Li Shuang held the rope in one hand, standing on the sharp blades with difficulty. With her other hand, she tied the rope around the man's waist, attempting to secure him before pulling him up. However, it took her quite some time to tie him up with just one hand. Frustrated, Li Shuang snapped, "Move your hand a little! Help me get the rope around so I can pull you up." The man didn't budge.
Growing impatient, she looked up, ready to scold him, but found his bright red eyes gazing at her gently, full of affection. Li Shuang thought for a fleeting moment that she must have had a passionate lover in some distant frontier.
In reality, all she wanted to say in response to his gaze was, "What are you staring at?! I don't want to stay here!"
Furious! Was this really the time to be gazing at people? There was no sense of urgency!
Even though Li Shuang scolded him, the man didn't get angry. He responded seriously, "Oh." Then, without warning, he wrapped his injured arm around her waist and held her in a firm, domineering embrace.
Li Shuang was startled. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
"I'll take you up," he said, loosening his grip on the rope she had just secured. He then used the sharp blades for leverage, holding Li Shuang close, and within moments, he climbed out of the trap and stood on flat ground.
Li Shuang blinked, hardly believing she was out of the trap so quickly. But the man still didn't release her, continuing to hold her in his arms. Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly pushed against his chest and stepped out of his grasp. She frowned, asking, "Can you get out by yourself?"
The man nodded. "The blades are poisoned. I need some time to adjust my internal energy."
Her concern had been unnecessary...
Before they could exchange more words, they heard the sound of horse thieves breaking into the outer room. From the noise, Li Shuang estimated there were dozens of them. She gripped the blade at her waist tightly. But before she could react, the man picked her up again, carried her sideways, and in a flash, broke through the window, darting outside like lightning.
The surroundings blurred as they sped through, and only the man holding her remained a constant presence. When they finally slowed, Li Shuang found herself placed on a horse. The man mounted behind her, and together they galloped away from the bandits' stone fortress, leaving the thieves in chaos.
The night wind outside the Great Wall bit into their skin, carrying snowflakes with it, creating a desolate and bleak atmosphere.
Li Shuang was accustomed to this harsh, dry climate. In her three years beyond the Great Wall, she had fought in dozens of battles, survived ambushes on cold nights, and defended against foreign enemies under the scorching sun. No matter how tough the situation, she had always fought alone. As the general of Changfeng Camp, a symbol of Dajin's honor, her back could never bend, and her will never waver.
But now, sitting in front of a man, surrounded and protected by his breath, this feeling was...
Completely new to her.
They rode together in the heavy snow, the landscape around them bleak and barren. By the time they reached a cliff, the horse they had taken from the bandits was foaming at the mouth, too exhausted to continue.
From the cliff, they could see the shadow of Changfeng Camp in the distance.
The man dismounted and offered his hand to help Li Shuang down. But she remained on the horse, staring at him steadily. "You know who I am." It wasn't a question. She looked directly into his eyes. She hadn't revealed her identity to him, and she was dressed in a nightgown rather than her Changfeng Camp uniform. Yet, without asking anything, the man had brought her directly to the camp. It was clear he knew who she was.
The man didn't respond, his hand still outstretched. When Li Shuang finally dismounted on her own, he withdrew his hand, a faint flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
The blood on his back had frozen in the cold air.
Li Shuang asked again, "Who are you? How do you know my identity, my whereabouts? Why did you help me?"
Her questions were sharp and direct, but they fell on deaf ears. The man remained silent.
Frowning, Li Shuang unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his throat. "If you don't answer, I'll take you to Changfeng Camp and interrogate you slowly." Her mission to rescue Li Ting had been sudden and secretive. Only her most trusted confidants should have known. Yet, this mysterious man had somehow found out. It was a matter of military security, and Li Shuang couldn’t let him go easily, even though he had saved her life and seemed to harbor no ill intentions.
That was what Li Shuang told herself.
But as her sword pointed at the man’s throat, she saw a trace of hurt in his blood-red eyes behind the cold, hard mask.
Was he... hurt by her distrust?
Li Shuang was taken aback. What was going on with this man? It was as if she were some heartless villain... Just as she hesitated, the man took a step forward, bringing his throat closer to her blade. Li Shuang had no intention of killing him, so she instinctively moved her sword aside to avoid stabbing him.
Seeing her hesitation, the man stepped even closer, placing his burning palm on her back. Li Shuang raised her sword to block him again, but what he did next left her completely stunned.
He cupped the back of her head, and without warning, kissed her on the lips.
It was abrupt, unexpected... and passionate.
