Jian Yi kept his faint smile and said nothing.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at him, then carefully removed his garment, mindful of his injury.

What was revealed was a powerfully built male physique — Feng Jiu’er wouldn’t deny it, the sight was genuinely pleasing to the eye.

But the moment her gaze fell on his wound — still seeping blood even through the bandaging — her appreciation vanished entirely, leaving only a deep ache in her heart.

This man already carried no shortage of injuries on his body, and quite a few of them were wounds he had gotten after she had known him.

Jian Yi was an assassin, but as the foremost assassin of the Kingdom of Bei Mu, how could he be so easily hurt by others?

Which meant that many of the wounds on his body — whether directly or indirectly — were ultimately because of her.

Feng Jiu’er had no shortage of good medicines, including ones that could remove scars. But some people refused to cooperate, and inevitably, a few marks were bound to be left behind.

She carefully unwound the gauze. The fresh wound was laid bare before her.

The wound was long. It had been treated with the medicinal solution, so it wasn’t bleeding now — but it still looked rather vicious.

“This time, if you don’t want to be left with a scar, you need to follow instructions properly. Don’t get it wet, and don’t skip applying the medicine.” Feng Jiu’er looked at the wound and exhaled softly.

She turned, washed her hands, took out the medicinal ointment, extended a slender finger, and carefully lifted a small amount.

“If I can’t get it wet, how am I supposed to bathe? I have no intention of walking around filthy — and you wouldn’t like that either, would you?” Jian Yi raised an eyebrow and said lightly.

Feng Jiu’er bowed her head and applied the medicine to Jian Yi’s wound with careful, delicate movements.

She glanced at the side of his face. “It doesn’t matter — what I say goes. I said no water, so no water.”

This man had absolutely no regard for the flawless body the heavens had given him. So many people would envy it, and yet he had no appreciation for it at all.

“I want to bathe.” Jian Yi stood his ground.

“If you want to bathe, have a maid help you. Or if you like, find yourself a wife — she could do it too.” Feng Jiu’er picked up the ointment again and lifted a small amount.

“Sister Hua told me that her youngest daughter is very fond of you. For your sake, she doesn’t even mind traveling far and wide through all sorts of hardship. Have you ever considered it?”

“No.” Jian Yi’s answer was clean and absolute.

“Why not?” Feng Jiu’er tilted her head to look at him and furrowed her brow slightly. “What is wrong with Qinchun? She’s young, she’s beautiful, and she’s gentle.”

“And you are quite a few years older than her — yet she doesn’t mind at all.”

“Most importantly, she is willing to give up the comfort of her own settled life to follow you. Women like that are rare. Will you really not even consider it?”

Jian Yi turned his head and looked at Feng Jiu’er, but made no further reply.

The way he had shifted affected Feng Jiu’er’s work. She had no choice but to stop and meet his gaze.

“What’s wrong? What kind of look is that? Now that someone is offering you a little advice, you don’t want to hear it?”

“I’m doing this for your own good. You’re my family — I don’t want you to spend your life alone, one person against the world. Do you understand?”

Feng Jiu’er grabbed Jian Yi’s broad shoulders and gave him a light push, guiding him to sit straight.

Jian Yi sat properly, and Feng Jiu’er picked up a little more ointment and continued applying it to the wound with a gentle touch.

“Everyone should have a family of their own — one where there is you, and there is your wife, and there are your children together.”

“Just as I will, too — in the future, I will have my husband, and children who belong to both of us.”

“Jian Yi, that won’t change the fact that we are family to each other. Do you understand that?”

When Jian Yi heard Feng Jiu’er speak of having a husband, his expression grew instantly somber.

He seemed to dislike seeing other men appear at Jiu’er’s side — he couldn’t explain why. He simply didn’t like it.

Feng Jiu’er hadn’t noticed anything amiss in Jian Yi’s manner. She only wanted to say everything she had been meaning to say.

Jian Yi wasn’t just anyone — he was her friend, her family, one of the most important people in her life.

Regardless of whether she had Ninth Imperial Uncle or not, the feeling she held for Jian Yi was not the kind between a man and a woman. She could not allow herself to hold up his happiness.

This fellow was a bit dense about these things. She feared that without someone to guide him, he would spend his whole life standing guard over her and nothing else.

But that wasn’t the outcome she wanted for him.

She hoped that when they fought together for a future, they could fight together — and when it was time to enjoy it, they could enjoy it together as well.

She had found her father, and she would very likely be marrying Ninth Imperial Uncle before long. She didn’t want to be content in her own happiness while watching Jian Yi carry that quiet, solitary loneliness.

Thinking of what Qiaomu and Xiao Yingtao had described of how Jian Yi had been during her absence, Feng Jiu’er felt her heart grow heavy.

Take today — had Jian Yi not been so consumed by his concern for her that he neglected himself, he wouldn’t have been wounded at all.

Jian Yi was a dense man. She had saved his life, and from that point on, she had become his entire world — he didn’t even hold a place for himself.

If she loved him, regardless of whether he loved her in return, she was confident she could give him happiness.

But right now, she had Ninth Imperial Uncle. She could not allow herself to entertain thoughts of any other man — and above all, this was Jian Yi, the most important man in her life in a way that was its own kind of irreplaceable.

Feng Jiu’er hoped with all her heart that one day, when she was content in her own happiness, she would be able to look over and see Jian Yi beside her, with a happiness that was entirely his own.

Jian Yi said nothing, and Feng Jiu’er had no other recourse.

She was the one who had saved his life — but she should not be his entire reason for living. When would he finally understand that?

And who knew when the next person who saved his life might come along. She couldn’t very well engineer a situation where he got hurt just to arrange a rescuer for him.

That was completely out of the question.

Feng Jiu’er turned and opened another vial of medicine, then turned to look at this man sitting in silence.

“What is it? Are you copying his quietness now?” She raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Jian Yi shook his head. “I just don’t feel like talking.”

“If there’s something to say, just say it. Whatever is on your mind — say it. Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you.” Feng Jiu’er picked up a little more medicine and returned her focus to applying it.

Jian Yi furrowed his brow and said, “I don’t want you to marry Di Wu Ya.”

Feng Jiu’er’s fingers went still.

She looked at the side of his face, and was quiet for a moment before asking softly, “Then who would you want me to marry?”

“Not a single one!” Jian Yi answered directly, his voice carrying a weight that even he seemed to feel.

Feng Jiu’er exhaled a quiet breath, gave a faint curl of her lips, and went back to applying the medicine.

“A person in their right mind ought to marry and have children. I am no different from anyone else.”

“That is why I am so concerned about your marriage. The same reasoning applies — most people don’t like being alone. And neither do you.”

“You like it when the whole family is together eating roasted chicken — even when there isn’t quite enough to go around. Isn’t that right?”

Jian Yi fell silent again, and did not answer.

The room was quiet for a moment. Feng Jiu’er continued. “Jian Yi, don’t be so stubborn about things. Nothing in life is absolute.”

“Someone you don’t like right now might be someone you grow fond of after spending more time with them.”

“Love at first sight is usually about appearances. Whether two people are truly suited to each other can only be known once they’ve actually spent time together. Do you understand?”