Serena Feng stopped in her tracks, just about to turn around when Commander Lucan Lu leaned close to her ear and said menacingly, "Serena Feng, your eyes are beautiful, as if they could speak. Don’t let me get the chance to gouge them out and soak them in wine."
Commander Lucan Lu was no kind soul; a truly good person could never reach his position.
"Don’t worry, Commander Lu, you’ll never get that chance." Serena Feng smiled and strode out confidently.
The officials behind her were stunned.
This Miss Feng was truly something.
Everyone knew Serena Feng was someone the higher-ups had ordered to "treat well," yet she had the skill to make Commander Lu let her go.
Impressive, truly impressive.
All the officials were shrewd; seeing this, none dared target Serena Feng anymore. Instead, they scrambled to curry favor with her.
Medicine, hot water, silk, quilts—anything she wanted was provided. They even found a female medic to treat the wounds on Serena Feng’s back.
This wasn’t prison for Serena Feng; this wasn’t the Bloodcloak Guard’s infamous dungeon where you either die or end up crippled. For her, it was like a vacation.
It was only hard on Warren Yu, Evan Zhou, Caleb Wang, and Vincent Su—they worried so much about her that they couldn’t eat or sleep.
...
Well-fed and well-rested, Serena Feng woke up the next day full of energy. Her wounds had also improved greatly thanks to timely care.
Halfway through breakfast, Commander Lucan Lu came over. When Serena Feng looked up and saw his rosy, glowing face, she knew the little blue pill had worked.
Serena was secretly delighted, but didn’t show it on her face. She stood up with a cheerful smile: "Commander Lu, have you had breakfast yet? Why not join me? The Bloodcloak Guard’s breakfast is really quite good."
It was even better than what she ate at home in the Feng clan, which just showed how poor Serena Feng really was.
"Sure, I haven’t had enough yet. I’ll keep you company, Miss Feng." With that, he sat down without a hint of fussiness.
The officials behind them nearly had their eyes pop out of their heads.
Good heavens, did the sun rise in the west today?
Commander Lu—nicknamed Lu Yama for his hellish severity—had not only arrived at the Bloodcloak Guard in high spirits, but was actually sharing a meal with a prisoner. If word got out, no one would believe it.
Of course, what shocked the officials even more was wondering what kind of magic Miss Feng had to make Commander Lu break the rules for her again and again.
Unbelievable, absolutely extraordinary!
The officials’ gazes toward Serena Feng grew more and more fervent.
Serena Feng couldn’t help but laugh. "Commander Lu’s men are so direct. With them staring at me like this, I can hardly eat."
Commander Lucan Lu had been looking for a chance to speak with Serena Feng alone. Hearing her comment, he took the opportunity to shoo the men away.
"Miss Serena, you truly are remarkable. General Feng could rest in peace knowing he had such an outstanding daughter. Back in the day, I was a junior officer while he was already a third-rank general." Commander Lucan Lu chatted warmly, trying to build a connection.
If the Bloodcloak Guard’s commander wants to befriend you, would you refuse?
Of course not.
One wanted to make friends, the other was willing to play along. After just a few words, Serena Feng started calling Commander Lu 'Uncle Lu,' and he in turn called her 'niece Serena.'
Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were real uncle and niece.
In reality, the two of them were just an old and a young fox. By the end of breakfast, Commander Lucan Lu had received three little blue pills from Serena Feng, and she gained the right to roam freely in the Bloodcloak Guard’s prison.
Of course, there was an even bigger deal: in the future, Serena Feng could supply Lucan Lu with unlimited pills—as long as she left the prison unharmed.
On this point, Lucan Lu didn’t give his word outright; instead, he shared a bit of news with Serena Feng...
The order to arrest Serena Feng came from Her Majesty the Empress herself, and she also sent a witness—reportedly the person who fired that hidden arrow.
That witness insisted Serena Feng hired an assassin, and specifically claimed the original target was Princess Serenity.
Attempting to assassinate a reigning princess was no ordinary crime; such a charge was enough to bring Serena Feng straight to the Bloodcloak Guard’s dungeon.
With both witness and physical evidence, and the Empress’s personal order, the case didn’t even need a trial. Serena Feng could forget about ever leaving the Bloodcloak Guard’s prison for the rest of her life.
Although he couldn’t let Serena Feng go, Lucan Lu promised that as long as he remained in charge, she could ‘walk sideways’ in the Bloodcloak Guard’s prison.
Though disappointed, Serena Feng still thanked Lucan Lu. She knew he had done all he could. It’s just...
The people she’d offended were simply too powerful.
Her Majesty the Empress!
She was an immovable mountain; not just anyone could shake her. Besides, this time the Empress had the law on her side—there were rules and statutes to back her up.
Serena Feng let out a heavy sigh. Was she really going to spend the rest of her life in the Bloodcloak Guard’s prison, just serving as Lucan Lu’s pill supplier?
But even her supply of pills would run out one day. What would happen to her then—would her fate be even worse?
Forget it, just take things one step at a time. There’s no point worrying about it now.
From then on, Serena Feng became the most unique figure in the Bloodcloak Guard. She lived in Heaven-Class Room Nine, furnished like a palace, with only the best of everything.
Her clothes, food, and lodging matched the standards of a princess. She could move freely within the Bloodcloak Guard’s prison, entering any cell or even the Punishment Room at will.
Of course, Serena Feng was smart. Though she disliked the Bloodcloak Guard’s inhuman methods, she knew she had no power to change them.
Right now, she was walking a tightrope: it looked safe, but the slightest disturbance could send her falling.
She could barely protect herself—how could she think of saving others? Serena Feng wasn’t some saint.
At the same time, Serena Feng knew she couldn’t truly ignore it all, so she never went to the Punishment Room and avoided seeing prisoners who had just been tortured.
It was self-deception, yes, but she had no choice. She didn’t have the power to save anyone, and seeing them would only add to her guilt and anxiety.
These days, as she wandered from cell to cell, Serena Feng learned a lot about the Bloodcloak Guard and about the factional struggles in the Eastlyn Dynasty.
In this prison, aside from Serena Feng, nearly everyone else was a court official—most locked up for corruption or after losing out in political battles and being framed by rivals.
Of course, even those who were framed were rarely clean themselves.
Serena Feng didn’t have strong feelings about officials in general, but she truly despised corrupt ones.
Corrupt officials lived off the flesh and blood of the people; their miserable fate was well deserved.
As a doctor, Serena Feng knew she should treat all lives equally and respect every life.
But knowing that eighty percent of those tortured had histories of bribery and corruption, Serena felt much more at ease. The pain that had kept her up at night was eased.
Yet what she didn’t expect was that, in this prison full of corrupt officials, she would find a boy who was truly innocent and pure.
That boy had survived all eighteen Bloodcloak tortures; his body was ulcerated and ruined, but his eyes were as clear as crystal, untouched by any stain.
Looking at him, Serena Feng finally understood what Lucan Lu meant by ‘a fate worse than death.’
It was wanting to live but being denied, wanting to die but being unable.
With his last breath, the boy begged her, "Sister, please kill me. Kill me."