That their company was being watched — and watched by more than one pair of eyes — was something both Mu Mu and Feng Jiu’er were aware of.

That Mu Mu had seen through her unease at a single glance had, in truth, caught Feng Jiu’er off guard.

She had believed she was projecting sufficient strength.

“There is a mole within our ranks.” Having finished her meal, Feng Jiu’er did as she had said — she lay straight down on the long bench, closed her eyes, and nearly fell asleep on the spot.

“Is it because of what Zeng Lanyue said?” Mu Mu’s long, elegant lashes dipped as he watched Feng Jiu’er, who had already closed her eyes.

When no further words came for quite some time, he realized the girl had already drifted off.

After another moment, Mu Mu rose to his feet and lifted her into his arms.

Feng Jiu’er’s eyes snapped open instantly, her palm already gathering inner energy.

The moment she made out the face before her, she exhaled sharply — though she still moved to pull free. “Mu Mu, what are you doing?”

Mu Mu said nothing. He carried her to the bed and set her down, tossed her boots aside with one hand, and with a sweep of his arm drew the blanket over her.

Every movement flowed into the next without the slightest pause or misstep, a testament to his swift and nimble reflexes.

“Don’t argue with me about this. My stamina far outstrips yours — and beyond that, I was not injured before.”

Sleeping on the long bench was therefore something he ought to be doing, not her.

“Even with you here, why is there still not even a trace of ease?” He had originally believed that his presence could make her feel safe — that was precisely why he had insisted she stay and rest here.

Yet it seemed he still could not give her that sense of security.

Jiu’er drew a slow, deep breath and let it out steadily. “You mean a sense of safety?”

She felt a twinge of discomfort at that. It seemed as if only at Ninth Imperial Uncle’s side could she feel truly at ease.

Don’t ask her why — she herself could not say.

“Mu Mu, until the mole is rooted out, I will not be at ease. I’m sorry — did I startle you just now?”

“It was I who startled you,” Mu Mu replied. He settled onto the long bench, lay back, and closed his eyes.

Just as Feng Jiu’er was on the verge of sleep herself, Mu Mu’s low, measured voice broke the silence once more.

“Because you know there is a mole, the tasks you have assigned to each person are all different — precisely to guard against the possibility that someone might have a grasp of the full picture, which would leave us with no means of recovery?”

Shan Yidao served as the vanguard — scouting ahead and making all necessary arrangements in advance.

Xiao Yingtao appeared harmless, yet she too was someone close to Jiu’er. If what Zeng Lanyue had said held any truth, even Xiao Yingtao was not above suspicion.

Therefore, Xiao Yingtao knew nothing of what Xing Zizhou and Shan Yidao were doing.

As for Xing Zizhou — he was tasked with gathering intelligence regarding Yu Jingfeng’s movements, yet neither he nor Shan Yidao knew that the “Ninth Prince” traveling with their party was actually Mu Mu.

Huo Yan was the same — knowing only pieces.

Huo Yan knew only that Mu Mu was impersonating the Ninth Prince in order to draw the real Ninth Prince’s enemies away from him and allow the real prince’s people to travel unhindered.

But Huo Yan did not know what the Ninth Prince was currently doing, nor did he know what they would need to do once they reached Phoenix City.

In short, among all of them, only two people could see the entire picture: one was Jiu’er herself, and the other… was him.

“Why not suspect me?” At Mu Mu’s words, Feng Jiu’er’s already-closed eyes opened just slightly.

After a long pause, she closed them again, murmuring softly, “If you were truly working against Ninth Imperial Uncle, we would both have been dead that day.” Mu Mu’s abilities were no lesser than the black-robed man’s — if he had harbored any treacherous intent, how could they possibly have survived to this moment?