Since the little girl said it was nothing, Zhan Qingcheng settled in without the slightest self-consciousness, burrowing further into the curve of her neck, and closed his eyes. So it turned out one could sleep on horseback — this was his first time attempting it.

None of them had expected that Ninth Imperial Uncle would truly fall asleep so quickly. From close by came the faint sound of his breathing — slow, even, almost mesmerizing in its pull.

The moment she knew he had fallen asleep, Feng Jiu’er had only one thought in her heart: that for the sake of letting Ninth Imperial Uncle sleep undisturbed, she would walk through fire and water without a moment’s hesitation. Who had told him to be the kind of Ninth Imperial Uncle who, with the slightest furrow of his brow, could make women ache with tenderness until they thought they might die?

Ah — Ninth Imperial Uncle’s appeal. Even she had become completely powerless to resist it.

The convoy slowed its pace a little, because everyone knew the Prince was asleep — and he was asleep on Miss Jiu’er’s back. Yu Jingfeng and Qiao Mu were a little uneasy, and could only station themselves one to the left and one to the right, keeping watch on either side, guarding against the possibility that the sleeping Ninth Prince might suddenly slip off Miss Jiu’er’s back and fall to the ground.

Though, admittedly, even the imagined image of such a ridiculous scene was rather delightful to contemplate.

Qiao Mu even secretly hoped — if the Ninth Prince were to fall, and she could catch him… oh! That would truly be an unimaginable happiness.

Alas — the Ninth Prince, even in sleep, remained pressed solidly against Feng Jiu’er’s back, without the faintest inclination to separate from her. Little did they know that those two iron arms of the Ninth Prince held his little girl tightly clasped the whole time — even in his dreams, his hold on her never loosened.

The convoy had traveled more than ten li when, all at once, Qiao Mu and Yu Jingfeng’s expressions simultaneously darkened. Before Yu Jingfeng could even open his mouth, the brothers at the head of the formation among the twelve riders had already come to a halt, arms raised high. The entire convoy stopped instantly.

The surroundings, at this moment, were still utterly quiet — a clean breeze, the fragrance of flowers, birdsong — not the slightest trace of anything wrong. But in the distance, a faint, restless undercurrent had begun to stir.

This was the only road through. And so even knowing that something was churning just ahead, they had no choice but to press forward.

Among the brothers of the Feilong Shi’er Qi at the vanguard, the first six urged their horses and flew forward at a gallop. Behind them, a dozen or so brothers of the Longqi Army followed. Of the remaining six riders among the twelve at the rear, three immediately spurred their horses to the front of the convoy to hold the formation. The rotation of the formation took only a matter of seconds from start to finish — and even Feng Jiu’er watched it with something close to entranced admiration.

Such a convoy. Such capability. It truly inspired admiration. These were all brothers who answered to Ninth Imperial Uncle — if every last one of them were loyal and steadfast, how wonderful that would be.

And yet — who was the mole hiding within this convoy?

If it were possible, she truly hoped it was not one of the twelve riders. They had followed by Ninth Imperial Uncle’s side for so many years — if any one of them had turned traitor, it would wound Ninth Imperial Uncle’s heart deeply.

Jiu’er tilted her head to glance at him, but the man’s face remained buried in the curve of her neck. She could only try to sit straighter, to give him a little more ease. As for his features — she longed to steal another look, but couldn’t manage it at all.

Up ahead, in an instant, everything descended into a fierce, bloody clash. Since coming to this era, this was not the first time Feng Jiu’er had witnessed killing — but it was the first time she had seen killing done with such clean, decisive, ruthless efficiency. The brothers of the twelve riders were each and every one of them formidable fighters. Pull any one of them out at random and their martial power would not fall far short of Yu Jingfeng’s. Some of them were in fact better than Yu Jingfeng.

The day that black-robed man had come — if all twelve riders had been present then, that black-robed man would never have managed to injure Ninth Imperial Uncle.

