One old and one young stood watching Yang Kai's retreating figure in silence for a long while. The elder wore a grave expression, but the youth seemed rather intrigued by Yang Kai, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Only after Yang Kai's figure vanished from sight did the youth smile softly. "Interesting!"
"Impudent brat!" The elder snorted coldly.
"Why does Elder Ji say that?" The youth looked at the elder in mild surprise.
Ji Jun huffed. "That boy already discovered that I and the Second Young Master were hiding here. He almost certainly knew that Qu Zheng's sudden change in attitude was because of us, yet he didn't so much as offer a word of thanks — just turned and left on his own. If that isn't impudence, what is?"
The youth started slightly. "He could even detect where Elder Ji was concealed?"
Ji Jun nodded. "The Second Young Master may not have noticed clearly, but before that man left, he glanced our way — he had obviously discovered us long ago."
The youth's eyebrows rose. "Elder Ji is a peak First-Stage powerhouse. Your spiritual sense is no weaker than an ordinary Second-Stage cultivator's. If he could detect you, doesn't that mean he truly possesses Second-Stage cultivation?"
Ji Jun's brow furrowed. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "I didn't dare probe too overtly, so I can't determine his exact level of cultivation. Lu Tianfeng did make direct contact with him, but according to Lu Tianfeng, he couldn't discern the man's true depths either… In that case, even if this person isn't quite my equal, the gap can't be far. As for whether he's truly at the Second Stage, that remains to be verified."
The youth broke into a grin. "Good, good! No wonder he carries himself so brazenly — a man of real ability is entitled to that sort of bearing. I like him."
"Second Young Master…" Ji Jun hesitated, studying the youth. "You mean to recruit him?"
The youth nodded. "Indeed. Over these past months, currents have been running dark beneath the surface in Purple Star City. The faction led by the Grand Elder has been making aggressive moves and has already encroached on territory that doesn't belong to them. If I don't act soon, Purple Star will change hands."
Ji Jun's expression shifted. He snorted coldly. "The Grand Elder and his people are digging their own graves. When the Master returns, he will certainly hold them accountable. But as for you, Second Young Master — you've kept a low profile for so many years. Why the rush now? True, the Master and the Eldest Young Master have been missing for nearly two years, but when the Master departed, he said they were leaving to handle important business and would return before long. If the Master comes back and finds that you've been— You must know, Second Young Master, there are very few people in the Star Domain who pose a threat to him, and even fewer who could kill him. He will return someday."
A flicker of worry crossed the youth's eyes, but it vanished almost at once. He chuckled. "Elder Ji speaks truly. But it isn't that I'm rushing — it's that… time waits for no one. Besides, everything I do is for the sake of the Zi Clan, not for personal gain. Even Father wouldn't fault me too severely for that when he returns."
"Let us hope so," Ji Jun said with a worried nod. Seeing the youth's determination, he offered no further counsel.
"Elder Ji, with your experienced eye — do you think there's a chance I can recruit this man?" The youth gazed in the direction Yang Kai had departed and asked.
"Everyone has their price. It all depends on whether the Second Young Master can meet it. Appeal to what they desire, and the matter can be accomplished."
"Elder Ji is wise," the youth said with a slight smile. "It seems I'll need to find out what he truly wants first. Tsk, tsk — the Third Venerable of Purple Star… That kind of power is not to be underestimated. At a critical juncture like this, I absolutely cannot let him slip through my fingers!"
As he spoke, he clenched his fist as though grasping the entire world, his purple hair whipping in the wind.
Yang Kai had just returned to the Five Directions Trading Company with Hua You Meng when his brow furrowed. He lifted his gaze and peered inside.
He had sensed that an additional Void King Realm powerhouse was now present within the trading company. The person was currently seated in a guest chamber in the rear courtyard — he couldn't tell what for — and the aura was entirely unfamiliar, nothing like Lu Tianfeng's.
Gao Hong hurried out from the trading company to meet them, her face lined with anxiety.
"Sister Hong, what's wrong?" Hua You Meng asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Gao Hong glanced at Yang Kai and said in a low voice, "The Eighth Elder is waiting in the back hall… My lord!"
"The Eighth Elder?" Hua You Meng's head spun. She nearly lost her footing, her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked toward Yang Kai, her heart knotting with unease.
Ever since Yang Kai had appeared at the Five Directions Trading Company, these towering figures — once nothing more than names whispered in legend — had come dropping in one after another on their humble little establishment. Hua You Meng felt as though she were trapped in a dream.
The tiny Five Directions Trading Company had become a kind of invisible whirlpool, drawing these great personages in one by one.
What truly alarmed her was that any single one of them could crush the trading company to dust with a flick of a finger. And the one who had come this time was none other than the Eighth Elder — none other than Jiang Chao's grand-uncle. Could the Eighth Elder's visit have something to do with what had just happened?
Hua You Meng panicked and could only look at Yang Kai with a pleading gaze. "My lord."
Yang Kai frowned. "I'll go take a look."
He had anticipated all along that displaying that Venerable Token would bring a storm of trouble down on his head. He just hadn't expected the trouble to arrive quite so fast.
The Eighth Elder of Purple Star — Yang Kai had never laid eyes on the man, but he was undoubtedly a Void King Realm powerhouse. He had no idea what the elder wanted with him. Still, the man's visit probably had nothing to do with Jiang Chao. The timeline was far too tight — there was no way they could have mobilized this quickly.