Why had Huo Yan’s attitude changed so abruptly? It hardly needed to be explained. Of course it was because what Feng Jiu’er produced carried far more weight than any bribe.

When she drew out the token Ninth Prince had given her and held it up before Huo Yan, this endlessly chattering adjutant fell silent at once.

As she walked toward the room where Mu Mu was being held, Feng Jiu’er could not help but lower her head and look at the token in her hand.

Some things she remembered vaguely. Others seemed to have already faded from her mind. In any case, the memories were there — just somewhat blurred.

But why had Ninth Prince given the token to her? At the time, she seemed to have been gravely injured, and Ninth Prince had saved her…

Without warning, Feng Jiu’er halted her steps, stopping in the middle of the corridor, staring at the token in her hand. Her expression shifted.

Why had Ninth Prince been so gravely wounded that he had needed to travel to the Southern Wastelands to seek treatment? Why did she have the impression, hazy as it was, that his injury had something to do with her?

Had it been because… he was trying to save her? No — she could not recall. Why would Ninth Prince risk his life for her? It was impossible. They were neither kin nor connected in any way.

Yet how was it that this faint fragment of memory remained — a scene in her mind that seemed to show Ninth Prince nearly dying in order to save her?

Could the one responsible for Ninth Prince’s grave wounds and long journey to seek a cure truly have been her?

And yet — how could that be? Why would Ninth Prince treat her with such care? What was she to him? What was he to her? They had no connection whatsoever.

How could it possibly be…

Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed deeply. Huo Yan, walking behind her, noticed she had stopped and stepped forward to look at her — her face was pale, and she appeared on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

“General Feng, are you all right?” As long as she carried the token, Huo Yan would address her as General Feng. Jiu’er had grown accustomed to the title.

“I… my head is hurting.” She reached out her hand, seeking something to hold on to.

Huo Yan immediately steadied her, his face full of concern. “What happened? Should I take you to the medical hall?”

Better to get checked quickly and then go back to her quarters to rest — not keep forcing her way into the Martial Training Building.

Feng Jiu’er had a token, and to present a token was to come in Ninth Prince’s name — he had had no choice but to let her through.

“I am all right.” Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly steadied her disordered breathing.

A moment ago, for reasons she could not explain, her head had begun to throb intensely. But it seemed that as long as she did not think about anything related to Ninth Prince, the pain would fade.

Her headache was connected to Ninth Prince. Why?

Even physicians cannot always treat themselves. Though Feng Jiu’er was a doctor, the symptoms within her own body were difficult for her to assess with any certainty.

She tucked the token away and walked quickly toward the room where Mu Mu was being held, without a moment’s hesitation, until she was standing outside the door.

She had not even stepped inside yet, merely paused at the threshold, when Mu Mu’s low, steady voice drifted out from within. “I am fine. Go back and set your mind at ease.”

Feng Jiu’er blinked, momentarily startled. Did Mu Mu’s inner perception really have to be this acute?

She had no intention of simply turning around and leaving. She had come all this way. She glanced sideways at Huo Yan.

Huo Yan, helpless, had no choice but to open the door.

Feng Jiu’er stepped inside to find Mu Mu seated in a chair, reading a book.

“Did I not ask you not to come in?” Mu Mu looked up at her with a trace of reproach. “I am here under Ninth Prince’s orders. If you barge in recklessly and the Prince is displeased, Adjutant Huo will be the one to face punishment.”

The guard standing outside felt an almost overwhelming surge of gratitude — Mu Mu saw things with crystalline clarity. If Feng Jiu’er were the one in the wrong, Ninth Prince would most likely not punish her at all. The one who would bear the consequences would almost certainly be him.

Feng Jiu’er paid no attention to Mu Mu’s words. She walked over and set her things down on the table.

“I brought you something good to eat. You had better eat it properly — this meal cost me a full five taels of silver.”

Bear in mind that she and Xiao Yingtao normally ate in the dining hall for less than a single tael of silver.

Mu Mu looked at the food and dishes she had taken out. Though he did not agree with her coming here, seeing the care she showed for him, the faintest warmth and ease seeped into his eyes.

He did not refuse. She had come all this way — would it really make sense to ask her to take it back? That would be far too rigid.

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, asking idly as he did, “Did you bring food for Shan Yidao and Xing Zizhou as well?”

“Of course not. This expensive? They have food already — why would I send anything to them?”

Mu Mu’s chopsticks paused for a fraction of a second. All of a sudden, the meal before him seemed even more savory and delicious.

“Yes, they’re being fed here. No need to trouble yourself over them.”

Feng Jiu’er sat down across the table, propped her elbows on the surface, cradled her own face in her palms, and watched Mu Mu eat.

“By the way — you had an injury on your back. So, did Xing Zizhou and Shan Yidao also have injuries on their backs? What kind of injuries? Could they actually be spies?”

“I do not know. Last night the three of us were not together, and it just so happened that we all had injuries on our backs, so we were all brought in.”

As for what injuries Xing Zizhou and Shan Yidao bore on their backs, since he had not seen them himself, he truly did not know.

“Do you think either of them could be the mole?” Feng Jiu’er was still watching him steadily, as though watching him eat was rather entertaining in itself.

“That cannot be said.” Not knowing, there was no point in idle speculation — he had never liked it. Guess correctly, and without evidence it meant nothing. Guess wrong, and it could cost someone their life.

“Even to me, you can’t say?” Feng Jiu’er wrinkled her nose, letting out a small huff of displeasure.

Then she leaned in close, lowering her voice until only the two of them could hear. “And you? What is your true identity? Are you a spy?”

When she had been with his master and those people before, it had been obvious to her that they were all on guard around her. Sometimes they would clearly be in the middle of a conversation, yet the moment she drew near, the topic would cut off immediately.

Although Mu Mu had always been kind to her and not particularly guarded, there were many things his master would not permit him to tell her.

Feng Jiu’er was well aware of this. She was not foolish. These people’s identities were far too mysterious. It was simply that they were her saviors, and she had chosen not to investigate further.

Mu Mu seemed not to have expected her to ask so directly. His chopsticks stilled. He lowered his gaze to look at her, and instead turned the question back on her. “What do you think? Am I one?”

“You look a bit like one to me.” Whether Feng Jiu’er meant this in jest or in earnest, even she could not say.

Mu Mu only glanced at her once, then went back to eating with evident relish, as though the question she had just posed did not exist at all.

Feng Jiu’er did not press him further, still propping her small face on her hands, watching him. “Oh, right — today our Longqi Army won against the Fourth Imperial Guard Squad on the combat arena. Tonight the Fourth Imperial Guard Squad brothers are hosting, and we are holding a barbecue gathering.”

“Hmm.” Mu Mu nodded, content to listen to these small everyday details from her life. “A barbecue with over a hundred people — that must be hard to manage. Roasting a wild boar?”

“That’s far too rough and unrefined. I have my own method — it will definitely surprise them.”

“What method?”

“I am not telling you. Otherwise you will just be sitting here thinking about getting out and joining in, and the more you think about it, the worse it will feel.”

“Fair enough, then do not tell me. Next time, the two of us will do our own barbecue and try it.”

“Alright.”