Upon hearing that, Yang Kai recalled that there was a sword-holding young man who hid behind Feng Cheng Si at that time. The young man and Feng Cheng Si had similar-looking builds. Although their temperaments were different, the young man just had to put on a disguise and remain silent. The people who were not familiar with Feng Cheng Si wouldn’t find out.
Moreover, even though Feng Cheng Si was the Young City Lord, it wasn’t until recently that he returned to the city. Not a lot of people in White Jade City could recognise him, let alone be familiar with him.
No one could have expected that on his own wedding day, the bridegroom would tell his servant to dress up as him and head to the bride’s house in his place. On the other hand, he was helping another man to flee with the bride.
“Why are you doing this, Senior Brother Feng?” Yang Kai asked in puzzlement. The last time they met in Gratitude Shrine, they were pretty hostile to each other; therefore, when Yang Kai speculated that the events in the past three days had something to do with Feng Cheng Si, he couldn’t really believe it.
Feng Cheng Si didn’t directly answer his question; instead, he asked, “Do you know how long I’ve stayed in this world, Junior Brother?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Martial Aunt Yu told me that you came in not long after Senior Sister Qu did. It’s supposed to have been seven or eight years now.”
Feng Cheng Si nodded, “That’s right. It’s been about eight years. During this period of time, I never stopped looking for Junior Sister Qu, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I finally found her. At that time, you were soaked in blood as you stood in front of her to protect her. Although she was discomfited, she wasn’t harmed one bit. The Samsara World is an interesting place. Since Martial Aunt Yu sent you here, she must have told you about its wonders.”
“What do you mean exactly?”
Feng Cheng Si looked smilingly at him and pointed at his own chest, “Sincerity is of utmost importance in this place. The more sincere a person is, the more likely his wish will be granted. When I came across Junior Sister Qu for the first time several months ago, I lamented that life was unfair to me. I came here several years before you did, but you were the first one to approach her and protect her. The Heavenly Way can truly be cruel. However, after giving it a thought, I realised that this was one of the wonders of the Samsara World.”
“Please enlighten me, Senior Brother,” Yang Kai said humbly.
Feng Cheng Si explained, “You came here for Junior Sister Qu. Although she has lost her memory during the reincarnation, the Heart Barrier she has set up has something to do with you; therefore, even though you’re late to the game, you could still immediately appear beside her and have a chance to win her heart. On the other hand, I’m different. I came here to execute my Honoured Master’s orders, so I haven’t managed to achieve my goal despite the fact that I’ve been here for a few years. I would have stood a chance if you had never appeared, but nevertheless, since you’re here, I can only be a foil. I suppose that was the reason I suddenly had the urge to return to White Jade City a few months back.”
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts.
Feng Cheng Si went on to say, “Sincerity will affect the events that take place in this Samsara World. Junior Sister Qu is lucky enough to have someone like you who is willing to protect her even if your life is at stake. I believe that even if you two come across the same kind of danger in the real 3,000 Worlds, you will still make the same decision and will never betray her. Therefore, in this life, it’s pointless for me to keep staying here. To do so will go against my true heart.”
Yang Kai saluted him, “Many thanks for helping us, Senior Brother.”
Feng Cheng Si waved his hand, “There’s no need to thank me. I’ve just realised what it is I should do; however, you have to work harder. Although I have no idea what kind of Heart Barrier Junior Sister Qu has set up for herself, I suppose it won’t be easy to pass the tests. If you can’t help her shatter the Heart Barrier, she’ll be lost in the Samsara Pavilion forever. If that happens, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven won’t let you off.”
“I’ll do my best to bring her out of this place safely.”
“That’s for the best,” Feng Cheng Si nodded.
“I have another thing to ask you, though.”
“Go ahead.”
Yang Kai took a glance at the carriage, “It seems that I still haven’t managed to help Senior Sister Qu shatter the Heart Barrier. What can I do to help restore her memory?”
Feng Cheng Si replied with a smile, “It’s different for everyone. In fact, you have already done more than enough, but Junior Sister Qu still hasn’t retrieved her memory. It seems that her expectations of you are quite high, so you’ll have to work harder. I’ll lend you a hand as well.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai frowned. Certainly, he would work hard, but the other man didn’t specify how much more he had to do; instead, he felt that Feng Cheng Si’s smile was somewhat ominous, especially when the latter said that he would lend Yang Kai a hand.
Yang Kai had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
“Also, it’s the City Lord’s Mansion that has partnered up with Hidden Treasure Peak,” Feng Cheng Si said, “It’s also the City Lord’s Mansion’s arrangement that you were attacked when escorting goods.”
“I already had such a speculation,” Yang Kai dipped his head.
Feng Cheng Si appeared surprised, “It seems that you’ve seen through everything.”
Yang Kai replied impassively, “A few months ago, those from Hidden Treasure Peak easily barged into the Meng Manor while the soldiers from the City Lord’s Mansion were unusually slow to react. That in and of itself was ridiculous. If White Jade City had always been this unsafe, the City Lord’s Mansion would have lost its authority long ago.”
Feng Cheng Si nodded, “Indeed. The Meng Family is extremely wealthy, so the City Lord’s Mansion would like to have a share of that. That’s why they worked with Hidden Treasure Peak to kidnap the Eldest Young Lady so that they could have a talk with Meng De Ye. At that time, I happened to return to White Jade City. When I heard about the matter, the first thought that came into my head was that she might be the one I had been looking for. Hence, I took the initiative to lead the soldiers to chase after the bandits; however, it was too late at that time. One night had passed since the Second Manager of Hidden Treasure Peak took the Eldest Young Lady away, so even if I ran after them, I wouldn’t have stood a chance to save her.”
He then added, “However, no one could have expected that there was an outer court’s private guard from the Meng Manor who risked his life to protect the Eldest Young Lady and persevered until the soldiers from White Jade City came to the rescue. In that case, the plan between the City Lord’s Mansion and Hidden Treasure Peak was foiled. Left with no choice, I had to personally propose marriage to the Eldest Young Lady. If we could get married, the City Lord’s Mansion would be able to get their hands on the Meng Family’s wealth given their power.”
He went on to say, “Meng De Ye is fully aware of that, but he can’t resist. Moreover, I’m a young man with a promising future, so I’m more than good enough to be his Son-in-Law, and the Eldest Young Lady is mature enough to get married. Hence, he decided to just agree to it.”
Yang Kai nodded as everything was just like what he had speculated.
The connection between the Meng Manor and Hidden Treasure Peak was the City Lord’s Mansion, which was why Feng Cheng Si was aware of what was going on behind the scenes.
After agreeing to the proposal, Meng De Ye told Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong to escort some goods to another city while the Meng Manor provided some information to those from City Lord’s Mansion, who would then contact Hidden Treasure Peak in order to have the two of them killed.
Nevertheless, no one could have expected that Yang Kai wasn’t a native in this world; instead, he was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was incarnated into this place, so he had some skills and strength that were simply unimaginable to others here.
“Many thanks for enlightening me, Senior Brother,” Yang Kai cupped his fist. It wasn’t until this moment that he figured out the things that had been puzzling him.
“Alright, we should stop talking. You’re supposed to flee now. The Meng Manor must be in chaos, and they’ll soon be after you,” Feng Cheng Si waved his hand.
Yang Kai thanked him again and leaped onto the carriage before driving the horses forward.
Certainly, Meng Ru and Qian Qian, who were inside the carriage, must have heard their conversation just now, but Meng Ru didn’t ask anything. As a maidservant, Qian Qian naturally wouldn’t be nosy.
In the meantime, not only the Meng Manor, but the entire White Jade City was in chaos.
The bride had gone missing on the wedding day. The young man, who replaced Feng Cheng Si to head to the Meng Manor, was drenched in cold sweat as he didn’t know what to do.
Meng De Ye’s expression was as gloomy as the weather right before a storm. The people around him could hardly breathe.
Just now, they poured a basin of cold water on Cui’er to awaken her. Upon learning that it was Yang Kai who took Meng Ru away, Meng De Ye flew into a rage. He ordered the personal bodyguards of the Meng Manor to chase after them. They must capture him regardless of whether he was dead or alive.
There was no doubt that the Meng Manor was embarrassed as such an incident happened on the wedding day of their Eldest Young Lady.
It was equally humiliating for the City Lord’s Mansion. They worked together and soon found some traces, and one hour later, a large group of people set out from White Jade City, following the traces to hunt them down.
The speed at which the carriage moved forward was slow, so both Yang Kai and Meng Ru knew that they would be caught sooner or later.
What surprised Yang Kai was that there were people in front of them that attempted to stop them.
As though they had already expected that Yang Kai would come to this place, they were well prepared as several dozen riders charged forward. Yang Kai instantly recognised that they were the soldiers from the City Lord’s Mansion.
As he recalled Feng Cheng Si’s devious smile, he had the urge to curse.
Only Feng Cheng Si was able to do this.
Yang Kai had no idea what was on the other man’s mind. Earlier, Feng Cheng Si had a frank talk with him and said that he would back down from the competition; however, he had brought some people to intercept Yang Kai at this moment.
What was he trying to achieve?
It was unlikely that those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were so hypocritical; moreover, Feng Cheng Si appeared sincere when he said those words. Yang Kai believed that he wasn’t lying.
There were several dozen people over there, so if Yang Kai were on his own, he could have chosen to fight with them or flee; however, with Meng Ru and Qian Qian behind him, he didn’t have a choice.
After killing the knights that tried to block his path, he turned the horses around and headed in a different direction.
These people must have heard that Yang Kai was strong, so they wouldn’t dare to go near him again after losing some of their companions. They only chased after him while keeping a safe distance.
Nonetheless, barely an hour later, another group of knights, about several dozen of them, came right at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened. Feng Cheng Si’s arrangements were impeccable, as though he had expected all of the moves that Yang Kai would make.
These groups of people came at Yang Kai from both sides. He could only choose to avoid them as he drove the carriage in a different direction.
When darkness descended, the carriage stopped.
They could no longer keep moving forward as there was a cliff in front of them. As the clouds weltered, stones could be heard rolling down the steep slope.
The horses were exhausted from all the running, so as soon as they stopped, they knelt down and kept snorting.
Two groups of knights that were more than 100 strong came together and surrounded them. They didn’t make any moves though, as though they were waiting for something.
Soon, Yang Kai found out what they were waiting for.
Torchlights could be seen flickering from the bottom of the mountain as another group of people came over.
The person leading the way was handsome and heroic. He was none other than Feng Cheng Si. The Meng Family Patriarch Meng De Ye had also tagged along.
The knights separated to the sides and revealed a passageway. The two of them passed through the knights and looked at the cornered Yang Kai. One of them sported a smile and winked at Yang Kai while the other’s expression was extremely gloomy.
On the edge of the cliff, Yang Kai stood in front of the carriage while facing the knights that had surrounded him.
There was nowhere else he could go. It could be said to be a death trap.
Meng De Ye’s eyes were fuming as he glared at Yang Kai. On the wedding day, his daughter was snatched by a private guard, which was humiliating for both the Meng Manor and himself. If this matter couldn’t be settled in a perfect manner, he would never be able to face anyone again in White Jade City.
He secretly swore that he had to rip this private guard into 10,000 pieces in order to vent out his fury.
“How dare you, you bastard!” Meng De Ye said through clenched teeth while glowering at Yang Kai, “Is this how you repay the Meng Manor for nurturing you? You’re such an ungrateful brat! Give Ru’er back to me and this Old Master will spare your life!”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Please forgive me, Patriarch. I have no choice but to do this. Eldest Young Lady and I are in love with each other. Please let us go!”
Like a cat whose tail had been stamped on, Meng De Ye was enraged, “Shut up! Who do you think you are? A noble lady like Ru’er would never fall in love with someone like you. Stop slandering her!” He then turned to Feng Cheng Si, “Young City Lord, please don’t believe his nonsense. He must have forcefully taken Ru’er away; otherwise, she would never have left the Meng Manor.”
With a smile on his face, Feng Cheng Si didn’t respond to him.
The next moment, with the help of Qian Qian, Meng Ru got out of the carriage with a sorrowful expression.
Meng De Ye was elated upon seeing that and quickly asked, “Are you hurt, Ru’er?”
Like a child who had made a mistake, Meng Ru wouldn’t dare to look her Father in the eyes as she shook her head.
After letting out a breath, Meng De Ye comforted her by saying, “Don’t be afraid, Ru’er. I’ll save you now and let this thug know the consequences of bullying you. Also, the Young City Lord is here. He’ll never let you feel aggrieved in any way.”
