Leaving the cave, the bright moon hung high in the sky like a pearl suspended in darkness. Jin'an tilted his head to look at it, his eyes stinging from the brilliant light after so long in dimness, but the clear breeze carrying moonlight brought a rare sense of peace to his heart—especially while holding Li Shuang's hand…
Suddenly, a crash shattered the night's tranquility.
Jin'an turned to see a woman before him and Li Shuang who had dropped her earthen jar. She dared not pick up the pieces, instead standing frozen like a startled deer, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at Jin'an.
Jin'an took a single step forward, and she trembled as she stepped back.
Glancing around, he saw it wasn't just her—all the Wu Ling Sect members were the same, their gazes filled with barely contained terror and panic. Women clutched their children protectively, husbands shielded their wives with their bodies.
With his keen hearing, Jin'an could hear the painful groans coming from the surrounding wooden houses—the wounded from his earlier rampage. Everything around him proclaimed him a murderer, a terrifying monster.
Before he could react, Li Shuang tightened her grip on his hand—warm, firm, anchoring.
Jin'an looked at Li Shuang, unsurprised to see his reflection in her eyes. She was comforting him, concerned for his emotions, considerate of his feelings. Jin'an's gaze softened like ice melting in spring—he wasn't so fragile. He could bear the weight of all his sins, withstand all the suspicion and hostility from others. But Li Shuang's care could make flowers bloom in his heart even in the coldest hell.
"Alright, alright," Wu Yin clapped his hands nearby, breaking the tension. "Our tribe's Jade Silkworm Gu person has fully accepted his master and his emotions have stabilized. Everyone can rest easy."
At his words, though some still looked doubtful and remained wary, their hostility lessened considerably—like wolves backing away but not quite disappearing.
Wu Yin had someone notify the elders to meet at his house later, then led Li Shuang and Jin'an to a somewhat secluded area, giving them a wooden cabin. "This is the best the Wu Ling Sect can offer. Our people live like ordinary mountain folk. General Li, despite your noble status, I'm afraid you'll have to make do."
Even the poorest conditions here couldn't compare to the hardships of military campaigns. Li Shuang wasn't picky about such things, but…
"One room?"
"Yes."
Li Shuang stepped inside, looking around with growing concern. There wasn't even a privacy screen, just a table, a cabinet, and a bed—all the essential elements of intimacy and none of the barriers of propriety.
Li Shuang paused. "One bed?" She turned to look at Wu Yin with pointed significance.
Wu Yin nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes, the room's so small, you're lucky to fit such a large bed. Other families in the tribe sleep in small beds."
"Then…"
"You weren't planning to sleep separately from the Jade Silkworm Gu person, were you?" Wu Yin cut off Li Shuang's words with blunt practicality. His direct, matter-of-fact question left Li Shuang momentarily stunned.
His question also made Jin'an stare at her intently, his gaze practically repeating Wu Yin's words—you weren't planning to sleep separately from me, were you?
How… shouldn't they sleep separately? They were making it seem like her wanting to sleep separately was an unreasonable request, as if she were the one being difficult.
"The Jade Silkworm Gu has only just calmed down. It's best to maintain constant contact with the master—the master's qi provides the best comfort," Wu Yin explained with clinical detachment. "In my opinion, our Jade Silkworm Gu person…"
"His name is Jin'an," Li Shuang interrupted firmly.
Wu Yin nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, yes. In my opinion, Jin'an's condition of being a child by day and an adult by night is likely because his body hasn't fully merged with the Jade Silkworm Gu. The master's qi can speed up the merger between the Gu and its host. Once fully merged, these transformations will stop."
Wu Yin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hugging, kissing, and especially that kind of contact would be even better…"
"You can leave now," Li Shuang dismissed him sharply.
Wu Yin chuckled, unbothered. "Don't be so quick to send me away. I still need to discuss your situation with the elders later." He continued, "General, when do you plan to take Jin'an away from our Wu Ling Sect? And what are your plans for him afterward? Though I agreed earlier to let you take the Jade Silkworm away, it must eventually return to our sect. While the Jade Silkworm remains in his body, we need to know his whereabouts, for protection."
Protection and surveillance—two sides of the same coin.
Li Shuang understood their reasonable motives, but she couldn't provide an immediate answer because she didn't know where she could take Jin'an.
Let him leave her? That seemed impossible for now. But bring him back to the capital? Then what? How would she arrange for him once there? She would likely be entering the palace soon. Not just Si Ma Yang, but the entire court and the General's Manor would never allow her to bring Jin'an into the palace. Even more problematic was Jin'an's mysterious background and his unexplainable transformations between day and night.
"Tomorrow I'll write to the camp below the mountain, ordering some troops to return to the capital first. I'll stay at Wu Ling Sect for three days. After three days, we'll assess Jin'an's condition and make further plans."
"That's fine," Wu Yin nodded approvingly. "These three days will also allow me to study the Jade Silkworm Gu person properly, to see if there's a way to resolve his transformation issue."
