A long while passed before someone finally let out an indignant shout: "That Yang Kai — he truly has no respect for anyone, daring to come to our Jiang Family and cause trouble!"
The speaker was none other than Jiang Chuhe, the standout among the younger generation.
When they had first seen Yang Kai at the Ascension Dragon Platform on the first floor of the Five-Colored Pagoda, everyone had still been nothing more than martial artists who had entered to gain experience. Who could have imagined that the next time they met, he would have transformed into an alchemy grandmaster whom even the Family Head and the various Elders could not afford to disregard?
His status had skyrocketed overnight, and the discussion just now hadn't even given him a chance to open his mouth. It left a bitter taste in his heart.
On top of that, Yang Kai had come to the Jiang Family and never once so much as glanced in his direction — clearly looking down on him.
"Exactly. And in the end, he even dared to threaten us. Absolutely despicable," another Elder who had spoken earlier said, his expression dark and grim.
Jiang Lin let out a cold snort and said flatly, "This is not the place to talk. All of you — follow me."
With that, he rose to his feet without hesitation.
The others hurried to follow.
A short while later, inside a secret chamber of the Jiang Family, everyone had gathered. Jiang Lin swept his gaze over the crowd and then asked, "Elders — the person Master Yang is looking for… she is in that place, isn't it?"
One of them sighed upon hearing the question. "At the peak of the Saint King Realm, second stage… she is most likely in that place indeed. You know as well as I do, Family Head — the people we've been rounding up recently have mostly been of that cultivation level. It's entirely possible that Master Yang's friend was taken in as well."
Another Elder rose and cupped his fists. "That little girl… I do have some recollection of her."
"Oh?" Jiang Lin looked at the Elder and said, "So she really was sent in?"
"Yes." The Elder nodded lightly. "That day, two clan disciples spotted the little girl in the city, standing all alone in one spot. She had been there for an entire month, so they concluded she had no family or connections. After a brief inquiry, they confirmed she truly had no backing or supporters in Maple Leaf City. They brought her into the Jiang Family, and I personally sent her into the mine along with the others."
He paused, then said with a slight headache, "I never imagined that the little girl actually knew Master Yang. It seems now that the person she was waiting for in the city must have been him. Had I known earlier, I would never have sent her into the mine."
"Since she is indeed in our possession — then what do we do now?" someone said with great dissatisfaction.
"Handing her over is out of the question. The minerals produced by that mine are extraordinarily rare — they represent the hope of our Jiang Family's rise. The mine's secret must never be leaked. If we bring her back, there would be no way to keep the mine hidden. Should the City Lord's Mansion find out… our Jiang Family is finished!"
"Since we can't bring her back, then the only option is…" another voice said coldly.
Every pair of eyes turned to Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin looked as though he had the worst headache in the world. After all, Yang Kai had said that if the Jiang Family could return Zhang Ruoxi safe and sound, he would refine pills for the Jiang Family for an entire month. Such an incredible opportunity — letting it slip away was agonizing.
"Family Head, you can't hesitate. That Yang Kai said he placed a restriction on the little girl — as long as she isn't too far away, he can sense her location. If he detects where she is, the mine's secret will be exposed. Compared to the mine, what does one month of pill refinement from a Void King Realm high-grade alchemist even matter? And moreover, this matter also involves the City Lord's Mansion's interests. If the Mansion finds out, there will be nowhere in Maple Leaf City for our Jiang Family to set foot!"
"Indeed, Family Head. You must not waver."
Facing everyone's urging, Jiang Lin let out a long, heavy sigh. He had clearly made his decision. Lifting his head, he looked at one of the Elders and said, "Fifth Elder, I'm leaving this matter in your hands. Make sure it is done cleanly."
The Fifth Elder cupped his fists and replied, "When I handle things, you have nothing to worry about."
"Everyone — dismissed." Jiang Lin waved his hand. "For the time being, no one is to go near the mine. Tell the people there to keep a low profile and stay vigilant — we can't let Yang Kai notice anything suspicious!"
"Yes!" The crowd responded in unison.
……
After leaving the Jiang Family, Yang Kai's face was as dark as a storm cloud.
Mo Xiaoqi said, "I have a feeling something is off about those people in the Jiang Family. Ruoxi is very likely with them."
"That's almost certainly the case." Yang Kai recalled the flicker of emotion he had noticed on one of the Jiang Family Elders' faces during their earlier conversation, and a suspicion had already formed in his mind. "But she definitely isn't inside the Jiang Family residence itself. So where exactly is she? And why are the Jiangs hiding her?"
Yang Kai truly couldn't wrap his head around it.
Just as he was lost in thought, Mo Xiaoqi suddenly clapped her hands as if something had just occurred to her. "Oh, Big Brother Yang — do you have anything that Ruoxi has used?"
"Something she's used?" Yang Kai frowned. "Why?"
"If you have something of hers, I might be able to track her whereabouts."
"Really?" Yang Kai's expression brightened.
"Mm, but it has to be something that carries her aura. Something she used regularly would be best — clothes, hair, things like that." Mo Xiaoqi tilted her head as she spoke.
"I don't have any of those on me, but…"
"But what?"
"There's one place that definitely will." Yang Kai's lips curved upward, and he waved his hand. "Come with me!"
With that, he enveloped Mo Xiaoqi in a layer of source power and shot off like a streak of lightning toward a certain direction.
The moment Yang Kai drew upon his power, Mo Xiaoqi noticed immediately. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at him. "Big Brother Yang — you've advanced to the Dao Source Realm?"
She hadn't been paying much attention to the changes in Yang Kai before, and combined with his deliberate concealment of his aura, she had never realized he had already broken through.