“Hmph!” Zhao Yusheng snorted coldly and ignored her.

Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly. “It seems this Young Patriarch’s martial arts and internal energy are just average — you can’t even tell that I have no internal energy at all.”

“What do you mean by that?” She actually dared to mock his martial arts as mediocre!

Zhao Yusheng choked with anger, glaring furiously at the young woman standing not far in front of him.

Within the Zhao Family Stronghold, he wouldn’t claim to be the very best, but he was certainly a top-tier expert — and this damned girl dared to say his martial arts were poor?

“You really can’t even tell that I don’t know martial arts at all — otherwise, why would you be guarding against me so closely?”

Feng Jiu’er kept her faint smile. “You only became Young Patriarch by riding on your father’s coattails. If rank were decided by skill alone, you might not even make it into the stronghold’s top five fighters.”

“You—”

“Just a joke, Young Patriarch. I truly don’t know any martial arts, so there’s no need to guard against me.”

Jiu’er suddenly curved her lips, a charmingly coy smile spreading across her face. “Besides, I haven’t even the strength to truss a chicken. Surely the Young Patriarch wouldn’t lower himself to argue with a weak woman like me, would he?”

“You—” Zhao Yusheng flushed red with anger, yet her words left him no room to argue back.

She was just a woman, a weak one with no martial skill at that — was he really going to argue with someone like her?

Besides, she had already stopped paying him any attention and was busy working on Leopard with her silver needles. If he kept making a fuss, wouldn’t that make him look utterly graceless?

So the Young Patriarch was thoroughly aggrieved, yet utterly powerless to do anything about it.

Elder Feng and the Old Patriarch exchanged a glance — they had never seen the Young Patriarch look so wronged before.

What’s more, he was wronged yet couldn’t even lash out — completely outmatched by this girl.

By now the Old Patriarch’s regard for Feng Jiu’er had grown considerably. In all his years at the stronghold, ever since this boy had grown old enough to understand things, this was the first time he’d ever seen him so thoroughly stifled.

Jiu’er paid no attention at all to the man standing behind her. Holding a silver needle, she aimed its tip at Leopard’s philtrum point and drove it in firmly.

“Mm—!”

Leopard’s eyes flew open, and the pain nearly made him leap up out of the chair.

The two brothers beside him immediately pressed him back down, not letting him rise and hurt anyone.

Even though he was bound, if he suddenly bolted up, he might injure the young woman standing right in front of him.

Ever since Leopard had wandered into the Stone Forest and come back out, he had been like a wild beast, fiercely aggressive.

Everyone had been on their guard around him!

To their surprise, once Leopard was pressed back into the chair, his face went blank with confusion. “Xiao Qi, Yazi, why are you holding me down?”

Xiao Qi and Yazi exchanged a glance, still somewhat uncertain.

Xiao Qi asked cautiously, “Do—do you remember who we are? Then… who are you yourself?”

“What are you two going on about? How could I not know who you are?”

Leopard’s gaze swept around the room, and he froze the moment he saw Feng Jiu’er.

When had such a beautiful young woman come to the stronghold?

But his gaze quickly shifted to the people seated nearby.

“O-Old Patriarch, Madam, Elder Feng?”

Why were so many people here, and why was everyone staring at him with such strange looks?

He looked again at Xiao Qi and Yazi, utterly unable to make sense of the situation.

“What exactly happened?”

Xiao Qi, however, looked toward the Old Patriarch and said, “Old Patriarch, it looks like… like he’s come back to his senses.”

“Untie him,” Elder Feng said.

Xiao Qi and Yazi immediately undid his bindings. Leopard stood up and bowed slightly toward the Old Patriarch.

“Leopard, why did you go into the Stone Forest last night?”

Leopard startled, and the memory came back to him at once. He hurriedly answered the Old Patriarch, “Reporting to the Old Patriarch — last night I saw someone lurking suspiciously near the Stone Forest, so I went over to take a look.”

“But I never expected that once I went in, I wouldn’t be able to come back out.”

Elder Feng asked, “And now, do you remember everything?”

“I—” Leopard thought it over before answering. “I only remember walking into the Stone Forest and seeing a lot of wild beasts. After that… I was here.”

Elder Feng nodded and waved a hand. Leopard, still not sure what was going on, withdrew along with Xiao Qi and Yazi.

Elder Feng looked at the Old Patriarch and said with a smile, “Well?”

Feng Jiu’er watched the two of them, feeling that the way they were looking at her was truly strange.

And the lady standing nearby besides — why was everyone staring at her and smiling?

But she was anxious inside — she’d already been out for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn down. If she didn’t go back soon, given Ninth Imperial Uncle’s temper, he might just come bursting out himself.

Although she’d told Ninth Imperial Uncle half an hour, given his personality, the most he’d actually wait was about two incense sticks’ worth of time.

How could she manage to shake off these people and get back to the cave first?

Just as Jiu’er was about to say something, the Old Patriarch suddenly laughed heartily. “Good, this girl is excellent. It’s settled then — tonight, let them be wed!”

Wed? Wed to whom?

Seeing him and everyone else staring at her, a chill ran through Feng Jiu’er’s heart. The vague unease she’d felt when she first walked in had now become entirely real.

Just a moment ago they’d said she looked frail, that they weren’t satisfied, then they’d praised this and that about her — and now, the way they looked at her, they were clearly very pleased indeed.

So this whole time, they had been testing her abilities.

Were they choosing a wife for the Young Patriarch?

Sure enough, the moment he heard the Old Patriarch’s words, Zhao Yusheng immediately exploded!

“What wedding? Old man, are you really making me marry this girl?”

He pointed at Feng Jiu’er — if he married this sharp-tongued girl, would his days even be livable from then on?

“No! I don’t like this girl. If anyone’s marrying her, go marry her yourself!”

“Sheng’er, is that any way to speak to your father?” The lady glared at him, displeased. “Doesn’t your father already have enough wives?”

The Old Patriarch’s face flushed red at once, and he glared at Zhao Yusheng too. “You little brat, what nonsense is that? Your father is already this old — how could he go ruin some young girl’s life?”

“Besides, both your father and your mother think this girl is excellent, Elder Feng approves as well, and she’s so good-looking too — why don’t you like her?”

“Just because she’s good-looking, does that mean I have to like her?”

“Young Patriarch, do you truly dislike me?” Suddenly, Feng Jiu’er’s voice, sweet and coquettish, joined their discussion.

She raised a charming, coy smile and walked toward Zhao Yusheng. “Young Patriarch, did the joke I made earlier upset you?”

She looked Zhao Yusheng up and down, the smile in her eyes deepening, as if she were quite pleased with the handsome man before her.

Turning back to the Old Patriarch, she said, “Does the Old Patriarch truly wish for the Young Patriarch and me to be wed?”

“How could something as important as a wedding be a joke?” Seeing that the girl didn’t seem to resist, the Old Patriarch laughed too. “Well, isn’t my son quite something?”

When it came to his own son, the Old Patriarch was full of confidence.

In the entire stronghold, what young man could compare to his son?