After Lin Yuelan’s stern shout, Jiang Zhennan walked out from behind the tree.

Lin Yuelan’s face was cold and fierce, and her tender voice had a strong aura. She appeared next to Jiang Zhennan like an illusion and then grabbed his neck with one hand. She could snap it easily. She stared at Jiang Zhennan with sharp eyes and asked sternly, “why are you here?”

With Little Green’s existence at stake, she would not allow any danger or threat to come to pass. Previously, when she took down the assassins, she had Little Green command the trees to grow wildly and create a birdcage. However, Little Green wasn’t exposed to them.

But this time, she was certain that Jiang Zhennan had definitely seen the interaction between her and Little Green.

She had been too careless.

She thought that no one would be wandering around the deep mountain. Besides, if someone got close, she and Little Green would have noticed it. However, Jiang Zhennan had appeared at Mount Da Qi without any sign. He even discovered her secret of Little Green. Little Green’s existence must not be discovered by anyone.

Jiang Zhennan had originally gone to look for Lin Yuelan at Mount Da Ao. However, he couldn’t find her anywhere. Then, he ran into Little White, who brought him to Mount Da Qi. When he had just arrived at Mount Da Qi, he found Lin Yuelan conversing with a thick green vine. The vine was very familiar. It had a sharp bud and two green leaves.

He had seen Lin Yuelan talking to the vine before, so he wasn’t too shocked or surprised.

This chapter upload first at Freewebnᴏve1.cᴏm

However, he didn’t expect that as soon as he stood still, Lin Yuelan’s body would exude a sharp aura, and she literally threatened his life. Her voice was as cold as ice.

Jiang Zhennan was stunned, but he did not show any dissatisfaction or counterattack.

Jiang Zhennan’s deep and magnetic voice replied to Lin Yuelan, “I’m here to find you.” He directly stated the reason for his appearance.

However, Lin Yuelan did not let him go. She continued to hold onto Jiang Zhennan’s neck and asked sternly, “how did you find me?” If they were at Mount Da Ao, it would be understandable, but they were at a completely different mountain. She had to suspect that he was stalking her. No matter what, she had to find out.

Jiang Zhennan replied, “Little White brought me here.”

......

Then, little white walked over to Lin Yuelan’s side and rubbed against her body. Then, it turned around and looked at Jiang Zhennan together.

This confirmed that Jiang Zhennan was not lying.

However, Lin yuelan still didn’t relax her grip. She asked again, “what did you just see?”

Jiang Zhennan replied, “I saw a vine that can change its appearance.” Jiang Zhennan did not hide anything from Lin Yuelan, because he knew that honesty was the best policy at this moment.

Lin Yuelan’s sharp eyes stared at Jiang Zhennan fiercely. She asked coldly, “aren’t you afraid that I will kill you?” Her cold voice was like the winds of winter. The frost in her eyes proved that she was not joking. She tightened her grip on Jiang Zhennan’s neck.

Jiang Zhennan took off his mask and faced Lin yuelan with his disfigured face. He did not have any fear. His eyes were very serious as he stared at Lin Yuelan’s cold and serious face. He replied, “I’m afraid!”

Lin Yuelan was a little surprised by this answer.

She knew that Jiang Zhennan was a cold and iron-blooded soldier and a decisive defender-general of the state. He was not one to lie because he was threatened.

“Why?” Lin Yuelan asked.

Jiang Zhennan said very seriously, “Because I don’t want to die! Because I know that I am not Miss Yue ‘Er’s opponent. If Miss Yue ‘Er wants to kill me, I won’t have any chance to live! But even so, I want to come clean. I don’t want to lie to Miss Yue ‘Er simply out of cowardice!”

Lin Yuelan was surprised when she heard that.

“And to be honest with Miss Yue ‘Er, this is not the first time I saw the vine. When we first met, I had already seen the vine’s transformation and heard you converse with it!”

Jiang Zhennan’s words struck Lin Yuelan like lightning!

Lin Yuelan didn’t expect that her secret had already been exposed the first time she met Jiang Zhennan.

Lin Yuelan’s expression instantly became colder and fiercer. Her eyes shot at Jiang Zhennan as if warning him that he could disappear from the world in the next second!

