When they were young, he was the teacher's most prized student, clever, studious, and able to remember everything he read. She, on the other hand, was the student who gave the teacher the biggest headache. She was always getting into fights. Because of this, her father often reminded him, "Stay away from that little girl from the Jun family. Don't let her lead you astray." But when she heard about it, she still shamelessly clung to him under the excuse of studying. Back then, she'd only been so fierce and combative because someone had said he was a jinx who'd killed his mother at birth, and that anyone who got close to him would die. She immediately punched the speaker in the eye and threatened, "Let me hear anyone say that again, and I'll show them what it really means to die for getting close to him!"
Later, he apprenticed himself to a renowned doctor and left his hometown. He was gone for seven years. By the time he returned, she had become a famous female general in the capital. His father's letters home said little about those years, summing them up with just one line: "The Jun family's girl hasn't had it easy either."
Later still, the Jun family was framed by a treacherous minister. Of all the court officials, the only one who stood up for them and fought to save the entire family was his father, An Zaiqing, the old political rival of General Jun. He didn't understand, but his father sighed and said, "Though Zi Chen and I disagree on politics, no one can surpass him in loyalty and righteousness."
With the border in danger, she was the only one among the court officials and military officers to step forward and volunteer to atone for her crimes by defending the frontier. She declared, "I won't return until I have broken Loulan." This time, it was finally his turn to stand beside her and swear an oath: "Your servant has no particular talents. The only thing I can speak of with any confidence is my medical skill. I volunteer to accompany Young General Jun, to live and die together, and never to leave or forsake you."
