The next morning, as Li Shuang awoke with little Jin’an in her arms, she felt as if she had just experienced a bizarre dream. Once again, she had dreamed of the man who had taken liberties with her that day. Moreover, she had slept the entire night holding him!
Rubbing her brow, Li Shuang mused that perhaps on her next return to the capital, she should indeed let her father arrange a marriage for her. As she held the still-sleeping Jin’an, she pondered which young gentleman in the capital might be a suitable match for the “Jade-faced Yama” like herself.
Ideally, he should be courageous; otherwise, he might faint at the sight of her killing. He should also be capable, so he could accompany her to war, offering strategic advice. If not particularly intelligent, at least he should be strong enough to fight alongside her on the battlefield. Li Shuang didn’t care much about family background, as there were few in the capital who could truly match her status.
Thinking along these lines, she realized that even the man who had taken liberties with her that day might… be suitable. Startled by her thoughts, Li Shuang coughed, inadvertently waking Jin’an.
The child reached out, touching her throat with his small hand. His voice was hoarse from sleep as he asked, “Does your throat hurt?”
“It’s nothing,” Li Shuang replied, sitting up. “After a night’s rest, I should return to the camp. You go and train diligently, and remember not to be arrogant towards others.” Her instructions betrayed her intention to keep Jin’an by her side for life.
In Li Shuang’s view, a child with such extraordinary talent needed proper guidance; otherwise, he could become a threat to the world. Moreover, if he stayed in the Changfeng Camp and grew up to guard the border and command the camp, he would be a formidable deterrent against foreign enemies.
Jin’an obediently left without further ado.
The following days in Changfeng Camp were peaceful, no different from usual. However, when the day came for Li Ting to return home, Li Shuang expected her pampered brother to throw a tantrum before leaving. To her surprise, Li Ting neither cried nor made a fuss. He bid Li Shuang farewell calmly, only imploring her to be careful and asking her to visit him and their father after the harsh winter. It seemed his journey to the northern frontier had indeed matured him somewhat.
After agreeing to Li Ting’s request, Li Shuang remembered something and pulled aside the old servant accompanying her brother. They spoke in hushed tones, but the mischievous Li Ting eavesdropped and suddenly exclaimed, “Sister, you want to get married?!”
His outburst immediately made Li Shuang’s private matters public.
Li Shuang’s face turned ashen for a moment. She looked around to see the soldiers who had come to see them off staring straight ahead, pretending not to have heard Li Ting’s exclamation. Only little Jin’an kept his gaze fixed on her.
Li Shuang turned and punched Li Ting, saying, “Get going already.”
Rubbing his nose, Li Ting realized he had spoken out of turn. He quickly climbed into the carriage, promising Li Shuang in a low voice, “I’ll make sure Father finds you someone tall, handsome, skilled in martial arts, gentle towards you, and obedient to your wishes.”
“Just go,” Li Shuang replied.
With that, the carriage carrying the young master of the General’s mansion departed swiftly.
Li Shuang turned to the others and ordered, “All of you, disperse. Back to your duties.”
At her command, all the soldiers quickly left, except for Qin Lan, who stayed behind as usual to report on matters, his lowered gaze betraying no emotion.
That night, with Li Ting gone, the military camp seemed somewhat colder. Li Shuang’s throat felt parched, and she remembered a hot spring to the south of Changfeng Camp, near Lu City. She decided to ride there alone that night, bringing only a change of clothes, intending to soak in the water to relieve her recent fatigue.
As she rode through the small forest to the hot spring, she found the area quiet and deserted, with clear spring water awaiting her. It was the dead of winter, and no one had ventured out of the city.
Li Shuang tethered her horse, removed her clothes, and had just entered the water when she suddenly sensed movement behind her.
She quickly grabbed her clothes to cover her chest and turned to look. To her shock, she saw the rogue who had been appearing in her dreams, standing just three zhang away from her at the edge of the spring.
He gazed at her without any hint of embarrassment.
What a scoundrel! To appear while she was undressed and bathing!
He took two steps forward, seemingly intent on getting closer. Li Shuang immediately rebuked him, “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”
He did indeed stop, but asked, “Why can’t I come closer?”
Li Shuang, clutching her clothes to her chest, unable to put them on or let them go, stood facing him in a standoff. She glared at him angrily, unsure how to answer his question, and could only berate him, “You shameless rogue!”
