Pressure Relief and Backing the Wrong Side

Prince Damien of Southlyn's condition was extremely dire—he was wasting away before their eyes. Su Wan had only delayed two days, and Damien was already breathing out more than in. Even the most precious medicines could only barely keep him alive.

"Miss Su Wan, our lord can't wait any longer. If you won't go, we'll take him ourselves." Prince Damien's trusted aides, though few in number, were far more useful than Night Clan loyalists here in Southlyn. Both Damien and Su Wan owed their survival to these men.

Su Wan looked torn. "Serena Feng won't save my cousin. That woman doesn't have a heart." But more than anything, she dreaded returning to Eastern Lyn—that place was her nightmare.

"Whether she'll save him or not isn't your concern, Miss Su Wan. Just tell us if you'll deliver the message for our lord." Damien's aides were clearly impatient with Su Wan's stalling.

They suspected Su Wan was deliberately dragging things out to let Prince Damien die.

"I..." Su Wan hesitated, terrified that seeking out Serena Feng would be like walking straight into a tiger's den—she might never come back.

But Damien's men didn't care whether Su Wan lived or died. Seeing her waver, they threatened her directly: "Miss Su Wan, think of your daughter. Think of your clan members toiling in the mines. The Night Clan can't protect you forever."

The Night Clan members who stayed behind were focused solely on rescuing Reid Yale from Eastern Lyn. They remained in Southlyn only because Su Wan and Prince Damien told them they were planning the rescue.

If Prince Damien died, Su Wan—just a woman—would have no way to control those followers. If she'd given birth to a son, at least he'd be Night City's young master, and the die-hard loyalists might show her some respect. But unfortunately, Su Wan had a daughter.

Even a legitimate daughter of the Fengli clan couldn't inherit the family estate, let alone Su Wan's daughter.

Su Wan knew she had no choice—she could only risk a trip to Eastern Lyn to negotiate with Serena Feng about saving Prince Damien.

With war raging between Eastern Lyn and Southlyn and diplomatic ties long severed, Su Wan couldn't take any official routes. Escorted by Damien's men, she endured a grueling journey over mountains before finally reaching Eastern Lyn.

Upon arriving in Eastern Lyn, a little inquiry revealed the local situation: Serena Feng wasn't in the Capital. Both Damien's people and Su Wan breathed a huge sigh of relief.

With Serena Feng absent from the Capital, they wouldn't have to deal with Prince Nolan, nor worry about being arrested.

Su Wan led her group in search of Serena Feng, but when they crossed paths on the road, Su Wan didn't meet her directly. Instead, she sent Serena a letter sealed with her own stamp, requesting a meeting about Ghost Hall.

"Su Wan? She actually made it out of Eastern Lyn alive—impressive." Su Wan still saw Serena as an enemy, but Serena had long forgotten her. Seeing Su Wan's letter, Serena just found it amusing.

"Send the news back to the Capital." Serena Feng had no intention of responding. In her current condition, she wouldn't meet with Su Wan or anyone else lightly.

She wasn't afraid to die, but her child was. Anything that required her to show herself, she would leave to Prince Nolan to handle.

"Yes." Jada Tang didn't act personally, but passed the message to the shadow guards. Seeing the situation, the shadow guards didn't even bother to wait for Prince Nolan's orders—he'd been looking for Prince Damien to locate Ghost Hall, and now that Damien's people had delivered themselves, they weren't about to be polite.

The shadow guards wasted no time. That very night, they found Su Wan's temporary lodging and captured her along with everyone Damien had sent.

"I have something to say to Serena Feng—let me see her!" Su Wan struggled against the shadow guards, refusing to give up.

She couldn't bear the thought of returning to Eastern Lyn—never again did she want to relive those days.

"You think someone like you can meet Miss Feng?" The shadow guards sneered, gagged Su Wan, and ordered, "Escort them back to the Capital immediately."

After all that running around, Su Wan ended up right back in Eastern Lyn, in Prince Nolan's hands.

Of course, someone of Su Wan's status had no chance of seeing Prince Nolan. When he learned of her capture, he gave a single order: "Get Damien's whereabouts out of her, then hand her over to Reid Yale."

Su Wan wasn't a woman of much backbone—she spilled everything about Damien without even needing coercion. William Wang Jinling found her so contemptible he wouldn't spare her a glance, and simply ordered her sent to Reid Yale. Whether she and Reid ended up in love or mutual destruction was none of his concern.

With Damien's location confirmed, Prince Nolan immediately dispatched a team to bring him back to Eastern Lyn. To ensure Damien survived the trip, Nolan specifically summoned Divine Doctor Guile and Divine Doctor Redwater—between the two, they could keep him alive.

"Now that we've found Damien, do we still fight Southlyn?" William Wang Jinling asked.

Northlyn's main army was pressing the border, Reed City and Peace City had already mobilized. Eastern Lyn had money and weapons, but not enough men. The weather was brutal—campaigning now would cost many lives, and unburied corpses could trigger plague.

"Fight. Why wouldn't we? Reed City and Peace City aren't worth worrying about." Prince Nolan had expected Northlyn to move and the other cities to grow restless the moment he decided to attack Southlyn.

Northlyn had been wracked by internal chaos for half a year; now, with their treasury empty and such a golden opportunity before them, only a fool would refuse to send troops.

Prince Nolan immediately ordered Jiangnan's forces to reinforce the Northlyn border. At the same time, he sent a letter to Crown Prince Titus of Lyndaria, asking him to attack Reed City and Peace City—with Eastern Lyn covering all military and logistical costs.

"Prince Nolan really throws money around," Crown Prince Titus exclaimed when he received the letter, amazed at Nolan's boldness.

"Could it be that the Former Dynasty's treasure has already fallen into Prince Nolan's hands?" Titus couldn't help but suspect. Even if he couldn't guess Eastern Lyn's exact wealth, he knew it was far beyond normal.

Eastern Lyn was rich, but not enough to fund endless campaigns. Remembering Nolan's mysterious disappearance, Titus quickly pieced together the truth.

Of course, suspicion was one thing—Titus had no intention of spreading it. Lyndaria was divided and impoverished; the people suffered, officials were restless, and his ambition was sapped by reality. He didn't even consider challenging Nolan.

After receiving Nolan's letter, Titus immediately summoned Master Ian Reed and Holden Cui to discuss the upcoming campaign against Reed City and Peace City.

Master Ian Reed had long known about the understanding between Titus and Nolan, so he wasn't surprised. Holden Cui, though less informed, was sharp enough to see that Titus was helping Nolan ease the pressure.

Holden Cui sighed inwardly, realizing the Cui Clan had backed the wrong horse. Years ago, William Wang Jinling had pushed hard for a marriage alliance between the Cui Clan and Titus, clearly foreseeing this outcome.

Now the Cui Clan was truly about to fall out of the ranks of top aristocratic houses. In the future Nine Provinces Realm, no family would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Wang Clan again...