“The Southern Wilds.” Feng Jiu’er offered no further explanation. If Qiaomu trusted her, she could follow along. If she did not — no amount of words would make a difference.

True enough, Qiaomu asked no more. She had said she would follow, so follow she would, wherever Feng Jiu’er went.

Most importantly, given the Ninth Prince’s current condition, going to the Southern Wilds must be for the sake of his treatment. Seeing him so gravely ill, Qiaomu was also deeply pained — and treatment was indeed the most urgent matter.

They did not take the main road. The main road was easier to travel, but it lengthened the journey considerably. Instead, they pushed into the deep mountain forests — the going was rough, but the distance was cut down by no small amount.

By midday, everyone rested along the way. The Ninth Imperial Uncle appeared to still be sleeping inside the carriage and had not yet woken.

Strangely — he had clearly slept well enough the previous night. Why was he so exhausted and drowsy now?

Yu Jingfeng’s own interpretation was that His Highness had been thoroughly worn out by Feng Jiu’er the previous night, and was now both tired and sleepy as a result.

Feng Jiu’er, of course, knew perfectly well that she had not “worn out” the Ninth Imperial Uncle in the way Yu Jingfeng imagined. The only plausible explanation was that channeling true energy into her had cost him considerable strength — especially this time, when he had transferred more than ever before.

She did not want to speculate on what he was thinking. She only knew that she had to cure him.

“Lord Yu, I am going to gather some medicinal herbs nearby, to have on hand in case of emergency.”

This hillside looked lush and densely vegetated — the surrounding environment was ideal for the growth of medicinal plants.

Ancient medicines were not like modern ones — she could not simply carry around convenient pills. She had to collect herbs at every opportunity, and they would always come in handy.

Yu Jingfeng gave a nod. Without further words, Feng Jiu’er turned and headed off.

Everyone was resting here, and the cook was preparing the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s meal — she could take advantage of this time to search around.

Qiaomu naturally followed along. What she had not anticipated was that barely any time had passed before someone came striding quickly after them.

“Miss Jiu’er, this subordinate is Long Twelve. Lord Yu has sent me to assist Miss Jiu’er in gathering herbs.” The man was tall and slender, yet his stride was light and steady.

One look, and it was clear he was an expert.

Long Twelve… Feng Jiu’er studied him for a moment before asking, “Long Twelve of the Feilong Shi’er Qi?”

“Yes, this subordinate ranks last — the one with the weakest martial skill among the Twelve Riders.” Long Twelve gave a simple, guileless smile, which was actually quite pleasant-looking.

“You’re not about to tell me that the brothers of the Feilong Shi’er Qi are actually named Long Yi, Long Er, Long San… all the way to Long Twelve?”

Feng Jiu’er had only meant it as a joke. She had not expected that Long Twelve would nod with complete seriousness.

“Yes. We are all orphans. We have followed His Highness since we were very young, and His Highness never thought much about the matter of names — so we became Long Yi through Long Twelve.”

“…” The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s indifference about such things was truly too casual by far.

“Miss Jiu’er, where are we heading now?” Long Twelve asked.

“Just walking about on this hillside — not too far, for fear of getting lost on the way back.”

“No need to worry. I will definitely know the way back.” The reason Yu Jingfeng had chosen Long Twelve was precisely because of his exceptional ability to find his way. With Long Twelve accompanying Miss Jiu’er and Qiaomu, they would not get lost.

Qiaomu said little along the way — whatever Feng Jiu’er needed, she did without a word, efficient and unobtrusive. She was truly a rare and invaluable assistant.

Long Twelve, on the other hand, was quite talkative — though like Qiaomu, he was also someone who could get things done.

Half an hour later, Feng Jiu’er had gathered all the medicinal herbs she needed and was preparing to head back.

She had only taken a few steps when, ahead of her, a silhouette suddenly flashed past.

The figure moved with extraordinary speed — the lightness skill was unquestionably superb. By the time she thought to give chase, the person had already vanished from her line of sight.

Qiaomu and Long Twelve were not far behind her, but if she called out to them now, it would likely alert whoever that was.

Feng Jiu’er thought it over, then followed silently on her own.

At last — peering through the distant undergrowth — she caught a glimpse of the figure in the distance, and something appeared to fly from the person’s hand.

At this distance, there was no way to make out the figure clearly. But she could see exactly what that person had released.

It was plain that the person was also in a hurry — the moment the pigeon was released, the figure immediately turned and departed.

The direction the pigeon flew in was heading straight this way.

Qiaomu and Long Twelve had followed after her. Seeing the grave expression on Feng Jiu’er’s face as she stared up at the sky, Long Twelve immediately asked, “Miss Jiu’er, what is it?”

“Is there any way to bring it down?” The pigeon had already flown overhead, and was passing right through this stretch of sky.

Long Twelve did not hesitate. He bent down, scooped up several small stones, and sprang lightly upward.

But the pigeon was flying rather high, and his first stone missed wide.

Long Twelve did not give up. Moving through the treetops, he gave chase, pursuing the bird through the canopy.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiaomu exchanged a glance. Knowing that her own lightness skill was no match for Qiaomu’s, Feng Jiu’er wasted no time — she broke into the footwork the Ninth Imperial Uncle had taught her and gave swift pursuit.

That footwork left Qiaomu somewhat astonished. She had not expected that with such middling internal energy, Feng Jiu’er’s lightness skill was actually respectable.

Even so, Qiaomu still caught up with ease. But both of them were left behind by Long Twelve, who vanished from sight in an instant.

Along the way, Feng Jiu’er felt that her lightness skill had improved again — yet she was still left a good distance behind by Qiaomu.

Had Qiaomu not stopped and waited for her, she truly would have been left behind entirely.

In the end, Long Twelve pulled far ahead and was lost from view completely.

“What did you see? Where did that messenger pigeon come from?” Qiaomu came back to Feng Jiu’er’s side, and once both of them had stopped, she asked in a low voice.

“I could not make out the figure, but anyone able to move freely in this area must be someone from within our own convoy.”

Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed tight. What worried her most now was the possibility of a traitor in the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s ranks.

She would rather they were being watched by outsiders. If it was a traitor from within, then the situation would be genuinely complicated.

“Qiaomu, do you know the way back from here?” Looking out at the dense, lush forest all around her, Feng Jiu’er was utterly at a loss.

In chasing Long Twelve just now, she had given no thought at all to what she would do if she could not find her way back.

She looked at Qiaomu. All her hopes now rested entirely upon her.

But what was with the thoroughly blank and bewildered look on Qiaomu’s face?

Feng Jiu’er nearly felt the urge to grab her and shake her senseless. “Are you not a person of the green forest? Do you not spend your days roaming through deep mountain wilderness? How can you possibly be lost in the mountains?”

Qiaomu was genuinely aggrieved. “I am indeed a person of the green forest — I won’t deny that — but it does not mean we spend our days wandering through deep mountain wilderness. Where we live is actually a plain, much like a secluded paradise. It’s not as though we’re mountain country folk.” She did not appreciate being made to sound as if she lived in some rustic backwater — people had no idea how comfortable their living conditions actually were. It was simply that others could not find their base of operations.