This nonsensical answer successfully stunned Li Shuang, making her forget her question, and even shocked her so much she couldn’t maintain her fierce expression: “You… what did you say?”
The Jade-faced Rakshasa rarely felt herself so flustered.
“Marry me.”
The black-masked man quietly repeated, as if he hadn’t realized he had said something terrifying.
“Preposterous!”
Li Shuang finally came to her senses, rebuking him and releasing his collar as if it burned her hands.
“Preposterous?” He still stared at her so earnestly, “Why preposterous? I understand that marriage means you entrust yourself to another person, then stay together with that person until death parts you.” He fixed his gaze on her eyes, his bright red pupils slowly filling with her image, “You can entrust yourself to me. I will protect you, and I want to stay with you until death, never parting.”
These solemn vows from his lips seemed as ordinary as discussing daily necessities, but somehow, as Li Shuang heard him calmly speaking words that should only be said in moments of deep passion, behind her helpless mixture of crying and laughing, she felt somewhat…
Moved?
Was he an idiot? Other than someone simple-minded or insane, who would say such things to someone they’d only met twice?
Or perhaps… he had ulterior motives?
“Stop speaking such frivolous words.” Li Shuang’s expression turned cold as she refuted him, “I asked you how you knew about these matters. Answer honestly, otherwise…”
“Otherwise… you’ll arrest me and interrogate me?” He looked at her, his expression extremely innocent and somewhat hurt, as if silently asking why she was always so harsh with him.
For the first time, Li Shuang found her hand trembling while dealing with someone who might be a “spy.”
“You don’t want to marry me?” The black-masked man leaned slightly closer to her.
This small decrease in distance created enormous psychological pressure for Li Shuang. She unconsciously retreated slightly, forcing herself to maintain a cold expression as she rebuked: “Marriage is determined by parental command and matchmaker’s words. I make no arrangements myself. Moreover, your identity is unclear, your background mysterious, and you still haven’t shown your true face, yet you dare discuss marriage with me… Don’t come so close.”
Li Shuang finally couldn’t bear it and pushed him away with her hand.
He obligingly moved back, but his hand touched the spot on his shoulder where she had pushed him. Though it was just a light touch, it was as if her warmth lingered there. He lowered his gaze, his eyes warm and gentle, as if he truly held countless feelings for her.
Last time… when he went to save Li Ting when they escaped from that pit together, he had looked at her the same way…
This amorous gaze made Li Shuang once again wonder if she had somehow unconsciously lost some memories, and if she had a lover in the northern frontier.
“If I show you my face, will you marry me?” he asked Li Shuang.
This man seemed to speak every word to her so naturally and seriously that even words she would usually reject without hesitation from others left her stunned and unsure how to respond.
“You…”
“General?”
Qin Lan’s questioning voice suddenly came from outside the grove. Li Shuang turned to look, and in that instant, a gust of wind passed beside her. When she turned back, the black-armored man who had just been at her side had vanished without a trace.
Li Shuang was shocked – this person’s movements were incredibly swift. In terms of lightness skills, the gap between them was certainly not small.
Outside the grove, having received no answer, Qin Lan’s voice became slightly more urgent than before: “General?”
Li Shuang steadied her emotions: “I’m here.”
Hearing Li Shuang’s response, Qin Lan relaxed: “General, are you well?”
“Mm.” Li Shuang walked toward Qin Lan’s voice, circling several trees to see Qin Lan standing with his back to her – presumably to avoid impropriety, he hadn’t dared to turn around.
Yes, this was how a proper man should behave!
Li Shuang roughly gathered her wet hair and coiled it atop her head, asking Qin Lan: “Why did you come?”
“The guard soldiers said the General went out at night without escorts. This subordinate guessed you must have come here, but after waiting long without your return, I became worried. So I came, and just now heard voices in the grove but didn’t know whether to approach, so I could only call out to the General.”
“Mm.” Li Shuang acknowledged, “There was a libertine causing trouble.”
