After being so badly injured, the Ninth Imperial Uncle had become, more than ever before, like a child who needed to be coaxed and cherished.

Of course, Jiu’er had also noticed — it seemed he was only ever so childlike in front of her.

Sometimes grumpy, sometimes willful, and sometimes a little… naughty — though that only happened while he was caught between sleep and waking.

But whether grumpy, willful, tolerant, or a little naughty, the Ninth Imperial Uncle was… adorable to the point that one couldn’t help but feel tender toward him.

Just thinking of the Ninth Imperial Uncle made the corners of her lips curl up despite herself.

But the matter at hand still needed to be resolved.

Looking at Emperor Ji, she said, “The Empress is now traveling with our group, and it likely won’t be easy to shake her off anytime soon — yet you can’t possibly avoid seeing the Ninth Imperial Uncle forever.”

This was precisely why she had come tonight, pressing Emperor Ji to admit he didn’t dare face the Empress.

If he wouldn’t be honest with her about this, she wouldn’t be able to help him.

Emperor Ji looked at her, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. “You…”

Could it be that this girl wasn’t pressing him to reveal the reason out of mere curiosity, but rather… to help him?

Emperor Ji felt a touch of quiet emotion stir within him — he truly hadn’t expected that such a small girl could have such a broad and generous heart.

He had to admit, his suspicions toward her just now had been somewhat unworthy.

“Yes. Tonight I sent Lengyue to that place because I had previously received word that Nanmeng Rong was somewhere nearby, in contact with certain people within this group.”

Although he no longer concerned himself with the affairs of the Tianzun Sect, he had always maintained his own network of informants — some of which even Wuya didn’t know about.

“Lengyue absolutely harbors no intention of betraying the Prince. This old man can vouch for it with his own head.”

“Old Master, you take it too far.” Jiu’er had not come tonight to embarrass him.

As long as things were made clear and it was confirmed Lengyue truly wasn’t a traitor, that would be enough.

But then how had their information leaked out? “Why did Lengyue go there? Had she received some news about the Empress beforehand?”

“Today, while Lengyue was wheeling me out to gather herbs, she found a messenger pigeon. The note on it said to meet at that hilltop tonight.”

“…” Feng Jiu’er’s expression turned strange for a moment — now, at last, the confusion was fully resolved.

As it turned out, after they had intercepted the pigeon and altered the message within it, that very same pigeon had been intercepted by them yet again.

It was said that without coincidence there’d be no story, but this was a bit too much of a coincidence.

“I had Lengyue carefully reseal the note and release the pigeon. My original plan was to have her quietly observe whether whoever came to meet would turn out to be one of Nanmeng Rong’s people.”

“I never expected that, just as you brought Lengyue back from there, Nanmeng Rong’s people came directly here instead.”

Feng Jiu’er said nothing, but her expression grew increasingly grave.

Since they had re-released the pigeon, yet no one had shown up to make contact tonight, it meant that after the note’s contents had been tampered with twice, the deception had already been discovered.

But the Empress’s people had come straight here instead — could it be… “The person they meant to contact wasn’t the Empress at all?”

Feng Jiu’er’s expression darkened abruptly — if that were the case, there was still a spy within their group, and the person behind it wasn’t the Empress at all, but someone else entirely!

Damn it! In a group of barely a hundred people, there was still an outside mole hidden among them.

If this person wasn’t exposed before they reached the Southern Savage Lands, then the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s safety could not be guaranteed at all!

“Very well, Old Master. My apologies for the offense tonight.”

Whoever the mole was, at least it had now been confirmed it wasn’t Lengyue — which was at least somewhat of a relief.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s attitude toward Emperor Ji was, at the very least, respectful — in his heart, he acknowledged this elder.

Someone the Ninth Imperial Uncle held in such regard — Feng Jiu’er certainly didn’t want to believe he harbored any ill intent toward him. Besides, she could see with perfect clarity just how much Emperor Ji cherished and protected him.

“Old Master, since you’re traveling with us, you probably can’t avoid running into the Empress eventually — she’s not the kind of person who can easily be brushed off.”

Emperor Ji said nothing — this very matter was already weighing on his mind.

“Although I don’t know what history or grievances lie between you and the Empress, if you’d rather not face her with your true face, I do have a way.”

“How so?” A faint glimmer of hope flickered across Emperor Ji’s brow.

With Nanmeng Rong having brought so many skilled fighters along, shaking her off truly wouldn’t be easy.

But he couldn’t keep himself from going to see Wuya forever — he had to watch over Wuya at all times, in case the gu poison flared up and couldn’t be suppressed.

Feng Jiu’er took out a small bottle from the bag she carried with her. “Old Master, then… forgive the intrusion.”

…

By the time Feng Jiu’er gave permission for her to return, Lengyue had been grumbling and cursing the whole way back.

But the moment she entered the tent, she froze in shock.

After the initial shock, her heart lurched, and she struck out with a palm straight at Feng Jiu’er. “How dare you touch my foster father — I’ll kill you!”

Feng Jiu’er, seated beside Emperor Ji with her hand still on his leg, showed not the slightest change of expression as she saw Lengyue lunge at her.

With Yu Jingfeng there, Lengyue naturally couldn’t harm her — but this time, even Emperor Ji spoke up to stop her. “Insolence! Step back!”

“Foster Father!” Forced back by Yu Jingfeng, Lengyue shot Feng Jiu’er a venomous glare before turning to Emperor Ji. “Foster Father, how could you take her side — she… what has she done to you—”

“From now on, this is my face. Not another word about this matter, not even half a word!”

Emperor Ji swept her with a glance, cold and commanding in equal measure.

Lengyue bit her lip, staring at his face, and after a long moment, she finally understood.

Yu Jingfeng too studied Emperor Ji’s face — it was indeed drastically different from before. If he hadn’t already known for certain that the man before him was the Old Venerable Master, he might not have recognized him at all.

Miss Jiu’er truly was something else — she even knew the art of disguise. Was there anything she couldn’t do?

“I only applied a bit of medicine to the Old Master’s face.” Feng Jiu’er handed the small bottle over to Emperor Ji. “I’d better just give this to you directly — if I gave it to Lengyue, I’m afraid she might lose her temper and throw it away.”

“Feng Jiu’er, what did you just say? Say that again and—”

“Yue’er, be quiet!” Emperor Ji’s tone this time was even sterner than before.

Lengyue had truly never been like this before — but ever since Feng Jiu’er had appeared, she had completely lost her composure.

Emperor Ji said with displeasure, “From now on, in everything, you will listen to General Feng!”

“Foster Father!”

“If you won’t listen, then leave here at once and return to where you belong! Set out immediately!”

Emperor Ji’s words were certainly no jest — no matter how furious Lengyue was, the chill in his eyes frightened her enough to force herself to calm down.

“Tonight you were rude to General Feng — won’t you hurry and apologize?” Emperor Ji knew how stubborn Lengyue could be, but this child had truly been spoiled by his own indulgence!

When it came to matters of real consequence, she didn’t possess even a tenth of Feng Jiu’er’s composure! How could she ever accomplish great things in the future? Although he had intended for Lengyue to remain by Wuya’s side, if she kept carrying on like this, he would truly have to reconsider — and think carefully about who was actually suited to be beside his Wuya!