Chapter 6

Qin Lan's gaze became stern: "Do you suspect that the child is related to that mysterious person?"

Just as the man in her dream was about to kiss her neck and pull open her garment, Li Shuang suddenly awoke

Jin An lowered his gaze, his eyes soft in color; he enjoyed the touch of Li Shuang

Li Shuang commanded, "This afternoon, there is nothing happening in the army. I want three soldiers to accompany me to explore the place where Jin'an was found." Li Shuang squinted as he gazed into the distance, "I remember there is a forest behind it, and there was quite a commotion the night before that day."

I feel lonely

Being stroked on the head by her felt like an extremely pleasant experience, Jin An slightly squinted his eyes, as he greatly enjoyed her touch

Looking into his eyes, Li Shuang felt both helpless and amused. She squatted down, gazed directly at Jin An, and asked him: "Do I look very much like your mother?"

Hearing these two words, Jin An's originally unhopeful gaze suddenly brightened: "Do you agree?"

After finishing all of this, evening had arrived. Li Shuang rubbed her shoulders and collapsed onto the bed. Having not slept the entire day, she was utterly exhausted at this moment. Closing her eyes, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

The self in the dream wishes to struggle, yet she remains standing in his embrace, unable to break free

You can see everything on me

chest

Only those with profound inner qualities can achieve such a feat

It was as if a ray of sunlight resided on her fingertips, capable of dispelling all the gloom in his heart and the cold that almost brought him pain

Jin An could only nod. Watching Li Shuang mount her horse, her demeanor was striking and graceful. Even though he did not like her departure, Jin An still found himself entranced by her figure.

Luo Teng, usually a rough man, possesses profound skills in tracking and tracing. As he ventured deeper into the dense forest, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Upon reaching the depths of the forest and witnessing the chaotic scene of fallen trees, Luo Teng gazed at the disarray before him and remarked, "Goodness, General... this does not seem like the kind of disturbance a child could create."

Hmm. Li Shuang nodded, "I will give the order. From today onwards, you are one of my personal guards. You may return today to pack your belongings, and starting tomorrow, you will move into my personal guard's tent. Besides, you have already had conflicts with your seniors in your previous quarters, so it would be awkward to continue staying there."

Li Shuang glanced at him and the book, asking: "Has anyone come to my camp just now?"

Li Shuang had Jin An put on his clothes and returned to train herself. As she turned to leave the tent, the corner of her garment was caught by Jin An.

However, when she sat up to drink some water, she realized that her blanket had indeed been pulled down a little, and her collar was slightly open... Li Shuang was a bit dazed; had she actually pulled her own clothes apart in her dream...

She felt something was amiss, lifted the thick curtain at the door, and stepped outside. The soldier on guard outside was a new recruit who had just joined this year, dozing off while leaning on his rifle. However, the moment Li Shuang lifted the curtain and stepped out, the soldier immediately woke up, stood up straight, and saluted Li Shuang, saying: "General!"

Jin An fixed his gaze on Li Shuang until she spoke, saying, "Go patrol outside the camp and return before dark." Only then did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze, his head drooping in a somewhat dejected manner

Jin An did not shy away, nodding his head: "Do you want to see?"

Li Shuang walked in the direction indicated by the guards, and saw a staircase leading underground, concealed beneath stones and broken branches. It was pitch dark inside, and nothing could be seen, only a foul odor emanated from within, making one feel nauseous at the mere whiff.

Li Shuang ruffled Jin An's hair

Li Shuang couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. Initially intending to refuse, she reconsidered and, after a moment of contemplation, surprisingly nodded and said, "That works."

Li Shuang looked up and saw a desolate forest before her. Almost all the leaves on the trees had withered, yet due to the sheer number of trees, it appeared ominously dark. The horses could not enter the woods. Li Shuang then ordered a few people to tie the horses to the tree trunks outside and led them in search of the path that Jin An had taken when he emerged from the forest that day, following the broken branches.

Li Shuang was momentarily choked up by the words, rendered speechless. It was Luo Teng beside her who shouted out: "You little rascal, why are you being so lewd again! Who allowed you to speak to the general like that!"

Li Shuang thought for a moment: "Lead me to take a look"

Jin An was taken aback and shook his head

Hearing Li Shuang change the subject, Qin Lan could only clench his fists in silence and then respond with his head lowered

Qin Lan repeated these two words. ... Li Shuang suddenly realized, and also ... ... In the bitter cold of the outer regions, how could she have seen someone’s chest. ... ... She coughed lightly: "In any case, it is better to keep Jin An under your control than to let him act freely with the soldiers, as the Imperial Guard is composed of capable individuals, so there is no need to worry about being unable to restrain him."

