“Young Master, I believe you without a doubt — you need not make any oath,” Feng Yi’nan said, fearing above all else that she might speak some binding vow. Words like those must never, ever be said.

Feng Jiu said nothing further and continued supporting Feng Yi’nan along the flower-lined path, drenched in a fragrant sweat from the effort. Yet seeing the color returning more and more vividly to Feng Yi’nan’s face, even if she was exhausted, it was all worthwhile.

As the medicinal effect began to take hold, Feng Yi’nan soon grew drowsy after walking for a while.

Feng Jiu and Qiao Mu helped him back to his room together. The moment he lay down upon the bed, Feng Yi’nan fell asleep, a faint snoring sound escaping him from sheer exhaustion.

Feng Jiu had someone bring warm water, instructed the page boy to wipe his body down, and then walked out of the room.

“Why did he fall asleep so quickly? He didn’t even stir while the page boy tended to him?” Qiao Mu glanced back, and though she could no longer see the scene inside, she seemed to still be able to picture Feng Yi’nan’s deeply sleeping form.

She furrowed her brow slightly, somewhat puzzled: “Young Master, did you… put something in his medicine?”

But why?

Feng Jiu nodded: “I added a sleep-inducing herb to the medicinal powder, so that he would fall asleep the moment exhaustion overtook him. The medicine works better while he sleeps.”

In truth, the body’s metabolism enters an ideal state during sleep, and it is precisely in this state that the absorption of medicine reaches its most optimal efficacy.

That was why Feng Jiu had added the sleep-inducing herb — to allow Feng Yi’nan to recover peacefully and quietly during his slumber.

“Young Master, as for his legs…” Though the Young Master had just made a solemn promise to Feng Yi’nan, any other physician faced with Feng Yi’nan’s condition would certainly say there was nothing to be done — that he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

The Young Master had said his legs could absolutely be healed. Qiao Mu was afraid — afraid that the Young Master might only be comforting Feng Yi’nan.

Of course, perhaps it truly was possible to heal him — but it might require an extraordinarily long time. Perhaps the Young Master simply did not want to let Feng Yi’nan feel discouraged.

“Do you doubt it too?” Feng Jiu read her thoughts with ease.

“I am not questioning the Young Master’s medical skill.” This had to be clarified first. A physician who could heal an old man who had been paralyzed for years — how poor could her skills possibly be?

But that old man’s situation and Feng Yi’nan’s were so vastly different.

The old man’s legs had simply been injured and had never properly healed. Feng Yi’nan had directly suffered damage to his sinews and meridians — specifically the lumbar meridians. By all reasoning, that was something that fundamentally could not be healed.

“It’s all right. As long as nothing goes wrong this month, he will be able to stand.”

“This month?” Qiao Mu was struck with astonishment. This was wonderful news beyond anything she had hoped for.

When the Young Master said this month, it would certainly be this month — as long as nothing went wrong, this month it absolutely would happen!

Feng Jiu nodded, then looked at her and asked: “Is there nothing left to do in the outer hall? Why have you come back here?”

“Oh! I nearly forgot all about that!” Qiao Mu’s mind had not been working very well lately. She had been diligently studying medicinal herbs, striving to be able to help Nanmen Xu manage the medicinal herb trade in the future, and the effort had nearly driven her to distraction.

“Right — Long Yan from the World’s Foremost Manor has come. He wishes to ask the Young Master to treat their manor lord, Master Lanyue, for a stubborn ailment.”

The World’s Foremost Manor?

Feng Jiu narrowed her eyes, searching through the information stored in her mind regarding those words.

The volume of information seemed quite substantial, which confirmed that this manor was indeed a force to be reckoned with. However, one particular detail stood out with vivid clarity.

“The jianghu’s Absolute Kill Order — is it kept in the safekeeping of Master Lanyue of the World’s Foremost Manor?”

Once the Absolute Kill Order is issued, either the original issuer revokes it, or it ends only in death!

