The cloud of suspicion was thick and tangled, and neither Feng Jiu’er nor Xue Gu could make sense of it for the moment.

Footsteps came from outside. Feng Jiu’er put away her medicine chest, and when Yanu knocked at the door, she lowered her sleeve and said, “Come in.”

Xue Gu glanced at her. Feng Jiu’er shook her head, and Xue Gu had no choice but to leave first.

Yanu carried a tray inside — sure enough, it was the pastries that Feng Jiu’er loved.

He cared for her, always with such attentiveness, such meticulous consideration.

“Leave it there. I’ll eat in a moment.” Feng Jiu’er smiled at him.

But after Yanu set the tray down, he sniffed lightly, then suddenly walked toward her with quick steps. “Mm?”

Feng Jiu’er shook her head. Yanu grew anxious and reached to lift her sleeve. Jiu’er had no choice but to say, “It’s only a surface wound. Nothing serious — don’t worry.”

Yanu still furrowed his brow, staring at her arm. Jiu’er, helpless, pulled up her own sleeve.

It truly was only a surface wound. Now that it had been properly bandaged, not even a trace of blood was visible.

Yanu let out a quiet breath of relief, arranged the things on the tray neatly, and was about to leave — but Feng Jiu’er suddenly knitted her brows slightly and said, “Yanu, stay and keep me company.”

Outside, a faint, clear breeze drifted past. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. But that familiar presence was drawing closer — clearer and clearer with every passing moment.

He was here.

After disappearing for more than a month, he had simply arrived, just like that, without the slightest warning.

She was nervous. No — she was only resisting.

No one was allowed to affect her emotions like this. Absolutely no one. Not even him.

If he could vanish without reason, then he had no business coming back — it would only make things awkward for everyone.

Although, she knew perfectly well that for that man, the word “awkward” simply did not exist.

“Yanu, come here.” She lowered her eyelids, burying every ripple of feeling beneath the surface. “Sit down. Keep me company while I eat.”

Yanu did not hesitate. He sat beside her, though all the cakes on the tray were only the ones Feng Jiu’er loved — Yanu had no fondness for sweet things.

“Your face should be nearly healed by now. When the gauze comes off, it’s sure to astonish everyone.”

Feng Jiu’er picked up a piece of cake and smiled at him. “Yanu, you are absolutely a man of exceptional beauty — the kind no one else can compare to. Truly. Believe me.”

Someone’s heart stirred with displeasure. Carried on the wind came a breath of cold, absolute chill.

Feng Jiu’er snorted inwardly. That fellow was accustomed to everyone placing him upon a pedestal — accustomed to the notion that no one in the world could match him, was he?

Well. She refused to let him have that satisfaction. Who said there was only one man of exceptional beauty in this world?

“Yanu, your hands are so beautiful.” Feng Jiu’er took Yanu’s hand and placed it on the table, studying it with deliberate care.

Yanu did not understand what she was doing. He only sensed, faintly, that perhaps these words were not truly meant for him.

He watched Feng Jiu’er, his gaze soft and warm. Even if the words were not for him, it did not matter — so long as she was happy.

Feng Jiu’er lowered her head, secretly sticking out the tip of her tongue. Yanu truly understood her far too well. Why was it that just a few careless words, a few passing expressions, and it was as though he had already seen through her entirely?

Regardless — it did not matter. Yanu would never expose her.

She fixed her gaze on Yanu’s hand, grinning. “These hands are the finest I have ever seen. Defined knuckles, long and slender as jade. Oh my — they’re so beautiful, one could almost take a bite out of them!”

Snap.

Not far beyond the window, something snapped on a tree — no one knew what.

The sound was loud enough that even Yanu could hear it clearly.

Yanu made to look up toward the sound. Feng Jiu’er suddenly gripped his hand tightly.

Yanu looked at her. Jiu’er blinked — simply refusing to let him look.

Yanu let out a breath, helpless, and surrendered to her whim.

Somehow, there was the distinct feeling of being used as a chess piece. But — there was that thought again — so long as she was happy, Yanu did not mind these things at all.

At last, that presence vanished.

What a fellow — could not withstand his own temper, could not bear even the smallest slight.

Feng Jiu’er let out a long breath and slumped into her chair, feeling inexplicably drained in both body and spirit.

She had not intended to provoke him. But tonight, she could not allow him inside. If he came in, he would discover that she was injured.

Yanu pushed the tray on the table slightly — just as though he had no idea whatsoever what had just happened — and as always, quietly pressed the chopsticks back into her hand.

Then he rose and walked toward the door.

This Yanu was a person of remarkable perception. He knew what ought to be done, and when questions ought not to be asked. He never overstepped.

In truth, to live as Yanu did was not a bad thing at all — simple and uncomplicated, without many worries. Perhaps one would never accomplish anything great in a lifetime, but at the very least, life would pass lightly and at ease.

After Yanu left, Feng Jiu’er sat before the spread of food on the table and found, unusually, that she had no appetite at all.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle had been gone for so long, yet she had never once gone to the Ninth Prince’s manor to inquire. There had been no word about the Ninth Prince from outside, either.

The Ninth Prince had no fondness for receiving outsiders — when he had nothing pressing, he preferred to remain in his manor reading and practicing his swordsmanship. Whether he had gone out for an entire month or remained in his manor for an entire month, no one would know except his own household.

Not long after Yanu left, Feng Jiu’er’s door was knocked upon again.

“Jiu’er, someone left this thing at my door.” Xue Gu came in carrying something, setting it carefully on the table.

“Blood Ganoderma?” How could this be? Such an extraordinarily rare thing, abandoned at Xue Gu’s doorstep for no apparent reason?

“It really is Blood Ganoderma!” Xue Gu had thought she had mistaken it — but how could she possibly be wrong?

“Blood Ganoderma grows in the Ice Blue Mountains a thousand li away. It is said to grow by drinking the blood of beasts over many years. Without that bloodiness, it will die very quickly.”

“But by the look of it, it seems as though it will bloom soon.”

“Why would it appear here, in this place, at this time?”

Xue Gu studied the Blood Ganoderma for a long while. The crimson bud at its center looked as though it were on the verge of opening — and yet seemed to need just a little more time.

No one knew when it would bloom. But once it did, it would undoubtedly be the most precious medicinal ingredient in the world.

“I have heard that Blood Ganoderma can neutralize a hundred poisons. You…” Xue Gu stared at Feng Jiu’er, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “The Gu Poison in your body — perhaps it can be cured as well!”

Feng Jiu’er’s palm tightened. A dull ache rose in her chest.

The Ice Blue Mountains were a thousand li away. Even with the most exceptional lightness technique, a round trip would take at least a month.

He… was a prince of an entire nation. By all rights, he should have been consumed by ten thousand affairs of state. How could he have set everything aside and gone personally to the Ice Blue Mountains in search of this thing?

If anyone tried to tell her this had not been brought by the Ninth Imperial Uncle, Feng Jiu’er would refuse to believe it no matter what was said.

So this was why he had come tonight — to place into her hands the Blood Ganoderma he had carried back from the Ice Blue Mountains, a thousand li away…

“Was it the Ninth Prince?” Only someone with such extraordinary martial skill could have placed something at her door without anyone knowing — without even Xue Gu noticing.

In this world, who else could it be but him?