Feng Jiu’er’s hand was shaking. Her fingers rested just at Feng Yinan’s nostrils, and she could feel nothing — not even the faintest trace of breath.

Gone. Truly gone. But why? How had this happened?

They had all been perfectly fine just yesterday. How had he been poisoned? Who had done this?

“Feng Jiu’er, you must have a way, don’t you? You must have a way!” Xiao Yingtao threw herself forward and clutched at the hem of her clothes.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t take care of Yinan last night. I knew he’d been drinking, and I still left him to spend the night alone. This is all my fault.”

She should have stayed to look after him. Feng Yinan’s leg had only just recovered, and because he was in good spirits he had drunk quite a bit. If someone intended to harm him at such a moment, he would have had absolutely no ability to fight back.

Why? How could this have happened?

Xiao Yingtao cried until her voice went raw. “It’s all my fault…”

Qiao Mu simply sat on the ground holding Feng Yinan, dazed, still unable to accept the reality before her.

The man who had been drinking and laughing with them all just last night — how could he suddenly end up like this?

Feng Jiu’er felt a jolt as Xiao Yingtao clutched at her. The tightly wound cord inside her heart trembled. She drew a deep breath, and then, with sudden urgency: “Xiao Yingtao — bring me my medicine case! Quickly!”

“Feng Jiu’er…” Qiao Mu looked at her, expression blank, her face the color of ash. “He’s already… already lost his pulse.”

“Go, now!”

Xiao Yingtao, startled by Feng Jiu’er’s sharp command, hadn’t even fully registered what to do — when Yanu, standing closest to the door, had already broken into a sprint, heading straight for Feng Jiu’er’s bedroom.

She had thrown on a robe and rushed out at the sound of the scream, leaving even her needle kit behind.

She had nothing on her.

“Qiao Mu — put him on the bed. Quickly!”

Qiao Mu had thought at first that Feng Jiu’er had lost her senses from grief — but when she caught the resolute determination in Feng Jiu’er’s eyes, she gritted her teeth and gathered Feng Yinan up, setting him gently down on the bed.

Yanu came running back with the medicine case. Feng Jiu’er immediately drew out her silver needles and drove the first into the Tianmen death acupoint at the top of his head.

Then she worked at the major acupoints on his neck. In an instant, more than a dozen needles had been inserted throughout Feng Yinan’s body.

Feng Yinan showed no response at all. His face remained darkly discolored. Not even his eyelids so much as twitched.

Qiao Mu bit her lip. Xiao Yingtao’s tears slid down again. Xing Zizhou, though his heart ached, still urged gently: “Feng Jiu’er, don’t… don’t torture yourself like this.”

Feng Yinan was gone. A man without even a trace of breath left — what could possibly still be done?

Could the dead really be brought back to life?

Yanu wanted to go and comfort Feng Jiu’er, but seeing the steadfast focus on her face, he found himself instinctively trusting her.

Feng Jiu’er had not given up. After the dozen or more silver needles, she began driving needles, one by one, into Feng Yinan’s fingertips and toes.

There was no blood. Not a single drop. How could a living person have no blood? If there was no blood, then that could only mean the person… was truly no longer there.

Mu Mu had appeared at some point, having rushed over. Seeing that Feng Jiu’er was still inserting needles into Feng Yinan, he strode over and pulled her back firmly.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Feng Jiu’er’s eyes had gone crimson. She shoved at Mu Mu with all her force. “Let go of me — I need to save him!”

“It’s already… already too late. Get a hold of yourself!” Mu Mu gripped her by both shoulders and shook her hard. “You put needles in and he doesn’t even bleed. He’s already… stop tormenting yourself. Can you please calm down?”

“No — you don’t understand. Let go of me! Mu Mu, do you hear me — let go!”

Mu Mu did not release her. He feared that if she continued like this, she would drive herself to the brink of madness.

Should her true qi reverse course, it could damage her heart meridians.

“Feng Jiu’er…”

“There may still be a way to save him. Let go of me first — I’m not losing my mind. Let go.”

She truly wasn’t losing her mind. Just moments ago, she had been able to sense Feng Yinan’s pulse — faint and faint, intermittent and erratic, yet she had truly felt it.

“Trust me, Mu Mu. Trust me!”

Mu Mu stared into her eyes. He was genuinely afraid that her pent-up anguish would overwhelm her heart meridians if she spiraled any further. He knew how important the person on the bed was to her — if she continued this way, she would surely suffer irreparable internal damage.

How could someone with no breath left possibly have any chance of survival?

And yet — the steadfast certainty in Feng Jiu’er’s eyes, the desperate plea in her gaze, made it impossible for him to refuse.

In the end, Mu Mu released Feng Jiu’er. He himself moved to support Feng Yinan, sitting behind him, placing both palms flat against his back. His deep, refined inner energy began to flow ceaselessly into Feng Yinan’s body.

But as his true qi entered, there was still no response at all — it was entirely like channeling energy into a body with nothing left inside.

Still, Mu Mu could not bring himself to strip away Feng Jiu’er’s last shred of persistence. If she was going to persist, then he would go along with her.

He closed his eyes and channeled his highest-grade inner energy, flooding it rapidly into Feng Yinan’s body.

Feng Jiu’er continued to insert needles into Feng Yinan’s major acupoints. As for the others — watching as even Mu Mu joined Feng Jiu’er in this act of persistence, each of them felt the despair that had taken hold begin, little by little, to give way to a faint flicker of hope.

Mu Mu had a way of putting people at ease. Feng Jiu’er had a way of inspiring trust. With the two of them working together — perhaps… perhaps a miracle truly was possible?

Yanu walked up to the two of them, and made a soft sound, gesturing for the others to go outside.

Qiao Mu said: “I’ll stay and see if there’s anything I can help with. Zizhou — take Xiao Yingtao out.”

With Xiao Yingtao in her current state, staying would only be a hindrance. Xing Zizhou took her by the hand and said softly: “Let’s go outside first. Perhaps…”

“There will be a miracle!” Xiao Yingtao wiped at her tears and looked at him. “There will be. Won’t there?”

She felt utterly lost, with no idea what to do — but with Xing Zizhou here, it was like having a lantern in the dark.

She had never realized, until now, how much she had come to depend on him without even noticing.

Xing Zizhou gently smoothed her hair, then gave a solemn nod. “There will be.”

The two of them stood just outside the door, not daring to go anywhere at all, not willing to move even a step away. They stood vigil.

Yanu gazed at Feng Jiu’er’s busy, focused silhouette. He wanted to say something — but couldn’t get the words out.

Qiao Mu said: “Yanu, you go outside too. I’ll keep watch here.”

Yanu kept his eyes on Feng Jiu’er for a long while before finally giving a slow nod, then turned and walked out of the room.

Three of them keeping watch outside. This time, no one dared to be careless.

Feng Yinan had been poisoned — which meant there was someone who had administered that poison. And yet, they had all been present last night, and not one of them had noticed a thing.

Mu Mu had arrived at some point the previous night, but once here, he had been with Feng Jiu’er the whole time, his attention elsewhere.

Had someone from outside broken in — or did they have a traitor within their own ranks?

Why had someone moved against a man who had only just gotten back on his feet?

Yinan was such a good person, without an enemy in the world. Why?