Seeing Morgan Shangguan turn to leave, Liam Liu hurriedly tugged at her sleeve and cried out, "Cloud Guildmaster, you promised you would save me!"
Damien Gray watched with a deep frown, silently adding another grievance against Liam Liu.
Morgan Shangguan lifted her hand lightly, and an invisible blade sliced through the fabric. Liam Liu clutched the fallen piece of pale moon brocade, watching her nervously. If Morgan Shangguan went back on her word, he would be utterly helpless, so all he could do was pray she would keep her promise.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at Damien Gray and said, "A life for a life—Ghostmaster, you have no objection, do you?" He had saved Qin Yan from her, and now she asked him to spare Liam Liu's life. It was only fair—or so it seemed, at least on the surface.
At this moment, Damien Gray naturally wouldn't oppose her. Whatever she said, he would agree to.
But Liam Liu was unwilling; seeing Morgan Shangguan about to leave, he hurriedly reached out to grab her again, but this time missed as she sidestepped his hand.
Absurd! If she allowed him to cling to her again, Damien Gray might not hesitate to end him on the spot, and that would force her to break her word—a stain she could never bear.
Liam Liu pleaded anxiously, "Cloud Guildmaster, please take me with you, otherwise I’ll be worse off than dead. I beg you!"
Morgan Shangguan curled her lips—at least he knew his situation. But... "This has nothing to do with me!"
Liam Liu was stunned. "You..."
Morgan Shangguan smiled gently and said, "Head of Liu Manor, I only promised to spare your life."
Liam Liu suddenly shouted like a madman, "You’re playing me!" Everyone could see that Damien Gray hadn’t intended to kill him easily—maybe he planned to keep Liam Liu alive for slow torment, never intending to take his life. In that case, Cloud Guildmaster’s promise meant nothing; she was just toying with him!
No—he must not fall into Damien Gray’s hands, for that fate would be worse than death. At this moment, only the Cloud Guildmaster could deliver him from despair.
Liam Liu wanted to say more, but Damien Gray didn’t want Morgan Shangguan to waste any more words on him. He simply had his men take Liam Liu away. What happened next would depend on his mood—and Liam Liu’s incessant whining had already made him displeased.
Morgan Shangguan turned and left, with Damien Gray following close behind. Violet Snow saw him leaving just like that and stood up anxiously. What now? She’d thought the task would be simple, but it turned out she’d failed to complete it!
By all rights, Damien Gray should have vented his anger on the Righteous Path. Why did he leave in such a hurry? Did something happen at the Ghost Guild? How was she supposed to report to her Master now?
Thinking of the punishment she might face, Violet Snow shivered, but she didn’t dare do anything more. If she angered Damien Gray, not only would the task fail, her own fate might be even worse!
At this moment, she regretted fighting Quentin Hua for this mission. But if she wanted to stand on equal footing with the Ghostmaster, she couldn’t rely on her own strength alone—who knew how long that would take? To reach her goal quickly, she had to depend on her Master. Only by serving her Master well and earning merit could she get what she wanted!
Kimberly Liu still lay on the ground, watching Liam Liu being taken away, watching Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray leave, watching everyone disperse—unable to move at all.
Everyone from the Liu Estate was dead; no one paid her any mind. Liam Duanmu had her sent back to the Liu Estate before leaving, utterly lost. This martial gathering had blurred the lines between good and evil for him. Now, he was confused, wanting only to be alone and think things through.
Since childhood, his dream had been to uphold justice and chivalry. But in truth, because he was born in the foremost manor in the world, his life had been far too smooth. Aside from Morgan Shangguan, he’d never faced any real setbacks. He’d seen the ugliness of human nature, but never enough—and he’d never seen the Righteous Path’s true face once their masks came off.
In truth, darkness lurked even among those who called themselves righteous, and loyalty could be found in unexpected corners of the evil path. He’d always clung to the division between good and evil—had his vision been too narrow all along?
Qin Yan couldn’t understand why Damien Gray had saved him, but he was grateful just to be alive. Then he remembered what Morgan Shangguan said before leaving, and his heart grew uncertain. How could Qin Fortress ever stand against the Cloud Guild?
He glanced at the pitiful Serena Qin and couldn’t help but shed tears again, his eyes blazing with hatred. His precious daughter, once so radiant, now lay broken in spirit and body—a silent testament to the cruelty she had endured.
Cloud Guildmaster! Even if it was like striking a stone with an egg, he would have his revenge!
Inside the carriage, Damien Gray held Morgan Shangguan close, his brows furrowed in silence.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at him, sighed, reached out to touch his face, and said softly, "Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Damien Gray took her hand and kissed it, frowning. "Mo’er, let’s not go treasure hunting, all right?"
He didn’t want anything to happen to her. After that scare, he no longer cared about solving all those messy affairs right away. Since their enemy in the shadows refused to show themselves, he’d let them be. They had their own agenda, and would reveal themselves sooner or later—he could deal with them then.
Morgan Shangguan frowned, leaning into his arms without speaking. Seeing this, Damien Gray compromised with a sigh, "If you must go, you can—but you’re not allowed to go as the Cloud Guildmaster! That identity is too conspicuous, and you have too many enemies. It’s far too dangerous!"
Morgan Shangguan couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head with a sigh. "I was just considering whether to focus on resting and nurturing the pregnancy. Since Ghostmaster is so generous, it would be rude not to accept his kindness!"
Seeing her sly smile, Damien Gray resigned himself and laughed, "To be outsmarted by the Cloud Guildmaster is my honor!" Only with her did he lose his composure like this. He knew she wasn’t unreasonable and always knew how to handle things, but he still worried she’d get angry with him because of it.
What he dreaded most was her becoming distant. Although that had never happened since they’d been together, just the thought of it was unbearable.