Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

Li Shuang was pinned to the ground by the old woman. She struggled fiercely, but the woman's grip felt like iron shackles, even stronger than before.

The surrounding soldiers immediately rushed forward. Luo Teng swung his broadsword fiercely at the old woman's neck, but as the blade struck, there was a sharp crack —the sword chipped instead.

"Heart..." Li Shuang gasped out the word with difficulty.

Qin Lan swiftly thrust his sword toward the old woman's back, aiming for her heart, yet the blade couldn't pierce through. The woman turned her head, her eyes pitch-black without a trace of white. With a piercing shriek, she raised her hand, summoning a gust of eerie wind that sent the encircling soldiers flying.

By now, Li Shuang was dizzy and disoriented, her face turning a sickly shade of blue and purple.

Then, suddenly, there was a wet thud . The old woman's grip abruptly weakened. Her eyes remained wide open, frozen in an expression of unwillingness, before she stiffened and collapsed beside Li Shuang, motionless.

As the old woman's body fell away, Li Shuang lifted her bleary gaze to see a child standing beside her—Jin An.

But now, his eyes were blood-red, his entire body radiating murderous intent. In his hand, he clutched a foul, blood-drenched heart. With a single squeeze, he crushed it into pulp. The stench of decay splattered across his and Li Shuang's faces, jolting her back to awareness.

She watched as Jin An tossed the mangled remains of the heart onto the ground.

Li Shuang pushed herself up, gritting through the pain in her neck as she struggled to breathe. Her voice was hoarse as she called out, "Jin An?"

Jin An looked up at her. Seeing that she was unharmed, the killing aura around him gradually faded. The crimson in his eyes receded, the red marks on his face vanishing until he returned to his usual self.

Expressionless, he shook his hand, trying to flick off the blood, but the sticky fluid refused to budge. Finally, he used his other clean hand to wipe the blood splatters from Li Shuang's face. His gaze was calm, as if he had merely swatted a mosquito—not torn apart a blade-proof, invincible monster that no one else could defeat.

"It's over," he said. "She won't get up again."

Silence enveloped the surroundings. No one spoke.

Jin An's eyes lowered to the bruises on Li Shuang's neck. He frowned, reaching out as if to touch them, but hesitated. "You're hurt." She needs a doctor , he thought. But when he turned his head, the circle of soldiers around him watched with wary tension—Luo Teng, Qin Lan, and even Li Ting, who had arrived at some point, all stared at him in stunned silence, as though guarding against...

A monster.

Just like the old woman.

Jin An averted his gaze, looking back at Li Shuang, only to find her staring at him in shock as well.

So he lowered his head, offering no defense, enduring the scrutiny like a condemned man. But then, a soft handkerchief brushed against his face.

It was Li Shuang, wiping away the bloodstains the old woman had clawed into his skin. "Medic," she rasped. Yet with that single, quiet word, she shattered all the doubt and unease pressing down on him.The soldiers quickly snapped back to attention and summoned the military physicians, carrying both Jin An and Li Shuang into the main tent. One physician tended to Li Shuang’s neck while another cleaned the wounds on Jin An’s face.

With the soldiers no longer crowding around Li Shuang, Jin An kept his gaze fixed on her from a distance.

After carefully treating her injuries, the physician softly advised, “In addition to the prescribed medicine, General, you should refrain from speaking excessively or raising your voice. Avoid anger and agitation, and steer clear of spicy or stimulating foods. Instruct the kitchen to prepare more congee. Recovery will take about a month. Afterward, take precautions against colds, and you should be fine.”

From behind the others, Jin An silently committed these instructions to memory, even planning to discreetly ask the physician later about how to prevent colds.

Once the physicians left the main tent, Li Ting exhaled in relief. “Thank goodness you’re alright, Sister. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to explain things to Father.” Li Shuang had just opened her mouth to speak when Li Ting added, “Don’t talk, Sister. Rest your voice for now. Just listen to me.”

Li Shuang lay there, both amused and exasperated. On the battlefield, they were hardly so delicate. Yet this time, Li Ting’s words were met with unanimous agreement from Qin Lan and Luo Teng. “If anything had happened to the General in camp, we’d have no face left to show anyone.”

Li Ting then asked, “But speaking of which, what was that demonic woman’s deal? I’ve never seen someone impervious to blades and arrows in my life—terrifying.”

Qin Lan pondered before replying, “That old woman had no breath in life and no pulse in death. Earlier, the physician examined her body and said she’d been dead for ten to fifteen days. It’s just that the cold weather this year preserved the corpse…”

“Dead?” Li Ting was stunned. “For ten to fifteen days?”

Luo Teng was equally baffled. “Qin Lan, which physician said that? What kind of dead old woman can still jump around and fight us for three hundred rounds?”

“By all logic, it shouldn’t be possible. But the physician’s assessment was accurate. You all saw that old woman earlier—her cheeks and neck were already rotting, and her wounds didn’t bleed. Her heart…” Qin Lan paused briefly, glancing at Jin An, who sat on a side cot, “…contained only a trace of foul blood. Not something a living person would have. So, in my opinion, this is likely what folklore calls… a risen corpse.”

