The time it took for one incense stick to burn down passed quickly.

At Qiao Mu’s command, the unit set off at once.

Every training session that involved recorded results was taken with utmost seriousness. After all, it had a direct bearing on one’s future prospects.

Whether one could enter the Ninth Prince’s core operational team and rise swiftly through the ranks, or whether one could only start as a lowly squad leader from the bottom — all of it came down to the accumulated scores from these training sessions.

Even the young masters of noble birth, who sought to further consolidate their standing at court and within their clans, treated every assessment with the same careful attention.

Mu Mu led their unit and immediately set out, quickly advancing deep into the mountain range.

“The route today is quite long. This is still an individual assessment, as always — let’s part ways at the foot of the mountain up ahead.” Mu Mu looked at the mountain ahead and said calmly.

In individual training sessions, everyone generally completed the course on their own — after all, each person’s final score was their own.

Of course, not every session was an individual assessment. Sometimes scores were calculated individually, while other times it was a team assessment, where every member of the team shared the same result.

During team assessments, they were required to move together.

Everyone was used to this. They each gave a nod and continued forward.

Feng Jiu’er still had a lingering unease. When they reached the foot of the mountain ahead, she flashed a smile at Zhan Luori — who had deliberately slowed his pace to walk beside her — and said: “Seventh Prince, I’d like to walk with Mu Mu today. You go on ahead.”

Zhan Luori’s gaze dimmed slightly. His disapproval was obvious.

“What is it?” Feng Jiu’er said. “Mu Mu’s skills are far better than yours. What is there to worry about?”

Zhan Luori’s expression darkened again. Jiu’er gave him a shove: “I’m joking. Are you actually thinking of challenging him to a contest? You’re the new recruit here — you follow the senior members’ word. Now go on, we’ll catch up to you.”

“I doubt you’ll be able to catch up,” Zhan Luori said with a cold snort.

So she was claiming Mu Mu was better than him — was this girl trying to sow discord, or did she genuinely think so little of him?

“Yes, yes, I know. I just have some things I want to say to Mu Mu. We’ll catch up shortly, all right?”

She knew he was there under the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s orders to keep an eye on her. Still, the training grounds here were reasonably safe — there wasn’t much to protect her from.

But as for the area near Lintou Mountain — that might not be truly safe at all.

Black wolves were living creatures, and they could move. Even if it was unlikely those people would release black wolves with so many trainees out here training, as long as black wolves remained in that area for a single day, everyone was at some degree of risk.

More importantly — so many black wolves being kept in a remote wilderness, and not a single person in the entire Military Academy knowing of their existence until the animals attacked them — what exactly were the people behind this plotting?

Zhan Luori finally went ahead. Mu Mu walked to Feng Jiu’er’s side, looked down at her, and spoke in his characteristic gentle tone:

“What did you want to say to me? We haven’t seen each other in two days — did you miss me?”

Feng Jiu’er rolled her eyes at him: “Those kinds of flippant remarks — who taught you to talk like that?”

“Who else could it be, besides you?” Mu Mu’s eyes curved slightly, and he seemed to be in good spirits.

Jiu’er glared at him, and decided not to continue on that thread. The way it sounded, it was as if she were some terribly improper sort of person — but she was actually an extremely proper, utterly respectable individual.

“Right — once you’re past Lintou Mountain and over the next peak, is that where we were attacked by the black wolves before?” she asked.

Mu Mu had known from the moment she’d seemed uneasy that this was precisely what she’d been thinking about.

He nodded: “That place is called Heifeng Mountain. Beyond it lies Heifeng Gorge. The gorge is unfathomably deep — no one knows what lies at the bottom.”

“You mean — because no one knows what’s down there, and no one can possibly go down to investigate, it might actually be where the black wolves are being bred and trained?”

Was that what Mu Mu was hinting at?

The bottom of Heifeng Gorge… It seemed that going down to look was genuinely necessary.

The number of black wolves was enormous, yet not a single person in the entire Military Academy had known of their existence — had the wolves not attacked them, they would still have had no idea. Was it possible that deep within Heifeng Gorge, an untold number of black wolves were concealed below?

Feng Jiu’er’s expression made Mu Mu’s face fall. He said with clear displeasure: “Don’t even think about going to the bottom of Heifeng Gorge to have a look. The gorge is unfathomably deep. Hurricane-force winds arise within it at intervals — one misstep and you’d be reduced to nothing.”

“You’ve been down before, haven’t you?” Otherwise, how would he know that hurricane-force winds arose within it periodically?

Jiu’er looked at him, eyes bright with anticipation: “You went down — and what did you see?”

“I hadn’t yet reached the bottom when the hurricane-force winds drove me back.” Mu Mu clearly had no wish to continue this topic. “In any case — no reckless actions, and absolutely no sneaking off to investigate on your own.”

“I know, I know — aren’t I discussing it with you right now?” If even someone with Mu Mu’s formidable cultivation had been driven back by the winds, she was likely unable to descend either.

But that only made her far more curious about the place.

If the black wolves truly were being bred at the gorge’s bottom, how did those people get down there?

That day, she had seen the man who played the flute to command the black wolves — and she hadn’t gotten the impression that his cultivation was anything exceptional. He had clearly been far inferior to Mu Mu.

If they trained the black wolves at the base of the gorge, the flute players would have to ascend and descend Heifeng Gorge from time to time. If even they could manage it — then there was only one possibility: there was a hidden path leading directly to the bottom!

“Still thinking about it?” Mu Mu gave her a nudge. “What about today’s training scores?”

“I want those! Fine — I’ll drop it for now. I can’t descend anyway. But near Lintou Mountain — everyone should be careful.”

“As long as you don’t cause trouble, I won’t have any accidents.” Mu Mu’s words clearly carried a double meaning.

If she caused trouble, she would inevitably drag him into it.

And yet the way it sounded — it was somehow brimming with indulgent affection.

Jiu’er had no intention of letting things turn ambiguous between them: “All right. I’ve said what I needed to say. I’m going to catch up with the Seventh Prince. Bye.”

Mu Mu made no move to stop her, only said: “Don’t keep thinking about Heifeng Gorge.”

“I know, I know — stop nagging.” Jiu’er had already quickened her step and headed off ahead, calling back to him from the distance.

Mu Mu still felt a little unsettled. This girl’s curiosity was far from ordinary, and her daring was leagues beyond that of most girls. Whether she might actually sneak off on her own to explore — that was genuinely impossible to predict.

Thinking it over, perhaps it would be better if he personally kept watch over her today — only then could he feel reasonably assured.

He was just about to set off and follow when, in the distance, something caught his eye.

A patch of leaves rustled faintly, and a shadowy figure flashed past. Mu Mu hesitated, and glanced once more in the direction Jiu’er had gone — then at last changed course entirely and headed toward where the shadows had stirred among the trees.

Ahead, Jiu’er walked on. She had genuinely intended to catch up with Zhan Luori first.

That fellow’s temper was actually not pleasant in the least — the same as his Ninth Imperial Uncle’s, sour through and through. If she didn’t catch up, he would probably be in a sulk again by the time she did.

But barely a dozen or so paces later, without warning — a low, anguished groan cut through the air and pulled her feet to a dead stop.

She paused, turned, and walked in the direction from which the sound had come…