“Third Imperial Brother…” Even Jiu’er could sense it — the manor tonight was filled with an atmosphere as cold and deathly still as a tomb.

“Do not speak.” Feng Jiang put a finger to his lips and made a silencing gesture toward Feng Jiu’er.

He leapt down from the horse and helped Jiu’er dismount.

The horse, left on its own, began wandering outside the courtyard.

Feng Jiang took Jiu’er’s hand and stepped carefully into the courtyard of the bedchamber.

The closer they drew to Fourth Imperial Uncle’s room, the more keenly they could feel that bone-chilling, icy cold air.

Jiu’er suddenly widened her eyes and stared at Feng Jiang, her expression urgent.

The smell of blood! She had caught a thick, heavy smell of blood!

Although Feng Jiang was not as sensitive to the smell of blood as Feng Jiu’er was, he too caught a faint trace of it.

The two of them felt their hearts lurch, and without another thought, they rushed immediately toward Fourth Imperial Uncle’s bedchamber.

Inside Feng Li’s bedchamber, blood-stained cloth strips were scattered all over the floor. Beside the bed sat a woman in black, lying sprawled across Feng Li, doing — something or other.

The moment Feng Jiu’er stepped inside, Feng Jiang swept his sleeve wide and blocked her line of sight.

Then, with a sharp shout, he struck out with his palm toward the woman beside the bed.

Cold Shadow had not expected herself to be so careless — she had not even noticed anyone entering.

Just now, she had been staring at Feng Li, transfixed as though under a spell. How could she have thought of anything else?

Whenever Feng Li was present, her thoughts would always drift of their own accord. It was only when that cold surge of energy came rushing at her from behind that she suddenly realized someone had broken in.

Cold Shadow raised a hand almost casually to meet the blow — but the moment she saw the face of her attacker, she immediately reined in her force.

Feng Jiang’s palm landed on her body, yet it was like a stone dropped into the ocean, stirring not the slightest ripple.

This woman’s inner energy was far too profound. She was entirely beyond his ability to contend with.

Yet she seemed to have no desire to fight. She lifted her arm, used her palm force to drive Feng Li backward, then turned and swept out through the window, vanishing into the darkness of the night in an instant.

A person of such formidable ability — yet she appeared to have no intention of harming them at all.

“Fourth Imperial Uncle!” The blood-stained cloth strips sent a sharp, stabbing pain through Jiu’er’s heart. She rushed frantically toward the bed.

Feng Li lay on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, his face a bloodless white — clearly suffering from serious injuries.

The wounds on his body were not many, but the injury to his chest was extremely severe.

The woman from just now — that woman whose age could not be guessed — had already bandaged his wounds. But she had… she had actually torn open Fourth Imperial Uncle’s upper garment, and she had…

“Shameless!” To have his clothing torn open like that could not possibly be for the purpose of bandaging his wounds.

Even his arms were visible — and the fabric had even been pulled to the edge of his sash. If they had not arrived in time, there was no telling how far that woman would have undressed Fourth Imperial Uncle!

Feng Jiu’er’s eyes went red with fury. She felt exactly as though someone who belonged to her had been defiled by another woman. She was so furious she could have drawn a sword and cut that person down where she stood!

Seeing the state of Feng Li’s clothing — disheveled and disturbed beyond recognition — Feng Jiang’s ears burned red. No need to think too hard about what that woman had intended to do.

It was truly outrageous! How dare she show such disrespect to Fourth Imperial Uncle!

Fourth Imperial Uncle had lived alone for so many years. He detested having women come near him. There was not even a single maidservant in the entire manor!

And yet she had actually…

“Fourth Imperial Uncle’s mask…” Feng Jiang stared at Fourth Imperial Uncle’s face — peerlessly beautiful, without equal — and felt another wave of fury.

No wonder she had taken such liberties with Fourth Imperial Uncle. She had discovered his breathtaking, city-toppling beauty!

But Feng Jiu’er had not moved to straighten Fourth Imperial Uncle’s clothing. Instead, she was reaching for Fourth Imperial Uncle’s sash.

