“Get on.” Jiu Qing’s voice was flat, yet left no room for argument.

Feng Jiu’er stared at his broad back, yet for some reason couldn’t bring herself to climb onto it.

There was a sense of disrespect to it, a feeling of… brazen overstepping!

She didn’t know what had come over her. Jiu Qing was, after all, just a friend of Mu Mu’s from the martial world — so why did he give off such a sense of grandeur, making people look up to him?

Standing before him, even if his looks were unremarkable, his sheer presence alone was enough to make you raise your head, to instinctively want to show him respect!

A man this proud was now crouching before her, just to carry her on his back!

True, Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser hadn’t come back yet, and she genuinely couldn’t walk right now — she had no choice but to let Jiu Qing carry her.

But… but! Why did it feel so audacious, letting him carry her like this?

“Get on!” Jiu Qing was clearly losing patience. “Don’t make me say it a third time!”

This guy’s patience really was pitifully thin!

Jiu’er hesitated only briefly before lunging forward and landing on his back.

Although in this era there were strict notions about men and women avoiding physical contact, given her current state, if she kept worrying about such things, the two of them would simply be trapped here to die.

There was no telling when the people from the wilderness might catch up — if they didn’t leave now, it might be too late.

Jiu Qing hoisted her onto his back and set off walking forward.

Carried on his back, Feng Jiu’er only now realized just how tall this man truly was — his build was practically identical to the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s height of nearly six foot three was, to most young women, a dreamlike figure — she never expected Jiu Qing to be just the same height.

There she was, thinking of the Ninth Imperial Uncle again…

Jiu’er let out a soft sigh — the farther she got from the capital, the more she found herself missing the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

Seeing Wind Chaser made her think of the Ninth Imperial Uncle; now, seeing Jiu Qing made her think of him too.

Sigh, both Jiu Qing and the Ninth Imperial Uncle had the character “Jiu” in their names.

No wait, the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s name in the state of Bei Mu was Zhan Qingcheng — so both Jiu Qing and the Ninth Imperial Uncle shared the character “Qing” too…

Ugh, why did everything seem connected to the Ninth Imperial Uncle? It was as if she simply couldn’t shake off his shadow no matter what.

Jiu Qing walked through the mountain ravine; his pace looked unhurried, but in truth, it wasn’t slow at all.

His broad, sturdy back made for a surprisingly comfortable perch for Feng Jiu’er.

She had no idea how long they walked — she guessed it must have been nearly half a day — before they finally emerged from the ravine.

Feng Jiu’er couldn’t help glancing back, but there was still no sign of Wind Chaser or Moon Chaser behind them.

Her mood grew heavy once again.

She always liked to believe in miracles, but miracles weren’t so easy to come by — some people might never encounter one in their entire lives.

A wolf pack like that, bandits entrenched on the mountain like that — if they couldn’t catch her and Jiu Qing, they’d be even less willing to let Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser go.

She wondered how they were doing now. If they’d fallen into the bandits’ hands and become their mounts, at least they’d still be alive.

What she feared was that, given Wind Chaser’s proud temperament, it would never willingly let those bandits ride it.

To submit to being ridden by such men — she feared it would rather die.

Could there really be no chance of them coming back?

Turning back, she looked at Jiu Qing’s sweat-beaded profile and spoke again, “We’ve already come so far, Jiu Qing — put me down for a while, let’s rest before going on.”

He had walked for several hours straight, from daytime into night, stopping only two or three times along the way.

Either to let Feng Jiu’er down to rest and tend to personal needs, or because he’d spotted some wild fruit along the way and let her down to eat a little to stave off hunger.

With no provisions at all along the way, Jiu’er’s stomach was already growling with hunger — to say nothing of Jiu Qing, who had carried her for hours on end.

“Let’s find somewhere to rest.” She glanced up at the sky and said wistfully.

“There’s a village ahead.” Jiu Qing’s footsteps never paused.

Even after carrying her this great a distance, his face showed no flush, his breathing remained even, without even a trace of fatigue.

This man was practically like a machine!

No, even a machine couldn’t keep running this long without stopping — machines overheated with extended use, suffered wear, and needed to pause to cool down and rest!

This guy was somehow even more durable than a machine.

Huh, the word “durable” — why did it suddenly sound so suggestive? As if it were tinged with some other meaning.

Feng Jiu’er’s face warmed slightly; she hadn’t expected her thoughts to drift in that direction.

But… there was a village ahead?

Jiu’er tugged at his collar, finally regaining a bit of hope.

A village up ahead — did that mean they could finally have a proper meal? At least give her a mouthful of plain white rice!

Jiu Qing still said nothing at all, carrying her toward the entrance of the small village.

This time, to Jiu’er’s surprise, they found Mu Mu, Xue Gu, and the others waiting for them right there in the village.

“Jiu’er, are you hurt?” Qiao Mu was the first to rush over — seeing Jiu’er sprawled on Jiu Qing’s back, what else could it be but an injury?

Xue Gu and Mu Mu hurried over as well, though they had no idea where exactly Jiu’er was hurt.

Her complexion didn’t seem off in any obvious way, just slightly pale.

Still, the way the two of them looked right now… wasn’t it a bit too intimate?

It was true that those in the martial world weren’t bound by petty conventions, but allowing a man to carry her on his back still took considerable courage.

Xue Gu’s gaze settled on Jiu Qing.

When Jiu’er’s mount had bolted, Jiu Qing had been the first to chase into the forest after her.

Jiu’er’s mount had run extremely fast, yet Jiu Qing’s horse had proven no less swift — in fact, its very presence had been startlingly formidable!

How could an ordinary martial artist’s mount possibly be this formidable?

In the blink of an eye, the two riders and their two horses had vanished from sight.

Mu Mu had clearly been anxious too, yet after seeing Jiu Qing ride in after her, he’d actually told everyone to keep moving and come here to wait for them.

Mu Mu placed enormous trust in this man called Jiu Qing — just who exactly was this Jiu Qing?

Xue Gu couldn’t help but be suspicious — after all, even she couldn’t gauge just how deep this man’s martial skill truly ran.

Qiao Mu helped Jiu’er down from Jiu Qing’s back — this man really was full of pride; tall as he was, he hadn’t even bothered to bend down to ease her dismount.

As Jiu’er slid down from his back, he reached out and steadied her lower back with one hand, letting her land safely on the ground.

In fact, his large hand never left her until she was fully steady on her feet.

A man proud, reclusive, and yet so attentive!

Qiao Mu helped Jiu’er along, step by step, toward the small cottage they’d prepared.

Mu Mu glanced at Jiu Qing, only to notice there were no horses with them at all. He frowned. “Where are Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser?”

“Got separated in the wilderness.” Jiu Qing wasn’t fond of talking; he fell into step behind Qiao Mu and Jiu’er, though keeping a fair distance, as if he had no intention of catching up to them.

But Xue Gu followed behind him and said evenly, “Wait a moment, if you please, good sir.”