After the Snow Festival, the entire Lu City seemed to suddenly become desolate. The number of pedestrians on the streets dropped sharply, and overnight snowfall had blanketed both the city interior and exterior in a vast expanse of cold whiteness.
Following the mysterious person’s attack on the Crown Prince, both the City Lord’s Manor and the Changfeng Battalion were caught in a state of tension, making the already serious atmosphere of this border city even more somber.
Among the soldiers in the Northern Frontier, everyone knew of the Black Armored mysterious person’s capabilities. If they truly intended to kill the Crown Prince, even with others present, it would be difficult to prevent.
The City Lord’s Manor implemented strict security measures, with ten personal guards closely protecting the Crown Prince whenever he went out.
The City Lord, being cautious, feared something might happen to the Crown Prince in the Northern Frontier. Knowing the mysterious person had special feelings for Li Shuang, he would run to the military camp daily to request Li Shuang accompany the Crown Prince at the City Lord’s Manor. He practically wanted Li Shuang to live beside the Crown Prince, serving as his protective charm all day long.
Initially, Li Shuang was also somewhat worried. When the City Lord came to plead, she would go. However, after several days, she discovered that the mysterious person in black armor showed no movement whatsoever. She had also arranged for people to watch Jin’an in the military camp. These past few days, Jin’an had been exceptionally well-behaved, training with the soldiers during the day and curling up in bed to sleep at night, no longer seeking her out. This was the quietest period since she had brought him back.
Li Shuang thought to herself that her actions protecting Sima Yang that night had probably… hurt this overly pure mysterious person’s feelings.
She had secretly left the military camp at night and found a quiet pavilion in the city to sit in, but that mysterious person no longer appeared by her side at opportune moments like before.
Li Shuang sat in the pavilion for half the night, unexpectedly feeling an indescribable loneliness in her heart.
Would that person… never appear beside her again?
They were someone who held firmly to their principles. If they had decided that day to never pay attention to her again, then perhaps there truly would be no chance of meeting again in the future. After all… it had always been the Black Armored person who actively sought her out. Until now, she still had no idea about their background or whereabouts, making it impossible for her to search for them.
She touched her slightly cool and somewhat chapped lips, letting out a soft sigh. The warmth from her body dispersed into a white mist. Taking a breath, Li Shuang felt the night growing increasingly cold.
The next day, as usual, the City Lord came to request Li Shuang to accompany the Crown Prince, but she declined, citing military duties. The City Lord left disappointed, and the Crown Prince didn’t send anyone to invite her either. Li Shuang was quite content with this freedom.
She didn’t want to have too much interaction with Sima Yang.
She knew Sima Yang had feelings for her. They had met in their youth and accompanied each other. Unlike other noble ladies, Li Shuang rode horses and practiced archery alongside the sons of nobles and officials. She studied military texts and laws and practiced martial arts and cultivation. As the adopted daughter of the Great General, she had similar teachers to Sima Yang, and the time she spent with him was perhaps only slightly less than his two study companions. Over such a long period, Li Shuang naturally had looked up to Sima Yang, but it was only admiration, nothing more.
Sima Yang had established his Crown Princess, and though he didn’t have many concubines, she had heard he had added two or three in recent years.
Since childhood, she had learned warfare from her father, all for the purpose of walking out of the narrow backyard of the General’s Manor one day, avoiding the tedious open and hidden conflicts between several concubines. She didn’t want to finally achieve freedom only to fall into another deep pit because of marriage ties.
Moreover, Sima Yang was the current Crown Prince. After the Emperor’s passing, barring any accidents, he would ascend to the throne. In the future, the struggles behind him would be even bloodier, darker, and dirtier than the battlefield.
Three years ago, Li Shuang knew what she wanted, and she also knew what would happen if she continued to stay in the capital. The Crown Prince having feelings for her was something everyone would be pleased to see because as the General’s adopted daughter, she was destined to be united with the Crown Prince to combine military and imperial power.
The position of primary consort would never belong to an adopted daughter, but she would certainly have a place as a secondary consort. If she were to have children with the Crown Prince in the future, her prospects would be immeasurable.
Her father might not necessarily be happy for her, but the vast interest group behind the General’s Manor would certainly be overjoyed.
Li Shuang didn’t like being a chess piece; she wanted to control her destiny and be a chess player.
