Feng Jiu’er gently supported Jian Yi, easing him back down to lie flat.

She sat beside him and began examining him carefully.

He Jinyan stood off to the side, saying nothing, waiting at all times for instructions.

Xing Zizhou and Xiao Yingtao had both gone to the room where Chen Hong was being held.

Chen Hong had been kept confined the whole time; for Jian Yi’s sake, no matter how much trouble it caused, wherever Feng Jiu’er went, this woman was brought along.

She was currently locked in a small side chamber.

When Xing Zizhou and Xiao Yingtao arrived, Chen Hong was still bound to the bed.

Not quite hog-tied, but her hands, feet, and waist were certainly all restrained.

To keep her from starving to death, she was given a designated hour of rest each day.

The so-called rest meant having her acupoints unsealed so she could act on her own—eat, relieve herself, or wash up.

Guarding Chen Hong were four designated brothers, three men and one woman.

Each day, when the time came, a man skilled in acupoints would unseal one of her points for her.

The woman would then take her to relieve herself, or to bathe.

Even during this time, Chen Hong remained firmly restrained—not only by the shackles fixed to her hands and feet, but also by the acupoints Feng Jiu’er herself had sealed on her body.

Chen Hong had done no end of evil, causing the deaths of quite a few of their brothers; if not for Jian Yi’s sake, no one would have been willing to attend to this woman.

The brothers understood Jiu’er’s helplessness, and none of them wished for Jian Yi to come to harm, so they carried out their duties regarding Chen Hong with great care and diligence.

Looking at the sleeping figure on the bed, Xing Zizhou asked in a low voice, “Has there been anything unusual these past two days?”

“Lord Xing, nothing abnormal has been noticed so far,” said the woman on guard, looking at Xing Zizhou. “Has something happened?”

Xing Zizhou shook his head slightly, staring fixedly at Chen Hong without blinking.

After a moment, he turned back to look at Xiao Yingtao.

Xiao Yingtao understood, sat down beside Chen Hong, and picked up her chained hand.

The moment she touched that cold hand, Xiao Yingtao’s grip tightened at once.

If not for this woman, Jian Yi wouldn’t have been tormented for so long.

If she could, she would have loved nothing more than to plunge a needle in and end her life then and there.

But if Chen Hong died, would that mean Jian Yi could no longer be saved?

Xiao Yingtao’s coldness toward her, in fact, ran even deeper than Chen Hong’s own cruelty.

She extended her slender fingers and placed them at the pulse point on Chen Hong’s wrist.

After a moment, Xiao Yingtao raised her eyes to look at Xing Zizhou, shaking her head.

Xing Zizhou nodded, went over, picked up Chen Hong’s arm from where it lay against Xiao Yingtao, and dropped it.

“Keep a close watch on her—no need to let her wake today!” One day without food or water wouldn’t kill anyone.

Xing Zizhou truly was furious; the sight of Jian Yi’s agony just now was still vivid in his mind.

And this woman, the very cause of it all, still lay here being tended to so attentively—no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t feel at ease.

“Xiao Yingtao, let’s go see how Jian Yi is doing now.”

“Mm.” Xiao Yingtao stood.

“Lord Xing, rest assured, we will guard our post to the death,” one of the men said, cupping his hands toward Xing Zizhou.

“Good.” Xing Zizhou nodded slightly, took Xiao Yingtao’s small hand, turned, and left.

After the two of them left the room, the three men followed out as well.

Left in the room were only Chen Hong and the woman guarding her.

The woman glanced once at the figure on the bed, then went over and drew open the window curtain.

The instant she wasn’t looking, the eyes beneath the closed lids of the figure on the bed rolled slightly, and the corner of her mouth curled upward.

Feng Jiu’er finished examining Jian Yi and immediately began treating him.

After Xiao Yingtao and Xing Zizhou came to report, since the two of them hadn’t rested the night before, Feng Jiu’er sent them off to rest.

Acupuncture, massage, channeling energy to heal his injuries, and finally Feng Jiu’er even changed his prescription.

After drinking his medicine, Jian Yi returned to soak in the pavilion at the back hill.

Before long, it was already past noon. Having gone a whole night without sleep, and having expended no small amount of energy, Feng Jiu’er was exhausted enough to want to collapse right there.

Qiao Mu came over after her own rest, and seeing the utterly drained Feng Jiu’er, felt a pang of distress.

“Go rest. I’ll keep watch over Jian Yi.”

Sitting in her chair, Feng Jiu’er looked up at her and shook her head. “It’s fine!”

She still felt guilty for not having taken good enough care of Jian Yi.

Seeing the bloodshot look in her eyes, Qiao Mu turned away helplessly.

When she came back, two brothers followed behind her, carrying a long bench.

By then, Feng Jiu’er, still in her chair, had slumped forward again.

Qiao Mu glanced back at the brothers and said in a low voice, “Move gently!”

The two brothers nodded, brought the bench over beside Feng Jiu’er, and set it down carefully.

Even the slightest stir was enough to wake Feng Jiu’er; she lifted her head and looked at the people before her.

“What’s going on?”

“Miss Jiu’er, sorry to disturb your rest!” one of the brothers said, and began tidying up the blanket on the bench.

“It’s fine.” Feng Jiu’er stood and stretched.

Not far off, another brother came over carrying food.

Qiao Mu looked at Feng Jiu’er and sat down in the chair she had just vacated.

“I know you barely touched your lunch, so I had some pastries from the kitchen sent over.”

“Go ahead and eat,” Qiao Mu said to the brother, waving a hand.

The brother finished arranging what he was carrying, nodded, and left.

“I’ll keep watch over Jian Yi—you finish eating, then lie down and rest a while.”

Seeing there was food, along with some juice, Feng Jiu’er didn’t stand on ceremony.

She sat down on the bench, picked up the water and took a sip, and began enjoying her afternoon tea.

In truth, it wasn’t quite afternoon tea time yet, but she really was hungry.

Feng Jiu’er ate two pieces of pastry, then looked up at Qiao Mu.

“Qiao Mu, have you been to see Chen Hong? I keep feeling that Jian Yi’s sudden serious episode has something to do with her.”

If Jian Yi weren’t so attached to her, and if she weren’t so worried about him in his weakened state, Feng Jiu’er would have gone to find Chen Hong long ago.

Qiao Mu glanced for a moment at the handsome man sitting quietly in the pool, then said softly, “I have.”

“You have?” Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed as she lowered her head to pick up a pastry. “What did you find?”

“Nothing in particular.” Qiao Mu shook her head. “But…”

“But what?” Feng Jiu’er frowned.

She lifted her favorite pastry on her fork, but before she could take a bite—could this Miss Qiao really not just say things all at once?

Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just get it all out in one go?

“I feel like something’s off, but I can’t put my finger on it,” Qiao Mu said, turning to look at her.

“Why don’t you go take a look when you have a moment?”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and put the pastry in her mouth.

“Something’s wrong! Something has happened!” A brother came running over in a rush.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu stood up at the same instant.

Their people would never behave so rashly, unless something truly serious had happened.

“What is it?” Qiao Mu asked in a low, steady voice.

“Miss Jiu’er, Miss Qiao, Chen Hong has escaped—Chen Hong injured a great many brothers and got away.”

Feng Jiu’er’s crescent brows knitted, and she set down her chopsticks.

She had only taken a few steps forward when something occurred to her, and she turned back.

“You stay here, I’ll go take a look.”

Qiao Mu left those words behind and strode off outside.