The Master of the Mystic Healer Valley was deeply displeased, but no matter how unhappy he was, he couldn't change Nolan's decision. If Nolan said Zed must be saved, then no matter how much the Valley Master hated to part with his medicine, he'd just have to grit his teeth and comply.
After all, every one of these medicines had been refined with Ninth Royal Uncle's silver. Without his generous sponsorship, the Valley Master would be lucky to scrape together even two bottles, let alone ten.
Developing new medicines burns through silver at an astonishing rate. Without a hefty financial backing, it's almost impossible to keep going.
Serena Feng sat in Dorian Owen's room and could still hear the Valley Master's endless complaints drifting over—never enough silver, not enough herbs, too few assistants. He grumbled that instead of spending time saving people, Nolan should just give him more money, since he had a new drug idea but was short on funds.
"Every research fanatic desperate for funding is the same, no matter the country or region." Serena was perfectly calm; she'd known the Valley Master for ages and was well aware of his temperament.
To outsiders, he was the noble, selfless miracle doctor. But once you got to know him, you'd find that aside from medicine, the Valley Master was just like any young man—restless and unpredictable.
"I think you and the Valley Master could be great friends," Serena said to Dorian Owen. Dorian was so annoyed he jumped off the bed: "How am I that noisy? He goes on about silver from morning to night, from the Cui Clan to the Wen Clan, and never gets tired of it!"
"Not playing dead anymore?" Serena looked at Doudou, who'd been groaning on the bed a moment before and now was suddenly full of energy, and sneered.
A little scare and he could lie around for a whole day—Lord Bean really thought he was some delicate hothouse flower.
"Heh heh..." Doudou scratched his head sheepishly. "It's just that Ninth Royal Uncle really scared me. Who would've thought he'd go that far? Serena, you didn't see it—if you had, you'd be so sick you couldn't eat for days."
As he spoke, Doudou gestured animatedly, determined to ignore Ninth Royal Uncle's warnings and spill everything he'd seen in the jail. But just as he started, Serena cut him off.
"Don't. I'm not interested." If Ninth Royal Uncle wanted to teach Zhe Zhe a lesson, and the punishment was too light, the kid wouldn't learn and would just do it again.
"Why not?" Doudou complained, wanting someone to share his fear and anxiety.
"What's the point? Ninth Royal Uncle would never treat me that way." Serena saw right through Doudou's little scheme.
Dorian Owen nodded eagerly. "Exactly! Nolan dotes on you—he'd never do that. But do you think he'd ever treat me like that?"
Dorian Owen cozied up, squatting at Serena's feet like a loyal dog.
"Hard to say. If you cross his lines, odds are he'll do exactly that. At least he won't kill you, so you don't need to worry about those old monsters from the Assassin Alliance coming after you." Serena found direct talk worked better than beating around the bush with Doudou.
"That's true. As long as I'm alive, they won't come to avenge me. They might even kick me for being useless." Doudou wasn't offended at all; he was never one to prove himself. He believed in the power of having a strong backer.
That's right, I've got connections. I've got backing. What can you do about it?
"Glad you understand. Behave yourself, or I'll have Nolan train you the same way he trained Zed." When Dorian Owen was obedient, he was just like a big military dog. Serena couldn't resist patting his head.
This human-shaped military dog was surprisingly cooperative—he rubbed his head into Serena's palm, looking terrified. "Serena, help me think, have I done anything lately to annoy Ninth Royal Uncle?"
If he had, he'd fix it right now. He absolutely didn't want anyone biting chunks off his flesh, or to go hungry, or—worse yet—drink someone's urine...
"How would I know what you've done? Think carefully. Even if you can't remember, Ninth Royal Uncle won't kill you—he'll leave you just enough breath for the Valley Master to patch you up." Serena wasn't trying to comfort him; Doudou was so scared he fell straight to the ground.
"No, Serena, you can't just watch me suffer! Aaaah... Why am I so unlucky!" Doudou wailed so loudly that anyone listening might think he was the one injured.
That voice... Serena's head throbbed just listening to it.
Ninth Royal Uncle hadn't even done anything to Doudou yet. If he ever really did, Serena figured she'd die from the noise.
Forget it, time to find somewhere quieter to rest.
Serena stood up to leave, but Doudou grabbed her sleeve, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes. "What do you think, should I run away now? If I do, Ninth Royal Uncle won't be able to find me."
"Go ahead, I'm not seeing you off. Just remember, if the horse you take belongs to Ninth Royal Uncle, you'd better leave it behind—otherwise you'll really pay for it." Serena shook off Doudou's hand and offered the advice in good faith.
Doudou refused to give up, clinging to her again. "Don't be like that—don't be so stingy! If I have to walk on two legs, I'll drop dead from exhaustion!"
"Stay away from me." Doudou really acted like a giant military dog, sticking to Serena every step of the way.
"No way." Doudou shook his head firmly—he felt safest at Serena's side.
"Then I'll just keep my distance from you." Serena knew for sure that coming to deal with Doudou was the most regretful thing she'd ever done.
Damn it, next time Ninth Royal Uncle sends her to deal with Doudou, she'll just beat him instead.
"No way..." Doudou protested even more, righteously declaring, "Serena, you can't leave me. You've already seen everything—you have to take responsibility for me!"
"What the—take responsibility for you?" Serena couldn't help but curse. "Ouyang Doudou, I'm a doctor. I bandaged your wounds, not molested you."
In modern times, she'd heard plenty of stories about female patients accusing male doctors of impropriety. But never had she heard of a male patient demanding a female doctor take responsibility.
And now Doudou actually wanted her to take responsibility—this was just ridiculous!
"Doesn't matter. You're the first woman who's ever seen my body, so you have to take responsibility." Doudou turned his face away, ears burning red with embarrassment.
Oh man, saying stuff like this was seriously embarrassing.
"Too bad, you're not the first man I've seen naked. Even if I had to take responsibility, it wouldn't be for you. Now move aside and stop blocking your big sister's way." Serena nudged Dorian Owen to get him to move.
"Ahhh... Serena, you're going to abandon me after seducing me!" Lord Bean pointed at Serena, imitating a dramatic courtesan from the opera—his repeated cries of "ah" were impressively theatrical.
Serena shot Dorian Owen a glare. "There was never any seduction, so how could there be abandonment? Dorian Owen, if you're not afraid of dying, keep shouting. Maybe Nolan will let your earlier mistakes slide, but if you keep dragging me into it, you're doomed."
This wasn't a threat, just sincere advice.
"Ahhh..." Doudou screamed again, but this time he got it—he immediately shouted, "Serena, why didn't you warn me earlier? Damn it, I'm drawing a clear line with you. From now on, stay ten steps away from me!"
He backed away with heavy steps, glaring at Serena in exaggerated disgust. "Go on, get lost! I don't want to see you!"
Seriously, with this chatty, dramatic personality, how could he ever lead the Assassin Alliance? Serena could already see its downfall—in the future, maybe all the assassins would follow Zuo An's example and switch careers.
Whether the Assassin Alliance would fall, and when, was anyone's guess. But one thing was certain: the Demon Sect was no longer what it once was.
When Sean Xuan led a group of martial experts to storm the Demon Sect's stronghold, its downfall was sealed...
A message to readers: Darlings, I love you all so much! Thank you for your support along the way!