For the next few days, Jun Yelan would go for training, and Lan Yan would always fetch him back with a lantern.
Until one day, Lan Yan woke up, opened the door, and saw Jun Yelan chopping wood, looking a little surprised. "Jun Yelan, aren't you going today?"
"It's over," Jun Yelan said. He was to undertake his previous mission tomorrow, which was even more difficult than the last. So, he had one more thing to do.
Lan Yan nodded, her lips curving upwards involuntarily. "That's great." Every time she saw Jun Yelan return with a pale face, she couldn't bear it. What kind of assassin's guild was this?
She brought two jars of newly made fruit wine and placed them on the table in the yard. "We've finally made it through this period. Reward yourself properly."
"Okay." Jun Yelan piled the chopped firewood by the wall, then went to the kitchen to get two bowls.
Lan Yan lifted the cloth covering the jars. The fruity aroma made one's appetite soar. She poured two bowls and said, "It's a pity there wasn't enough time, or it would be even tastier. I have a few more jars; we'll drink them later."
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan and nodded after a long while.
He was actually very afraid of a future without her. He hid his feelings and said, "Lan Yan, if one day I do something without your permission, will you forgive me?"
Lan Yan took a sip of the fruit wine, thought for a moment, and murmured, "It depends on what it is. If you hurt yourself, I definitely won't forgive you."
She wanted Jun Yelan to learn to cherish himself.
Jun Yelan's eyes dimmed slightly, and he shook his head. "Let's not talk about this. Let's keep drinking." He held his bowl, the fruit wine within reflecting his image, making even the wine taste a bit bitter.
Lan Yan felt something was off with Jun Yelan. Just as she was about to ask, her head suddenly swayed, and she slumped onto the table.
A hand supported her head. Jun Yelan picked her up by the waist and placed her on the bed. He had put a sleeping potion in her bowl.
Lan Yan slept peacefully.
Jun Yelan sat by the bed, his face dejected. "I'm sorry, I can't let you risk this with me. You'll definitely be angry when you wake up. If I don't return, it's fine if you don't forgive me."
This way, Lan Yan wouldn't dwell on him and could live her life well on her own.
He looked at Lan Yan's hand, gently held it, made up his mind, and got up to leave.
The children at the doorstep asked, "Brother Jun, what happened to Sister Lan? Can she not play with us anymore?"
Jun Yelan said, "Sister Lan is just tired. She'll wake up soon and play with you. You must promise me to take good care of Sister Lan these few days."
The children patted their chests and promised, "We definitely will."
Jun Yelan couldn't help but smile. He asked Little Flower and Little Moon to look after the other children. After arranging everything, he clenched the sword in his hand and left the village without looking back.
Behind him were the people he cherished, but he had to move forward.
Lan Yan lay in bed, her brows furrowed, her face filled with unease. She dreamt of Jun Yelan, dreaming that he had gone to merchant Lin's house again.
At this moment, merchant Lin had already set up an ambush and was waiting for Jun Yelan. She wanted to tell Jun Yelan not to go, but she couldn't make a sound from her throat, only watching helplessly as Jun Yelan entered the mansion.
Jun Yelan walked around the mansion, not going to the study from last time. He landed in the courtyard, where many people were already gathered.
Merchant Lin stood at the front, sneering, "The top assassin of the Assassin's Pavilion is nothing more than this." He clapped his hands. "If your pavilion wasn't so desperate, I wouldn't have been able to catch you."
Jun Yelan said coldly, "They say people from the Intelligence Pavilion are good at hiding. Now it seems there are loopholes everywhere."
Merchant Lin's expression changed. "How did you know?" He hadn't left any clues in the mansion.
"You knew I would come, so I naturally knew other things too." Jun Yelan had seen the secret compartment last time and remembered the pattern on it, which was not something an ordinary merchant would have.
Moreover, with Pavilion Master Bai being so anxious, this must not be an ordinary mission!
Merchant Lin was stunned. "You came here intentionally." He had originally designed a plan to capture Jun Yelan, but he didn't expect Jun Yelan to see through everything. His face became more flustered.
"All of you, attack him. Don't let him leave here alive." As he spoke, the people in the courtyard all attacked Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan's eyes turned cold. He wielded his sword, repelling the first wave of attackers. Then he took out hidden weapons and threw them around. Explosions erupted around the courtyard, and those people fell to the ground in disarray.
He had circled around just to do this.
Merchant Lin hid behind the flower bed in the courtyard and kept shouting, "Kill him, no matter the cost!" If they couldn't get rid of Jun Yelan this time, their Intelligence Pavilion would be in peril.
This person was too much of a threat.
Those who obeyed his command continued to attack Jun Yelan, wave after wave being repelled.
However, Jun Yelan's wounds were increasing, his blood merging with his black attire. His eyes remained firm. If there was any chance, he wanted to leave here and see Lan Yan's smile.
He swung his sword, slashing at the person in front of him.
As more and more people fell, merchant Lin became anxious and shouted, "Jun Yelan, you're underestimating our Intelligence Pavilion too much." He ran to a pillar and pulled down a hanging rope. The entire building began to shake.
At the same time, numerous arrows shot out from around the courtyard, all aimed at Jun Yelan. "Haha, Jun Yelan, you will surely die this time."
Jun Yelan used his sword to deflect the surrounding arrows, turning their direction back towards the people besieging him in the courtyard. However, he was already injured, and he couldn't quite support himself. In a moment of daze, his back was hit by an arrow.
He snorted coldly, pulled out the arrow from his back, and continued to send the arrows flying.
The number of attackers gradually decreased. He seized the opportunity to fly forward and grabbed merchant Lin.
Before merchant Lin could react, Jun Yelan had already gripped his throat, his pupils widening in shock. "Jun Yelan, even if you kill me, you won't get the list."
"Is that so!" Jun Yelan tightened his grip, sizing up merchant Lin. The list must be near merchant Lin!
Merchant Lin's eyes were filled with fear, thinking he would really die here. But if he died, Jun Yelan wouldn't survive either. He chuckled triumphantly, "Jun Yelan, you won't find it."
Jun Yelan ignored merchant Lin, his gaze falling on the crown on merchant Lin's head, and reached out. Seeing merchant Lin's panicked expression, he became even more certain. He directly took off the golden crown, and indeed, there was something inside.
"No!" Merchant Lin tried to snatch it back, but his hands were held, and he couldn't move. Without the list, the楼主 would surely kill him!
Jun Yelan directly used merchant Lin as a hostage and looked at the others in the courtyard, retreating towards the door.
However, these people still attacked, completely disregarding merchant Lin. They directly used gunpowder to blow up the house, not wanting Jun Yelan to escape alive with the list.