With Love Beyond the Grave airing tomorrow, I broke down the early novel chapters 1 to 25 through Duan Xu, because their dynamic only made sense to me when I tracked what Duan Xu was actually noticing. At first, it is really hard to comprehend why he falls so hopelessly in love with her.

This summary of chapter 1-25 focuses specifically on how DX perceives He Simu / He Xiaoxiao. I have deliberately kept them short because a summary shouldn’t be longer than the novel, no? 

***If you have read the novel, please share your interpretation too, because this reflects my understanding of Duan Xu’s character. Think of it as his diary.***

**Chapter 1:** Ride into a massacre looking heroic, give a pretty survivor my handkerchief, notice she doesn't blink at corpses. Suspicious. Intriguing. Adds to mental file!

**Chapter 2:** My loyal bodyguard sniffs out that she's trouble. Good instinct. I'm more curious than afraid. Also, **her hands are cold**. Filing that away too.

**Chapter 3:** Catch her turning funeral money into butterflies, then she **warns** me about an arrow that somehow curves toward me anyway. She's either a genius or terrible at saving people. ***Hot either way.***

**Chapter 4**: She claims she's afraid of ghosts. I saw her holding a severed head two chapters ago. Okay, sure.

**Chapter 5:** Disappears mysteriously, reappears. Definitely not a ghost. Definitely.

**Chapter 6**: She tells children the Ghost King can reproduce with humans. And I'm just standing here like *noted*.

**Chapter 7:** Realize she can't see color, feel temperature, or taste sugar. I'm supposed to be the mysterious one. Challenge accepted!

Chapter 8: Let her watch me duel from the roof. I'm basically showing off at this point. She brings snacks. *Soulmate material.*

**Chapter 9:** She tells my men I'll probably die, then practices funeral music. This is the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me.

**Chapter 10:** She summons ancestral ghosts to save the kid. I knew she was hiding something. Also, her true form is terrifyingly beautiful. Taking notes.

**Chapter 11:** She admits we're both pretending. I admit I know she lacks five senses. We're basically confessing. Romantic tension: maximum.

**Chapter 12:** She suggests blowing up the river. I'm already in love.

**Chapter 13:** Blow up the river, kill thousands, whisper her name like a creep. She's watching. I know she's watching.

**Chapter 14:** She finally realizes I'm her soulmate. About time. Does she though?

**Chapter 15:** She's painting plum blossoms with lime powder and discussing my funeral arrangements. I invite myself to hear more. She's adorable when she's caught.

**Chapter 16:** She kills a woman with my sword before she becomes a ghost, then fake-cries. That's *my girl.*

**Chapter 17:** She summons a dead servant who confirms I'm an impostor. Plot twist: I'm actually the real Duan Xu. Plot twist to the plot twist: she doesn't believe me. Fair.

**Chapter 18:** She sneaks into my room to watch me undress. I sense her and sleep fully clothed. I'm not an idiot.

**Chapter 19:** She reveals her true form in front of the whole army. I wipe blood off her face. I've never been more attracted to anyone. Send help.

**Chapter 20:** She proposes a deal, I refuse, *she chokes me*, I ask if she wants my ‘beautiful’ skull at fifty. She doesn't kill me. Progress!!

**Chapter 21:** Agree to the deal because she helped me up. I'm a simple man. Also, she's warm now. My heart is even warmer for her (this is the exact moment where he falls for her).

**Chapter 22:** Kill an envoy, throw him from the wall. She appears beside me and says nothing. She likes it I think. *Filing that away.*

**Chapter 23**: She watches a family get executed, covers the kid's eyes, then tells me she's leaving. I tell her no. She stays. *I win.*

**Chapter 24:** Get kidnapped on purpose to infiltrate enemy camp. She's my only company. Worth it.

**Chapter 25**: Kill everyone, assassinate the general, escape, then casually mention I killed my whole cohort at fourteen. She's not running. Wife material spotted! I am definitely going to marry her.

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The video is from preview of episode 1 available on Tencent app. 

Love Beyond the Grave (novel summary) - Duan Xu’s diary.