Emperor Ji considered the matter for a moment longer, and suddenly a flicker of unease crossed his heart.

“If she wishes to return, she will ultimately return of her own accord. His Highness entrusted a matter to her before he left — and she will certainly fulfill what she promised him, unless—”

He did not finish what came after “unless,” but both Yu Jingfeng and Zhan Luori understood what those unspoken words meant.

Unless something had happened to His Highness.

Could it be that what the person reported just now truly concerned the Ninth Prince — something urgent involving him?

Feng Jiu’er had no idea how long she had been unconscious. In that half-aware haze, she felt as though she were drifting without end.

It was as if she lay in a rocking bed — not only rocking, but rising and falling.

One moment it felt like she floated in clouds, the next as though she reclined in a swaying chair.

She had no sense of security at all — except when he stayed nearby.

Yes — the one who had always kept watch over her. As long as he remained at her side, as long as she could sense his presence, she could feel at ease.

But he always seemed so busy, never able to stay with her for long.

Every time he left, she felt entirely without safety or grounding.

Later, she seemed to sense that she was on a boat. She could even make out voices all around her — Xue Gu, Mu Mu, Qiao Mu, Jian Yi, and another voice, somewhat familiar, somewhat unfamiliar.

Of course, Jiu Qing was not one for speaking — yet she could still feel the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s presence.

In ordinary times, aside from Qiao Mu and Xue Gu, the two women who spent the most time with her, it was the Ninth Imperial Uncle who was most often at her side.

Yet though her awareness had clearly returned, she simply could not open her eyes.

Her eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds of iron. No matter how she strained with every ounce of strength, they refused to open so she could look at everyone.

She was anxious — so anxious that tears nearly spilled over, yet she still could not wake up.

Soul Departure. She was suddenly gripped with panic.

Could this truly be the symptom of Soul Departure? What if she became like a person in a vegetative state?

No, no, no — how could she possibly become a vegetative person? Her consciousness was clearly completely intact.

And yet — hadn’t some accounts in modern medicine explored the possibility that even those in a vegetative state… truly had consciousness?

She didn’t want to become a vegetative person. She wanted to wake up. She wanted to open her eyes. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life asleep in bed.

“When are you going to wake up?” At the bedside, someone spoke again.

Qiao Mu was wiping her down and gently working the tension from the joints in her limbs.

She let out a long sigh, her tone carrying a heaviness.

“Jiu’er, you’ve been unconscious for three days and three nights now. Our group has already arrived at the Black Lake. Are you really still unwilling to open your eyes and look at everyone?”

Qiao Mu glared at her pale face, growing somewhat displeased.

“Are you doing this on purpose? Pretending to be dead so I have to wait on you every day? Are you planning to wake up once we reach the Feng Clan?”

Feng Jiu’er desperately wanted to leap up and give her a good beating.

She was the deliberate one — her whole family was deliberate!

How desperately she wanted to wake up — who in their right mind would want to sleep like this?

Having slept for so long, her limbs had gone completely stiff, her whole body numb and deeply uncomfortable — did she not know that?

Qiao Mu let out another soft sigh, continuing to knead her finger joints, with a touch of helplessness. “Actually, I know you’re not doing it on purpose.”

“You cherish those hands of yours the most. You always say you have to keep each finger moving every day, for your — what was it — some kind of nerve. Right.”

“You always said that if hands stay still for too long, the fingers lose their dexterity, and it’ll affect how precisely you insert needles later on — isn’t that right?”

Feng Jiu’er could not answer her, of course. She could not even move her lips.

Qiao Mu was still earnestly working her fingers, genuinely afraid that if Jiu’er slept too long, the dexterity in her fingers would be diminished by the time she woke.

“We’re already on the Black Lake, do you know that? Zhao Yusheng said another three days and we can reach the Feng Clan.”

She paused before continuing with the movements of her hands.

“Zhao Yusheng — do you remember him? The Young Master of the Zhao family settlement — the man you exchanged marriage bows with at Zhao Family Fort.”

Feng Jiu’er of course remembered him — but why was Zhao Yusheng traveling with their group?

“You must have eaten some incredible stroke of luck — randomly exchanged marriage bows with someone, and managed to pick up this capable a husband.”

“I’ll tell you, this person knows the art of unusual formations. He led us right out of the Stone Forest without any difficulty at all. He also knows the method for crossing the Black Lake’s formation array, and he’s guiding us to the Feng Clan — don’t you think he’s impressive?”

“And most importantly — he now insists he’s your husband because of that connection, and because of it, nearly got into a fight with Jian Yi of all people.”

Insists he’s her husband? No, no, no — when she had exchanged those marriage bows, she had given her name as Bai Jiu’er. She had never truly exchanged bows with him.

All that business about wives and husbands had been forced upon her — it was fake. All of it.

But if this person was going around insisting he was her husband — why wasn’t the one who nearly came to blows with him the Ninth Imperial Uncle? Or Mu Mu? Why was it Jian Yi?

“Do you want to know why it was Jian Yi who nearly got into a fight with him?” Qiao Mu seemed to read her unspoken question and smiled with mild exasperation.

“That Jiu Qing seems to be quite fond of you — but his martial arts are too powerful and he strikes too viciously. One move and he knocked the man unconscious.”

“After he was brought around, Mu Mu beat him until he was on the floor looking for his teeth.”

“The second time he came around, Jian Yi inexplicably wanted to have a round with him too — but in the end it came to nothing, since it seems there was no real justification for it.”

“And really, why would Jian Yi pick a fight with him? Was it because he saw everyone else getting a turn to beat him up, and he wanted a turn too just to vent some frustration?”

“That said, Yanu actually seems quite fond of the Young Master. These past days, it’s been Yanu looking after him.”

“As for right now — he still insists he’s your husband, but no one takes him seriously. After all, isn’t everyone counting on him to lead the group through the Black Lake to the Feng Clan? I imagine the Ninth Imperial Uncle and Mu Mu are probably both thinking the same thing: once we get to the Feng Clan, knock him out with one palm and be done with it.”

“…” Feng Jiu’er desperately wanted to say something — but she had no way to speak.

This was too much. Use a person up, then strike him down with one palm?

But then again — knowing the tempers of the Ninth Imperial Uncle and Mu Mu, perhaps they really would go through with it.

“I know what you’re thinking — that we can’t harm an innocent person, and that he’s not some villain, even went out of his way to help us.”

Qiao Mu knew her through and through. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry. With Xue Gu here to hold things together, she won’t allow those few to go around killing the innocent.”

“Besides — the Ninth Imperial Uncle and Mu Mu may have terrible tempers, but they’re not truly wicked people beyond redemption, are they?”

Only then did Feng Jiu’er relax slightly. Thank goodness — at least there was still the senior Xue Gu to maintain order.

Qiao Mu set down her left hand and took up her right, continuing to knead.

“However, Zhao Yusheng said that the next three days are the critical stretch for crossing through the Black Lake. There are far too many hidden reefs here, and one moment of carelessness could—”

This cursed mouth hadn’t even finished the words when — BOOM — the entire ship lurched into a violent, thunderous shudder.