Noah Duanmu's smile suddenly vanished. Raising his voice, he declared, "From today onward, I, Noah Duanmu, have no connection whatsoever with the Grandmaster's Estate! I hope everyone here will bear witness!" With those words, he refused to spare Liam Duanmu another glance, as if he found it beneath him to be entangled with Liam any further.
Quentin Drake, patriarch of the Duanmu family and Master of the Grandmaster's Estate, was so infuriated by Noah Duanmu that he began coughing violently, cursing his unfilial son under his breath.
The Grandmaster's Estate had always held a position of power—some respected it, others envied it. But at this moment, no one had the leisure to sympathize with Quentin Drake, nor were they in the mood to mock his misfortune.
Muriel Murong glanced at Noah Duanmu and pursed her lips, softly muttering, "Idiot!" It was obvious that Noah was thinking of the Grandmaster's Estate. Now that he was tied to the Cloud Guild, there could be no reconciliation between righteousness and evil. With his involvement in the Cloud Guild, the estate's position was now awkward; it was inevitable that someone would seize the chance to stir up trouble. How would Quentin Drake maintain his authority, and how could Liam Duanmu hold onto his place as chief?
So the best solution was for him to sever all ties with the Grandmaster's Estate right now!
Liam Duanmu, always calm and collected, could easily see through his intentions. Seeing Noah Duanmu preparing to act again, he blocked him once more, his voice steady: "Even if I weren't your elder brother, if you want to harm anyone of the righteous path, you'll have to get past me first!" Admittedly, he was being selfish—he didn't want Noah to touch Liam Liu, simply because he didn't want him to get into trouble.
Noah Duanmu squinted at the arm blocking his way, completely unfazed. He raised an eyebrow at Liam Duanmu and spoke slowly, "Do you really think you can defeat me?"
Everyone who heard his words thought he was overestimating himself. They all knew Liam Duanmu's strength—rising above so many martial artists to become chief of the alliance was no easy feat. Noah Duanmu, known as a carefree playboy, now dared to utter such arrogant words, earning nothing but scornful sneers from the crowd.
Yet Liam Duanmu's expression was grave. He still remembered what happened last time—even though he hadn't seen Noah Duanmu act, so many experts had instantly fallen dead. Noah's strength was undoubtedly formidable. He had always thought Noah was clever, just unwilling to use his intelligence for the right path. Otherwise, his future would be limitless.
It turned out Noah Duanmu wasn't unwilling to walk the righteous path—he already had, just no one had noticed. In fact, Noah was stronger than him, able to move freely in the martial world without carrying so many burdens, doing only what he wished. Such a personality was truly enviable. Though they were brothers, Liam could never learn Noah's carefree ways.
Noticing that most of the crowd's attention was now focused on the escalating conflict between Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu, Damien Gray quietly shifted his position, unobtrusively moving closer to Morgan Shangguan.
Morgan Shangguan raised an eyebrow at him. Wasn't this a bit too brazen? There were so many people around!
But Damien Gray seemed not to mind at all. Even if they noticed, it would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Seeing his persistent attitude, Morgan Shangguan couldn't help but move a step away, then turned her attention back to Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu, watching their confrontation with interest.
Damien Gray also stepped aside, a faint smile in his eyes, and sent her a message, "Tired?"
Morgan Shangguan was too lazy to avoid him any longer and replied in kind, "Not tired. But don't go dealing with Liam Liu so directly. That's not your Ghostmaster style—and the babies are watching. Don't set a bad example for them! If Liam Liu dies so easily, it would be letting him off too lightly!"
Damien Gray had truly considered it. Though Liam Liu deserved a lesson, Morgan's wellbeing was far more important. He shook his head helplessly, finding it amusing—normally, parents wouldn't want their children exposed to such violence, right?
Still, he agreed with Morgan Shangguan—if the babies grew up too soft-hearted, it wouldn't be a good thing! How could he ever feel safe letting them out into the world then?
Even as everyone watched Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu, they didn't forget about Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan—two major figures. Though they stood close together, there were no overtly intimate gestures, so the crowd merely wondered why the Ghostmaster insisted on following the Cloud Guildmaster, standing by her side. Was there some scheme afoot? Seeing the Cloud Guildmaster's reluctance to engage with him, it was clear the two were anything but harmonious!
Liam Liu's gaze darted nervously as he watched the imminent clash between Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu. No one paid him any attention, so he began to quietly edge backward, keeping an eye on Damien Gray. Seeing that Damien hadn't noticed him, he felt a bit relieved, but he still didn't dare let his guard down. This was his one chance—if he couldn't escape, he was doomed. Revenge could wait ten years; if he survived, he'd have plenty of opportunities to deal with Damien Gray. He wasn't about to die with him if he could help it!
But he was so focused on Damien Gray that he completely forgot about Ethan Gu and Maxwell Jing. With Ethan Gu, heir to Healer's Sanctuary, and Maxwell Jing, trusted confidant, present, Damien Gray felt at ease. Besides, how could Damien be so oblivious? He saw every move Liam Liu made, but simply chose to ignore him. In his eyes, Liam Liu was nothing but a clown—he could crush him any time he wished.
Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu stood side by side, watching as Liam Liu slowly retreated. Maxwell nudged Ethan casually and reminded him, "Hey, he's running away!"
Ethan Gu responded with a nonchalant "Mm," but didn't react further.
Maxwell Jing clicked his tongue, "You're getting more and more wicked!" Ethan Gu simply replied with another indifferent "Oh," his eyes fixed on Liam Duanmu and Noah Duanmu, clearly anticipating their confrontation.
Following Ethan's gaze, Maxwell Jing glanced over and raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Don't tell me you've taken a liking to Liam Duanmu?"
Seeing Ethan Gu didn't react, Maxwell Jing raised his eyebrow again, "Or is it Noah Duanmu?"
Ethan Gu looked at Noah Duanmu and mused, "He's quite a lot like you!"
At that, Maxwell Jing's face darkened, a hint of danger in his tone. "You like someone just because they're like me? Wouldn't that mean you like a whole crowd of people? Isn't that a bit too indiscriminate?"
Without even glancing at him, Ethan Gu replied slowly, "No matter how alike, they're still not you." There was a trace of a smile in his voice, and as he spoke, a flash of silver suddenly gleamed between his fingers.