Lu Feifan could hardly believe it—he had only just left for a moment, and already Zhen Jiu’er had been hurt this badly!

If his hearing hadn’t been sharper than an ordinary person’s, he might never have caught Jiu’er’s faint cry.

By the time Lu Feifan heard her call and rushed back, Jiu’er had already collapsed to the ground.

She was being dragged by several black-clad men, who were preparing to hoist her up and carry her off.

Her back was covered in wounds! The sight of it, in that first instant, struck an inexplicable ache through his heart.

“Bastards!” Lu Feifan kicked the black-clad man dragging Zhen Jiu’er, and the man howled and crumpled to the ground.

From the sound of it, his ribs had clearly been broken.

Jiu’er bit her lip, struggling to hold on to consciousness.

She had expected another fierce fight, but the moment the black-clad men saw Lu Feifan standing beside Zhen Jiu’er, they froze—then all of them fled.

Someone clearly still had a tranquilizer gun in hand, but whether they’d forgotten to use it or simply lost their nerve, not a single dart was fired. They hauled their injured comrade away and left at once.

Lu Feifan didn’t seem inclined to chase after them. Right now, the most important thing was finding out how badly Jiu’er was hurt.

“Are you all right?” Lu Feifan crouched down, reaching to help her up.

Without meaning to, he brushed against the wound on her arm.

By now, her shoulder had been cut, her arm had taken a blade as well, and her back—dragged across the ground as she had been—was scraped raw in a wide patch.

The moment Lu Feifan touched her, the pain was so intense she nearly blacked out.

“Take me… back.” The instant she got the last word out, Jiu’er finally succumbed to the sedative and her eyes fell shut.

Lu Feifan carefully gathered her up in his arms and strode quickly toward the camp.

In the wind, the girl’s face was ghostly pale.

Watching her, Lu Feifan felt an emotion he couldn’t quite name.

She clearly suspected that he and Xia Zi were working together, and she clearly knew that the black-clad man who had lured her out that other night had been him.

And yet, the moment she’d been in danger, she had trusted him so completely that she’d cried out for him with everything she had.

Why was she willing to trust him… when even he himself could hardly say how much trust he held for himself?

Seeing the tight furrow between Jiu’er’s brows, Lu Feifan dared not dwell on it any further and quickened his pace back to camp.

…Jiu’er had been hurt.

The moment Lu Beicheng heard the news, he rushed back immediately.

Qiaoqiao was still at the Northern Emperor’s Tomb, having gone in with the main group and not yet come out, and Jiu’er needed a doctor.

“Get Ren Qiqi over here. Whatever it costs, just say it—see to Jiu’er’s wounds first!”

“Yes, sir!”

Ji Mingyu quickly returned with Ren Qiqi in tow.

When Ren Qiqi walked in, her eyes were still faintly red.

Seeing Lu Beicheng keeping watch beside the bed, a trace of resentment flickered through her.

“Miss Ren, please hurry and see to Miss Jiu’er’s wounds. I’ll arrange your payment separately,” Ji Mingyu said urgently.

Ren Qiqi had no choice but to sit down by the bed and open her medical kit to begin treating Jiu’er’s wounds.

“Second Young Master, we’re… not needed here. Perhaps we should wait outside.”

Watching Ren Qiqi begin undressing Jiu’er without a second thought, Ji Mingyu’s face flushed, and he quickly moved to block Lu Feifan’s view.

Lu Feifan glanced once more at the still-unconscious Jiu’er and saw that Ren Qiqi had already undone her buttons, apparently unconcerned that men were still present, and was about to pull her clothes off entirely.

His chest tightened as well, and he turned and walked out.