After speaking, the Old Demon hesitated for a moment and resumed, “Young master, the thing is, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng is only useful for a single pair, and there are two female babes young master is in contact with, so when the time comes it might be a little difficult, having to make a choice between them.”
“Two?” Yang Kai asked out of confusion. He thought that the Old Demon had slipped up, but he thought about it and understood.
Perhaps the Old Demon was thinking about the Hu sisters. After all, they were chatting quite a lot of the endless steps.
After prohibiting the Old Demon’s freedom, he could no longer observe Yang Kai’s surroundings. Naturally, this meant that he was unaware of the incident in the main hall at the top of the steps.
Yang Kai didn’t want to explain too much, so he just ordered, “In the future when I am alone with any female, you are not to use your divine sense.”
He feared the awkwardness that would emerge if the Old Demon witnesses him and Su Yan being together.
The Old Demon felt like Yang Kai was being unjust. He decided to protest, “The young master can rest easy. Though this old servant is evil, I would never do the likes of peeping on someone.”
“Regardless, it will be good if you do well to remember it.”
“This old servant will bear it in mind.”
After a short moment of silence, the Old Demon suggested, “Young master, if you don’t mind, this old servant wants to go inside this deep ravine to explore.”
“Is there something that interests you hiding below?” Yang Kai asked with curiosity. After all, the mystery that hid in the Coiling Dragon Stream made him burn with the desire to know, but once again, his strength was too low so he didn’t have any viable means to explore it.
“The old servant is not clear on what is hiding below, but I can feel a type of positive Qi. This type of Qi is a difficult adversary for this old servant’s Immortal Soul. In addition, there is also a very dense Demon Qi. These two Qis generally oppose each other, so I am a little confused as to why they would seem to coexist here. To be honest, young master, I want to strengthen my Immortal Soul by taking advantage of the Demon Qi below. It can also increase the possibility of giving the young master a helping hand in the future.”
Yang Kai was lost in thought.
Yang Kai verified the Old Demon’s claim in the dense Demon Qi. In the history of the Stream, it is said that an immensely evil devil was killed in the depths below. This made the area a natural spawn for Demon Qi.
The Old Demon wanted to restore his Immortal Soul with the aid of that Qi. Yang Kai was hesitant. After all, he was not sure if he would lose control of the Old Demon should he restore his strength. He might shoot himself in the foot.
As he pondered further, he decided that there was little need for him to be so worried. The Old Demon’s divine sense had already fused with his, so deciding his life and death was nothing but an immediate consequential action he could take should the Old Demon betray him.
The Old Demon waited anxiously, watching Yang Kai. Yang Kai then gave a nod and approved, “Alright, you can go.”
He poured some of his Yuan Qi into the Soul Breaker Awl, as this secret treasure acted as a storage for Yuan Qi. Yang Kai then passed it to Old Demon.
“Many thanks, young master!” The Old Demon said gratefully. Binding the Soul Breaking Awl, he transformed into a black fog and flew deep into the Coiling Dragon Stream.
After the Old Demon left, Yang Kai took out a small purse from his chest pocket.
This purse was given to him by Lan Chudie, which contained two seeds of Pure Heart Fruit.
Yang Kai thought about the conversation at that time.
If this senior sister wasn’t so good at deceiving others, she would surely be more likable.
The first time he met her in the Black Wind Trade City, he got hold of these seeds but was deceived about the cost though it didn’t matter at the time. When he met her again in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, it could have been fate.
They explored together, fought together. They were not only on the same side, but they also braved hardships together. It was hard to forget about her.
If not for her disappointing chain of choices, Yang Kai would never have disliked her the way he does. Though she sneaked up on Nie Yong at the end to show goodwill, she also showed that she can be ruthless.
She always sided with those she could profit from. When Nie Yong was looking for trouble with Yang Kai, she never stopped him because Nie Yong had more use than Yang Kai.
If Lan Chudie had reproved Nie Yong severely in the status of a senior sister, he would never have dared to be so dissolute. But she did not, and only Du Yishuang had stood with Yang Kai; an ally that was useless against against Nie Yong. Being abandoned like a worn out slipper, and even being attacked from the shadows would never leave a good feeling.
Yang Kai would never accuse her of anything. Everyone had the right to make their own decisions for their own lives, and others had no right to interfere. Perhaps, in reality, she was indifferent to people she thought were poor and weak, and had a liking for the rich and powerful. If she liked playing up for the powerful, then that’d be entirely her choice.
Yang Kai thought it was best if he didn’t become too close with her, otherwise, he might pay for it sooner or later.
He took out the seeds and tossed the purse into Coiling Dragon Stream.
[Where should I plant these two seeds?] Yang Kai carefully looked around his rocky abode. He couldn’t plant the seeds in here, there was no suitable soil.
Then, Yang Kai suddenly had an idea.
On the side of his cave, there was a large number of Ancient Pine trees, which means there must be soft soil at their roots. If a pine tree could take root here, the Pure Heartseed should as well. Since it is a spirit grass, it had a much stronger vitality.
Moreover, what Spirit Grasses absorbed was World Qi for growth, so they wouldn’t need to contest with the Ancient Pine trees for nutrition.
Yang Kai dropped one drop of Yang liquid on the Pure Heart seeds, but to his surprise, there was no reaction. Only after the second drop did the seed reach its absorption limit.
This was definitely the seed of an Earth Grade high grade spirit grass. He wondered where Lan Chudie obtained these seeds from. Seems like buying it at the price of 1200 silver coins was not a waste after all.
After planting both seeds, Yang Kai sat cross-legged at the entrance of his Cave once again. He closed both eyes and started to revolve the True Yang Secret Art. He cultivated slowly for the first time ever since entering the Qi Transformation Stage.
Without any indication, Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi suddenly began to rebel. Due to the sudden increase in the pressure, his clothes and hair started to dance. He turned pale as a ghost.
With the rebellion of Yuan Qi, Yang Kai’s heart was also filled with rebellious energy. This is a type of energy which he wanted to expend crazily, he wanted to fight someone until he bleeds or draws blood.
In the past, he felt like this only when the indomitable will appeared during fights, but this time, it appeared while practicing his True Yang Secret Art.
This is not because of Yang Kai, or because of the True Yang Secret Art.
It was because of his position in the Qi Transformation Stage!
Just like when Su Yan had mentioned to Yang Kai that the Qi Transformation Stage is a very special boundary for any martial artist.
Martial artists start from Tempered Body, and when they able to use Yuan Qi, they enter the Initial Element Stage. Next, when they break through the Initial Element Stage, they enter the Qi Transformation Stage. By this time, the Yuan Qi accumulated inside the martial artist’s body should already be significantly vast to a degree that many martial artists cannot control completely.
Since they are unable to control it, they are typically met with Yuan Qi rebellion. Usually, martial artists wouldn’t be affected when they are in an ideal condition, or when they aren’t using a large amount of Yuan Qi. However, revolving their respective cultivation techniques would cause the Yuan Qi to behave similarly to what Yang Kai is experiencing now.
It is actually a normal and expected phenomenon.
Because of this phenomenon, the Qi Transformation Stage martial artists tend to have two goals.
First was to continue to accumulate their Yuan Qi, promoting their boundaries and strength; this goal never changed from the norm.
The second goal required the martial artists to control the strength obtained from their promotion, while still accumulating Yuan Qi.
Generally, a martial artist who has just entered the Qi Transformation Stage is unable to control his Yuan Qi completely. When he reaches level seven or eight in the Qi Transformation Stage, he will then be able to exert more control. It was same for Lan Chudie; when she revolved her Yuan Qi, no rebellion in the Qi was produced.
Du Yishuang and Nie Yong were unable to control their Yuan Qi. Although Du Yishuang was level six in the Qi Transformation Stage, her Qi would rebel during battles and produce an unquenchable thirst for blood.
Martial artists in the Qi Transformation Stage are usually hot-tempered and touchy, meaning a higher chance of conflicts arising with others. If two of them are in the Qi Transformation Stage, both of them would likely fight until one or the other is incapacitated or dead.
This boundary had the highest mortality rate.
In this situation, most of the martial artists of the Qi Transformation Stage would try to calm and steady their dispositions as much as possible. They may also take medicinal pills, or even wear secret treasures to calm their nerves and suppress their impulsiveness.
In this stage, the martial artists who cultivate ice type techniques or martial skills generally have superiority over the others. This type of cultivation technique requires the martial artist to have a calm and steady, sometimes even cold personality at its very base, therefore making it easier for them to overcome this hurdle.
Yang Kai figured that when Su Yan was at this stage, she wasn’t as bothered with such issues.
Her heart and mind were already frozen, so how could her Yuan Qi go wild?
The martial artists who are in Qi Transformation Stage promote their Yuan Qi through battle. When they succeed, they are able to control their strength. This stage can affect the natural disposition of a person. Should the said person wins in battle, he will feel satisfaction and a commensurate rise in strength. The loser will likely be doomed to feel depressed and adopt a negative mentality.
The majority of martial artists lose their path in this stage. They become lost in power and enjoy battle and murder, straying from their preset paths.
After the Qi Transformation Stage, martial artists become calm once again. The next stage is called the Separation and Reunion Boundary.
That boundary is quite far for Yang Kai at the moment.
At this moment, after revolving his True Yang Secret Art, Yang Kai felt the strength he obtained in the Qi Transforming Stage, but the Yuan Qi rebellion seemed to not affect him at all.
An ice-cold sensation transmitted from his chest. This effect was due to the pendant gifted to him by Su Yan. This pendant contained Ice Jade Marrow, but he was largely unaffected not because of the Marrow, but because of the golden skeleton inside of him and the Indomitable Will martial arts he had practiced.
After taking his time to become accustomed to this new boundary, he was able to smoothly control his Yuan Qi without any discomfort or difficulty.
The thing that happened in Qi Transformation Stage had exactly the same effects as his martial skill, Indomitable Will, but the feeling was different.
Most people have a difficult time overcoming the hurdle of controlling their Yuan Qi and the new strength they had obtained, but Yang Kai was different; his Yuan Qi settled very quickly after the initial signs of rebellion and was already under control.
Yang Kai thought about it and concluded that it was the Golden Skeleton pulling strings from inside his body. When he uses the Indomitable Will, he may look bloodthirsty but his inner emotions are mostly calm. He never lost his reasoning and was always perfectly aware of what was happening.
This was a major bonus. Of the two things that Qi Transformation Stage martial artists needed time to experience, experiment and control, Yang Kai had already conquered the most important one. The other only required him to accumulate strength over time.
Either ways, sorry for posting this chapter late. I know there are some refresh emperors around waiting for the next chapter. This week is suppose to have 2 more chapters, so I will release them. However, from chapter 162 on wards (yes, it’s also uploaded today), they will be directly hosted on the new site. I won’t share the link yet but don’t worry; you will be able to find the site when the time is right.
Yang Kai fished out the Incense Burner, lighting it so that it would emit an exotic fragrance to help him begin. Sitting cross-legged at the cave entrance, he began to cultivate the True Yang Secret Art. Even if he could easily obtain Yang Liquid from Yang filled objects like a Spirit Fruit or a Yang Stone, he would still cultivate the True Yang Secret Art. By using the exotic fragrance to suppress the speed of his Yuan Qi revolution, he forces his body to adapt to the resistance. Over time, his Yuan Qi will be more capable of revolving faster, which will come in handy during battles, increasing his overall battle strength. It was his plan to suppress his Yuan Qi revolution to train it, only to display its true might in critical situations.
Yang Kai continued to cultivate for two days without moving, aside from when he needed to refill the Incense Burner with the relevant herbs. Although he knew that there would be little improvement to his Yuan Qi flow for this torture, Yang Kai gladly endured anyway and continued to revolve the True Yang Secret Art.
While he revolved without the intention of thinking of her, he would recall Su Yan. The bond they had inside the main hall of the palace within the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance played out in his mind. He could clearly remember her soft, silky tender skin as they slid around on top of each other.
[Why do I continue to recall those moments? Why can’t I stop these memories from resurfacing?] Yang Kai was puzzled as he could not control his own thoughts. He was highly confident with his own willpower to control himself but right now, he could only stop himself from indulging in debauchery.
After two days and nights, Yang Kai, still sitting in meditation suddenly opened his eyes as he carefully listened to his surroundings; a strange look gleamed across his face. He heard a sound coming from nearby, one that is similar to that of a fight, ending off with a scream from shock. Although the scream sounded familiar, it was not clear enough for Yang Kai to recognize. Thus, he hesitated to move. He could hear the sound of pebbles falling, causing his complexion to turn cold as he became vigilant. The pebbles were an obvious indication that someone was moving about above the Cave Mansion.
[I’ve only completed this Cave Mansion two days ago! How can someone already discover it? Who discovered me? The Mansion?!]
As the sound continued to grow louder, Yang Kai’s vigilance slowly turned into that of joy. Without the need of speech, Yang Kai could tell who that person was. It was none other than Su Yan. As she came closer, the Yuan Qi and blood within his body began to stir up, revolving vigorously.
Maybe it was the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art that made him feel this way. After their Yuan Qi fused together, they could detect one another when nearby.
[Didn’t she say that we would meet only once a month? It’s only been ten days and she is already looking for me.] Yang Kai beamed with joy. He passed a message to the Old Demon in his mind, telling him not to return so soon as he gazed at the entrance of the cave with much anticipation.
