Mu Mu did not know how long he had slept. In his state of utter exhaustion, he seemed to see his Master help Feng Jiu’er sit up.

What happened after that, he had no knowledge of whatsoever.

Jiu’er…

He jolted upright, and upon opening his eyes, discovered to his surprise that he was now in one of the Yemingong’s strongholds.

“Jiu’er!” He threw back his blanket and made to get out of bed.

Liuli had just entered the room carrying something, and upon stepping through the door, she saw his frantic look at once.

She immediately set the tray in her hands on the table and hurried forward. “Young Palace Master, don’t get up! Rest first!”

Mu Mu did not listen. But the instant he stepped off the bed, a wave of overwhelming dizziness crashed over him, nearly sending him tumbling to the floor.

Liuli had never seen him so weak before. The sight was truly distressing.

She moved to support him, but saw him brace himself on his own and sit back down on the bed. He closed his eyes and let himself grow still for a moment, his breathing gradually evening out.

Yet no sooner had he recovered a scrap of strength than he opened his eyes and made to rise again.

Liuli hurriedly said, “The Palace Master has brought Feng Jiu’er to the inner chamber, and it has been a full day and night. She is trying to find a way to save Feng Jiu’er. You cannot go there now.”

“She…”

“Yes. The Palace Master said she will certainly bring Feng Jiu’er back to life. Young Palace Master, do not worry — nothing will go wrong.”

Liuli glanced at him, and a sharp pang shot through her heart. But whatever anguish she felt, she could only press down hard within herself, not daring to show even a trace of it before him.

“Young Palace Master, from the very beginning when you approached Feng Jiu’er, and now as you pour out your life to rescue her — was it all because you knew she was a Phoenix Maiden?”

He who obtains the Phoenix Maiden shall obtain the realm. The Palace Master knew of this. What no one had expected was that the Young Palace Master would truly believe it so deeply.

In truth, Liuli was not sure what she was thinking — or rather, what she was waiting for. She truly longed for the Young Palace Master to give a nod of his head. But if Feng Jiu’er was indeed the Phoenix Maiden, then the Young Palace Master and Feng Jiu’er…

She exhaled softly. Her station was humble — such matters were not hers to dwell upon.

So she forced herself not to think about it.

“Young Palace Master…”

Mu Mu gave no answer. His thoughts were not something he had ever been inclined to share with others.

Seeing that his expression was not favorable, Liuli lowered her head and bit her lip. “It is Liuli who overstepped. Please forgive me, Young Palace Master.”

“Young Palace Master, the Palace Master and Feng Jiu’er are in the inner chamber now — they cannot come out for the time being. Young Palace Master, perhaps you should first…”

Mu Mu still did not speak, but he rose of his own accord, walked to the table, and sat down.

After washing up with the warm water she had brought, he immediately picked up the bowl and drank it down in large gulps.

He was truly in desperate need of sustenance. He had to eat his fill first.

If Master could not save Jiu’er, then in the days ahead, he would have to be the one to carry on.

He would not stand by and watch Jiu’er die. As long as there remained one last breath of vital energy in him, he had to protect her.

As for what Liuli had asked just now — whether it was because he had known Feng Jiu’er was the Phoenix Maiden that he had approached her in the first place — the answer was self-evident.

He naturally had his own method, and knew how to discern whether someone was truly the Phoenix Maiden. But whether now, at this moment, it was truly only because she was the Phoenix Maiden that he had risked his life to save her —

Mu Mu could not find the answer. Nor did he wish to search for it. He only knew that even if it cost him his last breath, he would never abandon Jiu’er.

A bowl of congee, three large steamed buns, two plates of dishes — in the span of a blink, he had consumed it all entirely.

Mu Mu stood up and took his robe from the dressing screen.

All this while, Liuli had stood there as though she were invisible — without receiving so much as a glance from him. Yet standing behind him, watching his silhouette, her heart grew heavier and heavier, and her eyes stung with increasing pain.

The Young Palace Master did not yet know. He had no habit of looking in a mirror. But this head of long hair — it ought to be combed up…

A tear slipped from the corner of Liuli’s eye, unable to be held back any longer. Watching his hair, she said in a husky voice, “Young Palace Master, I… let me comb your hair for you.”

“No need.” Mu Mu was not accustomed to going about with his hair loose either. He casually picked up a hair tie from the table and moved to gather his long hair.

But then — the strands at his fingertips seemed to be a different color than he remembered. Why were they… turning white…

His movements stilled. He lowered his head and looked at the strands of hair between his fingers. In an instant, his fingertips gave a violent tremor.

“Young Palace Master! The Palace Master said there is still a chance for recovery in the future!”

Liuli called out loudly. Whether those words were meant to comfort him or comfort herself, she could not say.

Yet her tears were completely beyond her control, streaming down her face.

“The Palace Master said you overexerted your vital energy, shattering your mind and spirit — that is why… why it turned out this way. You will recover. Young Palace Master, please do not be sad. You will certainly be able to recover in time.”

Mu Mu only stared at his long hair for a brief moment. In that single instant of stillness, he composed his expression to one of indifference, gathered his long hair into a tie, straightened his robe, and walked out the door.

Liuli followed behind him, watching this young and handsome man, his hair now entirely white, and her heart ached without end.

The Young Palace Master did not care, but she cared — she cared deeply.

That moment when the Young Palace Master had collapsed unconscious, his full head of dark hair had turned to white before everyone’s eyes — strand by strand, inch by inch, in real time.

The Young Palace Master’s beautiful dark hair had turned entirely white.

The Palace Master was not unmoved — even if she said nothing, Liuli knew that the pain had cut her to the very core.

For now, the Palace Master and Feng Jiu’er were still in the inner chamber. At least, no news was good news.

Liuli was truly afraid in her heart — afraid that when the Palace Master emerged, she would tell them all that Feng Jiu’er could not be saved.

She hoped Feng Jiu’er would survive. Only then could the Young Palace Master begin to recover.

Mu Mu strode in one breath to the door of the inner chamber. Along the way, everyone who saw that head of white hair was stricken with grief.

Yet Mu Mu himself seemed utterly indifferent. He stopped outside the chamber door, drew a deep breath, and then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Liuli could only wait outside — she did not dare follow him in.

The powerful inner force within was not something she could withstand. If she went in, she would surely be injured.

The chamber door swung shut again. Mu Mu looked at Feng Jiu’er lying on the cold jade bed and moved at once to approach her — but was stopped by Ye Luosha, who was sitting cross-legged nearby in meditation. “Do not touch her.”

“Master, is she now…”

Ye Luosha glanced at his head of white hair. The pain within her, she pressed down.

She said evenly, “Her life has been preserved, at last. But it was her innate divine power as the Phoenix Maiden that saved her.”

So this girl truly was the Phoenix Maiden. Long ago, she had instructed Mu Mu on how to recognize a Phoenix Maiden’s aura.

She had not expected the boy to actually bring a Phoenix Maiden back with him.

But Feng Jiu’er’s Phoenix Seal had been deliberately suppressed since she was very young. This meant that someone else also knew she was the Phoenix Maiden, and had intentionally sealed away her mark.

This time, Ye Luosha had opened her meridians for her, allowing her own vital energy to erupt and cause the Phoenix Seal to resurface.

Now, she was truly and completely the Phoenix Maiden. He who obtains the Phoenix Maiden shall obtain the realm.