Long Feiyan’s fingertip, pinching the rim of her cup, paused almost imperceptibly. At last, her gaze came to rest on Emperor Qiwen.

“Who told you that?”

She was finally willing to speak with him again — Emperor Qiwen’s face lit up at once. He replied, “Some time ago, there were rumors that Feng Jiu’er was still alive, that she had even left the imperial capital and was heading toward the Southern Wilderness.”

No one had ever mentioned the Feng Clan by name, and so Emperor Qiwen, like everyone else, had assumed that the Southern Wilderness was where Feng Jiu’er was bound.

“We dispatched men to make inquiries. They made no effort to conceal their movements, and so We surmise that the person among them is indeed Feng Jiu’er.”

Seven or eight days prior, the Southern Gate Lord of Yamu City had sent troops to intercept them, and even the Longwu Army of Fenghuang City had been alerted.

Who else but Feng Jiu’er would warrant the deployment of the Longwu Army as an escort?

“Feiyan, tell me — if A’Jiu has truly left Bei Mu, should We… perhaps do something?”

“With those paltry forces of yours, how do you expect to stand against the Ninth Prince’s Longwu Army?”

Long Feiyan truly spared him not a shred of dignity. Those words left Emperor Qiwen’s face burning scarlet to the tips of his ears.

Qing Ye and Qing Zhi could only pretend not to notice — otherwise, this old emperor would have died of shame on the spot.

Emperor Qiwen cleared his throat softly, then said, “If We were to initiate this campaign, there would naturally be other forces joining in. To Our knowledge, there are still factions casting covetous eyes upon Fenghuang City.”

“Then can Your Majesty tell me precisely who controls those factions?”

“This…” Emperor Qiwen flushed again. After a long pause, he lowered his voice and said, “We have already sent men to investigate, but for the time being, nothing has been uncovered.”

Long Feiyan said nothing. The moment she fell silent, Emperor Qiwen grew anxious.

He naturally wished for her to keep talking with him — but her silence signaled that his topic had bored her.

For a man to be this dull in the presence of a woman was truly a failure.

Emperor Qiwen grew more flustered and quickly added, “Feiyan, even though We cannot yet be certain, We have gathered some intelligence.”

“Back then, on the rear hill of the Imperial Academy, the one who injured A’Jiu was a man in a black robe with a veiled face. We suspect this man has ties to certain factions at court.”

“Yet you still have no idea who these people actually are.”

She deflected him so thoroughly that he couldn’t get out a single coherent word. Truly — to be given no face whatsoever was deeply embarrassing.

“Well then, We shall… find a way…”

“There is a way, as it happens.” Long Feiyan raised her cup once more, took a small sip, then said, “Do you wish to hear it?”

At last — they had left Bei Mu.

Stepping into the Southern Wilderness, the feeling was immediately unlike anything in Fenghuang City.

Originally, reaching the Feng Clan’s territory did not require passing through Fenghuang City. But because the Southern Gate Lord of Yamu City had blocked their path, they had been forced to detour through Fenghuang City before rerouting toward the Southern Wilderness.

After passing through the Southern Wilderness, how much farther it would be before reaching the Feng Clan’s lands — no one knew.

The Southern Wilderness had always held, in the minds of all people, the mark of danger and mystery.

Yet Feng Jiu’er found that once she entered the Southern Wilderness, even the air felt considerably fresher than it had in Bei Mu.

As for danger — she felt not the slightest trace of it.

All around, birdsong mingled with the scent of blossoms, emerald mountains rose beside clear streams, and every patch of scenery, however one carved it up, could stand on its own as a breathtaking view.

In a modern era, each of these places would surely have been a tourist destination.

“How beautiful.” Today she did not ride inside the carriage but sat astride Zhuiyue instead.

Looking at the green mountains encircling them and the crystalline river glinting not far away, her mood felt strangely luminous.

If someday there came a time when there was nothing left to do and not a single worry remained, and she could simply live in a place this beautiful with her friends — how wonderful would that be?

“Why is this place so beautiful, yet there isn’t a single person here?”

All along the road, there had not been the slightest trace of human life.

“This is a no-man’s-land. Don’t be fooled by its surface beauty — deep within these encircling mountains, bandits are beyond counting.”

“So not even merchants dare set foot on this road?”

What a waste of such a magnificent place.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at Qiao Mu, riding on horseback beside her. “Honestly, what goes through a mountain bandit’s mind? Don’t you feel troubled inside, taking from others by force?”

“Who would shave their head if they still had hair to spare?”

Qiao Mu let out a soft sigh. “The truth is, no one wants to be a mountain bandit. If life were good, who would want to live under the name of an outlaw?”

“In other words, they simply have no money and cannot live well?”

Feng Jiu’er still couldn’t quite understand — the landscape here was lush and magnificent in every direction. The geographical conditions were actually exceptional.

“Why not plant some crops and develop a bit of agriculture? At the very least, no one would starve.”

Mu Mu rode over on his horse at some point unnoticed.

Hearing her words, he said evenly, “If agriculture were truly developed in this place, it would indeed be a fine thing.”

“The mountain bandits here are numerous — their numbers are certainly no fewer than those of a large city, the land is vast and rich in resources, and the environment is even better than that of Fenghuang City.”

“Is it because, though the bandits are many, they each keep to their own domains, unwilling to submit to any other — leaving them without a single unifying leader, scattered like loose sand?”

Feng Jiu’er gazed at the mountains and waters around her, a faint furrow between her brows. “They refuse to put their energy into farming because they know that whatever they cultivate could be plundered at any moment without warning — is that it?”

“Mm.” Mu Mu nodded, his own eyes sweeping the beautiful scenery around them.

“From time immemorial, raiding and plundering have become the whole of their lives.”

“Then how do they sustain themselves?” Plundering had its limits — resources were finite.

Whatever it was — once eaten and consumed, it was gone. How would they survive when that time came?

“When raiding can no longer sustain them, they push deeper into the wild mountains and forests, searching for food from the depths of the ranges.”

“Wouldn’t that make for a terribly primitive existence?” Almost like the earliest humans!

What kind of life was that?

“Primitive or not, there’s nothing to be done about it. As I said — who would shave their head if they still had hair?” Qiao Mu was filled with a quiet melancholy.

“Missing your old brothers again?” Feng Jiu’er tilted her head to look at her, smiling. “Didn’t you already send word through Xing Zizou to arrange work for them?”

Qiao Mu glanced at her. Truthfully, this arrangement of Jiu’er’s might genuinely be a good thing for those brothers of hers.

Who would want to be a mountain bandit for the rest of their life? But then again, being a mountain bandit wasn’t so simple either.

Setting aside everything else — just the matter of food and supplies: where would they find enough merchants and travelers to rob?

What was more, every raid brought its share of casualties, all of it morally unjustifiable — the dead and wounded were simply considered to have gotten what they deserved.

And if they didn’t rob, but went into the deep mountains to hunt, there would be casualties all the same.

All in all, scraping together a meal was never easy.

Entrusting her brothers to Xing Zizou — Qiao Mu was, in truth, at peace with that.

She looked at Feng Jiu’er. “Why bring this up all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’re even thinking of getting your hands on the mountain bandits here?”