Chapter 104 You Nian Pavilion’s Guards

When Lan You Nian returned to You Nian Pavilion, she could smell the faint scent of blood permeating the air.  The number of guards who usually stood guard were halved.  Lan You Nian did not ask.  Instead, she went inside the pavilion and noticed Lan Ren, Lan Feng, and Lan Qu were all back.

“Young miss” It was only a month without seeing each other, but clearly the three were happy to see Lan You Nian.

“You’re back?” Lan You Nian permitted them to sit and smiled at Lan Qu and Len Feng.  There was something dodgy going on.

“Much of Wu Qing Pavilion’s affairs are dealt with, so from now on we’ll stay in the capital.  Second master and fourth master also set a letter asking about young miss’s situation.  I’m afraid it won’t be long before they will come to the capital too!” Lan Ren accepted the tea Lan Qu brewed and took a sip.

“En, the capital will certainly be lively.  I do miss them!” LAn You Nian glanced out the window.  She missed the days when she was in the Medical Valley.  There wasn’t any schemes and human ugliness.  There was only shifu’s endless nagging and the senior brothers caring and teasing.

“Young miss, Zhang Lin and the others are injured!” Lan Wu reported indignantly.

“Oh?  Were there any deaths?” Lan You Nian’s expression did not change, even her tone was still soft.

“A handful of guards were injured but none died.  The intruders were taken care of by Lan Ren.  If we didn’t come back in time, today would have been capricious!” Lan Qu thoroughly analyzed.  When they returned to You Nian Pavilion, they noticed the many assassins milling around.  Zhang Lin stood there fighting to protect Lan Qu and the other guards.  Although all fifteen guards were barely hanging in there, none of them shrank back in cowardice.  Lan Qu felt that these guards were worthy of being allowed to stay by her family’s young miss.

“Lan Qu, Lan Wu, take the wound medicine from my room to give to Zhang Lin and the others.  Help bandage them up!” Lan Wu instructed.  Although the four’s medical skills weren’t worthy of mention but they were no stranger to some skin injuries.  Zhang Lin and the others were her guards as well as her subordinates.

“Any left alive?” Lan You Nian cupped the still warm tea in her hands, the misty steam shrouded the emotions in her eyes.      “No, when the intruders knew things fell through, they committed suicide!” Lan Feng responded.  Speaking of this matter, she was angry.  They only just left for a while yet someone dared to barge into You Nian Pavilion.  They sure had a lot of guts!

“Oh?  Any clues?” Lan You Nian didn’t seem to care as she asked offhandedly.

“Haven’t found any yet…” Lan Ren responded with some annoyance.  They found no clues into the identity of the people.  It was their oversight.  The intruders were cautious.  Not only they erased any trace of the assassination, but every one of them seemed to be clean, without any evidence left on their bodies.

“Continue to investigate.  In three days I want results!” Lan You Nian said gently but Lan Ren and Lan Feng knew this was an order.  If young miss says three days then even if you die, you must get the results within three days.  This was the loyalty and obedience that young miss taught from the very first day.

“Yes!” The two stood up and departed.  One went to arrange You Nian Pavilion’s defenses, the other to investigate the assassins.

Veiled, Lan You Nian walked down the stairs of the pavilion and came to the small courtyard next to You Nian Pavilion.  This residence was specially arranged by Lan Jian Jun for You Nian Pavilion’s guards to live at.  Even Lan Jian Jun’s personal guards did not have such special treatment.  It can be seen how much Lan Jian Jun loved Lan You Nian, this legitimate daughter.

Lan You Nian walked past the short bamboo fence enclosing the small courtyard.  The deciduous trees and evergreen trees leisurely formed a scenic painting in the level yellowish guard, with trimmed of weeds and wildflowers.  Red bricks, green window sills, white railings, pale yellow tiles…

Walking into the room, Lan You Nian saw four to five guards sitting inside, already bandaged while Lan Wu still continued to bandage Zhang Lin.  Zhang Lin’s wounds were most serious, but fortunately it wasn’t life threatening.  No one noticed Lan You Nian.  After a while, it was Lan Qu who noticed Lan You Nian, instantly stood up and exclaimed, “Young miss!”

Lan Qu’s voice made the rough hot-blooded men stand up in a daze, even the injured Zhang Lin climbed up from the bed and acknowledged respectfully, “Young miss!”

At the beginning, they pitied this little girl because they heard she has wandered outside the manor for many years due to being unfavored.  They knew they needed to protect this young miss.  However, they were not simply obeying orders but they were also curious.  From the first time this girl gave her first order to have them kill their respected general, this girl’s indifference when giving the order made them admire her.  As they stayed behind as You Nian Pavilion’s guards, they noticed this young miss was truly different.  She was neither arrogant nor domineering, as if their own daughter.  Over time, they admired her more and more.  They admired this girl’s superb mind and means.  Her skill in martial abilities was even higher than them.  They started to follow her from the bottom of their hearts.

“En, how is it?” Lan You Nian sat down in front of the crude table in the crude room.  The guards around her felt a little embarrassed.  After all Lan You Nian was used to eating and using the finest yet she was perfectly composed as she sat in such a crude room.