Feng Jiang’s face flushed red, and he panicked. “Jiu’er, you must not be so improper! Fourth Imperial Uncle will be displeased!”

“I…” Jiu’er only then came to herself and realized that she had been about to undo Fourth Imperial Uncle’s trousers.

Yet she still felt that this was the right thing to do.

Fourth Imperial Uncle’s chest wound was severe. She only wanted to check as quickly as possible whether he had any other injuries elsewhere on his body.

She was nothing like that woman who had been sprawled across Fourth Imperial Uncle’s body with clear intentions of taking liberties with him!

“I will tend to Fourth Imperial Uncle’s chest wound. You quickly check whether there are any other external injuries on his body.”

There was no time to explain at length. Right now, as far as she was concerned, a person who was injured was simply a patient — there was no distinction of man or woman.

Besides, seeing Fourth Imperial Uncle in such a weakened state, her heart already ached so much she could barely stand it. She had no room left to consider propriety between men and women.

She only wanted to check on his wounds…

Feng Jiang let out a breath of relief. Just now he had almost thought… almost thought that Jiu’er too was drawn to Fourth Imperial Uncle’s beauty.

But even so beautiful — he was still her own imperial uncle!

Feng Jiang felt foolish for even thinking it. His own imperial uncle — how could that possibly be? His mind truly was not working fast enough today.

Jiu’er carefully unwound the bandages over Feng Li’s chest. The wound there made her heart clench with a sudden, tearing pain.

As she had suspected — only the most rudimentary application of medicine had been done. The woman from before had not treated this wound properly at all.

She took hold of Feng Li’s wrist and pressed her fingertips to the pulse point.

Feng Li was startled. “You know how to read a pulse?”

Jiu’er paid him no attention, focusing entirely on feeling Feng Li’s pulse.

Quickly, she set Feng Li’s hand back down, drew out several medicine vials from the pouch, and spread them out beside her.

Then, as she carefully cleaned Feng Li’s wound again, she explained, “Fourth Imperial Uncle has sustained serious internal injuries. However, the woman from just now had apparently been channeling her energy into him to heal him, pressing down on the blood energy.”

It had not occurred to her that the woman with her wandering hands had still done this small good.

She continued, “The wound has been treated extremely carelessly. I need to redress it properly. Please go and have Old Ya bring several basins of hot water, and then continue checking Fourth Imperial Uncle for any remaining injuries.”

“Understood!” Feng Jiang stepped out immediately, and before long returned with Old Ya, both of them carrying basins of hot water.

Old Ya had not yet known his master was injured this severely. At the sight of the figure on the bed, his hands trembled, and the hot water nearly spilled to the floor.

Fortunately, he caught himself in time. Flustered, he carried the basin over and set it on the cabinet beside the bed.

Then, he rummaged through a cabinet and produced a medicine chest, which he presented reverently before Feng Jiu’er.

“My medicines are better. Trust me.” Jiu’er said.

Old Ya still felt uneasy and wanted to administer the medicine to his master himself, but seeing that Jiu’er’s hands moved with far more agility and skill than he had expected, he had no choice but to step aside.

Yet as Jiu’er watched Old Ya move through the process with such practiced familiarity, the ache in her heart spread all the more furiously.

It was plain that over these years, Fourth Imperial Uncle must have been injured often, and it had always been only Old Ya looking after him.

Fourth Imperial Uncle’s body was covered in scars — countless wounds, large and small — surely all left behind from the battlefield.

Some of the scars extended from his shoulder all the way down to his abdomen. Injuries that severe, yet he had survived them all. How remarkable that must have been.

Why could Fourth Imperial Uncle not have a thoughtful and understanding Fourth Imperial Aunt by his side, to keep him company and live well with him?

Thinking of his solitary figure, her heart knotted itself into a tangle.

After she finished cleaning Feng Li’s wound, she took out a medicine vial and gently poured it over the injury.

Feng Li, who had been unconscious, furrowed his brows — and then his eyes snapped open.