“But what is his relationship with Feng Qingyin exactly? Surely he isn’t her person?”

Qiao Mu felt the same way about Feng Qingyin as Xiao Yingtao did — she simply could not stand her.

Well, naturally. A woman that hypocritical, yet also cruel, venomous, and scheming — who would like her?

“He owes Feng Qingyin a favor. If he doesn’t repay it, he’ll never have peace of mind.”

So if she didn’t keep him here, this foolish man would certainly go back to the imperial capital to find Feng Qingyin.

His martial arts were exceptional, yet he had the stubborn habit of following rules to the letter, and his head sometimes simply couldn’t turn a corner.

He was such a straightforwardly earnest person — she didn’t know how he had survived the jianghu all these years.

Then again, thinking about it, she could probably guess — all these years, he likely kept almost no company at all.

Kill, collect payment, live the days. Simple and plain.

“What has Feng Qingyin ever done to deserve even the number one assassin of Bei Mu Nation owing her a favor?”

“Who knows.” The world was vast and strange. Who could say what stroke of fortune had come that scheming consort’s way.

But now that Jue Yan was here with her, she absolutely would not let him go back and do something foolish.

“When you put it that way, it’s probably a good thing you’re keeping him. Saves him from going back to the imperial capital and being used by Feng Qingyin.”

Though Qiao Mu wasn’t close to Jian Yi, in the few days they’d spent together at Tianji Hall, she had formed some impression of him.

Solitary. Quiet. Cold. Completely disinterested in company — likely tied to whatever his past held.

Most importantly, he was a touch… too guileless. How could someone like him ever be a match for a scheming consort like Feng Qingyin?

If he went back, sooner or later that conniving woman would be the death of him.

“But — just enough to keep him fed, truly no wages?” He had such a formidable name. This kind of treatment really was a little excessive.

“If you think it’s unfair, feel free to deduct some from your own monthly allowance and give it to him.”

“How could I? That’s money I worked hard to earn!”

Without the mountain bandit leader position, working under Feng Jiu’er, earning money was already difficult enough — and now this woman wanted to scheme against her monthly allowance too?

Outrageous. What kind of boss was this — stingy to the bone?

“So miserly — careful or you’ll never find a husband!” Qiao Mu snorted coldly.

Feng Jiu’er suddenly thought of something, cast her a sidelong glance, and said: “No matter. If I can’t find a husband, there’s still Yanu. Yanu would have me.”

“Feng Jiu’er, you scoundrel — you’ve had your eye on Yanu this whole time!”

This was too much, truly too much!

Yanu was such a good person, and she was treating him like a backup plan!

“I’ll give up my monthly allowance entirely, Jiu’er — give Yanu to me.”

“If you give up your allowance, what will you use to care for a beautiful man in the future?” Such a beautiful man would absolutely require a great deal of money to keep well!

“I… then, deduct half my monthly allowance and give Yanu to me. Besides, you already have the Ninth Prince and Mu Mu.”

“No.”

“Feng Jiu’er! That is going too far!”

“The answer is simply no.” Yanu wasn’t some piece of merchandise to be traded away.

“Feng Jiu’er, I am being so sincere!” Qiao Mu truly wanted to twist her head off! “And besides, I wouldn’t mistreat him. I wouldn’t make him do servants’ work.”

“I don’t treat him like a servant either.”

“Feng Jiu’er!”

“How about this — sign over a contract of service to me first, and I’ll consider it.”

Qiao Mu genuinely began to consider it. Selling herself for a lifetime did feel a little pathetic, but the treatment here was not bad either…

“Alright…”

“Call your mountain bandit brothers out to serve under me.”

“Feng Jiu’er, aren’t your demands going too far!” Using her wasn’t enough — now she had designs on her brothers too!

This schemer! This absolute schemer!

“Oh come now, how can I possibly be going too far? I’m doing this for your brothers’ own good.”

Jiu’er hooked an arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle sway, wearing the most amiable expression imaginable.

“Think about it — your brothers are stuck in those wild mountains and forests. They’ll spend their whole lives as mountain bandits.”

“Not that they’ve done anything terrible, but — mountain bandits, that name really doesn’t sound very good, does it?”

“And besides, you yourself have aspirations for great things — how do you know your brothers don’t? Are they not allowed to have grand ambitions of their own?”

“Look at your life now. Isn’t it far more exciting than it was back at the mountain stronghold?”

“The frights are far more frequent too…” Qiao Mu muttered under her breath.

“And if I told you to go back to the stronghold right now — would you go?” Feng Jiu’er fixed her with a stare.

“I…” How could she go back! She hadn’t stolen Yanu away yet!

“You wouldn’t go back either, would you? You see — you’ve come out to live a life of freedom and excitement. What about your brothers?”

Feng Jiu’er planted her hands on her hips, her bright eyes wide and round: “You’re living well out here, and you don’t want your brothers to live well too?”

Most importantly, her brothers had spent years stationed across the various mountain ranges, and Feng Jiu’er had already noticed — in this ancient era, there were wild mountains and untamed wilderness everywhere.

The sheer expanse of such terrain was staggering — beyond imagining.

It was likely because so much of the land had yet to be developed, still in its original, primal state.

By the twenty-first century, every developable piece of land had been developed. Finding a true primeval forest was genuinely difficult.

Here, though — it was everywhere.

In these past few days of travel, Feng Jiu’er had come to deeply understand one thing: the ability to survive in the wilderness was of immeasurable importance.

As for Tianji Hall’s current situation — with the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s recent “gifts,” funds were not quite as scarce as before, at least for now.

What they lacked were people — capable, useful people. Severely short on those.

“Qiao Mu, as long as you agree — write a letter to the brothers at the stronghold and have Xing Zizhou get in contact with them. Ask them to join our Tianji Hall…”

She raised an eyebrow, glancing toward the distance where Yanu was approaching, carrying a bowl of soup.

Qiao Mu fixed her gaze on Yanu, clenching her fist.

Such a beautiful Yanu. Such a perfect Yanu. Such a breathtakingly captivating Yanu!

“Alright! I agree!”

“Then stop dawdling and go write the letter!” Feng Jiu’er could barely contain the joy leaping in her chest as she pushed Qiao Mu toward her room.

Qiao Mu was truly being driven to her limit. It was just one letter — was it really so urgent to write it right this moment?

Yanu was coming over, and she wasn’t even being given a moment to exchange a few words with him first!

The door shut with a bang. Feng Jiu’er personally ground the ink for her — treatment she had never received before.

Finally, Qiao Mu finished the letter and had it sent off with one of the brothers. Then she grabbed Feng Jiu’er’s sleeve: “Jiu’er — about Yanu…”

“Yanu is waiting under the pavilion. Go on, quickly — there’s sweet soup.”

Jiu’er neatly sidestepped the real question.

“But — didn’t you say… say…”

“What did I say?”

Qiao Mu felt a touch of shyness — after all, she was a young woman.

“You said… you said you’d give Yanu to me.” Oh, did she really have to spell it out so plainly? Though she was generally without any girlish bashfulness, she was still a young woman after all!

Yet Feng Jiu’er opened her round eyes wide in complete innocence: “Me? When did I ever say I would give Yanu to you?”