Although the Four Hall Masters were initially selected by Ethan Gu and Maxwell Jing, the training was personally overseen by Damien Gray. If the candidates failed to meet his standards, they would be eliminated. For an organization to thrive, there could be no weak links—especially among its key members.
Shuyang Ye seemed utterly stunned by the unusual behavior between Ethan Gu and Maxwell Jing, so much so that he stood there dumbfounded, unable to react even when Ethan Gu left. Meanwhile, Yuna Ye's face remained deathly pale, though whether it was more from shock or heartbreak, no one could say.
When he finally snapped out of it, Shuyang Ye looked at Yuna Ye and, seeing her completely unsurprised, couldn't help but ask, "Yuna, did you already know?"
Yuna Ye bit her lip and nodded. Even if she hated to admit she was no match for a man, the truth remained that Ethan Gu's heart belonged only to Maxwell Jing.
"Absurd!" Shuyang Ye could accept his daughter falling for someone from the Ghost Guild, but the fact that Ethan Gu liked another man was simply too much. "Yuna, are you out of your mind? How could you fall for a man with such... preferences?"
"I..." Yuna Ye could only force a bitter smile. She wished she hadn't fallen for someone who would never love her, but what could she do? Her heart simply wouldn't obey her.
Smack—a crisp, resounding sound echoed through the air.
A bright red handprint instantly appeared on Shuyang Ye's face—and it was... surprisingly small!
Stunned by the slap, Shuyang Ye finally looked down to see a tiny, pink-cheeked little one at his feet, wobbling unsteadily as if she could barely stand.
Roxy Shangguan stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing straight at Shuyang Ye's nose. Her little head was held high, her face cold, and her soft, childish voice was laced with anger. "You old fool! So what if someone likes men? At least you don't have the guts to do it! If you think you're so brave, why don't you try liking a man yourself? How dare you come onto Daddy's turf and act up—believe it or not, I'll knock your teeth out!"
Shuyang Ye was left speechless by the scolding. Roxy Shangguan switched her stance, ready to continue her tirade, but lost her balance and began to topple backward.
Maxwell Jing was closest and quickly stepped forward to catch her, playfully pinching her soft little cheek. "Roxy, you're such a good girl!"
Roxy Shangguan wrinkled her nose, looking thoroughly annoyed as she pushed his hand away. Turning to Morgan Shangguan, she pouted, "Mommy, Uncle Jing is being inappropriate! I'm going to tell Uncle Ethan!"
Maxwell Jing's smile froze, and his face twisted into an awkward, almost comical expression, unsure how to respond.
Morgan Shangguan had already collapsed into laughter in Damien Gray's arms at Roxy's fierce attitude. Now, seeing Maxwell Jing's bizarre expression, she couldn't help but laugh out loud again—even Damien Gray's eyes were full of amusement. Honestly, having these two little troublemakers around wasn't so bad.
Ethan Gray stood by the door, his little face cold as he watched the scene inside. Then he strode over to Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan, moving with a kind of tense caution, his brows furrowed in clear annoyance at his own disobedient feet.
Damien Gray pulled up a chair, and Ethan Gray promptly leapt onto it, sitting down to scrutinize Shuyang Ye and Yuna Ye. Under his gaze, Yuna Ye couldn't help but shrink behind Shuyang Ye. That look was exactly like the Ghostmaster's—intense and intimidating. For such a small child to have such a piercing gaze was downright eerie!
Logan Qian blinked in confusion at Ethan Gray and Roxy Shangguan. Mommy? If the Guild Mistress was their mother, then the Guild Master must be their father. When did the Guild Master end up with kids?
Previously, Ethan Gray had been recovering from exhaustion, and Roxy Shangguan, in a rare bout of bad mood, hadn't come out to cause trouble—so Logan Qian had never met them before.
Roxy Shangguan tugged at Maxwell Jing's sleeve, leaning her little body against his leg as she continued her lesson for Shuyang Ye. "Old man, even though Uncle Jing's martial arts are barely passable, his medical skills aren't as good as Uncle Ethan's, he's not as handsome as Daddy, and he's nowhere near as cool as my brother..."
As she listed his shortcomings one by one, Maxwell Jing's face grew darker and darker. After all these years, he was only now realizing he was good for nothing!
Finally, Roxy Shangguan made a dramatic turn: "But he gives me candy!"
Seeing Roxy's serious little face, Morgan Shangguan burst into laughter again in Damien Gray's arms. Clearly, her precious daughter was determined to have some fun at the expense of Master Ye!
Damien Gray gently patted her back, making no move to stop Roxy's antics and letting her run wild.
Roxy Shangguan let out a world-weary sigh and spoke with grave seriousness, "Old man, we have to be reasonable. Do you know what it means to stand by what's right instead of just siding with family?"
Shuyang Ye stared, dumbfounded, at the little one acting so mature. What kind of twisted logic was this? She was siding with her uncle for a piece of candy, all while lecturing him about fairness?
He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Why should he listen to a child lecture him? Turning to Yuna Ye, Shuyang Ye asked seriously, "Yuna, even knowing he likes men, are you still stubborn enough to love him?"
Yuna Ye remained silent. When she didn't reply, Shuyang Ye nodded, "I understand!" Then, looking up at Damien Gray, he said firmly, "Ghostmaster, since you are a father yourself, you should understand a father's feelings. I only want Yuna to be happy. If you allow your Left Guardian to marry her, I will tell you everything you want to know!"
Ethan Gray snorted coldly, spitting out four words: "Out of your league!" What right did he have to make demands now? He didn't even understand his own situation—how foolish!
Glancing at Damien Gray, whose lips were curled in a good mood, Ethan Gray couldn't help but admit to himself—having a father like this wasn't so bad after all.
Roxy Shangguan sighed, "Hopeless! Old man, even if I had to choose, I'd pick Uncle Jing. Only an idiot would choose your daughter!"
Shuyang Ye was furious—his daughter was being called worthless, and anyone would be angry. But what could he do against a little girl? All he could do was glare at Roxy Shangguan.