"Let's go — why are you still standing around?" Yang Kai flashed a grin at Hua Youmeng and took the lead, striding forward.
"Oh." Hua Youmeng's mind had completely short-circuited. She had lost all capacity for independent thought. Hearing Yang Kai's call, she simply followed him as he strolled casually into Purple Star City. Several warriors from the Five Directions Commerce Guild hurried along after them.
The guards at the city gate didn't dare to stop them. Watching Yang Kai approach, they scrambled out of the way as though they were fleeing a flood or a wild beast. The cultivators queued up outside the gate to await entry saw an opportunity and surged forward in a pack.
In an instant, the gate descended into chaos. The dozen-odd guards didn't know whether to intervene or stand aside. It took a good while before someone snapped back to reality: "Quick, quick — go check on Steward Min's injuries!"
His words jolted the others into action. They crowded around Steward Min and began anxiously examining his condition.
"Send a message… to Lord Lu Tianfeng!" Steward Min coughed up blood with every single word. By the time he finished the sentence, he had sprayed so much blood that he lost consciousness entirely.
The guard who had spoken up earlier hurriedly produced a Message Compass, infused it with his divine sense through gritted teeth, and snarled, "You're dead, brat. You dare lay hands on someone in Purple Star City? Even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, he couldn't save you now."
The other guards wore expressions of venomous resentment, glaring at Yang Kai's retreating figure.
With Yang Kai having caused such a scene, they would inevitably face punishment themselves. They had been dragged into this disaster through no fault of their own — how could they not be resentful?
How many years had it been? How many years since anyone had dared cause a disturbance in Purple Star City? And now, of all places, it had happened right at the city gate. If the matter wasn't handled properly as a warning to others, the entire martial world would laugh at them, and Purple Star's reputation would suffer. That kind of consequence was far beyond what they could bear.
Inside a side room in the rear courtyard of the Five Directions Commerce Guild, Hua Youmeng and the others sat in a daze, every face wearing the terrified expression of people who were certain catastrophe was imminent.
Yang Kai sat among them as well, glancing around with a relaxed, easygoing air that showed not the slightest awareness that he was the one who had caused all this trouble. His serene expression made it seem as though he were here on a leisurely holiday.
"Brat, how did you end up following us here?" After a long silence, a bald, brawny man finally reacted, whipping his head around to glare at Yang Kai. Both of his eyes burned with hostility.
"Yeah — what are you doing here too?" Another male warrior also finally came to his senses and stared at Yang Kai in surprise.
"Well… I'm new to this area and don't know my way around. President Hua kindly invited me earlier, so I felt it would be rude to decline." Yang Kai smiled faintly and offered a brief explanation.
"Me?" Hua Youmeng gazed blankly at Yang Kai, thought for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Right, right… I did say that."
From the city gate back to here, the entire group from the Five Directions Commerce Guild had moved like they'd lost their souls — completely paralyzed by bewilderment. It was hardly surprising. The Five Directions Commerce Guild was a minor power, one that survived in the cracks between the Star Domain's many behemoths. Every single visit to Purple Star City was undertaken with the utmost caution, lest they attract trouble. And yet this time, they had beaten Steward Min and a guard at the gate until they were coughing up blood, their fates unknown.
For the Five Directions Commerce Guild, this was nothing short of the sky falling in.
No one had even noticed Yang Kai following them back to the guild. Hua Youmeng, for her part, had only just now managed to compose herself. She drew a deep breath, her complicated gaze resting on Yang Kai. After a moment's deliberation, she spoke: "Sister Hong, trouble you to show him down and arrange a guest room. Let him rest."
From below the main seat, a beautifully dressed woman with alluring features rose gracefully, acknowledged with a soft "Mm," and beckoned to Yang Kai with a wave of her hand. "Come with me."
"My thanks." Yang Kai inclined his head slightly to her and stood to follow.
"Guild President…" The bald man saw Yang Kai about to leave and grew anxious, blurting out a call.
Hua Youmeng shot him a sharp glare, and the bald man immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word. He could only seethe at Yang Kai's back, gnashing his teeth in secret.
Yang Kai followed the woman called Sister Hong as she led the way, his eyes continuously roaming over his surroundings. After a while, he chuckled softly. "Madam, your guild seems to have no small amount of resources backing it."
"What makes you say that?" The woman glanced back at Yang Kai, her expression cold.
"Though it's my first time in Purple Star City, this is clearly Purple Star's headquarters — every inch of land here must be worth its weight in gold. For your guild to occupy such a large piece of property, your financial strength must be considerable."
A flicker of wariness appeared in the woman's eyes. She replied evenly, "This is the result of over twenty years of effort by the President and everyone else. Countless brothers and sisters have been buried out in the Star Domain. In Purple Star City, this is the only foothold we have. You speak of considerable financial strength — and on top of that, we've now landed ourselves in this terrible mess. Whether the Five Directions Commerce Guild will even be able to maintain a presence here in the future is anyone's guess."
Yang Kai smiled apologetically. "My apologies for causing trouble for your guild."
"As long as you know." The woman's expression softened marginally. She said nothing more to Yang Kai and continued leading the way.
Before long, they arrived in front of a guest room. The woman pushed open the door and said, "This is it. The accommodations are modest, but you can stay here for now."