“Miss Jiu’er’s affairs are our affairs,” the brother said, patting his chest. “We’ve been bored out of our minds during this time.”

“Now it’s good—the prince has arrived, Miss Jiu’er has arrived too, and we can finally do something big here in the Feng Clan!”

“Something big?” Feng Jiu’er looked at the brother, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s right, something big!” the brother said excitedly, nodding. “Master Yu said the Feng Clan’s throne should have belonged to Prince Ye all along.”

“Miss Jiu’er is Prince Ye’s only daughter—which makes you the crown princess.”

“This time the prince has come, he’s surely going to win back everything that should rightfully be yours, isn’t he?”

“Miss Jiu’er, you can rest assured! As long as the prince is here, whatever you want, he’ll definitely be able to get it for you.”

Yu Jingfeng coughed lightly, glancing at the brother who’d spoken.

The brother heard the sound, turned to look at Yu Jingfeng, and frowned.

But Feng Jiu’er paid it no mind and continued, “Aren’t you afraid?”

The brother immediately turned his gaze back to Feng Jiu’er. “Afraid? Why should we be afraid?”

“The Feng Clan is a vast realm. Right now we’re all outsiders here, trying to contend for the throne—it’s not such a simple matter,” Feng Jiu’er said with a faint smile.

“Not afraid!” the brother shook his head. “In our line of work, all it takes is one word from the prince, and even walking through fire and water, none of us would so much as blink.”

“What’s there to fear from the Feng Clan’s emperor? Isn’t our prince the emperor of Bei Mu Kingdom himself?”

“Although, Master Yu said the prince handed the throne to the Second Prince. Both the prince and the Second Prince are formidable people.”

Feng Jiu’er kept smiling faintly, her mood clearly good.

Her man, even before settling his own affairs, was already paving the way for hers—how could she not be happy? How could she not be moved?

He had already decided long ago that once he stabilized his own kingdom, he would follow her—he had decided this very long ago, not on some sudden impulse.

Feng Jiu’er’s heart felt sweet. Though she didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, she no longer felt afraid.

All because he was there.

They finally reached the camp, and the brother dismounted at once, coming to Feng Jiu’er’s side.

He looked at Feng Jiu’er with a smile, gesturing with his hand. “Miss Jiu’er, please!”

Feng Jiu’er nodded and got down off the horse.

“By the way, I forgot to ask—what’s your name?”

“I’m Bai Yang—’white poplar tree’ Bai Yang. I chose the name myself.”

“Miss Jiu’er, what do you think? Impressive enough, right?” Bai Yang asked, grinning broadly.

“Bai Yang, what a lovely name.” Feng Jiu’er glanced at the tall tree nearby and nodded. “Truly extraordinary as well!”

“Thank you, Miss Jiu’er.” Bai Yang nodded, gesturing again. “Miss Jiu’er, please!”

“The brothers know you all went hungry for a long while on the Black Lake, so we prepared some food in advance.”

“Miss Jiu’er, please come this way—I’ve picked out the best spot for you.”

“Good.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and followed Bai Yang’s lead.

The air here was thick with the smell of roasted meat, making everyone’s stomach growl.

They had eaten meat on the ship too, but salted meat couldn’t compare at all to fresh game.

What’s more, in the final days, all they’d had was fish, meal after meal of fish, until eventually even the rice porridge ran out.

Now, smelling a different kind of meat, everyone perked right up.

Xiao Yingtao was already dizzy with hunger; she didn’t say a word, just stayed close behind Feng Jiu’er.

Bai Yang led Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao straight toward the tents.

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Along the way, the brothers stood up whenever they saw Feng Jiu’er, calling out, “Miss Jiu’er.”

Feng Jiu’er nodded to the brothers, a smile constantly on her face.

There weren’t many people here, but quite a few tents.

It clearly wasn’t possible for every brother to sleep in a tent.

Still, having a good meal and resting under the trees for the night was something to be glad about for the brothers.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao followed Bai Yang to an open space in the middle of the camp.

This stretch of flat ground was fairly wide, with a bonfire burning in the center, and several brothers roasting game around it.

Knowing Miss Jiu’er had arrived, everyone had already stood up in advance.

When Feng Jiu’er walked in, five or six brothers called out in unison, “Miss Jiu’er.”

“Everyone’s worked hard!” Feng Jiu’er waved her hand.

“Not at all.”

“Not at all.”

The brothers shook their heads, smiles spreading across their faces.

“Miss Jiu’er, this roasted wild boar is ready. I’m cutting you some meat right now—just a moment.”

One brother smiled at Feng Jiu’er and turned back toward the bonfire.

“Miss Jiu’er.” Another brother spoke up as well.

“We know you didn’t have much to eat on the ship, but out here in the deep mountains, there aren’t many vegetables to be had either. I’ve prepared some vegetable porridge—let me serve you a bowl now.”

“I’ve got rabbit and wild pheasant here, plus roasted sweet potatoes,” one brother said, hurrying back to sit by the fire.

Another brother, after greeting Feng Jiu’er, hurried into a tent.

When he came back out, he was carrying a cloth sack.

“Miss Jiu’er, would you like to eat outside, or inside? I’ve prepared blankets, and some fruit—I picked these fresh myself today.”

Feng Jiu’er glanced around and her gaze landed on a patch of flat ground not far ahead.

“Let’s just do it here, no need to fuss. I can’t eat that much anyway—prepare more for the other brothers still coming.”

“Miss Jiu’er, we still have brothers out hunting game. No matter what, we mustn’t let the brothers who just arrived go hungry tonight.”

The brother responded to Feng Jiu’er, then went to the open spot she’d indicated and spread out the blanket.

The moment Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao sat down on the blanket, the brother opened the cloth sack he was carrying and set it before them.

“Please, you two, enjoy!” The brother waved his hand and turned to leave.

Bai Yang took a plate of roasted meat from one brother and two bowls of vegetable porridge from another, striding over to Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao.

“Miss Jiu’er, Miss Xiao, please enjoy! There isn’t much to find to eat out here—once we get into the city, everything will get better.”

Xiao Yingtao stood up and took the tray from Bai Yang’s hands, setting it down on the grass.

“Brother Bai Yang, no need to stand on ceremony—Jiu’er and I are about to drool. There are still plenty of brothers behind us, you all should go on and tend to your own business.”

“If what we have isn’t enough, we’ll just come ask you for more—no need to keep waiting on us.”

“All right.” Bai Yang nodded and turned to leave.

What they needed to prepare really was a great deal—it seemed like no matter how much they prepared, it would never be enough.

For this single evening, more than thirty brothers had been busy the entire afternoon.

Xiao Yingtao cupped a bowl of vegetable porridge in both hands, her gaze still on the brothers by the bonfire.

“Jiu’er, eat up—we really have made it to shore.”