Li Shuang yanked the flag and tossed it, along with the severed head, to a nearby soldier. The soldier shuddered as he caught them. “Take these away,” Li Shuang ordered. “Discard that poorly written banner and hang the head on the city wall. That’s where it belongs.”
The soldier obeyed, hurrying off. Li Shuang watched him go, noting how the dangling head swayed with each step. Its gaunt face revealed it wasn’t a Western Rong general at all, but likely a wounded soldier or slave. As they had suspected, the enemy had used a decoy to lure them out.
Yet their plan backfired. Not only did they fail to capture their target, but…
Li Shuang gazed into the distance. The Western Rong army had retreated, the fires had died down, and only billowing smoke remained in the pre-dawn sky.
Strictly speaking, the Western Rong army had been repelled by a single person. Even now, Li Shuang could scarcely believe such an absurd turn of events.
“Everyone, enter the tent,” Li Shuang called. The officers filed in and took their seats. “The deaths of two generals and last night’s fire have forced the Western Rong to withdraw,” Li Shuang began. “However, we all know their true strength remains undiminished. This is just the beginning of winter, and we must not let our guard down.”
With the death of Li Zhangyi, Luchen’s city defender, Li Shuang stationed the Changfeng Camp within the city walls, ordering them to guard alongside the original defenders. After arranging matters in the city, Li Shuang instructed a scribe to report the situation to the capital.
The scribe hesitated. “General, should we mention the Black Armored Warrior in our report?”
A silence fell over the tent. Everyone knew that aside from Li Zhangyi’s initial closure of the gates, which forced a brief skirmish, the Western Rong’s retreat had little to do with the Changfeng Camp’s efforts. It was primarily due to the terrifying prowess of that lone Black Armored Warrior.
Yet reporting this would be embarrassing. How could their entire force be outmatched by a single mysterious foreigner?
Li Shuang didn’t hesitate: “Include it. There’s nothing to hide.”
With that, the immediate crisis seemed resolved. The officers left the tent, and the scribe brought some documents for Li Shuang to review before departing. As the last person exited, Li Shuang glanced outside and realized dawn had broken.
The sunlight was harsh, heralding a rare clear winter day. Li Shuang stood and stretched, noticing blood on the ground from the severed head. This reminded her of the blood that had splattered near her as she was leaving the city wall the previous night.
Perhaps that was when someone had brought the flag and headed to her tent. Was that blood from the head too? Had the Black Armored Warrior escaped unscathed from the Western Rong camp?
Lost in thought, Li Shuang’s eyes narrowed. She strode out of the tent, heading directly for the guard camp.
Outside the guard camp, Ji Ran, clad in his military uniform, was sternly lecturing a child: “Didn’t I tell you not to wander off? Where did you go last night?”
Compared to the burly Ji Ran, Jin’an looked as fragile as a chick. Though no one in the Changfeng Camp would think that anymore…
Li Shuang had intended to watch Jin’an’s scolding from afar, but when she was still about ten paces away, the boy turned his head as if sensing her presence. His previously dull eyes lit up instantly.
Jin’an’s intense gaze caught Ji Ran’s attention, causing him to turn. Surprised, Ji Ran saluted, “General.” Li Shuang nodded in acknowledgment and approached with amusement. She playfully tapped Jin’an’s head, asking, “Where did you go last night? Off to report to that mysterious Black Armored Warrior again?”
From what they’d seen so far, the Black Armored Warrior didn’t seem to have any designs on the Changfeng Camp. His interest appeared to be solely in her.
In truth, Li Shuang was quite tolerant of most things, as long as they didn’t involve matters of state or military importance. However, this Black Armored Warrior’s way of expressing his intentions was decidedly strange.
Moreover, his intentions were peculiar – sudden, intense, and bewildering. It left her utterly perplexed.
Jin’an looked up at her without answering. His silence drew Li Shuang’s attention to his face, and she frowned. “Are you sick?” She crouched down, cupping his small face in her hands. His lips were pale, but his cheeks were flushed and hot as if he had a fever.
“Cold?” she wondered aloud. Illness in a child was serious business in the northern frontier. Li Shuang momentarily forgot her other questions and turned to Ji Ran. “Go fetch the army doctor.” As she spoke, she lifted Jin’an onto her shoulder.
Jin’an instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck, his feverish cheek pressed against her chest near her collarbone.
