Jun Yelan lay in bed, his face paler than usual, with traces of blood still on the corner of his lips.
The Saintess by his bedside stared at him, opened the medicine bottle in her hand, and poured all the contents into the brazier on the floor, burning them to ashes. She laughed loudly, "Jun Yelan, you have a weakness now, you're no match for me."
She had previously added a medicine to Jun Yelan's medication, which did not conflict with the medicine for his condition. However, as long as Jun Yelan's emotions fluctuated, that medicine would be fatal.
Jun Yelan would now be unconscious for quite some time.
"Hahahaha!"
This laughter reached Jun Yelan's ears but did not wake him. He was trapped in a nightmare, his brows furrowed.
The Saintess looked at Jun Yelan's state and continued to laugh madly. "I warned you before not to fall in love with anyone, it would be tragic. But you had to fall for a little maid, and the daughter of the leader of the orthodox alliance."
"Jun Yelan, you are more tragic than I was." Thinking of the past, she couldn't help but clench her fist. She thought Jun Yelan would kill Lan Yan, but not only did he not kill her, he even protected her.
Jun Yelan was stupider than she was!
She said, "I'm actually quite curious about your ending." She smiled and left the room, looking at Lu Qi standing at the door, and snorted as she walked away.
Lu Qi glanced into the room and closed the door.
She then turned to the room next door, picked up a food box, and said to the guards at the door, "I'm going in to deliver food. The City Lord said not to neglect her."
The guards exchanged glances, not knowing about this matter, but Lu Qi was a capable subordinate of the City Lord. They moved aside, letting Lu Qi enter.
Lan Yan, hearing the door open, looked up and saw Lu Qi. She quickly got up and asked, "Lu Qi, how is the City Lord?"
Lu Qi nodded, then shook her head, confusing Lan Yan.
"The City Lord is now in a coma and we don't know when he will wake up. I brought you something." Lu Qi felt that if the City Lord woke up, he certainly wouldn't want to see Lan Yan suffer.
Lan Yan looked at the exquisite pastries in the food box, losing her appetite for the first time. The moment she thought of Jun Yelan collapsing, her heart felt uneasy, a trace of sadness creeping in.
It was difficult enough to coax Jun Yelan back, and now it was worse than starting from scratch.
Lu Qi saw Lan Yan's worried expression and didn't know what else to say. She quietly put down the pastries. "You don't know how long you'll be here, eat a little first."
Lan Yan looked at Lu Qi's face and smiled, "Lu Qi, I have a good idea." Her figure was almost the same as Lu Qi's.
A quarter of an hour later, the guards saw Lu Qi come out and closed the door without looking again. But they didn't know that this Lu Qi was Lan Yan, who had just switched identities.
Lan Yan carried the food box, lowered her head slightly, and walked towards the adjacent room. She only had this night. She had to switch back identities before dawn, or else if she were discovered, Lu Qi would also be punished.
She entered the adjacent room unimpeded and immediately saw Jun Yelan on the bed. She softly called out, "City Lord."
There was no response.
Lan Yan then stayed by the bed, touching Jun Yelan's hand, "So cold." She moved the brazier next to the head of the bed, rubbed Jun Yelan's hands, and blew warm air on them again and again.
"City Lord, this way you won't be cold."
The warmth from her hands reached Jun Yelan's mind, making his nightmare become gentler. In his dream, he saw himself as a child, five years old, being led by the Saintess to the entrance of a dark room.
The Saintess pushed him into the dark room, and he could only watch the Saintess's indifferent back as she turned away. Frightened, he walked into the pitch-black darkness. He saw blood and froze in place, only to be grabbed by the collar of his clothes and thrown into a training ground.
A child taller than him appeared before him, raising his fists to strike. He casually grabbed a weapon from the ground and, as the person lunged at him, thrust it in with all his might.
The blood splattered all over him, still warm. He was terrified then. Later, he stayed in the dark room for fifteen years and became accustomed to such days. He no longer felt fear when killing, nor any emotion.
He successfully left the dark room, killed the old City Lord, and inherited the position of City Lord. However, he also discovered his illness at this time. When he questioned the Saintess, he learned that his body had always had problems.
Before, the Saintess had mixed medicine into his food, so he was fine. But now that he had grown up, the Saintess, to control him, no longer casually gave him medicine. This woman raised him for five years, then abandoned him, and now she still wanted to control him.
Hatred grew in his heart, and he no longer developed feelings for anyone, sealing his heart. Until a warm woman appeared, stayed by his side, and told him she would treat him well.
His heart gradually warmed.
Seeing that Jun Yelan was sleeping more peacefully, Lan Yan by the bedside breathed a sigh of relief. She touched Jun Yelan's brow and murmured, "Such beautiful eyes, don't frown so often."
As if hearing her, Jun Yelan's brow unfurrowed, and his complexion gradually improved.
Lan Yan looked out the window, where a hint of light was already appearing. She let go of her warmed hand and said, "City Lord, I'll come to see you again another day." She got up to leave, but her hand was caught by someone behind her.
She turned her head and saw Jun Yelan with his eyes tightly closed. She said softly, "City Lord, I really have to go, or I'll be discovered. You'll be fine when you wake up." She tried to pull her hand away, and this time it became much easier.
She turned back and tucked Jun Yelan's hand back into the quilt, murmuring, "City Lord, I'm leaving." The person on the bed still didn't respond, and she returned to the room next door alone.
Lu Qi was waiting there and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lan Yan return safely.
"Lu Qi, let's switch back quickly." As Lan Yan and Lu Qi were changing clothes, the guards' voices came from outside the door.
"Saintess!" Both of them started and quickened their pace.
The Saintess stood at the door and asked the two guards in front of her, "Has she been behaving herself inside?"
The guards respectfully replied, "Naturally. She doesn't know martial arts and can't escape."
"Even if she escapes, the people in this dead city won't let her go. I, the Saintess, will not let a spy go. Her identity has already been revealed to the public." The Saintess curled her lips, determined to put Lan Yan to death this time.
Lan Yan, hearing this from inside the room, angrily exclaimed, "Despicable!"
The Saintess walked directly inside and saw Lu Qi besides Lan Yan. "Lu Qi, you should know that in this city, apart from the City Lord, only I, the Saintess, have power. This time I'll let you off, but if you come again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Lu Qi's expression was cold. She glanced worriedly at Lan Yan before leaving.
The room was suddenly left with only Lan Yan and the Saintess. She sat leisurely on the ground, looking at the Saintess in front of her with a look of disdain.