Having survived a great ordeal, Zhan Qingcheng had now regained consciousness, yet he still appeared somewhat frail and sickly. His face in particular was pale as paper, utterly drained of color. Had his constitution not been robust enough to begin with, whether he would have survived this ordeal at all would have been anyone’s guess.
Zhan Qingcheng’s low, hoarse voice stirred an inexplicable ache in the hearts of any young woman who heard it. Even Xue Gu, looking at a man like this, could not help but feel a pang of compassion — no wonder Jiu’er, despite having no memory of him, had been instantly captivated the very first moment she laid eyes on him.
He stepped out through the door and gazed at the scenery outside. The people behind him did not dare disturb him; they could only watch his retreating silhouette. They wanted to offer words of comfort, yet they knew full well that their consolation would never truly mean anything to the Ninth Prince. The only words he could truly hear were, perhaps, those of Feng Jiu’er alone.
No one knew how much time had passed before Zhan Qingcheng finally withdrew his gaze and turned to look at everyone.
“The imperial family is unlike ordinary households. The more favored one is, the greater the web of interests behind it.”
Why Jiu’er had come to hold the title of princess, no one knew — but one thing could be stated with certainty: she held some value that the Feng Clan’s Emperor could exploit. And the more favored she became, the greater that value would be. So he felt no urgency. At the very least, with Jiu’er inside the palace right now, she would not be in any danger.
The Ninth Prince’s brief words left everyone momentarily stunned. That the Feng Clan’s Emperor intended to make use of Feng Jiu’er was, of course, plain to see — but why had none of them thought to consider this properly before the Ninth Prince gave voice to it?
Although Qiao Mu had long since stopped herself from harboring any improper feelings toward Zhan Qingcheng, her admiration and reverence for the Ninth Prince in that moment reached an unprecedented height. He was truly unlike ordinary men — barely awake, and already able to see through the situation so clearly.
“What should we do now?” Mu Mu stepped behind Zhan Qingcheng and could not help asking.
After all, having grown up inside the palace, there were many affairs of the imperial family that Mu Mu was not truly familiar with.
“The Feng Clan’s Emperor has everything. If there is still something that would matter to him, it would either be something like an art of eternal life — or something directly tied to the imperial throne itself.”
“I understand. I will go make inquiries at once, and find out how rulers of the Feng Clan have come to the throne throughout the generations.”
Mu Mu was indeed his brother — he caught on immediately with the slightest hint.
Jian Yi, however, was somewhat puzzled: “He is already the Emperor right now. Jiu’er has no power and no influence — surely she cannot help him with anything?”
“That is something I will only know after I have investigated.” Mu Mu looked at him. “Tonight you are going to the imperial palace — you must be careful. Even the Prince of the Night, a supreme master, was pushed to risk his very life for the Emperor’s sake. This Feng Clan Emperor is surely no simple figure.”
“I will be careful.” Jian Yi pressed his lips together and fell into thought. When it came to imperial affairs, he was an outsider through and through and genuinely could not fathom the workings of it all. So in matters like these, he supposed he could only listen and act on their instructions.
“Jiu’er may not be able to come out tonight. If there is any change, Jiu’er will give you a signal — just follow her plan.”
Zhan Qingcheng turned and went back to his room, settling onto the bed to calm his mind and restore his energy. Right now the whole room was full of the injured, and only Mu Mu and Jian Yi could still move around freely. Mu Mu would naturally know how to contact their people; Jian Yi had to meet Jiu’er that night and so could not venture far. For now, besides waiting — waiting for their wounds to heal — no other plan came to mind.
Even so, the Ninth Prince had not acted on impulse to rush into the palace in search of Feng Jiu’er. Instead he had calmly analyzed the situation for everyone and assigned their tasks. That alone was enough to give them all confidence.
As long as the Ninth Prince and Jiu’er worked together, every difficulty could be resolved. The only question was that, for now, no one yet knew exactly what Jiu’er’s situation was — or when she would remember everyone, and remember the past.
——
Jiu’er furrowed her brow. For no particular reason, a vague sense of agitation stirred in her chest, yet she did not know what it was she wanted to do.
“What is it?” Feng Li, seated across from her, tensed the moment he saw her frown. “Is it that you do not like the pastries? Why don’t we——”
“No, I like them very much. There is no need to change them.” Feng Jiu’er immediately forced a smile onto her face.
But Feng Li kept his eyes fixed on her small face, studying her earnestly for so long that even Jiu’er began to feel somewhat ill at ease. She asked softly, “Fourth Imperial Uncle, why… have you been staring at me this whole time? Is there something dirty on my face?” She instinctively reached up, wanting to wipe her face clean.
Feng Jiang shook his head: “There is nothing on your face. It is probably because you are too pretty — Fourth Imperial Uncle was captivated.”
Jiu’er rolled her eyes at him and huffed, “Fourth Imperial Uncle is even better-looking than I am!”
Then something suddenly occurred to her. She fixed her gaze on the mask on Feng Li’s face. “Fourth Imperial Uncle… is it that in front of others, the mask cannot be removed?”
Feng Li gave a slight nod but said nothing, and simply continued to stare fixedly at her face — or, more precisely, at the region between her brows.
Jiu’er finally understood: Fourth Imperial Uncle was not looking at her face — he was reading her complexion. She grew quiet and met Fourth Imperial Uncle’s gaze, waiting for what he would say.
“Who crippled your martial arts?” After a long silence, Feng Li’s palm clenched tight, and a flash of unmistakable chill passed through his eyes — so deep and heavy it was nearly thick enough to crystallize into a dreadful killing intent.
Fourth Imperial Uncle… truly seemed to care for her deeply. The moment he learned someone had wronged her, he was seized even by the impulse to kill.
All those years of longing for a father’s love and a mother’s love — she felt it, suddenly and completely, in Fourth Imperial Uncle. In that instant, she truly felt something that could only be called happiness. It seemed that as long as Fourth Imperial Uncle was here, it did not matter where her father and mother were.
“I am fine. It is all in the past.”
“It cannot be left in the past!” Feng Li’s eyes turned icy and grave. Someone had wronged his daughter — how could that simply be left behind? That person had to be dragged out and justice served for his daughter’s sake.
“She is very far away. Fourth Imperial Uncle, I do not…”
Suddenly, Feng Jiu’er froze. Feng Jiang’s face filled with bewilderment. He was a man who could not conceal his thoughts — whatever came to mind, it spilled out at once. “Jiu’er, did you not grow up in the imperial villa? Where does this ‘very far away’ come from?”
Her crippled martial arts, this distant enemy — where had she been, and whom had she offended? If she had truly only been recuperating from illness in the imperial villa all this time, how could there be so many such things? The imperial villa, protected by Father Emperor, would surely be filled with top-tier masters — who could have possibly harmed their most precious Feng-born princess?
Jiu’er herself did not know where these memories had come from. They had simply flashed through her mind — an image surfacing out of nowhere. A hand landing on her back, pressing down suddenly at a fatal pressure point, and her entire cultivation instantly vanishing without a trace. But who was that person? She had no recollection at all — only a faint impression of white robes… and the words of that white-robed figure: “…the martial arts manual…”
Feng Jiu’er suddenly looked at Feng Li, urgent: “Fourth Imperial Uncle, does the Feng Clan have a divine technique — one especially suited for someone whose inner energy has been completely destroyed to cultivate?”