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

Chapter 35

Waking up from her slumber, Li Shuang found herself surrounded by the same darkness as before. Time seemed to stand still in the enclosed dungeon, leaving her a bit disoriented, unable to distinguish between day and night. But after a while, she felt a slight weight on her leg, and as she lowered her head, the time became clear.

It must be night because Jin'an had already transformed into an adult man, just like he had appeared every night in the north. He wasn't wearing the black mask this time, so his features were even more refined. He was still sleeping, perhaps not having had a proper rest for these past few days, making it difficult for him to wake up once he fell asleep.

As Li Shuang looked at his peaceful face, she couldn't help but recall those nights from a few months ago, when the mysterious man would easily stir up her emotions—anger, shyness, excitement...

While she pondered, her hand gently touched his cheek, fingertips tracing lightly across his brow and nose. His eye sockets were deeper than those of the people of Great Jin, resembling more the features of the Western Regions, yet with a refinement unique to him.

Li Shuang, with an unprecedented gentleness, explored every inch of his face, noticing the long eyelashes and the slight dark circles under his eyes, evidence of the torment he had endured during this time. She also noticed his cracked lips, the white skin peeling off as it scraped against her fingertips, causing an inexplicable itch in her heart. She wanted to smooth out these details that made him look weary, so her fingertips involuntarily wandered to the corner of his lips.

Unexpectedly, the sleeping man suddenly opened his lips slightly, and Li Shuang's hand inadvertently fell between his teeth.

He bit her...

The movement of his teeth and lips was gentle, carrying warmth from his body, enough to make her heart tremble. Li Shuang instinctively tried to withdraw her hand, but the teeth that had bitten her finger exerted force, stopping her movement—not painful, but not light either.

He didn't release her.

Li Shuang turned her eyes and found Jin'an had inexplicably opened his eyes at some point. He lay quietly on her lap, still in that ambiguous position of biting her finger, staring at her intently.

Their eyes met, and in the dungeon, an indistinct air of ambiguity lingered, leading to a moment of silence.

"Jin'an..." Li Shuang regained her composure, clearing her throat and shifting her gaze away. "Let go."

Jin'an loosened his grip slightly, freeing Li Shuang's finger. She breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could say anything, Jin'an spoke up:

"Do you like touching me?"

... So direct!

If Jin'an were still a child, Li Shuang wouldn't feel as embarrassed. Even if she knew he had the mind of an adult, his appearance as a child would have kept her emotions in check. But now, with him being a grown man and quite fitting her aesthetic preferences... lying on her lap, asking such a question from such a close distance, Li Shuang couldn't help but feel a bit flushed at this moment.

She cleared her throat again, yet before she could respond, Jin'an continued, "I want to kiss you."

"..." Li Shuang was momentarily stunned. "Huh?"

Jin'an repeated, ever so accommodating, "May I kiss you?"

"You..."

"He says he wants to kiss you. With a smooch, smooch, smooch." Suddenly, the voice of Wu Yin, who seemed to enjoy watching the spectacle, came from outside the dungeon. "I heard it all."

After feeling embarrassed, Li Shuang became annoyed. She clenched her teeth slightly, "Why are you still here?"

Before Wu Yin could respond, Jin'an sat up from Li Shuang's lap, his eyes filled with hostility, "I'll kill him."

Li Shuang quickly grabbed his hand, while outside, Wu Yin's voice continued, "Oh, ungrateful! I've been guarding here all afternoon, just went to get you two some food, and now you want to kill me? How unreasonable."

Li Shuang also stood up, but after sleeping for too long, her legs felt numb. As she stood up, she felt a tingling sensation, like ants crawling on her flesh. She stumbled, and Jin'an quickly supported her. In his eyes, which had been filled with killing intent just a moment ago, there was now a hint of worry and... fear, as if he were holding something precious and feared dropping it, or holding something delicate and feared breaking it.

Li Shuang waved her hand to reassure him, "It's just numbness in my legs, nothing serious."

She had Jin'an help her to the door. "Let Jin'an go out tonight."

Now it was Wu Yin's turn outside to fall silent for a moment. "The floor outside is still a mess. My old bones can't run around."

Li Shuang understood Wu Yin's concerns. She trusted Jin'an, without asking why, just believing in him. But others might not: "Get a pair of handcuffs and chain me to Jin'an. Would that be appropriate? He shouldn't be treated as a prisoner and kept here."

Jin'an's eyes flickered. He lowered his gaze to Li Shuang's neck, where the wound was, and to her delicate wrist. Although she was seen by others as a general who led thousands of troops into battle, in Jin'an's eyes, he just wanted to keep Li Shuang hidden behind him, in the safest and most secret place.

"I'll stay here," Jin'an said. "You're not a prisoner either, so there's no need for you to be restrained because of me."

Li Shuang looked at him. In the silence, they heard the sound of the dungeon door opening with a clack.

Wu Yin stood outside, looking helpless but with a hint of amusement as he stared at them. "Alright, alright. You're making me sour. Come on, let's go. I'll have someone arrange a room for you. There shouldn't be any mistakes when the Jade Silkworm Gu and its owner are together."

He picked up the food from the ground. "Let's go eat."

As they walked up, Li Shuang held Jin'an's hand the whole way. But when they were near the dungeon door, bathed in moonlight, Jin'an suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Li Shuang's hand slipped accidentally. She turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Jin'an didn't answer.

Li Shuang didn't press further. She just reached out her hand quietly and placed it in front of Jin'an. "Don't be afraid. Walk with me."

Where Li Shuang stood, a cool moonlight gently illuminated the ground, making it seem like she was radiating light.

"I won't hurt you," he said, as if making a vow. "I won't hurt anyone you don't want me to hurt."

"I know," Li Shuang said softly yet firmly. "I believe you."

Jin'an placed his hand in hers, and both hands felt as hot as fire, warming each other, relying on each other.

"Li Shuang," he called her name seriously for the first time, "you will be the only one in my remaining years."

Li Shuang opened her mouth, wanting to answer him. Whatever the response, she just wanted to give him a positive affirmation. She was thrilled and excited to hear him say such words.

But in that moment, she heard the distant sound of bugles from the foot of the mountain, the signal for the soldiers to return to camp and rest. Li Shuang's throat was suddenly torn apart, shattering all the words in her chest.

She thought of the General's Mansion, thought of the Changfeng Camp outside the pass, thought of the emperor on high, and even of the army she had obtained with her own life from the emperor.

She had saved him, but in her remaining years, she would not be his only one.