The snow has finally stopped!
After fifteen days of nonstop heavy snow, it finally ended. The commoners hadn’t attended the Heaven-Sacrifice Ceremony in the palace—they didn’t even know it had happened—but as soon as the snow stopped, they instinctively cheered, rejoiced, and leapt for joy.
With the snow gone, they finally saw a way to survive.
Serena Feng waited at home for an hour that morning for Vincent Su, but no one from Sutton Manor came to find her. She knew then that Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan was out of danger—and most likely awake.
A doctor can’t have only one patient, and she certainly couldn’t focus all her attention on one person. Once she was sure everything was fine, she told the gatekeeper that if anyone came looking for her, send them to the free clinic.
Serena picked up her medicine chest and headed to the free clinic. Of course, Sean Xuan wasn’t with her today—he still stubbornly refused to return to Skyvault Palace Sect. But he was keeping busy now, and judging by his demeanor, he was clearly preparing to clash with Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan.
Serena wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad outcome. But Sean Xuan was just too stubborn—no matter how she tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t budge. With no other choice, she threw herself into her work at the free clinic.
After more than ten days of free clinics, her Medical Ethics Points had already risen above six hundred. If nothing else, she kept going for those points alone.
But just as she arrived at the clinic, she discovered—
“Huh? The snow’s stopped.”
The snow, which had just been falling, suddenly stopped—as if someone had paused a film mid-scene. For a moment, Serena was dazed. The way the snow stopped was downright eerie, just like how it had started.
The moment she stepped outside, the snow had started!
“What? The snow’s stopped?” Serena’s voice wasn’t quiet, so plenty of people heard. Those lining up for porridge looked up: “It really has stopped.”
People inside the clinic rushed out, reaching out to catch snowflakes, then looked up at the sky. In the next instant, they started jumping for joy: “It’s really stopped! The snow’s stopped! It’s over! It’s over!”
Happiness is contagious. With that one announcement, more and more disaster refugees rushed outside, dressed in thin, ragged clothes, leaping and dancing in the snow despite the cold.
The simplest happiness, the purest smiles—those are the most moving of all.
Serena was squeezed into a corner by the crowd, but she didn’t mind. She just stood to the side, watching it all with an appreciative gaze, so entranced she didn’t even notice Simon Sun, her surgical apprentice, come up beside her.
“Master, you really are a lucky star—the snow stopped as soon as you arrived.” Simon Sun’s smile was a little shy, clearly not used to giving compliments, and his voice was soft.
Serena turned with a laugh, fighting the urge to ruffle Simon’s hair. “What does this have to do with me? Heaven sends the rain, mothers marry off their daughters, and when Heaven wants snow, it snows; when it wants to stop, it stops. I’m no lucky star.”
This isn’t the modern world—there’s no high-tech artificial rain or snow. No one can change or control the laws of nature. Serena had no interest in those artificial things anyway; they only disrupt the natural order.
“Who else noticed? I remember the snow started the exact moment Miss stepped out. Now she’s come back and it’s stopped—Miss must be our lucky star! I swear, the snow was falling just for her.” Spring chimed in, teasing with a grin.
With the snow gone, everyone was in high spirits, and people spoke more freely than usual.
“You silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting? You make me sound like some kind of demon. It’s just a coincidence, okay? If Heaven really made it snow for me, it lasted way too long—I’d rather not be the culprit.” Unable to ruffle Simon’s hair, Serena tapped Spring on the head instead.
She knew Spring was only joking, but some jokes shouldn’t be made—if the wrong people heard, who knows what rumors they’d twist it into.
Spring was quick on the uptake, sticking out her tongue and apologizing, "I was wrong, Miss. I just got excited and said something silly." Seeing Serena still wearing a stern face, Spring smartly winked at Simon, begging him to help plead her case.
Simon Sun was soft-hearted. The moment he saw Spring looking so pitiful, he spoke up: “Master, don’t be mad at Spring. She misspoke—let’s just make her shovel snow for the rest of the day.”
The three of them laughed and joked, not noticing the scholarly youth among the disaster refugees. Though his clothes were thin, they were clean and neat, and his eyes were clear and bright. If Serena had seen him, she would have realized he was nothing like the others.
This youth had hands made for holding a brush—and the talent to write legends.
The snow may have stopped, but disaster relief work had to continue. After their bit of fun, Serena and Simon got back to work at the free clinic.
After more than ten days of effort—and thanks to the strengthening herbs Vincent Su’s people secretly added to the porridge—the number of patients dwindled. Even those with stubborn illnesses could now get out of bed.
With the snow gone, everyone was in such high spirits that you’d never guess they were sick. Serena and Simon saw this and wisely left early, giving the clinic over to the patients.
Truth was, with Serena and Simon around, the refugees felt too restrained to truly celebrate. The two rarely got a chance to leave early, so they hoped for a little rest. But as soon as they stepped off the carriage, the gatekeeper reported: Vincent Su was looking for Serena.