“Why am I shameless?” he asked.
“I’m unclothed! And you’re approaching me! How is that not shameless?!” she exclaimed.
He seemed to consider for a moment, then looked down at his own body. “I’m also not fully clothed, my chest is bare. You’re looking at me, does that make you shameless too?” His sincere inquiry only served to infuriate Li Shuang further.
Li Shuang decided to sit down in the hot spring, planning to use the water as a cover while she put on her clothes. However, before she could submerge her clothes, he suddenly moved with lightning speed, appearing before her in an instant and grabbing her clothes. “You can’t put them in the water,” he said. “If you wear wet clothes, you’ll fall ill.”
And so, Li Shuang found herself naked, with only her clothes held in front of her for modesty, face to face with this man who had appeared in her dreams…
The mysterious man before her still wore a black mask. Apart from his vivid red eyes and the outline of his lips, Li Shuang couldn’t see his true face. The steam rising from the hot spring created a mystical fog between them, and the red marks on his chest were barely visible in the hazy moonlight, exuding an air of extreme allure and temptation.
But Li Shuang was in no mood to appreciate such allure.
After all, he was still holding her clothes!
Li Shuang was furious, but given the situation, she was helpless. She couldn’t get out of the water, nor could she make this rogue leave of his own accord. To avoid further disadvantage, she suppressed her emotions, composed her face, and asked with restraint, “What brings you here today? What do you intend to do?”
The man in black armor didn’t directly answer her question. He tilted his head slightly, observing the flush on her cheeks – whether from the hot spring or anger, it wasn’t clear – and asked, “Are you angry? Why?”
Why?
Although she was a woman, and many of her soldiers often didn’t treat her as one, she was still female. She had been away fighting wars for years, and in the military camps, she was accustomed to seeing groups of shirtless men training and fighting during summer. But she had never fought naked herself!
She was still an unmarried woman, and now, in the wilderness, she had stripped off her clothes to soak in a hot spring, only to be seen by a man who didn’t even bother to dress properly in the dead of winter. How could she not be angry?
Even though lately… this man had been appearing in her dreams…
It was all because of that kiss on the snowy mountaintop!
Remembering that incident, Li Shuang felt a surge of heat in her cheeks. This embarrassment, however, only fueled her anger. She scolded him with a stern face, “Men and women should be separate! Peeping at a woman bathing and acting improperly, yet you remain so brazen! It’s outrageous!”
Startled by her outburst, the man released her clothes. “If you don’t like it, I won’t look,” he said, his tone tinged with a hint of disappointment. He retreated behind the nearest tree, sitting down quietly, truly not showing even a bit of his face.
“…”
How… had he become the wronged party?
It made her feel as if she had mistreated him…
Li Shuang, both amused and exasperated, took her clothes and swam to the other side of the hot spring. Before getting out, she glanced back to see that he had indeed kept his word and not turned around. Only then did she quickly climb out of the water, hiding behind a tree, and swiftly put on her clothes.
With her clothes on, Li Shuang regained her sense of security.
She walked over to where the man in black armor was still sitting under the tree. Folding her arms, she eyed him suspiciously. “Who exactly are you, and what do you want?”
The man looked up, his vivid red gaze surprisingly clear and innocent. “Do you want to get married?” he asked.
Li Shuang was taken aback, her brow furrowing. “How do you know about that?”
“I heard it,” he replied simply, then added, “I know what marriage means.”
Li Shuang’s frown deepened, her gaze sharp as a knife. “Who cares if you know what marriage means? Tell me, who told you about this?” She crouched down, grabbed his collar, and stared directly into his eyes, much like when she interrogated enemy spies.
Her conversation with the old steward about asking her father to arrange a marriage had been accidentally revealed by Li Ting earlier that day when she was seeing him off. They had been standing at the entrance of Changfeng Camp, surrounded by soldiers inside the camp and the vast, desolate northern frontier outside. There was nowhere for anyone to hide.
If he knew about this conversation, there must have been a spy within the military camp, and the most likely suspect was…
“Marry me,” the man suddenly said calmly, without a hint of nervousness. His gaze remained steady as he looked at her, as casual as if he were saying…
Look how beautiful the night sky is.