The surrounding soldiers watched Jun Yelan grow agitated and quickly retreated. In that moment, they felt a primal fear. But the next instant, they felt nothing at all.
Jun Yelan held Lan Yan, his serpentine tail swinging. His eyes were vacant, tear tracks marred his face, and his body was stained with blood, including Lan Yan's.
"She is dead, you will all be buried with her," he stated coldly, his expressionless face delivering the chilling words as he killed the soldiers who approached him.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the Crown Prince at the very top.
The Crown Prince flinched, sensing Jun Yelan was now a madman. He wanted to flee, but his companions had all been slaughtered. "Jun Yelan, it's your fault, always opposing me."
"I tell you, that arrow was prepared and crafted for you over years. Who knew this woman would be so foolish as to block it for you? Someone like you doesn't deserve anything good!"
As the words fell, one of his arms was ripped away. "Ah!"
Jun Yelan watched the Crown Prince with cold eyes, but there was not a ripple of emotion within them. He looked at Lan Yan, whose eyes were now tightly shut, and smiled. "You said you liked to see me smile. From now on, I'll only smile for you."
"Rest assured, those who harmed you will not have an easy time." His tone turned icy once more. His serpentine tail flicked to the side, dragging a nearby attendant forward.
He coiled his tail around the attendant's neck, then plunged the sword in his hand into the attendant's shoulder. He withdrew it, then plunged it into the other shoulder. He looked at the holes in the attendant's body with satisfaction before turning to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince, witnessing the attendant's plight, felt a surge of fear this time. He was the Crown Prince of the Serpent Clan, a hundred times more noble than Jun Yelan. Yet his father and his people only knew of Jun Yelan, not him.
He seethed with hatred, resenting why Jun Yelan wouldn't just die.
Three years ago, his plan had succeeded, only for Jun Yelan to come back to life. He clutched his bleeding arm, drawing his sword with the other hand, and lunged at Jun Yelan.
He hadn't lost yet!
Jun Yelan merely shifted his sword, sending the Crown Prince's flying. He crippled the Crown Prince's other arm, and his serpentine tail. He looked at the dying man before him. "I won't let you die easily."
Having harmed his Yan'er, he deserved to suffer.
"You!" The Crown Prince immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing onto the ground in a pathetic heap. Seeing Jun Yelan still cradling Lan Yan, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Haha, Jun Yelan, you're no better off than I am."
He had lost everything, but at least he had killed Jun Yelan's weakness.
Jun Yelan turned, paying no further heed to anyone behind him. Holding Lan Yan, he returned to the military camp. He couldn't face Lan Yan like this; he needed to put himself in order, to go to her clean.
The people in the camp had never seen their general like this, as if he were a walking corpse. They felt that although the general was still alive, he was no different from the dead.
Nie Qing, the army physician, saw Jun Yelan's state and knew disaster had struck. He hurried after him and, seeing Lan Yan in his arms, cried out, "General, wait, this young lady Yan is still alive."
Jun Yelan's steps faltered. He reached out and touched Lan Yan's neck, feeling a faint tremor, and then his face broke into a foolish smile. He turned to Nie Qing. "She must live!"
Nie Qing nodded, instructing Jun Yelan to lay her on the bed so he could begin treatment. He stood by the bedside, feeling Jun Yelan's gaze upon him, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
If he failed to save the young lady today, he felt he would die himself!
He forced himself to calm down. This was Young Lady Yan. He said, "General, I'll hold the wound, you pull out the arrow."
Jun Yelan remained silent, crouching down, his eyes fixed on the arrow. He grasped it, thinking this was Lan Yan's only chance. He pulled with all his might, watching Nie Qing press down on the wound.
Next, Nie Qing treated the wound, bandaged it, and then stated, "Fortunately, this young lady Yan is clever; the arrow did not injure her heart. She will recover with time."
"When will she wake up?" Jun Yelan stared at Lan Yan's pale cheeks.
Nie Qing shook his head. "It depends on her will. General, I will take my leave now." Seeing Jun Yelan did not respond, he quietly withdrew, only to be surrounded by soldiers at the entrance.
They had just returned and heard that Young Lady Yan had saved the general, and that the general was greatly distraught. "Doctor Nie, are Young Lady Yan and the general alright!"
They had all seen Jun Yelan's frenzy on the battlefield. If anything else happened, the general would truly be finished!
Nie Qing said, "Don't worry, the general is watching over her now. You all go back and don't give the general any more cause for concern." He waved for the soldiers to disperse and then looked back towards the tent.
He had lied earlier; Lan Yan's injuries were severe, and it was uncertain if she would ever wake up. He felt that without giving the general some hope, he wouldn't be able to endure.
He sighed and walked forward.
Inside the tent, Jun Yelan remained by the bedside, tightly holding Lan Yan's hand. Various images of Lan Yan flashed through his mind: her cute appearance, her charming smile, her angry expressions, but never her current state.
On that day, when he was routinely dragged away to be beaten, he saw Lan Yan and she suddenly froze. In the next moment, the person before him had a different look in her eyes, as if she were someone else entirely.
Later, she truly was someone else. She stopped hitting him and took meticulous care of him. He had thought Lan Yan had ulterior motives, but later realized those motives seemed to be him.
He had actually used Lan Yan to recover his body, to become strong. He wasn't as good as Lan Yan thought, harboring many thoughts; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived all these years.
Before, he had merely existed. But with Lan Yan, everything changed.
Lan Yan would apply medicine to him, her face showing concern. Lan Yan would cook for him, paying attention to what he liked to eat. Lan Yan would protect him, preventing others from bullying him. Lan Yan would comfort him, stopping him from dwelling on the past.
Remembering these things, he truly wished for Lan Yan to wake up, even if it meant his own death.
He stood like a statue, unmoving, guarding Lan Yan's bedside day and night, for three full days and nights.
The people outside the tent could only shake their heads. "If this continues, the general's health will surely break. Oh heavens, please make Young Lady Yan wake up soon."
At this moment, Lan Yan was in heaven, watching all of this unfold. She also desperately wanted to wake up, but her system was broken and needed three days to repair. Watching the scenes below, she sighed, "System, are you done yet? You're too slow."
Her system, it lacked superpowers and frequently went offline.
The system's voice echoed, "Host, I was undergoing an upgrade. You'll have a surprise in the next world."
Lan Yan ate an orange, not particularly keen to humor the system. This world wasn't even over, let alone the next one! "Alright, hurry up then."
Seeing Lan Yan's urgency, the system couldn't help but chuckle. "Understood, Host."
As the words fell, before Lan Yan could even react, she was back in her own body. She managed to open her eyes and looked at the gaunt face before her, calling out, "Jun Yelan."
The next instant, she was fiercely embraced.