That evening, Feng Jiu’er felt as though she had returned to childhood — though had her actual childhood ever held moments like this? Thinking back, it hadn’t.

And yet she truly was happy, in a way she had not felt in a very long time.

“Go and get some rest. Stop lingering here.” Long Buqu looked at the little one sitting before him and waved his hand.

“I’m not sleepy yet.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head.

“You’re not sleepy — I am.” Long Buqu picked up his teacup and took a quiet sip.

The words were plainly dismissive, and yet the smile playing at the corner of his mouth would not stay hidden.

Long Feiyan stood up and looked down at Feng Jiu’er. “Come on, stop disturbing your uncle’s rest.”

“Mother.” Feng Jiu’er glanced up at her and pressed her lips together. “Uncle is leaving tomorrow. I want to stay with him a little longer.”

“Once we find the treasure, we can head north to be reunited with your grandfather and your uncle. There’s no need to rush.” Long Feiyan said gently.

Seeing that Feng Jiu’er was still hesitating, Long Feiyan reached out and seized her by the collar.

Yanked along by Long Feiyan, Feng Jiu’er had no choice but to get to her feet.

“Mother, I thought you’d finally shed your rough ways and become gentle. I see I was wrong…” Feng Jiu’er rubbed her neck and muttered under her breath.

Not that Long Feiyan had completely surprised her — she had truly given Feng Jiu’er something remarkable this time around.

The Long Feiyan of before had been ice-cold — like a glacier without any warmth at all.

In this meeting, Feng Jiu’er had come to understand that her mother was, in truth, a woman of flesh and blood, rich with feeling.

“Enough chatter!” Long Feiyan shot Feng Jiu’er a look, turned, and strode away.

Feng Jiu’er looked back at Long Buqu, her expression drooping.

“Uncle, when you have time, please educate your sister a little. She’s very fierce.”

“Is that not exactly like you?” Long Buqu curved his lips slightly and took another quiet sip of tea.

“I am not.” Feng Jiu’er pouted, then turned around. “I’m going back to rest. Uncle should get some sleep soon too.”

With those parting words, she walked out of the tent with a light, bouncing step.

Once she had recovered Zhao Yu’s descendants, she and her mother could reorganize the Long Family Army together, then head north — combining forces from both inside and outside with her uncle’s men. The plan was coming together nicely.

Feng Jiu’er left the tent, dropped the flap closed, and looked up at the slender crescent moon overhead.

The day when their family would be reunited was not far off. The Long family’s vendetta would surely be repaid.

“Finally decided to come out?” Not far away, Qiao Mu walked over.

Seeing that this girl was beaming, Qiao Mu’s own mood lifted.

Feng Jiu’er pulled her gaze away and looked at the person approaching.

“My apologies! I completely forgot I had a beauty waiting outside. Oh, no — wait, why are you still looking like that?”

Feng Jiu’er looked clearly at Qiao Mu’s face and couldn’t help letting out a small, involuntary cough as she tried to suppress the smile rising to her lips.

“Go ahead and laugh if you want to laugh. This face is absolutely hideous!” Qiao Mu gave Feng Jiu’er an exasperated look, turned, and fell into step beside her.

It had never occurred to Feng Jiu’er that before she could even find fault with Qiao Mu’s appearance, Qiao Mu had gone ahead and found fault with it herself.

“I wasn’t laughing.” Feng Jiu’er raised her brows and shook her head. “I put it on you myself — there’s nothing to laugh at.”

“But…” Feng Jiu’er tilted her head for a sidelong look, the corner of her mouth lifting. “You stood out here for so long, and not one of the brothers recognised you?”

“How could they not have…” Only now that she looked did Qiao Mu realise the person walking beside her was mocking her again.

“Feng Jiu’er.” She frowned and called out her name coolly.

“Present!” Feng Jiu’er immediately stopped in her tracks and looked at her with an expression of utmost seriousness.

“You dare laugh at me — do you not know how the word ‘death’ is written?”

