Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

When Li Shuang awoke, it was Qin Lan who stood vigil by her bedside, his features bearing a trace of weariness.

At the sight of her open eyes, Qin Lan's expression shifted slightly. "General," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

Li Shuang glanced at him groggily before closing her eyes again, her brow furrowing slightly. Her mind was a chaotic swirl of fragmented memories. "I..." She lifted a weak hand to rub her temples.

Before she could piece together the scattered fragments, Qin Lan had already urgently summoned the physician. A crowd of officers surged in from outside, and it wasn't until the physician arrived and shooed away the burly men that Li Shuang's world finally brightened again.

The officers chattered noisily, their words indistinct to her ears. The commotion sent a dull throb through her temples, and Qin Lan snapped in a low, furious voice, "All of you, out!"

Though somewhat aggrieved, the officers obediently withdrew, leaving only the physician, who frowned as he took Li Shuang's pulse. "The general's condition is no longer serious. A few days of recuperation, and she will recover." He shook his head. "But the symptoms are strange—five days and nights of unconsciousness without food or water, yet upon waking, she only suffers from mild weakness. The general truly has the heavens' protection."

Li Shuang didn't believe in any divine protection. She latched onto one phrase in the physician's words: "...five days and nights?" Her voice was so hoarse it was nearly inaudible unless one stood close. Struggling to sit up, she forced herself to speak louder. "I was unconscious for five days?"

The physician nodded. "More than five, in fact."

Li Shuang was stunned. Qin Lan watched her with deep concern, reaching out as if to steady her but hesitating to touch her without permission. "General, you've only just awakened. You mustn't—"

"Where is the man in black armor?" Li Shuang turned to Qin Lan. "Where is he?"

Qin Lan's unfinished words lodged in his throat. After a brief silence, under Li Shuang's gaze, he lowered his eyelids slightly, masking his expression. "General, five days ago, when we descended into that stone cavern, we found only you—unconscious and covered in sable fur. There was no one else."

He wasn't there...

A strange pang struck Li Shuang's heart.

She remembered—he had pulled her from the mire, drunk poison for her, and then... had he been taken away by that man called Wu Yin?

What would Wu Yin do to him? Use him? Or... kill him?

At the thought, Li Shuang suddenly found it impossible to stay still. "We must investigate." She tried to rise from the bed, but the physician immediately steadied her. Sure enough, the moment she stood, dizziness overwhelmed her, and without anyone needing to stop her, she sank back onto the bed.

"General, you've been unconscious for five days. You've only just awakened and are extremely weak. You mustn't move recklessly."

"What does the general wish to investigate?" Qin Lan asked solemnly. "This subordinate will ensure a thorough inquiry."

Li Shuang sat back and rubbed her temples. The initial agitation faded, and she regained her usual composure. "Where is Jin An?" she asked. "Bring him to me first. I have questions for him."

At this, Qin Lan fell silent once more.

Li Shuang turned to him. "What is it?"

"That soldier Jin An... he also disappeared from the camp five days ago," Qin Lan said gravely. "There has been no sign of him in these five days."Jin An... is also missing?

Li Shuang was somewhat stunned: "Have people been sent to search outside the military camp?"

"Both inside and outside Lu City, including the forest with hidden traps and the underground stone chamber from that day, have been thoroughly searched. There's no sign of Jin An." Qin Lan paused. "General, Jin An is not like other children. His origins are mysterious, and his martial arts are formidable. For him to disappear so quietly from the military camp, it’s unlikely he was taken by force—because if he resisted, there would have been commotion. The fact that no one noticed his absence can only mean he left on his own."

If Jin An left voluntarily, where could he have gone? Could he have secretly followed Wu Yin and his group, who took the mysterious man, in an attempt to rescue him?

Given Jin An’s connection with the mysterious man—acting as his informant—this wasn’t impossible. Still...

No matter how Li Shuang thought about it, something felt off, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. Regardless: "This matter must be investigated. Those who set the traps in the stone chamber intended to harm the Crown Prince—a crime punishable by death. They must be found. As long as they remain within Great Jin, they cannot be allowed to leave alive."

Qin Lan responded quietly, "Understood."

"Wait." Li Shuang stopped Qin Lan. "Send people to investigate the south. Pay close attention to any news related to gu."

Qin Lan was taken aback. "Gu sorcery?"

"Yes. Gu sorcery. Also, find out if there are any martial sects capable of refining people into gu vessels."

Qin Lan nodded, clasped his fists, and withdrew.

Li Shuang watched Qin Lan leave, her gaze resolute. She silently vowed to save the black-armored man. Her fists clenched slightly. Ever since she first encountered him, he had remained an enigma.

His whereabouts were always a mystery, yet without fail, he appeared to rescue her from peril.

From their first meeting in the bandit den north of the Great Wall to his life-risking protection in the muddy underground cavern, he had always fought with everything he had to keep her safe.

Even when she had nearly become his enemy in her duty to protect the Crown Prince...

Li Shuang’s eyes lowered slightly. Only then did she notice the bandage wrapped around her arm. Lifting it caused a faint twinge of pain—a wound left by Wu Yin’s treatment.

But the sight of her arm involuntarily reminded her of the Crown Prince, who, at her behest, had stepped on her to escape the muddy swamp.

"How is the Crown Prince now?"

The military physician, who had been writing a prescription, turned to answer. "His Highness returned unharmed, but he departed for the capital three days ago."

Li Shuang was startled. "His Highness returned to the capital?" She frowned, instinctively sensing trouble. "Has something happened in the capital?"

The physician sighed and nodded, his eyes carrying a trace of sorrow as he looked at Li Shuang. "General, His Majesty’s health has been ailing for some time now."

The imperial throne, the sovereign’s power—the fate of all Great Jin rested on this one man. His illness was the nation’s illness. Even at the distant frontier, the tremors of power from the empire’s heart could be felt.It was the heart of winter, and Li Shuang could only hope that the power struggles within the Great Jin court would not affect the battles at the border. She also prayed that these conflicts wouldn't bring wave after wave of vicious wolves to their frontier.

Now, without the Black Armored warriors, Li Shuang clenched her fists tightly. This winter, they would have to endure with sheer resilience.

In this moment of silence, she could only pray—pray that this time, Sima Yang would make it back in time, ascend to the throne that was rightfully his, and become the emperor who would safeguard the stability of Great Jin and the safety of the General's Manor.

She touched her arm, feeling a surge of relief. At least she had managed to save Sima Yang back then. In the face of the nation's fate, everything else suddenly seemed so insignificant.