Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

The next morning, when Li Shuang woke up and saw little Jin An nestled in her arms, she felt as though she had just experienced an absurd dream.

She had actually... dreamed again of that man who had taken liberties with her that day.

And what's more... she had held him in her arms all night!

Li Shuang rubbed her temples. It seemed that the next time she returned to the capital, she really would have to ask her father to arrange a marriage for her.

Lost in thought as she held the still-sleeping Jin An, Li Shuang pondered which young master from the capital could possibly be a match for someone like her, the "Jade-Faced Judge of the Underworld"...

He would need some courage, at the very least—otherwise, the sight of her killing might scare him to death. He should also be capable; when she went off to war, she could take him along to help strategize. If he wasn't particularly bright, then some muscle would do—someone who could charge into battle for her. As for family background, she didn’t care much. After all, even in the capital, few could truly match her status.

Hmm... If that were the case, then that fellow who had taken liberties with her that day... seemed... acceptable too...

Li Shuang was startled by her own thoughts. She coughed a few times, waking Jin An in the process.

Jin An reached out a small hand and touched her throat, his voice hoarse from sleep. "Does your throat hurt?"

"It's nothing." Li Shuang sat up. "After resting all night, I should go inspect the camp. You go train properly—remember, don’t look down on others." She instructed Jin An this way because she intended to keep him by her side for life.

In Li Shuang’s eyes, a child with such extraordinary talent would become a menace to the world if not properly guided. Moreover, if he stayed in the Changfeng Battalion, once he grew up, he could guard the border and command the camp, becoming a formidable deterrent against foreign enemies.

Jin An was obedient and didn’t linger, dutifully heading out the door.

The following days in the Changfeng Battalion were peaceful, no different from usual.

Then came the day for Li Ting to return home. Li Shuang had expected her pampered younger brother to throw a tantrum before leaving, but this time, Li Ting didn’t fuss at all. He bid her farewell obediently, only earnestly reminding her to be careful and to come home to see him and their father once winter passed. It seemed this trip to the northern frontier had indeed helped him mature a little.

Li Shuang agreed to his request, then suddenly remembered something. She stepped aside and called over the old servant who had accompanied Li Ting. Their conversation was hushed, and no one nearby could hear. But Li Ting, ever mischievous, sneaked over to eavesdrop—and then exclaimed in shock, "Big sis, you want to get married?!"

His shout instantly laid bare Li Shuang’s private thoughts.

Her face darkened for a moment. When she turned, she saw the soldiers seeing them off all staring straight ahead, as if they hadn’t heard Li Ting’s outburst at all.

Only little Jin An kept his eyes fixed on her. Li Shuang turned back and punched Li Ting. "Get lost, now."

Li Ting rubbed his nose, realizing he had misspoken in the heat of the moment. He quickly scrambled into the carriage, but before leaving, he whispered to Li Shuang again and again, "I’ll make sure Father finds you someone tall, handsome, strong, gentle, and obedient to you."

"Get lost."

And so, the carriage carrying the young master of the general’s household rolled away without pause.

Li Shuang turned back. "All of you, disperse. Get back to your duties."She gave a sharp command, and all the soldiers quickly dispersed, leaving only Qin Lan behind. As usual, he reported to her with lowered eyes, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

That night, without Li Ting around, the military camp felt unusually quiet and cold. Li Shuang’s throat was parched, and she remembered a hot spring near Deer City to the south of Changfeng Camp. That very night, she mounted her horse, took some clothes, and headed to the spring alone without any attendants, intending to soak and relieve her recent fatigue.

She rode all the way to the small grove where the spring was located. The water was clear, and in the depths of winter, no one ventured out of the city, leaving the surroundings utterly peaceful.

Li Shuang tied up her horse and removed her clothes. The moment she stepped into the water, she suddenly sensed movement behind her.

She immediately grabbed her clothes to cover her chest and turned around—only to see that very rogue who often appeared in her dreams… standing just three zhang away from her by the spring’s edge.

He stared at her without the slightest hesitation.

Outrageous! Truly outrageous! He had the audacity to appear just as she had undressed and was about to bathe!

He took two steps forward, clearly intending to get closer. Li Shuang immediately snapped, “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”

He halted but asked, “Why can’t I come closer?”

