Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

After returning to the banquet, Li Shuang seemed somewhat dazed. Noticing the Western Rong envoy also reentering the hall, she fixed her gaze on him for a moment. The old man's sharp eyes immediately locked onto hers in return. He lightly raised his wine cup, offering a distant toast in her direction.

Li Shuang remained unmoved, but Sima Yang intercepted by lifting his own cup first. "General Li has reached her limit with wine. How about I drink this toast on her behalf, Envoy?"

The old man promptly stood up, exchanged pleasantries, then drank and sat back down.

Not long after, Sima Yang claimed intoxication and excused himself early. With the emperor's departure, the banquet gradually dispersed. As he left, Sima Yang deliberately circled to Li Shuang's side, tapping her head lightly while whispering, "No more drinking next time. Tell me beforehand."

The intimacy of his manner surpassed not only the usual ruler-subject relationship but likely even the affection he showed most imperial concubines. The astute ministers present would surely spread rumors about the emperor's intentions throughout the court by the next day.

Yet Li Shuang simply stared blankly at Sima Yang until his figure disappeared among the attendants. Strangely, she found herself devoid of any particular thoughts—fortunately, Sima Yang had mistaken her silence for drunken stupor... Rubbing her temples, Li Shuang recalled the scene she'd witnessed earlier by the lake: Jin An meeting with the Western Rong envoy.

Though the dim nighttime lighting obscured details, she could never mistake Jin An's silhouette. The cane-bearing old man's profile perfectly matched the Western Rong envoy's. What struck her was the envoy's posture—standing reverently before Jin An in formal salute. This suggested Jin An's status as Western Rong royalty. With their old king deceased and a new ruler enthroned, for this envoy to risk a secret meeting at the palace implied Jin An must be an exceptionally important royal figure.

That Jin An agreed to the meeting confirmed he'd regained memories of his identity. Suddenly, his recent reticence and those pensive stares made sense. He remembered who he was. His body had fully merged with the gu worms—no more daily transformations, no more memory loss, no more clinging to her like before. Jin An... had probably returned to normal. Had he conquered the Jade Silkworm Gu?

Her thoughts in turmoil, Li Shuang returned absently to the general's manor. Sitting alone in her room, she debated whether to seek him out in his courtyard. Just then, a faint noise came from the roof. Before she could turn, Jin An materialized inside her chamber—no sound from the courtyard, the gate guards standing rigidly at their posts as usual. She calmly closed the window before facing him, yet something unfamiliar now lingered in his gaze.

"You've remembered who you are?"

"Yes." Jin An didn't evade. "The new king's only son—Ao Deng."

The sole heir to Western Rong's throne—meaning he'd return as crown prince, future king of Western Rong. An incomparably noble status indeed.

Li Shuang fell silent momentarily. "With such standing, why didn't Western Rong search for you during your disappearance?"

"The late king was paranoid. My father dared not deploy troops to find me. Moreover, the Five Spirits Sect's witch operated covertly, imprisoning me near the contested border between our nations—as you know, reconnaissance there would have been impossible."Li Shuang nodded. She knew that the grove where the dungeon was located had long been deserted, situated outside Deer City. Theoretically, it wasn't part of the Great Jin's territory, but in reality, it was under their control. The Changfeng Battalion kept watch daily, ensuring no Western Rong cavalry could pass through.

Yet the Changfeng Battalion only observed. If nothing happened, they wouldn't venture there—making it an excellent hiding spot.

"You came to see me today—"

"I'm returning to Western Rong."

Jin An rarely interrupted Li Shuang before. Whenever she spoke to him, it was like a heavenly gift, and he would gaze at her fixedly, his eyes shining with only her reflection.

But now, Jin An cut her off with words that carried the chill of farewell.

He spoke without hesitation, as if merely delivering a notice.

Li Shuang was silent for a long time. "That's for the best," she replied, her tone formal, as though concealing all emotion.

In truth, this had always been the best outcome she could imagine. He had remembered who he was, knew his homeland, and now had a future beyond her—a life with other purposes.

He was an independent, whole person.

Beyond "That's for the best," Li Shuang truly didn't know what else to say.

"I plan to leave in two days. The envoy will help me depart Great Jin."

"Mm." Li Shuang nodded. "Don't let word leak. If the Emperor learns your identity, he won't let you go easily."

Their exchange was polite and detached. Li Shuang avoided Jin An's gaze, unwilling to meet his eyes. For some reason, in this moment, she feared seeing the courtesy and distance in them.

The Jin An without memories had eyes only for her—he had been hers. But now, he was no longer that Jin An.

She stood for a while, the air growing increasingly awkward, until she finally took a deep breath and moved to open the door. "I'll dismiss the guards. Find a chance to leave first. Stay in the general's manor—no one will dare touch you there."

Before she could pull the door open, Jin An's hand grasped her arm.

The familiar warmth, the familiar scent—yet his words no longer felt familiar.

