With great difficulty, they broke through that stretch of ravine. By the time they found the next hiding place, of the brothers from Yemingong, only two remained.

Long Yi still carried Mu Mu down from the carriage. Elder Shi and the two remaining brothers cleared out a clean space inside the cave.

Once Long Yi set Mu Mu down, Zhan Qingcheng took his place at his side once more, continuing to channel his inner energy to aid Mu Mu’s recovery.

“Palace Mistress, I’ll go check the surroundings.” Elder Shi emerged from the cave and looked at Ye Luosha, who sat to one side.

Ye Luosha gave a nod but said nothing.

Feng Jiu’er, however, was frowning, studying her face.

After Elder Shi departed, she walked over and crouched down in front of Ye Luosha.

“You’ve been injured.” This was a statement, not a question.

Ye Luosha said nothing, only clenched her jaw and continued to endure in silence.

“You’ve been poisoned. You’d best tell me where the wound is — otherwise, before long, when your inner energy can no longer suppress the venom, there will simply be one more patient here.”

Ye Luosha finally creased her brow, then yanked back her own sleeve.

It turned out her forearm had been struck by one of the hidden projectiles earlier. Though the wound was not deep, the projectile had carried poison — and now, the area around the wound had already turned a large, dark patch of black.

To have endured this until now — even Feng Jiu’er found herself wanting to offer her a word of grudging respect.

Even so, in the situation earlier, there had been no way to stop and treat her. Ye Luosha had had no choice but to endure it whether she wanted to or not.

Jiu’er retrieved the needle case from her pack. Silver needles in hand, she immediately became serious and focused once more.

Sealing the acupoints, cutting open the wound, pressing the acupoints to expel the venom — Feng Jiu’er’s technique was unusual, unlike anything Ye Luosha had ever witnessed. Precise and swift.

Whether driving in the needles or cutting the wound open anew, she set needle and blade to flesh with an unchanging expression and without so much as a blink.

Before long, the blood she pressed out had returned to a fresh, vivid red. Ye Luosha stared at her, at a loss for what to say.

“The venom cannot be completely expelled — but at least eighty percent of it has been cleared. In a couple of days, you’ll be well.”

Jiu’er set aside the silver needles that had come into contact with the poison in a separate compartment. The needle case looked small enough, yet every time it was in her hands, it seemed as if everyone’s lives had some kind of assurance.

If she had not seen it with her own eyes, even Ye Luosha would not have believed it — that a small needle case could become such a powerful instrument for saving lives.

“Thank you.” Watching Jiu’er lower her sleeve back into place, Ye Luosha stiffly offered thanks, seemingly as though there were still things she wished to say.

If she did not speak, Jiu’er would naturally not think to ask.

Just as Jiu’er was about to turn and move to the other side, Ye Luosha suddenly said: “If you had not saved me, perhaps I would have died before long. Wouldn’t that have been better for you?”

She asked herself whether she shared any real bond with Feng Jiu’er — and if anything, Jiu’er likely still harbored resentment toward her, for there were still the Gu Poison worms Elder Shi had planted in her head.

Given the current circumstances, if she had been struck by a hidden projectile and happened to die from it, it would in truth have been a good thing for Feng Jiu’er. Even if Mu’er were to wake one day, he could not blame Feng Jiu’er — she had not been the one to harm her.

And yet Feng Jiu’er had saved her wholeheartedly. For this, Ye Luosha had always felt a certain measure of surprise.

“You were injured and kept it to yourself all this time — was it because you feared that even if you told me, I would still refuse to save you?” Jiu’er gave her a sideways glance, let out a cold, faint sound of disdain, and walked to sit a short distance away. She reached into her pack and pulled out some dried rations.

She broke off half and bit into it immediately. The other half she tossed directly to Ye Luosha.

Ye Luosha caught the dried rations, thought for a moment, then took a large bite and began to chew.

