“Jiu’er.”

“Mu Mu, this time, I am marching to battle for my own sake—it has nothing to do with anyone else.” Feng Jiu’er cut off Di Wu Ya’s words.

“My mother’s enemy—I must avenge her with my own hands!”

Ye Luocha looked at the woman before him, guilt in his eyes, but also a measure of relief.

“Rest easy. I’ll go make the preparations.”

With those words left behind, Feng Jiu’er turned and glanced once more at the person lying on the bed not far away, then strode out through the doorway.

…

Early the next morning, urgent news came from the front lines, and Ye Luocha personally gathered what remained of the Longwu Army’s ranks.

The early-summer dawn light spilled across the vast grassland.

A woman dressed in white robes and silver armor sat astride a white horse, drawing closer.

Beside her rode another woman, dressed in black battle attire, likewise draped in silver armor.

Feng Jiu’er rode Zhuiyue at the front. Her frame was pitifully slight—especially after all that had happened recently, she looked even thinner than before.

But the powerful aura around her, almost divine in its presence, was impossible to overlook.

Though only two people approached, Feng Jiu’er’s presence alone gave the impression of a thousand cavalry, ten thousand troops.

The brothers who saw them coming nearly mistook the approaching figure for Di Wu Ya himself.

Miss Jiu’er’s bearing was like that of the Crown Prince—like the rising sun sweeping away the gloom of the previous night, letting everyone glimpse hope once more.

Feng Jiu’er arrived at the foot of where Ye Luocha stood, leapt up onto the hastily built platform, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

In that instant, her heroic figure appeared before every brother present.

A ribbon of orange morning light fell precisely upon Feng Jiu’er.

In that moment she seemed almost divine, like an immortal sent down from heaven to guide the masses, reigniting the confidence of every soldier there.

Ye Luocha looked over the assembled men and raised both palms.

At the sight, the brothers fell silent at once.

Ye Luocha lowered his hands, turned his head toward Feng Jiu’er, and gave a wave.

Feng Jiu’er raised the Ninth Prince’s token high, facing all the brothers present.

“From today onward, I shall be your commander, until His Highness the Crown Prince has fully recovered.”

“Rest assured, His Highness woke last night. But as his attending physician, I require that he rest a while longer.”

“Since I have nothing else to occupy me, I have decided to take the Second Prince’s place and lead you all against the enemy, so that the Second Prince may have a few days to recuperate.”

“If anyone is dissatisfied with me as your commander, speak up now. Defeat me, and the position of commander is yours!”

Feng Jiu’er’s resounding voice carried across the entire grassland.

The grassland fell silent for a moment. No one knew who knelt first, but soon every brother present had dropped to one knee.

“We are willing to follow Miss Jiu’er! We are willing to follow Miss Jiu’er!” the brothers cried out in unison.

The thunderous sound echoed through the valley, rising and falling.

Feng Jiu’er looked at them all and waved a hand. “Everyone, rise.”

The brothers rose to their feet one after another, smiling as they looked at the woman bathed in the morning light. The confidence they had lost in recent days returned to them in that very moment.

Yu Jingfeng, riding his horse, appeared at the base of the platform—no one quite noticed when—drawing level with Qiao Mu’s mount.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has given the order: for this campaign, Miss Jiu’er shall be commander-in-chief. I, Yu Jingfeng, and Miss Qiao Mu, shall serve respectively as left and right generals, assisting Miss Jiu’er.”

“The front line is in urgent need—there’s no time to lose. Let us go support them now.”

“Yes, sir!” All the brothers answered Yu Jingfeng in one voice.

The woman in the morning light gave the assembled brothers a warm smile, then leapt up, landing steadily on her horse’s back.

“Move out.” Her brief, single word rang out with force, shaking the entire valley.

The procession advanced in great numbers. At the very front of the line rode a seventeen-year-old girl.

Yet her presence was overwhelming, lending strength to every brother around her.

With Feng Jiu’er leading reinforcements to the front, the situation there improved noticeably.

But the enemy’s supply of troops seemed endless, and it was no simple matter for the Longwu Army to turn the tide.

It wasn’t until evening, when Jian Yi brought the Long Family Army to fill the gap on the Longwu Army’s western flank, that the Longwu Army no longer needed to keep retreating.

The next day, as dawn broke, Feng Jiu’er received another piece of good news.

Zhao Yusheng had brought the Zhao Family Army into Yi City the night before, and would soon reach the battlefield.

Sure enough, before noon, Zhao Yusheng arrived with the Zhao Family Army to reinforce the front lines.

With the addition of the Zhao Family Army and the Longwu Army, the situation suddenly reversed.

…

In a mere three days, under Feng Jiu’er’s command, the combined forces drove the enemy out of Yi City.

The city gates closed once more, and nearly every enemy soldier inside the city was wiped out.

This was the first piece of good news the Longwu Army had received since Di Wu Ya was gravely wounded. Even though they were still stationed at Yi City, at the very least, the situation had stabilized.

After Feng Jiu’er’s decisive leadership in this crisis, the brothers of the Longwu Army admired her even more, to the point of utter reverence.

As the troops drew near the gates of Yi City once again, the soldiers of all three armies set up camp on the grassland not far from the gates.

They made their final preparations for the coming offensive.

The encampment stretched wide and long, extending all the way to the town beyond.

The main camp, however, was at the very front, closest to the city gates.

Feng Jiu’er’s Long Family Army camped in the very center.

The Zhao Family Army, led by Zhao Yusheng and also under Feng Jiu’er’s direct command, camped to the left of the Long Family Army.

Di Wu Ya’s Longwu Army took up the position on the right—a broader stretch of land, closest to the town behind it, which made matters more convenient.

After making a round through the Longwu Army’s camp, Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu mounted their horses and headed back toward their own camp.

The moment they stepped out of the Longwu Army’s camp, they spotted Jian Yi sitting on horseback not far away.

After so many days apart, this man was still just as good-looking.

Feng Jiu’er smiled and rode her horse toward him.

Jian Yi watched the approaching figure but said nothing.

When Feng Jiu’er reached his side, he turned his horse and rode alongside her toward their camp.

“Jiu’er, what exactly happened during this time?” Seeing how thin Feng Jiu’er had become, Jian Yi’s expression was far from good.

“Let’s talk about it once we’re back. Have you eaten dinner yet?” Feng Jiu’er kept riding forward without looking at Jian Yi.

Jian Yi shook his head. “Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

“All right.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and quickened her pace.

As she drew closer to Ye Xuening’s camp once again, her excitement grew.

The brothers in the camp, seeing Feng Jiu’er return, were overjoyed—every one of them grinning as if they had just tasted honey.

Zhao Yusheng had personally grilled meat for Feng Jiu’er, slicing it neatly and waiting for her to return.

Looking at everyone around her, Feng Jiu’er felt a sense of homecoming joy.

She had lost her mother, but besides her father, she still had so many family members—so many brothers willing to risk their lives for her.