Li Mu didn’t keep her waiting long.
His arrival came much sooner than she had imagined.
This was their first meeting since he had sent her away from Xuan City two years ago.
He looked somewhat different from how she remembered him.
Back then, perhaps due to busy preparations for war north of the Yangtze and his hurried return to rescue the sovereign, he had no time for other trivial matters. In Gao Luoshen’s memory, Li Mu wore blood-stained armor with an unkempt beard about an inch long that obscured half his face.
A faint scent of blood and a pair of deep, somber eyes beneath his brows—these were the most vivid impressions left by that Governor of Yanzhou who came to rescue the city.
But tonight, the man before her was completely different from her memories.
He wore black robes with a grand cap, his waist bound with a jade-inlaid belt. That face-obscuring beard was gone, his face clean-shaven, with only the faint shadow of stubble typical of adult men after shaving along both jawlines, revealing a refined and lean jawline. His eyes were bright and piercing, making him appear both spirited and handsome.
He was completely different in temperament from Lu Jianzhi or the fathers and brothers Gao Luoshen was accustomed to.
When Jianzhi was alive, he was not only outstanding among the young noble sons of Jiankang’s generation, but also a rare one who joined the military to build achievements.
His hands could wield both elegant writing brushes and deadly swords.
Yet even having joined the military with distinguished service, Jianzhi lacked Li Mu’s killing aura.
This had nothing to do with clothing—it was an unsettling sense of latent oppression that could only come from experiencing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, from treading on blade edges and drinking blood, something that had seeped into his very bones.
After entering, he stood before her, watching her, neither speaking nor approaching.
Gao Luoshen knew that tonight, with her vermillion lips and white teeth, she was extremely beautiful.
Since Jianzhi’s death seven years ago, tonight was the first time she had adorned herself so splendidly for someone.
The surroundings were frighteningly quiet. Gao Luoshen could even hear the sound of his breathing, one breath after another.
For the first time in her life, she felt extremely nervous.
She finally gathered courage, raised her head, and met his gaze.
After looking at each other for a moment, she slowly curved her lips toward him, revealing a smile.
He seemed to hesitate slightly, his shoulders moving just a bit, then removed his head cap and stepped to her side.
In this season, if dressed too lightly, Gao Luoshen would occasionally feel cold when night winds arose.
Perhaps due to drinking wine, he seemed somewhat hot, with thin perspiration already faintly showing through his clothes.
“Would you like to change clothes?”
After hesitating, Gao Luoshen asked softly.
He raised his hand, about to untie the belt that bound his waist, when his arm suddenly paused, stopping mid-air.
A slender, pale hand had already reached toward his waist, fingertips touching the belt buckle, then stopping.
He looked toward her.
She had already stood up from beside the bed, her height reaching his shoulders. Standing before him like this, she appeared even more delicate in comparison.
Her feathery lashes trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes, not looking at him.
After only brief hesitation, that jade-like hand unfastened his buckle and gently removed it from him.
He remained still, only slightly lowering his head, silently watching her continue to undress him, then obediently turned around and raised both arms to facilitate her efforts.
Outer garments. Middle garments. When the inner shirt that had been soaked with sweat on the back was also half-removed, he felt the hand that had been resting on his rear shoulder through the clothing stop.
He waited for a moment, then finally felt that hand withdraw from his shoulder and back.
He slowly turned his head and saw her expression slightly stiff, her eyes fixed steadily on his back, as if seeing the most hideous thing in the world.
“Do I disgust and frighten you?”
His voice sounded hoarse and stiff.
Across his back were several old scars from past battles, all quite deep.
Especially the knife scar on his left shoulder that extended to his lower back—the wound had been so severe it nearly cost him his life. Though now healed, the scarred area remained uneven, like a purple centipede crawling across his skin, looking extremely fierce.
Gao Luoshen raised her eyes, meeting his dark, somber gaze. After a moment, she gently shook her head.
“I was wondering if it still hurts now?”
She asked him softly.
Those beautiful eyes showed no disgust or fear, but rather natural tenderness and pity emerging after initial surprise.
The darkness in his eyes instantly cleared.
“It hasn’t hurt for a long time.”
He gazed at her, speaking equally softly, his tone extremely gentle, as if comforting her.
Gao Luoshen slowly exhaled, turned to fetch a clean inner shirt, and seeing he had already removed his sweat-soaked garment, revealing his strong upper body, her face couldn’t help but warm slightly. Not daring to look much, she lowered her eyes and handed the garment over.
He dressed himself and properly tied the sash.
Through this exchange, the initial strangeness between them seemed to gradually disappear. Not only Gao Luoshen, but even Li Mu appeared much more natural.
“Grand Marshal…” She paused and changed her address.