world into fear of him.
Until one day, a young man bearing his military tally and seals summoned the armies held by the warlords across the land.
*Male lead is the pursuer. He’s not weak, and the story has the unapologetically masculine flavor of a classic male power fantasy.
*The General did not transmigrate. Both characters are natives of an ancient setting.
*A terrifying country bumpkin attack who seems adorable but is actually a little devil × a saintly Great General who looks like a ghost but is nothing but cheerful and has no flaws
*I got a burst of late-night inspiration and wanted to try some cozy adoptive father-and-son fiction and a love beyond life and death. My tastes are questionable, don’t come for me. If you don’t like it, just click the X and leave.
(Blurb archived on April 21, 2026)
Theme: Bearing your kindness, I will not dwell on my private sorrows