“Father…” Meng Ru called out.
Meng De Ye quickly replied, “I’m here.”
Meng Ru hung her head low, “Father, please let Big Brother Yang and me go.”
As if struck by lightning, Meng De Ye instantly sported a livid expression as he stared at his daughter with a pair of piercing eyes, “What did you say?”
He could reprimand Yang Kai for spouting nonsense just now and dismiss it out of hand, but it was a different case when Meng Ru said it. The Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor had basically just admitted that she was in love with her bodyguard right in front of everyone.
The revelation sent a shockwave across all the knights. Upon receiving the order, they started pursuing Yang Kai, thinking that the Eldest Young Lady was kidnapped by her personal bodyguard. However, it didn’t seem to be the case now. Instead, the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor had willingly left with him.
Rather than a kidnap, it was two lovebirds who had eloped together!
These were two very different scenarios. The Eldest Young Lady of Meng Family had not only humiliated the Meng Manor, but also the City Lord’s Mansion.
Many of them cautiously glanced at Feng Cheng Si, only to realise that the Young City Lord remained calm and collected with a faint smile still on his face, as though the fact that the bride had fled with another man didn’t concern him one bit.
“Father, you’ve doted on me over the years, and you’ve never forced me to marry anyone. I’ve also repeatedly told you that I’ve been waiting for the man who is destined to be with me.” Meng Ru initially hung her head low. Despite her frail figure though, she seemed to have summoned enough courage as she looked up at him and declared, “Now, the wait is over. Big Brother Yang is the man I’ve been waiting for!”
Meng De Ye trembled with fury, which was about to erupt like a volcano.
Meng Ru had indeed repeatedly told him that she was waiting for someone, but he never took it seriously and thought that she was just being perfunctory with him. Certainly, he wouldn’t believe it when she brought it up again.
“You’re sick, Ru’er,” Meng De Ye said in a grim voice, “Come home with me. I’ll get a doctor to treat you.”
Meng Ru shook her head, “I’m not sick.”
Meng De Ye took a glance at Yang Kai and said impassively, “If you’re not sick, you should be concerned about his safety. If you come home with me, I’ll spare his life, but if you’re obstinate, he will die today!”
Meng Ru instantly turned pale. Although she knew that Yang Kai was powerful, there was no way he could deal with so many people.
She also was flustered at the fact that Meng De Ye threatened her with Yang Kai’s life.
When she turned her head and met Yang Kai’s eyes though, she saw the man flashing a smile at her.
In an instant, she cast away her hesitation and turned to look at her Father with determination, “Father, please let us go.”
Meng De Ye appeared to be heartbroken as he didn’t have the final say in this situation. Only a small number of people around here were from the Meng Manor. Most of them were soldiers from the City Lord’s Mansion, and they only listened to Feng Cheng Si.
Although he had the intention to forgive his Daughter, he was unable to do that. The Young City Lord was right beside him, and as the Patriarch of the Meng Family, he had to behave appropriately in this situation.
With difficulty, he shook his head and said, “You’re being fooled by him because you’re young and naive. The Young City Lord is a magnanimous person, so I’m sure he’ll forgive you. Come home with me and serve the Young City Lord with all your heart in the future.”
The last bit of hope in Meng Ru’s eyes went out as she fell on her knees and pressed her head against the ground three times in front of her Father.
Meng De Ye was flabbergasted, “What are you doing?”
After getting to her feet, Meng Ru turned to Yang Kai and put on a bright smile, “Since we’re not able to get married in this life, we will die together at the very least. Big Brother Yang, I’m really pleased to have finally found you.”
Yang Kai let out a breath and took a step forward before unsheathing his sabre and sword. Standing in front of Meng Ru with his sturdy figure, he clanged his weapons together, “Before I die, no one can harm you!”
“Both of you have gone mad!” Meng De Ye’s eyes turned bloodshot.
Feng Cheng Si, who had kept a smile on his face, seemed to have gone crazy all of a sudden as he roared, “Kill all of them and let them know the consequences of offending this Young City Lord!”
Meng De Ye was astonished and shouted, “Please wait, Young City Lord!” Just when he wanted to stop them, he was kicked off the horse by Feng Cheng Si and fell to the ground in pain.
The knights criss-crossed one another and came at Yang Kai from all directions, ensuring that he would not be able to flee.
As glints flashed through Yang Kai’s weapons, grunts and shrieks were continuously heard. Limbs were sent flying away while blood dyed the ground crimson.
As more corpses piled up, Yang Kai didn’t take a single step while his back remained straight, just like how he protected the Eldest Young Lady in front of the cave back then.
He wielded his weapons and killed his opponents like he was cutting through straw. Just a moment later, many corpses lay strewn across the ground.
Usually, this kind of carnage was enough to make anyone feel frightened. Despite the large number of people on their side, they might not have the courage to keep going forward; after all, no one could be certain whether they would be the next to get killed.
However, Feng Cheng Si was on top of everything here. Although the people from the City Lord’s Mansion were terrified, they wouldn’t dare to back down. Only by killing Yang Kai would they be able to live to see tomorrow.
There would only be one outcome to this intense battle; either Yang Kai was killed, or all of them would perish.
Feng Cheng Si had brought a lot of people with him this time, some two or three hundred in total, which was more than twice as many as the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak that Yang Kai had to face back then.
Yang Kai’s energy was not infinite, so despite being powerful, there was no way he could persevere forever in this situation.
Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword were extremely useful in this battle. Even though Meng De Ye tried to kill Yang Kai by telling him to escort some goods to Great Abundance City and then ambushing him, he had indeed regarded him highly before that.
Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword were two of the best weapons in this World. The opponents’ weapons would be cut through or snap as soon as they came into contact with Yang Kai’s, which saved him a lot of energy.
Meng De Ye was still begging Feng Cheng Si to spare his Daughter’s life, but the infuriated Young City Lord simply ordered someone to tie him up and toss him aside.
The personal bodyguards from the Meng Manor wouldn’t dare to protest despite being furious. They also had to deal with Yang Kai following Feng Cheng Si’s order.
As time passed, a blood river formed at the edge of the cliff, and Yang Kai was already drenched in blood.
He was covered in the opponents’ blood as well as his own.
Despite being strong, he was unable to perfectly protect Meng Ru when faced with so many opponents. Feng Cheng Si did not only order to kill him but also Meng Ru. Seeing that Yang Kai was too formidable, those from the City Lord’s Mansion attempted to harm Meng Ru instead to distract Yang Kai, thus allowing them to achieve their goal.
Even incredible weapons like Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword were unable to last forever in such an intense battle. The blades of both weapons were bent and chipped, rendering them less useful.
Yang Kai was already on his last legs as he staggered. Despite that, he was determined to stand strong.
Just then, he saw a sword coming at him from the left, but he was unable to dodge it. If he did that, Meng Ru would definitely be harmed.
He could only tense up his body as he got ready to be stabbed. At the same time, he had to ensure that his vital parts wouldn’t be hit.
When a grunt was heard next though, everyone was shocked.
Yang Kai didn’t feel any impact or pain. Someone seemed to have blocked the sword for him.
As he turned his head, his pupils contracted.
It was a petite figure that had blocked the sword, which had pierced through her chest. It was a fatal injury. Qian Qian, who was usually timid and bashful, spread her arms and stood in front of Yang Kai at this moment. Summoning all her courage in the last moments of her life, she bravely looked Yang Kai in the eyes.
Then, she put on a bright smile while blood streamed out of her mouth, “Big Brother Yang, I’m glad that you’re okay.”
The smile was like an invisible hand that clenched Yang Kai’s heart, making it impossible for him to breathe.
His encounters with Qian Qian over the past months flashed through his eyes as he always remembered her to be a bashful and obedient woman.
Both of them joined the Meng Manor at around the same time, and although she was a newcomer too, she instantly gained the Eldest Young Lady’s favour and became her trusted maidservant.
When she learned martial arts, she showed an aptitude that was just as great as Meng Ru’s.
Whenever their eyes met, she would become flustered like a frightened rabbit. Yang Kai suddenly recalled seeing the same kind of expression on another woman’s face.
She was a woman he was not familiar with, but it was destined that he would be tangled up with her forever.
As two figures overlapped in his mind, he suddenly called out, “Junior Sister Tao?”
Qian Qian was already on her last breath, but upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, she seemed to have been infused with a new stream of energy as her eyes brightened instantly. All the sorrow and doubts in her heart were cast away as she called out, “Senior Brother Yang!”
“Senior Brother Yang!” Qian Qian called out with a satisfied smile, “Thank you!”
Yang Kai had no idea why she thanked him, nor did he know whether she would really pass away like this. With that said, it was just a Samsara World that she had reincarnated into, so the real her wouldn’t be affected when she was killed here.
However, he had never expected that Tao Ling Wan had also come to this Samsara World, and she had been by his side without him knowing the whole time. At the critical moment, she had even blocked a fatal sword strike with her body for him.
Both Feng Cheng Si and Yu Xiang Die had said that sincerity was of utmost importance in the Samsara World. The more sincere a person was, the more likely his or her wish would be granted.
Furthermore, everything that happened here reflected one’s true heart.
Tao Ling Wan was willing to die in Yang Kai’s stead in this Samsara World; in other words, she would make the same decision in the outside world if she was faced with the same situation.
Yang Kai felt an excruciating pain in his heart. He wielded his Stirring Clouds Saber and cut off the attacker’s arm. Then, he wrapped his arm around Qian Qian’s waist and stepped backwards.
When he looked down, he realised that Qian Qian had closed her eyes. Despite the trace of blood on the corner of her mouth, she sported a contented smile.
Feng Cheng Si, who appeared to have gone mad shouting orders to his subordinates, suddenly became startled and muttered, “Junior Sister Tao?”
Nevertheless, he soon realised what had happened and sported a bitter smile, “Honoured Master made a move in the end, but not only did he fail to catch the chicken, he even lost his rice in the process!”
He couldn’t imagine how his Honoured Master would react upon learning what happened in this place, but he was certain that the latter wouldn’t be pleased.
Qian Qian’s death didn’t give Yang Kai a chance to breathe. Although the people from the City Lord’s Mansion were surprised at the maidservant’s bravery and determination, it ultimately didn’t change anything.
Before Yang Kai could even lay Qian Qian’s corpse down, he was faced with another round of attacks.
Despite his anger, he had nowhere to vent it out. He staggered and dealt with the enemies with difficulty as blood spurted out of his wounds.
Meng Ru picked up a sword and wielded it at the enemies with gritted teeth, determined to fight alongside Yang Kai.
She had never fought with anyone before, let alone killed a person; however, after learning martial arts from Yang Kai for a few months, she had built a solid foundation, so she was in a far better state than when she was saved by Yang Kai previously. At that time, she found it hard to even pick up a sword.
Nevertheless, at this moment, she was somewhat intimidating when wielding her blade. Furthermore, she was the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor as well as the Young City Lord’s future wife, so no one dared to really kill her.
Qian Qian’s death seemed to have shocked Feng Cheng Si, so while riding his horse, he simply looked up at the sky and sighed.
It was getting late, so it was time everything ended. Despite the fact that he hadn’t managed to achieve his goal after staying in this world for a few years, he never lost hope as he was determined to complete the task given to him by his Honoured Master. However, the moment he realised his true heart, he discovered that all he really felt was fatigued. Everything he had done in this Samsara World seemed to be nothing more than a farce.
The Young City Lord leaped into the air and flew over everyone like a bird. With a dazzling light flashing through his weapon, he came right at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai saw the attack and knew it would be fatal. Although he wanted to ward it off, he was powerless to do that.
Just like what happened to Qian Qian, the sword penetrated his chest. However, Feng Cheng Si apparently didn’t intend to kill him. The sword didn’t pierce into his heart, thus allowing him to survive.
Yang Kai was already on his last legs with countless wounds on his figure. After getting struck by the attack, he fell backwards and collapsed into Meng Ru’s arms.
Despite the fact that blood was streaming out of his mouth, he looked gratefully towards Feng Cheng Si. All of a sudden, he realised how he was supposed to break Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier.
He had also figured out the reason Feng Cheng Si had done all of this.
Feng Cheng Si didn’t say anything as he gently nodded.
“Big Brother Yang!” Meng Ru said in a choking voice. She covered the wound on his chest with her fair hand, but she was unable to stop the blood from spurting out. Soon, her hand was dyed red.
Yang Kai took her hand, “It’s useless. I’m sorry for not being able to protect you.”
