Feng Jiu’er’s composure was no less than Di Wu Ya’s. From the moment Xiao Yingtao and the others had entered, her expression had not changed in the slightest.

Had it not been for her presence, Xiao Yingtao would have collapsed when Di Fei Mu began vomiting black blood.

“Alright, I understand.” Xiao Yingtao drew a deep breath and casually wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. “Jiu’er, rest easy — I won’t let a single mistake slip through.”

“Mm.” As Feng Jiu’er inclined her head, she had already gone to take Di Wu Ya’s place.

Xiao Yingtao glanced at Di Fei Mu once more, as if vitality had returned to her.

Jiu’er was right — Mu Mu was still waiting for them. Not one of them could give up.

Di Fei Mu’s breath was extremely faint. Under these conditions, with the only method Feng Jiu’er could think of to transfuse blood to him, the vast majority of it was wasted.

Time passed drop by drop. Di Wu Ya’s complexion grew gradually paler.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze moved back and forth between Di Wu Ya and Di Fei Mu without cease.

Xiao Yingtao kept watch to one side, glancing toward the door from time to time.

“Enough.” Seeing that Di Wu Ya’s colour was not right, Feng Jiu’er looked at Xiao Yingtao and said lightly.

“I can still manage.” Before Xiao Yingtao could act, Di Wu Ya turned to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“I said — enough.” Feng Jiu’er’s voice dropped considerably.

“Yes.” Xiao Yingtao immediately nodded and stood.

She took a cotton ball dampened with medicinal solution and pressed it to the spot on Di Wu Ya’s arm where the needle had been inserted, preparing to withdraw the needle.

“Jiu’er.” Di Wu Ya looked at Feng Jiu’er, his brow slightly creased.

“Listen to me — you cannot afford to collapse right now.” The moment those words left her lips, Feng Jiu’er involuntarily glanced once more toward the door of the side chamber.

“I can hold on a while longer.” Di Wu Ya knew that the blood already given was far from enough for Di Fei Mu.

Xiao Yingtao hesitated for only a moment before mercilessly withdrawing the needle from Di Wu Ya’s hand.

“In here, Jiu’er has the final say.” Worried the Ninth Prince might take her to task, Xiao Yingtao explained in a soft voice.

Suddenly, the faint sound of the door opening drifted in, and all three people in the room looked toward the entrance simultaneously.

A tall and powerfully built brother walked in, his bearing unmistakably cheerful.

“Your Highness — Miss Jiu’er — Master Xing said I’m a match. My blood is a match for General Mu — mine is compatible!”

The brother was quite excited. Everyone hoped to be of some help.

“Good — come here.” Feng Jiu’er nodded.

The brother gently closed the door behind him and hurried over.

“Xiao Yingtao — keep going. As long as even a little blood keeps flowing in, Mu Mu still has hope.” Feng Jiu’er’s hoarse voice rang out once more.

“Yes.” Xiao Yingtao let out a fierce breath of relief and looked at the man who had arrived at precisely the right moment. “Come, sit here.”

Di Wu Ya rose and came to stand behind Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, let me take over — you go and help.”

“No.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Go have someone prepare food — meat, broth, rice. Eat your fill, then rest for a while.”

“And — if Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji have calmed down somewhat, let the two of them come in.”

“I still have things to attend to here, but Mu Mu must have an uninterrupted supply of true energy at all times.”

Di Wu Ya did not press further. He rose and walked out — as Xiao Yingtao had said, in here, Jiu’er had the final say.

After a full two hours of waiting outside, Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji were at last permitted to step through the doors of the main hall.

The moment the two of them entered, Yu Jingfeng closed the great doors once more.

“Wu Ya — how is Mu Mu’s condition?” Emperor Ji’s voice, too, carried a note of hoarseness.

Ye Luosha had been standing for two full hours, and her mind had cleared considerably.

If her Mu Mu was truly gone, then he would truly be gone. Right now, what mattered most was his life — everything else she could settle accounts over later.

Most crucially, so much time had passed without a word of ill news — Ye Luosha was also beginning to incline toward believing that the woman in white had not been Feng Jiu’er after all.

“Once you go in, simply follow Jiu’er’s instructions — less talking, more doing.”

With those words, Di Wu Ya turned and pushed open the door to the side chamber.

Emperor Ji controlled his wheelchair and moved forward on his own.

Hearing Di Wu Ya’s words, so devoid of courtesy, Ye Luosha — unexpectedly — did not lose her temper and instead followed behind Emperor Ji.

Throughout the entire night, Di Wu Ya, Emperor Ji, and Ye Luosha took turns channeling true energy into Di Fei Mu to heal his injuries.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao were kept constantly busy — Xing Zizhou handled the blood testing of the brothers and whatever else he could manage.

Seven or eight brothers had taken turns donating blood, and dawn was drawing near.

Xiao Yingtao finally could not hold on any longer. She slumped over the armrest of a long bench nearby and sank into a deep sleep.

Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji sat to one side, their gazes never leaving the person on the bed.

Di Wu Ya sat nearby channeling true energy into Di Fei Mu. Feng Jiu’er still sat at the bedside — applying needles, doing therapeutic massage — not stopping for even a moment.

When the first ray of light outside the window crept in, Xiao Yingtao, who had barely been asleep for an hour, jolted abruptly awake.

“Mu Mu.” She called out softly and sat up.

The side chamber was very quiet — her voice rang out strikingly clear.

Xing Zizhou went over and sat down beside her, extending his large palm and gently rubbing her upper back.

Xiao Yingtao gripped the hem of his robe, cast a glance at Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji, and withdrew her gaze.

“Xing Zizhou — how is Mu Mu? Is he any better?”

“He will get better.” Before Xing Zizhou could respond, Feng Jiu’er’s hoarse voice rose.

Hearing those words, not only Xing Zizhou and Xiao Yingtao, but even Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji moved toward the bedside together.

“Mu Mu has improved — he’s improved, hasn’t he?” Ye Luosha, who had said almost nothing since entering the room, asked softly.

All through that night, everyone’s hearts had been clenched tight.

If it had been anyone else, they surely would have given up by now — not because they wanted to, but because they would have had no choice.

Yet there was one person who had persisted from beginning to end.

No one could deny it: the reason everyone had been able to hold on until now was entirely Feng Jiu’er’s doing.

Without her, Di Fei Mu might well have been gone long since.

Feng Jiu’er placed Di Fei Mu’s hand back beneath the covers, and the corners of her lips curved into the faintest arc.

“His pulse is recovering. As long as he makes it through the next twelve hours, there will be no further danger to his life.”

The moment those words fell, Feng Jiu’er looked at the man sitting across from her — and suddenly, a sting rose in her nose.

Di Wu Ya was still channeling true energy into Di Fei Mu. Had he been free to move, he would surely have gone over to give the little girl a proper embrace.

Feng Jiu’er bit her lip and gave him a reassuring look in return, then stood up.

Perhaps because she had been forcing herself to hold on for so long, the moment Feng Jiu’er stood, her body swayed.

Xing Zizhou moved swiftly and caught her arm: “Jiu’er, are you alright?”

Feng Jiu’er pushed his hand away and shook her head: “It’s nothing — only that I’ve been sitting too long and my circulation is sluggish.”

“Take Xiao Yingtao back to rest. Send Xue Gu and Qiao Mu over.”

Mindful that Emperor Ji and Ye Luosha might object, Feng Jiu’er added a word of explanation.

“Xue Gu and Qiao Mu are not lacking in inner force. If each holds out for an hour, that is two more hours — and right now, every additional person means one more measure of strength.”