"Shopkeeper Kang, when did I ever offend you?" Duan Yuanshan stared at Kang Siran with a look of genuine bewilderment.
Truth be told, while he and Kang Siran had never been close, they had crossed paths many times. After all, Kang Siran was a member of the Purple Origin Trading Company and carried no small amount of clout. Even if his cultivation wasn't particularly high, he wasn't someone Duan Yuanshan could simply ignore.
But ever since Kang Siran had broken through to the Dao Source Realm, Duan Yuanshan had noticed his attitude growing increasingly dismissive — especially after word spread that Yang Kai had run into trouble, at which point it became downright hostile.
This left Duan Yuanshan both confused and secretly irked, feeling that Kang Siran had become arrogant the moment he'd gained some strength. Now, to be openly cast aside like this in front of Yang Kai — that was something Duan Yuanshan naturally could not stomach. A note of heat had already crept into his voice.
"City Lord Duan, you jest. What merit or virtue could I possibly possess that would give someone of your stature any cause to offend me?" Kang Siran said with a sour, sarcastic edge.
"You—" Duan Yuanshan's expression darkened with anger.
He was a city lord, for heaven's sake. It was one thing for Kang Siran to refuse him face, but to pepper his words with barbed mockery — no one would look kindly on that.
"Why don't both of you ease up a bit?" Yang Kai's mind turned quickly, and he immediately understood why Kang Siran had suddenly taken such a dislike to Duan Yuanshan. He smiled toward the latter and said, "Given the circumstances back then, City Lord Duan truly couldn't have done much. His decision to withdraw and preserve himself was simply the only option. The blame doesn't rest with the City Lord."
"That's more like it — Brother Yang understands the situation!" Duan Yuanshan let out a cold humph, his expression softening somewhat.
"Is that so?" Kang Siran furrowed his brow and glanced at Yang Kai, then cupped his fists toward Duan Yuanshan. "Since Brother Yang has said as much, I'll offer the City Lord my apologies. I was rash — please don't take offense, City Lord."
A flicker of surprise crossed Duan Yuanshan's face as he replied, "Brother Kang, there's no need to be so formal."
While he said the right words, inwardly he was stunned. The fact that Kang Siran's attitude had shifted so completely on the strength of a single sentence from Yang Kai — it almost seemed as though Kang Siran was taking his cue from Yang Kai entirely.
Otherwise, why would a Dao Source Realm expert hailing from the Purple Origin Trading Company feel any need to humble himself and apologize to someone like him?
These two… their relationship clearly ran deeper than mere friendship. Duan Yuanshan's suspicions churned. He truly couldn't fathom what abilities Yang Kai possessed that could make someone of the same realm so obedient.
"City Lord Duan — what about Zhuang Pan?" Yang Kai asked abruptly, his expression turning grim.
If anyone deserved to be called the root cause of the disaster, it might not be Zhuang Pan, but he certainly bore no small share of the blame. If that coward hadn't been so terrified that he'd fled first, the Black Tortoise Seven Fragment Formation wouldn't have collapsed so suddenly. Under the circumstances, everyone could have held on for a while longer.
Qin Chaoyang wouldn't have been injured. Du Lishen wouldn't have died on the spot… As for whether Yang Kai himself would have been corrupted by demonic thoughts and shrouded in demonic energy — well, that was anyone's guess.
Moreover, Yang Kai had already had friction with Zhuang Pan, and he loathed the man's cowardly, self-serving nature with a passion.
"No idea where he went," Duan Yuanshan answered darkly. "I misjudged the man. If I'd known Zhuang Pan was such a spineless coward, I would never have made him one of the formation nodes. He nearly got us all killed."
He paused, then continued, "After Zhuang Pan fled, he didn't return to Maple Forest City. With his level of cultivation, he was most likely consumed by the demonic energy. But judging by what happened afterward, he should still be alive — though no one knows where he's gone to ground."
"Don't let me find him," Kang Siran said with a cold snarl, killing intent surging like a tide. "If I do, I'll make him regret ever being born."
Duan Yuanshan shot him a peculiar look, then turned to Yang Kai. "Oh, right, Brother Yang — after that day… what exactly happened?"
At his question, Mo Xiaoqi and Kang Siran both looked over eagerly, clearly burning with curiosity.
Yang Kai smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid I don't know either. At the time, the demonic energy had already invaded me, and my Divine Sense was in chaos. All I remember is darkness. By the time I came to my senses, everything was already settled."
He had anticipated someone would ask about this, so he had his answer ready.
As he spoke, he added thoughtfully, "However, I did faintly sense several extraordinary waves of power. I wasn't sure whether it was real or just a delusion."
Duan Yuanshan picked up the thread. "Your senses weren't deceiving you, Brother Yang. That was Lord Chen Wenhao of the Heavenly Martial Holy Land, along with the experts from the other two great sects. They arrived here and apparently engaged in a fierce battle with something outside the city."
"Oh?" Yang Kai put on a look of surprise. "Where are those three lords now? Did they say anything?"
Duan Yuanshan's face flushed with embarrassment. "They didn't go to Maple Forest City. After the battle, they vanished without a trace."
As the City Lord of Maple Forest City, admitting this was rather awkward. These powerhouses had come all the way to his territory and hadn't even bothered to meet with him, much less say a word. It was plain they hadn't considered him worth acknowledging.
But as a mere second-level Dao Source Realm cultivator, he certainly didn't dare criticize those Sovereign Realm existences.
"So it was those three lords who dispelled the demonic energy?" Yang Kai said solemnly. "Their abilities truly reach the heavens. Their strength is extraordinary, and they completed their task and departed without seeking recognition. Truly admirable!"
Duan Yuanshan's expression turned earnest as well. "Maple Forest City's deliverance from this calamity was indeed made possible by those three lords. We owe them our deepest gratitude."
Even Kang Siran and Mo Xiaoqi nodded in agreement. It was clear they all believed the demonic energy had vanished solely thanks to those three Sovereign Realm experts, and had nothing to do with anyone else.