Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

Jin An began training alongside the other youths in the military camp. Compared to the adult soldiers, their tasks were much lighter—just some basic physical exercises each day, followed by helping the soldiers with miscellaneous chores.

Having completed the training assigned by the squad leader early, Jin An sat down and stared blankly in the direction of Li Shuang's tent. His thoughts wandered aimlessly as he remembered there was one more thing he needed to do today—steal a set of clothes for his adult self at night.

Just as he was idling away, he suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind. Jin An's eyes sharpened, and at that moment, a hand reached out from behind, aiming to wrap around his neck in a chokehold. Jin An bent his elbow and struck backward, hitting the attacker squarely in the chest. A pained "Oof!" sounded as the person behind him fell heavily to the ground.

Turning around, Jin An saw a somewhat familiar face.

It was none other than Li Ting.

Li Ting had always been restless by nature. The day before, after listening to Li Shuang and the general discuss military matters, he had been bored out of his mind and refused to attend again today. Dodging his attendants, he wandered around the camp with his hands behind his back. By chance, he came to this corner and saw all the other young soldiers running drills while Jin An sat alone in a corner, staring into the distance.

Thinking it would be fun to spar with Jin An again, he crept up to ambush him. Yet once more, he ended up badly hurt, though he couldn't help but admit defeat.

"You little brat, do you have eyes in the back of your head?" Li Ting rubbed his chest, panting for a while before trying to sit up, only to find the pain too intense. "Help me up."

Faced with Li Ting's demand, Jin An merely gave him a cold stare, neither responding nor moving.

Li Ting's outstretched hand hung awkwardly in the air for a long time.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he slapped his thighs and struggled to his feet. Instead of leaving, he lingered, eyeing Jin An for a while before hesitantly asking, "You're pretty strong. Who's your master? Can you ask him to teach me too?"

"Don't know," Jin An replied coldly with three words before sitting back down to stare at Li Shuang's tent.

Li Ting shuffled closer and sat beside him. "Then... how about you teach me instead?"

Jin An ignored him.

After sizing him up for a moment, Li Ting followed his gaze and noticed it was directed at Li Shuang's tent. His eyes lit up with an idea. "I grew up with my sister. I know everything about her."

Jin An's gaze flickered slightly.

"If you teach me martial arts, I might occasionally share some things about my sister. Like what she likes to eat, her preferences, stuff like that."

Finally, Jin An turned his head and fixed his eyes on Li Ting.

Li Ting blinked at him twice, a charming smile curling his lips.

Jin An agreed.

By the time Li Shuang found out that Li Ting was learning martial arts from Jin An, over ten days had passed. She was both amused and exasperated.

Their family's patriarch had hired the finest martial arts instructor in the Great Jin Dynasty for Li Ting. Yet here he was, halfway through his training in the capital, running off to the northern frontier to learn from a mere child. If their family's instructor ever found out, he'd probably die of shame right there in the general's residence.So before, Li Ting had sensibly kept it from everyone. And the reason Li Shuang found out about this matter now was because Li Ting had stood up for Jin An and beaten up a fellow soldier from the same camp.

Looking at the three half-grown boys standing before her, Li Shuang rubbed her temples. Without a word, she first made Li Ting hold out his hand and gave him ten strikes on the palm. "Do you know why I'm hitting you?"

Li Ting was quite sensible: "I dragged you down, making you deal with such a trivial matter in the military camp."

"Good that you understand."

It was indeed a trivial matter. If it weren't for Li Ting, any other officer could have handled the three of them. But precisely because it was Li Ting who did this—who would dare punish the son of the Grand Marshal of the Empire except Li Shuang?

Then Li Shuang made the young soldier hold out his hand and gave him ten strikes as well. "Do you know why I'm hitting you?"

The young soldier rarely saw Li Shuang and was already pale with fear, but he managed to stammer, "B-because I led the others in bullying the new recruit and... poured water on his bed. General, I was wrong..."

Li Shuang nodded. "Good that you know."

The boy had disliked Jin An's aloof and cold demeanor, so he had splashed water on Jin An's bedding. Little did he expect that Jin An wouldn't say anything, but Li Ting would see it, accuse him of bullying his little master, and give him a brutal beating—his face was still bruised.

Li Shuang then walked over to Jin An with the cane and told him to hold out his hand. Jin An looked at her for a while, and only when Li Shuang raised an eyebrow did he obediently extend his hand.

He had stalled on purpose—just so Li Shuang's gaze would linger on him a little longer.

Even this small thing was enough to satisfy him.

Li Shuang, however, showed no mercy and gave him ten strikes on the palm before asking, "Do you know why I'm hitting you?"

"I don't know."

His answer was so straightforward that Li Shuang was momentarily stunned before saying, "If you don't know, then hold out your hand again."

So Jin An received another ten strikes.

"Do you know now?"

Jin An shook his head. "I don't know."

Li Shuang took a deep breath.

