Support, Ling Mo and Skyvault Fortress

That day, Serena and Prince Nolan still didn’t use the water Ruby Redsleeve fetched. It wasn’t because they were afraid, nor because Ruby failed to fetch it, but—

The water was knocked over by Ruby Redsleeve halfway back.

This time, it truly wasn’t on purpose. Even though Ruby’s stamina was better than most noble girls, she still couldn’t carry such a large jar of water far. She stumbled all the way, and just as she was about to arrive, she tripped—water and jar smashed, and several bloody scrapes appeared on her body.

Ruby Redsleeve kept crying miserably, as if the whole world had wronged her. But this time, nobody felt sorry for her.

Linden Ling heard her sobbing but stayed in his tent, not coming out. Serena and Prince Nolan were having dinner and were even less likely to pay her any mind.

As for the water Ruby knocked over, Serena directly deducted it from Linden Ling’s ration. Everyone except Linden had water; until Ruby fetched a new jar, Linden and Greenshine would have no clean water.

The Imperial Guards disliked Ruby Redsleeve enough already—there was no way they’d pity her. When Ruby refused to leave, they simply dragged her back to camp. Seeing none of the big shots come out, one guard grabbed a few small bottles and said, “Miss Ruby, please, go ahead.”

Ruby refused to go, so the Imperial Guards half-pushed, half-pulled her out of camp. Once outside, they let go and Ruby fell to the ground, looking utterly pitiful.

One guard sneered, “No need to rush, Miss Ruby. We’ve all eaten our fill and have plenty of time to wait you out. Until you replace the water you spilled, don’t even think about letting this go. Miss Feng said it herself: we soldiers don’t have any rule against hitting women. If you keep making a scene, don’t blame us for being rough.”

The men who had escorted Ruby to fetch water earlier now stayed to eat, swapping in well-fed companions, leaving Ruby alone—exhausted, hungry, and soaked to the skin.

Ruby Redsleeve lay sprawled on the ground, glaring up at the men in front of her and snapping, "Just you wait—once we reach Skyvault Fortress, I’ll make you pay back a hundredfold."

The guards burst out laughing. "Oh, we’re so scared."

Seeing Ruby still refusing to move, the guards didn’t want to touch her directly, so one prodded her with his knife hilt. "Move it, Skyvault’s Eldest Young Lady. If you want to act high and mighty, save it for when you’re actually back at Skyvault Fortress."

Meanwhile, Greenshine served dinner and brought up fresh fruit. Seeing Linden Ling sitting motionless, she stood respectfully behind him, hesitated, then quietly asked, "Young Master, Ruby hasn’t come back yet. May I go out and look for her?"

The commotion during the day had drawn plenty of attention. Greenshine only needed to ask around to know what happened. She was always respectful, and now she was even more careful, afraid Linden might suspect something.

"Go ahead." After all, he’d pampered this maid for over ten years. Even if he was starting to doubt her, Linden couldn’t bring himself to be truly ruthless. That was the biggest difference between him and Jason Lan.

Greenshine bowed and left. Only then did Linden slowly look up, faintly smirking in the direction she’d disappeared. Sure enough, both maids had grown bold. Greenshine wasn’t as brazen as Ruby, but she was just as strong-willed. As for divided loyalties, he believed both Ruby and Greenshine had their little schemes, but he simply couldn’t believe either would truly betray him.

The news of Ruby smashing the water jar had already been reported to Serena and Prince Nolan. Serena asked, "Did Young Master Ling say anything?"

When she learned Linden hadn’t said a word, Serena commented that he was emotionally cold, while Prince Nolan added, "He’ll never accomplish great things."

Over such a trivial matter, he sacrificed a maid he’d favored for years. Faced with greater trouble, he’d surely sell out those closest to him. Who would ever risk their life for a man like that?

It may have been a small matter, but it was enough to ruin everyone’s impression of him.

"A man of the jianghu hasn’t learned imperial heart-techniques—don’t judge him by an emperor’s standards," Serena argued in Linden’s defense. Prince Nolan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Serena, and seeing she was just being objective, said no more.

He thought to himself, there was no way Serena’s standards were so poor that she’d actually admire someone like Linden Ling.

After dinner, Serena and Prince Nolan went out for a walk to digest and deepen their bond. They strolled slowly, drifting farther from camp. Soldiers ringed the area, and with no outsiders for a hundred li, neither was worried. Still, they didn’t plan to go much farther; as they turned back, a faint noise came from nearby.

"Who’s there? Come out." Prince Nolan shielded Serena behind him, hand on the soft sword at his waist, ready to attack. Hidden bodyguards tensed, preparing to strike.

In a single breath, a tense, deadly atmosphere wrapped around Serena. Her eyes locked on the shadows.

Thud—a dark figure leapt out of the shadows. He made no move to attack, stopping ten paces from Serena and Prince Nolan, raising both hands to show he meant no harm.

Prince Nolan and the guards eased their killing intent. Serena peered closer and tentatively called, "Ling Mo?"

"Mm." Ling Mo replied in a rough, grating voice, standing in the shadows without moving, eyes fixed on Serena—clearly here to see her.

Serena tugged Prince Nolan’s sleeve. "Ling Mo needs to speak with me. You go on ahead—I’ll catch up soon."

Prince Nolan knew about Ling Mo—if he was around, Serena would be safe. He nodded and left.

"It’s just us here. You can tell me now." Serena stepped closer, signaling Ling Mo to use hand signs instead of speaking.

Ling Mo tried, but after a while, Serena still couldn’t understand. "You can write a few words now—just write it out for me."

With a mix of guessing and context, she could usually figure out the gist.

Serena held out her hand. Ling Mo, seeing nothing wrong with it, wrote the character for "Green" in her palm, then nodded emphatically.

"You mean Greenshine is your person—and someone trustworthy?" Serena was shocked. Who would have guessed that Ling Mo, so quiet, had managed to place someone at Linden’s side—his closest maid, no less.

Ling Mo nodded, and to convince Serena, gestured again: Greenshine was placed by his mother. Without her, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

Now Serena understood. Of course, given Ling Mo’s situation, there was no way he could have placed someone at Linden’s side when he was just a child. Greenshine and Ruby had been with Linden for fifteen years.

"I understand. When the time comes, I’ll make sure Greenshine isn’t harmed by mistake." Serena promised, but Ling Mo shook his head urgently—not what he meant. He wanted her to know that if she needed anything, she could ask Greenshine for help; Greenshine knew Skyvault Fortress inside and out.

Ling Mo wasn’t stupid; just a bit of thought about the day’s events made it clear: Ruby wanted to drive a wedge between Linden and Serena, but her scheming backfired, making Linden suspicious of her instead.

Ling Mo could already foresee Ruby’s fate. He’d instructed Greenshine to push Ruby forward, so Linden would be wary of her and keep his distance. That way, Greenshine could act more freely.

He might have no official standing at Skyvault Fortress, but secretly, he still had loyal followers. There weren’t many, and they couldn’t threaten Skyvault directly, but at a critical moment, they could become the final straw that breaks the fortress.