Chapter 16: Fever and Devotion

 

Li Shuang extracted the banner alongside the severed head, casting both to a nearby soldier who recoiled as he caught the grisly burden. "Remove this immediately," she commanded with cold authority. "Burn that crudely written banner, but display the head upon the city wall. That is where such trophies belong."

The soldier acknowledged her orders and hastened away.

Li Shuang observed his departure, watching the suspended head sway with each hurried step. The gaunt, emaciated features revealed this was no Western Rong general, but likely a wounded soldier or camp follower. As they had suspected, the enemy had simply seized someone to masquerade as a commander, probably hoping to draw out their target.

However, they never anticipated that while their intended prey did indeed appear, not only would they fail to capture him, but also...

Li Shuang gazed toward the horizon. The Western Rong forces had withdrawn completely, and the flames had died to nothing, leaving only columns of smoke spiraling into the pre-dawn sky.

Strictly speaking, the entire Western Rong army had been effectively repelled by a single individual. Such an absurd achievement defied comprehension—even having witnessed it firsthand, Li Shuang could scarcely believe its reality.

"Everyone, assemble inside," Li Shuang called, and her commanders filed into the command tent. Once all had taken their positions, she continued with measured authority. "While the deaths of two generals and last night's conflagration forced the Western Rong withdrawal, we all understand their core strength remains intact. Winter has barely begun, and complacency would prove fatal."

With Deer City's defender Li Zhangyi fallen, Li Shuang directly positioned the Longfeng Camp within the city walls, ordering them to maintain guard alongside the surviving garrison. After organizing internal defenses, she instructed her scribe to dispatch an immediate report to the capital.

The scribe hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his features. "General, should we... include the matter of the Black Armored warrior in our report to the capital?"

Profound silence descended upon the tent. Every commander understood that beyond the earlier skirmish forced by Li Zhangyi's decision to seal the gates, the Western Rong retreat had required minimal effort from the Longfeng Camp. Everything had hinged upon the terrifying prowess of that solitary Black Armored warrior.

But... reporting this would bring shame upon the Longfeng Camp. Their entire force had proven less effective than one enigmatic stranger.

Li Shuang responded without hesitation. "Report everything. Truth requires no concealment."

With that decree, immediate matters found resolution. The commanders departed, and after the scribe secured Li Shuang's approval on several documents, he too withdrew with a respectful bow. Once alone, Li Shuang glanced beyond the open tent to find full daylight had arrived.

The sunlight struck with harsh intensity—today promised to be one of winter's rare clear days. Li Shuang rose and stretched, her gaze falling to the tent floor where blood from the severed head had dripped. She suddenly recalled the blood that had fallen beside her as she departed the city wall the previous night.

Perhaps that marked the moment when he had brought the banner to her tent. Surely both blood trails originated from the head, meaning the Black Armored warrior had escaped the Western Rong encampment... unharmed?

This realization sharpened Li Shuang's focus, and she strode from the tent, heading directly toward the guard quarters.

Outside the guard camp, Season Ran stood in full military regalia, sternly reproaching a child. "Did I not explicitly forbid you from wandering? Tell me truthfully—where did you disappear to last night?"

Jin An appeared as fragile as a newly hatched chick before the imposing Season Ran, though no one in the Longfeng Camp would maintain that perception any longer...

Li Shuang had intended to observe Jin An's scolding with folded arms, but when still more than ten paces distant, Jin An turned as though his entire body possessed eyes, staring directly at her.

His gaze, which had appeared vacant and listless before Season Ran, instantly ignited with life.

His stare burned with such intensity and fervor that it compelled Season Ran to turn as well. Season Ran startled, then offered a crisp salute. "General." Li Shuang acknowledged him with a nod and approached with subtle amusement. Abandoning any pretense of distance, she patted Jin An's head affectionately. "Where did you venture last night? Running off to report to that Black Armored warrior with whom you share some mysterious connection?"

From their observations thus far, the Black Armored warrior harbored no schemes against the Longfeng Camp—only against her personally.

In truth, provided it didn't involve state secrets or military intelligence, Li Shuang maintained considerable tolerance. The peculiarity lay in this Black Armored warrior's... unconventional method of expressing his intentions.

Moreover, his intentions themselves proved extraordinary—sudden, overwhelming, and utterly bewildering. They left her... completely mystified.

Jin An gazed up at her without responding. His silence drew Li Shuang's attention to his features, and she frowned with concern. "Are you unwell?" Li Shuang crouched and cupped Jin An's small face in her hands. His lips appeared pale, while his cheeks flushed red and burned with fever's heat.

"Cold sickness?"

A child falling ill on the northern frontier represented serious danger. Li Shuang set aside her other inquiries and commanded Season Ran, "Summon the physician immediately." As she spoke, she lifted Jin An and carried him against her shoulder.