Qin Lan started, turning his head to see Li Shuang with wet hair coiled up, water droplets still trailing down her neck into her collar. He quickly turned away again: “Was the General unharmed?”
“Nothing serious.” Li Shuang spoke while walking out to get her horse. Seeming to remember something, she turned to ask Qin Lan, “Did the investigation reveal any frontier tribes with the custom of tattooing flames on their chests?”
“We’ve investigated, but there seem to be no such tribes beyond the frontier.” Qin Lan paused, as if thinking of something, “The libertine the General mentioned just now, was it that black-masked man from before?”
Li Shuang was startled, somewhat surprised at how quickly Qin Lan had guessed: “Yes, it was him. But his movements were quick, and he got away.”
Qin Lan pondered briefly: “Earlier, the young master said that man was injured while saving him, yet after just a few days, he’s recovered so quickly?”
Mentioning this, Li Shuang realized that when she saw him just now, she indeed hadn’t noticed any injuries on him. But she clearly remembered that day when she went to the pit trap to “save” him, he had grabbed the blade on the wall with one hand, his palm randomly slashed with countless wounds, and his back had been severely pierced by blade edges.
Yet today, his movements showed no hint of injury-induced slowness, and even his palms… had no healing scars at all.
By normal standards, his wounds… had indeed healed too quickly.
Li Shuang stroked her chin in thought. A man with extraordinary martial arts, an unusual body, a mysterious identity, and constant knowledge of her words and actions… The only connection she could imagine between him and her life, besides Jin’an, was nothing else.
They had the same flame markings, perhaps from the same tribe or sect. They must have some connection through their eyes, and perhaps Jin’an was exchanging information about Changfeng Camp with him, or rather… information about her.
Li Shuang mounted her horse: “Is Jin’an still in the Imperial Guard Camp?”
Qin Lan started: “When this subordinate left, people in the Imperial Guard Camp said he had already gone to sleep.”
Li Shuang pulled the reins: “Mm, investigate and bring him to my camp tomorrow for questioning.”
Understanding Li Shuang’s suspicions, Qin Lan quietly agreed and then rode back to camp with her.
When they returned to the military camp, it was deep night, and most soldiers were already asleep. As Li Shuang passed the Imperial Guard Camp, she briefly paused at the entrance, and the gate guards immediately snapped to attention and saluted her.
Li Shuang asked softly: “Is everyone sleeping inside?”
“Yes, except for those on duty, all are asleep.”
Li Shuang nodded. The Imperial Guard Camp contained her soldiers, the strongest in all of Changfeng Camp. If they were watching someone, they couldn’t possibly let them escape silently. Even though Jin’an had shown strength beyond his years that day, judging from his martial arts then, his lightness skills weren’t this advanced.
However… if it were this man today…
Li Shuang’s brow furrowed slightly. He truly might be capable of leaving without alerting anyone inside, finding a moment when the guards were distracted.
However, according to Li Shuang’s reasoning, if the black-armored man wanted Jin’an to help him gather information in Changfeng Camp, he wouldn’t take Jin’an away. He would want Jin’an to root himself as deeply as possible within Changfeng Camp to obtain more information.
After consideration, Li Shuang decided to return directly to her quarters to rest.
But just then, the sentinel in the watchtower suddenly gave a startled cry. As Li Shuang lifted the tent flap, about to step in, the sentinel suddenly rang the alarm bell: “Western Rong army! It’s the Western Rong army! Enemy forces crossing the border! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
The military situation arose suddenly, giving no time for preparation. The previously quiet Changfeng Camp instantly erupted into chaos of men and horses. As the alarm bells rang, all sleeping soldiers awoke with a start.
Li Shuang’s expression immediately turned serious, and without any delay, she turned and shouted: “All troops on alert! Form ranks!”
She gazed into the distance where sparse beacon fires had been lit in the desolate frontier, spreading across the wilderness in moments. The thundering of hooves seemed to shake the vast northern land.
As winter approached, what she had feared most had finally come to pass.