Serena Feng's body was covered in blue-purple kiss marks, starkly visible against her snow-white skin. The traces were so obvious that even if you wanted to pretend not to see them, you couldn't.
Simon Sun and the four maids' eyes widened in shock. They desperately wished they were mistaken, but those marks were so blatant that even someone inexperienced could tell, without needing to ask, what had happened to Serena.
Of course, these marks had nothing to do with the assassin. The traces on Serena's body had faded quite a bit, clearly left from a few days ago. There were also a few crescent-shaped nail marks—not deep, now only faintly visible.
No wonder—no wonder Miss insisted on bathing and changing herself these past two days. So that's why...
"Miss..." Mira Tang quickly covered her mouth, holding back a sob as silent tears fell.
An unmarried woman losing her chastity could never be by her own choice. Their Miss must have been forced. Thinking of the rumors from the past two days, Mira glared at Autumn, Summer, and Spring.
So the rumors were true—Ninth Royal Uncle really did take their Miss's virginity.
How hateful!
Mira gritted her teeth, eyes red with fury, as if ready to kill.
This has ruined their Miss!
The three maids shook their heads in confusion, insisting they knew nothing. Mira Tang and Winter entered carrying hot water, and seeing the five girls staring blankly, were about to ask what was wrong when they looked up and saw the marks on Serena Feng’s body. Both their mouths formed perfect O’s, stunned speechless, and Mira’s water basin fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Ah!" Mira Tang cried out as hot water splashed over her. The commotion snapped everyone back to their senses. Simon Sun rushed forward, grabbed a robe, and covered the love bites on Serena’s skin. He glared at the six maids and said coldly, "Remember, you saw nothing tonight. If I hear a word about this outside, I’ll make you wish you were dead."
Simon Sun was usually gentle and timid; Mira Tang and Jada Tang had never seen him so fierce. Terrified, they nodded repeatedly.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter didn’t know Simon well, but their first impression matched the others: he seemed a gentle, introverted, even somewhat timid young man. No one expected that, to protect the person he cared about, this gentle boy could become a demon and utter such ruthless threats.
"Rest assured, Young Master Simon," the six maids stammered, faces pale. "We know what to do. We’ll never bring trouble to Miss Feng."
Simon Sun answered with a blank face, signaling Spring to pin up his hair so it wouldn’t get in the way of his work.
Sitting in the chair, Simon’s heart pounded wildly. He’d never imagined himself speaking so harshly, but he didn’t regret it.
His parents were gone—he had to protect his master. She was his only family now, and for her sake, even if he had to become a monster, he’d do it without regret.
After that, no one dared mention the marks on Serena’s body again. Simon took out his silver needles and, with Serena’s bare back exposed, inserted three into her back and two more near her heart.
When the needle pierced near her heart, the blood pumping from Serena’s neck miraculously stopped. Simon removed the needles from her back, but left those at her heart untouched.
Simon let out a sigh of relief, a shy smile replacing his earlier fierceness. Yet the six maids no longer dared underestimate him.
Spring stepped forward at just the right moment to wipe the sweat from Simon’s brow. He didn’t refuse her help.
With the bleeding stopped, Simon could finally clean the wound. Serena was his first, second, and third patient for external injuries; though he lacked experience, his technique was already skillful, no less than Serena’s own.
Once the clotted blood was washed away, a savage wound was revealed. It was deep, and the disinfected flesh looked pale. No one knew how the sword had sliced it, but the edges were turned outward—ugly and shocking.
Simon frowned deeply as he cleaned the wound, wondering if such a deep cut would leave a scar. The ointment Vincent Su had given them was already used up—would he be able to get more?
After all, his master was a woman. If she ended up with a centipede-like scar on her neck, it would affect her future—not to mention her relationship with Ninth Royal Uncle.
If she had that scar, what would happen if Ninth Royal Uncle grew tired of her? She belonged to him now.
Simon cursed Ninth Royal Uncle’s recklessness, resenting how little he cared for Serena’s fate. Didn’t he know how much a woman’s purity mattered? Even if he wanted to marry her, her lost chastity meant she could never be his principal wife.
His master was proud and strong. How could she ever accept being a mere concubine?
Simon’s worries grew, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter, frightening the six maids. As he withdrew a needle, Mira Tang nervously asked, "Young Master Simon, my lady—she’ll be alright, won’t she?"
"I won’t let anything happen to her," Simon replied, signaling the four seasonal maids to bring the lamps closer so he could see better.
That night, the West District courtyard was ablaze with light—especially Serena’s bedroom, brighter than daytime. Everyone inside was tense, not daring to blink, terrified that one mistake might cost Serena her life.
Simon knelt beside Serena’s bed, his legs numb, not daring to move. His hands pierced skin again and again, pulling the needle through with deft precision—over and over, never stopping.
He was grateful the assassin’s sword hadn’t severed Serena’s right carotid artery. If it had, the vessel would have retracted, and he’d have had to fish it out—her neck would be even more disfigured then.
First, Simon used specialized suture thread to repair the blood vessel, then switched to a finer needle and thread for the skin. If you looked closely, you’d see his stitches were even smaller than usual, and he was painstakingly careful, making each stitch as tight and delicate as possible.
He was leaving a lifeline—if the scar on Serena’s neck couldn’t be removed, at least it would look better.
It was the first time Mira Tang, Jada Tang, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter had ever witnessed external wound suturing. It was bloody and brutal, and even though the six girls were fairly experienced, watching Simon stab needle after needle into their mistress made their scalps tingle. If they weren’t so worried about Serena and their own lives, they’d have fainted long ago.
For everyone in the West District courtyard, this was destined to be a sleepless night. And not just for the Feng household—think of the shadow guards and estate soldiers chasing the assassin.
The black-clad assassin had slipped into Serena’s room despite both the shadow guards and estate soldiers standing watch. His skills were clearly superior—at least better than theirs.
He’d been shot twice but avoided any fatal wounds. The assassin was well prepared, and even with the guards chasing him, he managed to escape.
An hour later, the guards returned empty-handed. When they learned Serena was still unconscious but out of danger, their hearts finally unclenched.
They’d failed in their duty and hadn’t caught the assassin, so punishment was certain. But with Serena alive, at least they’d keep their own lives.
This was the first time Ninth Prince Manor’s shadow guards and Prince Zhai’s estate soldiers had met. Like brothers in misfortune, they wore mournful faces, came together to discuss the details, coordinated their stories, and at dawn quietly slipped away—each to report to their respective masters that Serena Feng had been attacked by an assassin and gravely wounded.