At that time, Li Shuang saw the situation clearly, and Sima Yang also saw through her. Three years ago, after Sima Yang married the Crown Princess, Li Shuang had thoughts of leaving. Sima Yang knew what Li Shuang feared, but he wouldn’t allow her to be afraid, much less allow her to leave. So Sima Yang brought up the matter of marrying Li Shuang to the Empress.
The Empress was naturally pleased with this arrangement and gave Sima Yang her approval, intending to discuss it with the Emperor that night.
Fortunately, Sima Yang’s young imperial brother overheard the news while at the Empress’s quarters and excitedly ran to tell Li Shuang, who was handling affairs in the palace at the time. Li Shuang was greatly shocked and hurriedly rushed back to the General’s Manor, begging her father to immediately petition the Emperor. As luck would have it, there was military activity in the Northern Frontier at that time, and Li Shuang pleaded to go to war. Under her father’s request, the Emperor finally approved Li Shuang’s deployment.
The news of Li Shuang heading north to Lu City was quickly determined and soon spread throughout the palace. She wasn’t the first female general to go to the battlefield in this dynasty, but she was the one whose appointment was confirmed the fastest. After the Empress learned of the imperial decree, she held back on the request regarding Sima Yang.
On the day Li Shuang departed for the Northern Frontier, Sima Yang came to see her off. Li Shuang still remembers how he asked with a grave expression: “Am I so unbearable? You would rather flee to the bitter cold of the Northern Frontier than stay by my side?”
Li Shuang knelt, pressing her head deeply to the ground: “Your Highness’s words are too heavy. Li Shuang is extremely terrified.”
That was the first time she had responded to Sima Yang in such a manner. She tried everything to distance herself from him. After a long silence, Sima Yang finally ordered her to rise in a low voice. After she stood up, it was also the first time she saw him look at her with disappointment and desolation:
“I thought you would understand me, would be willing to always stand by my side…”
Li Shuang kept this muttered whisper outside her heart’s door. She knew she could always be by his side, always accompany him, always view him as her only one. But Sima Yang’s life was destined to not always be by her side, always accompany her, always view her as his only one.
He had his three thousand concubines and imperial power over the realm. And she, too, had places in her heart she wanted to reach.
After that, Li Shuang never returned to the capital.
She thought that after three years, with Sima Yang having children, these unsettling feelings would naturally fade away. She never expected that Sima Yang would request to come to this bitter cold Northern Frontier that he spoke of. And he would still tell her that he came here not for the relationship between ruler and subject.
This made Li Shuang uneasy. From the day she knew of Sima Yang’s arrival, she had secretly decided that unless it was a matter of life and death, she would not go near Sima Yang! Not! But who would have thought that such an urgent matter would find its way to her…
Li Shuang sighed, this was truly like new peach blossoms meeting old peach blossoms, and the peach blossoms had rotted.
After Li Shuang stopped going to the City Lord’s Manor, the Crown Prince, apart from his daily routine of touring the military camp and city walls, didn’t bother her much either.
Just as Li Shuang had settled down, thinking she could finally start living a peaceful life this winter, a soldier suddenly reported that there had been some activity in the forest several dozen li outside the original Changfeng Battalion campsite.
Li Shuang took this news seriously.
“What kind of activity?”
“Although that forest is far from Lu City, on clear days we can still see it clearly from a distance. Recently, soldiers have noticed that the trees there have noticeably decreased, apparently due to human logging.”
Logging trees? Li Shuang pondered while holding her chin: “Have you seen anyone transporting the trees away, or building anything on site, or perhaps smoke from fires?”
“No, those missing trees seem to have vanished into thin air. There’s no sign of transportation, construction, or anyone using them for fires.”
“Send people to investigate.”
“Yes.”
After the soldier withdrew, Li Shuang remembered that the forest was where she had found Jin’an. She had investigated there with Luo Teng and several soldiers, finding an underground stone chamber with carelessly buried bodies. That suspicious “risen corpse” – the old woman who had attacked the Changfeng Battalion – had also crawled out from that underground chamber.
Now there was activity in that forest again?
Were they people, or… were they other “beings” from that underground chamber? Moreover, if they weren’t transporting the trees away, building anything, or using them for fires, what were they cutting down trees for?
Li Shuang sent several people to investigate, not just once, but at different times during the day and night. However, they never saw anyone cutting down trees in that forest, yet the trees continued to decrease gradually. After several days, due to the reduction in trees, they could even see the bare mountainside in that direction but still had never seen any people.
The soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion didn’t think much of it, but among the Lu City garrison, a rumor began to spread that ghosts had started haunting the area outside Lu City.
