As dawn approached, Qin Lan and Wu Yin returned from the mountains, covered in dew. Upon entering the small cabin, Qin Lan saw Li Shuang crouched beneath the bed, one hand chained to it while the other hugged her knees. She slept, resting her head on her arm, looking exhausted and pitiful.
Taking advantage of her slumber, Qin Lan studied her closely. Her clothes had been hastily redressed, the belt crudely knotted where it had torn, and her collar gaped open. Her hair was disheveled, and unfamiliar red marks adorned her neck and collarbone.
Qin Lan knew what those marks meant, though he’d never imagined seeing them on Li Shuang. Combined with her tattered clothing and uncomfortable sleeping position, it was clear what the man in the bed had done to her in his absence.
His throat tightened as he clenched his jaw, unable to contain himself. “General,” he called softly.
Exhausted from the day’s ordeals, Li Shuang stirred slowly at his voice. Her eyes, clouded with sleep, cleared as she recognized him. “Qin Lan,” she responded hoarsely.
As she tried to stand, her legs, numb from crouching, gave way. Qin Lan caught her just in time. Years of companionship and shared battles had made such assistance commonplace between them. Li Shuang pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting to clear her mind. She had barely murmured her thanks when Qin Lan suddenly pulled her aside, drawing his sword to strike at Jin An’s neck with lethal intent!
Startled out of her drowsiness, Li Shuang instinctively blocked Qin Lan’s arm, barely stopping the attack. “Qin Lan?” she exclaimed in disbelief. “What are you doing?”
Alerted by the commotion, Wu Yin rushed in from outside where he had been preparing herbs. Seeing the scene, he quickly restrained Qin Lan, pulling him back. “General Qin, what’s come over you? Are you possessed?”
He wasn’t possessed—he was enraged. Furious at the man who dared to dishonor Li Shuang, and even more angry at himself. He had spent the night gathering herbs with Wu Yin, ostensibly to treat Li Shuang and Jin An’s wounds. But Qin Lan knew Wu Yin’s true intentions of playing matchmaker between Li Shuang and the mysterious man.
Qin Lan should have returned sooner to guard Li Shuang as he always had. However, Wu Yin’s casual remark had given him pause: “Let’s look for more herbs. If we return too early, we might interrupt something… awkward.”
Previously, Qin Lan would have laughed off such a suggestion, knowing Li Shuang wasn’t so reckless. But now, after witnessing her impulsive journey from the northern frontier to the capital for this man, and her desperate plea to the Emperor for troops to save him, he hesitated. She had already done so many things he considered foolish. Perhaps, in the depths of night, when secrets could be hidden…
So Qin Lan had wandered the forest all night, only daring to return at dawn. He never expected to find Li Shuang in such a state.
Had she been willing, Qin Lan would have suppressed his emotions without question. But seeing her disheveled appearance and evidence of struggle, he could no longer contain his fury.
“This man is a grave danger to the General. I cannot let him live,” Qin Lan declared, struggling against Wu Yin’s grip.
Wu Yin, however, was not so easily overpowered. With a few deft movements of his folding fan, he skillfully maneuvered Qin Lan to the other side of the room, positioning himself between the two parties.
Glancing back, Wu Yin’s sharp mind quickly grasped the situation. Smiling, he fanned himself casually. “This man is a treasure of the Five Spirits Gate. Even if your General allowed it, I wouldn’t let you harm him. If you’re angry, control yourself. This isn’t something you can change.”
“He has repeatedly disrespected the General!” Qin Lan’s face darkened, his eyes cold as he glared at Jin An with murderous intent. “Today, even at the cost of my life, I won’t let him leave this place alive.”
Recognizing Qin Lan’s genuine anger, Li Shuang found herself in an awkward position. She tugged at her collar, trying to cover the marks on her neck. “He’s just… temporarily like this,” she sighed. “Whether it’s harming me or last night’s incident, none of it is his true intention.”
“Regardless, he remains a threat,” Qin Lan insisted vehemently. “General, forgive my insolence, but I cannot allow him to live today.”
Li Shuang fell silent, knowing that even a direct order might not deter Qin Lan in his current state.
“Ah,” Wu Yin suddenly exclaimed, breaking the tension. “It’s dawn.”
Li Shuang turned to see the sky ablaze with morning light, the sun peeking over distant mountains. Instinctively, she looked back at Jin An, expecting to see him transformed into a child. To her surprise, he remained an adult, the red flame mark still visible on his chest. More astonishingly, Jin An was awake.
His gaze, fixed on Li Shuang, was clear and penetrating, reminiscent of how he used to watch her on those frontier nights. But unlike the moonlit encounters of the past, his eyes now reflected the glow of the dawn.
This was the first time Li Shuang had seen the adult Jin An in daylight. She was stunned, having assumed her proximity had delayed his transformation. Yet now, apart from the iron chain, no part of her body touched him.
Her surprise was mirrored by Wu Yin: “Well, now he finally resembles the Gu-person the elders spoke of.”
With the mark on his chest but otherwise appearing normal, it seemed that after yesterday’s ordeal, Jin An had finally… become a complete Gu-person.
However, Jin An seemed oblivious to the changes in his body. His focus remained on Li Shuang as he asked in a slightly hoarse voice, “I hurt you again, didn’t I?” The pain in his tone easily melted Li Shuang’s heart with sympathy.
As she opened her mouth to respond, a surge of killing intent interrupted her. Li Shuang turned to see Qin Lan lunging forward, his eyes sharp as blades, truly intent on taking Jin An’s life as he had vowed…