Their departure had not been Mu Mu’s scheme. He had truly wanted to take her away?

In this moment, gazing at the man lying within the pool of blood, Feng Jiu’er found she no longer knew what she herself was thinking.

Perhaps she only knew one thing — she had to save him.

No matter what he had done before. No matter whether she had misunderstood him. She had to save him.

Because he was Mu Mu. They had once been very, very good friends. She had to save him, no matter what!

Yet when she moved to insert the needles again, she was once more caught and stopped by Mu Mu.

He had little strength left. Even his voice was hoarse beyond measure. Yet in this moment, his resolve to stop her was fierce.

“I said… I used you. I do not need you to… save me…”

“Mu’er, please stop being so cruel to yourself. I was wrong. Your master was truly wrong. Your master will never again force you to do what you do not wish to do — all right?”

Ye Luosha’s heart felt carved apart by a blade. Even though Feng Jiu’er was the Phoenix Maiden, at this moment, watching blood pour ceaselessly from Mu’er’s body, she had reached the edge of despair and collapse.

Her Mu’er — today, he had come with a wholehearted desire to die.

She finally understood as well. She understood why, before they had set out, Mu’er had done those terrible things to Feng Jiu’er.

It was because he wanted Feng Jiu’er to hate him. Only through hatred could she avoid grieving over his death.

Even if there would be some measure of sorrow — the moment she recalled what he had once done to her, that sorrow would swiftly fade, would it not?

He sought death. Yet even so, the one he cared most about in his heart was still Feng Jiu’er.

How deep a love this was — Ye Luosha had never experienced it, and she did not understand.

Yet she knew: her Mu’er had fallen desperately, hopelessly in love with the young woman before her.

Her foolish Mu’er…

Ye Luosha’s words were like blade after blade, cutting down into Feng Jiu’er’s heart one stroke at a time.

She had actually believed the words of Ye Luosha and Elder Shi. She had actually believed that Mu Mu had truly used her.

Yet throughout all this time, when had Mu Mu ever done anything to hurt her?

On the contrary — in all the time they had spent together, how many times had it been Mu Mu who had thrown away his life to save her?

The things he had done to her before they departed — though they appeared cruel and shameless on the surface — had he truly done anything real to harm her?

In truth, all he had done was tear her garment, bite her once, and give her a fright.

But true harm? There had never been any.

If she had held any doubts before, then Mu Mu’s sacrifice to shield Ninth Imperial Uncle just now — his deliberate failure to dodge Ninth Imperial Uncle’s blade — had laid everything bare with perfect clarity.

He had come today with a heart already set on death. Simply because he was tired. He had grown too tired of living.

Yet even in death, he had not wanted her to feel guilty. He had not wanted her to grieve for a lifetime.

Silver needles poised at her fingertips, but her vision was blurred by tears.

The greatest taboo for a healer — now, it had fallen upon her.

Feng Jiu’er wiped her tears away with a swift motion. The clarity finally returned to the depths of her eyes. With a turn of her wrist, the silver needle at her fingertip fell — precisely, unerringly, striking the great acupoint at Mu Mu’s chest.

He had taken wounds to both back and abdomen. For injuries like these, even Feng Jiu’er had no certainty at all.

Ye Luosha’s true energy had never once ceased. Even Elder Shi came hurrying over in a panic, straining to channel his cultivation to protect Mu Mu’s pulse.

Yet his wounds were too deep. The injuries spanning front and back continued to bleed. With his pulse now protected, it could do no more than keep him breathing steadily for a brief time.

To truly bring him back to health, the bleeding had to be stopped. But the wounds were too deep — this blood truly could not be stopped.

Ye Luosha could no longer speak. Though her cultivation was not shallow, Mu Mu’s injuries were too severe — and in her moment of panic, she had squandered her energy in disorder.

Now, she was nearly at the point of being unable to hold on.

If no one came to help, she would not even be able to sustain that last thread of his pulse.

And there was simply no one here who would help them.

Elder Shi’s cultivation was far weaker than Ye Luosha’s. Having come over less than the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, his head was already steaming and his entire body drenched in sweat.

Feng Jiu’er forced herself into calm. After sealing Mu Mu’s acupoints, she immediately tore strips from the fabric of her outer robe and bound the areas around his wounds tightly, to slow the loss of blood.

Her outer robe was on the verge of being completely torn away. Beneath it she still had undergarments — not entirely exposed, but her calves and shoulders were now bare. In this era, that was absolutely impermissible.

As she tore away another strip of fabric, giving no thought to herself and focused only on binding Mu Mu’s wounds as tightly as she could, a warm outer robe, carrying the heat of another person’s body, was draped over her once more.

She only paused briefly, then reached up to tear a strip from that robe as well.

From above her head came the low, displeased voice of the man: “Tear any more, and this Prince will have no more robes to give you.”

Feng Jiu’er bit her lip. She had no time to spare him even a glance. But with Mu Mu in this state — what else could she afford to care about?

Besides, she still wore a thin set of underpinnings beneath. As long as it covered her, nothing else mattered.

If it came to the critical moment, she could tear even those away.

Zhan Qingcheng was indeed displeased. Yet in a moment like this, even if he was displeased, what could be done?

He swept a glance toward Yu Jingfeng. Just as Feng Jiu’er was about to tear the robe apart, Yu Jingfeng immediately stripped off his own outer garment in a fluster and offered it forward with both hands.

Feng Jiu’er snatched it without a second thought — and tore.

Yet even so, Mu Mu’s breathing continued in chaos. Growing weaker and weaker. His body growing colder and colder.

Ye Luosha was nearly at her limit. Traces of blood seeped continuously from the corner of her lips, yet still she persisted.

Mu’er was the hope of her entire life. If Mu’er was gone, she would not live either.

How could she give up? She absolutely could not give up!

Suddenly, with a muffled sound, Elder Shi spat out a mouthful of blood and was hurled backward by a reversal of true energy, crashing to the ground, unable to rise for some time.

Mu Mu’s protective aura had completely dissipated, yet his true energy remained. In a moment like this, with the true energy reversed, Elder Shi’s cultivation was simply not enough to withstand it.

Without Elder Shi’s internal energy to assist, Ye Luosha felt the body beneath her palms growing increasingly difficult to stabilize. In an instant, a surge of internal energy struck back against her. Ye Luosha felt her vision go dark as she was blasted backward and crashed to the ground.

The moment she opened her mouth, blood filled it entirely. She struggled, fought with all her might to rise, desperate to continue channeling energy to treat Mu’er’s wounds.

But perhaps because her heart was too anxious, she could not get up no matter how she tried — and instead forced herself to cough up several more mouthfuls of blood.

Within her sight, a white-clad figure settled cross-legged at Mu Mu’s side. He took his hand. Not a single expression shifted across his features. Yet that stream of rich, pure internal energy had already begun flowing continuously into Mu Mu’s body.

The deathly pallor of Mu Mu’s face at last recovered the faintest trace of color. That formidable internal energy was truly awe-inspiring.

The energy flowing in, powerful as a mighty dragon, immediately suppressed the rampant, chaotic true energy surging within Mu Mu’s body.