“Jian Yi, keep your spirits up — you have to hold on! Didn’t you say my medical skills are exceptional? I will absolutely heal your wound.”

“That time you were so gravely hurt, and I had not one bit of medical knowledge, and still I managed to pull your life back. This time will be no different.”

“Jian Yi, don’t sleep — stay strong! Afterward, I still need your help to take back the Dream Clan.”

Feng Jiu’er held one of Jian Yi’s hands in hers, keeping it close in front of her, while her other hand gripped the reins tightly.

Even without reading his pulse, she could gauge his condition through his very breath.

Feng Qingyin had truly been merciless — striking directly at his heart.

Had Jian Yi not instinctively had his vital energy shielding his body, he might well have died on the spot, never lasting to this moment.

Yet the blood continued to flow. Without treatment soon, he would not survive.

Holding tight to Jian Yi’s hand, slowly growing cold in hers, Feng Jiu’er had never felt such urgency before.

To preserve the last thread of his life, she had sealed off his acupoints.

She knew perfectly well that Jian Yi could not respond to her words now.

But that was alright. He could not speak — then she would do the speaking, and he could listen.

“Jian Yi, afterward I’ll find you a woman who is beautiful beyond compare, alright? She will be very gentle, treat you very well, and will never deceive you.”

“You two will even have several children together. If their children have no godmother, I’ll be their godmother.”

“Jian Yi, just think about all the wonderful things waiting for you ahead — then you won’t feel so sleepy.”

No matter what the road ahead might hold, Feng Jiu’er kept pressing forward.

In this moment, nothing mattered more than keeping Jian Yi alive.

It was her own fault. She had known Feng Qingyin was nearby, and still she had brought him along — and even left him alone outside.

Ahead to the right was the main road leading toward Ding City. Ahead to the left would soon lead into the desolate stretch of land between Mò City and Yamu City.

From what Feng Jiu’er knew, that desolate stretch was truly treacherous — deep mountains or dense forests at every turn, with almost no human life to speak of.

And yet, she chose the path to the left without a single moment’s hesitation.

In this moment, Feng Jiu’er truly wished she could make everything stop — just leave a little time for herself. Even an hour or two would do.

She had to save him. She needed to do it immediately, right now.

Feng Jiu’er took Jian Yi with her and raced wildly across the open grassland.

The soldiers behind had also mounted horses and were giving chase at speed, though still separated from them by a considerable distance.

Not long after entering the forest, Feng Jiu’er supported Jian Yi as they abandoned the horse and moved through the trees on foot.

On a secluded slope at the base of a tall mountain, she found a cave and brought Jian Yi quickly inside.

She laid Jian Yi flat on a bed of dried grass, then released several of his sealed acupoints.

“Don’t move. You don’t need to say anything — just listen to me.”

Seeing that he could still open his eyes, Feng Jiu’er felt a measure of relief.

By the light filtering in from outside, she untied the cloth pouch at her waist and emptied out every medicine she had onto the ground.

“Jian Yi, your heart has taken damage — the situation is somewhat critical. Whatever you do, do not agitate yourself. If you do, I won’t be able to save you.”

As she spoke, Feng Jiu’er used her short dagger to cut away the fabric near Jian Yi’s wound, fully exposing it.

She immediately uncorked a vial and dusted a thick layer of medicinal powder over the wound.

She tore off a corner of Jian Yi’s outer robe, soaked the cloth strip with medicinal liquid, and pressed it firmly against the wound.

“I am going to release your sealed acupoints now. It will hurt, but you must endure it.”

Her small hand moved gently across Jian Yi’s pale forehead. Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath, then placed her hand above his chest.

A moment ago, she had sealed his acupoints, and even so, a great deal of blood had already been lost. Now that those seals were to be released, the blood would flow even faster.

But to treat him, certain acupoints had to be unsealed. And beyond that — leaving them sealed much longer would cause Jian Yi’s heart to give out.

Jian Yi blinked, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at him once, then shifted her focus to the wound. She raised her right hand, closed her eyes, drew a slow breath, and brought her long fingers down.

As expected — the moment the acupoints were released, blood welled up from the wound in greater volume.

With one hand pressing the wound shut with all her strength, she picked up the silver needles she had prepared beforehand with her other hand, and drove them one by one into Jian Yi’s body.

Watching Feng Jiu’er’s reddened eyes and the sweat-dampened cheeks, Jian Yi’s gaze took on a different kind of light.

His breath grew fainter and fainter. His eyelids grew almost too heavy to hold open.

But so as not to cause Feng Jiu’er more worry, he kept fighting to keep them open, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the girl before him.

“Jian Yi, give it some thought — what kind of girl do you like?”

Feng Jiu’er glanced at him, the faintest curve at the corner of her lips.

Right now, she truly did not want Jian Yi to fall asleep.

If he truly slept, he might never wake again in this lifetime.

A wound to the heart — even in the modern age, the mortality rate was staggering.

Right now, she had almost nothing at her disposal. Never mind surgery — there were no tools for a blood transfusion, and no blood source to draw from.

Even Feng Jiu’er herself doubted whether she truly had the ability to save their most pure-hearted hero, Jian Yi.

“Jian Yi, what kind of girl do you actually like?”

While working the meridians, Feng Jiu’er glanced at Jian Yi. “You really don’t like Qiao Mu?”

Jian Yi gave a slight shake of his head.

“Stop — don’t move.”

Feng Jiu’er frowned and reminded him gently.

“The questions I ask — if the answer is yes, blink once. If no, blink twice. That’s all.”

She shifted her focus back to his chest, moving her long fingers to a different spot and continuing to work. Then she looked at Jian Yi again.

“Do you understand? If you understand, blink once.”

Jian Yi’s body and head stayed still. He only blinked once, slowly and deliberately.

“Good.”

Feng Jiu’er quickly moved to another acupoint, her voice rising again. “Do you like Qiao Mu?”

Seeing Jian Yi blink twice, Feng Jiu’er confirmed he was still relatively clear-headed.

Their Jian Yi and Miss Qiao Mu had both already said they were not interested in each other. Two blinks — entirely expected.

“What about Xiao Yingtao? Do you like a girl like Xiao Yingtao?”

Jian Yi did not think much of it, and blinked twice again.

“I didn’t ask whether you like Xiao Yingtao herself — Xiao Yingtao already has Xing Zizhou. But finding a girl like her wouldn’t be bad at all.”

“Actually, Qiao Mu is quite wonderful too — just a bit strong-willed. You prefer someone dainty and gentle, don’t you?”

Jian Yi paused for just a moment, then blinked once.

Feng Jiu’er gave him a small smile, shifted her gaze back to his wound.

She had a fairly good sense of what type Jian Yi liked. Feng Qingyin had certainly played the part of gentle and soft-spoken convincingly enough — it was just a pity that underneath, she was poison to the bone.

A woman like that — never mind love, she no longer even deserved to occupy a single corner of Jian Yi’s thoughts.

Feng Jiu’er let out a quiet, absent sigh, but when she looked at Jian Yi again, the smile on her face had not faded.

“It’s alright. I’ll find someone better for you.”