"Jun Yelan!" Lan Yan woke with a start, her eyes falling on the dimly lit room. Relief washed over her. She clutched her chest, as if to soothe herself, and murmured, "Thank goodness it was just a dream."
She had dreamt that Jun Yelan was on a mission, and the place he was in had exploded. Jun Yelan hadn't escaped. How could that be possible? Jun Yelan was so powerful!
Still, she couldn't help but gasp for air, her heart still pounding with lingering fear. Just then, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she called out.
At the door stood Xiao Hua and Xiao Yue, carrying a kettle. They smiled upon seeing Lan Yan. "Sister Lan, you're finally awake. We were so worried about you."
They had promised Brother Jun that they would take good care of Sister Lan, but Sister Lan had not woken up, and Brother Jun had disappeared.
Lan Yan reached out and stroked the children's heads. "Sister Lan just had a nightmare, that's why I woke up late. By the way, where is your Brother Jun?"
Even though it was just a dream, she needed to see Jun Yelan to truly feel at ease.
The two children shook their heads. "Brother Jun left yesterday. We don't know where he is. And Brother Jun looked very strange, as if he would never come back."
Lan Yan froze. Recalling her dream, her unease grew. She remembered drinking with Jun Yelan yesterday, and then what happened… she couldn't recall anything after that.
She rubbed her forehead, trying desperately to remember, but found nothing. Logically, such a thing shouldn't happen. It could only be that Jun Yelan had done something. Had Jun Yelan deliberately gotten her drunk and left alone?
Seeing Lan Yan suddenly fall silent, the two children asked worriedly, "Sister Lan, what's wrong?"
Lan Yan quickly got dressed and got out of bed, looking at Xiao Hua and Xiao Yue. "You two take care of your younger siblings. Sister Lan is going to find Brother Jun and will be back soon."
She walked towards the door, but they grabbed her sleeve. Turning, she saw their tearful expressions. She couldn't help but crouch down and comfort them. "Don't worry, I will definitely bring your Brother Jun back safely."
Xiao Hua and Xiao Yue nodded with effort, holding back their tears, and believed Sister Lan. "Sister Lan, we'll wait here for you to come back."
They rushed into Lan Yan's embrace, hugging her tightly, hoping that both Sister Lan and Brother Jun would be safe.
Lan Yan couldn't help but smile. She hugged them back and let out a soft "Mm." Fearing that further delays would put Jun Yelan in more danger, she hitched the carriage and sped away.
She vaguely remembered the place from her dream: it was the home of merchant Lin, where they had visited before. At the same time, she called out, "System, hurry up and get out here! Is Jun Yelan okay?"
She could only place her hope in the system now.
However, after a long time, the system's voice finally came through. "Host, I've lost contact with the mission target, so I don't know. Wait, don't blame me, this interface corruption wasn't caused by me."
Lan Yan's clenched fist retracted. "System, are you even useful! I'm not blaming you, but you have to help me find Jun Yelan. If Jun Yelan is really in trouble, we'll be truly trapped in this world."
"You wouldn't want that, would you!" Having been with the system for so long, she understood its little thoughts quite well.
The system obviously didn't want to stay there. It tried its best to establish a connection, calling out, "Host, keep going!"
Lan Yan: "..." In the end, she had thought too much. She looked at the road ahead. She was getting closer to merchant Lin's residence, but at the same time, it was getting darker.
Her heart began to pound violently, her hands gripping the reins trembling as she struggled to control them.
She drove the carriage to the vicinity of merchant Lin's residence, only to see a pile of ruins. The house was nowhere to be seen.
"No, Jun Yelan!" she cried out, rushing towards the ruins, but received no response and saw no trace of Jun Yelan.
The ruins were filled with damaged buildings, a scene of devastation. A few crows circled overhead, making the place resemble a living tomb.
Lan Yan grew afraid, afraid of finding what she didn't want to see, but deep down, she believed that Jun Yelan was still alive. Standing on the ruins, she picked up a brick and threw it to an empty spot nearby.
She continued doing so, her hands becoming increasingly scarred, blisters gradually forming. Yet, she gritted her teeth and persisted, repeatedly murmuring a name: "Jun Yelan."
Just then, the system came back online, shouting, "Host, hurry up! I've detected the mission target is right below, and he's still breathing!"
"What!" Lan Yan's energy surged. She moved the remaining bricks, her hands covered in blood. She felt no pain as she removed the last brick and saw the man lying there. Hot tears streamed down her face.
Her Jun Yelan was truly alive.
Jun Yelan lay on the ground, in a sorry state, covered in wounds, his breathing shallow.
Lan Yan had no time to cry. She moved the debris off Jun Yelan's body, then reached under his armpits with both hands, grabbed his shoulders, and dragged him out.
She didn't know where she found the strength, but she managed to drag the man, who was half a head taller than her, to an open space. "Jun Yelan!"
Jun Yelan's eyes were tightly shut, his lips pale, his face covered in dust, and his clothes tattered. His hands were clenched tightly, as if he were holding onto something.
Unable to wake him, Lan Yan crouched down and hoisted Jun Yelan onto her back. She was immediately bent over, biting her lip, and holding onto Jun Yelan's legs, step by painstaking step, she walked towards the carriage.
The place was too narrow for the carriage to pass, so she had to carry him.
Feeling the weight on her back, she called out, "Jun Yelan, you hold on, do you hear me? You've left me twice already. The first time you came back. If you don't come back this second time, I'll never forgive you."
This man who always carried everything himself shouldn't have met such an end.
There was no response from his back. Lan Yan's eyes gradually welled up with tears, but she couldn't wipe them away, so she held them back.
"Jun Yelan, you are such a scoundrel, a scoundrel I can't bear to scold. You're the renowned number one assassin, yet you deceived a weak woman, not letting me share the burden with you. Then you must come back alive!"
"What is this state now!"
She kept repeating these words to keep herself going and to try and wake Jun Yelan.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally emerged from the darkness and reached the carriage, which was illuminated by light. She gently placed Jun Yelan inside and sat on the driver's seat, speeding towards the village.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Jun Yelan's fingers twitched slightly.