Her snow-white palm was immaculate — nothing there at all.

No wound, not even so much as a trace of blood remained, save for the faintest residue caught in the creases between her fingers.

The blood that had spilled forth had vanished, somehow, almost magically.

Feng Jiu’er raised her hand and turned it over and over, yet she could find not the slightest mark of injury.

Deep within the veins beneath her skin, she occasionally seemed to catch a glimpse of exposed blue-green sinews — but the moment she looked again, there was nothing.

What in the world was going on?

The Mandate Gu? What manner of thing was this?

“You are staring at your hand as though you cannot stop — and all because he merely held it for a moment? Are you truly this infatuated?”

Zhao Yusheng had come charging over, and seeing her continue to stare fixedly at her own hand, he was about ready to die of fury.

“Feng Jiu’er, you are my wife!”

“I am not your wife.” Feng Jiu’er was somewhat helpless. How many times would she have to explain this before he listened?

“At that time, I truly had no choice but to go through the ceremony with you. Had I not done so, Xuegu would have died from the poison taking hold. If you had been in my position, what would you have done?”

Everyone knew it had been forced, did they not?

“Besides, you do not like me in the slightest.”

“I do not like you, it is true — but since you are already my wife, I will learn to cherish and care for you going forward.”

He said it with complete seriousness, and said it in a way that seemed, on the surface, to be entirely without fault.

“But I do not like you, and I have no need of your care.” Feng Jiu’er knew these words would sting.

Yet better a brief pain than a drawn-out one. While he did not yet have feelings for her, it was better to cut off his notions now — at worst he would feel vexed and irritated.

Actual heartache — that surely would not go so far, would it?

“Well, actually, the two of us could perhaps—”

“What lies ahead,” Zhao Yusheng suddenly walked to the ship’s prow and looked out at the mist before them, his expression entirely grave, “is called the Black Dragon Weeping Phoenix Formation. It is an extraordinarily powerful formation — one of great and terrible ill omen.”

“Hm?” Feng Jiu’er was a little slow to react. Had they not just been discussing the matter of husband, wife, and feelings?

How had everything turned so serious all of a sudden?

But… the Black Dragon Weeping Phoenix Formation? He actually knew the name of this formation.

“You know of it?” Feng Jiu’er walked to his side. When talking of serious matters, she did not mind standing alongside him at all.

Zhao Yusheng nodded, then shook his head. “I have only read of it in ancient texts, but I have never truly encountered it. This is the first time.”

“Can it be broken through?”

“I do not know.”

He truly did not know — because this was the first time he had encountered it.

“I have come to challenge this Black Abyss before, but each time, I would turn back when I reached this Black Dragon Weeping Phoenix Formation.”

He had come to challenge it for no other reason than to deepen his understanding of formations.

This included the Stone Forest formation, which he had in truth been quietly studying for a long time, without letting anyone in the stronghold know.

Had his father and mother found out, they would certainly never have allowed him to venture into the Stone Forest and take such risks — for in their view, all that mattered was that one avoided the Deadly Stone Forest.

The outer Stone Forest was something the stronghold’s brothers all basically knew how to navigate, having lived near it for so many years.

The only thing none of them could break was the Deadly Stone Forest.

But what they did not know was that Zhao Yusheng had a natural sensitivity toward formations. Having taught himself from ancient texts, his understanding of arcane arts and esoteric techniques had long since become very deep indeed.

“Do you have any leads on how to break the formation?” If he had been able to identify what kind of formation it was, surely he had also studied it. At the very least, he would have some inkling?

Zhao Yusheng furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before saying, “I would need to try it in practice before I could say.”

He suddenly turned back to look at Feng Jiu’er. “If the formation cannot be broken, do you still insist on passing through? Why must you go to the Feng Clan? Is it truly to find your father?”

He had been aboard this ship for several days now, and it was abundantly clear to him that Xuegu was not her mother.

And they had never once raised the subject of looking for her father — not a single time.

It was as though the matter simply did not exist.

So searching for her birth father was likely nothing more than a false pretext.

“No.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head, resting both hands on the railing and gazing out at the Black Dragon Weeping Phoenix Formation ahead.

“My martial arts were destroyed. I am told that I must reach the Feng Clan and find a secret manual there in order to recover them.”

Zhao Yusheng said nothing. Feng Jiu’er smiled and said, “In truth, looking at the current situation, that purpose has come to feel rather… inconsequential.”

“Tell me honestly — is it truly possible to break through the formation? And if it cannot be broken through, what happens then?”

She had truly never imagined, before setting out, that it would be this dangerous.

Had she known in advance that finding that so-called secret manual and recovering her martial arts would cost the lives of so many brothers, she would never have come.

In truth, everyone had assumed that though the journey would be arduous, all it required was enough time and effort.

Yet who could have foreseen that a single moment of carelessness — of placing misplaced trust in a treacherous person — would lead them onto a road of no return?

“If the formation cannot be broken through, the entire ship of people could very likely perish at the bottom of the Black Abyss.”

Zhao Yusheng’s words left Feng Jiu’er lost in thought for a very long time.

After a while, he went off somewhere with the brothers to conduct an inspection, leaving her alone at the ship’s bow.

She stood there gazing at the two totems that remained stubbornly unclear no matter how hard she looked, with no real sense of what was going through her own heart.

She simply stood there in silence, and stood there for a full hour.

After some indeterminate length of time, Feng Jiu’er suddenly turned around and called out to Jian Yi, who was standing guard not far away, “Please ask everyone to come to my cabin for a moment.”

Jian Yi had been standing guard nearby all along, for fear that some danger might suddenly befall her.

The reason Zhao Yusheng had dared to leave Feng Jiu’er alone and walk away was precisely because he knew Jian Yi was watching over her.

“Oh, and—” Feng Jiu’er paused at the cabin doorway, turned back, and added, “Bring Zhao Yusheng as well.”

In no more time than it takes to finish half a cup of tea, everyone who needed to be there had arrived.

Yanu brewed a cup of tea for everyone, then stood quietly to one side.

Whatever matter was about to be discussed seemed to have no bearing on him — his only role was to attend to everyone’s needs.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze swept briefly over Jiuqing, then settled on Xuegu. “We ended up on this path by accident. But I have just consulted with the Young Master, and it seems we may well not be able to break through the Black Dragon Weeping Phoenix Formation ahead.”

“Feng Jiu’er, are you thinking of turning back?” Xuegu understood her intention at once. “Do you no longer wish to go to the Feng Clan?”

“Originally, when I set out for the Feng Clan, I had no idea the danger would be this great. If we had simply traveled through the Southern Wilderness, I believe our group has the ability to overcome whatever hardships arose along the way.”

But as things stood now, aside from Zhao Yusheng, virtually none of them had any familiarity with formations.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s passing knowledge of such things had been of some use in the Stone Forest, but out here on the Black Abyss, it would likely be of little help at all.

“If we cannot break through, we could all very likely perish at the bottom of the Black Abyss. If it is only for my sake that everyone must face the threat of death, I do not believe it is worth it.”

“But we have already come this far.” Qiao Mu was anxious — to turn back now, would all their efforts up to this point have been for nothing?

“I know. If I ask everyone to turn back now, everyone will certainly feel reluctant.” Feng Jiu’er looked at all of them gravely. “But I truly believe it is not worth it.”