The moment the pill entered her mouth, it dissolved into liquid and slid down Feng Jiu’er’s throat.

In an instant, the unconscious Jiu’er knitted her brows tightly together. Wherever the medicine passed, it burned and stung — the pain was real. Even in the midst of her dream, it hurt terribly.

Hu Shuang was still seated beside her, watching her complexion with a look of quiet helplessness.

“This is the finest medicine I could find — I would not even use it on myself. Feng Jiu’er, if you have any will in you, do not let yourself die. I do not wish for the Prince to spend the rest of his life in suffering.”

“I must go now. I am sorry — I cannot stay to watch over you. You… take care.”

Hu Shuang rose to her feet, raised her hand, and with a casual flick — crack — a great shower of branches and leaves fell from a nearby tree.

She spread the leaves and branches over Feng Jiu’er’s body, then took one long, deep look at her, before turning and walking away.

Feng Jiu’er knew she had been abandoned here. She wanted to open her eyes and see the world around her — but her eyelids were unbearably heavy, too heavy to force open even a fraction.

She could not die. She had to live. She absolutely could not die.

If she died, the Ninth Imperial Uncle would carry guilt for the rest of his life — he would never be able to find happiness again.

Absolutely… could not die… But where was this place? She could not move. Her heart still ached terribly. It truly hurt so much.

“…Ninth… Imperial Uncle…”

“Jiu’er — Jiu’er, where are you — Jiu’er…”

A voice called out to her, sometimes near, sometimes far, never quite clear enough to make out.

It seemed as though the voice was drawing closer.

“Jiu’er!”

At last, someone came to her side. A hand swept aside the branches and leaves that had been spread across her, and she was gathered up into someone’s arms.

Had he not refused to give up, he would never have found the girl.

Yet her face was this pale — so bloodlessly pale. Her lips held not the faintest trace of color. Her body was burning, as though it had been pulled from a sea of fire!

Mu Mu sheltered her against his chest, and both palms came to rest upon her back. A deep, steady, and abundant flow of true energy poured through his large hands and rushed into her body without delay.

“Do not be afraid, Jiu’er. I will not let anything happen to you — not ever. Do not be afraid.”

Feng Jiu’er was still drifting in and out of consciousness. After that pill entered her stomach, her whole being had been in agony at first — but gradually, it seemed, things had become more and more bearable.

When that current of true energy entered her body, the effect of the pill seemed to grow stronger and stronger. Her awareness still had not returned, but her eyelids had begun to stir.

She could not make out clearly who was beside her. She only knew that right now, the person she longed to see was that figure in white…

“…Ninth Imperial Uncle.”

The person on the bed jolted upright, and immediately reached out to feel the bedding at his side.

No one — his girl was not there.

Zhan Qingcheng’s gaze darkened. It was then that he recalled — he was the one who had asked Emperor Ji to send the girl away. How could she possibly still be sleeping at his side?

Yet he had clearly heard her calling out to him just now.

“Your Highness!” Mo Bai and Yu Jingfeng, who had been keeping watch beside the bed for some time, hurried over at once.

Mo Bai took his hand, fingertips resting on Zhan Qingcheng’s pulse, and examined it with care for a long while.

At last, he let out a long breath — there was excitement in it, and deep emotion, but more than anything else, there was a helplessness that only he himself could know.

“The Gu Poison within Your Highness’s body has been driven out for the greater part. So long as Your Highness cultivates and recuperates every day for a period of time, full recovery will come very soon.”

Zhan Qingcheng narrowed his eyes. “The Gu Poison is gone?”

Mo Bai felt a stab of guilt and could only bow his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

He dipped his head and said, “Yes. This time, we owe our success to the medicinal venom beetle the Lady of Butterfly Valley has been cultivating for many years. I first fed the medicinal venom beetle a lethal poison, then introduced the medicinal venom beetle into Your Highness’s body, drawing the venom beetle inside Your Highness to consume the poison-laden medicinal venom beetle.”

“Once it devoured the medicinal venom beetle, the venom beetle was itself poisoned and died. I then used silver needles to seal the acupuncture points and flush out the poison. At present, seven tenths of the Gu Poison has been expelled. As for the remainder — with daily acupuncture treatments to drive out the toxin, it will be fully eliminated before long.”

Mo Bai’s account, on the surface, seemed to have nothing amiss about it. And yet…

“Why was this method not used before?”

The previous night, Mo Bai had given him medicine again, sealed his acupuncture points once more, and sent him into a deep sleep.

Now, upon waking, he was being told that the Gu Poison had been removed? Why did he have a lingering sense of unease about all of this?

Mo Bai lowered his head further, his guilt growing. “Before… I did not dare take the risk.”

“Where is Jiu’er?” It was he himself who had told Emperor Ji to send the girl away — and yet Zhan Qingcheng now raised this question out of nowhere.

Mo Bai’s heart gave a lurch. Fortunately he had his head bowed at this moment, so his unease did not show on his face.

Only — to bring up Feng Jiu’er at this moment stirred not only guilt in him, but grief as well.

Feng Jiu’er now… was most likely no longer in this world. If he were to ask the Lady of Butterfly Valley to return her body for burial, one wrong word could arouse the Prince’s suspicion.

At this moment, he absolutely could not let the Prince become suspicious. Though the Gu Poison in his body had been mostly cleared, the remainder still needed to be expunged.

It was truly not the right time to tell him. The Prince would lose his mind. At the very least, they had to wait until the remaining toxins were fully removed from his body. After that, if the Prince wished to cut him down or kill him, Mo Bai would accept it.

Yu Jingfeng did not actually know what had happened — but watching Mo Bai’s demeanor, he could dimly sense something.

Mo Bai had never been comfortable telling lies. He knew that — years of acquaintance had taught him that well enough.

His heart had been deeply uneasy all this time, and he did not know what state Miss Jiu’er was currently in.

Mo Bai had arrived and immediately set to work removing the Prince’s poison — there had been no time to ask questions.

But now the Prince was asking about Miss Jiu’er, and for the sake of putting the Prince’s mind at ease, he could only say, “The Elder escorted Miss Jiu’er away — they were set to leave Mo City last night. At present it is unclear whether they are making for the Imperial Capital or for Phoenix City. Word has not yet come back.”

“Your Highness, please set your mind at ease. The moment there is news, your subordinate will inform Your Highness immediately.”

“Your Highness, please rest for a while. The Gu Poison has only just been expelled — you are still very weak, and must recuperate quietly for two days…”

“In one hour, prepare to set out for Phoenix City.”

Zhan Qingcheng lay back down, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

He had only one hour to rest — so whether for his own sake, or for Jiu’er’s, or for the people of Phoenix City, that one hour could not be wasted.

He was truly exhausted. He had barely lain down before his breathing grew even.

By Mo Bai’s reckoning, after the Gu Poison was expelled, the Prince should have slept for three days and three nights before waking. What he had not anticipated was that in less than a single day and night, the Prince had jolted awake out of a dream.

And now, only one hour of rest…

Yu Jingfeng looked at Mo Bai. Mo Bai could only shake his head. In this matter, what he said carried no weight at all.

Even knowing full well that one hour was nowhere near enough for the Prince to recover his strength — who could change what the Prince had decided?

They withdrew from the room, left members of the Feilong Shi’er Qi to stand watch over the Prince, and Yu Jingfeng took Mo Bai by the arm and led him over half a mountainside.

Only when he was certain they were far enough away did Yu Jingfeng lower his voice and ask, “Where is Miss Jiu’er right now? Do you know?”