In a short moment, a graceful pure white form flew in. Before she could land, Yang Kai quickly ran to hug her. Su Yan’s body was warm. Her breasts pasted to Yang Kai’s chest, her fierce palpitating heartbeat beating through to his heart. Under the dim moonlight, Yang Kai could see her beautiful blushing face. With the bun on her head, she looked even more mature, as Yang Kai’s eyes rippled with love as he stared at her in all her glory.
Yang Kai tried to lower his head for a kiss but was quickly interrupted by Su Yan. “Wait!” Su Yan gently pushed Yang Kai away as she strongly suppressed her desire to seek warmth in her lover in front of her.
“Why?” Yang Kai asked with patience.
“I’m not the only person here…” Su Yan awkwardly stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s gaze traveled down Su Yan’s arm. She was carrying someone. He did not even notice before. He could tell that the person was unconscious due to the lack of movement and without Su Yan’s prompting, Yang Kai probably would have never noticed.
“What happened?” Yang Kai could not help but ask as he was so shocked that his brain seemed to stop functioning for a moment. [Why would this come here? Su Yan only visited this place for me.]
“Do you know her?” Su Yan nipped on her red lips. Her face displayed a strange look, mixed with awkwardness and guilt.
“Let me take a look.” Yang Kai stretched his hand out to grab the person, hugging her in his arms.
“Be careful. That person is a girl!” Su Yan reminded Yang Kai, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Yang Kai’s face immediately turned red as Su Yan spoke. When he hugged the body, he brushed the girl’s chest. He didn’t realize initially that he was holding onto a female.
(theunfettedsalmon: to explain if this is confusing, the words ‘Him’ and ‘Her’ have the same exact pronunciation in mandarin/chinese)
“Don’t touch the places you shouldn’t touch!” Su Yan stared at the boy with anger in her eyes.
Yang Kai awkwardly and nervously held out the unknown girl in his embrace. When he took a look at her face, Yang Kai felt as though he was struck by lightning. Yang Kai gawked at her for a long time before being able to speak. “Young Female Apprentice?” He had never expected that the one Su Yan took down was Xia Ning Chang. He also noticed how her back seemed to be familiar.
At this moment, Xia Ning Chang’s eyes were shut. With her face still covered in a thin veil layer, she gently respired. Watching her relaxed expression, Yang Kai knew that she was not injured; simply knocked out.
“What actually happened?” Yang Kai could not piece together anything; the whole thing was a mess. He could accept the fact that Su Yan came over to look for him, but never would he have thought that she’d arrive carrying an unconscious Xia Ning Chang. Suddenly, his mind jolted as he recalled the sounds of combat earlier on. Terrified, Yang Kai stared at Su Yan questioning, “Did you knock her unconscious?”
Su Yan looked away and lowered her head slightly to nod, “I did not injure her. She has been around here for the past few days, waiting. I actually wanted to come here to talk to you, so… I only knocked her out…”
Yang Kai slapped his forehead with his palm, completely robbed of speech. Although Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang are both at the True Element Boundary, Su Yan was a level higher than Xia Ning Chang. If they were to fight, Xia Ning Chang would not be her match. What’s more, Su Yan could knock her out more easily if she did a sneak attack.
Although this was a slightly terrifying matter, it was fortunate that Xia Ning Chang did not have an ill temperament. She would forgive them as long as they explained the whole situation, preventing Meng Wuya from knowing and coming for vengeance. Just the thought of Meng Wuya seeking his blood made Yang Kai drip with sweat.
Su Yan looks at Yang Kai and asked, “She seems to care a lot about you. Did you know?”
“Mhm.” Yang Kai did not try to deny. Holding Xia Ning Chang in his arms, he walked deeper into the cave and placed her on his stone bed. Her sleeping so soundly was a relaxing sight. It was really a blessing that she was not injured, or else they might have to face Meng Wuya’s wrath.
Su Yan silently and calmly looked at her lover.
“It’s already quite late. Do you have any matter that needs my attention?” Yang Kai hugged her in his arms and sat at the side of the stone bed. Su Yan turned her body towards Yang Kai and pursed her lips for a while before answering, “Yes.”
“Were you thinking of me?” Yang Kai could not help but grin.
Su Yan gently nods, causing Yang Kai to make a move. However, she suddenly stuck her hand out to block his mouth and in a stern tone, she recounted, “It’s strange! Normally, whenever I cultivate the Ice Heart Secret Art, my heart turns cold to everything. Nothing in this world is supposed to entangle my heart. But now, whenever I start cultivating, I cannot help but start thinking about you. If I try to suppress it, it would only worsen it!”
“I can’t help thinking about you too!” As the tension grew, Su Yan’s body turned limp as she was no longer capable for revolting against Yang Kai’s advances.
“Let’s just talk about this later…” Yang Kai could not help himself and fell back onto the bed with Su Yan. His hands started to move about dissolutely and gradually, their gasps of breath became heavier. As Yang Kai’s hands continued to explore, the clothes on their body wrinkled, folded and shifted to finally be removed. Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he saw her skin under the moonlight. Her spotless, smooth silky skin, two round and shapely twin peaks emitting a seductive lustre made his eyes glue onto her. As her gentle and fragrant breath followed into his nostril, her beautiful face and trembling eyelids made her even more captivating, as though she was a dream that Yang Kai would never wish to wake up from. Even Su Yan, who seemed to be extremely nervous, was filled with anticipation. This was the goddess that all the disciples of the three sects dreamt of. She was currently underneath Yang Kai, being sampled and tasted by him. Even her face had a kind of attractive glimmer, displaying a completely different demeanour than what she would usually have.
As Yang Kai kissed every inch of Su Yan’s tender skin, her whole body slightly trembled as her hips started to subconsciously move. Her enticing breath got heavier as Yang Kai’s Dantian welled up with heat. After a long time of caressing her skin, Yang Kai could no longer control himself.
Su Yan could finally feel her body being filled. At first, Su Yan felt a little uncomfortable but very quickly; she was engulfed with the pleasant sensation. Trying to control her voice, she placed her hand over her mouth but even then, some of her moans escaped. The cave was soon filled with their soft voices and fragrance.
After the storm, they both snuggled together, too embarrassed to speak.
It was not that they were embarrassed to talk to each other. They were embarrassed by their long indulgence, forgetting that Xia Ning Chang was just lying beside them until they were about to end. All that time, she was only an arm length’s away! It was only fortunate that she was unconscious, allowing both lovers to rejoice but with lingering fear.
Su Yan and Yang Kai did not know why but while they were cultivating, all their attention was focused each other. Their minds did not even concern themselves with Xia Ning Chang. Hugging his beautiful beloved to his chest, Yang Kai spoke, “Su Yan, I think that this problem is only between the both of us…”
“Mhm…” Su Yan nodded slightly, her hair tickling Yang Kai’s chest.
“I believe this is due to the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art. Whenever we try to cultivate, we cannot help but think of each other. Since you have been cultivating, your mind must be filled with thoughts of me!”
Su Yan gently hit Yang Kai’s chest as though blaming him for speaking out so casually.
“I have not been cultivating so much… so my urges are not as strong as yours.” Yang Kai spoke truth. So far, he has been cultivating using the exotic fragrance from the incense. Since the fragrance suppressed his cultivation, the urge from the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art is not as overwhelming on him as it is on Su Yan.
“Evidently, we are doomed to be bound together,” Yang Kai gave a happy smile.
“We cannot leave it like this!” Su Yan spoke out firmly. “As long as we are in close proximity of each other, we can’t help thinking of each other.”
“Well, what do you suggest?”
“We need to suppress it. Entirely. We cannot let the Yin Yang Joyous Unification Art take control of us. We need to be the ones in control of it, not the other way around!” Su Yan spoke with utter determination in her voice. She turned to gently look at Yang Kai, “I know that my decision is cruel to you. My cultivation allows me to suppress my emotions but yours is different. Yang Yuan Qi is simply too vigorous, once you start cultivating it, the urges you will face will be much more intolerable than mine.”
“I know…” Yang Kai nods with a serious look plastered on his face.
“If you truly cannot suppress the urges, you can look to release it with other women,” Su Yan’s long eyelashes slightly shivered but her face remained serious.
“No, I’m not a pervert!” Yang Kai forced a smile.
Su Yan slowly shook her head, “You don’t understand… when the urges emerge, the unbearable pain that occurs without you beside me… I looked for you two days ago, but I noticed Junior Sister Xia hiding nearby. Unable to bear it any further, I knocked her out… I just hope she won’t be angry at me when she wakes up.”
“Is it that bad?” Yang Kai’s brows wrinkled. He was aware of Su Yan’s temperament and willpower. For a pure and cold woman like her to seek him out, she must have truly reached the limit of her endurance.
“It’s overwhelming, both physically and mentally. I couldn’t stop trembling,” Su Yan’s voice turned even sterner, “I understand this, so I’m not against you looking for another woman to deal with your urges.”
Since Yang Kai had not experienced the full effects of this uncontrollable urge, he could not have full assurance to counter its effects. Thus, he did not rebuke.
Su Yan shrunk closer to Yang Kai’s chest as her eyes landed on the female on the other side. “Junior Sister Xia is a good candidate. I believe that she truly cares for you and although her face is covered with a veil, there is no doubt that she is astonishingly beautiful. Furthermore, she’s not weak, not to mention that she’s kind and gentle. You should get closer to her, let her stay in your embrace to comfort you when I’m not here…”
“Please say no more… I fear that the consequences can be direr than you think,” Meng Wuya came into Yang Kai’s mind.
“How would you know?”
Yang Kai explained the whole situation where he had obtained the Nine Yin Dew Crystals at the valley, but he conveniently left out the details about the kiss he had with Xia Ning Chang. It was not that he wished to keep secrets from Su Yan, but he did not want to tarnish the Junior Sister’s reputation.
“I see… So I should also thank her…” Su Yan listened to the story and developed a favourable impression of Xia Ning Chang. Although Yang Kai gave her the Nine Yin Dew Crystals, she still gave Yang Kai a portion.
“When she wakes up, so long as we explain ourselves, she will not place any blame on you,” Yang Kai consoled Su Yan, once again forcing a smile.
“Mhm, I know.”
They hugged each other into the night, chatting about each other’s experiences and personal matters. They did so for four days, then Su Yan got up to get dressed.
“I should leave now,” Su Yan genuinely felt that her departure was always a form of tempering of her mental state as well as a test.
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai pointed to a corner within the cave, to the roots of the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, “Before you leave, deposit some of your True Yuan there.”
“What is this thing?” Su Yan squatted down to look closer at the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng. “It can smile at me! Is this a plant that obtained Heaven Spirituality?”
“It is a Heavenly Spiritual Herb that absorbs Yin and Yang Qi to survive. Since this place contains only Yang Qi, it needs to absorb your Yin Qi to balance it out.”
Su Yan did not hesitate. She stretched out her hand to gently touch the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng and inserted her True Yuan Qi into it. When the Heavenly Spiritual Herb felt the Yin Qi flood into its system, its expression turned even more jovial. Afterwards, Su Yan withdrew her hands, stood up and hugged Yang Kai. She enjoyed his embrace for a short while, then turned around to leave.
As Su Yan was vanishing, Yang Kai suddenly recalled an important matter. He quickly asked, “When will Junior Sister Xia wake up?”
“Dawn.” Su Yan was already distant and fleeting.
Su Yan did not take Xia Ning Chang with her because she wished for Yang Kai to make advances on her while she was unconscious. She would be clueless, free of worries that Yang Kai may have done anything untoward. He could more than easily conceive a lie to convince her to forgive him anyway. Besides, they would be able to communicate better and become closer to one another.
As Su Yan left the Cave Mansion, she stood atop the Coiling Dragon Steam and turned to look back at its entrance. When she realised her actions, Su Yan turned red with shame. She felt guilty and restless at the same time. She thought of herself as a terrible person. She felt like she only looked for Yang Kai when she wishes to vent her lust. After she has had her fill, she contentedly left him. She tried to convince herself that this wasn’t the case, torn apart by its grey area of morality. Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s forehead dripped with sweat as he stood rooted to the ground. He just remembered an important matter which he had completely forgotten: Xia Ning Chang’s unique physique!
Su Yan had told him of the anaesthetics she used on Xia Ning Chang. However, Su Yan does not even have the faintest clue of Xia Ning Chang’s unique physique!
Xia Ning Chang had a Spiritual Medicine Holy Body. She was capable of using her own body and cultivation technique to build up any form of energy into a type of pill. How was it possible that a master of pill-making like her would be drugged by some trivial anaesthetic? Even if she had fallen unconscious from it, she would definitely wake up much earlier than the dawn of today!
Yang Kai sweat like a running tap. His body became stiff as he froze at the entrance of the cave for nearly 2 hours, unable to walk back into the room in which Xia Ning Chang rested to face a certain awkward conversation. In fact, Yang Kai wished to drill himself into the core of the earth to remain hidden from any potential repercussions that involved his humiliation. It took a long time for this feeling to lessen, allowing Yang Kai to make small mechanical movements again. Step by step, Yang Kai slowly inched his way back into the stone chamber.
The stone chamber still kept a moist and fragrant sensation. As Yang Kai moved even closer to Xia Ning Chang, he could very clearly feel her breath being a little heavier than before. This was a subtle change people would normally oversee, but it could no longer be hidden from Yang Kai’s focus.
