“Father.” Zhào Yùshēng stood up, wanting to call him back.

But Zhào Qīngshān did not look back and had vanished from sight into Zhào Xiǎo’s side chamber in an instant.

Zhào Yùshēng stared at the door that had been pushed open, then let out a slow, quiet breath.

“Shēng’er.” Madam Zhao’s gentle voice came to him. “Your father is set in his ways. Do not expect him to come around so quickly.”

Zhào Yùshēng turned back to look at her and sat down at her side, his eyes brightening with a flicker of warmth.

“Mother — does that mean you agree with me?”

Madam Zhao pressed her lips together lightly and curved them into a soft smile.

“Your father is right — all your mother wants is for you to live a healthy, peaceful life.”

“But children grow up and form their own ideas. A mother cannot go on guiding your hand forever, can she?”

“Mother.” Zhào Yùshēng called out to her softly.

Madam Zhao drew her gaze away from him and let it rest on the door to the inner chamber, shaking her head slowly. “What a pity…”

“What is a pity?” Zhào Yùshēng’s brow creased, and he asked.

“What a pity indeed.” Madam Zhao shook her head again and sighed gently. “I am afraid the prince may be willing, but the goddess has no such dream.”

“Mother — what do you mean by that?” Zhào Yùshēng’s brow knitted tighter. “Who is the prince? Who is the goddess? What are you trying to say?”

Madam Zhao drew a slow breath and brought her gaze back to him. She patted the back of his hand gently.

“You — your mother cannot help but worry about you.”

Zhào Yùshēng found himself more puzzled than ever by his mother’s words. He furrowed his brow and said quietly, “Mother — if you have something on your mind, just say it plainly.”

Noticing Madam Zhao’s brow beginning to crease as well, Zhào Yùshēng immediately reached out and smoothed his fingers gently across her furrowed brow.

“Mother — Jiu’er said you must not let yourself be agitated. Since you have agreed to let me go, do not burden yourself with too many worries.”

“As for Father — I will speak with him properly myself. I will not act rashly and leave without warning again. And as for my safety out there, you need not worry too much.”

“Your son’s martial skill is more than adequate, and with a general as loyal and steadfast as Jiu’er by my side, there will be no trouble.”

Speaking of Feng Jiu’er, Zhào Yùshēng turned his head, his gaze coming to rest on the door to the inner chamber.

Watching the warmth that had settled into his eyes, Madam Zhao felt her worry deepen all the more.

She gave a quiet cough and asked in an even tone, “Shēng’er — if the day came when Jiu’er were to marry another man, what would you do?”

Madam Zhao’s question made the smile on Zhào Yùshēng’s face freeze still.

It seemed Jiu’er had once said something along these lines to him herself. But at the time, he had not taken it seriously enough to truly turn it over in his mind.

After a moment, he pressed his lips together and turned to meet Madam Zhao’s gaze.

“Mother — have I not said that I hold no such feelings for Jiu’er? At the very beginning, the reason I chose to follow her was because we had exchanged the wedding bow together.”

“And since we had already shared that rite, regardless of whether there was any feeling between us, she became my wife — and I was bound to keep her safe.”

“But my thinking changed afterward. Watching her press forward without fear through every storm, I found, somewhere in all of that, my own reason for living.”

At that, the corners of Zhào Yùshēng’s mouth lifted once more, just faintly.

“My purpose in this life is to follow Jiu’er as she carves out her place in this world. Wherever she goes — I will go too.”

“Even if another man appeared at her side? Even if she were to marry another man — you would not care?” Madam Zhao’s voice came again.

Zhào Yùshēng met her eyes and gave a firm nod.

“I would not. We are all brothers. It is not my place to care.”

Madam Zhao was not sure whether her son was being truthful — but whatever more she might say, it would do him no good at this point.

She gathered herself and raised the corners of her mouth slightly, giving a small nod.

“So be it. What is yours will not run away; what is not yours cannot be seized by force.”

“Still — your mother would like to know: is there still a chance for you and Jiu’er?”

Seeing Feng Jiu’er again, Madam Zhao found that she had genuinely taken to the young woman.

Zhào Yùshēng gave a quiet smile, his expression easing considerably.

“Jiu’er has told me she has someone she cares for. There is no possibility for us. But I feel that until the very last moment, who can say for certain?”

“After all — I am the one who exchanged the wedding bow with her.”

“Mother — your son is capable of handling his own affairs, and knows well enough what he needs. Stop worrying over it, won’t you?”

Madam Zhao drew in a long breath and shook her head. “Very well. I will stop worrying. I will take good care of my health and wait for you to bring your beloved home to see me.”

“Agreed.” Zhào Yùshēng wrapped his hand around Madam Zhao’s. “We have a pact!”

When Zhào Xiǎo came back in, she found that both her mother and her brother looked to be in rather good spirits.

“Mother, Elder Brother — has my beautiful young man recovered? Has the divine physician truly healed him?”

Before she had even finished speaking, Zhào Xiǎo was already heading toward the inner chamber.

Zhào Yùshēng saw this and immediately stood up, striding over to block her path.

“Xiǎo — Jiu’er is still inside treating Jian Yi. Do not go in and disturb her.”

“Elder Brother, I—” Zhào Xiǎo still wanted to go in.

“Absolutely not. Jian Yi’s heart meridians are severely damaged and his condition is critical. If you truly care about him — stay out.” Zhào Yùshēng did not step aside.

Zhào Xiǎo stood on her tiptoes, her expression frantic.

She shifted her gaze back to Zhào Yùshēng and pursed her lips. “Elder Brother — will he die? I do not want him to die.”

The girl who was always so strong — her eyes had gone red.

Zhào Yùshēng reached out a long arm, pulled her close, and steered her gently back toward Madam Zhao.

“Trust Jiu’er. Right now, other than her, there is no one who can save Jian Yi.”

He had Zhào Xiǎo sit down beside Madam Zhao, then settled himself casually on the other side.

“Xiǎo — what exactly happened to Jian Yi? Was it you who brought him back?”

“Yes.” Zhào Xiǎo stared ahead with vacant eyes and gave a nod. “That day I was bored and wanted to go explore the Stone Forest maze by myself.”

“I thought — if I could only become stronger, I might be able to do what Elder Brother does. Leave the stronghold and go out into the wider world.”

Zhào Xiǎo lowered her head and poked at her own fingers, then cautiously raised her eyes to look at Madam Zhao.

“Mother — please do not be upset. I would not just disappear without a word. But I do want to go out and see the world, like Elder Brother. That much is true.”

“That day, I wandered through the Stone Forest for a short while before I came across…”

She turned to catch Zhào Yùshēng’s eye, then creased her brow lightly.

“Elder Brother — you said the beautiful young man’s name is Jian Yi?”

“Yes.” Zhào Yùshēng gave a nod in confirmation. “His name is Jian Yi. He is one of our people. Someone set a trap and left him gravely injured.”

“For the sake of his brothers-in-arms, he had Jiu’er’s master channel his inner energy into a concentrated force to wound the enemy’s general.”

“In the end, he exhausted every last bit of his inner energy. Not wishing to be a burden to the rest of us, he slipped away on his own.”

Hearing what Jian Yi had been through, Zhào Xiǎo’s pout grew even more pronounced, and her heart ached all the more.

“I knew just by looking at him that he was not a bad person. I never imagined that someone so remarkably handsome could also be so steadfast and devoted.”

“Elder Brother.” Zhào Xiǎo turned to the side and took Zhào Yùshēng’s hand in hers.

“Elder Brother — please tell Jiu’er she must do everything in her power to save Jian Yi. Whatever she needs — I will give it to her.”