Inside Shentu's palace, Yang Kai returned.
The several guards stationed at the entrance stood at attention, bowing respectfully.
"Brother Yang is back?" Shentu's voice suddenly rang out from within. He came striding out moments later with a hearty laugh to greet him.
"So Chairman Aio finally let you go too?" Yang Kai said with a chuckle.
Shentu couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth, an annoyed look spreading across his face. "Don't mention it—I nearly had a layer of skin peeled off this time... Come, come, come inside and talk."
He warmly ushered Yang Kai into the palace, walking shoulder to shoulder, and asked where Yang Kai had been all this time and why he hadn't been seen anywhere.
Yang Kai gave a brief account of his travels, then furrowed his brow. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Seeing Yang Kai's solemn expression, Shentu's face turned serious as well.
Yang Kai glanced left and right, looking cautious.
Galong, who had been standing beside Shentu, spoke up. "Rest easy, Brother. Conversations here won't leak out—everyone in the Young Master's palace is loyal to him."
Shentu nodded, signaling Yang Kai to speak freely.
Yang Kai then said, "On this trip out... I seem to have killed three warriors from your Hengluo Chamber of Commerce."
"And then?" Shentu pressed.
"That's it. After killing them, I came back."
Shentu grinned. "No problem there. The Chamber has plenty of people, and on Shuiyue Star, clashes happen all the time—people die every day. You killed them, and that's that. As long as they weren't anyone too high-ranking, there won't be any trouble."
"Their status shouldn't have been too high, since they weren't that strong."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this for you, Brother Yang." Shentu patted his chest confidently, taking the matter on himself without a care for the three dead Chamber warriors.
"Let me finish first." Yang Kai waved a hand. "I didn't go looking for trouble this time. I was just passing through a valley on my way back, and three of them came chasing out from a group."
"A group?" Shentu looked surprised.
"Mm. In that valley, there was a warship anchored—about thirty zhang long. Some warriors from your Hengluo Chamber of Commerce were loading or unloading supplies. I was too far away to make out exactly what they were. When I passed nearby, they spotted me. One of them—a young man around our age—instructed those three to chase and kill me."
"Trading supplies in a valley?" Shentu's expression shifted subtly, and he immediately sensed something was off. He asked urgently, "Did you notice anything distinctive about them?"
Yang Kai thought carefully. "If you're asking about distinguishing features... I was quite focused on that young man. He was very... pretty. Yes, just—very pretty!"
Even as Yang Kai said it, his own expression turned strange—using the word "pretty" to describe a man, and yet he felt it was perfectly fitting, not at all inappropriate.
Shentu's expression grew increasingly grim. He exchanged a glance with Galong, and a shared sense of unease suddenly arose between them.
"Brother Yang... describe that young man in more detail..." His voice came out halting.
"I didn't get a clear look. Just a fleeting glimpse. His skin was very fair, with a warm, approachable smile on his face. Oh, right—there were quite a few female warriors around him, all seemingly infatuated. He was about our height, around our age, with hair draped over his shoulders." Yang Kai spoke as he recalled the image.
"No way..." Shentu suddenly groaned.
Reading their expressions, Yang Kai noticed something was clearly off with both Shentu and Galong. He couldn't help asking, "Do you two know him?"
Shentu's mouth twitched, and a hint of fear surfaced deep in his eyes. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Brother Yang, you're not an outsider—I won't hide it from you. The person you saw might... might be my third brother, Xue Yue!"
The name Xue Yue fell from Shentu's lips, and Galong's brow twitched involuntarily, his whole bearing suddenly that of a man bracing for a great threat.
"Your third brother?" Yang Kai was stunned.
"My third brother!" Shentu nodded emphatically.
Galong explained with a bitter smile. "Of everyone on Shuiyue Star, Young Master Shentu fears only two people—one is the Chairman, and the other is Young Master Xue Yue..."
Yang Kai was taken aback. He grinned. "What's there to be afraid of in your own brother?"
Shentu immediately began to lament. "If he weren't my brother, I'd have found a way to get rid of him long ago. Brother Yang, you don't understand—just mentioning my third brother gives me chills... Dammit, that guy traumatized me through my entire childhood. I'm not half as afraid of my own father as I am of him."
"This Young Master Xue Yue sounds quite something." Yang Kai couldn't help but grow curious about that eerily beautiful young man. Having spent this time with Shentu, he knew the guy feared absolutely nothing under heaven. For someone who could tame Shentu—make him feel genuine fear from the inside out—this Xue Yue had to be extraordinary.
"Don't mock me, Brother Yang. If you really did see him, then we're in trouble."
"How so?" Yang Kai's expression turned serious.