[This is really awkward…]
Yang Kai wipes the sweat off his forehead and braced himself. He slowly walked to Xia Ning Chang’s side and sat down. She had been lying down without moving a muscle, except for a chest that heaved faintly as she took breaths. Her perfectly petite body was taking up one side of the stone bed. With her slender legs fully extended down accompanied by her green dress, she looked like an exquisite spring plant decoration.
Yang Kai stared at her and did not blink. He noticed that Xia Ning Chang’s breathing had gotten heavier. Her heart was beating faster, washing her cheeks with a light tint of red. Her eyelids subtly quivered.
“Hello…?” Yang Kai sighed as he bent down and approached Xia Ning Chang’s ears. In a soft voice, he calls for her, “Junior Sister Xia… Junior Sister Xia…” but the girl remained motionless; eyes still shut like she was still unconscious.
Yang Kai decided to provoke her and warned her, “I’m going to lift your veil…”
Yang Kai had never seen her full face due to the veil. Even during the kiss at Nine Yin Mountain Valley, she only lifted the veil to an angle to kiss him, maintaining her mysterious appearance. If Yang Kai were to claim that he was not interested in how she looks like, it would be a lie. It was impossible not to be curious, but he was not curious enough to ask her to display it.
Yang Kai slowly reached for the veil. He knew that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
This entire time, Yang Kai had been observing every detail of Xia Ning Chang’s body language and whatever little facial expressions she had; looking out for any minute changes. However, even when the veil was about to be removed, Xia Ning Chang did not resist.
[You can still endure this?!] Yang Kai praised her steely fortitude in maintaining the lie.
After trying more methods to only end up with her still pretending to sleep, Yang Kai let go of her veil and gave a strange grin. “Junior Sister, since you aren’t going to wake up, I would like to, ahem…” Yang Kai purposefully made his last word feel heavier in impact; spoken in a special tone, it was obvious what he meant.
Yang Kai opened up his fingers like claws. He slowly traced them over her lower abdomen as the girl suffered a torturous itch. It was extremely difficult for Xia Ning Chang to control herself. Her body started to wiggle in hair-splitting measures, though they were noticeable. The corners of her mouth tightly sealed to form an obvious arc. Even then, she still refused to open her eyes; she continued acting unconscious.
Yang Kai continued his horrendous torture for a long time before pretending to grope her, only to be ignored once again.
“Alright… it seems that you really are unconscious…” Yang Kai admitted defeat after Xia Ning Chang displayed her unyielding will. The boy sighed faintly, “Junior Sister, sleep well. When dawn arrives we both will hopefully remember nothing…”
Yang Kai walked to the entrance of the cave to sit down in meditation.
Further into the night until dawn, there was no word from her. Yang Kai stood up and walked back to the side of the bed again. Since she had been maintaining this specific straight posture of hers for such a long time, Yang Kai was a little worried her body had become sore, so he altered her position by hand. He then left the cave and climbed out of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
For Yang Kai, he felt at ease now, whether Xia Ning Chan was awake or not. With her pure and kind temperament, he was confident that she would not use the information on him and Su Yan against him.
Within High Heaven Pavilion, when walking towards the Contribution Hall, Yang Kai was welcomingly greeted by Meng Wuya, “Little Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai’s quickly turned pallid as he quickly feigned ignorance. He quickened his movement and hastily disappeared from sight as though he had not heard anything.
“Why was he running?” Meng Wuya thought to himself as his brows wrinkled. He could not recall a time when he had offended the boy for him to behave this way. Yang Kai’s mind was still muddled from last night.
“Greetings, Treasurer Meng!” a big crowd of Heaven Pavilion Disciples saluted Meng Wuya with respect. When he had displayed his strength against the whole Blood Battle Gang sect, everyone understood that they had misjudged this lecherous storekeeper. Before the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance appeared, they would never have shown such respect towards this perverted old man. Everyone had the impression that he was a simple, perverted small storekeeper; but now that his power was well known and out in the open, how could these disciples possibly dare act dissolutely in front of him? They could only hold their breaths as they became as obedient as pets in front of Meng Wuya.
Noticing that Meng Wuya did not pursue him, Yang Kai relaxed. He walked into the Martial Skills Pavilion and saw many people gathering. He stood there and listened for a moment, trying to understand the whole situation.
After the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance incident, many disciples managed to obtain a variety of Martial Skills or Cultivation Techniques. High Heaven Pavilion was interested in collecting these Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques, meaning that Disciples could pass their findings over to the school for Contribution Points in return. Moreover, High Heaven Pavilion was not cheap with their rewards. However, this was not only done by High Heaven Pavilion. Bloody Battle Gang and Storm House both also made similar measure to reel in their Disciples to trade their Martial Skills or Cultivation Techniques.
Although Yang Kai had obtained two different sets of Martial Skills (Burning Sun’s Blast and Star Mark), he did not have the least bit of intention in turning either of them in. This was particularly so for Star Mark, which was his special killing strike!
Yang Kai didn’t mind the idea of exchanging the Burning Sun’s Blast for another Martial Skill from someone else. Unfortunately, the sect did not allow disciples to exchange their Martial Skills with each other in private. When Yang Kai was about to walk off, a cold voice shouted out, “Yang Kai!”
When Yang Kai turned his head to find the source of the voice, his brows slightly furrowed. The man that stopped him was a probably 26 or 27 in age. Yang Kai could recognise him; he was Cao Zhengwen. Several months ago, he ordered that Yang Kai, Li Yuntian and others be thrown into the Forest Prison.
Cao Zhengwen took his hand out from his pocket and started walking at Yang Kai with indifference.
“Senior Brother, what do you have for me?”
Cao Zhengwen snorted. He did not bother to speak and tossed the object in his palms at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai easily caught the thing, which left Cao Zhengwen shocked for words; his lips slightly twitched. He did not expect Yang Kai to eliminate the Dark Energy attached to the object with such ease.
“What is this?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at the thing in his hand. It was a letter.
“A command for your promotion!” Cao Zhengwen said with a serious face, “The Elders have decided to promote you after your breakthrough to the Initial Elemental Stage. By the rules of High Heaven Pavilion, you have the right to be promoted from a Trial Disciple to an Ordinary Disciple.”
Yang Kai’s brows wrinkled, “Promotion?”
“Yes,” Cao Zhengwen nodded. “you have been here for three years stuck in the Tempered Body Stage so your own rank had been reduced to that of a Trial Disciple. However, you have diligently cultivated and broken through to the Initial Element Stage. As such, the Elders have decided that you should have an opportunity to be promoted!”
“An opportunity?” Yang Kai noticed that there was an underlying meaning in Cao Zhengwen’s words.
Cao Zhengwen explained, “As long as you complete the task the Elders Council issues to you, you will be promoted to an Ordinary Disciple. For the High Heaven Pavilion, such a promotion is a great honour for Trial Disciples such as yourself. This opportunity is very rare, so Junior Brother Yang, grasp this opportunity well. As for your promotion, it will depend on your skills and luck.”
“I’m not interested,” Yang Kai waved his hand and tossed the letter of promotion aside.
Cao Zhengwen’s entire complexion changed as he picked the letter back up and fiercely roared, “Yang Kai! This is a command from the Elders’ Council and you dare to reject?!”
“So what about the Elders Council?!” Yang Kai got impatient and rebuked, “I have never asked for a promotion and wish to remain as a Trial Disciple. Do they wish to force the promotion on me in that case?” Yang Kai did not know the content of the task he needed to accomplish but it would certainly not be easy. It was highly possible that he would have to take on exceptional danger to complete it.
“So, you are content with belonging in mediocrity?” Cao Zhengwen grinned with a face filled with ridicule. This promotion should have occurred after Yang Kai was rescued by Su Yan from the Forest Prison. However, even after Su Yan had saved him, he went out to the Nine Yin Valley with Xia Ning Chang, so the promotion delivery was delayed until now, after the matter at the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance.
“My mediocrity is not defined by the likes of you,” Yang Kai’s lips curled up as he walked away from Cao Zhengwen.
“Yang Kai!” Cao Zhengwen roared, attracting unnecessary attention from the High Heaven Pavilion Disciples around, “Do not think that you are the only one who obtained the opportunity in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance and can behave like you own the place! Since you dare to disregard the Elders Council’s command, you will know the consequences personally!”
“Scram!” Yang Kai turned his head and screamed. Immediately, Evil Qi seemed to come out of his face and rushed into Cao Zhengwen, which left him stumped. When he managed to regain his composure, Yang Kai had already disappeared from his sight.
The Disciples in the Martial Skill Pavilion all remained quiet as they watched the scene play out. Everyone was secretly startled at Yang Kai’s declaration of refusal. No one would expect Yang Kai to disregard the Elders Council. This was simply unfathomable to them. They always considered the Elders Council’s words as golden rules that they have to follow regardless of the dangers and difficulties they entail. None of them would have even the slightest inclination of revolting nor resisting in their minds. But just then, they witnessed a Trial Disciple doing something that was unthinkable to them.
[Isn’t this simply disrespecting one’s own virtue? Not having an ounce of respect for one’s elders?] Many of the disciples around looked at Yang Kai with a hint of admiration but were simultaneously denouncing him. They also thought that Yang Kai was content with his own position as a Trial Disciple, hence his refusal of the promotion.
Meanwhile, Cao Zhengwen’s complexion turned pale as he stood in the same place with the letter of promotion in his hand. Although he was annoyed, he also felt empty inside. The Great Elder had personally commanded him to send Yang Kai this letter. His curiosity also got the better of him, so he peeked at the letter. [Task: to travel alone to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Lands to kill a cultivator not lower than your own.]
This task can be classified as both easy and difficult at the same time. In Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Lands, there were innumerable Evil Cultivators. If Yang Kai was lucky to meet a Cultivator that at the same level as himself, the task would be easy. However, he had just as much chance to meet a Cultivator as strong as an Elder, in which case he would probably never leave alive.
Cao Zhengwen thought that Yang Kai would accept the task. He would have never thought that Yang Kai would be brave enough to refuse an Elders Council command in front of so many Disciples. How was he going to tell them that he failed such a simple mission? He did not move for a long time, instead, he pondered in the crowd only to finally leave the scene while clenching his teeth bitterly.
Yang Kai’s mood was not much better as well. Meeting Cao Zhengwen this early in the morning After the meeting with Cao Zhengwen early in the morning, his complexion also turned cloudy.
[If he didn’t send me here, I would not have bothered to travel so far. Why did he have to send me here? What relationship does he have with the High Heaven Pavilion that makes him want to send me here?]
After spending three years in High Heaven Pavilion and seeing the fickleness and cruelty of the people here, Yang Kai felt out of place. At the moment, the only thing that made him feel warm was only Su Yan. As his thoughts continued to wander, he also thought of Xia Ning Chang. [That’s right, there’s also Junior Sister who gives me that sense of warmth too…]
While walking in deep thought, someone rushed towards him, leaving behind a trail of fragrance in her wake as she shouted out, “Junior Brother Yang!” Yang Kai’s thoughts were interrupted as he turned his head around to see Lan Chudie.
Although her dealings within the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance were not pleasant nor favourable to him, she never provoked him. They also spent time together as a team. Yang Kai replied, “Senior Sister Lan!”
Lan Chudie smiled as her voluminous chest heaved up and down as she gasped for breath. As though she had placed all that have occurred in Heaven’s Cave Inheritance behind her, she looked at Yang Kai and spoke, “I thought that you wouldn’t care about me anymore.”
“There’s no such thing, senior Sister. I will always take you into consideration,” Yang Kai smiled back.
Lan Chudie’s eyes lit up as she continued to stare at Yang Kai, “I was wrong when we were inside the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, but could you do me a favour as your Senior Sister and not mention my mistakes in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance?” Lan Chudie was an intelligent woman who spoke without any reservation. She was talking about the matters in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. She wished to come clean with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was not such a mean spirited person to hold such matters over her head even if she did not remind him. However, when she apologised, he could not help but feel the bad impression she left him diminish a little. He maintained his friendly smile as he shook his head, “Senior Sister, I thought you were going to talk to me about something more serious.”
“Junior Brother, when you put it that way, I feel at ease.” Lan Chudie patted her chest, displaying a relaxed expression as though she had let go of a heavy load in her heart. However, her brows suddenly wrinkled as a cord struck within her. “Junior Brother, were you a little too rash to decline the Elders Council’s command? You might bring yourself a lot of trouble.”
“Cao Zhengwen has already said that I am content with being a mediocre person. Since I am content, why bother changing anything?”
Before Lan Chudie could continue their short-lived conversation, Yang Kai abruptly interrupted her as she opened her mouth to speak, “I’m not feeling so good to speak with anyone today. I’m sorry, excuse me and goodbye.”
Lan Chudie was startled but nodded with a smile. She could tell from Yang Kai’s wrinkled brows, he was serious. Although he spoke in a gentle tone, it was likely that if she continued to pester him, he would be weary of their conversation.
After he said farewell to Lan Chudie, Yang Kai returned to his Cave Mansion. He found that Xia Ning Chang had vanished and knew that she had departed. When he continued to look around, he found two new bonsai trees placed here. The bonsai tree seemed familiar and Yang Kai remembered where he saw them; it was by the Contribution Hall’s counter. These bonsai were being taken care of by Meng Wuya, but they were moved here by Xia Ning Chang.
