She was alive. Long Feiyan was still alive.

In this very moment, Feng Jiu’er’s memories of that year — the memories of that great fire — were almost entirely awakened.

She truly had seen Long Feiyan. She had seen her mother.

In the moment when she had been on the verge of despair and death, her mother had descended as if from the heavens themselves, fighting with her very life to pull her from the sea of flames.

And yet, that year — it was many years after everyone had declared that Long Feiyan had died in battle on the battlefield.

Long Feiyan had not died in battle. She was still alive.

“Mother—”

Jiu’er reached out her hand, desperately trying to grasp hold of something.

At last, her hand fell limp. Her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness completely.

Jiu Qing suddenly furrowed his brow, pressing a large palm to his chest.

A stifled surge welled up from within, and his blood and energy roiled violently, leaving him deeply unsettled.

“What is it?” Xue Gu noticed his expression had changed and immediately stopped. “Did something strike your heart meridian?”

Jiu Qing shook his head. He had studied some of the art of unusual formations. Though his attainment was not deep enough to see through this Stone Forest entirely, he could at least ensure he would not be harmed by its formation.

But that sudden roiling of blood and energy just now had no discernible source — it had surged up without warning.

His heart felt as though it had been stabbed by something. Pain.

Could it be that something had happened to Jiu’er?

He straightened his posture and immediately quickened his pace.

But this Stone Forest was not the kind of place he could simply force his way through at will.

The moment he pushed forward recklessly, the path he had worked so hard to map out grew blurred and indistinct.

“Jiu Qing — do not let your mind be thrown into disarray!” Xue Gu said in a firm, low voice.

Looking at his expression, one could see he was clearly anxious.

Aside from Jiu’er, who else in this world could make him anxious to this degree?

That Jiu’er had encountered someone like the Ninth Prince in this lifetime was truly a tremendous stroke of fortune.

And yet, precisely because she had encountered such a formidable man, she had also drawn in so much trouble and danger.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse — even Xue Gu herself could not say.

Jiu Qing worked to steady his breathing, and only after some effort was he able to make out the path ahead.

Though his face appeared outwardly calm, in truth his heart was consumed with anxiety.

This path was extremely difficult to navigate — even he could only manage it with considerable effort. As for those who had gone ahead, where they were now and what kind of dire situation they faced, he had no way to guarantee anything.

Suddenly, Jiu Qing’s brow furrowed.

Xue Gu also startled, turning to look behind them.

Through the vast expanse of the Stone Forest, someone was actually drawing near.

Could it be one of their people?

Jiu Qing quickened his steps toward them. Xue Gu immediately followed.

The figure approaching from behind moved through the Stone Forest with light, swift steps — as though completely unaffected by the Stone Forest’s formation.

As the two parties were about to meet, Jiu Qing condensed his true energy in his palm, his expression grave.

This person was not one of their own. The stranger was clearly familiar with the formation — yet no one in their group possessed such ability.

“Wait!” Xue Gu had already made out the figure and called out urgently before Jiu Qing could strike. “It’s their Young Master.”

It was a strange night.

The night sky above the Ninth Prince’s manor drifted with an eerie atmosphere in every direction.

When Long Feiyan arrived, the entire manor appeared no different from usual — quiet, austere, yet carrying an air of tranquility.

And yet that strange feeling continued to linger in the air, impossible to place, defying any clear description of what exactly was wrong.

“Mistress, do you truly intend to go in yourself?” Qing Ye was somewhat hesitant.

She could not say why, but this visit felt completely different from the last time.

Something about it felt — deeply off.

The silence itself seemed implausibly absolute.

Below, a few servants were passing by, heading in the direction of the main bedchamber, apparently to deliver something.

Long Feiyan walked along the rooftop eaves, her steps leaving no trace, light as a feather, as though she were treading on clouds.

Qing Ye had to concentrate fully just to achieve half her mistress’s effortless grace.

Her mistress’s martial arts had reached a state of pure, consummate mastery. Even if the Ninth Prince himself were presently in the manor and came up against her mistress, he might not necessarily be her match.

“Mistress, there is something your subordinate finds strange.” Qing Ye suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Long Feiyan’s gaze remained fixed below. Even walking in a place as precarious as rooftop eaves, she never once looked at the path beneath her own feet.

“The Ninth Prince’s master is Emperor Ji — yet in your subordinate’s view, Emperor Ji is simply not capable of producing a disciple this formidable.”

So who, then, was the Ninth Prince’s true master?

All these years, and no one had ever managed to find a single piece of information about this person.

“Mistress, there’s someone!” Qing Ye’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Long Feiyan stopped, gazing down at the door that had just been opened.

It was Yu Jingfeng who had opened it. Inside, a figure sat in a chair — from this angle, half a face was visible.

It appeared to be the Ninth Prince without question, and yet — why did something feel wrong?

Long Feiyan suddenly moved forward. Qing Ye startled and hurriedly said, “Mistress, are you going down to see whether that is truly the Ninth Prince?”

If she truly went down, then this confrontation would shatter all the present calm, and everything would begin in earnest.

Long Feiyan did not answer her question. She had already walked to the very edge of the eaves, to that outermost roof tile.

That particular tile, even in ordinary times when it simply sat there, looked as though a strong enough gust might send it tumbling down at any moment.

And yet her mistress stood upon it, as light as though she carried no weight at all.

The tile remained fixed on the eave, entirely unaffected by the weight of her body.

But just as Long Feiyan was about to descend, a figure came rushing toward them from the distance.

Qing Ye turned and immediately went to intercept.

Before long, Qing Ye returned in haste, striding quickly to Long Feiyan’s side.

“Mistress, this is bad — the Young Master and the others have entered the Black Gorge. They intend to reach the Feng Clan by way of the Black Lake.”

“What?” Long Feiyan was momentarily stunned. The face that had not changed color in years suddenly darkened in an instant. “Why?”

“Your subordinate does not know. Only that they left Phoenix City not long ago and, in an attempt to take a shortcut, passed directly through that range of mountains.”

“Foolish!” Long Feiyan clenched her palm, her breathing slightly disordered.

Truly foolish. That was no shortcut whatsoever — it was a dead end, pure and simple.

No one had ever successfully crossed the Black Lake. In those days, that person — whose martial arts were so formidable — had still died within the Black Lake.

“These useless people — letting her walk straight into a path of death.”

“Mistress—” Qing Ye had never seen her mistress so anxious. In all these years, it was truly the first time.

She had always wondered in the past — had her mistress, after so many years apart from the Young Master, already lost much of her emotional attachment to her?

How else could her mistress use the Young Master as a tool to deal with the Ninth Prince — and even go as far as to have all of the Young Master’s martial arts crippled?

But now, seeing the change in her mistress’s expression, she could feel it with absolute clarity: her mistress did care for the Young Master.

If they traveled through the southern wilderness to reach the Feng Clan, it would simply take more time — that was all.

With so many powerful fighters by the Young Master’s side, danger should not be a concern. But now—

Seeing Long Feiyan walk away with swift, purposeful strides, Qing Ye hurried after her in a panic. “Mistress, where are you going?”