The next morning, Pavilion Master Bai appeared punctually, accompanied by the elites of the Killer Pavilion. "Are you ready? I don't have time to wait for you."
He wouldn't have listened to Lan Yan from the Flower Pavilion if it weren't for the list.
Lan Yan glanced at Pavilion Master Bai with cold eyes, helped Jun Yelan to his feet, and asked with concern, "Are your injuries better?"
Jun Yelan nodded, clasped her hand, signaling he was alright. He had taken medicine and could last for a while, enough to execute his plan.
"Mmm." Lan Yan continued to support Jun Yelan, slowly walking towards the exit of the prison cells. Facing the displeased Pavilion Master Bai, she said coldly, "Move aside, you're really blocking the way."
Pavilion Master Bai reluctantly moved to the side, clenching his fist. Once he got the list, she would be the first person he dealt with.
Lan Yan was well aware of Pavilion Master Bai's intentions but couldn't swallow this insult. Jun Yelan had spent how many years in the pavilion, and how many years he had been tormented by this man, who didn't even deserve to be called an animal.
Her hand involuntarily tightened, drawing Jun Yelan's attention.
Jun Yelan whispered, "Yan'er, what's wrong?"
Lan Yan shook her head and smiled, "It's too dirty here, making it hard for me to breathe." She led Jun Yelan ahead, her peripheral vision glancing at the secret passage wall, where the scratches still remained.
This secret passage wasn't something just anyone could enter. She already had suspects for those who could leave marks, and perhaps she could use them.
Seeing Lan Yan lost in thought, Jun Yelan knew she must detest this place. He quickened his pace, holding Lan Yan's hand.
The two walked out of the secret passage and arrived at a rocky ridge outside the city.
Pavilion Master Bai surveyed the barren surroundings, suspecting these two might be deceiving him. "Is the list really here? If you dare to lie to me, you know the consequences."
Lan Yan helped Jun Yelan to a rock, nodded at him, and said, "Leave it to me."
Jun Yelan was naturally worried but trusted Lan Yan. "Be careful with everything." He would keep an eye on everything.
"Alright." Lan Yan turned and walked in front of Pavilion Master Bai, smiling, "Pavilion Master, don't be anxious. If you want the list, let's discuss the terms first." She wasn't a fool; if she gave this list, she and Jun Yelan wouldn't survive.
Pavilion Master Bai's eyes darkened. Dealing with Jun Yelan alone was difficult, and now with Lan Yan added, it was even harder. "I can let you leave." After all, the Flower Pavilion was destroyed, and Lan Yan wouldn't survive anyway.
"Pavilion Master Bai, you're a smart person, why pretend to be foolish?" Lan Yan took out a bamboo tube from behind her, which she had taken from a crack in the rock while talking with Jun Yelan just now.
"This list is with me, and only I can open it."
Desire flickered in Pavilion Master Bai's eyes; this was the very thing he had longed for. "What do you want in return?"
Lan Yan smiled, "Prepare a carriage to send Jun Yelan away." After speaking, she met Jun Yelan's worried gaze and returned a smile, signifying she had a plan.
Thus, Jun Yelan asked no questions, but his palm grew tighter, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
He would not abandon Lan Yan.
Pavilion Master Bai hesitated. Jun Yelan was a killing weapon he had nurtured for years; it would be a pity to let him go. However, if he couldn't get the list now, it would be even harder later.
Seeing that the person before her didn't answer, Lan Yan wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she looked towards the path they came from. She heard approaching footsteps and her lips curved, "They're finally here."
The people behind Pavilion Master Bai also heard, as if preparing their weapons to fight.
A group of people appeared behind them, led by Ruo Niang. She scanned the surroundings and her gaze fell on Lan Yan, "Lan Yan, you found the list."
Lan Yan raised the bamboo tube and shouted, "It's with me, but I can't get out. I'm counting on you." She had been talking to Pavilion Master Bai precisely to distract him until Ruo Niang and her people arrived.
Ruo Niang looked helpless, never expecting Lan Yan to actually have a way, not only to infiltrate the Killer Pavilion's territory but also to find the list.
She raised her hand and shouted to those behind her, "You all go forward and ensure Lan Yan and the list are safe."
With a command, those people swarmed forward, charging towards Pavilion Master Bai and his group.
Pavilion Master Bai finally realized he had been tricked and roared, "Well done, Lan Yan, you deliberately led me here."
"Heh, didn't you also deliberately capture me!" Lan Yan was a vengeful person. Hands on her hips, she snorted, "This is karma, you deserve it."
She walked triumphantly to Jun Yelan's side and smiled, "Jun Yelan, don't be afraid, no one can harm you now."
Jun Yelan's eyes trembled, and he pulled Lan Yan to his side, "Yan'er, stay behind me, it will be dangerous later." He held a stone, guarding Lan Yan in front of him, appearing vigilant.
Seeing this, Lan Yan also took out a poisonous needle and looked at the situation ahead with Jun Yelan.
The people brought by Ruo Niang attacked Pavilion Master Bai, using their weapons.
But Pavilion Master Bai whipped his whip, knocking down a group of people around him. Then he spun his whip and leaped onto a large rock, laughing, "You think you can kill me? No way."
"Let's try!" Ruo Niang produced an iron umbrella and threw it at Pavilion Master Bai. As Pavilion Master Bai dodged, she leaped up and struck him with her palm.
However, Pavilion Master Bai turned and slapped Ruo Niang instead, sending her crashing to the ground.
Ruo Niang spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at Pavilion Master Bai in fury.
Pavilion Master Bai took a step forward, about to grab Ruo Niang by the neck, when a poisonous needle shot from his chest, forcing him to dodge. He looked angrily to his right, where Lan Yan was standing.
"Don't forget, I'm also from the Flower Pavilion." Although Lan Yan's martial arts were not strong, she was not to be trifled with. She timed her needle throw, preventing Pavilion Master Bai from getting close, and the situation became a stalemate.
Pavilion Master Bai was instantly enraged and, finding no solution, could only retreat.
He looked at the killers behind him and shouted, "You all surround Lan Yan. If I don't kill this woman today, I swear I'm not human."
The killers shouted, "Yes, Pavilion Master." They changed direction and all attacked Lan Yan.
The people from the Flower Pavilion were, after all, skilled in intelligence gathering, not so much in killing. They were no match for these people. At this moment, most of them were seriously injured and unable to help Lan Yan.
Ruo Niang forced herself to get up, but the pain in her body made her collapse again. She shouted, "Lan Yan, run quickly."
Seeing so many people coming at her, Lan Yan's first reaction was to flee. By the time Ruo Niang spoke, she had already run a considerable distance. She shouted, "You're ganging up on a weak woman, aren't you ashamed!"
The people from the Killer Pavilion did not stop; instead, they closed in on Lan Yan. However, they forgot who was protecting Lan Yan.
Before them stood Jun Yelan, his eyes bloodshot, and they froze in place.