Lan Yan looked at the man in red before her, blood still staining his fingers, his eyes like a viper's fixed on her.
Not far from where she stood lay a man, his head fallen, a purple mark on his neck.
She started, looking around. This was a dimly lit grand hall, and the man before her was her target, Jun Yelan, the City Lord of the Dead City.
The people here were divided into righteous and evil factions. The only evil faction was this Dead City, an eyesore to all righteous individuals, who had even appointed an alliance leader specifically to handle it.
Her current identity was the City Lord's maid, with a hidden identity as the illegitimate daughter of the righteous alliance leader, sent here as a spy.
Lan Yan sighed, finding the missions in this world far from simple.
The sound caught Jun Yelan's attention. The newly arrived maid seemed different from the others. Not only did she not flee in fear, but she was standing there in a daze.
He frowned, looking at the tea Lan Yan held, "Aren't you going to serve it?"
Lan Yan's thoughts snapped back. She looked down at the teacup on the tray. It had been poisoned. The original host had finally obtained the chance to serve tea, and had, on her selfish father's instructions, poisoned it to harm Jun Yelan.
She couldn't let the target die just like that. Her eyes darted around, and with a shake of her hands, she managed to tilt the teacup, spilling the water.
She looked up again and said innocently, "City Lord, your humble servant was momentarily startled and spilled the tea. I will re-brew a cup for you immediately."
Jun Yelan remained silent, staring at Lan Yan. If he hadn't seen her dazed just moments ago, muttering about being scared, while her eyes were clearly fixed on him, he might have believed her.
He frowned, then returned to his usual cold demeanor, no longer looking at her. She was just a maid, after all.
Lan Yan, having narrowly escaped, let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the back with the tray. As she left, she glanced back. The body on the ground was being dragged away, and Jun Yelan had already closed his eyes to rest.
She hurried to the small room where tea was prepared, boiled the water, and summoned the system. "System, are you playing with me! Every world is harder than the last."
The system replied in its soft, cute voice, "Host, please remain calm. Although this world's Jun Yelan is a little... abnormal, with your effort and patience, you will surely succeed."
"What, abnormal?" Lan Yan's temper finally flared. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "System, explain it to me properly. Otherwise, I'm quitting." As a worker, she had her dignity.
The system saw this and said, "...Actually, it's just that Jun Yelan has some minor physical ailments that affect his psychology. But for the host, it's just a small problem. Host, the system is going offline."
"Hey! Unreliable system." Lan Yan suppressed her anger, deciding to take things one step at a time. Even if the system was useless, she still had herself.
A maid entering the room from outside saw Lan Yan's demeanor and looked puzzled. Holding an empty plate, she reminded her, "Your tea is ready."
Lan Yan looked behind her. It was a fair-faced young woman, dressed the same as herself, also a maid. Recalling the maid's name, she said, "Luqi, thank you."
She walked towards the tea preparation area, poured a new cup of tea, and headed towards the grand hall.
Luqi behind her became even more confused. Lan Yan was usually cold and distant, never getting close to anyone. Today, she had spoken thank you with such a gentle tone. She didn't dwell on it. In this Dead City, everyone harbored secrets.
Lan Yan returned to the entrance of the grand hall, took a deep breath, and walked inside.
Jun Yelan was still sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, his expression looking rather unwell.
Lan Yan dared not disturb him. She carried the teacup to Jun Yelan's chair and examined him up close.
He had handsome features, delicate facial contours, but his complexion was a little pale. Dressed in red, it somehow didn't seem to suit him. When seated, he liked to rest one hand on the armrest, a lock of black hair falling onto his arm, his head slightly tilted.
"You're the first one bold enough to stare at me, your City Lord." Unbeknownst to her, Jun Yelan had already woken up, startling Lan Yan.
Lan Yan felt a bit embarrassed. It was her own carelessness that she had stared for too long. Facing Jun Yelan's questioning, she replied, "The City Lord is peerless and different from others."
She glanced at Jun Yelan from the corner of her eye. Even after praising him so much, he wouldn't still blame her, would he?
This was the first time Jun Yelan had heard such words, but he didn't believe them. Those around him either feared him or wanted to kill him. Only this little maid, whom he had met today, was willing to talk to him more.
However, strange occurrences often signaled trouble. His eyes deepened slightly.
Seeing that Jun Yelan had fallen silent, Lan Yan offered the teacup, "City Lord, please have some tea."
Jun Yelan reached out. As he neared the teacup, he noticed Lan Yan's gaze and withdrew his hand. Just now, this little maid had spilled the first cup of tea. He said coldly, "You drink this tea."
Lan Yan was utterly bewildered. Wasn't this tea meant for Jun Yelan to drink? She was a maid now and couldn't disobey the City Lord's orders. So, she picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
As it entered her mouth, it was filled with bitterness, and she couldn't help but wrinkle her face. Towards the end, it became sweet, and her face lit up with a smile. "City Lord, this tea is quite delicious."
Jun Yelan had been observing Lan Yan. He found her expressions to be extraordinarily varied. The people in this Dead City only had one expression: indifference and resentment.
But this person before him, switching between joy and distress, why was she so different? His doubts grew. He picked up a plate of pastries from his side, "This is for you."
He wanted to see what expression Lan Yan would reveal this time.
Lan Yan thought Jun Yelan was offering her the pastries to eat with the tea. She suddenly felt that the system's information was inaccurate. This Jun Yelan seemed perfectly normal, with no issues.
She smiled and reached out to take it.
At that moment, with a bang, the plate in Jun Yelan's hand fell to the ground. The owner of the plate clutched his chest in discomfort. His face began to turn pale, and his black hair slowly turned silver.
Lan Yan was stunned. What was happening! Seeing that Jun Yelan was completely not himself, she spoke, "City Lord..." Before she could finish, her neck was gripped.
She looked at Jun Yelan before her, his hair now silver, his pupils dilated, staring intently at her. She struggled to breathe, her hands grabbing Jun Yelan's arm, trying to make him let go.
But Jun Yelan was now disoriented. His fingers tightened, and at the same time, his face contorted in pain, and he coughed up blood continuously. Yet, he seemed unfazed, letting the blood drip onto his red robes, merging into them.
Lan Yan knew Jun Yelan was not lucid. She remembered how she used to calm her dog when it was agitated. She reached out and stroked Jun Yelan's head, murmuring, "Good boy, it's okay now."