Storeroom, Searching for the Incomplete Treasure Map

Greenshine’s destructive power was just as fierce as expected. The seed of suspicion that Serena Feng had planted quickly sprouted under Greenshine’s careful watering.

For the past few days, Ruby Redsleeve had been recovering from her injuries and hadn’t served at Linden Ling’s side. When she finally returned, Linden was noticeably distant, reluctant to let Ruby near him, and only allowed Greenshine to attend to him closely.

At first, Ruby didn’t notice anything amiss. She simply thought Linden was being considerate of her injury and was secretly happy for quite a while. But when they arrived at Skyvault Fortress, Ruby finally realized something was wrong.

"Young Master!" Ruby cried out in shock—this was no act; she was truly frightened.

The Young Master actually wouldn’t let her enter the courtyard to serve him. How could this happen? What had she done wrong?

Linden ignored her and walked straight ahead. Greenshine quietly reminded him, "Young Master, don’t alert the enemy."

Linden paused, then turned and said, "Ruby, your hand hasn’t healed yet, and it was inconvenient outside before. Now that we’re back, you should rest properly. Have Doctor Xue take a look at it later, so you don’t end up with lasting damage. Also, I need to host Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng during this time. They’re honored guests at Skyvault Fortress. If anything happens, I must ensure they’re satisfied—otherwise people will say Skyvault is discourteous."

"So Young Master was worried about me. I thought you hated me." Ruby immediately let go of her worries and smiled sweetly. "Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ll behave and stay in my room these days and won’t run into Miss Feng. Even if I do and she makes things difficult for me, I won’t argue with her or make things hard for you."

Greenshine had previously advised her not to clash with Serena Feng to avoid putting Linden in a tough spot. Ruby used to laugh at Greenshine for being timid—this was Skyvault Fortress, what was there to fear? But hearing Linden’s words now, she realized Greenshine was truly looking out for her.

That hateful Serena Feng—it’s all her fault. Because of her, Linden had to hide Ruby away to protect her.

Ruby muttered a couple of words and, before leaving, shot Greenshine a grateful smile. Greenshine lowered her gaze, pretending not to see it. As sisters, she didn’t want to harm Ruby, but Ruby’s personality was too reckless—if not by her hand, Ruby wouldn’t last long anyway.

With only Greenshine at Linden’s side, all the big and small matters fell to her, and everyone sought her advice. Greenshine was suddenly overwhelmed by the workload.

It had always been Ruby who handled everything close to Linden, never allowing Greenshine to touch even a bit. This was Greenshine’s first time taking over, and although she was capable, she still found herself flustered.

Linden noticed Greenshine’s dark circles from exhaustion and felt distressed. "It’s only been a few days, how are you already so worn out?" If Greenshine collapsed, he wouldn’t be able to find a replacement quickly—he didn’t want to use Ruby anymore, nor did he dare.

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master. I’m a bit clumsy and only just started handling things, so I was a little lost at first, but I’m fine now." Linden usually didn’t get involved in the maids’ affairs, and Greenshine subtly reported on Ruby’s behavior.

"Just started?" Linden frowned. "So Ruby was doing all this before?"

"Ruby has managed your affairs since childhood, always taking care of everything herself. I arrived later and am not as skilled yet." Greenshine had only joined Linden three days after Ruby, but Ruby always claimed seniority and occasionally bossed Greenshine around. Linden had always seen Ruby as innocent and never thought much of it, but Greenshine’s remark now made him reconsider.

Ruby... had she been harboring ulterior motives from the start? Or was she sent by someone else, using her sweet demeanor to lower his guard?

Seeing that Linden was deep in thought, Greenshine wisely changed the subject: "Young Master, Ninth Royal Uncle and Miss Feng have been staying at Qiyun Villa for three days. Should we send an invitation and ask them to come over?"

After Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle reached the borders of Skyvault Fortress, they didn’t move in, but instead stayed at the villa built by Eastlyn on the outskirts of the fortress.

Three days ago, Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle arrived at Skyvault Fortress together with Linden. Linden’s father, hearing rumors and knowing Linden had suffered at Eastlyn, was furious that Ninth Royal Uncle and Eastlyn showed no respect for Skyvault. He feigned illness and refused to meet Ninth Royal Uncle.

Ninth Royal Uncle wasn’t angry; he simply turned and left, which nearly made Linden’s father stamp his feet in rage. He thought: they’ve already reached Skyvault’s territory and still act so arrogant—just what does Ninth Royal Uncle rely on?

Linden had assumed Ninth Royal Uncle would return the next day, or at most in two days, but now three days had passed and neither Ninth Royal Uncle nor Serena Feng had shown any intention of visiting again.

After discussing with his father, Linden realized things couldn’t stay deadlocked. If Ninth Royal Uncle got angry and refused to attend the Martial Arts Conference, it would be a public humiliation for Skyvault.

For the sake of Skyvault’s reputation, the Fortress Lord decided that if Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng still didn’t come, he would send an invitation and ask them to visit, making up for last time’s refusal with a formal apology.

Many people outside were watching this situation. Ninth Royal Uncle was invited by Skyvault Fortress as an ally against the evil sects. If he couldn’t even enter Skyvault’s gates, or refused to, outsiders would know there was discord and could use it to stir up trouble.

Of course, for the sake of pride, the Fortress Lord would never personally go to Qiyun Villa to see Ninth Royal Uncle. However noble Ninth Royal Uncle’s status in Eastlyn, this was the jianghu—Skyvault’s territory. In terms of reputation and age, the Fortress Lord far surpassed him and would never lower himself to visit a junior.

When Linden heard Greenshine’s suggestion, he thought for a moment and then told her to prepare gifts as an apology for last time’s refusal.

Greenshine’s eyes lit up, and she quickly lowered her head to hide her delight. She’d had the storeroom key for ages but never found a reason to go in—now she finally had a legitimate excuse.

She was determined to find that small map fragment.

Things were going smoothly for Greenshine, but not so much for Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle. After arriving in Skyvault’s territory, their movements were no longer as free as before. Having been refused by the Fortress Lord, they stayed at Qiyun Villa without making any moves.

"It’s been three days and the Fortress Lord still hasn’t made a move. Does he really think we’ll take the initiative to visit?" Serena Feng lay on a chaise lounge, holding a half-read book.

Ninth Royal Uncle was writing at the desk. Hearing Serena Feng’s words, he set his brush aside: "The Fortress Lord doesn’t know about Linden and Jason Jingyang. If he did, he wouldn’t dare refuse us, nor leave us hanging like this."

"Linden’s got guts," Serena Feng murmured, eyes half-closed with sleepiness. To keep herself awake, she got up and paced the room.

"Fortune favors the bold. If he didn’t have guts, he wouldn’t be colluding with Jason Jingyang." Ninth Royal Uncle leaned against the desk, arms crossed, staring intently at Serena Feng. She turned and met his burning gaze, freezing in place as the two stared at each other across the room...

Serena Feng couldn’t help but step forward, but just as they drew closer, a servant at the door announced...