After a brief moment of deliberation, Yang Kai cupped his fists toward Ni Guang and said, "I appreciate your kind offer, Senior, but my strength is lacking. If I were to tag along with you, I'm afraid I'd only be a burden."
"Heh heh." Ni Guang smiled faintly. "At least you know your own limits. However... since I've extended the invitation, rest assured I have every confidence in my ability to keep you safe. What, are you questioning my capabilities?"
Yang Kai's brow furrowed slightly, and Luo Lan's expression shifted as well. She shot Yang Kai a pointed look, silently warning him to watch his words.
Yang Kai grinned sheepishly and spoke again. "Your strength is profound and your cultivation is refined, Senior. Naturally I would never dare doubt you. It's just... I came here with Elder Luo, so..."
"What a dawdler! You're killing the mood!" Ni Guang snorted coldly, clearly unhappy with Yang Kai's evasiveness. He fixed Yang Kai with a deep stare. "Very well then, come along with Elder Luo. Elder Luo — what do you say to joining forces with me?"
That last question was directed at Luo Lan.
Luo Lan was taken aback, and a flicker of hesitation and inner struggle crossed her face. But she recovered quickly and smiled. "Since Mr. Ni is so gracious, it would be rude of me to refuse."
As she spoke, she shot Yang Kai a meaningful glance and flew over toward Ni Guang first.
Since she had already gone, there was no point in Yang Kai putting up any more resistance. He could only sigh and follow after her.
In short order, the two of them arrived beside Ni Guang and Xue Yue, forming a small party of four.
Among all those present, only Ni Guang had brought someone along — Xue Yue, a Return Void Stage cultivator. The other Void King Realm powerhouses had all come alone. Now, with the addition of Luo Lan and Yang Kai, Ni Guang's side suddenly had four people.
That numerical advantage alone was enough to dwarf everyone else. Though whether the two Return Void Stage cultivators would end up being dead weight or actually contribute something useful remained to be seen.
After extending his invitation to Luo Lan and Yang Kai, Ni Guang lost interest in making conversation. He simply hovered in the void, closing his eyes to rest and recuperate.
After arriving, Luo Lan appeared somewhat ill at ease. After all, her cultivation was not as deep as Ni Guang's, and she didn't belong to the same faction, so she naturally felt a bit out of place.
Yang Kai was even more sullen, sitting in silence without a word.
Xue Yue snapped his folding fan shut and smiled. "Brother Yang, what a coincidence — who would have thought we'd run into each other here. We must be fated to meet."
"What do you want?" Yang Kai glared at him and said bluntly. "Let me make one thing clear — I have no interest in men who love men. Don't try to get chummy with me!"
Luo Lan whipped her head around, her beautiful eyes filled with an extraordinary light as she looked back and forth between Yang Kai and Xue Yue, her expression one of shock and bewilderment.
Even Ni Guang, who had been about to close his eyes and rest, snapped them open. The expression on his face was as bizarre as it could possibly be.
"You—" Xue Yue had never imagined Yang Kai would spout something so shameless right off the bat. His face immediately turned a deep crimson, and he was so furious he was trembling all over. "What... what men who love men? Stop talking nonsense!"
"Hmph!" Yang Kai snorted through his nose, striking an arrogant pose. "Only you know what you're really thinking."
The remark was deliberately ambiguous, leaving Xue Yue even more flustered. On top of that, Luo Lan and Ni Guang were staring at him with those odd looks, and for a moment Xue Yue found himself unable to control his emotions. The flush on his face spread rapidly down to his neck.
"Heh... heh heh..." Luo Lan didn't know what to say either, so she let out meaningless little laughs, hoping to defuse the awkward situation. But it only made things even more uncomfortable for Xue Yue.
"If you... if you dare say something like that again, I'll kill you!" Xue Yue gritted his pearly teeth and struck a pose of mortal enmity toward Yang Kai, desperately trying to clarify his preferences.
"You'd have the heart to?" Yang Kai sneered, staring straight into Xue Yue's eyes.
Xue Yue was rendered speechless, his teeth grinding so hard they creaked. The holy energy in his body was on the verge of going berserk.
Ni Guang's eyes narrowed, and he chuckled. "Bold young man, spouting nonsense right in front of me. No wonder the Third Young Master has taken a special interest in you. But... enough of this fooling around. Any more and it'll just be grandstanding for attention."
Yang Kai flashed a grin and shrugged his shoulders.
Ni Guang had already warned him, so naturally he wasn't going to push it any further. He'd only been trying to disgust Xue Yue because the latter insisted on dragging him into this forced partnership in the first place.
After delivering that remark, Ni Guang closed his eyes once more, as if nothing had happened at all.
Luo Lan, on the other hand, was anything but composed. Her gaze kept drifting, glancing from Yang Kai to Xue Yue and back again, as if trying to figure out whether these two really did share some unspeakable, scandalous secret.
Could it be that the famous Third Young Master Xue Yue actually preferred men over women? Otherwise, why would he get so flustered? What exactly had happened between these two young prodigies?
Luo Lan's mind raced with all sorts of wild speculations, and she found her own cheeks growing warm in the process...
"Get over here!" Xue Yue suddenly steadied himself, the crimson blush receding from his face like the tide. He barked the order at Yang Kai in an icy voice, then flew off into the distance.
He clearly wanted to find a more secluded spot to have a word with Yang Kai, lest the latter say something else to embarrass him in front of everyone.
Yang Kai frowned, half-considering refusing to follow. But thinking about how Ni Guang might react, he reluctantly trailed after him.
"When young people are brash, that's just how they are. Elder Luo, please don't mind it," Ni Guang said suddenly after the two had left, voicing an seemingly random remark.
"Heh heh, Mr. Ni is quite right." Luo Lan forced a laugh.