As March arrived, the northern frontier welcomed early spring, leaving behind the icy winter. Tender grass shoots emerged from the remnants of snow in the wilderness.
Lu City, which had fallen quiet after the Clear Snow Festival, gradually came back to life. During the three harsh winter months, the Western Rong had attempted to attack Lu City no less than ten times. Fortunately, the heavens seemed to favor them. The battle at the beginning of winter had cost the Western Rong two great generals, severely damaging their morale. When they tried to mobilize again, supply lines became difficult to maintain. Though small skirmishes continued, Li Shuang found them manageable.
After a series of minor battles, the three months passed relatively peacefully. The Western Rong army retreated to their capital, ceasing their incursions into Da Jin’s borders. The unusually harsh winter had left the Western Rong in a precarious state. With spring’s arrival, they needed time to recuperate. Other nomadic tribes beyond the frontier fared no better. In the entire northern region, only Lu City remained strong. It seemed unlikely that any external enemies would dare to attack for the next three years.
As spring approached, good news arrived in quick succession. Li Shuang had just returned to her tent after descending from the city walls when an urgent letter was delivered.
After reading it, she gazed at the sky beyond the tent and let out a long sigh. “The situation in the capital has stabilized. The Eastern Palace now holds great power.”
The letter’s arrival in the north meant that the new emperor had been on the throne for at least half a month. Sima Yang had transitioned from Crown Prince to Emperor. The young man she had once punched until he bled was now just a memory, replaced by an increasingly austere face that few would dare to look at directly.
This was for the best.
Hearing Li Shuang’s words, Qin Lan bowed with clasped hands. “Congratulations, General.” It was indeed cause for celebration. With Sima Yang’s ascension, the Great General’s household would likely rise even higher in status, becoming the envy of the realm.
“There’s good news, but also some that’s less pleasant,” Li Shuang said as she spread a sheet of paper on the table. “Father says the frontier situation has stabilized and orders me to return to the capital to pay respects to the new emperor.”
Qin Lan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The old general had always missed his daughter but never actively asked Li Shuang to return to the capital, always respecting her wishes. Now, with the new emperor’s ascension, the order for Li Shuang to return and pay respects seemed reasonable, but the underlying implications were concerning.
After all, Sima Yang had feelings for Li Shuang…
Qin Lan still remembered how, three months ago, when they found Li Shuang in the stone cave and brought her back, Sima Yang’s eyes were filled with intense emotion as he looked at the barely conscious Li Shuang.
Later, though An Yang had to rush back to the capital due to urgent matters, his final words were to protect Li Shuang well.
Qin Lan understood the prince’s expression then. His sharp, eagle-like eyes seemed to be making a firm vow that he didn’t want to lose Li Shuang again. So he emphasized: “No matter what, protect Li Shuang. No matter what.”
Now, with the situation in the capital just settling, the old general’s letter asking Li Shuang to return… Was it truly the old general’s wish or the new emperor’s?
Moreover, with Sima Yang’s ascension, the General’s household was at the height of its glory. Li Shuang had single-handedly defended the northern frontier city, and the most valiant soldiers of Da Jin’s Changfeng Camp were utterly loyal to her. Throughout history, emperors have been known to discard loyal servants once their usefulness ended. If Li Shuang returned to the capital now, what would happen to her military authority?
As Qin Lan pondered these concerns, Li Shuang had already written a reply and handed it to him. “I’m unwell and unable to depart from the northern frontier for the capital shortly. Qin Lan, please take this letter back to the capital for me and pay respects to the new emperor on my behalf.”
Qin Lan accepted the letter, torn between laughter and tears.
He hadn’t expected Li Shuang to refuse so decisively. The thankless task of returning to the capital, facing the general’s scolding and the emperor’s cold gaze, had fallen on him. But… there truly was no one more suitable than him for this task.
As Li Shuang’s chief guard and highest-ranking deputy, he was the natural choice if she couldn’t go herself.
“This subordinate accepts the mission,” Qin Lan bowed, then hesitated before voicing his concerns, “But General, with the new emperor’s ascension and the General’s household at the peak of its glory, regarding the Changfeng Camp…”
“I understand your worries,” Li Shuang smiled. “It’s all addressed in the letter. I simply don’t want to return to the capital, not that I’m unwilling to relinquish authority.”
Qin Lan couldn’t help but look up at Li Shuang. She understood everything. She just feared that once she returned to the capital, she would never be able to leave again. After all, she was now facing an emperor with absolute power.
Qin Lan left the tent to hand over his responsibilities and prepare for his journey to the capital the next day.
As evening approached, another piece of news arrived. Li Shuang was dining in the camp when a commotion arose outside. She went out to investigate and saw soldiers gathered around a horse slowly making its way forward.
