It was midnight. In the stillness, a sudden knock on the door broke the silence.
Damien Gray abruptly opened his eyes, a cold gleam flashing through them. Morgan Shangguan also woke up, yawned lazily, and said, "Only two days, and your Hall Master is already losing patience!"
Damien said nothing more, reached out to hold her, and began helping her dress. Morgan raised her eyebrows and graciously accepted his service, saying, "I don’t recall saying I wanted to go."
Damien arched his brow but didn’t stop his movements, chuckling softly, "I thought you’d be interested!"
Morgan said nothing more; she did want to go and see for herself.
In the dungeon where Qin Yan was originally held, there was now one more person. Both were tied to the torture rack. One of them had clearly been tortured—his clothes hung in tatters, stained with blood, making it impossible to tell their original color.
The other person was completely unharmed, head bowed so her expression couldn’t be seen.
At the sound of footsteps, Leo Leaf lifted her head and glared fiercely at Damien Gray, shouting in frustration, "Sect Master, what’s wrong with me? Why won’t you spare me a glance? What does that woman have that I don’t?" Her gaze shifted from Damien to Morgan, filled with crazed hatred. She had followed Damien for so many years, always trying to catch his attention, working hard for him, hoping he’d finally see her worth. And yet—
Yet he returned with another woman in his arms! She refused to accept it—how could she possibly accept it?
Damien Gray acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. The dungeon guard obediently brought in a chair. Damien held Morgan as they sat down, then spoke in a low, heavy voice, "Colluding with outsiders, conspiring to harm the Sect Master’s wife—Leo Leaf, you have a lot of nerve!" His stern tone struck like a hammer, making everyone’s heart clench in fear.
Leo Leaf was stunned, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him, gritting her teeth, "You forced me. You forced me!"
He suddenly handed Qin Fortress over to her to reorganize, saying that once she finished, she could finally rest. But what he really meant was that after this, he wouldn’t need her anymore—the Ghost Guild wouldn’t need her either!
If that were all, she might have only felt uneasy, not determined to act. But Damien secretly called back her Deputy Hall Master, clearly preparing someone to take over her position as Hall Master. Although this was done covertly, as one of the Four Hall Masters, Leo Leaf naturally caught wind of it.
But she never considered that the power of the Four Hall Masters was granted by Damien Gray. He knew exactly how capable they were—how could he possibly forget to guard against her? To say Damien couldn’t defend against her was pure nonsense!
Damien wanted to force her into doing something she shouldn’t, and he succeeded, exploiting nothing more than Leo Leaf’s own anxiety.
When he punished Leo Leaf before, he hadn’t hidden his murderous intent at all. Naturally, Leo Leaf became extremely cautious, alert to the slightest change. So when she discovered Damien’s secret actions and heard those ambiguous words, how could she not panic? How could she remain calm?
Once a person loses their composure, they’re bound to make mistakes!
Leo Leaf glared at Damien Gray, her eyes wide as if she wanted to see just how heartless this man could be!
She was forced into this! Even if she did nothing, Damien wouldn’t let her go. She liked this man, but she never forgot his methods. If Damien decided to deal with her, she couldn’t imagine her fate—so she had to do something!
But in the end, she still failed. She always knew how terrifying this man’s strength was, but she clung to the hope that her authority could hide the truth from him. The reality proved—that was utterly impossible!
Damien Gray ignored her, as if he wasn’t the one being glared at.
Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu showed no expression, unmoved. Lily Ling, Quentin Soul, and Logan Qian, however, looked puzzled, not understanding what had happened. But the fact remained: Leo Leaf had colluded with outsiders and tried to harm the Sect Master’s wife. Even if jealousy clouded her mind, she couldn’t be so foolish—whether she succeeded or not, she could never stay by the Sect Master’s side. Leo Leaf surely didn’t want to leave the Ghost Guild.
Though they were doubtful, no one voiced it. Breaking the guild’s rules—no matter the reason—could never be forgiven!
Qin Yan never once looked up at Damien Gray or Morgan Shangguan. The days he’d spent here had taught him what it meant to wish for death. He didn’t dare meet the eyes of those two demons—he was terrified!
But when Leo Leaf approached him for cooperation, promising to use her influence to return Qin Fortress to him and help him escape the Ghost Guild, he was tempted—even though her condition was to get rid of Morgan Shangguan!
What tempted him most wasn’t Qin Fortress, but the chance to escape. He couldn’t stand this life any longer, so he had to try—even if he failed, things couldn’t get much worse. But now, he regretted it. He suddenly realized he’d made another mistake—and maybe something even worse awaited him!
Leo Leaf knew that if Damien Gray truly wanted her gone, her power would be stripped away in an instant. It wouldn’t help her at all, so she could only seek support from other factions—and right now, her only hope was Qin Yan!
This hope was deliberately given to her by Damien Gray!
That’s why Leo Leaf chose to cooperate with Qin Yan. But even when her life was at stake, she hadn’t forgotten to target Morgan Shangguan—showing just how much she hated her!
It wasn’t until Leo Leaf’s eyes grew sore from glaring and she had to blink that Damien Gray finally spoke coldly, "Did I force you to collude with outsiders? Did I force you to plot against the Sect Master’s wife?" His icy tone was tinged with indifference as he glanced at Leo Leaf, a strange smile in his eyes that sent chills through her body, making her calm down a little.
Calming down, Leo Leaf finally began to sort out her thoughts. If Damien Gray wanted to use her talents, she couldn’t be that foolish. The only reason she fell into his trap was because his murderous intent had left her panicked and unsettled, clouding her usual judgment.