Li Shuang clutched her clothes to her chest, unable to let go or put them on properly. Standing there in confrontation, she glared at him furiously, unsure how to answer his question. She could only rebuke him, “Shameless scoundrel!”

“Why shameless?”

“I’m unclothed! And you’re pressing closer! How is that not shameless?”

He seemed to ponder for a moment, then lowered his head to look at his own body. “I’m also unclothed, with my chest exposed. If you look at me, does that make you shameless too?” His tone was one of genuine inquiry, which only infuriated Li Shuang further. She decided to sit back down in the spring, intending to use the water’s cover to put her clothes on.

But just as she was about to submerge her clothes in the water, he moved like lightning, appearing before her in an instant and grabbing her garments. “Don’t soak them in the water,” he said. “Wet clothes will make you sick.”

And so, Li Shuang found herself standing bare before him, with only her clothes held awkwardly in front of her, face to face with the man who had haunted her dreams…

The mysterious man before her still wore his black faceplate. Apart from his crimson eyes and the outline of his lips, she couldn’t see his full face. The steam from the hot spring swirled between them like celestial mist, and the red marks trailing across his chest shimmered faintly in the hazy moonlight—an image of extreme allure and temptation.

But Li Shuang had no appreciation for such temptation.

Not when he was still holding her clothes!

Fury burned in her heart, yet in this situation, she was powerless. She couldn’t climb out, nor could she make this rogue leave of his own accord. To avoid further humiliation, she suppressed her emotions, composed her expression, and asked with forced calm, “What is it you want here today?”

Instead of answering directly, the black-armored man tilted his head slightly, studying the flush on her cheeks—whether from the hot spring or her anger—for a moment. “Are you angry? Why?”

Why?She was a woman, though most of the time, the soldiers under her command hardly treated her as one. But in the end, she was still a woman. Having fought in battles for many years, she had grown accustomed to seeing men bare their torsos during summer training drills in the military camp. Yet, she had never bared herself to fight alongside them!

She was still an unmarried maiden. Now, in the wilderness, she had stripped off her clothes to soak in a hot spring, only to be seen by a man who couldn’t even bother to dress properly in the dead of winter. Shouldn’t she be furious?

Although... lately... this man had been appearing frequently in her dreams...

All because of that kiss on the snowy mountain peak!

At the thought, a faint warmth rose to Li Shuang’s cheeks. But this very blush only fueled her indignation. With a darkened expression, she scolded him, "There should be boundaries between men and women! Peeping at a woman bathing, committing such impropriety, and still acting so unrepentant—utterly shameless!"

Her sharp rebuke stunned the man for a moment. He released his grip. "If you dislike it, I won’t look," he said, his tone carrying a hint of concealed grievance. He retreated behind the nearest tree and sat down quietly, not even letting a sliver of his face show.

"..."

What...? Now he was the aggrieved one?

As if she were the one who had wronged him...

Li Shuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she grabbed her clothes. Swimming to the other end of the spring, she glanced back before rising—true to his word, the man hadn’t turned his head. Taking advantage of the mist for cover, she hurried ashore and ducked behind a tree, swiftly dressing herself.

With her clothes back on, Li Shuang regained her sense of security.

She approached the black-armored man, who still sat beneath the tree. Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Just who are you, and what do you want?"

The man tilted his head up, his crimson, eerie gaze surprisingly clear and guileless. "Do you want to get married?"

Li Shuang froze, her brows knitting together. "How do you know that?"

"I heard it," he answered vaguely, brushing past her question. "I know what marriage means."

Her frown deepened, her eyes sharp as blades. "Who cares if you know what it means? Tell me—who told you about this?" She crouched down, seizing the front of his robe and staring into his eyes, treating him no differently than she would an enemy spy.

She had asked the old steward to relay a message to her father about arranging a marriage for her—a slip of the tongue accidentally revealed by Li Ting when she saw him off earlier that day. They had been standing at the gates of Changfeng Camp, surrounded by soldiers inside and the vast, desolate northern wilderness outside. There had been nowhere for anyone to hide.

If he had overheard her words, then there must have been a spy in the camp at that time—and the most likely suspect was...

"Marry me."

The man spoke these words calmly, without a trace of nervousness, his gaze steady and unreadable—as if he were merely saying...

Look, how beautiful the night is.