Feng Jiu’er said nothing, and at that, Qiao Mu’s nerve began to falter.

After a moment, she blinked, gave a light cough, and softened her tone considerably.

“Jiu’er, please don’t be angry, all right? I understand what you mean — I just can’t bring myself to let you face danger alone.”

“I came to avenge my mother. What did you come for?” Feng Jiu’er asked in a low, steady voice.

“To protect you!” Qiao Mu replied with a lift of her brow.

Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath, and her brow furrowed.

“I am avenging my mother and everything the Long Family lost. If I die, that is my fate.”

“If you protect me and die in my place, I will owe a life to your father and mother — and what would I have to repay that with?”

“No one is asking you to repay it.” Qiao Mu let out a quiet sigh, pushed her hand away, and sat back down.

“I’ve known all along — all this talk of guarding the Black Gorge was just an excuse. You simply wanted to see me and Xiao Yingtao married, have children, and live a good life.”

“But I’ve tried, and I’ve thought about it seriously — I simply don’t have feelings for Zhao Zuosheng. I’m grateful for your good intentions.”

“Besides, I’m already here — it’s not as though you’re going to personally escort me back, are you?”

Qiao Mu shrugged lightly, rose, and walked toward the bed.

“It seems there won’t be anything to eat tonight. They say sleeping drives away hunger.”

She lay down on the bed and stretched out lazily.

“If you try to run off on your own, I’ll go straight to Zhan Liyue in person. With my level of skill, I’d probably die fairly quickly.”

“Not that it matters. All I ask is a good night’s sleep tonight.”

With those words, she yawned, turned over, and faced away from Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er let out a helpless sigh and looked toward the side chamber door: “Come in.”

With a creak, the side chamber door was pushed open from outside.

Feng Yandong stepped in carrying a tray, which held meat, porridge, steamed buns, and pastries.

“Are you… hungry?” Feng Yandong kept his eyes away from the bed and looked only at Feng Jiu’er.

“No.” Feng Jiu’er swept a glance at the person who had come in.

When she had first entered the room, she had thought the one hiding was Feng Yandong — she hadn’t expected it to be Qiao Mu.

Feng Yandong and Qiao Mu had similar levels of inner cultivation, and their internal energy signatures were not far apart. The crucial thing was that Feng Jiu’er simply hadn’t anticipated Qiao Mu would follow.

In an earlier letter from Xing Zizhou, he had also mentioned Qiao Mu’s situation at the Black Gorge — though naturally, it was only because Feng Jiu’er had asked that Xing Zizhou brought her up at all.

Qiao Mu’s arrival left Feng Jiu’er with mingled emotions — half relief, half sorrow.

With Qiao Mu by her side, there would be one more clever mind and one less dull moment. And Qiao Mu’s martial skill was considerable — there was much she could help with.

Yet this also meant Feng Jiu’er’s original plans had fallen apart. She genuinely dreaded imagining how many brothers might be lost in the final battle against Zhan Liyue.

“This…” Feng Yandong paused mid-step, looking uncertain.

“Was it you who told her we were here?” Feng Jiu’er looked up at Feng Yandong.

“No.” Feng Yandong shook his head vigorously. “She found me.”

“Found you for a midnight snack?” Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed lightly. “Bring it over — I’m hungry.”

Feng Jiu’er’s sudden change of heart left Feng Yandong momentarily taken aback before it registered.

“All right.” He gave a vigorous nod and stepped forward.

“Have someone bring in bath water as well. This one doesn’t know how many days it’s been since she last bathed — she’s going to dirty my bed.” Feng Jiu’er waved a hand.

“All right.” Feng Yandong set the tray down, dipped his head, turned, and left.

The moment the aroma reached her, Qiao Mu slid off the bed and appeared in front of Feng Jiu’er.

“I bathed in a stream before entering the imperial city — don’t believe me, you can smell for yourself.” Qiao Mu dragged a chair over and settled in close to Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er gave her a withering look. “You reek.”

With that, she pulled her attention back to the box.

“Dong said you went back to the Feng estate — all for this thing?” Qiao Mu didn’t mind Feng Jiu’er’s remark in the slightest, and asked while holding a steamed bun in hand.

She took a bite and continued: “What is it? Must be terribly important.”

Feng Jiu’er glanced up once more, and a quiet ache stirred in her heart.

She had already noticed that Qiao Mu had grown thinner — noticeably so — and her complexion was worn and haggard.

This woman had set out later than them by days and still managed to catch up. There was no telling whether she’d rested at all along the way.

“Your face is developing wrinkles.” Feng Jiu’er fixed her gaze on Qiao Mu, furrowed her brow, and said flatly.

Qiao Mu’s crescent brows arched lightly. She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter — I don’t get by on my looks.”

Feng Jiu’er watched Qiao Mu’s silly grin, and the ache inside her grew.

“A woman’s youth is fleeting — it isn’t meant to be squandered like this. Passing up a good life to throw yourself into danger alongside another woman. Foolish.”

“Feng Jiu’er, have you said enough? So what if I’m foolish?” Qiao Mu rolled her eyes.

She stuffed the last of the steamed bun into her mouth, and her crescent brows arched suddenly.

“Feng Jiu’er, I’ve been thinking…”

Feng Jiu’er met the impish glint in Qiao Mu’s eyes and narrowed her own: “Think what? Don’t even think about it!”

Qiao Mu gave a roguish smile and pressed on: “I’m wondering — am I in love with you? I think perhaps I am. How else would I explain not being able to sleep without you?”

“All right, all right — back to the matter at hand. What is this thing? It looks quite valuable.”

Feng Jiu’er gave Qiao Mu a sideways look and withdrew her gaze.

“These are my wet nurse’s belongings. Feng Qingyin said it wasn’t her doing — my wet nurse was not killed by her.”

“I came back this time determined to get to the bottom of this. With all this food in front of you, you still can’t stop that mouth of yours — truly no end to it.”

Qiao Mu, knowing she was being dismissed again, fell quiet and turned her full attention to eating and drinking.

Feng Jiu’er opened the box and began carefully lifting the contents out one by one.

Her wet nurse’s room had burned to the ground completely — these were things Feng Jiu’er had found in a hidden compartment beneath the bed.

Had she not been guided by the true Feng Jiu’er’s memories, she would never have found this box.

Whether it was fate’s design, or whether her wet nurse had deliberately let the true Feng Jiu’er know of this hidden compartment, Feng Jiu’er could not say.

From the box, Feng Jiu’er lifted out fabric cloth, a sewing kit, two books, and several loose letters.

Finally, her gaze settled on what remained at the bottom — half a jade archer’s thumb ring.

She had looked through everything in the box once before, and nothing had seemed amiss — save for this broken piece.

She lifted the half thumb ring out and brought it into the candlelight, examining it with care.

Qiao Mu set down her bowl, pulled her chair closer, and sat beside Feng Jiu’er, her gaze also locking onto the object.

After a moment, she said softly: “That’s fine jade.”

“My wet nurse was my mother’s former deputy commander. This piece doesn’t look like something that would have been hers.” Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed gently.

“This half of a thumb ring, missing the other half — what could it mean?”

“We could ask our brothers to look into it — it might lead somewhere.” Qiao Mu said softly.

Feng Jiu’er steadied herself, and gave a nod.

“Whatever the case, this matter must be investigated fully. Tomorrow, I will go myself.”