Lan Yan approached the door and patted the stone in front of her, but it remained unresponsive. She looked at her reddened palm, gave up, and squatted beside it.
She complained to the system, "This door can only be opened from the outside. When Lu Qi discovers I'm missing tomorrow, she should come looking for me. But I'll have to spend the night here alone."
The system: "..." It was just a system and couldn't offer comfort.
Lan Yan continued, "System, there's no one inside, and no ferocious beasts, right?" She stared at the tinder she held, and only with its faint light did her fear subside.
She couldn't shift her gaze; it was too dark all around.
The system wished it could go offline, but out of consideration for the three worlds they had spent together, it quietly listened. "Host, don't scare yourself. Just fall asleep."
Lan Yan was somewhat speechless. "Is this my persona? Can I sleep anywhere?"
Recalling the Lan Yan from previous worlds, the system really wanted to nod in agreement.
Seeing the system fall silent, Lan Yan sighed. "You say I've only been here for an hour and I'm already uncomfortable. Jun Yelan trained here for many years; it must have been much harder for him."
The system offered no response.
Outside the door, Jun Yelan was walking towards the rockery; today was the day he was supposed to arrive. He suddenly heard voices from inside and frowned. No one ever came to this place; who was inside!
His eyes turned cold, and with an arrowhead held between his fingers, as he opened the stone door, he saw the person rushing towards him and froze.
Lan Yan heard the sound and ran towards the door, accidentally bumping into Jun Yelan. She touched her forehead and smiled at him, "City Lord, it's great that you're here."
Finally, she wouldn't have to spend the night here.
Someone suddenly threw themselves into her arms. Those wet eyes were fixed on her, as if finding a safe haven. Jun Yelan's pupils trembled involuntarily.
He silently put away the arrowhead in his hand, looked at the empty passage ahead, and asked, "Why are you here?"
Lan Yan's eyes flickered. She couldn't tell Jun Yelan that she had come for him. She said innocently, "I just couldn't sleep and was wandering in the garden when I ended up here. Then the wind blew, and I got locked in."
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's expression and didn't quite believe her. He glanced at the passage, turned, and said, "Let's go. Don't come here again in the future." This place was filled with blood and filth.
"Alright," Lan Yan nodded and grabbed the clothes at Jun Yelan's waist.
Jun Yelan walked forward, noticing the small hand at his waist. He looked up at Lan Yan's small face but ultimately said nothing. He slowed his pace, leading Lan Yan away from there.
The two returned to the palace, each retiring to their respective places to rest.
Lan Yan lay on the ground and quickly fell asleep.
Jun Yelan, however, slept in the inner room with a furrowed brow, clutching his quilt tightly. He dreamt of returning to his childhood, where he was with many other children, all around the same age.
The place they were in was very dark, making it impossible to distinguish day from night. They had to undergo endless training every day. At the end of each month, they would compete, and only those who survived could continue.
He saw himself standing in the center, surrounded by fallen companions, with a blood-dripping arrowhead still in his hand. The eyes of his companions stared at him, drawing closer and closer, and he woke up with a start.
The scent from the incense burner by the bed entered his nostrils, slowly calming his agitated heart. He turned his head and recalled the moment Lan Yan gave him the incense burner; her smiling face appeared in his mind.
In his memory, Lan Yan was always smiling, or else foolish. Thinking this, he found it even harder to sleep. He got up and went into the hall, looking at the figure in the corner.
Lan Yan was already sleeping soundly, her breathing even.
Jun Yelan did not approach, simply standing there and watching. He didn't know how long he stood there before returning.
The next morning, Lan Yan stretched languidly as she got up. When she went to brew tea, she saw Lu Qi and greeted her.
Lu Qi nodded and said, "The water for the City Lord's bath is ready. You will serve him today."
"What?" Lan Yan had never imagined she would be responsible for such a task.
Seeing that Lan Yan had forgotten again, Lu Qi instructed, "Because the City Lord's condition changes constantly, most people cannot handle this task. I used to be responsible for it, but now the City Lord wants you to take over."
She felt Lan Yan was more suited for this than herself and then left.
Lan Yan remained in place, picked up the new clothes from the table, and walked towards the hot spring pool behind. This was where Jun Yelan bathed, and others were not allowed to enter casually.
She placed the clothes beside the hot spring pool and looked at Jun Yelan as he approached. She bowed and said, "City Lord, it is ready."
"Mm," Jun Yelan took off his outer clothes and placed them on the screen. He paused, his hand on the sash, and turned to look at Lan Yan, "Aren't you leaving?"
Lan Yan realized that Jun Yelan was bathing alone and felt a sense of relief. She nodded and quickly exclaimed, "This servant will leave." She darted out and waited behind the screen for Jun Yelan's instructions.
This demeanor made Jun Yelan want to laugh, but he held back. He untied the sash and submerged himself in the hot spring. His back and chest were covered in scars of various sizes.
These scars would become more painful whenever his condition flared up, which was why he needed the hot spring water to alleviate them.
Lan Yan pricked up her ears. Hearing no sound from inside, she assumed he was washing. Bored, she stood behind the screen and took out the red string from her sleeve, playing with it.
Inside, Jun Yelan had already closed his eyes.
At this moment, a person flew down from the wall to the right of the hot spring, dressed in black, holding a long sword, and lunged towards the screen.
Lan Yan was startled and quickly retreated, her feet knocking over the screen.
Jun Yelan, behind the screen, opened his eyes, his gaze sharp. He caught the attacking sword between his fingers and simultaneously snapped the blade, shooting it towards the assassin's chest.
The assassin dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the projectile. He drew another sword from his back and lunged at Jun Yelan again.
Lan Yan, no longer as panicked as before, saw the plate holding the clothes on the ground. She grabbed it and struck the assassin on the back. Each blow was fierce, and she muttered, "How dare you assassinate the City Lord! I won't forgive you!"
The assassin, failing to attack Jun Yelan, his eyes burned with rage, turned and lunged at Lan Yan.
Seeing this, Jun Yelan rose and directly struck the assassin's back, sending him flying.
The sword slipped from the assassin's grasp and flew towards Lan Yan.
Lan Yan retreated, stepping onto the edge of the hot spring. The stone beneath her foot slipped, and she stumbled backward.
But Jun Yelan was right behind her and reached out to steady Lan Yan by her waist.
However, Lan Yan, in her panic, grabbed backward, tugging at Jun Yelan's hair and pulling him into the hot spring pool with her.
With a splash, both of them were suddenly standing in the hot spring, water clinging to their eyelashes, looking at each other, soaked to the bone.