Li Shuang, accompanied by Luo Teng and two other personal guards, was just about to leave the Changfeng Camp when Jin An, holding a blanket and his meager belongings, blocked Li Shuang's path.

Ke Lishuang only rubbed his hand for a moment before withdrawing it. He glanced at Lishuang's hand, his lips pressed together, as if he was suppressing the urge to touch her. Lishuang asked him, "Is there a red mark on your chest? I saw it the day I brought you back."

Jin An shook his head. He did not feel pain; he simply felt that there was power in Li Shuang's fingertips. Just a gentle touch was enough to make him feel so happy that he even experienced a shiver. He saw Li Shuang raise her hand again, her fingertips gliding over the mark on his heart.

He remembers nothing at all: his name, his origins, the reasons for his past, and how he came to be like this. The earliest memory he can recall is of running through the cold night forest, covered in blood, with a mouth full of gore, feeling completely cold.

Before them, within a radius of ten zhang, tree trunks were broken, large stones shattered, and beneath a chaotic cover of withered branches, faintly visible were the stark white bones of the dead. Li Shuang was examining the human bones that had been licked clean by wild beasts when a guard behind him shouted: "General! There is an entrance to a subterranean chamber here."

Li Shuang nodded: "Although we do not yet know the true intentions of that person, nor are we certain whether Jin An has disclosed the information to that armored individual, it seems that there may indeed be a connection between the two, based solely on the emblem on their chests and their fearless nature in the cold."

The sergeant was taken aback, blinking as he looked at Li Shuang: "Returning to the general, no one has been found approaching the main camp."

Li Shuang was surrounded by burly men, and she was their general. Most of the time, her interactions with them consisted of commands and intimidation; she had never been relied upon in such a manner. Even Li Ting, who occasionally acted spoiled towards her, would never display such a pitiful demeanor. Seeing Jin An like this made Li Shuang feel a moment of softness in her heart, and she reached out to pat his head. Jin An's drooping gaze immediately softened: "First, go take care of your own matters"

Li Shuang turned Jin An around, who was bare-chested, and saw a flame mark on his left chest, while the rest of his body was as tender as that of other children, even more delicate than Li Ting, who was raised in the capital.

Why do you always stare at me like this?

Li Shuang arranged the matters at hand and then discussed the specific methods for launching a surprise attack on the bandit stronghold of Shizhai with several generals. She then appointed Qin Lan as the chief commander to handle the encirclement. Li Shuang was well aware of the strength of the Changfeng Camp and had no concerns about capturing that small stronghold. After returning to her tent, she dealt with some routine military affairs and then wrote a letter regarding Li Ting's situation, sending it back to the capital to inform her father.

In fact, there was no need for Luoteng to call out; even before he did, Jin An's gaze had already fallen upon Li Shuang, his eyes shining brightly as he fixed his stare on her. As soon as Luoteng shouted, Jin An immediately ran over, standing right in front of Li Shuang, his gaze no longer wandering to the side.

Hmm. Then Li Shuang paused and said, "Can't we look?"

As her fingertips departed, Jin An felt an undeniable sense of loss, yet she still did not forget to answer Li Shuang's question: "I can't remember."

Li Shuang nodded, but then she thought of the mysterious man she encountered in the stone fortress. She still could not put her mind at ease regarding his knowledge of her whereabouts. She reflected on the details from yesterday and suddenly recalled the red stripe that spread from his left chest to the corner of his eye

Jin An, upon hearing this, had a bright expression on his face. He nodded slightly; this was the most pleasant departure from Li Shuang he had ever experienced.

It is truly ... ...

This statement came as a surprise, and Li Shuang pondered for a moment: "You are still young, you need to first practice the basics with the captain."

Watching Jin An leave, Li Shuang pondered and summoned Qin Lan. The twelve personal guards beside Li Shuang were all individuals she had brought from the General's residence, each skilled and utterly loyal. Qin Lan was one of them, serving as her chief guard. However, over the years, he had also taken on the role of Li Shuang's deputy general, and gradually, the identity of chief guard was seldom mentioned.

Roteng brought Lishuang to the training ground for new recruits. Indeed, Jin'an was following a few slightly older children as they engaged in physical training, running laps around the training field. It was unclear how far they had run, but the children in front were already drenched in sweat. However, Jin'an remained unfazed, keeping pace behind them without breaking a sweat. The other children were bare-chested, while Jin'an was still wearing a single layer of clothing, which remained clean and dry.

Roteng appeared somewhat bewildered by her question: "That kid is probably training with the other little soldiers right now. Why is the general suddenly asking what he is doing?"

