Of course, the news that Ninth Royal Uncle refused to marry Su Wan would never be made public, but that didn’t mean Serena Feng wouldn’t know. If Ninth Royal Uncle wants something known, Serena couldn’t pretend ignorance even if she tried.
That very night, William Wang Jinling brought the news to Serena. A flash of hurt crossed Serena’s face, but she acted as if nothing had happened. “Jinling, what do you think Ninth Royal Uncle means by this? If he doesn’t want to marry, he could’ve just declined, but to refuse so bluntly—doesn’t that make the Su Clan hate him?”
William Wang Jinling shook his head, saying he didn’t know. He considered himself good at reading people, but Ninth Royal Uncle was an exception—he could never see through him. Today’s public rejection of Su Wan was handled so poorly, completely unlike Ninth Royal Uncle’s usual style. He’d deeply offended the Su Clan, and gained nothing from it.
“Forget it, let’s not worry about him. If it’s a blessing, it’s a blessing; if it’s a disaster, you can’t dodge it.” Serena laughed breezily, but bitterness lingered in her heart.
So, today’s high-profile return to the city was all to use her as a shield. With Liam Li dead, the Emperor lost his advantage, and Lyndaria, Southern Lyn, and Northlyn have joined forces to negotiate terms. The Emperor won’t easily back down, but he won’t be as hardline as before either. Politics is all about compromise; as long as his bottom line isn’t crossed, he’ll give way.
The Su Clan has always wanted to ally with Ninth Royal Uncle, and Su Wan is determined to marry him. They would never let this opportunity slip by. Ninth Royal Uncle’s refusal of Su Wan is tantamount to refusing the Su Clan itself.
But if it’s because of her that Su Wan was rejected, then even if the Su Clan doesn’t form an alliance, they won’t become mortal enemies either. The Su Clan won’t keep targeting Ninth Royal Uncle—a man who’s obsessed with women isn’t fit for great things.
Unintentionally, Ninth Royal Uncle eased the Emperor’s suspicions and let both the Emperor and the Su Clan see his ‘loves beauty, not power’ side.
Honestly, if Ninth Royal Uncle knew Serena was thinking this way, he’d be so frustrated he’d cough up blood. After all he did to reject Su Wan—even offending the Su Clan—he still ended up with Serena’s doubts.
In truth, it’s not really Serena’s fault for thinking like this. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Ninth Royal Uncle—he’s used Serena too many times before, leaving her with scars. Now, she always expects the worst.
That night, Lance Quinn appeared in the Su Clan’s secret chamber like a ghost, silent and without a trace. When Storm Cloud Bu and Vincent Su turned around, they saw Lance standing in the corner, completely devoid of human warmth. Their faces changed, but when they recognized him, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lance, are you trying to scare me to death?” Storm Cloud Bu glared at him in mock reproach. Lance ignored him, stepped past Storm, and asked Vincent Su, “Vincent, was that Auspicious Omen over Feng Manor today your handiwork?”
“Eh? How did you know? Did Serena Feng tell you? No way, that woman is just too unreliable. She warned me not to tell anyone, then immediately sells me out. Doesn’t she know that if this leaks, it’s a capital crime?” Vincent Su wore a bitter expression. Seeing Lance’s unreadable face, he grew nervous, afraid Lance would blame him for meddling in Serena’s affairs. He quickly switched to a flattering tone:
“Lance, I was wrong. You’re the one with foresight—not letting Bao’er know our business, not telling Serena your true identity. Women really can’t be trusted.” No wonder Lance gave Serena a Nine Provinces Token but didn’t reveal his true identity—women are terrible at keeping secrets.
Normally, Lance would just let this slide. But tonight, for some reason, he actually defended Serena: “It has nothing to do with her.”
He didn’t tell Serena his true identity—not because he didn’t trust her, but because even if he did, she wouldn’t understand. Serena’s parents told her nothing; in some ways, she’s still ignorant. This can’t be rushed—it has to be revealed slowly.
“Right, you spent all last night with Serena. I bet she didn’t hide anything from you—you probably guessed everything anyway.” Vincent Su silently cursed Serena for being careless. If Lance hadn’t found out, and someone else had, he’d be in serious trouble.
Storm Cloud Bu had been with Bao’er these past few days, so he hadn’t heard about what happened at the city gate. Hearing Vincent’s words, he immediately guessed, “Lance, did you help Serena kill Liam Li?” He couldn’t believe Serena could pull off such a massive scheme alone.
“Mm.” Lance didn’t deny it—he couldn’t.
“Lance, you… you’re being reckless. What are you thinking? Don’t you realize this will make the Emperor suspicious? If anyone finds out that Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle is actually Lance Quinn, the number-one martial expert, your hidden identity will be exposed.
If your true identity is exposed, the Four Kingdoms will join forces to hunt you down. Forget about accomplishing great things—you’d be lucky just to survive. Until your plans succeed, the identity of Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle is your lifeline. With it, you can act with some freedom.” Storm Cloud Bu was so anxious he nearly shouted. He truly feared Lance Quinn would repeat the fate of the destroyed Lan clan, ruined by love.
“Relax. No one will suspect a thing—Lance Quinn and Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle are people from completely different worlds.” Lance closed his eyes, hiding his fatigue. “Once I put on the mask, I am Lance Quinn. I won’t forget.”
One is the noble, awe-inspiring Ninth Royal Uncle, living in luxury, surrounded by servants, enjoying every earthly privilege. The other is a free but lonely jianghu swordsman, crawling through mud, covered in wounds, trading blood for the future. The difference between them is so vast, no one could ever connect the two.
Ever since he could remember, he’d walked between these two lives. It was exhausting, overwhelming. For a long time, he was on the verge of collapse, unable to tell whether he was Ninth Royal Uncle or Lance Quinn, or when he should be one or the other.
At first, he couldn’t adapt to these drastically different roles. Even with the mask on, he still acted like a prince—just issuing orders and letting subordinates handle things. Only after repeated brushes with death did he truly learn the disguise: Lance Quinn is just a man of the jianghu who can rely only on himself.
Now, as long as he dons Lance’s mask, he can suppress his innate imperial authority and become a passable wandering hero; when he removes it, he is truly Ninth Royal Uncle.
Over the years, everyone who’s seen Lance Quinn would never connect him with the royal clan; the bloodlust etched into Lance’s body is nothing like a pampered imperial scion.
Lance Quinn is just a martial expert of the jianghu, a man hidden in the shadows, hands stained with blood—he has nothing to do with the noble royal family.
This disguise, like his noble aura, has sunk into his bones. Even unconscious, once the mask is on, he remembers he is Lance, not Ninth Royal Uncle, and will never act out of character.
He’s grown used to being Lance Quinn and can’t give up the identity. Many things Ninth Royal Uncle can’t do, Lance Quinn can—like loving Serena Feng without restraint…
Unfortunately, Serena only regards Lance Quinn as a gentlemanly friend, while she’s deeply in love with Ninth Royal Uncle. Whenever he dons the mask, he finds himself absurdly jealous of his own princely identity…
Faced with this situation, Lance Quinn doesn’t even know whether he’s angrier at Serena or at himself.