How Much Liancastle Will Sacrifice for Jason Lan

Ninth Royal Uncle thought he was hiding it well, but Serena Feng understood him better than he realized. She had already noticed his unusual behavior—though since he refused to speak, she pretended not to know, standing at the door as she watched him leave: "When will you finally be honest with me?"

When would Ninth Royal Uncle ever truly trust her, the way she trusted him?

Serena gave a bitter laugh, deciding to turn her frustration into strength—and take it out on Jason Lan.

Not long after returning from the Capital Prefecture Court, Ninth Royal Uncle arrived at Sutton Manor's secret chamber, forced himself to suppress his impatience, and began reviewing the intelligence reports stacked on the table—only to grow even more irritated as he read.

"For Jason Lan, Liancastle really is willing to pay."

Smack—Ninth Royal Uncle slapped the letter down on the table, spread out paper and ink, and began writing a letter to Liancastle.

Just to get Jason Lan out of the city, Liancastle was willing to cede three towns. Now that Jason Lan is in his hands, Nolan wants to see what else Liancastle will offer—how far they're willing to go for Jason Lan.

Once the letter was finished, Ninth Royal Uncle sealed it without another look, sent it out through the secret chamber’s special tube, and ordered it rushed to Liancastle by fast courier.

Liancastle had better decide quickly, or Jason Lan won’t survive.

After dealing with the Liancastle letter, there were still a few reports Ninth Royal Uncle hadn’t read, but at this point he couldn’t focus on anything—he knew his emotions were out of control, but he couldn’t help himself.

"Someone come here." Ninth Royal Uncle tapped the table in a steady rhythm. Soon, a black-clad man stepped out and knelt on one knee before him: "Master."

This man was the second-in-command after Vincent Su, deeply trusted by Ninth Royal Uncle.

"Go find out what connection the woman at Moonvault Palace Sect has with Jason Lan." Jason’s cry of 'Aunt' had unsettled him. As far as he knew, his mother had no siblings—he was the closest living branch of the Former Dynasty’s royal blood. If that weren’t the case, Liancastle’s old guard wouldn’t have stayed loyal to him all these years.

"Understood." The black-clad man accepted the order, and before leaving, reported his latest intelligence: "Master, Prince Damien of Southlyn is still alive. He can walk freely now and is currently at the Princess Royal of Westlyn’s residence. He brought back a group of bizarre old men from overseas—none of them look normal, but all are highly skilled, ruthless fighters. Half stayed in Night City, the other half went with Prince Damien to Westlyn."

"Bizarre-looking?" Ninth Royal Uncle couldn’t help but wonder at that.

The Demon Sect didn’t really have any members who looked bizarre—their appearance was usually normal, just cold and violent in temperament. Were these people truly from the Demon Sect?

To confirm their origins, Ninth Royal Uncle wrote a letter to Zed, the Demon Sect Lord.

Though Zed was still a child, Ninth Royal Uncle never treated him as one. In temperament and intelligence, Zed was no less than any adult, and he knew more about the Demon and Holy Sects than most people.

After giving all his orders, the secret chamber was left with only Ninth Royal Uncle. He sat in the stone chair, back to the light, hiding himself in the shadows—motionless.

He sat there until dawn. Ninth Royal Uncle glanced at the remaining intelligence reports, but had no desire to read them—he simply tossed them to his subordinates and went home to change for morning court.

Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t realize that one of the intelligence reports he had tossed aside tracked Bella Qin’s movements.

Ancient Corpse Poison was truly formidable. Less than half an hour after injecting the purified toxin into Jason Lan, black spots began appearing on his body. Every half hour, they grew by a millimeter and deepened in color—a clear sign the poison was spreading.

Jason Lan’s mute point was struck, his hands and feet chained to the bed so he couldn’t move. All he could do was glare fiercely at Serena Feng, his eyes savage—like a wild beast ready to devour.

If he didn’t get revenge, he wasn’t worthy of the name Jason Lan.

Serena Feng was perfectly calm. Jason Lan’s glare didn’t faze her at all—she did what needed to be done, piercing the skin with a syringe, drawing blood and extracting poison from the black spots, her hands steady and unwavering.

Jason Lan was both anxious and furious. The Ancient Corpse Poison made his body unbearable, but he couldn’t speak—a helpless victim under Serena Feng’s control.

By the third blood draw, dawn had broken. Serena Feng was exhausted, blinking her swollen, aching eyes as she told the nearby soldier, "Watch him closely. If his condition changes, come get me immediately."

"Yes, Ma’am." The soldier left by Ninth Royal Uncle took up his post, standing guard at each corner of the bed, eyes fixed on Jason Lan without blinking.

Clank, clank—Jason Lan yanked at his chains in protest, furious.

Serena Feng was so tired she could barely stand. She yawned and turned to say, "Don’t worry, Mr. Lan. Ninth Royal Uncle gave the Imperial Medical Institute five days; only one has passed, and you still have four left. If I can’t make the antidote in four days, you’ll have to rely on your own luck."

Serena Feng quickly washed up and collapsed into bed, sleeping soundly. While she slept, Ninth Royal Uncle faced the court, fending off the officials’ relentless scrutiny.

Today’s morning court was even fiercer than yesterday. News had already spread that Ninth Royal Uncle had led troops to raid Serena Feng’s West Side Villa, taking someone away. The officials received word overnight and rewrote their memorials, demanding an explanation for the court and the people.

Most officials criticized Ninth Royal Uncle’s actions as violating Eastlyn law and judicial procedures. Special circumstances might warrant special handling—but if everyone acted like Ninth Royal Uncle, who would obey the law or respect the government?

Others were deeply dissatisfied with Ninth Royal Uncle handing the suspect over to Serena Feng—calling it a mockery of the law and the nation’s legal system.

"Ninth Royal Uncle, since that person is a suspect, he should be locked up and tried by the authorities. Even if Serena Feng is the victim, she has no right to detain or judge the accused." The speaker wasn’t from any faction, just a rigid old official with little standing in court.

"Lord Ke is right. If everyone did as Miss Feng did—handling suspects privately—what use would the government have? The people would follow suit: today you beat me, tomorrow I beat you; today you kill my family, tomorrow I kill yours—all without breaking the law. Wouldn’t the world descend into chaos?"

"We respectfully request Ninth Royal Uncle transfer the case and suspect to the Capital Prefecture Court, or at least imprison the accused until the matter can be properly tried."

Many officials voiced their support, showing that Ninth Royal Uncle’s actions truly violated legal norms.

Once an issue is brought into the open, it must follow proper procedures. Even Ninth Royal Uncle couldn’t ignore all laws or challenge state authority. When he did, the silent old officials would stand up one by one to criticize his every fault.

Faced with the officials’ accusations and demands, Ninth Royal Uncle did not compromise. He bore the pressure and suppressed the matter, promising that in five days—when the antidote was ready—the suspect would be handed over to the Capital Prefecture Court for a formal trial.