Meanwhile, a huge wave of gossip was spreading in the High Heaven Pavilion. Back at the place where the Great Elders gathered, Cao Zhengwen explained the frustrating situation in the morning to Wei Xitong, causing him to choke on his tea.
“Did he really reject it?” The Great Elder had thought of countless possibilities for Yang Kai to respond but he had never expected the boy to decline.
“Yes…” Cao Zhengwen resentfully and awkwardly replied. “He did not only reject. He dared to slander the Elders Council’s dignity in front of so many Disciples. Great Elder, perhaps after being fortunate enough to obtain a strong Martial Skill and displaying it within Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, he became arrogant. Otherwise, would he have the guts display such disrespect? This person must be punished for his insolence, else others would follow his example.”
“Shut up!” Wei Xi Tong pounded the table and glared at Cao Zhengwen, “How dare you report back to us without completing your own task? Did you even try to force him?”
Cao Zhengwen’s mind became vacant as he could not understand the thoughts of the Great Elder. [Why would I wish to bully someone like that? Wouldn’t I make myself look bad? Likewise, when he rejects, isn’t it better? You could always take this opportunity to teach him a lesson. Great Elder, I simply don’t understand why you are going through so much trouble for him.] Cao Zhengwen was confused, but he stayed silent for fear of worsening the Great Elder’s mood any further.
“Go! Do anything to make him accept the command! He must accept it, even if you have to kneel!” Wei Xitong growled in a low voice.
Cao Zhengwen was left startled. [I’m supposed to kneel down to beg him to accept the command?!]
“What are you waiting for?!” the Great Elder slammed his palm against the table, kicking up a dust cloud.
“Yes!” Cao Zhengwen hastily replied as he immediately retreated away.
Meanwhile, the Second Elder of High Heaven Pavilion, Su Xuan Wu, sat crossed-legged on the ground in front of a checkerboard filled with black and white pieces. The black was on the offensive; viciously attacking the white, but the white pieces had defences that held up, seemingly impenetrable. It was a tense match that seemed to eventually result in a draw unless one side made a mistake.
After he listened to a disciple report the incident, Su Xuan Wu could not help but reveal a strange look as he asked, “He refused?”
The disciple explained, “Yes. He flagrantly and superciliously rejected it!”
Su Xuan Wu did not know how to react, but he finally laughed, “Rejection is good! Rejection is very good! Elder Brother, it would be stupid of him to lift a boulder to drop on his own foot.”
It was on the same day Treasurer Meng took the Sect Master’s Jade Pendant, acquiring the same authority of the Sect Master to transmit an order to the Elders Council when Yang Kai was supposed to be promoted to an Ordinary Disciple. This was set up by Wei Xitong as a method to probe Yang Kai’s ability. However, he would have never expected himself to be humiliated; being rejected by Yang Kai so overtly. Such reaction from Yang Kai made Su Xuan Wu rather joyous.
“Second Elder, shouldn’t we do something? Yang Kai’s refusal is sure to bring him trouble,” The Disciple asked.
“No!” Su Xuan Wu shook his head, “We do not need to do anything. All we need to do is watch how things play out.”
“Yes,” the Disciple was perplexed but did not refute the Elder.
“Wei Xitong, oh Wei Xitong. I wonder how you will break this to the Sect Master.” Filled with confidence, Su Xuan Wu released a white piece on his hand and placed it on the board. When the piece made contact, it seemed as though a small white dragon had ripped through the attacking black in an overwhelming counterattack!
Yang Kai, who cooped up inside the Cave Mansion did not know about the clamour he had caused. Currently, he was calmly sitting crossed-legged at the Cave’s entrance. After one full day, he summoned the Old Demon. In a mere second, Black Qi flew from the Coiling Dragon Stream, vanishing into Yang Kai’s body, away from sight. “Did you discover anything?” Yang Kai asked.
“This Old Servant dares not to go too deep. I merely travelled down 333 meters and absorbed some Demon Qi. Young Master, I did not discover anything but as long as I restore some of my strength, I will search the place thoroughly.” The Old Demon’s voice sounded off.
Yang Kai nodded and squatted down in front of the Yin-Yang Monster Ginseng. He placed his hand on the herb and caressed it, injecting one drop of Yang Liquid into it. “You continue to absorb the Yang Qi from here, but remember that if you see anyone except for those two girls who have been here before, run. You understand me right?”
The Yin-Yang Monster Ginseng’s seemed to express understanding.
“Young Master, are you going somewhere?” the Old Demon could not help but ask.
“Yes. You and me both, we are going to go for a walk…”
“That is only natural,” The Old Demon was not surprised, “Young Master, if you ever meet anyone that you wish to kill, do not hesitate. The Soul Breaker Awl that your Old Servant made has already lost its intelligence. It needs the Immortal Soul of a person to for it to be restored to what it once was. Once the Soul Breaker Awl is fixed, you can use it to dominate this world!”
Yang Kai showed a faint smile, obviously hinting that he was not misled by the delusions spoken by the Old Demon. He was considering whether to leave. Firstly, after having rejected the Elders Council Command, Yang Kai knew that there was going to be trouble. There was also the problem with Su Yan. The Joyous Unification Double Cultivation was keeping her from controlling her own mind. If he continued staying in the High Heaven Pavilion, her desires and emotions will continue to well up, eventually making her lose all self-control again. He thought that if he leaves, he would force her to suppress those urges, allowing her cultivation of Ice Heart Secret Art to regain its effectiveness.
Yang Kai also remembered how pathetic his strength level is compared to Su Yan. Such disparity gave him discomfort remaining in the High Heaven Pavilion; he wished to quickly surpass her and to overcome the Qi Transformation Stage. He couldn’t sit here and meditate; he needed to pass through the trials and tribulations of life and death.
Yang Kai left behind a letter and took the opportunity of the night to escape. Above, on a treetop, a person stood balanced and observed. Due to the darkness, her presence went unnoticed. She did not move nor make any sound, all she did was silently stare at Yang Kai. As the cold night’s wind stroked her face, the thin veil fluttered about, revealing beauty capable of bringing empires and countries down to their knees.
For a long time, she continued to stare until an old voice filled with frustration and love called for her. “It’s getting late. Don’t stay up too late.”
Xia Ning Chang hugged both of her arms, feeling somewhat cold.
Yang Kai did not have plans when leaving the High Heaven Pavilion. He simply chose the path he wished to take and ran at full speed. With a trail of flames under his feet, Yang Kai moved at lightning speed away from the Sect. In a night, he managed to travel 100-150 kilometers. Throughout his run, Yang Kai was immersed in the surroundings. He could sense the change in Yuan Qi within his legs. Whenever he tried to increase his speed, he could sense Yuan Qi in his legs bottling up, the reason of which he wished to thoroughly understand.
When he was in the Nine Yin Mountain Valley, Yang Kai had vague awareness in his ability to use his Yuan Qi to increase speed. After using this Step Technique in Heaven’s Cave inheritance, Yang Kai knew of its importance and strengths. Unfortunately, he only had a rough and unclear understanding of the Technique. His Yuan Qi would fluctuate whenever he used it, causing his speed to stutter.
Yang Kai had realised when he fought Long Hui, who used Step Techniques to avoid Yang Kai’s attacks and mocked him whilst in battle that the power of his Martial Skill is important. Similarly, skills that increase his speed to approach the opponent are equally vital. It would improve his combat ability by a significant amount, allowing him to more easily deal with opponents.
With all his Martial Skills right now, Yang Kai was lacking heavily in a Step Technique. Unfortunately at the Qi Transformation Stage, creating his own Step Technique was an impossible task and Yang Kai was well aware of that, but right now he was practicing his Yuan Qi manipulation by running. He was trying to find a way to improve his speed. He wished to minimise the consumption of Yuan Qi and increase his speed altogether through a deeper understanding. Although such practice will not result in creating something extremely powerful and was ineffective for others to practice, it was still useful to him.
Powerful Martial Skills are created from strong cultivators’ concentration of understanding and awareness. As he continued to dip himself into his senses, he displayed confusion. His soul seemed to be missing from his body, although his feet continued to work away. He would dash ahead for dozens of kilometers to the east before changing directions to face the south. Time passed quickly and he continued heading west and then north. Overcoming the mountains, every slope caused his speed to fluctuate. Occasionally, he would collide with a tree or run into a puddle, resulting in muck, dirt, and mud all over him, his clothes tattered from the damage. Being the unrelenting young hero, Yang Kai paid no heed to his external appearance or injuries. The only thing that would stop him was physical exhaustion, something that never lasted for a long time. While he rested, he would eat heartily. After regaining his energy, he would resume his aimless journey again.
The Old Demon watched him repeat this cycle, shock overtaking his body. With his own experience and knowledge, he was surprised that Yang Kai could concentrate that deeply. A mere Qi Transformation Stage Cultivator to engross himself in such heavy activity as though he was one with the world was nothing short of enigmatic to the Old Demon.
Although the Old Demon admired Yang Kai’s abilities, he still had some doubts. Yang Kai’s strength was still too low, so even if he was able to immerse and sense something, it was impossible for him to obtain or understand anything too profound.
Even the Old Demon himself would prefer Yang Kai to do something else. Instead of running around like a madman, Yang Kai should simply find a place to build up a Flight Secret Treasure. With a Flight Secret Treasure, there was no need to run. He took into account Yang Kai’s personality, so the Old Demon could not find the courage to voice his opinion. After all, with Yang Kai’s disdain towards Evil Techniques, the Old Demon could not possibly propose his refinement method of smelting human bones and sealing deceased souls to build a Flight Secret Treasure.
After more than 10 days, Yang Kai had run a great distance in total. Although he did not make any progress in understanding the profound Step Technique, Yang Kai managed to unintentionally improve his control in Yuan Qi. In the past, whenever his speed increased, Yang Kai’s feet would produce flames but now, the usual trail of fire no longer appeared, allowing the environment to remain unperturbed. Additionally, the minimal Yuan Qi fluctuation could be felt now whenever he used the Step Technique.
Whenever there were traces of Yuan Qi rebellion, it will gradually calm, seemingly returning back to the stage before Yang Kai got promoted.
More days continued to pass without much incident. Yang Kai’s dashing speed began to slow down, comparable to a stroll. When his mind entered a trance again, he suddenly appeared 3 meters away. The odd state continued as Yang Kai’s appearance remained muddled, appearing back at his original position, 3 meters behind. It was as if he had never taken a step forward, continuing to stroll. This bizarre situation occurred once more later on. It was similar to him blinking back and forth.
Over the course of the next few mundane days, Yang Kai continued to immerse himself experimenting. He continued to blink back and forth and finally, he managed to blink 100 meters away. This accomplishment made was good, but it made Yang Kai look ruddy as he panted for breath. Nevertheless, his lips quickly twisted into a smile.
Taking the best opportunity to speak, the Old Demon decided to catch Yang Kai in a good mood and spoke, “Congratulations Yang Master! To be able to create one’s own Step Technique, you have truly displayed your formidable might and knowledge. I cannot help but admire!”
“There’s no need to flatter,” Yang Kai lightly grinned, “I would like to hear your opinion of my Step Technique.”
The Old Demon hesitated as he opened his mouth to speak, “Young Master, would you rather listen to the truth or a lie?”
“Let’s listen to your lie first.”
The Old Demon coughed out and spoke, “This Step Technique is unparalleled in this world. The world has never seen such a wonderful Step Technique. It is so graceful that it makes me ashamed of myself. Such an exquisite step Technique has truly left me speechless.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “What you said truly sounds like a terrible lie. Alright, now speak the truth.”
The Old Demon sternly exposed, “Young Master, with your current boundary in the Qi Transformation Stage, being able to create a Step Technique has left me in awe. However, this Step Technique is not complete. What you are feeling now is simply the rough sketch of the whole thing. If you fight with a cultivator with the same rank as you, you would certainly not have much of a problem. However, it is hard to use this Step Technique on a cultivator who surpasses you in terms of strength. Furthermore, this Step Technique is only suitable for short distance travel, not long ones. From my observation, you can only use this Step Technique seven times before reaching your limit.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgment. Because of his present cultivation level, he was unable to sense and uncover the more profound abilities of this Step Technique. Having created his own step technique has already left him satisfied. Yang Kai decided to wait for his strength to grow again before practicing any further. He also managed to learn how to hide his Yuan Qi fluctuation. Now, Yang Kai could appear no different from an average person.
Yang Kai was glad that he escaped the High Heaven Pavilion. It was worth it considering he’s earned some benefits already.
“How many days has it been since I left?” Yang Kai asked.
“35 days,” The Old Demon answered.
Although it has been over a month, Yang Kai felt like time barely passed. He would never expect his immersion to last so long. It was fortunate that his Dantian contained many drops of Yang Liquid, thanks to Xia Ning Chang’s bottle of Medicine Pills. Otherwise, what he has achieved so far may not be possible.
[35 days have passed… I wonder how’s Su Yan doing right now…]
Although Yang Kai was worried about Su Yan, he had faith in her. Su Yan was more resilient than regular women. The only reason for her inability to control herself previously was because of his presence in High Heaven Pavilion, causing the desires to well up in her heart. Now that Yang Kai was no longer there, she should have an opportunity to focus fully on resisting the Double Cultivation influence.
