Ling Mo thought he was being discreet, but he had no idea that every move he made was already under the watchful eyes of Prince Damien of Southlyn and the Princess Royal of Lyndaria. After being outmaneuvered by Ninth Royal Uncle so many times, if he still refused to wise up, he really would deserve whatever came to him.
The two of them were just putting on a show for Ling Mo…
Ling Mo was an honest kid. He followed Ninth Royal Uncle’s orders to watch the Princess Royal, but the master he truly recognized was Serena. So he waited until Serena arrived before using every gesture and word he could muster to explain what happened between the Princess Royal and Prince Damien. When words failed, he’d throw in a few crude phrases for emphasis.
In short… not only Serena, but even Ninth Royal Uncle got the full picture.
Those two had plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Serena’s face turned so red it could bleed, and every time she tried to interrupt Ling Mo, he ignored her completely.
When Ling Mo, with his hoarse voice, started repeating the vulgar things those two said to each other, Serena finally exploded, yelling, “Stick to the main point!”
Ling Mo spread his hands, looking innocently at Serena: This is the main point.
Serena gritted her teeth and said seriously, “Ling Mo, this is important.”
I’m not lying to you. Ling Mo looked just as grave.
"Don’t tell me they spent the whole night doing just that." And while they were at it, they kept talking—damn… For a woman that age, Prince Damien really didn’t mind.
No, the real point is that Prince Damien is gutsy as hell—showing up at a time like this, relying on a few experts at his side, and acting like he’s above everyone else.
"He’s not lying to you." Ninth Royal Uncle spoke up, rescuing Ling Mo. But the look he gave Ling Mo was anything but friendly.
This kind of thing, Ling Mo could’ve just told him directly, but instead he waited for Serena to show up before saying a word. If Ling Mo thought he could hide his intentions, he was sorely mistaken.
Ling Mo lowered his head, pretending not to notice the chill in Ninth Royal Uncle’s eyes. Sean and Left Shore had told him: as long as he stuck close to Serena, he’d never have to fear Ninth Royal Uncle.
In front of Serena, Ninth Royal Uncle was just a tiger with its teeth pulled—no matter how fierce, he couldn’t hurt Ling Mo one bit.
With Ninth Royal Uncle there to vouch for him, Ling Mo withdrew, mission accomplished. As for whatever deeper meaning lay in those two’s conversation, that was none of his business.
The Princess Royal and Prince Damien’s dialogue was definitely more than it seemed. Ninth Royal Uncle might not be able to guess every detail, but he could figure out most of it.
The two of them were plotting how to kill him tomorrow, or at least how to make him take the fall. Either way, Ninth Royal Uncle wasn’t about to let them get their way.
"Those two are really cautious. What if they realized Ling Mo was there and did it all on purpose?" If it were anyone else, Serena wouldn’t suspect it, but with those two, she could absolutely believe it.
"Not impossible." Only a blunt fool like Ling Mo could sit there, eyes wide, watching the whole thing and then repeat even the dirtiest bedroom talk word for word. It’s that obsessive seriousness that lets Ling Mo recount every crude detail without missing a beat.
"Princess Royal and Prince Damien—classic case of smart people outsmarting themselves, huh?" Clearly, Serena had thought of the same thing and couldn’t help laughing.
"Exactly." Ninth Royal Uncle rubbed Serena’s head. "It’s getting late, we should get moving. Even if they’re planning to act after the matches, the road up the mountain isn’t easy, and plenty of people want us dead. We can’t afford to let our guard down."
Just because Northlyn and Southlyn hadn’t sent any heavyweights didn’t mean those kingdoms weren’t watching the Skyvault Martial Arts Conference. Even if they hadn’t cared before, this year they’d pay special attention—after all, Ninth Royal Uncle was attending in person.
Ninth Royal Uncle’s worries weren’t unfounded. Just as they were about to set out, Fortress Lord Ling received a letter from Northlyn—nine numbers, nothing else.
Fortress Lord Ling took a book from a hidden compartment, matched the nine numbers, and came up with a sentence…