Maxwell Jing twitched his lips. "Did I really say all that?"
Quentin Hua chuckled, "Of course! I advise you not to drink so much in the future. You have no idea—you answer every question when drunk, and if I don't ask, you ask yourself and answer too! Be careful, or Little Ethan will dig out all your secrets!"
Maxwell Jing snorted coldly. "Do you think everyone is as clueless as you about boundaries?" Still, inwardly, he thought, no wonder he couldn't keep any secrets back then. No wonder every time Ethan Gu invited him to drink, he always felt uneasy—so that's why!
Fortunately, he now avoided getting drunk in front of Ethan Gu, afraid of speaking nonsense. The last time was the only exception, and Ethan Gu happened to be there. Luckily, he hadn't revealed anything he shouldn't have. From now on, he must never drink again!
Quentin Hua glanced at him sideways and clicked his tongue. "Who was it that called Ethan Gu a despicable bastard, shameless, vile, and cunning...?"
"Stop!" Maxwell Jing's eye twitched as he shouted, "That was in the past!" He felt a bit frustrated—just how much had he spilled?
"The past, huh..." Quentin Hua dragged out his words, unfazed by Maxwell Jing's glare. "And just now, who was it that got played?"
"I will restore my honor!" Maxwell Jing gripped his fan tightly, gritting his teeth. Fortunately, Ethan Gu's medicine was effective; his wound had mostly healed, or else he might be bleeding again!
Though his fan was special, it looked ordinary on the surface, not much different from the usual folding fans. At least no one would suspect his identity because of it.
Quentin Hua watched Maxwell Jing nearly swear an oath to the heavens, laughing so hard he clutched his thigh and bent over. Maxwell Jing snapped back to reality, glaring and growling, "Quentin Hua!"
Finally, he sighed and tossed out two words: "Thank you!" Then he turned and left.
Quentin Hua straightened up, watching his retreating figure and sighing. Family bonds—perhaps that's how he felt about that person too.
The days of waiting seemed especially long—though for Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan, it didn’t feel that way at all. Damien’s only complaint was how troublesome it was to sneak into bed each night!
On this day, Quentin Duan finally arrived. Quentin Yu’s letter had explained everything clearly; he had weighed all the pros and cons before coming. He wasn’t unwilling to hand over the Treasure Map, which made everyone quite happy.
So, everyone decided to set out for the Healer's Sanctuary the next day.
Once the decision was made, Damien Gray had no intention of staying to discuss trivial preparations any longer. He rose to leave, but as he was about to go, he felt a resentful gaze. Turning, he met Felix Yu’s eyes. Felix seemed surprised that Damien sensed him and quickly looked away.
Damien Gray frowned, thinking Felix Yu was still upset about his earlier threat. He didn’t care much, though—he couldn't be bothered to waste time on such matters. His gaze swept over Morgan Shangguan, signaling her not to linger, and then he walked out.
Morgan Shangguan sat for a while, but soon found it dull and left with Yun Su.
In his room, Damien Gray instructed, "Ethan, keep an eye on Sophie Qiu. The Ghost Gate will be in your hands for now!"
At this, Ethan Gu's eyes flashed with surprise. He frowned, "What about the treasure hunt?" He was puzzled—Sophie Qiu was completely under the sect leader’s control and posed no threat. Why did Damien want him to watch her personally? And they’d always stayed at the prince’s residence, only returning to the Ghost Gate for major events. Why was he being told to remain now? The Ghost Gate's influence stretched everywhere; Damien could give orders anytime. Besides, the treasure hunt was bound to be dangerous—why send him away at a time like this?
Damien Gray said calmly, "Maxwell will go with me."
Ethan Gu glanced at Maxwell Jing, thoughtful, but said nothing in the end.
Watching the two leave, Morgan Shangguan spoke up, "Is this really okay? Ethan has a right to know his own past!"
Damien Gray smiled and replied, "Trust me, Maxwell will choose what's best for him, just as I would choose what's best for my Princess Consort."
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows. "When did Prince Damien ever choose the best for me?"
Damien Gray pinched her fingertips and smiled. "Wasn’t choosing to fall in love with me the best? And... I am the best!"
Morgan Shangguan laughed softly. "Prince Damien is so sure he’s the best?"
Damien Gray replied confidently, "At least for my Princess Consort, I’m definitely the best!"
Ethan Gu dragged Maxwell Jing into the room, slamming the door. With a serious face, he asked, "What’s going on?"
Maxwell Jing sat down leisurely to the side and smiled, "The sect leader just values you, that's all!"
Ethan Gu narrowed his eyes at Maxwell Jing, threatening, "Will you tell me yourself, or do I have to make you talk?"
A moment later, a heartrending wail echoed from inside the room, "Ethan Gu! This is forced confession under torture!"
In the end, the forced confession didn’t work.
Ethan Gu said softly, "I don't like this feeling!" It was as if everyone else knew the truth, while he alone was left in the dark.
Maxwell Jing glanced at him and smiled. "You’re overthinking it!"
Bitterly, he thought, but what good would knowing do? The more you know, the more troubled you become. Nothing can be changed, so perhaps it’s better to keep things peaceful—at least then you can interact naturally, and he wouldn’t feel indebted.
The next day, the group set out in grand fashion, traveling as lightly as possible for speed. Only Quentin Hua was ostentatious, riding in his pink sedan chair carried by beautiful attendants—envied by all!
Damien Gray, however, was quite displeased. Since the Ghostmaster and the Cloud Guildmaster were enemies, they couldn't be too close, so each had their own carriage. How could he be comfortable with that?
Just as he was brooding, a commotion arose behind his carriage. Morgan Shangguan’s carriage had stopped; Yun Su jumped down, inspected it, and reported, "Guildmaster, the carriage is broken!"