Half a year ago, an Absolute Kill Order targeting His Highness the Crown Prince had appeared, and to this day, no one knew the true identity of the one who had issued it.

Though in truth, both Feng Jiu and the Ninth Prince at the time had suspected it was the act of the Seventh Imperial Prince’s birth mother — yet now, his mother was dead. And that meant this Absolute Kill Order could no longer ever be revoked.

In that case, would that not mean that the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince remained an active threat?

Feng Jiu had now been in the imperial capital for over three months, yet because the capital had remained entirely calm and peaceful throughout, the matter of the Absolute Kill Order had not been brought up by anyone again.

Moreover, during these past several months, Crown Prince Zhan Yuheng had essentially remained within the imperial palace at all times, rarely venturing outside. Even if there were still assassins willing to risk their lives for the tens of millions of taels promised by the Absolute Kill Order, no such opportunity had presented itself.

In truth, the Absolute Kill Order remained in effect — and those who wished to kill the Crown Prince were still out there!

This World’s Foremost Manor was truly remarkable — having accepted the task of keeping the Absolute Kill Order, they still dared to set foot in the imperial capital, truly unafraid that the imperial family might find ways to uproot them entirely.

“Young Master, now that you mention it, I am reminded of the matter of the Crown Prince being hunted by the Absolute Kill Order.”

But regarding Zhan Yuheng’s whereabouts, Qiao Mu and Feng Jiu’s knowledge of them was essentially no different from each other.

For these past six months, the Crown Prince had been almost entirely within the palace. Attempting to assassinate him — how could that possibly be easy?

“Wait — the person who went out of the city today to welcome the Ninth Prince…” Feng Jiu’s brow suddenly creased, and she spun around abruptly, walking swiftly toward the side hall.

“That’s right — it was His Highness the Crown Prince himself.” Qiao Mu, sensing the gravity of the situation, followed quickly behind.

One could only hope that everyone had already forgotten about the Absolute Kill Order — but with tens of millions of taels as the reward, could one truly just forget about it?

For six months the Crown Prince had been deep within the palace, barely setting foot outside. Today was the one and only day the Crown Prince had left the imperial palace.

Such a perfect opportunity — if it could not be seized properly, would that not be an utter waste?

Yet before Feng Jiu could even reach the side hall, a figure came rushing in urgently from the direction of the main hall: “Young Master, Young Master…”

“What is it?” Qiao Mu immediately asked.

“Chief Steward Qiao, Young Master — outside… someone has been brought in outside, an injured person, and it seems… it seems their identity is rather unusual. Chief Steward Qiao, please come quickly and have a look.”

“How severe are the injuries?” Feng Jiu asked.

The page boy said frantically: “A long sword through the abdomen — blood everywhere.”

Though this page boy had worked at the medical hall for several months by now, he had never seen so much blood — it looked as though if treatment was not administered immediately, the person would not survive.

Feng Jiu immediately set off toward the main hall at the front. But Qiao Mu suddenly thought of something and asked: “Who brought him in?”

“A group — a group of imperial guards.”

“This is bad. Young Master — the person who was brought in couldn’t possibly be…” When you dread something the most, that is precisely what comes to you. They had only just been discussing the Absolute Kill Order, and now an injured person had been brought in — could it truly, genuinely be… Zhan Yuheng?

Human lives were at stake — even if it truly was Zhan Yuheng, there was no way to ignore this.

He had been in the palace for half a year without incident, but the moment he left — of course something immediately went wrong!

The name Ghost Doctor Feng Jiu had only been renowned for a month or two at most. For him to have specifically sought her out after being injured seemed unlikely.

But their medical hall was of considerable scale, and located right in the middle of a bustling district. If someone was injured nearby and brought here for treatment, that would be entirely normal.

The Imperial Physicians from the palace should be arriving soon — but before they arrived, the wound still had to be tended to first.

“Qiao Mu, don’t come out — go keep watch over the rear courtyard.”

Leaving those words behind, Feng Jiu strode quickly toward the main hall.