Lan Yan closed her eyes quickly as she saw the scene before her.
"City Lord, I didn't see anything," she said, shaking her head. She brushed away the images of chest and abdominal muscles that popped into her mind, telling herself not to overthink.
Jun Yelan lowered his head and looked at Lan Yan's small face. It was covered in water droplets, her eyelashes still trembling, slightly different from usual.
A ripple also stirred in his heart, and he felt a sensation he hadn't before.
Lan Yan didn't hear Jun Yelan's reply and thought he was angry. She covered her cheeks and moved towards the shore, then opened her eyes and handed the clothes on the bank back to Jun Yelan.
"City Lord, please put on your clothes. I'll go up," she said, her little heart pounding. How had she pulled Jun Yelan into the water just now!
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's retreating back, took the clothes, and flew directly to the shore to dress.
Hearing the sound from behind, Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief and turned around. Jun Yelan stood before her, dressed in a green robe, which felt completely different from his usual red attire. In fact, green seemed to suit him better.
She couldn't help but stare for a moment longer.
Jun Yelan, being stared at so intensely by Lan Yan, would have acted long ago if it were anyone else. However, Lan Yan's eyes were pure, devoid of any ulterior motives.
He stood still, allowing Lan Yan to look at him.
It wasn't until the assassin, who had been ignored, let out a cough, clutched his chest, and shouted, "Jun Yelan, even if I fail, others will come to kill you later. You are doomed to die!"
Lan Yan then remembered the assassin and realized it wasn't the time for daydreaming. She stood beside Jun Yelan and said, "City Lord, don't kill him for now. We can extract more information."
Jun Yelan nodded and ordered someone to take the assassin away.
Then, he and Lan Yan returned to the hall, looking at the assassin below.
The assassin's mask had been removed, revealing a scholarly face. He was about to curse Jun Yelan again, but as he turned and saw Lan Yan's face, it seemed somewhat familiar.
It was this little maid who had interfered with his plan earlier and even made Jun Yelan listen to her.
He asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"
A guess formed in Lan Yan's mind: could this assassin have been sent by Alliance Leader Li? However, she was not the original owner now and replied coldly, "Don't try to get close. You were trying to kill me just now."
She glanced sideways at Jun Yelan and, seeing that his expression hadn't changed, felt reassured. Alas, the original owner's hidden identity was truly troublesome.
The assassin narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at Lan Yan, but an arrow pierced his left eye. "Ah!"
Jun Yelan, in the hall, twirled the arrow in his hand, his eyes chillingly indifferent. "This City Lord dislikes idle chatter. Countless people have died in this hall; one more or less makes no difference."
"Jun Yelan, you are a madman, a complete demonic cultivator!" Blood streamed down the assassin's face, but he still glared fiercely at Jun Yelan, his mouth spewing curses incessantly.
Even Lan Yan beside him couldn't stand it and called out, "If you don't want to lose your other eye, speak properly."
The assassin's gaze immediately turned to Lan Yan, filled with intense resentment. "You are abetting evil, and you will also come to a bad end!" As he spoke, another arrow appeared on his body, followed by another scream.
Jun Yelan walked down from the hall and stood before the assassin. "Even if you don't tell me, I know those hypocrites from the righteous sects sent you. I'm more curious about how you infiltrated the city."
It seemed there were still corners of this city he didn't know about.
The assassin was startled, not expecting Jun Yelan to be so astute. When he took the mission before, it was explicitly stated that even if the assassination failed, he would be killed directly by Jun Yelan.
Since when had Jun Yelan become so patient!
He gritted his teeth tightly, refusing to reveal a single piece of information.
Jun Yelan took a step forward, his foot landing squarely on the assassin's hand. He held the assassin's sword and twirled its hilt. "This is a good sword. It can be broken into forty-eight pieces, and each piece can be inserted into its owner."
These words were like a demon's whisper, making the assassin tremble all over. His lips and chin quivered as he finally managed to say, "I was sent by Alliance Leader Li to find an opportunity to kill you."
"I only knew that he had people arranged in this city, but I never met that person, only received messages."
His voice abruptly ceased.
Jun Yelan dropped the sword he was holding beside the assassin. He looked towards the entrance and said coldly, "That old scoundrel's reach has become too long, extending right before my eyes. Tell me, how should I return the favor?"
His gaze shifted to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan immediately began to ponder how to deal with this Alliance Leader Li. Simply killing him was out of the question; it would only increase the resentment from the righteous sects. Unless Li's ambition and treachery could be exposed, causing him to lose popular support.
Jun Yelan had merely asked casually. Seeing Lan Yan genuinely thinking, he waved his hand and said, "You can go and rest now."
"Yes, City Lord," Lan Yan replied, turning to leave. She walked and thought, but then she remembered the old scars she had seen on Jun Yelan's body when they were in the hot spring pool.
A pang of heartache struck her, and she decided to do something.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan's receding figure, the earlier annoyance caused by the assassin dissipating. He clenched his fist. It was time to teach that old scoundrel a lesson.
He summoned Lu Qi and instructed, "Arrange for a double and prepare to leave the city." If anyone discovered his absence, chaos would erupt here. That's why he rarely left, unless something like this happened.
Lu Qi bowed. "Yes, City Lord. City Lord, the fifteenth of this month is approaching. You must return before then." The City Lord had been kind to her, and she withdrew.
Only Jun Yelan remained in the hall, looking at the crescent moon outside the window. After a long while, he sneered, "It's that time again, when life is worse than death. How much longer must I live like this!"
No one answered him. He moved away from the window and walked towards the inner room.
At the doorway, he bumped into Lan Yan, who was carrying a quilt and a pile of things in her arms.
"What are you doing?"
Lan Yan's head was buried in the quilt, making it impossible for her to speak.
Seeing this, Jun Yelan took the quilt away, looking at her helplessly.
"City Lord, I specifically went to find Lu Qi and discovered many good things in the city. So I brought them all here, thinking you could sleep more comfortably tonight," Lan Yan said.
In truth, she sometimes woke up at night and, seeing the light still on in his room, knew Jun Yelan wasn't asleep.
Jun Yelan looked into Lan Yan's earnest eyes, at a loss for words for a moment. In his hopeless life, only Lan Yan noticed these things and considered his well-being.
He desperately wanted to ask Lan Yan why she was like this, but he couldn't bring himself to ask, fearing the answer. He tightened his grip on the quilt and said, "You don't have to sleep on the floor tonight. Sleep inside."