[I believe in her. She will definitely succeed, and the next time we meet, she will certainly be improved by leaps and bounds. After all, the Ice Heart Cultivation Technique requires her mental state, body and environment to cultivate efficiently. In the state she is in now, there is no doubt that her cultivation will be much faster…]
“Where am I?” Yang Kai looked around, unsure of his own location after 30 consecutive days of running. He could only guess that he was very far away, at least far enough from High Heaven Pavilion.
In his confused state, Yang Kai noticed creaking and rolling in the distance. His ear twitched in the source’s direction as he turned to have a look.
Yang Kai calmly stood silently in place as he watched a group of carriages from afar appears in his sight. Altogether, there were 3 carriages being pulled by horses and accompanying the convoy was a group of men, riding tall and strong horses. These men were strongly built and each of them rested a hand on the hilts of the sheathed swords attached to their hips. It was obvious that they were Martial Artists that practiced the art of the sword.
Standing on the roadside, Yang Kai caught the attention of the Martial Artist guards. They were all cautious of him, but Yang Kai showed little care for their wariness. He remained calm and stood there, still watching.
After a month of training, Yang Kai would not manage if he tried to restrain all the Yuan Qi within his body. Since these Martial Artists were not cultivators of the same or higher level than Yang Kai, it was impossible for them to understand the depth of his strength. A few minutes pass and the Martial Artists’ worries faded.
Abruptly, a middle-aged man leading the group yelled out, “Little beggar, get out of the way now!”
The man’s hostility immediately furrowed Yang Kai’s brows. He reluctantly stepped back to clear their path. Yang Kai had actually wished to ask for directions, but such hostility repelled him from doing so. He decided that causing any further friction was unnecessary.
The horses neighed as the carriages passed. Intriguingly, Yang Kai noticed that the middle carriage left deeper tracks than the others; it seemed like the prime suspect as storage for the more expensive goods. Meanwhile, a pair of bright, feminine eyes, peeped at Yang Kai from the rear carriage. He realized that the last carriage probably contained women.
After the carriages passed, Yang Kai stepped back onto the main road and followed the convoy. It was certain that it would lead him to somewhere populated. Since he was currently unaware of his exact location, he figured that he might as well just follow the carriages to a place of inhabitance. Before he could even take several steps behind, his complexion sank. A familiar man split off from the group and galloped towards him. This man was the same middle-aged person who roared at Yang Kai just moments ago. [What is he planning to do? Make me go away by force?] Yang Kai sneered in his mind. He was confident in his strength and skill, thus he stopped on the spot, awaiting a clash.
The middle-aged man pulled the reins, restraining the horse from crashing into Yang Kai. The large hooves soared towards the sky as it uttered a loud neigh.
The middle-aged man expressed impatience in his voice, “Little beggar, you should thank your good luck and fortune. Our family’s young lady is well-mannered and has a good heart. She said she was worried about the dangers of the wilderness, fearing robbers, bandits, and other wild animals killing you off. Her worries have forced us to give you our protection as well.”
The middle-aged man stepped off his horse and started searching Yang Kai’s body. He then grabbed Yang Kai by the collar and lifted the youth up. Although Yang Kai wished to resist, he understood that the man’s intent was not hostile, though he could definitely stand to be more well-mannered.
The veteran guard secured Yang Kai behind him on the horse. He then kicked the horse and they raced back to the group, where he threw Yang Kai into the air and smiled and yelled, “Old Man Wu, catch!”
At the front of the first carriage sat an old man; he was the cart driver, horsewhip curled in hand. He caught Yang Kai without looking and gently brought him down to the seat. It was amazing that the man’s fluid movements all took place while the carriage was still in motion.
[This old man is at least a True Element Boundary Cultivator!] Yang Kai was shocked at Old Man Wu’s sight. Although the True Element Boundary was nothing particularly special – especially in the High Heaven Pavilion with people like Su Yan and Xie Hongchen cultivating to that stage at a young age. It was possible due to their family background and influence. Outside of sects and clans, people in the Separation and Reunion Boundary had the power to rule over small towns. Naturally, cultivators in the True Element Boundary were highly regarded.
Old Man Wu was motionless. His eyes stared downwards and his face was filled with wrinkles as though he was almost meeting death. He took up a bottle from his side and conveniently passed it to Yang Kai.
“Many thanks, venerable,” Yang Kai took a swig, but he immediately spurted it out.
The several Martial Artists riding on horses burst out laughing, “Old Man Wu, do you wish to kill him that drink of yours? Even we would never touch it!”
In reality, Yang Kai spat it out because this was his first experience with alcohol. He was taken aback by the burning sensation that the drink left in his throat. Knowing that he would never enjoy such a drink, Yang Kai returns the bottle of liquor to the Old Man, “I’ll have to pass it back to you…”
Old Man Wu took a sip and his face seemed to fill with vigour. Glowing with health again, he drove even more skillfully.
Given a free ride and shelter out of kindness, Yang Kai just tranquilly sat beside Old Man Wu. There was barely any conversation throughout the journey. Yang Kai only looked forward to getting off in a nearby town before separating from the group.
The carriage travelled slowly so as to ensure that the women do not get too weary from the trip. By dusk, they had covered about 35 to 40 kilometres.
Before the faint lingering light of the Sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the carriages stopped to find a suitable place for a fire. Once the campfire was set up, the crowd of more than 30 Martial Artists began to perform their respective roles. Some of them would scavenge for food and others would help with the fire. Very soon, the area was filled with a mouth-watering aroma from the meals they had prepared. Meanwhile, Yang Kai got down and performed a little exercise, appreciating and consolidating what he had learned from the 35-day trance.
Not long after, the third carriage door opened up and three people alighted. When Yang Kai turned to look, he saw a 30-year-old beauty with a bountiful chest; her thin stature and white jade skin further enhanced her infinitely graceful bearing. By this woman’s side were two other young women, both of whom seemed to be 10 years younger than the older beauty. One of them was dressed up as a servant but had a pair of charming eyes. She was supporting the other young lady by the arm.
From the appearance of this young lady, she is definitely related to the middle-aged woman. Yang Kai imagined that she must be considered the family’s treasure, with her graceful pose and beautiful appearance. Although she could not compare to the Su Yan or the Hu Sisters, she would still be considered gorgeous widely, especially in her exquisite flower-embroidered dress.
Yang Kai could sense the intense gazes of the Martial Artists from the fire directed at the three women.
The beautiful woman, the delicate and gorgeous young lady, accompanied by the charming maid… Those three was an extraordinary sight that easily captured the attention of men.
Noticing Yang Kai’s insisting glare, the maid tenderly scolds, “What are you looking at? Avert your gaze or I will dig your eyes out!”
Although her tone was fierce as she reprimanded so openly, it was not only targeted at Yang Kai. The Martial Artists retracted their invasive ogling. Meanwhile, Yang Kai coughed awkwardly and looked away as well.
“Cui’er,” the young lady spoke with a soft voice.
Cui’er gave a discontented mumble as she held onto the young lady’s arm, arriving with the middle-aged woman to their resting spot.
When the meal was served, the Martial Artists all crowded around while the three women continued sitting together. Only Yang Kai the bystander was left alone. The young boy sat on one side, seemingly pitiful. When the middle-aged woman and young lady noticed him, they whispered to Cui’er. The maid nodded and approach Yang Kai with food in her hands. “Little beggar, here’s your food.”
Yang Kai accepted the kind gesture and reached out his hand to receive the meal.
Cui’er’s charming face broke out into a smile, a powerful contrast from the fierce devil she was before. She squatted down and mentioned softly, “Don’t be angry. I wasn’t scolding you just now.”
Yang Kai’s brows wrinkled, “Wait, what did you call me?”
He had felt strange that the middle-aged men called out a Little Beggar during the daytime. He thought it was merely a mistake but to hear it from Cui’er as well only poked his curiosity.
Cui’er pursed her lips as it curved upwards; her eyes wandered as she spoke, “Aren’t you a young beggar?”
“Me, a beggar?” Yang Kai realized that their impression of him was more than a joke.
When Yang Kai looked down, he saw that his apparel was messy and tattered, smeared with dirt, scratches, and tears. He would look like a little beggar to other people too.
Cui’er seemed happy as she fished out a small bronze mirror and passed it to Yang Kai, “Have a look at yourself. Don’t you look like a beggar right now?”
Yang Kai took a glimpse and held his breath. [This is what I look like right now?] His hair looked like a chicken coop. Several strands were stuck together in a disorderly fashion. With the dirt all over his body including his clothes, he definitely looked like a beggar.
During his deep comprehension of the Step Technique, he could recall vaguely that he collided with many trees and fell into several ponds.
Cui’er took the mirror back with a delighted expression and asked a question out of the blue, “Little beggar, where did you come from? How did you manage to wander so far into the wilderness?”
Yang Kai ill-humouredly replied, “I actually travel around to beg. I don’t really know where I came from.”
“That’s so sad…” Cui’er sighed woefully. Although she wished to help clean Yang Kai, she did not wish to smear her hand with dirt. Instead, she only frowned.
“It’s a pity that I don’t have any extra clothes for you to wear… It will be much colder after nightfall in the autumn. If only we had a few sets extra just to keep you warm enough…” Cui Er looked at Yang Kai with sympathy after realizing that he only had frail and tattered clothing on. Worst of all, he was skinny to the bones, his ribs visible and his belly almost concave.
Even with the dirt smeared all over his face, Cui Er could tell that Yang Kai was young from his delicate features and bright, youthful eyes. [To think that such a young man has to endure hunger and coldness… how pitiful…] Cui Er thought.
Her words brought warmth into Yang Kai’s heart. With a pale smile, he spoke, “It’s okay.”
“Alright… If you are still hungry, there is plenty of food over there. Don’t have to be afraid to take more. No one will complain.” Cui Er stood up and walked back to the two ladies to continue to serve them.
After a night of silence, a new day arose. At the break of dawn, the carriages began to move once more. During the past two days, Yang Kai would sit next to Old Man Wu’s side in the morning, watching the old man whipping the horses, skilfully augmenting their speed at will. When it was break time, Cui Er, the maidservant, would come over to have a chat with him.
Yang Kai would manage to figure out their approximate location from his conversation with Cui Er. They were about three days’ distance away from a place called Sea City, which was their destination. These groups of people were also originally from the Tong Province and had some authority over there. However, less than half a year ago, the Master of the house died and the Madame of the house was currently leading the Young Lady to the Sea City to meet her late husband’s best friend. As for the exact reason to why they were travelling, Cui Er refused to share anymore; it was obvious that she did not dare to reveal too much. Nonetheless, the information he had gathered was useful enough.
[No one would be so willing to leave their home, their native land, particularly a widowed mother and her daughter. To travel so far, taking the unnecessary risk and worry, it had to be their last resort. Otherwise, why would they ever make this decision? The House Master must have offended many people in the Tong Province. After his death, the Madame and Young Lady must have had no choice but to escape to another region, now that they did not have anyone to rely on.]
The number of martial artists travelling together with them further solidified Yang Kai’s guess. According to Cui Er, half of these martial artists were trained by the House Master. After his passing, they took the effort to escort their late Master’s wife and child. Once they have completed their mission, they plan on returning to the Tong Province to look for new jobs.
During their travel, they encountered numerous bandits along the road. However, even in such strong company, they were lucky to lose nothing.
Yang Kai tried to inquire about Sea City, but since Cui Er had not visited the place, she did not know much. The only things she knew came from the Madame’s mouth, that the place was a coastal city, with scenery unavailable to those who lived further inland.
[So, it’s a coastal city!] Yang Kai was curious to know the great distance he had travelled using his Step Technique. Without it, he would have never come so far. When he heard that they were close to the Sea, he knew that he had travelled all the way to the southern edge of the Great Han Dynasty – on the border of the Endless Sea. This was further affirmed by Cui Er’s remark that Sea City was at the southernmost border of the Great Han Dynasty.
Yang Kai welled up with anticipation as magical images were conjured in his mind. He continued to travel alongside the carriages.
Although he remained in the messy state, he did nothing to fix it. [The first impression is always the strongest. Since they already have a preconceived notion of me being a Little Beggar, I should try to avoid suspicion by suddenly becoming presentable.]
After spending the second day next to Old Man Wu observing the movements of the carriage, he came to the realisation that this old man’s horse whipping skill produced an indescribable charm.
The whipping wasn’t too loud yet wasn’t too strong, but it was sufficient enough to spur the horses on. Taking into account Old Man Wu’s cultivation level of the True Element Boundary and his age, it was obvious that this whipping action had as much to do with his achievements as it did his understanding of martial arts.
Taking notice of such details, Yang Kai also coincidentally realised that his whipping action, embedded with martial arts knowledge, had some unexpected similarities with his knowledge gained from the Movement Technique he was practising a few days ago.
Throughout the journey, Old Man Wu continued doing the same thing. He would frequently fling the whip, and occasionally take a gulp of his strong liquor. Meanwhile, he would simply sit on the cowl in silence.
The carriages always stopped in the evening.
As usual, Yang Kai would separate himself from the crowd, finding his own secluded corner to sit in. While idling about, he pulled the weeds from the ground. After all, no one in their right mind would prefer a beggar’s company. With the entire group of martial artists despising him, it was obvious that Yang Kai could only ride with them on account of the Young Lady’s benevolence.
