“Can I let go now?” Shen Rong’er asked, her voice hoarse.

“You can. Move aside.” Feng Jiu’er unwrapped her needle case.

Shen Rong’er withdrew her trembling hands and moved to the other side, taking hold of Yang Sheng’s arm.

Feng Jiu’er sat down and began applying acupuncture to Yang Sheng.

“Brother Yang, did you hear what I said just now?” Shen Rong’er asked, choking on her words.

At that moment, she had long since cast aside any pretense of feminine reserve.

“Brother Yang, it’s me, Rong’er. I like you. Open your eyes and look at me, won’t you?”

Shen Rong’er’s words made Feng Jiu’er’s hands pause for a moment, but she quickly recovered and kept working the needles.

“Xiao Tian, ointment, medicine, thread—get them ready, we need to stitch the wound.”

“Yes.” Xiao Tian quickly laid everything out within easy reach of Feng Jiu’er.

“Go find Jian Yi. Have him come channel energy into Yang Sheng.” Feng Jiu’er added.

“Yes.” Xiao Tian nodded and vanished from the tent.

Soon, Jian Yi followed her back in with long strides.

For two full hours, the atmosphere in the tent remained tense.

Yang Sheng drifted in and out of consciousness, again and again, until Shen Rong’er’s voice had gone hoarse from calling to him.

In the end, through everyone’s combined efforts, Yang Sheng’s life was pulled back from the brink.

Once Feng Jiu’er confirmed Yang Sheng was no longer in danger, she left only Shen Rong’er behind and led the others out to help elsewhere.

By dawn, she and Jian Yi, along with the ten thousand men they’d brought, set out on the road to reinforce the front.

The war zone under Feng Jiang’s command was on a stretch of hilly terrain west of the Northeast City, separated from Fenglai City by only a single ridge.

Han Ying had held back for so long precisely because he’d been planning this.

Before leaving, Feng Jiu’er had sent word to Feng Li, telling him to launch the campaign in the central region.

If Han Ying dared to launch a surprise attack, he would have to bear the consequences of doing so.

Feng Jiang hadn’t yet fallen when Feng Jiu’er arrived, bringing several tens of thousands more soldiers with her.

Half a month later, Han Ying retreated to Liaodu City and shut its gates tight.

Feng Jiu’er and Feng Jiang took the East City of Fenglai, leaving them only a single step away from Fenglai City itself.

The army didn’t stop there, but pushed north and broke through the southern gate of Tianyue City.

Tianyue City was where Feng Jin’s main forces were stationed.

By the time Feng Jiu’er and Feng Jiang breached the southern gate, Di Wu Ya had already seized a portion of territory in the eastern part of Tianyue City.

Caught in a pincer from the southeast, Feng Jin was finally forced to retreat north out of Tianyue City to join up with another of his armies.

Feng Li personally led troops north to pin down Han Ying’s forces.

Feng Jiu’er, Feng Jiang, Di Wu Ya, and Zhao Yusheng converged at Tianyue City.

The eastern campaign, which had raged on for nearly five months, finally came to a pause.

A slight figure in white robes rode a white horse at a gallop down the wide road.

The gates of the grand estate slowly swung open before the person inside had even stepped out, and horse and rider swept straight in.

Feng Jiu’er reached the main hall, leapt down from her horse, and hurried toward it.

Black robes stirred in the breeze, a tall figure standing at the center of the hall.

Feng Jiu’er looked at the familiar, handsome face and threw herself forward.

She wrapped both arms around his neck, legs circling his waist, as if afraid he might slip away.

Feng Jiu’er buried her face against the crook of his neck, breathing hard for a moment before finally letting go.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle.”

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I missed you so much, missed you so badly.”

Thankfully, his breathing was steady, with no sign of internal injury.

Di Wu Ya looked into Feng Jiu’er’s bright, lively eyes and pulled her tight against him with one arm.

“How much did you miss me? Hm?”

Feng Jiu’er held his head and leaned in, nipping playfully at his lips.

“So much. So much I wanted to swallow you whole!”