“It’s quite normal that you’d think that way,” Feng Jiu’er said, the corners of her lips curving slightly as she turned her gaze toward the distance.

“I imagine the Ninth Imperial Uncle used to think the same way—otherwise, he wouldn’t still be unmarried at twenty-seven.”

“Yu Jingfeng.” Feng Jiu’er turned to look at the man beside her. “You seem to be only a year younger than the Ninth Imperial Uncle. Do you not plan on marrying either?”

“You know, once a man gets too old, it’s not easy to find a wife.”

“I’m not in a hurry,” Yu Jingfeng said, glancing at Feng Jiu’er with a faint smile, “and besides, I don’t have that… intention.”

Behind them, the others advanced on foot, and those at the front couldn’t move too quickly either.

“Yu Jingfeng, are you really not in a hurry, or do you simply not have the time?” Xiao Yingtao asked with a smile.

“It seems you understand romance quite well—so how could you not want any of it at all? Yu Jingfeng, you’re lying!”

“No,” Yu Jingfeng shook his head. “I haven’t thought about it. Really, I haven’t.”

“Every normal man thinks about it, unless you’re not normal,” Feng Jiu’er said, raising an eyebrow.

“Although, come to think of it, you don’t seem to have the time either—following the Ninth Imperial Uncle around must really wear you out!”

“Never mind—once I become a princess, I’ll grant you a few beauties. How about that?”

Yu Jingfeng coughed lightly and said in a low voice, “Miss Jiu’er, I’m a normal man, but… one is enough. I don’t need many.”

“All right.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “Just one then—someone good-looking, with a good figure, and a gentle temperament.”

“Jiu’er, stop it—Yu Jingfeng’s turning red,” Xiao Yingtao’s cheerful voice rang out.

Yu Jingfeng pressed his lips together and quickly looked away.

Xiao Yingtao looked at him and asked with a smile, “By the way, Yu Jingfeng, where are we headed now?”

“Near the Black Lands, we found a suitable spot and set up camp. The prince’s instructions are for the brothers to rest well for one night first.”

“There are quite a lot of us coming this time, so to avoid suspicion, the brothers split into three groups and passed through the Black Lands from different directions.”

“The Feng Clan brothers split up to deliver horses to us from several directions, but they don’t enter the Black Lands themselves.”

“We’ve already cleared the obstacles in the Black Lands, and the poisonous creatures that used to be there have vanished without a trace. We should be able to get through in about three days.”

Xiao Yingtao changed the subject, and the tension visibly eased from Yu Jingfeng’s expression.

“Whichever group leaves the Black Lands first, they’ll head into the city first, and the rest will follow in afterward.”

“Miss Jiu’er, the prince’s intention is for us to settle first in Yue City. Once he’s looked into the situation in the capital, we’ll decide what to do next.”

“The prince is very likely to head straight into the capital himself this time. He said he wants to find out exactly what happened with Prince Ye’s disappearance.”

“Miss Jiu’er, the prince feels quite guilty about Prince Ye’s disappearance, but you know his temperament—he doesn’t easily say such things.”

“He’s going into the capital himself?” Feng Jiu’er looked at Yu Jingfeng, her moth-eyebrows knitting.

Yu Jingfeng nodded and looked away. “It’s very likely.”

“After all, we still have too few people in the Feng Clan. The prince is worried that the news our brothers gather won’t be accurate enough.”

“A few days ago, he had already set off. Everything here has been left to me to handle.”

“Last time we came from the capital, it took us over a month, and he just went off toward the capital without saying a word?” The moment the words left her mouth, Feng Jiu’er let out a soft sigh.

This outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected to her.

“At the prince’s speed, he could probably reach the capital in ten days,” Yu Jingfeng said quietly.

“That speed—meaning galloping without stopping, without eating or drinking, is that it?” Feng Jiu’er glared at Yu Jingfeng.

“You clearly knew he was heading to the capital, which is so dangerous, and you didn’t go with him? I have so many brothers here with me—what danger could there possibly be for me?”

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Feng Jiu’er was genuinely worried about Di Wu Ya.

A tiger stranded on the plains is mocked even by dogs; a dragon swimming in shallow water is teased even by shrimp.

Perhaps the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s safety wasn’t truly in question, but seeing him endure hardship on her account still made Feng Jiu’er’s heart ache.

“Miss Jiu’er, I’m sorry!” Yu Jingfeng said quietly.

Feng Jiu’er didn’t look at him again, only staring at the road ahead.

She wished she could chase after the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s footsteps right now—no matter what happened, she would be willing to stay by his side.

But with so many brothers having come all this way with her, how could she simply leave on a whim?

This was the Feng Clan’s territory, a land completely foreign to the brothers. Everything had to be approached cautiously, step by step.

Feng Jiu’er said nothing more, and Yu Jingfeng didn’t dare disturb her either.

Night gradually fell, and the group continued onward. All around was quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects.

After roughly two hours of travel, Yu Jingfeng led everyone into a forest.

Within the woods, the smell of roasted meat hung in the air, and those at the front easily spotted the distant glow of firelight.

Xiao Yingtao, seated behind Feng Jiu’er, poked her head out.

Seeing the firelight ahead clearly, she asked excitedly, “Yu Jingfeng, our brothers are just ahead, aren’t they?”

“Yes.” Yu Jingfeng turned his head and answered Xiao Yingtao.

Xiao Yingtao took a deep breath and licked her lips, but didn’t dare show too much excitement.

The prince had gone into the capital alone, and Jiu’er was in low spirits—no matter how happy she felt, she didn’t dare show it too openly.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Jiu’er suddenly asked flatly.

Xiao Yingtao retreated a little, somewhat guiltily, and said softly, “Jiu’er, what do you mean, what’s wrong? Or are you asking Yu Jingfeng?”

“Sit tight.” The moment Xiao Yingtao finished speaking, Feng Jiu’er tightened the reins and sped up.

The sudden move caught Xiao Yingtao off guard, and she nearly fell off.

“Hyah!” Feng Jiu’er kept accelerating, paying no attention to the one behind her.

Xiao Yingtao quickly reacted, lunging forward to hold tightly onto Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, slow down! You scared the life out of me.”

“Your sister here is hungry—I can’t slow down!” Feng Jiu’er tossed back, kicking the horse’s flanks again. “Hyah!”

At the camp not far ahead, several brothers saw the group approaching, and one immediately mounted his horse and rode out to meet them.

The brother who came over looked at Feng Jiu’er, his face full of excitement. “Miss Jiu’er, we’ve finally been waiting for you.”

Feng Jiu’er slowed Chasing Moon’s pace and looked carefully at the person before her.

This was definitely one of the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s men—she found him somewhat familiar, but couldn’t recall his name.

Feng Jiu’er raised an eyebrow and asked, “Does that mean you’ve been waiting a long time?”

The brother nodded with a smile, turning his horse to ride alongside Chasing Moon. “Quite a while, yes.”

“If you hadn’t come, the prince might have forgotten us here in the Feng Clan.”

Only then did Feng Jiu’er realize these were brothers who had been stationed here long ago.

She looked at the brother and smiled lightly. “The Ninth Imperial Uncle worked so hard to cultivate such excellent people like you—how could he possibly forget?”

“Things were simply delayed by the matters in Bei Mu Kingdom. Now that we’ve arrived in the Feng Clan, it’s time for you all to get busy.”