Though Li Shuang answered Jin’an that way, she knew her own body’s condition all too well.
Standing nearby, Lu Xin couldn’t help but say, “General, you must take care of your health.” She left her words unfinished, but Li Shuang understood her meaning. After every injury, the army doctor would check her pulse and say something similar.
However, military affairs were inherently straightforward, especially during marches. Anything could happen on the road. When faced with an icy river, the entire army had to wade across. As a general, how could she let others carry her across just because she was a woman? Such behavior would undermine her ability to command.
Li Shuang nodded perfunctorily. Lu Xin opened her mouth but swallowed her final words, only saying, “If you’re still in pain tomorrow, General, I’ll come back to administer acupuncture.”
“Mm,” Li Shuang responded.
“It’ll still hurt tomorrow?” Jin’an’s brow furrowed deeply.
Li Shuang ruffled his hair. “She’s just saying ‘what if.’ It usually doesn’t hurt. If it does, Miss Lu will certainly cure it.” Her tone was that of someone soothing a child. Jin’an recognized this but couldn’t argue.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I need to change and attend the banquet at the City Lord’s mansion. You should go now,” Li Shuang said.
Lu Xin complied, obediently withdrawing. Jin’an followed her out. Ji Ran was waiting outside. Lu Xin intended to speak with him, but Jin’an grabbed her sleeve and pulled her aside without explanation.
“Miss Lu,” he said.
“Um…” Feeling awkward being addressed so formally by a child, Lu Xin stammered, “Oh, you can call me sister…”
“What should the General be mindful of regarding her health? How should she take care of herself?”
What a forceful child… Lu Xin found herself answering automatically: “Nothing too special. Just stay warm, avoid letting cold air enter the body, don’t eat cold foods, avoid ice water, and don’t stay up late…”
Jin’an committed each point to memory. “Anything else?”
“That’s about it,” Lu Xin paused. “You care about the General, don’t you, little one?”
“Yes, I like her,” Jin’an replied matter-of-factly.
Lu Xin was struck speechless. At that moment, Ji Ran approached. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing much. Brother Ji, the children in your Changfeng Battalion adore the General…” As Lu Xin spoke, she turned to find Jin’an had vanished.
Ji Ran nodded. “That boy Jin’an? The General picked him up. He’s quite attached to her.” He turned to Lu Xin, “Are you done with the General’s business? Shall I escort you back?”
“Thank you, Brother Ji,” Lu Xin said, walking alongside him. “Oh, I think I left some soup simmering at home. If you don’t mind…”
“There’s a banquet at the City Lord’s mansion tonight. I’m accompanying the General.”
“Oh…”
As evening fell, heavy snow began to descend. Soon, a thick layer covered the roads of Lu City. Yet the snow couldn’t dampen the lively atmosphere of the banquet.
Li Shuang arrived with the officers of the Changfeng Battalion. The feast was in full swing, with civil and military officials conversing cheerfully before the Crown Prince. Li Shuang maintained a polite smile, though she found herself wondering when the banquet would end.
Li Shuang had left the capital, never to return, settling in this vast northern frontier for many reasons. Perhaps the simplest was her desire to escape such tedious social obligations.
As the banquet neared its end, the Crown Prince raised his glass, praising the border troops. After toasting to their future, everyone returned to their seats for casual conversation. Li Shuang, unable to endure any longer, made an excuse and had Qin Lan cover for her as she slipped away to the garden for some fresh air.
Snow fell heavily from the sky. As Li Shuang walked, she suddenly noticed a paper fan shielding her head from the snow. Her mind flashed to the man in black armor, but when she looked aside, she saw Sima Yang’s smiling face instead.
“I knew you couldn’t stand it and would run off eventually. I didn’t expect you to endure for so long today,” he said.
Li Shuang stepped back and bowed. “Your Highness…”
Sima Yang grabbed her arm, stopping her from completing the formal gesture. “Shuang’er…” he sighed. “Must you be so deliberately distant with me?”
His palm felt cool in the northern snow. Li Shuang lowered her head without answering.
“Three years ago, when you requested to be stationed at the northern border, I thought you’d stay for a year at most, establish your military achievements, and then return to the capital. Who would have thought you’d be so stubborn, not returning to the capital even once in three years? Even if you’re angry with me, surely that’s long enough.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Li Shuang finally stepped back, kneeling on one knee in a military salute. “This subject wouldn’t dare harbor any resentment towards Your Highness.” She replied calmly, “This subject has guarded the border for three years out of deep love for the frontier. I have affection for the border city and its people. It’s my good fortune to defend the border for the Great Jin and His Majesty. I take pride in this duty and have no other thoughts.”
Sima Yang looked at Li Shuang in her subordinate’s posture and fell silent for a moment. “You have affection for the border city and its people. Shuang’er, do you no longer have any feelings for me?”
The falling snow quickly muffled Sima Yang’s voice.
Li Shuang knelt on the ground, answering coolly, “Your Highness and I share the relationship of ruler and subject. I am grateful for your grace and will never forget it until death.”
