Yang Yan's appearance was harmless enough, but Yang Kai wasn't exactly close to her, so he naturally wouldn't be naive enough to take her at her word.
"If you really are a Void Grade Artifact Refiner, how did you end up in such a sorry state?"
"Because nobody believes me." Yang Yan pouted her bright red lips aggrievedly. "And nobody dares to commission me to forge high-grade artifacts. The ones who come to me all want junk work, so naturally the pay is terrible."
"I was just in the Artifact Refining Pavilion's lobby, and I heard someone say you took a top-grade Saint King artifact and downgraded it to mid-grade?" Yang Kai regarded her with a peculiar look.
"That's right." To Yang Kai's surprise, Yang Yan actually nodded in confirmation, gesticulating excitedly as she spoke. "That guy's cultivation was only at the Entry to Saint, Third Level. At that realm, even if he had a top-grade Saint King artifact, he couldn't bring out its full power. Mid-grade Saint King was his upper limit. I lowered the artifact's grade, but when he goes into battle, his combat power actually goes up. And once his cultivation improves and he comes back to me, I can raise the artifact's grade too."
"I also heard that you forged the longsword the customer asked for... and turned it into a cleaver?"
"What does he know? The technique he cultivates, his martial skills, even the nature of his Saint Yuan — they're all the broad, sweeping type. A longsword is too elegant; it doesn't play to his strengths at all. A cleaver is the way to go. After he uses it for a while, he'll realize I had his best interests at heart, and then he'll definitely be grateful to me."
Yang Kai sighed, unsure whether to believe this woman. If what she said was true, then she really was a Void Grade Artifact Refiner — an exceedingly rare talent, especially given her age.
But precisely because she looked so young — even younger than Yang Kai — nobody would likely believe she was a Void Grade Artifact Refiner.
The truth and lies were all tangled together, and Yang Kai couldn't sort them out.
"Yang Yan, this won't do at all. As an artifact refiner, your top priority should be meeting the warrior's own requirements, not crafting artifacts based on your personal judgment. You're not them — how can you know what they truly want? Acting on your own like this is just asking for trouble."
Yang Yan looked even more aggrieved, muttering, "But I just can't stand watching people waste good materials."
Yang Kai shook his head and said no more.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the cave entrance of Dragon Den Mountain and touched down. To Yang Kai's surprise, he found Yu Feng leading a group of people in and out of the cave, apparently transporting something.
Spotting Yang Kai's arrival, Yu Feng came running over with a wide grin, clapping Yang Kai heartily on the shoulder. "Heard from Miss that you're staying?"
"Mm."
"Staying's a good call. You've got nobody on the Dark Star anyway. Stick with Miss, build something — you'll bring honor to your ancestors. Oh, and Miss asked us to help you spruce up the cave. The brothers have all been at it." Yu Feng gestured at the warriors bustling in and out of the cave. They were all the same people from the battleship.
He then produced a space ring and handed it to Yang Kai. "This is the ring you used to wear. Inside are some tokens of appreciation from the brothers. Everyone chipped in. We're all one family now. It's not much, so don't turn your nose up at it."
Yang Kai took it and swept it with his Divine Sense. Inside were several hundred low-grade Saint Crystals and a few bottles of common healing pills. It really wasn't much — not even in the same league as what he'd been robbed of — but Yang Kai accepted it solemnly and nodded his thanks.
Only then did Yu Feng seem to notice Yang Yan's presence. He let out a cry and stared at her, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You're really something, aren't you? Gone for barely any time and you've already brought back a woman? Where'd you find her? She's gorgeous — tell me where, and I'll go find one too."
Yang Yan's expression turned cold, and she shot Yu Feng a fierce glare.
Yu Feng immediately looked sheepish.
Yang Kai introduced her: "This is Master Yang Yan."
"Master?" Yu Feng was taken aback. "What kind of master?"
"I brought her back from the Artifact Refining Pavilion. She's an expert in artifact reforging — she's here to help me set up an array."
"An artifact refiner?" Yu Feng immediately dropped his flippancy, his demeanor growing considerably more respectful. He looked Yang Yan up and down and cupped his fists. "This one was rude just now — please don't take offense, miss."
Though Yu Feng might look like an unreliable goofball, he knew full well that artifact refiners held a prestigious status. Despite Yang Yan's youthful appearance, he didn't dare treat her carelessly — no one could guarantee that this woman wouldn't become an outstanding refiner down the line, and he might well need to come begging for her help someday.
Yang Yan's expression softened slightly, and she gave a faint nod.
Yu Feng pressed on: "Since you're an artifact refiner, could you forge one for me?"
"Sure!" Yang Yan's eyes lit up, and she agreed readily. "What grade? What kind of artifact do you want?"
"You two chat — I'm going to check inside." Yang Kai couldn't bear the eager look on Yu Feng's face and made his excuse to duck into the cave.
Inside, numerous warriors bustled about, coming and going. Over the months on the battleship, Yang Kai had gotten along reasonably well with these guys — some he knew well, and even the ones he didn't were at least familiar faces. Under Wu Yi's orders, they had come to help Yang Kai tidy up the cave, and none of them seemed resentful; if anything, they were enthusiastic about it.
People kept greeting Yang Kai as he passed, and he thanked each one in turn.