"So what brought Brother Yang to Chilan Star this time?" Bing Long asked once more.
"Passed through by chance."
"Are you aware that the Fire Radiance Sect has been searching for you for nearly a year?"
"I've heard."
"Why is the Fire Radiance Sect going to such great lengths to find you?"
After a few questions, Bing Long's inquiries grew increasingly direct.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, raised his teacup, and took a sip before shaking his head. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Bing Long chuckled lightly, her voice suddenly dropping lower. "Then let me ask one more thing—is Star Lord Luo Hai of Cuiwei Star here on Chilan Star because of you?"
"If you already know the answer, Senior, why bother asking?"
Bing Long was taken aback. "Lord Luo Hai really came here for you?"
She had her suspicions before, of course. After all, once Luo Hai arrived on Chilan Star, he had gone straight to the Fire Radiance Sect, and the Fire Radiance Sect had immediately begun searching for Yang Kai. Connecting the dots, one couldn't help but draw certain conclusions.
Conclusions were one thing, but having Yang Kai confirm them still left Bing Long feeling quite astonished.
Luo Hai was no ordinary figure. Across the entire star domain, he was someone of considerable renown—yet he had actually traveled from Cuiwei Star to Chilan Star for Yang Kai. That was truly remarkable.
"Why?" Bing Long pressed again.
Yang Kai shook his head and replied seriously, "This junior cannot answer that question. If you wish to know, you might as well ask Lord Luo Hai himself."
The look of surprise in Bing Long's eyes deepened.
Yang Kai had addressed Luo Hai by his bare name! Without the slightest trace of respect.
At Luo Hai's level of strength, regardless of whether one had any connection to him, common courtesy demanded that one append "Lord" or "Senior" after his name as a mark of respect toward the powerful.
Even ordinary Void King realm cultivators observed this custom. Bing Long, despite being the Valley Master of Ice Heart Valley, still had to respectfully address him from afar as Lord Luo Hai.
Yet Yang Kai acted as if such conventions didn't exist.
Bing Long studied his expression and asked in astonishment, "You have a grudge against Lord Luo Hai?"
"I was chased by him all the way from Cuiwei Star to Chilan Star. I nearly died several times along the way. Tell me, Senior—do you think I have a grudge against him?" Yang Kai let out a soft, cold laugh.
He had no intention of concealing this matter, because it was something that couldn't be hidden anyway.
Bing Long and Ran Yunting both jolted, staring at Yang Kai in disbelief.
After a long moment, Bing Long spoke with a complicated expression. "Your luck truly is remarkable—to think you actually escaped Lord Luo Hai with your life!"
She assumed Yang Kai had survived purely by luck. After all, how else could a Return Void Stage Two cultivator possibly live through an encounter with a Void King Stage Two powerhouse?
"Tell us in detail what grudge you have with Lord Luo Hai!" Ran Yunting suddenly spoke—her first words since arriving here. Her tone carried an unmistakable air of command that brooked no refusal.
This made Yang Kai frown inwardly. He thought to himself: I'm not even a disciple of Ice Heart Valley—what's with this overbearing tone ordering me around?
Still, considering she was Su Yan's master, Yang Kai felt he couldn't very well give her a hostile look. He could only say, "I'm afraid I must respectfully decline to answer that, Senior."
"Young man, have you perhaps not yet grasped the situation? This is my Ice Isolated Island. You've provoked a powerhouse like Lord Luo Hai. If you want to stay alive, you'd best cooperate with us obediently. Otherwise, even with heaven-defying abilities, you won't escape this calamity!" Ran Yunting's expression darkened the moment she saw Yang Kai being so uncooperative.
Yang Kai looked at her, narrowed his eyes, and said flatly, "Senior, are you threatening me?"
Ran Yunting's beautiful face turned cold. Just as she was about to say something else, Bing Long hastily intervened. "The Grand Elder doesn't mean it that way. It's just that this matter is truly of great consequence. I'll presume on familiarity and call you Yang Kai. Yang Kai, your aptitude and cultivation are quite impressive, but having offended a powerhouse like Lord Luo Hai, I'm afraid your future looks grim."
"I know." Yang Kai nodded with an air of complete indifference.
"Since you know, then I won't say more. Our Ice Heart Valley has a Supreme Elder presiding over it, who also possesses Void King realm cultivation. Though not on par with Lord Luo Hai, his methods are far from ordinary, and he has met Lord Luo Hai on a few occasions. Why not tell us the full story of what happened? If it's possible, I will request the Supreme Elder to step forward on your behalf and put in a good word to help resolve this crisis. What do you think?"
Bing Long's expression was one of heartfelt sincerity, which eased the anger in Yang Kai's heart somewhat. But he still shook his head. "This junior's affairs needn't trouble you, Seniors. I'll handle it myself."