Lan Yan turned her head and reached out to brush away a maple leaf, but it was taken before she could. She looked at Jun Yelan before her and smiled faintly, "Jun Yelan, thank you."
She glanced at the maple forest to her left, "Let's stroll over there."
Jun Yelan nodded and followed Lan Yan, silently tucking the maple leaf into his sleeve, hidden from view.
Lan Yan walked ahead, strolling through the forest, a smile on her face. Although Jun Yelan had not answered her immediately, she could feel the change in him.
She would wait, for the day Jun Yelan would express himself.
Jun Yelan's gaze fell upon Lan Yan, always drawn by that smile. It was pure and clean, unlike any he had seen before, and it carried warmth.
He clenched his fist slightly, thinking that he shouldn't be thinking these things.
The forest was a sea of red, filled with maple leaves.
Lan Yan crouched beneath a tree, sweeping the fallen leaves to the base of the trunk. She then sat down and smiled, "Jun Yelan, you try too. It's really quiet here."
She closed her eyes, listening to the wind in the woods, punctuated by occasional chirping of insects and birds, feeling a sense of peace.
Seeing Lan Yan like this, Jun Yelan lifted the hem of his robe and sat beside her. He tried to close his eyes, but images of the past surfaced in his mind, and he frowned.
Lan Yan's voice reached his ears, and the scenes in his mind changed, becoming a expanse of blue sky. His brow unfurrowed, and his heart found tranquility.
Lan Yan, not hearing a sound, secretly opened one eye and saw Jun Yelan's expression, a smug smile playing on her lips.
She had heard from Ruan Yuan that the maple forest of the ancient temple could help one temporarily forget their worries. She wondered if Jun Yelan had forgotten!
She wanted to tell Jun Yelan that he didn't have to suffer anymore, that she would be by his side.
"Jun Yelan, I am a general, and protecting the common people is my responsibility. From now on, you are also someone I will protect."
Jun Yelan's eyelids twitched, and without opening his eyes, he rubbed the maple leaf he held. He could no longer ignore the strange feeling in his heart.
A growl from her stomach startled Lan Yan, who opened her eyes in embarrassment and stood up. "Jun Yelan, let's head down the mountain."
"Mm." Jun Yelan stood beside Lan Yan, descending the mountain with her, their distance narrowing unconsciously.
As they descended, Lan Yan saw someone she disliked and prepared to take a detour, not wanting to spoil her appetite.
But Ning Yuan blocked the steps, looking at Lan Yan with cold eyes, "Well, well, isn't this General Lan? You have time to go out today! Do you think wearing a veil can hide that monstrous appearance."
"No matter what you do, a monster is still a monster."
Lan Yan's anger flared, and she was about to step forward when Jun Yelan grabbed her wrist. She blinked, looking at him in confusion, only to be pulled behind him by Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan stood before Ning Yuan. His veil obscured his expression, but his tone was frigid. "If I am indeed a monster, why would His Majesty summon me? Do you think His Majesty is wrong, Lord Ning!"
"You!" Ning Yuan was stunned, anger flashing in his eyes.
Lan Yan covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. Jun Yelan's words were spot on.
Ning Yuan glanced at Jun Yelan, then back at Lan Yan, his voice full of anger, "You two are in cahoots. Lan Yan, a woman like you is not worthy of entering my Ning family."
"She won't. Even in twenty years, you won't be worthy of her!" Jun Yelan said coldly, an icy aura emanating from him. No one in this world was worthy of Lan Yan.
Lan Yan curved her lips, watching Ning Yuan's increasingly displeased expression, and put her hands on her hips. "Minister Ning, let me add one more thing: 'in cahoots' is not used like that. I think it applies to you!"
Ning Yuan, outmatched by their words, clutched his chest, struggling to breathe from anger. He extended a trembling finger towards Lan Yan, unable to speak for a long time.
"If you have nothing to say, then goodbye! No, never see you again." Lan Yan snorted, tugged at Jun Yelan's sleeve, roughly pushed past Ning Yuan, and descended the steps.
Ning Yuan tried to curse again, but his balance failed, and he landed on the steps with a thud, looking utterly pathetic. "Lan Yan, I will never forgive you!"
His Ning family was a prestigious lineage, and his sister was a favored concubine in the palace. What was Lan Yan to him!
The words reached Lan Yan ahead, and she waved dismissively towards the back, completely unbothered, infuriating Ning Yuan to no end.
She happily got into the carriage, followed by Jun Yelan, and said with a smile, "I finally let off some steam today. Let's go back."
Jun Yelan, seeing Lan Yan so cheerful, knew how to deal with Ning Yuan next time, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
Upon arriving at the residence, Lan Yan discovered her legs were sore, a lingering effect of climbing the steps. She massaged her calves, lamenting pitifully, "I should rest for a while."
She noticed a swing in the courtyard and moved to sit on it, continuing to massage her legs.
Jun Yelan walked over and stood behind the swing, watching the scene silently. He reached out his hand, but seeing that Lan Yan had stopped massaging her legs, he withdrew it.
Lan Yan leaned back slightly, resting against Jun Yelan, her body relaxing. "Jun Yelan, let me lean on you for a moment."
Jun Yelan nodded where Lan Yan couldn't see him.
Lan Yan raised her hand to her face, and through the gaps in her fingers, the bright moonlight shone into her eyes. She murmured, "Being this general is hard, but it's a responsibility I must bear."
"Jun Yelan, when you were a priest before, was it like this too?"
Jun Yelan noticed the change in Lan Yan's emotions and parted his lips slightly, "Yes. This title of priest was bestowed upon me by them. They could decide whether I lived or died. My life was never my own."
"Then how did you become a priest?" Lan Yan turned her head to look at Jun Yelan.
Gazed upon by those clear eyes, Jun Yelan found himself speaking more. "I was different from others from birth. My parents hated me, and the villagers detested me, so they abandoned me in the back mountains to be fed to wolves."
"Perhaps I was too ugly, even the wolves were unwilling to approach me, and I survived. Later, they tried to burn me alive, but I still did not die."
He still remembered that inferno, and the villagers watching coldly by the fire, his eyes dimming.
Lan Yan held Jun Yelan's hand and said, "Jun Yelan, you survived a great disaster. Heaven itself doesn't want you, so no one else can."
"From now on, just like you retorted to Ning Yuan today, treat those with ill intentions coldly, and be kind to yourself."
She rummaged in the pouch at her waist and found a piece of candy, which she placed in Jun Yelan's palm.
"When I'm unhappy, I love eating candy. I'm giving this to you today. You should be happier in the future."
Jun Yelan's pupils trembled. He looked at the candy in his palm and clenched it. He still had many words left unsaid, but they were no longer important. This candy was.
He said, "Thank you." Thank you for your continuous kindness.
Lan Yan smiled and replied, "You're welcome." She loved seeing Jun Yelan smile.