At this moment, Ye Luosha herself did not know what she was thinking. Amidst this urgent crisis, her gaze instinctively fell on Feng Jiu’er, who stood at the doorway.

Perhaps even she herself had not realized this — but over these past two days together, why did she keep having the feeling that this young, slight girl was at times even calmer than both herself and Elder Shi?

Jiu’er was anything but calm right now, because she had already guessed: that contingent of forces approaching from the east was clearly there with the deliberate intent to deal with Ninth Imperial Uncle.

However, with great enemies bearing down on them, no matter how unsettled one felt, one had to first force themselves to calm down.

“With Ninth Imperial Uncle missing, the entire court will undoubtedly have dispatched no small number of people to search for him. Some of them truly intend to bring Ninth Imperial Uncle back — but there are those who are likely hoping to use this opportunity to eliminate him.”

She looked at Ye Luosha, her face expressionless: “Right now, we are all tied to the same rope. If anything were to happen to Ninth Imperial Uncle, Mu Mu cannot necessarily recover either.”

Ye Luosha wanted to say something — wanted to explain that she absolutely had no intention of harming the Ninth Prince. She had already accepted the Ninth Prince in her heart. How could she possibly still seek to harm him?

But Feng Jiu’er gave her no opportunity to speak. Her voice was steady and low: “Have someone lay the thickest possible quilts and mattresses in the carriage. We depart immediately!”

There was no time to delay. The carriage was brought around, and Long Yi lifted Mu Mu into his arms. Zhan Qingcheng followed behind.

As he stepped out the door, his gaze fell on Feng Jiu’er, carrying a trace of displeasure.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I won’t come to any harm. I’ll be right outside the carriage.” Jiu’er naturally understood what he meant.

It was obvious that someone was deliberately trying to exploit this chaos to eliminate him — and with her at his side, she was naturally in danger as well.

Ninth Imperial Uncle wanted her to stay close to him at all times, so that he could protect her.

But right now, Jiu’er had to help Ye Luosha and the others protect this carriage. How could she possibly hide inside and not come out?

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, please don’t be angry. Once this is over, you can punish me however you see fit — all right?”

Zhan Qingcheng let out a cold snort, lifted the curtain, and stepped inside. As before, he took Mu Mu’s hand and channeled his true energy into him in a continuous, unbroken stream.

Ye Luosha watched the curtain slowly fall and stared with a trace of entrancement.

Wu Ya… he truly was Wu Ya. That bearing, that poise — only the most noble Wu Ya of the Di Family could be so extraordinary and otherworldly.

The two brothers did not entirely resemble their father, nor did they fully resemble their mother — they had simply combined all the finest qualities of both parents, and surpassed them entirely.

Though they did not greatly resemble their parents, the brothers were the image of each other.

“Palace Mistress, there is no time to waste. We cannot delay any longer.” Elder Shi reminded her.

The dense smoke was already growing thicker here, making clear that the fire had begun to spread in this direction. Those people clearly did not care whether the Ninth Prince lived or died — they were, in all likelihood, the Ninth Prince’s enemies within the court.

So the legendary War God, the Ninth Prince, had this many enemies even within the Zhan Imperial Dynasty. All these years — had he too endured many hardships?

Ye Luosha felt a pang in her heart, yet at this moment, there was simply no time for her to grieve over everything the Ninth Prince had been through.

“Move out!”

Their group — including the several brothers from Yemingong — numbered no more than a dozen in total.

Yet outside, several hundred men were waiting for them.

Feng Jiu’er sat at the front of the carriage and personally drove it. Ye Luosha, Elder Shi, and the several brothers flanked the carriage on both sides. Long Yi brought up the rear.

Between the mountain ravines, smoke drifted and billowed — all of it swept in from one direction, quickly engulfing the entire gorge.

If they did not leave now, even if they were not burned to death, they would likely choke on the thick smoke.

“The terrain to the south is uneven — in general, people would not choose such a path. Let us head south.” Ye Luosha said.

“No.” Feng Jiu’er, seated atop the carriage, cut her off, speaking in a steady voice: “The uneven terrain is not good for Mu Mu’s injuries in any way. Moreover, if you can think of it, so can they — the south likely has ambushes waiting right now.”

Ye Luosha and Elder Shi exchanged a glance. Feng Jiu’er’s reasoning was not without merit.

With their numbers and strength, the enemy could indeed very plausibly have laid ambushes along the rugged southern paths.

If they took those uneven roads and then ran into an ambush, they would find themselves in the very worst possible situation.

“Very well. We take the flat northern road.”

Ye Luosha left two people to head south, deliberately drawing the enemy’s attention. The rest moved together onto the northern ravine path, their speed steadily increasing.

They had barely gone a few hundred steps before a brother came racing up from behind: “Palace Mistress, there truly are ambushes in the south!”

“Move!”

Feng Jiu’er pressed her heels into the horse’s flanks and quickened the carriage’s pace: “The north may have ambushes too. Everyone stay alert — we take the forest road.”

“Understood!”

“Ye Luosha, head toward the road back to the imperial city.”

“Why?” Ye Luosha was momentarily taken aback, a trace of confusion in her expression.

“Yemingong and Ninth Imperial Uncle’s people are inside the imperial city.” Jiu’er had no time to explain further — but Ye Luosha understood her meaning.

Within the imperial city, there were not only the Ninth Prince and Yemingong’s people, but also the finest medicines and best supplies.

With Mu Mu’s injuries this severe, a long and arduous flight for their lives would be no easy matter.

What was more, that was where their most secure and hidden Yemingong stronghold was. If they could reach that place, everyone would at least be safe for a time.

Through the depths of the night, the carriage and riders sped onward.

Beneath the vast, dark sky, every heart beat with careful, taut vigilance. Every single person was on full alert, closely attuned to every movement in their surroundings.

Suddenly, Ye Luosha’s expression shifted sharply. Elder Shi immediately took up a fighting stance. Long Yi leaped upward and stood atop the carriage roof, longsword in hand, his hearing extended in all directions.

There was an ambush after all — though based on their numbers, there did not appear to be many. It seemed they had not anticipated this group taking this particular path, and the majority of those lying in wait were likely in the rugged southern paths.

With a sharp whirring sound, a hidden projectile cut through the air, shattering the stillness between both sides.

“Push through!” With a sharp crack, Feng Jiu’er brought her whip down on the horse. The horse let out a shrill cry and charged forward without hesitation.

Ye Luosha and Elder Shi continued guarding both flanks of the carriage, deploying their lightness skills to keep pace — inseparable from the carriage like shadow to form.

As if aware that whoever was inside the carriage was of the utmost importance, the enemy’s projectiles were all aimed squarely at the carriage.

Hidden arrows flew in waves — but every single one was deflected by Elder Shi, Ye Luosha, and Long Yi.

The entire journey was unequivocally harrowing. The night was so deeply dark they could not make out how many people were lying in ambush throughout the ravines around them.

Feng Jiu’er had no attention for anything else — her sole focus was driving the horse at full gallop, leaving all defensive duties entirely to those around her.

Two brothers were struck by hidden projectiles and fell to the ground, never to rise again.

Yet those ahead did not dare look back for even a moment — for that one glance could plunge them all into an irreversible crisis.

The darkness of night remained dense and oppressive. The smell of blood drifted through the air, lingering long and refusing to fade…