Natural Fortress and the Ongoing Cold War

Sienna Xuan hated—she hated her father, and she hated her mother. If only she were Emma Lu’s daughter, she’d be treated like a princess by everyone, William Wang Jinling would love her, not Serena.

“Why? Why am I not Emma Lu’s daughter? No, no, my mother IS Emma Lu! Let me out—Jeremy Xuan, let me out!” These are the words Sienna Xuan repeats every day, while the old Palace Master mutters his own daily refrain: “Why? Why aren’t you Emma?”

With blows like these, Irene Lu—whether her madness is real or feigned—will soon be truly insane.

Jeremy Xuan is the one who suffers most, forced to care for a mad mother, a crazed father, and a delusional sister. This four-person family—Jeremy Xuan, Sienna Xuan, Irene Lu, and the old Palace Master—is anything but ordinary.

Eventually, the old Palace Master regained his senses and had the guards deliver a message: he wished to see Serena Feng.

Sean Xuan said he’d ask Serena Feng’s opinion. Unfortunately, Serena had no desire to see the old Palace Master, but she did have Sean Xuan pass on a message: “If he can make Irene Lu cancel the assassin contract, I’ll meet him.”

Irene Lu used Lu clan money to buy her own Lu granddaughter’s life. Two hundred thousand taels of gold have already been delivered to the assassin trade hall—once someone completes the kill, they can claim the silver.

This isn’t a private deal between assassin and employer, but a public bounty. To cancel it, they’d need the original contract Irene Lu lodged with the killers’ guild. But...

Irene Lu swallowed that contract. Now...

Even Irene Lu herself can’t revoke the bounty anymore. As long as that contract exists, the reward will keep hanging there, and Serena will always be in danger from assassins.

There, only the contract matters, not the person. Unless Serena Feng dies, the bounty will never go away. The condition she set was just to make things difficult for the old Palace Master.

Still, it gave the old Palace Master something to do. Every day, he tried every trick—threats, bribes—to force Irene Lu to revoke the contract, even going along with her act and pretending she was Emma Lu.

Serena couldn’t care less about this four-person family tragedy. Irene Lu is paying for what she’s done; Sienna Xuan for her own arrogance and willfulness. As for the old Palace Master and Jeremy Xuan...

They’re just casualties of a power struggle. Now that Sean Xuan is rising, those two can’t be obstacles anymore.

In less than half a month, Sean Xuan had taken full control of Skyvault Palace, purging it from top to bottom. If Storm Cloud Bu hadn’t gotten word early, he probably wouldn’t have escaped either.

Looking at Skyvault Palace now, sealed tight like an iron bucket, even Nolan Drake and William Wang Jinling had to admit: Sean Xuan was a freak. He usually seemed indifferent to worldly affairs, but when it came time to act, he was ruthless and precise.

Of course, when Sean Xuan was purging Skyvault Palace, Nolan Drake and William Wang Jinling didn’t make trouble—they actually helped him a lot. After all, they were partners now.

They never intended to destroy Skyvault Palace—the cost would be far too high. They didn’t want to waste their own forces, and after seeing the natural defenses, Nolan and William were even less willing to risk their people.

No wonder the Skyvault Palace Master was so arrogant—turns out Skyvault really is the classic fortress: easy to defend, nearly impossible to attack. If anyone tried to storm it, the losses would be catastrophic.

Skyvault Palace was built on a mountain. Except for the front, the other three sides are sheer cliffs, shrouded in mist. No one knows how deep they go—dead or alive, anything thrown down vanishes without a sound.

By the way, when Sean Xuan blood-washed Skyvault Palace this time, the bodies were thrown off the cliffs. Supposedly, that’s the sect’s rule—traitors go over the edge, and after all these years, the bottom’s still not full.

Anyone wanting to attack Skyvault Palace can only come from the front. But the front... Skyvault’s people have dug countless traps there since long ago. Army or expert, without a guide, you’re guaranteed to get caught.

"Good thing we never planned to wipe out Skyvault Palace, or we’d have lost everything." William Wang Jinling stared at the endless traps and couldn’t help but admit: the ancestors of Skyvault Palace were something else. This several-kilometer road is practically a path straight to the underworld.

"I never once considered attacking Skyvault Palace." Nolan Drake replied. Storm Cloud Bu had already sent back maps of the traps, but seeing them in person was on another level.

“Wise as always, Ninth Royal Uncle.” William Wang Jinling’s tone dripped with sarcasm—he wasn’t sincere at all.

Wise? If he were truly wise, why had more than a month passed and Serena Feng still hadn’t forgiven him?

Serena was still lukewarm toward Nolan—polite, but distant. You couldn’t fault her manners, but in Skyvault Palace, Nolan didn’t want Sean Xuan to know he and Serena were in a cold war, so...

The atmosphere between the two was downright strange. At least William felt so—Nolan and Serena seemed locked in a contest to see who could be colder, who could be more courteous.

Still, William Wang Jinling was sure Nolan Drake would lose—Serena was obsessed lately with studying Skyvault Palace’s mechanisms and traps.

When Sean Xuan found out, he didn’t guard against her at all—he openly sent people to escort Serena, letting her examine or dismantle any trap she wanted. His complete trust moved Serena deeply.

Keep in mind, Serena was siding with Nolan and William. What if she destroyed all of Skyvault’s mechanisms, or handed the blueprints to Nolan—letting their forces invade?

Hearing this, Sean Xuan just smiled and said nothing, letting Serena do as she pleased. Only after repeated questioning did he reply, “I know you wouldn’t.”

Yes, she wouldn’t...

Serena wasn’t that kind of person. She’d never use his feelings and trust for something so low, and those two men wouldn’t accept it, either.

“I’ll never betray your trust.” Serena’s eyes reddened as she made her solemn promise to Sean Xuan.

She really wouldn’t betray Sean Xuan. She was simply fascinated by the ingenious traps and mechanisms. At first, she only asked to see their inner workings, and Sean Xuan—without hesitation—revealed secrets vital to Skyvault’s survival. Such trust was both heavy and deeply moving.

Compared to Sean Xuan, Serena turned and snapped at Nolan: “Ninth Royal Uncle, you’re a complete jerk.”

Nolan just looked at Serena in silence, saying nothing.

As long as Serena was happy, he didn’t care—she could call him a jerk or even a beast, and he’d accept it. But after cursing him, Serena simply walked off, leaving Nolan to freeze alone in the cold wind.

After that...

Serena pretty much abandoned Nolan Drake, William Wang Jinling, and Sean Xuan—aside from meals and sleep, she spent nearly all her time with the engineers refining traps and mechanisms. The three men worried she’d tire herself out, but she was always energetic, as if she’d found her element.

At first, the engineers ignored her, but soon they realized Serena’s insights were unique and her talent remarkable. Every day they huddled around her, arguing over blueprints—Serena loved every minute.

Serena was unlike other women—she didn’t care for music, chess, calligraphy, or embroidery. What she loved was the battlefield, and everything related to it.

Yes, the battlefield—Skyvault Palace was about to face a war...

[Translator’s Note: The following is a reader note from the original webnovel and is omitted in translation per webnovel guidelines.]