Lily Xia comforted Claire Yi, "Miss, don't overthink it. The young master is just going away to recover from his illness!"
Claire Yi pouted, "Don't comfort me. Even if he's going to recover, shouldn't he have at least said something? Besides..." Besides, she could have gone with him!
It was hard enough for Morgan Shangguan to leave; Claire thought she could finally spend time with her senior brother. She never expected him to leave without a word!
Claire Yi was unaware of Damien Gray's feigned illness, since he had truly been frail and sickly as a child—though he'd long since recovered!
Suddenly remembering something, Claire Yi jumped to her feet, startling Lily Xia. "Miss, what's wrong?"
Claire Yi's expression darkened as she looked at Lily Xia and asked, "Lily, do you think... senior brother went to find Morgan Shangguan?"
Lily Xia was stunned, frowning. "I don't think so! If he wanted to go, wouldn't he have left together with her yesterday?"
Claire Yi let out a sigh of relief. "That's true." As long as they're not together, it's fine.
"So... Miss, are we going back to the Valley of Destiny now?"
Claire Yi frowned, thinking for a moment, then said, "No, we'll stay at the prince's manor." She wanted to wait for her senior brother to return!
Nearby, two ghosts were deep in discussion.
"Hey, our master told us to make her mute!"
"Don't rush. The master won't be back so soon. We can have a little fun first. If we silence her right away, she'll be too scared to even scream—how boring! Let's wait a few days."
"Hmm... that's true. The master said she shouldn't be able to speak for a year or so, but didn't say it had to be immediate. If we're a day or two late, he probably won't blame us!"
Outside the city, in the woods, Morgan Shangguan and Susie Yun were resting. Ryan Ouyang spoke up, "Once we enter the city, we're in Rakshasa Palace territory. Miss, do you really want to enter like this?"
Since they'd spent most of the journey in the carriage, Morgan Shangguan hadn't bothered to change into men's clothing. Now, as they approached the city—and since Blue Lake City belonged to Rakshasa Palace—if she entered like this and changed identities later, she might be discovered.
Morgan Shangguan was about to speak when she sensed someone approaching quickly. She frowned, stopped Susie Yun from acting, and prepared to observe.
A lively young woman in yellow swept toward them. Spotting Morgan Shangguan, she didn't hesitate—her whip lashed out as she cursed, "Vixen!"
Morgan Shangguan didn't have time to dodge. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her waist and pull her back, narrowly avoiding the whip.
The woman in yellow missed Morgan Shangguan, her eyes blazing with fury as she prepared to strike again—only to have her wrist seized. "Serena Qin! That's enough!"
The one restraining the woman in yellow was a man with a hint of wicked charm. His beautiful, slanted eyes were as alluring as his handsome face—clearly someone who could captivate others. Yet, at this moment, those eyes flashed with anger.
Serena Qin struggled but couldn't break free from his grip. Feeling wronged, tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls falling from a broken string.
Morgan Shangguan had no interest in their tangled drama. She gently pushed away the person holding her and said coolly, "Thank you."
Liam Duanmu finally turned his gaze to her. Dressed in sheer white, she looked ethereal and elegant. Her eyes were deep and beautiful, her skin snowy, her hair dark and smooth against her back, and her lips softly pressed together. She seemed slightly displeased by the sudden commotion, her calm aura like that of a fairy who had wandered into the mortal world, untouched by earthly affairs.
Liam Duanmu was momentarily dazed, as if a stone had been dropped into the tranquil lake of his heart, sending ripples across its surface.
Feeling his lingering gaze, Morgan Shangguan looked up at him. His sword-like brows and dark, starry eyes gave his chiseled features a sense of steadiness and justice. He resembled the charming man from earlier, but radiated a more upright air.
Meeting Morgan Shangguan's eyes, Liam Duanmu snapped out of his trance, coughed lightly in embarrassment, and said politely, "Sorry to have startled you, miss."
Morgan Shangguan replied coolly, "It's nothing." Then she looked away and stood aside, uninterested in the spectacle—she was just waiting for them to leave.
"Big brother..." The charming young man glanced at Liam Duanmu, clearly annoyed by Serena Qin's behavior.
Liam Duanmu frowned, "Noah..."
Serena Qin was the heiress of Qin Fortress, one of the three great martial families. Even if he didn't give her face, he still had to respect the fortress master.
But Noah Duanmu disliked this heiress. He certainly wouldn't be forced to marry her, yet Serena Qin refused to give up, always pestering him. Not only did Noah find her annoying—even his brother did.
Serena Qin wiped away her tears, pointed at Morgan Shangguan, and shouted, "Noah Duanmu, how am I any less than this vixen?"
Liam Duanmu's eyes flashed with displeasure, but before he could speak, Noah Duanmu cut him off.
Noah Duanmu, now thoroughly annoyed, dropped all pretense. "Miss Qin, can you be reasonable? I don't even know her, and you just show up and start a fight. You're supposed to be the heiress of Qin Fortress! You act worse than a shrew. If you want me to marry you, forget it—this life or the next!"
"You..." Serena Qin was so furious she cried again, gripping her whip and yelling, "Noah Duanmu, you'll regret this!" With that, she stormed off in a huff.
Liam Duanmu frowned, but before he could speak, Noah Duanmu said, "Big brother, don't expect me to chase after her. If you want to, go ahead! She claims her martial arts are unbeatable—she'll be fine!"
Seeing Noah Duanmu's stubbornness, Liam Duanmu knew persuasion was pointless. They had more important matters to attend to. He decided to write to the fortress master and have someone bring Serena Qin back.
Noah Duanmu stretched lazily, finally feeling relaxed. He suddenly ran to Morgan Shangguan's side and grinned, "Beauty, don't be afraid! I'm always gentle with beauties, but that Serena Qin is just too much to handle."
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