Meng Ru’s face was already soaked in tears as she repeatedly shook her head, “It’s me who has dragged you into this.” She knew that given Yang Kai’s strength, he would have been able to flee if he were on his own despite being surrounded by so many people.
However, with her around, he could not run away.
The soldiers gathered around him, but did not immediately make a move. They were horrified by the power Yang Kai had showcased earlier, but at the same time, they mourned for a dying hero.
All of a sudden, Meng Ru stopped crying and put on a smile. As she stroked the man’s face, she said gently, “I’m sorry for what happened in this life. Let me protect you in the next!”
Upon finishing her words, she carried Yang Kai up and turned around before leaping off the cliff without hesitation.
Under the moonlight, they looked like two lovebirds that sought eternal freedom.
When the tied-up Meng De Ye saw this, he instantly passed out.
Feng Cheng Si let out a breath while feeling exhausted. Everything had finally ended.
As Yang Kai heard the wind howl, he started losing consciousness.
He could feel his figure plunging rapidly as this life was finally coming to an end. All he could do was wait for Qu Hua Shang to break her own Heart Barrier.
Fortunately, Qu Hua Shang didn’t let him wait for a long time. While he was in a daze, he heard the woman calling out to him, “Junior Brother?”
Yang Kai coughed out some blood and put on a helpless smile, “You’ve finally regained your memory, Senior Sister!”
All of a sudden, Qu Hua Shang hugged him tighter as she appeared to be reeling from the shock. In a shaking voice, she said, “I knew that you’d be alright!”
Before she started cultivating in seclusion, she heard that Yang Kai had followed a Giant Spirit God to enter the Chaotic Dead Territory. Everyone from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was certain he was dead, but she firmly believed that he was still alive; therefore, she entered the Samsara Pavilion and set up a Heart Barrier as she waited for him to come for her.
This was the only way she could resist the pressure from the Sect’s Seniors, who wanted her to marry another man.
“Senior Sister, we have no time to spare. Please tell me how many more lives I’ll have to keep looking for you,” Yang Kai asked in a hurry while wiping the blood from his lips.
However, Qu Hua Shang remained calm and collected as she winked at him, “Take a guess.”
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, “You do realise we’re dying, right?”
Qu Hua Shang snorted, “It won’t be easy, so you’ll have to work hard, okay? However, I can tell you that the first life is the easiest but also the hardest. What I mean is that you could easily win Meng Ru’s heart, which was why everything went smoothly for you.”
Yang Kai asked humbly, “Where’s the difficult part, then?”
Qu Hua Shang put on a smile, “The hardest part was that we’d have to live or die together. I told myself that only when you managed to achieve that in the first life would my Heart Barrier be shattered and my memory restored.”
Yang Kai nodded.
It was because of this Heart Barrier she had set up that her memory wasn’t restored even though he had won Meng Ru’s heart some time ago.
The moment they jumped off the cliff together, they managed to share life and death, thus breaking the Heart Barrier.
“However, the more times we are reincarnated, the tighter our memories will be sealed. It’s the same case for both of us. If you are reincarnated too many times, you might even lose yourself in this Samsara World and never find your true self again. So, Junior Brother, you must always stay true to your heart,” Qu Hua Shang said with a solemn expression.
“I’ll remember.” Yang Kai nodded. When he suddenly felt a pinch on his waist, he put on an aggrieved expression and asked, “What are you doing, Senior Sister?”
Qu Hua Shang had actually pinched his waist and twisted it.
She had crossed the line by treating a dying person in such a way.
“Hmph! What’s going on with you and Junior Sister Tao?” Qu Hua Shang appeared to be jealous.
Yang Kai parted his lips, but he had no idea how to explain it to her.
Qu Hua Shang asked, “Junior Sister Tao must be Tao Ling Wan, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En.” He didn’t know why Tao Ling Wan had also come here and even entered the same Samsara World as Qu Hua Shang.
Suddenly, Qu Hua Shang let out a long sigh, “Although I have no idea what happened between you two, she would’ve been doomed if you hadn’t recognised her.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai frowned.
“I’m sure you know a thing or two about the wonders of the Samsara Pavilion. A disciple who enters this place will set up a Heart Barrier for herself. If the Heart Barrier isn’t broken, she will be lost in this place forever. My Heart Barrier was that I wanted you to find me and make me fall in love with you. You were aware of that, so you had a target regardless of what you did. Despite the difficulties, you knew the kind of goal you had to achieve.”
Yang Kai nodded.
“The Heart Barrier she had set up was definitely different.” Qu Hua Shang, “I guess the Heart Barrier might be that you had to recognise her without knowing who she really was.”
It wasn’t hard for Qu Hua Shang to come up with this speculation; after all, Tao Ling Wan only recovered her memory after Yang Kai called her ‘Junior Sister Tao’ earlier.
“What would have happened if I hadn’t recognised her?” Yang Kai asked.
“All her memories were sealed within Qian Qian. If you hadn’t managed to help her restore her memory when Qian Qian passed away, she would never have had a chance to awaken. It was the same for me.”
Yang Kai was instantly soaked in cold sweat as he felt somewhat horrified.
He couldn’t figure out why Tao Ling Wan would do such a thing as he had no idea that she had also entered the Samsara Pavilion. The only reason he could recognise her was that Tao Ling Wan and Qian Qian were so similar when it came to their temperaments.
At that time, he was focused on breaking Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier, so he didn’t pay much attention to Qian Qian. It wasn’t until Qian Qian was killed in his stead that he recalled everything about her.
“What is she trying to do?”
“Perhaps she’s trying to prove something,” Qu Hua Shang shook her head, “Women can be foolish and unreasonable sometimes, but she succeeded, didn’t she?”
Tao Ling Wan was willing to die in Yang Kai’s stead, and although they were in a Samsara World, she had still risked her life just by coming here.
Regardless of what Yang Kai thought of her, he now knew that this woman was willing to sacrifice her life for him.
“Will we see her again?” Yang Kai asked.
“I’m not sure.” Qu Hua Shang shook her head, “Maybe we’ll see her, but I doubt it. Her Heart Barrier is different from mine. You have recognised her, and she has expressed her sincerity. It’s pointless to go through the same thing again.”
“Senior Sister, I’m sleepy,” Yang Kai muttered under his breath.
“Get some rest. You’ll see me again when you open your eyes.” Qu Hua Shang pulled him closer to her embrace.
In the meantime, Yu Xiang Die and Chen Xiu were waiting patiently outside the Samsara Pavilion. This place was where hearts were trained, not where one would cultivate. Therefore, even though the Samsara Pavilion was amazing, it didn’t have the same advantage as Small Source Worlds in which time would pass by quicker.
The speed at which time flowed in the Samsara Worlds and the outside world was the same.
It had been three months since Yang Kai entered the Samsara Pavilion, and no one knew what was going on with him inside. It wasn’t certain if he shattered Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier or had even found her.
Certainly, they were worried, but as outsiders, their worries were meaningless. It all hinged on Yang Kai’s own capabilities.
It was because of this matter that Yu Xiang Die and Chen Xiu, who had been fellow Brother and Sister for thousands of years, got into a conflict. Presently, they were dozens of metres apart as they sat on empty clearings and waited patiently.
Just then, a figure stepped out of the shopping district just outside of the Samsara Pavilion.
Sensing something, Chen Xiu immediately opened his eyes and glanced at that person. Following that, he let out a breath almost imperceptibly.
Yu Xiang Die noticed the person as well. There was a surprised expression on her face as she watched Tao Ling Wan coming over.
This couldn’t be helped, as Tao Ling Wan came out too soon!
No one had ever managed to leave the Samsara Pavilion so soon after entering it; however, Yu Xiang Die recalled something as she narrowed her eyes and put on a smug smile.
“Honoured Master!” Tao Ling Wan walked up to Chen Xiu and saluted him in an elegant manner.
Chen Xiu examined her to make sure that she was completely fine and healthy. He parted his lips in an attempt to express his concern, but he was not able to say anything. In the end, he just nodded, “I’m glad that you’re back.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Tao Ling Wan hung her head low.
Yu Xiang Die approached her and asked, “Did you meet Yang Boy?”
Tao Ling Wan nodded gently.
“How was it?”
After giving it a thought, Tao Ling Wan replied, “I believe he must have helped Junior Sister Qu restore her memory.”
Yu Xiang Die’s eyes brightened when she heard that. Then, she let out a breath, “That’s good. That’s good.”
Chen Xiu asked, “Did you see him?”
Tao Ling Wan nodded her head, “Yes.”
Chen Xiu stopped asking further. Since Yang Kai had helped Qu Hua Shang restore her memory, it meant that he had broken her Heart Barrier; hence, he had succeeded in this life. On the other hand, Feng Cheng Si had not managed to achieve his goal even though it had been eight or so years since he entered the Samsara Pavilion.
Although Chen Xiu had already expected it, he was still disappointed upon learning the outcome.
As they spoke, Feng Cheng Si stepped out of the Samsara Pavilion and saluted Chen Xiu and Yu Xiang Die.
Like a friendly Senior, Yu Xiang Die patted the young man’s shoulder and comforted him by saying, “Sincerity can never be forced. You must not think that you’re inferior to the other party just because you’ve lost this competition. You’re a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven after all, and a bright future is ahead of you. However, love is not something which one can control at will.”
Feng Cheng Si obediently saluted her, “Many thanks for your teaching, Martial Aunt.”
A gleeful Yu Xiang Die then shot Chen Xiu a glance and mocked, “So what if you’ve done everything you can to set others up? Look at the outcome now. You’re the one who has suffered a setback in the end. I suggest that you stop being so short-sighted, Senior Brother.”
A dispassionate Chen Xiu glanced at her, “Wan’er is my Disciple as well as a member of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Yu Xiang Die batted her eyes and suddenly said through clenched teeth, “It’s basically a buy-one-get-one-free deal. We have made a loss!”
Tao Ling Wan started blushing furiously. She found it hard to deal with Yu Xiang Die, who could be unrestrained in her words sometimes, and when she thought of the fact that she had to face Qu Hua Shang in the future, she couldn’t help feeling guilty.
Although she was just executing her Honoured Master’s orders, she was the one who had acted in the end.
After struggling internally for a bit, Yu Xiang Die made up her mind, “Senior Brother, be prepared. When that brat exits the Samsara Pavilion, we’ll let him marry Xiao Hua Shang and Wan’er.”
Chen Xiu arched his brow, “How are they going to get married?”
Yu Xiang Die snorted, “Of course he has to get married into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. No Core Disciple has ever left the Sect after getting married.”
There was finally a smile on Chen Xiu’s usually stern-looking face. He nodded and said, “That’s wonderful! You should stay here then. I’ll tell the higher-ups about it and let them make a decision.”
Yu Xiang Die bowed her head, after which Chen Xiu left the place with his Disciples. The conflict between them was resolved after they came to an agreement.
…
Some heavy things seemed to have pressed against Yang Kai’s body as he realised that it was pitch-black around him.
He tried his best to break free from this situation but to no avail; he even found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
For a moment, he thought that he was going to lose his life here and now.
After falling off the cliff alongside Qu Hua Shang, he moved on to the next life; however, he had not the foggiest idea about the situation in this place. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realised that he was buried beneath some things. The sounds of people wailing and dying could faintly be heard, but they soon quieted down.
Just then, a ray of light came into his sight as the heavy things on his figure were taken away.
He got to his feet with difficulty and immediately examined his body.
When he was beneath the heavy objects, Yang Kai already felt that something was off, and upon first examination, he realised what was wrong.
Presently, he was just a boy around twelve or thirteen years old. It was no wonder that he didn’t have much strength as his body had shrunk.
[What the!?] Yang Kai secretly cursed. The reason he entered this Samsara World was to break Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier. In order to do that, he had to win her heart.
How was such a young brat supposed to do that? Did he have to grow up first?
At this moment, he was standing on some debris. It was apparent that he was pressed under a collapsed house just now.
He caught a whiff of a pleasant scent as a figure came into his sight. Looking up, he instantly saw the familiar face.
The words ‘Senior Sister Qu’ almost spurted out of his mouth.
Presently, Qu Hua Shang was just standing in front of him. She was clad in tight-fitting clothes with a sword at her waist. She tapped the dust off his shoulder and asked gently, “Are you alright, little one?”
[Little one…] Yang Kai’s brow twitched.
“Where are your parents?” Qu Hua Shang asked.
Yang Kai didn’t know how to reply to her.
Thinking that he was still reeling from the shock, Qu Hua Shang hesitated for a bit before letting out a sigh. Then, she bent her back and took his hand, “Don’t be afraid. You should follow me from now on. I’ll protect you.”
