Dominic Zhai noticed Serena Feng struggling to keep up with his pace, so he slowed down a bit and explained as they walked: "Serene Hall suddenly exploded. The man who can make thunder-blast grenades was injured in the blast. Outwardly he looks fine, but he hasn't woken up since and all the imperial physicians are at a loss. Just as we were thinking of you, His Majesty sent me to summon you to the palace to treat that man."
Although Dominic Zhai despised the Emperor's actions, as a subject of Eastlyn he wanted the empire to be strong. That's why he paid special attention to Liam Li—or rather, it's not Liam himself the entire court cares about, but his thunder-blast grenades.
"Serene Hall exploded?" Serena Feng felt a wave of confusion.
Such a coincidence? Lance Quinn came back covered in blast wounds—could the Serene Hall explosion be related to him? Or was it his handiwork?
Lance Quinn really is a force to be reckoned with.
"That's right. According to the surviving palace maids and eunuchs, he was testing gunpowder when, somehow, a fire broke out. But Serene Hall was lit only by luminous pearls, just as he ordered—there shouldn't have been any fire at all." Dominic Zhai's tone made it clear he was deeply dissatisfied with Liam Li.
He hadn't accomplished anything, yet his demands were endless. He even wanted His Majesty to bring Duke Zhen's daughter into the palace, claiming she was his wife. No betrothal, no ceremony—how could she be his wife?
Not everyone can get away with being arrogant and dismissive of others. It's only because he still has value now. Dominic Zhai was certain: once the Emperor masters the thunder-blast grenade, the first person he'd kill would be Liam Li.
Serena Feng could more or less guess what was going on. She was a hundred percent sure that Liam Li would die eventually, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Dominic Zhai, if you want me to enter the palace and save someone, at least let me bring my medical box. How am I supposed to diagnose anyone empty-handed?" Serena Feng forcefully shook off Dominic Zhai's hand.
Her wrist was ringed with bruises, proof of Dominic Zhai's powerful grip—or maybe he just didn't see Serena Feng as a woman at all.
"I'll send someone to get it. You're too slow," Dominic Zhai said offhandedly to his men, but Serena Feng interrupted: "No way. My medical box is in my boudoir, and not just anyone can enter a woman's room. Besides, your men have no idea what I need to bring. Even if it's urgent, a moment won't make a difference—I'll get it myself."
No way—Lance Quinn was still in her room. Even if he wasn't, she couldn't let anyone barge in there.
"So troublesome. Hurry up, I'll wait for you," Dominic Zhai said, glaring at Serena Feng in annoyance.
This woman—when he treated her as a woman, she was tougher than most men. When he didn't, she made sure to use her identity as a woman to get her way.
Serena Feng sprinted back to her room, grabbed her medical box, and stashed away anything that could expose her identity. The box itself was just a typical traditional doctor's kit.
She also removed the surgical scalpel and bandages strapped to her calf. Now, aside from the Smart Med-Pack, there was nothing on her that could arouse suspicion—and she'd activated its deepest hidden mode, so no one but her could open it.
Liam Li was absolutely not someone to be trusted. She couldn't let him get any leverage over her—if her identity was compromised, she'd be finished.
After quickly tidying everything away, Serena Feng drew the bed curtains and injected Lance Quinn with a dose of antibiotics to boost his strength.
"Lance Quinn, Serene Hall just exploded and His Majesty has summoned me to the palace. If you can leave, you'd better go quickly—Feng Manor isn't as safe as you think."
Lance Quinn's body almost never encountered antibiotics, so the effect on him was immediate. Plus, she'd already treated his wounds—he now had enough strength to leave.
"Alright. Be careful in the palace—the man isn't actually injured." Lance Quinn spoke with his eyes closed, his mask hiding any expression. Only now did Serena Feng notice something odd about the half of his face exposed outside the mask.
Serena Feng lowered her gaze and saw that the exposed half of Lance Quinn's face seemed to be covered by a thin layer of something.
Was this one of those legendary human-skin masks?
A human-skin mask—so the face Lance Quinn showed wasn't really his own?
Serena Feng's eyes widened, her heart pounding. It felt like she'd just learned something she definitely shouldn't know.
If not for the explosion and fire, Lance Quinn's human-skin mask wouldn't have loosened. She really was lucky to stumble on something like this.
"What's wrong?" Lance Quinn's eyes snapped open. Even injured, his gaze was as sharp as ever, wild and dangerous—if he sensed anything off, as long as he could still breathe, he'd strike to kill.
"N-nothing. I was just wondering how you knew that man wasn't hurt." Serena Feng swallowed, eyes wide as she met Lance Quinn's gaze, refusing to look away.
If she flinched or looked away, Lance Quinn would immediately sense something was wrong. Sure, she'd only discovered his human-skin mask and didn't know his real identity, but with how cautious he was, he probably wouldn't let her off so easily.
Though Lance Quinn's eyes were still sharp, he was injured—and he trusted Serena Feng enough not to press further. "I noticed he was wearing strange clothes, and before leaving, I overheard him muttering about using this chance to test you, to see if you're from the same place as him."
He wanted to know where Serena Feng came from, too—but the fewer people who knew her true identity, the better. Unless it was him, that man Liam Li would never let her live in peace. He didn't want Serena Feng to become a tool, just like him.
Ahem... Faced with Lance Quinn's all-seeing gaze, Serena Feng awkwardly looked away and mumbled, "Don't worry. I'm not like him. I'm just an ordinary person—I just want a normal life."
Except for the pistol she kept for self-defense, she hadn't brought out anything that could disrupt the world's balance. All she wanted was to protect herself.
As for the pistol? If anyone in this world could replicate it, Serena Feng would be impressed.
"I believe you. Be careful in the palace." Lance Quinn closed his eyes, ending the conversation.
Serena Feng bit her lip and quietly backed out.
Liam Li really was a disaster—because of him, her identity was at risk. Luckily, only William Wang Jinling and Lance Quinn were suspicious, and she could still manage that. But if...
If the Emperor, the Crown Prince, or others started to suspect, she'd be done for.
Serena Feng hugged her medical box, took a deep breath, and a flash of killing intent crossed her eyes.
Liam Li had to die. If he wanted to trick her, he'd better be ready to pay the price. Did he really think a modern person would be so impressive in ancient times? Ridiculous.
Serena Feng and Dominic Zhai raced to the imperial palace. Because Serene Hall had exploded, Liam Li was moved to Orchid Pavilion Hall, the closest hall to the blast. Lights blazed, palace experts surrounded it layer upon layer, tension thick in the air. The palace maids and eunuchs were all anxious, hurrying back and forth.
With such a commotion, if Serena Feng didn't know who was actually hurt, she might have thought the Emperor was the one at death's door...