Incomplete Map, Rift Between Father and Son

Although Sean Xuan never misses a chance to make things difficult for Ninth Royal Uncle, he never shirks his responsibilities. Skyvault Fortress may have a big reputation, but it’s nothing compared to Skyvault Palace Sect.

With Sean Xuan stepping forward, no one bothers to show Skyvault Fortress any special respect; instead, they all come to pay their respects to Ninth Royal Uncle.

Ninth Royal Uncle may be cold, but he’s never rude or arrogant. His dealings with these jianghu people aren’t exactly warm, but he’s certainly not hostile either. Plus, as a court official, he has no territorial disputes with the jianghu crowd, so their interactions are more genuine—and he even finds a few useful allies among them.

While Ninth Royal Uncle is riding high, the Skyvault Fortress Lord and Linden Ling aren’t feeling so great. Linden looks at yet another returned invitation and sighs, “This is the third time.”

The Skyvault Fortress Lord refused to meet with Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle once, but for three days straight, Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle have turned down Skyvault Fortress’s invitations, always with the same excuse: too busy.

“I haven’t met such arrogant young people in years. Does Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle really think Eastlyn is the old Lan Dynasty, that he can just ignore Skyvault Fortress?” The Skyvault Fortress Lord sneers. He’s never seen the glory days of the Former Dynasty himself, but he’s heard the old stories.

Back in the Former Dynasty’s prime, even jianghu folk like us had to kneel to a minor official—let alone a prince or royal. Seeing a prince was like being blessed by the gods.

But times have changed. Now the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities stand tall, and jianghu people like us finally have room to breathe—and we’re more valued than ever. Every kingdom and city treats us with respect, except for Ninth Royal Uncle, who just leaves us hanging.

“Father, since Sean Xuan visited in person, why don’t I go myself and try to sound things out?” Linden Ling has dealt with Ninth Royal Uncle before and knows he’s not someone to mess with.

Skyvault Fortress still needs Ninth Royal Uncle’s help to clear out the evil troublemakers in the jianghu and boost its own power and prestige. Now’s not the time to fall out with him.

Greenshine couldn't find the map in the storeroom, and her anxiety grew. Thinking quickly, she put on an uncertain face when she delivered Linden's midnight snack, nervously twisting her fingers together as if she wanted to speak but didn't dare.

After finishing his millet porridge, Linden glanced up at Greenshine. "Is something wrong? Go ahead and say it..."

Thud—Greenshine didn't say a word, just knelt down. "Forgive me, young master."

"What's wrong? Get up and tell me." Linden had come to value Greenshine more these past few days—she was careful and always thought ahead for him, making his plans more thorough.

"Young master, I don't dare get up. I made a mistake." Greenshine bowed her head in fear. Linden frowned. "What is it? Just say it."

"I... I..." Greenshine's small frame trembled, but she forced herself not to cry. In a tiny voice, she said, "Young master, Ruby Redsleeve came to me today and asked me to..."

Greenshine deliberately paused, and sure enough, Linden pressed her: "Asked you to do what?"

"She wanted me to help her find a map—a small piece, she said. She claimed it was useless to you, and since she was bored, she wanted to take it out and draw it for fun, to see if she could piece together a complete map." Greenshine finished in one breath, then waited for Linden's response.

"A map?" What map did Skyvault Fortress have—and why did Ruby Redsleeve know about it when he didn't?

"Did Ruby say what the map was for?" Linden pressed. Greenshine thought for a moment, then shook her head. "She didn't say. I just heard her joke that if she could draw the full map, she'd become the number-one martial master in the world."

"Ruby sure knows a lot," Linden remarked sarcastically. Greenshine quickly bowed her head, not daring to say more, but secretly prayed Linden would take an interest in the map—only then could she find it quickly and complete Ling Mo's mission.

Everything that happened in Skyvault Fortress, Greenshine relayed through secret channels to Serena, helping her prepare to deal with Skyvault.

"Greenshine really is talented. It's a shame Ling Mo's mother died so young—I'd love to know what kind of woman could be so crazy in love and so shrewd at the same time."

Ninth Royal Uncle wasn't interested in that—what caught his attention was: "The rift between Linden and the Skyvault Fortress Lord is something we can use." Once father and son were at odds, Skyvault Fortress would be much easier to deal with.

"I thought you'd call in Zed, since this is Demon Sect business too." Serena joked, not expecting Ninth Royal Uncle to admit, "I've already sent word to the Demon Sect."

Jianghu matters should be settled by jianghu—Ninth Royal Uncle had no intention of sacrificing his own troops in martial world feuds.

"Uh..." Serena was at a loss for words. Ninth Royal Uncle really did use everyone around him to the fullest—even the nearly wiped-out Demon Sect. Zed was truly unlucky to have crossed paths with him.

Ninth Royal Uncle just raised an indifferent eyebrow. They chatted a bit about the coal mines and Night City, then turned in early for the night. "Rest up—tomorrow we've got a tough battle ahead."

Tomorrow, the Skyvault Fortress Lord probably won't be able to sit still anymore.

Of course the Skyvault Fortress Lord knew this, but...

"Tian, if we take the initiative to visit, we'll lose the upper hand. This is Skyvault Fortress's turf—even if Ninth Royal Uncle were a dragon, he'd have to coil up and behave here. Besides, Ninth Royal Uncle isn't our only possible ally." The Skyvault Fortress Lord had grown used to smooth sailing these past years—he was no longer the cautious man of old, but acted with domineering confidence.

Linden gave a bitter smile. "Father, Ninth Royal Uncle doesn't only have us as partners, either." If there were better collaborators available, why would he still work with Ninth Royal Uncle?

As for Mr. Jingyang, even if no one mentioned it, everyone knew the score. Sooner or later, that debt would have to be settled. When the time came, it would just be a matter of who struck first.

"You mean Skyvault Palace Sect?" The Skyvault Fortress Lord thought of Sean Xuan's recent activity and let out a cold laugh. "Skyvault Palace Sect is all high and mighty, looking down on everyone because they're an 'Xuan' sect. Unless those Demon Sect people provoke them, Skyvault Palace Sect won't bother with this kind of trivial matter."

"It's not the thousand dangers you worry about, it's the one that actually happens. The new Palace Master of Skyvault Palace Sect, Sean Xuan, is my senior master's last disciple. He's exceptionally gifted and highly skilled—and he once had a marriage agreement with Serena Feng." These things were secret, but if you really wanted to dig, you could find them.

Linden always paid close attention to Sean Xuan. The two were about the same age, but Linden was a generation above Sean Xuan—and with all the pampering he'd received at home, he assumed he held the advantage. But what was the reality?

Sean Xuan was already Palace Master of Skyvault Palace Sect, while Linden was still just the young master of Skyvault Fortress. Seeing his father so full of energy, Linden realized he'd be stuck as young master for another twenty or thirty years.

Twenty or thirty years from now, what could he possibly accomplish? So, his father couldn't blame him for secretly working with Mr. Jingyang. He wanted to cooperate with the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities, but every move he made was seen by his father.

The rift between father and son—no outsider could see it or guess it, but as Linden's personal maid, Greenshine could pick up on the signs from little things.