The group returned to camp, and by then it was already noon.

Near the camp was a small stream.

The men slaughtered the chickens and cleaned the fish, while the women lit fires nearby to cook.

Feng Yinan and Zhao Yusheng had spent the whole morning making the formations around them even more secure.

The spot chosen for the fire was one Feng Jiu’er had selected by taking the wind direction into account.

Even with smoke, it would only blow inward and never be visible to anyone outside.

There was plenty of dry firewood in the forest; once the fire was lit and the pot set up, the fragrant smell soon began to drift through the air.

Snake soup, braised fish, steamed shrimp, rabbit stew with sweet potatoes, mushroom chicken stew—today, there was meat to spare!

The remaining meat was cleaned thoroughly and hung up to dry.

Autumn skies stretched clear for miles, the air dry—a perfect season for making dried meat.

And once the meat had been processed this way, it could simply be cut and eaten whenever they wanted.

Even after a trip out, there was no need to worry too much about having enough food for the next few days.

With so many hands at work, a delicious meal came together quickly.

Everyone sat on the ground, holding all sorts of bowls and ladles, eating heartily and with great satisfaction.

“Father, here.” Feng Jiu’er handed a peach to Feng Li, sitting beside her.

Feng Li took the peach but didn’t rush to eat it.

“You should eat it,” Feng Jiu’er said, nudging his arm. “You never like eating fruit—it’s not good for your health.”

“I do like it,” Feng Li said, taking a bite of the peach. “This kind of peach—your mother liked it too.”

Feng Jiu’er, who had just taken a bite of her own peach, turned her head and blinked.

“Father, do you think about mother every day?”

“Mm.” Feng Li nodded gently, then looked up. “Jiu’er, do you believe in the afterlife?”

Feng Jiu’er shifted closer, sitting behind him, leaning against his back, and looked up at the sky as well.

Above their heads were trees, sunlight filtering down through the branches, warm and pleasant.

“I’ve been thinking—my father and mother are both good people, and good people should be rewarded with good fortune.”

Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together, then raised her peach again and took another bite.

Feng Li fell silent, and for a moment, everything grew quiet.

Feng Jiu’er, having eaten her fill, had chosen this spot specifically to have a heart-to-heart talk with her father.

The blanket, fruit, and tea had all been prepared by Jian Yi, though he hadn’t stayed—he now sat cross-legged on a tall tree, resting with his eyes closed.

Not far away, the laughter of the others only made this quiet moment feel more poignant by contrast.

A crisp “crack” —the sound of Feng Jiu’er biting into her peach—broke the somewhat bittersweet silence.

After swallowing the fruit, she was about to turn around when she heard Feng Li speak.

“In this life, she never enjoyed a single day of happiness—how could there be any good fortune owed to her?”

Feng Jiu’er, recalling how at ease Feng Li had seemed just moments ago during the meal, regretted having brought up the memory of her mother.

“Father.” She let out a breath and leaned against his back again.

“If I were mother, I would feel that I’d been very fortunate.”

“To be loved by a man like you, who loves only one person his whole life, who even after she’s gone will never let another woman into his life—such a man is rare in this world.”

“To have earned your love, your tenderness—I think mother must have been happy too.”

“But father, if it’s possible, I hope you could…”

“No.” Feng Li cut off Feng Jiu’er’s words. “I’ll keep waiting. We…”

He paused, then continued, “There will be a day we meet again.”

“But, Father…” Feng Jiu’er turned to look at Feng Li’s broad back, her moth-eyebrows knitting together.

She had never dared to hope that the Ninth Imperial Uncle would treat her this way, and moreover, she couldn’t bear to see him so lonely.

“If I were to die, I would want the Ninth Imperial Uncle to find someone else. Father, I think mother would feel the same way I do.”

“Unable to make room for another, unable to forget—all there is left is waiting,” Feng Li said, picking up the peach and looking at it.

The corners of his mouth lifted, and without saying anything more, he took a small bite of the peach.

The scene atop the city wall surfaced once more in Feng Jiu’er’s mind, and she could no longer bring herself to eat.

Aunt Xue had gone missing, and her mother’s body had not yet been found.

But as a healer, she was certain—her mother must have died on the spot.

Waiting? The person was no longer in this world. What exactly was her father waiting for?

When the day came that he, too, closed his eyes forever—would that truly mean being reunited with her?

Feng Jiu’er tossed the half-eaten peach in her hand toward a little squirrel nearby, shifted her position, and lay down in Feng Li’s embrace.

She closed her eyes, turned over, and did not look at Feng Li.

“Father, once the Ninth Imperial Uncle and I have children, you’ll have to help us raise them.”

“If it’s a boy, teach him swordsmanship, horsemanship, and archery. If it’s a girl… well, then you’ll have quite a task ahead of you.”

“Not just swordsmanship, horsemanship, and archery, but the arts too—music, chess, calligraphy, painting.”

“Father.” She took hold of Feng Li’s hand with both of hers. “Do you prefer boys, or girls?”

Feng Li lowered his eyes and gently stroked Feng Jiu’er’s small face.

“As long as they’re our Jiu’er’s children, Father will love them no matter what. Whatever they want to learn, Father will teach them, whatever it takes.”

“Mm-hm.” The corners of Feng Jiu’er’s mouth curved slightly. “Governing the realm is a small matter—we’ll just leave that to ourselves.”

“Raising children is the real priority. Poor Father will have his hands full.”

Feng Li gently stroked Feng Jiu’er’s small head, his expression growing more and more at ease.

Beneath the shade of the trees, quiet settled once more.

But this time, the stillness carried warmth, unlike before.

Before long, on the sixth day, the messenger bird returned with two pieces of news.

Once night fell, everyone gathered back in the cave.

Zhao Yusheng took out a letter he had just received, glanced around at everyone, and said, “This is a message sent back from the main army.”

“In three days, someone will meet us by the riverside.”

“Can we really wait three days? Didn’t we say we’d be leaving tonight?” Xiao Yingtao asked, her moth-eyebrows knitting together.

“This place isn’t safe anymore—we must leave tonight,” Xing Zizhou said, his expression grave.

“Mm.” Zhao Yusheng nodded in agreement. “Today’s scouting report only confirms it further.”

“The Imperial Army has spread out across the entire Songjiang riverside. The western section has the most troops, and the numbers thin out the further east you go.”

“Jiangbei City sits toward the east-central region, and there are quite a few Imperial soldiers there as well, already searching the surrounding area.”

“Tonight, we have to leave according to the original plan.”

“Let’s go—we’ll figure things out as we move, and if it comes to it, we’ll use force to get out when the time comes.” Feng Jiu’er set down the last of the silver needles she’d finished cleaning.

“Though, this time, I don’t intend to go out through the city gate.”

Xing Zizhou looked at her, his thick brows furrowing slightly.

“You mean we’re going over the wall, Jiu’er?”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “The city wall is barely three zhang tall—it shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone here to climb over.”

“Going through the gate means too many guards—we can’t win that fight. What matters most now is finding a good spot to scale the wall and get out.”

“There are still a full two hours before we set out. I want to go out myself to gather information.”

“I’ll go with you.” Before Feng Jiu’er could even stand up, Jian Yi had already risen to his feet.

Feng Jiu’er put away her needle case, glanced up at him, and gave a small, faint smile of a nod.

“Everyone else stay here. Jian Yi and I will go out for a while.”