Serena Feng knew Colin Si would come to find her, but she hadn't expected him to move so fast, so impatiently.
That night, as Serena Feng pushed open the door and entered, she immediately sensed another presence in the room—yet her hidden guards showed no reaction.
Trouble!
Serena's expression changed instantly, ready to retreat, but the man inside seemed to have anticipated this and spoke at just the right moment: "Miss Feng, your hidden guards are sleeping right now. Looking for them is useless."
Recognizing his voice and tone, Serena found them thoroughly annoying.
"Who are you?" Seeing he had no intention of attacking, Serena quickly steadied herself.
She had no choice but to stay calm—there were no guards at her side, and her gun... Well, mentioning that was just a sad story. For the sake of her AK47, she'd decided after returning from Northling to go practice medicine at the place Yun Xiao recommended, hoping to earn a few more medical credits.
"We met during the day," the visitor replied coolly.
Once Serena calmed down, she noticed a faint scent of blood in the room. She immediately realized who it was, letting out a short laugh and, instead of backing away, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "So it's Young Marshal Colin. Sorry for not greeting you properly."
The visitor neither confirmed nor denied it, but Serena didn't care. She walked in calmly and lit the lamp. Seated firmly on the chair was none other than the Young Marshal who'd stolen the spotlight at the city gate that afternoon—Colin Si.
The room was bright. Colin Si looked up at Serena, his cold, hard face unreadable. He spoke stiffly, "Miss Feng, you are too polite. My visit is abrupt—please don't take offense."
Knocking out her hidden guards was hardly the act of a gentleman, but then again... he’d dared to draw his bow on Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan—why wouldn’t he dare cross Serena Feng?
"You're already here—what does it matter if I mind?" Serena's words dripped with sarcasm; Colin Si really was arrogant.
"If Miss Feng minds, I will come to apologize another day."
"Come to my door? Not just anyone can enter Feng Manor. If Young Marshal Colin Si could visit openly, why sneak in at midnight?" Serena still couldn't stand his behavior.
If he wanted to come, fine—but why hurt her hidden guards? Was he just trying to show off how skilled he was?
"The situation was urgent. I had no other choice. I hope you'll forgive me." A trace of impatience flickered in Colin Si's eyes, though he hid it well—Serena still caught it.
Serena raised her brows, mocking, "Oh? The Emperor punished you just today, and now he's already sending you to the front? What other reason could there be for you to come find me tonight?"
After all, for Colin Si to come seeking medical help, he was the one in need—if he appeared too eager, it would give away his desperation.
"You're very clever." Colin Si looked at Serena with a hint of admiration. To deduce his schedule from such a small detail—her reaction was quick.
Serena smiled, her gaze sweeping over Colin Si. "Young Marshal, your wounds seem serious. Aren't you worried about making them worse by marching so soon?"
For a tough, iron-willed man to show such awkwardness—the Emperor's punishment must have been harsh.
"This is the Emperor's punishment. If the injury isn't serious, how could it show imperial anger?" Colin Si deliberately dropped a hint, expecting Serena to probe further, but she said nothing. Instead, she got up and took two bottles of medicine from her kit.
"Your wound is inflamed. Take the blue bottle—three times a day, four pills each time. If you develop a fever, take the red bottle—twice a day, two pills each time." Serena had recently switched some medicines to bottles for convenience.
Colin Si looked at the medicine bottles on the table and let out a faint laugh...
"Aren't you curious why the Emperor punished me?"
Without hesitation, Serena shook her head. "No. Whatever happens to Young Marshal Colin has nothing to do with me."
What nonsense. Nolan Dongling had already written her a letter, making it clear Colin Si had crossed paths with him. If Colin Si led the army and ran into Ninth Royal Uncle, it was obvious he'd received imperial orders to strike at Nolan—only...
Mission failed!
"You're just as insidious as Ninth Royal Uncle." Colin Si snatched up the medicine, gritting out the words.
"Thank you for the compliment, Young Marshal." Serena smiled and tossed him a glass vial, her tone wicked: "I'm guessing this is what you came for, so I won't waste your time. Just put the sample in the bottle and have someone deliver it tomorrow. Oh—and keep it on ice, or it'll spoil in this heat."
It was their first time meeting, so Serena didn't blurt out the word 'semen.' Even so, Colin Si's face turned red in an instant, his eyes fixed on the glass vial, torn between taking it or not.
Discussing something like this with a woman—truly mortifying. Yet she was the only one he could trust for it.
Serena had no intention of sparing him. She was blunt: "Young Marshal, it's late. I need to rest. See yourself out."
"Sorry for disturbing you." Colin Si gritted his teeth, grabbed the vial, and rushed out—moving as fast as his arrows, looking every bit like he was fleeing.
As soon as Colin Si left, Serena stepped out and called all the guards, ordering them to find the hidden guards he'd knocked out.
Colin Si had been careful—not seriously injuring the hidden guards. But tonight, they couldn’t continue protecting her. Serena had the regular guards tighten patrols and temporarily take over the shadow guards’ duties.
After reorganizing everything, nearly an hour had passed. Just as Serena was about to head to bed, the butler reported, "Miss, Chief Commandant Lucan Lu is here to see you."
"Chief Commandant Lucan Lu? Which Lucan Lu?" Serena felt a bad premonition. If it was who she thought, she honestly wanted to cry.
Every time she dealt with that department, she ended up at a disadvantage—only Nolan's presence let her come out ahead. Now Nolan was away from the Capital, and they'd come knocking. Should she confront them head-on, or... just confront them head-on?
The butler's mouth twitched, crushing Serena's hopes: "Miss, in the Capital, only the commander of the Bloodcloak Guard is called Chief Commandant. There's only one—Commander Lucan Lu, Lord Lucan Lu."
This man was hardly a stranger to their household.
"Please show him in." Serena didn't want to meet him, but with such a direct, official visit, she couldn't refuse.
Fortunately, she had some minor dealings with Commander Lucan Lu before. If something really happened, he probably wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Thinking this through, Serena calmed herself. Before Lucan Lu arrived, she quickly reviewed everything that had happened lately, making sure she hadn't broken any laws. The only thing that might have annoyed the Emperor was Colin Si's failed ambush on Ninth Royal Uncle.
But surely the Emperor wouldn't blame her for that... right?
Once she'd sorted her thoughts, Serena was much calmer. She waited in the flower hall for Lucan Lu to appear—and when she saw who came in with him, she nearly fell out of her chair.
Serena had imagined a hundred possibilities, but she never expected Lucan Lu would come for this...