Jiu’er had gone to the Ninth Prince’s Manor.
Speaking of which, Ninth Imperial Uncle’s temper had truly been terrible, and rather strange too.
A man of few words — when he didn’t feel like talking, even half a sentence extra felt like too much trouble to him.
Toward members of the imperial family, he’d never once softened his tone.
For a manor as grand as this, it didn’t even have a proper name — people simply called it “the Ninth Prince’s Manor.”
She’d heard that when the Emperor had once granted him a title, he hadn’t even accepted the imperial edict.
Refusing the edict meant refusing the title that came with it.
Under all of heaven, he was likely the only one who dared to be so brazen.
Jiu’er looked up at the fallen boulder, on which the words “Ninth Prince’s Manor” were now almost illegible.
Ninth Imperial Uncle…
Her heart ached, and yet she couldn’t help but smile faintly.
She had come back.
This was the place where they had once lived together.
Though they’d later left for the Feng Clan, this place held so many of their fondest memories.
Back then, Ninth Imperial Uncle had been poisoned with a deadly toxin, and needed her blood to cure it.
It felt as though fate had been at work all along, unseen.
Perhaps her bond with Ninth Imperial Uncle had already been forged back when he was young and first poisoned.
Zhen Jiu’er walked inside.
The wild grass grew taller than a person, and every step forward was a struggle.
But with every step, another memory surfaced.
Only, over a thousand years had passed now — the place and the people had long since changed beyond recognition.
Zhen Jiu’er walked in slowly, step by step, until she reached the main hall.
Part of the main hall had collapsed inward, its roof exposed to the open air.
She wanted to leap up onto it, but then suddenly remembered — after coming to this era, she no longer had her lightness skill.
Getting up there wouldn’t be easy.
Jiu’er was just considering how she might climb up to get a look at the whole manor.
But just as she took a step, she suddenly heard a very faint sound.
A soft crack — like someone stepping on a dry branch.
The sound was so faint that if her hearing hadn’t been sharp and her attention focused, she never would have caught it.
But she really had heard it!
With a whoosh, she hurled something she’d been holding straight toward a corner not far behind her.
Beneath the tree, behind a clump of weeds, a tall, slender figure flashed and vanished.
“Who’s hiding there?” Zhen Jiu’er lunged forward in a single bound, striking first with a punch aimed at the figure.
The person didn’t seem to intend to fight back — dodging with a narrow sidestep, they immediately bolted toward the rear courtyard.
Though weeds covered the ground everywhere, blocking the path from view in many places, this person seemed to know the terrain extremely well.
They moved through the weeds without fear of colliding with rocks or hard objects, their figure quickly disappearing into the tall grass.
Jiu’er knew this place even better than he did!
She chased after him, nearly catching up.
By the moonlight, the figure’s back looked oddly familiar — tall, lean, dressed in black casual clothes, his waist hidden from view.
But the moment she saw him, for some reason, her first thought was that his waist must be lean, firm, and good-looking.
Zhen Jiu’er almost wanted to slap herself — at a time like this, and she was still thinking about a man’s waist.
But he really did seem familiar…
“Stop right there!” Suddenly, she leapt into the air, hurling the object in her hand straight at the man’s back.
It was a small stone she’d picked up along the way while chasing him.
The man in the black casual clothes narrowed his eyes, suddenly spun around, and swung his arm, knocking the stone aside.
Then he swung a punch straight at Zhen Jiu’er.
Jiu’er immediately pulled back, refusing to clash with him head-on. She twisted to the side, her five fingers curling into a claw aimed at his wrist.
In the moonlight, as he turned, half of the man’s face gradually came into view, growing clearer…