The horse was breathing heavily, its breath forming clouds in the still-cold evening air. On its back, a messenger lay motionless, his face buried in the horse’s mane. Blood dripped from his hand, and upon closer inspection, the veins on the back of his hand were black. The dripping blood was as dark as mud.
It was an eerie sight.
“Who is this?” Li Shuang frowned as she asked. A soldier bravely grabbed the horse’s reins, stopping it. The man on his back fell to the ground, unresponsive.
His hair, matted with blood, covered his face, but it didn’t prevent everyone from seeing his features. His lips were blue-black, and his eyes were wide open. He was still breathing, but very weakly.
“Chang Wanshan!” Li Shuang recognized him. Three months ago, when she had just regained consciousness, Qin Lan had sent Chang Wanshan, a former jianghu member, to investigate the mysterious man in black armor. There had been no word from Chang Wanshan for these three months, and Li Shuang had thought…
But now, he had returned.
“General Chang? Why is he in this state…” someone called out. “Medic! Quickly, call the medic!”
Chang Wanshan stared at Li Shuang, using what seemed to be his last ounce of strength to raise his hand. He was clutching a crumpled letter, stained with his black blood. No one dared to take it.
Li Shuang urgently pushed aside the soldiers in front of her and took the paper her guard had risked his life to deliver.
Opening it, she saw just eight characters:
南长山，五灵门，蛊宗。
(Nan Changshan, Wuling Gate, Gu Sect)
News of the mysterious man!
Li Shuang had heard of Nan Changshan and Wuling Gate. This jianghu sect was known to reside in the southern mountains, extremely mysterious, with a considerable number of members. More than a martial arts sect, they were like an isolated, mysterious tribe. Due to their seclusion, the imperial court had little understanding of this sect located in the southernmost part of Da Jin. They had never caused any trouble.
The imperial court and the sect had maintained a policy of non-interference, rarely intersecting.
Yet now, this quiet and mysterious sect had gone so far as to scheme against the Crown Prince to capture that mysterious man…
That mysterious man…
The jumbled emotions suppressed for three months were suddenly stirred by this unexpected news.
The unexpected kiss on the snow-capped mountain, the intimacy by the hot spring pool, his embrace rescuing her from thousands of troops, their conversations, arguments, and even opposition, and finally, the tears that fell on her face – all these memories surged in her heart at this moment.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about him. Over these three months, Li Shuang had recalled that man who only appeared at night with the moon more than once.
But the awaited news never came, and those sent out to investigate found no trace.
She had to admit that even the reach of power had its limits. She had waited for three months, thinking she might never receive the news she wanted in this lifetime. But now, the news had finally arrived.
Li Shuang put away the letter, suppressing her thoughts. She knelt beside Chang Wanshan and felt his pulse. “You’ve been poisoned?”
Chang Wanshan shook his head with difficulty. “Gu… General, don’t… touch… this subordinate…”
However, as he spoke, the black marks along his veins seemed to retreat from where Li Shuang touched his wrist, as if afraid of her. The skin where she touched returned to its normal color.
Seeing this, Li Shuang’s eyes narrowed slightly. She moved her hand forward a bit, and sure enough, the black energy retreated again, avoiding her touch.
“Where is your most severe injury?” Li Shuang asked him.
Chang Wanshan gritted his teeth, seeming to endure great pain. “Chest… heart.”
“This might hurt,” Li Shuang warned as she placed her hand on Chang Wanshan’s chest. Suddenly, his eyes widened, his mouth gaped open, and his face drained of color as if the pain was too great even to cry out.
In that moment of rigid tension, something seemed to move rapidly under his skin, like several worms rushing up his throat. Chang Wanshan turned to the side and vomited a mass of black, viscous material.
The viscous substance seemed to contain writhing insects. Everyone stepped back in shock. The insects, as if afraid of the air, quickly burrowed into the ground and disappeared.
After vomiting, Chang Wanshan took a few deep breaths, then seemed to lose even the strength to breathe. He collapsed on the ground, closing his eyes, his breath barely perceptible.
The military doctor finally pushed through the crowd with his medical box. He pinched Chang Wanshan’s philtrum and inserted a few acupuncture needles before checking his pulse.
“Hmm…” the doctor frowned in confusion. “He’s weak, but there’s no major injury. With some care, he should recover in a few days.”
The onlookers exchanged glances. “Doctor, he’s covered in blood. How can there be no injury?”
“There isn’t.”
Luo Teng, who had been watching closely, scratched his head. “Did the General cure him? General, what internal energy technique did you use to force those strange things out of his body?”
Hearing this, Li Shuang remained silent. She watched as the soldiers carried Chang Wanshan back to the tent, staring at her hand without speaking.
She knew better than anyone that she hadn’t used any internal energy technique. If Chang Wanshan was indeed infected with Gu as he said, it meant that those Gu were afraid of her aura – so afraid that they couldn’t even stay in their host’s body…
She…
It seemed that without her knowing, her body had undergone some kind of change.