Chapter Forty: Girl Alan

A beautiful and graceful woman is the object of a gentleman's affections.

Gazing at the woman's graceful figure, Mu Lian couldn't help but recall these lines of poetry.

"Who goes there?" Suddenly, the woman seemed to have noticed something, turned around in fright, her slender white fingers trembling as she clenched the pointed gold hairpin in her hand.

“Miss Alan, don’t be afraid…” Mu Lian lowered her voice and emerged from behind the screen: “I am Deputy General Liu’s man. Deputy General Liu was worried and asked me to stay here…”

“Nonsense…” Alan scolded, unmoved, and took several steps back: “I have never seen you before, who are you?” Thinking that if she were defiled, even Deputy General Liu might not be able to protect her, Alan stabbed the hairpin in her hand even deeper, and a little blood seeped from her fair neck.

"Hey, don't..." Worried that the woman in front of her would really hurt her, Mu Lian hurriedly stopped her, and in her haste, she didn't care about pretending anymore.

Upon hearing the voice, Alan was stunned for a moment before finally coming to her senses: "You, you are a woman?"

“That’s right…” Mu Lian removed a human skin glove used for disguise, revealing equally slender and beautiful fingers: “There’s a reason for this, Miss Alan, don’t be afraid…”

Alan's mind raced. She put down the gold hairpin in her hand, her eyes showing a hint of surprise: "If you are a woman, why are you here?" Could it be that you were also kidnapped? But if you were kidnapped, why are you disguised as a soldier?

Suddenly, a woman's screams and wails came from outside, startling both Mu Lian and Alan.

Mu Lian frowned, stepped forward, and said succinctly, "Miss Alan, don't be afraid. I'm here to save you. Please keep this a secret for me..." The only way now is for her to escape quietly so that she can get help.

Alan's eyes flickered, her tightly clenched fingers loosened slightly, and she stepped aside to let Mu Lian sit down: "Alright, is there anything I can help you with, Miss?"

After a moment's thought, Mu Lian said, "I met a young man before I came here. He seemed very clever. I want him to take my token and leave first to seek help..." There were probably several hundred people in this mine. Mu Lian was alone, so she dared not make a move that might alert the enemy.

juvenile?

Alan suddenly became excited and stood up, saying, "Are you talking about A-Yuan, young lady? Tall and thin, with big eyes and dark skin?"

Mu Lian recalled that the boy was indeed tall and thin, with a pair of big eyes full of unwillingness and stubbornness, but because of the dirt on his face, his skin color could not be seen.

"Perhaps..." Mu Lian recalled the image of the boy in her mind, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Could that boy be the younger brother Alan that Deputy General Liu mentioned earlier?

"That's my third brother..." Hearing that Mu Lian had just seen A Yuan, A Lan breathed a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness, thank goodness, her third brother was still alive.

Since entering this cannibalistic den of pleasure, Alan had never been able to leave. Every day she opened her eyes to terror and unease, constantly worrying about being violated and trampled upon, or about her younger brother's imminent death. Fortunately, she later met Deputy General Liu. Although she still couldn't escape the fate of serving men with her beauty, at least she didn't have to worry about being defiled by other brutish soldiers, nor about being violated to death like her unfortunate sisters before her. If her two younger brothers were still alive, then heaven would truly have opened its eyes.

"That's wonderful! Did you see my second brother?" Alan's eyes were filled with hope, and tears seemed to glisten at the corners of her eyes, which had been reddened with excitement. Looking at the girl in front of him, Mu Lian couldn't bear to tell the truth in the end, and turned slightly to the side, saying, "I'm sorry, Miss Alan, I didn't see him. Perhaps it's because I don't know your second brother..."

It doesn't matter if we don't recognize each other; perhaps my second brother is alright. Thinking this, Alan couldn't contain her joy. She rose and gave Mu Lian a deep bow: "Thank you, Miss..." The two chatted briefly for a while longer. Mu Lian lifted the curtain, about to go out. By this time, she had disguised herself again, appearing as just a thin, dark-skinned soldier.

Suddenly, a sharp sword flashed, aimed straight at Mu Lian's face. Mu Lian dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. Turning around, she saw Vice General Liu returning, his expression cold and stern, his eyes filled with murderous intent. The next instant, the chilling longsword once again hurtled towards Mu Lian's face. Mu Lian hurriedly swung her sword to parry, the two swords clashing, sparks flying.

"My lord, you've misunderstood..." Hearing the noise outside the door, Alan hurriedly lifted the curtain and went out: "She, she's not..."

No? What do you mean no? But in his shock and anger, Deputy General Liu had no time to think. His fear of the girl being defiled by that brute soldier outweighed his reason, so he did not stop wielding his sword. Instead, his killing intent became even more intense.

With a sigh, Mu Lian's swordplay continued unabated. This Deputy General Liu was no ordinary man; even with Mu Lian's skill, he couldn't be treated lightly. Moreover, if they couldn't finish the fight quickly and the soldiers outside discovered them, things could easily go wrong.

A chilling aura emanated from the sword. Deputy General Liu felt a numbness in his wrist, and the longsword slipped from his hand. The next second, the sharp tip of the sword was pressed against his neck, and a cold female voice rang out: "Liu Ruolin, aren't you going to stop?"

A woman? Is this seemingly unremarkable, dark-skinned, and thin soldier actually a woman? And how does she know his name?

After a moment's hesitation, Deputy General Liu followed Mu Lian and Alan into the room. Time was of the essence, and Mu Lian didn't have time to elaborate, only briefly stating their purpose. Hearing this, Deputy General Liu fell silent.

He could turn a blind eye to Mu Lian's arrival, out of consideration for Alan. But to let him directly join the rebellion would be tantamount to betrayal. After all, his family was poor when he was young, and it was Lord Liu Zhang who provided him with much financial support, enabling him to later abandon his studies for the army and achieve his current promising future. Although he later learned of Liu Zhang's actions, he could not easily betray the kindness shown to him.

Holding Alan's hand tightly, Liu Ruolin said, "I'm sorry, Alan, but I cannot comply. I am a member of the Liu clan, and besides, Lord Liu has treated me well. I cannot do such a thing as betraying my ancestors..."

"But..." Alan's words of rebuttal caught in her throat. Yes, although her family had been destroyed because of Liu Zhang, the man before her had received favors from that old scoundrel. Thinking of this, Alan forcefully pulled her hand away from Liu Ruolin's grasp.

A glistening tear slid down, splashing onto the back of Liu Ruolin's hand, burning his heart: "Alan, I'm sorry, I..."

"Lieutenant General Liu, there's no need to make things difficult for you..." patting Alan's slightly trembling back, Mu Lian said to Liu Ruolin, "Lieutenant General Liu, you don't need to do anything. Just pretend you know nothing..."

Mu Lian could tell that the man before her was not entirely devoid of conscience, and naturally would not do anything that would completely aid and abet evil. Moreover, while at the Judicial Office, Mu Lian had read the secret reports about Liu Ruolin and knew that he was a man who cared about the people and the world. Her original intention for this trip to Luocheng was to try to find an opportunity to win him over, but she happened to run into him here.

"My lord, is this alright?" Yingying looked at Liu Ruolin, her eyes filled with hope.

After gritting her teeth and pondering for a moment, Liu Ruo nodded gently before she passed away.