This trip, Gu Jianxin had departed from the Sword Alliance's main star on business to the Green Wood Star, and the three master and disciples had tagged along, never expecting to be caught up in such a fierce battle, nearly perishing in the process.
After recounting all of this, He Zao did not overstep her bounds by inquiring about Yang Kai's experiences over the years. She understood her position and what kind of questions were appropriate to ask.
Yang Kai nodded faintly and said, "By the way, your Young Alliance Master Gu Jianxin — how much do you know about him?"
"Young Alliance Master?" He Zao blinked. "Does Brother Yang want to learn more about him?"
"Mm." Yang Kai was quite pleased to see how sharp she was. "Tell me whatever you can. Whatever's inconvenient to share, just leave it out."
He Zao offered a slight smile. "There isn't all that much I know, and there's nothing particularly inconvenient about it. The Young Alliance Master is, you could say, the most talented genius the Sword Alliance has produced in a thousand years. His true age is under sixty, yet he already possesses cultivation at the peak of the Return Void Stage. Rumor has it that given three to five more years, he'll be able to charge into the Void King Realm!"
Yang Kai nodded while sipping his tea, using his eyes to signal her to continue.
This was information he had already learned from Liu Dong.
"The Young Alliance Master is modest, warm, and values loyalty and relationships. He is the successor in whom the Alliance Master has placed the highest hopes. Not only is his cultivation profound, but his combat power is formidable as well. It seems that among the younger generation of the entire Star Field, only the three young masters of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce's Snow Moon and Zi Donglai of Purple Star can stand alongside him."
"Is that so…" At the mention of this, another figure suddenly surfaced in Yang Kai's mind.
Xu Binbai!
That interesting young man he had encountered outside the Blood Prison on Cuiwei Star! He was said to be the disciple of a Void King Realm powerhouse named Wu Dao — a man so powerful that even Luo Hai, the Star Lord of Cuiwei Star, feared him greatly and addressed him with the honorific Lord Wu Dao!
Wu Dao was a genuine Void King third-stage powerhouse, the kind of ancient monster who appeared and vanished like a dragon, having lived for countless years!
A disciple personally taught by such a person would surely be no worse than Gu Jianxin, Xueyue, and that Zi Donglai — perhaps even slightly superior. But this thought merely flashed through his mind and went unspoken.
He Zao had lived in the Sword Alliance for a long time, but her cultivation was not particularly high. What she had access to was limited in scope, and naturally her perspective was not very broad.
"The Young Alliance Master's reputation within the Sword Alliance is excellent. If it weren't so, Master wouldn't have chosen to follow him. Mm, the Young Alliance Master also has a Left and Right Sword Attendant. I hear they have trained alongside the Young Alliance Master since childhood, as close as siblings."
"More than just siblings, I'd wager," Yang Kai chuckled.
The way those two Sword Attendants looked at Gu Jianxin — the affection in their eyes was plain for anyone to see, practically dripping.
He Zao pressed her red lips together. A faint blush swept across her cheeks, and she fidgeted with the hem of her garment, not addressing that particular point. Instead she continued, "The Left Sword Attendant is called Ling Yue, and the Right Sword Attendant is called An Xing. The Young Alliance Master, along with the two attendants, have jointly cultivated the Sun Moon Star Secret Art. When the three fight together, they can unleash combat power far exceeding what their cultivation level would suggest. But even without the assistance of the Sword Attendants, the Young Alliance Master's personal combat strength is extremely formidable. An ordinary Return Void third-stage cultivator would be no match for him."
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Whether a warrior was powerful or not — that could usually be determined at a single glance. Gu Jianxin had given Yang Kai the distinct impression of strength.
He belonged to the elite among the elite.
"That's about all I know," He Zao said, finishing her account. Her beautiful eyes turned to Yang Kai, seemingly awaiting his next instruction.
"So what is Gu Jianxin going to the Green Wood Star for?"
"That I don't know. We were simply carrying out orders. Before the Young Alliance Master told us the destination, we didn't even know where this trip would take us." He Zao shook her head.
"Brother Yang, are you asking all this because you intend to become enemies with the Young Alliance Master?" He Miao asked with some worry.
Yang Kai burst out laughing and shook his head. "Hardly. I have no conflict of interest or any other kind of friction with Gu Jianxin. Why would I want to be his enemy? And Gu Jianxin himself seems like a decent person. It's just that I've boarded this warship now, and naturally I'd like to learn a bit more about him. No need to be so tense."
"Oh." Only then did He Miao relax considerably, her small hand patting her ample chest with an expression that said "you nearly scared me to death."
Warriors like He Zao and He Miao, at only the Saint King third stage, were still young and might one day become pillars of the Sword Alliance in the years to come. But given their current level of cultivation, they had no access to information at the higher tiers.
For them, everything came down to four words:
Carry out orders!
No need to ask, no need to think. When the orders came down from above, you followed them. Even if it meant a suicide mission, you had to bite the bullet and charge forward.
Such was the plight of warriors at the bottom of a great power. These fighters appeared to enjoy excellent protection, but in exchange they had surrendered a portion of their freedom. If Yang Kai truly intended to make an enemy of Gu Jianxin, it would put He Zao and He Miao in a very difficult position.
Afterward, Yang Kai chatted with the sisters for a while longer before letting them leave.
"Brother Yang…" Just before departing, He Zao suddenly turned and called out.
"Is something else the matter?" Yang Kai looked at her.
He Zao lightly bit her red lip, hesitated as if wanting to speak but holding back, and ultimately shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Please rest well. If there's anything you need, just give us orders. We're staying in the fifth room next door."