Methods, The Martial World Is Not at Peace

Serena Feng paid no heed to how furious Linden Ling was. She simply turned and walked toward her own carriage, using the mystic-iron dagger Linden had given her to cut the reins binding her horse.

The horse pulling her carriage had neither saddle nor stirrups, but Serena didn’t care. She stowed the dagger away, swung herself up onto the horse, and said, "Little martial-uncle, my apologies. I have an appointment with the Regent Prince and have already been delayed far too long—I really can’t afford to wait any longer."

So what if Skyvault Fortress is impressive? It’s just a martial sect—no matter how arrogant, it can’t be compared to an entire nation. If Skyvault Fortress really wanted to challenge Eastlyn, Eastlyn might suffer, but Skyvault Fortress wouldn’t get off easy either.

Only a fool would push things to such a ruinous, no-win outcome. Linden Ling has at least enough sense not to do that.

"Regent Prince? Eastlyn’s Ninth Royal Uncle? Perfect, I have business with him too—why not go together?" Linden Ling might be angry, but he wasn’t just some hot-blooded youth; he still had his reason.

So Linden Ling had come to see Ninth Royal Uncle. Serena understood instantly. She’d wondered why the young master of Skyvault Fortress had turned up in Eastlyn out of nowhere.

Coming to see Ninth Royal Uncle at this time must be about the situation at sea. After all, thanks to Prince Damien of Southlyn, plenty in the martial world had sailed out to hunt for the Lu family’s treasure.

So many people died and nobody got any benefit out of it. The jianghu crowd definitely wouldn’t let this go. Linden Ling was probably chosen as their spokesman.

Since Linden Ling had come to ask Ninth Royal Uncle for help, Serena had even less reason to fear him. She turned him down again: "I’m afraid Ninth Royal Uncle won’t be able to see you today. If you don’t mind, I’ll pass on your message and you can come tomorrow—how does that sound?"

Her words sounded like a question, but they left Linden Ling no room to refuse. She’d expected him to get angry, but instead he agreed readily. Serena had no desire to tangle with him any further, so she instructed the remaining constables to handle the aftermath and have them escort Linden Ling to Nolan’s Suburban Villa.

Greenshine watched Serena Feng’s departing figure and thought of Ruby Redsleeve being hauled off. Her eyes reddened with grievance. "Young Master, that Serena Feng is way too arrogant. She knows we’re from Skyvault Fortress, but she didn’t give us any respect at all."

Linden Ling shot Greenshine a cold look—none of the arrogance he’d shown in front of Serena. His face was frosty as he said, "Looks like I’ve spoiled you all far too much. You forget you’re servants. Servants should act like servants."

"I understand, Young Master." Greenshine had never imagined she’d hear the word ‘servant’ come out of her master’s mouth. Her face went pale, and she lowered her head, trembling with silent grievance.

Linden Ling glanced at Greenshine, a flash of disgust in his eyes—but mostly dissatisfaction.

These two maids of his had gotten more and more arrogant—and more and more foolish—in the past two years. Women really couldn’t be spoiled.

With the Regent Prince of Eastlyn, the Wang Clan Patriarch, the future Cui Clan head, the Skyvault Palace Master, and the Assassin Alliance as her backing, Serena Feng really had no need to care about Skyvault Fortress at all.

He’d thought Serena Feng was someone who valued loyalty above all. He’d let Ruby Redsleeve insult her just to test her bottom line. But Serena, though loyal, wasn’t loyal to just anyone.

If she says she won’t give him face, then she won’t give him face. That kind of pride was extraordinary. Looks like on this trip to Eastlyn, he shouldn’t expect to get any favors out of his little connection with Serena Feng.

Serena Feng had already been in a foul mood, and this run-in with Linden Ling only made things worse. By the time she arrived at Ninth Prince Manor, she was still visibly angry. The manor’s stewards and servants were all tactful enough not to risk her wrath—they greeted her politely and led her straight to Ninth Royal Uncle’s study.

When the mistress is upset, it’s the master’s job to soothe her. The servants knew better than to go courting death by getting in her way.