Before Qiao Mu could even raise her palm, Feng Jiu’er slipped away.

“General Qiao, have mercy! I wasn’t laughing — truly, I wasn’t.”

“Feng Jiu’er, you wretch! Don’t you run!”

The sounds of two women’s voices — lively and full of laughter — rang out through the camp, brightening the spirits of every brother who heard them.

——

The next day, Long Buqu departed, drawing little attention. Everyone went on with their own business.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed. All the necessary preparations had long since been completed, and the brothers had been gathering one by one.

At Zhao Yusheng’s suggestion, three days prior, Feng Jiu’er had led everyone to relocate and set up camp elsewhere.

On the morning of the eighth day, Zhao Yusheng arrived with the last of the brothers.

Among them, naturally, was Zhao Xiaoxiao, who had been unable to sit still with worry over the matter of Jian Yi.

Upon learning that Jian Yi had been injured, Zhao Xiaoxiao had made a round trip to Zhao Family Stronghold without rest, bringing back every medicinal herb she considered the finest, and carrying it all back with her.

The moment Zhao Xiaoxiao entered the tent, she set the box she had been hauling on the table.

Without a word, she began taking out the medicinal herbs inside, one by one.

“Jiu’er, there’s a thousand-year ginseng here, snow lotus from Tianshan, and deep-mountain lingzhi.”

“There’s also aged agarwood that Father has kept in reserve for years, and the bird’s nest Mother gave me — I brought it all.”

“There are a few other things I don’t know the names of. Jiu’er, can you look and see if they might be of any use?”

Though her mouth kept calling “Jiu’er,” Zhao Xiaoxiao’s gaze kept drifting over to Jian Yi.

Looking at his handsome face, now in this condition, she felt her heart ache for him.

Zhao Xiaoxiao wanted very much to reach out and touch Jian Yi’s face — already scabbing over — but she didn’t dare.

To say nothing of touching it — she didn’t even have the courage right now to go near him.

Feng Jiu’er tilted her head and swept a glance at Jian Yi, curving her lips slightly, then stepped toward Zhao Xiaoxiao.

Handsome people truly did have their advantages — no matter the time or the circumstance, that saying never went wrong.

If not for Jian Yi being here, Zhao Xiaoxiao would not have been nearly so gracious — or one might even say, so generous. No matter how one looked at it, these items could not truthfully be said to have been brought purely for Feng Jiu’er’s sake.

“Jiu’er, that…” Zhao Xiaoxiao looked at Jian Yi once more, then pulled her gaze back to Feng Jiu’er, who had come to stand before her.

“That… Jian Yi, his face — it’s all right, isn’t it? I brought quite a lot of extra bird’s nest. Even my mother’s — I… brought that along too.”

“I don’t know if eating more of it will help the wound on his face heal faster.”

Feng Jiu’er and Zhao Yusheng had been in contact throughout these days. As Zhao Yusheng’s companion, Zhao Xiaoxiao had also been kept informed of Jian Yi’s situation — naturally, because she had begged Zhao Yusheng to ask on her behalf.

Once she knew what had happened, Zhao Xiaoxiao immediately packed up the medicinal herbs and pressed her older brother into travelling through the night to get here.

“Eating more of it will certainly help.” Feng Jiu’er nodded with a smile.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze fell on the table, and she found herself reluctant to look away.

As expected — all of it was the finest of the finest.

One could only wonder what expressions the elder of the stronghold and his wife would make once they found out their daughter had carted off the family’s reserves for the sake of one man.

Hearing that Jian Yi’s face would heal, Zhao Xiaoxiao felt the knot in her chest finally loosen.

“Then… give it all to Jian Yi to eat. It’s fine — once it’s all used up, I can go back to the stronghold for more.”

“Keeping all of this here just for Jian Yi, he likely couldn’t finish it all at once.” Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly and turned to look back.

“Jian Yi, why haven’t you thanked Xiaoxiao yet? Everything she’s brought you is the finest medicinal herb there is.”