Qin Lan’s blade flashed before Jin An in an instant. Jin An neither dodged nor evaded, only gazing at Li Shuang as if willing to surrender his life to Qin Lan’s blade.
Though he remained still, Wu Yin and Li Shuang were far from idle. Li Shuang intercepted Qin Lan’s hand mid-strike, skillfully disarming the blade from his grasp, while Wu Yin stepped forward to restrain Qin Lan’s movements, pushing him back with a firm palm to the chest.
Qin Lan steadied himself, then launched back into the attack, his feet propelling him forward. As Wu Yin’s brows twitched, gathering his qi for a serious counter, Li Shuang thrust Qin Lan’s confiscated blade into the ground before the bed. Her expression was ice-cold and severe: “Kill me first, then kill him.”
At these words, Qin Lan’s form faltered. His eyes met Li Shuang’s, and the emotions he had been suppressing finally burst forth—anger, hatred, resentment, and… jealousy.
A soul-consuming, bone-deep jealousy.
“General, have you truly thought through your actions?” Qin Lan’s rage finally erupted, no longer able to contain his emotions. “You came from the Northern Frontier, traversing thousands of li, enduring such hardship—at what cost did you secure fifty thousand troops from His Majesty? Have you forgotten? Years ago, you and the Grand General risked everything to escape the capital and reach the northern borders! Yet now, for someone who has repeatedly hurt you, and endangered you, you offer yourself up! What outcome can come from protecting him like this?”
Li Shuang remained silent, while behind her, Jin An gazed absently at the morning light filtering through her form. In his daze, he heard Qin Lan’s angry reproach as if from a distant horizon, the voice unfamiliar yet strangely rough, carrying an inexplicable familiarity, as if struggling to emerge from the depths of his soul.
Simultaneously, countless images flashed through his mind, just as they had yesterday after hearing Qin Lan’s news about the Western Rong. Those scenes, strange yet somehow familiar, flooded his consciousness, but unlike yesterday’s hazy visions, today’s images were far more distinct.
Yet no one noticed Jin An’s expression at this moment.
Both Li Shuang and Wu Yin silently watched Qin Lan.
“You may protect him today, but what will you do when you return to the capital? If you care for him enough to borrow troops for his sake, how could His Majesty allow such a person to remain alive? Once suspicion takes root, as long as he lives, you and the General’s Manor… it won’t just be His Majesty concerned with this matter! The inner palace, the court officials, everyone will know that the Grand General’s daughter…”
Qin Lan, in his emotional state, forcefully swallowed the rest of his words.
Because those unspoken words held another deeply painful truth about Li Shuang’s fate.
She would marry the Emperor.
And everyone in court, from the civil officials to the three thousand imperial concubines, would know that before marrying the Emperor, Li Shuang had traveled thousands of li to save a mysterious man.
And that this mysterious man still lived.
Perhaps now, Sima Yang wouldn’t care much about this matter, given her surrender of military power. But one day, when he decided to cull his hunting dogs, to weaken the General’s Manor, this matter would become a long nail in the manor’s flesh.
The Emperor and others would hold the hammer, ready to drive that nail deep into the General Manor’s backbone with just a light tap.
If there was still a way to remedy this situation, it would be to kill Jin An and find some pretext—claim that Li Shuang had pursued him for revenge. Only then would this matter have no chance of becoming problematic in the future.
But…
“Precisely because we went through such trouble, I must keep him alive,” Li Shuang’s voice was hoarse, but her gaze and words were crystal clear.
And so Qin Lan’s anger, however great, became meaningless at this moment.
She had known from the start about her recklessness and willfulness, and her father had even indulged this willfulness. In this life, she probably could only be willful this one time. Although it might plunge her into an abyss in the future, she would never regret taking this path.
“General…” Qin Lan’s voice was utterly drained, like a defeated soldier who had lost both armor and weapons. “Have you considered the future?”
Li Shuang had. She had thought about Jin An’s future, worried for him, but her future seemed to hold nothing she feared anymore.
She had made her choice, and when she made it, she had thought everything through clearly.
“I have plans.”
Qin Lan had nothing more to say, unable to remain in this small room any longer. He lowered his gaze, as he had always done before, no longer directly looking at Li Shuang’s face, and clenched his fists: “General… if you have decided, then… so be it.”
He turned and left.
After Qin Lan’s departure, the room fell silent. Only Wu Yin sighed: “You noble families certainly make things complicated.” His eyes shifted, and though his lips held his usual smile, his gaze deepened, “General, do you truly have plans for the future?”
Wu Yin’s concern wasn’t for Li Shuang but for Jin An.
As the Master of the Five Spirits Sect, the Jade Silkworm Gu remained their secret treasure. Though he had agreed to let Jin An leave South Long Mountain with Li Shuang, he had also promised to send people to protect them. If Jin An were to die, they would have to reclaim the Jade Silkworm Gu.
Li Shuang remained silent, turning to look at Jin An, who sat on the bed and hadn’t spoken since earlier.
The morning sun’s warmth fell upon him, yet Jin An hadn’t returned to his child-like form. Li Shuang held his wrist, noting that his body no longer burned like a ball of fire as it had before.
Li Shuang’s gaze flickered, and she glanced at Wu Yin: “You said earlier that Jin An has become like the previous Gu hosts?”
Wu Yin nodded: “Yes, quite similar. He bears the mark on his chest, looks no different from ordinary people, cannot change size, and no longer has flame patterns covering his body.”
Did that mean Jin An’s body had completely merged with the Gu?
Li Shuang looked into his eyes, and Jin An gazed back at her. His eyes were as clear as ever, but now as he looked at her, they seemed somewhat absent, as if looking through her at something else.
Fearing he might overthink Qin Lan’s words, Li Shuang comforted him: “I came searching for you, but it wasn’t as complicated and difficult as Qin Lan described.” She paused briefly. “Tomorrow I must begin my journey back to the capital. I had planned to tell you yesterday but didn’t get the chance. Come back to the capital with me.” Li Shuang glanced at Wu Yin. “You can’t stay too far from me for now, but after returning to the capital, I… might not be able to stay by your side as I do now.”
At these words, the mist in Jin An’s eyes dissipated somewhat, as if his attention had finally fully focused on Li Shuang.
“After I return, I will likely enter the palace in a few months. You will be arranged to stay at the General’s Manor. My father and Li Ting will make arrangements for you.” Her grip on his wrist tightened slightly. “In the future, perhaps…”
The words caught in Li Shuang’s throat, and after a long moment, she looked up at Jin An. “At any rate, if your body no longer changes, that’s truly a good thing.” She smiled. “In the future, you can teach Li Ting martial arts every day. If you want to travel the rivers and lakes, you can freely wander.”
“What about you?” Jin An asked her. “Will you be with me?”