Beside them, Li Ting couldn't stand it anymore and quickly interjected, "Jin An, Jin An, it's a bit wrong to have conflicts with your seniors and not resolve them, to act arrogantly, and to skip training in secret to teach me things. Just a bit wrong." He stepped in front of Li Shuang. "Sister, he knows he was wrong."

Little did Li Ting expect that just as he had given Jin An a way out, Jin An would stab him in the back: "I don't have conflicts with them. They just don't like me. That's their problem, not mine."

Li Ting coughed awkwardly.

Jin An continued calmly, "I finished all my training. I didn't skip any. There's nothing wrong with teaching you either. I don't know what I did wrong." He looked up at Li Shuang, his gaze clear and steady. He wasn't being defiant—he was simply stating facts. "But if hitting my palm makes you happy, you can keep hitting me." He said to Li Shuang, "As long as it makes you happy."

"..."

Not only did Li Ting not know how to respond, but even Li Shuang was at a loss for words. She rubbed her temples, thinking to herself that kids these days were getting harder and harder to handle.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, all of you get out."

Bunch of troublemakers...At that moment, Qin Lan suddenly lifted the tent flap and entered. Upon seeing the three youths, he merely gave them a brief glance before speaking in a calm tone, "General, a small village thirty li north of Lucheng has requested grain aid from the city’s magistrate due to the recent heavy snowfall. The magistrate has asked us to lend troops to escort the supplies."

Li Shuang quickly made her decision. "Thirty li north is not far from here. Dispatch thirty soldiers and assign a squad leader to lead them."

Qin Lan accepted the order and turned to leave, but Li Ting suddenly called out, "I want to go too! I’ve been stuck here for over ten days, and now that we’re about to head back, I haven’t gone anywhere or done anything. Sister, let me join the escort—I want to broaden my horizons."

After a moment’s thought, Li Shuang considered the short distance—just a day’s round trip—and didn’t argue further. "Fine. Stay with the troops, don’t wander off, and follow the squad leader’s orders."

"Got it!" Li Ting cheerfully grabbed Jin An’s arm. "Come on, little master!" He tugged impatiently, fully expecting Jin An to follow, but it was like pulling on an iron block—Jin An stood unmoving, causing Li Ting to stumble instead.

"I’m not going."

Li Ting blinked. "Why not?"

"I’m staying in the camp," Jin An said, looking at Li Shuang. "I don’t want to go anywhere."

Li Ting pouted, his childish nature showing as he huffed, "Suit yourself," before happily bouncing out on his own.

Jin An remained standing where he was. Li Shuang studied him for a while. "Anything else?"

Jin An shook his head. Sensing the dismissal in her tone, he reluctantly stepped back. At the tent entrance, he lingered, holding the flap open and gazing at Li Shuang for a long moment before finally letting it drop with reluctance.

After Jin An had been gone for a while, Li Shuang rubbed her chin, muttering to herself in confusion, "Do I look like this kid’s mother… or father?"

As evening approached, the escort team had yet to return. Li Shuang glanced at the sky, and her soldier’s intuition prickled with unease. Just as her worry deepened, a lookout soldier suddenly reported thick plumes of smoke rising from the village thirty li north of Lucheng.

Li Shuang immediately sensed trouble.

She summoned Luo Teng at once. "Have the Xirong troops moved?"

"No," Luo Teng replied. "But our scouts have noticed a group of Xirong border bandits growing restless."

"Go back and armor up. Gather a thousand men—we ride out in half an incense stick’s time toward the village thirty li north."

Before Li Shuang could set out, however, one of the thirty soldiers from the escort team stumbled back into camp. He knelt before her horse, his voice hoarse as he kowtowed. "General! The Xirong bandits have captured the young master! They’re demanding five thousand dan of grain in exchange!"

Li Shuang’s face turned icy at the news. "Where are the bandits now?"

"The bandits have a stone stronghold another fifty or sixty li further north. They’ve taken the young master there…"

Qin Lan’s expression darkened as well. He nudged his horse closer to Li Shuang. "General, if they have a stronghold, a direct assault may be unwise. The grain can be replenished, but the young master cannot afford any mishap."

Li Shuang was an adopted daughter of General Li Wei, while Li Ting was the general’s long-awaited biological son, cherished and raised with high hopes. If anything happened to Li Ting under her watch, she truly wouldn’t be able to face the old man.Li Shuang's expression remained unreadable as she pondered for a moment before speaking, "This year's bitter cold has only begun to reveal the severity of the food shortage. If mere horse thieves can threaten our Great Jin's young master as a hostage to extort provisions, this winter will be unbearably difficult. Li Ting must not come to harm, nor can our court's five thousand bushels of grain be so easily surrendered."

"General, what do you propose?"

"Select ten men trained in internal martial arts to accompany me tonight."

Qin Lan was startled: "General, you..."

Li Shuang turned her horse northwest, her gaze sharp as a blade: "I will personally bring him back."