“There’s no one else here, so it should be fairly convenient for you to stay. There’s also a young man in my courtyard called Yanu.”

Feng Jiu’er thought for a moment before continuing: “I’ll speak with Yanu about this tomorrow. He’s a good person, though he cannot speak. Don’t take advantage of him — he’ll help provide you with food.”

Having someone to look after her would allow Xue Gu to stay here without worry. Otherwise, being alone would be troublesome — she’d have to venture out just to find food, and that would far too easily expose her whereabouts.

Xue Gu said nothing, seeming to have no objections to the arrangement.

“But Xue Gu, do you have no plans of your own going forward?” A reclusive master of her caliber — keeping her confined to this place indefinitely seemed unlikely to satisfy her.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Jiu’er asked.

“Help me investigate who sent those guards up the mountain.”

“They’re palace people, though I can’t yet confirm exactly who gave the order.” Even without Xue Gu saying so, Feng Jiu’er would have looked into it herself.

“Don’t worry, leave this matter to me.”

Something suddenly came to mind, and she asked: “Oh right, Xue Gu — now that you’ve come down the mountain, what about those two Snow Lotus Beasts up there?”

“They’ve lived on that mountain for years. They know the terrain far better than I do.” The Snow Lotus Beasts would have no trouble on the mountain — even if someone went looking, they wouldn’t easily find a trace of them.

Unless the beasts chose to emerge on their own.

Xue Gu rose to her feet and walked toward the bed. “Come here. Let me see how your inner energy has been progressing.”

——

Yanu accepted Xue Gu’s presence with surprising ease.

Feng Jiu’er simply said she was a friend, and Yanu asked nothing further. She needed Xue Gu to stay in the courtyard without anyone knowing — all Yanu had to do was bring her food each day.

The courtyard had everything. Though Feng Jiu’er was an impoverished young miss, she was still a young miss.

Clothing, food, lodging, and daily needs — aside from food, which required Yanu’s help, none of it was particularly burdensome.

Early the next morning, just as Feng Jiu’er had said the night before, she dragged Yanu out the door — off to buy clothes.

The street had several clothing shops, some selling ready-made garments, and others offering bolts of fabric to take home and sew. Jiu’er, however, had no skill with needle and thread, so ready-made was the obvious choice.

After visiting several shops in a row, Yanu’s arms were laden with parcels. As they moved to the next one, he grew a little reluctant.

He gently tugged at Feng Jiu’er’s sleeve. Between the shops they’d already visited, she had bought at least four or five outfits. Any more and there’d simply be no way to wear them all.

“What? Afraid you’ll spend all my money?” Feng Jiu’er glanced up at him and smiled. “Don’t worry, I still have some. Besides — what’s the point of working so hard to earn money if you never spend it?”

Spotting another sizable clothing shop ahead, Feng Jiu’er immediately grabbed Yanu and pulled him inside.

——

Not far away on the street, a man in plain clothes stood with deep, shadowed eyes.

Yu Jingfeng noticed too, and quickly stopped beside the man: “Your… My Lord, that is Miss Jiu’er.”

The Prince had returned from outside the city just this morning, dressed in common clothes, blending in as an ordinary passerby. Though even the plainest fabric could not conceal his elegantly imposing bearing, today he was not Ninth Prince.

Besides, very few people had ever seen Ninth Prince’s true face — so for now, he was simply an extraordinary man of unsurpassed beauty dressed in ordinary clothes.

Yu Jingfeng had not expected it — barely back in the city, and by pure coincidence, they had already spotted Feng Jiu’er on the road.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that Miss Jiu’er was pulling a man along, the two of them… shopping together?

Ahem — was Miss Jiu’er trying to get herself killed? Right under the Prince’s nose, being this intimate with another man.

Though the man’s face was covered in scars, badly marred by the look of it, his bearing and presence were not a step below those of the most refined young men.

The white-robed man on horseback maintained his expressionless composure, though the depths of his eyes seemed to grow heavier.

Yu Jingfeng couldn’t begin to guess what the Prince was thinking — but he was almost certainly displeased.

“That, My Lord — perhaps we should…”

Before Yu Jingfeng could finish, Zhan Qingcheng on horseback suddenly swung himself down in a single fluid motion.

Those long legs landed with effortless composure. The white robe rippled elegantly as he dismounted with crisp agility.

The young women nearby, who had been watching him for some time already, found the sight so overwhelming that one actually fainted — eyes rolling back, collapsing where she stood.

If Feng Jiu’er had seen it, she would doubtless have marveled for quite a while.

An exaggeration? Perhaps it did seem a little extreme — yet when it came to the Ninth Imperial Uncle, it was absolutely not an exaggeration.

Because she had witnessed it herself — young women fainting dead away at the sight of his stunning beauty. It was not even the first time.

This time, however, Jiu’er was clearly oblivious. She was still inside, busy trying clothes on Yanu.

She hadn’t expected it — shopping for clothes in ancient times actually bore a passing resemblance to the modern age. Just not nearly as convenient.

Thankfully Yanu was a man — he could simply take off his outer layer, slip on a new robe, and the effect could be judged right away.

When Zhan Qingcheng and Yu Jingfeng entered the shop, Jiu’er was in the middle of dressing Yanu, her back to the doorway — completely unaware of the two figures who had stepped inside.

Yet the atmosphere inside the shop had unmistakably shifted.

In an instant, it turned cold, solemn, and tense — and somewhere in the room, the faint sound of young women sharply drawing breath could be heard.

Even Yanu’s tall, lean frame stiffened slightly, his body clearly sensing the arrival of a very different presence.

“What’s the matter? You’ve gone all stiff — do you dislike this outfit?” Feng Jiu’er was busy dressing Yanu, and she was naturally the first to notice the change in him.

Even his breathing had shifted slightly. Did he really dislike it that much?

She was standing right in front of him, so deeply focused on the fitting that she noticed nothing amiss about the people around her.

She took a small step back to get a better look, then turned her gaze on Yanu and murmured: “Doesn’t this look wonderful? That figure of yours is enough to make anyone’s mouth water — so handsome! Why the grim face?”

Her eye was perfectly fine, as far as she was concerned. That lake-blue robe paired with his clean, composed air — absolutely stunning. What was there to frown about?

Jiu’er stepped forward again to adjust his collar, then took another step back. “It really does look wonderful. Yanu, don’t you trust my taste? This robe suits your presence so perfectly, the effect is absolutely devastating — I nearly fell for it myself!”

Then she took one more step back — and walked straight into the firm chest behind her.

She startled, spinning around quickly: “Sorry, sorry — I didn’t see you there. I’m sorr—”

“Fallen for it?” The man’s voice behind her was low and cold, a chill seeping through the collar of Jiu’er’s robes and down her neck. “I’d very much like to see just how smitten you’ve become.”