Yang Kai had the urge to curse.
This would definitely be a life that he would never want to look back on. He could already imagine that when he and Qu Hua Shang got out of the Samsara Pavilion, she would certainly tease him whenever she remembered this.
However, there was nothing he could do at this moment.
With that said, he felt fortunate that he saw Qu Hua Shang as soon as he opened his eyes. He could grow up by her side and slowly get closer to her heart.
All of a sudden, he recalled what Meng Ru said to him when she carried him up and jumped off the cliff.
“I’m sorry for what happened in this life. Let me protect you in the next!”
Her wish had been granted. In this life, it would be her turn to protect him.
The Samsara Pavilion was indeed an amazing place where sincerity was of utmost importance. When Meng Ru jumped off the cliff, she must have had a strong desire to protect Yang Kai in the next life, which was why her wish was granted after the reincarnation.
In this life, Qu Hua Shang was one of the brightest disciples in a major Sect. Not only was she talented and powerful, she was also beautiful. She had countless admirers within the Sect, and even the rising stars from other Sects had heard of her.
There was never a lack of people who proposed marriage to her, which made Yang Kai feel apprehensive as he was worried that the Sect’s Elders would pressure her to accept one of those proposals.
Fortunately, she was an important figure in the Sect, so she had a say in this matter. If she didn’t agree, no one could force her.
After Yang Kai was brought back to the Sect, he became a disciple and started cultivating under her tutelage.
They rapidly became closer to each other. In this life, Qu Hua Shang was like a Master or Elder Sister to him.
As time passed, Yang Kai grew up to be an adult. Unfortunately, in this life, his aptitude was terrible. Regardless of how hard he cultivated, he was still much weaker than Qu Hua Shang.
Perhaps it had something to do with Meng Ru’s last wish. He reckoned that he would really have to be protected by Qu Hua Shang in his life.
Additionally, since he was an adult now, he realised that she started looking at him with a different kind of gaze, which was filled with a sense of longing.
This made him feel secretly pleased.
As she continued to protect and take care of him, her love for the man became increasingly conspicuous; however, due to the difference between their age and seniority, she wouldn’t dare to cross the boundary.
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai decided to take the initiative to pursue her. She would always blush and feel her heart pounding against her chest whenever he approached her.
When he turned twenty years old, there was finally a breakthrough in their relationship.
Following Yang Kai’s years of pursuit, she finally cast away the worries in her heart and accepted the man, who was ten years younger than she was and who she had saved all those years ago.
The Heart Barrier was shattered, and Qu Hua Shang once again recovered her memory.
There wasn’t really any difficulty to speak of in this life, it just took Yang Kai a lot of time to win her heart. With that said, he once again experienced the abstrusity of the Samsara Pavilion this time.
As one’s memory was repeatedly sealed, they could realise their true heart and train it more effectively.
This was true for both Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang.
Every reincarnation and success meant a new start.
For the first three lives, it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai. Be it Meng Ru in the first life, his Senior Sister in the second life, or the Little Sister in the neighbouring village in the third life, he could immediately find Qu Hua Shang and start taking action.
As long as he could find her, the rest wouldn’t be hard. That was because her Heart Barriers had something to do with him, so he had a natural advantage when it came to breaking them.
However, after the third life, the difficulty began to increase.
In the fourth life, it took him half a year before he found Qu Hua Shang, and during that period of time, he came across a lot of danger and almost lost his life.
It was the same case in the fifth life, and it became even more difficult to break Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier. It was no longer easy to win her heart. After they met each other, they even got into a fight due to some misunderstandings.
The level of difficulty further increased in the sixth life. She no longer looked like her original self; instead, she appeared with an entirely different face, just like what happened to Tao Ling Wan, who was reincarnated as Qian Qian in her first life.
However, Tao Ling Wan’s situation was unique. Her Heart Barrier was that Yang Kai had to recognise her true identity without knowing who she actually was; therefore, she wouldn’t appear before Yang Kai with her original appearance.
It was different for Qu Hua Shang. Her appearance didn’t change in the first five lives, so Yang Kai could instantly recognise her after finding her.
Nevertheless, in the sixth life, she had turned into an entirely different person. If Yang Kai hadn’t repeatedly made sure she was Qu Hua Shang, he would have missed her.
The more reincarnations one went through in the Samsara Pavilion, the more difficult the challenge would be. One’s memory was greatly affected during reincarnation, and for every reincarnation, Qu Hua Shang’s memory would be sealed. Yang Kai was fine initially, but as he went through rounds of reincarnation, his memory began to be affected as well.
They moved on to the seventh life, eighth life, and finally arrived at their ninth life.
There were a lot of Grand Halls in the Grand Qi Temple where many powerful cultivators resided.
The fight between the forces of righteousness and evil had persisted for hundreds of years. Due to the never-ending war, countless people had lost their lives. As a result, the entire continent had turned into living Hell where blood rivers had formed.
About 100 years ago, Grand Qi Temple was born from an alliance of seven Sects. Only the most powerful and upright person had the right to become the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple and lead all the righteous great forces in the world.
On the other hand, there were those from White Lotus Sect who were good at bewitching people and causing trouble in the world. In this chaotic world, they had taken on innumerable disciples to fight against Grand Qi Temple, becoming their greatest enemy.
There were victories and losses on both sides following years of fighting between the righteous and the wicked. Evil had steadily gained the upper hand over the past few decades, but perhaps the righteous would gain an upper hand in the decades that followed. However, regardless of which side was at an advantage, they couldn’t completely destroy the other.
There were the top seven Sects on the continent, which were Divine Method Hall, Grand Battle Sect, Swaying Willow Sect, Hidden Sword Villa, Shooting Star Palace, Emerald Smoke Sect, and Lion Hall. These were the seven Sects that had propped up the righteous side and jointly founded Grand Qi Temple.
It had been about 130 years since Grand Qi Temple was born. There had been four Temple Masters in the past who had all died in the battle against the powerful Masters from White Lotus Sect.
Yang Kai, who was in his prime, was the Fifth Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple. He was from one of the seven Sects, Divine Method Hall. His mastery over the spear was unrivalled, and he was an upright and honest man. After the Fourth Temple Master passed away three years ago, he single-handedly saved Grand Qi Temple, which was on the brink of falling apart.
In comparison, the Fifth Temple Master was much stronger than the previous four Temple Masters when it came to raw strength, determination, and intelligence.
In fact, as the Temple Master, he had launched dozens of attacks on White Lotus Sect in the past three years and been victorious every time. As a result, White Lotus Sect had suffered immense losses.
Everyone believed this was an opportunity for Grand Qi Temple. Under the leadership of Temple Master Yang, they might stand a chance to finally destroy White Lotus Sect once and for all.
In the middle of the night, Yang Kai awakened from his dream in shock.
A figure appeared beside his bed like a phantom and examined him before giggling, “Did you have a dream again?”
After shooting her a dispassionate glance, Yang Kai sat up on the bed and nodded.
The person was his personal bodyguard, Luo Ting He from Emerald Smoke Sect. Although she was a bit petite, she was extremely powerful. Three years ago, she was the one who competed against Yang Kai for the position of Temple Master. Nevertheless, she was defeated by Yang Kai in the end.
It wasn’t certain what was on her mind at that time. Given her strength, she was more than good enough to be the Vice Temple Master even though she had lost the competition to be the next Temple Master.
However, she didn’t do that; instead, she requested to become Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard.
Those from Emerald Smoke Sect were against the idea; after all, if a person from their Sect could become the Vice Temple Master, they would have a bigger influence in Grand Qi Temple.
Nevertheless, Luo Ting He obstinately wanted to become Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard, and no one could change her mind.
Although she was a personal bodyguard on paper, she was more like a friend to Yang Kai now. She could be at ease in front of the man. As they had spent the past three years together, she was fully aware of all the man’s secrets as well.
Therefore, she knew that this Temple Master, who was the hope of Grand Qi Temple’s future, had a problem.
He would always have strange dreams in the middle of the night. In those dreams, he would see a woman with a vague appearance. He had no idea who the woman was, nor had he met her before; however, he had a feeling that she was very important to him.
“Have you not recalled it?” Luo Ting He suddenly asked.
A speechless Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “Do you even know what you’re asking?”
Luo Ting He shrugged, “I don’t know. I just wanted to ask.”
The problem with Temple Master Yang Kai was that he would always have strange dreams. On the other hand, his personal bodyguard also had a problem. Whenever Yang Kai awakened from his dream in shock, she would always ask this exact question.
Yang Kai had a serious discussion with her the first time around, but she was unable to explain anything.
Furthermore, after three years of getting along with one another, Yang Kai realised that something was wrong with his personal bodyguard’s head. She would always do things that were unexpected.
For example, she would suddenly laugh for no reason, but sometimes, she would weep in silence. Her mood swings were pretty drastic.
“What time is it?” Yang Kai looked out the window.
“Just after midnight,” as Luo Ting He spoke, she soaked a towel in a basin of water and wrung it before passing it to Yang Kai.
After taking it, Yang Kai wiped his face and felt refreshed.
However, the vague image of that woman in his dream still lingered in his mind.
He had a feeling that the woman in his dream was someone very important to him, but as he went through the past experiences in his life, he was certain that he had never met her before.
This strange matter puzzled him.
Just then, a slight noise was heard coming from outside. Yang Kai’s gaze turned ferocious while Luo Ting He’s petite figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
A cold breeze swept through the gap of the door.
A moment later, Luo Ting He returned to the room with blood still dripping from her sword.
Yang Kai looked up while a calm and collected Luo Ting He said, “Some of the conceited disciples from White Lotus Sect wanted to assassinate you.”
“How many of them are still alive?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
“Three.” Luo Ting He chuckled.
“You must do whatever it takes to find out everything they know.” Yang Kai snorted.
“Don’t worry.” Luo Ting He nodded repeatedly, “I’ll dig out everything from their heads.”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and left.
The next day, powerful cultivators gathered together in the Main Conference Hall of Grand Qi Temple.
There were six Vice Temple Masters under Temple Master Yang Kai. Since Yang Kai was from Divine Method Hall, which was one of the seven Sects, the other Vice Temple Masters were the ones who were in charge of the remaining six Sects.
Under the Vice Temple Masters were the Hall Masters. There were about thirty of them.
These were the Managers of Grand Qi Temple that had gathered together. They could command all the cultivators in the world who belonged to the righteous path.
At this moment, all of them were gazing at Yang Kai. The past three years were more than enough time for Yang Kai to build sufficient authority as the Fifth Temple Master. Presently, he remained silent, and even though there were a lot of people in the Grand Hall, no one dared to say anything.
A moment later, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and said, “In ten days, those from White Lotus Sect intend to hold a sacrificial ceremony in East Star City and refine a Ten Thousand Soul Banner.”
All of them had their expressions changed drastically upon hearing that.
Vice Temple Master Gan Wen Shan, who was from Grand Battle Sect, asked in horror, “Are you serious, Temple Master?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Xiao He personally obtained the information from the assassins last night.”
At the mention of Xiao He, all of them shuddered, including Vice Temple Master Xia Hong Tao, who was also from Emerald Smoke Sect.
Although Luo Ting He appeared to be crazy sometimes, all of them knew how ruthless she was. She was the oddest one in Grand Qi Temple. If not for the fact that she had never done anything wicked, and that she was really from Emerald Smoke Sect, many would have condemned her as the things she had done were no different from, if not worse than, those from the wicked path.
No one could hide any secrets following her interrogation.
Yu Xing Zhou, who was from Shooting Star Palace, frowned, “Can we believe what the assassins have said? Holding a sacrificial ceremony in East Star City to refine a Ten Thousand Soul Banner is no small matter. It’s supposed to be a top secret that only the leaders of White Lotus Sect have the right to know.”
Yang Kai explained, “It’s a major event to hold a sacrificial ceremony in East Star City, so they will need a lot of people to carry it out. Even if White Lotus Sect wanted to hide this news, some people might still be able to figure out what’s going on. Xiao He has already speculated that something like this was about to occur, so this conclusion is not entirely based on what the assassins have said.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Xing Zhou nodded, “In that case, East Star City will be in danger.”
Yang Kai rose from the seat and declared, “Although East Star City is not big, there are still around 100,000 residents, all of whom are innocent. If those from White Lotus Sect succeed in refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, many more innocent people will be affected. We have to stop them. Moreover, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is very important to White Lotus Sect, so the White Lotus Matriarch might personally host the sacrificial ceremony. If we can kill the White Lotus Matriarch in East Star City, White Lotus Sect will definitely collapse. The fight between the righteous and wicked path that has spanned hundreds of years will come to an end, and peace will be restored to our world!”