They sat in wordless silence — only eating offered a way to make the awkward atmosphere feel a little less uncomfortable.

Of course, the only one who found it awkward was Ye Luosha. For Feng Jiu’er, her thoughts right now were occupied entirely with the pursuit forces behind them, Mu Mu’s injuries, and the attempt on Ninth Imperial Uncle’s life by those unknown assailants.

As for Ye Luosha — she truly had not given her much thought.

The dried rations were truly dreadful in texture. She could not bring herself to offer them to Ninth Imperial Uncle either. She would have to wait for Long Yi to return with food before she could properly attend to Ninth Imperial Uncle.

Ye Luosha also used her own efforts to circulate her energy and heal her injury, forcing out the last traces of venom. She did not speak again throughout.

Elder Shi returned partway through, then turned and left once more, still surveying the surrounding area.

After some time had passed, Ye Luosha regulated her breath and raised her head — only to see Feng Jiu’er leaning against a nearby boulder with her eyes closed in rest.

Though her breathing sounded even and steady, Ye Luosha knew she had not actually fallen asleep.

After everything that had happened tonight, how could anyone truly settle their heart enough to sleep?

“I…”

“If you want to look at the chain on my foot, then please first tell me about the chain. Of course, even if you tell me, I will still need to consider it before deciding whether to let you see it.”

Feng Jiu’er’s request was not unreasonable — after all, it was Ye Luosha who needed something from her.

However, regarding the chain, Ye Luosha was also unable to speak of it with her. Those events from years long past, though they had already been twenty years ago, even now had many powerful forces still searching for the several princes who had gone missing back then.

Since Ye Luosha could not speak of it, she let the matter rest and did not ask.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the depths of the cave. From this angle, she could still dimly make out the scene within.

The Ninth Prince was still seated at Mu Mu’s side. From this distance, his expression could not be clearly seen.

But over these two days and three nights, it had been essentially the Ninth Prince channeling his energy into Mu Mu the entire time. Such a prolonged duration — even someone with very deep inner cultivation would struggle to sustain it.

She did not know how much longer the Ninth Prince could hold on. Yet with the venom in her own body only just cleared, Ye Luosha knew full well — if she were asked to channel her energy into Mu’er right now, she likely would not last even half the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

The world was ever-changing. If the Ninth Prince truly was Wu Ya, then for these two brothers, heartache was ultimately their inescapable fate.

Her gaze settled on Feng Jiu’er, and a thousand tangled feelings surged up in her heart: “Do you… know how much Mu’er has given up for you?”

Jiu’er said nothing. Only the hand resting at her side, the fingertips, tightened ever so slightly despite themselves.

“Mu’er’s entire life… has been too bitter.” Ye Luosha felt her heart clench. Her voice carried a faint, hoarse quality.

She looked away from Feng Jiu’er and gazed instead at the distant skyline, exhaling a silent sigh.

Mu’er had lived bitterly, and she knew it better than anyone — and yet from the time he was a child until he grew up, she had always been absolute and unyielding with him.

She did not permit him to acknowledge pain. She did not permit him to enjoy anything. She did not permit him to make friends. And she absolutely did not permit him to become entangled in any romantic feeling.

His bitterness — almost all of it had been created by her hand. Yet what could she do?

The Di Family had been overthrown, their nation destroyed, their family shattered. As the Di Family’s Second Imperial Prince — if Crown Prince Wu Ya was no longer there, he would have to shoulder the burden of restoring the entire Di Dynasty.

From the age of three, he had been fated to bear this weight on his shoulders. How could Ye Luosha have permitted him an easy, comfortable life?

She… had had no choice.

“I have never once seen Mu’er smile so contentedly and at ease. Only when you woke back then — the smile at the corners of Mu’er’s lips as his hair had turned white — that smile, I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

She looked at Feng Jiu’er, and even against her own reluctance, she could not but acknowledge it: “You… are my Mu’er’s lifetime’s only sunshine.”