Jiang Zhennan stared at Lin Yuelan with a serious and calm face. There was no fear on his scarred face. His sharp eyes were sincere and loyal. It was as if he were not the person whose life was threatened.

The shadows of a man and a woman, one big and one small, one tall and one low, were surrounded by lush green leaves. Under the quiet shade of the trees, there was a slight breeze blowing. The scene was quite harmonious.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yuelan’s eyes were no longer as cold. She let go of Jiang Zhennan.

However, Jiang Zhennan’s expression remained the same. He was still as sincere as before.

Lin Yuelan smiled at Jiang Zhennan and said, “masked uncle, I’ll let you off this time since you’re so honest. However,” Her tone changed, “If I find out you have any ill intentions, I will not hesitate to kill you. I’ll reap your life just like how I dealt with those assassins. You should know that I’m capable of doing that!”

This chapter upload first at Freewebnᴏve1.cᴏm

This was a severe warning!

Was Jiang Zhennan nervous?

In fact, he was very nervous.

However, he wasn’t nervous about being killed. He was nervous because Lin Yuelan didn’t believe him!

He knew that he had stumbled across Lin Yuelan’s big secret. As mentioned earlier, only the dead would not reveal any secrets!

Jiang Zhennan said very seriously, “Miss Yue ‘Er, I, Jiang Zhennan, swear on my life. If you want my life, you can take it anytime! After all, my life was saved by Miss Yue ‘Er. I’ll only be returning it to you! I have no complaints!”

......

They didn’t know each other for more than a year, but Lin Yuelan did get to understand Jiang Zhennan’s character after spending some time together.

He was a cold, loyal, trustworthy man who loved his subordinates and valued relationships. Lin Yuelan didn’t think he would sell her out. Therefore, if she killed him, it would feel like claiming the life of an innocent. She wouldn’t be able to live with that. However, if he showed any signs of betrayal in the future, she would dispatch him quickly.

Subconsciously, Lin Yuelan also didn’t want to kill Jiang Zhennan. If this were someone else other than Jiang Zhennan who discovered her secret, they would have died already!

When Lin Yuelan saw Jiang Zhennan, she thought of the bits and pieces of their interactions in the past few days. Jiang Zhennan’s protectiveness of her, Jiang Zhennan’s concern for her, and Jiang Zhennan’s gentleness towards her. Because of all these, she could not kill him.

She decided to trust Jiang Zhennan this time!

If Jiang Zhennan really betrayed her one day for the sake of power and fame, then she would destroy everything he had. She would make sure he falls from the highest peak to the deepest hell.

This was her special treatment for Jiang Zhennan.

Then again, it was strange that only Jiang Zhennan was able to discover Lin Yuelan’s secret. The others would have been discovered instantly. Perhaps fate had a hand to play in this!

Jiang Zhennan had no idea how much thought went through Lin Yuelan’s mind, but if she really did kill him, he would have no complaints. He wouldn’t have struggled.

But if Lin Yuelan chose to let him go, he would be grateful too. After all, there was no safer way to keep a secret than to kill everyone who knew about it.

In the end, Lin Yuelan really did let him go.

Jiang Zhennan said in a serious tone, “Miss Yue ‘Er, I’m very grateful for your mercy. I, Jiang Zhennan, will never forget your great kindness. If Miss Yue ‘Er needs anything from me, even if it’s my life, I’ll hand it over to you!”

Lin Yuelan also nodded seriously and said in an imposing manner, “I hope you can keep your word!”

“I, Jiang Zhennan, will always keep my promise!” Jiang Zhennan replied in a serious manner without any hesitation.

After staring at Jiang Zhennan’s serious face for a while, Lin Yuelan suddenly burst out laughing.

She then waved her hand and said, “Okay, okay, masked uncle, I believe you.”

Jiang Zhennan’s serious and cold face immediately softened.

“Thank you, Miss Yue ‘Er!” He thanked her sincerely.

Lin Yuelan smiled and shook her head. She immediately thought of something and asked, “masked uncle, is there something you need from me? You should be developing the wildlands, right?” At this point, Lin Yuelan looked at Jiang Zhennan suspiciously, “masked uncle, you’re not trying to slack off, are you? I say, masked uncle, you can’t do this. Developing wildlands is not easy. If you slack off, when will we get this done?”

