Yu Jin Chang An (With Jin's Chang'An)

Chapter 12

She knew who this person was, though they had barely met and had little time together. Yet, she knew.

She could vaguely sense that there was some hidden connection between her and this person, something she didn't fully understand.

Amidst the blood and slaughter of the battlefield, a strong arm tightly encircled her shoulder, pressing her cheek firmly against his neck.

So tight, so powerful, in that moment, Li Shuang couldn't help but feel a strange sense of being possessed, protected...

No, she couldn't! She was a general, carrying the lives of so many soldiers on her shoulders, with Lu City behind her, and its people. How could she allow herself this momentary sense of security?

Li Shuang reached out, intending to push the person in front of her away forcefully, but before she could raise her hand, he seemed to understand her intentions and quietly released her shoulder.

What Li Shuang didn't expect was that, at this moment, when she looked out from his embrace, all the surrounding soldiers of the Western Region, with their swords and knives in hand, remained motionless.

These fierce warriors from the northern tribes of the borderlands all stared blankly in one direction.

Following their gaze upward, Li Shuang saw that the man wearing the black face mask held up high in his other hand was the head of a Western Region man.

With a stubbled jaw and a tiger-skin hat on his head, it was their Western Region leader, Ashina Du.

He... he actually killed the Western Region general and brought back his head...

When did this happen? Wasn't he just on the city wall, aiming to take Li Zhangyi's head a moment ago?

Li Shuang didn't dare to dwell on the man's speed.

From their spot, like ripples spreading across a lake, the waves pushed layer by layer, and the entire battlefield suddenly fell into a strange silence.

The man in black armor threw Ashina Du's head to the ground as if disposing of trash:

"Go back."

With his cold voice, echoing through the Western Region army camp behind them, the drums sounded deafeningly, as if obeying his command. The Western Region army began to retreat, gradually withdrawing completely ten miles away.

A Western Region soldier carried Ashina Du's head back.

The chaotic battlefield, which had resounded with deafening cries just moments ago, now lay in ruins.

The sudden retreat of the surrounding Changfeng Battalion soldiers left them somewhat bewildered. In fact, not only them, but even Li Shuang had no reaction at all.

She stared blankly at the man in front of her with the black face mask, and absentmindedly asked, "Who are you?"

In his eerie, blood-red eyes, he carried the reflection of her figure. He raised his hand and gently touched her blood-stained cheek, "I am here to protect you."

Li Shuang was dazed, but she heard him say again, "Today, I'm wearing clothes, I'm no longer a shameless person. Would you like to marry me?"

...Huh?

This... is too sudden, isn't it?

"You..." Li Shuang began, but unexpectedly, she burst into laughter beyond her own expectations. She shook her head, amused and puzzled, "You, the king of captives, but asking such questions at this moment... Who are you really..."

"General." Before Li Shuang could finish her sentence, she suddenly heard the voices of Qin Lan and Luo Teng behind her.

The man in black armor turned his head to look at them, as if remembering something, and then glanced up at Li Zhangyi, who was still dumbfounded on the city wall, "Do you still want to enter the city?"

Li Shuang was taken aback, "Of course, I do..."

"Good."

With a response, he casually picked up a bow and arrow from the ground, pulled back the arrow, and aimed directly at Li Zhangyi on the wall. However, from this distance, no one had any idea what he intended to do.

With just a thud, the feathered arrow was released, piercing through the air. From this distance, they couldn't hear any sound from the city wall on the other side. Li Shuang simply turned her head in the direction of the arrow, only to see Li Zhangyi, with his fat body, staggering two steps after falling from the city wall, and then tumbling down.

With blood flowing from his head and instant death, it all seemed so effortless, like a child casually hitting a stray dog with a stone by the roadside. Li Shuang was dumbfounded. Qin Lan and Luo Teng, who had rushed over from behind, were equally astonished.

Those who had practiced martial arts knew that this seemingly effortless arrow represented an unbeatable gap in strength for others.

The man in black armor touched Li Shuang's cheek again, wiping away the blood with a touch of loyalty that concealed a subtle tenderness. He said, "As long as you want, I will remove all obstacles for you, no matter what."

Li Shuang looked up at him, staring into his blood-red eyes. In the vast battlefield still filled with the scent of blood and sweat, she lost the calmness and adaptability that a general should possess.

"Why?" Li Shuang finally regained some of her composure amidst the biting cold wind. "Why would you save me and help me like this? Who are you really?" She reached out to remove the man's mask, but he tilted his head back slightly, effortlessly evading Li Shuang's action.

Seeing him dodge, Qin Lan moved quickly from behind, intending to capture the man in black armor. However, after just a few moves, a cold wind blew, and he swiftly evaded Qin Lan's palm strike, disappearing into the night like a northern wind.

Once again, he left silently, leaving behind an unfathomable mystery.

Li Shuang stared blankly in that direction until Qin Lan called out to her, "General." Li Shuang blinked and snapped back to reality, coughing lightly and scanning her surroundings.

But all she saw were the soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion, each holding a sword or a knife, their eyes carrying a slightly different emotion than usual as they assessed her. Well, how could they not be curious?

A man with a mask, unknown identity, extraordinary martial arts skills, ruthless methods - in a blink of an eye, he ventured alone into the distant Western Region camp, took the head of a Western Region commander, and forced the Western Region to temporarily withdraw their troops.

Such a mysterious man saved her on the battlefield, embraced her, and asked her to marry him. Not to mention the soldiers present, even Li Shuang herself was immensely curious.

Why exactly? How? When did she attract such a person? Was her memory really having some issue? Did she forget something important from her past, just like the characters in those storybooks?

"General." Qin Lan's voice once again brought Li Shuang back to reality. He said, "It's time to enter the city."

"Oh, okay." Li Shuang ordered the troops to enter the city.

No one expected that the first battle with the Western Barbarians would end so absurdly... And at this moment, no one knew that even more absurd events were yet to come...