The next morning when Li Shuang woke up, she looked at little Jin’an whom she was holding, and felt as if she had experienced an absurd dream.
She had… dreamed again of that man who had taken liberties with her that day.
And… she had even slept while embracing him all night!
Li Shuang rubbed her temples, thinking that next time when she returned to the capital, she really should let her father arrange a marriage for her.
As she held the still-sleeping Jin’an, Li Shuang became lost in thought, wondering which young master in the capital could be a match for her, the Jade-faced Yama…
He would need to have some courage, otherwise he’d be frightened to death at the sight of her killing. He should also have some ability – when she went out to battle in the future, she could bring him along to help with strategy. If he wasn’t particularly clever, having some muscle would do – he could directly help her fight enemies on the battlefield. As for family background, she didn’t care much about that, since even in the capital, there weren’t many who could match her family’s status…
Well, thinking about it this way, that fellow who had taken liberties with her that day… perhaps… he might be… suitable…
Li Shuang was startled by her thoughts. She coughed several times, which woke Jin’an up.
Jin’an reached out his small hand to touch her throat, his voice hoarse from just waking: “Does your throat hurt?”
“It’s nothing.” Li Shuang sat up. “After a night’s rest, I should go look for the camp. You should go train properly and remember – never look down on others with arrogance.” She taught Jin’an thus, having made up her mind to keep him by her side for life.
In Li Shuang’s view, a child with such exceptional talent, if not properly taught, would become a menace to the world in the future. Moreover, if he stayed at Changfeng Camp when he grew up, he could guard the border and command Changfeng Camp, serving as a great deterrent to enemy states beyond the frontier.
Jin’an was obedient and didn’t linger, honestly heading out the door.
The next few days at Changfeng Camp were peaceful, no different from usual.
But when it came time for Li Ting to return home, Li Shuang had expected her spoiled brother would surely cry and make a fuss before leaving. Unexpectedly, this time Li Ting neither cried nor caused trouble, properly bid farewell to Li Shuang, and in the end only repeatedly urged her to be careful and to come home to see him and their father after winter passed. It seemed this journey to the northern frontier had indeed helped him mature somewhat.
Li Shuang agreed to Li Ting’s words and then remembered something. She walked aside and called over the old servant who had accompanied Li Ting to speak. The two spoke in hushed voices that others couldn’t hear. Li Ting, being mischievous, ran over to eavesdrop, then shouted in shock: “Sister, you want to get married!”
His shout directly made Li Shuang’s private matters public.
Li Shuang’s face turned ashen for a moment. Looking around, she saw the soldiers who had come to see them off all staring straight ahead, as if they hadn’t heard what Li Ting had just shouted.
Only little Jin’an kept staring at her. Li Shuang turned and gave Li Ting a punch: “Get lost quickly.”
Li Ting rubbed his nose, knowing he had spoken wrongly in his excitement, so he hurriedly climbed into the carriage. Before leaving, he repeatedly promised Li Shuang in a small voice: “I’ll supervise Father to find you someone tall, handsome, skilled in martial arts, gentle to you, and who listens to you.”
“Get lost.”
So the carriage, carrying the General’s young master, hurriedly rolled away without stopping.
Li Shuang turned around: “Everyone disperse. Get back to your duties.”
At her command, all the soldiers quickly ran off, leaving only Qin Lan behind, who as usual reported matters to her, his lowered eyes showing no emotion.
That night, without Li Ting, the military camp seemed somewhat desolate. Li Shuang felt her throat dry and remembered there was a hot spring south of Changfeng Camp near Lu City. That night, she rode her horse and brought clothes, not letting anyone follow, and went alone to the hot spring, planning to soak in the water to relieve her recent fatigue.
Riding to the hot spring in the small grove, she saw the spring water was clear and bright. In the dead of winter, no one came out from the city, so the surroundings were extremely quiet.
Li Shuang tied up her horse, removed her clothes, and just as she entered the water, she suddenly felt movement in the wind behind her.
She immediately grabbed her clothes to cover her chest and turning to look, she saw that libertine who often appeared in her dreams… standing by the spring three zhang away from her.
He looked at her without any hint of avoiding his gaze.
This truly was a libertine! Appearing when she had removed her clothes to bathe!
He walked two steps forward, apparently wanting to get closer to her. Li Shuang immediately berated him: “Stop! Don’t come closer!”
He did indeed stop, but asked her: “Why can’t I come closer?”
Li Shuang held her clothes against her chest, unable to put them down or put them on, standing there in confrontation with that person. She glared at him angrily, truly not knowing how to answer his question, and could only rebuke him: “Shameless scoundrel!”
