"She didn"t even take Leng Shuang! Do you think she"s okay going out on her own?"

"Mm, there"s been more than a few pairs of eyes peeled towards the Feng Residence. Who knows what else could happen?"

"Why don"t we go check things out?"

"No, that won"t work. We weren"t commanded to do so, so we"d be hounding the Mistress, which wouldn"t be right," says Fan Lin, shaking his head. Pausing, he then says, "Why don"t we go see our Martial Master?! We ought to report the Mistress" departure to them, right?"

"I think it goes without question that if they felt that the Mistress couldn"t fend for herself, they would"ve ordered us to follow. Also, didn"t Luo Yu say that the Mistress had extraordinary skills? Didn"t she give him a good hiding?"

Hearing this, the others were silent for a good while before they went over to the Pavilion in the Rock Garden.

As Feng Jiu flew out from the Residence in her red dress, she was redolent with a headlong air of valiant determination. Old White and Feng Jiu struck an impressive figure as they galloped down the street in the early morning light.

Especially now, as troubles best the Feng Residence, the eyes of various forces across the city had been watching them with bated breath. To see Feng Jiu lead her horse out like that early in the morning was puzzling indeed.

But to see her lead her horse out like this for several days in a row, news of this even reached Murong Yi Xuan. Remembering what she had said to him that day, however, he resisted the urge to call in on her.

What"s more, his heart was heavy, for he worried that her father"s stupor was at the hands of his Imperial Father. If that were so, any hope for a chance with her would disintegrate.

On the third morning, Feng Jiu left with Old White once again, yet this time, Little Ball followed in tow. Because Old White would never let Little Ball ride on his back, the little fella had no choice but to race along beside him as fast as his little legs would let him.

Because he was a little fluffy, round ball, as they crossed the street, they caught the attention of many women and children.

"A puppy? How cute!"

"No... I think it"s a cat?"

"Look how long its hair is, and it"s just like a little ball! And look how fast it can run!"

"It"s so adorable! Where can I buy one?"

"That"s the Young Miss of the Feng family, don"t you know? Not just anybody can afford what she can!"

"That kind of looks like a spirit pet, doesn"t it? We hardly ever see those here in Sun Glory."

Hearing the people prattle on, Feng Jiu lowered her head slightly and saw a flock of children chasing after Little Ball. Chuckling to herself, she told Old White to slow down. Feng Jiu reached out both hands to the breathless Little Ball and yelled, "Come on up!"

"Aoooo!" yelped Little Ball, leaping up with all his little might, surprisingly, into Feng Jiu"s arms.

Feng Jiu couldn"t help but smile. Rubbing Little Ball"s head as she held him in her arms, she inadvertently looked behind her to see a figure robed in white standing next to the window of an inn, watching her with a burning gaze.

It was Murong Yi Xuan. She returned his gaze with a soft smile and spurred her legs into Old White. "Hyah!" she yelled as she galloped past the people standing about, disappearing from his line of sight...

Standing at the window on the second floor, Murong Yi Xuan watched as her figure disappeared, thinking of the smile she had just given him calmed his soul. He had been worried that the stress of all the troubles that had befallen the Feng Residence would be too much for her to handle. Seeing her ride out for a diversion, he realized that she was coping well.

He turned around to sit down, turning his back away from the window. At that very moment, two shadows materialized and followed after Feng Jiu...