“Everyone close your eyes.” Mu Mu called out loudly.

Everyone who heard him immediately shut their eyes.

But there were still some who were too slow!

“Ahh—” Suddenly, one man let out a cry and shoved his palm toward the brother standing beside him.

Fortunately, Jian Yi happened to be walking over to that end, and with a single grappling technique, he instantly subdued the brother who had gone berserk.

Jiu’er quickly stood up, wanting to go over.

But the moment she lifted her head, she immediately felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and her legs nearly buckled beneath her.

Mu Mu immediately steadied her with a hand, asking gently, “How are you? If you can’t manage—”

“I can manage!” Her brothers were waiting for her to treat them — how could she not?

She drew a deep breath, pulled out her silver needles, and crouched down in front of the brother that Jian Yi had subdued.

As she squatted down, another wave of dizziness struck her head.

Feng Jiu’er simply sat herself directly on the ground, keeping her gaze fixed solely on that brother, clearing her mind of all distractions. Finally, her concentration seemed to settle.

“Have them all close their eyes and rest — no wandering gazes.” Jiu’er said.

Mu Mu immediately announced in a loud, carrying voice: “Everyone sit where you are, close your eyes and rest. No looking around.”

“Yes!” Everyone already knew just how treacherous this Stone Forest was.

Right now, no one dared entertain stray thoughts. They could only sit down, close their eyes, and rest quietly.

Tuoba Keyan, worried about Jiu’er, couldn’t help stealing a few glances — but when he tried to look away again, he thought he saw someone among the stones of the forest.

What was that? Not just one person — more like many people. No, it was clearly an army of thousands.

Tuoba Keyan’s palm tightened into a fist, and he abruptly shot to his feet.

The sea of figures before him — he had no idea who they were — but all he could see was slaughter, battle cries, and blood.

A sea of blood churned and surged, the ground drenched in deep crimson, the stench of iron so thick it turned the stomach, nearly making him vomit on the spot.

He stumbled back two steps involuntarily, not wanting to charge in, not wanting to join such a battlefield — he didn’t want any of this!

Yet very quickly, another scene seemed to appear before his eyes.

Someone was being carried back. No — it wasn’t a person. It was a corpse.

A mutilated, incomplete corpse, the manner of death horrifying, the face smeared and blurred, almost impossible to make out.

And yet, the moment he laid eyes on that corpse, his heart shattered completely. His entire body seemed to convulse.

Pain. Pain so intense his entire body seized rigid. Pain so unbearable it nearly drove him to madness.

The two groups of figures before him gradually became clearer. Among them, one group — his enemies.

Kill them. He had to kill every last one of them.

They were the ones who had caused this woman’s death. Them!

He had to kill them all.

“I’ll kill you all!” Tuoba Keyan let out a roar and drove his palm toward the person nearest to him.

Suddenly, a sharp sting struck the back of his neck. Tuoba Keyan’s eyes rolled back, his whole body seized, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Mu Mu caught his body and eased him down.

“What happened?” Feng Jiu’er, who had just finished inserting the needles for that brother, hurried back.

“It seems the Stone Forest has seized hold of his soul.” Mu Mu looked at her, then moved aside to make room.

Jiu’er crouched down in front of Tuoba Keyan. Several others nearby couldn’t help wanting to look — Jiu’er immediately said, “No one look. Rest in peace, all of you!”

Everyone around them instantly closed their eyes. No one dared glance around any further.

Jiu’er was still not feeling well. Every now and then, her mind drifted into a faint haze.

The hand holding the needles trembled slightly. Just as she was about to insert one, her fingertips suddenly began shaking violently.

“I can’t.” She exhaled a low, labored breath and closed her eyes. “I cannot administer the needles right now.”

When she was not confident, she absolutely would not insert needles — because a single wrong needle could very well cost a life.

“Rest first. Once you’ve recovered, then treat him.” Mu Mu helped her sit down.

But just moments before, Jiu’er’s gaze had already fallen on the Stone Forest, and now her mind was completely consumed by what she had seen.

Flames roaring toward the sky.

A small girl cowering within the fire, certain she was going to die — but just as she was on the verge of despair, a figure suddenly walked toward her from within the blaze.

White robes, a fitted outfit — graceful in appearance, yet carrying an inexplicably solid, unyielding air.

It was a woman. She finally saw clearly — a young woman.

The raging fire burned her, burning her with pain. Every part of her body ached.

She thought she was about to die.

Who was it that came toward her? Who was it that, in her darkest moment of despair, scooped her into their arms?

Why did the woman’s face look like that?

Feng Jiu’er opened her eyes wide, staring fixedly into the depths of the Stone Forest.

That woman — white robes cinched at the waist, radiating a cold, piercing air.

A burning crossbeam from above came crashing down, nearly landing on the little girl.

The child cried out in fright — yet the beam ultimately struck the woman’s shoulder with a resounding crack.

“It’s so hot—” The little girl’s face was singed by sparks that flew out, burning her so badly she nearly broke into wailing sobs.

But she didn’t cry. Because she saw the woman’s robes catch fire at the shoulder.

For the sake of saving her, she had thrown away even her own life — but who was she? Who was she really?

The woman held her and swept through the sea of fire in a blur of motion.

Very quickly, they escaped the inferno. At last, there were no more flames surrounding them — she had been saved.

The woman set the little girl down, then turned to leave.

The little girl grabbed hold of her skirt, straining with everything she had to look up and see the woman’s face clearly.

Who was she? Who was she, really?

But the woman in white still pushed her away and walked off.

“Don’t go — don’t go—” Why risk your life to save her, only to leave her alone once she was safe?

“Don’t go—” Feng Jiu’er collapsed to the ground, reaching out her hand, trying to touch the woman in white.

But the woman in white had already gone far away.

In the far distance, she finally stopped, and turned to look back at her.

That single glance — how much sorrow it held, how much helplessness.

And that single glance finally allowed Feng Jiu’er to see clearly.

“Mother!”

“Jiu’er, come back to your senses!” Mu Mu steadied her swaying body.

He took her hand in his, and only then realized her hand was completely ice cold — not even the faintest trace of warmth.

“Jiu’er!” He righted her, placed both palms against her back, and poured a steady, rich stream of inner energy into her body without pause.

Jiu’er had once said that within this Stone Forest, if any of their brothers fell under the bewildering influence of the formation, no one should use their inner energy to treat them — leave it to her needles alone.

Because inner energy was always limited, and she was afraid they would waste it needlessly.

Using needles required only some effort of her own — and it would be enough to restore a brother to health.

As for everyone else’s inner energy — it had to be preserved, against any emergency.

But now, the only person who could administer needles here was also the one the Stone Forest had ensnared.

Mu Mu had no time to deliberate further. He immediately used his inner energy to suppress the chaotic surge of energy within her.

Jian Yi crouched in front of her, anxious, yet at a loss for what to do.

“Mother—” After an indeterminate amount of time, Feng Jiu’er slowly opened her eyes. “You’re still alive — you’re still… alive, Mother—”

Her mother, Long Feiyan, truly was still alive.

The year Jiu’er had been burned in the great fire as a small child — the one who had returned to save her had been her. It had been her all along.