“Why shameless?”
“I am unclothed! You press forward step by step! How is this not shameless!”
He seemed to think for a moment, then looked down at his own body: “I am also unclothed, showing my chest. You look at me, so are you also shameless?” He had a genuinely questioning expression, which angered Li Shuang even more. Li Shuang simply sat down in the hot spring, planning to use the spring water as a cover to put on her clothes in the water.
However, before Li Shuang could soak her clothes in the water, he suddenly moved, like lightning, appearing before Li Shuang in the blink of an eye and grabbing her clothes: “Cannot soak them in water,” he said, “Wearing wet clothes will make you sick.”
And so, Li Shuang was left naked, with only clothing held in front to cover herself, standing face to face with this man who had appeared in her dreams…
The mysterious man of unknown origin still wore his black mask. Apart from a pair of bright red eyes and the outline of his lips, Li Shuang couldn’t see his true face. The steam rising from the hot spring drifted like immortal mist between them, the red marks spreading across his chest flickering visible and invisible in the hazy moonlight, the ultimate in bewitching allure.
But Li Shuang did not appreciate this allure.
Because he was still holding her clothes!
Li Shuang was extremely angry, but in this situation she was helpless. She couldn’t get out of the water, nor could she make this libertine leave of his own accord. To avoid putting herself at an even greater disadvantage, she suppressed her emotions, maintaining a composed expression, and said with restraint: “Sir, why have you come here today, and what do you intend?”
The black-armored man didn’t directly answer her question, but tilted his head slightly, looking at the flush on her cheeks – whether from the hot spring water or anger – for a moment: “Are you angry? Why?”
Why?
Though she was a woman, although many times her soldiers didn’t even see her as a woman, she was still ultimately female. She had been fighting in battles for many years, and in the military camp, during summer training, some men fought bare-chested. Li Shuang was used to seeing groups of men fighting shirtless in front of her by now, but she had never fought naked with anyone!
She was still an unmarried maiden, and now in the wilderness, she had removed all her clothes to soak in the hot spring, only to be seen by another man who wasn’t even properly dressed in the dead of winter – shouldn’t she be angry?
Although lately… in her dreams… this person kept appearing…
It was all because of that kiss on the snowy mountaintop last time!
Thinking of this, Li Shuang’s cheeks flushed with warmth, but this embarrassment in such a situation only made Li Shuang more angry from shame. She glared at him sternly: “Men and women should be separate! Peeping at a woman bathing, committing such improper acts, and still being so righteous about it! Truly outrageous!”
At her rebuke, the man was stunned for a moment, then released her clothes: “If you don’t like it, I won’t look.” As he said this, he seemed to hide a trace of grievance. He retreated behind the nearest tree, quietly sat down, and truly didn’t show even a bit of his face.
“…”
How… had he become the aggrieved one?
It made her feel as if she was the one who had wronged him…
Li Shuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she took her clothes, swam to the other end of the hot spring, and before getting out, she looked back once. Seeing that he had truly kept his word and not turned around, Li Shuang finally took advantage of the water mist’s cover to quickly get out of the water, also finding a tree to hide behind, and swiftly put on her clothes in two or three movements.
With clothes on, Li Shuang regained her sense of security.
She walked over and saw the black-armored man still sitting under the tree. Li Shuang crossed her arms and scrutinized him with narrowed eyes: “Who exactly are you, and what do you want to do?”
The man lifted his head, his bright red, strange gaze nevertheless pure and clear: “Do you want to get married?”
Li Shuang was startled, her brows furrowing: “How do you know?”
“I heard it.” The man briefly passed over her question and continued, “I know what marriage means.”
Li Shuang’s brows knitted tightly, her gaze sharp as a knife: “Who cares if you know what marriage means, tell me, who told you about this?” She crouched down and grabbed the man’s collar, staring directly into his eyes, just like when she usually interrogated spies sent by the enemy.
Her asking the old steward to take a message back to her father about finding her a marriage match was something that Li Shuang had accidentally let slip when seeing Li Ting off today when Li Ting had blurted it out. At that time, they were standing at the gates of Changfeng Camp – inside the camp were all military soldiers, and outside was the vast, desolate northern frontier. There was nowhere for anyone to hide.
If he could know she had said these words, there must have been a spy in the midst of the military camp at that time, and this spy was most likely…
“Marry me.”
The man suddenly spoke these words calmly, without any nervousness, his gaze also extremely peaceful as he looked directly at her, so peaceful it was as if he were saying…
Look, how beautiful the night is tonight.