“This Prince has no chance — then who does?” Suddenly, a man’s voice came from outside. “Little girl, open the door.”

The three women seated in the room exchanged glances and rose to their feet.

Feng Jiu’er cleared her throat quietly, set down the outfit in her hands, and walked toward the outer room.

Xiao Yingtao and Qiao Mu hurriedly gathered up the clothes they intended to take with them — their host had arrived, and of course they ought to make room for him.

Feng Jiu’er reached the main hall door and pulled it open.

She looked at the breathtakingly handsome man standing outside — even his posture was more compelling than other people’s — and raised a brow.

“When did Ninth Imperial Uncle arrive? Surely not here to eavesdrop on a few women’s private conversation?”

A maidservant stepped aside and bent at the waist, head bowed.

Zhan Qingcheng did no more than give a small wave of his hand, and she retreated to one side without making a sound.

“I had barely arrived when I heard someone calling this Prince’s name.” Zhan Qingcheng lowered his gaze to the young girl before him, the corner of his mouth curving faintly.

He glanced into the hall, and his voice came again: “What — you’re not going to invite this Prince to sit for a moment?”

“But of course.” Qiao Mu pushed open the other side of the door and walked out.

“By all means.” Xiao Yingtao didn’t even lift her head, holding her clothes, and followed close on Qiao Mu’s heels.

Once Qiao Mu had left, she looked at the maidservant nearby and gave a small wave.

The maidservant gave a nod and retreated to a greater distance to keep watch.

Zhan Qingcheng hadn’t yet stepped inside, and already the hall was empty save for the two of them.

Feng Jiu’er glanced up at him, then stepped to one side, clearing a path.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle said he wanted to come in — it’s quite convenient now.”

“Very well.” Zhan Qingcheng gave a nod and stepped inside.

Feng Jiu’er closed the door and turned back.

With Ninth Imperial Uncle here, the door was always going to be closed — she had long since learned his particular ways.

By the time Feng Jiu’er went back in, Zhan Qingcheng’s attention had already settled on the outfits laid out across the table.

“Which one is the new outfit you prepared for this Prince?”

“Guess.” Feng Jiu’er came to stand beside him, raising an eyebrow.

“Do I even need to guess?” From the two outfits of similar cut and design, Zhan Qingcheng picked up the larger of the two.

Feng Jiu’er stared at the outfit in his hands and said nothing.

The table had held several garments before — now only four remained: one woman’s, three men’s. Set against the backdrop of Mu Mu’s and Jian Yi’s plain and understated robes, the pair of outfits — one larger, one smaller, of similar design — stood out in a distinctly particular way.

Zhan Qingcheng held his outfit and studied it carefully for a moment.

“Very nice.” In the end, those were the two words he produced.

Feng Jiu’er breathed a deep sigh of relief, feeling considerably more at ease.

“Just ‘very nice’? I think it’s wonderful.”

She took the outfit back from Zhan Qingcheng’s hands and admired it with undisguised satisfaction.

She had truly only meant to try something different — she hadn’t expected the result to turn out so far beyond her hopes.

“In any case, I love it very much.” Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together and smiled happily.

Zhan Qingcheng lowered his gaze to the small girl at his side, smiled, and gave a nod. “Mm, I love it very much as well.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he swept the young woman who was still absorbed in studying the outfit up into his arms horizontally.

Her body suddenly weightless, Feng Jiu’er let out a small cry and struggled to get down.

But Zhan Qingcheng gave her no such opportunity. Holding her in his arms, he moved toward the inner chamber.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, what… what are you doing?” Unable to break free, Feng Jiu’er had no choice but to look up at him.

“Something important.” Zhan Qingcheng replied quietly.

“I don’t want to!” Feng Jiu’er gave a forceful shove and with a light spring vaulted up from within a certain man’s arms.

Watching the small figure’s nimble movements, not a trace of displeasure crossed Zhan Qingcheng’s face.

Feng Jiu’er stared at the man a short distance away, both hands raised, her whole expression on guard.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, you’d best not come any closer — you may not necessarily be my match anymore.”

She had wanted to say this for a very long time. Even if she wasn’t actually his match, she still had to say it.

“Shall we test that?” Zhan Qingcheng moved toward Feng Jiu’er with an expression of complete indulgence.

Feng Jiu’er shifted her stance, her brow furrowing.

“If you want to test it, then we test it — who’s afraid of who?” If she were truly unafraid, she wouldn’t need to be putting on a show.

When the man was less than a zhang away from her, Feng Jiu’er’s long hair and robe hems billowed gently backward.

This fellow — he was plainly still smiling, not even making any move to strike, and yet his aura was already this formidable.

Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath, sprang upward, and drove a palm strike toward Zhan Qingcheng.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, prepare to receive this attack!”

Mu Mu had only just entered the courtyard when he heard a thunderous boom. He flicked his robe aside and moved swiftly forward.

It was only when he saw Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao standing not far from the main hall that he stopped in his tracks.

“Who is inside?” Mu Mu asked in a low voice.

When Xiao Yingtao looked back, her hand was still pressed over her heart.

She had expected that once Ninth Imperial Uncle came to find Feng Jiu’er, something delightful would happen — which was why she and Qiao Mu had not gone far.

What she hadn’t expected was that barely a moment after the two went inside, the sound of fighting rang out.

“It’s Feng Jiu’er and Ninth Prince — n-nothing’s wrong. They’re probably just sparring.”

Before Xiao Yingtao’s words had even settled, another thunderous boom came from inside, and almost the entire courtyard shuddered.

“This girl — not too fierce, please!” Qiao Mu couldn’t help but exclaim.

Not that she needed to think about it — how could Ninth Imperial Uncle possibly strike out against his own woman? The thunderous booming could only be Feng Jiu’er’s doing.

The sound rang out again, and the entire courtyard swayed once more — a truly unnerving thing.

“What’s happening?” Zhao Xiaoxiao came running out of her room.

She wasn’t the only one — even Zhao Yusheng, Xing Zizhou, and Jian Yi all had their doors open in rapid succession.

Seeing Jian Yi with a face full of worry about to rush over, Qiao Mu moved at top speed to block his path.

“Ninth Prince and Feng Jiu’er are sparring — there’s no need for your concern.”

Jian Yi looked at Qiao Mu, then let his gaze fall on the door to Feng Jiu’er’s room.

Inside the inner chamber, Feng Jiu’er had unleashed several palm strikes — not one of which had so much as disturbed a single strand of Zhan Qingcheng’s hair. Her mood was noticeably not the best.

“Why won’t you fight back?” She glared at him and protested.

“If I fought back, this room would likely be in ruins.” Zhan Qingcheng gave a faint curve of his lips and stepped toward Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er muttered under her breath and looked around the room.

She knew, of course, that she couldn’t go all out — otherwise there was a real chance she’d be looking for somewhere else to sleep tonight.

But she had already been moving at a speed she considered quite swift — and yet none of her strikes had been able to affect him in the slightest.

In the moment she turned to look, the man was already before her. Feng Jiu’er’s brow creased; she struck out with a palm once more.

With a thunderous crack, her strike swept through empty air — the man who had been right in front of her was gone.

In the instant Feng Jiu’er spun around, she found herself swept off her feet and lifted horizontally into his arms once more.

Ninth Imperial Uncle’s speed was truly beyond anything — she could not help but admire it.

“Put me down — let’s go to the back mountain and settle this properly.”

“I haven’t even shown my real ability yet. There are too many restrictions here. I want to go to the back mountain — I want a battle to decide the victor between us!”