"It's people from the Blood Battle Gang and the Wind and Rain Tower." Yang Kai's expression was grim as he roughly recounted what had happened that night. Naturally, he glossed over the part about single-handedly killing nine of their men. That was too unbelievable — if he told the full story, Old Man Meng might not even believe it, so he left it unsaid.
Meng Wuya seethed with rage at the tale.
It took quite a while before Yang Kai finished.
Meng Wuya nodded slightly and said, "So you're the one who provoked it, but the mastermind behind it all was that Long Hui?"
"Yeah. This time I really brought trouble upon Little Senior Sister." Yang Kai admitted with a nod.
"Though you're the one who set it off, it's not really your fault. Ningshang wasn't hurt, so don't worry about it." Meng Wuya gave him a reassuring pat, then let out a cold laugh. "Blood Battle Gang, Long Zaitian! I've noted that name!"
Seeing the dangerous glint flashing in Meng Wuya's eyes, Yang Kai knew Long Zaitian was in deep trouble.
As for Old Man Meng's background and strength, Yang Kai couldn't see through them, couldn't figure them out, but he always felt there was something extraordinary about the man. If he really went after Long Zaitian, Yang Kai would enjoy watching — though it wouldn't feel entirely satisfying.
Yang Kai had always believed that vengeance was best served by one's own hands. If Long Zaitian died at Meng Wuya's, he'd never get to settle that grudge himself.
But he wouldn't try to dissuade him. This time Meng Wuya had genuinely been provoked, and the fire in his heart needed an outlet.
They stayed at the inn for two more days. Xia Ningshang finally emerged from seclusion, and as expected, her strength had reached the Zhenyuan Realm. Through some careful probing, Yang Kai learned that the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew didn't actually have to be fully refined to take effect.
In theory, a single drop could serve three or four people, since it was merely a catalyst — a trigger to transform a martial artist's Yuan Qi into True Yuan energy.
But this substance was special. Once absorbed, it had to be refined within one hour or it would vanish without a trace. So typically, even if someone obtained it, only one person would use it.
Hearing this, Yang Kai felt a weight lift from his chest. It seemed that his accidentally absorbing half the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew hadn't actually harmed Xia Ningshang's progress.
Moreover, that half-drop of rare celestial treasure was still stored inside his Golden Body, not having disappeared as she'd said it would.
Yang Kai's injuries had fully healed, and Xia Ningshang had also advanced, so there was no reason for the three of them to linger. They set off and headed back to Lingxiao Pavilion.
Yang Kai was carried back by Manager Meng as they flew through the air. He caught a faceful of wind the entire way, leaving him dizzy and nauseous.
Upon returning to Lingxiao Pavilion, Yang Kai bid farewell to the master and disciple pair, then headed back to his small wooden cabin.
He hadn't been back in nearly twenty days, yet the cabin was still neat and tidy, as good as new. It seemed that in his absence, Li Yuntian and the others had been keeping it in order for him.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai returned to his usual quiet routine — training each day, solidifying his current realm.
During idle moments, though, the image of that cute and earnest Little Senior Sister would occasionally flash through his mind. After all, she was the first girl Yang Kai had ever kissed, and the sweet, soft sensation was something he still savored whenever he recalled it.
But since his return, Xia Ningshang hadn't shown up at all.
It was as if she'd completely forgotten about the promise between them.
That night in the mountain crevice, before Yang Kai left, he had said that if he made it back alive, Xia Ningshang would agree to one request.
At the time, Yang Kai had only been giving himself something to hold onto — no deeper meaning behind it.
Though he felt a twinge of disappointment, he didn't really dwell on it.
That kiss had only happened because they needed to collect the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew. Though both of them had been swept up in the moment, that didn't necessarily mean anything. They were both young, with hot blood running through their veins — getting caught up in emotion under those circumstances was only natural.
Yang Kai wouldn't let himself feel inferior over the gap in their strength. Strength was something that grew with hard work and training. He believed that one day, he would surpass this Little Senior Sister — surpass anyone his own age.
Because the Proud Bone Golden Body gave him limitless possibilities.
Romance wasn't something Yang Kai needed to think about right now. What was meant to be his would eventually be his, and what wasn't, no amount of forcing would change. He'd let fate take its course.
If Xia Ningshang had feelings for him, what did it matter that his strength was still lacking? If she truly distanced herself because of his weakness, then he had nothing more to say. If someone didn't think highly of him, could he really fault them for having high standards?
But with her naive and innocent personality, she probably wasn't that calculating.
And on this point, Yang Kai was right. After returning to Lingxiao Pavilion, Xia Ningshang was genuinely too embarrassed to face him. Recalling the passion of that night, she felt mortified — even behind her veil, she couldn't bring herself to appear before him.
Moreover, the moment they returned to Lingxiao Pavilion, Meng Wuya had ordered her into seclusion again. The official reason was to help her consolidate her newly advanced realm, but in truth, he was afraid she and Yang Kai would become entangled.
Otherwise, given her personality, she would have come to check on his recovery at the very least.
After two days of training, Yang Kai was rather dissatisfied with his progress.