Hearing the sound of the door closing, Feng Jiu’er turned to look at Jian Yi.

The man outside had still been talking, and their hero Jian Yi had simply shut the door on him — that hardly seemed polite.

But then, trying to reason or discuss manners with their hero Jian Yi was without a doubt the most foolish thing to do.

Their hero Jian Yi was only ever polite to the people who mattered to him — everyone else’s business probably wasn’t even worth his notice.

Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly, patted the shoulder of the man who’d come up beside her, then turned and continued walking inside.

“Jiu’er, do you think it was really the Lady of the Fortress who did it?” Xiao Yingtao, who had been in the inner room, had also overheard Captain Nanmeng’s words.

Feng Jiu’er shook her head and walked into the inner room.

Xiao Yingtao turned and followed her in. “I don’t think it’s very likely.”

“That physician seems so gentle — like she wouldn’t even step on an ant. Could she really be capable of murder?”

“Why do you think, out of all the women around the Fortress Lord, she’s the one who’s managed to hold the position of Lady of the Fortress all this time?” Feng Jiu’er’s voice carried out from inside.

“But…” Xiao Yingtao looked at Feng Jiu’er’s retreating figure, blinking.

“But that still doesn’t mean she’d commit murder, and she killed so many people — children, the elderly, a pregnant woman…”

“Didn’t you say it would take a deranged person to do something like this?”

Xiao Yingtao pursed her lips, uncertain, not wanting to speculate wildly.

“So is the Lady of the Fortress actually deranged?” Qiao Mu pulled out a chair outside and sat down. “Or has she just been pretending to be gentle all along?”

Xiao Yingtao glanced back, then walked over to sit beside Qiao Mu.

“I don’t know either. From what I saw, she doesn’t seem like she’s pretending.”

Feng Jiu’er had just stepped out of the inner room not long after entering.

“But, you also saw yesterday — she could silence three women younger and prettier than herself in an instant.”

“That impressive?” Qiao Mu frowned. “Wait, what move is that — ‘silence’? Did she kill someone in public? Is her martial skill that strong?”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the two of them looking back at her and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

“This kind of ‘silencing’ isn’t the kind where Miss Qiao goes around hacking people down.”

“I get what Jiu’er means.” Xiao Yingtao nodded. “Last night at dinner, three beauties were fawning all over the Fortress Lord.”

“But just from one faint little cough from the Lady of the Fortress, the Fortress Lord immediately ordered all the beauties back to their seats.”

“That makes sense too — if the Lady of the Fortress were really as soft as she looks, the other young, pretty women would have pushed her out long ago.”

“I also heard the Fortress Lord only has one true wife — the so-called favored concubines are nothing more than titles.”

“So you really can’t judge people just by appearances,” Feng Jiu’er said, raising an eyebrow and nodding.

“Jiu’er.” Xiao Yingtao looked up at the woman now beside her. “So do you think it was the Lady of the Fortress who did it?”

Feng Jiu’er opened the medicine box, tucking her usual needle case and important medicines at her waist before glancing down at Xiao Yingtao.

She shook her head and said flatly, “My gut tells me she’s not the killer. No matter how calculating she might be, she wouldn’t go that far.”

“Still, everything depends on the evidence.”

Feng Jiu’er turned to look at Xing Zizhou, who had just come out of the inner room, and continued, “I hope Xing Zizhou’s people bring back something useful soon.”

“This poison — I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Xing Zizhou, having just finished tidying his hair, walked out of the inner room. “To think there’s a poison that even our Jiu’er and the Heavenly Mechanism Hall don’t recognize — what an extraordinary poison!”

“Xing Zizhou, where did your modesty go?” Feng Jiu’er shot him a look and pulled her gaze away.

“Jiu’er, I’m just stating a fact.” Xing Zizhou’s lips curved up slightly.

“You know so much, yet you don’t recognize this poison either — maybe it doesn’t even come from the Beimu Kingdom.”

“You have your messenger bird — the moment there’s any news, it’ll come straight back. But I sent that letter out only about two hours ago, so we’ll just have to be patient.”

“This place isn’t part of Beimu Kingdom either,” Qiao Mu’s voice rang out in the modest hall.

“True.” Xing Zizhou nodded. “The Black Canyon, the Nanman region, and Ruhe — which borders Phoenix City — are all rather mysterious places.”

“Oh right, there’s no more Ruhe Kingdom now — it’s already become Ruhe City.”

The Ruhe Kingdom had been conquered by Di Wuya and turned into one of the cities under his rule.

To avoid bringing up something painful for Feng Jiu’er, Xing Zizhou quickly stopped talking, saying nothing more.

He didn’t realize that the moment he mentioned Ruhe Kingdom, Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi had exchanged a glance.

Whether Ruhe City, which bordered Phoenix City, also connected to the Black Canyon, even Feng Jiu’er wasn’t certain.

This place was close to Phoenix City, and not far from Ruhe City either.

“Knock, knock, knock…” A knocking sound came from outside.

“Come in,” Feng Jiu’er said flatly.

The door was pushed open from outside, and the young servants filed in one after another.

After washing up and finishing their meal, Feng Jiu’er headed straight out the door.

Captain Nanmeng, who had still been waiting outside, immediately came forward when he saw Feng Jiu’er emerge.

“Miss Feng.”

“How are things now?” Feng Jiu’er asked quietly.

“Everyone’s in the main hall. I’ll take you to see how things stand,” Captain Nanmeng said with a nod.

“Good.” Feng Jiu’er nodded.

Captain Nanmeng waved his hand politely and turned to walk ahead.

Inside the main hall, three men stood at the center. Those entering could also see someone kneeling before them.

The Fortress Lord sat in the main seat, with the Lady of the Fortress still seated at the table beside him; around them were others, some standing, some seated.

“Fortress Lord, this matter truly wasn’t done by this lowly one,” the young servant’s hoarse voice rang out in the hall. “I don’t even know why Madam’s jade pendant was on my bed.”

“Fortress Lord, it really wasn’t me. Madam never bribed me to do such a thing. I didn’t kill anyone, truly I didn’t.”

The Fortress Lord picked up the jade pendant in his hand and looked at it, his breathing growing even heavier.

Seeing someone enter, he immediately stood up.

“Miss Feng, please, come in!”

Feng Jiu’er walked in with ease. The household steward came out and led her to the seat closest to the Fortress Lord.

The few who had followed her stood guard behind Feng Jiu’er.

“I heard the culprit’s been found?” Feng Jiu’er frowned slightly, sweeping a glance over the kneeling young servant.

“It’s not me, it’s not me.” The young servant had already cried herself hoarse.

“If it’s not you, then why was Madam’s jade pendant found in your possession?” The woman seated across from Feng Jiu’er stared at the kneeling servant, her voice hoarse as well.

Feng Jiu’er glanced up and recognized this woman as the one who had sat beside the Fortress Lord at dinner the night before.

“It’s not me.” The young servant turned to look at the woman who’d spoken, shaking her head again. “I didn’t take it. Madam never gave me the jade pendant either.”

“The jade pendant was indeed found in your quarters,” the man standing beside the young servant said in a deep voice.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze moved away from the man and woman, settling on the Fortress Lord. “Fortress Lord, who might these two be?”