A few days later, Yang Kai returned to Maple Forest City.
After passing through the city gates, Yang Kai didn't even have time to let Kang Soren know he was safe before hurrying back to the cave dwelling he had rented.
He took out his token, channeled Source Power into it, and waved it at the cave dwelling's barrier.
But to his great astonishment, the barrier didn't respond at all—as if his token had completely lost its function.
His brow furrowed at that, but after a moment, something occurred to him.
When he had first arrived in Maple Forest City, the rental period for the cave dwelling had apparently been one year. And counting the days, that period should have ended two months ago.
Once the rental expired, the right to use the dwelling would certainly be revoked.
Yang Kai's heart sank a little, realizing something bad might have happened.
The rental expiring wasn't really a big deal. At worst, he could just go to the City Lord's office, re-register, and rent another one—it would only cost a handful of Source Crystals.
He hadn't stored anything especially valuable in the dwelling either, so there wasn't much to worry about.
But... before he had left, that little girl from the Zhang family had still been living in the dwelling.
At the time, he had gone with Kang Soren to explore Gongsun Mu's cave dwelling on Yuanding Mountain, and he hadn't expected to be delayed for so long. He had thought he would be back before long. Before leaving, he hadn't even explained things thoroughly to Zhang Ruoxi—had only told her he needed to go on a trip, then left her there by herself.
Now that the rental period had expired and his usage rights had been revoked, what about that girl Zhang Ruoxi?
Yang Kai looked around but didn't catch sight of that frail figure, and he couldn't help but grow anxious.
When he had left, Zhang Ruoxi's cultivation had only been at the first level of the Saint King Realm. In a place like Maple Forest City, where all sorts of people mingled, she had virtually no means of self-defense. If some ill-intentioned person had set their sights on her, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Could she have gone back to the Zhang family on her own?" Yang Kai murmured to himself.
If he were in Zhang Ruoxi's position, and the rental on the dwelling had expired and he'd been kicked out, he would certainly return to the Zhang family first. If that were the case, then there was nothing to worry about—the Zhang family wasn't powerful, but they did have two Void King Realm cultivators at least.
Just as Yang Kai was at a complete loss, the barrier beside him suddenly rippled.
He paused and turned to look. The door to the cave dwelling had actually opened, and a young woman's pretty face peered out from inside. She appeared to be around thirty or so, and her beautiful eyes regarded Yang Kai with extreme wariness as she asked suspiciously, "Who are you?"
Yang Kai quickly clasped his fists. "I am Yang Kai. I used to be the owner of this dwelling."
The young woman frowned slightly. "This dwelling has been rented to me now. When I moved in, there was nothing left behind inside."
"I know. I'm not here to look for anything." Yang Kai forced a smile, trying his best to appear friendly.
"Not looking for anything?" The young woman looked even more puzzled. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Looking for someone. A young girl," Yang Kai said quickly. "She was supposed to be living here, but she's gone now. I was wondering if you might have seen her."
Upon hearing that Yang Kai had come looking for someone, the young woman's delicate brows drew together and her expression shifted slightly. She immediately shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone."
As she spoke, she pulled her head back inside and shut the door.
"Wait!" Yang Kai saw this and instantly realized she must know something. There was no way he would let her retreat like that. He reached out and stopped the door with his hand.
The young woman's face changed drastically, and she cried out sharply, "What do you think you're doing? This is Maple Forest City!"
Yang Kai snorted coldly, then flashed inside the dwelling in a blur, casually closing the door behind him. His eyes fixed on the young woman with a cold, piercing gaze, and at the same time, a powerful aura erupted from his body, pressing directly toward her.
"The Dao Source Realm!" The young woman's face turned pale as she sensed the terrifying pressure of that aura, letting out an involuntary gasp. The way she looked at Yang Kai finally changed.
In Maple Forest City, most warriors were not particularly strong, and Dao Source Realm powerhouses were relatively rare—each one was a person of considerable standing, far beyond what ordinary warriors could afford to provoke.
So the moment she sensed Yang Kai's cultivation level, she panicked.
She was only at the first level of the Void King Realm—how could she possibly withstand the pressure of a Dao Source Realm powerhouse? Despite her desperate efforts to hold on, her legs went soft. She reached out and braced herself against the nearby wall to keep from collapsing.
She bit her red lip and gazed at Yang Kai pleadingly. "Young brother, we have no grudge from the past and no enmity from the present. I've never offended you in any way. Please, young brother, don't make things too difficult for me..."
"I won't make things difficult for you," Yang Kai said flatly, his expression cold. "I'm only going to ask a few questions. Answer honestly, and if you dare tell even a single lie, I'll make you wish you were dead—but you won't be able to die! You should know I have the power to do that!"
The young woman gritted her teeth and gave a slight nod.
"Good. I'm asking you—have you seen that little girl?" Yang Kai's eyes bore into her, not missing the slightest change in her expression.