Li Shuang struggled against the old woman pinning her to the ground, but the woman’s grip felt like iron—even stronger than before.
Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward. Luo Teng’s great sword struck viciously at the woman’s neck, but with a “crack,” the blade merely chipped against her flesh.
“Heart…” Li Shuang managed to gasp out the word.
Qin Lan immediately stabbed his sword toward the woman’s heart from behind, but the blade couldn’t penetrate her back. The woman turned her head, her eyes completely black without any whites showing. With an inhuman shriek and a wave of her hand, she unleashed a dark wind that scattered all the surrounding soldiers.
Li Shuang’s face had turned purple, her consciousness fading.
At that moment, there was a wet “thud,” and the old woman’s grip suddenly weakened. She froze with her eyes open, face twisted in unwilling defeat, then collapsed beside Li Shuang, motionless.
Through her dimming vision, Li Shuang looked up to see a child standing beside her—Jin’an…
But his eyes now burned crimson, his entire being radiating murderous intent. In his blood-covered hand, he held a putrid heart. He squeezed, crushing it to a pulp. The foul blood splattered across both their faces, helping to clear Li Shuang’s mind somewhat.
She watched as Jin’an tossed aside the mangled mass of flesh that had been the heart.
Li Shuang sat up, breathing painfully through her injured throat. Her voice came out broken as she called, “Jin’an?”
Jin’an looked at her. Seeing she was alive, the killing intent around him gradually dissipated. The red in his eyes slowly faded, and the crimson markings on his face vanished, returning him to his usual appearance.
Expressionless, he tried to shake the blood from his hand, but it was too sticky to remove. Finally, he used his clean hand to wipe the blood splatter from Li Shuang’s face. His gaze was calm as if he’d just killed a mosquito rather than bare-handedly slain an invulnerable… monster… that no one else could harm.
“It’s over,” he said. “She won’t rise again.”
Silence fell. No one spoke.
Jin’an’s gaze lowered to the purple bruises on Li Shuang’s neck. He frowned and reached out to touch them but didn’t dare. “You’re hurt.” She needs a physician, he thought, but when he turned around, he saw all the surrounding soldiers watching him warily. Luo Teng, Qin Lan, and even Li Zheng, who had appeared at some point, all stared at him in shock, as if watching a…
Monster.
Just like the old woman.
Jin’an looked back at Li Shuang, only to find her staring at him in a daze as well.
He lowered his head, offering no defense, silently bearing everyone’s scrutiny like a criminal. But then, a soft handkerchief wiped at his face.
It was Li Shuang, cleaning away the blood from where the old woman had scratched him. “Medical officer,” she called in her broken voice. These two simple words were enough to dispel all the doubt and awkwardness he faced.
The soldiers snapped back to attention. The summoned medical officers carried both Jin’an and Li Shuang into the main tent, one treating Li Shuang’s neck while another cleaned Jin’an’s facial wound.
The soldiers kept their distance from Li Shuang, while Jin’an watched her from afar.
After treating her wounds, the physician instructed quietly: “Besides taking the medicine, General, you should speak little and softly, avoid shouting, control your temper, and stay away from spicy, irritating foods. Have the kitchen prepare more rice porridge. It will take about a month to heal fully. Afterward, take care to prevent catching a cold, and you’ll be fine.”
From behind everyone, Jin’an silently memorized these points, planning to quietly ask the physician later about preventing colds.
After the physician left the main tent, Li Zheng sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re alright, Sister. I wouldn’t know how to explain to Father otherwise.” Li Shuang tried to speak, but Li Zheng continued, “Sister, don’t talk—just rest your voice and listen to me.”
Li Shuang lay there, caught between laughing and crying. They fought battles—how could they be so delicate? However, this time, both Qin Lan and Luo Teng agreed with Li Zheng: “The General being harmed in camp already leaves us speechless with shame.”
Li Zheng asked, “But speaking of which, who was that demon woman? This is the first time in my life I’ve seen someone invulnerable to weapons. Terrifying.”
Qin Lan pondered, “That old woman had no vital energy in life, no breath in death. The physician examined the body and said she’d been dead for ten to fifteen days. Only because of the cold weather, the corpse…”
“Dead?” Li Zheng was shocked. “For ten to fifteen days?”
Luo Teng also expressed disbelief: “Qin Lan, what kind of physician-diagnosed that? What dead person could jump around fighting us for hundreds of rounds after being dead for two weeks?”
“Normally, it would be impossible. But the physician’s words ring true. You all saw the old woman earlier—her face and neck were rotting, she didn’t bleed when wounded, and her heart…” Qin Lan paused, glancing at Jin’an sitting on the side couch, “Her heart contained only a small amount of corrupted blood. Not something found in the living. So in my opinion, this must be what folk tales call… a jiangshi.”
At these words, Li Zheng was struck speechless. Luo Teng hugged his arms and shuddered: “Damn, that’s chilling. I’ve been on battlefields and thought I’d seen everything, but this… this is something else… creepy.”
