Her body actually left the floor of the ship’s cabin within the great wind, and shot suddenly into the air.

Feng Jiu’er cried out in alarm and nearly opened her eyes.

But at that moment, two hands suddenly reached over from beside her — one from the left, one from the right — and gripped both her hands tightly.

One was the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s.

The other was Mu Mu’s.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s palm was somewhat cool to the touch, yet the moment he held her hand it warmed up quickly.

His strong and powerful grip enveloped her completely, giving her an immeasurable sense of safety.

Mu Mu’s hand carried a warm, steady energy that brought both calm and quiet to her heart.

Jiu’er let out a long breath. Once she had composed herself, she noticed that the sound of the wind around her had vanished, and the gale that had seemed to sweep her up was gone as well.

No — that frenzied wind had never existed at all. It was something born entirely from within her own mind, an illusion — it was not real!

At this very moment, she was still sitting quietly on the floor, her body perfectly steady, entirely unharmed.

Yet just a moment ago, she had nearly opened her eyes.

So this was how real an illusion could be!

Had it not been for the Ninth Imperial Uncle and Mu Mu watching over her, she would certainly have been caught by it.

The other brothers were all remarkably calm. It was probably only a person with not an ounce of inner strength, as she was, who would be thrown into such a panic.

Jiu Qing’s palm tightened slightly. Jiu’er let out a long, quiet breath, and with a finger tapped lightly against his palm, telling him she was all right.

She gathered her thoughts once more and continued to sit with eyes closed, focusing on her breathing.

She did not know how much more time passed. Likely she had grown weary from sitting still, for in a hazy drift, she fell asleep.

She had a very long, very long dream.

In the dream, she found herself once again in a sea of fire. Her mother had not left — in the end she returned to her side, and lifted her into her arms.

“Mother…” Jiu’er curled closer within Long Feiyan’s embrace, breathing in the scent of her, reluctant to let it go.

But this scent — why did it seem somehow familiar?

“Mother?” It truly was very familiar!

She opened her eyes and raised her head to look at the woman holding her.

Yet why had her mother become someone else — that white-robed, veiled palace lady from the imperial court?

The veiled lady’s eyes curved upward in a gentle smile, yet Jiu’er felt that smile was cold — truly, deeply cold.

Then suddenly, the veiled lady struck her with a palm. Jiu’er was sent sprawling face-down on the bed.

And the veiled lady’s long fingers landed on her waist, then traced slowly upward along her spine.

She stopped at a particular point — right here. If she pressed down with force at this exact spot, she could destroy all of Jiu’er’s martial arts cultivation entirely.

“No!” Do not destroy her martial arts — “No!”

Feng Jiu’er bolted upright, drenched in sweat.

“What is the matter? Did you have a nightmare?” Xue Gu helped steady her, and seeing her face covered in perspiration, she took a cloth and gently wiped the sweat away.

Feng Jiu’er had not yet quite returned to herself. She grabbed Xue Gu’s wrist with one hand and asked in a hoarse voice: “Why did she destroy my martial arts?”

Xue Gu started, and her heart suddenly felt as though it had been struck.

She had known all along. Although Jiu’er had never mentioned this matter since her martial arts were destroyed, and had gone on appearing strong and optimistic, in truth she cared about it deeply.

After all — who, having had years of painstakingly cultivated martial arts completely destroyed, could go on living with true equanimity?

She was already remarkable.

“Jiu’er, come back to yourself — it is me, Xue Gu.” She gently shook Feng Jiu’er’s shoulders.

Feng Jiu’er slowly opened her eyes, and only then could she clearly make out who was sitting in front of her.

“Xue Gu?” She rubbed her sore, aching eyes, and then her heart suddenly jolted to attention — she remembered they were still inside the formation.

“You…” she began.

“It has already passed.” Xue Gu smiled, and once again lifted the cloth to wipe the corner of Jiu’er’s brow: “The formation — it has passed.”

Feng Jiu’er exhaled a long, slow breath. At that, it seemed everyone had come through safely.

Otherwise, Xue Gu would not be this composed.

“We are almost at the Feng Clan now. Would you like to go out and take a look?” Xue Gu said with a smile.

Jiu’er froze for a moment, then the realization hit her like a wave. She threw back the covers and made to get out of bed.

“Change your clothes first.” Xue Gu had known she would be this excited.

She herself had no idea why, but at the sight of the Feng Clan’s land, she too had been beside herself with excitement.

“Quickly! Xue Gu, quickly bring me a set of clothes!”

Jiu’er washed up at the fastest speed possible, then immediately changed her clothing.

As she dressed, she asked: “What happened to me earlier? How long was I asleep?”

“Two days and two nights.”

“Oh heavens — how did I end up unconscious again for two whole days and two nights?”

She had been perfectly fine just before. Could it be the formation?

“I do not know why you slept for so long either. But your pulse was even and your color was not poor — you did not look as though anything was wrong. So no one paid it much mind.”

Jiu’er hurriedly finished dressing, then casually swept her long hair up behind her head.

After that, she rushed out of the cabin in a hurry.

Everyone was gathered on the deck, for the coastline of the Feng Clan was already visible. Anyone with nothing pressing to attend to had gathered at the railings, gazing at the land that grew clearer and clearer with each passing moment.

In truth, it was not so different from an ordinary seaside city in appearance — except that it looked rather unlike the architectural style of the Bei Mu Kingdom.

The building style of this Feng Clan territory was actually somewhat European in influence. How extraordinary.

“How long until we arrive?” Jiu’er walked to the bow and stood beside Jiu Qing.

“We will arrive by tomorrow morning.”

Although the Feng Clan’s land was already visible, they were still quite a distance from the shore.

Tomorrow morning — though it sounded as though it were still a long while away, at the very least, they had truly made it.

No one knew why it was called the Black Abyss, yet in truth its waters were crystal clear.

Having passed through the outer sea, they had now entered the river mouth. The brackish and fresh waters mingled at the estuary — sky and water merged into one — a blue so vivid and lovely it defied description.

They had actually, truly, arrived at the Feng Clan.

All the hardships endured along this journey, all the suffering and toil, felt in this moment as though it had dissolved away like smoke and mist.

At last. They had truly arrived.

“Xue Gu, go and take stock — check how much silver we have remaining.”

“It has already been tallied.” This was not the kind of task that would be left to Xue Gu. Qiao Mu walked over from behind her, all smiles.

“Since we feared that Bei Mu Kingdom’s banknotes might not be accepted elsewhere, everything we brought this time is in gold leaves and silver taels.”

“We currently have one hundred gold leaves and one thousand taels of silver. I will distribute these among the brothers shortly. Once we reach the Feng Clan, these will certainly come in handy.”

“Good.”

For the rest of that half-day, everyone on the ship sorted through their belongings.

As evening fell, Jiu’er, having eaten and drunk her fill, returned to her own cabin to pack.

She found Yanu standing at the doorway looking at her, appearing to have something to say but holding himself back.

“What is it? Have you packed your things yet?” Jiu’er tilted her head and looked at him.

They would arrive tomorrow morning — when all was said and done, it was only a matter of sleeping through the night.

“I do not have many things.”

Yanu walked inside and continued watching her face, his expression thoughtful.