“I need blood — fresh human blood.” Feng Jiu’er turned to look at the woman standing behind her. “My companion has lost too much blood. We need to perform a transfusion immediately.”

“A transfusion?” The woman’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu’er gave a firm nod. “I don’t have time to explain everything right now. Please bring in several of the healthier guards. I only need a small amount of their blood — I promise it won’t cost them their lives.”

“All right.” The woman asked nothing further and turned to leave.

Feng Jiu’er walked over to the low table, picked up a cup, and returned to Jian Yi’s side. She pricked the tip of his finger with a silver needle. After great effort, she coaxed out the tiniest drop of blood. She then produced her specially made cotton swabs, dabbing each one with the smallest bit of blood before placing them into the cup. From inside a cloth pouch, she withdrew a small vial of liquid and poured it into the cup.

The woman who had stepped out returned swiftly, bringing five sturdy guards with her. They looked at everything before them, their expressions ranging from bewilderment to disbelief.

Feng Jiu’er rose to her feet and addressed them.

“I need just a tiny bit of blood from each of you — to see whose blood is compatible with my companion. You all—”

“Miss Jiu’er, please just do as you said,” one of the guards said softly. “We all trust you.”

“That’s right.” The other guards nodded in agreement.

Feng Jiu’er drew in a deep breath, looking at them all with a face full of gratitude, and nodded.

“Good. We’ll start with you.” She looked at the man on the far left.

Each person contributed only the tiniest drop from a fingertip for testing. Yet after all five had been tested, Feng Jiu’er still shook her head.

“What is it? None of them are compatible?” the woman asked quietly.

Feng Jiu’er was both anxious and helpless. She shook her head. “None of them are compatible.”

“Then try mine.” Without another word, the woman extended her hand and held it out to Feng Jiu’er.

The woman’s skin appeared quite delicate and fair — yet her palm was covered entirely in calluses. This was unmistakably a woman of extraordinary mettle.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at her, nodded, and took her hand. A single drop of fresh blood fell from the tip of the woman’s finger into the cup.

Not only Feng Jiu’er — even the woman herself, and all five guards, stared at the cup without blinking. In truth, none of them understood what they were looking at. They were simply deeply curious.

Sensing that Feng Jiu’er’s expression had shifted to one of delight, everyone instinctively looked up at her.

“A match — General, your blood is a match.” Feng Jiu’er looked at the woman as though she were ready to treat her like a precious treasure.

Time had not allowed her to keep searching. Finding hope so suddenly, Feng Jiu’er was overcome with joy.

“General, I will need more of your blood going forward — but I promise I will stop within the limits your body can bear.”

“Very well.” The woman gave a slight nod, without the slightest hesitation.

She glanced at the several guards and gave a wave of her hand. The guards departed.

Feng Jiu’er immediately began preparing what came next. Regrettably, the conditions here were truly rudimentary — one could even say there were no conditions at all.

Using silk thread, Feng Jiu’er slowly transferred the woman’s blood to Jian Yi. Even at so slow a pace, a fair amount was lost — yet it was the only way available to her. While transferring the blood, Feng Jiu’er continued channeling her inner energy into Jian Yi simultaneously, helping him better absorb the female general’s blood.

A quarter of an hour passed, then another. When Feng Jiu’er finally opened her eyes again, she drew in a long breath and withdrew her inner energy.

Seeing her stir, the female general asked softly, “How is he? If it’s not enough, I can give more.”

“No — that’s sufficient. I cannot have my companion’s sake cause you to bear too much.”

Feng Jiu’er held a cotton ball in one hand and pinched the silver needle inserted into the female general’s blood vessel with the other.

“General, I am going to remove the silver needle now. You—”

“I can bear a little longer,” the woman said once more.

Feng Jiu’er paid no heed to her words, and simply withdrew the silver needle from her arm, pressing the cotton ball firmly over the wound.

“In truth, this has already been a bit much. General, it would be best not to use your left hand for the next few days. I am deeply grateful for your help.”

She gave the woman a look of heartfelt gratitude, then immediately turned back and went to Jian Yi’s side. She attended to the silver needles on his body, hastily helped fasten his clothing, then climbed onto the bed, propped Jian Yi up, and settled herself cross-legged behind him.

“General, there is nothing else that requires your help for the moment. If you have other matters to attend to, please feel free to go. We can speak about everything else once my companion has stabilized.”

“Very well.” The woman rose and pulled her sleeve back down. “Tend well to your companion’s recovery. I’ll handle everything else for the time being.”

With that, she cast one last glance at the man and woman on the bed, then turned and left.

Feng Jiu’er wasted not a moment, immediately channeling her inner energy to treat Jian Yi.

The two of them had come out here together — she could not return alone.

Jian Yi, you have to keep fighting too!

In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed. When the female general entered again, the soldiers outside were already busying themselves with the midday meal.

On the bed, the two still held exactly the same position as before, and neither of their complexions looked well.

The female general walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, placing her palm on Jian Yi’s shoulder.

“Let me take over. You haven’t eaten a single meal in a full day and night — not even an iron body can endure that. Go. Eat, then come back.”

The moment the words left her lips, the female general closed her eyes. A stream of inner energy flowed from her palm into Jian Yi’s body.

Feng Jiu’er had already been growing somewhat dazed, and the moment the female general’s inner energy joined in, she had no choice but to withdraw her own. These past few days, she had lost all clarity about her own condition.

At times she felt unusually energized — as though her body held endless, inexhaustible strength. Yet whenever exhaustion crept in, the weakness would overtake her entire body almost instantly.

Father was not by her side. Ninth Imperial Uncle, Mu Mu, and Snow Maiden were all absent. Jian Yi had been gravely wounded.

With no one to guide her, Feng Jiu’er could only act on instinct. Gradually, the inner energy within her body grew more and more unruly — until it felt less like she was controlling the energy, and more like the energy was controlling her.

Feng Jiu’er yielded her position, and the female general stepped in to fill it.

After sitting off to the side and carefully steadying her own breathing for a good while, Feng Jiu’er slowly opened her eyes.

She glanced at the female general, then let her gaze settle on Jian Yi.

“Jian Yi, you have to hold on. Everyone is waiting for us to come back. Do you hear me?” she said, her voice carrying a faint trace of exhaustion.

“Go. Eat. There is restorative broth prepared. Go,” said the female general, briefly.

Feng Jiu’er watched her for a moment, then nodded.

“My companion — I’m leaving him in your care for now.”

Without waiting for the female general’s reply, Feng Jiu’er stood up. She pulled on a pair of boots that had appeared from somewhere at some point, casually threw a piece of outer clothing over her shoulders, and stepped out.

Jian Yi’s surgery could not be put off any longer. Now, of all times, she could not be the one to fall.

If Jian Yi could hold on, so could she.

She drew in a long breath. As she lifted the curtain and stepped out, the woman standing in the sunlight had a faint smile on her face.