It was a pity that the twelve riders were usually each burdened with heavy responsibilities of their own — unless something of particular importance arose, they would never all be gathered in one place. Just as now — it was only after the Ninth Prince’s accident that they had all returned together.

The metallic scent of blood drifted swiftly on the breeze coming through the mountain ravine, permeating everything.

Feng Jiu’er, still watching the battle, suddenly let her gaze go sharp, and called out in a low, urgent voice: “Poisonous gas — be on guard!”

When it came to poisons and medicines, her senses were more acute than most.

The enemy had made such a tremendous show in front, and yet — there was still an ambush positioned to the rear as well. The poisonous gas had been lurking in the mountain ravine for some time; the people who had deployed it were no longer present, for if they were, the twelve riders would certainly have detected them. The attackers had calculated precisely — timed for the moment when the mountain wind would carry the gas in their direction.

Whoever had struck from the shadows — their thinking was alarmingly meticulous.

“Take the antidote!” Yu Jingfeng commanded in a low, sharp voice.

Immediately, people produced antidotes and distributed them to everyone. Feng Jiu’er carried her own specially prepared antidote on her person at all times. She tipped one pill from a small bottle and turned her head to glance at the man still sleeping against her shoulder: “Ninth Imperial Uncle — take something first.”

Zhan Qingcheng didn’t even open his eyes, yet he was already willing to open his mouth, and swallowed the antidote she fed him.

It had to be said — the Ninth Prince’s trust in Feng Jiu’er had reached a level that no one could rival. No matter what Miss Jiu’er gave him to eat or drink — even if she walked toward him with a drawn sword, with the tip leveled at his heart, only the Ninth Prince would feel not even a flicker of suspicion that she meant to take his life.

Such trust — no one knew quite when it had taken root. All that was clear was that now, the Ninth Prince heeded no one’s words — but for Feng Jiu’er alone, he would do whatever she said.

Yu Jingfeng had no spare thought left for pondering such things. With a sweep of his arm, he called out: “Retreat!”

“Do not retreat — advance quickly!” Feng Jiu’er’s voice cut across Yu Jingfeng’s order.

For a moment the convoy was caught between two directives, unsure which to follow. Emperor Ji sat quietly in his carriage, accepted the antidote Leng Yue brought him and swallowed it, all his attention fixed on the figure on Feng Jiu’er’s back. He only needed to ensure Di Wuya’s safety — everything else was not his concern. Deploying men and making tactical decisions — that too was not his place.

This was the Ninth Prince’s convoy. Though they had not come under the banner of the Tianzun Sect, they were ultimately people of the Tianzun Sect. If they could keep a low profile, they would not draw so much as half a measure of unnecessary attention. Moreover, Emperor Ji’s identity… was one that must not be seen by too many eyes — to prevent any chance of someone recognizing who he had once been.

“Miss Jiu’er…” Yu Jingfeng looked at Feng Jiu’er, his expression grave and heavy. “There are ambushes ahead as well.”

“The wind is blowing toward the rear. If we retreat now, no matter how fast we run, we cannot outpace the wind — and the effectiveness of this antidote is limited in duration.”

Though Feng Jiu’er’s phrasing was largely shaped by the modern world she had come from, she was confident everyone could understand her meaning.

“Advancing will put us against the wind — we can break through the poisonous gas formation!”

Yu Jingfeng was instantly struck with realization, and at once commanded: “Advance — quickly!”

His every thought had been on protecting the Prince, and he had not stopped to notice the wind direction or where the gas was coming from. He had always considered himself to be thorough enough — and yet he found that, compared to Miss Jiu’er, he fell far short.

In the carriage at the rear, Emperor Ji could not help but spare another glance for that slender figure. She had both courage and strategy — bold yet careful — and women like that were rare. No wonder Di Wuya favored her so strongly. This Feng Jiu’er was indeed a remarkable woman.