In Zong Ao's room, Yang Kai poured wine for the old man, his manner respectful.
The old fellow was perfectly at ease, accepting the service without a shred of embarrassment.
When the cup was full, Zong Ao picked it up, took a sip, smacked his lips, and set it back down. "Whatever you have to say, just say it. As long as you're not after my treasures again, we're fine."
Yang Kai chuckled. "That's not what I'm here for. You're overthinking it, Elder Zong. I simply came to bid you farewell. I've received a great deal of your care during this time, and I'm truly grateful."
Regardless of whether Zong Ao was a good person or had once harbored murderous intent toward him, the old man had genuinely looked after Yang Kai over these past days. Without Zong Ao's guidance, Yang Kai would never have figured out how to rescue Xue Yue, how to awaken her sleeping spiritual soul.
And while Zong Ao had reaped considerable benefits from the exchange as well, showing a bit of respect to an elder was only natural.
"Farewell?" Zong Ao was taken aback. "You're leaving?"
"Yes. I'll be gone in two days." Yang Kai nodded.
Zong Ao's expression turned odd. "You're afraid the Third Young Master of Xue's family will come after you, aren't you? You should leave. Once someone arrives from the Moon Star, if you haven't left, you're dead."
Even now, the old man was convinced Yang Kai had been bold enough to lay hands on Xue Yue's woman.
Yang Kai didn't bother explaining. Let him think what he would.
"Kid, have you considered staying by my side?" Zong Ao suddenly proposed. "She's just a woman, after all. Xue Yue is Chairman Aeolus's offspring — surely he's not unreasonable. As long as you're with me, I can go have a word with the lad and smooth things over. Otherwise, how could a martial artist at the third level of the Saint Realm hope to escape the pursuit of the Hengluo Trading Company? The Star Domain is vast, but when the time comes, there won't be a corner for you to hide in."
Why did everyone want to keep him? Yang Kai felt a twinge of exasperation, though his expression betrayed nothing. He understood that Elder Zong valued his alchemy talent. He shook his head. "I appreciate your kind offer, Elder Zong, but my mind is made up."
Zong Ao gave a slight nod. "In that case, I won't insist. Here — take a look at these." He paused. "I can see that your talent in alchemy is outstanding, but you've never received formal education. Your understanding of high-grade medicinal herbs and pills is still shallow. These should help."
As he spoke, he drew numerous thick tomes from his spatial ring.
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He didn't stand on ceremony, accepting every volume and storing them in his own ring.
He recognized these books well. They were from Zong Ao's palace collection — some written by the old man himself, others gathered from the outside world. All of them detailed the properties, grades, and growing environments of various herbs found throughout the Star Domain.
Once he absorbed the contents, Yang Kai's alchemy skills would truly align with the Star Domain's standards. He'd never again encounter a herb he couldn't identify.
Last time he hadn't been able to read much and had felt a lingering regret, thinking such an opportunity might never come again. He hadn't expected Zong Ao to offer them of his own accord.
Yang Kai was genuinely thankful.
"Kid, tell me something. Where did you learn your alchemy? The spirit arrays you use are a bit different from those in the Star Domain. They share the same origin, but there are subtle differences." Zong Ao probed out of curiosity, trying to learn more about Yang Kai's background.
"Elder Zong, I come from a low-grade continent. The strongest martial artists there are at the third level of the Saint Realm — my current level. The highest alchemy grade is Superior Saint, and that's where medicinal herbs, spiritual ingredients, and artifact materials all max out. So I don't have much knowledge about materials above the Saint grade." Yang Kai was no longer keeping secrets. Over wine, the two chatted freely.
Zong Ao was continually astonished, increasingly convinced that Yang Kai was no ordinary person.
To come from a low-grade continent and yet grasp alchemy to such a depth — to devise a single ingenious solution to a problem that had plagued Zong Ao for a century, allowing him to produce pills with a ten percent chance of manifesting pill veins...
If this kid had been born on one of the Star Domain's premier cultivation stars, what kind of heights might he have reached? The conversation only grew more spirited.
After several rounds of wine, Yang Kai took his leave. Zong Ao didn't try to keep him, simply assuring Yang Kai that he would never reveal the pill-vein method without permission — to put his mind at ease.
Yang Kai waved a hand and said nothing more.
Whether artifact refiners, alchemists, or martial artists, they were all a possessive lot who guarded their knowledge jealously. They would never expose their secrets. Precious techniques and knowledge were treated as heritable legacies, passed down only to their personal successors. If an outsider tried to steal them, it meant a fight to the death.
Zong Ao had learned the pill-vein method from Yang Kai, and that alone was enough to satisfy him. He naturally had no intention of broadcasting it.
Two days passed in perfect calm. Zong Ao had already moved back to his valley, reportedly to re-cultivate those thousand acres of herb fields. The old man's cultivation was formidable, and he had plenty of years ahead of him — more than enough time to bring the herbs to maturity.
During these two days, Xue Yue and Yang Kai both stayed in their rooms and didn't step out.
Harika and Lin Mufeng seemed to sense that something was off and went about their duties with exaggerated caution each day, waiting for the people from the home star to arrive and sort things out.
Two days later, Yang Kai came to Xue Yue's room. Without a word of announcement, he pushed the door open and walked in.
A chill seemed to hang in the air. Xue Yue sat by the table, her expression remote. When Yang Kai entered, she merely lifted her gaze to glance at him.
He could feel it clearly — a rage simmering beneath the surface, and her attitude had shifted from what it had been days ago. A cold, sharp aura radiated from her slender form.