Di Wu Ya landed steadily on the ground, his gaze fixed on the woman who had collapsed not far away.

Di Feimu strode forward, standing side by side with Di Wu Ya.

The two brothers exchanged neither words nor glances, yet they both looked toward Long Feiyan simultaneously, each extending a large palm.

“Mistress, be careful!” Qing Ye, having landed on the ground, looked toward Long Feiyan and cried out.

Before she could move forward, a long sword pierced through her from behind, running through her body.

“Qing Ye!” Qing Zhi’s eyes widened as she forced herself upright and lunged forward.

Yu Jingfeng pulled the long sword from Qing Ye’s body and, gripping the blade, turned and thrust it forward.

The sword sank into Qing Zhi’s body, forcing her to halt, her eyes wide, unable to utter a single word.

Had they not already been gravely wounded by Di Feimu, neither of them could have been defeated by Yu Jingfeng.

Long Feiyan glanced back at her fallen subordinates, pressed a hand to her chest, and stood up.

The moment she raised her eyes, the combined force of Di Wu Ya and Di Feimu’s palm strikes had already arrived before her.

“No!” An incredibly familiar voice rang out from nearby.

By the time Feng Jiu’er appeared on the city wall, it was already too late to stop anything.

She rushed forward desperately, yet could only watch helplessly as her mother was struck by the combined force of both men’s palm strikes and collapsed heavily to the ground, going still.

“Mother.” Feng Jiu’er came to Long Feiyan’s side and lifted her from the cold, hard ground.

“Mother, what’s wrong? Mother, wake up! Mother, Mother.”

Her cries were heart-wrenching, nearly shaking the entire city wall with their anguish.

Qiao Mu hurried over and knelt beside Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Yan Dong, Feng Yan Nan, Feng Yan Xi, and Feng Yan Bei — the four of them stood guard around them.

“Jiu’er, how is General Long?” Qiao Mu looked at Long Feiyan, whose complexion had turned deathly pale as she lay unconscious, her voice somewhat hoarse.

She had also seen what had happened here when she rushed over just moments ago.

Long Feiyan had fallen at the Ninth Prince’s hands — without a doubt, the Ninth Prince was now their enemy.

No matter how desperately Feng Jiu’er called out, Long Feiyan kept her eyes tightly shut, her breath barely perceptible. The situation was extremely dire.

Feng Jiu’er took a deep breath and carefully placed Long Feiyan in Qiao Mu’s arms.

“Qiao Mu, watch over my mother for me. I will find a way to save her — I definitely can.”

On the city wall, there was no sound other than Feng Jiu’er’s voice.

Even though her voice was not loud, every person present could hear it with perfect clarity.

Qiao Mu held Long Feiyan in her arms, looked up at Feng Jiu’er, and swallowed back all the words she had wanted to say.

“I am going to avenge my mother!”

Feng Jiu’er cast one more glance at Long Feiyan, furrowed her brow, stood up, drew the long sword from her waist, and turned to fix Di Wu Ya with an icy stare.

After a separation of several months, the two of them were meeting again — yet under such circumstances as these.

Feng Jiu’er glared at Di Wu Ya with fury. Whatever small trace of attachment she had been quietly holding on to in her heart had vanished completely the moment Long Feiyan fell.

Now, her eyes burned with rage and murderous intent.

“Young Mistress, it was they who struck down our Mistress — kill them, avenge our Mistress!” Qing Ye lay in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life.

Yu Jingfeng saw that things were going badly and immediately pulled the long sword from Qing Zhi’s body, heading in their direction.

“Miss Jiu’er, you must not! Things are not as they appear — it was…”

Seeing that there was no time, Yu Jingfeng could not even finish the rest of his words.

Sword in hand, Feng Jiu’er quickly closed the distance toward Di Wu Ya.

She stared at Di Wu Ya with unyielding intensity and said in a hoarse voice, “I will — avenge my mother!”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, watch out!” Yu Jingfeng’s eyes went wide as he shouted.

With a sharp whoosh, Feng Jiu’er’s sword sank into Di Wu Ya’s body, and fresh blood instantly stained his silver armor crimson.

Everyone was stunned into silence, staring unblinkingly at the two figures standing at the center of it all.

Time seemed to freeze.

Feng Jiu’er stared at the man before her, her wide eyes glistening with tears.

She took a deep breath before asking in a hushed voice, “Why… did you not dodge?”

“I dislike being indebted to others — especially you.” The moment Di Wu Ya spoke, his inner energy dispersed and his footing became unsteady.

Tears in her eyes, Feng Jiu’er pulled the sword free, yet could not deceive herself — she caught him as he fell and held him in her arms.

Her legs gave way, and she sank to the cold ground, holding Di Wu Ya in her embrace.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at the person in her arms and sealed several vital acupoints on his body.

“Miss Jiu’er.” Yu Jingfeng came over and knelt on the ground. “Miss Jiu’er, I beg you — please save His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“The reason he struck against your mother was because Yanu has died.”

Feng Jiu’er looked up at Yu Jingfeng, her brow tightly furrowed.

“Yanu has died, Miss Jiu’er — Yanu has died. He was the Third Prince, Di Wuyou. And it was not only him — even Her Majesty the Empress has also died.”

“Before the Third Prince died, he said that everything was orchestrated by Long Feiyan — that it was she who had saved the Third Prince back then, with the intention of having him personally end Her Majesty the Empress’s life with his own hands.”

“With Her Majesty the Empress dead and the Third Prince also dead, His Highness the Crown Prince struck against Long Feiyan to avenge them.”

“Miss Jiu’er, I beg you — save His Highness the Crown Prince. Consider this sword wound his way of repaying you in kind.”

“If His Highness the Crown Prince falls now, never mind restoring the Di Imperial Dynasty — the Longwu Army, all these brothers of ours…”

“Miss Jiu’er, I beg you — please save His Highness the Crown Prince, I beg you!” Yu Jingfeng knelt down and kowtowed with great force.

“Miss Jiu’er, I beg you — save His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Yu Jingfeng’s words left not only Feng Jiu’er reeling — Qiao Mu was equally stunned, her entire being momentarily frozen in shock.

Her eyes went wide as she held Long Feiyan, her body going limp and slumping to the ground.

“Zhan Liyue had done so many… heinous and unconscionable things — this is… no more than what she deserved!”

“Young Mistress, do not forget — she destroyed… the Long Family’s army, and wiped out the Long Clan — Young Mistress, do not forget…”

After speaking her final words, Qing Ye, who had been on the verge of death, closed her eyes.

Feng Jiu’er looked back, her breathing coming in rapid, uneven bursts.

Yanu was dead — and he had actually been Zhan Liyue’s younger son. So it was Yanu who had killed Zhan Liyue? How could things have come to this?

When Feng Jiu’er’s gaze fell upon Long Feiyan, her heart ached with a pain so overwhelming that she could not utter a single word.

So, his feelings at that moment had been just as heavy as hers were now.

Why hadn’t he dodged? If he had dodged, she could have engaged him in a straightforward fight to the death — so why hadn’t he dodged?

A warm, large hand covered hers. Feng Jiu’er turned to look at the man lying in her arms.

Di Wu Ya gazed at her without blinking, his expression tender, yet his breath grew weaker with each passing moment.

Feng Jiu’er looked at him, and her brow suddenly creased. “You — have been poisoned?”

She had not noticed it before, but now that things had quieted, she seemed to catch that scent again — richer and more potent than even datura blossoms.

Even if Zhan Liyue were still alive, she could not possibly have poisoned her own son — so why did this scent still linger?

The person behind all this who had poisoned them — just who exactly was it?