"Serena, open it and let’s see. I’m really curious what the Young City Lord Reid Yale sent in those coffins, especially since he’s guarding them so fiercely." Dominic Zhai watched Serena Feng’s restless expression and knew she cared deeply about whatever was inside. Seizing the moment, he spoke up immediately.
"You’re right, Your Lordship. Since everyone wants to see, let’s open them." Serena Feng gave Dominic Zhai a grateful smile and instantly ordered the manor guards.
She was indeed deeply interested in what lay inside. She needed to know what could unsettle her so badly, what was making her so anxious.
"Stop! Serena Feng, I told you, whatever’s inside is not for you." Reid Yale could no longer dodge the issue. At this point, he had no way to make Serena slap herself in the face; he could only play the villain to the end.
Reid Yale shot Terrence Valen and Damien of Southlyn a vicious glare, then rushed forward to block both coffins.
Terrence Valen and Damien of Southlyn were suffering too. They wanted to speak up, at least to put on a show of supporting Reid Yale, but Terrence was tangled up by Prince Terrence, and Damien was held back by William Wang Jinling. All they could do was watch Reid fight alone.
Either way, whatever was inside those coffins was weighty enough.
"Young City Lord Reid Yale, what’s this supposed to mean? You bring something to my door but won’t let anyone open it?" Serena Feng lifted her chin, proud and unyielding.
Serena held all the power now; Reid Yale could only obey if he knew what was good for him.
"Serena Feng, get this straight. I said what’s inside isn’t for you. I went through hell to find those things just to feed my dogs. If you take them, what are my dogs supposed to do?" Reid Yale mimicked Dominic Zhai, blurting out the words without a care.
"Reid Yale, I don’t care what you say. Right now, these things are in my house, and I make the rules. What are you waiting for—open them!" Serena Feng’s face flushed red with fury at his arrogance.
These people just can't stand to see me do well, can they?
No way was he going to let Serena’s people touch those coffins—he wanted the shock factor himself. "Serena Feng, don’t bother having your people do it. I went to hell and back to find these things for my dogs. I’ll take care of it myself."
As soon as he finished, he signaled the burly men who’d carried the coffins in to get to work.
Reid Yale’s men were closest to the coffins. By the time the Feng Manor guards realized they were smashing the coffins, it was too late to stop them.
Thud... One of the men swung his fist, slamming it into the coffin. It really was cheap—one punch and it shattered instantly.
Crack—
A few white bones spilled out in front of the crowd—clearly human remains.
A corpse’s bones?
What is Young City Lord Reid Yale trying to do?
The crowd stared in confusion, but when the contents of the second coffin were revealed, everyone finally understood what Reid Yale had intended.
Reid Yale had gone way too far!
Inside the second coffin was a jade casket, and within it lay a man’s corpse—preserved so well, he looked as if he’d only just died.
It wouldn’t have meant much, except the moment Serena Feng saw that corpse, she froze. Her face went paper-white, as if her soul had left her body, and tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
What’s happening to her?
William Wang Jinling rushed forward, wanting to comfort Serena Feng, but the instant he saw the corpse in the ice coffin, he was struck dumb.
"General Feng?" William Wang Jinling blurted out in shock.
"What? General Feng’s remains? How is that possible?" The Crown Prince and Dominic Zhai hurried over, unable to believe a man dead for decades could appear here, but...
"It really is General Feng’s body—how is that possible? He’s been dead so long, how could his remains be so perfectly preserved?" Dominic Zhai had seen General Feng as a child, and the corpse looked exactly the same. Even without that, anyone could recognize him up close, because lying atop the body was a military tag inscribed with the characters "Feng Zhan."
This was Serena Feng’s father, General Feng—the very remains Reid Yale kept talking about feeding to his dogs.
"Reid Yale, you’re asking for death!"
Serena Feng snapped out of her daze and let out a heart-wrenching scream. Tears streamed down her face as she seemed to break apart, her eyes wide and vacant as she glared at Reid Yale—so coldly it made his skin crawl, as if a vengeful ghost had fixed on him.
"Miss, Miss, please don’t scare us!" Jada Tang and Mira Tang had frozen at the words "General Feng." Hearing Serena’s anguished cry, they rushed to hold her, terrified she might shatter completely.
Serena’s face was as white as a corpse. She shook off Jada and Mira, moving toward Reid Yale in a mechanical trance, blood-red lips parting: "Reid Yale, you really mean to feed my father’s corpse to the dogs?"
Her voice was icy, like a vengeful spirit claiming a life. Reid Yale stumbled back. "Serena Feng, what are you doing? I found those remains, I can do whatever I want with them. Yeah, I’m going to feed your father’s corpse to the dogs—so what?"
Serena just sneered, silent, her gaze so cold it was as if she were staring at a dead man.
Reid Yale swallowed hard, suddenly realizing he’d provoked a true fiend. He’d never expected Serena to react so violently—weren’t they just two corpses? Was this worth going mad over?
The onlookers saw the Crown Prince remain silent, so none dared speak. They could only look at Serena Feng with pity. While General Feng’s remains were missing, Serena could cling to a sliver of hope that he might still live. But now...
Now General Feng’s body had been dragged in by Reid Yale, who kept boasting about feeding it to the dogs. It was like stabbing a knife straight into Serena’s heart.
Just when everyone thought Serena Feng was struck dumb, she suddenly spoke—not answering Reid Yale, but pointing to the other coffin’s bones: "Whose remains are those?"
She had already guessed, deep down—she just hadn’t dared to admit it.
Two loved ones’ remains in a single day... Was heaven really trying to drive her mad?
"Those are your mother’s bones. There’s a jade pendant inside, the one she always wore. My men found it where she fell."
Reid Yale didn’t even know what came over him. With Serena Feng’s dead-eyed stare fixed on him, his mind went blank, and he blurted out the truth without thinking.
"My mother!"
A single blood-red tear slid down Serena Feng’s cheek. Just as everyone thought she’d kill Reid Yale, Serena stepped back and pointed to the door: "Reid Yale, you can leave."
"Serena Feng, you’re telling me to leave? Fine... I’ll go! Someone, carry those two corpses for me—I’m going to..."
Smack—Serena spun and slapped Reid Yale hard across the face. "Say one more word and I’ll feed you to the snakes."
This wasn’t a threat—Serena Feng absolutely meant it. Reid Yale knew it for certain.
...Reid Yale clutched his face, staring at Serena Feng in disbelief.
Serena Feng actually hit him!
But at this moment, he didn’t dare say a word. Fine, he admitted it—he’d lost his nerve. He believed Serena would do exactly as she said and feed him to the snakes. Still, he couldn’t accept it; after all the effort he’d spent to find those corpses, it was Serena who gained from it...