Upon hearing that, all of them felt their blood boiling as they got up and said, “We will follow your lead, Temple Master!”
With a satisfied expression, Yang Kai nodded. He calmly gave the orders as it was apparent that he was well prepared.
When all the arrangements were made a moment later, Yang Kai swept an authoritative glance over them, “This is a great opportunity for Grand Qi Temple. If we succeed, we’ll be able to destroy White Lotus Sect. All of you should lead your own people and wait for further orders. Any leak of information will be punishable by death!”
In the middle of the night in East Star City, only the sounds of dogs barking and babies crying could be heard from time to time.
Under the moonlight, Yang Kai was standing on top of a tower and looking down with a pair of eagle-like eyes.
Below the calm surface was a violent undercurrent.
The people from Grand Qi Temple and the disciples from White Lotus Sect had hidden themselves in this small city, but they seemed to be aware of each other’s presence.
An hour to midnight, the first conflict broke out. It ended just as quickly as it started though and nothing much had been affected.
However, the second and third conflicts soon followed.
An hour after midnight, the battle was in full swing and carnage could be seen on every street of East Star City.
All of the citizens shut their doors and wouldn’t even dare to breathe loudly.
Just then, a high-pitched sound was heard coming from a particular direction. Yang Kai’s eyes turned ferocious as he looked in that direction.
Booms were continuously heard coming from over there. As the World Energy surged, more than ten figures engaged in an intense battle. Lights flickered following the use of different Secret Techniques.
Despite the long distance, Yang Kai could immediately see a middle-aged woman who was clad in white robes.
She was none other than the White Lotus Matriarch!
White Lotus Sect was founded a long time before Grand Qi Temple. The current Sect Master of White Lotus Sect was this White Lotus Matriarch, who was known for her ruthlessness. Countless Sects had been destroyed on the continent because they had offended White Lotus Sect.
Although those from Grand Qi Temple had launched several attacks to kill White Lotus Matriarch, they hadn’t managed to achieve their goal so far as she was cunning and elusive.
Just like they had expected though, the White Lotus Matriarch had really appeared to host the sacrificial ceremony in East Star City.
At this moment, she was leading some of the powerful Masters from White Lotus Sect to break through the siege. Unfortunately, several Vice Temple Masters from Grand Qi Temple had joined forces to stop them, so they were unable to break free for the time being.
With that said, the White Lotus Matriarch was one of the most powerful cultivators on the continent. Although the Vice Temple Masters from Grand Qi Temple were fairly strong themselves, they were unable to keep her trapped for long.
After several exchanges of moves, one of the Vice Temple Masters was wounded by a sword. A violent force exploded in his body, rendering him powerless to fight. It wasn’t certain if he could survive.
Yang Kai leaped off from the top of the tower and flew towards them like an eagle.
While in mid-air, he lifted his spear.
In that instant, the White Lotus Matriarch felt cold all over her body. When she turned her head, her expression changed drastically. She threw the people around her away without any hesitation and as a glint flashed through her blade, a sword wave slashed at Yang Kai.
As Yang Kai flourished his spear, and the sword wave shattered. Blood started streaming out of a wound on his face that was caused by the remnant Sword Qi, yet he did not even bat his eyes as he continued with his attack.
The next moment, the White Lotus Matriarch was sent flying away while spraying out a mouthful of blood. She seemed to have lost all her strength.
Technically speaking, both Yang Kai and the White Lotus Matriarch were equally matched as they were some of the most powerful cultivators in the world. However, Yang Kai had basically launched a sneak attack while the White Lotus Matriarch was unsuspecting, which was why she suffered a serious setback.
Before the enemy even landed, Luo Ting He appeared right on the spot where she was falling.
No one knew when Luo Ting He had appeared. She was just as silent as a phantom, but a sword cry was heard coming from her weapon.
From the looks of it, it was as if the White Lotus Matriarch took the initiative to throw herself onto the sword.
At the most critical moment, the White Lotus Matriarch forcefully twisted her figure to make sure her vitals wouldn’t be pierced. Despite that, she was still greatly harmed by Luo Ting He as the sword penetrated her chest.
However, the White Lotus Matriarch had also managed to land a palm on Luo Ting He with all her might and sent her flying away. Luo Ting He crashed into a house, and it wasn’t certain whether she was dead or alive.
After getting struck by two powerful cultivators consecutively, the White Lotus Matriarch had managed to survive, but she was in a terrible state. Her face was as pale as a white sheet, and her white dress had been dyed red.
She stared fixedly at Yang Kai with a hideous grin. As she performed different hand seals, she said through clenched teeth, “Activate!”
The next moment, she crouched down and pressed her hands against the ground as a violent force burst forth.
It was too late for Yang Kai to stop her.
The entire East Star City shook as everyone found it hard to keep their balance.
The blood flowing on the ground seemed to have been infused with life as it squirmed and formed a gigantic Spirit Array.
An eerie red light engulfed the entire East Star City as everyone could hear the sounds of crying and howling and the cold wind which was whipped up made them shudder.
The expressions of the Vice Temple Masters changed drastically. Xia Hong Tao from Emerald Smoke Sect exclaimed, “The Ten Thousand Souls Array!”
Seizing the chance, the White Lotus Matriarch escaped and disappeared into the darkness. Her voice could be heard saying from a distance, “I’ll remember what all of you from Grand Qi Temple have done to me today. I’ll make you pay a price that’s a hundred times greater than this!”
After hesitating between chasing after the enemy and saving lives for a moment, Yang Kai made a decision as he ordered, “Break the array and save the people!”
If this Spirit Array was allowed to fulfil its purpose, all 100,000 innocents in East Star City would be sacrificed. The White Lotus Matriarch certainly shouldn’t be allowed to escape, but they still had a chance to kill her in the future. The most important thing for them now was to save lives.
There were other remnants of White Lotus Sect in the city who still steadfastly guarded the Array Nodes; however, since the White Lotus Matriarch had fled, the disciples from White Lotus Sect were now leaderless. On the other hand, those from Grand Qi Temple were still moving forward in an orderly manner following the Temple Masters’ instructions.
The Array Nodes were occupied by those from Grand Qi Temple one by one, causing the Spirit Array’s operation to become increasingly sluggish.
Yang Kai charged towards the centre of the Ten Thousand Souls Array on his own, where the most important Array Node of the Spirit Array was located. As long as it was destroyed, the Spirit Array’s efficacy would be halved.
To his surprise, no sounds of fighting could be heard coming from over there; instead, the place was in dead silence.
With that said, the stench of blood here was the strongest.
With the spear in his hand, Yang Kai arrived at the Array Node, only to see the corpses of White Lotus Sect’s disciples scattered across the ground. In front of the Array Node stood an alluring figure. As she performed different hand seals, she used some fairly powerful Secret Techniques at the Array Node.
She must have been at this for quite some time as she was soaked in sweat. Her damp clothes stuck close to her back.
Looking at the woman’s figure, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state.
He recognised this figure. The vague image that had appeared in his dream countless times perfectly overlapped with this woman’s back.
Sensing the man’s presence, the woman turned her head and revealed a strikingly beautiful face. With sweat still streaming from her forehead, she bit her lip and said, “Help me quickly! Otherwise, it’ll be too late!”
“Step aside!” Yang Kai came to his senses and shouted. The next moment, he thrust his spear towards the Array Node.
The woman hurriedly moved out of the way. As innumerable spear shadows surged out, a violent force exploded. In an instant, the Array Node that no one was guarding collapsed.
The next moment, the red light that had engulfed the entire East Star City turned dim.
Yang Kai let out a long breath as he could finally be at ease. He had been apprehensive for the entire night. Thinking of the woman beside him, he turned around as he wanted to ask which Sect she was from; however, he soon felt a pain in his chest.
Looking down, he saw that a sword had penetrated his chest while a fair hand was clenching the hilt. The owner of the sword sported a strange expression. It was a combination of excitement, guilt, and even a sense of agony.
The power in his body exploded as the muscles in his chest locked the sword in place. He raised his hand as his force gathered together on his palm before he pushed it towards the woman.
As the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple, it was expected that Yang Kai was extremely powerful. Even if there was a boulder in front of him, it would turn into dust following his attack.
The woman wanted to dodge the attack, but it was too late for her to do so.
The next moment, the hand that could shatter a mountain gently landed on the head of the sword’s owner, but no force could be felt bursting forth.
“Are you from White Lotus Sect?” Yang Kai asked gently, as though he was worried that he would frighten her if he spoke too loudly.
The sword’s owner sported an even stranger expression now. The moment she received her mission, she knew that she was bound to lose her life; after all, she was aware that the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple was formidable. Even if she could achieve her goal, there was no way she could survive.
However, that was really what had happened. The Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple didn’t kill her.
In the meantime, the hand that rested on her head gave her a sense of warmth for some reason.
“What’s your name?” Yang Kai asked.
The sword’s owner pressed her lips together, “Qu Hua Shang!”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “My name is Yang Kai.”
Upon finishing his words, he frowned and turned his head. Following that, he said to Qu Hua Shang, “Run quickly. Or else it will be too late.”
Qu Hua Shang had apparently noticed company was approaching as she looked in the same direction. The next instant, she released the hilt and ran away.
A short while later, a petite figure arrived with a sword in hand.
Luo Ting He could immediately see that Yang Kai was seated on some rubble while holding his spear. There was a sword that had jabbed into his chest.
She walked over and took a glance at him. Then, she grabbed the hilt with one hand and pressed her other hand on the man’s shoulder, “It may hurt a little.”
Yang Kai nodded.
The next instant, the sword was pulled out while blood spurted from the wound. Yang Kai’s figure shook a little.
A dextrous Luo Ting He struck some of the man’s acupoints to stop his blood from streaming out. Then, she said, “The White Lotus Matriarch escaped.”
The White Lotus Matriarch ran away after activating the Spirit Array. Luo Ting He chased after her, but despite her injuries, the White Lotus Matriarch was as agile as ever when fleeing.
After pursuing for more than a dozen kilometres, Luo Ting He realised that the enemy was nowhere to be seen. Left with no other choice, she could only return to the city.
Following that, she saw that Yang Kai was hurt.
“We’ll have another chance to kill her in the future.” Yang Kai nonchalantly nodded. Since the White Lotus Matriarch had been badly injured, it would take her about a year for her to recuperate. He then asked, “Have you heard of the name Qu Hua Shang?”
Luo Ting He shook her head, “No.”
She furrowed her brows while staring at the wound on the man’s chest.
Given her eyesight, she could see that Yang Kai was directly facing the opponent when he was hurt; however, she couldn’t think of anyone in the world who could harm this man while facing him head-on.
Even the White Lotus Matriarch wouldn’t be able to do that.
Nevertheless, she didn’t intend to ask him about what had happened. Yang Kai would tell her about it if he wanted to.
“Ask around,” Yang Kai ordered.
Luo Ting He said, “You’d better recuperate first.”
Yang Kai nodded, “There’s poison on the tip of that sword, so I’ll probably pass out soon. Before I wake up, the Vice Temple Masters will handle the affairs in the Temple while you’ll assist them from the side.”
“Got it,” Luo Ting He replied.
When she took a glance at Yang Kai, she realised that he had already lost consciousness. She let out a sigh and carried Yang Kai up before dexterously leaving the city at full speed. She intended to return to Grand Qi Temple first.
Strange images kept flashing through Yang Kai’s mind. The name Qu Hua Shang seemed to have a special power as it repeatedly resonated across his head while he was unconscious, knocking on his sealed memory.
There came a moment when the seal was broken as he went through the experiences in his previous lives in his dream.
The figure that had always been vague in his dreams finally became crystal clear. As she turned her head, a joyful and coquettish face came into his sight.
Yang Kai abruptly opened his eyes.
He was still weak due to the injury and poison he had suffered from. Even though he was strong, it was impossible that he could fully recover as soon as he awakened.
Everything around him looked familiar to him. He supposed he was in his own bedroom in Grand Qi Temple.
A person was seated beside his bed. The only person who could enter his bedroom as she pleased and protected him while he was unconscious was none other than Luo Ting He.
At this moment, she was looking at him with a weird expression. As though realising something, she once again asked the question she had asked countless times before, “Have you recalled it?”
Yang Kai nodded his head.
An energised Luo Ting He asked, “What did you recall?”
