“I’ll go and get a meal ready for the two of you little ones.” Qiao Mu said with a smile.

Jiu’er narrowed her eyes and shot her a glare. “Xiao Yingtao isn’t here, so her job of running her mouth has been handed over to you? So many words!”

“Someone has to be the talkative one, don’t they?” Qiao Mu was entirely unruffled. “Look at all of you — not one of you is willing to say more than a few words. If I were stingy with my speech as well, wouldn’t I bore you to death, you little creature who loves all the liveliness?”

“True enough.” Feng Jiu’er laughed cheerfully, waving her hand. “Go, go quickly — I’m so hungry my stomach is cramping.”

It really was cramping — cramping so painfully she thought she might die from it. She was not joking in the slightest.

Qiao Mu knew as much. Those two had not even had any rations on them and had gone two days without proper food. Of course it was hard on them.

She said nothing more and hurried off to the kitchen to prepare noodles for them.

Mu Mu glanced at Feng Jiu’er once more before saying, “Since nothing is seriously wrong with you, why don’t you rest for a bit? I have some matters to attend to.”

“Mu Mu, tonight… will you be with Jiu’er again?” Xue Gu suddenly asked.

Mu Mu turned to look at her, and after a good moment, he understood what she was referring to.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Together.”

“No — who wants to sleep with you? I’m not staying in the same room as you, and I am not giving up my bed!” Feng Jiu’er protested.

But no one paid any attention to her objection.

Mu Mu left, pulling the door shut behind him with casual ease.

Xue Gu crouched in front of Jiu’er and said calmly, “In your current state, you don’t even have the ability to protect yourself. How could I be at ease letting you stay alone?”

“Then… then have Jiu Qing come instead! That’s surely better than Mu Mu.” Feng Jiu’er pursed her lips.

Jiu Qing, cold and frosty as he was, at least would not fight her for the bed, would he?

But Mu Mu was different — he genuinely would steal her bed and leave her to sleep on a long bench. And besides, this was a room in a small village. Such a crude place likely didn’t even have a long bench. Where would she sleep then?

Surely she wasn’t expected to sleep alongside Mu Mu?

Although in truth she didn’t find anything particularly wrong with the idea — it wasn’t as if there would be any physical contact — but if the Ninth Imperial Uncle found out she had shared a bed with Mu Mu, he would tear apart either her or Mu Mu.

One was his sworn brother, and the other was his… well, ahem, regardless of what she was to him, it was still not appropriate to be sleeping alongside Mu Mu.

Xue Gu, however, furrowed her brow and fixed her gaze on Jiu’er’s eyes. “You said you’d rather have Jiu Qing stay with you through the night? You… have you already grown that close with Jiu Qing?”

He was a stranger to them, and she would simply trust him like this? After knowing each other for only two days?

Xue Gu’s gaze turned faintly grave as she continued to study Feng Jiu’er’s eyes, not missing a single flicker of expression in their depths.

She asked quietly, “You and Jiu Qing… why do you seem as if you have known each other for a very long time?”

“I feel that way too.” Before Xue Gu, Jiu’er rarely concealed things.

“Even though he is cold in manner, he is actually kind-hearted and warm inside.”

On this point, Xue Gu could not agree. Kind-hearted and warm inside — that was likely only true when he was facing Jiu’er.

When it came to others, she could not say whether he was kind, but warm? That was utterly impossible.

In that regard, he truly was no different from the Ninth Prince — the Ninth Prince was cold and indifferent to everyone else, and only in Jiu’er’s presence would he become even the slightest bit warmer.

Xue Gu’s gaze drifted instinctively toward the doorway. Jiu Qing — was he truly the Ninth Prince?

If he were, the disguise technique on his face was simply too extraordinary. Not a single flaw showed through.

“Jiu’er, do you not feel that he resembles someone?” Xue Gu suddenly asked.

Feng Jiu’er was briefly startled, then shook her head. “Resembles someone? I haven’t really given that any thought. I only feel that he isn’t particularly difficult to get along with.”

“Could it be that Jiu’er doesn’t notice — the more you look at him, the more he resembles the Ninth Prince?”

“How could that be? The Ninth Imperial Uncle is so remarkably handsome. How could Jiu Qing possibly — well, to say it like that sounds like I’m speaking ill of someone behind their back.”

Jiu’er gave a small laugh and swung her feet. Her ankle seemed to feel considerably better.

She said, “Jiu Qing couldn’t possibly be the Ninth Imperial Uncle. You know the situation he is in, Xue Gu — if the Ninth Imperial Uncle truly followed me to the Feng Clan and left Bei Mu, he would certainly lose the half of his realm he has managed to hold onto.”

“So there’s no need for you to speculate, Xue Gu. Jiu Qing cannot be the Ninth Imperial Uncle. And I don’t feel that there is any cause for grief. The fact that the Ninth Imperial Uncle sent someone as capable as Mu Mu, along with Long Yi and Long Shiyi, to protect me — that alone tells me how much I matter to him.”

“But, Jiu’er, are you truly not the least bit sad?”

Right now, this was the most difficult moment Jiu’er had ever faced. And the man was not by her side. Did she truly feel nothing at all?

“It would be a lie to say I’m not sad. But I know the Ninth Imperial Uncle is not entirely indifferent to me, and I myself believe that the way things are now is the best decision.”

Jiu’er’s eyelids lowered, her long lashes casting a shadow over her wide eyes, making it impossible to read what she was thinking in that moment.

“Xue Gu — don’t you think so too?”

Xue Gu said nothing more, only looking at her foot.

The ankle was not terribly swollen — it was manageable. By tomorrow she should be able to move around a little, and a day after that she ought to be able to walk freely.

“You performed the needling on yourself?” Xue Gu asked.

“Yes.” The process had indeed been painful, but it healed quickly.

“These hands…” Seeing that the palms were covered in wounds, Xue Gu’s heart ached.

This child had received so little affection since she was young. Even as she grew older, she had been enduring hardship all along.

Even now, her own birth mother was unwilling to open her heart to her.

If Jiu’er were to find out in the future that Long Feiyan had used her — how much heartache would that bring?

Xue Gu did not know what to do. Her heart was a tangle of a hundred different feelings.

“I’ll go fetch some warm water for you. After supper later, have a proper bath — you’re quite smelly.”

Xue Gu stood and moved toward the door.

Feng Jiu’er seemed only to have remembered it then. She immediately lowered her head and sniffed — oh dear! She really did smell! A full body odor of sweat!

It was a wonder that Jiu Qing had carried her on his back for so long today and somehow hadn’t been overwhelmed into unconsciousness.

Though Jiu Qing himself was probably not much better. He might even smell worse than she did!

The thought of a heroic figure reeking of sweat was actually rather amusing.

Xue Gu thought Jiu Qing and the Ninth Imperial Uncle were very similar…

Feng Jiu’er leaned back against the back of the chair, and the smile at the corner of her lips slowly faded.

Although she did not truly believe Jiu Qing was the Ninth Imperial Uncle — the stakes involved were simply too clear for that to be possible.

But if anyone were to suspect the Ninth Imperial Uncle was among their group, that would be no good thing at all.

She closed her eyes. The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s handsome face lingered in her mind.

Her head still throbbed faintly. There were fewer than ten days left until the night of the full moon.

That blood spirit mushroom — how was it growing now?