Crying and Making Trouble No Way to Reconcile With Skyvault Fortress

Thanks to Prince Nolan, Windchaser Inn has become infamous throughout the Eastlyn Capital. Whether civil or military officials, from top-ranking ministers to lowly seventh-grade bureaucrats, the moment they hear the Inn is booked out, their hearts start pounding—terrified that the one who reserved it is Prince Nolan himself.

When they find out the person who reserved it is the Ninth Royal Uncle, fear only intensifies. Everyone worries that Prince Nolan is about to order another killing—and that they might be the unlucky target this time.

Many saw Prince Nolan and Serena enter Windchaser Inn that afternoon, and just as many noticed when they finally left around midnight.

“Prince Nolan and Serena spent four or five hours inside Windchaser Inn. Who did they meet? What did they discuss?”

“Who’s Prince Nolan going to kill this time? Could it be me?”

“I heard that when Prince Nolan left Windchaser Inn, his face was dark as thunder. Looks like someone’s in for it again.”

...

Once again, every official in the Capital felt their lives hanging by a thread. Those aligned with the Taishang Emperor were especially desperate—an hour before morning court, they gathered outside the palace with lanterns in hand, anxiously waiting for Felix Fuller. As soon as he appeared, they crowded forward, begging, “Lord Felix, you have to save us!”

“Lord Felix, I’m just carrying out orders for the Taishang Emperor. You can’t just stand by and watch me get killed, can you?”

...

One anxious plea after another rang out, each voice louder than the last, until Felix Fuller's head throbbed with pain. He fought the urge to yell at them, soothing the crowd with polite words—even as he cursed them inside. When they’re causing trouble, they never listen to him, but the moment disaster strikes, they all come running. Did they think he was their personal steward?

And then there’s Prince Nolan—the absolute worst. He knows perfectly well that the Capital’s officials are terrified of him showing up at Windchaser Inn, but before leaving the city, he just had to make a big show of it. The headache he gives people is real.

Felix pressed his throbbing temples and shot a look at his servant. With the servant’s cover and his own martial arts skills, Felix finally slipped away from the mob of officials.

“Lord Felix, don’t go! You haven’t finished talking!” Several officials chased after him as he left.

William Wang Jinling saw the scene as he dismounted, a faint smile curving his lips. Windchaser Inn really is a magical place—no wonder Prince Nolan is willing to play sidekick just to accompany Serena there.

Prince Nolan’s intimidation at Windchaser Inn was so powerful that even though everyone knew he’d be leaving the Capital the next day, they still acted with extreme caution. No one dared slip up, afraid someone would suddenly appear and announce, 'By order of Prince Nolan, you’re headed for prison.'

“Next time these people stir up trouble, just invite Prince Nolan to dinner at Windchaser Inn.” William glanced at the six ministries running at full efficiency, thoroughly satisfied.

Sure enough, these old foxes only move when threatened—reason and logic mean nothing to them. Only raw power keeps them in line.

With all official business handled by his efficient subordinates, William Wang Jinling sat leisurely at a small table, sipping tea in comfort. But his peace didn’t last long. As soon as the Lord of Liancastle arrived in the Capital and couldn’t find Prince Nolan, William’s days of leisure were over.

After all, Jason Lan and William Wang Jinling both hail from Jixia Academy. With Prince Nolan gone, if the Lord of Liancastle wants to see Jason, who else could he turn to but William?

“Prince Nolan, you bastard.” After being hounded endlessly by the Lord of Liancastle, even the refined William Wang Jinling couldn’t help but curse, secretly wishing the Skyvault Fortress Lord would give Prince Nolan a hard time for once.

Serena knew nothing about any of this. Prince Nolan could pretty much guess what was going on, but he wouldn’t tell Serena—letting William stew in annoyance was his way of adding a little color to an otherwise black-and-white life.

Prince Nolan and Serena traveled with Linden Ling. But along the way, the two sides barely crossed paths. As soon as they set off, Serena used 'protection' as an excuse to hand Linden and his two maids over to the Imperial Guards, ordering them to guard Linden three layers deep so nothing could happen to the precious Skyvault heir.

That word 'protection' carried a special meaning. The Imperial Guards fully understood Serena’s intentions and carried them out to the letter. Linden wasn’t mistreated, but he had zero freedom—everywhere he went, someone was watching, all under the noble guise of 'protection.'

Protection? Protect your whole family!

Linden wore a smile, but inside he was a raging beast. If not for his self-restraint and sanity, he would have clashed with Prince Nolan’s men long ago.

Linden kept his cool, Greenshine was smart, but Ruby Redsleeve was a different story.

Ruby hated Serena to the bone. First Sean Xuan, then Jason Lan—every man she admired either liked Serena or was taken away by her. Ruby felt Serena was born just to ruin her life.

Impulsive as she was, Ruby wasn’t stupid. She knew better than to suffer real losses, so she stuck to verbal jabs and looked for chances to mess with the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Guards saw she was just a woman and didn’t bother with her—until one day, Ruby kicked over the water they’d fetched from five li away. That was the last straw. One guard shoved her aside with the back of his blade, snapping, “Cheap woman, get lost.”

The Imperial Guards were furious, but still kept their heads. The shove wasn’t all that forceful, and their words weren’t truly vicious. But Ruby Redsleeve wouldn’t let it go—she flopped down on the ground, crying and wailing, yelling at the top of her lungs, “The soldiers are killing people! The soldiers are beating people!”

“Eastlyn’s soldiers only know how to beat women. What kind of men are you? If you’ve got guts, go fight real enemies on the battlefield!”

“Young Master, they’re bullying me, bullying me!”

Ruby cried so hard her face was smeared with tears and snot, clutching the guard’s trouser leg like a shrew from the marketplace. Prince Nolan saw it from afar and turned away in disgust, refusing to come any closer.

Men with cleanliness issues can’t catch a break—and women who fall for them suffer even more.

Serena had no choice but to step forward herself. “What’s going on here?”

“You’re all bullies! Picking on a helpless woman like me!”

“Miss Feng, your people are trying to kill me! I’m just a weak woman—why won’t you leave me alone?”

Ruby wailed and shouted, dominating the conversation and giving no one else a chance to speak.

Serena couldn’t take it anymore and had someone gag Ruby. Ruby fought back, screaming even louder, “Young Master, save me! Miss Feng wants to kill me to silence me!”

Ruby’s shrill voice made Serena’s eardrums ache—she almost cursed out loud. Damn it, she’d never met a woman so unreasonable, screaming her head off without knowing the facts, acting like she’d been assaulted.

“What’s going on here?” Linden Ling was drawn by Ruby’s cries. Seeing her tear-streaked face and rumpled clothes, he frowned and questioned Serena.

Ruby saw her ‘rescuer’ and struggled desperately, her swollen eyes brimming with tears—pitiful as could be.

Linden shot the Imperial Guards a look of displeasure. “Serena, maybe let Ruby go first. If there’s a problem, let’s talk it out—she’s just a weak woman and can’t take the rough handling from these brutes.”

Just like that, all the blame landed squarely on the Imperial Guards. Linden saw no fault in Ruby at all—just like Ruby herself, it was always someone else’s fault.

That one reaction told Serena everything she needed to know—there was no way to settle things peacefully with Skyvault Fortress.

Linden cares too much about pride and his favorites. They’d already damaged his pride and hurt his beloved maid. Now that Linden’s teamed up with Jason Lan, Skyvault Fortress would fight for power and the treasure map no matter what.