Linden Ling arrived neither early nor late, but precisely at the time agreed upon with Prince Nolan. Even though he had come seeking help, he kept his posture extremely high. Prince Nolan only gave a faint smile, revealing neither favor nor dislike.
Prince Nolan understood Linden Ling far better than most imagined. Back when the title of number one martial expert was being contested with Lance Quinn, besides Storm Cloud Bu, the only other serious contender was Linden Ling.
Unfortunately, both Storm Cloud Bu and Linden Ling were defeated by Lance Quinn. These two famous heroes of the martial world were forcibly knocked down by the sudden emergence of Lance Quinn.
Storm Cloud Bu took it well—his temperament meant he didn’t dwell on it. After several failed attempts to provoke Lance Quinn, he simply accepted his fate and followed Lance. But Linden Ling was different.
Even Linden Ling’s name shows how high Skyvault Fortress’s hopes were for him. From birth, he was the cherished heir, a true child of destiny—he received things that others could never attain, no matter how many lifetimes they struggled.
Linden Ling had the best background, the best master, and extraordinary talent. His life was smooth and celebrated: as the young master of Skyvault Fortress and a martial genius, he was admired by all. Yet just as he was about to ascend even higher, one battle with Lance Quinn sent him crashing down, with Lance stepping over him to become the new legend of the martial world.
No matter Linden Ling’s temperament, his status and background were undeniable. Lance Quinn would never let him go. Although Linden was proud and self-important, for the greater cause, Lance still tried to approach him. That contact only deepened the grudge between them.
Of course, all this rivalry between Linden Ling and Lance Quinn had nothing to do with Prince Nolan. This time, Linden was here as Skyvault Fortress’s official representative. As Eastlyn’s regent, Prince Nolan naturally wouldn’t make things difficult for him in public. Instead, he had Linden invited in at once.
Though Linden Ling was arrogant and looked down on most people, he was still the heir raised by a great martial clan, and had his own ways of handling people and situations.
Linden Ling walked in with a smile all the way, but that smile turned stiff for a moment when he saw Serena Feng. He quickly recovered, though, and greeted Prince Nolan.
Prince Nolan glanced up at Linden Ling, seeing he was just as arrogant as ever. Nolan had no intention of making small talk; he simply greeted him coldly: "Sit."
Linden Ling didn’t mind. Prince Nolan’s cold pride was famous throughout the land, and Linden never expected to be treated as an exception.
Prince Nolan was a tough nut to crack, so Linden Ling turned his attention to Serena Feng, picking an easier target. Half-serious, half-joking, he said, "So Serena is at Ninth Prince Manor. I got up especially early, just waiting for you to come by, but after waiting and waiting you never showed. I thought something had happened to you and was quite worried."
Yesterday, Serena Feng had said she would come by to apologize for not personally seeing Linden Ling to the Suburban Villa. Linden’s words were a reminder that she still hadn’t done so.
"Sorry to trouble you, little martial-uncle. I’m fine. I thought you’d be resting this morning, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Please forgive me." Serena rose and gave a formal bow, then sat down before Linden could reply.
"Little martial-uncle? Serena, since when did you have a little martial-uncle?" Prince Nolan couldn’t ask this, but Beanie could.
Serena Feng didn’t hide anything, answering openly: "Young Master Linden is martial-uncle to Palace Lord Sean Xuan. He says Sean and I are like siblings, so I should call him little martial-uncle as well."
Serena’s words made it clear to everyone: she wasn’t close to Linden Ling—he was the one insisting on claiming kinship.
"So he’s martial-uncle to Palace Lord Sean Xuan. I thought, if he were truly your martial-uncle, he wouldn’t let his servants treat you so rudely." Beanie, though still shaken by Prince Nolan’s scolding, hadn’t forgotten to stand up for Serena.
"Yesterday, it was indeed my maid who was out of line. Didn’t Serena already teach her a lesson?" Linden Ling wanted Serena to let the matter drop.
Serena Feng only smiled and said nothing, but Beanie spoke up in annoyance: "Little martial-uncle, are you mistaken? What do you mean Serena already taught her a lesson? When did Serena ever do that? Don’t go blaming Serena for things she didn’t do. Your maid broke the law, and the constables were just doing their job—how does that involve Serena at all?"
Beanie felt Serena was truly unlucky. Yesterday’s incident was a disaster for no reason; Serena hadn’t done anything, hadn’t abused her status, so why should Linden Ling blame her?
"Just call me Linden," said Linden Ling naturally. He knew Beanie’s identity and understood why Beanie could speak so boldly.
Black versus white—though white didn’t fear black, Skyvault Fortress had no desire to provoke the Assassin Alliance at such a critical moment.
"You’re straightforward, Linden. Just call me Beanie—‘Young Master’ sounds awkward to me." Beanie replied heartily. Just when Linden thought the topic had shifted, Beanie narrowed his eyes and said with a sinister edge, "Linden, don’t think you can change the subject. Everyone saw what happened yesterday—right and wrong are clear. You should be glad I wasn’t with Serena then, or your maid wouldn’t just be in jail now."
"Oh? And what would you have done, Beanie?" Linden Ling frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure and menace in his eyes.
He didn’t want a conflict with the Assassin Alliance, but that didn’t mean he was afraid.
"Flay her, strip her, skin her alive." Beanie deliberately slowed his speech, trying to imitate Prince Nolan’s intimidating style to suppress Linden’s arrogance. But Beanie’s attempt came off half-baked, and his words sounded almost like a joke.
Beanie looked frustrated. Why was it that when Prince Nolan said such things, the murderous intent was overwhelming and everyone froze, but when he said it, it just sounded like a joke?
Linden Ling glanced up at Prince Nolan, who was sipping tea as if nothing was happening. Linden realized Eastlyn’s Ninth Prince had no intention of smoothing things over, so he followed Beanie’s lead: "She’s just a servant. If Serena’s unhappy, she can kill her as she pleases."
"Even for a mere servant, it’s beneath Serena to dirty her hands. Linden, you’re not manly at all—not straightforward." Beanie pressed even harder, seeing that Prince Nolan remained silent.
"What does Beanie think I should do?" Linden Ling addressed Beanie, but his gaze was fixed on Prince Nolan. For all of Beanie’s talk of cruel punishments, Linden just smiled and didn’t comment.
He was waiting—waiting for Prince Nolan’s reaction.
Although neither side had spoken about business, Linden Ling knew that Prince Nolan understood his purpose for coming to Eastlyn, and was well aware of the current chaos in the martial world.
Prince Nolan wasn’t a jianghu man. He could intervene in martial affairs or ignore them; if Linden wanted Eastlyn to act, he’d have to offer benefits that truly tempted Nolan. Right now, Nolan was testing his sincerity to decide how the negotiations would proceed.
If it were anyone else, or if Prince Nolan weren’t the regent, Linden would have left long ago rather than endure such a superior attitude.
Even after losing to Lance Quinn, Linden had never bowed his head to him. But now, with the martial world in turmoil and Skyvault Fortress suffering heavy losses, he couldn’t afford to act on impulse.
Of course, the most important thing was that the man showing him a cold face was Eastlyn’s Ninth Prince—the only opponent Linden truly admired and respected.
Linden Ling might be proud and arrogant, but he wasn’t blind—he only respected those he deemed worthy. Prince Nolan was one of them!
Unfortunately, Prince Nolan had plenty of options, and Linden Ling wasn’t the best among them!