Starring Dilraba and Chen Feiyu (陈飞宇), the drama Love Beyond the Grace (白日提灯) has reached its seventh episode. In this episode, He Simu (贺思慕) personally deals with two individuals. One is a malevolent spirit named Shao Yinyin (邵茵茵). The other is an ordinary human named He Yan (何嫣).
As a Ling Zhu (灵主), punishing evil spirits falls within her duties. But He Yan was a living person. Why did He Simu decide how she should die? The answer hides in He Simu's own background. She was not born like other spirits. Her father was a Ling Zhu, and her mother was a cultivator from Xing Qing Gong (星卿宫). That mix created something rare — a spirit with a physical body and a deep, secret longing for the human world.
He Yan's Sin
After the Ta Bai (踏白) Army entered Shuo Zhou (蒴州) City, they were trapped by Northern Chong forces. Food ran short. Then someone burned the grain warehouse. That someone was He Yan. She was an ordinary woman who had done well for herself when the Northern Chong (崇) ruled. But once the Northern Chong left, her life collapsed. People bullied her. She had nothing.
When soldiers caught He Yan, she was full of hatred. She shouted that those in power wanted her dead. She said if she had to die, they would all die together. Then she broke free and ran toward a pillar, intending to end her life with malice in her heart. He Simu saw this. In a flash, she pulled out Duan Xu's sword, the Po Wang Jian (破妄剑), and slashed He Yan's throat. He Yan died instantly.
After killing her, He Simu thought to herself: If you die carrying extreme evil intent, you will summon malevolent spirits to harm the living. The Po Wang Jian carries the quality of mercy. Anyone killed by it has their obsession erased immediately and can re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. So He Simu killed He Yan not out of cruelty, but to protect the human realm from becoming haunted by a new evil spirit born from He Yan's hatred.
Her Origin
Most spirits are formed from the lingering obsessions of dead humans. They wander for a hundred years before becoming sentient. He Simu is different. She was born a spirit. Her father was a Ling Zhu. Her mother was a woman who practiced cultivation at Xing Qing Gong. Because of this, He Simu has a real body and a beautiful face. For the first nine years of her life, she lived with both parents at Xing Qing Gong. She enjoyed their love like any ordinary girl. Her aunt and uncle also doted on her.
But spirits live for eons, while humans have short lives. Even though her mother was a cultivator, she only lived to be ninety. After her mother died, He Simu returned with her father to Gui Xu (归墟), the realm of spirits. A rebellion broke out there. Her father died in that uprising. He Simu then put down the rebellion herself and became the new Ling Zhu. From that moment on, her life held only endless loneliness. She buried her parents on her favorite mountain, Xu Sheng (虚生) Mountain. When she misses them, she goes to their graves and talks to them, even though she knows they have already reincarnated. She has nowhere else to go.
That loneliness explains why she feels such deep attachment to the human world. Humans gave her warmth once. Her parents' love, her aunt's care — those memories are all she has. Other spirits have clear obsessions. Guan Huai (关淮) clings to life. Yan Ke (晏柯) loves power. Fang Chang (方昌) seeks fame. But He Simu has no such driving force. She does not even know why she exists. Her parents wanted her to experience the real world, though. Under their teaching, she learned to paint beautifully even without seeing colors. She learned to play instruments even without hearing music. Her aunt prepared a special gift for her — a way to borrow the five senses of a bonded person and finally taste what it means to be alive.
Living Fully
He Simu created thirty-two golden laws to forbid evil spirits from harming the living. When Shao Yinyin tried to steal Xue Chengying's (薛沉英) soul, He Simu held her accountable. When He Yan tried to die with hatred, He Simu stopped her. These actions are not random. They come from a deep appreciation for human life — a life she herself has never fully known. She has never felt sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy. She has never known comfort or pain the way humans do. But she wants to protect those who do.
That is also why she falls in love with Duan Xu. When he is near death, she is willing to turn herself into a mortal and share her own lifespan with him. Her greatest wish is not to rule as Ling Zhu. It is to live truly. To see the rich colors of this world. To taste a thousand flavors. To feel joy and sorrow. She is not sacrificing herself for Duan Xu. In a way, Duan Xu is the one who makes her wish possible. He offers her a chance to finally experience everything she has only watched from a distance.
Have you been watching Love Beyond the Grace? What do you think of He Simu, the Ling Zhu who kills to protect a world she can never fully belong to? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
