Lan Yan reacted sharply, realizing Jun Yelan was not of a child's mind. She blurted out, "So you can talk."
Jun Yelan faltered slightly, his brow furrowing. At this point, this person wasn't concerned about her own safety but these trivial matters.
He loosened his grip on the dagger, subtly moving it away from Lan Yan's neck.
Lan Yan glanced at the dagger, feeling a prickle of nervousness. "Jun Yelan, your dagger is quite beautiful. It would be a shame if it got stained with blood."
"Let me go!" Jun Yelan fixed his gaze on Lan Yan's eyes. This had been his sole objective from the very beginning.
Seeing that Jun Yelan didn't intend to kill her, Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "So that's it. It's easily arranged. Jun Yelan, you've been pretending all along, probably worried I would harm you."
"But you must have felt how I've treated you these past few days. As I said before, I brought you out of that room because I wanted you to be well."
Jun Yelan's eyes flickered, but these words were not enough to deter his resolve.
"Alright, Jun Yelan, I'm not actually stopping you. You can leave right now." Lan Yan's hand subtly moved closer to the dagger, but she retracted it when she saw Jun Yelan looking.
She had no intention of interfering with Jun Yelan's decision.
Jun Yelan was taken aback, not expecting Lan Yan to be so agreeable. This way, he wouldn't be in a quandary. "I owe you for these past few days. I will repay you in the future."
He was penniless now, with nothing of value. He slightly loosened his grip on the dagger.
Just then, the sound of hooves and the roar of a crowd drifted from the riverbank.
Lan Yan saw a contingent of soldiers clad in black armor, the same remnants from before. Disaster. There were only her and Jun Yelan here, and the group numbered at least twenty.
"Jun Yelan, lend me your dagger." She grasped Jun Yelan's hand, took his dagger, and placed it in her own palm. Then, shielding him, she pointed the dagger at the approaching troop.
Jun Yelan's pupils dilated in shock, his lips trembling slightly, completely perplexed by Lan Yan's intentions. As the troop drew nearer, he turned sharply, positioning himself in front of Lan Yan, and a whistle appeared in his hand.
He blew the whistle, and numerous black insects emerged from the surrounding woods, swarming towards the approaching troop.
The soldiers were thrown into immediate chaos. The horsemen reached out to swat them away, but the insects clung to their hands and faces.
Soon, the soldiers fell from their horses, tumbling into the river and creating splashes.
Lan Yan stood behind, watching the scene unfold, stunned. It was fortunate she had treated Jun Yelan well these past few days, otherwise, she would have been met with insects instead of a dagger just moments ago.
She swallowed, realizing this person was not to be trifled with.
Her gaze fell upon Jun Yelan. Seeing someone rise from the water, she swiftly threw the dagger. "Jun Yelan, be careful!"
Jun Yelan's eyes darkened. He continued to blow the whistle, sending more insects to the soldiers in front of him. The soldier fell back into the river in disarray.
The insects then flew to other soldiers, causing more and more of them to fall.
Lan Yan also moved to Jun Yelan's side, dagger in hand. Whenever someone stood up, she stabbed. She even patted Jun Yelan's shoulder, exclaiming excitedly, "Jun Yelan, you keep blowing. I'll handle the rest."
Jun Yelan's eyes shifted slightly, and the whistle's sound grew louder. Others avoided him, but Lan Yan not only didn't shy away but often touched him.
When he was a priest, he had encountered many people, their greed and disdain evident on their faces. But Lan Yan showed none of it, which made his heart feel inexplicably agitated, even affecting the insects.
Once the insects had surrounded the soldiers and caused them to fall, the whistling ceased, and they all flew away, disappearing into the woods.
Jun Yelan put away the whistle and walked into the woods without looking back at Lan Yan.
Seeing this, Lan Yan knew Jun Yelan intended to leave. She rolled her eyes, smeared the dagger's blood on her calf, crouched down, and cried out loudly, "No, my leg is about to break. It must have been injured just now."
Jun Yelan did not stop.
Lan Yan cried out even louder, a hint of grievance in her voice. "My poor hands and legs, what will I do from now on?" She lowered her head, occasionally looking up at Jun Yelan's retreating figure, wondering why he still hadn't turned back!
She was out of ideas!
Just then, Jun Yelan turned around. Seeing Lan Yan clutching her calf, their eyes met, hers reddened. He felt a touch of awkwardness and said, "I owe you, and I have already repaid it just now."
"But I helped you just now too. How about you do me one more small favor?" Lan Yan blinked, looking pitifully at Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan hesitated. If he left Lan Yan alone here and she got hurt again, she would surely blame him. If he stayed, this opportunity might not come again.
"Jun Yelan, once my injuries heal, wherever you want to go, I'll help you find a place," Lan Yan said. "You have no place to go if you leave now, do you know where to buy things, or how much they cost?"
She figured that since Jun Yelan had grown up in the house, there were things he wouldn't know. Seeing Jun Yelan frown, she guessed correctly.
"How about this, I'll teach you. Once you learn, you can leave."
She looked at Jun Yelan with anticipation, genuinely worried about him being alone.
Jun Yelan stared at Lan Yan, unmoving. Then, he heard approaching footsteps, his eyes darkening. He couldn't leave now!
Lan Yan saw Ruan Yuan and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the situation was temporarily resolved. But then she saw Ruan Yuan's sword pointed at Jun Yelan and cried out, "It's a misunderstanding."
She quickly ran over, not forgetting to hobble with her feigned injured leg.
Upon arriving, Ruan Yuan saw the ground littered with corpses and Lan Yan's blood-stained hem, concluding that Jun Yelan was responsible.
Her sword moved closer to Jun Yelan. Seeing his expression unchanged, she declared, "General, I shall eliminate this menace for you."
Jun Yelan's eyes remained devoid of emotion until Lan Yan stepped in front of him, a flicker of light appearing in his gaze. Lan Yan had behaved similarly towards him earlier.
Lan Yan put a hand to her forehead, looking at Ruan Yuan. "This is a huge misunderstanding. He just saved me moments ago; otherwise, I would be dead." She touched Ruan Yuan's sword, urging her to lower it. "My leg hurts. Let's head back quickly."
Ruan Yuan stared at Jun Yelan. Hearing Lan Yan's words, she finally sheathed her sword.
With the sword finally put away, Lan Yan could finally relax. She waved for Ruan Yuan to go ahead and then looked at Jun Yelan, saying pitifully, "Jun Yelan, could you support me?"
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's clear eyes and her aggrieved expression. He extended his hand, gripped her arm, and helped her walk forward.
Lan Yan couldn't help but smile, a hint of delight on her lips. "Jun Yelan, believe me, once my injuries are healed, I'll teach you." This was, of course, assuming her injuries would heal.
Jun Yelan could no longer comprehend Lan Yan's actions. Judging by the situation, he would have to stay for a while longer. He hoped Lan Yan wouldn't deceive him, his eyes darkening.