The next morning, Lan Yan did not need to go to the market, so she practiced her martial arts in the wooden hut. She set her sights on a nearby tree, assumed a horse stance, and suddenly struck out with her palm.
The tree remained unmoved.
"Strange, why isn't it working?" Lan Yan looked at her palm in confusion, it seemed to be working intermittently. She tried again, but the tree in front of her remained rooted in place.
The white tiger beside her glanced lazily, stretched out a forepaw, and let out a fierce roar. The tree swayed violently.
Lan Yan was stunned. She clapped her hands, which were already poised to strike. "Little White Tiger, I didn't realize! You're usually so lazy, yet so powerful! No, I can't be inferior to you."
She shouted and struck the tree trunk again. This time, two leaves fell from above. She picked up the leaves and smiled, "At least there's progress."
White Tiger: "..." He yawned and lay down on the ground.
Lan Yan continued to strike, and more and more leaves fell.
At this moment, a group of sword-wielding individuals arrived outside the wooden hut. Leading them was the elegant Sect Leader Li, his eyes sharp. He immediately spotted Lan Yan by the tree. This daughter was indeed still alive.
He had informed the Saintess of Lan Yan's traitorous status. According to logic, she should have died at Jun Yelan's hands, yet she had survived. He snorted coldly, realizing he had underestimated this illegitimate daughter.
He called out coldly, "Lan Yan." No one responded. He called out again in anger.
Lan Yan heard someone calling her name and turned to see Sect Leader Li. Her eyes darkened. Why had this old scoundrel come? She looked around and found that the entire area was surrounded, making escape difficult.
Her only option was to stall Sect Leader Li and leave clues for Jun Yelan's arrival.
Sect Leader Li saw that Lan Yan was even more indifferent than he was, and glared at her. "You rebellious daughter, do you still acknowledge me as your father?"
"I don't know," Lan Yan shook her head. This was the truth.
Sect Leader Li's face contorted. After not seeing her for just a few months, Lan Yan had become much bolder. He clenched his fist and shouted, "Lan Yan, think carefully. In your current predicament, only I can help you."
"As long as you help me kill Jun Yelan, I'll let you return to the Li family." He smirked confidently, believing that Lan Yan would agree based on her past desires.
Raising a daughter was not a difficult task. She could simply be married off later.
Lan Yan found this laughable. "Sect Leader Li, you don't have a clear understanding of yourself. Why shouldn't I stand with Jun Yelan and deal with you together? It would be simpler, and I would receive more protection."
She had no affection for Sect Leader Li, unlike her feelings for Jun Yelan.
Hearing this, Sect Leader Li's eyes blazed with anger. "You rebellious daughter, speaking about your father like this, without discerning right from wrong. Fine, today I will teach you a good lesson and make you regret it!"
"Hmph, you are not qualified to teach me." As Sect Leader Li lunged at her, Lan Yan flashed to the side. The white tiger behind her sprang forward and bit Sect Leader Li's arm.
Sect Leader Li roared, "Beast!" He struck out with his palm towards the white tiger's head.
Lan Yan worried about the white tiger and shouted, "Little White Tiger, hurry and go find your master in the back mountain." She took out her slingshot and fired at Sect Leader Li's eyes, forcing him to release the white tiger.
The white tiger spat on the ground, disgusted by the taste of blood. He cast a reluctant glance at Lan Yan and ran towards the back mountain, raising his claws and swatting away two Li family members blocking his path.
Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Since Sect Leader Li had specifically sought her out, he must have valued her. She would be safe for the time being and awaited Sect Leader Li's next move.
Sect Leader Li looked at his bloody arm, which was still trembling. His anger intensified. He transferred all his hatred to Lan Yan, but this was not the right time for revenge; this person was still useful.
"Someone, take her away."
Lan Yan was captured. As she left, she glanced towards the back mountain, thinking that Jun Yelan would arrive soon.
Sect Leader Li did not follow them. Instead, he walked towards the direction of the Dead City. He had come with a purpose today: to probe the Dead City.
At this moment, outside the Dead City, a group of righteous cultivators had gathered, their banners proudly proclaiming, "Slay Jun Yelan."
Jun Yelan was not in the city; he was preparing to find Lan Yan. He heard the white tiger's roar and paused, then quickened his pace. He flew to the back mountain of the wooden hut and saw the white tiger with its head drooping. He anxiously asked, "Where is she?"
The white tiger lowered its head further and raised its paw.
Jun Yelan saw the blood, and his eyes darkened. He rapidly reached the courtyard of the wooden hut, only to find it in disarray, with no trace of Lan Yan.
A chill emanated from him. The veins on the back of his hand bulged. He roared, "If anything happens to Lan Yan, I will not let anyone involved today off the hook."
He strode forward to search. A scout fell before him.
"City Lord, bad news! The righteous factions are launching a major attack, and the Dead City is in grave danger."
Jun Yelan's eyes showed increased ferocity. "They have come at this time deliberately. They captured Lan Yan first, and then attacked, tying my hands."
He thought of Lan Yan's background and knew that some of the attacking righteous factions must know her whereabouts. "Let's go. They dare to bully this City Lord, have they forgotten who I am? Today, I will make them remember."
"And you all, neglecting your duties. I will not punish you today. All of you go find Lan Yan. If you fail, you will be executed." His only recourse now was to find Lan Yan as quickly as possible from these two avenues, filled with self-blame.
The scouts, whose duty was to protect the Dead City, could only comply when their City Lord acted this way.
Jun Yelan cast a cold glance at the wooden hut and headed for the Dead City without a moment's delay. He intended to kill these hypocrites and get information about Lan Yan's whereabouts.
At the city gate, the group led by Sect Leader Li was still holding their banners high. Seeing the Dead City still tightly shut, they laughed. "Is this Jun Yelan afraid? Why isn't he coming out! Hahaha, so he's just like that."
As the words fell, a mark appeared on their necks, and they fell to the ground with wide eyes.
The surrounding people retreated, looking nervously at the green-robed man who had suddenly appeared. "Jun Yelan, it's Jun Yelan!"
Jun Yelan gripped his soft sword, his eyes shooting out cold stares. "Where is she?"
The crowd did not understand what Jun Yelan was saying. They raised their weapons and attacked him, but were all defeated and knocked to the ground.
Jun Yelan, however, had only one question. "Where did you take her!" His soft sword was stained with blood, and the blood splattered onto his green robe, revealing his extreme rage.
Seeing this, Sect Leader Li hid behind his disciples, watching Jun Yelan become increasingly terrifying. He swallowed and a flicker of fear, mingled with a hint of joy, appeared in his eyes.
"I never expected Jun Yelan to truly care about that detested daughter!" he thought. Just then, Jun Yelan's sword was before him.
Jun Yelan looked at Sect Leader Li with even greater ferocity, his voice a chilling rasp. "You deserve to die!" He had not forgotten how Sect Leader Li had abandoned Lan Yan and wanted to avenge her.
Sect Leader Li trembled and shouted, "You can't kill me. If I die, Lan Yan dies too!"