A guard with that much nerve left Feng Jiu’er utterly dumbstruck.

Mu Mu seemed to feel he had entertained himself sufficiently. His expression grew slightly more serious as he said, “Exceptional martial artists all tend to be like that.”

Feng Jiu’er thought about it and nodded. “True enough — people with formidable skills usually have their own way of doing things. But where did this one come from?”

“A friend from the jianghu, with an eccentric temperament. But his martial arts are genuinely impressive. If you need anything and I’m not around, you can go to him.”

For once, Mu Mu was being straightforward. “That said — unless there’s something you need, don’t provoke him.”

“Understood. Does that mean if he’s in a bad mood, he’ll walk off on the spot?”

Exceptional people were exceptional people — if they weren’t happy, they could leave whenever they pleased. It wasn’t as though they depended on you for their livelihood.

“Got it. I won’t bother him without reason. But he’d better not vanish on us either — especially not in a dangerous moment.”

Mu Mu glanced almost instinctively toward the neighboring room, then after a brief pause, said in an even tone, “Don’t worry. If you’re in danger, he won’t go anywhere.”

“All right.” Feng Jiu’er didn’t think much of it.

She understood that Mu Mu being here was simply to protect her.

Throughout this journey to the Feng Clan, traveling as a married couple would allow them to avoid a fair number of unnecessary complications.

For instance, Mu Mu could stay in her room openly and without question. For a girl of the twenty-first century, this was hardly a big deal.

As for Feng Jiu’er’s reputation in this era… oh well. She was currently unable to lift a heavy object or carry anything on her shoulders, and even kicking someone took barely any force.

On top of that, the Feng Clan was such a mysterious and dangerous place. Compared to the matter of her reputation, her life was far more precious.

“Look — you can stay, fine. But don’t try to fob me off with some excuse about the chaise being too short and you being too tall. I am not giving you my bed.”

Because a certain someone had once used exactly that excuse to maneuver her into sleeping on the chaise.

Though in truth, at her height, the chaise posed no real problem — and the hard surface of it wasn’t unlike sleeping on a firm plank bed, which she actually found quite comfortable.

But this was her room! It was hers — so why should she yield it to some intruder who had barged in uninvited?

“No need to worry. The bed is perfectly large enough for two.”

It was only after she said something that Mu Mu noticed the chaise was indeed too short.

“I’ll go bathe and change. I’ll be back shortly to sleep with you.”

“Absolutely not! You either sleep on the chaise, or you don’t come back at all — you are not sleeping in my bed. You are not—”

He was already gone. Feng Jiu’er stamped her foot in exasperation.

She thought for a moment, then immediately let down the bed curtains, rolled herself onto the bed, and pulled the covers tightly around herself.

On second thought, she decided that still wasn’t safe enough — she lay down sideways across the full width of the bed, taking up every last inch. Let’s see how he could claim any space when he got back!

Lying there like that, staring up at the gauze canopy overhead, a certain figure suddenly drifted into her mind — a face of incomparable, world-shaking beauty.

She wondered what the Ninth Imperial Uncle was doing right now.

The truth was, Feng Jiu’er had entertained the thought — that the Ninth Imperial Uncle might come along with Mu Mu, just like that.

But after Mu Mu arrived tonight, she had finally given up on that idea entirely. There was some disappointment in it, but also genuine relief.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle could not come.

This journey to the Feng Clan was far too distant. Even if the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s martial arts were enough to guarantee his own safety — even if he could protect her as well — he still could not leave.

If the news that the Ninth Prince had left the imperial capital — left Bei Mu entirely — were to leak out, Phoenix City and the several great cities to the south would certainly come under attack.

How many people were watching the Ninth Prince with hungry eyes, waiting for an opening? More than anyone could count.

The moment the Ninth Prince left Bei Mu, they would join forces and come at him from all sides.

If the Ninth Prince were not there, his army, however powerful, would suffer a severe blow to its morale without its godlike commander at the helm.

And the Ninth Prince’s forces, though substantial — what if Emperor Qiwen were to ally with all the others?

In short — the Ninth Prince could not leave. If he did, half his kingdom would be in jeopardy.

Jiu’er closed her eyes, and yet the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s face in her mind grew only clearer.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle had been very good to her — he had even been willing to throw his life away for her. But how could she allow him to relinquish his kingdom for her sake as well?

She had no wish to see the Ninth Imperial Uncle pay such a devastating price for her.

She hoped her Ninth Imperial Uncle would remain, always, like a god — possessing everything — because he deserved it all.

Not long after, Mu Mu returned with the fresh cool scent of a recent bath already on him. He had clearly washed and changed.

Feng Jiu’er immediately squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

But Mu Mu was who he was. With her martial arts gone entirely, even her breathing was no longer as naturally concealed as it once had been. With a single casual listen, Mu Mu could tell whether she was awake or truly asleep.

Even so, he made no move to expose her. He walked to the bedside, lifted the gauze curtain, and bent down as though to carry her.

“What are you doing?” Feng Jiu’er startled and snapped her eyes open, glaring at him.

Mu Mu said nothing — he swung one long leg up and sat on the edge of the bed, then made to lie down.

“No! You cannot sleep in the same bed as me!” Even with the Ninth Imperial Uncle not here, if the Ninth Imperial Uncle were ever to find out, he would absolutely be furious.

In fact — very, very furious. The kind where he’d want to tear Mu Mu apart.

With the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s fiery temper, how could he possibly hold himself in check?

Mu Mu still said nothing. He simply lay down beside her.

The chaise truly was too short for him — his legs couldn’t even fully stretch out on it. It was naturally uncomfortable.

When he lay down, Feng Jiu’er immediately sat bolt upright and threw a fist at his chest, then landed a hard kick.

But a Feng Jiu’er without martial arts — her punches and kicks were, to him, barely even a tickle.

He even turned over to face away from her and let her carry on behind his back, simply refusing to acknowledge any of it.

His body was solid as iron — all muscle — he felt no pain from being pinched, and her punches weren’t strong enough to suit even herself. Was she supposed to bite him?

Feng Jiu’er was truly at a loss. How could he be just as overbearing as the Ninth Imperial Uncle? This bed was hers!

She landed one more hard kick, and he still didn’t react at all. Finally Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together and rolled over him to the other side.

“Wretched man! Villain! Awful Mu Mu!”

“I’m not awful — I just bathed. Come and smell for yourself if you don’t believe me.” Mu Mu didn’t so much as twitch an eyelid.

Feng Jiu’er desperately wanted to kick him right off the bed. But without her martial arts, her strength had diminished considerably.

Kicking him off — that was simply not going to happen.

“Once I master a supreme divine technique, I will absolutely beat you until you’re crawling on the floor looking for your teeth!”

She muttered indignantly, plopped herself down on the chaise, turned her back on him, and refused to look at the infuriating sight.

He even offered a faintly flippant reply: “Go ahead — if you can manage it.”

“I absolutely can!” Feng Jiu’er threw herself down on the chaise, turned over, and faced the wall — out of sight, out of mind.

Every single one of them was bullying her. She might be small, but what right did that give anyone to deny her the bed?

Absolutely outrageous. Truly outrageous.