After all, Yang Kai was merely a warrior at the third level of the Sage King Realm, while the buck-toothed warrior himself was only at the first level of the Return Void Realm — but to put it bluntly, even an ordinary cultivator at the second level of the Return Void Realm wouldn't be his match. So it was only natural that he held Yang Kai in some contempt.
He shifted his gaze away without a trace, then happened to glance at Yang Yan.
That single glance was all it took. The buck-toothed warrior's face changed dramatically, as though he'd witnessed something horrifying. He stumbled backward involuntarily — one step, two steps, three — his body crashing into the door with a loud thud. Then an expression of utter disbelief spread across his face. His narrow eyes flew wide open, his pupils quivering, and he extended a trembling finger toward Yang Yan: "You... you... you..."
"Nephew Ge, what's wrong?" Yan Pei stared at him in confusion, then glanced at Yang Yan, unable to fathom why the man looked like he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Yang Kai was also filled with suspicion. He quietly sent a voice transmission to Yang Yan: "Do you know him?"
Yang Yan shook her head with a blank expression. "Never seen him before."
"Wrong person?" Yang Kai was even more bewildered. Although Yang Yan was quite skilled in artifact refining and formations, her temperament was always mild — she wouldn't have made enemies outside. Yet judging from the buck-toothed warrior's reaction, the man was clearly terrified of Yang Yan, as though he'd suffered some devastating loss at her hands in the past that had burned itself into his memory forever.
"Nephew Ge!" Yan Pei barked sharply, sending an invisible pulse of Divine Sense crashing into the buck-toothed warrior, jolting him out of his stupor.
The warrior shuddered, and the terror in his eyes faded somewhat, but fine beads of sweat instantly broke out across his forehead. Visibly, his complexion began turning greenish, and his lips faded to white.
What the hell? Yang Kai's expression darkened with displeasure. Even if this man had suffered some misfortune at Yang Yan's hands before, there was no reason to fall apart like this upon meeting her again. Besides, Yang Yan herself had said she didn't recognize him — so it seemed far more likely that he'd simply mistaken her for someone else.
And yet, just from mistaken identity, he was reduced to this wretched state? It looked like this fellow was nothing but an embroidered pillow. Yang Kai let out a cold snort, a measure of contempt creeping into his heart.
Having collected himself, the buck-toothed warrior kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, but every time he cleared one patch, another appeared. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop — soon his sleeves were soaked through.
Between wipes, his eyes kept darting toward Yang Yan, but the instant they met her gaze, he'd jerk his attention away. He looked the very picture of dread and trembling.
Seeing this, Yang Yan pressed her lips together in a suppressed smile, suddenly finding the man rather amusing. She curved the corner of her mouth and fixed him with a piercing stare. Under her gaze, the buck-toothed warrior's legs began to tremble, his eyes darting about the room as if he wished he could bore a hole through the floor and crawl into it, or simply flee the premises altogether.
His quivering, back-on-edge manner left Yan Pei caught between laughter and exasperation. He spoke up in a clear voice: "Nephew Ge, if you have something to say, say it properly."
The buck-toothed warrior's mouth twitched — he seemed to want to smile, but what emerged was an expression uglier than tears. With exaggerated formality, he cupped his fists toward Yang Yan and asked in a trembling voice: "May I ask... this young lady's... honorable name?"
The question seemed to have drained every last ounce of strength from his body. After it left his lips, he waited in anxious dread, the sound of his swallowing loud enough for everyone to hear.
Yan Pei pressed a hand to his forehead, utterly speechless.
Truth be told, he knew a fair bit about this old friend's descendant. The young man had always lived in seclusion alongside the old friend, so while his experience of the outside world was limited, his cultivation talent was nothing short of heaven-defying. That was why, despite being only at the first level of the Return Void Realm, he could fight across realm levels — an elite among elites.
This time, acting on the old friend's orders, he'd been forced to leave seclusion and had encountered some trouble along the way, all of which he'd crushed with overwhelming force.
The man was no coward. Though his appearance was admittedly on the wretched side, he carried himself with a bold and heroic bearing that had earned Yan Pei's genuine appreciation. Yan Pei had even been considering sending word to his old friend, offering to let this buck-toothed warrior stay at the Treasure Hall in an important position.
But today's scene left Yan Pei unable to believe his eyes. No matter how formidable the girl's abilities, she shouldn't have been able to reduce Nephew Ge to a trembling wreck at first sight. Moreover, the girl looked perfectly harmless — the kind who wouldn't harm a fly.
"Me?" Yang Yan smiled faintly, her lovely features blooming with such beauty that the buck-toothed warrior couldn't even meet her eyes. "I'm Yang Yan. Might I ask what you need?"
"Yang Yan..." The buck-toothed warrior shuddered violently, nearly collapsing to the floor. He muttered something under his breath — impossible to make out — then hunched over and repeatedly cupped his fists in frantic bows: "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. My name is Ge Qi. Just call me Xiao Qi."
Even as he spoke, he wore a fawning grin that, framed by those protruding teeth, looked all the more pathetic and disreputable.
"Xiao Qi," Yang Yan nodded gently, suppressing her laughter, her manner poised and graceful. She parted her rosy lips and said softly: "Xiao Qi."
"Here!" Ge Qi answered instantly, nearly bowing his head to his knees in his haste, his respect absolute.
"Am I ugly?" Yang Yan asked, as if the question were of no consequence whatsoever.
The words struck Ge Qi like a bolt from the blue. His face twisted in horror as he waved his hands frantically: "No, no, no! Your beauty could outshine the moon and put flowers to shame — you are the finest of beauties, and the word 'ugly' couldn't possibly apply!"
"Oh really?" Yang Yan's delicate brows shot upward, and she snapped: "Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost? I was beginning to think my face was something that shouldn't be shown in public!"
Ge Qi grew even more panicked, his face contorted as though he were about to cry: "You've got it all wrong, miss, it's just that, it's just..."