Huh? Could something have happened to Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan? Probably not—if something was wrong, Vincent Su would’ve gone to the clinic.
Serena’s expression turned serious and she hurried inside, not forgetting to remind Simon Sun: “Simon, if you’re not busy, go check on Young Master Clay—Holden Cui, the Cui clan's direct-line heir. If he’s well enough, let him go home to recover—don’t hog my sickroom.”
“Yes, Master.” Simon couldn’t hide his happiness at hearing Young Master Clay was finally leaving. Serena saw it but didn’t bother to scold him—it wouldn’t have helped anyway.
This little apprentice blurted out his dislike for Young Master Clay, apologizing over and over about bringing personal feelings into work. Serena was nearly driven mad—was that even an apology? It sounded more like another complaint, and Young Master Clay was so embarrassed he didn’t dare stay any longer.
Luckily, Master Marcus Wynn—Holden Cui’s uncle and a scholar from the Cui clan—and Young Master Clay were both oddballs. The more Simon acted out, the more they liked him. Judging by how Marcus Wynn and Young Master Clay behaved, they were happy to keep an eye on Simon whenever they could.
She quickly took off her white coat, washed her hands, and grabbed her medicine chest before heading to the flower hall. “Wenqing, have you been waiting long? Why not go to the clinic? Good thing I came back early—usually I’d still be at the clinic at this hour.”
She quickly took off her white coat, washed her hands, and grabbed her medicine chest before heading to the flower hall. “Vincent Su, have you been waiting long? Why not go to the clinic? Good thing I came back early—usually I’d still be at the clinic at this hour.”
Serena didn’t want to ask Vincent Su directly if something had happened to Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan, so she hinted at it instead.
“It wasn’t urgent, so I didn’t want to disturb you.” Vincent Su stood up, once again looking every bit the cultured merchant—no trace of his earlier agitation remained.
Not urgent—good.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of tea.
Red date tea—perfect for the season and thirst-quenching. Serena set down her cup and, noticing Vincent Su’s troubled look, raised an eyebrow: “What happened?”
Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan was fine, so what could possibly trouble Vincent Su? Serena was puzzled.
Seeing Serena’s expression, Vincent Su realized she didn’t know about the Emperor’s Heaven-Sacrifice Ceremony: “Serena, do you know what happened in the palace today?”
Just like Samuel Zane and Caleb Wang, Vincent Su was deeply displeased—the Emperor’s move was shameless. Not only did he snatch the credit, he uprooted the whole tree. Too much.
“Something happened in the palace? Is it about Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan?” Serena sat up straight, her face grave.
They’d gone to so much trouble to get Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan out—he couldn’t be in danger again, could he? If he was… Serena felt like banging her head against the wall.
“It’s not about Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan—it’s the Emperor. He skipped morning court and held a Heaven-Sacrifice Ceremony at the Heaven Altar, praying for the snow to stop.”
Praying for the snow to stop? Serena thought of the sudden halt that morning—her eyes widened in shock. “Don’t tell me the snow stopped right after the Emperor finished the ceremony?” If that was true… the Emperor was a miracle worker!
Vincent Su nodded gravely. “Just as you guessed—the snow stopped as soon as the Emperor finished. Everyone says Heaven was moved by his sincerity.”
The Emperor’s image soared overnight. No one mentioned the Mysterious Benefactor’s disaster relief anymore.
“No way, that’s incredible—he predicted the exact time the snow would stop, better than the weather forecast.” Serena muttered to herself, trailing off so Wenqing couldn’t hear. He asked, “Serena, what did you say?”
“Ah… I said, do you know who did it?” Who could be so skilled as to predict the exact moment the snow would stop?
Too bad her smart medical kit didn’t have a weather forecast function—she would’ve loved to test whether high-tech or human calculation was more accurate.
“The man you brought—Felix Fuller.” That was why Vincent Su had come to see Serena. Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan had told him to inform her ahead of time, so she wouldn’t be caught off guard.
But…
Serena couldn’t accept it either—her eyes dimmed. “Felix Fuller? How could it be him?” Then she remembered: he was a Fuller, after all. Of course he had the skills.
Serena recalled Dominic Zane’s warning: Felix’s motives were never pure. She’d thought locking him up would be enough, but…
They’d been so busy, they gave Felix the perfect opening.
“They say he’s a descendant of the Divine Temple, versed in astronomy and geography.” That was the cover story Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan’s network was spreading, and Vincent Su repeated it word for word.
Serena had known that much, but she’d never imagined Felix’s ambition was so great. She’d thought he was after Prince Nolan, but now it was clear—he’d gone straight for the Emperor, throwing all their plans into chaos.
Serena sighed. Felix was her responsibility, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty. His move had ruined their strategy, all their efforts wasted…
Everything they’d done was now for nothing—all their investments lost!
Still, there was one thing to be thankful for…