“Ninth Imperial Uncle…”

She didn’t actually know who the Ninth Imperial Uncle was, but she simply wanted to see him. It was as though only by returning to the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s side could she find her way back to the harbor that truly belonged to her.

But who, exactly, was the Ninth Imperial Uncle?

The girl on the bed kept calling out those three words without cease.

After dismissing the palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial physicians, Feng Qiongcang looked at Yanu.

Yanu said in a low voice, “It is Bei Mu Nation’s God of War, Prince Zhan Qingcheng.”

“Is he the man she loves?”

“Yes.” Yanu dipped his head in a nod.

Feng Qiongcang said nothing, only watching Jiu’er, who even in her dreams remained restless and unsettled.

The man she loves… If he could be persuaded to stay and remain with the Feng Clan, that would not be unacceptable. After all, she would one day be Empress Regnant. One more man in the rear palace was neither here nor there.

However, the God of War of Bei Mu Nation was a man of towering status and immense power. A man like that would most likely never consent to stay behind for her sake.

“On this journey here, did that prince send anyone to escort her?” Feng Qiongcang asked.

Yanu’s lips moved — he seemed to want to say something — but after his gaze fell upon Jiu’er’s face, he swallowed the words back down.

It was not merely that someone had been sent to escort her. Most likely, the prince himself had come in person.

Yet for some reason, he suddenly found himself unwilling to tell the Emperor this.

“Are you hiding something from Us?” That halting, hesitant manner displeased Feng Qiongcang somewhat.

“Yanu, do not forget — it was We who saved your life. Had We not brought you back in those days, you would no longer be of this world.”

Upon hearing this, Yanu immediately dropped to his knees, overcome with fear and trepidation.

“Yanu knows this well. Your Majesty is Yanu’s benefactor and second parent — Yanu will never forget it for as long as he lives, and will never betray Your Majesty.”

He drew a deep breath, then said, “In truth, I suspect that Zhan Qingcheng is among those who accompanied her. Jiuqing… he may well be the man himself.”

“Jiuqing?” Yanu had already given him a thorough account of everyone in the group.

As for this Jiuqing — reportedly a martial world master of great skill — Yanu had been unable to uncover even a shred of information about him.

A martial artist of such formidable ability, leaving not a single legend or rumor throughout the entire martial world of Bei Mu Nation — that was plainly not right.

If he truly was Bei Mu Nation’s Ninth Prince… a prince with power firmly in hand, yet willing to cross ten thousand mountains and brave untold dangers for the sake of Feng Jiu’er, abandoning everything in Bei Mu Nation to personally escort her to the Feng Clan.

How deep must that devotion be?

If a man like that could be persuaded to stay and serve him, the Feng Clan would not only be able to pacify every surrounding foreign tribe — they might very well continue to expand their territory even further.

Bei Mu Nation — it was unquestionably a great and prosperous kingdom with a secure and contented populace.

Ha. How interesting.

Feng Qiongcang cast his gaze toward the outside. The bedchamber was far too vast, and the night pearls within the palace cast too bright a light — he found himself unable to see through to the darkness beyond.

“What hour is it now?”

“In reply to Your Majesty — it ought to be nearly the time when the moon reaches its zenith.”

Since Jiu’er had fallen into unconsciousness, they had been occupied without pause — keeping the imperial physicians by her side for examination, tending to her care.

Without realizing it, the sky had grown dark. Night had deepened into its late hours.

Feng Qiongcang narrowed his eyes, a quiet sound escaping his lips. Then, suddenly: “Watch over Jiu’er.”

“Yes.”

Feng Qiongcang turned and walked out of the bedchamber. With a single sweep of his hand, Hanying materialized from some unseen place, appearing in an instant at his back.

“Your Majesty, what are your orders?”

Feng Qiongcang glanced at the night sky above. The moon was hidden, the wind was high — another night made for killing.

He said coolly, “Go and pay a visit to…”

The moon was hidden, the wind was high — truly an ideal night for killing.