This chapter upload first at Freewebnᴏve1.cᴏm

At this moment, Lin Yuelan no longer had the solemn, cold, and imposing manner she had just moments ago. She seemed to have become a completely different person.

Looking at Lin Yuelan returning to her usual cute self, Jiang Zhennan’s lips curled up, showing his relaxation and joy.

He said, “Miss Yue ‘Er, don’t worry. The ten mu of land will be ready soon!” Other than the five strong men, Lin Yuelan had used 30 taels of silver to buy some farming equipment and cattle. With the labor and tools, it wouldn’t take that long to develop the land.

“It’s just that, when you were not in the village, there were rumors that were very unfavorable to you,” Jiang Zhennan said truthfully. “So, I came to warn you about it.” Jiang Zhennan had heard about the story of Lin Yuelan’s return from the death from Gou Bing. Jiang Zhennan felt sad and distressed for the child who had suffered so much.

When he heard that Lin Yuelan had been beaten to death, he was so angry that he wanted to kill these culprits and avenge Lin Yuelan.

What did Lin Yuelan do wrong? The villagers shoved the blame onto Lin Yuelan with just words from an unknown Taoist priest. They didn’t care about the evidence or the harm they had inflicted on the young woman.

They were just venting all their dissatisfaction on a child because their lives were not going well!

It was really too infuriating! This was too much!

Fortunately, heaven was fair! Lin Yuelan died and then returned with the ability to protect herself. Lin Yuelan would be able to defend herself from the monsters.

Lin Yuelan raised her eyebrows and asked, “masked uncle, how long have you been up here?”

Jiang Zhennan did not know what Lin Yuelan meant, but he still answered truthfully, “it has been a day.”

The mountain road was not easy to walk on. If one were not careful, they could fall into a pit or under a cliff. Other than watching where one’s feet landed, one had to pay attention to the ferocious beasts that called the forest home. The thick branches and dense leaves also made the visibility in the forest very low.

He had spent half a day searching for Lin Yuelan in the vicinity of Mt. Dao Ao, but he couldn’t find her.

Fortunately, he found little white in a dry cave. He asked little white to lead him to Lin Yuelan. If little white could carry him, it would definitely save him a lot of trouble. But the problem was that little white wouldn’t carry anyone but Lin Yuelan.

Therefore, Jiang Zhennan only followed behind Little White.

Even though Mount Da Ao and Mount Da Qi were adjacent to each other, the journey to cross from one mountain to another was not easy. An ordinary person couldn’t complete this journey in one day.

Thankfully, Jiang Zhennan had Little White lead the way. He had taken fewer detours, but it still took him around half a day. In other words, it had been a day and a night since he went up the mountain to look for Lin Yuelan. By the time he found Lin Yuelan, it was already the day after.

Therefore, Jiang Zhennan didn’t know what happened in the Lin Family Village.

Lin Yuelan nodded and said, “Oh, so you’ve been searching for me for a day.” Then, she asked, “By the way, masked uncle, what rumors are there about me in the village?”

Jiang Zhennan couldn’t bring himself to repeat the rumors. They were the subjects of the rumors too. Jiang Zhennan frowned slightly and said, “There are some rumors in the village that say that you have an ambiguous relationship with us. Therefore, Lin Qi is going to punish you for violating public morals!”

Lin Yuelan was well aware of these rumors. She was also aware of Lin Daniu and Lin Qi plotting to punish her. Unfortunately, they were unable to do that anymore because they had their own rumors to deal with.

One of them became paralyzed and the other had a marriage to save. Lin Yuelan easily dealt with those two.

Lin Yuelan looked at Jiang Zhennan with a half-smile and said, “masked uncle, you’ve been in the mountain for a day and a night, so I’m afraid you don’t know that Lin Daniu was caught for having an affair with his fourth sister-in-law. As for Lin Qi, he has broken his spine and now needs people to serve his every need. Do you think they still have the energy to punish me?”

Jiang Zhennan was dumbfounded by Lin Yuelan’s words.

He didn’t know about this at all.

This chapter upload first at Freewebnᴏve1.cᴏm

However, Lin Yuelan had never left the mountain before, so how did she know?

