Urgent Recall and an Ambush on the Road

The black-clad men's target was Feng Jin, but honestly, whether it was luck or skill, this batch of attackers was sorely lacking.

They hadn't even made a move before Snow detected them. Just as they tried to flee, they turned a corner and ran straight into the Lizardman Smith—nearly scared to death.

"Monster! Monster! There's a monster—" The black-clad men shrieked throughout the courtyard, giving themselves away, and then all hell broke loose—exactly as Serena saw: chaos everywhere, like a barnyard gone wild.

"These people weren't sent by the Princess Royal." Zuo An wasn't defending her—he simply knew that these black-clad men's skills were truly abysmal. If the Princess Royal wanted someone kidnapped, she'd never send such useless lackeys and disgrace herself.

"They're probably rebels. They've figured out how important Feng Jin is, and since he's just a child, they thought he'd be easy to snatch." Serena didn't suspect the Princess Royal at all—she was too busy seizing power to bother with Feng Jin.

Even if she had free time in the future, the Princess Royal wouldn't come looking for Feng Jin. She no longer needed him as a shield; to her, Feng Jin was now completely useless.

"Rebels? They've infiltrated?" Zuo An frowned, silently thinking that Jiangnan really was far too unsafe—they needed to leave as soon as possible.

"No, they're probably spies who stayed behind in the city." Serena and Prince Colin had already guessed there would be rebel agents left inside; they just hadn't had a way to find them. Now, the opportunity had come to them.

"Serena, Feng Jin wasn't frightened, was he..." The Prince of Jiangnan got the news and immediately dropped his staff meeting, rushing over to ask about Feng Jin's safety the moment he arrived.

The Prince of Jiangnan knew he'd likely never have children in his life, so he had no defenses against this little dumpling—Feng Jin, round-faced and sweet as a bun. He'd even joked with Zuo An about making Feng Jin his son and future heir—only to be spectacularly ignored by Zuo An.

"Not at all. This kid's got guts—something like this couldn't scare him." Serena pinched Feng Jin's little cheeks. Feng Jin grinned goofily at her, stretched his small arms wide, and stood protectively in front of Serena: "Feng Jin's not afraid. I'll protect Sister."

His childish, innocent words made everyone pause, then break into knowing smiles. The Prince of Jiangnan looked at Serena with envy: "You picked up a great little brother." So young, yet already knows to protect Serena.

"He's not picked up—Feng Jin is family." Serena shot the Prince of Jiangnan a glare, clearly annoyed.

Children are sensitive. It's best to avoid saying things like 'picked up' around them.

"Feng Jin isn't picked up—he belongs to Sister." Feng Jin pouted, glaring angrily at the Prince of Jiangnan, his cheeks puffed up round and cute. The Prince couldn't help himself, ruffling Feng Jin's hair and trying to coax him: "Uncle was wrong. Our Feng Jin wasn't picked up—he's a heavenly treasure. Little Feng Jin, won't you be Uncle's son?"

"No...I want Sister." Feng Jin turned away, ignoring the Prince of Jiangnan, clinging tightly to Serena's arm, terrified he'd be snatched away.

"You want Feng Jin to call you Uncle?" Dr. Redwater, who'd been silent, looked at the Prince of Jiangnan strangely: Was he the crazy one, or was the Prince losing his mind?

"What's wrong with that? Is it a problem?" The Prince of Jiangnan was stung by Feng Jin's rejection, too busy feeling hurt to notice Dr. Redwater's twitching eye.

Dr. Redwater rolled his eyes: "Feng Jin calls Serena 'Sister,' Serena is Ninth Royal Uncle's...something, and you call Ninth Royal Uncle 'Uncle.' This relationship web is a total mess."

Dr. Redwater quietly gazed at the sky, realizing his intelligence was nowhere near enough to untangle this mess.

This level of intelligence is just exasperating.

"Uh..." The Prince of Jiangnan was stunned. Having Feng Jin call him 'Uncle' was definitely a win for him, but calling him 'Big Brother' felt weird.

"Calling you 'Uncle' really isn't right—better stick with 'Big Brother.'" Serena had no intention of letting Feng Jin call the Prince of Jiangnan 'Uncle,' same as her.

"But he's so little..." The Prince of Jiangnan protested. "Let's just use our own generation as the standard, forget everything else, okay?"

"No way—he can only call you 'Big Brother.' Don't forget, your youngest imperial brother is about the same age as Feng Jin." Serena firmly refused to lower her own generational rank.

"That brother... I almost forgot he existed." Different mother, never really interacted—the Prince of Jiangnan couldn't possibly feel anything for the young Emperor. "Let me hold Feng Jin for a bit. If I can't take him home, at least let me hold him a while longer."

The Prince of Jiangnan knew that after the rebellion was over, Serena would surely take Feng Jin away. No matter how reluctant, separation was inevitable when the time came...

On the second day after Simon Sun arrived in Jiangnan, Serena formally entrusted the Lizardman Smith to him: "Do your best to cure his illness—it'll help your own growth too. If you run into trouble, have someone send word to me."

"Don't worry, Master. I won't let you down." Simon Sun was thinner now, but he looked more energetic and confident than ever before.

Serena could see clearly that her once-naive apprentice had grown up—still kind, but no longer the timid boy afraid to show his skills in front of others.

"Ling Mo, I'm leaving Simon Sun's safety to you—make sure you protect him." Serena repeated her instructions patiently, one by one. Ling Mo didn't mind at all; he simply nodded in silence.

Compared to following Serena, he preferred staying by Simon Sun's side. Serena was kind but ruthless—he didn't want to see any more darkness and bloodshed, only the beautiful side of life. Besides, with Zuo An already guarding Serena, Ling Mo felt he was of little use at her side.

Prince Colin was still out searching for rebel remnants, but Serena didn't wait for him. After saying goodbye to the Prince of Jiangnan, she set off with Feng Jin and Snow.

Serena's original plan was to travel leisurely and spend more time with Feng Jin, but plans can't keep up with change. Suddenly, she received a letter from Ninth Royal Uncle—just two words: "Return quickly."

No explanation, just those two words, leaving Serena puzzled: "Is something wrong, or is it something else? Ninth Royal Uncle can't possibly send a special message just because he misses me, right?"

"Let's head back first—we'll have other chances later." With Ninth Royal Uncle urging her, even Zuo An had to agree to return, no matter how much he disliked it.

"Good thing I didn't tell Feng Jin in advance—otherwise he'd be disappointed for sure." Serena sighed, folded up the letter, and was about to order an increase in speed when a scout rushed over, face anxious: "Miss, there's an ambush one li ahead."

"Full alert—prepare for battle." Up ahead was a bend in the road, with a small mountain to the left and a sand field to the right—a perfect spot for an ambush.

"Bring Feng Jin to my carriage." When Serena had official business to handle, Feng Jin usually napped in the rear carriage with Snow.

Soon, Summer brought over a drowsy Feng Jin and quietly suggested, "Miss, let us maids scout ahead first. You and Young Master Feng Jin can follow after."

"Sister..." Feng Jin's cheeks were rosy, eyes half-closed, half-awake and yawning. He wrapped his arms around Serena's neck and instantly fell back asleep, looking adorably muddled.

"Go ahead." Serena didn't refuse, giving Zuo An a look. Zuo An nodded lightly. As Snow padded over to guard the carriage, Zuo An vanished from sight...