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

Chapter 26

When Li Shuang woke up, by her bedside was Qin Lan, looking slightly haggard.

Seeing Li Shuang open her eyes, Qin Lan's expression changed, "General." His voice sounded slightly hoarse.

Li Shuang glanced at him in a daze, then closed her eyes again, furrowing her brow slightly. Scenes in her mind were chaotic. "Where am I?" She raised her weak hand to gently massage her forehead.

As she tried to piece together the fragmented memories in her mind, Qin Lan hurriedly called the military doctor. Outside, a group of officers also crowded in. It wasn't until the military doctor arrived and shooed away these robust men that Li Shuang's world began to clear up again.

The officers were all talking at once, but Li Shuang couldn't make out what they were saying. The noise was making her temples throb faintly. Angrily, Qin Lan shouted, "Get out, all of you."

Though the officers felt a bit aggrieved, they still left as commanded, leaving only the military doctor frowning as he checked Li Shuang's pulse. "The General's condition is not serious, with a few days of rest, she'll recover." The military doctor shook his head. "But this symptom is peculiar. She's been unconscious for five days and five nights, without eating or drinking. Yet after waking up, she's only a bit weak. The General truly is blessed by the heavens."

Li Shuang didn't believe in any divine blessings. She only caught on to one thing the military doctor said, "Five days and five nights?" Her voice was so hoarse that if it weren't for being close, it would have been difficult to hear her. Li Shuang struggled to sit up, forcing herself to speak louder, "Was I unconscious for five days?"

The military doctor nodded, "It has been over five days."

Li Shuang was stunned, Qin Lan beside her looked anxious, extending his hand as if to support her, but he didn't dare to touch her rashly, "General, you just woke up, please be careful..."

"What about the Black-armored man?" Li Shuang turned to Qin Lan, "Where is he?"

Before Qin Lan could finish his words, they seemed to get stuck in his throat. After a moment of silence, he faced Li Shuang's gaze, his eyelids drooping slightly to conceal his emotions, "General, five days ago, when we descended into that cave, all we saw was the General lying unconscious under a sable fur, and there was no sign of anyone else."

He's not there...

A strange feeling surged in Li Shuang's heart.

She remembered, he pulled her out from that mud, made her drink something, and then... was he taken away by that person called Wu Yin?

What would Wu Yin do to him, use him, or... kill him?

At the thought of this, Li Shuang suddenly felt restless, "I need to check." She attempted to get out of bed, but the military doctor immediately held her back. Sure enough, as soon as she tried to stand up, her head spun, and without anyone's intervention, she sat back on the bed.

"General, you've been unconscious for five days, just regained consciousness, and you're extremely weak. You mustn't move around recklessly," the military doctor advised.

"What does the General want to investigate?" Qin Lan's voice was grave. "I will personally help the General get to the bottom of it."

Li Shuang rubbed her temples, the initial excitement passed, and she regained her composure and calmness, "Where is Jin'an?" she asked, "Bring him to me first. I have questions for him."

With these words, Qin Lan fell silent again.

Li Shuang turned to him, "What's wrong?"

"That soldier, Jin'an... Five days ago, he also disappeared from the military camp," Qin Lan said solemnly, "There has been no trace of him for these five days."

Jin'an... is missing too?

Li Shuang was somewhat stunned, "Have you sent people to search outside the military camp?"

"In Lu City, outside Lu City, including the forest with hidden traps and the underground chamber from that day, we have sent people to search, but Jin'an was not found," Qin Lan paused, "General, Jin'an is not like other children. He has a mysterious background and strong martial arts skills. For him to disappear silently from the military camp, it couldn't be that someone kidnapped him, because if he resisted, there would surely be some commotion. The only possibility for no one in the military camp noticing his absence is that he left on his own."

If Jin'an left on his own, where could he have gone? Could he have secretly followed that mysterious person and the witch who took him away, trying to rescue the mysterious person?

Considering Jin'an's relationship with that mysterious person, this is not impossible. However...

No matter how Li Shuang thought about it, she felt that there was something suspicious about this, but she couldn't figure out what it was. However, one thing was clear: "This matter needs to be clarified. Whoever set the trap in that chamber with the intention of harming the Crown Prince is guilty of treason and must be found. As long as they are still in Geat Jin, we cannot let them leave alive."

Qin Lan nodded quietly, "Yes."

"Wait." Li Shuang called out to Qin Lan, "Send someone to the south to investigate. Pay close attention to any news related to Gu techniques."

Qin Lan was puzzled, "Gu techniques?"

"Yes. Gu techniques. Go and see if there are any martial arts sects capable of turning people into Gu creatures."

Qin Lan nodded, saluted, and then withdrew.

Watching Qin Lan leave, Li Shuang's eyes were determined. She secretly made up her mind to rescue the man in black armor. She clenched her fists quietly. Since she first met the man in black armor, he had always been so mysterious.

His whereabouts were always a mystery, but there was never a time when he wasn't there to save her from danger.

From their first encounter in the bandit's den in the north to now, where they were sheltering each other in this muddy underground chamber, he had always given his all to protect her.

Even when she had almost become his enemy in order to protect the Crown Prince...

Li Shuang's eyes drooped slightly. It was only now that she noticed the bandage on her arm, and there was still some pain when she moved it. She knew it was the wound left by the witch's bandaging on her arm.

But looking at her arm, she couldn't help but think of the muddy swamp where, at her request, the Crown Prince had stepped to help her escape.

"How is the situation in the Crown Prince's place now?"

The military doctor, who was writing prescriptions, turned his head at the words and replied, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince returned from that region unharmed. However, he began his journey back to the capital three days ago."

Li Shuang was taken aback, "The Crown Prince returned to the capital?" She frowned, feeling a sense of unease instinctively, "Has something happened in the capital?"

With a sigh, the military doctor nodded, his eyes looking at Li Shuang with a hint of desolation, "General, His Majesty has been unwell for quite some time."

Imperial power, the authority of the monarch, and the entire fate of the Great Jin rested on this one person. If anything happened to him, it meant trouble for the nation. If he was unwell, it meant trouble for the nation as well. Even the people of Great Jin, even those far away on the border, could feel the tremors of power at the heart of the empire.

It was the peak of winter, and Li Shuang hoped that the power struggles in the court of Great Jin would not affect the situation on the border. She also hoped that it wouldn't attract wave after wave of predators to the border.

Now that they didn't have the man in black armor, Li Shuang clenched her fists tightly. In this winter, they had no choice but to stand firm.

Li Shuang remained silent. At this moment, all she could do was pray. She prayed that this time, Sima Yang could make it back in time, make it back to his rightful position, to stabilize Great Jin and the Li family's position.

She touched her own arm, feeling grateful that she had been able to save Sima Yang at that moment. In the face of family and country, everything else seemed insignificant.