Private Booking, Serena’s Little Follower

Once Nolan Dongling made a decision, no one could change it. Thankfully, Feng Jin was safe now, and Serena could finally relax. For Feng Jin’s protection, Serena deliberately left the Snow Wolf behind, instructing it to guard him until Zuo An returned.

With Serena’s consent, Nolan reassigned four shadow guards and a squad of personal guards to protect Feng Jin, so Serena could take the full Eighteen Riders with her.

Serena didn’t know martial arts, and traveling through the jianghu was bound to be dangerous. Ling Mo was powerful, but couldn’t show himself publicly right now—making the Eighteen Riders all the more critical.

Two days—just enough for Serena to settle household matters. For major plans in Shandong Circuit and Night City, she could only set the general direction; the details she left to Summer and Jada Tang.

Still, Serena was especially interested in the latest news Summer sent her.

Night City had seen the arrival of a group of mysterious strangers—highly skilled in martial arts, with strange, striking features.

Prince Damien of Southlyn had recovered, and some had even spotted him in Night City.

Both pieces of news made Serena sit up and take notice. The first, she could guess—the newcomers were likely members of the sinister cult Ling Tian had warned about, the ones stirring up trouble in the martial world.

As for Damien’s miraculous recovery, Serena could only marvel at his luck. To heal a patient with complete lower-body paralysis—the healer responsible must be capable of ‘regrowing white bones and raising the dead.’ If she ever met such a master, she’d definitely try to learn a thing or two.

Serena filed away the reports. On the eve of departure, she made a special trip to Ninth Prince Manor to discuss travel plans with Nolan. But after barely a few sentences, a servant arrived from Feng Manor, requesting to see her.

The servant from Feng Manor wouldn’t have come at such a time unless something important was up. Nolan Dongling would never stand in the way, and Serena herself was worried something had happened at home. She hurried out, only to see the servant bow respectfully and present her with a gold-stamped invitation.

“Miss, the Grand Heir sent someone with this invitation. He says it’s an urgent matter that needs to be discussed, so I didn’t dare delay.” The servant handed over the sealed invitation and quietly withdrew.

Serena’s heart skipped a beat. She waved away the attendants on either side, checked the invitation for any issues, then quickly tore it open. Just a glance made her face tense with worry. She barked, “Prepare the carriage, I need to go out!”

Inside, Nolan Dongling immediately sent someone to ask what was going on. When he heard it was an invitation from William Wang Jinling, Nolan strolled out at a leisurely pace, catching up to Serena just as she was about to mount the carriage. “As luck would have it, I’m free right now. I’ll go out with you for a walk.”

Serena was stunned for a moment, then weakly protested, “I’m going out on official business.” She wasn’t sneaking off for a tryst, so why was he acting so guarded? If she really were going to see a lover, would she let Nolan know?

“I know. I’m just idle, so I thought I’d go out for a stroll.” Nolan was perfectly serious—his actions and expression all that of a man heading out for a walk. Serena was speechless, left to grumble inwardly: When has Nolan Dongling ever been truly idle?

Seeing Serena hesitate, Nolan urged, “Didn’t you say it was urgent? Why are you dawdling? Get in the carriage already.”

“Alright...” Serena replied, letting Nolan help her into the carriage. He followed right behind, and the two of them sat on opposite sides. Nolan held a cup of tea, but didn’t drink it, letting wisps of white steam curl up in front of his face...

Through the pale mist, Serena felt Nolan Dongling was suffused with a kind of loneliness and tension, as if he’d sealed himself off from the world, locking himself in a tiny corner no one could reach.

Maybe it was just the steam blurring her vision, but at that moment Nolan seemed like a lost fawn, his gaze unfocused and wandering.

Nolan Dongling clearly had something on his mind, something he couldn’t share with her.

Serena’s lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. She pressed her face against the carriage window, staring blankly out at the bustling street.

Soon, they arrived at the Windchaser Inn. Nolan and Serena quickly snapped out of their private thoughts, stepping down from the carriage as if nothing had happened.

The Windchaser Inn was once again fully booked. When Nolan and Serena appeared together at the entrance, they drew plenty of attention. The street outside was packed with hawkers and passersby, far more crowded than usual. Nolan swept a cool glance over the crowd, ignoring their stares, and led Serena straight inside.

“Why are you here?” William Wang Jinling’s brows twitched when he saw Nolan Dongling, clearly displeased at the regent’s uninvited arrival.

“Why shouldn’t I be here?” Nolan Dongling glanced around the room, noting that aside from William Wang Jinling, not even a single attendant remained.

What exactly was William Wang Jinling up to?

“Of course you’re welcome—every time the regent graces Windchaser Inn, we’re packed for months. As the owner, I’m always happy to see you. But...” William Wang Jinling’s words suddenly twisted, denying everything he’d just said. “But today, your timing is terrible. You’re drawing way too much attention.”

“You think booking out the Windchaser Inn is low-key?” Nolan snorted. If you’re meeting here, it’s bound to attract attention.

“Unlike you, I don’t need to keep a low profile. A true gentleman acts openly and upright—no need to hide in the shadows.” Compared to certain people, he was definitely worthy of the title ‘gentleman.’

What were these two doing—sniping at each other the moment they met? Serena rolled her eyes, seizing a chance to break in: “Jinling, didn’t you say there was an urgent matter, something life-and-death you needed to discuss?”

William Wang Jinling coughed awkwardly, “Nolan Dongling threw me off so much, I nearly forgot the real business.”

Well, with one sentence he’d shoved all the blame onto Nolan Dongling. Nolan just snorted, too lazy to argue.

“So what’s the emergency?” Serena asked seriously, doing her best to ignore the tension between Nolan and William.

“Follow me.” William didn’t explain, just led the way. His steps were as graceful as ever, but far faster than usual—Serena had to half run to keep up.

The Windchaser Inn wasn’t large, and they quickly reached the rear courtyard. William led Serena and Nolan to the rockery in the back garden, tapped lightly on a stone, and with a click, the rockery slid aside to reveal a hidden stone wall.

William stepped forward, took a jade pendant from his belt, and pressed it to the wall. In less than three seconds, the wall slid aside, revealing a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to walk through.

“Your Windchaser Inn is impressively designed,” Serena couldn’t help but praise. If William hadn’t led the way, she’d never have guessed there was a secret world behind that rockery.

“If you like it, I’ll have the Wang clan’s artisans build you one.” Such skilled craftsmen only worked for great houses—money alone couldn’t hire them.

Before Serena could answer, Nolan Dongling refused for her: “No need. The Imperial Palace has plenty of craftsmen. Wang Grand Heir, keep yours for yourself.” After all, even Feng Manor had its own secret tunnel—what was there for Serena to envy?

Nolan threw her a cool glance, as if to say: “It’s just a secret passage—why act like you’ve never seen anything good before?”

Uh... was this considered catching strays while lying down?