Lan Yan sat before the table, sifting through all the books, but still found no more information about Jun Yelan. Propping her head with one hand, she muttered, "This speed is too slow."
From Jun Yelan's refusal to eat what she offered, she could discern his feelings towards her. She needed to find a way to get closer to Jun Yelan. Murmuring to herself, she thought, "If only I could enter the confinement myself."
She suddenly sat up straight, retrieved array formation books from the cabinet, and studying the text within, she laughed, "There's a way to break it." Afterward, she practiced continuously.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent palace, Xiao Lingling looked at her sect leader father and cried, "Father, this Lan Yan and Jun Yelan have gone too far. You must avenge me."
The Spirit Mountain Sect Leader had a head full of white hair but a face that appeared no older than forty. He exuded an air of refinement, his eyes sharp. He said, "Lan Yan is still useful to us. Taming Jun Yelan depends on her."
"On what grounds!" Xiao Lingling sat down, seething with indignation.
The Spirit Mountain Sect Leader opened a cabinet and took out a box containing Jun Yelan's horns and wings. "I've been unable to find a method for refinement. The key lies with Jun Yelan."
"Since Lan Yan is the strongest beast tamer, let her handle it. The outcome will naturally be ours. You, on the other hand, are too impatient."
Xiao Lingling glanced at the contents of the box, a hint of smugness in her eyes. "Very well, let them live a little longer. But Father, I saw Jun Yelan today. He had no external injuries, but he was still weak."
"Could this Lan Yan be insincere and hasn't tamed him!"
The Spirit Mountain Sect Leader frowned. His cultivation had not improved, and he couldn't afford further delays. "In that case, place my magic artifact outside the cave. He will suffer, and it's time to remind Lan Yan to speed things up."
"Yes, Father." Xiao Lingling smiled with satisfaction, took the artifact, and tossed it outside the cave before leaving immediately. She still felt some fear towards Jun Yelan. Angrily, she spat, "Jun Yelan, may you suffer!"
The artifact enveloped the area outside the cave, emitting a golden light. Instantly, the light transformed into small needles, shooting towards Jun Yelan within the cave.
Hearing the commotion, Jun Yelan's eyes snapped open. He clenched his fist, attempting to resist the approaching needles. He strained his arm, veins bulging, and the iron chains on the wall clanged fiercely. The needles halted before him.
He immediately channeled his power. Some needles fell to the ground, while others entered his body. The sudden pain caused him to snort coldly, blood trickling from his lips.
Simultaneously, his eyes filled with ferocity. His irises turned a brilliant red before fleetingly returning to normal as he continued to battle the needles.
The light within the cave attracted attention from outside. Lin Qian, responsible for night patrols, saw it and immediately went to inform Lan Yan. "Senior Sister, please open the door quickly! That beast is in trouble."
He assumed the beast was trying to escape and hurried to ask Lan Yan to stop it.
Lan Yan, groggily waking up, rushed to get dressed upon hearing the news of Jun Yelan's predicament. She opened the door and called out, "I'm coming right away!"
She ran forward, her face etched with anxiety.
Upon arrival, she saw the light within the cave and sensed something was amiss. Entering, she found Jun Yelan bleeding from the corner of his mouth, a pool already forming on the ground. She immediately called out, "Jun Yelan."
Hearing the voice, Jun Yelan knew who had arrived, but he could not afford to be distracted. The needles before him were closing in.
Seeing this, Lan Yan tossed the paper figurine from her embrace, wrapping each needle to immobilize them.
This enabled Jun Yelan to act. With a slight exertion of his magic, the needles finally fell to the ground. His expression eased slightly. He spat out a mouthful of blood; using his magic now had made him even weaker.
"Jun Yelan." Lan Yan watched Jun Yelan, who was on the verge of collapsing, and remembered the method to break the confinement. She then channeled all her magic power, focusing on breaking one point of the confinement.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her fingers stiffening. Her gaze was fixed only on the unconscious figure. "Jun Yelan, wake up for me."
She shouted, and suddenly, a loophole appeared in the confinement. Delighted, she exclaimed, "I've opened it!" She quickly entered and walked to Jun Yelan's side. Seeing his pale lips, she took out the remaining spirit grass.
However, Jun Yelan was completely unconscious and unable to swallow the spirit grass.
Lan Yan chewed the spirit grass and fed it to Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan instinctively swallowed. He opened his eyes and saw Lan Yan so close, his pupils widening in shock. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Lan Yan moved away.
Seeing Jun Yelan awake, Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Glad you're alright, otherwise I'd be in deep trouble." She didn't want to fail the mission just yet and took out other spirit grass. "Here, eat these too."
This time, Jun Yelan did not refuse and obediently ate them all.
This gave Lan Yan the illusion that Jun Yelan had changed. She looked at the blood on his face, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped it away, revealing his smooth forehead and cheeks. She sighed, "You're actually this handsome."
"Never mind, I won't wipe it for you. What if other cultivators take a liking to you?" She put down the handkerchief, looking at Jun Yelan with a smile.
The confusion in Jun Yelan's eyes deepened. Besides the person before him, who else would be willing to approach him! He could never understand Lan Yan.
Lan Yan looked around. In the corner, the chicken and rabbit from yesterday were still hiding. There was nothing else. She didn't know how long Jun Yelan had been imprisoned here. The place was pitch-dark, with no signs of life.
In her haste earlier, she hadn't thought it through before entering. From now on, she could approach Jun Yelan face-to-face. She chuckled inwardly. Noticing Jun Yelan staring at her, she said, "From now on, if you need anything, just ask me."
"I am, after all, the only one who has touched you."
Jun Yelan looked at the smile on Lan Yan's lips and was momentarily stunned, not averting his gaze as he usually did.
"Right, you need to rest well now. Don't talk to me anymore." Lan Yan glanced again at Jun Yelan's wounds, which were slowly healing. She then left the cave, not wanting to disturb Jun Yelan's recovery.
As she reached the cave entrance, she saw Lin Qian staring at her suspiciously. He fidgeted and said, "Junior Brother, I'd forgotten about you. He's still inside, and nothing major happened. Let's go quickly."
She nudged Lin Qian forward, glancing back into the cave. Jun Yelan was safe for now, wasn't he?
Lin Qian's face held confusion. He had been waiting at the cave entrance for Lan Yan and had clearly heard voices from inside. It couldn't have been the senior sister talking to herself. Could it be that she was talking to the beast inside!
He turned to look at Lan Yan, wondering how his senior sister tamed beasts every day!