Although Feng Jiu’er was absolutely not an ugly woman—in fact, she could even be considered a stunning beauty in her own right—any kind of beauty instantly seemed plain and unremarkable when standing beside the Ninth Imperial Uncle. So she always felt that whenever the Ninth Imperial Uncle was around, she became the ugly one by comparison.

In her mind, right now, the scene playing out was something like a handsome man and a beastly woman. It really wasn’t that she enjoyed putting herself down—it was simply that the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s good looks were unmatched by anyone under heaven.

The people around them were all waiting for the Ninth Prince to set out, but no one dared to rush him.

Now, with His Highness still holding Feng Jiu’er so closely, embracing her in such an unmistakably intimate way, even less did anyone dare step forward to remind him of anything. Most people simply averted their eyes, careful not to intrude.

Only Leng Yue was so furious her lungs nearly burst.

Their lord had once been such a pure, innocent person—not only did he dislike getting close to young women, he didn’t even know how to be affectionate with one. But now, ever since Feng Jiu’er had appeared by his side, their lord had become an entirely different person.

Although she couldn’t deny that this version of him—impulsive, wild, full of human desire and emotion—seemed to make him even more captivating, even more worth wanting to claim for oneself, the fact that the object of his affection wasn’t her made her heart ache all the more.

Leng Yue had guarded Zhan Qingcheng for so many years. In the past, there had never been any young woman by his side, so even though their lord had always been cold toward her, Leng Yue had still believed she stood the best chance.

Even if their lord didn’t particularly like her, when the time came for him to choose a consort, as long as her adoptive father said the word, since their lord had no one he liked, he might well agree to be with her. This had been Leng Yue’s cherished wish for years, the sole purpose she lived for. But now, with Feng Jiu’er’s appearance, all her hopes had been utterly extinguished.

Their lord now had a woman he liked, which meant he would no longer treat the matter of marriage so casually—and certainly would no longer simply follow his adoptive father’s arrangement to marry her.

Her life’s pursuit—Feng Jiu’er had ruined it all!

“Adoptive Father, it’s getting late—shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we remind him?” Leng Yue didn’t dare speak too loudly; she herself was afraid of disturbing Zhan Qingcheng.

Though she thoroughly disliked seeing him hold Feng Jiu’er like this, she didn’t have the nerve to actually protest. But watching it continue any longer felt unbearable—she felt that every extra moment their lord spent holding Feng Jiu’er was another moment of him being somehow tainted.

She wanted to separate them. She wanted Feng Jiu’er gone from their lord’s life entirely.

Di Ji only let out a faint sigh and said nothing. Everyone knew Wuya’s personality—if he himself wasn’t willing to let go, who could possibly force him to?

It was precisely because Leng Yue understood this so clearly that it pained her all the more.

If he’d been forced into it, that would have been one thing—but their lord was now actively choosing to hold Feng Jiu’er…

It wasn’t clear how long they had been embracing before Jiu’er finally came back to her senses out of the warmth of the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s body—partly because her head had started to throb with sharp pain again, and the pain was what brought her mind back into focus.

There was truly nothing more to say about the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s allure; it could make a person lose themselves at any given moment.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, my head… it’s not feeling well.”

“Is it hurting again?” He hadn’t even noticed last night that her head had been aching the entire time! Only after calming down afterward did he remember she still carried the Heartless Gu in her body. It was just that, at the time, the two of them had both already calmed down, and she hadn’t been in pain then.

That Heartless Gu really was a vile, troublesome thing.

“Once we reach Phoenix City, this king will have Elder Shi remove the Gu from you immediately.” With chaos and unrest everywhere right now, and them about to set out on the road, this really wasn’t the right time to remove it. Once an ordinary Gu was removed, a person typically went through a period of vulnerability afterward—a stretch of time absolutely unsuitable for travel.

So the Gu would have to wait until they reached Phoenix City to be dealt with. In any case, since the Gu was keyed specifically to him, no one would be triggering its poison in Jiu’er before she arrived at Phoenix City.

“Mm.” Jiu’er nodded and gently pushed him back a little, all too aware that everyone around them was watching. Her small face was still flushed bright red.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, it’s time to set out. I… still need to go check on Mu Mu.”

“He likes you.” He had held these words in for a long, long time, his pride having kept him from saying them. But now, with their parting imminent, it was finally time to speak them.

“This king permits you to be good to him, but you must not cross the line. You belong to this king. This king is still waiting for the day we marry—and then, this king will have you, completely!”

“…” Feng Jiu’er desperately wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into and never come back out.

Was this even something a person should say? How could the Ninth Imperial Uncle say something so cheek-reddening, ear-burning, right in front of everyone?

What did he mean by waiting until their wedding day to have her—or rather, to have her completely! Good heavens! Ninth Imperial Uncle, if you’re going to say sweet nothings like that, could you at least pick somewhere with no one around?

Even without looking up, Feng Jiu’er could practically feel everyone’s discomfort hanging in the air. The Ninth Imperial Uncle might not care about other people’s opinions, but she certainly did!

“This king is not joking with you. You absolutely cannot give your body to him! You belong to this king!”

Jiu’er felt as though the sky above her head had gone completely dark and overcast, as if it might start raining or thundering any moment. It would almost be a relief if a bolt of lightning struck her down right now and knocked her unconscious.

“You cannot give your body to him”—was that really something appropriate to say out in the open? The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s shocking remarks had once again reached a brand-new level.

If any other man had said something like that, it would have sounded utterly crude, like something out of a scoundrel’s mouth. But coming from the Ninth Imperial Uncle, somehow, you would never associate it with crude scoundrels at all—you would only think, how can this man be so innocently, purely blunt to this degree!

Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed slightly, and her head began to throb faintly with pain again.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle was simply a marvel of a being—any random sentence out of his mouth could stir a girl’s heart to the point of agony.

This really was going to be the death of her, her head hurting so badly…

“Speak!” Zhan Qingcheng was clearly growing impatient. This girl hadn’t even loudly told him she wouldn’t do such a thing—what on earth was she thinking?

It wasn’t that Feng Jiu’er didn’t want to speak—she simply had no idea how to respond at all. The Ninth Imperial Uncle could carry on however he liked, but she was a proper young lady; how could she go along with him so shamelessly?

But because she stayed silent, Zhan Qingcheng assumed she was upset. After all, Mu Mu had been hurt this badly because of them—Mu Mu was also his own brother, and he had no wish for Mu Mu to suffer either.

But this girl was his—she was his, full stop!

He could give up anything for his own brother—except for this girl!

“You… you can be good to him. This king isn’t forbidding that.” He felt a flicker of anxiety, since she still hadn’t given any response—but how could he let his own anxiety show? He was far too proud a man for that!

“This king is only saying you cannot give him your body. Everything else, this king is willing to turn a blind eye to.”

And still she wouldn’t say anything! The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s temper finally snapped: “Woman, don’t push your luck!”