Moments later, the sound of soft footsteps approached him from behind. Yang Kai did not need to turn his head to know who it was.
“Hey there, Little Beggar,” The servant Cui Er called out to him.
Yang Kai responded with a feigned smile while rubbing his forehead, “I’ve already told you my name… can’t you call me by that?” [Calling someone a little beggar isn’t really pleasant to hear…]
“You little brat!” Cui Er’s eyes displayed irritation as she presented two chestnuts to the boy, indicating he had to peel the shells himself. [This girl would often come out to share some snacks with me. I don’t understand… doesn’t she find my appearance and poor beggar status to be appalling?]
With that boggling question in mind, Yang Kai asked Cui Er and understood that she once had a younger brother. When she was younger, she along with her brother were beggars as well. Her brother was unfortunate enough to starve to death while she managed to live and was eventually provided shelter by the Madame. Yang Kai was the same age as her brother before he died, so Cui Er had a soft spot for him.
“So, you stole this food from the Young Lady’s family?” Yang Kai rolled his eyes.
Cui Er stared at him in the eye and rebuked, “Steal?! I’ll have you know that the Young Mistress treats me exceptionally well! This was given to me by the Young Mistress herself! Naturally, since she gave it to me, I can share it with anyone I want.”
“So, why aren’t you there beside her taking care of her?” Yang Kai opened up the chestnut and chucked it into his mouth.
“Both the Young Mistress and the Madame are exhausted from the journey. They said they needed to rest, so I excused myself.” Cui Er replied and she closed one of her eyes while questioning Yang Kai, “Little Beggar, where will you go once we reach Sea City?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know. I will probably just walk in any one direction from there.”
The corner of Cui Er’s lips perked up. “While it may sound pleasant to hear at first, aren’t you simply going to go around begging with a broken bowl in the end? I understand how it is since I’ve done it in the past…”
Yang Kai gave a smile in response without any further explanation.
“How about this: once we reach Sea City, why don’t you join us? We do actually have a need for some servants. I can tell that you are quite smart and having a young male servant around isn’t too bad. What do you say? With me to support you, the Young Mistress and Madame will definitely not have an issue with taking you in. After working for a while, perhaps you can find a good wife someday with the wealth you may accumulate with us!” Cui Er misleadingly tried to convince Yang Kai.
[Her fresh and open perspective on things is very charming… not to mention, she’s quite a beauty as well. Accompanied with the ambiguous expressions she gives while we talk, she becomes even more attractive…] Yang Kai cut into Cui Er’s speech with a compliment, “If I can get a wife like you, it would be my fortune.”
Cui Er covered her mouth and chuckled, “You really have something wrong in your head, don’t you? You truly get what you deserve, being a beggar for life. Now that I think about it, it’s best I reconsider letting a wolf into the house…”
“You must seriously consider,” Yang Kai gave a serious look, though he had already decided that he would not join her. Coming all the way out here, he wished to further explore and learn. He simply could not settle down with the girl’s family as their young servant right now. However, it was best if he could avoid explaining himself and Cui Er rejects him.
“Alright then. I’ll stop spouting nonsense at you. I have never seen a beggar like you with such a glib tongue,” Cui Er gave Yang Kai an angry glance and stood up. “We will arrive at Sea City tomorrow, so rest well tonight. I’m tired right now, so I won’t be helping you to fill your bowl with rice.”
Yang Kai nodded. For the past few days, whenever it was meal time, Cui Er would help him take the food out of fear that he would get bullied by the martial artist guards around.
Yang Kai gazed at Cui Er as she entered the third carriage. Once she was gone, he took the weed in his hands to find the feeling he noticed from Old Man Wu’s technique (Whipping Technique).
After a long time, the food was finally done. A yell signalled that the meal is ready. The warriors around began to gather to receive their portion. Yang Kai also stood up and walked towards the pick-up point but within a few steps, he was blocked by a familiar person. Taking a glimpse at his face, he recognised him as the middle-aged veteran guard who carried him a few days back. The man was staring at him coldly.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai brows furrowed while he asked.
“Get lost. Tonight, there will be no food for you!” the middle-aged man snarled in a low and infuriated tone while his glare continued. Now, his gaze seemed to hold disdain for Yang Kai and carried a hint of threat within.
The corners of Yang Kai’s lips rose into a sneer as he continued to calmly look at the middle-aged man.
“Those eyes of yours aren’t bad,” The middle-aged man slightly nods, “But if you would like to seek death, I will be glad to help.”
Yang Kai did not continue the conversation, instead of turning around and sitting back down. He did not wish to incite any conflict with these people. He was already given shelter and a free ride. Cui Er herself has treated him really well thus far too. There was no need to cause more trouble over a simple meal. It was only one night void of dinner, it was not like he would starve to death.
“It seems that you are at least smart enough,” The middle-aged man snorted.
Yang Kai thought that he may have been overthinking things, but he sensed that the guard’s facial expression relaxed after he had turned around. This sudden change was worrying for Yang Kai. He quickly became vigilant of his surroundings as he notified the Old Demon.
Yang Kai looked around as anxiety and doubt filled his body. Normally, the places that they stopped were areas that were somewhat forested and had traces of people who have been there to rest. However, this place was completely desolate, as though no human would ever come across these parts. To elaborate, this was definitely a place that was best suited for body disposal.
[Something really seems off…] Yang Kai’s feelings grew warier.
Yang Kai looked up to the sky, noticing that it was moonless, devoid of any light source. Accompanied by the howling winds, the whole place seemed highly ominous.
On the other side, there were many martial artists queuing for food, chatting while they gobbled it down whole-heartedly. Although Old Man Wu was a cart driver, he definitely did not hold a low status. It was evident when some people fetched the old man his food. After receiving his meal, the old man continued to sit near the cowl with his trusty bottle of liquor.
Yang Kai decided that there was nothing going on, that maybe he was being ridiculous, being too worried.
The chatter did not pause after the meals were finished. Only with the veteran guard’s orders did they stop and organize themselves. Some were posted tonight duty while the rest went ahead to sleep around the campfire.
Gradually regaining his calm composure, Yang Kai laid down and relaxed, closing his eyes as his mental state returned to that of peace.
An hour later, the Old Demon’s voice suddenly called him out, “Young Master, there is something wrong!”
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately sprung open. The martial artists sleeping around the campfire were all breathing heavily. On occasions where martial artists travelled through the wilderness, they would never fall into a deep sleep even in the security of fellow guards and friends. Their vigilance would always stay. They only ever closed their eyes to rest and restore some of their physical strength and mental state. However, this time all those asleep were in a deep slumber. This had never happened in the days before today. Yang Kai estimated that he would need to put in a copious amount of effort to wake them up.
The Martial Artists were responsible for the Ladies’ protection, so it was impossible for them to treat their job this lightly.
That means that they must have been drugged by someone.
The behaviour of the middle-aged man popped into Yang Kai’s mind. It was then he understood everything.
In his eyes, Yang Kai was only a mere beggar, and he didn’t want his plans to be spoiled by a beggar since the resistance of an average person couldn’t be compared to that of a martial artist.
Once he passed out it would invite the suspicion of everyone.
Although this wouldn’t truly affect Yang Kai, it was a definite cause for worry for the middle-aged man. So, he threatened him and refused to give him his usual portion of dinner. It would also explain the man’s sigh of relief when Yang Kai turned.
It is always hard to guard against a thief within one’s home. What is the sly veteran guard trying to do? Was he doing this for wealth, for the beauties in the carriage, or for something else?
Yang Kai hoped that his own speculation was wrong, for the young lady and her loyal servant Cui Er had good hearts and intentions. He thought that people with good hearts ought to have good endings.
When he quietly moved over to the martial artist nearest to him and checked pulse, he was cold.
Near the roaring bonfire, several forms started crawling stealthily. Then, they slowly pulled out swords from their waists and kissed their companions’ necks with them.
The sound of slicing began and fresh blood started splashing everywhere. Soon, everyone who wasn’t involved had their souls sent to hell.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to move. Although he has advanced to the Qi Transformation stage, he was terribly outnumbered. The veteran guard was also in the True Element Boundary. Any rash acts would only cost him his life.
He couldn’t even tell if the ones he could see were all of them.
[Is Old Man Wu with them? If so, then escape would be no problem…]
Yang Kai quietly moved towards the carriage on which Old Man Wu sat. He saw the middle-aged man look coldly at Old Man Wu. He then heard the noise of metal sliding from a sheath in the dark night.
Yang Kai then raced his thoughts as he picked a pebble from a ground, sat it between his fingers and flicked it with all his strength.
He launched it at Old Man Wu to try and awaken him, but Yang Kai chose not to use too much Yuan Qi in case he exposes himself. Unfortunately, the pebble hit the long sword in the middle-aged man’s hands.
*Clang*. In the silent night, it appeared to be incomparably loud.
This alerted the middle-aged man. As soon as he heard the pebble impact on his sword, his eyes opened wide and he lunged the sword at Old Man Wu hesitantly.
In that critical moment, Old Man Wu opened his eyes and seemingly because of instinct, he dodged the blow.
Old Man Wu only just barely evaded the strike as the sword drew blood from his now pierced shoulder. The ache sobered him up instantaneously as he cracked his horsewhip. He then created distance from the now disappointed guard as he shouted angrily, “Zhang Ding, so it was your doing!”
Zhang Ding did not reply as he withdrew his long sword and positioned himself to prepare for a battle with Old Man Wu.
Yang Kai quietly looked around and discovered that most martial artists who were fast asleep were now also waking up. He sighed with relief; it seems that Zhang Ding drugged them very carefully, but not with poison in case it traced back to him. However, he did not use strong anesthetics for the same reason.
After all, the stronger the drug the more distinctive its flavour.
But his carefully planned scheme was ruined by a pebble.
If not for the metallic clang, everyone would have been killed by Zhang Ding and his accomplices.
The Martial Artists were still drowsy as they looked around in confusion.
Screams then emitted as someone shouted, “Sun Jian Ming is dead! Who killed him?!”
He did not even finish his words when he felt a cold sensation touch his chest. He looked down to find a long sword piercing him.
“Diao Hong, what are you doing?” He howled weakly in pain, in an effort to interrogate.
This was a case of a trusted companion stabbing him in the back. The crowd of martial artists hadn’t even found the time to get their bearings before more of them were murdered. Soon afterward, they were finally able to respond to the sudden attack, hitting back in anger.
The battlefield was divided into two groups, one of which was the group which stayed loyal and protected the carriage and the other consisted of Zhang Ding and his accomplices. Zhang Ding and Old Man Wu were in a heated battle between themselves and angry voices could be discerned from the noise.
Yang Kai decided to quietly make his way towards the carriage under the dim moonlight.
He wanted to run to safety, but he could not ignore Cui Er and her diligent care in the past few days. He would never feel at ease abandoning her.
The three women in the carriage also awakened from all the noise. As Yang Kai approached the carriage, he could hear Cui Er’s discontented voice complaining, “It’s the dead of the night, what could they possibly be quarreling about?”
As they whined, they also rustled trying to put on their clothes.
Yang Kai quickly raised the curtains of the carriage and barged inside.
“Who…?!” Cui Er was shocked, sparking her to send two pinkish white fists directly at Yang Kai’s face.
“It’s me, don’t hit me!” Yang Kai said bashfully and made an effort to grip the Cui Er’s hands.
“Little Beggar?” Cui Er heard Yang Kai’s voice and exclaimed from between her clenched teeth, “You big pervert, get out of here!”
She then tried to kick Yang Kai. In the compartment, the Madam and the Young Lady were also frightened by Yang Kai imposing.
“Keep quiet!” Yang Kai covered her mouth with his hand to silence her.
She wanted to retort, but instead, she swallowed her saliva in anger.
When everything was calmer, Yang Kai noticed that Cui Er was only in her underwear, her clothes rattled and crumpled from the tussle. This was like a spring scenery for Yang Kai with infinite potential.
“Zhang Ding has betrayed you. Listen to the conversation outside.” Yang Kai hurriedly explained. He then made himself at home in the carriage. It was rude since it was in the middle of the night, and somewhat erotic since the three beautiful women were not properly clothed. He took a glance at the Madam and the Young Lady’s bodies, but immediately shifted his vision to avoid trouble.
Now that Yang Kai has come to think of it, he realized how bold the three women were to sleep only in their underwear in the somewhat barebones carriage whilst being surrounded by male protective detail. The Young Lady still had pretty much all of her chastity and dignity intact, but the Madam was unfortunately far worse off for clothing. The lighting in the carriage may be very dim, but the darkness would not hinder Yang Kai if he wanted to look.
The three women in the carriage listened carefully and heard Old Man Wu cursing Zhang Ding angrily, followed by a few bouts of cold laughter in between.
“How could he betray us like this?” Cui Er said in shock.
The Madam and the Young Lady only had bedding to cover themselves. Their complexions were unusually pale.
“Please put on your clothes, then I will try to lead you three away from here,” Yang Kai proposed anxiously. He didn’t know how long Old Man Wu and the remaining loyal martial artists could resist the attack. He didn’t know who would have the last laugh, but one thing was clear: they couldn’t stay any longer.
Yang Kai’s calm words were nerve-wracking for the three women. They then realized what kind of situation they were in.
