Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

Jin An and Li Shuang locked eyes, surrounded by a circle of soldiers. Yet, apart from Li Shuang, no one else would squat down to speak to him at eye level.

"Yes," Jin An answered Li Shuang.

That single, resolute word caused a stir among the surrounding soldiers. Qin Lan narrowed his eyes even further.

In the entire Changfeng Battalion, no one understood the surveillance on Jin An by the personal guards better than him. Ever since Li Shuang had ordered Jin An to stay in the guards' camp, Qin Lan had repeatedly instructed the guards to keep a close watch on the boy's movements. Yet, despite this, he still managed to pass information to that black-armored man?

"Is that person your clansman?" Luo Teng couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out impatiently. As soon as he spoke, another soldier chimed in, "Who exactly is he? Where did he come from? What does he want?"

"Why did he ask you to leak information about our Changfeng Battalion?"

"How could he kill a Xirong general? And why would he do that?"

The officers fired off questions one after another, but Jin An simply kept his gaze fixed on Li Shuang's eyes. Just then, a gust of wind from the northern frontier swept over the city walls, tousling Li Shuang's hastily tied-up hair. Amid the clamor of questions, little Jin An raised his small hand—his movements childish yet oddly natural—and gently tucked the stray strands behind her ear.

"He won't harm you," he said, ignoring all the chaotic questions. His voice carried a steadiness and certainty beyond his years. "He just wants to protect you."

Li Shuang stared into Jin An's young yet earnest eyes and found herself momentarily dazed. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though Jin An's eyes overlapped with the crimson ones of the black-armored man.

Their eyes... were so similar.

The north wind blew, and silence fell over the city walls. The soldiers' eyes darted back and forth between Li Shuang and Jin An.

Only Luo Teng broke the quiet with his brash shout, "Damn it! This kid’s turning into a little demon! First, he flirts with our general himself, and now he’s helping someone else do it too!"

Li Shuang coughed, snapped out of her reverie by Luo Teng's crude outburst. Her mind raced, and suddenly, a thought struck her: "That black-armored man... could he be your father?"

Yes, that had to be the most plausible explanation. That would explain why this child bore some resemblance to that shadowy figure in both demeanor and appearance—and why he, like the black-armored man, was so attached to her.

But why was he so attached to her?

Could it be...

Because she was actually his... mother?

Li Shuang was startled by her own thought. But... it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Perhaps she had truly lost some memories during her time in the frontier. Maybe those forgotten moments included giving birth to a child with someone in the north, only to lose her memory and return to Great Jin afterward. And to spare her pain, everyone around her avoided the topic, leaving her unaware. Now that she had returned to the frontier, the man she had left behind learned of her arrival and crossed the vast desert with their child to find her!

It made perfect sense! After all, that’s exactly how those cliché romance novels went!

Li Shuang stared blankly at Jin An, so absorbed in her own conjecture that she couldn’t snap out of it.But Jin An was baffled by Li Shuang's sudden question. "Father?" He shook his head. "No, I don't have a father."

That was quite a statement. Li Shuang had heard Jin An say before that he didn't know his origins, so his claim of having no father probably meant he didn't know who his father was.

"What is your relationship with that man in black?"

When Li Shuang asked this, Jin An replied, "You said you'd only ask one question today."

Li Shuang fell silent. She had just said that casually, but this kid had taken her words to heart. Well, it didn’t matter—he wasn’t going anywhere. "Then I'll ask you another question tomorrow, and you must answer me honestly."

"Okay." Jin An seemed pleased. "You can ask me every day."

If she asked him every day, it meant she would come to see him every day—this close, within reach.

Suddenly, Jin An didn’t want to grow up anymore. Because once he became an adult, Li Shuang would treat him with so much wariness and distance. He wouldn’t be able to gently stroke her hair or nestle in her arms to sleep...

With the questioning done, Li Shuang stood up and ordered her guard Ji Ran to take Jin An to rest.

The Western Rong army hadn’t retreated yet, so the city walls remained dangerous. Though Jin An was no ordinary child, Li Shuang still instinctively sent him down from the watchtower. She turned to assess the military situation and discuss the current state of affairs with her officers. Seeing her busy, Jin An obediently followed Ji Ran down the tower.

Ji Ran led the way, but halfway there, Jin An suddenly spoke. "Tell me..."