“Heihei, it’s nothing.  We’re thick-skinned!” A dark-skinned guard laughed, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Lan You Nian smiled.  After some time of testing, these fifteen performed wonderfully.  Their backgrounds have been investigated.  These people were all orphans who were plunged into the army and followed Lan Jian Jun.  She preferred these kinds of background, clean and without any worries.  These people’s personalities weren’t bad either.  They were worthy of her accepting them into her own forces.

“Lan Qu, call them all out!” Lan You Nian instructed to Lan Qu.  Today, all fifteen people received injuries.  However, they divided up their duties very well.  The only slightly injured guards continued to stand guard at their posts in You Nian Pavilion, without any signs of neglect.

When the remaining guards returned to their small courtyard, they noticed Lan You Nian sitting there.  Looking at them Lan You Nian asked, “Was today dangerous?”

“Very dangerous!” Zhang Lin answered as usual.

“Afraid?” Lan You Nian’s eyes smiled, but that smile didn’t reach the bottom of her eyes.

“Not afraid!” A unanimous but equally firm answer, all fifteen guards stood up straight.  It was a habit and tenacity that was honed from the battlefield.

“Very good, do know what your duties are?” Lan You Nian nodded as she continued to question them.

“Protect young miss.  Obey young miss’s orders!” A firm reply, without any time for consideration needed.

“Then do you know how weak you are?” Lan You Nian stood up, her back as straight as them, her bearing forced these people into submission.

The fifteen guards didn’t utter a sound.  In their eyes, Lan You Nian found unwillingness to submit and unwillingness to admit defeat.  Very good, Lan You Nian smiled inside.

“En” The clearly still soft voice carried some hints of danger.  Lan You Nian really didn’t like no one answering her question.

“Very weak.  Please ask young miss to punish!” Zhang Lin fell down on his knees.  The other fourteen people followed suit.  Although they were red-blooded men but they didn’t have any pride.  They were indeed weak.  Even with them all working together, they couldn’t handle the assassins.  But young miss’s subordinates cleaned up the assassins within minutes.  They saw it was their own eyes and understood in their hearts.

“You know why you aren’t powerful?” Lan You Nian’s tone emitted a chill.  This was a young miss they have never seen before.  The eyebrows above the veil seemed to be dyed with deadliness, “Because they have climbed out from countless life and death encounters.  Because they experienced hardships ordinary people are unable to suffer!”

“Now, I give you a chance.  Become stronger with me, but you will likely lose your life.  Before you are strong, you would already have gone to see King Yama!” Lan You Nian continued to say, “Leave You Nian Pavilion now.  I will allow you to continue to follow General Lan!”

Lan You Nian didn’t need them to answer her immediately.  She simply sat there for a while, then she heard the fifteen people with unshakeable expression and words, “I am willing to follow young miss!”

“Even if you lose your life?”

“Even if we lose our life!”

“Good!” Lan You Nian unveiled her face.  Since they were her Lan You Nian’s subordinate, then they deserved her Lan You Nian’s trust.  Lan You Nian exposed her face and smiled at them.

“~Gasp~” Everyone was shocked.  They didn’t expect their young miss to be so beautiful.  There were even a few younger guards who were blushing.   But none of them had any unrealistic thoughts they shouldn’t have.  They were entirely just appreciating beauty.

“Nurse your injuries these next few days, then follow me to a place that can make you stronger!” Finished with what she came to say, Lan You Nian left the small courtyard.  She didn’t see the fifteen guards’ eyes brimming with loyalty and appreciation in their pursuit.

“Lan Qu, after Lan Feng finishes investigating the assassins, tell her that she and I are going to Wu Qing Pavilion!” Lan You Nian instructed.

“Young miss wants to let these people join Wu Qing Pavilion?” Lan Qu asked in confusion.  It was too risky.  Although Wu Qing Pavilion knew Young Master Wu Qing but they didn’t know Young Master Wu Qing was their young miss.

“No, they’re just my Lan You Nian’s guards!” Lan You Nian smiled, “I’m only taking them to second brother’s place to train.  After all they are too weak now; they can’t do anything!”

Lan Qu trembled.  Second master’s training technique was extremely cruel.  These techniques were all thought out by young miss.  Young miss demonstrated this training arena and came out severely injured.  Following her was the several young masters.  Then it was Lan Ren, Lan Feng, and then many of Wu Qing Pavilion’s subordinates who climbed out of that place.  At that time, she and Lan Wu didn’t have any martial arts, so they didn’t enter but they knew the dangers of that place.

“If they aren’t able to bear it and lose their life?” Lan Wu walked in and asked curiously but there was no sympathy in her eyes.   If young miss let her receive training, she won’t even bat an eyelash.

“So today they were given a choice!” Lan Wu said.  Young miss wasn’t a cold-blooded person but neither was she a sentimental one.  Young miss gave them a warning, gave them a choice, but once they made a choice, they can’t turn back or shrink away.  Even if they died young miss won’t even frown.

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