“Many things,” Yang Kai struggled to sit up, but he didn’t have the strength to do so. Seeing that, Luo Ting He quickly helped him up and placed a pillow behind his back.
Then, she stared at him with a longing expression, “Tell me all about it.”
Yang Kai shook his head, then gazed at her with an awkward expression and asked, “Have you recalled it?”
In an instant, Luo Ting He appeared puzzled, “What am I supposed to recall?”
“I don’t know.”
In the dream, he finally shattered the shackles that had locked his memory and remembered who he truly was. He recalled where this place was and his reason for coming here.
Yang Kai felt a lingering fear in his heart and realized once more how mysterious the Samsara Pavilion was. It was already his ninth life. After living in this world for so long, he had forgotten about who he was, not to mention the fact that he was supposed to shatter Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier.
After many rounds of reincarnation, his memory had been greatly affected.
If he hadn’t come across Qu Hua Shang by chance this time, his memory wouldn’t have been restored. He would have still regarded himself to be the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple who strived to achieve victory for the righteous path.
The challenge he had to face in this life was unusually difficult.
Now, he was the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple while Qu Hua Shang was a disciple of White Lotus Sect. Both parties had been arch nemeses for a very long time.
During their first encounter, Qu Hua Shang thrust her sword into his chest and almost killed him.
This wasn’t a good sign. He reckoned that he had to come up with a good plan in order to win her heart and shatter her Heart Barrier in this kind of situation.
Besides that, the existence of Luo Ting He concerned him.
After his memory was restored, Yang Kai realised that his personal bodyguard was no ordinary person.
That was because she had been by his side since the sixth life!
In the sixth life, he saved a starving beggar, who was none other than Luo Ting He. The person had the same name and appearance as his current personal bodyguard.
He initially thought that she was just an illusory figure in the Samsara World, so he wasn’t bothered by it.
However, in the seventh life, she once again appeared by his side. This time, she was no longer a beggar; instead, she was a valiant General who had made countless contributions on the battlefields. On the other hand, he was the King of the country.
In the eighth life, she became a Sect Master while he was a disciple of that Sect.
After so many rounds of reincarnation, he finally figured out a thing or two about the Samsara Worlds.
These Samsara Worlds were born on the foundation of Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier. In other words, her heart was the key to solving the mystery in the Samsara Worlds.
The reason Yang Kai could always smoothly appear in these Samsara Worlds was that Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier had something to do with him as it connected both of them. Therefore, regardless of how many rounds of reincarnation he went through, he would always appear in the Samsara World where she was located.
While that was the case for him, what was going on with Xiao He? Since the sixth life, she had always appeared in the Samsara Worlds that were born on the foundation of Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier, which suggested that she had something to do with the latter.
Was she someone important to Qu Hua Shang? Was that the reason she had always been around in the previous few lives?
However, Yang Kai had never heard Qu Hua Shang mention this person before.
What was even more puzzling was that Xiao He would always be by Yang Kai’s side every time she appeared.
Now, he wasn’t certain whether Xiao He was someone who had entered the Samsara Pavilion and become reincarnated into the Samsara Worlds just like himself or an illusory figure created by these Samsara Worlds.
If it was the former, it meant that Luo Ting He was training her heart in the Samsara Pavilion while her true body was hidden in one of the trees.
If it was the latter, she should be a manifestation of Qu Hua Shang’s memories somehow.
She repeatedly asked him if he had recalled anything, which seemed to suggest that she was aware that her memory had been sealed too. In that case, she was probably not an illusory figure; instead, she was a real person who had barged into these Samsara Worlds somehow.
However, she was muddle-headed and even acted somewhat crazed most of the time, so it was impossible for Yang Kai to ask her anything about it.
Luo Ting He stared at him with a tilted head for a moment. Upon realising that he didn’t intend to delve into this topic, she stopped asking. Instead, she said, “I’ve found out what you want to know. Qu Hua Shang is one of the Saintesses under the White Lotus Matriarch. She had only stopped cultivating in seclusion some time ago. The White Lotus Matriarch has very high hopes of her.”
“She’s a Saintess?” Yang Kai was rendered speechless. He initially thought that Qu Hua Shang was just an ordinary disciple of White Lotus Sect, so it surprised him when he learned that she was a Saintess.
This was a knotty issue.
There were countless disciples in White Lotus Sect, but there were only a small number of Saintesses who all had the right to become the next Sect Master. Every Saintess had extraordinary aptitude and influence.
Moreover, they were all loyal to White Lotus Sect and regarded Grand Qi Temple to be the arch-nemesis.
In this kind of situation, it was close to impossible for him to win Qu Hua Shang’s heart as the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple.
Furthermore, it was already the ninth life.
He reckoned that the last round of reincarnation was also the hardest as even his memory had been sealed for several dozen years. It wasn’t until he came across Qu Hua Shang that his memory was unsealed. It must be even worse for her.
Unlike the first life, she wouldn’t fall in love with him just because he had saved her life.
Therefore, it was practically hopeless to wait for Qu Hua Shang to fall in love with him. When they met again, she would only try to kill him without hesitation, just like how she steadfastly thrust her sword into his chest during their first encounter.
“From what we’ve gathered, it was just a pretence that those from White Lotus Sect wanted to hold a sacrificial ceremony in East Star City. Their original intention was to kill you,” Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Xiao He took the initiative to report the information that Grand Qi Temple had gathered recently.
Yang Kai nodded, “I figured.”
In fact, the White Lotus Matriarch had made an incredible move. Holding a sacrificial ceremony in East Star City might not be entirely a pretence. If those from Grand Qi Temple were unable to stop them, they would achieve something great by successfully refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
If those from Grand Qi Temple decided to interfere, they could attempt to kill Temple Master Yang Kai.
In reality, they had almost succeeded. Yang Kai was fully aware of who the Saintesses in White Lotus Sect were, but those from Grand Qi Temple were completely clueless about this new Saintess, Qu Hua Shang.
Moreover, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state when he saw the familiar figure; therefore, he was unsuspecting when Qu Hua Shang made her move.
“The people outside are flustered. They thought that you might not ever awaken,” Xiao He said, “The Vice Temple Masters have had some arguments. Do you want to go out and placate them?”
“There’s no need for that,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Okay,” Luo Ting He appeared nonchalant. Everyone knew that Yang Kai was the only person in the world that she cared about. She wasn’t even concerned about her own Master Sect, the Emerald Smoke Sect.
That was the reason she decided to become Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard back then instead of one of the six Vice Temple Masters.
The fact that the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple was badly injured wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Basically, every cultivator would become wounded at some point in their lives; however, the injury Yang Kai had suffered was not ordinary and there was fatal poison on the sword that had wounded him.
Everyone thought that the Temple Master was doomed. Even if he was lucky enough to survive, his strength would diminish significantly.
In fact, that was indeed the case. The Temple Master was lucky enough to have escaped from death’s door, but he had rarely stepped out of his room since he awakened. When he did show up sometimes, he was seen with a pale face, and it was apparent that he had difficulty walking.
This was a sign that his condition had deteriorated.
One month later, all six Vice Temple Masters came to an agreement. During a meeting in Grand Qi Temple, they implicitly suggested that Yang Kai step down from the position of Temple Master.
After all, the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple was supposed to be the most powerful cultivator of all seven great Sects. The Temple Master wasn’t just a symbol, but also the spiritual support of Grand Qi Temple.
Every year, those from White Lotus Sect would make countless attempts to kill the leaders of Grand Qi Temple. If the Temple Master was weak, the entire Grand Qi Temple would be greatly impacted if he was assassinated. By then, everyone would be flustered, and those from White Lotus Sect would seize the chance to destroy them.
Faced with the Vice Temple Masters’ implicit request, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to step down as the Temple Master. As for who would be the next Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple, it was none of his business.
If his memory hadn’t been restored, he wouldn’t have easily made a concession; after all, he was a disciple from Divine Method Hall in this life, and he had always been involved in the fight against White Lotus Sect. Furthermore, his biggest wish had been to destroy White Lotus Sect once and for all.
However, since his memory had been restored, he knew what he was supposed to do.
Yang Kai turned down their invitation to become one of the Vice Temple Masters and one fine morning, he simply left Grand Qi Temple with a horse and some belongings.
Luo Ting He followed him closely. Although those from Emerald Smoke Sect were against the idea, they were powerless to stop her. As far as they were concerned, she was a crazy woman, and only Yang Kai was able to communicate with her. She wouldn’t bother to talk to others at all.
Barely after three years, she seemed to have perfectly accepted the fact that she was Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard. Even though he had stepped down from the position of Temple Master, she still followed him wherever he went.
One month later, a man and a woman, who were covered in dust, arrived at a certain village.
The man’s face was slightly pale as he coughed from time to time. There was a spear on his back. On the other hand, the woman was petite while her face was alluring. There was a sword in her hand.
They were none other than Yang Kai and Luo Ting He, who had come all the way here from Grand Qi Temple.
It was just an ordinary village. Beside the dilapidated walls were kids who were playing around. Smoke could be seen billowing from the chimney of every house as the smell of food lingered in the air.
There were some plump women who called out to their kids to go home and have a meal.
The kids, who were playing around with some weapons made from wood in their hands, were curious about these visitors as they surrounded and examined them.
Xiao He sniffled and stroked her flat belly, “I’m hungry.”
She then looked pleadingly at Yang Kai.
Following a sigh, Yang Kai took the pouch from his waist and fished out a silver coin. He then said to the kids around him, “Whoever can bring us to have some delicious food will get this.”
The eyes of those kids brightened as they streamed towards him.
“I have some delicious food in my house. I’ll bring you there!”
“Come to my house!”
“They’re lying. They don’t eat meat at all. There’s salted fish in my house!”
…..
After a tug of war, a slightly older kid managed to grab the silver coin. Although he was punched a bit by the other kids because of that, he didn’t mind it. As he clenched the silver coin in his hand, he took Yang Kai’s clothes with his other hand and said, “Come with me!”
Yang Kai nodded and motioned for Xiao He to follow him.
They soon arrived at the kid’s house. His parents were around, wearing simple clothes that most farmers would own. Years of hard work had left some clear marks on their bodies.
The man wasn’t good with words as he smiled like a fool. Realising that Yang Kai and Xiao He were wealthy though, he treated them in a friendly manner.
On the other hand, his Wife was stocky, but she was pretty hospitable.
Seeing the silver coin presented to them by their son, they generously gave Yang Kai and Xiao He two bowls of rice as well as a salted fish they had kept for quite some time.
Xiao He picked up the bowl and wolfed down the meal.
The man was squatting at the door and smoking while the woman stood on the side with a smile. The kid was seated by the table as he watched Xiao He devour the food with a pair of curious eyes.
“Are you not going to eat?” After finishing her own food, Xiao He looked up and realised that Yang Kai hadn’t had anything.
“You can have it,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
Without hesitation, Xiao He picked up his bowl of rice and gobbled it up.
It was hard to imagine that such a small woman had such a big appetite. In fact, Yang Kai had brought quite a bit of money with him when he left Grand Qi Temple, but barely one month later, he had used up almost all of it to buy food for Xiao He.
“My sister was born to have a big appetite. Please don’t mind her, Madam,” Yang Kai turned to look at the smiling woman.
Although the woman was hospitable, she wasn’t good with words. Upon hearing that, she waved her hand and said, “It’s fine. We still have quite a lot of rice. She can have as much of it as she pleases.”
Yang Kai then gazed at the kid beside him, “You’re still growing. Why don’t you eat something?”
The kid replied with a smile, “You can eat first. I’ll eat later.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded and stopped objecting.
All of a sudden, Xiao He raised the bowl and said to the woman, “More rice, please.”
Upon hearing that, the man, who was smoking at the door, started coughing violently. He almost couldn’t breathe because of that.
The woman’s eyelids twitched as she took the bowl with an awkward expression before she entered the kitchen to get more rice for her.
Xiao He proceeded to devour that bowl and then asked for more.
One hour later, the woman took the empty bowl with a bitter expression and looked at Xiao He, who was still asking for more rice, “That’s all we have.”
The man was no longer in the mood to smoke. Since Xiao He asked for more rice for the third time, he had kept turning his head to stare fixedly at her.
The kid beside Yang Kai sported a cold expression.
A disappointed Xiao He said, “I’m not full yet.”
Disbelief was written all over the woman’s face as she gazed at Yang Kai. She couldn’t figure out how he managed to raise his sister. This kind of appetite was enough to make a wealthy family go broke.
“Was the food delicious?” Yang Kai gaped at Xiao He.
