Jiu Qing had actually used Wind Chaser as bait to lure away the wolf pack and the bandits!

In the fog, even the bandits couldn’t possibly make out their figures clearly — at most they could only catch a vague outline.

Jiu Qing’s leap, carrying her in his arms, had been so fast that the enemy had even less chance of seeing clearly.

So once they reached the treetops, they sped away straight out of the fog without anyone noticing.

But Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser had been left behind as decoys, against a large group of men and a wolf pack besides — Feng Jiu’er was truly worried.

Both horses understood human feelings; they were like friends to them.

Especially Wind Chaser, who had probably stayed by Jiu Qing’s side for many years — if something happened to it, Jiu Qing would surely be devastated.

A bittersweet ache filled Feng Jiu’er’s heart, but with things this urgent, no amount of worry would help.

After some unknown stretch of time, Jiu Qing finally broke free from the fog-wrapped wilderness with her. After walking a bit further, the scenery suddenly turned into clear mountains and pristine waters.

“Will Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser be in danger?” The moment they stopped, she grabbed at Jiu Qing’s robe and asked urgently.

In truth, she knew perfectly well — how could there not be danger in a situation like that?

But for some reason, she just felt that whatever Jiu Qing said had to be right — if he could give her some assurance, she could believe that Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser would surely return unharmed.

But Jiu Qing said nothing. After setting her down on a stone, he took out his water pouch, unscrewed it, and handed it to her.

A sharp pang struck Feng Jiu’er’s heart — if Jiu Qing wouldn’t give her his assurance, that meant even he didn’t know what fate awaited the two horses.

Why, to save them, had Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser had to be sacrificed…

She took the water pouch but couldn’t bring herself to take even a single sip; her heart ached, and her nose stung with the threat of tears.

Looking down at her still somewhat swollen ankle, she said quietly, “If they manage to escape, Wind Chaser… will it be able to find you?”

“I don’t know.” Jiu Qing’s expression remained unchanged, as if whatever happened to Wind Chaser had nothing to do with him.

But Feng Jiu’er knew that Jiu Qing’s heart was suffering too — the air around him had grown even colder.

It was all her fault. If she hadn’t lost her martial arts, if she hadn’t injured her ankle, could she have had more ability to protect herself in that situation just now?

Jiu’er was coming to understand more and more deeply, in this lawless age where the strong preyed upon the weak, just how terrible it was to lack martial arts.

At any moment, she might not even be able to protect her own life, and would only burden others besides.

“Thinking of giving up on yourself?” Jiu Qing stood before her, looking down at her face from above.

Feng Jiu’er gripped the water pouch tightly and looked up to meet his icy gaze. “Why would I give up on myself?”

Though she’d lost her martial arts, she still had hope.

Though she’d burdened Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser, if she gave up on herself now and something happened to them, their sacrifice would have been for nothing!

She wouldn’t let everyone worry over her, nor would she let all these sacrifices be made worthless!

She absolutely would not!

“Can they catch up to us?” Jiu’er asked.

“For now, no.”

If he said no, then it was no — Feng Jiu’er trusted him unconditionally.

So she took out silver needles from the small bag she carried with her and inserted them into several acupoints on her own ankle.

It hurt a little!

She frowned, faint beads of sweat starting to form at her temples.

“Even without the needles, it would heal in a couple of days.” Jiu Qing stared at the sweat beading on her temples, a trace of displeasure in his expression.

“Heh, are you worried about me?” Jiu’er had only said it to make conversation, not expecting Jiu Qing’s expression to immediately darken, turning cold as ice once again.

He said nothing, turning his back to her, out of sight, out of mind.

Ugh! Feng Jiu’er let out a soft sigh. This guy really was difficult to deal with — the moment she let her guard down and said the wrong thing, he’d immediately turn cold and give her a look.

“Fine, I know you’re not worried about me. Come back and talk to me, my ankle really does hurt.”

With someone to chat with, the pain would be easier to bear.

The spots where the silver needles had gone in could stimulate the blood vessels; the injured capillaries had already healed quite a bit, so now circulation could be sped up.

She hadn’t applied the needles the night before because her capillaries had still been in a state easily prone to rupture.

Promoting blood flow then might have caused the capillaries to burst open again, increasing the bleeding and making the swelling far worse.

But now, after a full night of healing, the small vessels had recovered considerably.

Applying the needles now to promote blood flow, though somewhat painful and likely to burst a few small vessels still, would help the other vessels heal properly.

A leg that would normally take several days to heal enough to walk on might, after just one more day and night, be able to manage at least a little movement.

She didn’t want to keep being a burden to Jiu Qing, so she had to recover quickly.

Jiu Qing seemed to hesitate a little — likely still annoyed — but in the end he came back to stand before her, staring at her sweat-dampened face.

His voice remained hoarse, with a touch of coldness running through it. “What did you want to say?”

Jiu’er felt a little like laughing, but didn’t dare.

This guy really wasn’t as coldhearted as he appeared on the surface — she just didn’t know why he always deliberately put on such an icy front, as if trying to make her give up and stop pestering him.

But she, Feng Jiu’er, happened to be like an indestructible cockroach — she just loved provoking friends who were cold on the outside but warm within.

Yes, she already considered him a friend.

Most importantly, there was an indescribable air about him that kept drawing her closer.

Jiu’er herself wasn’t quite sure what she was thinking, but her desire to be near him was entirely innocent, without any improper thoughts between man and woman.

She simply, purely wanted to befriend him.

“You can say anything.” In fact, it was time to remove the needles.

She said nothing more, removed the silver needles, and once her foot finally hurt a bit less, she steadied herself against a nearby rock and stood up.

Jiu Qing’s fingers twitched, as if about to reach out to support her, but seeing she could stand fine on her own, he withdrew the step he’d been about to take.

He turned to look back the way they’d come, his gaze distant.

Jiu’er looked in that direction too — that was where they’d just broken free from.

In the distance, the dense forest still seemed to show traces of the lingering fog.

Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser were still in there — she had no idea how they were doing now.

After a while, Jiu Qing suddenly turned and walked over to stand before her. After giving her a brief glance, he abruptly turned his back to her and crouched down.

He had crouched down!

Feng Jiu’er didn’t know what she was thinking — she just felt, for no clear reason, utterly stunned. Truly, profoundly stunned.

There was something about him that always carried an air of being above everyone else, as if the rest of the world were beneath his notice. She could even imagine that in his entire life, he had probably never once crouched down like this!

She’d known him for only two days, and yet she’d already seen straight through this pride of his.

This was probably, in his whole life, the very first time he had ever crouched down for someone else!