The shadow guards understood this too. As soon as Serena Feng entered the study, they quietly retreated dozens of meters—far enough to ensure Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena’s safety, but not so close as to make their master feel crowded.

In front of outsiders she had to act noble and reasonable, but in front of her own man, there was no need. Serena Feng made no effort to hide her bad mood—she flung the door open with a bang and slammed it shut so hard that bits of wood fell from the latch.

Who would dare be so rude, kicking his door open like that?

Ninth Royal Uncle frowned, a chill flashing in his eyes. But when he looked up and saw it was Serena Feng, the coldness vanished. He set down his brush, stood up, and asked, "What’s wrong? Who’s upset you?"

She hadn’t suffered any losses with the Taishang Emperor, had she?

"Ran into a mad dog on the road," Serena Feng huffed, plopping herself down. Ninth Royal Uncle came over, poured her a cup of water, his voice a little cool: "What happened?"

In Eastlyn, who would be so blind as to provoke Serena? Was he being too gentle—had some people forgotten who he was, and who Serena was?

Serena Feng explained everything about Linden Ling. She knew perfectly well that Linden wasn’t coming just for her, but for Ninth Royal Uncle behind her.

Even if she got along well with Sean Xuan, Linden Ling, as Skyvault Fortress’s young master, had no reason to go out of his way for her.

"Linden Ling?" Ninth Royal Uncle chewed over the name and gave a cold laugh. "I hear the martial world’s been anything but peaceful lately."

So he really was here for Ninth Royal Uncle. Serena Feng nodded in understanding. "I thought he was after Prince Damien of Southlyn." Lately, envoys from every country had been sending letters to Ninth Royal Uncle, wanting his advice on how to handle the situation.

When it came to handling the situation at sea, all the kingdoms and cities tacitly deferred to Ninth Royal Uncle—after all, it was Eastlyn that first uncovered the problem.

"It’s all the same—they’re after silver." People in the martial world spend even more than ordinary folk. Whether it’s learning martial arts, buying weapons, or wandering with a sword, it all costs a fortune. But they’re not nearly as rich as outsiders imagine.

Every sect and clan wanted a piece of the Lu family’s treasure. They’d banded together for the hunt, only to be wiped out. Now they couldn’t afford the loss and had to find some way to recover, to make up for what they’d lost.

No doubt those jianghu folks had heard he was planning to send troops to Night City and wanted to follow along for a share of the spoils. After all, everyone knew that if Eastlyn attacked Night City, the other three kingdoms and eight cities wouldn’t try to stop it—they’d actually help.

Night City had brought this on itself—since Prince Damien of Southlyn couldn’t be found, Night City was the one left holding the bag.

Ninth Royal Uncle explained all this to Serena Feng in detail. Serena understood and didn’t press for military specifics—instead, she asked about the martial world: "What’s been happening in the jianghu lately?"

The Assassin Alliance counts as a jianghu force too. Serena didn’t want them dragged into trouble; with the Alliance’s name behind her, she could get things done much more easily.

"Not long ago, some old evil cult elders who’d been hidden for years started showing up again. Quite a few places have suffered heavy losses." Ninth Royal Uncle shared the latest intelligence he’d received.

"Evil cult? Is it related to Zed?" Zed was now the Demon Sect’s master—still just a child, but his temperament and methods were no less ruthless than any adult, maybe even a hundred times more vicious.

Besides, the demonic forces are all one and the same—it wasn’t strange for Serena Feng to ask that question.

Ninth Royal Uncle knew Serena Feng had a soft spot for Zed. He said, "No, it’s not him. Zed doesn’t have that kind of ability yet."

Back when the Demon Sect was in its prime, all the demonic forces in the land obeyed the Demon Sect Lord. But that was obviously no longer the case.

Never mind that Zed doesn’t have the skill to command those old demonic figures—even if he did, he’s smart enough not to try something so reckless.

Ninth Royal Uncle patted Serena Feng’s shoulder. "Zed is a practical child. He’d never do something so self-destructive."

Only a fool with a death wish would try something like that...