Lan Yan and Jun Ye Lan walked together, noticing the gazes of others but not paying them much mind. From the moment she agreed to return with Jun Ye Lan, she understood that such situations would arise.
What she needed to do now was to understand the Assassin's Pavilion and be of help to Jun Ye Lan.
Feeling warmth on the back of her hand, she turned to Jun Ye Lan and offered a faint smile, "Don't worry."
With those two words, Jun Ye Lan understood Lan Yan's thoughts, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. He held Lan Yan's hand tightly, leading her into the main hall where a chair was placed.
This chair was formerly occupied by Pavilion Master Bai.
Lan Yan looked at Jun Ye Lan, seeing his thoughtful expression, and patted his hand.
Jun Ye Lan came back to himself and responded, "It's nothing, I am different from him." He did not sit down, but turned to face the others in the pavilion, his eyes filled with coldness.
The assassins all knelt, shouting, "Greetings, new Pavilion Master." They had previously toiled under Pavilion Master Bai, and now, facing Jun Ye Lan, they were even more cautious.
Pavilion Master Bai had arrived like a scheduled hurricane; Jun Ye Lan was a blade suspended overhead, its descent uncertain.
Jun Ye Lan stared at them and said, "I know many of you have many thoughts, suspicions about me. I can tell you clearly, I am here to clean up a mess, and when the time comes, I will leave."
They did not want him to stay here, which suited his own intentions.
The assassins were unsure how to respond, looking at each other, at a loss. Then they raised their heads and shouted, "Pavilion Master, we have no such intentions."
"Enough, I have been with you all for so many years, I am not ignorant." Jun Ye Lan stopped looking at them and said, "Present all the recent matters of the pavilion."
He did not want to waste time, wishing to spend more time with Lan Yan.
The assassins had no choice but to stand up, submit their respective tasks, and then stand quietly to the side.
Jun Ye Lan waved his hand, dismissing them all, "If there's nothing else, do not disturb me."
"Yes, Pavilion Master." The assassins left the hall, wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads. "I haven't interacted much with Jun Ye Lan normally, but now talking to him gives me a chilling feeling."
"Let's leave quickly, don't get Jun Ye Lan's attention." They sighed and quickly moved away.
Jun Ye Lan looked at the bamboo slips on the desk, recalling the expressions of the people earlier, and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Lan Yan saw this, walked over, and tugged on Jun Ye Lan's sleeve. "Ye Lan, they don't believe you, but I do. These bamboo slips all need to be read, how about I help you?"
She was worried that Jun Ye Lan would be too tired.
Jun Ye Lan nodded and gently drew Lan Yan into his embrace, "I knew this would happen. As long as you are by my side, I won't mind. Yan'er, it pains me that you have to endure this with me."
"You're saying that again." Lan Yan covered Jun Ye Lan's mouth, meeting his concerned eyes, and smiled, "I enjoy looking at these. I'll tell you a secret, I was an empress in my past life."
Jun Ye Lan's brows rose, and he pulled Lan Yan's hand down, holding it in his. "Alright, my Empress."
Lan Yan was amused, picked up a bamboo slip from the desk, and lightly tapped Jun Ye Lan's forehead. "Now, the Empress has an order, do you obey?"
"Naturally." Jun Ye Lan helped Lan Yan to sit down, a smile on his face as he ground ink beside her.
Lan Yan smiled even more heartily, remembering the task at hand, and stopped teasing. She only gave a cursory glance at the slips before placing them before Jun Ye Lan, discussing the solutions with him.
After Jun Ye Lan finished reading, he said, "Many of these missions are related to the imperial court. It seems Pavilion Master Bai had colluded with them long ago."
"I remember what Pavilion Master Bai said before he died; he was an ambitious man and naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity. I've reviewed these missions; he used you all to eliminate his rivals and killed many people."
Jun Ye Lan clenched his fist, a fierce glint in his eyes. "We assassins were controlled by him since childhood. For years, we did many dirty deeds for him. Now that he's dead, it's time for us to pay the price."
They were not innocent people, but the person behind it was more detestable.
Lan Yan put down the bamboo slips and comforted him, "That's why we can't let him succeed. Now that you are the new Pavilion Master, you can abolish the previous rules and establish new ones."
"Without involving the court, without involving major worldly affairs, the Pavilion of Solitude is sufficient."
Jun Ye Lan nodded and wrote this down, which would be the Tenets of the Assassin's Pavilion from now on. "The Assassin's Pavilion needs a complete overhaul."
"Mhm." Lan Yan smiled, "I believe you can do it."
Jun Ye Lan looked at Lan Yan and made up his mind. He went to find the other assassins to handle matters, while Lan Yan continued to read the bamboo slips.
The two of them, one inside and one outside, cooperated seamlessly.
By evening, Lan Yan had finished reading all the bamboo slips. She stretched her back, yawning. She rubbed her neck and arms, hearing the gurgle of her stomach, and mumbled, "I'm so hungry."
As soon as she spoke, she smelled a fragrant aroma and immediately looked towards the doorway, seeing Jun Ye Lan approaching with a look of pleasant surprise.
Jun Ye Lan carried a food box and smilingly placed it on the desk. He took out the dishes inside: two bowls of noodles and a plate of pickled radishes.
"They look delicious." Lan Yan took the chopsticks handed to her by Jun Ye Lan. "Then I won't be polite."
She picked up a strand of noodles and took a hearty bite, revealing a satisfied smile.
Jun Ye Lan watched her from the side, his eyes filled with doting affection. He picked out pickled radishes for Lan Yan and said with a smile, "Eat slowly, there's another bowl."
He knew Lan Yan got hungry easily, and there wasn't much good food in the pavilion, so he went to the kitchen to cook noodles.
Lan Yan didn't have time to speak, she just nodded and continued eating. She put down her bowl, let out a burp, and smiled, "I really love this flavor."
"Then I'll make it for you again next time." Jun Ye Lan collected the bowls and chopsticks.
Lan Yan froze, realizing the noodles were personally made by Jun Ye Lan. She also keenly noticed a wound on Jun Ye Lan's finger. She grasped his wrist and said with concern, "You don't usually cook, and you've injured yourself."
Jun Ye Lan curled his lips and smiled, "Yan'er, it's nothing to make noodles for you. I only knew how to kill before, I didn't know anything else. Teach me in the future, okay?"
"You really don't have to..." Lan Yan started to refuse, but seeing Jun Ye Lan's determined eyes, she suddenly smiled, "Alright. Whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you, but no getting hurt."
A smile appeared in Jun Ye Lan's eyes. He sat beside Lan Yan, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I've spoken with the other assassins and explained things. From now on, it will be much quieter in the pavilion."
Although it was a casually spoken sentence, Lan Yan knew the effort Jun Ye Lan had put into it. Many of those assassins did not obey Jun Ye Lan, and achieving this was difficult.
She also knew Jun Ye Lan didn't want her to worry, so she pretended not to know anything, quietly leaned against Jun Ye Lan, enjoying the moment.
However, someone suddenly arrived at the door and reported, "Pavilion Master, it's not good, a troop of soldiers is approaching."