Humiliation and Ninth Royal Uncle’s Anger

Sienna Skyvault has been pampered since childhood—no one around her ever dared defy her, and the Skyvault Palace Sect master would never let her suffer the slightest grievance. She was never spoken to harshly; whatever she wanted, she did.

Forget being shot through the wrist or leg—even if Sienna so much as scraped her finger, the entire Skyvault Palace Sect would be thrown into chaos.

Now, with both her hand and foot wounded by Serena, and Serena's attitude adding insult to injury, Sienna felt her pain even more keenly. Clutching her hand and foot, she rolled on the ground, tears and snot streaming down her face, crying pitifully.

But even though she suffered this "enormous" injustice, no one around her dared stand up for her. Sienna couldn't bear it; she turned on Serena, cursing viciously: "You wretched woman, if you have the guts, kill me! Otherwise, I’ll never let you go! You bitch, I’ll chop off your limbs, gouge out your eyes, slice off your nose and ears, rip out your tongue, turn you into a human swine so you’ll wish you were dead. No—I'll ruin your face and throw you in the lowest brothel so you can..."

"You’re really noisy. If you don’t shut up, I’ll cripple your other arm." Bang—Serena didn’t hesitate and fired another shot into Sienna’s other leg.

Ah—Sienna screamed in pain, but this time she didn’t dare curse or even cry out loud.

Beside Sienna, the Thirty-Six Starfall Guards surged with murderous intent. Several times they wanted to draw their blades, but Serena’s finger on the trigger kept them at bay. They could only stand aside, glaring at Serena in fury.

Serena nodded in satisfaction. After so long in the Capital, she had rarely seen a woman as "wild" as Sienna.

So much for being the great miss of Skyvault Palace Sect—she’s cruder than a peasant woman. "With manners like yours, you dream of marrying the Grand Heir? You’re not even fit to serve as one of his household servants."

Serena was speaking the plain truth, but Sienna didn’t see it that way. Her delicate face twisted with rage; the Thirty-Six Starfall Guards didn’t dare move, and she herself couldn’t get up. Sienna grabbed the whip lying beside her, intending to lash out at Serena the moment she wasn’t looking—just as she gripped the whip, a chorus of footsteps rang out.

Someone’s coming!

Sienna’s face lit up and she burst out laughing: "Ha ha ha, you filthy woman, you’re dead now! It must be my second brother—he’s here! With him around, no matter how powerful your hidden weapon is, it’s useless."

Could her luck really be this bad?

The footsteps drew closer, and it was clear there were a lot of people—definitely not reinforcements for her. The Prince Samuel Manor wouldn’t send this many. Most likely, it really was Skyvault Palace Sect.

Just her luck! Serena’s knuckles whitened around the gun, her palm slick with sweat. She stared at Sienna and her people, searching for any chance to seize Sienna as a hostage.

Take the leader first—if she had Sienna in hand, even the Skyvault Palace Sect master wouldn’t scare her. But... Sienna and the Thirty-Six Starfall Guards were already on guard. The Guards didn’t dare move, but neither did Serena; she couldn’t find any opening.

What should she do?

Serena’s face was grim, brows tightly furrowed. Her expression delighted Sienna, who ignored her pain and looked smug: "Filthy woman, now you understand what happens when you go against Skyvault Palace Sect. I’m telling you, anyone who offends me never ends well. But don’t worry—since the Grand Heir seems to care about you, I won’t kill you before he marries me. I’ll just torture you slowly, let ten men take turns with you every day..."

At that, Sienna suddenly fell silent. Her mouth formed an O, eyes wide as she stared past Serena, looking as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

What just happened?

Serena happened to have her back to the newcomers. Seeing Sienna’s reaction, she couldn’t help but turn and look—then she, too, froze.

Impossible.

How could he be here, and with such a large force? Was he really here for her?

Serena raised a hand, pointing at the man before her. Her mouth opened, but no words came out; her nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ninth Royal Uncle, y-you’re finally here."

It was joy, and a little childish complaint. She’d imagined the Wang Clan coming to her aid, thought Prince Samuel Manor’s people might help, even considered Nolan’s subordinates—but never once had she dreamed that Nolan himself would come, and with an army at his back.

