With the formation dispelled, quite a few fish and shrimp had returned to the water, and combined with the food the brothers had brought back from entering the city earlier that day, the brothers wouldn’t have to go to sleep hungry.

…

At noon on the fourth day, more than thirty large ships drifted on the sea, coming to a halt.

After the midday meal, a beautiful little bird arrived at the large ship in the middle of the fleet.

When the brothers saw the messenger bird, they immediately went in to inform Feng Jiu’er in the cabin.

When Feng Jiu’er came out, the little bird flew up and landed on her.

She held the bird and untied the message tied to its leg.

“Jiu’er, how is it? Is it a letter from the prince?” Xiao Yingtao asked excitedly.

After drifting on the Black Lake for so long, once they got ashore, even eating wild grass and gnawing on tree roots would be better than staying on the ship.

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded, her mood clearly lighter. “Yu Jingfeng says their men have successfully lured the pursuers from the Feng Clan to the other side.”

“We’ll just go ashore as originally planned.” Feng Jiu’er looked toward the direction of land, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

Even though they couldn’t see even a speck of land right now, she felt as if she could already see the figure waiting for her on the cliff.

It had been days since they’d seen each other—did the Ninth Imperial Uncle miss her?

“Jiu’er, does that mean we’re going ashore now?” Xing Zichou asked, his face full of excitement.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu’er turned her gaze back, looking at everyone. “We can arrange to set off now—right now.”

“Tell the brothers we won’t need to sleep on the ships tonight.”

“Got it.” Xing Zichou nodded excitedly and turned to leave.

To everyone’s surprise, all the ships made it safely to shore before nightfall.

Finally able to stand on solid ground, everyone’s faces were filled with broad smiles.

The place where the ships docked was a stretch of mountains, and the brothers chose a relatively gentle spot to come ashore.

They had been near the Feng Clan’s territory for more than ten days, and everyone had assumed there would be a fierce battle before they could land—yet unexpectedly, they were able to set foot on this land in complete quiet.

The Twelve Riders of the Soaring Dragon and another thirty brothers who had followed Di Wu Ya ashore led everyone away in groups.

Zhao Yusheng had long since chosen a place to hide the ships, and Xing Zichou took the brothers to sail the ships away.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao rode the same horse, following behind Yu Jingfeng at the front.

Among the brothers further back, only those carrying luggage and equipment rode horses; everyone else had to advance on foot.

The large group split into three teams, heading off in different directions.

“Yu Jingfeng, where is the Ninth Imperial Uncle?” Feng Jiu’er had searched for a long while without finding the figure of her own man, and couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know where the prince has gone either.” Yu Jingfeng turned his head, meeting Feng Jiu’er’s gaze.

“You don’t know where he’s gone? What do you mean?” Feng Jiu’er frowned. “Aren’t you his personal bodyguard? How could you not know?”

“Miss Jiu’er, I’m sorry! The prince told me to come back and protect you. As you know, when the prince gives an order, I can’t disobey, so I had no choice but to come back.”

Worried he might be scolded, Yu Jingfeng looked away, not daring to meet Feng Jiu’er’s eyes again.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at him, then also looked away, gazing ahead.

“Jiu’er, don’t worry. The prince’s martial skill is formidable—who could possibly hurt him?” Xiao Yingtao, seated behind Feng Jiu’er, gently comforted her.

“I don’t doubt his ability. But this is the Feng Clan’s territory, after all, and he has no one here—I can’t help but worry.”

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“Miss Jiu’er, you can set your mind at ease about that.” Yu Jingfeng turned his head again, looking at Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er met his gaze, her brows knitting. “Yu Jingfeng, what do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is, the prince does have people in the Feng Clan. Earlier, our brothers were sent over here one after another.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at him, frowning again. “Earlier? When was this?”

“On the day the prince left the Feng Clan, he didn’t take all the brothers with him. The brothers here settled down and took in quite a few disciples,” Yu Jingfeng continued.

“Also, before we left the Bei Mu Kingdom, the prince had already been sending brothers over to the Feng Clan in batches. Quite a few have come over, one after another.”

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, he…” Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together, unable to find words.

Could it be that the Ninth Imperial Uncle had long anticipated that she would return one day?

“Miss Jiu’er is a daughter of the Feng Clan, and the prince is a son of the Feng Clan. This realm never truly belonged to Feng Qiongcang. The prince knew that sooner or later he would set foot on this land again.”

“So that he could be of help to you whenever you needed it, the prince began preparing far in advance.”

“For your sake, he is willing to give up everything. He even gave up the realm he had worked so hard to build, all for you.”

“Miss Jiu’er, the prince truly loves you. He’s willing to do anything for you.” Yu Jingfeng kept his eyes fixed on Feng Jiu’er the entire time, not even daring to blink.

Feng Jiu’er was deeply moved. She truly hadn’t expected that he had already taken care of things she herself hadn’t even thought through yet.

This fellow Yu Jingfeng seemed like he’d never been in love, yet when it came to talking about such matters, he spoke with surprising fluency.

Feng Jiu’er looked at him and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Yu Jingfeng, do you think I haven’t been good enough to the Ninth Imperial Uncle?”

Although, compared to what he had given, what she had given him was practically nothing.

“No.” Yu Jingfeng shook his head sharply. “No, Miss Jiu’er, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Feng Jiu’er asked in a low voice.

“Miss Jiu’er, don’t misunderstand, that’s really not what I meant.”

“I just wanted to tell you that the prince really treats you very well.”

“This, I know.” Feng Jiu’er narrowed her eyes halfway and nodded.

Yu Jingfeng nodded as well, then turned his gaze away with somewhat stiff movements.

Feng Jiu’er looked at the slightly dazed man, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly.

“Yu Jingfeng, and what about you?” she asked with a light smile.

“Me?” Yu Jingfeng turned his head, blinking.

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and continued, “Do you have a woman you’re fond of? Would you be willing to give up everything for one woman?”

Yu Jingfeng frowned and shook his head. “Everything I have was given to me by the prince. No matter who it is, nothing can change my resolve to protect the prince.”

“But the Ninth Imperial Uncle is, after all, a man. Even if he were a woman, he could never belong to you,” Feng Jiu’er said, raising an eyebrow.

“If you keep following the Ninth Imperial Uncle, your own marriage prospects are likely to be neglected. Aren’t you afraid?”

Yu Jingfeng paused, then shook his head. “There’s nothing to fear. Women, well, there’s nothing much to them either…”

He glanced at Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao, scratched his head, and didn’t continue.

“You mean to say women can be troublesome sometimes, don’t you?” Feng Jiu’er looked at Yu Jingfeng, raising an eyebrow again.

Yu Jingfeng met her gaze, shaking his head with a hint of awkwardness. “No, that’s not what I meant.”