Seeing the confusion in Jiang Zhennan’s eyes, Lin Yuelan touched the jade bracelet on her left hand with her right hand, and then called out clearly, “Little Green!”

The jade bracelet immediately turned into a green vine as thick as a finger. It had a tender yellow bud and two green leaves the size of a baby’s palm. Then, under Jiang Zhennan’s dumbfounded gaze, it slowly became thicker and bigger, and suddenly became a vine as thick as three adult fingers.

Although Jiang Zhennan had seen little green twice, he had only seen it from afar. He had not seen its true form.

Now, he saw with his own eyes Little Green climb down from her hand. Then, it rapidly grew bigger and bigger.

......

‘Is this Little Green?’ Jiang Zhennan stared at Little Green in shock.

Lin Yuelan patted one of Xiao Lu’s leaves and said, “Little Green, come and say hello to the masked uncle!” Since she had decided to trust Jiang Zhennan, she might as well expose everything.

Little Green’s tender yellow bud curved, and with the voice of a three to a four-year-old child, he said, “Hello, masked uncle! I’m little green!”

Jiang Zhennan came back to senses and his mouth twitched when he heard how Lin Yuelan had addressed him. It seemed like he would always be a masked uncle to Lin Yuelan.

Jiang Zhennan quickly greeted Little Green. “Hello, Little Green. I’m... I’m a friend of your master!”

Little Green nodded and said in a tender voice, “yes, I know you’re a friend of my master! I also know that you’re the defender-general of this country, the victorious general of the people!” Then, he asked, “masked uncle, will you take Little Green away for research?”

Jiang Zhennan was stunned and did not react in time. He asked, “What research?”

“Research on how to seize the energy from Little Green!” Little Green said innocently.

Jiang Zhennan furrowed his brows slightly. He seemed to understand what Little Green meant. Little Green was worried that someone would capture him and then absorb his energy to use as their own. Jiang Zhennan didn’t know why Little Green would ask this question, but his heart wrenched.

Jiang Zhennan said in a serious tone, “Little Green, don’t worry. No one will capture you to study you. So, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you well! I will also protect your master well!” Jiang Zhennan swore to grow stronger to live up to his promise. Even if Miss Yue ‘Er’s secret was exposed in the future, at least he could protect them.

Lin Yuelan’s mind stirred.

At this moment, Lin Yuelan would be lying if she said she wasn’t touched by Jiang Zhennan’s words.

It had been two lifetimes and five years since the end of the world. She had always been the one protecting others, and no one had ever said that they would protect her.

This was the first time someone had told her that they would protect her!

Even though she didn’t need the protection, her heart was filled with a sweet feeling when she heard Jiang Zhennan’s promise.

Little Green’s tender shoot immediately became pink, showing its excitement. He said excitedly, “masked uncle, will you really protect my master? Will you protect me?”

Jiang Zhennan replied seriously, “yes, it’s true!”

“Oh, that’s great!” Little Green suddenly jumped up from the ground and flew into the air. It spun a few times and then quickly became smaller. It became a vine as thick as a finger and flew to Lin Yuelan’s shoulder. “Master, did you hear? The masked uncle said that he would protect master and Little Green.”

For Little Green, his master was always first and he’d come second.

After Little Green circled around Lin Yuelan’s shoulder a few times, it quickly flew to Jiang Zhennan’s shoulder. Its sharp sprout rubbed against his face and said excitedly, “masked uncle, you’re such a good person!”

Lin Yuelan’s mouth twitched. Little Green was bought just like that.

‘I’ll have to educate Little Green in the future. Not all people who speak good words are good people. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing.’

Jiang Zhennan was in close contact with Little Green. He was so nervous that his entire body tensed up, and he did not move at all. He was afraid that he would accidentally shake Little Green off.

Seeing this, Lin Yuelan immediately laughed again and said, “masked uncle, what are you afraid of? Don’t worry. Little green isn’t that weak. It won’t break that easily.”

She turned to Little Green, “Little Green, hurry up and come down. You made the masked uncle so scared that he doesn’t dare to move.”

Little green came down with a squeak.

Then, he stood in front of Jiang Zhennan and said with a little grievance, “masked uncle, is Little Green that scary? But master says that Little Green is cute.”