Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

The kiss was too prolonged and too deep. Li Shuang had no idea when or how to end it. But before she could even begin to worry about how to conclude this lengthy embrace, Jin An released her first.

His warm palm slowly slid away from her cheek as Jin An fell into unconsciousness.

This was the first time in Li Shuang’s life that she had pinned a man against the wall to kiss him, yet he… just fell asleep like this?

As she felt his body temperature gradually return to normal and his muscles relax, Li Shuang truly didn’t know how to react.

Still… at least she could finally catch her breath.

Propping Jin An’s completely limp body against the corner, she steadied his waist with one hand and held his shoulder with the other, using her own shoulder to support his drooping head. “Wu Yin!” she called out. “If you haven’t left yet, come carry him.”

“Oh, uh… right.”

Her shout seemed to startle the two outside. Unlike Wu Yin, who walked in with an amused grin, Qin Lan remained standing outside, his expression unreadable as he peered through the shabby door and window of the small hut.

Wu Yin entered and took over Jin An’s weight, helping Li Shuang carry him to the bed. “General Li,” Wu Yin said with a chuckle, watching as Li Shuang sat by the bedside, wiping sweat from Jin An’s forehead. His smile never faded, as if the earlier emergency of his entire sect fleeing in an instant had never happened. “You military folks really are quite assertive.”

Li Shuang shot him a glance. “Instead of making idle remarks, why not go call your disciples back?”

“No need.” Wu Yin waved a hand dismissively. “Who knows what state he’ll be in when he wakes up? Running off one moment, coming back the next—it’s too much trouble. My Five Spirits Sect has lived on South Chang Mountain for generations. They’ll find shelter in the hills.” He narrowed his eyes with a teasing grin. “It’s getting late. Maybe I should take that blockhead outside with me too. With just the two of you left in Five Spirits Sect, General, you can do… whatever you like.”

“…”

Li Shuang seethed inwardly, yet despite herself, her gaze involuntarily flickered to Jin An’s bare chest and the area around his abdomen—

His belt was partially torn, barely hanging on. With her strength, a single finger could undo it—

Snap out of it! What was she thinking?!

She mentally scolded herself for such absurd thoughts. If no one were around, she might have slapped herself twice to regain her senses.

Though her emotions were in turmoil, Li Shuang managed to suppress them, only giving Wu Yin a cold glare. “Go fetch some hot water.”

Wu Yin shrugged, clearly finding her reaction dull, and headed out. Seeing Qin Lan still standing outside, he patted his shoulder. “Let them have some time alone. Come with me.”

Qin Lan didn’t move. “Why is he like this?” Though he hadn’t interacted much with Jin An during their time in the northern frontier, Qin Lan knew from their few encounters that this black-clad man, despite his mysterious origins and formidable power, had always been rational. He had even protected Li Shuang. Yet now, he had become nothing short of a monster.

“Your general can explain it to you later.” Wu Yin tugged at him. Qin Lan followed reluctantly, constantly glancing back. Before the view of the room was completely out of sight, the last thing he saw was Li Shuang’s profile as she tenderly wiped sweat from the man’s brow.Just like any ordinary woman, when she sees the one she loves, her gaze is filled with tenderness and deep affection, as if beholding the most precious treasure in the world.

Perhaps even the general herself was unaware... that one day, she would look at someone with such an expression.

Li Shuang had asked Wu Yin to fetch water, but it seemed as though he truly intended to take Qin Lan and never return. With her wrist still shackled to Jin An, Li Shuang couldn’t go anywhere. So, she simply sat on the bed as before, cradling Jin An’s head on her lap, letting him rest peacefully against her.

And she took the time to study his face closely.

It was slightly different from usual. Having spent so much time with Jin An, Li Shuang could now discern the differences. At night, perhaps because Jin An’s fusion with the Jade Silkworm Gu was more complete, his power grew stronger. At the same time, the flame patterns on his chest would spread to the corners of his eyes, and when he opened them, his pupils would appear blood-red, as if stained by those fiery marks.

During the day, when he was a child, his face was exceptionally clean, his eyes the ordinary black of any human, save for the red mark on his chest—otherwise, he was no different from any other child.

But today, Jin An’s body seemed unusual.

He was still in his adult form, yet the flame patterns on his chest hadn’t spread outward, remaining rounded and clustered as they did when he was a child. His eyes were closed, so Li Shuang couldn’t see their color, but as she held him, she noticed his body wasn’t as scorching hot as usual.

Without those flame patterns, his body seemed to have returned to that of an ordinary person.

Curious, Li Shuang extended a finger and lightly traced circles over the flame patterns on his chest.

Perhaps it tickled—she saw the muscles of Jin An’s chest twitch slightly. Li Shuang withdrew her hand, but when her gaze shifted from his chest back to his face, she found Jin An’s eyes already open.

Pitch-black pupils, like the darkest night of the year.

Moonlight from outside had seeped through the window, and under its glow, his eyes seemed to shimmer as if glowing in the dark. And within those eyes was her reflection.

"Awake?"

