Privilege, The First Person to Find Serena Feng

This night was destined to be a night of evil and bloodshed. Northlyn warriors moved like ghosts, slipping into the Westlyn grain convoy. Before the enemy could react, they stabbed straight into their hearts.

"Pfft..."

Every strike was swift, ruthless, and precise. The torrential rain blurred everyone’s sight, but it couldn’t hide the wolf-like eyes and ferocity of the Northlyn warriors.

For the people of Northlyn, this grain convoy meant whether more of them could survive the coming winter.

For this grain, they were willing to risk their lives—why would they fear Westlyn’s broadswords?

Kill, kill, kill!

So that the people of Northlyn could survive this winter, they were willing to give everything, even their lives.

Those who fight for survival are terrifying. Under the assault of the Northlyn warriors, the Westlyn soldiers fell back again and again.

Blood flowed everywhere, but the heavy rain quickly washed it clean. The Northlyn warriors moved fast: after taking someone down, they dragged the body into a corner and stripped off the uniform to change into it themselves.

The bloodstains on the clothes were instantly washed away by the rain. With helmets on, in this pitch-black rainy night, no one could tell if you were a Westlyn soldier—or that the original owner of the uniform was already dead.

The Northlyn warriors disguised themselves as Westlyn soldiers, smoothly bypassing the guards and making their way into the camp.

The officers inside the camp hesitated at the sight of familiar uniforms. Just as they were about to shout, the disguised warriors instantly drew their blades and stabbed without a word, snatching the official documents and waist tokens.

With these two items, they could leave Westlyn without trouble.

"Assassins! Assassins!"

"Protect the grain carts! Someone's robbing the grain!" The Westlyn soldiers fell into chaos, splitting into two groups—one rushing toward the camp, the other to guard the supplies.

Just then, a storm of arrows rained down from all sides. Each arrow struck with massive force, sending the hit soldiers flying. The Westlyn troops tried to dodge, but the arrows were even denser than the rain—there was nowhere to hide.

On this stormy night, cries of killing and wails of pain merged together. The ground grew slick with blood—so much that even the heavy rain couldn't wash it away fast enough...

Dorian Owen (Doudou) watched everything from the shadows, his eyes red as blood, as if he hadn't slept in days.

In fact, Doudou really hadn't slept for days. Ever since Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle were blasted and went missing by the thunder-blast grenade, Doudou had been searching for their whereabouts nonstop.

With no leads, Doudou remembered overhearing Serena mention robbing Westlyn's grain. He started tracking the Westlyn grain convoy, found their trail three days ago, and had been following ever since.

He thought Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena would show up to rob the grain convoy just as they discussed in the carriage—but unexpectedly...

"The grain's been stolen, but Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena never appeared. Did something really happen to them?" For the first time, even Doudou wasn't sure anymore.

He was the one who had personally witnessed Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle go missing.

"Forget it, I'll just go." Since the people he was waiting for hadn't shown up, Doudou didn't linger—his figure flickered and disappeared into the night.

The rain stopped and the sky cleared!

The next day was beautiful. After the rain, the mountain air was even fresher. Serena took a deep breath, reluctant to leave.

"We should go." Their leisurely life ended at this moment.

Next, a new round of battles awaited them.

"Let's go." Ninth Royal Uncle stepped forward, took Serena's hand, and led her onward without looking back.

Not long after they left, the small thatched hut was demolished, and everything around it was cleared away. No trace remained that anyone had ever stayed there.

Since they were officially 'missing,' Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle couldn't reveal their true identities. They dressed as Jianghu wanderers, faces weather-worn but unable to hide their underlying authority.

This way, they didn't attract much attention. Plus, since they were headed for the Miasma Forest, where few people went, their chances of being discovered were even lower.

Without Ninth Royal Uncle's status, travel wasn't smooth. No matter which country they passed, the city guards always tried to squeeze them for bribes. Both were used to special channels or having subordinates arrange everything—but this time...

"Every state has different demands. The common folk really suffer." Serena was glad she'd disguised herself as plain and ugly ahead of time—otherwise, with her looks, she'd have attracted trouble in these backwaters.

If something had happened and a fight broke out, it would have left traces.

"It'll get better in the future." Ninth Royal Uncle lifted his sleeve and wiped Serena's sweat: "Rest when you're tired. We're not in a hurry."

It had only been three days. Although the grain convoy had already left Westlyn's borders, Prince Tianlei of Westlyn probably hadn't received news of the robbery yet.

"I'm not tired. Getting there early is better—waiting is always better than rushing." Although Ninth Royal Uncle knew the Miasma Forest well, Prince Tianlei also had guides familiar with the area. They couldn't afford to be arrogant.

"Yeah..." Ninth Royal Uncle had just started to speak when he suddenly sensed a powerful killing intent rushing toward them. Instantly, he suppressed his own aura.

"Don't move." Ninth Royal Uncle handed the reins to Serena, drew the sword at his waist, and shielded her behind him.

Serena jumped in surprise too.

They'd been extremely cautious the whole way, not even bringing any shadow guards. How could someone have found their trail?

"Don't worry, maybe it's just petty thieves." Ninth Royal Uncle tried to reassure her, though even he didn't believe his own words.

If it were just petty thieves, there wouldn't be such a strong killing intent.

"I can protect myself." Serena tensed every muscle.

After her handgun broke, she still had several compact hidden weapons refitted by Zuo An—more than enough for self-defense.

Both of them stayed on guard, scanning their surroundings for the source of the killing intent. Ninth Royal Uncle's eyes grew sharp as he searched inch by inch, finally locking onto a small tree.

Ninth Royal Uncle nodded at Serena, signaling he'd found their target.

Serena glanced around, handed him a surgical blade. Ninth Royal Uncle weighed it in his hand, satisfied, and accepted it.

He channeled his inner force into the blade and flicked it toward the tree.

"Whoosh..." The silver light tore through the air, charged with killing intent, shooting toward the tree like lightning.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." The blade rode the wind, slicing through without resistance, scraping off a layer of bark and speeding forward.

"Ah..." A scream came from behind the tree, proving Ninth Royal Uncle's judgment was correct.

Without hesitation, Ninth Royal Uncle drew his sword and leapt forward. His flexible blade whipped like a dragon, stabbing at the shadow behind the tree. The figure dodged frantically, about to be skewered when, suddenly, he froze and started shouting in panic.

"Wait, wait, wait... Don't hit me! It's me, it's me!" The shadow yanked off his face cloth, glaring at Ninth Royal Uncle...