Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

She knew who this person was. Despite having met him only a few times and spending little time together, she recognized him instantly.

She faintly sensed that there was some hidden connection between them—something she couldn’t quite grasp.

Amidst the blood-soaked battlefield filled with slaughter, his strong arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders, pressing her cheek firmly against his neck.

So tight, so forceful—it was almost dizzying. For a fleeting moment, Li Shuang felt an eerie sense of security, as though she were being possessed and protected.

But no! She was a general, responsible for the lives of countless soldiers. Behind her stood Lucheng and its people—how could she selfishly seek comfort for herself now?

Li Shuang raised her hand, intending to shove the man away with all her might. Yet before she could act, he seemed to read her thoughts and quietly released her shoulders.

What surprised her even more was that, at this very moment, when she looked past his embrace, all the Western Rong soldiers stood frozen in place, their swords still in hand.

These fierce warriors from the northern tribes stared blankly in one direction, their eyes wide with shock.

Following their gaze, Li Shuang looked up and saw that the black-masked man held high in his other hand—was the severed head of a Western Rong warrior.

The face bore a thick beard, and the head still wore a tiger-skin cap. It was none other than their commander—Ashina Du.

He… he had actually killed the Western Rong general and taken his head…

When had this happened? Just moments ago, hadn’t he been atop the city walls, aiming for Li Zhangyi’s head?

The speed of this man… Li Shuang didn’t dare dwell on it.

Like a ripple spreading across a lake, the eerie silence began from their spot and soon engulfed the entire battlefield.

The black-armored man tossed Ashina Du’s head to the ground as if discarding trash.

"Get lost," he said.

His cold voice was followed by thunderous drumbeats from the Western Rong camp in the distance. As though obeying his command, the Western Rong army began retreating, step by step, until they had completely withdrawn beyond ten li away.

One of the Western Rong soldiers retrieved Ashina Du’s head.

The battlefield, once filled with deafening roars, now lay in ruins.

The soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion were still dazed by the sudden retreat. In truth, even Li Shuang hadn’t fully processed what had happened.

Staring blankly at the black-masked man before her, she murmured, "Who are you?"

His eerie crimson eyes reflected her image. He raised a hand and gently brushed her blood-stained cheek. "I came to protect you."

Li Shuang was still in a daze when he added, "I wore clothes this time—no longer shameless. Will you marry me now?"

…Huh?

The shift in topic was… too abrupt!

"You…" Li Shuang started, but to her own surprise, she burst into laughter. Shaking her head, she said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "You can capture a king, yet ask such a question at a time like this… Just who—"

"General!" Before she could finish, the voices of Qin Lan and Luo Teng called out from behind.

The black-armored man glanced at them, then seemed to remember something. He looked up at Li Zhangyi, who still stood dumbfounded atop the city walls. "Do you still want to enter the city?"Li Shuang was taken aback. "Of course we must enter—"

"Good."

As soon as he responded, he casually picked up a bow and arrow from the ground, drew the string, and aimed directly at Li Zhangyi atop the city wall. Yet from such a distance, no one could fathom his intentions.

With a sharp "thwack," the arrow left the bowstring, slicing through the air. The distance was so great that no sound from the city wall could be heard. Li Shuang merely turned her head in the direction of the arrow and saw the rotund Li Zhangyi stagger two steps along the wall before plummeting headfirst to the ground.

His skull shattered, blood pooling beneath him—dead on the spot. It had been effortless, like a child casually tossing a stone to strike a stray dog by the roadside.

Li Shuang stood stunned.

Qin Lan and Luo Teng, who had just arrived behind her, were equally astonished.

Anyone trained in martial arts could see that what appeared to be a simple shot was, for others, an insurmountable gap in skill.

The black-armored man reached out again, brushing his fingers against Li Shuang's cheek to wipe away the bloodstains. His voice, carrying a hint of wooden loyalty, concealed a trace of tenderness barely detectable. He said:

"If you wish it, I will clear every obstacle for you—no matter what."

Li Shuang could only stare up at him, gazing into his crimson eyes, her usual composure and decisiveness as a general lost amidst the desolate battlefield still reeking of blood and sweat.

"Why?" Li Shuang finally regained a sliver of reason amidst the biting wind. "Why save me? Why help me like this? Who exactly are you—" She reached out to remove his faceplate, but the man tilted his head back slightly, effortlessly evading her grasp.

Seeing him dodge, Qin Lan suddenly moved, darting forward to seize the black-armored man. Yet after just two exchanges, a cold gust swept past. Borrowing the force of Qin Lan's palm strike, the man vanished into the night with the speed of the northern gale—just as swiftly as before.

Once again, he departed without a word, leaving behind an inscrutable mystery.

Li Shuang stood dumbfounded, staring into the distance until Qin Lan called out to her: "General." Only then did she blink and snap back to reality. Clearing her throat, she glanced around.

The soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion stood with swords and blades in hand, their eyes filled with an unusual curiosity as they studied her.

And who could blame them?

A masked man of unknown origin, possessing extraordinary martial prowess and ruthless methods, had single-handedly infiltrated the distant Xirong camp, taken the head of their general, and forced their retreat—all in the blink of an eye.

This enigmatic man had saved her on the battlefield, embraced her, and told her to marry him.

Not just the soldiers—even Li Shuang herself was burning with curiosity.

Why? How? When had she ever drawn the attention of such a person? Had her memory truly failed her? Had she, like the protagonists in those storybooks, forgotten some past she shouldn't have?

"General." Qin Lan's voice pulled her back to reality once more. "We should enter the city now."

"Ah, right." Li Shuang gave the order to advance.

No one could have imagined that the first battle against Xirong would end in such an absurd manner. And yet, none of them knew—the truly absurd events were still to come.