“What are you doing?” Feng Jiu’er tried to push him away.

Di Wu Ya merely held her lightly and with ease, yet that casual hold alone was enough to cut off every avenue of retreat.

The strength she had lost was gradually gathering once more — but it was still no match for even his casual embrace. The gulf in strength between a man and a woman was, quite plainly, undeniable.

To be held by him like this — given her current state, the position was intimate enough to make a person’s face burn.

“Let go!” Feng Jiu’er had grown to adulthood without ever having been handled so carelessly by a man — except for the Ninth Prince the previous night. But the Ninth Prince had been out of his senses from the drug at the time; it had not been deliberate.

This man right now was clearly doing this on purpose.

She struggled forcefully: “Let go of me!”

Di Wu Ya gave her a casual push. Feng Jiu’er’s body was turned around, her back to him. His long arm reached around from behind, pulling her into his embrace.

The scent of Feng Jiu’er’s body, as expected, soothed and settled his mind and spirit. The turbulent surge of blood energy that had tormented him for so long gradually quieted.

Di Wu Ya closed his eyes. His body and mind had never felt so at ease.

Feng Jiu’er truly could not make sense of what he wanted. Clearly he had removed her clothing and was holding her as they lay tangled in the bed together — yet beyond holding her, he had made no improper advance whatsoever.

In fact — he appeared to have fallen asleep?

Was this his way of mocking her? Was she so unattractive, so lacking in allure, that even lying in his arms she could not stir even the slightest desire in him?

What on earth did that mean?

Still, the fact that he had fallen asleep was, at the very least, not a bad thing for her.

She carefully tried to push him away — only to find that Di Wu Ya’s arm was wrapped around her so tightly that no amount of pushing made even the slightest difference.

The meridians damaged by his internal energy had not yet fully healed. After struggling for a while, Feng Jiu’er grew weary as well.

It was simply difficult to sleep comfortably — being held by a man whose face she had not even been able to see clearly, a complete stranger.

……

When the sky barely began to lighten, Feng Jiu’er woke inside a carriage. When she came to, she found herself fully clothed.

The carriage had been left on a flat stretch of ground in the back mountain. Pulling aside the curtain, she looked out — not a soul in sight in any direction.

But she quickly recognized the place. This was the back mountain of the Feng Family.

The most maddening thing was that she had no memory whatsoever of when she had been dressed, or when she had been brought here.

Where had all the vigilance she had trained over the years gone?

She jumped down from the carriage. To her surprise, Feng Jiu’er discovered that not only had her meridians healed — her body even held within it a warm, flowing energy.

Someone had channeled inner energy to heal her. Could it have been none other than Di Wu Ya, the Venerable Lord of the Heavenly Venerate Sect?

That man would not even let others see his face. Just who was he truly?

She glanced once at the horizon, then hesitated no longer. She turned and walked in quick strides toward the back gate of Feng Manor.

On a distant mountainside, a slender silhouette stood tall against the wind.

The mountain breeze stirred his long hair, sweeping it across a face of otherworldly, peerless beauty — a countenance so striking that everything around him seemed instantly to lose its color.

“Your Highness, she has gone back.” Yu Jingfeng glanced at Zhan Qingcheng, then looked again at the slender figure growing smaller in the distance below, and felt a lingering unease in his heart.

“Your Highness, you met her under the identity of the Venerable Lord. Should she recognize you, we would—”

Before the words were finished, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes. He watched as the Ninth Prince swept his long sleeve and turned to leave.

His Highness’s actions — what standing did he have to question?

By the look of things, in the days ahead, the life of His Highness would likely come to include, from time to time, one small girl by the name of Feng Jiu’er.

Yu Jingfeng cast one last glance in the direction where Feng Jiu’er’s figure had disappeared, let out a soft sigh, and turned to go after Zhan Qingcheng.