As soon as Sun Zhengdao and his wife stepped out, they turned and firmly shut the door behind them, making it clear that no one was allowed inside.
"Miss Qingchen is out of danger now, you can rest assured. For the sake of her health, please do not disturb her today. If you are truly worried, come back tomorrow—Miss Qingchen will wake up then."
After being branded with the Phoenixfield Clan Seal, in Sun Zhengdao and his wife's eyes, Qingchen was now qualified to bear the Phoenixfield surname, not just the Feng name. So in public, they would no longer call her Miss Feng. Of course, they dared not reveal the Phoenixfield surname, so they switched to calling her Miss Qingchen.
Dominic Zhai never paid attention to such details, and even if Vincent Su noticed, he wouldn’t be shocked—he already knew about Serena’s and Sun Zhengdao’s true identities. To him, Sun Zhengdao’s change in address didn’t feel out of place at all.
But William Wang Jinling was different. From the change in how Sun Zhengdao and his wife addressed Serena, he clearly sensed a major shift in their attitude toward her—a shift whose consequences were uncertain.
A flash of worry crossed William’s face. His fan-shaped lashes lifted slightly, sword-like brows furrowed, and his gaze toward Sun Zhengdao and his wife was probing and assessing.
William made no effort to hide his suspicion. Though Sun Zhengdao was so exhausted he was nearly collapsing, dazed and unfocused, he still caught the questioning look in William’s eyes.
Sun Zhengdao met William’s gaze openly. He knew very well that Serena’s true identity could be hidden from others for a lifetime, but never from William Wang Jinling.
After all, the Wang Clan had been passed down since the Former Dynasty, with close ties to both the Lan and Phoenixfield clans. If anyone in the Capital were to suspect Serena’s true heritage, William would be the first.
Sun Zhengdao could only hope that William’s suspicion would be delayed. Right now, Serena had no ability to protect herself—aside from giving her the Phoenixfield Clan Seal, there was nothing else he could do.
What’s more, if the Phoenixfield Clan Seal on a legitimate heiress were discovered by outsiders first, it would bring deadly danger upon Serena. Thinking of this, Sun Zhengdao grew even more composed—William was sharp and subtle, so he had to act naturally and openly to dispel William’s doubts.
The old and the young, two men, stood in the courtyard silently testing each other with their eyes. Soon, Dominic Zhai and Vincent Su noticed—Vincent frowned but said nothing, while Dominic, ever the blunt one, just asked outright, “Jinling, what’s wrong?”
William Wang Jinling withdrew his gaze calmly, as if nothing had happened. "It’s nothing, Dongming. Let’s head back and return to the Sun Estate tomorrow. Lord Sun, I’ll take my leave."
"Take care, Young Master." Sun Zhengdao’s tone was gentle and courteous, refined and graceful, but in William’s eyes, he caught a fleeting sharpness—a warning.
Sun Zhengdao let out a huge sigh of relief. William hadn’t suspected anything—he was just worried about Miss Qingchen. That was enough.
They arrived with the morning light and left beneath the starlight. With William’s group gone, the Sun Estate returned to its usual quiet. Once everyone had left, Simon Sun finally came forward to ask, "Father, is my master really all right now?"
Cough, cough... Sun Zhengdao had been forcing himself to hold on ever since he left the room, enduring until William’s group departed—only then did his exhaustion finally show.
"Father, are you all right?" Simon Sun, naïve as he was, could see his father’s fatigue. But the night was too dark, and since Sun Zhengdao had stayed in the shadows after coming out, Simon couldn’t see how his father’s face had aged decades in an instant, nor the tears shimmering in his eyes.
"Cough, cough, I’m fine. Just tired from standing all day. Your mother and I will go rest. Tonight, I need you to look after your master yourself. If anything happens, call me." Sun Zhengdao’s eyes were moist, full of longing and reluctance.
The hardest thing for him to let go of was Simon Sun, but he had no choice—this was the Sun family’s duty.
Simon Sun vaguely sensed something was off with his parents, but true to his nature, he didn’t dwell on it. Scratching the back of his head, he gave up trying to figure it out and obediently went in to care for Serena.
Madam Sun had already changed Serena into clean clothes. There was no trace of injury, her complexion was much rosier—she looked just like she was sleeping, nothing like someone who had been hurt.
Simon was very curious about what method his father had used to dispel the cold so quickly from his master’s body. Judging by her appearance, most of her wounds seemed to have healed as well.
Simon wanted to unfasten Serena’s clothes to check how her injuries were healing, but then he remembered the rules between men and women—if it wasn’t for treating a wound, he shouldn’t look at a woman’s body.
Besides, with only the two of them in the room, if he acted rashly, it would ruin his master’s reputation. Better to wait until tomorrow.
Simon quietly sat to the side, keeping watch over Serena. He decided he’d just ask his father tomorrow.
But Simon didn’t know this would be his last chance to speak with his father for a long time. Soon, he would be so busy he’d have no time to ask how his father cured Serena’s cold affliction.
By the time Simon finally had some free time and wanted to ask, his father had suddenly retired and left for the countryside with his mother. He didn’t even say goodbye—just left a letter, telling Simon to stay by Serena’s side, never betray her, and never do anything to harm her.
Afterwards, Simon deeply regretted it, blaming himself for not noticing his parents’ odd behavior. If he’d known this day would come, he would have clung to them—even if he couldn’t go with them, at least he could have spoken with them a little more. But there’s no medicine for regret in this world...
At midnight, all was silent. Simon hadn’t slept since the previous night; after repeatedly confirming that Serena’s injuries were healing well, he finally couldn’t hold out and fell asleep at the table.
Once Lance Quinn was sure Simon Sun was asleep, he slipped quietly into the room and pressed Simon’s sleep acupoint.
The candlelight in the room was bright enough for Lance to clearly see Serena’s rosy cheeks. Hearing her steady breathing from outside, he’d already thought it strange—she hardly looked like someone who’d been injured.
Lance knew better than anyone how serious Serena’s injuries were. Wounds like that couldn’t possibly heal in just two or three months.
Lance wasn’t like Simon Sun—he didn’t care about the proprieties between men and women, or Serena’s reputation. When he suspected something, he acted to find out.
Serena was his, after all. What was wrong with him looking at her body?
Of course, he could—other men, however, could not. Lance didn’t care whether Simon Sun suffocated or not; he simply flipped the quilt over Simon, wrapped him up tightly, and tossed him outside the door...
Once sure no one else would see, Lance unfastened Serena’s clothes...
Just as he’d imagined: her skin was smooth as jade, glowing with healthy pink—no trace of injury, even paler and finer than before, and surely softer to the touch.
"Serena, you are finally a true Phoenixfield Clan heiress. Now, I can’t let you go." Lance had guessed how Sun Zhengdao had healed her as soon as he entered.
Both the Phoenixfield Clan and the Lan clan have their own marks. The only difference: the Lan Imperial Mark is etched only on future emperors, and it’s a sword sheath—a perfect match for the Phoenixfield sword.
Rather than saying the Phoenixfield Clan guards half the realm for the Lan clan, it’s truer to say the two houses rule the world together...