"I came today to thank you," Jin An said. "Thank you, General, for your care these past days."

Li Shuang's lips trembled slightly, but then the window creaked open with a "squeak." She turned abruptly—the room was already empty.

She rushed to the window and looked out, only to see guards cautiously peering into the courtyard. "General?" one asked hesitantly. "Any orders?"

"None," Li Shuang replied. "It was stuffy. I opened the window for air."

She sat back down in the room, studying her reflection in the mirror. Then she rubbed her chest, taking several deep breaths. It made no sense—there was no illness or injury, yet she truly felt a tightness in her chest.

As though something had been torn away, leaving behind an indescribable ache and suffocation.

But it was fine. This outcome was fine. Everything had returned to its rightful path.

Li Shuang sat before the mirror all night, repeating this to herself. Then, before dawn the next day, a sudden commotion arose outside the general's manor—an exceedingly rare occurrence.

Before long, the chief steward hurriedly sought her out."Someone from the palace has arrived with an imperial decree, demanding the immediate presence of the guest from the northern quarters for an audience. The Imperial Azure Dragon Guards have come armed, and the general is currently entertaining them in the front hall... Ah! Young Mistress!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shuang was already sprinting toward the northern quarters. As she neared the small courtyard, she spotted the Azure Dragon Guards approaching from another path in the distance.

Anxious, Li Shuang used her qinggong to leap over the walls and land in Jin An's courtyard in a few bounds. She scanned the area but didn’t see Jin An. Just as she pushed open the door to his room, a voice came from behind: "What’s wrong?"

Turning around, she saw Jin An holding a sword, sweat still glistening on his forehead, as if he had been practicing for a long time. "I was training with my sword when I heard movement heading this way."

His senses were sharper than anyone’s.

"No time to explain. You need to leave now. If you disappear, the city gates will be sealed immediately. Don’t rush to exit the city. There’s an abandoned courtyard behind the White Temple in the southern district—it has a hidden underground chamber stocked with everything you need. Hide there until the situation cools down, then find a way to return to the Western Rong."

Li Shuang spoke quickly, but the heavy footsteps of the Azure Dragon Guards were already audible outside. Jin An remained composed, his eyes narrowing slightly, their gleam as sharp as a blade’s edge. "Qin Lan?" he guessed, naming the possible informant.

Li Shuang didn’t answer. She pushed him. "Trust no one. Go."

Jin An looked at her, and in that moment, he was reminded of the night in the northern frontier, inside that stone chamber, when Wu Yin’s arrival had forced them apart. Before losing consciousness, Li Shuang had gazed at him just like this—her brows furrowed with unspoken worry, making him want to pull her into his arms and kiss away the crease between them.

But the guards were almost here. There was no more time to delay...

With a loud crash, the Azure Dragon Guards barged in. Li Shuang picked up the sword from the ground and cast a sharp glance toward the courtyard gate, her dark eyes glinting like the cold edge of a blade.

Every guard who met her gaze was startled.

Li Shuang twirled the sword and rested it at her side. "Azure Dragon Guards?" Her tone was laced with feigned surprise. "Why have the Emperor’s personal guards stormed into my general’s estate at dawn?"

"General." The leader of the guards was Tian Shoudu, captain of the Azure Dragon Guards and a close confidant of Sima Yang—practically raised alongside the Emperor. He and Li Shuang had once been acquainted, but after her departure to the northern frontier, their ties had faded. Now, their interaction was purely formal. "We come under imperial decree to escort the honored guest here for an audience with His Majesty. Our intrusion is inexcusable."

"Oh? This place merely houses an ordinary man who once did me a kindness. How is he an honored guest of the Emperor?"

"That, I do not know. We ask for your cooperation."

Li Shuang nodded with a polite smile. "If it’s the Emperor’s decree, of course I’ll comply. However, since my return to the estate yesterday, I haven’t seen the occupant of this courtyard. I was hoping to spar with him today, but he never showed. Perhaps you’d like to wait in my stead, Captain?"

She placed the sword on the stone table in the courtyard and gestured for the guards to proceed.

Tian Shoudu studied her for a moment before signaling his men to search the premises. Their efforts yielded nothing. Li Shuang stood idly by, arms crossed. After leaving two guards behind, Tian Shoudu led the rest away.They left, and Li Shuang turned back for a glance. The uncles and elders in the general's residence had also been startled awake. Li Ting, roused by the commotion, came to find Li Shuang with his hair still disheveled: "Sister, what exactly is the background of the person you saved? Why did the Azure Dragon Guards come to capture him?"

Li Shuang shook her head: "I don't know either."

At first, she truly didn't know.

But when Li Shuang asked herself—if she had known from the beginning that Jin An had such an identity, would she still have gone to South Long Mountain to save him?

The frightening thing was, when she thought this way, the first notion that surfaced in her heart was—"Yes."

She would still have gone to save him without hesitation, just as she had today.