Quarrel, No One in This World Loves Him More Than I Do

This is Skyvault Fortress's territory. Fortress Lord Ling never imagined anyone would dare challenge him here, so naturally he didn't leave many people behind to guard the place.

To prepare for the Martial Arts Conference and to ensure the plan to kill Ninth Royal Uncle, most of Skyvault Fortress's people had been reassigned elsewhere, leaving only a small group inside to maintain routine patrols and security.

Moonvault Palace Sect, having cooperated with Fortress Lord Ling, knew full well that he'd pulled out Skyvault Fortress's elite troops to ambush Ninth Royal Uncle—right now, Skyvault's defenses were at their weakest.

In fact, Moonvault Palace Sect had sent quite a few people as well, but they'd planned ahead—so all the ones dispatched to the public conference were mediocre fighters, while their true elites were reserved for tonight's covert operation.

Tonight, Moonvault Palace Sect was going to infiltrate Skyvault Fortress and search for the whereabouts of the Nine Provinces Treasure Map!

While Fortress Lord Ling was chatting away with Prince Damien of Southlyn, the Moonvault Palace Lord was in excellent spirits too—he didn't even care that Ruby Redsleeve, a mere maid, was trying to bully Lily Li.

"Someone else is going to take the blame." Serena Feng wasn't stupid—she figured it out almost as soon as Ninth Royal Uncle did.

It really was a case of dogs biting dogs, fur flying everywhere—Serena couldn't help but wonder what kind of spectacle it would be if Prince Damien and Fortress Lord Ling turned on each other.

"He'll definitely make the most of this opportunity." Ninth Royal Uncle had full confidence in Ling Mo—Ling Mo might seem gloomy and slow, but he was no fool, especially when it came to matters inside Skyvault Fortress.

Ninth Royal Uncle's guess was spot on—Ling Mo would never let this chance slip by. Moonvault Palace Sect had no interest in becoming Skyvault's enemy, and Aunt Evelyn Lan only wanted to sneak in and find the Nine Provinces Treasure Map. But Ling Mo wasn't giving her that opportunity.

Once inside Skyvault Fortress, you had to play by Ling Mo's rules—if you thought you could slip out without alerting anyone, you were dreaming.

When Aunt Evelyn Lan led the Moonvault Palace Sect team into Skyvault Fortress, Ling Mo used his position to quietly pull out his own people ahead of time—and on top of that, he secretly opened a path for the Moonvault group.

No one understood Skyvault Fortress's layout better than Ling Mo. With him helping from the shadows, Aunt Evelyn's mission went so smoothly it was almost scary. "What's going on? Why are Skyvault's defenses so weak?" she wondered aloud.

Even if the elite troops weren't present, it shouldn't have been this easy—they'd barely broken a sweat getting in. It was unbelievable. Aunt Evelyn wasn't stupid; she didn't need to think hard to know something was off here.

She didn't dare go any farther, but if she missed this chance, she'd have to wait another three years—and she simply couldn't afford that.

"Your Highness, maybe someone got here before us—look..." One of the Moonvault Palace Sect experts pointed to a bloodstain in the corner, his face grave.

"Just as I thought—there are traces of someone having been here." Aunt Evelyn stepped forward, saw it for herself, and forced down her hesitation. "Search! Move quickly and don't let anyone notice us."

She still didn't want to become Skyvault Fortress's enemy.

"Understood." The Moonvault Palace Sect members received the order and immediately fanned out, determined to find the Nine Provinces Treasure Map as quickly as possible.

According to reports from Moonvault Palace Sect's spies planted inside Skyvault Fortress, the Nine Provinces Treasure Map should be hidden in Fortress Lord Ling's study, inside a secret cabinet.

Ling Mo lingered in the shadows like a ghost, quietly waiting for the Moonvault Palace Sect team to withdraw. As soon as they left, it would be his turn to act...

Up on Skyvault Mountain, as the hour grew late, everyone gradually dispersed. Quite a few were injured in today's matches and needed rest; plus, more bouts were scheduled for tomorrow, so staying up too late would affect their performance.

At night, men and women camped separately. People like Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena Feng, with high status, each had their own tent; those with less rank had to squeeze in with others, sometimes dozens to a single tent.

This arrangement was only natural—space atop the mountain was limited. Even with fewer people than expected, there simply wasn't enough room for everyone to pitch their own camp.

At night, everyone kept to themselves and returned to their own tents without incident.

"Be careful," Ninth Royal Uncle said, escorting Serena Feng to the edge of the women's camp before stopping short of entering.

"I will. You should too—try not to mess with any more flowers or plants." Serena's warning was meant literally, a reminder for Ninth Royal Uncle not to fall victim to anyone's pollen tricks again. But to those listening, it sounded quite different.

The boldest among them started whispering rumors that Ninth Royal Uncle was afraid of his wife.

Ninth Royal Uncle knew Serena was doing it on purpose. He could only shake his head helplessly, swallow his embarrassment, and walk away as if nothing had happened.

"Even Ninth Royal Uncle gets his comeuppance." Brandon Bu—impersonating Lance Quinn—stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching the spectacle along with the others. The only difference was, within five steps of him, no one else dared to stand.

Serena Feng smiled and waved off Lance Quinn, then turned and headed for her own tent. She hadn't even had a chance to freshen up before Lily Li came looking for her.

"What happened to you all today?" Lily Li got right to the point, but her accusatory tone and haughty attitude made her hard to like. Serena frowned, turned to face Lily, and countered, "Does it have anything to do with you, Miss Li?"

Lily was stunned, then looked as if she might burst into tears. "Sean—Sean's ignoring me. What happened this morning? You were all fine, so why won't Sean even speak to me?"

"That's between you and Sect Leader Xuan. Miss Li, you should ask him yourself." Serena and Sean both understood what had happened on the cliff earlier, and that Moonvault Palace Sect was involved. Sean's coldness was both anger and self-preservation.

The two sides were already showing signs of hostility. If she kept getting emotionally involved, Serena knew she'd only hurt herself.

"That's not true! Sean is only treating me this way because of you. There's nothing else between us—it's all because of you! If it weren't for you, Sean and I wouldn't be like this." Lily bit her lip, glaring at Serena with hatred.

"That's Sean's decision, not mine, and you know he's not someone who's easily swayed. Once he makes up his mind, that's it." Moonvault Palace Sect and Serena were destined to be at odds. As for Sean's position, Serena never worried—whether he sided with her or stayed neutral, she would respect it.

"Serena Feng, you're so selfish! Why should Sean give up his happiness for you?" Lily screamed, her voice hoarse with emotion. Thinking of what Ruby Redsleeve had said earlier, for a split second, Lily even wanted to kill Serena.

If Serena Feng weren't here, would she and Sean Xuan finally be together?

"I've never interfered with Sean's choices. And besides... Miss Li, what makes you think you're the one who can make him happy?" Serena, ever alert, subtly increased the distance between them and raised her left wrist, ready to fire a hidden weapon if Lily made a move.

"Who but me could give Sean happiness? No one in this world loves him more than I do." Lily's eyes were bright with passion, filled with such deep feeling that Serena could almost see it pouring out of her—but...

It still wasn't enough!

With so many ties and obligations holding Lily Li back, she couldn't give Sean Xuan the happiness he truly wanted.