After the Snow Festival, everyone’s life was extremely boring, and within a few days, the power of the masses had turned the gradually thinning forest into more than ten different versions of ghost stories.
The frontier was already cold, and these ghost stories made people feel even chillier to their bones. Initially, Li Shuang didn’t pay attention to these baseless talks, but unexpectedly, the rumors grew increasingly intense, even beginning to shake the army’s morale… Some said it was the vengeful spirits of the Western Rong people killed by the mysterious person in black armor, who had died with grievances and begun to cause trouble.
Suddenly, a subtle atmosphere of oppression and fear emerged within the military camp.
Li Shuang became furious and found the first person who spread these rumors, severely punishing them with several dozen strikes.
However, what was even more unexpected was that the next day, that punished soldier was found dead in the snow outside the city.
A night of heavy snow had nearly buried him, leaving only a hand exposed. By the time he was dug out, his breath had long ceased. His heart had been hollowed out and taken away, leaving an empty chest cavity that was terrifying to behold. His face was frozen in terror as if he had witnessed something utterly horrifying.
This incident sent tremors through the military camp, and rumors spread everywhere, even reaching the homes of Lu City’s civilians. Every household busied themselves with posting talismans and drawing protective charms. The once-ordinary Lu City became covered in talismans overnight, creating an even more eerie atmosphere.
Li Shuang knew well that the army’s morale must not be shaken. Just as she was discussing countermeasures with her commanders, the City Lord’s Manor sent orders for her to meet with the Crown Prince.
Qin Lan observed Li Shuang’s expression and volunteered: “General is currently handling military matters and may not have time to attend. This humble officer dares to go in the General’s place to meet with the Eastern Palace and receive orders on your behalf.”
Li Shuang couldn’t have asked for better, nodding repeatedly: “Excellent, excellent.”
Seeing her reaction, Qin Lan lowered his head slightly, his lips curving into a silent, subtle smile. He was willing to shield her from anything that troubled her.
“This subordinate will follow the messenger to the City Lord’s Manor first.” As Qin Lan was about to leave, he heard Li Shuang call out: “Qin Lan.”
He turned back.
Li Shuang considered carefully: “If the Crown Prince’s matter is difficult to handle, send someone to call for me.”
Qin Lan’s eyes softened – she was worried the Crown Prince would give him trouble. He concealed the emotion in his eyes and merely clasped his fists in response: “Yes.”
Qin Lan didn’t stay long at the City Lord’s Manor. Sima Yang didn’t question why Li Shuang hadn’t come personally. He only brought up the recent ghost rumors circulating in Lu City, and rather than placing blame, he offered a solution.
When Li Shuang heard Qin Lan’s report of Sima Yang’s solution, she instinctively furrowed her brow, but had no choice but to listen: “What did the Crown Prince say?”
Qin Lan paused briefly, then said: “The Crown Prince wishes for the General to accompany him with a group of personal guards to patrol that desolate forest. To personally quell these rumors.”
Li Shuang fell silent. The common people were superstitious; she couldn’t reason with them. The fastest way to suppress rumors was indeed to fight superstition with superstition. If she and Sima Yang went there for a tour and then spread the word that the Crown Prince’s true dragon aura had scattered the evil spirits, it would be the quickest solution.
Moreover, they could personally investigate the situation. After all, scouts were just scouts – their martial arts and movement techniques couldn’t compare to those by their side or themselves. They might have missed some clues.
Sima Yang had proposed a good solution. The only difficulty was that she would have to go with him.
“Let’s do it then,” Li Shuang pondered briefly before nodding. At least they would each bring their guards. “Qin Lan, have someone make arrangements. The personal guard unit will accompany me tomorrow, and the Crown Prince’s side should also make thorough preparations. The most important task of this mission is still protecting the Crown Prince.”
Qin Lan bowed his head: “Yes.”
The next day at noon, Li Shuang donned silver armor and military attire, carrying an eight-sided heavy sword. She ordered twelve personal guards to wait quietly before the city wall for Sima Yang. When he arrived, he too was wearing iron armor and military attire. Standing together, they appeared exceptionally well-matched in others’ eyes.
Most of the camp came to pay respects to the Crown Prince.
As it happened, Lu Xin had come to visit Ji Ran that day. Though her gaze had been fixed on Ji Ran, at this moment with the sun directly overhead reflecting off the snow, Li Shuang and Sima Yang drew her attention.
“Wow,” Lu Xin couldn’t help but exclaim softly, “the General and His Highness make such a fine match.” She shook the small hand she was holding, “Jin’an, don’t you think so?”