It felt so comforting.
Jin’an couldn’t help but nuzzle the skin of Li Shuang’s neck.
The warmth of her skin against his was so soothing.
Li Shuang, oblivious, assumed it was just a sick child’s unconscious need for comfort. She carried him into the guard camp, pushing aside the tent flap with her free hand. Inside were about a dozen beds. Despite her guards being the cleanest unit in the camp, the tent still reeked of sweat and felt stuffy from the number of occupants.
At that moment, several guards were removing their heavy armor, half-naked…
The guards froze, not expecting Li Shuang to enter unannounced.
Li Shuang coughed. “Carry on,” she said calmly, letting the flap fall as she turned and carried Jin’an back to her tent. She laid him on her bed and was about to stand when she realized Jin’an was clinging to her neck, refusing to let go.
She gently tugged at his hands. “Be good now. Lie down and let the doctor examine you.”
“You won’t leave?” he asked.
Li Shuang smiled softly. “I won’t leave.”
Only then did Jin’an reluctantly release her. While waiting for the doctor, Li Shuang studied Jin’an’s face and finally asked, “Do you remember anything about your parents? Your features don’t seem entirely like those from beyond the frontier. Could your mother… possibly be from the Central Plains?”
Jin’an shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I see,” Li Shuang replied.
Just then, Ji Ran arrived with the doctor. Li Shuang stepped aside, sharing her suspicions with the physician. “It might be a cold. He was exposed to the elements earlier. Do we still have medicine for colds in the camp?”
The doctor took Jin’an’s pulse without speaking at first. “Hmm… this doesn’t seem like a simple cold. There’s an extreme deficiency with internal heat. It’s more like a fever resulting from a serious injury.”
“Injured?” Li Shuang turned to Jin’an, frowning slightly. “Where did you go last night?”
By now, Jin’an had closed his eyes, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t answer Li Shuang’s question.
The doctor removed Jin’an’s clothes, but strangely, after a thorough examination, he found no visible wounds. The only abnormality was that the flame pattern on his chest appeared even more vibrant red than before.
The doctor was puzzled. “Not a single injury. How strange…”
“Let’s start with some fever-reducing medicine,” Li Shuang decided. “If we don’t have the herbs in camp, I’ll send someone to buy them in town.”
After the doctor left, Li Shuang instructed Ji Ran to purchase and prepare the medicine. Once Jin’an had taken it, she attended to some minor tasks before settling down to watch over him. Gradually, exhaustion overcame her, and she fell asleep at his bedside.
Li Shuang had been pushed to her limits these past few days. Now that the Western Rong had withdrawn, she could finally relax, sleeping deeply even in such an awkward position.
She didn’t stir when, in the middle of the night, the figure on the bed stretched out its limbs from under the covers.
The clear night sky after the sunny day allowed moonlight to filter into the tent. Li Shuang slept so deeply that she didn’t even notice her hair falling across her lips.
A man’s muscular body gently lifted the blanket. His bare chest was adorned with an intricate, bright red flame pattern that extended to the corners of his eyes. He leaned over, gazing at Li Shuang’s sleeping face, his eyes softer than the moonlight.
Carefully brushing the hair from her mouth, he lowered his lips to hers, placing a gentle kiss on them.
He was so happy. His eyes seemed to ripple with emotion. Touching Li Shuang, even secretly like this, made his heart tremble with joy. Just once, twice, thrice…
Jin’an couldn’t help but smile.
He was so elated he almost shivered with excitement.
He wanted to ask Li Shuang if she was happy too. Did she like the gift he’d brought her? Although retrieving that head yesterday had nearly cost him his life, it didn’t matter.
His body could heal quickly, and even if it didn’t, that was fine.
Look how he had solved such a troublesome problem for her, allowing her to sleep so peacefully now.
He gently nuzzled her lips, but after a while, these fleeting touches weren’t enough. Jin’an carefully lifted Li Shuang onto the bed, covering her with the blanket so they were wrapped together. Then he embraced her from behind.
In this position, his hands rested on her chest, while her entire back fit perfectly against his torso.
This made Jin’an feel as if she were the most precious part of him, his softest core, completely and safely protected in his arms where no one could harm her.
He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. This was perfect.
He wished he could sleep like this with her every night, even if it meant risking his life each day.