Life and Death, Aunt Evelyn Will Not Spare You

Jason Lan had mentally prepared himself, but being forced to kneel at Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan's feet still felt utterly humiliating. His clear eyes burned with hatred, lips pressed tight, chin slightly raised in stubborn silence—clinging to his last shred of dignity.

Nolan just shook his head and gave a soft laugh, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, then finally looked Jason Lan straight in the eye.

Thump, thump, thump... Under Nolan's direct gaze, Jason Lan's heartbeat involuntarily sped up, every muscle tensed as if facing an executioner.

"Eastlyn Nine, what do you want?" Jason Lan couldn't hold out any longer and finally asked, but Nolan ignored him and turned to Serena: "Serena, how do you want to do this?"

He said "want," not "think"—as long as Serena spoke, even if she wanted Jason Lan dead and Liancastle pushed to outright enmity, Nolan wouldn't bat an eye.

Since he'd already ordered Jason Lan's arrest, Nolan had no intention of reconciling with Liancastle. His business with them was due for a reckoning—dragging things out helped no one.

"Well then..." Serena didn't answer directly, but instead got up and circled Jason Lan, her eyes sizing him up like livestock about to be slaughtered, as if calculating how much he'd fetch at market.

Having his fate controlled by a woman—even if she was the Phoenixfield heiress—did nothing to cheer Jason Lan up. "Eastlyn Nine, if you're a man, act decisively. If you do everything a woman says, are you even a man anymore?"

"Mr. Jingyang, what does whether Ninth Royal Uncle is a man or not have to do with you?" Serena stood directly in front of Jason Lan, making him bow at her feet.

For someone as proud as Jason Lan, this humiliation was worse than death. But he also knew that stubborn bravado would get him nowhere.

Jason Lan gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride, and looked at Serena Feng with a pained expression. "Serena, what does Nolan of Eastlyn have that I don't? He can't give you status, can't give you children, can't give you everything you want. Why him, not me?"

What do I lack compared to Ninth of Eastlyn?

"What do you have to compare with Ninth of Eastlyn?" Serena replied with cold contempt. As for children and status—she would have those in time.

Jason Lan refused to accept defeat. "Nolan of Eastlyn is cold, ruthless, selfish, and violent. What's so good about a man like that?"

"Every aspect is better than you. Cleaner, more responsible." Serena considered how best to use Jason's life for maximum value.

"He's drenched in blood—how could he be 'clean'?" Jason scoffed, looking down on Nolan as if he were nothing.

Serena didn't bother to explain. She simply stroked her chin, then turned to Nolan: "Nolan, I know what to do." Someone this insufferable deserved a lesson—he wasn't the center of the universe.

"Oh?" Nolan looked up, signaling her to continue.

Jason felt ignored yet again. Furious and humiliated, he struggled against the soldiers holding him, but as a scholar, he was no match for trained guards. He could only keep kneeling in shame and frustration.

"I remember Divine Doctor Guile once said: all things mutually generate and restrain each other. Rare poisons usually have antidotes nearby. Mr. Jingyang has Ancient Corpse Poison—he must have its antidote. He'll never hand it over willingly, but what if he gets infected himself?" Serena smiled at Nolan, who nodded in approval.

"Serena, you're vicious!" Jason's face went ghostly pale. No one understood better than him how terrifying Ancient Corpse Poison really was.

"Not as vicious as you, Mr. Jingyang. You were willing to harm a child not yet a year old—you're far worse." Serena turned, her voice icy.

"Nolan, I've extracted a very pure sample of the poison from the most critical patient, but I need a test subject. Why not give me Mr. Jingyang?" Serena wasn't asking for permission—she was informing him. Nolan nodded lightly, and Serena ordered Jason dragged away.

"Tie him to the bed. Don't let him move." Serena added sharply.

"Serena Feng, how dare you—" Now Jason was truly afraid. He'd thought Nolan wouldn't dare kill him, but these two were even scarier than death itself.

"Do you even know who I am? How dare you treat me like this!" Jason shouted, struggling desperately as Serena ignored him.

"I don't care who you are. Touch my little brother, and I wouldn't fear even Heaven itself. You should be grateful, Mr. Jingyang—if Zuo An were here in the capital, you'd learn what it means to beg for death and not find it." Serena thought of Zuo An's inventions, many perfect for punishment.

Jason was dragged to the doorway. The horror of Ancient Corpse Poison made him panic, and he screamed at Nolan: "Nolan Dongling, you bastard! You know who I am, yet you let Serena poison me. My aunt won't let you off. You'd better release me, or you'll regret it!"

"Nolan Dongling, if you so much as lay a finger on me, my aunt will tear you limb from limb—"

The rest of his words were lost—Nolan and Serena didn't hear them. Jason had already been dragged away.

"Aunt?" Nolan murmured, repeating the word. "Jason Lan's aunt?"

That woman who appeared at Moonvault Palace with Jason? Was 'aunt' not just an honorific, but his actual paternal aunt?

"A Former Dynasty Princess?" Serena guessed, thinking about Jason's background. But then she hesitated. "Could a Former Dynasty Princess really still be alive? Wouldn't she be quite old by now?"

"The last emperor of the Former Dynasty ascended the throne as a newborn, less than a hundred days old. After the dynasty fell, he vanished too. If he survived and had a daughter, she'd be a Former Dynasty Princess. By now, she'd only be in her thirties or forties—like my own mother-concubine would have been."

"I almost forgot about that thread." Serena slapped her forehead. "But what does that have to do with us? A Former Dynasty Princess isn't our concern. Jason's threat is laughable."

Serena's casual remark was actually a subtle probe.

She'd long felt that Nolan, Lance Quinn, and Jason Lan were connected in ways she didn't understand.

"It doesn't concern us, but it does concern Lance Quinn." Nolan's answer was perfectly guarded. Serena thought of their collaboration and found it reasonable.

If that's the case, then: "Should Jason Lan's life be spared?"

That was Serena's real concern. From her standpoint, she wanted Jason dead, but if the consequences were too severe, she'd put the greater good first and spare him for now.

"If you want to kill, kill. I'll bear the consequences." Nolan said calmly. Letting things drag on wasn't helping; maybe Jason's death would be a breakthrough. It was risky, but he could handle it now.

"In that case, I'll boldly use him for live-body experiments. If he survives, he's lucky. If he dies, that's his fate." Ancient Corpse Poison needed live human testing; animals were useful in early stages, but the antidote required final clinical trials on people. Jason was the perfect candidate.

"Mm. Do as you please." Nolan left enough guards behind and then departed.

The word 'aunt' left Nolan with a bad premonition. He had to uncover that middle-aged woman's identity as soon as possible...