Yet he had grown utterly weary of such nights, for nights like this always carried the stench of blood.

The rush of hot blood within his chest continued to churn and roil.

Feng Li pressed down against the vital point at his heart, forcibly suppressing the surging blood energy. Only then did he lightly push off the ground and dart northward through the city.

Deep autumn had already arrived. The night wind carried a chill.

The wind brushed against his face, a cool and biting breath. The same night, the same sky — yet tonight felt especially still and quiet.

They had already been in this place for several days.

He was absolutely certain that Jiu’er had to be here somewhere. And yet even after turning the entire capital upside down, he had been unable to find any trace of her.

“Recently, the palace has gained a young princess — word is, she is the Emperor’s youngest daughter, who had been sent to a separate residence to recuperate for over a decade.”

Earlier that day, over tea, Qiaomu had managed to pick up this piece of news at a tavern.

A young princess, said to have been sent to a separate residence and raised there for more than ten years, had only just returned to the palace over these past few days — and their Jiu’er had also vanished without a trace over these same few days.

Could all of this truly be mere coincidence?

“Xue Gu, do we really need to go to the imperial palace to gather information?”

Qiaomu had gone for a circuit around the palace grounds the previous night. The structure, though not as outwardly imposing as the palaces of the capital, radiated a far more formidable aura than the imperial palace of Bei Mu Nation.

She had not even entered, and already she could sense it — within those walls lay hidden dragons and crouching tigers, masters of extraordinary skill lurking in every corner.

“If we don’t go ahead to scout the path first, by the time Jiuqing returns, he’ll likely charge straight in.”

“If the one inside the palace truly is Jiu’er, this isn’t a matter that can be resolved simply by taking her by force. We’ll need to consider it carefully. But Jiuqing…”

If Jiuqing truly charged in, knowing his temperament — the moment he confirmed it was Jiu’er, he would take her away without a second thought.

But this was Feng Clan territory, and they still had many matters to attend to here.

Jiu’er still needed to find the location marked on the terrain map and obtain the martial arts manual. Without that, coming all this way to the Feng Clan would have been wasted effort.

If the young princess in the palace truly was Jiu’er, then for now, holding back and first investigating the reason she had remained in the palace was the right course of action.

Xue Gu had a nagging sense that something was not quite right. If it truly were Jiu’er, she would never have been willing to stay inside the palace of her own accord.

Yet from what they could observe, an air of peaceful harmony pervaded the palace. And based on the news gathered today, the young princess was apparently especially favored.

This entire matter was genuinely baffling.

“Mu Mu and Jian Yi are also on their way here. But Xue Gu, why do you…”

Qiaomu looked at her. There were things she had wanted to ask for a long time — she simply had never dared to voice them.

Why did Xue Gu hold Jiuqing in such regard, to the point where even Xue Gu would follow his words without question?

And moreover, Xue Gu had been completely certain that Jiuqing would stop at nothing for Jiu’er’s sake.

How could Xue Gu be so confident? Unless…

“What did you want to ask?” Things had come to this point; everyone had already arrived at Feng Clan territory. There was really nothing left worth concealing.

Xue Gu gave a soft, resigned sigh. “Have you long since suspected Jiuqing’s true identity?”

“Who exactly is he…” Qiaomu worried at her fingers — this was no small matter. And yet, weighing everything together, she felt certain she could not have guessed wrong.

“That’s right. He is the Ninth Prince.”

Xue Gu changed into her night-travel clothes and tucked her long sword at her waist. “Let’s go.”

Qiaomu was stunned — it was exactly what she had anticipated, and yet it still defied all reason.

The Ninth Prince. For Jiu’er’s sake, he had truly set everything aside, crossing ten thousand mountains to personally escort her to the Feng Clan.

What depth of devotion. What absolute madness.

She had already suspected it — and yet even in the moment of confirmation, she still could not bring herself to believe it.

The Ninth Prince truly was… he was just too incredibly, absurdly cool! Ahhh, my old heart is feeling every bit of it…