“You have not only failed Father’s painstaking efforts, but you’ve also joined outsiders and turned against Father. Third Imperial Brother, have you gone mad!”

Feng Jin snorted coldly, his anger mixed with regret.

“Where is the Fourth Imperial Uncle?” Feng Jiang raised his head, looking at Feng Jin.

His eyes had lost their usual luster, hollow and lifeless.

“As long as you’re willing to come back with me, nothing will happen to the Fourth Imperial Uncle,” Feng Jin said coldly.

“I want to see the Fourth Imperial Uncle.” Feng Jiang’s fist, resting on the bed, clenched tightly.

But the moment he grew agitated, he immediately began to cough, his face turning even paler, his body swaying as if he might collapse.

Feng Jin strode forward and gripped his shoulder.

“Why do you insist on this stubbornness? Both our lives belong to Father. How much longer will you defy him?”

He shoved Feng Jiang hard, and Feng Jiang’s body slammed into the bed with a thud.

He closed his eyes, his eyelids so heavy he could barely open them.

“You won’t let… the Fourth Imperial Uncle go… Jiu’er, she is… she won’t give up!”

“They can’t wait any longer, they’re going to… break through! Eldest Imperial Brother, release the Fourth Imperial Uncle!”

“The Fourth Imperial Uncle has treated us well. If you take him back, Father will… never spare him.”

“Eldest Imperial Brother, you… release the Fourth Imperial Uncle…”

Feng Jiang’s face grew paler and paler, his voice weaker and weaker, so faint it was almost inaudible.

Feng Jin stood by the bed, watching him for a long while before furrowing his brow, waving his sleeve, and turning to leave.

“Watch him closely. There must be no mistakes!”

“Yes, Eldest Prince.” The two guards stationed by the door cupped their fists in acknowledgment at the same time.

“Eldest Prince, what should we do now?” Gu Mingcheng asked after giving his orders, returning to Feng Jin’s side.

“Let’s go.” Feng Jin glanced at his own steed. “I’d like to see just who is bold enough to cause trouble in my camp!”

He snorted coldly, his aura icy to the extreme.

“Bring three hundred elite soldiers, we set out at once!”

“Yes!” Gu Mingcheng cupped his fists, turned, and ran off.

Half an incense stick’s time later, Feng Jin sat astride his horse, riding out ahead of the others under the pitch-black moonlight.

In the tent, Feng Jiang, who had been lying on the low bed, sat up after a good while.

Suddenly, he clutched his head and rolled on the ground, letting out unceasing wails.

“What’s wrong with the Third Prince?” A soldier standing guard outside noticed something amiss.

“Could the poison be acting up again?” another soldier said, frowning.

“The Eldest Prince really is ruthless, poisoning his own imperial brother like that.” The first soldier to speak reached his hand toward the tent flap.

“What choice did he have? The Third Prince dared to defy the Emperor!” the other soldier said, turning as well.

The two exchanged a glance, and one lifted the curtain and stepped inside, the other following.

Feng Jiang, clutching his head, writhed on the ground, his face contorted in abnormal agony.

“Third Prince, what’s wrong?”

“Third Prince, here, drink some water.”

The two soldiers went over, each grabbing one of Feng Jiang’s arms.

But Feng Jiang seemed utterly uncontrollable, and the two of them simply could not subdue him.

“Third Prince, just bear with it and it will pass.”

“Third Prince, drink some water, it’ll ease things a little.”

Even though these soldiers belonged to Feng Jin, they still held some respect for Feng Jiang.

The Third Prince had been away from the palace for a long time, and no one knew what he had been doing all this while.

Looking at the once carefree, easygoing Third Prince now reduced to this state, the soldiers felt uneasy in their hearts.

They had no guard up against Feng Jiang at all, believing he had truly succumbed to poison — after all, they themselves had personally delivered the poison he’d consumed.

Feng Jiang appeared to be in great pain, his hands and feet nearly out of control.

Yet, without warning, he struck out with both palms, knocking the two men unconscious at the same time.

Before the two soldiers could react, their eyes closed and they collapsed to the ground.

Feng Jiang took a deep breath, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and with trembling hands, reached for the collar of one of the soldiers.

The poison — he really had taken it. His ghastly complexion was no act either.

But fortunately, having spent time by Feng Jiu’er’s side, Feng Jiang had learned to take precautions in advance.

Before ingesting the poison, he had already taken an antidote powder beforehand.

Though it could not completely suppress the effects of the potent poison, at least he still retained some control over himself now.

In the blink of an eye, of the two soldiers who had entered, only one now left.

Feng Jin, confident that Feng Jiang was under control, had left only two soldiers with better martial skill to guard him.

With things so chaotic outside now, there were few patrols within the camp either.

Feng Jiang’s purpose was clear — he wanted to find out whether his Fourth Imperial Uncle was truly being held here.

The battle ahead had already begun, and the fire still burning behind gave Feng Jiang the perfect opportunity.

After blowing up the horse stables, Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi had not left right away.

There were not many able-bodied fighters in the recovery area to begin with, and they had taken the chance to rescue over a dozen of their own brothers.

The two of them, bringing the injured brothers along, converged with the others at the agreed time.

Feng Jiu’er looked at the fire blazing not far off, then at the distant forest, and made no move to hurry away.

“Jiu’er, let’s go.” Xing Zizhou, supporting an injured brother, spoke urgently.

By now, Xiao Yingtao and the others should have already reached the safe location and reunited with the brothers.

But he hadn’t seen her, and his heart remained uneasy.

“No! We can’t go back the way we came.” Feng Jiu’er, also supporting a brother, spoke.

Calming herself, she had changed her mind.

“Miss Jiu’er, what’s the plan?” Long Wu had one of the more seriously injured brothers slung over his shoulder.

“Miss Jiu’er, you all should go, we…” The brother on Long Shiyi’s back tried to get down.

“Don’t move!” Long Shiyi murmured a warning.

“Since Miss Jiu’er has decided to save you, we won’t let go halfway.”

Everyone knew Miss Jiu’er had a kind heart — she could never bear to watch her brothers suffer.

Having rescued so many brothers and still managed to converge with everyone at the appointed time, Long Shiyi believed she surely had a way to leave safely.

“We’ll take the other way, circling around Feng Jin.” Feng Jiu’er turned back, looking at everyone with certainty.

“Xiao Yingtao and the others will be fine, Xing Zizhou doesn’t need to worry too much!”

“From here on, we’ll be more exhausted, but going back the other way is much safer.”

“The Ninth Imperial Uncle has already broken through — Feng Jin won’t waste much strength on us.”

“Then let’s go.” Qiao Mu, too, was supporting a brother.

She had already searched this side and hadn’t found her man — perhaps going the other way would turn something up.

Qiao Mu wasn’t afraid. Their army had already broken through; there was nothing left for her to fear.

Right now, all she wanted was to drag that man back as soon as possible and give him a good beating.

“No time to lose.” Xing Zizhou nodded as well.

Those who could still walk carried or supported those who couldn’t, and together they headed toward the deep mountains on the other side.