"Wait!" the Saintess's voice called from behind. Lan Yan stopped and looked coldly at the person approaching her.
Sensing Lan Yan's impatience, and not particularly liking her anyway, the Saintess took a flute from her sleeve and handed it to Lan Yan. "This flute can control the medicine men and deal with the people outside the hall."
Lan Yan frowned, not believing the Saintess would be so kind. There had to be a hidden agenda. She accepted it subtly, thinking it was best to use it if it was given. "The city will only be safe if the City Lord is safe."
With that, she gripped the flute and ran forward.
Behind her, the Saintess curled her lips and murmured, "Lan Yan, go ahead and do it. It would be best if something happened to you because of this. I want Jun Yelan to regret it for the rest of his life, and in the end, he will lose everything he cares about. Haha!"
She burst into mad laughter and looked at a frightened maidservant beside her. "Close the doors. Ignore the assassins outside; they are targeting Jun Yelan."
The maidservants quickly complied, thinking the City Lord and Lan Yan were in dire straits.
Lan Yan left the Saintess's Hall and went to the rear hall to find Lü Qi. "Lü Qi," she called, "there are assassins in the city. The City Lord is alone in the hall right now. Gather people and go there."
Lü Qi had already heard the commotion. Hearing Lan Yan's words, she nodded and went to call people. She looked at Lan Yan, "Be careful."
"I will be. I still need to find the City Lord," Lan Yan said with a slight smile, then headed towards the main hall entrance. As she passed a corner, she saw a group of people hiding in the shadows ahead.
Their hushed conversation reached her ears.
"Li Dali has been inside for so long, why hasn't the signal come yet? How much longer do we have to wait here?" They were the second wave of attackers but didn't quite trust Li Dali.
Another person chimed in, "Exactly. Why haven't the fireworks been lit? We shouldn't have followed him." More and more people agreed, their disdain for Li Dali growing.
Hearing the familiar name, Lan Yan immediately understood. This Alliance Leader Li was truly persistent. She looked at the flute in her hand, her eyes gleaming, and a smile touched her lips.
She circled around and approached the hall entrance, then began to play the flute.
As the flute's melody filled the air, the hidden medicine men throughout the city opened their eyes and followed the sound to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan controlled them again, ordering the medicine men to hide at the hall entrance. She then found unused fireworks in a warehouse and shot them into the sky, looking towards the hall entrance with a smile.
The fireworks bloomed in the air, painting the sky red for a moment before vanishing.
The second group of people, seeing this, shouted, "They're here, the fireworks are here!" Having finally received their signal, they charged towards the hall entrance. The next moment, they heard a flute's melody.
"Where is that flute sound coming from?" As they wondered, they were startled by the medicine men who suddenly appeared around them. "Who are these people?"
Lan Yan, hidden behind the medicine men, urged them on with the flute's tune and commanded, "Go."
Upon hearing the order, the medicine men lunged at the assassins, their cries gradually fading at the hall entrance.
At that moment, a second set of fireworks exploded in the sky. Inside the great hall, Li Dali and his men, covered in blood and looking disheveled, stared at the clean Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan cast a cold glance at them and frowned in the direction of the fireworks.
Li Dali clutched his severed arm and roared, "Jun Yelan, you think we only prepared this much! I'm telling you, the city is full of our people now, and reinforcements will arrive soon."
"I don't believe you can handle so many people alone." He had long heard from Alliance Leader Li that the people in this dead city were a disorganized mob, and no one would help Jun Yelan.
On the contrary, they all wanted Jun Yelan dead.
Jun Yelan chuckled contemptuously, toying with a small pebble in his hand. No matter how many people came, it made no difference to him.
However, the reinforcements Li Dali and the others were waiting for never arrived, and they grew anxious. "Why haven't they come yet!" They dared not approach Jun Yelan, huddling together in a corner.
Panic flickered across Li Dali's face as he listened to the increasingly irritating doorbell. He couldn't defeat Jun Yelan, but surely he could defeat a mere wind chime! He shoved the person next to him, giving them a meaningful look.
The person reluctantly raised a bow and aimed at the wind chime.
Jun Yelan's eyes turned ice-cold. He flicked the pebble in his hand, striking the archer, and caught the falling wind chime. Seeing the snapped rope, a chill spread through him, and he unleashed all the arrows he held.
Instantly, the men opposite them fell. Li Dali swallowed, and only a few remained.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the doorway. They looked towards the entrance with delirious joy, only to see Lan Yan alone. "Where are the others?"
Lan Yan smiled. "Are you waiting for reinforcements? I'm afraid I've intercepted them at the hall entrance." Her eyes sparkled with pride as she walked to Jun Yelan's side. "City Lord, I'm back."
A warmth spread through Jun Yelan's heart, and a hint of gentleness touched his face. He wished they could stay like this, but there were still some bothersome individuals.
"No, they can't not show up!" Li Dali was still in shock when an arrow was driven into his forehead, and he collapsed to the ground.
The people around him met the same fate.
A slight smile played on Jun Yelan's lips. This was better. "Cough, cough!" he said, clutching his chest. He had exerted too much of his power, aggravating his condition.
"City Lord!" Lan Yan placed her hand on Jun Yelan's arm, her voice filled with concern. "There are no more assassins in the city. You should rest." Worried that Jun Yelan would have another attack, she quickly touched his forehead.
Jun Yelan's coughing immediately subsided. He grasped Lan Yan's wrist and nodded. "You go too."
Lan Yan hadn't done much all night and wasn't particularly tired. But seeing Jun Yelan's intense gaze fixed on her, she replied, "Alright, I'll stay with the City Lord." She helped Jun Yelan into the inner room.
After they left, Lü Qi arrived to clean up the mess.
Jun Yelan sat by the bed, his eyes closing slightly.
Lan Yan looked at her wrist, which was still held, and sat down beside him, her eyelids growing heavy. She eventually slumped against the bedside, yawning.
Her peaceful sleep had been interrupted by the assassins, and she was quite sleepy now. Why wasn't Jun Yelan sleeping yet?
Seeing this, Jun Yelan suddenly scooped Lan Yan up from the bedside and placed her on the bed. He himself remained seated, staring at the wrist he held.
Like his hand before, it was soft, delicate, as if it could shatter with a mere squeeze, yet it was so warm.
Lan Yan was unaware of this. She rolled over, grabbed Jun Yelan's sleeve, and fell into a sweet sleep.
Jun Yelan smiled helplessly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. From tomorrow on, he would purge everything in this city, ensuring that what happened today would never occur again.
Because he liked to see Lan Yan like this.