The moment Mu Mu left, the wolf pack stirred restlessly, as if wanting to chase after him.

Feng Jiu’er gripped the leaves in her hand tightly and drew on the true energy the Ninth Imperial Uncle had passed to her, making the tune ring out even louder.

The wolves finally stilled again, continuing to retreat, step by step.

Feng Jiu’er had already grasped the trick to making them withdraw, but Mu Mu had gone off to that other place, and she herself couldn’t perform lightness skill. What she feared most was that if she drove the pack away entirely, and they were somehow drawn over to the other side, Mu Mu would be the one in danger.

So she didn’t dare play the tune too forcefully — only enough to keep them on a loose leash.

Once Mu Mu had dealt with that person, she would let the black wolves retreat for good!

But then — what was wrong with the leaf in her hand? After being blown through several times with true energy, it actually seemed about to split apart?

Feng Jiu’er’s heart lurched, her breathing turning ragged. She hadn’t fully mastered the true energy the Ninth Imperial Uncle had given her, and in her carelessness, she had blown a little too hard.

She wanted to pluck two fresh leaves, but with both hands gripping the current ones, she had no idea whether the wolves would pounce the instant she stopped.

She should let them drift a little farther away first…

Holding the leaves tight, Feng Jiu’er made her tune even more melodious, the rhythm even slower.

Gradually, it began to sound almost like a lullaby.

The wolf pack kept retreating, farther and farther.

Just as Jiu’er judged the distance sufficient to switch out her leaves, suddenly, a chill swept in from behind her.

Jiu’er’s heart clenched, and she instinctively twisted her body aside. With a whoosh, a stray arrow shot past, missing her by a hair’s breadth, and struck the trunk of a nearby tree with a thud.

Damn it — someone was firing stray arrows! Her tune must have alerted those people from the Imperial Guard Institute.

They hadn’t even bothered to see who was playing the tune here before resorting to a hidden assault. It seemed the Empress had issued a kill order this time, determined to be rid of her!

She had only just managed to dodge the arrow when Feng Jiu’er quickly realized — her situation now was rather dire.

She was standing on a tree branch, and the wolf pack… damn it, when had they suddenly surrounded the base of the tree?

They weren’t moving, so she didn’t dare move either. She only slightly lifted her fingers, hoping to pluck the nearest leaf above her.

But she didn’t dare act rashly — wolves were extremely sensitive, and any sudden movement would send them lunging instantly.

Even up in the tree, they could still leap up! Even here, she wasn’t safe in the slightest!

Just as Feng Jiu’er, moving without a sound, tried to pluck the two leaves above her head, another wave of chill suddenly struck from behind.

A stray arrow! These people had already gotten this close to her!

An arrow flew at her; Feng Jiu’er shifted her footing and narrowly dodged it.

She had barely steadied herself when, with a crash, several wolves slammed into the tree trunk together.

Their combined force was terrifying — the branch shook violently. Feng Jiu’er’s foot slipped, and unable to find her footing, she plunged downward.

She let out a startled cry, and just as she was about to fall, she threw her arms upward and managed to catch hold of the branch that had been beneath her feet.

But the branch was far too thick — wrapping both arms around it barely gave her any grip. Her fingers strained, white-knuckled, yet she kept sliding down.

Worst of all, after letting out a howl, the wolf below sprang up from the ground like an arrow, lunging at her with vicious force.

The height it leapt completely exceeded anything Feng Jiu’er had anticipated.

So high — it looked about to bite her feet! Feng Jiu’er immediately drew up both legs, narrowly escaping its jaws — but behind her, a stray arrow was already aimed straight at her back…