“Qiao, listen to me.”

Feng Jiang gripped Qiao Mu’s arm, a hint of nervousness in his manner.

“You listen to me first.”

Qiao Mu looked up and shot him a sidelong glance.

Feng Jiang blinked and nodded. “Fine, you go first.”

Qiao Mu looked away, gazing into the distance.

“What I mean is, if there’s ever a time you fall for another woman, tell me in advance, and I’ll leave.”

“Of course…” Qiao Mu raised her eyes again, “before I leave, I can’t guarantee what I might do!”

“Just don’t forget to bring me along when you go.”

Feng Jiang suddenly leaned in closer.

Qiao Mu pushed him back and turned away, evading him. “We’ve met the Empress.”

“Every woman wants to be empress, but who would have thought being empress isn’t actually easy at all.”

“She misses you. She even once sent soldiers to Wutong Town, worried you’d been captured. When the time is right, let’s go back and see her together.”

Feng Jiang stood up and pulled Qiao Mu tightly into his embrace.

“Does that mean you’ve agreed to marry me?”

“I want to be with you, no matter the consequences. The ceremony doesn’t matter—as long as it’s you, that’s enough.”

Qiao Mu hugged him back, her voice a little hoarse.

“Feng Jiang, in this life I’ve never missed anyone the way I’ve missed you these past months. Don’t disappoint what I’ve come to expect of you!”

“There are still many battles ahead, big and small—no matter what, you must guarantee your own safety, do you hear me?”

“Clearly! I hear you clearly!”

The large hand wrapped around Qiao Mu trembled slightly.

He nodded slightly, then freed one hand to gently stroke her hair.

“For your sake, no matter how harsh the circumstances, I will never give up!”

“Qiao, I truly, truly like you—so much that the moment I close my eyes, my mind is filled with nothing but you.”

“In this life, I will never let you suffer, and I will never fall for another woman. Trust me!”

Qiao Mu lifted her gaze to look at the man, then threw herself back into his embrace.

“For now, I’ll choose to believe you.”

As long as he was safe and well, she couldn’t worry about much else!

Qiao Mu understood clearly: unless Jiu’er and the Night Prince could overthrow Feng Qiongcang’s rule, Feng Qiongcang would never let her man go.

Rather than saying she was helping Jiu’er, it was more accurate to say they had long since become one family, helping one another.

The two embraced for a while, until Qiao Mu’s body went soft, and she closed her eyes.

“Carry me to rest, I’m tired.”

“All right!”

Feng Jiang lifted the soft woman in his arms and carried her toward the bed.

The night was beautiful, and the atmosphere in the room was just as lovely.

The group continued onward, following the imperial army’s route as planned.

After some time, the ten-odd travelers finally arrived at a place called Linjiang Town, on the banks of the Song River.

By then, it was already the day of the Start of Autumn.

Linjiang Town, near the Song River, was a rather prosperous small town.

Directly across the river from it lay Yongshan City—Feng Jiu’er’s own territory.

Feng Jiu’er bid farewell to the young man from the Feng Xi Kingdom and left Fenglan Inn.

During this time, she had used her identity as a trusted confidante of the Empress to have the young man from Feng Xi Kingdom guide them through several cities.

Now, only the final step remained—the moment to say goodbye.

Before he left, the young man from Feng Xi Kingdom reported to Feng Jiu’er on the conditions of Jiangbei City, where Linjiang Town was located.

Feng Jiu’er knew that leaving through this city’s gates would be difficult, and crossing the river would be even harder.

The group left Fenglan Inn, departed the bustling little town, and entered a small village.

Waiting to receive them at Xinghua Village were Feng Yinan and Yue Qinchun.

Xinghua Village—the name sounded pleasant, but the place itself was nothing much, the poorest spot in all of Linjiang Town.

Poor land meant few people, and that was exactly why Feng Yinan and Yue Qinchun had chosen this place.

This final step, the most difficult step of all, called for hiding as deep as possible.

The entire village of Xinghua had barely any households, and no one knew when exactly Feng Yinan and Yue Qinchun had first appeared there.

The two of them had chosen a flat stretch of land on the mountainside and built a thatched hut.

Behind the house rose the mountain, and all around, aside from a patch of vegetable garden, stood nothing but forest.

Feng Yinan had chosen this wild forest for another reason as well: there was a cave in the mountain behind the house.

These days, the two of them spent their time either clearing land to plant vegetables, or leaving the village to head into town for supplies and daily necessities.

The group had entered Xinghua Village in the dead of night, moving into the cave under cover of darkness.

At dawn the next day, Feng Jiu’er was shaken awake by Xiao Yingtao.

“Jiu’er, wake up, this place is beautiful. Come, let me take you out to have a look.”

Xiao Yingtao had prepared washing supplies for Feng Jiu’er. Feng Jiu’er washed up, changed clothes, and left the simple little room.

In the middle was a large open space, surrounded by several cave openings of various sizes.

If one didn’t mind the uneven, pitted ground, it actually resembled a house with one main hall and several bedrooms.

Outside each “little room,” a cloth had been hung, and inside, dried grass and blankets had been laid out—quite comfortable, all things considered.

Xiao Yingtao and Duan Liuyang’s room was among the larger ones, holding not just a sleeping area but also a small table.

Best of all, this “room” was close to the outside, and light and air came through gaps in the rock wall.

Feng Jiu’er had slept very comfortably the night before, and had overslept as a result.

When the two of them went out, Feng Li and Feng Jiang were sitting in the “main hall” at the center of the cave, discussing something.

“Father, Third Brother, good morning!”

“Jiu’er, good morning.”

Feng Jiang looked radiant, full of energy.

Feng Li looked at Feng Jiu’er too and waved her over.

“Father.”

Feng Jiu’er went to him, standing behind Feng Li, loosening his shoulders for him.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Mm.” Feng Li nodded. “There’s food outside, go have some first.”

“I’ll handle what needs doing next along with Little Jiang. You should rest and relax for a couple of days.”

“Yay!” Feng Jiu’er let go of Feng Li’s shoulders, wrapped her arms around his head, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Then I’m off, Father, see you later!”

When Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao went outside, nearly everyone was busy at work.

Duan Liuyang and Yue Qinchun were watering plants, Gong Xinyue and Gong Xing’er were doing handicrafts, and Long Shiyi and Feng Yinan were chopping wood.

Only Qiao Mu sat by a low stool, a bowl in one hand and a sweet potato in the other.

“Xing’er, the curve on that bow of yours is off—you’re not putting in enough force.”

Qiao Mu looked at the curved wood in Gong Xing’er’s hands and shook her head.

“Sister Qiao, I’ve already tried my best.”

Gong Xing’er’s temples were already damp with sweat.

“That still won’t do. You’re going into the mountains to hunt, not scare off little white rabbits.”

Qiao Mu set down her bowl.

She finished the rest of her sweet potato in two or three bites, wiped her hands, and walked over to Gong Xing’er.

“Jiu’er, go eat your sweet potato first. I’ll get you some porridge.”

Xiao Yingtao pulled Feng Jiu’er over to the spot where Qiao Mu had just been sitting.

Feng Jiu’er nodded, sat down, and picked up a sweet potato.

“Jiu’er, you’re up.”

“Jiu’er, did you sleep well last night?”

Everyone glanced her way, smiling.

Feng Jiu’er looked around at everyone too and waved.

It seemed this deep mountain wilderness wasn’t so bad after all.

In fact—it was rather good!