Morgan Shangguan glanced at him indifferently. Jin Locke's suppressed anger had no effect on her; in this world, only Damien Gray could truly make her lose control. Seeing Jin Locke stubbornly waiting for an answer, Morgan finally replied, "There's no need!"
"No need?" His tightly clenched fists suddenly loosened, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. Jin Locke burst into laughter. "No need? What am I to you, then?"
Morgan Shangguan couldn't help but frown. Seeing her expression, Jin Locke laughed, "You think I'm annoying, don't you? That's right, you hate people who won't stop pestering you!"
Damien Gray, satisfied, kissed Morgan Shangguan lightly on the forehead and said, "Mo'er, I'm tired. Let's go rest!" Having achieved his goal, he had no desire to see Jin Locke lingering before him any longer.
He only wanted Jin Locke to suffer, not generously give him a chance to confess to Morgan Shangguan.
At midnight, the bright moon hung high, and all was silent.
Morgan Shangguan woke up groggily, feeling a hand on her body. Instinctively, she kicked out, but Damien Gray caught her ankle, pulled her into his arms, and said with great interest, "Mo'er, there's a good show to watch. Want to go?"
Both her arms were trapped by Damien Gray. Morgan Shangguan simply shifted closer into his embrace, rubbing his shoulder a couple of times as if she were rubbing her eyes. When she was a bit more awake, she asked, "What are you up to now?"
Damien Gray kissed her cheek lightly, his tone playful. "I was planning to let you vent first, but you're too slow. So I'll vent first instead. Besides, the person's not dead yet—we can take our time playing!"
Morgan Shangguan was indeed curious about what he had done. She felt certain that Damien Gray wouldn’t let Jin Locke off so easily.
As soon as Mona Shangguan regained consciousness, a sharp pain twisted in her belly, growing worse with every moment. She had no strength to rise from the ground. "The child... the child..." she whispered. It was the Crown Prince's baby—if she lost it, perhaps Crown Prince Adrian would truly abandon her.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at Damien Gray. He explained, "It's Adrian Yarrow's doing!" He hadn't intended to act so soon; as he'd said, Jin Locke was still alive, so there was time to play. But Adrian Yarrow moved faster than anyone. Attempting to force a miscarriage now was dangerous. If Mona Shangguan died like this, Damien Gray felt it would be letting her off too easily.
Ultimately, Mona Shangguan's hatred was for the original Morgan Shangguan, which Damien Gray didn't care about. But now that she vented that hatred on the current Morgan, he had no intention of letting her go easily. After learning about Susie Yun, his anger only deepened. Whether Mona was connected to Susie or not, he lumped his fury for Susie onto Mona as well.
A chill wind swept through the temple, and the sound of ghostly wails echoed in Mona Shangguan's ears, terrifying her into swallowing her cries of pain. Suddenly, a ball of green light appeared before her—inside it, a ghostly face oozed blood from every orifice, a sight so horrific it defied description.
"Ah—" This time, Mona Shangguan's scream was even more shrill and desperate.
The ghostly face twitched, opening its blood-soaked mouth and asked in a chilling voice, "What evil have you done? Speak!"
"I... I..." Mona Shangguan was so terrified her face turned pale, and she forgot even her pain.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at Damien Gray, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were in for a good show. Turns out it's just a ghostly charade."
Damien Gray replied nonchalantly, "This isn't just a charade—it's a real ghost!"
Morgan was left speechless. Seeing Jin Locke approaching, she and Damien Gray fell silent, carefully masking their presence—Jin's skill was formidable, and any slip would expose them.
Inside the ruined temple, Mona Shangguan was half-dead with fright, yet her hatred for Morgan Shangguan had long seeped into her bones. She truly believed Morgan was to blame for all her misfortunes.
"I didn't... didn't do anything evil... It was Morgan Shangguan—all her fault. She made me suffer, so I want her to suffer just as much!"
Minister Magnus Shangguan was led there, and seeing Jin Locke present, he frowned and peered inside. Mona Shangguan was sprawled on the ground, her hair wild and her dress soaked in blood—a terrifying sight. He rushed forward, only to be stopped by Jin Locke.
"Grand Astrologer..." Minister Magnus Shangguan was confused. Jin Locke had always cared for Mona, so why stop him now? Couldn't he see Mona was bleeding?
Magnus looked anxiously at Mona, but she only gave a twisted, manic smile. "Morgan Shangguan... ha... I'll make Father hate her! Father's favorite concubine was drowned by me—she looked exactly like me, so I pushed her into the water. Ha... Morgan always felt guilty, so she stayed silent. She deserved it!"
Seeing her interest, Damien Gray lifted Morgan Shangguan into his arms and began helping her dress. By the time they arrived at the ruined temple outside the city, they found Mona Shangguan collapsed inside. Morgan raised an eyebrow—was this ploy aimed at Jin Locke, or at Mona herself?
Jin Locke's room remained lit all night. He, too, was staying at the Prime Minister's Estate. After what happened during the day, sleep eluded him. Morgan Shangguan's utter disregard for his feelings gnawed at his heart—had he truly never left a mark in hers, not even after he tried to kill her?
Was there anything more tragic than this?
Suddenly, a faint sound came from outside the window. Jin Locke quickly composed himself and called out in a low voice, "Who's there?"
A shadow flickered past the window, and Jin Locke hurried after it. The same strange occurrence befell Minister Magnus Shangguan.
"Ah—"
Before reaching the ruined temple, Jin Locke heard a piercing scream. He saw a dark figure dart away, hesitated briefly, then raced toward the temple—he recognized Mona Shangguan's voice.
Seeing Jin Locke arrive, Damien Gray shook the Spirit Gourd at Morgan Shangguan's waist. Several little ghosts sprang out, as if already instructed, and immediately began their tasks.
Morgan Shangguan frowned, "It's dangerous for them to face Jin Locke!"
Damien Gray comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."