Jin An began his training with other teenagers at the military camp. Their tasks were relatively light compared to the adult soldiers; they mostly engaged in simple physical exercises and assisted the sergeants with chores.
One day, after finishing his assigned tasks early, Jin An sat off to the side, lost in thought. His mind wandered to his plan for the evening: he intended to steal some clothes for himself when he reached adulthood.
Just as he was mulling over this, a sudden presence approached from behind. With a cold expression, Jin An sensed danger and reacted swiftly. When the attacker attempted to choke him from behind, Jin An elbowed him in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.
Turning around, Jin An recognized the familiar face of Li Ting. Li Ting, known for his restlessness, had been avoiding the servants and wandering around the camp. Seeing Jin An sitting alone while others trained, he had approached with the intention of sparring. However, his attempt had backfired, leaving him injured.
"You have eyes on the back of your head, don't you?" Li Ting complained, rubbing his chest. "Help me up."
Jin An remained silent, staring at Li Ting with cold indifference. Li Ting’s hand, outstretched for assistance, hovered awkwardly in the air before he reluctantly got to his feet on his own.
Li Ting, still wincing from the pain, tried to strike up a conversation. "You’re quite skilled. Who trained you? Can they teach me?"
"I don’t know," Jin An replied curtly, returning his gaze to Li Shuang's tent.
Li Ting persisted, sitting down beside Jin An. "Or maybe you could teach me yourself?"
Ignoring him, Jin An continued to stare into the distance. Li Ting, noticing Jin An’s fixation on Li Shuang’s tent, offered a bargaining chip. "I’ve grown up with my sister. I know a lot about her—what she likes to eat, her preferences, and more."
Jin An finally glanced at Li Ting with a squint. Li Ting blinked twice at Jin An, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. Jin An nodded in agreement.
It was ten days later when Li Shuang discovered that Li Ting had been learning martial arts from Jin An. Li Shuang was baffled. The family had hired the best martial arts master for Li Ting, who had only learned half of the techniques in the capital. It was unthinkable that he would be learning from a mere boy on the northern frontier. If the martial arts master back home knew, he would be mortified.
Li Ting had kept this a secret until now. The reason Li Shuang found out was that Li Ting had defended Jin An by fighting a soldier who had bullied him.
Seeing the three young men in front of him, Li Shuang rubbed his temples. Without saying a word, he ordered Li Ting to stretch out his hand and slapped him ten times. "Do you know why I’m hitting you?"
Li Ting, understanding the reprimand, replied, "I’ve caused trouble for my sister by making her handle such matters in the camp."
"I see."
This was indeed a minor issue. Any sergeant could have handled it if it weren’t for Li Ting’s actions. Apart from Li Shuang, who else would dare punish the son of the great General Sima?
Li Shuang then called the soldier forward and slapped him ten times. "Do you know why I’m hitting you?"
The soldier, rarely seeing Li Shuang and now terrified, stammered, "Because... because I was part of ostracizing the new recruits and even spilled water on his bed. General, I was wrong..."
Li Shuang nodded. "Good, you understand."
The young soldier couldn’t tolerate Jin An’s arrogant demeanor, so he splashed water on Jin An’s quilt. Jin An said nothing, but Li Ting, seeing the bullying, intervened and beat him up. The soldier’s face was still bruised.
Li Shuang walked over to Jin An with a cane and asked him to extend his hand. Jin An looked at her for a moment, and when Li Shuang raised her eyebrows, he stretched out his hand.
Jin An deliberately delayed, savoring the attention he received. This alone was enough to satisfy him.
Li Shuang slapped him ten times without hesitation and then asked, "Do you know why I’m hitting you?"
"I don’t know."
His calm response stunned Li Shuang. "If you don’t know, extend your hand again."
So Jin An took ten more slaps.
"Do you know now?" Li Shuang asked.
Jin An shook his head. "I still don’t know."
Li Shuang took a deep breath. Li Ting, unable to bear the scene, interjected, "Jin An, you have conflicts with your senior and don’t know how to resolve them. You’ve been arrogant, skipped training, and taught me things privately. It’s a bit wrong."
Li Ting then tried to intervene, "Sister, he knows he was wrong."