“It was delicious, but there was a bitter aftertaste,” Xiao He replied honestly.
“Of course the food was bitter since there was poison in it,” Yang Kai chuckled.
As soon as he finished speaking, three figures came right at Xiao He and him at the same time.
The man, who had been seated by the door, suddenly attempted to tackle them. The sabre in his hand flickered as he was engulfed in murderous intent.
The woman tossed the bowl away as she took a step forward and pushed out her palm towards Xiao He.
Even the kid beside Yang Kai suddenly fished out a sword and tried to stab it into the latter’s heart from a tricky angle.
The next moment, Xiao He made a move.
The man and woman grunted before they were sent flying away while spraying a mouthful of blood.
Yang Kai extended two fingers and gently caught the blade. Regardless of how hard the kid tried, he was unable to retract his sword as his face started flushing.
A furious Xiao He snapped, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that there was poison in the food?”
“Aren’t you immune to all kinds of poison?” Yang Kai batted his eyes.
“Oh, right.” Xiao He calmed down instantly, but she still felt aggrieved, “But you should have told me about it.”
“Would you not eat it if I told you?”
A bashful Xiao He replied hesitantly, “I would still eat it anyway.”
“See?” Yang Kai shrugged and extended his hand. The kid grunted and fell backwards. Then, he was shocked to realise that he was unable to move as a mysterious force passed through all his meridians.
“Who are they?” Xiao He frowned. The three of them were cultivators, and they put poison into their food. It was apparent that they were ill-intentioned.
“They’re disciples of White Lotus Sect.” Yang Kai rose from the chair, “This place is one of their secret hideouts.”
Upon hearing that, Xiao He was astounded. She just followed Yang Kai wherever he went and didn’t care about anything else, so she was surprised to learn that he had brought her to this kind of place.
It wasn’t that she was afraid. Given their strength, there were rarely any cultivators in the world who could harm them if they were in a one-on-one fight.
The reason Yang Kai knew this was one of the secret hideouts of White Lotus Sect was that he had been the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple for three years.
He was also aware of other hideouts like this. The reason he didn’t tell anyone to destroy them previously was that he didn’t want to alert the enemy to his knowledge. Nevertheless, since he was no longer the Temple Master, the previous arrangements didn’t matter anymore.
“What are we doing here?”
“Looking for someone,” As soon as Yang Kai finished speaking, he frowned and looked out the door.
He could sense that many people had surrounded the house. It was apparent that the fight just now had caught the attention of other White Lotus Sect’s disciples.
“I’ll deal with them,” After having some poisonous food, Xiao He was furious. Then, she raised her sword and dashed out of the house.
Soon, shrieks were continuously heard from all directions.
The woman and the man, who were lying on the ground, finally had their expressions changed drastically.
The woman asked, “Who are you?”
Turning to her, he slowly spoke his name, “Yang Kai.”
Upon hearing that, the man widened his eyes and started trembling. With a pale face, the woman exclaimed, “Grand Qi Temple’s Temple Master, Yang Kai?”
The war between good and evil had raged for hundreds of years. Even though the grassroots disciples of White Lotus Sect had never seen Yang Kai before, all of them had heard his name at least.
To them, the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple was just as noble as their own White Lotus Matriarch. The average person wouldn’t have a chance to see either of them.
No one could have expected that the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple would appear in such a remote village.
“I’m no longer the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple,” Yang Kai shook his head. His words confirmed the woman’s speculation.
The woman appeared dejected. Just now, she was trying to come up with a way to flee; however, upon learning that the man before her eyes was the legendary Yang Kai, she gave up on the idea. The gap between their strength was insurmountable, so how was she supposed to flee?
“What are you doing in our White Lotus Sect’s stronghold?” the woman asked.
“I already said I’m looking for someone from White Lotus Sect.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“It’s none of your business. Just tell your higher-ups about it, and the person I’m looking for will come to see me.”
A myriad of expressions came over the woman’s face. With her hand pressed against her chest, she got to her feet slowly. Then, she forcefully moved backwards and destroyed the wall behind her before running away at full speed.
Then, she heard Yang Kai saying, “I’ll wait here for a month. If I don’t see the person I’m looking for by then, I’ll personally visit the eight secret hideouts of White Lotus Sect.”
The woman shuddered and ran faster.
Xiao He dashed into the house and looked around, “She fled?”
“It’s fine.” Yang Kai waved his hand and took a look at her sword, which was soaked in blood, “Have you killed all of them?”
A nonchalantly Xiao He replied, “Yes. You wanted some of them to live? You should’ve told me earlier.”
Then, she gazed at the man and the kid on the ground as her murderous intent surged.
“Well, you should probably keep them alive to cook for you. I don’t know how to cook,” Yang Kai’s words were effective in stopping her from killing the last two survivors.
Although the man and the kid had escaped from death’s door, they felt devastated; after all, as disciples of White Lotus Sect, they had fallen into the hands of these two. It was expected that life would be like living Hell for them.
They could already imagine the kind of torture they would face.
In reality, things were different from what they imagined. In the following days, they were not tortured in any way.
The man was responsible for cooking meals for Xiao He and Yang Kai every day. On the other hand, the kid had no choice but to play some childish games with Xiao He.
During this period of time, they repeatedly tried to flee using many different methods.
However, what was a matter of life or death to them was like another game in Xiao He’s eyes.
She would always appear at the most unexpected moments and capture the two of them, who were ready to run away or had already left the village.
Every time they were captured, some of their hair would be cut as a punishment.
After just half a month, both of them became bald.
Since there was no hair left on their heads, Xiao He said to them in a serious manner, “If I catch you again, I’ll have no choice but to cut your heads!”
Their hair would grow back after it was cut, but their heads certainly wouldn’t.
They wouldn’t dare to find out whether Xiao He was serious, so after that day, they became obedient and didn’t dare to flee again.
Meanwhile, having lost a source of entertainment, Xiao He found it to be boring and soon regretted threatening them in such a way.
The deadline Yang Kai had given was one month. If he couldn’t see the person he was looking for within that time, he would personally visit eight of White Lotus Sect’s secret hideouts.
This kind of threat was intolerable to those from White Lotus Sect.
There were countless disciples in White Lotus Sect, so there were definitely a lot more than eight secret hideouts; however, no one knew exactly which eight hideouts Yang Kai was talking about.
In that case, it wouldn’t be possible for them to move the people there to another place.
In order to keep the hideouts safe, the only way was to kill Yang Kai once and for all.
On the last day of the deadline, Yang Kai was cultivating with his legs crossed in the middle of the night. After a few months of hard work, he finally managed to force out the remaining poison. The last bit of poison was sprayed out from his mouth along with some black blood. At that instant, he felt energised and refreshed, as though the shackles around his body had been lifted.
Those from Grand Qi Temple thought that even though he had survived the fatal poison, his strength must have decreased significantly. That was the reason the six Vice Temple Masters joined forces to make him step down as the Temple Master.
They might be doing it out of greed or for the greater good of everyone; however, after realising his true heart, Yang Kai was no longer interested in the position of Temple Master.
Even if no one had forced him to resign, he would still have stepped down from the position.
There were more important things he had to do. His experiences in the Samsara Worlds were nothing more than illusions.
All of a sudden, the sounds of something breaking through the air were heard, which were extremely ear-catching in this serene night. Following that, arrows penetrated the door and windows from all directions and engulfed him like a storm.
Yang Kai, who was seated on the bed, picked up his spear and spun it. Following some clangs, all the arrows were deflected.
However, the rain of arrows didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Yang Kai roared and leaped into the air before smashing through the roof.
There were already some people waiting for him on the roof. As soon as he appeared, they assumed a Formation and tried to kill him together.
All of them were fairly powerful. In a one-on-one fight, none of them could last even three of Yang Kai’s moves, but after they joined forces, they could make up for each other’s weaknesses and greatly increase their collective strength.
After more than ten breaths of intense battle, Yang Kai grunted and fell backwards. He crashed through the roof and landed on the ground.
Just then, two hands suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed his ankles. The person then exerted more force with his hands in an attempt to drag Yang Kai into the ground.
Without sparing a glance, Yang Kai stabbed his spear a metre deep into the ground. When he pulled out his weapon, the ground was already dyed crimson.
The attackers came at him from the rooftop, but Yang Kai wielded his spear and dealt with them.
Right then, shrieks could be heard coming from outside the house.
Xiao He had made her move!
In the darkness, she was like a phantom. Wherever she drifted, enemies would shriek and lose their lives.
A moment later, she arrived at Yang Kai’s side.
The people that had been using a Formation were initially an equal match for Yang Kai. However, with Xiao He joining the battle, they instantly found it hard to persevere.
Yang Kai and Xiao He had worked together for many years, so they could easily coordinate with each other. The powerful cultivators that White Lotus Sect had spent years nurturing were all killed in fewer than twenty breaths.
There was some blood on Xiao He’s face. She dabbed it with her finger and licked it with her tongue. Her expression became excited and hideous while her murderous intent radiated like a bright light in the darkness.
It was as though she would kill any living creature that was in front of her.
Yang Kai directly landed a smack on her head.
Xiao He’s figure was forced to lower, but her murderous intent had subsided significantly. She had restored some sensibility as she sported an aggrieved expression and pressed her lips together.
“Look for her!” Yang Kai demanded.
Xiao He sniffled, then pointed in a particular direction, “That way!”
They moved at the same time and charged forward in that direction.
Inside a house that was still intact stood several figures in silence as they had hidden their auras. Even a top cultivator like Yang Kai hadn’t noticed it before.
Nevertheless, Xiao He could accurately find them.
The wall shattered, but before those people could react, Yang Kai and Xiao He had already appeared right in front of them.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai flashed a bright smile at the woman at the front.
However, the woman sported an extremely gloomy expression while the faces of her personal bodyguards were tight.
Xiao He swept a glance over them while appearing eager. She looked inquisitively at Yang Kai to seek his permission to kill them.
While Yang Kai pretended that he hadn’t seen it, Xiao He appeared disappointed.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Both parties were only ten metres apart. While those from White Lotus Sect were hostile, Yang Kai and Xiao He remained calm and collected, as though they didn’t have any regard for the other party.
At that, those from White Lotus Sect became even more apprehensive.
All of a sudden, the woman at the front put on a smile. Everything else in the world paled compared to her smile at this moment.
“I heard you were looking for me, old man.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched.
In one of their lives, the woman called him little one and told him not to be afraid.
This life, she called him old man. It seemed that what went around came around.
“Yes, I was looking for you,” Yang Kai nodded.
There was an innocent expression on the face of the White Lotus Sect’s Saintess, Qu Hua Shang. She tilted her head and placed her finger on her lips, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her. There was no murderous intent in his eyes, which were only filled with tenderness.
A shocked Qu Hua Shang asked, “Have you fallen in love with me, old man?”
An unabashed Yang Kai directly admitted it, “It was love at first sight.”
Upon hearing that, Qu Hua Shang and her personal bodyguards were stunned.
Only Xiao He’s eyes brightened as though she had just heard something interesting. With an excited expression, she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang while for some reason feeling anxious.
Qu Hua Shang was lost for words. She wasn’t serious when she said that just now, so it surprised her that the other party directly admitted it. Moreover, his expression and tone seemed to suggest that he was completely sincere.
Although she was young, she was good at reading people’s faces; therefore, she could judge whether a person was lying through his gaze and tone.
She wanted to look for the traces of Yang Kai lying, but her attempt was futile.
All of a sudden, she started laughing and bent her back as though she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Yang Kai only looked silently at her with a pair of loving eyes.
A moment later, Qu Hua Shang stopped laughing and wiped the tears off the corners of her eyes. She gazed at the man and said, “It was love at first sight? Did you forget I wounded you at that time?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Your attack almost killed me, so you have to make up for it for the rest of this life.”
Xiao He’s face started flushing as she became more agitated. She pressed her hands against her chest with an enchanted expression, as though she had just heard the most loving words in the world.
The smile on Qu Hua Shang’s face froze as she pursed her lips, “You’re pretty good at spewing nonsense, old man.”
Yang Kai took a step forward and looked her in the eyes, “I speak only the truth.”
Qu Hua Shang suddenly became flustered and frowned, “You’re the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple while I’m a Saintess of White Lotus Sect. We’re basically blood enemies. Just tell me straight if there’s anything you want to say and stop teasing a little girl like me.”
“Do you think I’m teasing you?” Yang Kai took another step forward.