“Shuang’er.” Sima Yang bent down, grasping Li Shuang’s arm and gently trying to pull her up. “When I heard that the Western Rong army was pressing the border and the Changfeng Battalion was in danger, I rushed here in great anxiety. It wasn’t for this ruler-subject relationship.”
Li Shuang’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
Sima Yang understood her well. He knew what words would soften her heart. But…
Suddenly, a flash of cold light caught Li Shuang’s eye. Her heart jolted. “Your Highness, look out!” she exclaimed softly. In an instant, she pulled Sima Yang behind her, sweeping her foot across the ground to kick up a cloud of snow, obscuring the attacker’s vision.
However, the assailant’s long sword pierced through the snow mist, aiming straight for Sima Yang behind Li Shuang.
Li Shuang spun around, exchanging two moves with the attacker. Yet she still couldn’t stop the sword’s momentum. The difference in their martial skills was too great! She wouldn’t be able to block the next strike. Without a second thought, Li Shuang positioned herself in front of Sima Yang as a human shield.
She was using her body as a shield to protect him!
The attacker’s sword suddenly halted just as it was about to pierce Li Shuang’s chest. The blade tip twisted and was violently thrown aside.
The long sword embedded itself deep into a nearby stone pillar with a “thud,” sinking in over three inches, demonstrating the immense force behind it.
Li Shuang’s exchange with the attacker had been so swift that the snow mist hadn’t fully settled. As the mist cleared, Li Shuang recognized the assailant and frowned. “It’s you?”
It was the mysterious man in black armor. Was he trying to assassinate the Crown Prince?
“Why are you protecting him?” The black-armored man’s words carried more chill and anger than Li Shuang’s.
This question caught Li Shuang off guard. She turned to look at Sima Yang, who hadn’t grasped the situation either. He frowned slightly, staring at the man in black armor.
Sima Yang had heard many accounts of this mysterious black-faced warrior who single-handedly repelled the Western Rong army. He immediately guessed the man’s identity. But why was he speaking to Li Shuang in such a familiar manner?
Li Shuang seemed accustomed to it. These two… were they close?
He had thought no one in the northern frontier was familiar with this mysterious black-faced warrior. But Li Shuang…
“Why are you trying to harm our Great Jin’s Crown Prince? Do you know what crime this is?” Li Shuang was both anxious and angry. How could this grown man in black armor be as clueless as the child Jin’an?
It was fortunate she was present to barely protect Sima Yang. If she hadn’t been here, given Sima Yang’s limited martial skills, he might have been killed. Then this man would have instantly transformed from a hero of the Great Jin to its greatest criminal…
Though… perhaps becoming Great Jin’s criminal wouldn’t matter much to him. After all… he had so easily killed three Western Rong generals…
This man seemed to have no reservations as long as it pleased him.
“I don’t know,” Jin’an stared at her, the blood-red eyes behind his black mask reflecting only the white snow and her. “I only know he was going to hurt you, and I won’t allow anyone to harm you.”
Li Shuang’s heart stirred.
Behind her, Sima Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.
Li Shuang sighed, “He didn’t hurt me.”
Hearing Li Shuang defend him, and seeing her still standing protectively in front of him, Jin’an’s clear eyes seemed to show a hint of pain. “Do you like him?” he asked.
Li Shuang was taken aback, unsure why his thoughts always jumped so quickly. “I…”
Sima Yang interrupted Li Shuang’s words. “So you’re the brave warrior who broke through thousands of Western Rong troops?”
Jin’an ignored him completely, asking Li Shuang again, “Do you like him?”
“I am a subject, and he is the ruler. I must protect him.”
“If I kill him, will you be heartbroken? If I kill him, will you hate me?”
Under Sima Yang’s watchful gaze, Li Shuang didn’t know how to answer to satisfy everyone. This mysterious man was as naive as a child, seeing the world in black and white. How could she explain to him the tangle of interests behind her, along with the past’s unclear and innumerable emotional entanglements? Besides, she had no time to explain so much now.
The guards outside the garden had heard the commotion and were now surrounding the area.
Jin’an only focused on Li Shuang. She could only say softly, “You should go.”
Jin’an’s eyes darkened. He felt a dull ache in his chest, not the sharp pain from before, but a heaviness that made it hard to breathe.
He felt wronged.
Outside the garden, the guards had drawn their bows. They released three arrows towards where he stood. The arrows came fiercely, but none hit him. He didn’t even dodge the one that landed at his feet, simply pulling it out. His gaze swept coldly towards the direction the arrows came from.
Li Shuang, having witnessed his abilities before, immediately called out, “Stop!”
Jin’an glanced at her, then let the arrow drop from his fingers. In a flash, he spun around, kicking up a cloud of snow, and vanished.
Li Shuang stared in the direction he had gone, not issuing any pursuit orders. Sima Yang did the same.
When a guard approached to ask for Sima Yang’s instructions, he waved his hand dismissively. “You won’t catch up to him.” He turned to look at Li Shuang, but she hadn’t looked back at him once since the encounter began.