"Brother Wei!" Yang Kai chuckled, giving a brief fist salute toward the man. The newcomer turned out to be none other than one of his few friends, a top disciple of the Shadow Moon Hall — Wei Guchang, accompanied by Dong Xuan'er.
"Brother Yang, long time no see!" Wei Guchang replied with delight.
"It has been several years since we last parted. I didn't expect that both you and Miss Dong have already advanced to the Void Return Realm — my sincerest congratulations." Yang Kai's expression was genuine as he offered his blessings.
After returning from the Flowing Flame Sand Land, both Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er had entered seclusion to charge at the Void Return Realm. Now that they met again, the two had indeed succeeded and arrived at this realm one after another. Moreover, from the aura they radiated and the fluctuations of Saint Yuan within their bodies, their cultivation at this realm had already stabilized — otherwise they wouldn't have ventured out from the Shadow Moon Hall's main headquarters.
Dai Yuan had also mentioned wanting to enter seclusion to challenge the Void Return Realm last time, but for some reason there had been no progress. Thinking of this, Yang Kai turned his head to glance at Dai Yuan and found her holding hands with Dong Xuan'er, whispering intimately together. He couldn't make out what they were discussing, but Dai Yuan's face was flushed crimson as she let out an embarrassed exclamation, while Dong Xuan'er wore a knowing smile, her beautiful eyes subtly glancing in Yang Kai's direction from time to time.
Everyone present, regardless of who they were, had completely ignored the red-haired old man and the Sea Heart Gate disciples — treating them as nothing more than air.
The red-haired old man was naturally furious, but after taking a closer look at Wei Guchang and Dong Xuan'er and connecting it with Yang Kai's earlier form of address, his expression shifted subtly. He cupped his fists solemnly: "Might I ask — are you Wei Guchang of the Shadow Moon Hall?"
Hearing this, Wei Guchang nodded indifferently: "That's right, I am Wei. Does the senior have some instruction?"
Though his generation and age were far below the red-haired old man's, his current cultivation realm spoke for itself. There was no need to be overly deferential, so his tone came across as cool and detached.
"Not at all, not at all!" The red-haired old man was alarmed. Wei Guchang might have only recently advanced to the Void Return Realm, but his reputation had long since spread across the Dark Star. In terms of talent and cultivation speed, the old man couldn't hold a candle to him. These young prodigies who shook the north and south were all future rulers of the Dark Star!
If he offended Wei Guchang now, there would certainly be no good outcome down the road.
Upon learning the other party's identity, the red-haired old man no longer dared to act rashly. His mind raced. From the intimate relationship between the master of Dragon Cave Mountain and Wei Guchang, there was absolutely no way he could avenge his sect's disciple. But swallowing this bitter pill was deeply unpleasant, and it would damage the prestige of the Sea Heart Gate.
For a moment, he wavered in uncertainty, not knowing what to do.
He also cursed inwardly — if that martial artist surnamed Hai hadn't been so blind as to provoke someone like this, how could he be so constrained? If it had been some random small family or minor faction, and the other party killed someone first, seeking revenge afterward would have been perfectly reasonable.
But now, revenge was out of the question. Whether he could even leave unscathed depended on the other party's goodwill.
"Brother Yang, what happened here? Why has so many people gathered?" Wei Guchang changed the subject. "Is there going to be a fight? I've only just broken through and have been itching for a chance to test what I've learned. If such an opportunity exists, why not let me have it?"
His casual manner of shouldering everything made the red-haired old man's expression darken even further.
"Heh." Yang Kai chuckled. "Nothing major. It's just that someone has taken a fancy to my Dragon Cave Mountain and wants to requisition this land."
"Requisition?" Wei Guchang raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on his lips. "What a bold claim. I wonder who wants to requisition this treasure of a place — why not tell me about it?"
Despite his words, Wei Guchang was staring straight at the red-haired old man, his expression far from friendly.
The red-haired old man was alarmed but also quite pragmatic. He hurriedly cupped his fists: "Nephew Wei, this is all a misunderstanding! It was merely the tactless words of one of my sect's disciples — nothing serious, just a misunderstanding!"
The man could indeed bend and stretch as needed. He spoke these words with a calm expression, utterly devoid of resentment — as though the death of an elite disciple moments ago was no longer on his mind.
"A misunderstanding?" Wei Guchang had no intention of letting it drop. He pointed at the shredded remains on the ground. "This misunderstanding seems rather significant — why is there someone dead here?"
The red-haired old man's eyes contracted, his face twitching slightly: "Nephew Wei, rest assured — this blind fool had it coming. I'll have people clean everything up so it won't sully this fine piece of land."
Wei Guchang narrowed his eyes, staring at the red-haired old man for a long while before chuckling. He turned to Yang Kai: "Brother Yang, what do you think?"
"If it's a misunderstanding, then there's nothing more to say. But it would be best if such misunderstandings didn't happen again — to avoid more bloodshed." Yang Kai regarded the red-haired old man with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Your words are well noted, sir. I will certainly restrain my disciples in the future." The red-haired old man nodded slightly. Seeing that neither Wei Guchang nor Yang Kai had anything more to say, he directed his sect's disciples to clean up the shredded remains and blood, then cupped his fists once more and led his dozen or so Sea Heart Gate disciples away in haste.
Watching the man's receding figure, Wei Guchang furrowed his brow and warned: "Brother Yang, be careful of that man. Someone who can swallow such humiliation and endure such shame will definitely not let this go."