Parting in Death and the Secrets of Serena’s Parents

Who can say for sure whether the Nine‑Provinces Dragon‑Vein Map is at Feng Manor?

To them, the Nine‑Provinces Dragon‑Vein Map is of utmost importance—even if there’s only a ten‑percent chance, they’ll go for it. Lance Quinn, Storm Cloud Bu, and Vincent Su all understand this. That’s why Lance doesn’t dare sound too certain; seeing Vincent Su’s eager face, he simply says:

“It’s always worth a try. Serena Feng is the only Phoenixfield descendant we’ve found so far, and she clearly knows nothing about the clan’s secrets. So if Feng Manor really hides anything, it must be buried in those ruins. Vincent, since you’re close to Serena, you taking on the reconstruction won’t draw suspicion.”

“Alright, I’ll go find Serena tomorrow. I’ll make sure this gets done.” Vincent was even more anxious than Lance Quinn now.

“Be careful. Don’t make Serena suspicious.” Lance Quinn thought of Serena’s eyes, so clear they seemed to see through people, and felt a faint unease. He couldn’t help but warn Vincent again.

“Don’t worry, this is serious—I won’t mess around.” Vincent readily agreed, though what he and Lance Quinn were worried about was not the same thing at all.

Lance Quinn had nothing more to say. After giving his instructions, he vanished into the night, heading to wherever he belonged. When Lance left, Storm Cloud Bu and Vincent exchanged a knowing smile.

Lance is still the same Lance—he hasn’t lost his head over a woman. Otherwise, no matter how much they liked Serena, for the sake of the Lan clan’s future, they’d eventually have to find a way to eliminate her.

Serena had no idea. She’d just survived a brush with death, negotiated Feng Manor’s reconstruction with William Wang Jinling, and now sat dazed in her room, turning over William’s hints in her mind. Serena took out the wooden box she’d rescued from the fire with her Smart Med‑Pack and studied it for ages, but couldn’t see anything unusual about it.

“So Jinling’s words mean my parents’ origins are a mystery. Maybe Feng Manor has something that could prove their identity. But... besides this wooden box, I didn’t manage to save anything. Even if there was something, it’s all buried in the ruins now.”

“This wooden box has not a single seam. If not for its odd weight, I’d think it was just a block of wood.” Serena kept turning it over, but saw nothing strange.

Today, William Wang Jinling hinted that although her father was born a commoner and her mother bore the branded stigma of a baseborn name, neither of them could possibly be so simple.

After all, a commoner family could never have raised a man capable of commanding great armies, nor could a baseborn woman have possessed her mother’s courage and pride.

It’s normal for good bamboo to produce bad shoots, but in this world, bad bamboo almost never produces good shoots. Commoner children rarely get an education; their horizons are limited, and even the smartest are worn down by life until they’re ordinary.

The Wang clan investigated her parents’ identities, but found nothing. Her father’s village was wiped out on imperial orders during a war—no one survived.

Her mother had only the branded baseborn stigma; the rest was a mystery. She claimed to remember nothing, not even her own name.

Their identities seem perfect, able to withstand scrutiny. But that’s only because the era was chaotic, and much is lost or untraceable. The fact that nothing can be found doesn’t erase suspicion—people just stopped caring after her parents died young.

Forty years ago, the realm had just settled and war still raged. Commoners couldn’t even feed themselves, let alone raise a son fit for the battlefield. Jinling was right—her father couldn’t have been just a village boy. He must have had some secret.

And then there’s her father’s death. William Wang Jinling suddenly brought up that there were problems with how her father died. Serena didn’t know the details of that war, but Jinling did.

From Jinling’s account, her father lost and died in battle because reinforcements arrived ten days late. The officer who delayed the army was never punished—he was even rewarded for the victory. That officer was the current Empress’s brother...

After her father died on the battlefield, not even his body or weapons were found. Her mother died saving the Empress, who not only failed to show gratitude, but seemed to harbor a strange dislike for Serena.

“Father, Mother—just what secrets did you carry? Should I really dig up what you tried so hard to hide?” Serena turned the wooden box in her hands, a wistful smile on her face and her shoulders drooping, fatigue showing through.

More than half a month had passed, and the struggle in the imperial capital was still raging. Officials were being dismissed daily, new faces rising to power. Though Serena had set things in motion, she had no say in how or when it would end.

Liam Li was dead, and now Su Wan, Prince Terrence, and Prince Quentin were stirring again. Each prince was plotting his own moves. Serena felt a deep sense of crisis—one wrong step and she’d be doomed.

Some things, even if she wanted to stay out, were impossible to avoid. She was caught in the game, unable to control her fate.

Sighing, Serena put the wooden box away, hesitated, then changed into traveling clothes and quietly slipped out of the Sun Estate.

She wanted to visit Feng Manor...

No sooner had Serena left than Sun Zhengdao stepped out from the shadows, watching the direction she’d disappeared, a struggle flickering in his eyes.

Should I speak? Should I act?

But then—what difference would it make?

Sun Zhengdao let out a heavy sigh, gazing up at the round, full moon. Gritting his teeth, he headed toward Simon Sun’s room.

No one knew what father and son discussed inside. Half an hour later, Sun Zhengdao stumbled out, looking even more grim than before.

Simon Sun remembered his father’s talk of ‘leaving’ and grew uneasy. He wanted to ask, but seeing Sun Zhengdao’s closed expression, he held back, watching his father’s slightly stooped figure disappear from view...

Just as Sun Zhengdao left Simon’s courtyard, he ran into Madam Sun. She had recovered well—thinner now, but with even more grace and dignity. Seeing him, she hurried over, asking gently, “How did it go with Simon?”

“You know?” Sun Zhengdao paused, surprised as he looked at his wife.

Madam Sun smiled. “I’m the Sun family’s matron—how could I not know? All I ask is that the family’s burdens end with your generation. We have only one son; don’t let him inherit your mantle. And if you must go, take me with you. I’d be lonely here alone. Our son is grown—he can look after himself.”

This ‘leaving’ was not about going away—it meant death. Madam Sun understood, which is why she said it out loud...

Sun Zhengdao gripped Madam Sun’s hand, choking out, “Alright!”

Serena stood at Feng Manor, gazing at the ruins, her face downcast. Unbeknownst to her, her doubts about her parents’ identities had led Sun Zhengdao to make a momentous decision...