Shadow Love Episode 4 Recap
> Shadow Love Recap
Confined in a guarded room, Jin'an felt fearful. He questioned the female warrior watching him about his confinement, having been told he was a "suspicious man." His concerns escalated after a female doctor showed unusual curiosity about his physical changes, leading him to suspect he wasn't in the General's Residence at all, but rather with people allied to those from the stone chamber.
Feigning compliance, he tricked his guard to attempt an escape, only to be chased by the hammer-wielding warrior, Qiao'er. He cried out for help when he saw Li Shuang. Upon Li Shuang's arrival, Jin'an expressed his relief. He confessed that the death of Huo Du was an accident, an act of self-defense to save Li Ting. Li Shuang, observing his irregular pulse and shifty eyes, pressed him for the full truth.
Jin'an revealed his body's unpredictable nature, where his supernatural strength would surge and wane, making him either weak or capable of killing with his bare hands, leading him to believe he might have been responsible for the destruction in the stone chamber. He further suggested that the enchantress in the stone chamber, a manipulated corpse, was similar to the two soldiers in the camp, indicating he might have been controlled by the same hidden power and narrowly escaped.
Li Shuang, visibly concerned, pondered if Lu Xin's claims about Wuling Mountain were indeed true. Despite Jin'an's pleas of honesty, Li Shuang, prioritizing the safety of her household, tested him by swiftly punching him in the eye. Afterward, she thanked him for saving her and Li Ting, assuring him he was not a monster and should remain true to himself.
She instructed him to stay in the residence to recover, promising to ask Lu Xin for circulation medicine during her next visit. Once Li Shuang left, Jin'an touched his sore eye, surprised by the quickness of her strike. Later, Li Shuang hesitated outside Li Ting's room, holding medicine and unsure whether to enter. Jin'an, noticing her dilemma, offered to help, stating that Li Ting was grown and should handle his own medicine.
Li Ting was surprised to see a man in the General's residence, which was full of women. Although Li Ting often argued with Li Shuang, he consistently defended her as his sister in front of outsiders. Relieved to know Li Ting was well, Li Shuang left. Jin'an followed her, explaining that he only mentioned her name to distract Li Ting.
As the wind picked up, Li Shuang gently touched the fallen petals in the courtyard, and Jin'an, observing her, found himself quietly drawn to her, believing her to be a truly good person. Meanwhile, Lu Xin arrived at the military camp to deliver hemostatic herbs, but her true intention was to approach Captain Ji Ran. The soldiers openly admired her beauty and teased Ji Ran about his good fortune.
Lu Xin, eagerly greeting Ji Ran, noted his late return and her long wait. However, Ji Ran remained distant, telling her a military camp was no place for a lady and politely asking her to leave. Undeterred, Lu Xin continued her efforts to gain his favor by washing his clothes and even mending a hole in his undergarment, which again became a topic of gossip among the soldiers.
Ji Ran was clearly displeased, rebuking her for her lack of shame and insisting on maintaining proper boundaries between men and women. He pushed her away, causing her to drop the laundry, and urged her to show more self-respect. Lu Xin pursued him, confessing her feelings and her frustration with his coldness. Ji Ran gently explained that her actions were not the issue, but his own dedication to serving the country left no room for personal romance.
He reiterated his request for her to leave the military camp. Li Shuang tasked her subordinate with sending a memorial and Huo Du's body to the Emperor for judgment, stating that Huo Du, a rebel, had died accidentally while resisting arrest. Her subordinate cautiously suggested handing over Jin'an to quell potential criticism from the court, but Li Shuang firmly rejected the idea, asserting that all lives were equal and she would not falsely accuse anyone without concrete proof.
Following the former Emperor's demise and the mysterious "disappearance" of Prince Annan, Empress Dowager Qin, with her young son now on the imperial throne, assumed control, rallying the ministers to avenge the late Emperor and Prince Annan. Privately, Empress Dowager Qin kept an unconscious Duan Aoze imprisoned, holding onto the hope of his recovery. She pressed Jin Wujian, asking why Duan Aoze remained unresponsive.
Jin Wujian revealed that the interrupted integration of the Jade Linglong meant he couldn't fully revive Duan Aoze by conventional means. Desperate, Empress Dowager Qin pleaded with him, reminding him of his Wuling Mountain origins and his creation of a "shadow puppet." Jin Wujian then offered a solution: the "Double-Blossom Wine."
If they mixed their blood into the wine and drank it, their lives would be bound together, allowing Duan Aoze to be revived at the cost of her life being irrevocably tied to his. Empress Dowager Qin, however, declared this shared fate was exactly what she desired. Li Shuang decided to go in disguise to help rebuild the war-torn villages.
Jin'an, having eavesdropped, insisted on accompanying her, citing his familiarity with her and his discomfort with the intimidating members of her residence. Li Shuang, weighing his points and considering her subordinate's observation that taking a potential spy out might expose him more easily, as well as her own concern that his unpredictable powers could resurface, agreed. She proposed they pose as a "displaced couple" to better gain the villagers' trust.
However, after they donned rough, tattered clothing and entered a devastated village, Li Shuang introduced Jin'an as her simple-minded younger brother, explaining that he was hungry and thirsty, and that she was a former house builder offering to help rebuild the village for free with her "men" who would arrive the next day. Jin'an, playing his part, later questioned Li Shuang privately about the change from "husband" to "simple-minded younger brother," suggesting he could even be her older brother.
Li Shuang simply stated that his previous remarks about clothing had led her to believe he lacked "masculinity," making it difficult to present him as her husband or older brother. Li Shuang then had Jin'an work with Ji Ran and his men, hoping to ascertain if his supernatural strength was truly gone. However, Jin'an, physically weak, quickly collapsed from fatigue while trying to move wood. Auntie Huang diagnosed him with Qi deficiency and overwork.
That evening, Jin'an asked Li Shuang to stay with him in the house, arguing it was improper for her, a lady, to sleep in the communal outdoor area with the men. Li Shuang, however, insisted they were "brothers" and should share hardships. Later, unable to sleep due to the snoring outside, Li Shuang found Jin'an awake in the house.
She confessed that his situation reminded her of her own childhood, when she longed for companionship, and shared that she carried candy as a way to "dissolve the bitterness inside" when facing life's troubles. Despite their closeness, Jin'an still felt an inexplicable uneasiness, suspecting her "aura" had become impure from being with the soldiers, and resolved to find a solution.
He then tried to persuade her to share his bed, reminding her of their past shared sleeping arrangements, but Li Shuang quickly silenced him, instructing him to turn over and sleep.
