"Is that all?" Yang Kai asked, surprised after hearing him out.
"That's all!" Fei Zhitu nodded slowly. "As for breaking through the various restrictions after passing through that ice tunnel and rescuing Qian Tong—those aren't your concern. I, the City Lord, will make the arrangements. If I could have found a suitable fire-attribute artifact to counter that ice tunnel, I wouldn't have been stuck here for so long."
Yang Kai stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Fei Zhitu didn't push him, letting him take his time to consider. After all, this matter was of great importance. Although they would only be borrowing the artifact spirit's power to break through the ice tunnel's blockade, it was still an ancient ruin, and claiming there was absolutely no risk would be a lie. Even someone as powerful as Qian Tong had been trapped inside with no means of escape. Fei Zhitu himself couldn't say for certain what they might encounter on this trip.
When life and death hung in the balance, one naturally had to think carefully.
But he still had some confidence in Yang Kai. Regardless of everything, as the City Lord of Tianyun City, he knew quite a lot about the nearby Dragon Cave Mountain. Even if he had never met Yang Kai before, he had heard his reputation many times and knew he wasn't some ungrateful wretch.
Sure enough, after quite a while, Yang Kai finally raised his head, a flash of resolve in his eyes—he had clearly made his decision. Fei Zhitu immediately looked his way.
"City Lord Fei, Elder Qian has shown kindness to my Dragon Cave Mountain. Now that he's in trouble, this junior will naturally do his utmost to help him!"
Hearing this, Fei Zhitu nodded lightly, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. He secretly thought that this kid was sensible after all—a man who knew how to repay a debt of gratitude.
But then Yang Kai's tone shifted, and he let out a low chuckle. "But what's in it for me?"
"What's in it for you?" Fei Zhitu's face went blank with astonishment, and he stared at Yang Kai. "You still want benefits?"
Yang Kai laughed. "City Lord Fei, surely you're not underestimating this junior? I'm well past the age of throwing myself into danger on a whim. This trip's outcome is uncertain—you don't actually expect me to agree with just a few sweet words, do you? If I'm going to take a risk, I naturally want some compensation!"
Fei Zhitu's brow furrowed deeply, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. His voice turned cold. "But the person we're rescuing this time isn't some nobody. It's Qian Tong!"
"So what?" Yang Kai replied. "If Elder Qian had personally sent me word, I'd have gone without hesitation. But this time it's you, Senior, who's inviting me, and you and I aren't even acquainted. What's owed should still be collected—after all, once we rescue Elder Qian, he'll be indebted to you, not to me. This junior won't have much to do with it."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Fei Zhitu's face turned livid. He had never imagined that Yang Kai would actually make demands—to outright ask for benefits. This was nothing like what he had envisioned. In his plan, simply being able to invite Yang Kai was already granting him an enormous favor. Without that fire-attribute artifact spirit, with Yang Kai's mere cultivation at Saint King Stage Three, he wouldn't even qualify to participate in this operation. Once they rescued the person, how could Qian Tong not be grateful?
This kid was actually this shameless! Fei Zhitu was so angry his nose could've twisted off.
"Whether it's twisted logic or not, City Lord Fei can judge for himself." Yang Kai remained calm and composed, unhurried.
Fei Zhitu glared at him, seething with anger. After a long while, as though suddenly remembering something, he broke into a grin, looking every bit the wily old fox. "You want benefits? Then I'll give you benefits! You—you killed Xie Hongwen of the Xie Family, didn't you?"
Yang Kai's expression shifted subtly. He quickly said, "City Lord Fei, you can eat whatever you like, but you shouldn't speak carelessly. What evidence do you have that I killed Xie Hongwen?"
"Drop the act!" Fei Zhitu snorted coldly. "You think nobody knows? You think you covered your tracks perfectly?"
Yang Kai frowned, sensing that Fei Zhitu wasn't bluffing. He quickly adopted a posture of humble inquiry. "I'd appreciate it if Senior could explain more clearly."
Fei Zhitu let out a cold laugh. "Many people know about the grudge between you and Xie Hongwen. Last time the Liuyan Sand Grounds opened, Xie Hongwen specifically brought two Saint King-realm disciples from the Xie Family in to seek revenge on you—that's also widely known. But after he went in, he never came out again. He clearly died in the Liuyan Sand Grounds!"
"The Liuyan Sand Grounds are fraught with danger. If he died in there, what does that have to do with me?" Yang Kai replied, his expression indifferent, flatly denying everything.
"Then do you know that the Shadow Moon Hall possesses a secret technique that elders can place on their juniors? Once something happens to that junior, the technique transfers to the person who killed them. Not only did Xie Hongwen have this technique on him, but so did the elite disciples Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er. Now that I've told you this, do you understand something?"
Yang Kai's expression turned to shock. If Fei Zhitu wasn't lying, then it meant he definitely had that transferred technique on his body. His killing of Xie Hongwen had probably long since stopped being a secret.
"The Xie Family hasn't made a move on you for two reasons. First, they're wary of Qian Tong. Second, after you returned from the Liuyan Sand Grounds, you rarely showed your face. Dragon Cave Mountain is riddled with restrictions—the Xie Family's experts can't detect whether the source of that technique resides in you. But the moment you step outside Dragon Cave Mountain, your killing of Xie Hongwen will be exposed." Fei Zhitu chuckled. "Come with me on this trip, and I can not only help you dispel that maggot-to-bone secret technique, but I can also promise that the Xie Family will never trouble Dragon Cave Mountain again. I can even restore your previous trading relationship with the Shadow Moon Hall. Aren't those benefits big enough?"
While Fei Zhitu was speaking, Yang Kai had already deployed his Divine Sense to examine his own body. A moment later, his expression darkened.
Within his body, there was indeed a faint energy that he hadn't noticed before. This energy was hidden deep within his flesh, and without examining every single inch, he probably never would have found it. Even with Fei Zhitu's warning, he had to check three times over before he could finally detect its presence.