Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

Qin Lan's blade flashed instantly before Jin An's face, yet Jin An neither dodged nor evaded. He simply gazed at Li Shuang, as if willingly prepared to surrender his life to Qin Lan's blade.

But though he remained still, Wu Yin and Li Shuang were far from idle. Li Shuang intercepted Qin Lan's wrist mid-swing, deftly twisting the great blade from his grip, while Wu Yin stepped forward, restraining Qin Lan's movement with a push to his chest that sent him stumbling back.

Qin Lan steadied himself, then lunged forward once more, murderous intent blazing in his eyes. Wu Yin's brow twitched, his hand gathering energy as he prepared to strike in earnest—but Li Shuang drove the confiscated blade into the ground, planting it firmly before the bed. Her expression was icy and stern.

"Kill me first," she said, "then kill him."

At her words, Qin Lan froze. His eyes locked with Li Shuang's, and the emotions he had long suppressed finally surged forth—rage, hatred, resentment, and… jealousy.

A jealousy that burned like fire, gnawing at his bones.

"General," he seethed, his fury boiling over, "do you truly understand the consequences of your actions? You traveled from the northern frontier, traversing thousands of miles, paying who knows what price to secure fifty thousand troops from His Majesty! Have you forgotten? Years ago, you and the Grand General risked everything to escape the capital and reach the northern border! And now—for the sake of this man who has wounded you, endangered you, brought you nothing but harm—you offer yourself up so willingly! What do you possibly gain from guarding him like this?"

Li Shuang remained silent. Behind her, Jin An stared blankly at the morning light filtering through her silhouette, lost in thought.

Amidst Qin Lan's furious shouts, Jin An felt as though he heard another voice—one he had never heard before, rough and unfamiliar, yet inexplicably familiar, as if struggling to break free from the depths of his soul.

At the same time, countless images flashed through his mind, just as they had yesterday when Qin Lan brought news of the Western Rong.

These strange yet faintly recognizable scenes flooded his consciousness, but unlike yesterday’s hazy impressions, today they were far clearer.

Yet no one noticed the shift in Jin An’s expression.

Li Shuang and Wu Yin stood silent, their gazes fixed on Qin Lan.

"Even if you protect him today, what will you do when you return to the capital? If you care for him enough to borrow troops for his sake, do you truly believe His Majesty will allow such a man to live? Once suspicion takes root, as long as he draws breath, you—and the General’s Manor—will never escape the Emperor’s scrutiny! The imperial court, the harem… everyone will know that the Grand General’s daughter—"

Qin Lan choked back the rest of his words, for what followed was another unbearable truth—one that spelled Li Shuang’s fate.

She would marry the Emperor.

And the entire court, the three thousand concubines of the harem, would all know that before her marriage, Li Shuang had journeyed a thousand miles to save a mysterious man.

A man who still lived.

Perhaps, for now, Sima Yang would overlook it, given her surrender of military power. But the day would come when the Emperor sought to purge his loyal hounds, when he moved to weaken the General’s Manor—and then, this very matter would become a nail driven into its spine.

The Emperor and his allies would wield the hammer, striking it down with a single, effortless blow.If there was still a way to remedy this situation now, it would be to kill Jin An—to find some excuse and claim that Li Shuang had pursued him to seek revenge. Only then would this matter have no chance of changing in the future.

But...

"Because I've already put in so much effort, that's exactly why I want him to live."

Li Shuang's voice was hoarse, but her gaze and words were crystal clear.

Thus, no matter how much anger Qin Lan felt, it all became irrelevant at this moment.

From the very beginning, she had known her own absurdity and willfulness. And yet, her father had indulged her willfulness. In this lifetime, she would probably only be allowed to be willful this once. Even if this one act would plunge her into an abyss in the future, she would not regret taking this path.

"General..." Qin Lan's voice was so hoarse it sounded as if he had suffered a crushing defeat in battle. "Have you thought about the future?"

Li Shuang had. She had thought about Jin An's future, worrying for him. But as for her own, it seemed there was nothing left for her to fear.

She had made her choice, and when she did, she had already thought it through clearly.

"I have plans."

Qin Lan had nothing more to say, nor could he stay in the small hut any longer. He lowered his gaze, just as he had done countless times before, no longer meeting Li Shuang's eyes. He clenched his fists and bowed his head. "General... if you've made your decision... then so be it."

He turned and left.

With Qin Lan gone, silence filled the hut. Only Wu Yin let out a sigh. "You noble families always make things so complicated." His eyes flickered, and though his lips curled into his usual faint smile, his gaze deepened. "General, do you truly have plans for the future?"

But Wu Yin's concern was not for Li Shuang—it was for Jin An.

As the master of the Five Spirits Sect, the Jade Silkworm Gu was still their sect's treasure. Though he had agreed to let Jin An leave Nanchang Mountain with Li Shuang, he had also said he would send people to protect them in the future. If Jin An were to die, they would reclaim the Jade Silkworm Gu.

Li Shuang fell silent, turning to look at Jin An, who had been sitting silently on the bed since earlier.

The warm morning sun spilled over them, yet Jin An had not reverted to his childlike form. Li Shuang took his wrist, sensing that his body no longer burned like a fireball as it once had.

Her gaze flickered, and she glanced at Wu Yin. "You said earlier that Jin An has become like the Gu hosts of the past, didn’t you?"

Wu Yin nodded. "Yes, it’s quite similar. There’s a mark on his chest, his appearance is no different from an ordinary person, he doesn’t grow or shrink, and there are no flame patterns spreading across his body."

So, did that mean Jin An’s body had fully merged with the Gu?

Li Shuang studied his eyes. Jin An stared back at her, his gaze as clear as ever, yet now it seemed slightly unfocused, as if he were looking through her at something else.

Afraid that Qin Lan’s earlier words might have unsettled him, she reassured him, "I came here to find you, but it’s not as complicated or difficult as Qin Lan made it sound." She paused. "Tomorrow, I’ll be setting off back to the capital. I meant to tell you yesterday, but there wasn’t time. Come back to the capital with me." She glanced at Wu Yin. "You can’t stray too far from me for now, but once we return to the capital... I might not be able to stay by your side as I do now."When she said this, the mist in Jin An's eyes dissipated somewhat, as if he had finally focused all his attention on Li Shuang.

"I'll be going back, and in a few months, I'll enter the palace. You'll be assigned to the general's residence—my father and Li Ting will arrange it for you." Her grip on his wrist tightened slightly. "In the future, perhaps..."

She started to speak but suddenly found the words stuck in her throat. After a long pause, she finally looked up at Jin An. "Anyway, if your body doesn't change anymore, that would truly be a good thing." She smiled. "You can teach Li Ting martial arts every day from now on. If you want to travel the world, you can go freely."

"What about you?" Jin An asked. "Will you come with me?"