“My father… practices swordsmanship?” Feng Jiu’er looked at the green grounds by the lake, as if she could see Feng Li’s tall figure there, sword in hand.

Earlier on the ship, the brother had already mentioned this, but she’d been a little drowsy then and hadn’t paid much attention.

“Mm.” The brother met her gaze and nodded.

“Prince Ye doesn’t just enjoy swordsmanship — he sometimes also carries a bow and arrow into the grove behind the residence.”

“He doesn’t like us getting too close. For his safety, we’ve enclosed the surrounding grove — aside from some small animals, there’s nothing else inside.”

“Sometimes when Prince Ye goes into the grove, he stays the whole day, hunting wild rabbits and pheasants. He also enjoys cooking for himself.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the stretch of untouched land before her, stunned for a moment, then withdrew her gaze.

For someone who had practiced martial arts for half a lifetime to suddenly lose all his skill — Feng Jiu’er could imagine what her father must have felt.

Right now, all she wanted was to find him, to properly accompany him, so he would never again be alone.

Feng Jiu’er took a deep breath and strode forward: “Let’s go. Let’s take a look.”

Di Wu Ya closed the distance in two steps and took hold of her small hand.

Feng Jiu’er turned her head and gave Di Wu Ya a reassuring glance, then continued forward.

Led by the brother, the group passed by the lake and arrived in front of an isolated chamber.

The residence had more than one wing, but this particular building looked smaller than the rest — though for her father living alone, it was enough.

The brother glanced back, then stepped forward and pushed open the chamber’s main doors.

The doors opened, and a faint fragrance wafted out. Feng Jiu’er immediately frowned and stopped walking.

Di Wu Ya, holding her hand, stopped at the same moment: “What’s wrong?”

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, did you smell that fragrance?” Feng Jiu’er turned her head to look at him, her crescent brows furrowing again.

Di Wu Ya turned his gaze to look inside the chamber, and in the end, shook his head.

Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together, took hold of his hand instead, and continued inside.

“The fragrance passed quickly. It wasn’t strong, so it’s normal you didn’t notice it,” Feng Jiu’er said once they were inside, only then releasing Di Wu Ya’s hand.

“I can say for certain — that scent doesn’t belong to my father.”

Feng Jiu’er let go of Di Wu Ya, glanced around the room, and turned her gaze to the brother who’d been following them.

“Who has come in here since my father went missing?”

“All four of us came in,” the brother answered quietly. “And so did the captain and two other brothers.”

“It was Xiao Jin who first discovered Prince Ye was missing. He came in, couldn’t find him, and sent A’Wei to notify everyone.”

“We searched around for a while, and the captain and the two other brothers came in too.”

“Once we confirmed Prince Ye was missing, Xiao Jin and I stayed behind while the captain took the brothers out to search.”

“Miss Jiu’er, when we came in, this was already how things looked. I didn’t dare move a single thing.”

“That’s right.” Another brother nodded as well. “Miss Jiu’er, I didn’t move anything either.”

“Prince Ye is someone who loves cleanliness very much. His space has always been kept very tidy.”

“Neither did I,” another brother said softly. “The captain told us to stay and keep watch carefully.”

“After we examined everything thoroughly and found nothing unusual, we closed the door and left the chamber.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the closed window and walked over: “Was this window shut the whole time when you came in?”

A brother looked at Feng Jiu’er and answered, “Miss Jiu’er, I was the first one in. This outer window was closed, but the window in the inner room was open. I worried about wind and rain coming in, so I closed it.” Feng Jiu’er turned to glance at the brother, furrowed her brow, and looked at the two doors leading further inside.

“Which room did my father live in?”

“Miss Jiu’er, this way please!” One brother gestured and immediately turned to walk in.

“Wait. I’ll go in myself,” Feng Jiu’er said quietly.

Hearing this, the brother stopped in front of one of the room’s doors.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at the door, reached out, and pushed it open.

A fragrance even stronger than before wafted out. Feng Jiu’er didn’t rush inside; instead, she stood in the doorway, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths.

After a moment, Yu Jingfeng, who had stepped closer, said in a low voice, “It’s true — there really is a fragrance.”

Feng Jiu’er opened her eyes and turned to look at the brother beside her.

“My father usually doesn’t like using an incense burner, nor does he have the habit of carrying a sachet.”

“Did any of you prepare an incense burner for him, or use any kind of fragrant ingredient when washing his clothes or when he bathed?”

The brother being looked at by Feng Jiu’er turned to glance at everyone else before turning back to face her.

“No, we didn’t.”

“So then, the fragrance just now was brought in by whoever took my father away.” Feng Jiu’er furrowed her brow slightly, withdrew her gaze, and stepped into the inner room.

None of the brothers present could say for certain whether that fragrance truly existed.

But since Miss Jiu’er said it existed, they didn’t doubt her — they simply hadn’t smelled it themselves.

Feng Jiu’er had intended to open the inner room’s door herself; Yu Jingfeng had guessed her intention, which was why he’d stepped forward earlier to smell carefully.

The fragrance was very faint and vanished in the blink of an eye; it wasn’t strange that the brothers hadn’t noticed it before.

Feng Jiu’er went into the inner room, walked around once, opened a window, and with a forward leap, vanished from everyone’s sight.

“Miss Jiu’er.” Yu Jingfeng called out softly, glanced back at Di Wu Ya, then turned and followed her out through the window.

Feng Jiu’er walked around the back courtyard for a while before the brothers all came out as well.

She paid no attention to anyone, continuing to inspect the back courtyard. Finally, she let out a soft sigh and turned to walk back toward her man.

Seeing this, the brothers all gathered toward the middle.

“Miss Jiu’er, did you find anything?” Yu Jingfeng asked quietly.

Feng Jiu’er stood side by side with Di Wu Ya, looking at the approaching group.

“You four are the brothers who’ve always watched over my father. Tell me, where do you usually keep watch at night?”

“I watch from the pavilion in the lake,” one brother said.

“I watch by the rockery,” another brother followed up.

“I watch the back courtyard,” a third brother said, glancing back at a large tree. “I usually sit up in that tree.”

“Miss Jiu’er, I watch the opposite side — the other side of the chamber,” said the fourth brother.

“The night Prince Ye went missing, Xiao Jin and I were on watch — we overlooked this particular corner.”

The brother who spoke last, by the time he finished, looked considerably more downcast.

Feng Jiu’er walked along the quiet path, looking outward the whole way: “So you’re saying my father was very likely taken away along this path?”

“What’s outside there — a main road? Where does it lead?”

“Miss Jiu’er, once you go out this way, less than a mile on, you reach the black lake,” a brother answered.

“At the time, we suspected Prince Ye had been taken from here to the black lake and left that way. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single footprint left outside.”