The surrounding men in black attacked Jun Yelan. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain in his chest, and shot out an arrow.
"Ah!" one of the men in black fell, but more followed closely behind.
Jun Yelan reached out, grabbed the nearest man in black by the neck, and twisted fiercely. Instantly, the pain in his chest intensified, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he threw the man in black to the ground.
He stood tall in his spot, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and curved his lips.
The men in black, seeing Jun Yelan bleed, thought they had a chance. But now, seeing that smile, they felt as if this person had returned from hell, sending shivers down their spines.
They exchanged glances, tightened their grip on their swords and knives, and stepped backward. One of them shouted, "Let's all go at him together, he can't hold on much longer."
Jun Yelan's gaze swept over them coldly. He looked at the people before him, his eyes without a ripple. He was not interested in when he would die, but he could not die at the hands of these people.
The men in black were emboldened and surged forward. Noticing Jun Yelan's slowing speed, they attacked with even greater vigor.
Lan Yan, hiding in the bushes nearby, also noticed that Jun Yelan was not right, and there was a hint of madness about him.
His eyes were slowly filling with bloodshot veins, the ends of his dark hair had turned silver, and the blood flowing from his lips opened up like scarlet lycoris on his green robe.
Lan Yan's heart tightened. She could not let Jun Yelan continue like this. She gripped her slingshot and shot a pebble from her palm at a man in black who was about to strike Jun Yelan.
The man in black fell. Jun Yelan turned to look at Lan Yan, his lips parting slightly, "Go back." He was born in darkness and would die in darkness, but Lan Yan was not.
Lan Yan shook her head and stepped out resolutely. She shot out pebble after pebble, finally reaching Jun Yelan's side and smiling faintly, "City Lord, if you die, I won't be able to live. So let's go together, and return together."
She would not leave Jun Yelan alone.
Jun Yelan was stunned. The words of this petite woman were so moving. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Seeing the men in black attack Lan Yan, he instantly shot out arrows.
Seeing this, Lan Yan also joined the fight, becoming Jun Yelan's rear guard.
Thus, the two of them, one in front and one behind, repelled more and more men in black.
The ends of Jun Yelan's hair had already changed halfway. If this continued, he would completely lose his mind and then harm those around him. He drew the soft sword from his waist. The blade was sharp, and with just one move, he killed more than half of them.
There were also those who had climbed up from the ground, propping themselves up to stab at Lan Yan. They could tell that this woman was weaker than Jun Yelan.
Lan Yan did not notice the people on the ground. Just as she was about to be stabbed, a hand grasped her waist and pulled her aside. She looked at Jun Yelan, who was holding her, and smiled, "City Lord, thank you."
The next moment, Jun Yelan coughed up blood again from the corner of his mouth, splashing onto her. She anxiously grabbed Jun Yelan's sleeve, worried, "City Lord, how are you?"
Jun Yelan looked into her eyes, seeing that she was genuinely worried about him. He shook his head, "I'm fine, let's leave first." He glanced at the small mountain of corpses on the ground, his eyes darkening. Those people had really gone to great lengths.
He sheathed his soft sword and walked forward.
Lan Yan held onto Jun Yelan's sleeve beside him, worried he would collapse. She said, "City Lord, only a few people know the route we took to get back. And besides the people from the dead city, no one else can come here."
She felt that someone must have leaked the information, and that person was not simple.
Jun Yelan looked at the entrance ahead and nodded, "There are still their people in the city, we can't go in like this."
Lan Yan remembered the package that Lu Qi had given her. She took out two disguise masks from it and smiled, "City Lord, I have a way."
A quarter of an hour later, they had changed their appearances and transformed into an old man and an old woman.
Lan Yan hunched her back, imitating the gait of an elderly woman, and leaned on Jun Yelan, who looked like an old man, as they slowly walked towards the entrance. She whispered, "City Lord, surely no one will recognize us like this."
Jun Yelan coughed twice, covering his mouth with his hand, and replied, "Mm, be careful."
The two of them successfully entered the city. Those who had been waiting in the city saw only an old couple passing by and paid them no mind, continuing to wait for Jun Yelan.
Meanwhile, Jun Yelan and Lan Yan had already returned to the City Lord's Hall.
Lu Qi stepped forward to greet them. Seeing their appearances, she knew something had happened. She saw Jun Yelan's ashen face, "City Lord, do you want to go and rest first?"
Jun Yelan removed his disguise and walked forward. He turned back to look at Lan Yan and said, "You don't need to serve today, go back and rest." After saying that, he resumed walking.
Lu Qi followed him.
Lan Yan remained where she was, watching Jun Yelan's receding back, thinking he should be alright now. She turned and walked towards the maids' quarters, took a comfortable bath, and even sneezed.
Her head felt a little dizzy, so she lay down on the bed and couldn't help but close her eyes.
In her sleep, she saw Jun Yelan locked in a dark place, struggling helplessly, and it seemed like he was having an episode again. She wanted to get closer to Jun Yelan, but her body was powerless, and she could only watch.
She couldn't bear to watch anymore, so she tried hard to crawl forward. The moment she got close, she woke up with a start. Her head felt more and more muddled, so she got up to drink a cup of water and then fell into a deep sleep again.
At this moment, Jun Yelan came out of his room, his complexion having already returned to normal. He looked at the empty hall and asked, "Where is Lan Yan?"
Lu Qi walked in from the doorway and reported, "City Lord, after Lan Yan returned, she stayed in the maids' room. Do you want to go and see her?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Jun Yelan felt that Lan Yan had been through a lot this time and should be resting. He waved his hand, "No need." He turned and left, returning to his room.
But by evening, he could no longer stay put. He was accustomed to having someone by his side and could not bear to be alone. He stood up and sat down, then stood up again and walked towards the back hall.
He silently approached the maids' room and stood outside the window, where he could see Lan Yan's shadow cast by the candlelight. He stood there, staring at the shadow.
After a long time, he heard Lan Yan's breathing, and his brow furrowed. It was different from usual. He then opened the window and saw Lan Yan curled up in discomfort.
He reached out and touched Lan Yan's forehead. It was hotter than her usual temperature.
Lan Yan was both sleepy and wanting to wake up, unable to distinguish where she was.
Jun Yelan's heart trembled. He walked into the maids' room and, in front of everyone, picked Lan Yan up from the bed. For the first time, he felt the person in his arms was so fragile, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind.
His heart clenched tightly, his lips trembled, and he carried Lan Yan out. He placed Lan Yan in the hot spring pool in the back mountain, still holding her.