“They… they truly…” Ye Luosha’s face was a picture of astonishment. Though she could not see the contents of the cup, she could already guess from Feng Jiu’er’s expression.
Their blood… their blood could actually merge together!
“I said it is not a kinship test. I added medicine to the solution — only blood of very high compatibility will fully merge.”
Feng Jiu’er glanced at her. This was truly not a kinship test. Even among those with compatible blood types, some blood could not be used. The medicine she had added was meant to make a rough preliminary selection. At the very least, in this current state, the likelihood of compatibility was at least fifty percent.
Feng Jiu’er’s words were somewhat cryptic. Elder Shi and Ye Luosha understood none of it — yet the fact that Ninth Prince’s and Mu Mu’s blood could merge together… whatever the explanation, it left them with an inexplicable sense of shock.
Jiu’er had no time left for explanations. She turned back to fix her gaze on Zhan Qingcheng: “Ninth Imperial Uncle, I need to use your blood.”
Zhan Qingcheng gave his wrist a flick. His sleeve fell back immediately.
A warmth suffused Jiu’er’s heart. Even knowing that Mu Mu was a member of Ye Ming Palace — even though they had been enemies not long before — as long as she needed something, he would always agree with ease.
Her Ninth Imperial Uncle — always indulging her like this. Yet this doting of his, for some reason, filled her with a quiet ache.
She steadied her heart and took out the needle case. The silver-needle blood transfer — she had truly only seen it in texts before. Whether it would actually work remained to be seen.
It was a lengthy process. The worst of it was that this method was far too slow. At the start, Feng Jiu’er was also unfamiliar with the technique, which caused a good deal of Ninth Imperial Uncle’s blood to be wasted.
Eventually she discovered she needed to coordinate with her internal energy, using the silver needles to guide the blood from Ninth Imperial Uncle’s arm slowly into Mu Mu’s body.
In the end, after no small amount of Ninth Imperial Uncle’s blood had been lost, at least a portion had made its way into Mu Mu’s body.
“Mu’er’s complexion has improved somewhat.” Even though the change was subtle, Ye Luosha could see it clearly.
In this moment, her heart was a tangle of a thousand emotions. Looking again at the man who still sat upon the bed, composed and without the slightest ripple of expression — she felt something in her chest that she could put no name to.
These past two days, every time she looked at Ninth Prince, her emotions became inexplicably complex.
The silver-needle blood transfer finally came to a temporary end. Feng Jiu’er put away her things. Zhan Qingcheng still sat on the bed, channeling energy to protect Mu Mu’s pulse.
He had now been sending energy into Mu Mu continuously for nearly ten hours, well into the deep of night. For an ordinary person, such prolonged exertion would have been impossible to endure.
Still, Ninth Imperial Uncle’s true energy and the internal energy within Mu Mu’s body seemed to blend with particular ease. Mu Mu’s internal energy showed not a single sign of resisting Ninth Imperial Uncle’s true energy — which was strange indeed.
Just as at the start, when Ye Luosha and Elder Shi had tried to channel energy into Mu Mu and had been injured in succession by the rebound of his true energy — yet why was it that Ninth Imperial Uncle’s internal energy was welcomed so readily by the energy within Mu Mu’s body?
Turning to look at him, she noticed that Ninth Imperial Uncle’s robes were soiled — and even his face and hair showed clear traces of dust.
Having fought Mu Mu atop the cliff for so long before, with sand and rock flying in all directions — how could he not be dirty?
Yet Ninth Imperial Uncle’s bearing was always so otherworldly. Even with dust upon him, the ash that clung to his hair and robes seemed somehow less marked by the smoke and fire of the mortal world.
After all this time of torment, Ninth Imperial Uncle had not spoken a word of exhaustion. Yet his complexion was indeed not good — though not as wan as Mu Mu’s, it held less color than usual.
“Ninth Imperial Uncle, let me fetch a basin of warm water so you can wash up a little. Would that be all right?” She said this knowing full well that Ninth Imperial Uncle would not respond.
She had no wish to distract him. In matters of attending to Ninth Imperial Uncle, she had always simply done what needed doing. Ninth Imperial Uncle did not like being told what she should do — except in moments of disobedience, when giving orders was the only option.
Jiu’er turned and looked at Ye Luosha and Elder Shi, who were still standing in the room. Her tone remained tinged with its habitual faint coolness: “You two should go rest. There will be shifts to keep later tonight.”
Naturally, to relieve Ninth Imperial Uncle — so that Ninth Imperial Uncle could rest even a little.
Ye Luosha’s cultivation was not shallow. She had been unable to suppress Mu Mu’s true energy before only because her heart was too agitated, her judgment thrown into disarray.
Now that she had calmed down, holding on for an hour or two was something she could manage.
Ye Luosha’s lips moved. She clearly wanted to say something, yet in the end she only nodded, and left with Elder Shi.
“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I will be back shortly.” Jiu’er stepped out the door and pulled it shut.
In the courtyard outside, not far away, Long Yi and Yu Jingfeng were keeping watch. Seeing Feng Jiu’er emerge, Yu Jingfeng immediately stepped forward: “Miss Jiu’er…”
“I have no way to persuade Ninth Imperial Uncle to stop right now.” Feng Jiu’er knew what they were thinking. To them, Ninth Prince was what mattered most.
As for Mu Mu’s life — that was, in truth, of far less consequence. Beyond which, Mu Mu was a member of Ye Ming Palace, and thus an enemy of the court.
For Ninth Prince — the God of War of the nation of Bei Mu — to exhaust his true energy saving an enemy was, of course, not as it should be.
Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together — helpless, yet resolute: “Mu Mu cannot do without Ninth Imperial Uncle right now. I am sorry. I can only ask that Ninth Imperial Uncle continue to help.”
Yu Jingfeng understood in his heart. Mu Mu had once been Feng Jiu’er’s friend — someone she had been very close to. With Mu Mu in this state, Miss Jiu’er would be incapable of watching him die. Beyond that, if what Ye Luosha had said was true, then Mu Mu’s injuries this time were in part because of Feng Jiu’er.
With things as they were, the entanglements between them could not be cut and could not be smoothed.
“Senior Yu, I need to fetch some warm water for Ninth Imperial Uncle to wash up. You all may rest for a while first. They will have someone prepare a late-night meal later.”
Yu Jingfeng was in no mood for a late-night meal right now. Even so, Ninth Prince had been at this for so long — he did need something to eat.
“Then… we will trouble Miss Jiu’er to take good care of His Highness. We will be close by. Should anything arise, one call is all it takes.”
Yu Jingfeng gave her a slight incline of his head and turned to leave.
If Ninth Prince was not willing to save Mu Mu, who could possibly force him to do anything?
Since this was Ninth Prince’s own willing choice, what more could they say?
Even if a vague sense of worry still lingered, for now, there was nothing to do but observe the situation.
Jiu’er walked to the kitchen, prepared a few small dishes, and also filled a basin with warm water, before stepping out of the kitchen.
This small outpost had few people, yet the necessities were more or less complete. For a small number of days, there should be no difficulty.
As long as Mu Mu’s condition could improve, they would need to think about the road ahead. Remaining like this was not a long-term solution. Ninth Imperial Uncle still had a campaign to set out on.
But with Mu Mu in this state — when, exactly, could he recover? Whether he truly could recover at all — even she could not say for certain.
She had only just stepped out of the door when she ran into someone at the kitchen entrance.
A slight furrow formed between Jiu’er’s brows, a trace of dissatisfaction in her voice: “If you do not rest properly, how are you to relieve Ninth Imperial Uncle later?”