When William Wang Jinling asked this question, he had already made his stance clear. He had chosen between the Cui Clan and Ninth Royal Uncle, siding with Ninth Royal Uncle even when Nolan's power was not yet at its peak, and choosing to cooperate with him.
It might not be the best choice, but it is certainly the smartest. If the Wang and Cui clans joined forces, they could rival a whole nation. But if that happened, the Wang clan would always be beneath the Cui Clan.
The Wang clan could accept being beneath anyone—except the Cui Clan. They have been suppressed by the Cui Clan for too long and desperately want the prestige of being the top family. If they cooperate with the Cui Clan, not only will they never become the first family, they might not even keep their status as an aristocratic house.
To the Cui Clan, the Wang clan is both an asset and a rival. The Cui Clan would never allow the Wang clan to become too powerful; when the Wang clan loses its value, the Cui Clan will surely suppress them.
Of course, William could choose to cooperate with others—many want to win over the Wang clan. That's why Ninth Royal Uncle said that working with him might not be the best choice, but it is certainly the smartest.
A faint smile flashed in Ninth Royal Uncle's eyes, and he looked at William with growing approval. The Wang clan was fortunate to have a head like William Wang Jinling.
It wasn't just about William choosing to cooperate with him—it was William's decisiveness, a quality most people lack. When it comes to choices that determine the life and death of a family, most people never dare make a decision, and then... they watch their clan be destroyed in turmoil.
No one can truly stand apart from power struggles. If you refuse to participate, you'll be abandoned by all those in power and become a sacrificial pawn. Rather than that, it's better to choose a side early, form an alliance, and give your full support to protect yourself.
Since we're now allies, there's no need to hide certain things. Ninth Royal Uncle laid out his plan without reservation: "Elaine Lane isn't important. Whether she returns to the Cui Clan changes nothing. If not Elaine, it will be someone else—the Cui Clan is never short of pawns. There's no need to make enemies of the Cui Clan so soon over one Elaine Lane."
The Cui Clan has been hidden from the world for nearly a century. What they've revealed so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Neither of us knows how powerful they truly are. Instead of confronting them now, it's better to wait until they've shown their full strength before making a move. Charging in without knowing your enemy's power is sheer folly."
That's how Ninth Royal Uncle is—once he acknowledges you, he trusts you, and he makes sure you know it. For the sake of that trust, you'd be willing to risk your life for him, just like Vincent Su and Storm Cloud Bu.
Ninth Royal Uncle possesses both the vision and the boldness of an emperor, as well as the skills and capability.
Just for this trust alone, William Wang Jinling felt that choosing this underestimated Nolan Dongling might turn out to be a very wise decision.
Since they'd agreed to cooperate, William didn't hold back his thoughts: "You're right, it's pointless to go against the Cui Clan over Elaine Lane. Instead, we should use her to push the Cui Clan to contribute more in the Skyvault Palace War."
"They won't. The Cui Clan will pull out of the Skyvault Palace War," Ninth Royal Uncle said with certainty. William's eyes flashed with confusion, but then he nodded in understanding. "True. Now that they've found their person, why would they use their hidden strength?"
"Exactly. The Cui Clan's greatest advantage is that no one knows how strong they truly are, how deep their foundations run, or how much of the Lan clan's power they hold. It's precisely because no one knows that everyone fears them, and the Cui Clan must maintain that air of mystery." Ninth Royal Uncle smiled faintly. Talking to a clever person is always easier—there's no need to spell everything out, and the other party will understand.
With the foundation of cooperation, their conversation became more natural. William didn't hold back and asked directly, "So, what do you plan to trade Elaine Lane for?"
William certainly didn't believe Ninth Royal Uncle would kindly hand Elaine Lane over to the Cui Clan. Unless the Cui Clan paid a price, Nolan would never let them off so easily.
"Aren't you curious who offered such a sky-high price for Serena's life?" Ninth Royal Uncle admitted he would never waste Elaine Lane's value.
Feeling sorry for her is one thing; whether she has value is another. No one is truly useless—it all depends on how you use them.
William thought for a moment, running through all the possible suspects in his mind before saying, "Westlyn, Southern Lyn, and Northlyn couldn't come up with that much silver, and Eastlyn even less so. Aside from you, probably no one else could raise that sum. Even if they could, those people wouldn't spend money on assassins—their own men are as skilled as professionals. Whoever could afford that price and specifically targeted Serena, I think it must be Madame Skyvault. Ninth Royal Uncle, I'm sure you've guessed this too. But what I can't figure out is: Where did the money come from? Skyvault Palace Sect shouldn't have that much silver."
"No, maybe Skyvault Palace Sect does have that much silver, but Madame Skyvault absolutely couldn't access it without Sean Xuan noticing. That means the money didn't come from Skyvault Palace Sect itself, but from somewhere else," Ninth Royal Uncle speculated boldly, voicing his suspicions.
William considered further, then continued, "So the origin of this money is very likely tied to Madame Skyvault and to Serena's mother's background. The Cui Clan probably knows something—otherwise, even if they were looking for Elaine Lane, they wouldn't have joined the Skyvault Palace War. Their willingness to withdraw is because the money has already been paid, and the Cui Clan doesn't want to waste effort for nothing."
William was truly perceptive—he understood instantly. And with Ninth Royal Uncle being completely open, the two of them, with just a few words, had deduced the Cui Clan's motives and the identity of the person who ordered Serena's assassination.
"That's the gist of it, but it's only our speculation," Ninth Royal Uncle didn't claim certainty. His theory was just a guess—whether it was true was hard to say, since his understanding of both the Cui Clan and Skyvault Palace Sect was still limited.
"We'll know for sure once the Cui Clan people arrive," William said, already convinced by Ninth Royal Uncle's reasoning—because he thought the same way.
If both of them believed it, it was almost certainly true. After all, neither was the type to make wild guesses.
"Yes. By watching the Cui Clan's reaction, we'll know if our guess is right. We might even discover what happened to Serena's mother." If they could figure that out before heading to Skyvault Palace Sect, it would be a huge advantage.
William nodded in agreement. The better prepared they were, the more likely they'd catch Madame Skyvault off guard.
With everything settled, Ninth Royal Uncle had no interest in lingering outside with William. He turned and walked back. "Let's head back—if we're gone too long, Serena will worry."
He clearly meant Serena would get suspicious, but Ninth Royal Uncle deliberately put it in a way that would please everyone. William understood and simply smiled without saying anything...
Nolan Dongling was a truly charismatic man—and a very dangerous one!
Working with him was a pleasure, but becoming his rival was pure pain. William thought of the long stretch ahead—pain and pleasure intertwined—and couldn't help feeling frustrated...
Yes, even cooperating with Ninth Royal Uncle didn't mean giving up on Serena. Cooperation was a gentleman's agreement; pursuing Serena was a gentleman's rivalry. The two weren't mutually exclusive.