Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

When she was awake, Li Shuang's rationality naturally wouldn't allow Jin An to sleep together with her. She spread a blanket on the floor and lay down herself, leaving the bed for Jin An.

But when she woke up in the morning, she found herself sharing the bed with Jin An. He held her in his arms as if protecting a treasured possession, exuding an overwhelming sense of possessiveness.

Li Shuang stirred slightly, and he immediately tightened his embrace.

Resigned, Li Shuang let him continue holding her as she slept. She glanced outside and saw the morning glow already coloring the sky, yet Jin An hadn't reverted to his child form. This confirmed what Wu Yin had said yesterday.

The closer he stayed to her, the more he absorbed her presence—it truly affected the timing of his transformation.

So... to help Jin An return to normal, would she really have to...?

"You're awake." A deep, husky male voice sounded by her ear. Since he was embracing her from behind, his breath easily brushed against her earlobe—warm, slightly damp, and ticklish, creating an intimacy that made Li Shuang blush.

She quickly broke free from Jin An's embrace and sat up, rubbing her ear as if to wipe away the lingering warmth of his breath.

She didn’t ask why he had held her while they slept, nor did she dwell on the events of the previous night. Li Shuang knew the more she questioned or spoke about it, the more awkward it would become. Of course, Jin An wouldn’t feel such emotions—only she would.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat. "I have something to attend to. I need to give instructions to the troops stationed below the mountain."

After saying this, she walked to the door but couldn’t resist glancing back. Jin An had already transformed back into a child, his oversized clothes draping over him like a quilt.

The child stared at her intently. Li Shuang paused. "I’ll be back in half an hour at most. Don’t just wait around—find something to do if you want."

"Okay."

Only then did Li Shuang leave with peace of mind.

She asked Wu Yin for paper and brush, but before she could finish drafting the partial withdrawal plan for the troops below the mountain, a disciple of the Five Spirits Sect brought someone up from below.

"General."

The arrival was entirely unexpected. "Qin Lan?" She stared at the travel-worn man in surprise. "Why are you here instead of staying at Changfeng Camp? What about the Western Rong—"

Qin Lan gazed at her silently for a moment before lowering his eyes. Without addressing her question, he went straight to the point. "It is indeed about the Western Rong."

Li Shuang’s expression immediately turned serious. Qin Lan continued, "The Western Rong King died suddenly last month. Instead of the Crown Prince ascending the throne, it was the king’s younger brother, Prince Shugan, who took power. The Western Rong has undergone a regime change."

Li Shuang was stunned. She knew the political situation in the Western Rong court well.

The Western Rong Queen was fierce and domineering, forbidding other women in the harem from bearing the king’s children. Yet, the queen herself had only given birth to two sons—the elder was simple-minded and unfit for rule, while the younger was still too immature to stand alone. The king’s brothers had long coveted the throne, leading to years of tangled power struggles within and outside the court.Now that the King of Western Rong had died suddenly, his young son had not yet ascended the throne. Instead, the third brother of the late king, the Prince of Shugan, had become the new emperor. What exactly had transpired in this matter was likely known only to those directly involved.

"With Western Rong under a new ruler, how will they treat our Great Jin?"

"The Prince of Shugan, Daichin, has now become the new king. Compared to the previous king's warmongering tendencies, he seems..."

A crisp "crack" interrupted the conversation between the two. Li Shuang and Qin Lan turned to see little Jin An standing at the doorway, the cup he had been carrying now shattered on the ground.

His expression was oddly blank, his gaze unusually not fixed on Li Shuang but staring vacantly into space as if lost in thought. It took a long moment before his eyes regained focus, only to settle intently on Qin Lan.

He said nothing, his demeanor strange. Li Shuang frowned in concern. "Jin An?" she called his name, finally seeming to bring him back to awareness. "What brings you here?"

"You told me to do what I wanted..." His voice sounded more vacant than usual. But he didn't need to finish the sentence—Li Shuang understood his meaning.

She had told him to follow his desires, and what he most wanted was to stay by her side. So here he was, bringing tea.

Li Shuang felt both helpless and strangely warmed by his dependence.

Qin Lan, however, raised an eyebrow at Jin An's appearance. "General, this child..."

"It's a long story." There was no time to explain Jin An's circumstances to Qin Lan now, so Li Shuang brushed past the matter. "Let's first discuss why you've come. Has the new king of Western Rong made any moves?"

"King Daichin has sent envoys to the capital, proposing a ten-year truce between Western Rong and Great Jin. But the envoys insist on meeting with you personally."

"They must see me?" Li Shuang was puzzled. Since the envoys had already come to the capital, wouldn't it suffice to negotiate the truce with Sima Yang? Why did they need to see her?

This was the point that concerned her. As she voiced her confusion, Jin An—who rarely spoke up—unexpectedly interjected, asking Qin Lan, "Say that again. What's the new king of Western Rong called?"

Qin Lan found the boy's behavior even more peculiar than when they'd been at the northern frontier, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. He answered the question: "The former Prince of Shugan, Daichin. The late king's third brother."

Jin An fell silent again, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Li Shuang noticed his odd behavior. She knelt down and gently took his shoulders, making him look at her. "What's wrong? Do you know the Prince of Shugan, Daichin?"

It took a long moment before Jin An's eyes focused on her face again. "No," he said. "I don't know him."

With Qin Lan still present, Li Shuang didn't press further. Just then, Wu Yin appeared at the doorway. "Ah, there you are," he said, beckoning to Jin An. "Come with me. Let's check your condition."

Jin An followed Wu Yin in a daze, leaving Li Shuang frowning and Qin Lan standing in the room.

"General," Qin Lan addressed her, "I know you came here to rescue that mysterious man. Since he's disappeared, why is Jin An here instead?"

Li Shuang shook her head, pushing aside her thoughts and speculations. "Never mind that. When will the Western Rong envoys arrive in the capital?"

"I escorted them from the northern frontier to the capital before receiving His Majesty's orders to fetch you. The Emperor takes this truce very seriously, General... I'm afraid we must depart immediately."Li Shuang glanced back at the paper on the table. She had originally planned to stay at the Five Spirits Sect a while longer—at least enough time for Jin An to stabilize his emotions a bit more, enough time to nurture some hope that he might return to normal. But now, it seemed her time was even shorter than before.

"We can't leave today," Li Shuang said. "Tomorrow... no, the day after. The army will return to the capital first. I'll ride hard the following day and catch up with them."

Qin Lan was silent for a long moment. "General... is there something you're waiting for? That mysterious person?"

In truth, Li Shuang knew these two days wouldn't suddenly restore Jin An to normal—wouldn't bring back his memories or make him ordinary again. But she also knew that once she returned to the capital, she would inevitably have to stand before Jin An and make things clear. From then on, the palace walls would become a barrier forged by the sorcerers—you cannot enter, I cannot leave. You must either go away or stand outside those walls, guarding me from afar.

She couldn't imagine how to say such words to Jin An. Couldn't imagine what expression he might wear when hearing them.

Probably the same look he'd worn that day when she told him to wait—and he simply kept waiting for her.

Except this time, once she entered those palace gates, Jin An might never get to wait for her again.

"Yes..." Li Shuang said. "Just two more days. Only these two."

She hoped these two days could stretch longer than any time before.