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

Chapter 40

Just before dawn, Qin Lan and Wu Yin returned from the mountains covered in dew. When Qin Lan entered the cabin, he saw Li Shuang squatting under the bed, one hand connected to an iron chain, resting on the bed, while the other hand was hugging her knees. She slept like this, her arm serving as a pillow, looking exhausted and pitiful.

She hadn't woken up, so Qin Lan could boldly observe her. She had changed her clothes, her belt was tied together after being damaged, and her clothes had some tears. Her hair was messy, and there were red marks on her neck and collarbone, different from the previous wounds...

Qin Lan knew what those marks were, but he had never imagined that one day he would see such marks on Li Shuang's neck... And with those marks, the damaged clothes, and Li Shuang's current sleeping posture under the bed, it was easy to guess what the man lying there had done to her while he was away.

Qin Lan's throat tightened, his teeth clenched for a moment. Unable to bear it, he called out softly, "General."

Li Shuang, exhausted from the day's ordeal, slept more deeply than usual. It was only with this soft call that she raised her head.

Her eyes were still clouded with sleepiness, but when she saw Qin Lan, the fog dispersed in an instant. "Qin Lan," she hoarsely responded, attempting to stand up with the support of her knees. However, after squatting for so long, she felt unsteady when trying to stand, almost falling forward. Qin Lan just managed to catch her in time.

They had been together for many years, and Li Shuang had fought almost every battle with Qin Lan by her side. Such mutual assistance was quite common between them. Li Shuang pinched her brow, trying to rally her spirits. She was about to thank him when Qin Lan unexpectedly pulled her to the side and drew his sword from his waist, aiming to strike at Jin'an's neck! It seemed he intended to sever his head with a single stroke!

In an instant, Li Shuang's drowsiness vanished completely, replaced by disbelief. She raised her hand to block Qin Lan's elbow, barely intercepting his blow. "Qin Lan?" Li Shuang couldn't believe it. "What are you doing?"

Wu Yin, who was outside gathering herbs, heard the commotion and hurried into the room. Upon seeing the scene, he quickly stepped forward, pulling Qin Lan away to create some distance. "General Qin, what's wrong with you? Have you suddenly been possessed by evil spirits?"

Qin Lan wasn't possessed by evil spirits; he was simply burning with rage. He was furious at this man who dared to disrespect and shame Li Shuang, and he was angry with himself...

Throughout the night, he and Wu Yin had been out gathering herbs, ostensibly to heal Li Shuang and Jin'an's injuries. But Qin Lan knew what Wu Yin was up to. He could see that Wu Yin had always been trying to matchmake Li Shuang with that mysterious man. He should go back as soon as possible, guard Li Shuang, just like he used to...

But just as Wu Yin casually mentioned something while picking herbs, it stopped him in his tracks. "Let's look at some other herbs. If we return too early and stumble upon something, it would be embarrassing."

Li Shuang would never do something so absurd. In the past, Qin Lan would have found this idea laughable and not worth paying attention to, but now, he found himself halted by those words.

What if...

After all, Li Shuang had already done something incredibly absurd by returning from the northern borders to the capital just to chase after this man. She had done something even more absurd by borrowing soldiers from the emperor, he didn't know how much she had sacrificed just to save this man... She had already done many things that seemed utterly absurd to him.

And now, this night was so deep, hiding so many secrets... Compared to what had happened before, what Wu Yin said didn't seem so absurd anymore.

So Qin Lan spent the night wandering through the woods with him, until just before dawn, before daring to return to the Five Spirits Gate. But he hadn't expected to see Li Shuang in such a state.

If she was willing, Qin Lan would have no objections, even if he had to suppress his emotions. But now, with her distress and the struggles of last night all too apparent to Qin Lan, he found it increasingly difficult to contain his overflowing anger.

"This person poses a great danger to General Qin. I cannot let him stay."

He made a move to break free from Wu Yin's hold, but Wu Yin wasn't so easily dealt with. With a flick of his sleeve and a graceful downward motion of his folding fan, Wu Yin skillfully pushed Qin Lan to the other side of the room, positioning himself between Li Shuang, Jin'an, and Qin Lan.

Wu Yin glanced back, his eyes shrewd and perceptive. He understood the thoughts of the three individuals present without needing to spell them out. With a sly smile, he waved his fan a couple of times and said, "This person is a treasure of our Five Spirits Gate. Even if General Qin doesn't stop you from killing him, I won't allow you to act. If you're angry, just bear with it. This matter is beyond your control."

"This man has repeatedly shown disrespect to General Qin! Today, even if I have to risk my life, I won't let him leave this place alive." Qin Lan's expression turned dark, his gaze piercing Jin'an like he was facing the most formidable enemy on the battlefield, his killing intent surging.

Li Shuang knew Qin Lan was truly angry now, but the situation was embarrassing no matter how she looked at it. She could only tug at her collar to cover her neck. "He's just... temporarily like this," she sighed. "Whether he harmed me or last night's accident, it wasn't his intention."

"Regardless, he's a threat," Qin Lan's tone was stern. "General Qin, forgive my offense, but I cannot let him leave today."

Li Shuang fell silent. After years of working together with Qin Lan, she knew that today, even if she issued a military order, he probably wouldn't listen to her.

"Oh my."

Just as the deadlock persisted, Wu Yin suddenly sighed, "It's dawn."

Li Shuang's gaze shifted, and she saw outside the window the morning glow spreading across the sky. The sun had slowly risen over the distant mountains, casting its radiance upon the earth.

Almost instinctively, she turned her head and noticed that Jin'an, lying on the bed, hadn't transformed into a child. His chest still bore the same red flame pattern from last night. Unexpectedly, Jin'an... was awake.

He stared straight at Li Shuang, his gaze clear and penetrating, just like every night he watched her on the grasslands, except now, unlike the moonlight of the past, his eyes were filled with the colors of dawn.

This was Li Shuang's first time seeing Jin'an as anything other than a child in broad daylight.

She was a bit dazed, thinking it might be because she was still by Jin'an's side, delaying his transformation. But... now, apart from that iron chain, her body wasn't touching Jin'an anywhere.

She was surprised, and so was Wu Yin. "Huh, he finally looks a bit like the Gu people the old folks talked about."

There was a mark on his chest, but other than that, there was no difference from an ordinary person. After the turmoil of yesterday, it seemed like he had finally... become a complete Gu person.

But at this moment, Jin'an did not notice the changes in his body. He just looked at Li Shuang and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Have I hurt you again?"

With a hint of pain in his voice, Li Shuang felt heartache for him so easily. Before she could speak, the killing intent arose, and Li Shuang turned her head. Qin Lan rushed forward in a deadly manner, his eyes sharp as knives. Just as he said, today he must take Jin'an's life...