Yu Jingfeng arrived in haste, and upon his face — astonishingly — was a trace of anxious unease.

Such a frantic Lord Yu was something no one here had ever witnessed before.

In the past, in service beside the Ninth Prince, he had always been so imperious, so severe and coldly arrogant. No one had ever seen his expression carry such a breadth of feeling.

“Lord Yu!” A’Biao and A’Yang, catching sight of Yu Jingfeng, were also utterly dumbstruck.

Only moments ago, they had been speaking of going to the Ninth Prince’s Manor. And now, the most capable and trusted confidant at the Ninth Prince’s side had actually arrived!

The moment Feng Jiu’er caught sight of Yu Jingfeng, she retracted her silver needle and, discreetly, delivered a kick to the back of Zhang Jianhong’s leg.

Zhang Jianhong immediately crumpled, falling flat on his face into the dirt.

Feng Jiu’er also went limp and sank down, raising her head to look at Yu Jingfeng as he strode swiftly toward her. “Lord Yu…”

“Ninth Miss, how are you? Are you injured?”

Yu Jingfeng rushed to support her, then caught sight of the bloodstains on her body — and in an instant, both of his eyes turned red with fury.

“They dared to use torture on you! Unforgivable! Who laid hands on you!”

A’Biao and A’Yang were so frightened they fell to their knees with a series of thuds, trembling from head to toe. “It… it was us, subordinates.”

With a sharp ring of steel, Yu Jingfeng’s longsword was drawn from his waist, its cold light flashing, brimming with killing intent.

“It has nothing to do with them!” Feng Jiu’er seized his wrist with one hand, afraid he might wrongly cut down innocent men.

“Lord Yu, on the night of the eighteenth of this month, Jiu’er was abducted by attackers, and it was people from the Ninth Prince’s Manor who rescued her. Please inform Commander Zhang — Jiu’er did not lie.”

These words carried an enormous weight of information, and Yu Jingfeng understood.

He lowered his gaze to Zhang Jianhong, still sprawled on the ground and wholly unable to rise, and said with fury: “It was people from the Ninth Prince’s Manor who saved Ninth Miss. If Commander Zhang still has doubts, the Ninth Prince’s Manor welcomes an inspection at any time.”

He bent down and swept Feng Jiu’er up into his arms, then strode swiftly toward the door.

As he walked, he also offered her an explanation: “My apologies, Ninth Miss. His Highness was outside the city today and only received word after nightfall — that you had been brought into the Bureau of Heavenly Scrutiny.”

“His Highness ordered me to return ahead of him and mount the rescue. His Highness should have entered the city by now as well. Ninth Miss, I will bring you to tend to your injuries at once.”

Her body was covered in bloodstains, the injuries surely no light matter. When His Highness saw her later, he himself would likely face severe consequences.

Had he known, he would have urged the horse to run even faster. Had he arrived half an hour earlier, perhaps Ninth Miss would not have had to suffer so.

Who could have imagined — just as he helped Feng Jiu’er onto the horse, she actually turned back and flashed him a mischievous smile. “The injuries are all fake.”

“Fake…”

“Shh!” Feng Jiu’er pressed a finger to her lips and said quietly: “Let us leave quickly. This place is too frightening.”

Yu Jingfeng snapped out of his stunned stupor. Seeing nothing but playful merriment in her expression, and indeed not a single trace of suffering on her face, he settled his nerves.

He removed his outer robe and draped it around her shoulders, then said softly: “Ninth Miss, please hold on securely. I will bring you back at once.”

Feng Jiu’er said nothing. She sat behind him as the wind swept across her face, and her thoughts drifted to the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s face — that face of breathtaking, city-toppling beauty. All at once, warmth spilled through her heart.

Some people regarded her as worthless — treating their promises as mere words carried away by the breeze. But there were others who, at the very least, truly cared about her.

Whether it was caring for her as a person, or caring for the blood in her veins — it was a form of caring all the same.

Compared to those heartless souls, it was always enough to soothe the spirit.

“Ninth Miss, His Highness will arrive at the manor shortly. His Highness will stand up for you in this matter. Ninth Miss, do not worry.”

The two of them had long since left the imperial palace behind and were now speeding in the direction of the Ninth Prince’s Manor. Jiu’er gave a small nod. She was about to say something when her complexion suddenly shifted, and she cried out urgently: “Yu Jingfeng — watch out!”