“Good!” Xing Zizhou nodded. “Then I’ll head down the mountain now. I’ll leave things here in your hands.”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er waved a hand. “Be careful.”

“Yes.” Xing Zizhou nodded, went over to give Xiao Yingtao a hug, then turned and left.

Xiao Yingtao turned and watched him go, saying nothing.

For now, this whole area was under their control, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

Besides, the distance wasn’t far — there shouldn’t be any trouble.

“Qiao Mu, Jian Yi, let’s go check the waterfall area and see if there’s anything there,” Feng Jiu’er said quietly.

“All right,” Qiao Mu said, nodding.

Jian Yi gave a slight nod as well, a gesture of agreement.

“Xiao Yingtao.” Feng Jiu’er’s voice rang out again.

“Yes.” Xiao Yingtao hurried forward to Feng Jiu’er’s side.

“Take some of the brothers and focus on testing the water quality beneath the waterfall. That cliff face is far too sheer — it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to plant anything there.”

“Unless…” Feng Jiu’er looked toward the highest point of the waterfall she could see. “Unless they have the means to sabotage the very source at the top. Otherwise, we’ll have water to drink.”

“Understood!” Xiao Yingtao nodded, a little excited.

The waterfall’s flow was so powerful — soon they’d be able to drink good, clean water, wouldn’t they?

Everyone looked at the roaring waterfall and couldn’t help swallowing.

Feng Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, and Jian Yi exchanged a glance, then approached the waterfall from different angles.

Soon, Zhao Yusheng arrived with two of the brothers. After the two groups compared notes, they made their way back.

Fortunately, neither side of the waterfall turned up any similar pouches.

People had also gone up the two flanking peaks.

After repeated testing, the water quality both above and below the waterfall showed no problems at all, and the brothers cheered with joy.

But before the celebration had gone on for long, thick dark clouds rolled in, and a heavy rain came pouring down.

Everyone rushed toward the edge of the cliff to find shelter from the rain. Even though many of them got soaked, their faces were still full of delighted smiles.

The poison pouches had all been collected. After this downpour washed through, would the streams finally be drinkable?

No one had forgotten the small river they’d passed on their way here — the only flowing river they’d encountered.

That river ran straight to this high mountain, gathering the water of all these streams — proper mountain spring water.

Time was pressing, and they hadn’t found a cave to shelter in.

Jian Yi pushed Feng Jiu’er into a small hollow in the rock — the alcove wasn’t large, barely enough to hide more than one person.

Jian Yi moved quickly, and Feng Jiu’er’s clothes were barely wet at all, sheltered inside by him.

The sky had gone dark, and with Jian Yi’s tall frame blocking the mouth of the hollow, even less light reached Feng Jiu’er.

Jian Yi raised both arms, bracing them against the rock on either side.

His tall body and the clothes stretched taut over it shielded Feng Jiu’er completely.

The heavy rain beat down on Jian Yi’s head and shoulders, and some of the splashed water reached toward Feng Jiu’er.

Jian Yi leaned in a little further, doing his best to keep the rain from soaking Feng Jiu’er’s clothes.

“Jiu’er, how are you feeling? Are you cold?”

Feng Jiu’er glanced at him and pulled him further inside.

“I’m fine. Isn’t there still room? Come in a little more — don’t catch a chill from the rain.”

Jian Yi had only recently recovered, so Feng Jiu’er couldn’t help worrying about him.

Besides, there really was space, wasn’t there?

At first, Feng Jiu’er hadn’t thought much of it, but she quickly began to feel that something was off.

Pulled in like that by her, Jian Yi’s entire body was now pressed against hers.

The hollow really was tiny — perhaps someone with a small frame like hers or Xiao Yingtao’s could just barely manage to stand two at once.

But with her and Jian Yi, the situation ended up like this.

His firm chest was pressed right against her cheek.

By the time Feng Jiu’er came to her senses, the sound of the rain outside seemed to have faded, replaced by the strong, rapid beating of a man’s heart.

That heartbeat — wasn’t it going a little too fast?

Feng Jiu’er felt uneasy. She was a married woman — how could she possibly be pressed this close to another man?

But could she push Jian Yi away in a situation like this? Clearly not!

Jian Yi was family to her — more than family. How could she possibly push him away?

Feng Jiu’er suddenly realized that Jian Yi smelled rather good. Just like the person he was — bright and full of vitality!

Feng Jiu’er! Have you lost your mind? That’s Jian Yi, not your man!

Was someone as pure and noble as the great hero Jian Yi something you could sully?

Fine — sullying her Ninth Imperial Uncle was one thing, but Jian Yi was off-limits. Feng Jiu’er couldn’t bear that kind of responsibility.

The rain still poured down heavily, showing no sign of easing. It was only after she’d heard Jian Yi’s heartbeat that the sound of the rain itself seemed to fade.

The two of them stood there without moving. It wasn’t that Feng Jiu’er didn’t want to move — her whole body was pressed against the rock, with nowhere left to shift to.

After Jian Yi had pulled her in, he hadn’t made another move or said a single word.

After a long quiet stretch, Feng Jiu’er’s soft little hand crept forward and pressed gently against Jian Yi’s chest, applying a slight pressure.

“Jian Yi, are you cold? Why is your heart beating so fast?”

Her nose lifted away from Jian Yi’s firm chest, and Feng Jiu’er tilted her head down slightly, exhaling hard.

The great hero Jian Yi truly was a man of charm — for one fleeting moment, Feng Jiu’er had actually worried she might lose herself.

How could that be allowed? She was a married woman, and her husband was even more handsome and charming than Jian Yi!

But Feng Jiu’er didn’t realize that her hand, resting against that firm patch of muscle on Jian Yi’s chest, had begun to shift without her noticing.

Such firm muscle! So much spring to it!

The pounding beneath her palm grew faster and faster, more and more intense, until Feng Jiu’er suddenly snapped back to her senses.

“Jian Yi.” She pulled back her mischievous hand.

“You… your heart really is racing. Are you all right?”

That hand, with nowhere else to go, settled instead on Jian Yi’s forehead, feeling for a fever.

By the faint light, Feng Jiu’er met Jian Yi’s gaze and frowned slightly.

His forehead wasn’t especially hot, but his body felt scorching — and seemed to be getting hotter. What was going on?

“Jian Yi, why aren’t you saying anything? Where does it hurt? Tell me.”

“Are you cold? Do you want—”

“Cold!” Jian Yi suddenly blurted out the single word, then bent down and pulled Feng Jiu’er entirely into his arms.

Before Feng Jiu’er could react, his voice, low and gentle, carried a trace of heat as it reached her ear.

“Let me hold you for a moment. I really am cold.”

The instant he finished speaking, he tightened his arms around her even further.

Feng Jiu’er could feel Jian Yi’s body trembling, and she abandoned the idea of pushing him away.

She reached out both hands and gently returned the embrace, only then discovering that his back was soaked through.

That was from him shielding her from the rain earlier — no wonder he was cold enough to shiver.