Their lips touched. No one had ever been so close to Li Shuang before. Her eyes widened for a moment, and she completely forgot all her external martial arts and internal mental techniques.
As the man felt her breath, it was like a long drought finally coming to an end. He drank in her taste almost greedily, breaking through her lips and delving into her mouth. It was as if he wanted to consume her, as if he wanted to claim her completely.
For a brief second, Li Shuang stood frozen. Then, rage surged through her.
This scoundrel!
She punched the man hard in the waist and abdomen, without holding back.
The man grunted in pain, bending over, but still refusing to release her. His grip was tight, as though he couldn’t bear to let her go.
Just as Li Shuang was about to strike again, the sky brightened as dawn broke. The man suddenly stiffened, as though he were in pain, and abruptly let go of her, stepping back.
Li Shuang pointed her sword at him. "Don’t even think about running away!"
But before she could finish, the man leapt off the cliff.
Li Shuang rushed to the edge, but by the time she looked down, he had vanished.
Just as mysteriously as he had come, he was gone without a word or a trace.
Alone on the mountaintop, Li Shuang gazed at the rising sun, then threw her sword into the ground, covering her mouth with her hand, and gritting her teeth in fury.
"Asshole!" she yelled.
When she returned to the military camp, it was already daylight. A soldier on watch spotted her from afar and immediately sounded the alarm. Qin Lan, who had been left in charge of the camp, quickly rode out to meet her.
As soon as he reached her, Qin Lan dismounted, his eyes scanning her closely. Seeing that she was unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his face easing. "General," he greeted respectfully. "You must be tired. Please, take the horse."
Li Shuang was indeed tired and didn’t bother to be polite. She mounted the horse as Qin Lan led it back toward the camp. "Is Li Ting back?" she asked.
"Yes, the military doctor has already examined him. He was only a little shaken and is otherwise fine."
Li Shuang sighed. "Father was right. Li Ting may seem strong, but he's been pampered in the capital. When trouble comes, he still acts like a delicate girl. He needs more training."
Qin Lan nodded in agreement. "The young master is still young, General. Don’t be too hard on him." He hesitated for a moment, glancing sideways at Li Shuang before cautiously asking, "The young master mentioned that a mysterious man in a black mask helped you at the bandits' stronghold last night. General, do you—"
Before he could finish, Li Shuang’s face darkened as she recalled the events of the previous night. Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, she cut him off coldly, "Don’t bring it up."
Surprised, Qin Lan quickly lowered his eyes. "Understood," he replied softly.
Once inside the military camp, the soldiers rushed over. Li Ting ran out of the tent, wearing a thick fox fur coat. When he saw Li Shuang, his eyes immediately reddened, and he threw himself into her arms. "Sister!"
Li Shuang, despite her stern nature, couldn’t help but soften for a moment. After all, Li Ting was her brother, raised with her love and care. More importantly, it was her mistake in judgment that had led Li Ting to join the soldiers in protecting the grain this time. It wasn’t his fault.
She sighed, gently pulling him away. "Go back inside." Then she looked up and ordered someone to summon Luo Teng and the other deputy generals.
Li Ting was quickly escorted back to the tent by the old servant from the general’s mansion, shielding him from the cold wind. As he was being taken away, Li Ting glanced back at Li Shuang with reluctance and saw her giving orders to the deputy generals who had hurried over.
"Last night’s group was small, and we haven’t fully eliminated the horse thieves yet. Today, we will show no mercy. Select 3,000 soldiers and wipe out their den. Be ruthless." Li Shuang’s face was cold, her expression fierce. "Make an example of them, and let the horse thieves and everyone in the West see what happens when they provoke our Great Jin."
Her tone left no doubt that she intended to leave no survivors.
Li Ting watched his sister in awe, her gaze sharp like knives, her face hardened with resolve. For a moment, he was stunned. In his eyes, Li Shuang had always been the sister who played with him and sometimes acted carelessly. It was only now that he realized those whispers in the capital about his sister being a "daughter of tigers and wolves" were no exaggeration.
Those who fight for their country prioritize their homeland, using strategies, plots, killing, and shedding blood as everyday matters. It was people like her, who used their flesh and blood to build walls and guard the borders, that allowed the people of Jin to live in peace. It was because of her that he had the luxury to bicker with the prime minister’s son over trivial things, like how to play with a sugar figurine.
At home, his father often said he was not as capable as his sister. Li Ting used to think it was simply because he was younger. But now, he realized the vast difference between them. They lived in the same world, but their paths were worlds apart.
With gritted teeth, Li Ting returned to his tent in silence.
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