Just as Serena Feng said, the real sickness isn’t in Zed, but in his father. Maybe Zed was born with a violent streak, but without his father’s guidance and indulgence, he would never have become what he is today.
From a psychologist’s perspective, fighting violence with violence isn’t scientific. But Serena Feng isn’t a psychologist—she doesn’t know how to cure Zed with therapy, and the usual psychological methods don’t work here.
Serena firmly believed that with a kid like Zed, you had to fight violence with violence: make him afraid first, then make him hurt, and only then could you teach him what right and wrong actually meant.
Zed’s father claimed he was hiring a doctor to treat his son, but he didn’t really believe Zed was sick. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought so many elite guards to keep the doctor at arm’s length. Luckily, with Nolan stepping in, things got much easier.
Nolan showed Zed no mercy at all. He grabbed the metal collar at Zed’s neck and lifted him up, suspending him in midair. The collar dug painfully into the back of Zed’s neck, but not so much that he passed out.
Zed screamed at the top of his lungs. His guards rushed forward, but as soon as they entered, they sensed the overwhelming, domineering aura around Nolan—his killing intent was even more terrifying than Zed’s. None of the guards dared move. Of course...
What really made them hesitate wasn’t Nolan, but the imperial soldiers who burst in right after.
“General Zhai has heard that thugs broke into Feng Manor, intending to assassinate Ninth Royal Uncle. Is that true?” Dominic Zhai strode in wearing his general’s uniform, looking every bit the part. His sharp little eyes immediately spotted Ninth Royal Uncle surrounded by guards and he raised his eyebrows. “Well, isn’t this rare—General Zhai actually arrived at the scene in time.”
His playful, irreverent tone didn’t match the uniform at all. Serena Feng shot him a glare, clearly annoyed.
By this point, Serena understood: Nolan had planned everything. Step by step, he’d lured Zed’s guards into the trap. Otherwise, how could it be so ‘coincidental’ that the moment they drew their swords, Dominic Zhai walked in?
Caught red-handed, the Demon Sect guards couldn’t defend themselves. And in times like these, officials always protect their own. If both Nolan and Dominic Zhai insisted the guards had tried to assassinate Nolan, there was nothing they could say to change it.
The guards exchanged glances, silently agreeing. Serena Feng felt the tension in the hall grow even heavier. She was just about to pull out her gun for self-defense when Nolan spoke up: “If I were you, I’d stay perfectly still. Move against me, and you can expect your entire sect to be wiped out.”
If the Emperor’s army could destroy the Demon Sect, Nolan would be thrilled. But he knew the Emperor’s temperament—he’d eventually negotiate peace with them.
After all, the Demon Sect wasn’t based in Eastlyn, and had no direct ties to the empire. On the contrary, they often stirred up trouble in Northlyn. The Emperor was happy to have the Demon Sect keep Northlyn in check.
Nolan’s threat worked perfectly. Zed’s guards backed down, and Zed started yelling even louder, his face turning bright red, but still refusing to cry.
Stubborn little thing, Serena thought, grudgingly impressed but also frustrated.
There was nothing she could do—stubborn kids were always the hardest to handle. Serena wondered how many brain cells Zed would cost her.
The Demon Sect guards were intimidated by Nolan and didn’t dare make a move. Nolan glanced over and saw that Zed was about to collapse. He loosened his grip...
With a loud smack, Zed hit the ground, landing hard on his tailbone. The pain brought tears to his eyes, but he didn’t scream or cry—he just glared at Nolan, his eyes venomous as a snake.
Such a vicious look in one so young—definitely not ordinary.
“Young Lord!” One of the guards tried to rush forward to pick Zed up, but Dominic Zhai was faster—he stepped in and had his men separate the guards, surrounding Nolan and Zed in the middle. “Don’t move. You’re suspects now. If anyone makes a move, I’ll order my men to kill you.”
Dominic Zhai wasn’t just arrogant—he acted even more arrogantly, ordering his soldiers to confiscate the Demon Sect guards’ weapons. The guards protested, and Zed furiously stood up. “How dare you seize my people—you’ve got some nerve!”
He’d barely finished shouting before a violent cough made him collapse again, landing on his tailbone for the second time. His little face twisted in pain and grievance, but no one present felt sorry for him.
A truly unruly child.
Nolan shot Zed a look of pure disgust. “This is the Eastlyn Imperial Capital—my domain. I won’t tolerate Demon Sect people running wild here. Go sit in prison for a while. I promise you won’t die.”
The first part was for Zed; the second was for the guards. The guards hesitated—if they fought Dominic Zhai’s men, they’d lose, but if they did, they’d face endless hunts from Eastlyn, maybe even the imperial army.
Martial artists were impressive, able to come and go like shadows. But no matter how strong, they were still just people. Against a nation’s army, they stood no chance.
“Nolan, can you guarantee the Young Lord’s safety?” one of the guards asked.
Honestly, the Demon Sect only bullies the weak and fears the strong. If Serena Feng were the one in charge, they wouldn’t care at all—let her try biting them. But with Nolan, they had to think twice.
“I’ll guarantee your Young Lord survives.” Nolan was always cautious with his words, but to make sure the guards surrendered peacefully, he added, “I’ll write a letter myself. One of you can come forward and deliver it to your Sect Master.”
In other words, Nolan would explain on their behalf—it wasn’t that the guards failed in their duty, but that he was simply too strong.
“Alright, we trust Nolan.”
Smack—no one knew who started it, but the Demon Sect guards dropped their weapons to the ground and stood there, letting Dominic Zhai’s men take them prisoner.
Dominic Zhai’s soldiers had expected a fierce battle, but things ended so easily that they were overjoyed. Dominic himself was all smiles, circling around Serena Feng.
“Who would’ve thought—you really are my lucky star. Serena, ever since you came back from Shandong, every time I run into you something good happens. If this keeps up, I might just climb all the way to First Rank Grand General.”
“Keep dreaming.” Serena replied, clearly annoyed. Once Zed’s guards were cleared out, she pointed at Zed, who was still glaring at Nolan. “So what are we supposed to do with him?”
“Treat him.” Even if they couldn’t make Zed normal, they couldn’t let him keep getting worse. Nolan wasn’t exactly compassionate, but after hearing Serena describe Zed’s cruelty, he couldn’t help but shudder.
If someone like him couldn’t be fixed, then dying early and being at peace was better—otherwise, the world would just have one more murderer.
Serena pulled a long face and nodded heavily. “Alright, fine.”
“No! I don’t want you to touch me! You’re gross—I hate you, I hate you!” Zed, who’d been silently staring down Nolan, turned and shot Serena a murderous look. His glare was even fiercer than what he’d given Nolan.
He actually despises her? Serena was annoyed. You hate me? Well, I don’t like you either.
“Brat, what are you staring at? You think I want to touch you? Dream on!” Serena put her hands on her hips and glared right back, just as childish as he was.
Nolan silently looked up at the sky: Serena Feng, are you ever going to grow up?