Jiu’er and her Ninth Imperial Uncle had vanished just like that, leaving not a single trace behind.

Feng Li stood at the edge of the cliff, his fingertips trembling without pause.

“Your Highness…” Yu Jingfeng could find no path down to the bottom of the chasm and paced frantically at the cliff’s edge.

“Your Highness, what do we do? Miss Jiu’er and our Prince…”

“Have you ever heard the legend of Tiandu Peak?” Feng Li asked, staring into the pitch-black depths of the chasm, his voice sounding as though it came from some far, distant horizon.

“What… legend?” Behind him, Jian Yi, who had only just managed to regain consciousness, struggled to his feet.

He stumbled and made his way to stand behind Feng Li.

His tall, lean frame was drawn taut as a bowstring.

His whole body trembled.

His eyes, once bright, had gone utterly lifeless—ashen and dull.

“Jian Yi, you… don’t you dare throw your life away for nothing!”

Yu Jingfeng kept close watch, terrified at the sight of Jian Yi, who looked as though he might follow Feng Jiu’er over the edge at any moment.

“The Prince and Miss Jiu’er will be fine! They will be, for certain! Jian Yi, calm yourself!”

If Jian Yi truly meant to leap from the cliff, Yu Jingfeng feared he wouldn’t be able to stop him!

“The legend of Tiandu Peak…”

Feng Li turned to look at Jian Yi, who seemed to have lost half his life the instant Jiu’er fell from the cliff. His gaze was deep and heavy.

“According to legend, once every hundred years, at the base of Tiandu Peak, when dragon and phoenix winds swirl together, a seal opens, and one may cross over into another realm.”

“Another realm? What do you mean?”

Jian Yi did not know whether to believe it.

“A hundred years ago, someone once encountered it. The legend describes a wind extremely similar to the one we just witnessed. A whirling dragon-wind swept a person up and carried them to another place.”

“A hundred years ago, that person was swept off the cliff’s edge, and when they woke, they found themselves in another country. This is recorded even in the ancient texts of the Feng Clan.”

“Your Highness, I beg you… I beg you…”

Jian Yi did not know what he wanted to say, but within his chest, hot blood surged and churned.

Could it be that Jiu’er and her Ninth Imperial Uncle might also wake up somewhere else?

Please—don’t lie to him!

Don’t give him false hope!

“Will you come with me to search for them?” Feng Li walked to his side and took hold of his hand.

This man, who was willing to give his entire life for Jiu’er alone, had a palm now utterly without warmth.

Cold, as though it were ice that had endured a thousand years.

Feng Li tightened his grip a little more.

“No matter the ends of the earth, we will find them!”

He looked at Jian Yi, his gaze resolute. “Don’t give up. Can you promise me that?”

…From that day on, no one ever saw Feng Li or Jian Yi again.

It was said that they had gone to search for Jiu’er and her Ninth Imperial Uncle.

Some claimed to have seen them in the distant Southern Frontier, in a place called Peach Blossom Island.

Jiu’er and her Ninth Imperial Uncle, along with Feng Li and Jian Yi, were said to have left behind the deceit and scheming of the imperial court, living a simple, carefree life.

Others said they had seen Feng Li carrying a small child in his arms—perhaps the son or daughter of Jiu’er and Ninth Imperial Uncle.

Rumors spread every which way.

All that remained were legends.

Many years later, Feng Jiang and Qiao Mu once again returned to the peak of Tiandu Mountain.

The chasm was still bottomless as ever, still that mysterious peak people both feared and longed for.

“Do you think Jiu’er and her Ninth Imperial Uncle had a daughter or a son?” Qiao Mu couldn’t help but ask.

Feng Jiang let out a soft, silent sigh, and pulled her into his arms.

“Whether it’s a daughter or a son, they would surely be the most flawless, unparalleled being in this world—wouldn’t they?”

Qiao Mu tilted her head up to look at him, the smile at the corners of her lips deepening.

The wind drifted lazily by, lifting the hems of their robes, and that moment froze between heaven and earth.

It was beautiful—so beautiful it was filled with hope!

Jiu’er and Ninth Imperial Uncle were surely still alive.

As long as one believed, miracles could happen.

One day, they would come back.