Jiu’er, of course, had no idea that the moment she stepped away for a short while, a whole crowd of people was speaking ill of her behind her back.

But even if she had known, she likely wouldn’t have given it much thought.

Other people’s mouths belonged to other people — what they chose to say was not something she could stop. So, it was better not to bother.

Time in life was truly too limited. Whatever limited time she had must be devoted to what actually needed to be done.

The convoy set out, making its way in the direction of Phoenix City.

The days passed in the busyness of the road. In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.

This was the fourth day since Mu Mu had awakened, and his complexion now looked far better than it had three days prior.

He was constitutionally more robust than the average person, and three days of recuperation had achieved what most people could not accomplish in half a month.

So, only three days after waking, aside from looking slightly pale, there was nothing about him that appeared weak or frail in any other way.

Seeing Mu Mu like this, Ye Luosha was finally fully at ease. Her only remaining unease was that she had absolutely no idea what Feng Jiu’er was thinking — nor what her true feelings toward Mu’er and Di Wuya were.

But in any case, it was Jiu’er’s doing that Mu Mu was recovering so well, and so Ye Luosha’s feelings remained tangled. Should she or shouldn’t she accept Feng Jiu’er’s presence?

That night, Feng Jiu’er received an urgent letter. Xing Zizhu had arrived at Yuhe. The speed was honestly a little unbelievable.

To judge by all appearances, over the past three days and four nights, Xing Zizhu had been traveling even through sleep.

Such effort and dedication moved Feng Jiu’er deeply.

“What are you reading that has you so excited?” Mu Mu returned from outside and glanced up to see Feng Jiu’er sitting on the long bench with a smile brimming in her eyes.

He could move around freely now. Jiu’er had previously refused to allow him to wander about, but after he’d insisted on getting up and moving himself, he’d once again shattered Jiu’er’s understanding of what his body was capable of.

It was truly remarkable — too strong, too formidable, with an impossibly fast recovery speed.

Even so, a man who had once died and come back somehow seemed very different from the Mu Mu of before. Why did it always feel as though he carried a certain resemblance to the Ninth Imperial Uncle in how he went about things?

Well — perhaps it wasn’t just a manner of doing things, but something deeper. A bearing. An innate quality he was born with, just like the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

“I just received a carrier pigeon letter from a friend telling me he’s arrived at his destination.”

“Yuhe?” Over the past several days, Mu Mu had not been unaware of the discussions happening around him, especially since Qiao Mu often reported things to Feng Jiu’er.

About Yuhe, about their current journey toward Phoenix City, about the legendary Ninth Prince — much of it was information Mu Mu needed only to overhear in passing to piece together.

“Yes. Yuhe.” Feng Jiu’er thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

“Do you have something to say?” Mu Mu walked in and sat down beside the tea table, pouring himself a cup of warm tea. “Just say it. What secrets could there possibly be between you and me?”

Jiu’er automatically ignored the implications in those words. She had explained countless times before that the reason she could be so close with him was because she was a physician. In a physician’s eyes, there was no distinction between men and women — only patients.

But Mu Mu wouldn’t hear it. He had his own ideas about things, and if she said too much, he would only become irritable, and sometimes even angry.

So Feng Jiu’er left the matter alone. She would sort everything out once he had fully recovered.

Still, a thought had suddenly surfaced from before, and she looked at him, hesitating before she finally asked: “Do you truly remember nothing of the past? What about the people of Yuhe? Is there even the faintest impression?”

“There is,” Mu Mu said.

After his answer, Feng Jiu’er startled, then immediately fixed her gaze on his face.

Mu Mu drank half his cup of tea, then said mildly: “Yuhe intends to attack Phoenix City. I have a vague recollection of it — it seems I once had some dealings with the people of Yuhe in the past.”

“You truly still remember?” Feng Jiu’er’s heart leapt with joy, and she immediately pressed: “Then do you also remember — you once secretly met with a person from Yuhe at midnight? That time, I stumbled upon you.”

It was because of that one incident that everything which followed had unraveled, all the way to now. Things had never stopped since, and everyone had gone without a single peaceful day.

Looking back on it now, everything truly had begun from that one night.

Mu Mu fixed his gaze on her face, as though searching his memory — but soon shook his head. “No recollection.”

Jiu’er let out a breath, a little disappointed. She still didn’t know why Mu Mu had met privately with a person from Yuhe. Was it to move against the Ninth Imperial Uncle, or something else entirely?

Those people from Yuhe who had attempted to assassinate the Ninth Imperial Uncle — what connection did they have with Mu Mu?

Now that Mu Mu had lost his memory, these matters had become like a kite with its string cut — impossible to grasp, likely never to be made clear again.

“Well then. It’s getting late. Rest early — we still have to travel tomorrow.”

Feng Jiu’er held the letter over the candle flame. The brief letter quickly burned to ash. She stood up and moved toward the door.

Mu Mu frowned. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to rest in the room next door. If anything happens during the night, speak a little louder — I’ll be able to hear.”

Since he could now get up and walk around on his own, there was no need for her to be at his side every moment. If she stayed, his lectures about the impropriety of an unmarried man and woman alone together at midnight would start up again.

Jiu’er knew it was truly unfair to blame Mu Mu for this — it was simply the thinking of the era. As an outsider, she had no choice but to adapt to local customs. There was little else she could do.

Whatever she did, she couldn’t change the way people thought.

So she could only consciously remove herself from such situations.

Mu Mu said nothing. He only watched her retreating figure as she walked out the door, his eyes dark and deep.

Jiu’er, of course, knew he was displeased. But this person — like the Ninth Imperial Uncle — was too proud and too dignified to ever say so, no matter how unhappy he was.

He would be displeased now and grow accustomed to it in a few days.

Getting used to it was fine.

The room next door had already been tidied up for Jiu’er by Qiao Mu. Since Jiu’er always had to check on Mu Mu during the night, she had no wish to share a room with anyone else for fear of disturbing their sleep.

Tonight, Jiu’er slept alone in the room beside Mu Mu. Qiao Mu, as usual, was with Xiao Yingtao.

What Jiu’er hadn’t expected was that just as she was about to go to bed, an uninvited guest appeared in her room.

“Is there something you need?” Seeing Leng Yue push the door open and walk in of her own accord, Feng Jiu’er’s expression cooled slightly. She was rather displeased by this kind of behavior — the kind that couldn’t be bothered to knock even twice.

Leng Yue naturally had no interest in caring about her feelings — nor any need to. She walked in and casually pulled the door shut behind her.

She came to stand a short distance in front of Feng Jiu’er, her voice low, even deliberately hushed: “I have something I’d like to talk to you about. It concerns the Lord.”