This was something he had promised her when they first started working together. But after everything that happened, their partnership had all but ended. Now, regardless of whether they would ever join forces again, he had made up his mind: the position of Empress would belong to her!
Liam Duanmu witnessed all of this and simply shifted his gaze away. He seemed to have learned how to hide the feelings in his heart. Since there was no possibility between them, he could only lock his emotions deep inside, determined not to make any mistakes.
Meanwhile, Adrian Yarrow was contemplating how to approach Morgan Shangguan. Damien Gray was always with her, leaving him no chance to intervene—perhaps nighttime would offer an opportunity.
Sophie Qiu, on the other hand, seemed to have no other thoughts. She gazed at Adrian Yarrow with eyes full of longing, as if nothing else mattered but her beloved.
Morgan Shangguan bent down and picked a small white flower. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but if one looked closely, the petals were quite unique. Their veins were clearly visible, tinged with a faint green, and the petals themselves were almost translucent. Within, it looked as if clear water was flowing, but upon closer inspection, it was perfectly still—there was no water at all.
Morgan Shangguan plucked the petals, six in total, and they lay quietly in her pale palm, their beauty accentuated by the contrast. She glanced at Damien Gray, then pinched a few petals between her thumb and forefinger, smiling as she fed them directly into his mouth.
The petals melted instantly in his mouth. Damien Gray raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is this?"
Morgan Shangguan arched her brow and replied, "You don't know? This is a great thing for boosting inner strength! It's not inferior to the Snow Jade Branch that martial artists fight over, yet few have ever seen its shadow." They truly were fortunate—this flower was extremely rare and hard to grow, and she hadn't expected to find one here on the mountain.
The Snow Jade Branch is a legendary treasure coveted by all martial artists. It is said to grow atop snowy peaks, maturing only once every hundred years. When ripe, it is as clear as ice crystal, but after a quarter of an hour, it shatters, its color shifting through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple before finally turning violet. Those who wear its fragments can greatly increase their power, making cultivation twice as effective.
But this is only legend—no one has ever truly found it.
Damien Gray felt a warm current instantly flow through his body and said, "I truly didn't know about this thing."
After he spoke, seeing Morgan Shangguan fall silent, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Morgan Shangguan shook her head. "It's nothing."
Noticing Damien Gray's frown, Morgan Shangguan smiled helplessly. "I was just thinking, your cultivation is already so profound. If I keep feeding you things like this, I might not be able to compete with you anymore."
Damien Gray couldn't help but laugh. "So, Princess Consort, are you regretting it?"
Morgan Shangguan pulled him down to sit and chuckled lightly. "Not at all." Leaning into his embrace, she smiled, "If the opponent is too weak, winning isn't any fun."
Damien Gray wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled. "Princess Consort, you truly are persistent."
Morgan Shangguan narrowed her eyes at him and whispered, "I'm only persistent when it comes to you."
Indeed, only Damien Gray could make her so persistent, so invested in the outcome of a game. Only in front of him was she truly different.
She was simply speaking the truth, but to Damien Gray, her words sounded like the most stirring confession. Just as he was about to lean down and kiss her, an untimely voice interrupted them from the side.
Quentin Hua sighed, "Can you two at least consider the feelings of others?" Had they forgotten there were other people here, or did they simply not care about anyone else?
Damien Gray's expression darkened, and he spat out a single word in a low voice, "Leave!"
Quentin Hua clicked his tongue. "Don't forget, you're not the Ghostmaster now!"
Damien Gray narrowed his eyes, a flash of danger passing through them. Quentin Hua quickly said, "I have business."
Damien Gray replied coldly, "Speak!"
Quentin Hua let out a sigh and said plaintively, "If the Ghostmaster treated me with half the gentleness he shows the Cloud Guildmaster, I could die with no regrets!"
Damien Gray shot him a cold glance, prompting Quentin Hua to finally get serious. "You should have received the wedding banquet invitation, right?"
Morgan Shangguan raised her eyebrows and asked, "What do you know?"
Quentin Hua smiled and said, "Felix Yu is searching for something that could throw the martial world into chaos—no, perhaps it's not just the martial world." His captivating eyes flashed with a mysterious smile, then he shrugged. "That's all I, as Lotus Sect Master, can say."
Then, without another word to Damien Gray or Morgan Shangguan, he turned and left. The look in his eyes was unreadable, and the curve of his lips left others guessing at the meaning behind his smile.
Morgan Shangguan frowned slightly as she watched Quentin Hua's retreating figure, lost in thought. She always felt he knew much more than he let on.
The others only saw the three of them whispering together, unable to hear what was being said.
Quentin Hua glanced at the group, each lost in their own thoughts, and spoke without reservation, "Everyone rested well?" He showed no concern for the presence of princes or nobles, as if such titles meant nothing to him and inspired no awe.
The group continued up the mountain, but before they'd gone far, Sophie Qiu accidentally twisted her ankle. No one could just leave a woman stranded halfway up the mountain, so they abandoned their climb and headed back down.
Even going downhill, a twisted ankle made walking difficult. Aside from Morgan Shangguan and Mona Shangguan, the rest were men, and propriety forbade them from helping her.
Morgan Shangguan had no intention of helping. It was none of her business, and besides, Sophie Qiu probably hadn't twisted her ankle to ask for her support.
Mona Shangguan frowned, snorting inwardly. Trying to use this trick to get close to the Crown Prince? Dream on!
Mona Shangguan put on a caring face and took the initiative to help Sophie Qiu down the mountain. Something flickered in Sophie Qiu's eyes, too quick for anyone to catch.
"Miss, you're back!" Susie Yun didn't know where she'd gone off to with Ryan Ouyang, but her cheeks were flushed and she was all smiles, clearly delighted.
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