Explosion, House Feng of Loyalty Is Safest

Serena Feng lay in bed, unable to sleep for ages, her mind replaying how William Wang Jinling had half-coaxed, half-tricked her scented pouch away. The more she thought about it, the more off it felt.

Just like the other noblewomen in the capital, tossing a pouch at William Wang Jinling in public was just for fun—a bit of playful teasing. At most, the pouch would end up on the ground; William would never give it a second glance. But giving a pouch to a man in private meant something very different. It carried the weight of an intimate token.

She must have been bewitched at the time—all because of William Wang Jinling’s smile, blooming like a snow lotus, and because he’d said, “Serena, I’ll never force you! I’ll never hold your struggles against you!”

So she let William take the pouch from her sleeve. By the time she snapped out of it, he’d already tucked it away, and it was too late for her to get it back.

Aaaahhh… She’d always thought William Wang Jinling was a gentle, jade-like gentleman, but only today did she realize he was a wolf in gentleman’s clothing. No matter how polished he seemed on the outside, deep down he was just as domineering as Nolan. He just hid it better.

Today she truly saw William Wang Jinling’s real nature. His arrogance and possessiveness were no less than Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan’s—he just played the part even better. These noble sons and powerful men, none of them ever show their true faces to the world.

Adrian Dongling probably didn’t love Princess Yara Valen nearly as much as he pretended. If Yara weren’t a foreign princess, at best he’d make her a side-consort, no matter how much he liked her.

And then there was the Crown Prince. Serena hadn’t interacted with him much, but she knew he was tenacious. If not for his poor health, who could say who’d be emperor of Eastlyn now? He’d pulled his own father down more than once.

Thinking about all this, Serena felt her mind clearing. Since she couldn’t sleep, she simply sat up, replaying William Wang Jinling’s warning before he left.

He’d told her to be careful of House of Duke Zhen, and to watch out for that man named Liam Li—the one who could make thunder-blast grenades, Bianca Rong’s so-called intimate guest.

Liam Li—if she ever gets the chance, Serena really wants to meet him in person. Is he what she suspects, another transmigrator like herself? If so, she intends to find out what his true ambitions are.

If he’s just a reckless dreamer who wants to conquer the world, then for her own safety, she’ll kill him without hesitation. Someone that dangerous should go right back to wherever he came from.

After all that tossing and turning, Serena glanced at her Smart Med-Pack—the time read two in the morning. She stifled a delicate yawn, ready to sleep, when suddenly, a knock sounded at her door.

"Who’s there?" Serena wasn’t afraid—if it were a real threat, no one would bother knocking. Besides, House Feng of Loyalty wasn’t what it used to be. Dominic Zhai had stationed plenty of guards here; the estate—no, the Marquisate of Loyalty—was far safer than before.

"Serena, it’s me." The man’s voice was familiar, but for a moment she couldn’t place it.

"Who are you?"

"Lance Quinn!"

"Lance Quinn? How did you get in here?" Serena frowned—so Dominic Zhai’s guards were just freeloaders, letting someone sneak in without even noticing. Useless.

"Keep your voice down—just open the door and let me in." Lance’s voice was weak; if he weren’t so exhausted, he wouldn’t bother knocking—he’d have kicked the door down already.

If it were anyone else, Serena would have ignored them. But Lance Quinn wasn’t just anyone—he’d saved her life more than once. Serena stepped forward and opened the door. A heavy stench of blood hit her, and Lance immediately collapsed toward her.

"Careful!" Serena rushed to catch him, but no matter how strong she was, she was still a woman—holding up a tall man was no easy feat. Lance’s sudden collapse nearly dragged her down with him.

"Hey, stay awake. In this state, you’ll get us both killed."

Lance managed a faint reply, forcing himself upright: "Clean up the blood in the courtyard. Don’t let anyone know I’m here." As soon as he finished, he looked ready to collapse again. Serena quickly steadied him, half dragging, half hauling him onto the bed—she was left sitting on the floor, panting from the effort.

"What is it with you? Every time I see you, you look half-dead." That little struggle left Serena drenched in sweat—she couldn’t help but think her body was getting weaker.

Wiping her face, Serena stood up. Even in the summer heat, she covered Lance Quinn securely, pulled the bed curtains closed, and then—

She grabbed her emergency lamp and, exhausted, did as Lance had asked—cleaning up every trace of blood.

"He really does have a habit of ordering me around." The room was thick with the smell of blood thanks to Lance Quinn’s arrival; Serena frowned in irritation.

"I can clean the blood outside, but what about in here? There’s no way I can hide this much fresh blood—unless I wound myself all over." Serena hung the emergency lamp on the bed netting and activated her Smart Med-Pack to check Lance’s injuries.

"Wait—blast wounds? Where did you come from?" As soon as Serena uncovered Lance’s injuries, she recognized them instantly.

They were identical to the wounds she’d treated at the city gate earlier—only these were fresh, just inflicted.

"You didn’t sneak into the palace tonight, did you?" Serena didn’t expect Lance to answer.

She suddenly realized Lance Quinn’s identity was anything but simple—she might have stumbled onto a secret she wasn’t meant to know.

A wandering martial hero? No, a mere wanderer could never investigate the bombing or track down Liam Li so quickly. Only those tied to the Eastlyn court, Southern Lyn, Lyndaria, or Northlyn could learn so much, so fast.

Lance Quinn—just which country does he really serve?

Serena stared at the cold mask on Lance’s face, tempted for the first time to pull it off—but she restrained herself.

"I’ve already saved a prince of Southern Lyn and a crown prince of Lyndaria; saving you is just one more. I don’t want to know who you are, and I won’t betray your secrets." Serena touched the cold mask, then quickly withdrew her hand.

Serena got up to set up an IV for Lance, when she suddenly noticed the porcelain jar of medicine William Wang Jinling had given her.

"Ah, how did I forget about the Snow-Lotus Hundred-Flower Ointment you gave me? That salve’s fragrance is so strong—it not only speeds healing, it can also mask the smell of blood." Serena quickly dug out the remaining ointment.

It was priceless, but Serena didn’t hesitate to use it on Lance Quinn. Thanks to Vincent Su’s hints, she already knew the ointment had originally come from Lance himself.

For the first time, Serena was grateful for her medical training and battlefield experience. Even with poor lighting, she treated Lance’s wounds quickly and expertly, stuffing all the bloody clothes into her Smart Med-Pack and dressing him in clean ones.

She’d just finished when footsteps sounded outside. A servant respectfully announced from the door: "Miss Feng, Young Lord Dominic Zhai is here. He says it’s urgent."

"Got it. I’ll be right out." Serena replied, pretending she’d just woken up, then quickly dressed and stepped outside. Before leaving, she told her maid, "Guard the room—no one is allowed in."

"Yes, miss."

As soon as Serena reached the front hall, she saw Dominic Zhai pacing anxiously. He rushed over before she could even approach, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the gate: "Hurry, come with me to the palace."

"What happened?" Serena feigned confusion. She knew it must be related to Lance Quinn, but the specifics were unclear. Judging by Dominic’s urgency, something serious had erupted in the palace.