Qiao Mu furrowed her brow, lowered the arms she had raised to stretch, and looked down at Feng Jiu’er.

“So? What opinion am I supposed to give?”

“Thank you!” Feng Jiu’er met her gaze, cupped her hands in a small salute, then stood up.

She curved her lips slightly and said, “Among us, I want to leave one more person behind to help Rong’er.”

“Who do you think would be most suitable?”

“Jiu’er, you’re not thinking of leaving me behind, are you?” Qiao Mu glanced at Feng Jiu’er, stretched out her arm, and flexed it with force.

“I’m cut out for fighting. Aren’t there still plenty of battles, big and small, ahead of us?”

After all, with Feng Jiang gone, what point was there in her staying behind?

Feng Jiu’er looked at her, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Who didn’t know what was going on in Qiao Mu’s head? You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool me, Feng Jiu’er!

Qiao Mu raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling, as if to say: as long as you can fool everyone else, I don’t care what you think! Feng Jiu’er rolled her eyes and said, “You pick this person. I’m heading to Hou Mountain.”

“I’m going too.”

Qiao Mu’s gaze shifted, landing on Shen Rong’er.

“Since Rong’er is the one in charge of this matter, just ask her directly.”

“Rong’er, who do you need? Just say it — man, woman, old, young, whoever you pick, I’ll arrange it.”

Just don’t pick me! That was exactly what Qiao Mu’s eyes were saying.

Shen Rong’er also stood up, smiling as she looked at Qiao Mu. “Qiao Mu, can I really choose anyone I want?”

“Do I look like the kind of person who jokes around?” Qiao Mu waved a hand. “Go on, say it. Who do you want? I’ll go get them ready right away.”

“Qiao Mu, I think you’re the most suitable.”

Shen Rong’er said, “Whether it’s in—” “Wait!” Qiao Mu cut her off. “Rong’er, you’re not joking, are you?”

Her own meaning had been so obvious — how could this girl not get it?

“Do I look like the kind of person who jokes around?” Shen Rong’er shot back.

Qiao Mu was momentarily speechless. When had this young lady of the Shen family become so sharp-tongued?

Seeing Qiao Mu’s expression, Shen Rong’er couldn’t help covering her lips and laughing.

“Qiao Mu, I was joking.”

Qiao Mu shot her a look, her face full of relief that it had just been a joke.

If Rong’er had truly picked her, and she herself hadn’t wanted to stay, wouldn’t that have been embarrassing?

“So who do you want? Better decide now,” Qiao Mu asked.

“The rest of us seem to be living pretty well, pretty freely, but the truth is, none of us live better than a dog.”

“You’re the sheep that’s walked into the tiger’s den — there’s no escaping now even if you wanted to.”

“Qiao Mu, are you the dog or the tiger? Jiu’er and I have no idea,” Xiao Yingtao teased, walking over and looping her arm through Feng Jiu’er’s.

“Jiu’er, we’re humans, aren’t we? Let’s go eat something humans eat before heading to Hou Mountain, okay?”

“Sorry! I already ate.”

Feng Jiu’er laughed. “And I ate quite a lot, too!”

“Jiu’er, don’t tell me — you ate alone?” Xiao Yingtao frowned her small crescent brows.

“Well, not exactly alone,” Feng Jiu’er shook her head.

“With who?” Xiao Yingtao asked.

“Jian Yi, who else?” Feng Jiu’er replied.

Shen Rong’er, seeing the two of them laughing together, smiled happily as well. “If it’s alright, why don’t we let Brother Yang stay behind? What do you all think?”

“Brother Yang is from Licheng, so he’s more familiar with this area. He’s also generous and easygoing in conversation. I think—” “Rong’er, you wouldn’t happen to have fallen for Yang Sheng, would you?” Feng Jiu’er said, smiling at her.

She had done the math today — Yang Sheng didn’t have a girlfriend yet.

Never expected a suitable match to come along this fast.

“Rong’er, really?” Xiao Yingtao also looked at Shen Rong’er. “If it’s true, that would be wonderful!”

“Rong’er, look at you! You’ve barely arrived and already found your ideal match!” Qiao Mu gave her a thumbs up.

“No worries, if you want Yang Sheng, I’ll arrange Yang Sheng for you. Wishing you an early blessing of children.”

Qiao Mu even cupped her hands specially, making a congratulatory gesture.

Shen Rong’er, looking at the three of them, blushed all the way down her neck.

“No, I’m not — I don’t mean it that way, I just think Brother Yang is—” “Blushing that hard and still saying it’s nothing?” Qiao Mu frowned.

“Let’s go, I’ll arrange it. Maybe by the time we meet again, you two will have a little crystallization of love.”

Shen Rong’er watched everyone heading outside and followed along: “What’s a crystallization of… love?”

Not knowing how to deny it, Shen Rong’er could only let it stand.

“After love, can there really be a crystallization?” Xiao Yingtao, arm looped through Feng Jiu’er’s, looked at Shen Rong’er, blinking repeatedly.

Shen Rong’er’s eyes went wide, and even her footsteps faltered.

“No! Really, no, it’s not what you’re all thinking.”

Even the child has thought of it — this is all moving far too fast! “There’s no one else here, nothing to be shy about.”

Feng Jiu’er walked over and patted her shoulder.

“You’re right too, Yang Sheng is from Licheng and knows this area well. Leaving him here puts my mind at ease.”

“As for the two of you, just let things develop naturally on your own! I haven’t known Yang Sheng long, but I already know he’s a good man.”

Shen Rong’er took Feng Jiu’er’s hand, pressing her lips together.

“Jiu’er, even you’re teasing me now. Right now all I can think about is doing well with the task you’ve entrusted to me — how could I have time for such thoughts?”

“Falling for someone is a natural thing,” Xiao Yingtao chimed in.

“If you like someone, you like them — why would you need to pick a time for it? Besides, when men and women work together, the work feels less tiring, doesn’t it?”

“I fully support Jiu’er’s approach. If our Dragon Shadow has more and more women joining, life won’t be so dull for our brothers.”

“That said, any woman hired who wants to join Dragon Shadow still has to pass an evaluation.”

“Mm.” Shen Rong’er looked past Feng Jiu’er at Xiao Yingtao.

“For now, let’s just recruit whoever’s usable, and once we understand their specific circumstances, we’ll assess them properly.”

“In that case, I’ve been very lucky — to have gotten Jiu’er’s approval directly.”

“Yes.” Xiao Yingtao smiled back at her. “We’ve all been lucky, our luck has been so good. Shall we go get afternoon tea?”

“Afternoon tea?” Shen Rong’er raised an eyebrow, trying to keep up with their way of talking.

“Mm.” Xiao Yingtao nodded. “It’s a saying from Jiu’er’s hometown. Noon is midday — before noon is morning, after noon is afternoon.”

“Afternoon tea is just afternoon tea! Come on, sister’s treating!”

“Okay, thank you, sister!” Shen Rong’er smiled happily.

The four women went out, with Jian Yi still standing outside the door, arms crossed around his sword.

Once the four of them left, he followed as well.

Feng Jiu’er didn’t look at Jian Yi, but her mood was good.

These past days, Jian Yi had suffered greatly, and Feng Jiu’er felt both heartache and discomfort at once.

The heartache came from feeling his pain as her own; the discomfort came from having grown used to his protection without even realizing it.

Without that familiar presence beside her, she felt entirely out of sorts.

Fortunately — he was back.