Using the Chance to Move Openly Into the West District Courtyard

Cough, cough, cough...

Prince Rowan's reasoning was sound, but Ninth Royal Uncle was one step ahead. He gave a soft cough, picked up his tea to moisten his throat, and stood up. Ninth Royal Uncle's gaze swept from Second Prince Evan all the way to Prince Rowan; every prince quietly looked away except Rowan, who met his eyes directly. Their stares clashed—dangerous, tense, almost murderous.

Serena Feng cradled her medicine, sipping it in tiny mouthfuls. She thought to herself: If the Imperial Censor were here, he'd be scandalized. If she weren't the heroine, she'd burst out laughing three times.

This was truly a dog-blood drama of uncle and nephew fighting over a beauty—though what they were really fighting for was power, not love.

A tiger, even when wounded, is still a tiger. Soon enough, sweat beaded on Rowan's forehead; his lips pressed together, stubbornly refusing to bow his head.

Ninth Royal Uncle knew when to stop, withdrawing his gaze with satisfaction. He lifted his chin slightly, looking as if no one else mattered. Serena Feng curled her lip—bullying your own nephew, and you're still proud of it.

Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t sit back down. He smoothed the wrinkles from his sleeve and raised his voice: “Rowan, your concern is appreciated. But as you reminded me, Serena’s injury can’t wait. I’ve invited the Valley Master of the Divine Healer Valley—originally to treat me, but also to look at Serena’s wound. Since you mentioned it, I’m reminded: By my order, from this moment, I will be moving into Feng Manor so the Valley Master can treat us both conveniently.”

"What?—Ah!" Serena Feng jumped up, her face twisting in pain as she hurried to clutch her wound.

It hurt like hell.

Ninth Royal Uncle, you bastard.

Serena Feng's eyes misted over as she shot Ninth Royal Uncle a vengeful glare.

"Master." Simon Sun had been watching Serena closely. By rights, her wound shouldn't have been unbandaged yet; today, she'd deliberately exposed it to frighten the princes and remind them her beauty was ruined.

But someone moved even faster than Simon. The moment Serena jumped up, Ninth Royal Uncle spun around and grabbed her by the waist: "Let go—let me see."

A large hand suddenly clamped around her waist. Serena froze, not even able to speak before Simon Sun shouted, "Master, your wound's split open! Hurry, help her back to her room—if it gets infected, it'll be a disaster!"

Simon Sun rushed to help, trying to take Serena from her, but Ninth Royal Uncle gave him no chance. With a hidden burst of strength, he shoved Simon aside, bent down, scooped Serena up, and strode outside.

"Gentlemen, your uncle has matters to attend to today—I can't host you. Please see yourselves out." At the front gate, Ninth Royal Uncle still remembered to dismiss the princes. When he reached the corner and saw Simon hadn't caught up, he barked, "Simon Sun, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow!"

"Oh—coming!" Simon Sun jogged after them. Watching Ninth Royal Uncle head straight for Serena's boudoir, Simon seethed with anger.

Damn that Ninth Royal Uncle—this definitely wasn't his first time in Master's room.

Outside the hall, the princes exchanged puzzled glances. "What just happened?"

"What do you mean, 'what happened'? We just got played by our uncle, that's all." Felix Dongling stood up and patted Jason Dongling on the shoulder. "Brother, just take it in stride—it's not the first time."

With that, he strode out without hesitation.

"Sigh... Who knows when we'll ever get back to our fiefs. Rowan, your courage is admirable, but judging by Ninth Royal Uncle's attitude, he doesn't seem to care about Serena Feng's neck wound." Second Prince Evan patted Rowan Dongling's shoulder, trying to snap him out of it.

Even with all six of them together, they still might not be a match for Ninth Royal Uncle.

See? They fell for it so easily—just pawns in Ninth Royal Uncle's scheme. Not only did he get to openly visit Serena Feng, he even gained a perfect excuse to move in.

Honestly, Ninth Royal Uncle's shamelessness and scheming are unmatched—no one before him, and probably no one after.

Under the pretext of convenience for the Divine Healer Valley’s master, and ignoring Serena Feng’s objections, Ninth Royal Uncle officially moved into Serena’s temporary residence in the West District courtyard. He didn’t need her to arrange anything—he chose the only vacant room himself, right across from Holden Cui.

Now, the West District courtyard was filled with nothing but patients and doctors—and all the illnesses were strange ones. The Divine Healer Valley’s master was absolutely delighted: as a true healer, his greatest passion was bizarre medical cases.

The Divine Healer Valley’s master had one rule: he only treated rare and difficult cases. If another doctor could handle it, he wouldn’t bother.

Serena Feng didn’t comment. In her view, when a patient seeks a doctor, the doctor should treat them. But she didn’t think the Divine Healer Valley’s master was wrong either. She was a physician—she saw it as a profession. The Valley Master was more like a medical researcher, devoted to pursuing greater skill all his life.

Their values and outlooks were different, so naturally their choices were too.

Ninth Royal Uncle's illness was easy to treat—it was just overwork. The Divine Healer Valley’s master handed him straight off to Simon Sun, focusing instead on Serena Feng’s and Holden Cui’s cases.

Serena and the Valley Master were old acquaintances, so their reunion was natural and unstrained. The Valley Master was fascinated by Serena’s vascular suturing techniques, while Serena genuinely needed his help removing the scar on her neck.

All women love beauty—Serena had no desire to leave a hideous scar on her neck.

The old master and the young apprentice reached an agreement and got along splendidly. The Valley Master was erudite and open-minded, able to accept Serena’s innovative methods and even extrapolate from them. Because of William Wang Jinling’s eye case, the Valley Master had devoted much effort lately and gained new insights.

Theoretically, replacing any damaged part should work—for example, if a Lyndarian prince’s lower leg is ruined, you could swap in a healthy one from someone else. As long as it heals, he should be able to walk.

When the Valley Master saw the prosthetic Serena had fitted for Prince Titus of Lyndaria, his eyes lit up—he wanted to take it apart and study it. He later asked Serena if she had another. Serena, knowing the prosthesis could cause trouble, immediately said it was the only pair left to her by her teacher.

The Valley Master was itching to study it, but Serena had none left. What else could he do? When he pressed further, Serena just said her teacher had died.

Serena nodded vigorously, like a pecking chick: “That’s true in theory, but in practice? With your method, to cure Prince Titus, you’d have to take both legs from another healthy person—then that person would be crippled. What’s the point of saving one by ruining another?”

That’s the difference between a physician and a medical research fanatic. Serena was pragmatic—her hands were stained with blood, but she’d never save someone by robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Saving one person by harming another—it’s better not to save at all.

She couldn’t make the same mistake again. If something like that happened once more, she might never be able to hold a scalpel again…