The Madam flushed red, and in a trembling voice she said, “Little Beggar, is there any chance you could leave us first so we can put on our clothes?”
Yang Kai turned around to look her in the eyes and reminded her of the dire situation, “Madam, if you want to keep your life, then I would suggest that you ignore such small details. Me leaving the carriage would only expose the escape plan.”
The Madam accepted his suggestion with a slight nod.
The three women hurriedly dressed in Yang Kai’s presence much to their dismay. They were still embarrassed, though Yang Kai had his back facing them. Mother and daughter, both dressing in front of a stranger, a beggar no less… They would never have imagined such a possibility in their lives. Right now, they could only keep their displeasure in their hearts.
Cui Er was able to accept the situation more easily than the other two since she was more familiar with Yang Kai. She dressed quickly and then helped the Madam and Young Lady change their clothes.
Once the three women were done, Cui Er then initiated in a shivering voice, “We need to hurry and escape.”
Yang Kai was peeking out the carriage curtains. His face then drooped as he said coldly, “Looks like our time is up…”
Just as he said that Old Man Wu’s pitiful voice could be heard. In a few moments afterward, the sound of fighting outside came to a standstill.
Old Man Wu and the loyal martial artists had obviously been defeated. The anesthetic did not wear off, so they could not fight with full strength. Zhang Ding and his subordinates had the element of surprise. Even if they had lesser numbers, they would still have the battle under control.
“Old codger!” a weak voice coughed. This voice belonged to Zhang Ding, who sounded hurt from the battle against Old Man Wu.
This sign gave Yang Kai a ray of hope in preserving their lives.
“What are we going to do?” Cui Er grabbed Yang Kai’s hand and wept in fear. The Madam and her daughter also looked at him for direction.
The little beggar was the only hope for the three women at that moment.
“No need to panic. Madam, you need to distract him by talking to him. In the meantime, I will find an opportunity to get rid of him,” Yang Kai said softly, then he took a deep breath and calmed his nerves and suppressed his heart beat.
The Madam, after all, is a Madam, and although the situation is bad and her complexion is pale, she nodded at Yang Kai’s instructions. She wasn’t thrown into confusion like Cui Er and Young Lady.
Footsteps seemed to get closer to the carriage. Yang Kai listened to the steps and deduced that there were five of them.
Cui Er scooted nearer to Yang Kai. He could feel the tremble of her gentle and charming body. In this jet black night, the sound of the footsteps felt like those of evil spirits coming to take their lives, striking fear in everyone’s hearts.
The footsteps ceased right in front of the carriage.
Zhang Ding coughed and groaned in a low voice, “Madam, Young Lady, please come out.”
The Madam then asked in a trembling voice from inside the carriage, “Zhang Ding, my husband treated you like a blood brother, why would you do such a thing?”
Everyone could hear hate and bitterness in her words. Her expectations and trust were betrayed by Zhang Ding.
Zhang Ding pondered for a bit silently, then he replied, “Madam, excuse me for saying this, but birds die for food and humans die for wealth. The Master died, leaving behind a large amount of property, and since the Madam and the Young Lady lack the strength to even kill a chicken, there is no way you would be able to defend the property.”
“So it was for wealth?” Madam gave a spiritless smile and asked further, “Does everyone also think the same?”
“Yes,” Zhang Ding responded confidently.
Madam gave a bitter smile and shook her head constantly, “If this was so, you must have decided to do this from the very start. Zhang Ding, in the name of our former friendship, please spare us, both mother and daughter. Both of us only hope to leave with our lives. We do not have any other intention.”
The Madam asked this because she could not pin all of their hopes on Yang Kai. Although he showed a calm attitude, he was still but a little beggar. How could such a character resist the strength of Zhang Ding?
I apologise for all these problems that cropped-up so far… If there are any questions, you can leave it in the comments, forums, my e-mail and discord. But for now, see ya 😀
Zhang Ding listened to the Madam from outside but he remained unmoved. He then said patronizingly, “Madam, Young Lady, please come out of the carriage, then we can talk details.”
“Do you really need to be so cruel?” The Madam cried in a frustrated voice when Zhang Ding didn’t comply. He surely had made plans to stomp out the root of the trouble.
“Madam,” Zhang Ding said sternly. “If you cooperate like a good child, we will be sure to minimise your suffering when we kill you. Otherwise, well, to put it simply, I’m embarrassed to say that I have admired you for a long time, but it’s such a pity that in those days I could never even dream of smelling your perfume. However, I think I can fulfill that little desire of mine right before I kill you.”
In the carriage, the Madam trembled, clenching her hands so tightly her fists turned pale.
She was imagining the evil deeds Zhang Ding could do to her, and what kind of fate would await her if so.
“This heartless and cruel bastard!” Cui Er said angrily.
Zhang Ding sneered, “Cui Er, I wonder if you can say the same thing when someone is digging up your clothes.”
The several surviving traitors laughed wildly, then someone added on, “Cui Er, wait for this elder brother to give you love.”
She turned white and shrank behind Yang Kai.
In the carriage, all three women were shivering, almost rocking the carriage.
“Madam, I will give you ten breaths of time to consider our proposal to exit the carriage. I promise I will give you a woman’s happiness and then bury you well,” Zhang Ding decided.
The Madam closed her eyes and tears started falling from her eyes. She grabbed the hands of her daughter in despair.
After a moment, she hardened her resolve and opened her eyes. She gave a miserable smile to her daughter to tell her that she made a decision.
It’s better than being abused by someone and living out a miserable fate.
Before she could act, she was stopped by Yang Kai. He comforted her, slowly shaking his head decisively.
The ten breaths of time quickly passed.
Zhang Ding’s impatient voice resounded from outside, “Seems like the Madam is willing to give this subordinate an opportunity of a lifetime. In that case, I can only be disrespectful.”
Zhang Ding lifted the curtain of the carriage and stepped inside.
As he set his foot on the first step of the carriage, a dirt-covered face appeared in his view, grinning and revealing two rows of pure white teeth.
Little Beggar! This was the face of the beggar he brought in a few days ago.
Zhang Ding was taken aback. He was so occupied with the thought of the Madam that he did not notice a fourth person in the carriage. He suddenly became frustrated at the thought of himself, an expert of the True Element Boundary, all shocked and startled by a little beggar.
When Zhang Ding moved to grab Yang Kai to throw him aside, he was met with five successive punches, lightning fast. Yang Kai did not even make the effort to try and dodge his grapple, instead retaliating with fists of fury.
What speed! Zhang Ding was astonished at Yang Kai’s speed, but when he looked at the group in the carriage again, he smirked contemptuously and exclaimed, “Courting death!”
He didn’t feel any destructive power from the Little Beggar’s punches. He thought that the opposite party had simply thrown his punches carelessly. Zhang Ding then aimed his punch at Yang Kai’s mouth and said wrathfully, “I am going to kill you.”
Zhang Ding’s several subordinates readied themselves for another fight as they heard their boss’ cry. They moved towards Yang Kai in an orderly fashion.
“Little Beggar!” Cui Er called out in alarm. She hadn’t even dreamed that Yang Kai would be a Master and was faking his appearance, with which he fooled Zhang Ding.
The echo of her voice hadn’t even settled down when Zhang Ding’s expression suddenly changed and pangs of pain covered his chest. He became pale, his eyes almost popping out from the overwhelming effect, causing him to look quite scary.
In the next instant, Zhang Ding seemingly exploded from his torso, blood splattering everywhere as Yang Kai’s burning hot Yang Qi entered his body.
Instantly, Zhang Ding’s impression of the fists changed. His courage was broken now, his body frozen with fright.
He hurriedly revolved the True Qi within his body to suppress the gushing wound on his chest.
The blood spurting from Zhang Ding’s chest made little thumping sounds as the area turned redder with it. He cried out pitifully while withdrawing from the carriage.
He was, after all, a True Element Boundary expert, and his True Qi defence couldn’t be easily broken by an average person. While he wasn’t sent flying by Yang Kai’s punches of the Burning Sun Blast, there was still residual effects of the skill that were untraceable and caused him to suffer heavy damage. Fortunately for him, it was not enough to take his life.
The viscera that separated from Zhang Ding’s chest also doused the three women. When Zhang Ding withdrew from shock, screams emerged from the carriage.
When Zhang Ding’s subordinates attacked Yang Kai, they could only see a mirage of him which quickly disappeared from vision. Their attacks failed.
He was able to use the step technique he trained with for almost a month in such a crucial moment.
The Old Demon came out of the Soul Breaking Awl while laughing maniacally, then he suddenly changed into a black fog, surprising the five martial artists. They were shortly engulfed in the fog, entangling them in a state of confusion.
“What ghostly thing is this?” One could be heard screaming from within the fog. Within a split second, after the words had left his mouth, Yang Kai suddenly appeared behind him, punching his upper body from the back.
The victim’s strength wasn’t particularly high, so when the energy of the Burning Sun’s Blast entered his body, he was not able to dissolve the influx of Yang Qi as his True Qi was not as abundant as Zhang Ding’s. He immediately turned red from the heat.
The Old Demon seized this chance to enter his body. Soon after, the Demon exited, the person passing out, falling to the ground and exploding into a bloody fog, all within a matter of a few seconds.
The Old Demon laughed strangely. He was after all a ten-thousand-year-old soul. Though his strength has dropped off largely, such a fearful laughter would still cause a person to shiver. With Yang Kai’s help and coordination, he could sweep away any obstacle.
His movement technique had caused Zhang Ding to lose all of his subordinates cruelly; they had all fallen and exploded into meat paste and fog.
When Zhang Ding had finally melted all of Yang Kai’s Yang Qi, he became crazy. He looked at Yang Kai and roared, still unable to process all that has happened so far, “Little Beggar you have been playing the role of a pig to eat the tiger!”
He thought that the beggar was only an average person, and at such a crucial moment, that Little Beggar became the biggest obstacle to his plan. After nearly succeeding only to fail at the very last moment, how could Zhang Ding remain calm? He was even badly hurt by Yang Kai, whose eyes and now turned scarlet. He looked at him, wishing all manner of harm and pain upon him, even thinking of drinking his blood and eating his flesh once he was dead.
Yang Kai, who was drenched in blood standing calmly replied in a light voice, “How much of your strength remains?”
If Zhang Ding was at his peak, Yang Kai would only be his match if he used the Star Mark. Otherwise, there would be no hope of victory. Unfortunately, the Star Mark takes too long to activate, so it wasn’t suitable in a fight where life or death is decided in an instant.
At this moment, Zhang Ding was not at his peak. He had already fought with Old Man Wu, meaning he was spent and already injured. A sneak attack by Yang Kai only worsened it. His chest was covered in blood, so it was obvious he didn’t have much strength remaining.
Yang Kai was fearless.
“I only have 20% of my strength left, but it’s more than enough to kill you,” Zhang Ding growled. The sword in his hand streaked towards Yang Kai like a single beam of light. Zhang Ding swore an oath to kill Yang Kai.
Before the sword could get near Yang Kai, the Old Demon’s creepy laughter leaked from the Soul Breaking Awl, followed by a blockade appearing out of nowhere to protect Yang Kai. It could not be destroyed by Zhang Ding at his present strength. He then called in surprise, “This is a divine weapon!”
He was also a person who had plenty of fighting experience, but he had never seen a Divine Treasure as strange as the Soul Breaking Awl before today. The treasure didn’t even need activation for it to create a shield. It also laughed sinisterly and continuously, making anyone tremble in fear.
This treasure was weird!
“This is a treasure which will take your life,” Yang Kai commented suddenly. His words were conveyed from behind Zhang Ding. Such an abrupt change in direction made his hairs stand as he realized how close Yang Kai was standing to him. [How did he warp behind me so suddenly?]
He looked carefully, but he could only see a fuzzy image of the Little Beggar flashing around him. It was only illusions, he thought.
He brandished his sword once again and stabs towards him, but it was in vain as he pierced nothing but air.
Yang Kai has again displayed his movement technique to dodge to the left side, then retaliating with his fist. Zhang Ding was unable to guard against such a surprise attack, and with his pitiful yell his arm ruptured audibly and he fell to the ground.
The fist from Yang Kai had struck his shoulder blade.
The Yuan Qi which invaded him was quite pure. This type of Yuan Qi couldn’t be possessed by a martial artist at the Qi Transforming Stage, and this staggered Zhang Ding further.
Although it had been only a few sessions of double cultivation with Su Yan, the remarkable effect of the Joyous Unification Art was already showing. His Yuan Qi has been tempered to an extraordinary degree. The purity of the Yuan Qi present in Yang Kai’s body had far surpassed his current boundary. All of this was due to the Joyous Unification Art.
The Old Demon seized the chance to take control of the Soul Breaking Awl and struck the sword in Zhang Ding’s hand.
Master and servant both attacked in coordination flawlessly and relentlessly. No chances were given to Zhang Ding to recover, and within five minutes Zhang Ding was covered in blood from head to toe.
With the turn of events, Zhang Ding was stupefied and ran out of strength to fight back. He knew that if he didn’t run, he would die here. But Yang Kai and the Old Demon did not give him any chance to run. They had already blocked all his escape routes thoroughly.
The Burning Sun’s Blast made Zhang Ding vomit fresh blood and he lost his concentration. Once again, the Old Demon saw the opportunity and took it, entering Zhang Ding’s body through the Soul Breaking Awl.