He remained silent, not answering her immediately. Instead, he moved his hand, the clanking of iron chains echoing as he raised his wrist. His gaze lowered, taking in the sturdy steel chain that bound Li Shuang’s wrist to his.

"Earlier..." Li Shuang began, carefully choosing her words, but Jin An sat up from her embrace, his eyes fixed intently on her wrist.

Following his gaze, Li Shuang noticed for the first time that her wrist was scraped and bleeding, the skin torn and mangled from the friction of the chains—a gruesome sight.

A flicker of emotion passed through Jin An’s eyes.

"It’s nothing," Li Shuang quickly reassured him, afraid he might blame himself. "Just a superficial wound."

But as soon as the words left her lips, Jin An gently grasped her arm. Before she could react, he leaned in and licked the wound with his tongue.

Li Shuang was stunned.

She could only stare at Jin An in shock, her mind blank for a moment. The sensation of his lips and tongue was unexpectedly gentle. Though the pressure of his licking wasn’t light, the slight pain and tingling it brought sent a shiver up her spine, leaving her utterly dazed.

Blank.

What was he doing...?

What was he doing?Her wrist was licked around the wound, jolting Li Shuang back to awareness. She tried to pull her hand away, but Jin An didn’t let go. His lips pressed against the injury as if savoring a rare delicacy, his movements dangerously seductive and unsettling.

"I want you..." he murmured, taking her wrist into his mouth.

The clinking of chains, the faint sting of the wound, and the moonlight spilling through the window made the night feel perilously charged—and intoxicatingly intimate.

Li Shuang could hear her own heartbeat pounding, her blood burning as if set aflame.

Yet, at the same time, a curse-like thought echoed in her mind, abruptly recalling the words Sima Yang had spoken that day in the imperial study as he penned the decree:

"Shuang’er, I only hope that when the time comes... you won’t regret it."

Like a sudden blow to the head, the memory snapped her back to clarity, dissolving all traces of intoxication into pure danger. A chill raced down her spine.

She shoved Jin An away with such force that the chains yanked her forward, sending her tumbling onto him. But she quickly scrambled to her feet, putting as much distance between them as the chains allowed.

She couldn’t forget what she had to do when she returned.

Yet when Jin An was pushed away, he simply stood and advanced toward her, his eyes eerily devoid of emotion. Only then did Li Shuang realize something was wrong. She swiftly suppressed all her hidden turmoil.

"Jin An," she called, hoping his name would rouse him. But he strode forward, sweeping her into his arms without hesitation and sealing her lips with his own.

Stunned, Li Shuang twisted her elbow against his chest, but Jin An’s hand had already slipped around her waist, gripping her sash. With a sharp rip , the fabric tore apart as easily as paper, leaving her waist suddenly bare.

What irony—just moments ago, she had thought about how easily she could undo his sash with a single finger. Now, the man who had been lying unconscious was doing the same to her.

But this was no time for jest. Li Shuang knew something must have gone wrong while Jin An was unconscious.

If his earlier state—his body shifting unpredictably—was a sign of the Jade Silkworm Gu just settling in, then his current behavior suggested the gu had stabilized and was now demanding comfort from its host.

But she had no intention of comforting him like this!

A touch, a kiss—that was already the limit. This body of hers wasn’t hers alone to handle as she pleased!

"Calm down!" she managed to gasp, turning her head away to breathe. But Jin An had already pushed her onto the bed.

In an instant, after the sash, her robes were torn open. A cool breeze brushed her exposed shoulders, followed by the searing trail of Jin An’s lips—igniting fire along her skin, from her shoulders to her collarbone, down the center of her chest.

Panic surged through her. She quickly cupped Jin An’s face, stroking his cheeks to coax him to look up, making him think she wanted to kiss him. And in that fleeting moment when their lips met, her free hand pressed against his neck, gathering all her inner strength—

With a sharp strike to the back of his neck, Jin An stiffened. His eyes locked onto hers before slowly fluttering shut.Li Shuang immediately reached to check his pulse. She hadn’t held back her strength earlier, knowing that the force that could knock out an ordinary person might not be enough to render Jin An unconscious. But using too much strength pained her—she feared she might have killed him outright.

But it was alright.

As expected of Jin An—he had merely passed out.

Li Shuang hastily pushed him away and rolled off the bed, hastily straightening her disheveled clothes. Just as she was about to leave, she realized the iron cuffs were still locked around her wrists.

She had no choice but to search the room for the key, but after all the chaos, it was nowhere to be found. She would have to wait for Wu Yin and the others to return before she could find a spare.

With a long sigh, Li Shuang sat down at the foot of the bed, hugging her knees, and glanced back at Jin An, still unconscious on the bed. A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

If it had been anyone else, she would have killed them countless times over by now. But it had to be him. No matter how far he went, no matter how outrageous his actions, she simply couldn’t bring herself to truly resent him.

Li Shuang knew that once he regained consciousness and remembered what he had done, he would likely despise himself more than anyone else in this world.

And with that thought, her heart ached for him even more than it did for herself.