“So what does this Lei Shenbao do for a living?” Feng Jiu’er curved her lips slightly and raised an eyebrow as she asked.
“Poison-making.” Tang Xiaohua’s breathing grew a touch heavier. “If it were up to me, I’d rather you all not go to Lì City at all.”
“But given the way things stand now, even though the person in question has already left, you’ll certainly need to make the trip.”
“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “We have to go.”
Tang Xiaohua wasn’t at all surprised by this answer.
She withdrew her gaze from Feng Jiu’er and lifted her own teacup, taking a light sip.
“Lì City is also a prosperous place—at first glance, it looks quite nice. But in truth, there’s no shortage of shady dealings going on behind the scenes.”
“Be extra careful on this trip!”
“I’ve already sent trusted people ahead. Whatever I find out, I’ll send word to you.”
“Good!” Feng Jiu’er held her teacup with both hands and raised it slightly toward Tang Xiaohua. “Thank you for your trouble, Sister Hua.”
“No need to be so formal.” Tang Xiaohua took a sip of tea and set the cup down.
“By the way, this girl says she wants to go with you all for a while to study medicine—do you think she has any promise?”
Following Tang Xiaohua’s gaze, everyone’s attention turned to Yue Qinchun.
“Qinchun, do you really want to come with us?” Feng Jiu’er asked softly.
“Mm.” Yue Qinchun looked at her and nodded. “Sister Jiu’er, is that all right?”
“It’s not that it’s not all right—it’s just that our life is far from as comfortable as it is back at the residence. You’ll need to be prepared to endure hardship.”
“That’s fine, I can handle it.” As Yue Qinchun pressed her lips together, she couldn’t help but glance at Jian Yi, who stood beside Feng Jiu’er.
Feng Jiu’er wasn’t unaware of what the little girl had in mind. The child was fair-skinned and delicate, and quite pretty too.
She was fond of her—she just didn’t know whether the blockhead beside her would be.
“As long as your parents agree, and as long as you’re willing to study earnestly, none of it will be difficult.” Feng Jiu’er said with a faint smile.
“Once a daughter grows up, there’s no point objecting even if I wanted to.” Tang Xiaohua shook her head.
“Mother.” Yue Qinchun turned to look at Tang Xiaohua. “It’s only Lì City, after all—it’s not even far.”
“You know perfectly well they might not stop at just Lì City.” Tang Xiaohua glared at her daughter.
“If they keep heading north, would you still follow along?”
Yue Qinchun glanced up at Jian Yi, her small face flushing slightly, and said nothing.
“Jiu’er, take her with you. If at some point she gets in your way, just send me word, and I’ll go fetch her back myself.”
“Oh come now, a child as sensible as Qinchun—how could she possibly get in the way?” Feng Jiu’er turned her head to look at Jian Yi.
“Jian Yi, when you have time, teach Qinchun some lightness skill. A girl making her way through the martial world really ought to have good footwork.”
Jian Yi met Feng Jiu’er’s gaze, neither agreeing nor objecting.
“Is there a problem?” Feng Jiu’er raised an eyebrow. “Everyone’s busy—you’re the only one with some free time.”
“Qinchun is part of our family too. I don’t want anything dangerous to happen to her. Teach her when you can.”
“All right.” Jian Yi nodded, offering only that single word.
But even that briefest of single words, heard by Yue Qinchun’s ears, tasted sweeter than honey.
With matters mostly settled, everyone continued drinking tea and chatting freely.
As the night grew darker, Feng Jiu’er led everyone away from the Yue residence.
Back at Dragon Shadow, by the time Feng Jiu’er returned, Di Wu Ya was still busy at work.
Yu Jingfeng, sitting on the rooftop, spotted Feng Jiu’er entering the courtyard and leapt down, landing steadily right in front of her.
“Miss Jiu’er.”
“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and walked past him, continuing forward.
“Miss Jiu’er, I still haven’t had dinner.” Yu Jingfeng swallowed audibly, sounding a little aggrieved.