Similarly to his previously confused comrades, Zhang Ding showed a perplexed expression. Gradually, his eyes began to lose focus and he fell.
After that, the Old Demon suddenly reappeared whilst laughing wildly, changing into a black fog and vanishing into Yang Kai’s fingertips.
In the war, the Old Demon swallowed a lot of souls, which helped him recover greatly.
Yang Kai stood on the same spot gasping for breath. The fight drained him of Yuan Qi.
This time, he hadn’t used the Indomitable Will of the golden skeleton because the fight with Zhang Ding didn’t bring too much pressure nor a sense of crisis.
But Yang Kai realized that his strength at the moment was too low.
If Zhang Ding was not already injured, if his sneak attack didn’t go well and if not for his Dantian having stores of Yang liquid, he couldn’t have fought with an expert of that level in the manner that he did.
Only three moves of the Burning Sun’s Blast was needed to use up all the Yuan Qi present in an expert of the Qi Transformation Stage. If it was someone else in place of Yang Kai, that person would be a dry corpse now.
When he fought with Zhang Ding, he had used almost ten moves of the Burning Sun’s Blast on top of the collaboration of attacks between him and the Old Demon, both of which was needed to kill him. Such difficulty would be almost impossible to be overcome by someone else of the same Stage.
Yang Kai regained composure after a hefty amount of time, then slowly, he walked towards the carriage.
As the sound of footsteps drew nearer, the three women in the carriage became nervous and Cui Er asked in a shivering voice, “Is that you, Little Beggar?”
“Mhm,” Yang Kai sounded worn.
The curtains of the carriage drew and Cui Er’s pale cheeks came into view from behind. The Madam and the Young Lady also looked anxiously at him.
“What happened to them?” Cui Er asked, looking around.
“They’re dead.”
Cui Er covered her mouth immediately as she looked at Yang Kai in disbelief. The Madam and the Young Lady exhaled the breaths they held in surprise.
They thought that they were surely doomed and had never imagined that they would live through such a hopeless situation. The feeling of death just brushing past them weakened their bodies.
In processing what had happened thus far, the three women felt as if they had turned into jelly.
“You don’t need to come out of the carriage, I will look around for survivors,” Yang Kai urged. He then turned around towards the bonfire to seek for a living soul.
Eventually, Yang Kai walked back from the site with a solemn look.
“How is it?” The Madam inquired with an intense look.
“Everyone is dead,” Yang Kai muttered while shaking his head. Zhang Ding and his group were definitely through. The people who died in their sleep were struck at their vital points, and the people who died fighting laid maimed and similarly lifeless.
Of the entire convoy, only Yang Kai and three women were alive.
The young lady sobbed from inside the carriage. Cui Er’s eyes were red and swollen, and her tears showed no sign of stopping. She kept rubbing her eyes. The Madam had seen many great storms, so though she grieved heavily in her heart, she suppressed her tears.
“Birds die in pursuit of food…” The Madam whispered. She seemed to be taunting, ridiculing and reprimanding someone softly.
Yang Kai watched the three women wallow in their misery, but he interrupted by asking, “So, what are you going to do now? Do you still want to go to Sea City?”
The Madam regained her focus and gave a slight nod. She looked at Yang Kai hopefully and requested, ”Young Hero, can you please escort us through the wild to the city?”
All around them was wilderness and outside of the reach of the law of any country; after experiencing such trauma, how would they dare to continue travelling without the escorts?
Cui Er wrapped her hands around Yang Kai’s arm and pitifully asked, “Little Beggar, you have no other choice, you have to be responsible for us.”
“Cui Er,” The Madam reproached. “You should not be so impolite.”
Before they knew Yang Kai was no little beggar but an expert in fighting, they paid little heed to him. Now that Yang Kai became their benefactor, their impoliteness has faded.
Yang Kai glanced at Cui Er and agreed, “Since it’s only about a day away from where we are, I will escort you.”
“Many thanks, Young Hero,” The Madam huffed in relief.
“I knew you wouldn’t abandon us!” Cui Er thanked enthusiastically, compared to the madam who picked her words carefully.
The Young Lady whom at this point had not yet spoken a word suddenly opened her mouth to express her gratitude in a high, sharp voice, “The smell of blood is filling the air. This will attract many monsters. It would be best if we were to depart as soon as possible. We should arrive at Sea City by tomorrow evening.
The Madam hesitated, but she asked anyway, “Young Hero, could I trouble you with something?”
“What is it?” Yang Kai probed, looking at her.
“Many people who died here tonight lost their lives protecting us, and I don’t want their corpses to be violated by animals, monsters or the weather…”
She hadn’t finished speaking when Yang Kai’s face showed clear disagreement. He could kill anyone at a moment’s notice, but it’s a pain to bury corpses, especially since there were many of them here. It would take quite a while to finish burying them.
The Madam is a knowledgeable person. She can distinguish a person’s answer by his expression. She forced a smile and continued, ”If you don’t want to, I understand. There is no need for the Young Hero to exhaust his strength. Cui Er and Young Lady, come with me. We need to bury Old Man Wu. As for the others… let’s just leave them as they are.”
“Okay,” Cui Er nods and looks at Yang Kai fearlessly and waves a fist at him.
Yang Kai looked at the three and made way for them.
Cui Er, the Madam and the Young lady came out of the carriage and uneasily looked at the corpses. With white faces, they gathered swords from the corpses. Then, each holding the sword with both hands, they sought for a suitable place to dig.
Old Man Wu must have been cherished by them, otherwise, the Madam wouldn’t have insisted on burying him.
The three females began to dig. Yang Kai moved towards the bodies and started collecting the deceased’s valuables.
Once he finished, he approached the three toiling women. They had only dug less than an inch of dirt. The Madam and Young Lady were high-society women, and right now they were reduced to digging. They did not have the proper tools to dig and they were falling over and stumbling from the hard work.
Yang Kai watched them and became cautious.
“The smell of blood in this place is stacking. It might attract wolves to this place. If they turn up, we won’t be able to get away from them.” Yang Kai commented.
The Madam and the Young Lady listened and their faces turned pale.
Cui Er shivered from anger. She dropped the broadsword and stomped in front of Yang Kai, then with her two small fists she began to pound Yang Kai’s chest and shouted, “You are discouraging us. I have given you so many snacks, such a waste!”
As she scolded Yang Kai, a long, eerie howl came from between the trees. The howl petrified not only the Madam and the Young Lady, but Cui Er as well. She settled down and stepped closer to Yang Kai and asked timidly, “Are there really wolves here?”
“Alright, you three tidy up the precious belongings,” Yang Kai ordered. “I will dig.”
Truthfully, if the Madam had mentioned before that they only needed to bury Old Man Wu, Yang Kai wouldn’t have declined. After all, in the few days they spent together he was always his side. It’s embarrassing to take back words that have been said, however, but he was able to find the appropriate opportunity to give a hand.
“Many thanks, Young Hero,” the Madam politely thanked. She then took the Young Lady and Cui Er to the second carriage to reorganise it.
Shortly afterwards, Yang Kai managed to dig a proper hole and buried Old Man Wu’s body in it.
On the other side, the three females have also tidied up, and the precious things that they didn’t have space for can only be thrown away, to be found by a lucky passerby.
“Let’s go.” Yang Kai herded them into the carriage, and proceeded to take Old Man Wu’s seat on the driver’s, taking his horsewhip in hand and memorised the track and direction in which they had been moving. He then cracked the whip and ushered the horses to pull.
In the dark night, they distanced themselves from the bloodbath.
Although it was the first time Yang Kai was driving a carriage, it was manageable, thanks to the horsewhip. The horsewhip had traces of Old Man Wu’s martial arts skills that Yang Kai could detect. Slowly, he began to sense the martial art. His understanding started to become more and more profound. As the time passed by, his sensibility to the whip began to fuse.
The next day early in the morning, Cui Er called for a break from inside the carriage. Yang Kai listened and stopped the carriage at an appropriate spot.
Cui Er lit a fire and started to prepare food hurriedly. Their brush with death last night removed any sense of security they had. They were restless the entire night, unable to even get a wink of sleep. They didn’t have appetite too, but they needed to eat to maintain their strength.
When they moved out again, Cui Er didn’t return inside the carriage, but instead, she sat beside Yang Kai and looked at him from the corner of her eyes curiously.
As time passed, her curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “Aren’t you just a Little Beggar?”
“Of course I’m not,” Yang Kai replied superciliously.
“Then I think I can safely assume that you are a young master of some aristocratic family running away from a marriage. You ran away without any money and therefore you look like a beggar.” Cui Er said using her bold imagination.
Yang Kai laughed, “Did you listen to these types of fairy tales as a child?”
“No, I have never listened to such stories during my childhood, but I listened to the Young Lady mentioning these incidents frequently and they are frankly quite amusing. A Young Master running away from home because of marriage and roams the world, meeting difficulties in life…”
Before she finished speaking, the Madam coughed from inside the carriage.
Cui Er stuck out her tongue at Yang Kai.
Yang Ka smiled faintly and cracked the horsewhip again.
Hours later, Yang Kai noticed a strange thing on the horizon. He turned vigilant and asked suddenly, “Some people are blocking the way ahead. Do any of you know why they are doing so?”
The Madam suggested in a surprised voice, “Perhaps they are from the Miao family.”
The Miao Family home was the Madam’s ultimate destination. He received this information from Cui Er. Yang Kai also knew from their conversations that the Young Lady and the Miao Family Young Master were betrothed to each other when they were babies. After the Master died, The Madam led the Young Lady to Sea City; firstly to seek asylum, and secondly to marry off the Young Lady so that they could settle down in Sea City.
“Did you notify the Miao Family of your pending arrival?” Yang Kai asked.
“Mhm.”
“Since we have arrived at your destination, I no longer need to travel with you.” Yang Kai relaxed.
Cui Er asked anxiously, “Little Beggar, are you leaving?”
“You don’t want to give me up?” Yang Kai teased, turning to Cui Er.
“You want to die?!” Cui Er blushed. [The Madam and the Young Lady are sitting in the back and this scoundrel boy is harassing me…]
Yang Kai continued, “Madam, I hope you will not reveal last night’s incident to anyone.”
The Madam was stunned at Yang Kai’s request, but she remembered Cui Er’s bold speculation. Was he really a young master of some family running away from a marriage arrangement so he did not want his status exposed?
The Madam nodded, “Young hero, you don’t need to worry. We were rescued by an expert who was passing by last night.”
“That’s good to hear,” Yang Kai smiled.
Soon after, the carriage arrived at the blockade.
A person emerged from the crowd with his fists cupped. He asked resoundingly, “May I ask, does this carriage belong to the Jiang Family?”
The Madam echoed from the carriage, “Yes it is.”
The mysterious person grinned excitedly, but he controlled his emotions and welcomed the ladies, “Miao Huacheng, your little brother, welcomes you!”
The man started sobbing suddenly, “In the past, Elder Brother and I parted. In a flash, ten years passed by but didn’t I expect that we would part forever. The time we spent together is a period I remember it clearly like it was just yesterday.”
Sniffling could be heard from the Madam and the Young Lady from inside the carriage. Cui Er’s eyes also turned red.
The Madam consoled, “Brother, please restrain your grief.”
Miao Huacheng said, “Sister, you don’t need to mind me. You have suffered more than me.”
There was no reply.
Miao Huacheng broke the silence and found the need to show manners, “Sister, you must be very tired but please, you need to persevere for a half day more and we will finally arrive at Sea City.”
While speaking, his eyes fell on Yang Kai and furrowed his brows, “Why is there a beggar here?”
The Madam narrated her recollection of the event last night in a few words and concluded, “Afterwards, we were lucky enough to bump into a competent little beggar who agreed to help us drive the carriage.”
“If Zhang Ding didn’t die, I would have killed him today. No, not only would I have killed him, I would have torn him to shreds too!” Miao Huacheng growled in anger. He then looked at Yang Kai and urged, “Little Beggar, you can get down from there. You have worked hard.”
Yang Kai complied with a single nod and jumped down from the carriage.
Miao Huacheng then signalled to someone, and a person came forward and gifted Yang Kai a silver ingot as a reward. Yang Kai would have to put up an act of sorts, obviously. After all, he was playing the role of a beggar. With the payment in hand, he expressed his gratitude profusely.
“Let’s move!” Miao Huacheng shouted, sitting beside the carriage’s new driver. Everyone gathered to form a group and then moved together towards Sea City.
They shot forward and kicked up a dust cloud. Yang Kai stood on the same spot and watched the carriage depart. He saw three people staring at him from the window of the carriage.
Although he was sad for the unfortunate bitter experience of this widow from the Jiang Family, he couldn’t do anything else for her. Since they met only by chance, they are likely to never meet again.
Once the carriage disappeared from sight, Yang Kai followed the convoy, Old Man Wu’s horsewhip still in his hand. He walked, practising his movement technique along the way.
In half a day, he finally reached the city.
This city was bigger compared to Black Plum Village, but there was a distinct fishy smell in the air. It was not foul; it was a smell that inspired spirit, especially in a coastal city.
It was the first time Yang Kai had visited a coastal city. He was excited, to say the least, but knew that the first thing he needed to do was buy some clothes and to look for an inn to stay, for the time being.