Near dusk, Feng Jiu’er was escorted back to the edge of that cliff.

The one who sent her was called Ghost Face. She had, in truth, been growing increasingly suspicious — that Ghost Face, who felt more and more familiar with every passing day, might just be a certain someone of great standing.

But for the sake of her own little life, curiosity and all things like it were best set completely aside.

He was not Ninth Imperial Uncle; if he discovered that his secret had been seen through, he might well simply toss her straight into the bottom of the cliff, and that would be that.

Jiu’er stood at the top of the cliff and watched as Ghost Face made his way down along the sheer rock face.

Before long, winds and clouds began to surge below — as though someone had come to blows down there.

In the blink of an eye, Ghost Face’s black silhouette could clearly be seen retreating into the distance.

With Ghost Face gone, another tall figure landed lightly at the top of the cliff and came striding toward her with broad steps.

“I’m fine — you needn’t come over.” Remembering Ninth Imperial Uncle’s warning, Feng Jiu’er called out loudly at once.

“This place is not safe to linger. Let’s go!” Mu Mu gave her no chance to refuse — he stepped forward, wrapped an arm around her waist, touched his feet lightly to the ground, and swiftly departed.

He did not ask who had spirited her away, nor who had brought her back again. He did not press for answers about what manner of master had appeared just moments ago below.

He only knew this place had been exposed, and he gathered her up and left.

Exactly how much time passed, neither of them knew — but at last, Mu Mu stopped and set her down.

“What is it? Is that place no longer safe either?”

“It hasn’t been safe for a long time. The hounds found it. Those people are working out how to descend and capture us — but the sheer cliff face makes it impossible to deploy a large-scale force.”

“Then why did you stay there without leaving?” So that cliff had become so dangerous, and yet he had remained there the entire time.

“Could you not have found somewhere else to hide?”

His lightness technique was exceptional — even now, finding another place to take cover was perfectly within his ability.

The hounds were formidable, certainly, but they still had to move with a large contingent and could not match his speed.

Even so, hounds were a troublesome thing. Nowhere one hid could truly be called safe.

Stop for even a moment, and you might be discovered.

“If I had left, and you came back unable to find me — would you not have been frantic?” Mu Mu fixed his gaze on her, and said, in a level tone.

Feng Jiu’er’s heart gave a sharp lurch. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she could not produce a single word.

Just because he feared she would return and not find him, he had chosen to remain hidden among those cliffs, even after knowing full well his position had been compromised.

“Did they… did no one come down to capture you?”

“How could no one have come? The Imperial Guards Academy is full of elite experts. A mere cliff face would hardly be beyond them.”

“Then that means you had already been evading them down there, for all that time?”

Her hand came to rest over her heart. She imagined him darting and dodging among those sheer rock walls, endlessly pursued by those skilled fighters, and her chest could not help but be swept by a dull, aching sting.

When Ghost Face had brought her back just now, the clifftop above had been utterly still and quiet — yet it had not occurred to her that below, the situation had already surged to such a desperate pitch.

And Mu Mu had endured it all, refusing to leave — because of her.

Feng Jiu’er’s feelings were tangled and complex, but there was nothing more she could say right now. The Ninth Prince’s sealed letter would most likely not be delivered until tomorrow morning by Xiao Yingtao and the others — unless the Ninth Prince had some means of communication she was unaware of, the message would need to travel out of the city by way of those outside, then be relayed back through Xiao Yingtao and the group. That alone would take considerable time.

Tomorrow — that would be the earliest.

All of a sudden, Mu Mu’s expression shifted sharply. He seized Feng Jiu’er’s hand.

“There is a skilled fighter nearby. Move!” Jiu’er startled, and before she could even react, she was already enfolded in his arms again as he swept them swiftly over the treetops…