Just one look—just that one look—and miraculously, all her wounds stopped hurting. It was as if countless little bubbles of happiness were rising in her heart.

Tears shimmered in Serena’s eyes, but her smile grew more radiant, more enchanting.

She had finally tasted what it felt like to be cherished.

Someone she barely dared hope for had appeared before her eyes. She was truly, truly happy!

If the timing weren’t so wrong, she honestly wanted to rush forward, hug Nolan, and tell him how moved she was.

"Nol—"

In stark contrast to Serena’s excitement, Nolan swept a cold glance at her, acting as if he hadn’t heard. His proud, indifferent attitude was just as it had been the first time they met; it was as if Serena didn’t exist at all in his eyes.

Serena’s body wobbled unsteadily.

Nolan was angry.

This was bad!

Serena grew anxious...

As if he owned the place, Nolan strode gracefully toward Serena and Sienna, his black boots crunching rhythmically on the grass. The sound drew everyone’s attention to him.

Serena was so nervous she didn’t even dare breathe.

The Thirty-Six Starfall Guards behind Sienna knew they were in trouble the moment Nolan appeared. They’d been stunned by his arrival from the start, and as soon as they considered making a move, Nolan’s archers raised their bows at them in perfect unison. The Guards froze, tense as if facing a deadly foe, eyes locked on Nolan, swallowing nervously.

Everything changed so fast that they couldn't process it all at once. Especially with this suddenly appearing Ninth Royal Uncle—his presence alone exerted such pressure that their hearts pounded in terror.

The whole forest fell silent. Serena Feng, feeling like a kid caught misbehaving, holstered her gun and obediently stood aside, furtively angling her injured back away, hoping Nolan wouldn't notice.

A silent confession.

Nolan didn't call her out. He stood facing Sienna, a flash of disgust in his eyes—he'd heard this woman supposedly resembled Serena Feng.

He raised his foot... the tip of his boot pressed against Sienna's chin. Sienna flushed with shame and fury, her uninjured hand clenched tight, but she couldn't help lifting her head to meet Nolan's gaze.

Sure enough, they looked alike—but it was a resemblance that inspired no affection.

Under Nolan's icy stare, Sienna's arrogance vanished. Her eyes flickered, unable to meet his, her whole body trembling as she stammered, "Wh-who are you? Don't you know who I am? I'm the eldest miss of Skyvault Palace—you can't hurt me!"

Sienna was the textbook case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Nolan was impossibly handsome, noble, and dignified, but every inch of him radiated danger. Being stared at by Nolan felt like being marked by Death itself. No matter how good-looking he was, Sienna didn't dare harbor a single impudent thought.

Because the man before her was truly terrifying.

"Skyvault Palace?" Nolan's lips curled slightly—as if he'd never even heard the name before.

"Yes, Skyvault Palace—the number one sect in the martial world." Sienna actually thought Nolan was ignorant and rushed to explain. Nolan, graciously, didn’t interrupt her. He watched as blood from her wound flowed faster with every word. Besides, he was in no hurry—Serena Feng had left the Capital without permission, and she had to pay a price for it, something she’d remember.

When Sienna finished, Nolan nodded with polite indifference: "I know now."

He withdrew his foot, produced a handkerchief, and the eunuch behind him immediately stepped forward, knelt by Nolan’s boots, and carefully wiped the spot that had touched Sienna’s chin. Then the eunuch tossed the cloth aside and retreated respectfully.

Masterful.

Serena Feng was genuinely impressed, quietly giving a thumbs-up. When Nolan set out to humiliate someone, he made sure they’d never lift their head again.

Boom—Sienna’s face flushed crimson in an instant, burning with shame and hatred. She shot Nolan a resentful glare, but when she met his cold eyes, she panicked and lowered her head, tears sliding down her cheeks again.

Humiliation—a crushing sense of it made her want to kill the man before her.

No one had ever dared treat her like this. She was the eldest miss of Skyvault Palace, her status above princesses. She’d only ever shamed others—never had anyone made her lose face before.

Sienna began to sob quietly, her wounds aching worse, her crying only making her feel more aggrieved.

The Thirty-Six Starfall Guards were also provoked by the scene. Veins bulged, eyes reddened, but with archers trained on them, none dared move.