Being caught by those electrifying eyes numerous times, although she was no longer frozen in place like at first, her heartbeat still quickened slightly.

Fortunately, just slightly.

What Yun Ya said next made her heart skip a beat: “Your cultivation has greatly advanced again.”

She had just completed bone marrow cleansing, and this man noticed. Did he borrow the Monkey King’s fiery golden eyes? Of course, Feng Miaojun was anxious, because due to Yun Ya’s recent supervision of her internal energy circulation, he knew her cultivation level like the back of his hand—he taught her cultivation with good intentions, but for only one purpose, to study the curse’s effect on her spiritual energy circulation—her sudden success in bone marrow cleansing, he could easily deduce the reason.

Had he tacitly approved of her secretly consuming the pink honey? On this point, Feng Miaojun had no certainty.

She could see Yun Ya’s gaze flickering slightly within half a foot, seemingly contemplative, his fingertip also sliding gently across her throat, causing a ticklish sensation.

She could only endure it.

Finally, he chuckled softly and released his hand: “This is the territory of the Kingdom of Yao. Don’t call me ‘sir’ anymore.”

Feng Miaojun inconspicuously breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied: “Yes, Young Master!”

In this moment, she felt grateful. Grateful that he didn’t take it to heart, grateful that he shared a bit of pink honey with her. Even if that small amount was insignificant to him.

One moment.

Thousands of miles away, in the Jin Palace.

Night had fallen deeply, yet the Jin King was still dressed, hurrying to examine a flying message. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly having stayed up for several nights without proper sleep, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

These days, bad news comes one after another.

There was no one else in the study, except for Right Chancellor Gu Youqing, who had replaced Li Shilong’s position several years ago. The Jin King handed him the flying message as well, and the latter’s face grew heavy.

After he quickly read through it, the Jin King rubbed his brow: “What’s your opinion? This is also an opportunity. If she secretly returns, it wouldn’t count as breaking our agreement.”

Gu Youqing carefully chose his words before softly saying: “Your subject believes it’s inappropriate. Yao is the gateway to Greater Jin. Although the Cliff Mountain passage is damaged, we still need to maintain good relations with the Kingdom of Yao. The capital of Yao will soon gather envoys from various routes, and Jin needs to clearly express its alliance stance, reassuring Yao.”

He paused briefly and continued: “Since the Kingdom of Pu and the Kingdom of Yan began their war, after winning the first battle, they still manage to win a battle now and then. It’s said that the battle at Linsong Plain lasted thirteen days, and in the end, Pu won with heavy casualties.” He summarized, “Therefore, Yan must be unable to spare forces to aid Yao in their crisis. If we don’t ally…”

The Jin King exhaled a long breath: “I received news the day before yesterday that the Wei people secretly gathered thirty thousand troops at Huangshi Ridge. From there, crossing the low mountains to invade Yao’s tundra would only take half a day.” The marching speed of an army on flat plains was not comparable to the mountain route the Wei army chose when invading Sweetwater Village several months ago.

Indeed, that was merely a test, but this time they might be serious.

It made sense too. The strongest of the six kingdoms, Yan, was busy teaching Pu a lesson, and with the Cliff Mountain passage just destroyed, Jin’s military and resources couldn’t cross the White Elephant Mountain Range. This was when the Kingdom of Yao was most isolated and helpless.

If Wei harbored wild ambitions, now was the time to reveal their claws.

The Jin King’s voice was bitter: “Then… she has suffered for it?”

“The Second Prince of Yao is a heroic figure, the ideal husband in the hearts of many women. Even among Jin’s young talents, how many could surpass him? The Princess is still young; when she grows up and understands, she will surely comprehend your difficulties as both a ruler and father.”

“Have you contacted that side?” The Jin King’s gaze was unstable. “What did they say?”

“They have preliminary cooperation intentions. They will meet with State Preceptor Mo in the capital of Yao for detailed talks.”

The Jin King nodded, and wrote quickly, as if wanting to draft before changing his mind.

Then he threw aside his brush, covered his forehead, and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he finally pushed forward the imperial letter and sighed: “Come, send it out.”

At this moment, the Jin King looked as if he had aged several years.

“If only Feng Miaojun wasn’t dead.”

Heading west, human settlements became denser, and the cities and villages they passed through grew increasingly prosperous. The Kingdom of Yao’s climate was generally warmer than Wei and Jin; the farther from the White Elephant Mountain Range, the warmer it became. In winter, she no longer saw snowflakes outdoors.

Travelers no longer needed to wear heavy cotton coats and double cotton pants, especially the wealthy youths, whose clothes remained as vibrant as in autumn. Feng Miaojun noticed that residents preferred brightly colored clothing, very different from Jin’s elegance and Wei’s simplicity.

Yun Ya was a radiant being wherever he went, able to firmly attract others’ gazes, and this time was no exception.

During their seven-day journey, five or six groups of people came to investigate, hoping to befriend him.

With such bearing, who wouldn’t desire it?

Feng Miaojun still remembered the first time someone sought them out. They had just changed horses in town. Before even leaving the Western Market, a burly man dressed as a servant approached them, bowed, and said: “Young master, my master invites you!”

Following his gesture, Feng Miaojun saw four or five people sitting in a teahouse about ten zhang away. Among them was another robust man with thick eyebrows and a square jaw, grinning at Yun Ya.

Feng Miaojun widened her eyes, strangely wanting to laugh. Yun Ya, however, pretended not to hear and continued walking forward.

With the master watching from nearby, how could the servant let him leave? He stepped forward to block his path: “Stop, come with me obediently, I won’t make things difficult for you…”

Yun Ya glanced at Feng Miaojun, who immediately put aside her amused attitude and stopped smiling. The State Preceptor couldn’t be bothered to deal with such a small fry, so he called on her to handle it.

Feng Miaojun extended her index and middle fingers, alternately moving them to mimic walking legs, lightly shouting: “Go back!”

The servant involuntarily turned around and walked toward the teahouse. His eyes revealed a horrified expression as he shouted: “Release me!”

His voice was loud, attracting many passersby. Feng Miaojun also found his commotion annoying, so she waved her hand in front of his mouth. The servant’s lips sealed shut, unable to utter a word, only making muffled sounds from his throat.

Yun Ya left without even looking.

The servant returned to his master’s side. The “young master” looked towards them with an angry expression, suddenly signaling to those around him.

Two men stood up and walked toward them.

They couldn’t swallow this insult.

What’s it like to have a master who attracts bees and butterflies? Feng Miaojun secretly sighed. The weather was good today, her mood was good too, and she didn’t want to kill anyone.

Yun Ya suddenly let out a light snort: “Soft-heartedness brings more trouble.” As he spoke, his sleeve moved slightly.

The two burly men who were striding toward them suddenly swayed and, with two “thuds,” fell to the ground one after another. Their eyes remained wide open, but blood was already flowing from their seven orifices.