“In my youth, when bored, I read some supernatural stories. The books say that jiangshi always arises from those who died with extreme obsessions or unfinished business. If people or things related to their obsession appear after death, they might rise.”
People and things…
Li Shuang pondered. She remembered that when they first entered the underground chamber, besides the wolves, there had been no other presence—meaning the old woman had still been an intact corpse then. She only rose after they arrived. And the woman had told her that she carried his scent…
Later, it became clear she was looking for Jin’an. Could this old woman’s obsession have been with Jin’an?
She had come to investigate Jin’an’s background, but now the child’s history seemed even more mysterious.
The underground chamber in the dense forest, the scattered bones, the richly dressed but grotesquely dead woman who rose as a jiangshi, and… his crimson eyes and flame-like markings.
Li Shuang thought to herself that the markings on the youth who had saved her in the bandit stronghold were almost identical to those that appeared on Jin’an when he killed the old woman. Could these markings change with their power?
She had no idea which northern tribe these people belonged to.
After Qin Lan and the others discussed without reaching any conclusions, they tried asking Jin’an, but he remained silent. Finally, they had to give up. Before leaving, Li Zheng didn’t dare grab Jin’an’s hand to chat as he used to, instead standing three steps away to say: “Little Shifu, thank you for saving my sister today, although…”
Although… it was a bit frightening.
Jin’an looked up at him once, making Li Zheng shudder and quickly leave with perfect manners.
Jin’an lowered his head, hearing Qin Lan call from the doorway: “Come out now, let the General rest.”
He glanced at Li Shuang and silently moved to leave the tent, but heard Li Shuang take a breath and say hoarsely: “Wait.” She continued, “I have something to ask.”
Jin’an stayed. He obediently stood beside Li Shuang’s bed, looking at the white bandage on her neck with a somewhat sad expression: “Does it hurt?” He finally spoke up, but immediately added, “Don’t answer me.”
Li Shuang laughed: “I know my limits.” She looked at Jin’an for a while, then asked, “You…”
“I’ll tell you everything,” he cut in. “Though I don’t remember much. I only know that day I ran out from the forest, collapsed on the ground, and the next day you picked me up. That’s all.”
Not knowing his name, not knowing where he came from, not knowing why the old woman had come seeking him today…
In truth, he wanted to know his background more than anyone else.
Li Shuang watched Jin’an standing beside her bed, his eyes downcast, and remembered his expression after the old woman’s death when he looked around at everyone. Her heart ached—no matter how powerful he was, he was still just a child.
Li Shuang reached up to touch his cheek where the medical officer had covered his wound with herbs. She asked softly: “Does your wound still hurt?”
That was all she wanted to ask.
Jin’an started: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Li Shuang nodded: “When I was young, my father took me in. After learning martial arts, I progressed incredibly fast. One day, when a vicious dog cornered my stepmother in the courtyard, I killed it on the spot… but from then on, she despised me, calling me unnaturally strong, not quite human,” her broken voice pained Jin’an to hear, “exactly like what you experienced today.”
She looked at Jin’an, her gaze gentle and steady: “But my father told me that having extraordinary abilities isn’t a bad thing. With a righteous heart, even in darkness, one can break through hell. Whether a sword kills or saves, whether it serves good or evil, depends not on others’ words but on what’s in your heart.” She smiled softly. “Jin’an, thank you for saving me today.”
Jin’an’s heart lurched, suddenly filled with warmth that spread throughout his body. He lowered his head and responded quietly. When Li Shuang touched his cheek again, she felt it growing hot—he was…
Blushing.
Li Shuang found it amusing. She lifted her blanket slightly: “Would you like to sleep with me?”
Jin’an froze, his heart pounding. His eyes were bright and clear as he stared at Li Shuang: “May I?”
He liked being with her, perhaps because deep in his mind, she reminded him of someone close to him—or so Li Shuang thought. She patted the bed, “Sleep. Today has exhausted both of us.”
Jin’an immediately kicked off his shoes and climbed under the covers without hesitation. Li Shuang hugged him close and patted his head: “Sleep.”
The sun was setting.
When he stayed by Li Shuang’s side, the surge of vital energy in his body during day and night transitions seemed much less intense.
Today, it wasn’t until nearly midnight that Jin’an felt the burning sensation, and even then it lasted only moments before subsiding.
His body transformed into an adult’s, and in an instant, Li Shuang, who had been hugging him as he slept, was now sleeping in his arms. He reached out and gently pulled her closer, carefully cradling her. Li Shuang made a soft sound but didn’t wake, merely snuggling closer in his embrace before settling back into a peaceful sleep.
Jin’an looked at the person in his arms, touching the bandage on her neck, thinking that if he could take this form during the day, he would never have let that old woman harm her at all.
With tender concern, he placed a gentle kiss on Li Shuang’s brow, then held her protectively as he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.