Qu Hua Shang instinctively took a step backwards while her personal bodyguards felt threatened; after all, one of the strongest Masters in this world was standing right in front of them. Given the short distance between them, they wouldn’t have time to react if the other party abruptly made a move.
“Are you not?”
“Of course not. Everything I’ve said is from the bottom of my heart.”
Qu Hua Shang stared fixedly at him for a moment before turning to Xiao He and asking, “Big Sister, has he always been so crazy?”
Upon hearing that, Xiao He shook her head, “This has never happened before. I always thought that he wasn’t interested in women. Well, since he’s finally in love with one, you should just get together with him. What’s there to hesitate about? Although there’s a huge gap between your age and he’s old enough to be your Father… age has nothing to do with love. I’m telling you, even though he’s old, he’s still a virgin!”
A speechless Qu Hua Shang gazed at Xiao He. Since she was aware of Yang Kai’s identity, she certainly knew who Xiao He was as well. This woman was from Emerald Smoke Sect, but she wasn’t interested in the position of Vice Temple Master. Instead, she decided to become Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard. She was the nightmare of many powerful cultivators from White Lotus Sect, and she had killed many of them as well.
Almost everyone in the world believed that she was Yang Kai’s woman.
However, that didn’t seem to be the case now.
Although they were close to each other, they were apparently not lovers.
Both the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple and this woman were insane.
“Those from White Lotus Sect have placed a lot of moles in Grand Qi Temple. As a Saintess, you should know that I stepped down as Temple Master two months ago. I’m no longer a member of Grand Qi Temple, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Qu Hua Shang snorted, “Who knows if this is a plot of those from Grand Qi Temple?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “There’s no point in explaining. Time will prove everything.”
After a moment of silence, Qu Hua Shang suddenly winked at him, “Why don’t you prove it to me now?”
“How do you want me to do that?” Yang Kai asked.
“It’s simple.” As soon as Qu Hua Shang finished speaking, she pulled out a sword from her personal bodyguard’s waist and directly dashed towards Yang Kai before pressing her weapon against the man’s chest. The sharp tip penetrated his skin as blood started streaming out of his wound.
Qu Hua Shang was astounded.
She was surprised at the fact that the man didn’t try to resist or dodge the attack.
The Temple Master of every generation was one of the top cultivators in the world in their time. Although her movements were quick just now, Yang Kai should have been agile enough to react.
The reason she could harm him two months ago was that she caught him unsuspecting.
However, she succeeded in hurting him this time because he didn’t intend to dodge the attack, which was different.
They were so close to each other that she could feel the man’s breath brushing across her face. As their eyes met, Qu Hua Shang only saw a clear gaze that was void of any deception. Despite the fact that a sword had been jabbed into his body, he remained calm and collected. The smile on his face was so bright that it was almost piercing.
An infuriated Qu Hua Shang pushed the sword forward a bit further.
As Yang Kai’s personal bodyguard, Xiao He was responsible for ensuring his safety. Over the years, she had done a great job as she could always discover and easily resolve the assassination attempts targeted at Yang Kai by those from White Lotus Sect.
It was close to impossible for anyone to press his sword against Yang Kai’s chest. As soon as Xiao He detected a hint of murderous intent, she would decisively make a move and kill the enemy; however, at this moment, Xiao He didn’t seem to have the intention of stopping the Saintess of White Lotus Sect even though the sword had been stabbed into his chest. Instead, she just looked at them with interest.
The cultivators behind Qu Hua Shang were all tensed up and soaked in a cold sweat.
They felt that the Saintess was playing with fire, for any slight negligence would cause her to lose her life. The assassination attempt tonight was already a failure. The moment their whereabouts were exposed, they were already at a huge disadvantage.
They were fully aware that they were unable to go up against the former Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple and his personal bodyguard. If the two of them had any murderous intent, none of them would survive.
The fact that the Saintess had penetrated Yang Kai’s flesh with her sword was no different from a mad provocation.
Nevertheless, while they were apprehensive, they also hoped that she would succeed.
If the Saintess could really kill the former Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple here, that would be a huge contribution to the Sect, and they would be rewarded handsomely as well.
Her sword was just finger widths away from his heart. If she could penetrate it, Yang Kai would instantly lose his life regardless how strong he was.
Although Qu Hua Shang could easily determine the life or death of the man in front of her, she found it hard to really do it.
She had the intention to kill him, and she was aware that her reputation would be greatly enhanced by killing Yang Kai here, which would help her stand a better chance of becoming the next Sect Master of White Lotus Sect; however, there seemed to be a voice in her heart that kept screaming at her that she would regret it for all her life if she really made a move.
A myriad of expressions came over her, then she said through clenched teeth, “You’re insane!”
As soon as she retracted her sword, blood started streaming out of the man’s wound.
She wouldn’t dare to look him in the eye as her gaze anxiously moved away. After tossing the sword at one of the personal bodyguards, she ordered, “Let’s go!”
The moment she turned around, Yang Kai clenched her arm.
“What are you doing? Let go of my arm!” Qu Hua Shang demanded.
“Kill them all!” Yang Kai ordered, then carried Qu Hua Shang up with both hands. She intended to resist, but he exerted some kind of force through his hands and rendered her powerless to do so.
Like a tornado, Xiao He charged towards the personal bodyguards as sword lights flashed through her weapon. By the time she stopped in her tracks, the personal bodyguards had already all collapsed to the ground.
Carried in the man’s arms like a child, Qu Hua Shang felt utterly ashamed. She kept thumping her fists against his chest, but her action was rather coquettish since she had lost her strength.
To the side, Xiao He just watched them with interest.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at the woman in his arms, “You stabbed your sword into my body twice. You probably can’t make up for it for your entire life, so you’ll have to continue doing it in your next life.”
Qu Hua Shang snapped, “I’m not going to make up for anything. I should’ve killed you just now!”
“Why don’t I give you one more chance?” Yang Kai winked at her.
Qu Hua Shang snorted, thinking that he was just probing her. She even suspected that if she had really tried to kill him just now, the man would’ve counterattacked. When that happened, she would’ve fallen into a worse state than being captured.
Since she was unable to defeat him or flee, she decided to make a concession and let him carry her. She took the initiative to wrap her hands around the man’s neck to stabilise herself. Wind could be heard howling while the view around her flew backwards rapidly.
“Where are you taking me?” Qu Hua Shang asked.
“You’ll find out when we arrive,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
Three days later, Yang Kai found a lake in a certain valley. There were no traces that suggested that anyone had visited this place before, and the view was excellent. This place was suitable for a reclusive life.
After putting the woman down, Yang Kai said to Xiao He, “Keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn’t flee.”
Xiao He nodded, “Don’t worry, she won’t be able to run away.” She then took a look at Qu Hua Shang’s legs, “Why don’t I break her legs?”
Qu Hua Shang couldn’t help but shudder as she looked at Xiao He as if she was a demon, and firmly declared, “Don’t do that. I’m not going to run away.”
Xiao He nodded, “You’d better be obedient, then.”
After that, Yang Kai left the place to fell some trees. It took him several days to build three log houses by the lake for the three of them.
The difficulty in the ninth life was very high. It wasn’t until Yang Kai had lived in this world for decades that his memory was restored, so it would be even harder to bring back Qu Hua Shang’s memory and shatter her Heart Barrier.
However, since he had found her, there was a target he could aim to achieve. He was ready to make Qu Hua Shang slowly open up to him. He believed that she would fall in love with him one day.
Moreover, it was a good sign that she had decided to give up on the idea of killing him in the end some time ago.
This meant that even though her memory had been sealed, she still had some instincts that pulled her back from killing him.
No one would come to this valley. Every day, Yang Kai would head out to hunt some food and collect firewood while Xiao He would keep an eye on Qu Hua Shang. No one in the world would’ve thought that three top cultivators were living a reclusive life in such a remote place.
Time passed by slowly.
Initially, Qu Hua Shang was against this kind of life. Those from White Lotus Sect had nurtured her for years. As soon as she stopped cultivating in seclusion, the White Lotus Matriarch gave her the title of Saintess. She was also one of the candidates who had the hope of becoming the next Sect Master.
As a powerful young woman with a bright future, it was expected that she hated to live like a captive.
Nevertheless, she was clever enough not to try fleeing. That was because she knew that it was impossible for her to flee from Xiao He.
With that said, she made sure to let Yang Kai and Xiao He know that she abhorred them by glowering at them every time they met. Other than having meals, she would never leave her house.
Yang Kai had already expected it, so he didn’t mind it, nor did it bother Xiao He. The only person in the world she was concerned about was Yang Kai.
Soon, three months had passed.
Time could really change a person.
Qu Hua Shang was initially doubtful, but now, she could confirm that the man who was old enough to be her father had really fallen in love with her.
Although he had restricted her freedom over the past few months, he took very good care of her in all other ways. Every time he looked at her, his eyes were brimming with care. Anyone could see the longing behind his eyes as long as they were not blind.
Qu Hua Shang didn’t understand the reason behind it. Before she was captured by Yang Kai, she had only met the man once. At that time, she had stabbed her sword into his chest and almost killed him.
She was fully aware that she was beautiful, but she didn’t think she was charming enough to make someone like the former Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple fall head over heels for her.
If he could easily be attracted to beauty, he couldn’t have become the Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple.
After three months of living together, the tension between them had eased.
In the middle of the night, Qu Hua Shang and Yang Kai were lying on the roof of a log house. With their hands placed behind their heads, they looked up at the starry sky.
“Old man, where did we stop last night?” Qu Hua Shang gazed at the brightest Star in the sky and asked.
“The eighth life,” Yang Kai replied.
“Oh, continue from there, then. Who were you and me in the eighth life?”
These days, Yang Kai had been telling Qu Hua Shang about a love story of nine lives.
Everything he had said came from his own experiences, but to Qu Hua Shang, it was a strange story that was touching enough to elicit tears from naive young people.
She was willing to listen to it as there was nothing else she could do here, so it was a good way to kill time.
In the eighth life, both of them were from different Sects. However, these Sects were arch nemeses, just like what was going on between Grand Qi Temple and White Lotus Sect. It was expected that their love story was full of hardship.
Nevertheless, they were just Common Disciples of their own Sects, unlike in this life where both of them held powerful positions.
Despite the hardship and several attempts to kill each other, they resolved their differences in the end and married.
Qu Hua Shang attentively listened to the story. Although the story itself was banal, Yang Kai was able to make it interesting with his vivid descriptions. It was as though he had personally experienced it.
Just then, someone could be heard sobbing from behind them.
Without even turning her head, Qu Hua Shang let out a sigh, “Big Sister Xiao He, why are you crying again?”
“It’s such a touching story…” Presently, Xiao He was seated with her legs crossed behind them. She started bawling her eyes out as tears slid down her face like pearls with a snapped string.
Every time Yang Kai told Qu Hua Shang about this love story of nine lives, Xiao He would come over and listen to it as well. Without fail, she would always break into tears in the end.
She was more passionate about the story than Qu Hua Shang.
Suddenly thinking of something, Yang Kai asked, “Xiao He, if you were the Sect Master of one of the Sects in the eighth life, what would you do after finding out that someone in your Sect was in love with a disciple from an opposing Sect?”
Without pondering on it, Xiao He replied, “I would have agreed to let them get together regardless of what it took!”
Yang Kai put on a bright smile, “You really did. Thanks!”
Xiao He was perplexed, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai didn’t explain anything.
In fact, Xiao He, as his Sect Master in the eighth life, had really allowed Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang to get together, just like she had said just now. In order to help them, she even decided to destroy the opposing Sect despite knowing that she would also be killed, thus clearing the biggest obstacle between the two of them.
Now that they were in their ninth life, Xiao He’s reply matched what she had done.
Yang Kai could now confirm that Xiao He was a real person who had barged into this Samsara World somehow. However, it wasn’t certain about her identity in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
“Old man, according to you, we’re supposedly in our ninth life now, right?” Qu Hua Shang asked.
“Yes, it’s the ninth life, as well as the last.”
“Is it because of what we went through in our previous lives that you fell in love with me at first sight?”
“Yes.”
Qu Hua Shang couldn’t help but sneer, “You’re pretty amazing, old man. The story you’ve fabricated is so moving that I’ve almost believed it.”
Xiao He appeared beside her and looked down at her, “How could you not believe him? You should believe it and get married to him tomorrow. It’s a love story of nine lives. It will be complete after you two get together.”
Qu Hua Shang snapped, “I’m not going to get married. You should do that yourself.”
After giving it a thought, Xiao He shook her head, “The person I’m waiting for hasn’t found me. I’m not going to get married.”