Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

Waking up, the surroundings remained the same unchanging darkness. Time in the sealed dungeon seemed to stand still. Li Shuang felt a bit disoriented, unable to distinguish day from night. But soon, she felt a slight weight on her leg and looked down—that was when she could tell the time.

It must be nighttime, because Jin An had transformed into a grown man. Just like the version of him she had seen every night back in the northern frontier.

He wasn’t wearing his black armored mask, so his features appeared even more refined. He was still asleep—perhaps he hadn’t had a proper rest in days, which was why, once he drifted off, it was hard for him to wake.

Li Shuang gazed at his peaceful face and couldn’t help but recall those nights from months ago. The mysterious man who had appeared each time, effortlessly stirring her emotions—anger, shyness, flutters of the heart…

Lost in thought, she gently touched his cheek, her fingertips lightly tracing his brow and the bridge of his nose. His eye sockets were deeper than most people from the Great Jin—if anything, he resembled someone from the Western Rong tribes, yet with a refinement they lacked.

With unprecedented gentleness, she mapped every inch of his skin. His lashes were long, though faint shadows lingered beneath his eyes—proof of the torment he had endured. His lips were chapped, peeling white flakes that brushed against her fingertips, sending an inexplicable itch through her heart. She wanted to smooth away the traces of exhaustion on his face, so her fingers unconsciously lingered near his lips.

Unexpectedly, the sleeping man suddenly parted his lips slightly, and Li Shuang’s hand inadvertently slipped between them.

He bit down on her…

The pressure of his teeth and lips was light, carrying the warmth from his body—so warm it made her heart tremble.

Instinctively, she tried to pull her hand away, but his teeth tightened just enough to stop her—not painful, but not gentle either.

He didn’t let go.

Li Shuang glanced down and realized Jin An had opened his eyes at some point. He lay quietly on her lap, biting her finger in an unbearably intimate way, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Their eyes met, the dungeon filled with an ambiguous tension, silence stretching between them.

"Jin An…" Li Shuang regained her composure, clearing her throat and averting her gaze. "Let go."

Jin An loosened his grip slightly, freeing her finger. Just as she sighed in relief, he spoke:

"Do you enjoy touching me?"

…So direct!

If Jin An had still been a child, Li Shuang wouldn’t have been so flustered. Even knowing his mind was that of an adult, his smaller form made it easier to distance herself. But now, with him as a grown man—one who happened to align perfectly with her tastes—lying on her lap, asking such a question at such close range… she could feel her face heating up.

She coughed again, but before she could answer, Jin An added, "I want to kiss you."

"…" Li Shuang blinked. "Huh?"

Jin An repeated smoothly, "May I kiss you?"

Li Shuang was stunned. "You—"

"He said he wants to kiss you. The mwah mwah kind," Wu Yin’s voice suddenly chimed in from outside the dungeon, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. "I heard everything."After the initial awkwardness, Li Shuang grew flustered and angry, gritting her teeth slightly. "Why are you still here?"

Before Wu Yin could respond, Jin An sat up from Li Shuang's lap, his eyes gleaming with killing intent. "I'll kill him."

Li Shuang quickly grabbed his hand, while outside came the sound of Wu Yin placing something on the ground. "Aiya, such ingratitude! I've been keeping watch here all afternoon and just brought you two some food, and now you want to kill me. There's no justice in this world."

Li Shuang stood up as well, but having slept too long, her circulation was poor. The moment she rose, her legs went numb as if countless ants were gnawing at her flesh. She swayed, and Jin An immediately steadied her. The murderous glint in his eyes instantly gave way to concern and... fear, like a child guarding their most precious possession—afraid to hold it too tightly lest it break, afraid to cradle it too gently lest it slip away.

Li Shuang waved her hand reassuringly. "Just numb legs, it's fine."

She had Jin An support her as they moved to the door. "Let Jin An leave tonight."

This time, it was Wu Yin outside who fell silent for a moment. "The ground outside is still littered with bodies, and my old healer is in her seventies or eighties—she can't run around."

Li Shuang understood Wu Yin's concern. She trusted Jin An without question, but others wouldn't. "Bring a pair of shackles and chain me to Jin An. Would that work? He isn't a prisoner and shouldn't be locked up here."

Jin An's eyes flickered. He glanced down at the wound on Li Shuang's neck and her slender wrists. Though others saw her as a female general who could lead armies into battle, in Jin An's eyes, he only wanted to hide her behind him, keeping her in the safest place possible.

"I can stay here," Jin An said. "You're not a prisoner either. Don't bind yourself because of me."

Li Shuang turned to look at him. In the silence, a sharp "click" sounded—the prison door outside was being unlocked.

Wu Yin stood there, his expression a mix of resignation and amusement as he stared at them. "Alright, alright, I'm about to be sick from all this sweetness. Come on, I'll have someone arrange a room for you two. When a Jade Silkworm Gu host is with their master, there shouldn't be any issues."

He picked up the food from the ground. "Let's eat outside."

As they walked up, Li Shuang held Jin An's hand the entire way. Just as they neared the prison entrance, where moonlight spilled across the ground, Jin An suddenly halted—he hadn't seen moonlight in so long.

Li Shuang's hand slipped from his. She turned to him. "What's wrong?"

Jin An didn't answer.

Li Shuang didn't press him. Instead, she quietly extended her hand, offering it to him. "Don't be afraid. Come with me."

Where Li Shuang stood, the cool moonlight cast a faint glow upon the ground, making it seem as though she herself was radiant.

"I won't hurt you," he said, as if making a vow. "And I won't hurt anyone you don't want me to hurt."

"I know," Li Shuang replied softly but firmly. "I trust you."

Jin An placed his hand in hers. Both their palms burned like fire, warming and relying on each other.

"Li Shuang." For the first time, he called her name with such solemnity. "You will be the only one for the rest of my life."

Li Shuang parted her lips. She wanted to respond—to give him some affirmation, any affirmation. She was happy, thrilled even, to hear him say such words.But in that instant, she heard the distant sound of a military bugle from the foot of the mountain—the signal for the troops to return to camp and rest. Li Shuang suddenly felt all the words in her chest torn apart by the wound in her throat.

She thought of the general's residence, of the Changfeng Battalion beyond the frontier, of the lofty emperor high above, and of the great army she had bargained for with the remainder of her life.

She had saved him, yet in her remaining years, she would never be his only one.