Cold Awakening of the Phoenixfield Heirs

By the time William Wang Jinling and Dominic Zhai arrived with a large group of guards, the sounds of fighting had already faded. All that greeted their eyes were severed limbs and scattered corpses.

"Serena..." William struggled to keep himself composed, but his body still trembled uncontrollably. He was afraid—afraid that Serena might be lying here among the dead, afraid that one of these mangled limbs belonged to her.

"Jinling, don't worry. All the dead are assassins—Serena's not among them." Dominic's face was deathly pale. Even though he'd seen his share of bloody scenes, the grisly state of these assassins made him nauseous.

The twisted, contorted expressions on their faces made it clear just how much agony they'd suffered before dying. Especially those three corpses with faces so disfigured and reeking of chemicals that anyone faint of heart would be scared to tears at the sight.

"Whoever did this was merciless." Killing is one thing, but these people were tortured—caught between life and death, unable to escape either.

Dominic silently reminded himself: cherish life, and be kind to Serena.

Better to offend the Emperor than cross Serena. That woman's methods were terrifying—Dominic was convinced this slaughter was all her doing.

"They got exactly what they deserved." William didn't think Serena had gone too far. If it had been him, he would've been a hundred times more ruthless.

"Dominic, search. Send people to find Serena—dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but bring her back to me." At that moment, William shed all pretense of gentleness; he was like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp and commanding.

Serena wasn't here, which only meant she hadn't died—it didn't mean she was safe. She might've been taken away...

"Alright, I'll send my men to search. As long as Serena is somewhere in the Imperial City, I'll find her." Dominic Zhai was making a military vow.

William Wang Jinling replied, "I'll leave things here to you. Send ten men to escort me back to the Wang estate."

He'd tolerated the Wang clan's antics for the sake of shared ancestry, but now that they'd provoked him directly, he wouldn't hold back.

William Wang Jinling had never been gentle, pure, or indecisive—nor someone who suffered in silence. He would not let tonight's events go unanswered. His enemies would pay a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.

"Jinling?" Dominic Zhai worried that William's return to the Wang estate meant he was about to do something extreme.

William flashed a dazzling smile. Normally, that smile was elegant and soothing—like an immortal who could ease any sorrow. But tonight, it was the smile of a demon, sending chills down Dominic's spine.

"Jinling, don't do anything reckless. Serena might still be alright," Dominic said, though he didn't believe it himself. If Serena were fine, why couldn't they even find a trace of her, not a single clue left behind?

William's long, dark lashes trembled as the firelight danced across his face, flickering between brightness and shadow. "Dominic, you're overthinking it. The Wang clan needs a purge. As clan patriarch, it's my duty to rid us of traitors. I can't shirk that responsibility."

He bore the heavy burden of revitalizing the Wang clan, and with it, the power to decide the fate of every member.

"Dominic, the greater my responsibility, the greater my power. I've already set foot on this path—there's no choice but to keep climbing higher. Anyone who stands in my way will be killed. No mercy!"

"I understand. I just hope you won't forget who you truly are." Dominic sighed. William's words sounded grand, but anyone who knew him understood: he was doing this for Serena. Otherwise, he would never utter such merciless threats against his own family.

William Wang Jinling had always valued family. His coldness had never been directed at his own kin—this was the first time.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Dominic. I'll leave things here to you. No matter what it takes, find Serena. At any cost, ensure her safety."

He couldn't rest until he saw Serena with his own eyes. He wanted to stay and search for her with Dominic, but he knew better: spending time here was pointless. It was better to take action and strike back for her.

William Wang Jinling never wasted time on useless efforts.

William returned to the Wang estate, bathed and changed, and at dawn stepped into the clan council hall, summoning the elders and all qualified family members.

No one knew what happened in the council hall that night. All they knew was that by the next day, three branches of the Wang clan were placed under lifelong house arrest, regardless of age or gender; two branches were expelled outright; and the most culpable branch was sent to the Wang punishment hall for severe execution.

A new ruler always brings three fires. With thunderous methods, William showed the restless Wang clan that though young, he was anything but inexperienced. Those who defied him would face ruin—he'd even dared to seize power from his own father. There was nothing he wouldn't do.

Dealing with the traitorous Wang relatives was only the beginning. William knew that last night's events couldn't have happened without support from state machinery. The assassins wouldn't have succeeded so easily otherwise.

Creak...

As the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, William Wang Jinling opened the council hall doors and strode out, followed by the dispirited Wang clan members...

At that same moment, Sun Zhengdao was released from the palace. The moment he stepped outside, he saw the Sun Estate carriage waiting. Sun Zhengdao's heart skipped a beat, and he hurried over in quick strides.

"Master!" Butler Sun spotted Sun Zhengdao from afar, hurriedly jumped down, and took the medicine chest from his hands.

"What happened?" Sun Zhengdao remained calm, his quick steps showing no sign of panic.

"Miss Serena is injured. The young master bandaged her wounds, but for some reason she suddenly turned cold all over, her body like an ice sculpture, thin ice forming on her skin. We lit more than ten braziers in her room, but she stayed so cold that ice formed on her body. The young master tried everything, but nothing worked. Madam said only you could help, so we've been waiting outside all night." Butler Sun helped Sun Zhengdao into the carriage, and as soon as they were seated, the driver whipped the horses toward the Sun Estate.

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"I understand." Sun Zhengdao let out a breath of relief. From Butler Sun's account, he already understood what was happening. Thankfully, he had prepared in advance—it was just happening sooner than expected.

The Phoenixfield heirs are finally returning to the world!

Sun Zhengdao closed his eyes, hiding the exhaustion and reluctance in his heart.

When Sun Zhengdao arrived at the Sun Estate, he happened to run into Dominic Zhai and William Wang Jinling. Dominic had truly 'dug three feet into the ground' to find Serena there. He'd thought she was in the assassins' hands, never expecting she'd make it home safely.

Dominic Zhai genuinely thought Serena was something of a monster—facing so many assassins, she still managed to return alive to the Sun Estate. You couldn't help but admire her.

"Master Sun." Dominic and William stopped at the door, seeing Sun Zhengdao's hurried steps. They could guess he was rushing for Serena.

Judging by the look of things, Serena's condition was serious.

"Young Master, Grand Heir. I assume you're both here for Miss Serena. Please, come in..." Sun Zhengdao didn't stand on ceremony with the two.

Ceremony? What ceremony? He didn't have many days left to live, anyway.

Sun Zhengdao didn't care about rank, directly walking ahead of the two. Dominic and William understood the situation and weren't offended. They followed Sun Zhengdao to Simon Sun's room, where a wave of heat hit them from afar. Within moments, they were sweating, their faces flushed red by the temperature.

"What happened to Serena?" William quickened his pace, but Sun Zhengdao stopped him: "Grand Heir, please wait outside. Miss Serena will be fine."

With that, Sun Zhengdao strode toward the room. Dominic and William saw his back, drenched with sweat...