Ji Ran glanced at him. Jin An was usually silent and withdrawn, never initiating conversations with anyone in the guard camp. And since the status of Li Shuang’s personal guards surpassed that of ordinary officers, they naturally couldn’t be bothered to chat with this child. So whether during training or back in camp, Jin An was like a mute... except when he saw the general.

At those times, the little brat’s eyes would practically sparkle with unspoken words, as if he had a wagging tail behind him.

Now, faced with Jin An’s rare attempt at conversation, Ji Ran took it seriously. "Hmm? What is it?" He tilted his head to look at him.

Jin An stopped walking, raised his head solemnly, and asked with utmost seriousness, "If a woman is angry with me, how do I make her happy again?"

Ji Ran felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

What kind of question was this for a kid to ask?!

Ji Ran, the eldest in his family, had enlisted at fifteen and served for ten years. He had followed General Li on campaigns across the land, fighting year after year. Later, he had been assigned to Li Shuang, thinking that guarding a young woman would mean less action and maybe even a chance to return to the capital and settle down. But who knew she’d be transferred to the northern frontier—still fighting every year!

At twenty-five, when most men had children running around, he hadn’t even held a woman’s hand!

But after all these years, his blood had turned to iron. He’d grown used to being single. Who would’ve thought a child’s question would leave him so flustered?

If he said he didn’t know, wouldn’t that make him seem ignorant?

Ji Ran steeled his expression and answered in his most hardened warrior’s voice, "Give her something."

"Like what?"

How the hell should he know?!

"Something she wants."Jin An nodded thoughtfully, looking up at him with sincerity as he said, "Thank you."

Watching Jin An return to his tent, Ji Ran turned away and discreetly wiped his forehead.

As dusk approached, Li Shuang received a reply from the capital in her tent. The Emperor, upon learning of the situation in the northern frontier, ordered Li Shuang to abandon the defense of Lucheng and retreat fifty li to Liangzhou City, where she would join forces with troops from Yuzhou and Jizhou to resist the Western Rong invasion.

The current Emperor had once fought on the battlefield in his youth and was well-versed in military strategy. His decision aligned with Qin Lan's earlier plan, though circumstances had now changed. The Western Rong had lost two generals in succession, which would undoubtedly sow chaos in their ranks. Their siege might not succeed.

The morning's military report had already been rushed to the capital by fast horse. Upon receiving this news, the Emperor might issue a different decree. Li Shuang decided to hold Lucheng for a few more days and observe developments.

Just then, scouts reported that the Western Rong army had lit towering bonfires, beating drums and blowing horns as if selecting another general.

"Such a spectacle?" Luo Teng sneered. "Are they flaunting their numbers, replacing one dead general after another without fear?"

"No," Li Shuang said gravely. "Something is amiss."

Another officer added, "I agree. After losing two generals, the Western Rong should proceed cautiously. Such a blatant display suggests another scheme."

"They want to tell us—or rather, the black-armored warrior—that they've chosen another general, luring him into a trap," Qin Lan remarked. The tent fell silent at his words.

"Will the black-armored warrior go?" Luo Teng asked.

No one answered. No one knew.

Li Shuang's duty was to defend the city. The combined forces of Lucheng's garrison and the Changfeng Battalion were no match for even half the Western Rong army. They couldn't open the gates to launch an attack. She could only hold the city.

She could only hope the black-armored warrior was wise enough not to walk into such an obvious trap. Otherwise... venturing alone into an enemy ambush, no matter how formidable he was, would likely be his end.

But...

Wait.

Li Shuang stood abruptly, drawing the attention of all the officers. She coughed lightly. "I need to step out."

She left the main tent and headed for the personal guard camp. She now knew Jin An had ties to the black-armored warrior. If so, she could warn Jin An. She might even send someone to discreetly observe him, using him to lead them to the mysterious warrior.

When Li Shuang arrived at the personal guard camp, Ji Ran was on duty. He saluted her, and she nodded. "Where is Jin An?"

"General, he has been in the camp all afternoon and hasn't left."

Li Shuang nodded and lifted the tent flap, only to find it empty. The boy who was supposed to have been there all afternoon had vanished without a trace.

She turned to Ji Ran, raising an eyebrow.

Ji Ran stiffened. "General, I failed in my duty!" He offered no excuses, taking responsibility—a mark of her personal guard.

Before Li Shuang could respond, a scout outside suddenly shouted, "General! The Western Rong camp is on fire!"

Li Shuang froze, then rushed out of the tent and hurried to the city walls. In the distance, the sky burned crimson—the heart of the Western Rong army engulfed in flames...