Jin An settled naturally, wrapping his arms around her back and neck, his feverish cheek pressing against her chest near her throat...

Such comfort.

Jin An unconsciously nuzzled the skin at Li Shuang's neck.

The warmth of her flesh against his provided exquisite solace.

Li Shuang remained oblivious, assuming this was merely a sick child's instinctive seeking of comfort. She carried him toward the guard camp, using one hand to lift the tent flap. Inside stood approximately ten beds, and although her guards maintained the cleanest quarters in camp, they couldn't entirely mask the scent of perspiration and stuffiness from so many occupants.

Several guards were removing their heavy armor, half-dressed in various states of undress...

The guards hadn't anticipated Li Shuang's unannounced entrance, and they all froze in place.

Li Shuang coughed once. "Continue your duties." She calmly lowered the flap and carried Jin An to her personal tent instead. She placed him upon her bed and prepared to rise when she discovered Jin An wouldn't release his hold on her neck.

She gently attempted to disengage his grip. "Be still now, lie properly, and allow the physician to examine you."

"You won't abandon me?"

Li Shuang's expression softened with reassurance. "I won't leave your side."

Only then did Jin An reluctantly loosen his embrace. While awaiting the physician's arrival, Li Shuang studied Jin An's features and finally ventured, "Do you retain any memories of your parents? Your appearance doesn't entirely resemble frontier peoples. Perhaps your mother... came from the Central Plains?"

Jin An shook his head weakly. "I don't know."

"Very well."

Just as they concluded this exchange, Season Ran arrived with the physician. Li Shuang stepped aside and shared her suspicions. "I suspect cold sickness. He was exposed while walking outside the city. Do we maintain medicine for cold sickness in our supplies?"

The physician examined his pulse without speaking initially. "Hmm... this doesn't present as simple cold sickness. There's severe deficiency with internal heat inflammation. This resembles fever induced by serious injury rather than environmental exposure."

"Injury?" Li Shuang turned toward Jin An with a slight frown. "Where exactly did you go last night?"

But Jin An had closed his eyes, perspiration beading across his forehead, offering no response to Li Shuang's question.

The physician removed Jin An's clothing, but strangely, after thorough examination, discovered no visible wounds anywhere—except that the flame pattern adorning his chest had grown more vibrantly crimson than before.

The physician expressed puzzlement. "Not a single wound visible, most peculiar..."

"Let's prepare fever-reducing medicine immediately. Since we lack proper herbs in camp, I'll dispatch someone to purchase them from the city merchants."

After the physician departed, Li Shuang had Season Ran procure and brew the medicine. She helped Jin An consume it, then attended to several minor administrative matters before resting her head at Jin An's bedside to monitor his condition. Gradually, exhaustion overcame her as well.

Li Shuang had endured complete exhaustion these past several days, and now with the Western Rong threat eliminated, her mind found peace. Even in this awkward position, she slept profoundly.

She didn't stir even when, during the night's depths, the person occupying her bed extended his limbs from beneath the blanket.

Following the clear day, the night proved remarkably luminous, moonlight nearly penetrating the tent's interior. Li Shuang slept so deeply she remained unaware of her hair falling across her lips.

A man's powerful form gently lifted the blanket, his bare chest marked with intricate crimson flame patterns extending to the corner of his eye. He bent down, quietly observing Li Shuang's sleeping countenance, his gaze softer than moonlight itself.

Delicately brushing away the hair from her lips, he leaned down to place a feather-light kiss upon them.

Joy radiated through him, his eyes rippling like gentle waves. Touching Li Shuang sent tremors of happiness through his heart. Even if only in secret, just once, then again, and again...

Jin An couldn't suppress his smile.

Happiness nearly made him shiver with delight.

He desperately wanted to ask Li Shuang if she felt happy too. Had his gift brought her joy? Although retrieving that head yesterday had nearly cost him half his life, such sacrifice mattered not at all.

His body possessed rapid healing abilities, and even if it didn't, that too would be acceptable.

Observe how he had helped resolve such a troublesome situation, allowing her to sleep so peacefully now.

He gently caressed her lips, but after a while, these light touches no longer satisfied his yearning. Jin An carefully lifted Li Shuang onto the bed, covered her with the blanket, wrapping them both together. Then he embraced her from behind.

In this position, his arms encircled her chest, and her entire back fitted perfectly against his torso.

This arrangement made Jin An feel as though she were his most precious treasure, his most vulnerable aspect, completely and securely protected within his arms where no force could harm her.

He drew a deep breath and released a soft sigh. This was perfection.

He wished he could sleep holding her thus every night, even if it required sacrificing half his life each day.

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