If the Palace Master of Ghost Hall truly is the Ghost King's descendant, then the very first person he will target won't be the four emperors who split the Former Dynasty, nor the heirs of the Phoenixfield King who destroyed Ghost Hall, but Jason Lan!
That Lan bloodline in the royal family—Jason Lan—is precisely the descendant of the imperial uncle whom the Ghost King hates most. For the offspring of the enemy who ruined the Ghost King's life, Ghost Hall will never let them go.
"Jason Lan is in serious trouble now." Serena Feng gloated; although Jason Lan is said to have only a year left to live, the sooner he dies, the happier she’ll be.
Prince Nolan, however, was more cautious: "We can't let our guard down until the very end. Maybe someone is just using Ghost Hall’s name to stir up trouble. Back then, Ghost Hall’s status in the martial world was unrivaled—even now, martial artists hesitate to mention it lightly."
"That’s not a worry. We just need to probe a little. If Ghost Hall isn’t really the Ghost King’s line, we’ll leak this news to Jason Lan—I bet he’ll get nervous." True or not, they lose nothing by it.
Serena paused, then added, "Besides, even if Jason Lan doesn’t move against Ghost Hall, those martial aristocratic families won’t let Ghost Hall off. All we have to do is quietly leak a little information and watch them tear each other apart."
"You’re right. Ghost Hall’s appearance couldn’t be better timed; just mentioning its name is enough to keep certain people up at night." Even if they can’t join forces, for now, they won’t be enemies either.
"We need to plan this carefully. Earlier, I heard Prince Damien of Southlyn and that white-robed freak say that Old Gray holds a very high status in Ghost Hall. If they find out Old Gray was captured by us and is still alive, they’ll definitely come to rescue him." Serena was already calculating how to set this trap without leaving a trace—making it look so natural that the Ghost Hall people wouldn’t suspect a thing.
"Old Gray will travel with us." That’s why Prince Nolan is having the army escort Prince Damien and Reid Yale into the city—bringing Old Gray along means there’s no way the journey will be peaceful.
"That gives us more chances to direct their attention toward Liancastle and Jason Lan." Some things can’t be said too bluntly—if you’re too direct, people get suspicious. Better to leave a few clues and let them investigate and confirm for themselves; only then will they truly believe the result.
"We don’t need to act ourselves—someone else will do it for us." Prince Nolan recalled a letter intercepted not long ago, calculation flickering in the depths of his eyes where no one else could see…
This time, Prince Nolan and Serena Feng brought very few guards; to escort Old Gray, General Warren Yu assigned a squad of elite troops to Prince Nolan.
All these men are General Warren Yu’s most trusted direct subordinates. This is Warren’s way of pledging allegiance to Prince Nolan, and Nolan’s acceptance is a sign of trust in Warren in return.
Serena and Simon Sun had already packed up, and all their duties at the wounded camp had been handed over. Even the old army doctor could now perform amputations on his own.
On the night before departure, Summer (Xia Wan) and Vincent Su arrived secretly at camp, ready to return to the Capital with Serena. Summer also brought news from the outside.
In the army, to prevent leaks, only Prince Nolan could contact the outside world; even then, any contact was under military supervision. Serena was no exception—she’d spent this whole time in camp, completely cut off from outside events.
Summer first reported on Night City’s industries and her recent work there, asking Serena for instructions on how to handle Night City’s assets. Once her own business was covered, Summer relayed all the intelligence she’d gathered during that period.
"The grain Prince Damien brought was supplied by Third Young Master Cui. They’d had brief contact before."
"The Cui clan’s succession struggle is becoming clear—unless something unexpected happens, Sixteenth Young Master Cui will be the next clan head. Lord Fuller has been meeting frequently with Cui Third; the details need further investigation."
"Moonvault Palace Sect seems to be searching for something. Lately, they’ve been secretly suppressing Skyvault Fortress, whose power has shrunk to a third of what it was. Not long ago, Fortress Lord Ling received a letter from Liancastle—he may be planning to surrender."
These reports were all badly delayed—Serena had already learned them from Prince Nolan. Otherwise, they could never have taken down Prince Damien so easily; after all, his escape route had been arranged by Third Young Master Cui.
As for Skyvault Fortress, Serena wasn’t surprised at all. Ling Tian had already been entangled with Jason Lan; now that both are in trouble, it’s only natural they’d join forces.
"Miss Clara has been found. Jada Tang secretly sent her to Lyndaria and arranged for her care. Jada asks if you want General Zhi informed?" Summer reported everything methodically, at a pace just right for Serena to absorb.
Serena couldn’t kill Zhi Phoenixfield, so the only option was to set his mind at ease. After a brief thought, she nodded: "Tell him. From now on, treat Clara Phoenixfield as if she doesn’t exist—cut off all contact."
"Understood." Summer never asked questions—her job was simply to carry out orders.
"Mira Tang reports that Tyre City is secretly reinforcing the Shandong border and may be planning an attack."
"Chu City has raised an army of 150,000 and stockpiled a year’s worth of grain, but there’s no sign of them moving yet."
"Liancastle is in turmoil—the Lord of Liancastle has abdicated, and Young Lord Jason Jingyang has taken his place."
…
"Last winter, Northlyn lost thirteen thousand people to the cold; supplies are short, and they’re borrowing grain from neighboring states."
"Southlyn’s spies report unusual activity in the royal family, but details are unclear. The Southlyn Emperor is keeping things tightly under wraps. Even Prince Nathan is investigating, but he’s found nothing."
"The Princess Royal of Lyndaria has been confined since her reprimand, but undercover watchers say she hasn’t given up. She’s persuading her supporters to snatch Little Feng Jin, and lobbying Master Ian Reed to back him—Feng Jin would recognize Master Ian as his father."
One by one, each issue seemed minor, but every single one was connected—like Tyre City’s troop build-up on the Shandong border. If someone hadn’t promised Tyre City something, or helped them in secret, how could Tyre dare provoke Eastlyn?
After all, Tyre City was badly weakened after being struck by Prince Nolan and Prince Nathan last time—neither their troops nor finances could support another campaign.
"Have Mira Tang keep close watch on Tyre City. If necessary, she can strike first. Tell her to act boldly, without hesitation—whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility." Serena’s words made it clear: even if the Phoenixfield Clan’s secrets were exposed, she was unafraid.
"Yes, ma’am!" Summer was so moved her voice was twice as loud as usual.
With a responsible, decisive mistress like Serena, what was there to fear, or to hold back for? Not going all-out would be letting her down.
Summer took several deep breaths to steady herself. After finishing reports from the other cities, she handed Serena a sealed box: "Miss, your letter."
These letters contained encrypted intelligence—no one but Serena could read them. Even if someone opened the box, they wouldn’t be able to decipher the contents…