Collusion and Third Young Master Cui’s False Intelligence

"Serena—" Jason Lan's handsome face twisted in rage. The iron chains rattled in his grip as he tried to lunge at Serena, but was jerked back short. All he could do was roar at her, "Serena, I'm not some low-born servant. You know exactly how noble my bloodline is!"

"Noble? Just how noble could your blood possibly be?" Serena's laugh was pure mockery. "Mr. Jingyang, don't tell me you're some lost royal from the last dynasty. If that's true, I'll hand you over right now—the emperors of all four kingdoms would thank me for the favor."

Serena smiled sweetly, while Jason Lan was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.

Admit it, and he's doomed; deny it, and he's exposed. Felix Fuller is a scion of the Temple—if he finds out Jason Lan is of imperial Lan blood, Felix's first target won't be Serena, it'll be Jason himself.

"You can't possibly be about to claim you're a Lan royal, Mr. Jingyang? Not that it'd be a shock. You've already accused me of being the Phoenixfield Heiress—if you want to say you're the Lan Crown Prince too, that's hardly headline news." Serena's casual words wiped out all the traps Jason had set; his eyes went bloodshot as he glared at her, defeated.

"I'm telling the truth. You are—the Phoenixfield Heiress." Jason Lan spat out each word through gritted teeth.

"Why not just say I'm the last dynasty's lost princess? That'd be more believable, wouldn't it? Or maybe claim I'm the Phoenixfield Queen or something—at least then I'd die faster." Serena's sarcasm was sharp as a blade, making Jason Lan so angry he nearly spat blood.

This woman was just too clever—too guarded. No matter what he tried, he couldn't trick a single word out of her.

While Serena and Jason Lan sparred in one room, two others were talking in the room next door. One was Felix Fuller; the other was someone Serena would never have guessed.

"Third Young Master Cui, your intel is off." Felix Fuller listened to the exchange between Serena and Jason Lan, then turned to the man across from him.

That's right—the man sitting with Felix Fuller was none other than Third Young Master Cui. As for how these two ended up working together, well, that's a story too complicated for a quick explanation.

Third Young Master Cui frowned, a flash of doubt in his eyes. "The news from Northlyn shouldn't be wrong, at least in theory."

The Cui clan had deep roots in Northlyn. Back when Serena was there, she leveraged their influence. Some were loyal to Cui Haoting, others to Third Young Master Cui himself.

"Facts speak louder than words. If you want to work with me, Third Young Master, you'll need to sweeten the deal." Felix Fuller toyed idly with a cup, his relaxed manner infuriating to watch.

"I'll look into it again. But believe me, Lord Felix, I'm not the type to lie about something this serious." Third Young Master Cui forced down his irritation and spoke again.

He was certain Serena was the Phoenixfield Heiress—but he couldn't prove it.

"Of course I believe you, Third Young Master. But this is no small matter. I can't risk offending Serena just on your word alone. You know as well as I do, the people backing her are not to be trifled with. Even with the Taishang Emperor behind me, I'm not afraid of Ninth Royal Uncle—but I do fear the Wang clan, and the Assassin Alliance. Stirring up trouble over something unconfirmed is just not worth it." Felix Fuller showed his full cunning.

Third Young Master Cui took a deep breath and upped the stakes again: "Once I become..."