At these words, Li Ting was too shocked to speak, while Luo Teng shuddered and hugged his arms. “Damn, that’s creepy. I’ve been on the battlefield—thought I’d seen it all. But this? Spine-chilling.”

“When I was younger and had time to spare, I read a few books on supernatural phenomena. They say that for a corpse to rise, the person must have had an unfulfilled obsession or unfinished business in life. If people or events related to that obsession appear after death, the corpse may rise.”

People or events…

Li Shuang fell into thought. She remembered that when they first entered the underground chamber, aside from the wild wolves, there had been no other presence—meaning the old woman had been a complete corpse at that time. It was only after their arrival that she had risen. And the old woman had told her that she carried “his” scent…

Later, it became clear the woman had come for Jin An. Could her obsession be tied to him?

Li Shuang had originally set out to uncover Jin An’s origins, but now, the boy’s background only seemed to grow more enigmatic.The underground chamber in the dense forest, the scattered bones covering the ground, the risen corpse of an old woman who died in disarray yet was dressed in luxurious attire, and... his crimson eyes and fiery tattoos at that time.

Li Shuang pondered silently. The tattoos on the young man who had saved her earlier in the mountain bandits' stone fortress were almost identical to those on Jin An when he killed the old woman just now. Could it be that these tattoos on their bodies changed along with their fluctuating powers?

Just which tribe from beyond the northern borders did they belong to? She had absolutely no clue.

After some discussion that yielded no answers, Qin Lan and the others tried questioning Jin An, but he remained silent. In the end, they had no choice but to give up. Before leaving, Li Ting didn't dare to grab Jin An's hand and chatter away as he used to. Standing three paces away, he only managed to say, "Little Master, thank you for saving my sister today, though..."

Though... it was a bit terrifying.

Jin An glanced up at him, causing Li Ting to shudder before obediently walking away.

Lowering his head, Jin An heard Qin Lan call from the tent entrance, "Come out now. The general needs some rest."

He looked at Li Shuang and silently turned to leave the tent when he heard her take a ragged breath and speak hoarsely, "Wait." She said, "I have questions."

Jin An stayed. He obediently stood by Li Shuang's bedside, gazing at the white bandages around her neck with a somewhat sorrowful expression. "Does it hurt?" he finally spoke up voluntarily, but immediately added, "Never mind me."

Li Shuang chuckled. "I know my limits." She studied Jin An for a moment before asking, "You..."

"I'll tell you everything," he interrupted. "Though I don't remember much. I only know that day I ran out of the woods, collapsed, and was found by you the next morning. That's all."

He didn't know his own name, where he came from, or why that old woman had come looking for him today...

Truthfully, he wanted to uncover his origins more than anyone else.

Seeing Jin An standing by her bed with downcast eyes, Li Shuang recalled his expression after scanning their surroundings following the old woman's death earlier that day. Her heart ached for him—no matter how formidable he was, he was still just a child.

Reaching out, Li Shuang gently touched his cheek where the military physician had covered his wound with medicinal herbs. "Does your wound still hurt?" she asked softly.

That was all she wanted to ask him.

Jin An froze momentarily. "Not anymore."

Li Shuang nodded. "When I was young, my father found me. After I began martial arts training, my progress was astonishing. One day, a vicious dog in the courtyard trapped my stepmother, and I killed it on the spot... But from then on, my stepmother despised me, calling my extraordinary strength unnatural." Her voice broke slightly, making Jin An uncomfortable. "Just like what you experienced today."

Her gaze remained gentle and steady as she looked at Jin An. "But my father told me that extraordinary abilities aren't inherently bad. With righteousness in your heart, even in darkness, you can break through hell itself. Whether the sword in your hand kills or saves, whether it's used for good or evil—that's not determined by others' words, but by what's in your heart." She smiled faintly. "Jin An, thank you for saving me today."Jin An's heart suddenly stirred, and in an instant, a warm current flooded his entire body. He lowered his head and responded softly. Yet when Li Shuang touched his cheek, she felt her palm grow inexplicably warm—he was...

blushing.

Li Shuang found it amusing. She lifted the blanket slightly and asked, "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Jin An froze, his heart pounding like a drum as he stared at her with bright, shimmering eyes. "Can I?"

He loved being with her. Perhaps deep down, he saw her as family—or so Li Shuang thought. She patted the bed and said, "Sleep. Today exhausted me, and it must have worn you out too."

Without hesitation, Jin An kicked off his shoes and slipped under the covers. Li Shuang pulled him into an embrace, ruffling his hair. "Sleep now."

The sun was just setting.

Staying by Li Shuang’s side seemed to ease the surging turmoil in his body with each passing day and night.

This time, it wasn’t until nearly midnight that Jin An felt the familiar scorching heat. But the sensation faded after only a brief moment.

His body transformed into that of an adult. In an instant, the woman who had been holding him as he slept was now nestled in his arms instead. He reached out, gently pulling her closer, cradling her protectively. Li Shuang let out a soft murmur but didn’t wake, merely nuzzling against him before settling back into peaceful slumber.

Jin An gazed at her, fingers brushing the bandage around her neck. If only he could take this form during the day—he would never have let that old woman harm her.

His heart ached as he pressed a tender kiss to her brow. Then, shielding her in his arms, he closed his eyes and drifted into quiet sleep.