Jun Yelan's eyes deepened. "This City Lord knows. Since it has been proposed, it will be done. You can all come and witness the punishment." He wanted everyone to see his resolve.
The stewards exchanged glances. Seeing the City Lord so resolute, they could only nod. "City Lord, regarding the next successor, should we begin selecting suitable children?"
Jun Yelan looked over coldly, unwilling to let these children endure the life he had before. "Send them to the palace. This City Lord will select a child and take him as a disciple. From now on, he will be your new City Lord."
The stewards were thus reassured. As long as their interests were protected, they didn't care what Jun Yelan did.
So Jun Yelan headed to the dark chamber, followed by the other stewards.
The dark chamber was already filled with forty-nine forms of punishment, with instruments of torture covering the floor and walls.
Jun Yelan picked up a knife from the ground and began the first punishment.
After ten, a pool of blood had already formed on the ground, and the instruments of torture were also stained with blood.
The stewards could no longer bear to watch, truly unable to understand why Jun Yelan was doing this. "City Lord, there are still thirty-nine more."
Jun Yelan did not respond, a layer of cold sweat already on his forehead. He stood straight, picking up the eleventh instrument of punishment.
At this moment, Lan Yan, inside the palace, woke up from her sleep, having dreamt that Jun Yelan was lying on the ground, covered in blood. She hurried to the door, bumped into Lüqi who was entering, and grabbed Lüqi's arm, asking, "Where is Yelan?"
Lüqi remembered the City Lord's instructions and said, "The City Lord is handling the abdication matters. Lan Yan, you should rest well; you still need to try on your wedding dress later."
Lan Yan released her hand, but her heart remained uneasy. She looked towards the door, "Is he really doing this!" Why did that dream feel so real, so terrifyingly real?
Lüqi bit her lip and nodded. She put down the breakfast.
Lan Yan began to eat, but without appetite, managing only a few bites. Her heart was restless, and she couldn't see Jun Yelan, so she sat in the courtyard and began to play the flute alone.
The flute's melody flowed out through the courtyard, reaching all the way to the dark chamber.
Hearing the familiar yet faint melody, Jun Yelan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a slight curve lifting his lips. "Yan'er, I will persevere. We will be together properly."
He let out a cold hum and applied the remaining forty punishments.
The stewards were now filled with admiration for Jun Yelan, truly not an ordinary person. All the past City Lords had met bad ends, dying in office, but Jun Yelan might truly be different.
They shook their heads, sighed, and left one by one.
Only Jun Yelan remained, collapsed on the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He clenched the pebble in his hand, which Lan Yan had given him earlier. He had secretly taken one.
Now, looking at the pebble, with the flute music in his ears, he murmured, "Yan'er, I did it. No one will ever hurt you again." He slowly closed his eyes, dreaming of two scenes.
One was his leg transforming into a snake's tail, and the other was him sitting in a wheelchair. In both scenes, Lan Yan was by his side.
Three days later, Lan Yan continued to play the flute in the courtyard during the day; only then could she find peace. She heard a familiar call behind her, stopped abruptly, and turned back, looking at Jun Yelan with tear-filled eyes.
Jun Yelan's lips curved upwards, and he stroked Lan Yan's head. "I'm back. I've come to marry you."
"Mm." Lan Yan looked at Jun Yelan's weakened appearance and the hidden scars beneath his collar, knowing that his three days were not just a simple abdication.
Since Jun Yelan was unwilling to tell her, she would pretend not to know. Fearing she might touch his wounds, she dared not embrace him. Instead, she held his sleeve as before, forcing a smile. "I will take good care of you from now on."
Jun Yelan nodded. From the very beginning, Lan Yan had done just that.
Afterward, Lan Yan busied herself in the kitchen, preparing many medicinal meals and serving them to Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan's complexion improved day by day. No one mentioned those three days again.
The wedding day also arrived. The couple had no relatives or friends, only each other.
Lüqi and Baihu were considered the only guests, responsible for scattering flowers nearby.
Lan Yan placed her hand in Jun Yelan's, and they bowed together in marriage.
That night was their bridal chamber night.
The day after the wedding, Jun Yelan brought back a child, his newly accepted disciple. He said, "Lan Yan, I will spend an hour each day teaching this child."
"Good, I can learn beside you." Lan Yan's martial arts were not very strong. Taking this opportunity, she might even improve considerably.
Jun Yelan smiled helplessly. In truth, Lan Yan had no talent for martial arts. But since Lan Yan liked it, he would definitely support her.
The young disciple watched their interaction, thinking how good the master and mistress's relationship was.
Next, Jun Yelan began teaching his disciple, with Lan Yan watching from the side.
After a few days of watching, Lan Yan gave up. She was inferior to a child. She simply called Lüqi over, and together they dried flower petals, ground them into powder, and made some delicious food.
Baihu continued to lie lazily at their feet, occasionally lifting its head to glance, then lowering it again.
While grinding the powder, Lan Yan chatted with Lüqi. "Are there any incidents in the city now?"
Lüqi shook her head. "The righteous factions are vying for the position of Alliance Leader, so they won't be attacking for the time being. The city is proceeding in an orderly manner under the City Lord's governance. No, the former City Lord now."
She always forgot to change her address.
Lan Yan nodded. The disciple was still young, so many matters were still handled by Jun Yelan. When the disciple grew older, she and Jun Yelan planned to choose a quiet place in the city to live, no longer in the palace.
The palace held many bad memories for Jun Yelan, and of course, some good ones too.
Seeing Jun Yelan walking over after finishing his teaching, she stood up, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from Jun Yelan's forehead.
Jun Yelan lowered his head and held Lan Yan's fingers. If her temperature was lower than his, he would take Lan Yan back to rest.
"Right, I've made new snacks. Eat them before you go teach." Lan Yan picked up the pastries on the table and looked at the disciple still practicing swordplay, smiling. "Yan'er, come and eat too."
The disciple's lips curved upwards as he walked over. Seeing Jun Yelan's cold expression, he lowered his head and said, "No thank you, Mistress. I will continue practicing."
Lan Yan looked at the disciple's pitiful appearance and turned to Jun Yelan. "Master, please let your little disciple rest for a while."
Jun Yelan nodded.
The disciple was accustomed to his master only listening to his mistress. He then smiled and walked over, ate a pastry, and exclaimed, "Thank you, Mistress. They're delicious."
"Go back to practicing after you finish eating," Jun Yelan said coldly, watching the disciple leave.
Lan Yan smiled helplessly and placed a plate of pastries into Jun Yelan's hand. "These are all for you. Eat them."
Jun Yelan nodded, his eyes only showing smiles when he looked at Lan Yan.