“Go find something to eat yourself. This is what I kept for Ninth Imperial Uncle—there’s not much of it.” Feng Jiu’er waved her hand.
Yu Jingfeng didn’t leave, and Feng Jiu’er turned to glance at him.
“With me here, you still don’t feel at ease! Go on, go on, don’t rush back.”
“Oh.” Yu Jingfeng seemed to catch the hidden meaning behind her words, and the corner of his mouth, which he’d just been pulling down, immediately curved upward.
“Then Miss Jiu’er and His Highness don’t need to rush at all—I’ll come back in two hours.”
He knew very well, of course, that Miss Jiu’er had prepared this for His Highness. The reason he hadn’t rushed off right away was that he wanted to make sure he really was free to leave.
Feng Jiu’er gave Yu Jingfeng a sidelong glance, waved her hand, and turned away.
Two hours—just to confirm it was only about having dinner?
Feng Jiu’er didn’t ask any further questions, made her way to the side chamber, and knocked on the door.
“Ninth Imperial Uncle, it’s me.”
“Come in.” The man’s deep, rich voice came from inside.
Feng Jiu’er’s lips curved upward. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Seeing the handsome man at the desk, she quickened her steps.
Even after a whole day of work, he still looked so full of energy and vigor—worthy, indeed, of being her man.
“Ninth Imperial Uncle.” Feng Jiu’er came up to the desk and set down the basket she’d been carrying.
“I picked out a few dishes for you at the Yue residence. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Mm.” Di Wu Ya nodded slightly and closed the scroll in his hand.
“Do you want to eat now? It’s quite late.” Feng Jiu’er knelt down beside the man.
“Sure.” Di Wu Ya reached out his large hand and ruffled Feng Jiu’er’s long hair.
“Tomorrow, I won’t be able to go to Lì City with you all. Be very careful in everything you do.”
“Have the brothers from the Dragon Martial Army arrived?”
Feng Jiu’er looked up briefly, then carefully began taking out the small dishes filled with food from the basket, one by one.
“Mm.” Di Wu Ya didn’t take the chopsticks from Feng Jiu’er’s hand, only watching her with an alluring gaze.
Feng Jiu’er looked up at him, shifted her position, and picked up a piece of food to feed him.
“Your Highness, you’re getting lazier and lazier.”
That single phrase “Your Highness” made the food in Di Wu Ya’s mouth nearly go down the wrong way.
Feng Jiu’er stretched out a slender finger and poked the tip of his nose, and only then did he slowly begin chewing again.
“Going into Black Pool alone—will that be a problem? If it’s too much, I’ll go with you to welcome the brothers.”
“No need.” Di Wu Ya reached out his long arm and scooped Feng Jiu’er up to sit on his lap.
“Go to Lì City first. We’ll catch up with you all soon enough.”
“I hear the city lord of Lì City is quite the lecher—watch yourself.”
Feng Jiu’er fed a mouthful of rice into his mouth and turned to look at the dishes laid out on the table.
“Which man isn’t a lecher?”
Every single time she got close to him, even if he said nothing, his body was honest enough on its own.
Did he really think she was still some three-year-old child, unable to sense any of that?
The corner of Di Wu Ya’s mouth curved up, a smile so devastatingly captivating that even the moonlight watching seemed to dim a shade in comparison.
The man’s hand grew a little forward, a little impolite, moving upward, and Feng Jiu’er snapped back to her senses, shoving him away.
She set down the spoon and tried to slip out of his embrace.
But Di Wu Ya only tightened his grip, flipped her over in one motion, and pinned her beneath him.
“My lady, how about not leaving tonight?”
“Who’s your lady?” Feng Jiu’er pressed hard against the man’s chest, as solid as an iron wall.
This man—so handsome, with such a pleasant voice—and on top of that, Feng Jiu’er found that Ninth Imperial Uncle was even more captivating than usual at moments like this.
Feng Jiu’er took a deep breath and pushed against him with force once more.
If she didn’t get away now, even if he didn’t make a move, she herself might not be able to resist flipping things around and pinning him down instead.
She had changed. It seemed she’d changed… for the worse!