Feng Jiu’er had finally awakened. When she came to, she was still a little groggy and dazed.

Mu Mu had been by her side the whole time — feeding her water, feeding her congee, and a few small side dishes as well.

Only when the scorching heat in her body had at last subsided did he receive Ye Luosha’s permission, lift Feng Jiu’er off the cold jade bed in the inner chamber, and carry her back to the room.

Back here, Jiu’er felt her entire being relax considerably.

The chill of the cold jade bed had been truly heavy. Once her body no longer felt the burning sensation, continuing to lie on that bed was genuinely cold — cold enough to make her tremble from head to toe.

Now that she was back, her body had stopped shaking, and she was finally considerably more alert.

She opened her eyes and looked around — this place seemed utterly unfamiliar, and the people nearby were all strangers too. But at last, she found one familiar face.

“Mu Mu.” She seemed a little anxious, and immediately pressed herself into Mu Mu’s arms.

Having survived a brush with death, Jiu’er had not grown more timid — it was simply that she had begun to guard herself against people she did not know.

Mu Mu felt a quiet warmth rise in his heart. This girl had finally genuinely come to rely on him.

But — would his current appearance frighten her?

Indeed, no sooner had Jiu’er leaned against him than she seemed to notice something was different.

She looked again, and in an instant, her expression fell. “Mu Mu, how did… how did this happen?”

She reached up and grabbed a strand of his hair that had fallen loose. These strands of hair… why were they all white? His full head of dark hair — why had it all turned white?

“How did this happen? Who hurt you? Who was it?” In her agitation, Jiu’er’s vital energy surged erratically, and the blood in her chest rose sharply.

“The Young Palace Master, it was because of saving…”

“It is nothing. Only when I was channeling energy, I accidentally deviated my inner force and injured myself.”

Mu Mu cut off Liuli’s words, clasped Feng Jiu’er’s hand in his, and said in a gentle, soothing voice, “Truly, it is nothing. Do not agitate yourself — you have only just woken. Your body must be properly taken care of. Do not work yourself into a state and harm yourself.”

“Why would you be so careless?” Looking at that head of white hair, a wave of pain surged through Jiu’er’s heart. “White hair at such a young age — what is to be done about this? There are no hair dyes in this era!”

More importantly, if even his hair had turned white, the damage to his internal organs could only be imagined.

“Stop sitting down there — come and lie down quickly. I will take your pulse.” Even though she had only just woken and her body was still weak, Jiu’er’s heart was anxious enough to set all that aside.

“Mu Mu, lie down quickly so I can examine you.”

At the very least, she had to know how badly Mu Mu’s meridians had been damaged.

His hair had already turned white — with his vitality injured to this degree, restoring his foundation would be extremely difficult.

“I truly am fine.” Mu Mu took her hand away from where it had grabbed his hair and held it in his palm, smiling. “Really, there is nothing wrong. Look — everyone is watching you.”

Liuli had never seen the Young Palace Master smile with such warmth. In that moment, her heart ached, yet there was happiness in it too.

At last, there was truly a young woman who could bring a smile to the Young Palace Master’s face every day.

She quietly stepped back out the door, biting her lip, and turned away.

Ye Luosha took a step forward, and the Elder Shi behind her also stepped forward.

Fixing her gaze on Feng Jiu’er’s face, Ye Luosha asked, “Is there anywhere on your body that feels uncomfortable right now?”

Feng Jiu’er shook her head. Taking in this woman’s bearing, she seemed to understand something at once. “This person is…”

“She is one of my masters.” Mu Mu’s publicly known identity was that of the disciple of Master Wuyou — a fact Feng Jiu’er was aware of.

“Senior, was it you who saved me?” Feng Jiu’er looked at Ye Luosha and asked directly.

Ye Luosha regarded her for a moment, then gave a single nod. “Yes. You owe me one life.”

The directness of it put Feng Jiu’er’s unease to rest.

She herself did not like to speak in roundabout ways — direct and straightforward was best.

“I thank Senior for the grace of saving my life. In future, I will certainly repay it.”

“Remember what you have said.” Ye Luosha turned and walked out the door together with Elder Shi.

Feng Jiu’er let out a breath and continued to look at Mu Mu’s white hair, deeply unsettled.

She placed her fingers on his wrist and took his pulse, her brow furrowing more and more tightly.

“How has your energy become so disordered? You over-exhausted your vital energy and have damaged your heart meridians. Your bodily functions have been severely strained — even your hair has…”

Though there were phrases Mu Mu could not quite follow, the sight of her waking with such vitality restored his heart to peace.

A few days ago — her face had been completely drained of color, and her body had not even the faintest trace of life. She had looked utterly and entirely dead, without even a pulse.

At that time, he had truly not believed he could bring her back. The only thought in his mind had been: exhaust his last breath of vital energy, and if they must die, die together.

Yet she had survived. She had genuinely survived — as though by a miracle.

Looking at her now felt profoundly like a man returning from another life — as if both of them had died once, and been reunited in a life beyond.

“Little one.” He suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her close, holding her tightly.

Feng Jiu’er’s hands fell on his shoulders and she instinctively moved to push him away.

But all she heard was Mu Mu’s low, warm voice, soft at her ear: “Don’t be upset. I am only… a little too overcome. Let me hold you for a moment — just for a moment.”

With so many people present just now, he hadn’t allowed himself to take her into his arms. But heaven knew — he hadn’t been able to wait even a moment longer. He wished he could hold her like this for a lifetime, just like this, and let his whole life pass this way.

Only let him hold her for a little while. He was truly too overcome — moved by the emotion of it, moved that she had finally and truly come back to life.

Feng Jiu’er did not struggle. She allowed him to hold her.

Mu Mu made no improper move. After a short while, once his emotions had quieted, he released her at once.

“I’m sorry.” He had never intended to damage her reputation. He simply had not held himself back in time.

“Was it because you were channeling energy for me?”

All that talk of accidentally deviating his inner force — the more she thought about it, the more implausible it seemed.

Her condition had been such that she was likely on the verge of death.

If she had nearly died, knowing how Mu Mu felt for her — how could he possibly have had the heart to stand by and do nothing, let alone channel energy for his own cultivation?

In order to channel energy for her and preserve her life, his dark hair had turned white. How could he be… so foolish.

Mu Mu had known, given this girl’s acuity, that sooner or later she would guess the truth. He had simply not expected her to see through it so swiftly.

He said nothing — and that silence confirmed Jiu’er’s suspicion entirely.

A wave of bittersweet emotion surged through her heart, again and again. Feng Jiu’er clenched her palm, staring unblinkingly at that head of white hair.

“You had no need to think so much of it. Even if something had happened to me, I trust you would have done everything in your power to save me.”

Mu Mu smiled faintly, paying no mind at all to his own head of silver hair.

As he had said — if it were her, she would also have stopped at nothing to come to his rescue. Wasn’t that so?

Knowing Jiu’er’s nature, it was certainly so. And thus, giving everything he had to save her was entirely fitting, with nothing amiss about it.