In the past, if Jun Yelan had heard these words, he would have been unmoved. But now, thinking of that smiling face, he did not wish to die.
He would not show it in front of the Saintess. He said coldly, "My affairs do not require the Saintess's concern. You may leave."
The Saintess looked at Jun Yelan’s slightly angry expression and her lips curved. She had guessed correctly that Jun Yelan had feelings for that little maid, which was why he was so upset.
She turned and walked towards the door, murmuring, "Jun Yelan, I advise you, for the sake of both of you, it is best not to have any further relationship. You yourself don't care, but can that little maid bear such consequences!"
Jun Yelan, behind her, was slightly stunned. He clenched his fist and sent the Saintess away. He sat alone by the bed, looking at the bed opposite, his eyes brimming with too many emotions.
In the past, he would not have hesitated over such matters, but now he did.
He didn't know what to do for a moment. He got up and went out, unconsciously standing at the door of the adjacent room. Through the door, he couldn't see Lan Yan inside, but he could feel her presence.
Lüqi, walking along the corridor, approached and reported, "City Lord, Lan Yan's appetite hasn't been very good lately. Do you want to go in?" She truly wished for these two to meet soon.
Jun Yelan raised his hand. "No need. This City Lord's body has not yet recovered." This was just an excuse he made for himself. "Her appetite is not good, go and instruct the cook to change the dishes every day. Especially the ones she likes, have them prepared daily."
"Yes, City Lord." But Lüqi felt that Lan Yan's appetite had nothing to do with these things; she was likely still worried about the City Lord. Seeing the City Lord with a thoughtful expression on his face, she retreated.
Jun Yelan called out to her, "Lan Yan looks very good in that blue dress. Prepare a few more sets. Also, she likes reading storybooks. Collect them from the current marketplace and give them all to her."
Whatever he thought of, he said it all.
Lüqi silently took note, feeling somewhat strange. Since the City Lord cared for Lan Yan so much, why didn't he go in to see her? "City Lord, this servant will attend to it immediately."
Jun Yelan was left alone again, standing by the door. He reached out, moved closer to the door, and gently placed his hand against it.
Lan Yan, inside, held a osmanthus cake in one hand and a book in the other. She saw a suitable medicinal recipe and wrote it down on paper, thinking of giving it to Lüqi later to have the kitchen prepare it for Jun Yelan.
"Alas, my status is so awkward now. I don't know what Jun Yelan thinks." She truly had no confidence.
She looked wistfully towards the door, saw no one, and sighed again.
The system, hearing this sound, got a headache. "Host, your sighing will affect the system."
"It's all your fault. You go offline every time and can't help at all." Lan Yan propped her head up and put down the book in her hand. She turned her gaze to the wall on the right, rolling her eyes, and had an idea.
She moved closer to the wall, reached out, and knocked on the wall, calling out, "City Lord, are you awake? Can you hear me?" After a long silence, she mumbled, "Strange, perhaps he's not awake yet."
The system looked at this foolish host and couldn't help but remind her, "Host, even if he's awake, he can't hear you."
Lan Yan didn't want to argue with the system at the moment. She sat down and murmured, "If I talk to him more, perhaps he'll wake up. You can go offline."
Instantly, her mind became quiet. She faced the wall and said, "City Lord, I know you're angry because of my identity, but I have a few words to say to you."
"I cannot choose my parents. I am indeed here because of my scummy father. But since I came here, I have been in charge of myself. The first time I saw you that day, I saw you in a state of illness."
She had been scared at that time, but seeing the sorrow in Jun Yelan's eyes, she couldn't let it go. She tried to reach out and communicate with Jun Yelan, and personally witnessed Jun Yelan recover.
"Later, after you recovered, you asked me to be your personal maid. You clearly knew I slept in the main hall but didn't expose me, and you intervened when Qiu Ju caused trouble for me. You even took me out of the city to seek revenge on the Li family."
"All of this is real to me. City Lord, I stayed here before because of my scummy father, but now I stay because of you."
At this moment, Jun Yelan was standing at the door and heard all of this. He made up his mind in his heart that he could not let Lan Yan be implicated because of this matter, nor did he want Lan Yan to be sad because of his illness.
He murmured, "Lan Yan, I will protect you." He waited until he could no longer hear any sound from inside the room before turning and leaving for the main hall.
In the main hall, the stewards gathered. Seeing Jun Yelan walk out hale and hearty, they had various thoughts. "Welcome, City Lord!" they knelt and shouted loudly.
Jun Yelan sat down coldly, holding several official documents that had been submitted. He threw them all into the nearby brazier. "From now on, do not show me such things."
These documents were all about him punishing Lan Yan.
The stewards looked at each other, standing uneasily below the hall. They shouted in unison, "City Lord, our Dead City has been suppressed by the righteous factions for a long time. Many people have grudges against the righteous factions. If you do not punish her, the people of Dead City might cause trouble!"
They had all listened to the Saintess's words and were determined to make this happen. Moreover, they had been suppressed by Jun Yelan for a long time and saw this as an opportunity to cause him harm.
Jun Yelan stared coldly at these people and let out a cold laugh. "Do you think this City Lord's temper has improved recently? I will say this only once: she is someone I will protect. No one can punish her!"
"This..." The stewards were instantly astonished. They looked up at Jun Yelan, their expressions incomparably cold. They couldn't help but lower their heads, not daring to mention the matter again.
At this moment, a scout reported from outside the hall, "City Lord, someone has set up a bonfire in the marketplace, stating they will punish Miss Lan Yan. They also said that if the City Lord does not punish her, then..."
He looked up, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Speak." Jun Yelan's eyes turned icy.
The scout said with difficulty, "They say the City Lord is colluding with the righteous factions and is unfit to be the City Lord."
"Heh." Jun Yelan let out a light laugh. "It's quite something that they managed to gather so many people to oppose this City Lord." He knew very well whose scheme this was.
He got up and walked out of the hall, heading straight for the marketplace.
The rioting crowd saw Jun Yelan arrive and retreated, not daring to make a sound.
Jun Yelan unleashed his palm, directly overturning the erected bonfire. He looked coldly at the troublemakers in front of him, reached out, grabbed two people by the neck, and twisted them fiercely.
He dropped the corpses in his hands and scanned the people around him. "If you are not satisfied with this City Lord, then come forward and challenge me. As long as you win, you will be this City Lord."
This gaze and action made the others dare not move. They had also suffered greatly at the hands of the righteous factions, and hearing the rumors in the city, they had acted in this manner.
They were not easily obedient people to begin with. Now, seeing Jun Yelan's power, they dared not act recklessly. "City Lord, we recognize you."
Jun Yelan snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve. At the same time, he clenched his fist hidden in his sleeve. This Dead City was utterly rotten. Although these people did not act today due to his power, if they ever encountered Lan Yan, they would surely act.
He could not let Lan Yan remain in this dangerous place!