There were plenty of people pointing fingers at Ninth Royal Uncle, but just as many clever ones among them—like Fortress Lord Ling and the Moonvault Palace Lord.
They might not know exactly what happened, but they were certain today’s disaster had nothing to do with Ninth Royal Uncle. If it did, he wouldn’t still be standing here. Of course, none of them intended to defend him, either.
Ninth Royal Uncle had just saved everyone present—if he walked away spotless, every sect here would owe him a favor. And in the martial world, a favor is the hardest debt to repay.
But some things aren’t up to them. The more the crowd raged, the angrier they got. When Ninth Royal Uncle turned and walked away in silence, the loudest troublemakers nearly made a move.
But faced with Ninth Royal Uncle’s status and the Black Riders, they didn’t dare act directly. Instead, they shoved Fortress Lord Ling forward, forcing him to represent everyone and demand justice from Ninth Royal Uncle.
A bunch of brainless brutes, Fortress Lord Ling thought. He was furious inside, but kept a righteous face, persuading the crowd with earnest words. Knowing he couldn’t shirk the task, he picked a few people to go with him to see Ninth Royal Uncle.
Fortress Lord Ling would never do something so thankless as openly offending Ninth Royal Uncle. He was even less willing to make an enemy of him in public.
The group tidied themselves up and set off to meet Ninth Royal Uncle, but before they reached the tent, the Black Riders blocked their way: “No entry without the prince’s summons.”
This imposing display of princely power startled the group. Two of them grew uneasy. Ninth Royal Uncle was always cold and distant—never easy to approach, but he’d never pressured anyone with his rank before. Seeing him act so formally, their confidence wavered.
Everyone Fortress Lord Ling chose to face Ninth Royal Uncle was no fool; they all held high rank in the martial world. They understood that the accusations were pure speculation. If they charged Ninth Royal Uncle without a shred of evidence and he got angry, he might well punish them for it.
“We’re just guessing here. Why don’t we go back and think it over?” The Vast Heaven Sect’s chief gate master was sharp—and cautious. He was the first to suggest retreat.
Fortress Lord Ling said nothing, just glancing at the Moonvault Palace Lord from time to time. Their feud with Ninth Royal Uncle was out in the open—Fortress Lord Ling knew he didn’t need to speak up; the Moonvault Palace Lord would take the lead. But unexpectedly, the Moonvault Palace Lord had no desire to make things public either, hoping Fortress Lord Ling would step forward instead.
Two old foxes stared each other down, neither willing to speak first. When they saw the crowd wavering, the Moonvault Palace Lord had no choice but to persuade everyone: “It’s precisely because it’s only a guess that we need Ninth Royal Uncle to explain. The ones who died this time were the direct disciples of every sect—they’re our future. We can’t let them die for nothing. Judging by Ninth Royal Uncle’s expression, even if he’s not responsible, he knows what happened.”
“The Palace Lord is right. We owe it to the dead to settle this.” Fortress Lord Ling kept up his righteous act. The Vast Heaven Sect’s master still wanted to back out, but he’d come this far and couldn’t turn back now.
According to protocol for meeting a prince, Fortress Lord Ling and the others reported their names and requested an audience. The Black Riders coldly told them to wait, then went in to notify Ninth Royal Uncle.
But before they could be summoned, Fortress Lord Ling’s group saw wounded disciples quarreling with the Black Riders.
“What’s going on?” The group, worried for their disciples, hurried forward.
Over there, the Black Riders and the wounded disciples had already started fighting. Fortress Lord Ling and the others rushed to pull them apart. “Stop! Enough!”
“Hmph…” The Black Riders let go, still fuming. The disciples, seeing their masters arrive, stopped making trouble and immediately started complaining: “Master, we’re injured too—much worse than these guys! But this Doctor Feng refuses to treat us, and instead keeps bandaging these black-clad men with their little scratches.”
“Exactly, Master, look at my arm—if I don’t get the bleeding stopped it’ll be ruined, but this Miss Feng won’t bandage me. She insists I line up. What’s the point of lining up? If I keep waiting, I’ll bleed out!”
“And my leg too…”
They were all burly men, but when it came to complaining, they were relentless—chattering louder than a marketplace. Meanwhile, Serena Feng kept her cool, acting as if she hadn’t heard a thing, and continued her work.
“Everyone quiet down.” A flash of anger crossed Fortress Lord Ling’s eyes. His son, Linden Ling, was also wounded—badly, with injuries to his arm and back—and still hadn’t been bandaged.
Suppressing his worry, Fortress Lord Ling put on a pained expression. “Miss Feng, as a doctor, how can you refuse to treat patients? Are you not ashamed to ignore them? Miss Feng, you’re a doctor—how can you just watch them die?”
“Refusing to treat patients? What makes you think I’m refusing? Can’t you see all these patients in front of me?” Serena tied off a bandage, glanced at Fortress Lord Ling, and said, “Next.”
“Sure, you’re treating patients, but you should prioritize the serious cases. These men’s wounds aren’t life-threatening—just little cuts, nothing fatal.” To him, bandaging minor scrapes was just coddling them.
“So minor injuries aren’t injuries?” Serena paused while grabbing medicine and glanced at Fortress Lord Ling and the wounded crowd. “If you’ve got enough energy to fight, you’re not dying anytime soon. You’ll last till you get down the mountain and find another doctor.”
“Miss Feng, how can you say that? As a doctor, you should put patients first. Their injuries are worse—you should treat them first.” Fortress Lord Ling demanded, as if it were only natural, forgetting that Serena wasn’t their hired doctor.
“Is that an order, Fortress Lord Ling? On what authority? Don’t forget, I’m not your fortress’s doctor. Skyvault Fortress can’t afford me.” Serena slammed down a bottle of medicine, startling those nearby. Fortress Lord Ling frowned. “Miss Feng, as a doctor, do you have any medical ethics at all?”
“What medical ethics am I lacking? Am I not bandaging the wounded, or am I stabbing them instead?” Serena sneered, cleaning another Black Rider’s shallow wound as she spoke.
The other injured disciples were furious. Compared to their bowl-sized wounds, the Black Riders’ scrapes were hardly worth mentioning.
Fortress Lord Ling was so angry he was practically panting. The others quickly tried to calm him down, urging him not to quarrel with a woman. He’d already made his point, so he pressed on: “Miss Feng, I won’t argue with you. If you have a problem, take it out on me. These are the elite disciples of every sect—the future of the martial world. Please bandage their wounds first, or else they might suffer lasting harm.”
He made himself sound selfless, sacrificing the few for the many—the classic hero of the martial world. But his selflessness was just a way to step on Serena Feng. If she played along, it would be a miracle.