Li Ting never expected Jin An to turn on him. Jin An replied, "I have no conflict with them. They just don’t like me. It has nothing to do with me."
Li Ting coughed, feeling betrayed.
Jin An continued calmly, "I completed my training and haven’t avoided it. There’s nothing wrong with teaching you. I don’t understand what’s wrong. If hitting my hand makes you happy, you can continue. As long as it makes you happy."
Li Shuang was at a loss for words. Not only was Li Ting unsure how to respond, but Li Shuang also didn’t know how to handle the situation. She rubbed her temples, thinking that raising children these days was increasingly difficult.
She waved her hand. "Alright, everyone out."
Just then, Qin Lan lifted the curtain and entered. After a brief glance at the young men, he said, "General, a small village thirty miles north of Lucheng has requested the city guard to distribute food due to recent heavy snow. The city guard asked if we could spare some soldiers to protect the food."
Li Shuang quickly made a decision. "Thirty miles is not far. Send thirty men and have a sergeant lead them."
Qin Lan was about to leave when he received the order, but Li Ting interjected, "I'll go too!" He added, "I've been here for more than ten days without doing anything. Sister, let me go with you to protect the grain and broaden my horizons."
Li Shuang considered it briefly. Given the proximity and the fact that the trip would only take a day, she decided not to argue further. "Alright, you can accompany the troops. Just stay with the army, don’t stray, and follow the sergeant’s orders."
"Okay!" Li Ting eagerly grabbed Jin An’s arm. "Let’s go, little master." He pulled so hard that he nearly dragged Jin An along, but Jin An remained unmoved, causing Li Ting to stumble.
"I’m not going," Jin An said firmly.
Li Ting was taken aback. "Why not?"
"I’ll stay in the barracks," Jin An replied, looking at Li Shuang. "I don’t want to go anywhere."
Li Ting pouted but, being a child, soon bounced off cheerfully. Jin An remained stationary, and Li Shuang studied him for a moment.
"Anything else?" she asked.
Jin An shook his head. He could sense from Li Shuang’s tone that she wanted him to leave. Reluctantly, he lifted the door curtain, glanced at Li Shuang, and then let it fall back down.
After Jin An left, Li Shuang rubbed her chin thoughtfully and muttered to herself, "Do I really seem like this child’s parent?"
As evening approached and the team assigned to protect the grain had not yet returned, Li Shuang’s military instincts sensed something amiss. Her concern grew when the lookout sergeant reported thick smoke rising from the village thirty miles north of Lucheng.
Feeling that something was wrong, Li Shuang summoned Luo Teng. "Have the Western Rong soldiers mobilized?"
"No," Luo Teng replied. "However, our spies have reported that another group of horse thieves is preparing to move against the Western Rong border."
"Return and get your armor. Gather a thousand men and horses and be ready to leave the camp in half an incense stick's time. We’ll head thirty miles north of Lucheng."
Li Shuang was caught off guard when one of the thirty soldiers sent to protect the grain rushed back, fell to his knees in front of her horse, and said in a hoarse voice, "General, the Western Rong horse thieves have captured the young master and are demanding five thousand dan of rice for his release!"
Li Shuang’s face hardened into a cold mask. "Where are the horse thieves now?"
"They’ve taken the young master to a stone stronghold fifty or sixty miles further north," the soldier replied.
Qin Lan, equally grim, edged his horse closer to Li Shuang. "General, given that the thieves have a fortified position, a direct assault might be too risky. We can still provide the rice, but the young master’s safety is paramount."
Li Shuang, who had been raised by the esteemed General Li Wei, felt the weight of the situation deeply. Li Ting, the general’s beloved son, was cherished and had high expectations placed upon him. The thought of failing to protect him was unbearable.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Li Shuang spoke with steely resolve. "This winter has already shown signs of hardship. If even a bandit can hold our prince hostage to demand supplies, it’s a sign that the coming months will be dire. We cannot afford to surrender our food and resources without a fight."
"What is your plan, General?" Qin Lan asked.
"Select ten of our best internal martial artists to accompany me tonight," Li Shuang instructed.
Qin Lan was taken aback. "General..."
Li Shuang, his gaze steely and determined, mounted his horse and fixed his eyes on the northwest. "I will go and retrieve the young master myself."
NEXT
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