Li Shuang turned around and looked at him: "What’s wrong?"

Li Shuang had not yet responded when Luo Teng, already mounted on his horse, scolded him, "No sense of propriety! Does the general still need to report to you where he is going?"

It seems that this is the second time Jin An has said this to her; Li Shuang only interprets this as her having rescued him from the wilderness, so this child probably holds a grateful heart and has thus determined to acknowledge her

In the moment she opened her eyes, it was already midnight. The camp of the Long Wind was enveloped in silence, as she was asleep and no one came to disturb her. Inside the tent, not even a candle was lit, and the surrounding darkness and chill accentuated the warmth she had just experienced in her dreams. She stared blankly for a while, then raised a hand to cover her face.

He bore not a single wound, which led Li Shuang to recall the day she brought him back. Jin An had been in rags, his clothes completely soaked in blood. Yet now it appeared that the blood on him at that time must have belonged to others; otherwise, it would be impossible for wounds that bled so profusely to heal completely in such a short span of time, leaving not a trace behind.

"Alright, alright." Li Shuang quickly waved her hand. Initially, she thought there was nothing wrong with looking at the child's chest, but now, after saying that, she felt a bit embarrassed. She took Jin An to a military camp and then let him take off his shirt by himself.

The steps above are stained with blood, mixed with this scent, making one feel a tingling sensation on the scalp

"That... Jin'an!" Luo Teng called out loudly, then waved to him, "Come here, the general wants to see you"

After circling around Jin An, Li Shuang's gaze finally settled on the tattoo on his chest. She reached out with her fingertip to touch it, and when she made contact with that red mark, she felt Jin An shudder all over.

Li Shuang withdrew her hand: "Does it hurt?"

The pattern similar to that tattoo seems familiar to Li Shuang.

May I follow you

She stroked her chin and thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly brightened: "What about that soldier, Jin An?" she asked Luo Teng, "Where is he now?"

Li Shuang knew that Qin Lan would definitely have objections, so she spoke frankly: "The day before yesterday, I took ten people with me to the bandit stone stronghold. This was a spontaneous action, and the people outside the military camp could not possibly know my whereabouts"

Li Shuang thought that if the characteristic of having red flame patterns on the chest and an indifference to the cold was not unique to one person, it would imply that in this northern region, there might be a group or tribe that she was unaware of... Moreover, they seemed to be quite knowledgeable about her Longfeng Camp...

I can do it all." He looked at Li Shuang, and in his usually emotionless gaze, there was now a fullness of desire, even tinged with a hint of pity. "I can protect you."

However, Li Shuang could not see Jin An's inner thoughts; she only caressed the mark on his chest for a while and did not discover any other sensations. She asked him: "How did this mark come to be? Do you remember?"

No matter how formidable a person may be, it is impossible to stand at the door without alerting the soldiers and intrude into the camp... Indeed... She was just dreaming

Jin'an thought for a moment and replied, "Because you are special"

As for the others... Li Shuang pondered for a moment: "Originally, I thought there was no need to investigate the background of a child, but it seems that it cannot be overlooked now."

Indeed. Li Shuang pondered for a moment, thinking to herself, if this child is not lying, then he has truly lost his memory, and the mark on his chest is almost identical to the patterns on the mysterious black-armored man from yesterday. To uncover that person's identity, it seems she must investigate on her own.

Li Shuang did not say much more and returned to her account. Sitting on the bed, she let out a heavy sigh, thinking to herself that perhaps next time she returned to the capital, she might as well have her father arrange a marriage for her. After all, she was in the harsh winter of the northern frontier, unable to endure any longer, and had finally welcomed the spring of her life.

Are you going out of the camp? He fixed his gaze firmly on her

The next morning, when Li Shuang left the camp again, it was with the news that Qin Lan had completely eradicated the bandits.

Riding forward on horseback, Li Shuang took the lead and headed straight to the place where Jin'an was first discovered. In the desolate land, the large patch of blood that once marked the spot has now been buried by the wind and sand, leaving only a small trace of rusted blood as evidence that Jin'an indeed fell here on that day

She let out a deep sigh, and unexpectedly... had such a dream

Upon hearing Li Shuang's arrangement, Qin Lan was taken aback: "That child..."

She had thought that she would sleep dreamlessly, yet she did not know why, from the moment she closed her eyes, she began to dream incessantly. In her dreams, there was always a man. Bare-chested, wearing a black armored mask, he stood quietly on a snow-covered mountain peak, embracing her with a burning warmth, and then, with his lips, he ambiguously and dangerously brushed against her forehead, cheeks, and lips