At her side, surrounded by a circle of adults, Jin’an was the only small figure standing within.
He watched Li Shuang and Sima Yang with cold eyes, noting how their mounting movements were almost identical. He remained silent, only pulling his hand away from Lu Xin: “I told you, don’t touch me.” He turned his back on everyone, no longer watching Li Shuang and Sima Yang, and returned to the camp.
Behind him, the soldiers’ mighty cheers filled the sky as they sent Li Shuang and Sima Yang out through the city gate. Jin’an walked to the personal guards’ camp entrance, which was empty without a single person inside. He lay down on his bed, looking up at the tent ceiling.
Silent, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.
He had actually been like this these past few days, but it seemed no one had noticed, not even Li Shuang had come to ask a single question. She liked that Crown Prince. So she wouldn’t pay attention to anything else anymore.
Jin’an had wondered more than once if Li Shuang, when she saw that Crown Prince, felt the same way he did when he saw her – as if everything else in the world lost its color, with only her glowing, attracting all his attention and consciousness. Making him rush toward her like a moth, heedless of life or death.
No one knew that during these days when Li Shuang hadn’t seen him, this moth had used even greater strength than it would take to fly into flames to restrain his impulse to approach her, while also enduring pain more excruciating than having his life burned away by fire.
She didn’t like him, didn’t need him – these two realizations appeared again and again in his mind like a curse, freezing all his hot blood.
And it wasn’t just an illusion making him feel cold, but something truly real.
The flame pattern on his chest had begun to cool, its color starting to fade. Even at night, when he became an adult, if he didn’t hide in his bedding, the Northern Frontier’s cold wind could freeze his limbs – something he had never experienced before.
From the day he escaped from that forest, from the moment he met Li Shuang, his heart had always been filled with warm blood. Even when his body was exposed to bitter wind and driving snow, he had never felt the slightest cold.
But now…
“Commander Luo! Commander Luo!” Suddenly, a soldier’s terrified shout rang out from outside. Jin’an could recognize this voice – it was Wan Changshan, one of Li Shuang’s guards.
Why… why was his voice here? Hadn’t all the personal guards gone with Li Shuang…?
Jin’an turned his head to find the tent completely dark. Had he been lying there so long… long enough for the night to fall? Why had he lost all sense of time’s passage?
“Commander Luo!”
“The General and Crown Prince were ambushed! They’ve vanished!”
Jin’an’s empty pupils slowly contracted upon hearing these words. He flipped over, suddenly sitting up.
The seemingly frozen blood in his chest suddenly surged through his body with his heart’s violent beating.
He stepped barefoot on the ground, not feeling the slightest cold. In a flash, he darted out of the personal guards’ camp, suddenly grabbing Wan Changshan’s collar mid-way.
“What did you say?”
Wan Changshan stared at the figure before him in shock.
In his black pupils, illuminated by the camp’s firelight, was reflected Jin’an’s current form. He had transformed into an adult, his pupils blood-red, flame markings crawling from his heart to the corners of his eyes. He still wore children’s military clothing, causing many seams to split from his muscles, hanging like tattered cloth on his body.
Wan Changshan stared at him: “Who… who are you!”
“Who are you!” Luo Teng, hearing the shouts, had rushed over from his camp. He pointed his great sword at Jin’an, frowning: “The Black Armored one?” But Jin’an paid no attention, only gripping Wan Changshan’s collar and asking word by word:
“Where is Li Shuang?”
At this mention, Wan Changshan immediately forgot about this person and turned to Luo Teng: “Commander Luo! Requesting support! The General and Crown Prince have disappeared into the underground stone chamber in that forest!”
Underground stone chamber…
Jin’an released Wan Changshan as his mind suddenly recalled a chaotic scene – sometimes of someone cutting open his heart chamber to drain blood, sometimes of him howling and struggling in desperate pain, sometimes of insects crawling into his body, sometimes of bloody battles and frenzied fleeing.
His head suddenly felt like it would split open, but none of this headache mattered to Jin’an. He felt the only important thing was that he knew… he knew where that underground stone chamber was!
He knew where Li Shuang was.
He had to save her.
Even if she loved someone else, even if she would draw her sword against him to protect another, even if she would never marry him in this life, never stay with him, or even want to see him… he still had to save her!
With all his might, disregarding life and death, regardless of everything else, he would save her.
This was like his mission, his instinct, his only, sole, unshakeable determination.