Favors Without Taking Action Personally

As the days passed with Prince Nolan and Serena Feng still missing, their accident grew ever more serious. Now, in the Emperor of Eastlyn’s mind, the matter had become a conspiracy by the Former Dynasty’s remnants.

Since it was a conspiracy, it had to be investigated thoroughly. The Emperor poured most of his energy into probing the affairs of the Former Dynasty, even beginning to suspect that Liam Li, the man behind the thunder-blast grenades, might also be one of the Former Dynasty’s people.

With the Emperor focused on the Former Dynasty, the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities Alliance kept their eyes fixed on Eastlyn. As a result, no one really cared about Prince Nolan’s fate anymore.

As for the main figures in the incident—Prince Nolan and Serena Feng, whom everyone believed must be dead—they were actually relaxing on the river, fishing. Serena, who never had much affinity for animals and couldn’t even attract fish, chatted idly with Prince Nolan as she fished.

“I never thought things would blow up this much. I really don’t know how the Emperor is going to clean up this mess.” Serena genuinely felt a bit of sympathy for the Emperor.

This time, the Emperor was truly done in by Prince Nolan. He hadn’t done anything, yet there was no way to explain himself.

“Just destroy a batch of thunder-blast grenades and that’ll be enough. Southlyn and the other kingdoms wouldn’t really dare send troops against Eastlyn.” Prince Nolan flicked his fishing rod.

Nice—he caught another fish.

“I’m not so sure about that. This isn’t just internal chaos in Eastlyn—now the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities are all in turmoil. If you don’t show up soon, a real war could break out.” Prince Nolan didn’t have enough troops yet, and the situation wasn’t in his favor. Even if fighting did start, it might just be a few skirmishes before everyone pulled back.

“It won’t come to that,” Prince Nolan said with certainty. Then he asked, “How are things going with that batch from Northlyn?”

"They’ve arrived. They should be making their move in the next couple of days." Serena, having no luck with fish, tossed her rod aside and sat down beside Prince Nolan, ready to handle the fish he’d caught.

The fish in this river were fat and tasty—perfect for making sashimi.

Sashimi—nowadays people call it a Japanese delicacy, but it actually came from China. We’re the real ancestors of this dish; those islanders just copied us.

Prince Nolan didn’t like having servants fussing over him, so Serena did it herself. They’d brought everything they needed anyway.

She filleted the fish, slicing it into thin, translucent pieces.

She might not be a master chef, but as a surgeon, Serena was plenty skilled with a knife. Her fish slices came out paper-thin and nearly see-through.

She dipped them in a sauce made from garlic, ginger, tangerine, white plum, roasted chestnut, rice, salt, and soy—eight ingredients in all. The taste was so good, it could make you bite your tongue off.

"So good." Serena wasn’t a foodie, but she did love good food.

Serena kept eating slice after slice, not stopping at all. Prince Nolan grumbled, "I know it’s good too."

He hadn’t gotten a single piece of the fish he’d caught himself. Serena really was something...

Everyone in Ninth Prince Manor and Feng Manor was uneasy. Victor Yun and William Wang kept up a calm, unruffled front, but behind the scenes they were busy searching for the missing pair.

Prince Nolan’s annoyance melted away. He opened his mouth and took a bite—then, just for good measure, licked Serena’s fingers. "It really is delicious."

The tingling sensation at her fingertips made Serena feel as if she’d been shocked. Her ears turned red, and she glared at Prince Nolan in mock annoyance. "You’re so shameless."

She turned away, grabbed another slice, and popped it into her mouth. As her fingers brushed her lips, she remembered Prince Nolan’s tongue had just touched her fingertips.

That spot on her finger instantly grew warm. Prince Nolan saw it all and was secretly pleased. "The fish isn’t poisoned—can I keep eating now?"

He was clearly asking Serena to feed him.

Serena wasn’t one to make a fuss. A little shyness was enough. She picked up the plate of fish slices, sat down beside Prince Nolan, and began feeding him piece by piece. The two of them ate happily together.

It wasn’t that the food was irresistible—they just enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, and couldn’t help but get lost in it.

While these two lived like immortals, everyone outside was running themselves ragged trying to find them. Feng Manor, the Young Clan, and the Wang Clan were all working day and night to search for Serena.

To make the act convincing, neither of them had told anyone about the plan. Not even Feng Manor—or the people in Ninth Prince Manor—knew whether Prince Nolan was really in trouble.

Simon Sun hadn’t slept properly in days and looked utterly exhausted. William Wang’s smile grew more and more distant and ethereal, and those close to him all noticed that the Grand Heir had been increasingly absent-minded.

The whole scene was so convincing—only the ones left in the dark were truly suffering.

At sunset, Prince Nolan put away his fishing rod, picked up the bucket, and strolled home with Serena. From a distance, they really did look like an old fisherman and a village wife.

While the outside world had been in chaos for days, the two of them spent those days living like immortals—truly unconcerned with worldly affairs, cherishing only the quiet moment together.

That night, the weather suddenly changed. What had been a cool evening abruptly turned stiflingly hot.

"A storm’s coming." Prince Nolan tugged Serena along, quickening their pace. They had barely entered the house before rain came pouring down outside.

Gale winds and torrential rain descended, thunder rumbled, and tree branches whipped and shook wildly—a scene of chaos that made their little mountain hollow even more frightening.

Inside, the candles had long since been blown out by the wind. Serena and Prince Nolan stood in each other's arms by the window; whenever lightning flashed, it lit up their serious faces—gone was the easy mood of the day.

"Tonight’s perfect weather," Serena murmured, her gaze distant...

A storm like this was hardly 'good weather,' but for those planning action, it was perfect. The Northlyn raiders had been lurking for days—tonight was the ideal moment to strike.

"Exactly. Once the rain passes and the sky clears, it’ll be time for us to go." With Northlyn seizing the grain, they could finally head to the Miasma Forest.

This brief respite had only been stolen time.

That’s right—the ones robbing the grain convoy weren’t Prince Nolan and Serena, but Northlyn’s forces.

Even if Prince Nolan and Serena managed to seize grain for 300,000 troops, they couldn’t transport it all in time. Most of it would go to waste.

Rather than burn the grain, it was better to 'offer flowers in Buddha’s name'—leak the convoy’s location to Northlyn and earn their gratitude.

Northlyn was short on food, and winter was coming. If they got this convoy, they’d survive the cold months—a lifesaving boon.

Prince Nolan had his people quietly leak the news to Northlyn. Northlyn would see those men as friends, and in future, they’d have an easier time operating there.

Prince Nolan and Serena’s timing was perfect. The moment the storm hit, Northlyn made their move.

Northlyn’s forces knew Lyndaria’s grain routes by heart and had been waiting for this chance. Finally, their patience paid off.

On that rain-soaked night, the blackness was like spilled ink, and the pounding rain drowned out all footsteps. By the time Lyndaria’s escorts realized what was happening, Northlyn’s men were already upon them: 'Kill!'