Moonlight stretched long through the shrine doors.
Ling Shan gazed at Bai Jing in silence, as though every answer were caught in the breath he dared not release.
"I…" His voice was low. "I remember only half."
Bai Jing did not move.
"Half is enough to know that once, you made your choice."
There was no anger in her words, only the weight of a verdict no court needed to repeat.
Ling Shan rose slowly. "This time, I will not choose the same."
Her eyes flickered for the briefest instant before returning to stillness.
"The world," she said softly, "often forces people to choose. The question is not whether you will choose, but what you are willing to lose."
The wind grew stronger. A white fox tail shimmered in the moonlight, and she vanished again, leaving behind a question heavier than before.
At dawn, the two descended the mountain. The road to the capital stretched far ahead, pale dust reflecting the early sunlight. Li Xuanwu walked beside Ling Shan, saying little, yet the distance between them had grown noticeably smaller.
At the horse station, Li paused.
"She returned last night, didn't she?"
Ling Shan did not deny it.
Li gave a small nod, as though confirming what he already knew.
"I don't know how much you remember," he said, "but if you choose to face it, I will stand with you. Live or die."
There were no grand vows. No dramatic oaths.
(How much I remember? He speaks as if he knows I returned from another lifetime.)
For the first time, Ling Shan looked at him without the veil of a past life clouding his sight.
"Thank you."
Only two words, but sincere. Something between them shifted. No longer commander and subordinate. Just two men who had chosen to walk the same road.
Three days later, the walls of Chang'an came into view. Imperial banners fluttered above the city gates. Silk-clad figures moved through bustling streets. The cries of merchants mingled with the rumble of carriage wheels.
The news of Ling Shan's return spread quickly through the officials' quarter.
Xue Rong came to the residence to greet him in person.
She was as beautiful as ever. Pale blue silk set against flawless skin. Her eyes shone with open joy.
"You have returned."
Ling Shan looked at her, courteous, composed, and more distant than ever before.
"I have."
The answer was simple. Devoid of the warmth this body once carried in its memories. She faltered for only a breath.
"I heard the border was unstable. Were you injured? I should not have let you go."
"I am unharmed."
The conversation was brief. Like a thin, invisible wall standing between them.
When she invited him inside, Ling Shan replied calmly, "I have matters to attend to at the Capital Patrol Office. I will return later."
The refusal was polite, but unmistakable. Xue Rong's hand tightened beneath her sleeve. She smiled faintly.
"Then I will wait."
Ling Shan nodded and turned away. No one noticed the tremor in her eyes, except Li.He watched her with quiet sympathy, unable to understand Ling Shan's cold restraint.
On the way to the Capital Patrol grounds….
"You were too cold to her," Li said bluntly.
"I cannot force what is no longer in my heart. Since that day… it feels as though…"
Li studied him for a moment, then sighed softly.
"At least you are honest."
Ling Shan said nothing.
As they entered the training courtyard, a voice called out ahead.
"I did not expect to see you so soon."
A man in dark gray robes stepped forward. His features were sharp, posture steady, eyes keen as a hidden blade.
Li Xuanwu stopped.
"Senior Brother He…"
The man smiled faintly.
"He Jin Feng," he said, nodding toward Ling Shan. "We met at court."
Ling Shan remembered faintly, a civil official, skilled in formations and sealing rites.
He Jin Feng's gaze shifted toward Li.
"I did not expect you to follow General Ling back to the capital."
Li replied evenly, "Neither did I. Circumstances on the road were… troublesome."
He Jin Feng raised a brow slightly.
"You mean fleeing the examination? It is fortunate your head still rests upon your shoulders."
A simple remark.
Yet layered with meaning.
Wind swept through the courtyard. Banners snapped overhead.
Ling Shan felt it then. His return to the capital was not the end of a border mission. It was the beginning of something else. Above the walls of Chang'an, gray clouds gathered slowly, like a storm not yet arrived, but inevitable.
"You've recovered, I trust?" Jin Feng asked. "Back to duty already?"
Ling Shan inclined his head.
"I came to inspect the Capital Patrol."
(So this is Ling Shan's duty.)
Akin, within Ling Shan's body, observed the subtle exchanges between the two men.
"I hear you've been promoted to General," Jin Feng continued lightly. "And Elder Chen seeks a successor. It has been three days already, perhaps someone else has been chosen."
He exhaled deeply, as though relieved of a great burden.
"You two know each other well enough. Help me restore his memory .. I would not have him remain in confusion."
Akin, in Ling Shan's form, spoke modestly.
"Yes… I will rely on you."
Jin Feng patted Ling Shan's shoulder gently.
His smile was courteous, but his eyes weighed every reaction.
"If you cannot remember, I will tell you myself," he said, glancing at Li Xuanwu. "Including what must not be forgotten."
Li frowned slightly.
Before anyone could continue, hurried footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
A young soldier dropped to one knee.
"General! An incident at the Eastern Market! Three dead, bodies drained as if their life force was extracted!"
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Ling Shan lifted his gaze.
"Take me there."