As Wu Yin turned to leave, Li Shuang suddenly remembered something important.
"Don't move, wait here for me," she said, releasing Jin'an's hand before walking out with purposeful strides.
Jin'an watched Li Shuang let go and leave. He froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to pull her back, but knowing he shouldn't. He suppressed the urge to follow her, clenching his hand until his nails bit into his palm, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure until she turned a corner with Wu Yin and disappeared from sight. He hadn't moved an inch—still as a statue, obedient as a well-trained hound.
Meanwhile, Li Shuang caught up with Wu Yin, deliberately walking far enough to ensure Jin'an couldn't hear her voice, then asked quietly: "Has your Jade Silkworm Gu always stripped away its host's memories? Is there any way to recover his memories?"
Li Shuang thought that if they could discover Jin'an's background, once his body no longer conflicted with the Jade Silkworm Gu and his emotions stabilized long-term, perhaps he could return to his homeland and resume his former life—free from her, free from this entanglement.
Wu Yin looked genuinely confused. "Eh? He has no memories of his past?"
"You didn't know?"
"I didn't," Wu Yin pondered, scratching his head. "Throughout history, when the Jade Silkworm Gu enters a host, transforming them into a Gu person, it doesn't strip away their memories. It's just that for Gu people, the present master becomes more important than the past. They don't forget their past, they simply don't dwell on it. If Jin'an can't remember… it's probably due to complications in the merger between the Jade Silkworm Gu and his body affecting his memories?"
Li Shuang contemplated this carefully. "So…"
"If you two were to join together, it might resolve itself."
Wu Yin's blunt statement nearly made Li Shuang choke with anger. "Nonsense! What outrageous talk!"
"General, you wrong me! I'm merely suggesting the most direct and effective solution," he protested with scientific detachment. "Haven't you noticed? Though sunset and sunrise should trigger his transformations, when you're by his side, the more intimate the contact, the longer he maintains his state. If you were to join with him while he's in his adult form, it might stabilize him permanently on the first try."
Wu Yin spoke directly, without any euphemism, making Li Shuang's heart surge with anger and embarrassment, her face flushing red like sunset clouds. Yet she couldn't refute his words—because somewhere deep down, she suspected he might be right.
Finally, she could only grit her teeth and say, "Find another solution," before turning to leave with as much dignity as she could muster.
Returning to the wooden cabin, she found Jin'an in exactly the same position as when she'd left, having not moved at all.
His red eyes watched her quietly as if he'd been holding back for a long time—like a dog waiting for its master to return. Only when Li Shuang reached him did he carefully take her hand, slowly intertwining their fingers with deliberate reverence. His other hand gently touched her back, drawing her slowly into his embrace, only fully encircling her after confirming she didn't object.
"I didn't move at all," Jin'an said softly. "Next time, could you come back sooner?"
That single sentence melted Li Shuang's heart like ice in warm water.
If Wu Yin's earlier words had been like a barrel of fireworks, leaving her dizzy and stunned, then Jin'an's words were like a flower lantern carried by the waves, swaying gently, unhurried, following the stream in her heart to slowly warm every cold, sharp corner within.
"Alright."
Receiving Li Shuang's answer, Jin'an seemed to release a great sigh of relief, his tense muscles relaxing like taut strings finally loosening. After quietly holding Li Shuang for a moment, basking in her presence, he asked: "Don't you want to sleep together with me?"
At this topic, Li Shuang gently pushed Jin'an away, rubbing her temples in slight distress. "It's not… well, it is… we can't sleep together."
"Why not? Didn't we sleep together in the dungeon before?"
"That…" Li Shuang didn't know how to answer. "Although we did in the dungeon, that was due to circumstances…"
"We've slept together before, even when not in the dungeon."
Jin'an's words startled Li Shuang. "When did I ever sleep with you…" Suddenly remembering the times when she thought Jin'an was just a child, indeed… She felt a headache coming on. "That was… an accident."
"Many nights in the Northern Frontier, I slept with you."
"What?"
"I would slip quietly into your tent at night. Your guards were useless—you should replace them soon. Let me guard you, no one else could get close. I never disturbed your sleep; you never noticed any of those times."
"…"
The revelation left Li Shuang speechless. She walked into the room and sat in a chair, needing the physical support.
When Jin'an tried to approach, Li Shuang pushed him back with one hand. "Stand still, I need to talk with you."
Jin'an stood obediently. Li Shuang took a deep breath, wanting to lecture him but not knowing how to begin. Finally, she commanded: "Stand there for two hours. Don't move unless I say so!"
"Alright."
His quick agreement left Li Shuang feeling like her punishment had no effect whatsoever. She said sternly: "Do you want to know why I'm punishing you?"
"No."
Li Shuang was taken aback. "Why not?"
"Whatever you say, I'll just listen."
"…"
She was trying to punish him, but he was indulging her—accepting everything she gave him like gifts, even her anger.
Li Shuang realized that, just like that, she had effortlessly fallen for the person before her.
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